Anna's purpose for inviting him to her home likely had two possibilities. One, to learn about the recent situation in Mystic Falls through him, a "fellow townsman," so she could use this connection as cover when she returned later. Two, she might want to turn him into a vampire and make him her accomplice.
Breaking the seal on the old tomb wasn't easy. Anna's target was the Bennett family grimoire, which contained the spell to break the seal. The Gilbert family journal held clues to the grimoire, which was why Anna approached Jeremy, and had a turned local boy approach Bonnie, all to find that grimoire.
Only a familiar face who had lived in the town could approach Bonnie in the shortest time and smoothly find clues about the grimoire.
Shane happened to be the right age and came from Mystic Falls.
Half an hour later, Shane got out of a taxi and walked into a dilapidated old apartment building.
The stairs creaked as if they might collapse at any moment. Following the apartment numbers, Shane found Anna's door and knocked.
Bang, bang, bang!
"Just a moment."
The voice came closer, and the door opened a crack. Anna opened the door with a look of surprise. "You got here so fast? I'm making dinner. Hope you won't be disappointed."
Anna stepped aside, inviting Shane in.
The apartment was small, and the decor was a bit old-fashioned, but it was kept very clean, giving it a cozy, compact feel.
"A gift for you."
One shouldn't arrive empty-handed for the first visit, so Shane had picked one of the many unopened spare phones he'd bought earlier as a gift.
Anna took it and opened the box, stunned for a moment. "This must be quite expensive, right? Thank you."
A Motorola V3 (Razr). Full of nostalgia, a phone that defined an era. In this year, it was indeed the latest model and not cheap. Shane used the same one himself.
"Make yourself at home. I'll be ready in a minute." Anna put the phone on the table and turned back to the kitchen.
Calling it a kitchen was generous; it was just a corner of the room. Yeah, an "open-concept kitchen"!
Before long, Anna returned to the living room with plates. There was no dining table, and it wasn't formal at all—just sitting on the living room sofa. Two servings of pasta, plated with care, looked quite appetizing. Anna then turned around and grabbed a bottle of red wine.
"My place is a bit humble. Hope you don't mind." Anna smiled and sat next to Shane, gesturing for him to try her cooking.
"How is it?"
"Not bad at all. Much better than I expected. How did you do it?" Shane tasted it and gave a fair evaluation.
Anna smiled serenely. "Living alone, you just learn as you go."
"You like studying cooking?"
"I guess so. I don't have many hobbies. Most of my time is spent working. Occasionally, when I have free time, I make something I like as a reward for myself."
"Reward?"
Shane chuckled dumbly. "You shouldn't be able to digest it, right?"
Anna froze. "Wh-what do you mean?"
Shane looked at her with a silent smile.
Awkward surprise, panic, ferocity—several emotions flashed rapidly through Anna's eyes. Suddenly, her expression turned cold. The skin around her eyes darkened rapidly as if she'd applied heavy shadow makeup. She opened her mouth, sharp fangs extending, and simultaneously reached for Shane's throat.
Violence at the drop of a hat.
Smack!
Anna grabbed Shane's neck with one hand and lifted him up. Shane's feet left the ground, his face flushed red, his expression one of extreme pain.
However, there was no panic or fear in his eyes. Instead, there was a sense of satisfaction and relief, like a wish granted.
Anna stared at Shane ferociously, her grip on his neck loosening slightly. "Who are you? How do you know my identity?"
"So this is what being choked feels like. Thanks!"
???
Anna almost lost control of her strength and snapped his neck. Is this guy sick?
"Don't play games. Answer my question. Who exactly are you..."
Poof!
Before the interrogation could finish, Shane suddenly exploded.
A cloud of white smoke burst forth. Anna felt Shane vanish from her hand. She retreated rapidly to create distance, scanning left and right vigilantly, looking for any trace of him.
The room was only so big; one glance covered it all.
No one!
Shane seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth, completely gone.
Anna subconsciously went to the window and looked out. The streetlights were dim, pedestrians scarce. No suspicious targets. "Ran away? Impossible! Even if he was fast, he couldn't have escaped from right under my nose without any warning. What is this guy? Did he discover my identity by accident, or did he come for me?"
The more Anna thought, the more uneasy she felt. Steeling herself, she blurred around the room at super speed. Seconds later, she shoved her important items into a backpack and headed for the door to leave.
She opened the door—and a figure was standing outside.
It was Shane!
"When did you get out? Forget it, it doesn't matter anymore. Go back and tell Camille she'll never catch me. If... you can even make it back alive."
Anna feinted with her shoulder, then swung the backpack strap hard, throwing the bag directly at Shane. Pushing her vampire speed to the limit, she turned back into the room, slammed the door, leaped toward the window, and jumped out.
Wait... didn't your words just now sound like you were going to kill me?
Turning and running immediately—is that really okay?
Also, could you clarify before you run? Who is Camille, and what does she have to do with me???
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