SinB was hit with a wave of depression on Monday morning. Yesterday, when Sowon and Yuju left her sobbing in the park, SinB thought about going back to the Sisters of the Night headquarters for some much needed comfort. But, she decided against it with the presumption that Yerin would just make her get back to business, following the next step in the plan.

So, she walked back to her apartment in the cold, frigid air. Eyes were swollen, nose was runny, and lips were chapped.

She cried herself to sleep with the memory of Sowon and Yuju’s hurt and angered faces fresh in her mind. It was going to take a lot to ever regain their trust. To ever regain their friendship.

Monday morning was awfully sunny for SinB’s taste. She left her blinds closed, but the rays of sunlight still managed to illuminate the room. She did not bathe that day, and the only thing she ate was an entire box of cereal without milk.

Knowing it was best to keep her distance from Yuju and Sowon, SinB omitted from going to the dance studio. Plus, she neither had the energy to move nor the emotional stability to pretend that nothing was bothering her.

Hours passed and it was already nighttime. SinB realized that today was the day in which she was suppose to retrieve the memory card and exchange it for her weekly pay. But, the thought sickened her and she neglected that responsibility, as well. With tear-soaked cheeks, she hid under the covers and drifted off to the sweet release of sleep.

“Eunbi. SinB. Eunbi-ya.”

SinB heard a soothing, maternal voice call out her name. A gentle hand patted her arm.

“Eunbi-ya, it’s time to wake up for school.”

SinB opened her eyes and saw her mother leaning down in front of her with a tender smile.

“Eomeoni?” SinB sleepily called out to her mother. She looked around and realized that she was in her bedroom of her parents’ house, lying snugly in bed.

“Eomeoni?” SinB’s mom questioned in amusement. “Isn’t that a bit too formal? What happened to calling me Umma?”

SinB sprung up to a sitting position on her comfortable bed. Her eyes were darting all over the room and scanning her mom’s cheerful face. Cheerful? When has her mother ever looked this cheerful?

“That’s enough playing around, Eunbi-ya,” SinB’s mom stood up straight, walking towards her bedroom door. “You need to get dressed for school. I already made you breakfast. Banana pancakes, your favorite.” The tone of her voice was so much brighter than how SinB remembered it to be.

Getting up from her bed, SinB made a bee-line to her closet, in search for her high school uniform.

“Umma,” the word felt strange coming from SinB’s mouth, “where’s my uniform?”

“Uniform?” SinB’s mom said incredulously with a chuckle. “Do university students still wear uniforms?”

“I go to university?” SinB asked with furrowed brows.

“Of course. Seoul Institute of the Arts, your dream school. The one that you’ve wanted to apply to since you were a little girl,” SinB’s mom simply explained with a hint of concern. “SinB-ya, are you feeling alright? Didn’t I tell you to not over exert yourself when you practice?” She pressed her hand on SinB’s forehead to feel her temperature.

“Umma, gwenchana,” SinB tried to relax her mom. “I stood up late last night studying, so I didn't get enough sleep. I’ll be ready in a flash.” She smiled innocently, scooting her mom out of the room.

Before getting the chance to change, SinB’s phone buzzed as a notification of a text message from both Sowon and Yuju appeared. Sliding the screen to reveal the message, SinB was pleasantly surprised to see pictures of her friends doing dorky poses along with a caption that read, “SinB-ah, Fighting!!” SinB wasn't sure what the support was for. All she cared about was the fact that her friendships with Sowon and Yuju remained intact.

After getting dressed up in a casual t-shirt and jeans combo, SinB went downstairs to the kitchen. She spotted her dad at the table reading a newspaper.

“There she is,” SinB’s dad folded down the newspaper to see SinB in full view, “my little dancing machine,” he adoringly called her. The lines on the sides his eyes crinkled as he smiled. SinB can’t recall ever seeing her dad smile like that, ever smile at all.

“Good morning, Appa,” SinB greeted as natural as possible. She still wasn't sure if what she was experiencing was actually real. Instinctively, she knew it was a dream. It had to be a dream. But, it was a dream she never wanted to end.

“How are you feeling about your dance recital tonight?” her dad spoke up, eyes lit up with happiness.

“Oh, just the usual case of the nerves,” SinB replied with trepidation. “But, I’m totally going to rule the stage.” She managed to find her usual sense of confidence.

“That’s the spirit,” SinB’s dad cheered her on, raising his coffee cup in salutation.

“Knock, knock, knock.” SinB heard a vibrant voice behind her. When she turned around, she was greeted by the warm eye smile of Yerin standing in the entrance of the kitchen. She wore a navy, button-down blouse and white shorts, and her hair was cutely separated into pig tails.

“Yerin-unnie?” SinB was shocked to see the older girl in her house.

“Unnie? That’s not typically how you address your girlfriend,” Yerin teasingly acknowledged.

“Don’t worry, Yerin-ssi,” SinB’s mom chimed in, entering the room with a fresh stack of pancakes. “Our SinB is acting like a jokester this morning with her overuse of formalities.”

“Is that so?” Yerin added as she made her way to SinB. Eyes still in the shape of crescents, Yerin adoringly pinched SinB’s cheek. “She’s probably just stressed out with school work and the upcoming dance recital.” She gave SinB a sly wink before returning her attention to SinB’s parents.

“How about you two lovebirds have a little morning picnic with the pancakes that I made?” her mom suggested handing SinB a lunch bag that smelled of bananas and cinnamon.

“That sounds like a great idea, Mrs. Hwang,” Yerin charmingly replied, entwining her hand with SinB’s.

Before the couple walked out the door, SinB’s parents eagerly followed their daughter to say their goodbyes.

“Have a swell day in university, SinB-ah,” her mom pleasantly said before placing a motherly kiss on her cheek.

“We can’t wait to see your performance tonight,” her dad spoke with sincerity. “Though we may say this all the time, SinB-ah, we are very much proud of you.” The compassionate crinkles reappeared.

“Goodbye, Umma. Goodbye, Appa,” SinB said quietly with a hint of melancholy, before waving goodbye and walking away with Yerin by her side.

After walking several paces away from the house, Yerin wrapped a comfortable arm around SinB’s shoulder, bringing their bodies closer. Knowing quite well that she was in a dream world, SinB took it as an opportunity to rest her head against Yerin’s.

“Are you okay, SinB-ah?” Yerin softly whispered in SinB’s ear, making the hairs on the back of SinB’s neck stand up.

“I just have a lot on my mind,” SinB solemnly, but truthfully answered back.

Yerin stopped walking, causing SinB to halt in her tracks. They were in front of an empty alley way.

Yerin released her hold around SinB’s shoulder, but quickly grabbed her hand.

“Come on,” Yerin excitedly said, tilting her head towards the dark alley way.

SinB had no choice but to comply as Yerin playfully dragged her in, away from the sunny streets.

“Yerin-ah,” SinB called out to her girlfriend, blushing a bit from how natural the name rolled off her tongue, “what are you…” Before SinB could finish her sentence, she felt a tug on her arm as Yerin twirled her around so that her back was facing the older girl.

Yerin proceeded to encircle both of her arms around SinB’s waist, burying her head into the crook of the younger girl’s neck. SinB allowed herself to nestle in Yerin’s warm, delightful embrace. With all the things happening to her in the real world, SinB felt like there was nothing wrong with taking advantage of the situation. They stood there in that position for perhaps a minute, but it felt like a blissful eternity.

“I needed this,” SinB mumbled just loud enough for Yerin to hear. Relaxed, she laid her arms on top of Yerin’s. She felt Yerin’s smile grow wider with the new source of body contact.

Everything was perfect. Her parents actually supported her as a dancer, she's studying in the university that she always wanted to attend, Yuju and Sowon are still her best friends, and she's in an affectionate relationship with Yerin who's currently giving her a loving back hug. It seemed as if nothing could go wrong.

“I need this, too,” Yerin, with a mischievous change in the tone of her voice, whispered before sinking her teeth, or more so, her fangs into SinB’s bare neck.

Abruptly waking up from her dream, nightmare, or whatever it was, SinB brought her hand to her neck. Though she knew it was all just a dream, there was an odd sensation creeping down the side of her neck.

Using her hand to brush back her messy locks of hair, SinB swept up her phone on her night stand to check the time. The sun beckoning through the tightly shut blinds gave SinB an indication that it was daytime. But, she didn't expect it to be this late in the day. Tuesday 3:19 pm.

How she was able to sleep for so long, SinB had no clue. But, seeing her parents made her wonder what they were doing right now. How did they react when they realized that their only child ran off one day and never came back?

SinB got out of bed and took a shower. She needed to look presentable when she knocked on her parents’ door to beg for forgiveness.

During the taxi drive to the house where she grew up, SinB was trying to find the right words to say to her parents. They were strict and reserved, but they still cared about SinB. And, SinB still cared about them. But, they were always distant, living in their own separate lives.

SinB adjusted the collar of her blouse. She looked as if she was going to a job interview with her neatly kept hair, ironed white blouse, refined heels, and black skirt that stopped just above the knees. With every familiar street sign the taxi passed, SinB became more anxious.

The taxi dropped her off a couple of houses away from her destination, as instructed by SinB. After paying the driver, SinB got out, adjusted her outfit, and began to walk.

SinB remembered all the times when she had to walk back home from school and not one parent was there to greet her. She remembered sneaking out to attend dance practices at Destiny. Never once did she get caught. But, that's mainly because her parents would seclude themselves in their own personal workspace for the rest of the night.

As she approached the house, SinB noticed a sign hanging from the front gate. Her heart shattered when she read the words: For Sale.

Without a second thought, SinB took off her heels and hopped over the medium size gate. She went straight to the front door to check if it was opened. Jangling the door knob around, she realized it was locked. But, that didn't stop SinB from wildly banging on the door, tears blurring her vision.

She stormed to the nearest window, checking to see if there was any indication of the house’s occupants. The house was eerily empty. The furniture was gone along with the picture frames of the supposedly happy family and decorations that her mother loved to put around the house.

A number of emotions consumed SinB. Anger. Grief. Confusion. Guilt.

No. Not guilt. It was her choice to runaway. It wasn't her fault that her parents chose to abandon her. Chose to not even search for her.

Clutching her heels with one hand and wiping her tears with the other, SinB stood tall as she jumped the gate, walking away from the house that never really felt like home. She went to search for the one food that could comfort her at this time. Ddeokbokki.

It was already eleven at night when SinB got back to her apartment building. After eating her first decent meal in days, she aimlessness walked around the town. Passersby would snicker at her unkempt appearance.

As she rode the elevator to her apartment complex, SinB stared at her reflection from the elevator’s mirrored surface. She was a mess. Her makeup was smudged, hair was flying all over the place, and her blouse had sauce stains that would take a miracle to remove.

But, she didn't care. The past couple of days were a mess, and SinB wouldn't be surprised if they got worse.

Stepping out of the elevator, SinB rummaged for her apartment keys. When she opened the door, a chill ran up her spine. Closing the door behind her, she the lamp in the living room and cautiously walked to the kitchen area. She was shocked to see two men in matching suits sitting at her small kitchen table. They appeared to be in their twenties and looked identical, except for one had blonde hair and the other man’s hair was jet black.

“Hwang SinB,” the blonde man spoke with a deep, yet calm voice, “we work for Virgo. The boss isn't too pleased with you skipping out on your job, yesterday. He sent us here to get you, so that the two of you could have a nice chat about the importance of keeping promises.” He grinned to show off his pointy fangs.

Knowing well that Virgo’s intentions were far from friendly, SinB quickly ran for the door. Before she had the chance to reach for the door handle, the dark-haired man was already there in front of her, blocking the room’s only exit.

“The boss doesn’t mind us using force,” the man with blonde hair warned SinB as he sauntered out of the kitchen to stand behind her.

For the first time, SinB noticed that the eyes of the two vampires were missing pupils and their skin was sickly pale, almost translucent.

She also noticed that they looked terribly hungry.