A Dance in Darkness

The past couple of days had been a blur for Tessa. By day, she was a waitress at the same place she bartended, but at night—at night, she was always looking for a mysterious vampire that had captured her attention. The things she witnessed that night at Silver Moon kept playing in her head. She didn’t know the girl who died that night, but she never heard about it in the local news either, which seemed strange to her.

She came to Falls Hollow two years ago. The name intrigued her after seeing it written down on some paperwork Lucas had been working on. The name had stuck with her, and she just felt like she needed to go and explore. She took a little trip with Jax and never left.

It had been the day after Cassie had been buried, and it was the same night that she slept with Jax. She never meant for it to happen. She always knew that Jax had feelings for her, and she didn’t want to hurt him. He was her best friend, her confidant, her brother in many ways, and she deeply regretted crossing that line with him.

That day, they walked the cobblestones of the town square, visited shops, and got something to eat at the place where she now works. They were ready to call it a day and head back when she saw the for-rent sign on the window of the apartment she currently lives in.

They toured the place, and Tessa instantly fell in love. She signed a contract, handed over a year's worth of rent to the landlord, and never went back to her home with Lucas. Jax had tried to convince her to leave Falls Hollow, to work things out with Lucas, but she refused. The pain of losing Cassie while she was with him hurt too much.

She knew accidents happened—at least, that’s what the police said. "A horrible accident, Mrs. Monroe." But her intuition told her something wasn’t right, like a piece of the truth was being kept from her. That night, in her new apartment, she called Lucas to let him know she wasn’t coming home—ever.

She told Lucas she was moving on, that she didn’t love him anymore. The loss of Cassie cemented the demise of an already broken relationship. She let him know that she was grateful to have met him, that their relationship had been beautiful, and that the most precious gift he ever gave her was Cassie.

The only thing Lucas said to her that night was that she could contact Mr. Duval, the family lawyer, if she ever needed anything. He would also be informing Mr. Duval to start divorce paperwork. Then he hung up, and her heart broke all over again.

Tessa cried that night, well into the morning hours. She cried for her past self, for the life and family she lost, and for the little girl with blonde curls who would never see another day.

Jax was there for her. He rubbed her back and let her cry. Comforting touches became affectionate, and they crossed a line they couldn’t uncross. Jax was thoughtful and caring, putting her needs before his own. But after that night, they never spoke of what happened, though it changed them both.

"You alright, hon? You’ve been staring at nothing for the past 10 minutes now?"

Nancy’s voice brought Tessa back to the present.

"I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind."

She smiled politely, checked the drink tickets, and rushed to get the drinks ready. But as she scooped up some ice, she felt it again—tension. Goosebumps broke out across her skin as she scanned the bar, but she didn’t see anything unusual.

Closing time came, and Tessa grabbed her things, said goodbye to Nancy, and headed home. The crisp night air hinted at fall's approach, and she enjoyed the coolness on her skin.

As she neared her building, she saw a shadow. Her hand instinctively went to the pepper spray in her pocket as she cautiously approached. From where she stood, she could tell it was a man, but she didn’t recognize who.

She took slow steps toward her apartment, her senses heightened, when a sudden screech made her whirl around. It was just a cat, chased by laughing neighborhood kids. She let out a shaky breath, turned back toward her building, but the shadow was gone.