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The inky blue sky turned darker the longer Jiho walked and slowly but surely, the first stars began to twinkle in the gaps between the looming clouds. The moon, half-hidden behind tall apartment buildings, was almost full. Its pale light reflected on the familiar surfaces of a small playground she was passing, tinting everything silver. It had been a hot day, way too hot, but the soft breeze that tousled her long, black hair was cool enough to feel pleasant.

Jiho adjusted the strap of her bright blue bag on her shoulder. The books inside were heavy and she frowned at the thought of the amount of homework she'd have to do later that evening.

"That demon teacher..." she muttered to herself, stomping on the pavement. Just because Ms. Jeong was the homeroom teacher didn't mean she had to give them so much work to do. And she always pretended to be soooo nice - but Jiho had seen right through her. She could feel it whenever the teacher leaned over her shoulder to check her homework: Something was off with her aura and Jiho didn't like it one bit.

But of course she hadn't told her new classmates; she didn't want to be a weirdo - like Minsik, who picked his nose, or like Eunsoo, who talked to her doll when she thought no one was listening. And then there was Hojong, who had flooded the classroom because he was a mutant and now everyone was avoiding him.

Jiho didn't want to be avoided. She had experienced a fair share of bullying in her last school already, so now that she finally was able to start anew, she had to be careful not to slip up. Her peers already kept their distance because she was new and her father never attended any school events.

Being a student was hard. And she had been so excited to finally make friends.

The girl huffed once again and tightened her grip around the strap. The sound of a cicada somewhere in the darkness made her quicken her pace. She had never liked insects very much and the size of cicadas was enough to freak her out.

The path she was following lead her along tall buildings, the dark gaps between them only lit by the occasional street light. She slowed down a little, hesitating to cross the next shadowy street, before she forced herself to pick up speed once again. The faster she got home, the better. It was quite late already since she had lingered in the library, completely absorbed in a comic book instead of doing homework, but her father wouldn't be at home to scold her anyway.

Jiho normally didn't mind walking at night - she was familiar with the nooks and crannies of the neighbourhood by now and it wasn't the first time either - but something about the almost full moon caused an ominous feeling to stir in her stomach.

A chill ran down her spine when she crossed the next dark gap. Eyes firmly directed at the ground, she fastened her pace even further, the heavy books in her bag hitting her lower back painfully.

This area was considered safe for Humans; it was exactly why her father had moved here. There were barely any Beings around and the rules that kept them in line were quite strict.

But still.

Something deep down told Jiho that this night wasn't as safe as the nights before.

The sound of her hurried footsteps got muffled by the thick gummy soles of her sneakers but every step rang in her ears like a gunshot. She could already make out the shape of her apartment building against the almost black sky. One more block until she was home.

Her lips were dry because of her heavy breathing and her heart was racing in her chest. She turned around a corner, into one of the smaller streets between the buildings, and stumbled to an abrupt halt.

Two people were standing in the yellowish light of a street lamp, only a few meters in front of her. Jiho could make out the back of a tall, dark-haired man, whose hands were wrapped around the fragile-looking wrists of a much smaller woman.

The girl felt a sting somewhere in her chest.

The woman was beautiful. A frail, childlike body with pale skin and silky, black hair that fell below her waist. It framed a face that looked like it belonged to a doll. Her round eyes were wide open, surprise painted on her delicate features, while red lips whispered words Jiho couldn't hear. Too weak to break free, she was struggling against the grip of the man in front of her.

A plethora of thoughts ran through Jiho's mind at the sight. She wanted to do something, to interfere and protect the woman, but something told her that the situation was too dangerous for a child to get involved.

Taking a step back, she reached into her pocket for her phone. The police would help, or maybe she could call her father-

She paused, her fingers already wrapped around the small device, when the man let go of the woman, his hands now dangling limply at his sides.

Jiho waited with bated breath but instead of running away from him, the woman moved in, her arms wrapping around his waist, pulling him closer, while she buried her face in his shoulder.

Slowly, Jiho let go of her phone. Had she misunderstood the situation? Maybe they had been fighting and now they had made up?

But there was still tension in the air; she just couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.

The pair remained motionless and Jiho decided that it was time to leave. Watching them made her oddly uncomfortable.

Carefully, to not disturb the couple, she took a step back - determined to take the longer way around the block - but a twig broke under her shoe with a loud snap.

Jiho's bag hit the ground when the woman looked up at the sound, her blood-smeared, blackened face grotesquely distorted into something entirely non-human. The girl's terrified expression got reflected by eight beady eyes that adorned the area where the nose should have been and two long fangs slowly retracted back into a lipless mouth.

The man slumped face-first to the ground and for a few horrible seconds, Jiho thought he was dead - until he coughed weakly.

Jiho looked up from his still form and met the stare of the ... woman? Monster? She wasn't sure what kind of Being it was exactly but the resemblance to a spider was unmistakable.

It wasn't her first time seeing a Being - of course not, they were everywhere - but it was her first time seeing a hostile one. And if she was unlucky, it would also be her last.

"Little girl. Pretty little girl."

The voice of the Being caused goosebumps to rise on her skin. It was beautiful, soft and silky, but it was just as alien as the Being itself.

The woman stepped forward, over her victim. Her face warped, pulling and shifting in front of Jiho, until there was no trace left of the monstrous appearance. Even the blood had vanished. Cherry red lips turned up into a smile at the girl's expression, stuck somewhere between horror and fascination.

The woman took another step, her melodious voice soothing Jiho's frayed nerves. "Don't be scared, little one. I don't hurt children."

The girl was still frozen in place, unable to decide what to do. Her instincts told her to run as fast as she possibly could, but the woman looked so nice and pretty and she had said that she wouldn't hurt her...

"My name is Minji. What's yours, little girl?"

The outstretched hand was slim, the fingers long and delicate, and somehow it looked incredibly inviting.

Jiho took a step forward and the ominous feeling in her gut grew even stronger. She wasn't particularly skilled at reading auras but even she could tell that this one was malicious.

She hesitated.

The face of the woman lost some of its friendliness before the smile was back in place. "Come on now. It's rude not to introduce yourself, isn't it?"

The girl tried to swallow around the lump in . She wanted to run, really wanted to, especially when the woman, Minji, took another step forward - but she couldn't. The Being was almost in arms reach now and Jiho's whole body turned numb.

"J-Jiho," she finally squeaked. "I'm Jiho."

"What a pretty name." The soft voice caressed her gently and Minji's twinkling eyes formed crescents when she smiled. "A pretty name for a pretty girl." Jiho tensed when cool fingertips came in contact with her cheek. "I'll treat you especially well, little one. Don't fret; it will be over in a heartbeat."

Tears gathered in Jiho's eyes when cherry red lips pulled back to reveal blackened, toothless gums and the already familiar fangs that seemed to grow out of th