“Dante, wake up!”
In response she only heard some mumbling.
“Dante! I think I found a clue to the riddle!” she said again, closer to his face.
He didn't move, only a small sleepy gasp left his mouth. She wasn't sure if he'd just ignored her or slept thatsoundly. Perhaps it was impossible to wake up vampires in the middle of the day but she didn't care, it was too important.
“Dante!” This time she pulled the blanket off him and shook him by the leg.
The irritated male breath entered the air.
“What do you want from me?” he drawled tiredly, casting her an annoyed side-look.
“Have you ever heard of the Lake of Hope?” she asked but didn't receive a response as he had already closed his eyes, succumbing to the kingdom of dreams. “Wake up! I have important information about our business!”
In a quick moment he finally sat up, forcing his eyes open. He looked exhausted. If not his sleepy sight indicated this then his messy hair and disheveled shirt. She didn't notice it until now but his bed and room also looked quite chaotic.
“When did you go to bed?” She looked around, taking in the open books and papers on the floor.
“If you have nothing important to say, I am going to bed,” he mumbled as his body started to lean to the bed sheets again.
“No, no. You're such a baby!” She pulled him by the arm. “It's about the riddle.”
“Why didn't you say so right away?” He finally seemed to listen to her and straightened up, trying to open his eyes wide enough and focus.
It made her sigh as she took a step to sit on the edge of the bed.
“So, I was in town and I heard about the Lake of Hope, which was actually called the Lake of Despair some time ago, which got me thinking–” She looked at Dante, only to find that his eyelids were almost shut again. “Are you even listening to me?”
He didn't answer.
“Dante?” No answer. “Dante!”
He blinked twice.
“Sorry, I got distracted,” he let out.
“I'm saying that perhaps the Lake of Despair is from the riddle. It's in a strange forest everyone is afraid to go to, which I think is a clue to the 'darkness' in the riddle.”
“I know,” Dante said simply.
“I’m not sure, it's just a gue–” She fell silent for a second. Her lashes flapped. “You know?”
“Yes,” he yawned, rubbing his eyes, “I figured it out some time ago when I was looking through the books. By the way, we're going when the sun goes down.” With the last words he lay back on the bed, his eyelids half closed as his forearm landed on his forehead.
Violette's lips parted. “Why didn't you tell me?”
“You were sleeping and I actually wanted to sleep as well. By the way, you interrupted a pretty dream of mine. By that, if you are not thinking about joining me then leave and let me sleep,” he drawled, rolling over.
“I'drather leave.”
He wasn't listening to her as his eyes had already closed and his mind left this reality, trading it with the desired dreams. Violette pouted, leaving him alone. Maybe, after all, she could take a little nap. She didn't know how intensive their adventure would be this evening; she could expect anything with the situation she was in, so it was rational to take care of herself.
A few hours flew by and Violette opened her eyes again. Her gaze fixed on the pink-red sky beyond the window. The sun was setting. One blink. A blink again. It was time to get ready and find something to eat before they departed for another trip. She stretched as lazily as the last rays of the sun traveling around her room.
Flipping the blanket, she quickly dressed and was already standing at the threshold to the corridor. Dim lamps illuminated its dark green wallpaper and the wooden doors leading into other rooms. Violette took a step with the decision to find a kitchen. The door behind her shut quietly. She passed three doors as one swung open right before her nose, making her pull back.
Dante's silhouette appeared in front of her.
