“So here’s the plan,” Changmin watched as Kyuhyun presented him with a scruffily drawn timetable, “every morning from seven am until five in the evening I will watch her.” He’d coloured and labelled this in with blue.

“For you Changmin it will be from six pm until seven.”

“Why do I have to take evenings?”

Kyuhyun raised his eyebrows at him. “You aren’t used to the sun here so sending you to keep guard during the day would be foolish on my part.” Changmin opened his mouth to protest. “You didn’t have to stay back; so get over it.”
 

“Alright fine,” it wasn’t really but he didn’t want to fight about it. Kyuhyun fished into his pocket and took out a mobile phone. It was a Samsung in an old model of about two years but it had a touch screen.

“It has my number, Joohyun’s home number already in. If anything happens when you’re watching her then you are to call.”

Changmin scoffed. “Which poor victim’s stone, cold fingers did you pry this out of?”

“That is none of your concern my friend.”

“So what do I do while I wait? Chill? Eat? Watch some stuff on television?”

“Changmin, the kind of stuff you’re implying isn’t on television during the day. Plus I don’t have cable; I only have this to entertain Joohyun when she visits.”

Game, set and match. Changmin just flopped down onto the couch. “So I do nothing basically?”

“Why not go back to our realm for a bit? Since you’ll be staying here for a while I would rather you didn’t wear all my clothes.”

Changmin frowned, “thank you Kyuhyun I’m glad you feel that way.” He said with sarcasm.

“I’ll be back to make sure that you are here for your first watch.”

“Yeah, yeah fine,” Changmin waved him off as Kyuhyun went to leave. In a pale green chinaware bowl Kyuhyun dropped something in there. “There’s a spare key for you.” The door closed.

~~~

Changmin went to a secluded place before he aimed high at the sky. He was somewhat nervous about the journey ahead but for this time he had a better idea of what was ahead. He bent his knees, charging energy in his lower body before taking off.

Unlike his arrival to earth the heating up wasn’t as intense providing him less discomfort this time. He almost hit someone when he landed on the path to the side. The boy glared at him, Changmin stared back. He was the youngest of the clan, about ten or eleven when he was changed. Why Kangta had brought him still alluded Changmin to this day.

“Changmin, you’re back.” He nodded to the fellow vampire before hurrying to his room.

“Changmin-ah,” the voice was static in tone. He winced, before it was happier and sounded as if it smiled. Time really had made things worse between them. He stopped, turning around to face the female that had spoken out to him.

Her hair hadn’t changed much. It was still a shade of brown with crisp cut bangs concealing her forehead. Her height and figure a result of dancing and flexibility. She looked at him with her large eyes; genetics had been kind to her.

What she had changed was her style. He remembered her more in skirts or short dresses. Now it was more layers and jeans with thicker makeup.

“Victoria,” she tensed. Changmin had no idea why.

“I see, we’re back to how we were when we no more than strangers.” She exhaled folding her arms after checking her nail art.
“Do you want me to call you noona again?”

“No, it would be too weird.”

“I see,” he looked at her, careful to not meet her eyes. “I see your back from your home clan.”

“I wish I could have returned from good.” She sounded regretful. “But Kangta wouldn’t allow it, he says my services as a hunter are still needed.”

“I see that’s unfortunate,” his false sympathy made Changmin want to vomit.

“Still I hope things won’t be as awkward next time we meet,” she began to leave, clacking in her high heel boots. “If you ever want to rekindle what we had, you know where I am.” She turned back to look at him.

“Victoria, I will not go back to you again.” He found the nape of his neck itching. “Whatever it was we had… I did not feel anything. Sure the passion was good, but if you want to be with someone who will be able to do more than just kiss and then search elsewhere.”

He knew she would be giving him a disgruntled look so he kept on walking without looking back. They were past, not present or even future. He’d decided that when he learned she wanted more.

~~~

Their room felt strange to Changmin. Nothing had changed but no Kyuhyun made it eerily quiet. Going to his bed he got out an old worn brown, suitcase. There was no dust on it as such so he didn’t find Kyuhyun had written on the top. Opening it up he tipped out all the old books he’d kept stored in it, letting them thud around him.

Going to his wardrobe he pulled out shirts, jeans, shoes, jackets and jerseys to put them in the suitcase. He also found four pairs of shoes he owned, slippers, brown laced boots, black dress shoes, white converses and black high top sneakers with bits of silver and grey on them. Kyuhyun had offered to take him shopping in the human realm but he’d declined. The two dressed very differently and so may have bickered more than buying.

Changmin didn’t keep a lot of products. Hair stopped growing when they had been changed so their last morning shadow would no longer be a problem. Girls didn’t get acne so skin care wasn’t essential unless they’d been permanently scarred or disfigured when they were human.

He got the hair gel used when he felt like pushing his fringe up, sunscreen which he’d never opened but had been told would come in handy one day and breath mints in the mild flavour. Peppermint had proven to burn the inside of the mouth.

After he’d managed to pack things as neatly as he could the challenge came with his books and music. Most of the songs he liked were ones they’d found through searching in abandoned schools or colleges. For the time being they had no internet, not that it really was needed.

“Changmin,” there was a knock. He sat up, the door opened. Kangta’s head poked out around the door. Changmin got up hastily to bow.
“I see you’re back, is Kyuhyun with you?”

“He…” He stopped. What did he say to the clan leader? Kangta waited patiently for an answer. Changmin looked down.

“He’s, he stayed back.”

“Ah I see.” Kangta nodded. “Did he tell you why?” Changmin shook his head.

“No, I only found him just before I came here and he was in a rush. Said that he’s looking into something, something that may help the hunters capture prey more easily.”

It was a sloppy attempt for a tall tale however Kangta didn’t appear bothered.

“Good, that will really be a help for us and with the information we can earn blood from other clans by relaying it. I look forward to hearing his ideas when he comes back.” Kangta closed the door.

Changmin just stared at the floor, shocked. Kangta believed it. He did not ask or push the question further.

However what bothered Changmin was the fact he had been able to deliver the lie without second thoughts.

He leaned against his suitcase, a hand through his fringe. “The hell is wrong with me?”
 

The chapter’s somewhat boring I know but it won’t be like this for the next one :D