The coffee cup stops mid-air as Taeyeon stares at the open back door and finally to the person standing there, their eyes meeting for the first time since she heard about the mysterious tenant from across her room. It has already been three days since Taeyeon moved in and she has yet to meet Krystal, until now. She just knows that the girl standing by the back door is Krystal, even without introductions.

She can feel the temperature inside the kitchen shifting, and it has nothing to do with the open door. Taeyeon wants to run, but there is just something about Krystal that keeps her there. Of course it's the super power that comes with their kind, Taeyeon thought, and she scolds herself for being too weak like those heroines in vampire films. Too easy to sway. And she is, right now, being swayed. Because inside Sooyoung's kitchen, at five in the morning, Kim Taeyeon remains powerless against whatever this Krystal is doing to her... and her racing heart.

The torturous moments finally ends when Krystal, soaking wet, starts walking towards the communal bathroom. Taeyeon heaves a sigh, shaking her head a little. Krystal is so beautiful. As Taeyeon had expected. The books and movies did not exaggerate when they said vampires are a bunch of gorgeous, blood- creatures, because as the clock ticks and sun lights the sky outside, Taeyeon finds herself still entranced by the almond-shaped face. Pale, thin lips that looks like they are going to break just by speaking. A pair of light-brown eyes that speaks. And almost invisible moles on the cheekbone that complements Krystal's face. It is crazy how Taeyeon took notice of all these for that short moment but she did. And what's even crazier is that the familiarity that she feels with Krystal. Or maybe it was the fact that she is an artist and she knows a beautiful subject when she sees one, and instantly feels connected with them. That might be it and, for a moment, Taeyeon feels excited to draw Krystal. But the excitement dies down just as soon as it came. There is no way in hell that she is going near Krystal. No way.

**

Sooyoung is cutting fruits in the kitchen when Taeyeon sees her later that day. She waves Taeyeon to come over and the short artist does as told.

“How's your stay so far?” Sooyoung says casually, trying to hide her eagerness to hear Taeyeon's reply.

“It's fine,” Taeyeon replies.

“Just fine?”

Taeyeon nods and picks up a piece of strawberry from the plate. “Hey,” she starts. “I saw Krystal earlier.”

Sooyoung stopped chopping, her eyes looking at Taeyeon intently. Taeyeon thought she looks like she was panicking. “Did you tell her anything?” Sooyoung asks.

Taeyeon stares at the tall woman for a couple more seconds before shaking her head. “No,” she says. “She looked pissed. And even if she didn't, I still wouldn't be able to come near her.”

“Why not?”

“Do I really have to answer that? I think it's very obvious why.”

Sooyoung continues to stare.

“Don't look at me like I'm the—” Taeyeon looks around her before inching close to Sooyoung to whisper “—vampire here.”

Sooyoung's eyes narrows at her. “Are you saying that I am?”

“What? No! Of course not.”

“Oh,” Sooyoung nods. “Krystal. Vampire. Right.”

Taeyeon looks petrified. “I thought we're not allowed to say that out loud?” she whispers. “What if she wakes up and hears us talking about her?”

“She won't,” Sooyoung says with certainty in her voice, her hands going back to the fruits. “She's sleeping right now.”

“Vampires don't sleep,” Taeyeon says.

Sooyoung snorts a chuckle. “Who says? Edward Cullen?”

Tayeon shakes her head. “No, Sooyoung, they really don't sleep.”

“Okay, okay,” Sooyoung says, stuffing an apple in Taeyeon's mouth. “Now, time to eat!” she announces with a grin before pulling Taeyeon to sit on the chair.

Sooyoung is a thin, tall girl just like Yoona. Today she wears a white tank top under her plaid button up, her hair tied up in a pony tail. She looks like she just went outside. Taeyeon wonders how long she has been sleeping that everybody is already gone out for the day.

“What time is it?” Taeyeon asks.

“Almost eleven in the morning.”

“It’s almost lunch, why are you still eating fruits?”

Sooyoung grins and dramatically pops a grape into . “Fruits make you healthy, Taeyeon.”

“Yeah but it’ll make you full, too and you won’t want to eat lunch anymore.”

Sooyoung shrugs her shoulders. “Fortunately I haven’t had that experience before.”

“What?”

“Being too full for lunch,” Sooyoung grins again. “My stomach always has space for lunch. Especially if it’s my new tenant who cooks the food.”

“I don’t know how to cook,” Taeyeon shakes her head.

“Sure you do!” Sooyoung throws an apron at Taeyeon. “Fighting!” she cheers before disappearing out of the kitchen, leaving Taeyeon in misery.

**

Jessica has had this dream for as long as she can remember. Two women, a cliff and the ocean. Which ocean, she has no idea. Today though, her dream is so vivid that she could almost smell the grass, could taste the ocean, could feel the wind up in the cliff. It is so vivid that she cannot help but wish for it to never end. A hand holds hers – small, stubby fingers wrapped around her wrist. Not too tight. Just right. She searches for a face but all she could see is hair and a smiling mouth. No, a grinning mouth. As if her companion is the happiest person on Earth.

“Ready?” her companion says and Jessica feels her own panic, the words ‘not yet’ almost rolling out of her tongue. Almost. But she’s frozen on her spot. Too terrified to say a word. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t let anything happen to you.” That voice. Too familiar. Who could she be? Jessica is sure she will recognize the voice once she hears it.

Then she is being dragged and the next thing she see are two women falling—jumping from the cliff. Laughter filled the air and Jessica feels her own adrenaline rushing inside her. The hold on her wrist tightens but she doesn’t mind because it makes her feel more secure. And then they both touched the sea and sunk deep, before she is being pulled to the surface. The hand transferred to her waist now. Two hands, keeping her safe. She figures she does not know how to swim. At least in that dream. Because now she could even compete for the National Swimming Team.

“You’re safe here,” the voice whispers and Jessica feels herself tearing up. She is safe, she wants to say, because the woman is there with her. She is safe. But she was never able to voice it out. Because by the time she opened to speak, a bang of a gun echoed and then there were no arms around her anymore and she was afraid because she was going to drown. But the blood in the water, along with a drowning body, made her petrified.

Jessica wakes up with cold sweat on her forehead. She sits up on the bed, wipes the sweat with her forearm. She stares at her hands for a moment before letting the tears roll down her cheeks. This place has made the dreams so vivid that Jessica thinks she’s in the right place. The mysterious woman could be here. Or at least a trace of what she looks like. Or how they were before the gun was fired.

Jessica clenches her chest, trying to grasp a hole that isn’t really there, as if doing so would lessen the pain, as if doing so would close the void all together. There were too many questions on her mind, but for now she will continue searching for a trace of her.