I scream. And it makes my own blood curdle.

“Goddamnit! Don’t scream in my ear!” Ms Pink is covering her ears with both hands, looking as though she’s in pain.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“I’m not going to kill you, stupid human.”

“You’re not?”

Ms Pink rolls her eyes. “Does your simplistic mind not realize what a hassle it is to try to hide a pile of dead bodies in this day and age? Or how hard it will be to explain puncture marks on stupid humans?”

“But how do you get blood to feed on if not from h-humans?”

“Trade secrets.” Pink eyes flash again. “If I tell you, I’d have to kill you.”

“Never mind,” I say hastily, “so, you’re not actually interested in my blood?”

“Mmm, your blood smells too good to be true.” Those pink eyes narrow and a pink tongue slips past her pink lips just slightly. “And you look good enough to eat.” She pushes away from me at last. “But you’re safe for now and you’re not going anywhere. Do you understand me?”

Can I do anything else but nod?

“Come to High Society tomorrow night. The results should be out then and I’ll want to see you.”

“A-Are you sure you want me to go there…?”

Well-trimmed eyebrows sink into a frown. “Don’t question me. Obey my orders and nothing bad will happen to you.”

Sure, that sounds completely assuring to me. “What time do you want me to be there?”

“After ten.”

“Okay.” Not.

X

“Hey, what’s up with you today? You were so distracted in class.”

There’s nothing I can say so I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”

“Do you really expect me to believe it’s nothing?”

“Max, it’s nothing, really.”

His arm goes around my shoulders and he pulls me against him. “Do you wanna grab something to eat and tell me all about it?”

“Not really.”

“Alright then. How about just lunch? No telling.”

“Lunch would be good.”

X

We plod along with Max’s arm draped over my shoulders. It’s nice. It’s familiar. He’s like a lighthouse that stands tall and strong, guiding me in the middle of a trigger-happy thunderstorm. Sometimes I find myself wondering why he doesn’t hangout with the other girls who ask him out. Like today. I mean, I was right there when Linda asked him out to lunch, yet here he is, heading to lunch with me.

“Actually, why didn’t you invite Linda to come along?”

His bushy eyebrows rise high on his forehead. “Would you rather she came along with us?”

“She did ask you out for lunch.”

“Taeyeon, I’m not interested in going on a date with Linda.”

“Oh, she was asking you out on a date?”

“Well, she sorta makes it sound casual but she’s been coming on to me for a while now.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

“So you aren’t into her?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Max laughs and ruffles my hair. “Yeah, no worries, Taeyeon.”

Why would I be worried though. Unless he thinks I’m—or maybe he is— “Uh, Max?”

“Yeah?”

Oh my God. How do I do this without messing it up? “I, er…I—I want ramen for lunch.”

Max laughs. “Ramen it is.”

X

“I’m meeting up some friends for a drink tonight. Do you wanna come along?”

I stare at Max, ramen hanging on my chopsticks, as I try to think of an excuse to avoid going out with him. I mean, this is beginning to look like something that I do not want. Has he always been interested? I can’t really tell. He’s always been a good friend ever since we met in our second year of university and I’d never picked up on any signs that he’s interested in more all this time. Until he came back from his exchange program a week ago, that is.

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