BLOODY LOVE'S
Chapter 3

“That's terrible, why can?” Maria asked by phone. Her voice was slightly muffled, perhaps the girl was talking with her hands cupped to the phone. “You said his blood was gone? There are no wounds? You serious?”

“I'm serious, Mary,” Jose whispered. He was in his room, already wearing a neat suit for the party. “While last night saw him, he was still fine. Didn't answer when I called, but I saw he was fine.”

“In your house there are many police, dong?”

“There are detectives coming, paramedics and such. They've been pretty busy since eleven o'clock. My family wants everything to remain a secret first. We don't want to make a fuss at a gripping time like this.”

“You mean, this may have something to do with the loss of the people at Bjork?“

“Entai, no one knows.”

“And your family decided this was supposed to be a secret, but you instead told me?”

Jose did not answer. For a few minutes, I heard the phone. Then the man said quietly, “I'll pick you up now.”

***

“You really just went there with Jose, didn't you, honey?”

Maria nodded for the sixty times that afternoon. He was ready, dressed up, just waiting for Jose to come. His mother accompanied waiting in the living room, the woman's face filled with anxiety. The dark atmosphere of Bjork makes many parents so protective of their children. The Garnet Family.

Had it not been for her companion tonight to be Jose, Winona would have told her daughter to choose between going to a party or seeing her mother hang herself. Winona, wife of Marquis Garnet, was frail and often sickly.

Marquis Garnet only wanted his wife to breathe sea air, then return to Garnet when she was healthy. Winona's condition worsened. Fearing that his wife would not make the long journey to Garnet, Marquis Garnet made a second residence in peerless Bjork.

The Argent family who were the temporary mayors of the city were old friends of the Garnet family, so Marquis Garnet was quite calm.

Winona is friends with Renata, Jose's mother. The two repeatedly asked Maria to consider Jose as her fiance, but Maria always had reason to avoid. All the reasons are mostly true. Jose wasn't responsible enough. The twenty-three-year-old would rather mess around than talk seriously. As a friend it must be fun, but not for a life partner. Mary wanted a man who could be more reliable, more capable of being the hanger of her life.

The man who, Mary thought, was like Sir William.

He met the man on the street. No, not running around either. He just saw it through. The blond, blue-eyed man, his voice friendly and sweet, uttered his greetings and raised his hat at everyone who happened to look him in the eye. Upon seeing her eyes, Maria felt like they had met for a long time, already destined to be together. His heart was pounding more and his breathing even stopped for a few seconds. He's never felt this before.

Maria had just started her daydreams about the beginning of the introduction with the polite blonde-haired man when a waiter interrupted, saying that Jose's car had arrived.

Half-running, Maria walks to greet him on the foyer. The man's black hair was neatly combed back and the look on his face was very polite—the kind of expression that is only shown if not being alone with Maria.

“Marchioness, long time no see you,” Jose kissed the ring on Mrs Garnet's finger politely, then waited to be welcome to raise your face.

“Do not hesitate so, Jose. You're like my own son.” Mrs Garnet said happily.

Fearing the topic of engagement again, Maria immediately grabbed the conversation and dragged Jose away, not caring for the unhappy wrinkle on her mother's delicate forehead.

“You don't need to be that harsh on her, do you?” jose asked when they were in the car. “Your mother just tried to be friendly.”

“Am I that rude?” Maria asked in surprise. “I didn't think time dragged you away. I just ... well, want us to leave home immediately.”

“Yah, passable.” Jose nodded playfully at him when changing gears. Although he had a private driver, he preferred to drive his own Tin Lizzie. The most recent output can run up to forty kilos per hour. “On your mother I mean, not me. Sometimes we don't feel how rude we are to others. We think everything is common and it is natural.”

Jose shakes. “I'm reminded of Higgins.”

“Ah, how is the case progressing?”

“Not the case, I mean I.” Jose suddenly turned grim. “I don't think I treated him well. I consider our relationship to be just superior and subordinate. In retrospect, have I ever treated her well? Am I being too much of him? What does he think of me?”

“You treated her well,” entertain Maria. “You didn't wake him so he could rest.”

“That's the problem. What if I should wake him up? What if he could survive waking up?”

“Jose, you blame yourself.”

“Half is my responsibility.”

“No, it's not you who sucked his blood.” Maria tried to joke around, but her friend was now in such a bad mood that not even a smile could.

“She is under my protection.”

“Under your parents' protection.”

“That night I felt something strange!” Jose turned his head, the calm and courteous face that was in front of Madam Garnet was gone and replaced with a desperate expression of a young man. “The noisy horses are half dead until I can't sleep! Higgins steward of horses! The animals coded for me, trying to get my attention to help Higgins. But what am I doing? There aren't. I didn't realize it. He sleeps in his cabin, I see him through the window, he sleeps on the table. But I didn't wake him. What am I doing?”

“You don't know what's going to happen, Jose.”

“The window is open but I don't consider it a big thing!” They turned to a higher area, right in the direction of the old governor's castle. “I just peeked at it at a glance and went back to sleep! Didn't I kill him too? I also have a share because I don't care.”

“Jose, I think you're screwed.”

“No, I just realized that maybe this is what happened in Bjork too! It wasn't something mysterious that took those people away. Nothing but indifference to all of us. Comfortable feeling that makes us underestimate the small things!”

“Jose, what's wrong with you?” Maria glares. “We're going to the party and you're moping?”

Jose turned the wheel, instead looking at Maria in annoyance. “And what's wrong with you!? There's a dead man but you don't feel anything? You always have been this way!"

“You mean I don't have empathy?”

“Wow, it wasn't me who said it. You drew that conclusion yourself.”

“Enough! It's starting to suck!” Maria turned her face away. Both eyes glazed.

Jose took a slow breath, then said gently, “I'm sorry, Mary. Don't mean to be the one who sucks for you. I just feel ... restless, I guess.”

“I know." Maria rubbed the corner of the eye carefully, preventing the makeup from being damaged. “I'm sorry too.”

Jose patted Maria's back. The car runs smoothly through a giant iron gate that protects their destination castle. Jose gulped, suddenly felt his hair goosebumps. But the feeling was held strong.

***