Page 6 of Hunger & Harmony

“Why would I be?”

Her jaw nearly hits the table.

“Hello? They’re vampires? Niklaus is a king?”

“And? You don’t seem scared of Ezren,” I say, to which she shakes her head.

“That’s different. Ez loves joking around, and he’s definitely not pureblood royalty.”

I flop my phone onto the table before burying my face in my hands.

“What does that even mean?”

I’m not trying to whine like a baby. An early morning, a ten-hour road trip with Viola, and the non-stop pace since I’ve arrived are all not helping.

Before she can reply, I continue.

“Vampires get blood supplied from willing donors, right? I’ve heard it’s a system that benefits both. Vampires are up all night, which is different, but that doesn’t hurt anyone. What’s there to be scared of?”

It takes a solid ten seconds of her staring at me for her to speak.

“You’re funny.”

I tilt my head.

“How—”

A phone rings. I glance down to confirm it isn’t mine. Lorelai pulls hers out before she stands.

“I need to take this.” She points at me. “Don’t wander off. I won’t be more than fifteen minutes.”

My eyes widen, but it’s too late to say anything when she’s closing the door behind her.

Stunned into silence, I stare out the window in disbelief. Fifteen minutes? There’s nowhere I could even nap for that time! Just stiff chairs and a long, cold table.

It’s not like me to be grumpy. Lorelai is just doing her job. I have to do mine.

If only I could’ve joined Viola. After dropping me off, she drove another hour southwest. I’m pretty sure the company she’s training under is located right on the beach.

Standing up, I wander to the windows. I can’t see it well, but there’s a sliver of ocean in the distance. Staring at it helps me feel closer to her.

My back pocket buzzes. Oh right. I’ve spent so much time on the work phone that I forgot my personal one. Eager to see if Viola contacted me, I pull it out to check.

Dozens of texts, six missed calls, and five voicemails stare back at me. Not a single one from her. A sigh bubbles up, and for once, I let it out.

I try not to scorn my parents. Everything they do is because they love me, right? It stings that they trust a literal music major over their own daughter, though.

Sure, they’ve never known that detail about Viola, but they’ve been able to sniff out every other connection I have to music.

Posters of the hottest heartthrobs, albums from various pop artists, and every single pair of earbuds I’ve owned have all gone in the trash. I’ve never even been allowed to have a MeTube account! Yet somehow, right when I was supposed to be studying audits and financial accounting, they couldn't sense Viola sneaking me into her university performances and parties.

While I won’t ignore them forever, at least twenty-four hours of silence would be nice.

“Ugh . . .” I groan when my phone starts buzzing.

My frown immediately flips when Viola’s name flashes on the screen instead of my mom’s.

“Lala!” I practically screech into the phone.