Maria's Confession: Seeking Help from Rachel

Maria sat across from Rachel at a small table in the corner of the café terrace and she explained everything that had happened with Nikolai. When she concluded she nervously asked Rachel for a cigarette. She took a long drag and exhaled a long stream of smoke. Rachel looked at her with an inquisitive smirk.

"So?" she encouraged Rachel for an opinion.

Rachel raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Have you been drinking or using any **** lately?" she asked.

Maria felt her frustration growing. "No, I'm not a junkie! And I know what I saw," she insisted. "Look maybe he wears some super realistic fake fangs or something. Maybe. In that case he's just a super weirdo. But honestly I don't think he's human, Rachel. He's a vampire."

Rachel's eyes widened in disbelief. "A vampire? Come on, Maria. That's ridiculous," she said, shaking her head.

Maria sighed. She knew how it sounded, but she couldn't just sit back and do nothing. "Please, Rachel. I need your help. I don't know what to do," she pleaded.

"Well, have you considered the fact that maybe you're just imagining things? Or maybe you're trying to cover up something else, like the fact that you cheated on Steve?"

Maria's guilt resurfaced. "I would never cheat on Steve..." "But you did, I saw you, remember?" Rachel immediately cut her.

"Look, I know how it looks like but it wasn't me. I would never cheat on Steve on my own, those weren't my voluntary actions," Maria said.

Rachel took a drag from her cigarette before responding. "Okay, fine. Let's say for a moment that you're right. What do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know. Maybe we could go to the police or something?" Maria suggested, grasping at straws.

Rachel snorted. "The police? You really think they're going to take you seriously? They'll probably just laugh at us and tell us to go home."

Maria felt her heart sink. She knew Rachel was right, but she didn't know what else to do. "Well, we have to do something," she said, feeling ****.

Rachel took another drag from her cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "Look, Maria. I'm your friend and I want to help you, but you have to be realistic. This whole thing sounds crazy. Maybe you should see a therapist or something."

Maria felt a surge of anger. "I'm not crazy! Why won't you believe me?" she exclaimed.

"Because it's hard to believe," Rachel said, calmly but firmly. "And honestly, the fact that you're asking me for a cigarette is making me even more skeptical. You only smoke when you're drinking and partying, but you're not doing either right now. Are you sure you're not just stressed out or something?"

"I don't know, maybe," she said, feeling defeated.

Rachel put out her cigarette and stood up from the table. "Look, I'll go with you to the police station if you want, but I'm not making any promises. And maybe we can talk about some other options too. But you have to be willing to consider that there might be a more rational explanation for all of this," she said, offering Maria a small smile.

Maria nodded, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. She knew Rachel was just trying to help, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was really wrong.

They walked out of the café and headed towards the police station. They told the police officer at the desk everything that had happened with Nikolai, but he just laughed and joked about them needing Van Helsing, the vampire hunter.

Maria felt embarrassed and frustrated. "Why aren't you taking this seriously?" she asked the officer.

"Look, there's no evidence of any kind of vampire attack here," the officer said, still chuckling. "Maybe you two have been watching too many horror movies. If you're really worried, maybe you should see a doctor or a therapist."

Rachel stepped in. "But what about the bite mark on her neck? That's proof, right?"

The officer leaned in for a closer look, then shrugged. "Could be a hickey or a love bite. Happens all the time. Look, I'll file a report for you, but I can't promise anything will come of it."

Maria and Rachel left the station feeling disheartened. They had hoped for some kind of help or support, but instead they were left feeling like fools. They said goodbyes and left home.