I wake up from someone tugging at my covers. I resist by pulling it over my head and hold it tight. It was so hard falling asleep last night as I constantly thought about Daehyun. Well, it's more like I was worried that he would enter my room despite Zelo’s reassurance that he wouldn't. Not only that, but I wondered why Daehyun was so interested in the outside world.

  “Youngjae, get up,” I hear Zelo from beside me as he yanks the covers off of me.

  I groan and roll over. “Five more minutes.”

  “You said that the last time.”

  I did?

  “Young Master isn't here right now because he has matters to attend to, but that doesn't mean you can laze around. He told me specifically to show you around the mansion. First, let’s get you dressed and eat.” He jabs a finger at my back and doesn't stop.

  I can't take it anymore and shoot up from my bed. “Alright. Alright. I'll get ready.” I swing my legs to the edge of the bed, purposefully slapping Zelo with my foot, and head over to the dresser. I throw on similar clothes as last night. This time I didn’t hear anything from Zelo about the other scars on my body. I’m relieved because some of these scars I don’t want to be reminded of.

  This time, since my curtains are pulled back, I take in the view. In the backyard, there is a large patio with another fountain in the middle. On one side of the fountain, there is a sitting wall with a fire pit in the middle. Beyond the patio is large patches of land that stretches for a mile until trees barricade the area.

  I fix my collar. “I’m ready.”

  As we near the kitchen, I can smell the all too familiar scent of pancakes filling my nostrils. I take in a deep sniff and am reminded of my life before the Dome. “It smells great.”

  “Wait until you taste it. Our chef likes making things from scratch, so he adds a bit of his own flavor to it if he has the ingredients.” Zelo pushes the kitchen door open where I find a guy not that much older than I standing next to the stove and flipping pancakes.

  “Hey, L,” Zelo greets and walks toward a short table in the middle of the kitchen where a few plates are set. Some plates are left with crumbs while some are sparkly clean. There’s a tray of pancakes stack on top of each other, a jar of syrup, and blocks of butter. Zelo grabs a plate and puts two pancakes on it before drizzling the sweet syrup all over his food.

  “This is why I try to reduce the amount of sugar I put on sweet things. You might get diabetes if you keep this up,” L warns. He spots me and motions me to sit down. “Go eat. A few others already ate, but I’m making more if anyone wants seconds.”

  “Thank you.” I stare at the table. Is this really what it’s like living as Jung Daehyun’s subordinate? Everyone here seems to be fed well and there’s a relaxing atmosphere every time I’m with one of his servants. I set my plate. While spreading the butter, a question pops in my mind, “Why are you called L?”

  Zelo snorts as if remembering a funny incident.

  L stiffens a bit before replying, “I think he got lazy and chose a random letter from the alphabet. If anything, I would have prefered Zelo over L.”

  “Agreed.” I wonder how many other ridiculous names Daehyun chose for his other servants. I think I remember one of them being called Lay, like the chip brand. (Not sponsored by) He definitely has interesting choice in nicknames. I spread the syrup and ask, “So Daehyun doesn’t always go to his office, does he?”

  Zelo stuffs the last piece of his pancake in one gulp and grabs another. “He only goes there whenever his father needs him to check on the reports. Most of the time, he stays here in his library.”

  “Library? He has a library?”

  L shoots Zelo a warning glare and answers, “Yes, but we are not allowed in there unless he allows us because he is very meticulous with his books. Also, he likes it quiet when he reads.”

  “I see.” I bet his library is huge considering the size of this house. Maybe, just maybe, he will allow me to go in there. “Do you know what kind of books he reads?”

  Zelo chews slowly and glances at L as if asking for permission to speak. When he receives a slight nod, he says, “Most of the time I see him reading picture books of the outside world about the sea, the sky, and the land. Basically, anything that deals with nature.”

  That makes sense then. The reason why Daehyun keeps asking me about my life outside the Dome is because he’s curious about the human world. Sometimes I wonder if the ones truly suffering are the humans who are temporarily here or the vampires who are imprisoned here. But then those thoughts go away every time I see a vampire having a slave or Doll by their side.

  “It must be terrible only experiencing things through a book. I can guarantee you that the air here is nothing like the air outside. Here, it reeks so much of blood,” I state while taking a piece of my pancake in my mouth.

  “Yeah, I definitely miss the fresh air,” L says, longingly. “I’m curious, what brought you here in the Dome?”

  This question is constantly asked to me by Jongup, but even he doesn’t know the answer. I can never bring myself to tell anyone. Deep down inside, I know once I tell someone, something in me will break and my emotions go flying, so every time someone asks me that question, I answer, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  L doesn’t persist.

  Zelo stares at me for a moment before swallowing. “I’m here because one of my friends dared me to run around the park, yelling ‘The world is going to end!’”

  “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “Well, here’s the thing. I did it .”

  I don’t know if I should laugh or be shocked or be utterly confused. Seeing the Zelo now doesn’t seem like he would be the type to do that. “Why did you even accept the dare? Is it because of pride? And how long have to you been here? I don’t think you would be staying here for so long just because of that.”

  “Well, I lost a bet, and yes my pride was on the line. I just didn’t think about how my pride would drop as I run around .” He shivers at the memory. “Actually, let’s not talk about this. It’s been nearly half a year, and I only need to be here for another three months and I’ll be free.”

  I turn to L. “What about you?”

  L doesn’t hesitate. “I killed someone.”

  There’s a long silence as I sit still with my eyes wide open.

  He cracks a smile. “I didn’t kill someone, but since you didn’t share your secret, then I won’t share mine.”

  “Fair enough.” I finish my meal and place my plate in the sink. I’m about to wash it, but L tells me he will take care of it. “Thank you for the meal, and thank you for last night’s meal. It was delicious,” I tell him.

  “I’m glad you liked it.”

  Zelo stands and takes his and the other dirty plates to the sink. Ignoring L’s request, he begins washing the rest of the dishes. Despite being in a world filled with vampires, here, it feels just like home.

  When Zelo finally finishes the dishes, he takes me outside to the patio where he sits around the firepit. He heaves a sigh of relief and drops his head back. “I really don’t know what to do tonight.”

  I sit near him. “What do you usually do?”

  “I’m usually with the Young Master, but I’m supposed to show you around. The main problem is, he also gave me a list of places where I can’t take you. It really defeats the purpose of a tour because all that’s left is the ballroom and the bedrooms. The ballroom is nothing but that. It’s an empty room, used only for parties. And you already know what the bedrooms look like.” He swings his long legs in boredom.

  “Then, I guess you can tell me more about your master.”

  He fiddles with his fingers absentmindedly. “What would you like to know?”

  “Uhm. Is he really as kind as everyone makes him out to be?”

  “Yeah. I don’t know why he doesn’t show it to you, but I think it’s because he doesn’t know how to handle someone like you.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You’re the first to be able to resist his pheromones. I mean, who wouldn’t be shocked by that when throughout your whole life, you’re able to control someone by showing your power. Even I’m surprised that you’re able to resist him. Could you actually be part vampire?” I know he means it jokingly, but underneath that, he’s being serious about it.

  I lightly punch him on the shoulder. “I’m not. I am a 100% human. I was born and raised by two humans and lived a human life. Also, blood is definitely not on my list of preferred food.”

  “Do you ever wonder if a vampire and human could have an offspring?”

  Swinging my body over, I lie on top of the wall, hand behind my back. “Its extremely rare, but there are some cases.”

  He scoots closer to me and leans over my legs. “Have you met one before?”

  I avoid his gaze. “Why are you so interested in them?”

  “I just wonder if they're more human than vampire.” He brushes a stray hair from his face and raises his eyes to the Sky. “Sometimes I hear Young Master crying by himself after he visits his father. I don't know why because he never tells me, but I can tell whatever he does behind those closed doors hurt him.”

  “You really care for him, don't you?”

  He doesn't look away from the Sky. “Yes. I was like you before. I hated vampires because we were all taught to hate them for butchering our people long ago, but when Young Master took me in, my attitude towards them changed. There are some who wish to live among the humans in peace. It's just hard since they crave human blood more than any other. I believe the system we have going on here is effective with a few flaws, but everything always have room for improvement.”

  Time stands still and I watch the same Sky as Zelo. “I really miss the stars. The real stars. Not the Stars we see here that are just tiny light bulbs on the ceiling. I miss finding the constellations and boast about it when no one knew what I was pointing at.” I wonder if Daehyun thinks the same thing. “Did Daehyun live here all his life?”

  “I assume so since he's so curious. Vampires lived here for a thousand years and I doubt he's more than a thousand years old.”

  “I guess.” Then another thought crosses my mind. “The song you sang him two nights ago, where did you learn it?”

  He didn't even have to think long to give me a reply. “There was a servant who knew him when he was younger and she would sing that song to him every time he has those attacks. Since she only had to stay here for five years, she passed down the song to every person who took care of him until it was finally passed down to me.” He scoffs. “I'm not even a singer, yet it still soothes the Young Master. Why don't I teach you?”

  “Well…”

  “It's not that long, so you'll learn it in no time. And even if you can't sing, look at me.”

  “I'll give it a try.” I sit up and listen to Zelo sing once more. It's out of tune but I can guess what notes he's trying to sing. And sure enough, it didn't take me that long to learn it.

  “Alright. Sing it all the way through.”

  I hesitate. It's been awhile since I last sung a full song. Closing my eyes, I replay the song in my head and imagine music playing in the background. When I'm fully immerse in my own thoughts, I sing the short song, changing the notes a bit here and there. As I finish, I see Zelo’s mouth dropping and I'm hit with embarrassment. “What?”

  He claps his hands and has a goofy smile. “That was amazing! I think you should be singing to him from now on. Yeah, you definitely should take my place because I can't sing.”

  “There's no way I am going to sing for him! I'm already living here and doing what he says. Isn't that enough?” Let's not add one more hindrance in my life.

  “When I’m gone, you will have to be the one who will take care of him, so it’s only appropriate for you to start singing this now. Also, he doesn’t have these attacks often. Youngjae! Where are you going?”

  “Inside!” I’m only a few steps from him and not surprisingly, he jumps up on his feet and catches up to me while grabbing onto my sleeve. I didn’t realize how close he was to me until I look up at him. Pulling away, I yell, “You freaking giant! If you didn’t have such long legs, you wouldn’t have caught up to me so easily!”

  “Why are you so irritated?”

  “I-” I actually don’t know. Him being so close to me did throw me off except I didn’t need to react that way. “I just got caught off guard, that's all. Anyways, I'll have to think about it, okay? I don't know if I want to sing in front of him every time something happens.”

  Zelo pouts. “You're always thinking so thoroughly about things. Why can't you accept it immediately? It's not like Young Master will scold you for singing to him because, in fact, you're a better singer than I am. He will truly appreciate that.”

   For me, pride is on the line. I already lost part of it by giving in to Jung Daehyun and live with him to be his… whatever he wants me to be. There's just moments where I want to do something by choice, not by what others tell me to do. Maybe if I do it instinctively, I will feel less annoyed by myself. After all, I don't want to lose to Jung Daehyun when he finds out I'm singing for him. Then a thought crosses my mind and my heart sinks. Now I remember why I don't want to sing; it's because it brings back memories I don't want to remember. “I just don't want to.”

  It's clear that Zelo doesn't buy it, but he doesn't persist and follows me inside. “I don't have anything else to show you, but you may help me tidy up the place while Young Master is gone. I believe he will be coming home early so he can talk to you again.”

  “Okay.” At least I have something to do while I'm here. I wonder how Jongup is doing now that I'm gone. Is he getting along with his new neighbor? Does his neighbor help him when he's in need? Does he miss me?

  As we finish the daily chores, I meet more of Daehyun’s servants. Apparently some rotate in and out of the house while they work at other jobs, and most live in their own home rather than here. It makes me wonder why he doesn't do that to me. However, Zelo has the same case. He lives here and works here everyday.

  I'm dusting the frame of the family portrait in the foyer when Daehyun arrives from work. The contrast between Little Daehyun and the Daehyun now is small as I see him from up above. It's clear that he's been troubled as there's wrinkles between his eyebrows and his lips are turned to a frown.

  “Welcome home, Young Master,” Zelo greets with a bow.

  All at once, his eyes sparkle and the frown changes to a smile. “I'm home.” He looks up and our eyes meet. “Did you sleep well in your chambers? I wanted to wake you up so we could dine together before I left, but you were sleeping like a baby.”

  I blush. Does that mean he went in my room while I was asleep? “Uh, yeah. Zelo had to wake me up in the end.”

  He climbs up the stairs, and I start to panic. I'm not ready to face him after hearing all things about him from Zelo. Just truly what is Jung Daehyun like when no one is looking. Dusting the frame, I feel his presence coming closer and the peppermint scent becomes strong. His gloved hand grabs my own that has the duster. “You know you don't have to worry about cleaning. I have others who are responsible for that because I need to keep you fresh and healthy.”

  I pull away and glare. “Fresh and healthy? You make me sound like a produce for sale.”

  This throws him off a little as his wide eyes stare at me without a word. Again, his expression changes to amusement and he laughs. “You really are different from all the humans I've ever met. It's quite amusing. And I apologize for offending you. I think- I think I'm a bit hungry. Zelo! Have L prepare dinner. I will change and I would like Youngjae to join me.” He gives me a wink before striding to his room.

  I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I take a deep breath of air. Turning to Zelo, I give him a look. “Can you believe what he just said?” I exclaim, incredulously, “Every time I feel like I start understanding him. He does something like this! Ugh!” I throw my hands up in the air and make my way to my own room, grumbling to myself, “This guy continues to mess with my emotions.”

  I enter the dining room and see the same setup as last night. Jung Daehyun has a glass of blood in his hands as there are plates, bowls, and silverware for me. As I sit down next to him, my eyes can't help but look at the glass of blood. He must have a whole stock of it in the back, considering his family owns the blood bank in this area.

  He seems to notice my gaze and chuckles. “This is actually not human blood, but animal blood.”

  “What?”

  He swirls the thick liquid and freezes as if in deep thought. Placing the glass down, he his lips and mutters, “It’s not the tastiest, but it’ll do.” Without a wait, he changes the subject, “Well, tonight we will have soup as an appetizer and steak as the main dish.”

  “Where do you even get the meat?”

  “The humans from the outside world imports these things for you humans. However, to keep them in line, we try to limit it to a selected few. You haven't been here long enough to realize that we choose random humans everyday to have one meal like this. You're lucky to have this everyday.”

  “What about everyone else here? What about Zelo?” It's unfair that I'm eating like this while everyone else is eating bread.

  “You're still worrying about everyone else? Let me tell you, whenever they work here, I allow them to eat whatever is on the menu, but they always eat before they leave in the Morning. This is to ensure that they return home safely.”

  Again, Jung Daehyun’s personality is confusing me.

  The soup comes in and I begin eating still a little reluctant. “I'm sure you have more questions about the outside world, so ask away.”

  He leans in. “I want to know what brought you here. You don't seem like a murderer, but then again,” he takes my hand and traces the lines on my palm, “I can tell you've held several weapons throughout your life.”

  Pull away. “That's my own personal business. Anyways, how would you know by looking?”

  “I can feel it. I can feel those callouses.”

  But you have gloves on. I didn't press it further and drop my spoon. “Why don't you tell me about yourself? I know things about you based on what I hear, but I have never heard anything from your mouth.”

  He an eyebrow and smirks. “What would you like to know?”

  “I-” I pause. There's so many thing I want to know, yet I don't know where to start. Then I remember his gloved hands. “I want to know why you wear gloves all the time. I really don't see the purpose in wearing them when it's not cold.”

  He raises his hands up to his face. “Have you ever touched a vampire before?”

  An image of green eyes flashes before me. “Well, yeah. Of course. I worked at the bank and sometimes accidentally graze at their hand when receiving and giving blood.”

  “Then you do know how cold our touch can be. I wear these that way when I touch someone, they aren't reminded that I'm a vampire - a creature that you humans fear so much.” He pauses. “But to me, you humans are scarier than us.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “We need blood because it's part of our food source, but you humans murder through anger, jealousy, or through your own greed.” He taps the temple of his forehead. “Think about that and remember that all the humans that live in the slums are the psychotic ones. That's why the slums are so far away from society, and that's why the ones you meet are not so crazy and share the same fears as you. If we allow the crazy ones to mix in, a revolt could ensue which will result in the destruction of the Dome. I don't know of you know any of this, but I hope it gives you an idea of what kind of world I'm living in. Us vampires have to keep order while you humans basically watch us like some circus animals.” He clenches his fists and relaxes them. “But yet, I can understand why you humans do this to us. It's for survival.” He swirls the glass and takes a sip, cringing as he drinks it.

  “We don't always murder because of greed. We do it to protect ourselves especially during war. Do you hate humans?” I don't know why that question was the first thing that comes to my mind, but it's the only logical one I can think of. 

  “No. In fact, I-” He stops and shakes his head. “Never mind. I'm thinking about taking you out tomorrow to buy some clothes since I don't need to be at the office.”

  “Clothes?” Why change the subject so suddenly?

  He nods. “The Blood Moon is about to rise, and every time it does, we have a huge banquet where all the nobles gather with their Dolls and chat. It's fairly boring, but it's tradition.”

  The Blood Moon is the night when there's a total lunar eclipse and usually happens twice a year. It's one of the most dangerous nights as vampires are more bloodthirsty than ever. They have little control over thirst during those nights. “You want me to attend a banquet like that? Are you crazy?”

  He shakes his head. “Its tradition. If you're worried that someone will attack you, then don’t. We all have a pact where we won't touch other Dolls without their permission.”

  “Then that means you're going to drink my blood,” I point out. “I don't want to go.”

  “I won't. I promise I won’t.”

  This confuses me. “How can I trust you?”

  “Just trust me. I won't be there when the Blood Moon shows.”

  I'm hesitant. Is there really a need for me to go? “I don't know.”

  He jumps from his seat and slams his fist on the table. “You are mine, so you have to listen to what I say!” His eyes glow red and his pheromones burst.

  I flinch at his actions, and once again feel sorry for him. His loneliness is increasing.

  Suddenly, he calms down and sits in his chair, trembling. “I'm sorry,” he mutters. “I'm sorry.”

  It's unsettling to see him this way. I want to know what happened to him in the past. Why does he act this way? I bite my bottom lip and heave a sigh. “I will go with you as long as you keep your promise.”

  He doesn't answer.

  “You better pick something nice for me to wear or I definitely won't be stepping out of this mansion,” I tease, hoping it would lessen the tension between us.

  He chuckles. “That's fair.”

  And with that, I continue eating awkwardly without a word.

Author's Note:

  I managed to squeeze in another chapter on the weekend >.< But don't worry, I really am studying, too!

  I fixed the playlist because I didn't realize it was on private, so here it is again! Imprisoned Playlist Also, I will be updating this playlist as time goes on, so there will be new music here and there! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm trying my hardest to write long ones since I'll be disappearing and reappearing spontaneously.

With Love,

                  LokiCraze123