From Apex to Abyss

As the afternoon sun slowly drifted towards the horizon, Maria stirred to life with a content smile. She sensed her connection with Rachel gained in strength during her sleep and she subconsciously influenced new twisted dreams to her corrupted mind. Finally, she was ready for the final event, faster than she anticipated.

Her gaze fell upon her phone, and to her delight, she discovered a series of messages from Rachel awaiting her. With each word, the growing corruption within Rachel became evident, even her writing style morphing into something new.

Message 1:

"Hey girl... just OMG, I woke up this morning and my mind was like, 'Damn, girl, you need Maria ASAP!' I can't shake off the thoughts of our night together. It was so hot, I can't get enough of you, babe. I'm seriously dying to see you again."

Message 2:

"Last night was freaking mind-blowing, Maria. You opened up a whole new world for me. I'm sorry I brought up Steve yesterday, babe. I don't care about all that, I want you no matter what, I want to explore every inch of your body, to kiss your pussy and to have your mouth on my pussy as I moan your name. Sorry, I know you're working but call me if you can."

Message 3:

"I'm heading out to my date soon. Honestly, this date with Ethan is kinda meh. He's some stuck up Brit, who really wants to listen to that guy. Like, seriously? Give me some dirty, wicked fun any day! But hey, I promised him and I'm gonna play it cool and see where it goes. Who knows, maybe he'll surprise me. But deep down, all I can think about is you, babe. Love you."

"I guess I love you too, babe." Maria whispered to herself.

Maria put the phone down and exhaled, pleased by her success. But as she witnessed her best friend, once a reserved and moralistic girl, embracing the darkness that the most valued and trusted person in her life deliberately exposed her to, a pang of remorse returned.

After so many years I feel like a confused teen again, unable to control my emotions. Is this really the true love I feel for her? Or is it just the desire for finishing her corruption, mixed with my old friendly love for her? Maybe, but why do I feel guilty then? God, it's confusing. With Nikolai it's simple - there are many things I feel towards him, like attraction, respect, loyalty and gratefulness, but there is no real love. Yet, I can't make my mind clear on Rachel...

Maria decided she had to stop thinking about it and picked a book from Nikolai's vast library, Bite Marks by Jenika Snow. She wondered if some of those vampire books were written by people who had real experiences with vampires... or maybe were vampires themselves?

The book was captivating but her mind kept wandering to Rachel's date, Ethan. Maybe he'll be an asset, driving her desires even further. Maybe not. But in any case, he might be useful for Rachel's transformation. She imagined Rachel and herself feeding together on some guy and the thought excited her, even her pussy dripped at the thought of it.

After a couple of hours her phone beeped a message. It was Rachel.

"Hey Maria, just got back from my date with Ethan. He's an interesting guy, you know, a bit reserved but also charming in his own way. I'm going out with him tomorrow again, I'll call you. Bye"

Maria was taken aback by her short, dry message, especially when compared to her previous texts from that day. She wrote back, asking for more details, like how the date was, what they were doing and similar, but no reply came. She tried calling her but she didn't answer. Weird. Eventually, she returned to her book but a bad feeling about her reply creeped in.

I hope she was just tired...everything will be cleared up tomorrow...I hope.

Next day, some things did indeed clear up, but not to Maria's liking. As she woke up in the afternoon she found she completely lost her connection to Rachel - she couldn't sense her presence anymore, not even in her dreams. Panic struck her, worrying she might be hurt or worse. She checked her phone, hoping for a text that would explain everything, but there was nothing.

Fuck, this is not good.

She called her, but there was no reply. At her third attempt, a signal for a busy call sounded in the middle, meaning she declined the call.

Well, at least she's still alive. Unless someone else has her phone...

Her mind was racing when a text arrived from Rachel.

"Hey, sorry but I can't talk right now. I'm with Ethan. I'll call you later."

What is this shit now? This is so unlike her...

Maria couldn't think of a plausible explanation for her sudden change. She wrote her back, asking her to call her ASAP, without trying to hide worry and concern in it.

It wasn't her plan that got her so agitated, it was mostly Rachel's well being that caused concern. Complete loss of connection with her frightened Maria.

What if something was really wrong? Her texts are short, bland and unemotional, not to mention the fact she never called me after her first date with Ethan. And who the hell is he anyway? Why did that guy suddenly show interest in her?

Maria paced around the mansion, trying to find a rational explanation and calm down, but her emotions prevailed in the end. She got in the car and drove to Rachel's apartment.

It was a rainy evening as her car stopped in front of Rachel's block. She could see no light in her apartment but she had to be sure no one was home, so she rang on her intercom. No response. She overcame the impulse to simply break into her apartment and returned to her car instead.

I hate waiting like this, if only I hadn't lost my connection to her I could still sense her presence and at least know whether she was at Ethan's or her place, or somewhere else entirely. But now...

Brooding in her car, she observed the street and pedestrians. Her growing hunger didn't help much with her mood and she thought of grabbing a random passerby to an alley and draining him. A tall and hung guy strolled in her direction, just about to pass her car. He was definitely attractive.

Mmm, he looks...tasty.

Just as she was about to step out of the car, with the corner of her eye she noticed a familiar walking pattern. On the other side of the street she saw Rachel huddling under an umbrella with some guy, probably Ethan, in a friendly chatter. Their laughter and body language showed they enjoyed each other's company greatly. As they crossed the street near Maria's car, Ethan's face stiffened and he subtly checked his surroundings. Maria sank deeper into the seat, hiding herself from his view. She heard them enter the doors and they disappeared into the apartment building.

So...she dumped me, basically. I can't believe this...

Maria remained in the car for some time, her mind lost in a whirlwind of emotions. She felt betrayed, abandoned, cheated on. It was ironic, considering her true intentions with Rachel, but the sensation was almost identical as when she found out her high school boyfriend, Trevor, was cheating on her. One part of her wanted her to run after them, to pull Rachel away from him and express her undying love for her. The other part wanted her to track down that damn Brit and rip his throat apart. But she didn't give in to her impulses and drove home instead.

As she arrived, a text from Rachel arrived, its content a final nail in the coffin:

"Hi Maria. I'm finally at home after a date with Ethan, we had a great time. I really like him and I've decided to give him a chance so it wouldn't be fair to both you and him if we continued with our relationship. I want to thank you for the amazing experience but it would be best if we remained friends, like before. I hope you understand. Love, Rachel."

Maria felt tears in her eyes as she stared at the phone screen in disbelief. In a hopeless attempt to persuade her she dialed Rachel and this time she answered.

"Hi, Maria."

"Hi."

"So I guess you've seen my text, right?"

"I did."

"Look, I wanted to call you myself but I thought it would be easier if you read it first. Maybe it sounds a little cold but I didn't want to fool with your feelings and I also don't want to complicate your relationship with Steve. If you want, our...affair can remain between us, I swear it won't come to Steve."

"Uhm...yeah, that's ok. Thanks, I guess."

"I really had a great time with you but I'm gonna try it with Ethan. He's awesome, we really clicked and we have similar interests."

"That's great but I thought we were way past mere friendship. I mean, what we did.."

"What we did was wrong, Maria," Rachel interrupted her. "That wasn't me. Real me. Also, you're with Steve and I've just found someone more...in tune with my interests."

"More in tune...are you kidding me? Ok, tell me, what's so special about this stuck-up Brit as you described him before?" Maria couldn't hide her annoyance at the turn of events.

"First, he's not stuck-up at all, he's very kind and warm, he also likes to listen. He's curious about my life, my friends. He's not judgemental but he lives by the motto 'tell me who you spend your time with and I'll tell you who you are'. That's his approach at getting to know new people, apparently. You get me?"

"Yeah, I do, actually. Super creepy vibes."

"No! Not at all, he's just a very good listener. I didn't tell him anything about us, so don't worry about that."

"Gee, thanks for denying your best friend, Rach. So, what's he like?"

"What do you mean? He's handsome, athletic, healthy,..."

"No, I mean is he good in bed. Obviously."

"Well, we didn't actually...do it."

"What?"

"We just kissed once."

"Wow...fascinating. So what have you been doing with this couple of days, besides spilling beans about your friends?"

"Don't be like that, Maria. If you want to know, Ethan is all about purity and living a wholesome lifestyle. It's a lot different from what you're used to, but I found it intriguing. But he's not bland, he definitely has a mysterious aura around him. I admit, yesterday it all seemed quite boring at first but then he gave me some detox juice that he makes himself. After taking a sip, it felt like a wave of clarity washed over me. My mind relaxed, and I found a sense of serenity. It's like he brought me back to my senses, you know? I would seriously advise you to take his detox regimen yourself. For example, I had no craving for cigarettes since yesterday."

"Uhm, what the hell did you drink, Rachel? Are you sure he didn't...put something in that swill?"

"No, they were just vegetables and some herbs. It had an opposite effect from regular drugs. And by the way, I find it funny that of all the people _you _accused him of drugging me."

"Hey, I didn't hide anything from you, if you recall. So, this is it now, huh? No more fun..."

"Getting high and fucking around isn't the only way of having fun, you know."

Maria breathed in sharply and clenched her jaws, barely managing to keep herself from bursting. She exhaled and continued calmly.

"Alright, I see you've made up your mind. But you should know I never saw our sex as fucking around. It meant something to me, just as you do, Rachel. I don't consider you merely as a friend. I love you." Maria admitted while tears began running down her cheek.

"I know, Maria. I lo...like you more than a friend as well." Rachel had trouble hiding her emotions as well. "But you and Steve have been such a great couple, and I don't want to cause trouble. On the other hand, I've always tried to live a healthier lifestyle and Ethan is perfect in that role. Just be reasonable about it and you'll see it's for the best. Now, I have to go to bed. Call me tomorrow if you need to talk. Good night."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Good night."

As she hung up, Maria broke into tears. She didn't care about her damn plan for Rachel at all, in the end she found out she really felt true love towards Rachel. Now, when she lost her, her feelings towards her finally crystallized. Oh, the irony.

I killed Steve, my biggest love. Then, I fell in love with Rachel and fucked up again. I'm a fucking mess...

Heartbreak and sorrow overcame her, overshadowing even her hunger. Although she wanted Rachel for herself, her rational side knew that Ethan was probably a better choice in the end. She wanted Rachel to be happy and if that meant leaving her alone with some other guy, well, she won't stand in the way.