CHAPTER 2

Kwon Yuri had not come out of her room for 3 days. Nor did she answer the knocks with the smell of food outside her door. For 3 days, Kwon Yuri had not eaten anything given by the vampires. She survived thanks to the box of chocolates she packed which unfortunately, due to her incapacity of self-control, had only lasted for a day. The boredom of being cooped up inside a room which only had a bookshelf with large books in it, Kwon Yuri and large books don’t match, had crept up to her. She decided that decorating her room with the stuff Noh Juhyun had packed for her would be a good idea to pass time. But then…

Krrrrrrrk.

Aaand there went Kwon Yuri’s stomach once again. Protesting.

 

“Will you just shut up??” Yuri scolded her own stomach, momentarily stopping decorating. “I know you’re hungry and I know there’s food somewhere outside. I know because I smell it!” She sniffed to prove her point. “But I can’t eat anything from them! No. I can’t possibly do that. They’re probably feeding me for me to be healthy and me being healthy means me being delicious and that’s a no no! Do you hear me stomach Yuri??” She poked on her stomach.

 

Krrrrrrrk. Her stomach grumbled in response. Yuri swallowed her saliva. She was beyond hungry at that point. She had plopped herself on the couch in the living room, legs wide, when the door of her room opened for the first time since the incident with the brunette vampire who smelled her few nights ago. But unlike the last time, her door was burst right open revealing a tall black haired vampire woman. And also unlike last time, fortunately, this vampire walked in human speed. The vampire closed her eyes and inhaled. When she opened her eyes, she yelled.

 

“I AM TIRED OF HEARING YOUR STOMACH GROWL! Every time I hear it I get hungry myself! Siwon’s putting me on a diet because I ate too much. So either you eat or I eat you!” The tall vampire exhaled through her nose very loudly, almost like a dragon.

 

Yuri had found herself on the edge of the couch after the vampire’s sudden outburst. Besides the outburst, Yuri saw something else. She was appalled. The tall vampire furrowed her brows when she noticed that the human wasn’t paying attention to her. She decided to follow the human’s line of sight and when she finally saw the cause of the human’s distraction, she clutched her vampire heart. The human’s door was stuck hard on the now cracked wall.

 

“Siwon’s gonna kill me!” The tall vampire sandwiched her face with her two hands.

“Why is it always me that cleans up your mess Sooyoung?” A petit dark haired woman entered Yuri’s room and proceeded to the door. “I’ll fix it.”

“Careful. That one’s light Taeyeon.” The girl named Sooyoung told the shorter girl Taeyeon.

 

The petit woman went to the edge of the door that’s stuck to the wall, grabbed it by her hand with the intention of pulling it. Though she was successful, she also pulled the door completely out of the door frame. And that’s how Kwon Yuri’s room officially became doorless thanks to the two vampires.

Sooyoung and Taeyeon’s eyes met. The tall one, Sooyoung, suddenly burst out in laughter. After a short while spent on glaring at Sooyoung, Taeyeon also had laughed along. They seemed greatly amused by the damage they had done. Yuri was confused once again. Why are they laughing when they broke my freaking door?? Vampires are so weird!

 

“I’ll fix it.” Sooyoung imitated Taeyeon. “Then you break it.” Followed by another round of boisterous laughter.

 

Yuri saw them continuously laugh until simultaneously both of them covered their ears.

 

“What the ??” Sooyoung shrieked.

“I know we’re stupid blahblahblahblah. Yes I know her scent’s gonna get stronger outside. We’ll fix it!” Taeyeon told to someone. She held the door and put it over the doorframe. “For now, this will do. I’m sure Siwon will fix it.”

“Oh shut up Jessica. If only you weren’t such a coward, then you should be here and you wouldn’t have broken the door, like we did.” Sooyoung said in a mocking tone.

 

It seemed like they were talking to someone that Yuri did not see. Someone named Jessica. Yuri scanned her surroundings. There was definitely no one else there other than the three of them. What if… they have invisible vampires too??

 

“I have to protect myself.” Yuri absentmindedly mumbled. She went to her room quietly while the two vampires were bickering with an invisible vampire.

 

When she got back, the two vampires were still bickering with a Jessica that they didn’t notice Yuri coming back. She stood a meter away from the two and put the weapon in her hand forward. She breathed.

 

“YAAAAAHHH!!!” Yuri yelled at the top of her lungs.

 

The yell had caught the two vampires’ attention. They simultaneously turned their heads to face the human. The human, Kwon Yuri, who was holding a crucifix.

Yuri had expected something to happen. Hoped for something to happen. Few minutes passed and the only reaction she got from the two was nothing but a blank stare.

 

“Come on. Work!” Yuri shook the crucifix like it was supposed to release some super power to kill the vampires.

“OH!” Yuri flinched as the vampire named Taeyeon had suddenly spoken up. “I think I’ve heard of this Sooyoung. Humans think we are weakened if we’re to face anything related to their God.”

 

Sooyoung raised her eyebrows. The posters on the wall suddenly made sense to her. A man raising his right hand with a heart covered in thorns.

 

“Oh…. OH! RIGHT! I used to believe that too! When I was still human!” Sooyoung laughed. “Then I became a vampire and the people who discovered had thrown me into a church expecting me to burn! But I didn’t! And I ran after them!” Sooyoung’s laughter was so loud that Kwon Yuri thought the whole Black had heard it.

 “What Sooyoung’s trying to say is, that’s not going to kill us.” Taeyeon explained.

Yuri was exasperated. How will she survive in the wretched place? “Sit on the couch and wait for me.” Yuri ordered with confidence brought by her frustration. Sooyoung and Taeyeon shrugged and followed her order. They were also curious as to what they’re weak at.

 

When she came back to the living room, she had brought the bag Noh Juhyun had given her and tried everything that were supposed to be a vampire’s weakness. Kwon Yuri put a big necklace made of garlic on Sooyoung’s shoulder. Sooyoung ate them. Kwon Yuri threw salt on Taeyeon. Taeyeon did shriek but that was because a grain of salt went to her eye. Gladly, she didn’t get angry.

The rosary was her last resort. She kind of knew that it wouldn’t work but maybe if she made the vampires hold it, it would have some kind of effect. So she handed them a rosary each. They took it. Yuri waited. Sooyoung and Taeyeon were intently looking at their rosaries.

 

“UGH!” Sooyoung suddenly grunted. Yuri’s heart pounded like crazy. Is it working?? “I feel holy Taeyeon. Do you feel holy?”

"No. Not really." Taeyeon inspected the rosary. "Annyeong~" Human waved at the person on the cross.

 

Yep. Nope. It didn’t have any effect. Yuri sat on the floor dejected.

 

“That’s it. I’m gonna die here. I’m gonna die with an empty stomach. Great. Go on you two vampires, eat me. The sooner the better.” Yuri gave up hope for salvation.

“Oh come on human. Don’t give up that fast! Hey. Wait a sec.” Sooyoung was gone and back in a sec. Just like she said. “Here. Freshly cooked food. You’d have to excuse the taste. Our taste buds don’t really work with human food.” Sooyoung put a tray full of food on the table infront of them and offered it to Yuri.

“How can I trust you?” Yuri narrowed her eyes at the vampire.

“Well, I am offering you food instead of eating you.” Sooyoung said in a matter-of-factly way.

“The headmaster said not to kill you. In this place human, the headmaster’s words are the rules.” Taeyeon offered a small smile. “Don’t worry. As long as we’re well fed before coming to you, you won’t have problems. Besides, it’s been a long time since I had a human friend.”

 

Yuri wanted to ponder some more but her stomach was desperately calling for the food that’s infront of her that she had nodded quickly to the two vampires.

 

~******~

“Headmaster.”

“Jessica. It’s nice to see you in the morning. Sit down.” Kangta pointed to the seat infront of his office table. “So what brings you here?”

“I can’t guard the human.” Jessica, with eyes looking straight at the headmaster, did not beat around the bush.

“That is not true.” Kangta said without even giving Jessica a look. His sight was set on the papers on his desk. “It is not that you cannot, it is because you would not.” He gave Jessica a quick glance before looking back at his papers again.

“That’s because I wouldn’t want to kill her and get myself in trouble.”

Kangta sighed. “Jessica-“

“I have spent the first hundred years of my vampire life killing humans. Everyday! Wasn’t that why I’m imprisoned here in the first place? Now you present me the food I’ve been missing for three hundred years right infront of my eyes and you expect me to stay by her side and restrain my hunger?” Jessica’s eyes had shown helplessness, like there was really nothing she could do.

Kangta set aside his paper works and now concentrated on Jessica. “Imprisoned? It deeply pains me how you think of my house as a prison Jessica.” Jessica hung her head low in guilt of her outburst. She had said things she hadn’t meant to say. “You must have forgotten what you were before you came here. I found you in an alley, your whole body soaked in human blood. Kneeling before a stack of dead humans infront of you. Your eyes dropped a waterfall of tears but your face showed no emotion. Almost deranged. Then you saw me and I saw something in your eyes that I didn’t think a vampire, with a stack of her victims infront of her, would show. Guilt. Guilt of what her hunger had made her do. I’ve never seen a vampire so helpless. If I hadn’t taken you out of the human world, what would have you become? What would you have done to yourself?” Kangta spoke so softly.

 

Jessica hung her head lower. Her eyes covered by her hair. She, a four hundred and eighteen year old vampire, was like a child being scolded by her father. Kangta sighed again.

 

“Jessica… what are you so afraid of? Everyone knows you are not afraid of getting into trouble.”

“I… I went to visit her nights ago. I wanted to know if I can handle being her guard. When I stepped into the room, I… I almost lost control. I was there. She almost became my victim.”

“But the human is alive. Something stopped you?”

“Memories.” That had surprised Kangta. “Screaming. Begging for mercy. Crying. Innocent humans dead by my hands.” Tears had dropped on her own eyes. “If I- If I lose control… I- I don’t want to kill an innocent again.”

 

I am so insensitive. Kangta frowned at himself. The arrival of the human triggered all the guilt she had harbored for so long. He had put such burden on such a fragile girl. But if anyone can protect the human from the harm that goes by this university, with her abilities, it’s Jessica… Then he realized. I’m sorry Jessica. It’s a gamble but there’s no other way. He stood up from where he sat and went to sit on the chair adjacent to Jessica.

 

“We’ll find your sister.” This statement had effectively stopped her tears as she stared at the headmaster incredulously, pupils turned into a shade of red.

“Don’t. Don’t bring my sister into this.” She said as she tried so hard to keep her anger inside. “She’s dead. She died by my hands four hundred years ago!” Jessica yelled as the painful memory came back and the tears had welcomed themselves on her eyes once again.

“There had been rumors Jessica. We have friends outside Black and a couple of those friends say that they have seen a vampire with the same features as your sibling.”

“And you didn’t dare to tell me?!” Jessica thrashed the headmaster’s office table and sent it flying, hitting the wall. The impact was enough to say that the headmaster needed a new table.

“Rumors are not facts. It was my will to inform you about it WHEN we have a solid lead.” Kangta looked directly at Jessica’s red eyes. “Listen, child. Treat this as a deal. You handle the human and I, with the help of my contacts outside Black, will find the vampire who resembles your sister.”

“I’ve had enough. I will find her myself.” Jessica turned her back and opted to leave.

But Kangta won’t just let her. He stood up from his chair and said “You do not even have full control of yourself with one human girl and yet you want to find your sister who’s in the human world?” The harshness of the words had halted Jessica’s tracks. “How many humans will your hunger kill before you see her? How many innocents will die by your hands?” He was right.

 

Jessica shut her fingers in a fist with all of her strength. He was right and she hated him. For the first time, she hated him. The father figure she used to admire, she hated him.

 

“Jessica. You don’t have to be near her.” Kangta was back to his usual tone. Soft. “Use your abilities.” Jessica listened. “Your sense of hearing is far greater than any of us here. I’ll deploy Sooyoung and Taeyeon as her guards. Your duty would be to scan the area and inform Sooyoung or Taeyeon if there is potential harm and in turn, as promised, during the search to find information on the human’s case, information about your sister will also be requested.”

 

Kangta was right. Just the smell of Kwon Yuri’s blood nearly made her insane, what else if she was surrounded by towns full of humans? Jessica didn’t have a choice but to surrender the duty of searching for her sister to Kangta.

 

“Can I ask a question?” Jessica’s eyes had returned to the normal shade of black. “Why exactly are we so focused in protecting her?”

“The association only kills humans who are actively helping vampires. Members of her family had known of our existence. They believed that there was good in our kind and helped some of our friends get inside Black.” He breathed. “But Kwon Yuri had not a single idea. They had noticed suspicious people stalking around their house. They were told about the association by some of our friends. They thought they were to be killed. That is why her family sent her here. Little did they know that they were not the target, Kwon Yuri was.”

 

“She and her family were about to get annihilated by the association. Isn’t that familiar? Right, Jessica?” Jessica looked back at him, expression cold, eyes back to red.

“I will agree to this deal but you have to tell me the moment you receive news about my sister.” She was stern.

“I promise. Now go, the human is in trouble.”

 

She left. Kangta looked at his destructed desk. Papers scattered on the floor. He slumped his back on his seat. Things just got much more complicated. Find out why Kwon Yuri was being targeted. Find Jessica’s sister.

~******~

Yuri was in trouble. She, Sooyoung and Taeyeon were supposed to have a good peaceful stroll out of her room for a change. But there she was, circled by a bunch of hungry vampires. This time, she had no sunlight to save her. Sooyoung was on the floor. Neck snapped by one of the vampires. Taeyeon was nowhere in sight. Kwon Yuri was literally seconds to death.

 

“Any last words human?” One vampire who seemed to be the strongest and the largest of the crowd stepped forward. His eyes was a deep color of red, with veins almost popping out of its skin. Those features had Yuri’s knees buckle in terror. “No? Then, I’ll eat you deliciously.”

 

The vampire lunged towards her. Yuri could do nothing but just watch. Watch the vampire get pushed meters away from her. A new vampire appeared. A familiar one. The brunette.

The fall of their leader led the other vampires to attack as well. Yuri watched in awe as the brunette worked quickly, defeating the vampires one by one. Such a small feminine frame, fighting vampires twice or thrice bigger than her.

But while the brunette’s back was facing the other way, Yuri had seen another vampire trying to attack the unsuspecting brunette. Without giving it much thought, she ran and threw her body to shield the brunette. A grave mistake as the brunette looked at her horridly. She was slashed on the chest. Blood oozed out from her skin. A grave mistake indeed.

Yuri grunted in pain. The fighting stopped. Everyone stood frozen. She realized that her situation just got worse. Furious was an understated expression on the brunette’s face. As Yuri stared at the brunette, she saw her trying to resist something. Her eyes turned to black and red and black and red. A movement distracted Yuri from the brunette. That’s when she gained back her senses.

Vampires jumped at her.

Then everyone collapsed.

Black’s emergency alarm had gone off. Sleeping gas for everyone. Good night.

 

~******~

Yuri woke up on her bed. She blinked a few times and noticed that she wasn’t the only one in her room.

 

“Yuri I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you and for having my neck snapped that’s why I couldn’t protect you! I’m really sorry!” Sooyoung apologized.

“I’m so sorry for not being there. I could have helped but I… got dragged somewhere else. I’m really sorry Yuri!” Taeyeon apologized.

 

Someone breathed through her nose. Yuri turned her head on the new person. Well, not really new. It’s the brunette. It’s her.

 

“You are the stupidest human I’ve ever seen in my whole life. You are more stupid than Sooyoung. Trying to act all heroic. Throwing herself to save a vampire who heals 100x quickly than herself. You make my blood boil human.” Omg. She’s angry. “In those situations, the only thing a human should do is stay away-“

 

And a bunch of sermons Yuri had muted out of her ears. She just stared and she would have stared a lot longer if it wasn’t for the one hand on her face, squishing her cheeks together by none other than the brunette herself.

 

“You dare not listen to me??” She was close. Yuri could see her face clearly.

 

Kwon Yuri focused and the brunette’s words finally entered her ears once again. But words didn’t answer for her, her cheeks did the deed as it tainted red. Blushing. Really. Infront of an angry vampire.

The vampires could not believe the situation.

 

“Oh my Jessica. This is epic! The human has a crush on you!” Sooyoung and Taeyeon had laughed so hard.

 

While Jessica had no words for herself nor for the human.
 

~******~
 

“Siwon.” Kangta called out.

“Yes headmaster.” Siwon said after he entered the room.

“How is the situation in Black?”

“It is getting worse headmaster. The smell of the human’s blood has great effects on our vampires. It is making them hungrier thus making them hunt more. In no time our source of food in the forest will be completely depleted.” Siwon reported.

Kangta sighed. He had expected this. “And the human? How is she? Are her wounds healed?”

“Not yet headmaster.”

“Didn’t you give her our blood?” Kangta asked.

“We did headmaster… But her body… It has rejected our blood.” Siwon looked troubled.

“What do you mean rejected?” Kangta was alarmed.

“Either her nose or her ears would bleed. We thought it was a side effect or she was hurt somewhere else but when we checked, it wasn’t human blood. It was ours. She can’t be healed by our blood headmaster.”

“This is… new.”

 

They fall into silence. That information had just confirmed that Kwon Yuri wasn’t a common human. Vampire blood should heal any human wounds internal or external without fail.

 

“Siwon.” Kangta broke their silence.

“Yes headmaster.”

“Find our witch friend. I’ve thought of a theory. I think with her knowledge. We would arrive to a conclusion.”

“If it is alright to ask headmaster, what is your theory?”

“That Kwon Yuri may not be the only one in danger. We all are.”