a sunbeam enters through the curtains and awakes me. i open my eyes and notice i’m in my bedroom. “he’s awake,” baekhyun wakes up the sleeping chanyeol who’s leaning against him. the previous night plays through my mind. baekhyun comes closer to me, and puts a cold cloth on my forehead.

“how are you?” he asks me worried. i sit straight. “i’m good,” i answer, but i still feel ill. chanyeol runs his hand through my hair. “you’re very sick. we’ll stay here until you get better. right, baekhyun?” the small brunet agrees with his words. how lucky i am with them, i smile and fall asleep once again.

“we should call a doctor!” baekhyun kyungsoo’s cheek. he is worried about his childhood friend, especially after last night. chanyeol grabs baekhyun’s hand and leads him outside the room. “he needs to rest,” the two go downstairs and settle in front of the tv. even though chanyeol is acting nonchalantly, he is scared to death for kyungsoo. baekhyun thinks he has seen it all, but that’s a lie.

he hasn’t seen those bloody eyes and sharp fangs. it all made chanyeol shiver. he’s glad he told baekhyun to stay in the living room, until he could calm kyungsoo. kyungsoo seemed so lifeless last night. he kept howling for a junmyeon and a chinese name.

“is there something wrong?” baekhyun looks worried and kisses chanyeol’s nose. the more chanyeol looked at baekhyun, the more he loved him. “nothing,” he smiles and pulls him closer to him. seems like kyungsoo has a lot of explaining to do when he wakes up.

i recall falling asleep in the company of chanyeol and baekhyun. but the room is full now. i see yixing talking with chanyeol. “yixing?” i say relieved. i feel more at ease with him here. yixing looks shocked for a moment, but then immediately smiles.

“welcome back,” he says and sits nearer to me. his eyes observe and it seems like he sees something i don’t. “my body is behaving strangely,” i whisper. i show him the bruises on my arms, and i’m certain my face doesn’t look good either. yixing doesn’t answer, and instead looks at chanyeol. “could you give us a moment?” he politely asks, and baekhyun and chanyeol leave the bedroom.

once the two are out, yixing panics. “kyungsoo, where is your ring?” he takes my hand from under the blanket. i now see it. “this cannot be,” i run to the bathroom and open every tray. “it’s here,” i say determined.

yixing stands beside me, with his arms crossed. “you saw jongin yesterday?” he sounds disappointed and afraid at once. i ignore his words, and continue the search. but i slowly realize what happened. it can’t be, why would jongin steal the ring?

i let myself fall on the floor. “this is impossible,” i gasp under my breath and cover my face. how could he do this to me? yixing pulls me closer to him. “it would be better if you stay with us for a while,” he speaks and gives me a handkerchief. i now understands his words. a broken spell makes me a vampire. “i’m afraid,” i sniffle. how am i supposed to accept myself?

“don’t be, kyungsoo,” yixing reassures me, “you’re safe with us.” 

hours later

jongin is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. how could i believe him though the vampires warned me? my eyes follow the raindrops on the window. “we’re almost there,” yixing tells without turning his gaze from the road. i should believe him. besides, i have nothing to lose.

here i am, driving to the so-called headquarter. yixing promised it’s the most secure place for me. on a lonely road, he parks the car and steps out. “we now have to walk, can you?” he asks and i nod. i leave the car, and yixing leads me to a frightening forest.

“is junmyeon there?” i wonder and yixing nods. i somehow feel calm around junmyeon. “not only him, also four other vampires,” yixing pauses, as if he just said something wrong. “i mean three other vampires,” he quietly corrects himself. yixing then walks faster and remains silent. the crunching of the leaves under our feet echoes through the forest.

“yixing, is it still far?” i ask childish. yixing grins and points to my left. a manor house can be seen among the trees. its architecture seems so old and it looks haunted. “so, this is your house?” i question. yixing shrugs. “well, junmyeon and i technically live somewhere else.”

yixing turns the key in the door, and we enter the house. the hallway is breathtaking and illuminated by a chandelier. the art on the walls looks expensive. “kris has a fondness for art,” yixing speaks. then suddenly someone starts coughing behind us. it’s a majestic-looking young man, looking judgmentally at me. “kyungsoo, that is tao,” yixing shortly says, before bringing me to another room.

“don’t mind tao,” he whispers and takes place on the couch. the atmosphere in the house is awfully quiet. “i need to tell you something,” yixing says and he seems on the edge of tears. “you don’t have to,” i tell him. a helpless tear escapes from his eye, that he immediately wipes away. “he’s the one the hunters killed,” he sighs and i his back comforting. “i’m sorry,” i whisper, feeling guilty about trusting jongin. the hunters really are dangerous.

how wicked it is, the worst are the most beautiful.