24th of October

I waited until dinner was over. I did not want to leave the house before, in case the servants would reveal to Tzuyu that I had left. I had tried to think of a plan that would give me time before anyone would realize my absence. Despite all the stress I was going through, I ate as much as I could during dinner and took some bread with me. There was no knowing when I would find food on my journey and I had to prepare for everything.

Once I returned to my room, I changed clothes and put on as much as I could wear without it looking suspicious. I had packed most of my important belongings earlier and it took me only a quarter of an hour to get ready. I locked the door and walked quietly to the eastern part of the house, careful not to make noise now that I knew Tzuyu could hear better than any human ever could. I did not turn around once - I only cared about saving myself and getting out.

Outside, the fog was still circling the house and the estate like it had always been there. I could hardly memorize the look of the sun any longer -  it was fading like a face of a long-lost lover. I ignored my fears of not knowing where I was going and closed the door, certain that I would never return. Now that I knew what Tzuyu was, I thought there was nothing that I could miss, as all my memories of the place were tainted with horror.

I turned towards the woods, hoping it was the right way. I knew that if anyone were to look for me, they would try the roads leading South. I wanted to go that way, but I knew that I would not get far before she would catch me. My only hope was to get so lost in the woods that even she could not find me. I knew deep down in my heart that I would need a miracle to lose her in her own territory - I was nothing but a mouse in an unfamiliar kitchen with a great cat.

After an hour of walking uphill, it began to get dark and I lighted a candle in my lantern. Otherwise, I could not see much beyond my own shoes and would most likely fall to my death. But as I carried the light, I felt a strong wave of desperation coming over me. How could I manage to get far enough in the dark forest when she could probably see my lantern from far away? Also, her superhuman sense of scent would find traces of me as soon as she would be outside. Why had I even left the house? I would die in the cold forest and my body would never be found. My family would never find out what had happened to me and grieve until the last days on earth.

I felt a persistent sob in my throat, but I fought it and moved on. Whatever would happen, it was no use giving up. I would not die without putting up a fight first, just like that night when Tzuyu had been in my room, hiding in shadows. The memory made me shudder.

I came to a small pool of water and I stopped right before I stepped into the dark liquid. I lifted the lantern and looked around me - it was the place where me and Tzuyu had been in, what felt like a lifetime ago, but the deer were no longer there. I realized to my horror that I had been walking close to the mansion and was far from escaping. I looked at the reflection of the light on water and thought about drowning myself.

"Why are you here?" A voice said from behind me and in my fright, I dropped the lantern into the pool. The world around me was a fine shade of dark grey just before it would turn black. I turned around slowly, ready to bolt but before I could move I felt her standing right behind me. She could have drifted there as quietly as the fog, but much faster.

"Let me leave. If I die, it will break my mother's heart," I pleaded, one boot dangerously close to the waterline. I could not lift my eyes to look at her - I was sure that I would find a terrible change in her appearance if I did so.

"If you do not want to die then why did you come here?" Tzuyu said and even as her voice was smooth as iron, I felt her growing impatience. She would take me down any moment.

"Please, let me go," I whispered, trying to look for a way to escape but she was too close to me, blocking all the possible escape routes. Even the dark trees seemed to have stepped closer, just to keep me from running away. Perhaps, the whole wood was under her mastery.

"And let him hurt you?"

"Please-," I started but then I realized what she had said and despite my fear, I remained silent and waiting for her to continue.

"Did you think I was going to hurt you?" Tzuyu said, her voice breaking a fraction. I looked up into her glowing eyes that were like two small moons, and felt her spell holding me as her prisoner.

"But you are a vampire-"

"I am not the vampire you should be afraid of," she said and just then we could hear a strangled cry from far away. I shuddered and a part of me realized just how badly I had misunderstood.

"You are trying to confuse me with your words, let me go-" I said and tried to move, but before I could do anything, I lost my footing and began to fall into the pool.

"He is here," she whispered as she caught me. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on a tree branch high above and everywhere around me was nothing but sky. My head spun and my body felt as if someone had tried to rip my bones out without breaking skin.

"Good evening," a low voice said from below and another pair of glowing eyes emerged from the shadows around the pool. I bit the inside of my cheek so that I would not shriek. Whoever it was that had just emerged from the shadows, was a lot bigger than Tzuyu was.

"Trespassing again," Tzuyu said and appeared calm on the outside, as if she had just met another Sunday afternoon stroller in a park. However, she stood rigid between the tree I was sitting in and his large body. He looked like he could have taken down each tree in the forest with his bare hands in just one night. His head looked too small between his mighty shoulders.

"I am afraid my need to see Miss Jihyo became too grave," he said and looked up, straight into my eyes. I hold on to the branch harder, afraid that he could make me fall down with a mere look. He felt familiar even as I was certain that I had never seen him. His face was nothing but a hideous mask that hardly covered a lust, that I knew was all for me.

"She is mine," Tzuyu spat.

"Tsk tsk. She has been mine ever since she was a child," he said and I shivered, even as I did not understand what he meant. He looked at me again and gave me a toothy grin that could make wolves look like harmless puppies. "I am afraid you were too young to remember when I met your mother. She was beautiful like you, but perhaps a little lanky."

"Leave now and I will let you live," Tzuyu cut in and he turned his amused gaze her way.

"You took words right out of my mouth, except for the latter part."

After that everything happened so fast that I could not see anything. All I knew was there was a terrible noise, like an old tree falling and then I felt myself being lifted off the tree and carried to the ground. "Run to the house and go to your room. Do not come out until sunrise," Tzuyu said so fast that it felt as if we had expressed thoughts. Then she was gone and sounds of fighting were everywhere like giants had been throwing rocks at each other. I dashed through the trees, hoping I was running towards the mansion and not deeper into the woods.

I ran until my lungs burned. The fog around me was breaking and a light breeze blew from the north. The moon showed its face for the first time in days and finally I could better guess my direction.

Soon enough, I ran straight into the garden, but even there I did not stop to catch a breath and dashed to the nearest door. Thankfully, it was not locked – either Tzuyu had left it open or the servants were doing a poor job trying to keep us safe. I went inside and locked the door behind me, making sure to try the handle twice before I was certain it would not open.

When I reached my room, I locked everything I possibly could and hid myself in the wardrobe. I knew if the vampire got there, he would find me with ease but perhaps, by hiding, I could buy some time. It took me a long while before my breathing slowed down and even after that, my heart would not stop racing. My mouth was parched from the run and I wished I had had some water, but it was the least of my concerns.

Despite all the terror I fell asleep, praying for Tzuyu's safety when only some hours ago I would have wanted nothing more than to see her die.

29th of October

When I woke up, I could not understand where I was at first. However, when I saw the sight of my muddy boots, the previous night's events returned in a flash. I got out of the wardrobe and saw a faint sliver of daylight coming through the window. As I drew the curtains open, I could see the whole garden in front of me. Silently, I rejoiced that the fog had finally vanished.

I changed my clothes and combed my hair so that I looked like I had not been out of the house during the night. I left the room, taking a candle with me and headed for the fourth floor. It was still very early and I met no servants on my way up, which I was thankful for. Any delays would have made me more anxious than what I was.

On the last floor, everything was exactly how it had been when I had last been there. Even the painting that had fallen from the wall was still on the floor, with the picture side pressed against the carpet. Yet, this time my hands did not shake and I was not bothered by the darkness. I knew that if the male vampire had wanted to kill me during the night, he would have done so already and I did not expect to find him there.

I pushed open the door to Tzuyu's room and was greeted by a complete disorder. Almost everything that could have been broken, had been broken and all the