Chapter 35

A much older Tiffany was hugging her bag inside the airport. She was wearing designer clothes and she had put up weight that matched her age now. The money she got years ago from selling Jiyoung’s jewelry and other things are all gone now; and she now understands why her dad couldn’t come with her. She learned that his dad was now dead and she has no one until she sees her aunt and Hyun again. Some might wonder, how did she afford what she’s wearing now then?

“That’s the one, dearie.” The voice from the amethyst said to her. So, she stood and walked towards the person she has been eyeing before the amethyst spoke to her. The man strayed away from his security to use the loo on the way to the VIP lounge so, Tiffany saw this as a chance. She cautiously walked towards him and tugged on the man’s sleeve and when the man in suit looked at her, she whispered. “Ludifico…” After that- the man kneeled to her eye level and told her, “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you, Gain!” then the man hugged her.

‘This man has been looking for his sister for years, the sister seems dead tho- You know what to do right, dearie?’ the stone asked. ‘Pretend to be Gain while we look for Hyun and aunt Bom.’ She said through their link.

They have been doing this for years, this man wasn’t the first one which explains her clothing. When the lady told her that she won’t ever let her starve ever again she was right. Tiffany didn’t view what they’re doing as bad, she viewed it as helping sad people have closure or fill the void that is in their heart as she fills her with their company with the thirst of wanting to have her family back. So, she puts her effort into being one of their family in the process too since she knows how it feels.

The man who lost his sister and her walked towards the VIP lounge and the security of the man looked at her curiously but they didn’t ask question. The man he had hoodwinked seems to be a very rich individual. “Sit here Gain.” He said with a soft voice. “Oppa is going to make a call. Mom and dad would be delighted to hear this news!” Tiffany just smiled at him and did as she was told. ‘I’m hungry.’ She thought to which the stone told her, “You can feed with one of his securities.” Tiffany carefully eyes all the security in the lounge and picked the only lady in the staff. She wasn’t confident yet to take on a male bodyguard she wasn’t that proficient yet with magic. While the man was making a call she stood up and walked towards the lady. “Can you accompany me to the restroom? I’m afraid I’d get lost again.”

The lady complied professionally and informed the other guard beside her of her task and then walked Tiffany to the VIP lounge restrooms. When the got there, Tiffany beckoned the girl to kneel to her eye level and without warning she blew a powder from her closed fist at the girl’s face. The lady then dropped. She wasn’t dead…yet. She just lost consciousness.

‘We don’t know when you’ll be able to feed again, so eat your fill little one.’ the stone says. And so, Tiffany raised the lady’s wrist and bit on it. She was a fast eater, so it wasn’t that long until the girl was almost dried up. “You should also eat her existence so we won’t have the trouble of erasing memories.” And just as the stone again instructed her, she followed. Right after she had her fill, she checked herself in the mirror. Sure, she was a fast eater. But she wasn’t a messy one. Then she checked her bag and brought out a knife. She kneeled down beside the body and slashed her wrist where she bit her to cover her tracks. It would be bad news if the world knew she was out here feeding on innocent people. But to Tiffany this wasn’t a bad thing too. For her it was just the law of nature. Survival of the fittest. She dragged the body into one of the stalls and then walked out like nothing happened.

“Gain! I thought I lost you again!” The man said. The room was in heavy it seemed like no one thought of looking for her in the restrooms but the guards where sweating buckets as the man glared at them; Tiffany still didn’t know his name. She will have to extract this guy’s memories later to fill in the blanks for her temporary life.  “I’m sorry oppa, I just used the restroom.” The man then ushered her to the sit and then a guy walked inside the lounge with a brief case. The guy then took out a camera. Then Tiffany’s “new” brother asked her to stand by the wall. They took her picture and made a passport for her then and there. “Wow, rich people sure have it easy.” She heard on of the bodyguard’s murmur.

Right after that they boarded a private jet.

They were seated and her new “brother” tucked her in her seat lovingly as she her hair. “When we get to China, oppa’s going to buy everything you want. Oppa will make up for all those times we lost. I’m sure mom and dad will do the same too.” He eagerly said as he puts a blanket on her lap. “You should sleep, the flight is long."

“Is oppa going to sleep too?” she asks. She needs an opportunity to do her plans. “Uh-huh.” Her brother replied. So, Tiffany pretended to sleep right beside him and waited for him to sleep

*

Another year has passed and Tiffany was now 10- ah no, Gain was now ten. That’s right that was her name now. She found out that her name was Zhang Gain. She was a daughter of a tycoon in China and her half brother was named Zhang Yixing.

Gain’s mom however passed on last year. Tiffany was glad she helped her see her daughter before she died. After Gain’s mom died Tiffany gained private assets under Gain’s name without her brother and dad’s knowledge, which she was using now to bid for books the Lady told her to get. Of course, her search for Hyun and her aunt hasn’t stopped yet. So, she has allotted money for private eye to look for Bom too. There wasn’t much to go on but her face so the detectives she hired were asking for incredible amount of money. Today she is leaving this family.

She only has little money left now. And the time to leave this family has been nearing its end. It was time to find another foster family. She went to get a bag and placed all jewelry she could get her hands on in the house and prepared to leave avoiding maids inside the house as she does so. She then chants a spell and leaves a humonculus inside her room to pretend as Gain who dies of heart attack. 

She then went to the auction house to retrieve the books and made her way to the closest pawnshop to pawn all the jewelry she got from the mansion. After that she went and hired a taxi to drive her all the way from the mansion to the airport. Once she reaches the airport, she rode a plane to Baishan she used a spell on a taxi driver to drive her all the way to the foot of the mountain Baekdu. Now that she was here, she had to trek all the way to the peak and look for a less crowded place there so she can do the spell the lady was asking her to do. She said it was a faster way to find her Hyun and her aunt.

*

The arduous journey ended and she finally found a place and set up a ritual. She found a quite strange open area with trees surrounding it, so she cleared the fallen leaves and started to drew a pentagram using salt. She placed the amethyst necklace she had in the middle and lit a black candle. She kneeled and began to chant, “Vel sanctificare me… vel sanctificare me… vel sanctificare me” she kept on repeating as her body glows with light she felt clean. She knew she was now ready for the next spell. She went and held the amethyst in her hand like it was a holy artifact and raised it above her head as she chants, “commixtione adunati… commixtione adunati… commixtione adunati!” She felt a sharp jab in her gut as the amethyst floated above her head the purple light it was emitting entering her body and when the purple light was gone- she and the stone both dropped- she had lost consciousness.  

*

Tiffany opened her eyes and it was already dusk. She looked around and saw that she was still in the pentagram, the necklace laying a few meters away her. She gingerly crawled towards it and saw that the amethyst was now just a normal stone. A dead stone at that- like a chip from a cheap hollow block. “Lady???” she called out. “I’m here little one.” The voice said but unlike before Tiffany could tell it wasn’t coming from the stone anymore. It was inside her now; inside her head.

“The ritual is successful- you’ve got talent. Now, we are one. My power is your power. You can use it now to find your mate.”

Tiffany was elated! She has even more resources now to spare and find her mate!

*

Another year has passed. She was twelve now. She was walking the streets of China; a festival was going on in honor of the dragons. Tiffany was here to check the slave traders if there was even a slight chance that Hyun could have been caught, she had to rescue her here somehow. She hasn’t feed for a week now since the lady sensed that there were werewolves around the city for the time being she was forbidden to hunt and feed. She was handling her hunger better than before- was it the experience? Or was it the power she was now sharing with the Red Lady? She started calling her lady Red since she radiates that power- they have been together for so long and yet the lady still refuses to give her name. Not that it mattered to Tiffany, all she ever wants is to see and be with her Hyun.

Just as she was trying to snoop in with the child trafficking going on during the festival she got caught by a dragon. She couldn’t fight them off since she hadn’t replenished her power- so she just pretended to get captured and bid her time- maybe she can feed while they were inside the cage with other victims, she thought.

*

It was dark and it the vibe inside the large cage she was in dirty. She could feel the grime inside the cage touch her now dirty feet. The dragons had strip her off of her lavish clothes. All that’s left to her now was the only spell book she hid inside her necklace that she had made with the lady’s power.

Tiffany hadn’t moved an inch ever since she got caught. She was just sitting in the corner of the cage conserving her energy. Every now and then light would enter the dark storage room where she and a bunch of other kids confined in rage cages resides. She would take the time when it was dark to feed on the kids inside her cage. No one would suspect her anyway since she could erase the bite marks, she does after feeding with magic. Tiffany had an inkling thought that the kids inside here aren’t normal like her too. They tasted different from normal people and Tiffany heard them as they were being sorted out that then kids inside her cage were fairy halflings to be sold as test subjects for witches. So, either they think she was a fairy halfling or she just had high affinity to being a witch.

Tiffany was getting bored. She had regained her strength now, but she was also cautious not to draw attention to her. If she razed this building with fire, they might connect it to the first fire she did in LA. The lady taught her that magics have traces. So, her plan was to run away when she gets sold. Her eyes were accustomed to the darkness now. Beside her cage were albino werewolves. She thinks they were sisters judging from the whispers they have been sharing with each other. The sisters were both being called outside the storage in and out every day and each day was anew wound inflicted on them. Tiffany pitied them. So, she inched closer to their cage and whispered. “Come closer. I can spare a bit of healing to you.” She said, both girls were wary of other people. Tiffany extended her hand to the older one. “I’m Tiffany.” When the older sister wearily extended her hand outside the cage to reach hers, she whispers, “I-I’m Jessica. This is my sister Krystal.”

Tiffany doesn’t know- was its boredom or was it compassion? She helped them with the little powers she could spare and healed them each day they returned to their cage besides her.

*

Tiffany was counting. It has been a week now. She hasn’t seen the siblings from the cage next to her. There were only four kids including herself left in her cage now. She was growing weak since she can’t feed on them anymore or else, they might notice themselves getting paler and paler each day.

That night, Tiffany was sleeping and heard a loud bang! The doors of the storage unit were forced open with a strong magic. Tiffany could feel it. The aura was familiar to her, yet she can’t pin point where she first felt it.  Next thing she knows she was being carried by a pale young-looking girl in her arms. “Is this the friend you were talking about?” the girl asked. Tiffany looked around and was surprised by the familiar faces the girl was asking. It was the albino werewolves near her cage! “Yes, that’s her, Tiffany!” Krystal squealed and went to hold her hand while she was still being carried.

“You don’t have to worry. You’re safe now. I’m called Dara.” The girl smiled her fangs showing. That’s when Tiffany found out, she was just like her. A vampire.

*

It has been a year after that, Tiffany hasn’t been using magic. It was making the red lady mad. She would often have headaches and shortness of breaths. Dara called it anxiety attacks. Tiffany didn’t feel like using the power anymore. Sure, she was still worried and wanted to find Hyun but she had a new family now. She was called a family here by the Kwon’s so she felt like there wasn’t much need to find one that couldn’t be found. She also hid the fact that she was a vampire. She would feed on random tombstones in the graveyard for existence. Since she can feed from both blood and existence it was easier for her to survive. The Red Lady called her race the grey area between commoner vampire and royal vampire. She was neither and was either. It made her felt like she didn’t belong anywhere.

Nonetheless, she was happy now. She had a new made, Wendy. Wendy was nice she was always understanding when she’d have attacks from the Red Lady’s tantrums. Wendy has always been there to hug her through the night. So, when Wendy asked to be her mate through connection bond, she didn’t think twice to accept it.

But ever since she made a bond with Wendy the attacks from the red lady have been frequent as well. She couldn’t tell Dara about these attacks because every time she tries to a sharp pain squeezing her heart and the voice of the red lady comes next warning her not to tell Dara or else, she’ll die.

Wendy being the soft mate that she is has been trying to convince her to look for help since the attacks are getting more and more stronger and that’s when Tiffany made a decision.

“Wendy, let’s break up.”

Wendy laughed at her, “What do you mean break up?”

Tiffany sighed. “I can’t keep you chained in this bond anymore. Your one true mate might be out there waiting for you while you burn your life away trying to make me better. I’m never going to get better with you.”

Wendy gasp at the last sentence. As if she was hit in the gut. “What do you mean you won’t get better with me? Am I not enough? I love you.”
 

“Sometimes, love isn’t enough. And let’s be honest, you don’t really love me. You just pity me since you know what I’ve been through. Since I told you how my life was it might have woken the sense of being a protector inside of you. You do like me- but you don’t love me, Wendy.” Tiffany went and hugged her. “I will always love you. But we both know right from the start that this love we have isn’t the love we are both yearning.”

Wendy hugged her back, “Are you leaving too?”

“Yes, when we break the bond- I plan to leave and start again from scratch to find more about myself. I’m planning to go back to LA.”

Both of them broke down that night hugging each other while crying. Wendy was losing her best friend. Her sister and her one and only confidant. Tiffany was losing her new found family who made her feel like she belonged somewhere.

The next day Dara went and excommunicated their bond. Tiffany didn’t stay for long after saying her goodbyes with friends she flew to LA. Back to the building she lived.

*

As she neared the building she was stopped by a deity.

“It’s you again.” Henry said

“ off.” Tiffany told him. She was shaking. Her sense was telling her to ran away from this place, that this could be her last breath if she didn’t leave.

“I advise you to walk away little one.” Henry told her as she sat at the shade of the nearby tree.

Tiffany ignored him and still went inside. When she walked out? She wasn’t Tiffany anymore. Sure, she was still inside the body. But now more than ever, the identity of the red lady was now stronger inside her. If before she could still control it when and where would the lady can take control- now she has no hold of her own body. IT would take a whole lot of practice again to co reside with her.

Author’s Note:

Eyyy~ this is by far prolyl the longest chapter I made ever since writing fanfics. I may or may not made [problems for myself with the loopholes I’ve left along the way, but you have to understand!!! *sniff* It’s been so long since I made this story and so long since I’ve last updated. I had to go back to some chapter every now and then to write a chapter since I forgot some details. I’ll just fix everything when I finish it overall. We’re really getting close to the finale! Pick your faves! Team Tiffany and Team Wendy! Who will have Irene last? PS. I did not proof read haha