I’m so thankful for this wonderful show of love and support from @a_rrow_head. Much love.

X

“What do you mean?”

“I mean exactly what I said.”

I cannot believe my ears. Is—is this a break up? “How is this even possible?”

“I will declare you free and expel the blood I took from you,” says Ms Pink simply, as though it is something she says everyday, like telling me to present my bottom to her.

“T-That’s all? That’s all it takes to unclaim me?”

“Yes.”

“But why?”

“This is what you want.”

I do a double take, my mind reeling from the shocking reality of Ms Pink bending to my will. Has the world gone mad? Are pigs flying now? Is it snowing in the tropics? “Why,” I ask, almost in a whisper, suddenly afraid of the answer I might get.

“Don’t ask the same question twice,” Ms Pink snaps.

“It doesn’t make any sense. You’ve never given me what I want. Why are you doing it now?”

“The man responsible for my family’s massacre is dead. So I don’t see the need to keep you by my side.”

“That’s not what you said before. You said—”

“I said you would be fair game for any vampire out there. But why would I care if you are not useful to me.”

Bitter and foul rise from my gut. “Is that all I am to you? A tool for revenge? Is that really the reason why you saved me time and time again? From vanguards, Helene, Yuri, the Feds.”

“Yes.”

“There’s no other reason? No other feelings?” I am almost shouting by now. “Then why smile for me? Why hold my hand? Why make this dress!”

“Stop the drama. I don’t know why you are kicking up a fuss when you’ve never wanted to be my claim.”

“What will become of us if I’m no longer your claim?”

“You will be free.”

“And where will I go.”

“Back to your life. Exactly what you are wishing for.”

Did Ms Pink hear my thoughts in the bathroom this morning? “Yes, I’ll admit that I want a simpler life. I want to attend classes without getting abducted and be the student that I should be. But I’m not the same Taeyeon I was a month ago. You know how I feel about you.”

“You are mistaken.”

“I am not.”

Ms Pink holds her hand up. “You have gone through life changing events almost every single day. It would be foolish to trust the words spoken under duress.”

“I’m not under duress now.”

“Not at the moment. You may not feel that anything is wrong but I know better than to say this. You have been traumatized. You were in shock. I held you in my arms as you broke down so don’t try to convince me otherwise.”

“It was a moment of weakness.”

“Your mental state is not completely stable. The wisdom of Miras backs me up on this.”

“Miras?” That woman is my least favourite being right now. “What has Miras got to do with us?”

“Miras sensed a great deal of turmoil in your mind and heart. You may think you love me, but how much of that is created by the life-death circumstances you’ve been in? How much of that is generated by situations where I am the only one you can rely on? Would you have fallen for me if I did not force you to be my claim?”

“You are questioning the validity of my feelings formed during the past few weeks?”

Ms Pink nods. “You begin to see my point.”

“You could have just said so. Why did you have to begin with such a shocking statement?”

“Because it will be done. There is no room for negotiation. I will release you and you will cease to be my claim. You will regain your freedom. Ownership of yourself. I will give it all back to you. And we will take a break.”

“What do you mean ‘take a break’?”

“Stupid human. Your questions are redundant.”

“No, not this question.” I open my eyes wide and shoot defiance into Ms Pink’s pinks. “I want you to define ‘take a break’. Does it mean we don’t get to see each other anymore? Do we still talk on the phone? And our telepathy—” it literally hurts to say this, “—will we lose it?”

“So many questions as usual.” Ms Pink frowns but she replies, “We will not see each other for a period of time. We will not talk. We will return to our lives before we got involved and we will re-examine ourselves. As for our telepathy, it will be lost, along with the magic that binds us as soon as I expel your blood from my body.”

“And what if I do as you say. What if I go back to my apartment, go to classes, hang out with ordinary people. What if I do all that and after, say, two weeks, I find that I am still in love with you?”

“Two weeks is not long enough. Two months is what Miras prescribes.”

“Two months! No, that’s way too long.”

“Miras is an expert on minds, both the human and supernatural. She has studied all areas of the brain, the mind and even the heart in order to become who she is today. If she says two months, it will be two months.”

“But I’m still the Erika, right? Won’t I be in danger once you release me from claimhood?”

“The Federation knows of your status. They will protect you. Especially with Yu