Chapter 1. Cold

    Every week, she would return to the same quiet forest, that was bathed in the same thick fog. Parking the jeep at the same tree, she would look for the same flat rock to sit on, the one that allowed her an unobstructed view of the same waterfall. Then she would wait. She would wait for it to snow. If Xiumin was feeling particularly reckless that day, he would sit beside her. Most days however, he would watch her soundlessly as he hid in the background as she took in the beauty of his snow falling gently around her. She would lift her hands to try and catch the snowflakes with her thin fingers. It was their way, of holding on to each other.    It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She was trained to kill him, not asked for his help. He was supposed to prey on her, not be her saviour. She was supposed to be afraid of him, and not be drawn closer to him. Her unpredictable nature had made him curious. It was definitely curiosity, at least that’s what Xiumin told his brothers, who were more inclined to leave this place. She didn’t ask him to stay and he didn’t promise her he would. He decided though, he would stay near, at least till the Park Siblings got their life back in order.   A month later, he sought her out at their place, where she now lived alone with her brother. It was a beautiful house, one that sat right at the edge of their town, closest to the lake and forest. It was peaceful and serene, something that he felt the siblings needed, which was why he had allowed himself to stay way. Still, he told himself, it was just good manners, to check in on them after all that happened that fateful night, after all she had told him that she would like to see him again.    When her eyes lit up with joy seeing him at their doorstep, Xiumin had to admit that there may be something more than just curiosity, that drew him to Park Kira. It was a new feeling for him, to have someone to face with fear. They took time, to know each other, although it was usually Kira who's talking while Xiumin just listened. There were a few good days, like the time they snuck into her school at night to look at the full moon from the clock tower, or the time he brought up the mountains to see a snow leopard up close. He didn't mentioned to her how pleased he felt that she no longer jumped at his cold touch.     Park Chanyeol eventually put his foot down, regarding the amount of time the two were spending together. It had unsettled him, to see Xiumin simply walking about their town, without care or concern that this particular town used to be a place whereby vampires used to avoid because of a particular family of hunters. Xiumin understood his dilemma, the boy was taught from young about the evils of vampires, how they preyed ruthlessly on human, and how to kill them in order to keep the people you cared about safe. Even if he did owe Xiumin a debt, Chanyeol had not forgotten that Xiumin could not hurt Luhan, that Xiumin had let the very vampire that killed their parents walked away. Xiumin knew what Chanyeol feared, that if there’s a day where Kira was in danger, Xiumin would take the side of his own kind. It was bound to happen at some point, now the siblings had decided to continue their parents’ legacy. And Chanyeol could not bear to lose his last family member.    “Stay away. For her sake.” The tall boy asked of him, as politely as he could manage, at the first instant he cornered the vampire alone.    And Xiumin did. Once he stopped going to her, she would no longer be able to find him. But Kira figured out that Xiumin never really left, that he was still watching her, so she would sneak out every week when her brother had his gaming sessions with his friends. She would drive through the forest where they had first met, and wait alone by the waterfalls. The sight of her lonely back view had affected him more than he thought was possible, so he would make it snow. He embraced the girl in a beautiful white blanket so that she didn’t seem so alone. And she would know he was near. On rare days, he would cave and joined her. She had never asked him why he stayed away. Kira was a smart girl, she had accepted Xiumin's decisions. But that wouldn't she would let it be, she would seek him out, she had told Xiumin, till he asked of her not to. Most of the time, she would just tell him about the small meaningless things that went on in her life, on the days when Xiumin sat with her. And every time when he stood up to leave, she would turn to him and asked the same question.    Will I see you again?    They both knew, he was dangerous for her. She should fear the cold and in return, he should fear the temptation. She was strong; she threw caution into air and held on to the belief that Xiumin would never hurt her. He was weak; he couldn’t stay away from her even after his promise, even when he knew the risks involved.    Every week, she would return to the same forest.   Which was why, when she didn’t turn up that day, he knew something was very wrong.        Suho and Sehun had asked him not to be paranoid. But he couldn’t fight that strange nagging feeling in his heart that something’s wrong. They decided to accompany him, not liking the fact that he was going alone to visit the home of a vampire hunter that didn’t like him very much. He was very grateful to have his friends' constant support, even when he hadn't been the best leader recently. Someday Xiumin wondered what did he do to deserve having these powerful vampires' loyalty, but since they had turned to him, he would be the strongest leader for them. They had gone through much together, the four... no, three of them. There was more than comradeship, it's brotherhood. They understood each other well, and now, his brothers knew Xiumin's attraction to Kira might be dangerous. Still, when Xiumin voiced his concern, they did not hesitate to follow him to seek the truth. It had turned out it was a good move, because when Chanyeol threw opened the door, he directed his trusty flamethrower straight into Xiumin’s face.    “What did you do to her?” He snarled angrily. Chanyeol's hair was in a mess and his eyes were wide with rage. Even though the boy was panicking, he focused his flamethrower sharply at the unwelcomed guests.   Xiumin’s face paled at those words, though it seemed hardly possible given his natural skin tone. “What happened?”    “She’s missing!” He growled. “Someone took her in her sleep!”    Shoving Chanyeol forcefully aside before he could react, Xiumin ran straight for Kira’s room in the second floor. The door was opened and her window glass was shattered to pieces. There were glass shards caught in the thick curtain, and scattered around the wooden floor. From the way the blankets were ripped and sprawled on the floor, and the way the furniture broke and tossed ca