"Mom. Emily is staying over at her friends house tonight." Abbey conveyed the message from Hyung Jun to her mother. "Oh she called while I was out?" Rose asked while taking off her shoes. "Her friend did." Abbey said and changed the subject. "Is Payton coming home for his birthday this year?" Rose nodded. "Yes he will, we'll throw a party for him, like we do every year." Abbey smiled brightly. "Great! I love parties!" She said and dashed off. Rose shook her head with a motherly smile on her face.

 

 

Jung Min was wiping sweat off her pale face when she opened her eyes. "What.. Where am I?" She mumbled. She looked around the room. Jung Min moved away to give her some room to breathe and watched her place her hand on her neck, over the bite marks. Please don't freak out, Jung Min prayed in his thoughts. Her hand stopped moving and she looked at it, at the bloodstains on her hand. She kept staring at it, and he had no idea how she'd react. She seemed to be in shock of some kind still, she was so calm that it had to be the only explanation. Wouldn't it make more sense if she'd freak out right about now? Jung Min asked himself in his mind. He was waiting for it. But she was just quietly staring at her hand for so long that he got even more worried.

 

Blood? What happened? Wasn't it a dream? I started recalling what had happened. He scared those girls away.. But then he attacked me? His eyes, they were scary. They turned from brown to red. Does that even make sense? Is that even possible? This burning pain on the spot where he bit me, and the blood too. So it was real? What is he? Vampires only exist in horror stories. I felt sick. I looked at Jung Min who was standing right by the bed. "What is he?" I asked him. "Are you.. Are you the same?" Even I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded. He completely ignored my questions and reached for my hand and I let him. He gently wiped the blood off it with his shirts sleeve. "Is it very painful?" He asked and I could see sadness in his eyes. I touched the burning spot on my neck again and nodded. I felt a tear fall down on my cheek. "Is he here? This is your house isn't it?" I asked, my voice was shaky. He seemed to hesitate before nodding his head. "He won't come close to you." He was trying to reassure me. The thought of him being in the same house made me feel even worse. I felt like throwing up. "I.. Have to go." I mumbled and tossed the blanket I had on top of me away. I stood up and managed to take two steps, but I felt dizzy and my legs gave in. 

 

Jung Min saw her steps being unstable and caught her when she was about to fall. "Easy now. Don't hurt yourself." He whispered. She quickly stood back up and mumbled. "I really have to go." And ran out of the room.

 

My legs feel so weak. I was holding on to the wall while walking, to prevent myself from falling again. I have to get out of here. They're not humans. I looked over my shoulder to see if he was following me, and he was. I tried to walk faster but I felt too weak. I looked at him again but for some reason he was keeping his distance. I'll just ignore his presence and keep going. I have to get out of here, and I really hope I'm going to the right direction. These fancy, much too big houses should all be burned, I cursed in my mind.

 

Jung Min was following her, to make sure she would be all right. He stayed close enough that he could catch her if she fell again, but far enough so she wouldn't feel threatened. She was going the wrong way. She was walking towards the stairs that would take her to the rooftop instead of the ones that would lead downstairs, where the front door was. She looked like she could collapse at any time, but she didn't stop walking.

 

 

"So she's awake?" Kyu Jong asked Hyung Jun, who was still sitting on the floor by the fireplace. "Seems like it." He replied, focusing all his attention to what was happening upstairs. "That was faster than I thought it would be." Kyu Jong mumbled. Hyung Jun nodded slowly. "She's strong girl. I hope Jung Min is able to calm her down." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Let's just stay away for now, Jung Min should be able to handle it. If there is more of us, she'll panic for sure." Kyu Jong sat down on the couch and said. "Of course. Besides, I'm the last person she should see now. I just hope I'll get the chance to apologize. Not that it would change what happened, or make anything better, but it's the least I can do." Hyung Jun reached his hand out to pat his friends knee. "I really hope so too. And I hope she won't disappear from my life after this is over."

 

 

Great. A dead end. There's stairs going up, but I need ones that would take me downstairs. I looked over my shoulder to find him still standing few metres away from me. "What do you want seriously? Why can't you just leave me alone?" I yelled at him while holding back tears. My neck was burning so bad. The tears were forcing their way out of my eyes. Was it because of the pain, or because I was scared, I didn't even know no more. "Go away.." I sobbed and fell on my knees. Through the tears I saw him taking small steps towards me. "Don't come any closer!" I screamed, but he didn't listen. In no time he was right by me, and he kneeled down to my level. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." He said and wrapped his arms around me. It felt safe, even though I knew it shouldn't feel safe. It wasn't safe. "It's okay now. I'll protect you." I closed my eyes and allowed him to comfort me. "Just for a little bit." I whispered. I wanted to believe him but the pain on my neck told me otherwise. It kept reminding me what he could do if he just wanted to, without any effort.