102

Sophia’s POV

As I pushed open the door to my apartment, the familiar scent of home hit me instantly—Jenny’s fruity candles, the faint scent of her perfume lingering in the air, and the textbooks scattered around the living room table. Our school exams was almost here so we had pulled an all nighter. After a long day of lectures, all I wanted to do was sink into the couch and let my brain rest. But as soon as I stepped in, I noticed something unusual.

“Dad?” I blinked, my heart skipping a beat as I saw my father sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through a magazine. He looked up with a smile, his familiar face warm and comforting, but I could feel the anxiety bubbling in my chest.

“Sophia!” he said, getting up from the chair to give me a hug. His arms wrapped around me, and for a second, I relaxed, leaning into the embrace. But then, the reminder of who I was now—the secrets I had to keep—crept in, making it hard to fully enjoy the moment.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, pulling back and giving him a curious look. It wasn’t like him to drop by unannounced, especially in the middle of the week.

“Thought I’d surprise my little girl,” he said, ruffling my hair like he used to when I was a kid. “I had some business in town and figured I’d stop by to check on you and Jenny. How’s school going?”

I forced a smile, trying to act normal. “Oh, you know, same old, same old. Lots of reading, lots of lectures. Jenny’s at the library right now, but she should be back soon.”

My dad nodded, his eyes scanning the apartment. It wasn’t like I had anything to hide, but there was this constant fear now—this feeling that somehow he’d notice something was different. I wasn’t the human girl he used to know anymore. I was… something else.

“How’s Mom?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from myself.

“She’s good, busy with your siblings as always,” he said with a chuckle. “She misses you, though. We both do. You should come home for the weekend sometime. The twins have been asking about you too. Simon swears he’s taller than you now.”

I laughed, picturing my younger brother standing on his tiptoes to try and prove he was taller than me. “Oh, really? I’ll have to come home and challenge him, then.”

“You better,” my dad said with a grin, leaning back in his chair. He glanced around the room again, his gaze landing on a picture of Jenny and me that was stuck to the fridge. “It’s been a while since we’ve had the whole family together. We should plan something soon.”

I nodded, swallowing down the lump that was forming in my throat. Family. I missed them more than anything, but how could I go home and act like everything was normal? They’d notice. They’d notice the little things—how I eat more than I used to, how I wasn’t the same.

“Yeah,” I said, my voice a little quieter. “That sounds nice.”

My dad raised an eyebrow, studying me for a moment. “You okay, kiddo? You seem… off.”

Crap. I forced another smile, trying to hide the panic that was building inside me. “I’m fine, just tired. It’s been a long day.”

He didn’t seem fully convinced, but he let it go, thank God. “Well, maybe I can cheer you up. How about we order in? Pizza? Chinese? Whatever you want.”

“Pizza sounds good,” I said quickly, relieved at the change in topic. “You always know how to make things better, Dad.”

“Of course I do,” he said, standing up and pulling out his phone. “I’m your dad, it’s in the job description.”

I sat down on the couch, trying to relax as he ordered the pizza. But the entire time, my mind was racing. Every move I made felt calculated—every word, every glance, trying to keep up the illusion that nothing had changed. That I was still his little girl, the one who used to call him for advice about school and life.

“So, any cute guys in your life?” he asked with a smirk as he hung up the phone, sinking down next to me on the couch. I stiffened, the question catching me off guard.

“Uh…” I stammered, my mind immediately going to Ian. But there was no way I could tell my dad about him. I mean, how do you even begin to explain that you’re dating your vampire professor who also happens to be the king of all vampires?

“There’s someone, isn’t there?” my dad teased, nudging me playfully. “I can tell. Come on, spill.”

I laughed awkwardly, trying to deflect. “It’s nothing serious, Dad. Just… someone from school.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Someone from school? That’s all you’re giving me?”

I shrugged, forcing a nonchalant tone. “Yeah. I mean, we’re just getting to know each other. Nothing to get worked up about.”

“Well, just so you know,” he said, giving me a knowing look, “any guy who wants to date my daughter has to go through me first.”

I smiled, even though the thought of Ian and my dad in the same room was enough to make my head spin. “Got it, Dad. I’ll make sure to warn him.”

The conversation drifted to lighter topics after that—how Simon and Sarah were doing in school, the latest drama with his coworkers, and the upcoming family reunion that my mom was planning. I laughed along, chiming in when I could, but all the while, I couldn’t shake the feeling of how different everything was. How different I was.

When the pizza finally arrived, we sat at the kitchen table, and I watched as my dad piled his plate high with slices. He glanced at my plate—empty—and frowned.

“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, taking a bite of his pizza.

“Oh, I already ate earlier,” I lied, hoping my voice sounded casual enough. “I’m still full from lunch.”

He nodded, thankfully accepting my excuse. But as he continued to eat, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. This wasn’t me. This wasn’t the girl my dad had raised. I used to love pizza nights with him, used to stuff my face with way too much food and then complain about being too full afterward. Now, I couldn’t even pretend.

“How’s Jenny doing?” my dad asked between bites. “I didn’t get to see her today.”

“She’s good,” I said quickly, glad that the conversation have shifted away from me once again. “She’s been busy with school, same as me. But we’re both surviving.”

He chuckled. “That’s my girl. You always were tough, Sophia.”

I smiled, though the words stung a little. I wasn’t sure how tough I felt anymore. Not with everything that had happened. Not with the secrets I was keeping. But I didn’t want to worry him. I didn’t want him to know how messy my life had become.

“Hey, do you remember that camping trip we took when you were little?” my dad asked suddenly, a nostalgic smile spreading across his face. “The one where you insisted on pitching the tent yourself, even though you had no idea what you were doing?”

I laughed, the memory rushing back. “I remember! It took me, like, two hours, and it still collapsed in the middle of the night.”

He grinned, shaking his head. “You were so stubborn. You didn’t want any help, even when the tent started falling apart. I had to sneak in and fix it while you were asleep.”

“Sounds about right,” I said, smiling fondly. “I just wanted to prove I could do things on my own.”

“And you always did,” he said, his voice softening. “You’ve grown up so much, Soph. I’m proud of you.”

I swallowed hard, blinking back the sudden rush of emotion. “Thanks, Dad.”

He reached across the table, squeezing my hand. “No matter what happens, you’re still my little girl. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t,” I whispered, even though part of me wondered if that was still true. Could I still be his little girl when I was no longer human? When I was living in a world he couldn’t even begin to understand?

“Your mother misses you,” he said at last. “You haven’t been back home in months, we’re starting to think you enjoy being here more than being at home.”

I felt a pang of guilt in my chest at that. It wasn’t true. But still…I couldn’t begin to explain everything going wrong in my life so I just forced a smile once again. “You know that’s not true. Dad.”

We sat there for a while longer, talking and laughing like we always had. And for a brief moment, it felt like everything was normal. Like nothing had changed. But deep down, I knew the truth. Things were different now. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t go back to being the girl my father thought I was.