114

114

Sophia’s POV

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the wall, my mind racing with everything that had happened. It was late, but I couldn’t sleep. My body felt like it was vibrating with anxiety, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw Jenny’s face—the fear, the confusion, the hurt. She didn’t want this. She never asked for it, and now her entire life had been ripped apart in the worst possible way.

A soft knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I knew it was Jenny before I even opened it. She stood there, looking small and fragile in the doorway, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

“Can I come in?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course.” I stepped aside, letting her into the room. She moved slowly, like she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. When she sat down on the bed, I joined her, the silence between us heavy.

For a long time, neither of us spoke. We didn’t have to. I could feel her pain, the weight of it pressing down on both of us. She kept her eyes down, staring at her hands as if they belonged to someone else, like she didn’t recognize herself anymore.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Jenny… I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

She flinched, and I immediately regretted saying anything. I wanted to help, to make this better, but there were no words that could fix what had been done to her.

“It’s not your fault,” she murmured, but I could hear the strain in her voice. “You didn’t do this to me.”

“No, but I feel like I should have protected you. I should have—”

“What?” She cut me off, her voice rising slightly. “How could you have protected me from this, Sophia? From being kidnapped and turned into something I never wanted to be? There’s nothing you could’ve done.”

Her words stung, but I knew she was right. Still, the guilt was heavy in my chest. I should have been there for her, should have known something was wrong. Instead, she was taken and forced into this life—a life she despised, one that had taken everything from her.

“I hate it,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I hate what I am now.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and I felt my own throat tighten in response. I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently, trying to offer whatever comfort I could. “I know, Jenny. I hate it too.”

She shook her head, biting her lip as she fought back the tears. “I don’t know how to be this. I don’t want to be this.”

“I’ll help you,” I said, my voice firm, even though I wasn’t sure how. “You’re not alone in this. We’ll figure it out together.”

She looked at me then, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “It’s not fair. I didn’t ask for any of this. I never wanted to be part of your world. I was happy being normal. And now… now I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster,” I said quickly, my heart aching at the pain in her voice. “You’re still you, Jenny. You’re still my best friend.”

“But I don’t feel like me,” she whispered, her gaze dropping again. “I feel… different. Like there’s something dark inside me now. And I’m scared.”

I swallowed hard, fighting back my own tears. I didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to make her feel better when I could barely understand my own situation. I had gone through my own transformation, but at least I had Ian. I had someone who understood what I was going through. Jenny had been thrown into this without warning, without any kind of support, and it was killing me to see her like this.

“I promise you, we’re going to figure out who did this,” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “And when we do, I swear, they’re going to pay. I’ll kill them for what they did to you.”

Jenny looked up at me, her expression a mixture of disbelief and shock. “You’d do that?”

“Absolutely.” I didn’t even hesitate. Whoever had done this to her had ruined her life, and they deserved to suffer for it. “No one gets to hurt you and get away with it.”

She smiled weakly, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I don’t know if it’ll make me feel any better, but… thank you.”

“It’ll make me feel better,” I muttered, the rage simmering just beneath the surface. “I don’t care who it is. I’ll find them, and they’ll regret ever touching you.”

She was quiet for a moment, then she sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I just don’t understand why. Why me? I’m not important. I’m just… me.”

I frowned, the question swirling in my mind as well. Why Jenny? There had to be a reason someone targeted her, but we didn’t know enough to piece it together yet.

“We’ll figure it out,” I said softly, though I didn’t have the answers. “I promise.”

She nodded, but I could see the doubt in her eyes. This wasn’t something that could be fixed overnight. This was a life-altering change, one that neither of us had prepared for. And it scared me to think that someone out there had done this on purpose, had taken my best friend and ripped away her humanity without a second thought.

“I don’t want to be a vampire,” Jenny said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to have to drink blood, or live forever, or… or any of it.”

I didn’t know what to say. I had struggled with the same thoughts when I was turned, the same fear of what I had become. But I hadn’t had a choice either. It had been forced on me, just like it was on her.

“It’s not going to be easy,” I admitted, my voice soft. “But you’re strong, Jenny. You’ve always been stronger than me. If anyone can handle this, it’s you.”

She looked at me with those wide, tear-filled eyes, and I hated how lost she seemed. “But what if I don’t want to handle it? What if I just want to go back to being normal?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. There was no going back. Once you were a vampire, that was it. There was no undoing it, no reversing the curse. All we could do was move forward and figure out how to live with it.

“I wish I could make it all go away,” I whispered, my own voice cracking. “But I can’t. I’m sorry, Jenny.”

She wiped at her eyes, her breath coming out in shaky gasps as she tried to hold herself together. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Then we’ll figure it out together,” I said, my hand still gripping hers tightly. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? You’re not alone in this.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence stretched between us, heavy with the thought of everything that had happened. I could feel the storm of emotions swirling around us—fear, anger, sadness—and it made my chest ache.

“I just want to feel like me again,” Jenny whispered, her voice so quiet I almost didn’t hear her.

I squeezed her hand, trying to offer whatever comfort I could. “You will. I promise. We’ll find a way.”

But even as I said the words, I wasn’t sure if I believed them. This life wasn’t something you could just adapt to overnight. It was a constant struggle, a never-ending battle with your own instincts and desires. And I knew, deep down, that Jenny was facing the hardest battle of her life.

But I would be there with her, every step of the way. I owed her that much.

And whoever had done this to her—whoever had taken my best friend and turned her into something she never wanted to be—I was going to find them.

And I was going to make them pay. But for now, I had to make her feel okay. I had to help her feel normal again, help her adjust even though I didn’t know exactly how I wanted to do that. I just had to do that one way or the other.

“Come here,” I murmured with a sigh, pulling her closer to me and wrapping my arms around her. “We’re going to figure this out. I’ll help you adapt, the same way you helped me.”

“I’m so sorry I’m being a burden to you,” she murmured weakly and I just shook my head.

“Of course not. No, Jenny, you’re not being a burden to me,” I assured her, patting my hair.

“Do you…do you think Jacob still loves me?” She asked quietly.

“Of course he still does,” I replied, feeling puzzled. “Why will you think he doesn’t feel that way anymore?”

“Because…” She began and then paused. “Maybe he just doesn’t.”

“He does,” I replied, assuring her. I was sure of it. “He does.”