Another Half-Moon : Chapter One

ONE. I’LL MEET YOU DURING EVERY HALF MOON

It’s stupid. It always has been. How oblivious I am! What is wrong with me? What’s with all the weird hallucinations I encountered last night?

All of it seemed too good to be true.

My mind subconsciously recalled the events that happened in my head last night.

Oh no… I groaned to myself. My wits are running wild, too wild. Better stop this. Now!

I sighed. The perfect picture of him in my mind was still stuck, embroidered into every single cell. My brains were raging, thinking only of him.

And who’s the him?

Well, I couldn’t bother to tell anyone about this –other than myself, of course– and not even my two best friends Helen and Kathy. Everything seemed so wrong. In so many ways.

I had a dream last night.

It wasn’t a bad dream, and I admit, it was the most glorious of all the dreams I had. Including the best ones previously like dreaming about myself eating potato chips out of the packet for hours and hours –yay! – or even kissing the guy I’ve a crush on.

Hold on. It was the guy I had a crush on. Now the guy just totally changed in a second, into him… Ah…

Anyhow, the dream I had could be described by this one word– Awesome.

It started as me looking at myself, and I was wandering around a really green field, a few blossoming tulips floating around in sync with the wind that blew by. Everything was utterly peaceful.

Although the weird thing was that it wasn’t in the day. It was night. Darkness lingered in every corner of the sky and ground, a half moon hanging by the corner, lighting everything up like a miniature sun. There was a really pretty blue lake, filled with… blue colored water. Like, really deep blue. Almost like an ocean, you could say.

Old oak trees stood nearby the lake, shielding some parts of it from the moonlight. Even though the moon was only a half of it, it lighted everything up just perfectly. Not too bright, not too dark.

What if it was a full moon, I asked myself.

I started wandering around, by the lake, hopping slightly in the field of wondrous green.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, there was this small little sheep near the lake –not that I ever saw a sheep in real life before– with this really white wooly coat around it and it was going ‘Bah, bah’ the whole time. I didn’t know why, but I could understand what it was trying to say.

The sheep’s thoughts were being passed down into me, a soft, wooly (yes, wooly) voice whispering into my mind.

Hi! I’m Nancy. What’s your name, human?

Whoa, I didn’t know that sheep has names. Of course, I never had any pets before. Not even a goldfish or any type of fish, under my concern.

I wondered for a few seconds of how to answer the sheep. Should I just use my voice to talk to it or either use the mind talking power she was using?

Suddenly, as if it were a natural reaction, I started saying the things I wanted to express through my mind.

My name is Quinn. You’re definitely a sheep, right?

The sheep thought for a second and her little white head bobbed a little.

Of course she was a sheep, I told myself. If not why is she so fluffy white and wooly?

‘Nancy! Come here!’ a deep, smooth voice suddenly echoed around the lake.

The sheep –I mean, Nancy looked over to her right and let out one ‘Bah!’ then she went walking to a huge oak tree nearby and went ‘Bah!’ again.

There was someone talking to Nancy, and I saw a few fingers sticking out from the shadow of the tree, patting Nancy’s fluffy little head. The sheep was going bah the whole time in pleasure. She really enjoyed being pat, doesn’t she.

‘Bah!’ Nancy suddenly said and turned over to look at me.

Yes, Nancy? I wondered.

‘You know someone new, Nancy?’ the deep voice said again, and then there was the sound of a chuckle. ‘Introduce us. Come on.’ The voice urged the sheep.

Nancy looked over to the direction of the huge oak tree and then turned back to me again. She looked like she was deciding something now.

What is it, I asked her again.

My master wants to meet you.

Why?

Because he wants to make friends.

I grinned. Nancy was just so cute.

Well…Fine then. So where is your master?

Nancy went bah again and a foot stepped out from the shadows. It was a pair of navy blue sneakers.

The figure of a person started to emerge, slowly, slowly…

Until a boy appeared.

Forget handsome, he was totally mesmerizingly gorgeous.

I stared.

And stared and stared and stared.

For one moment, –no, one minute, I just stood there and stared. His deep yet electrifying blue eyes zoomed straight into mine, making my heart race faster and faster.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, my heart cried desperately.

This was the guy.

Forget my previous crush for two whole years, which was Greg. This boy here was even more charming. So much better than some soccer fanatic.

I just knew it.

This was the guy I fell in love within first sight.

A minute and a half passed. I didn’t even dare to change anything, to do anything, afraid that I would spoil this beautiful image right in front of me.

But then, I started to choke.

Oh no, everything is ruined. This beautiful image…

I kept blaming myself for spoiling everything.

No… I can’t… go on anymore… Ugh…

The thing was, he was too beautiful until I stopped breathing. My lungs and mind just stopped. I guess this was what it is like when the phrase ‘Take my breath away’ is used. I could really need that phrase to use now.

‘Are you okay, Quinn?’ his charming deep voice echoed around the field, over the water, and I could even feel the sky warming towards him. No matter if it was night or day or even cloudy, this world just followed his flow. Followed his every move, every time he blinks, a cloud will start moving. It was as if the whole time everything here was controlled by him.

This was fantasy.

Definitely fantasy.

Him, the lake, the mind-talking sheep, the little ornaments hanging around this place, seemed just too… unrealistic.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

My heart stopped beating faster. It was at its normal pace again.

Okay, maybe it is still accelerating by just a little bit. This was a dream I would never get over.

A dream.

Those two words started to echo in my mind.

Just a dream.

I started to realize…

Maybe this really wasn’t real. This was just a dream. I was sleeping in reality now. This was just a dream that was too good to be real.

Yes, this was a dream. Always will be. Nothing can make this happen in real life.

Part of me sighed in desperation.

Why wasn’t this happening in real life? It would be so much better.

But another part of me also knew, this guy was just too gorgeous, too handsome to be true.

‘Quinn?’

While thinking, I almost forgot that he was there. He was asking me something, he was saying my name.

‘Y-yes?’

Oh no.

My voice was shaking slightly. I felt slightly scared in this unknown, dreamy world. But this was my dream right? So why did I need to feel scared?

Pushing courage forward, I decided to ask him again.

‘Who are you?’ I asked, trying to avoid contact with his eyes. It was too dangerous. I might faint, right here, right now.

His eyes opened wider slightly, as if he was surprised.

‘…’

A slow, awkward silence followed.

I wanted to say something again, but then his lips moved a second quicker than mine, putting a stop to my mouth.

‘Nancy didn’t tell you my name?’

‘The sheep?’ I thought for a little while.

One second, two seconds…

Three seconds.

He was still waiting for my answer.

I was trying to recall the mind conversation between me and Nancy a little while ago. So far as I know, she didn’t mention anything about another person’s name. Especially a boy’s name.

‘I… don’t think so.’ I slowly said.

Breathe, keep breathing, I told myself. I couldn’t faint now. I was having a conversation with this beautiful human now –if he really is human– and I couldn’t just black out from nowhere.

I still wanted to look at him.

He looked to the direction of Nancy, and the sheep shrugged. More like she looked like she shrugged, her wooly shoulders moving slightly up and down.

Sorry I didn’t introduce my master to you first, Quinn.

How did he know my name?

I told him, of course. Silly of you to ask that.

Sighing slightly, I asked this beautiful being again.

‘So what’s your name?’

Smooth as a frail slide of glass, he answered.

‘Caleb. Nancy told me your name, though. It’s Quinn, right?’

‘Yeah. Thanks, sheep.’ I mumbled.

Nancy went ‘Bah!’ again for some reason.

Caleb chuckled. A low, deep laugh was forming in his throat, thus producing a chuckle, since he decided to not laugh out loud.

‘Nancy feels… appreciated.’ He said, still trying to stop chucking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working.

I tried to laugh as humorlessly as possible, making sure my voice wasn’t cracking into pieces. If it did, I would just embarrass myself in front of him.

‘Sorry.’ He said, wiping a small trace of laughing tears from his eyes. ‘Didn’t mean to laugh at you or anything.’

I rolled my eyes.

Yeah, but you still laughed, didn’t you?

Although I could say all of this in my head, I couldn’t bear to let it out, smack it into his face.

Because an imaginary vision struck my mind.

If I ever hurt his heart, would his beautiful face corrupt too?

I started to eye his face carefully, noticing the features I never did saw when he first stepped out from the shadows. There was a little trace of lavender in his eyes, and around it was the most beautiful ocean wave. Even a Hawaiian beach couldn’t compare with his electrifying blue eyes.

A small patch of lavender with an ocean surrounding it. That was what I could think of to describe his eyes.

It was so surreal.

Then my eyes started darting upwards, upwards…

…Until it reached his hair.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Three words that you could only say when you see with your very own two eyes, how blonde yet transparent his hair felt.

Not that I ever really touched it –although it would be heaven! – but just by looking at the strands one by one, I could feel it in me.

His hair wasn’t exactly blonde, and not exactly gold. It was the mixture of a light brown and blonde. That was what it was like. Soft and subtle, unlike my own hair. My mom used to describe once that it looked like a ‘well kept patch of grass’.

In other words, it was messy but well kept. I made sure to brush it at least fifty times a day. But no matter how much I brushed, it just couldn’t look straight like my mom’s, instead it just stayed a patch of grass. –Well kept grass, I hasten to add.

‘Quinn? Are you daydreaming again? Hello?’

Oh no…

His voice was too good to be true. It was nice and soothing to hear it flowing through my ears. Like a flow of water going straight through my brains. Rough but smoothly flowing on and on.

‘Y-yeah?’

My voice was starting to crack again.

‘Are you alright? Do you have epilepsy or something?’ he asked, his face looking slightly concerned.

‘But epilepsy is for crazy people.’ I reasoned.

‘Well, from the look on your face just now, I could say that you’re darn right crazy. Just imagine the person you’re talking to suddenly blank out from nowhere.’

That hit my funny bone.

I started to laugh, a line of laughter kept creeping through my mouth, calling me to laugh louder.

He started to chuckle too.

Seeing Caleb laugh was the best thing to look at in this whole planet.

There was a spark of humor in his eyes, added with the assembling of his features, thus making him look kind of childish. There were little dimples just by the tip of the curves of his mouth and his lightly-colored eyebrows –eek! – were slightly creased in the middle, extinguishing his childishness.

Result: he looks like a serious guy that took a good joke.

I wanted to slap my face. Like really hard.

This was so definitely a dream. No guy could be this perfect in the real world. There was nothing to compare. Not even the tallest building could compare with his height, from my perspective.

I stopped laughing.

Caleb noticed my silence and took note of my face expression. It was like he was trying to open the book in me. The thing was that I couldn’t reveal that book that easily.

‘How tall are you?’  I asked him.

He smiled again. Obviously he was thinking that this was just a plain joke.

But his eyes started to roll to me. I wasn’t laughing with him, like a crazy cow. I was seriously serious.

One of his eyebrows hopped up in confusion and he asked me, ‘Why?’

Because I have spent almost all of my life getting taller and I can’t!

That was totally true, and there he was, tall as a fully-grown palm tree standing beside an oak tree. He was obviously at least one head taller than me.

I tried everything; from drinking two glasses of milk everyday (till I finally vomited) and stretching every freaking day, nothing worked. And there this perfect guy called Caleb was, tall as a coconut tree.

How unfair life is!

I’ve always wanted to be that tall, so that the world can be in my view…

‘Just asking, seeing how tall you are.’ I said lamely, trying to hide my annoyance. This dude was the ideal height I wanted to be!

‘Well… the last time I measured… it was… hmm… I guess its 171 cm.’ he said.

‘WHAT?!’

‘I told you. It’s 171cm.’ he said. I guess he never expected me to be this surprised.

‘What’s your secret of becoming tall?’

How I wished there was a notepad for me to record all these things now.

But this was a dream right?

This guy couldn’t… possibly be real, right…?

Suddenly, Nancy went ‘Bah! Bah!’ and Caleb sighed.

‘The sun is going to come out soon. You’d better hurry back into your own world. Remember; meet me here during the next half moon, Quinn.’ He smiled.

‘Huh?’

‘Your mom is coming to wake you up already. Staying in a dream for too long can make you suffer, you know.’

What was he talking about? How would he know my mom was coming to wake me up now? Why was he asking me to go back? Why meet him during another half moon…

Out of the blue, the whole ground started to growl.

Rumbling. More rumbling.

‘Bye, Quinn. See you, soon.’

Caleb smiled a little, showing some of his dimples.

Hold on… he was leaving? To where?

‘B-bye.’ I managed to stumble out of all the questions I had in my head. His smile grew wider. I couldn’t help but return it, seeing how sweet it looked. Maybe I really… fell in love with Caleb.

This is so unfair!

Did he even like me? Did he even consider of liking me?

Then an idea suddenly hit my mind. The ground was still rumbling underneath, but everything on the surface stayed still. Sort of like a volcano under the ground.

I tried communicating with Nancy.

Nancy, help me look out for him, okay?

The sheep looked at me for a moment and shrugged.

Sure. You’ve fallen for him, didn’t you? I tell you, if I were human…

Yeah, yeah. I guess I have. Just help me look out over him, okay?

I smiled towards the sheep and Nancy took another second then looked back to the direction of her master.

Got it.

And then Caleb started shifting away, further and further.

This was my first confrontation with him.

By the next half moon, it’ll be our next meeting.

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Hey! :D

I guess this first chapter is a little quite long (well? 2,000+ words?) 

but I'll try to continue this as soon as possible. 

Working on another novel now called And It's Just A Curse .

Enjoy this chapter :) 

A part of my new novella, Delicious.

Delicious

‘What do you want, jerk?’ I asked him impatiently, while slamming my locker door to show how angry I was. I couldn’t bang it too hard though, if not it would surely shatter into pieces by now.

  ‘What did I teach you, Amber?’ he said, snickering slightly, a little humor sparkled in his eyes.

  It was like he was trying to test my patience or something. Thinking of it that way made me even more pissed, I felt like I could just bite someone now.

  But thinking again, I don’t think I should use the word bite again. I was over sensitive to it.

  ‘Well, too bad. I forgot everything.’

  ‘Oh?’

  A really mischievous grin popped out of his thin, velvety lips. Then the humor that just sparkled at the side of his eyes started to melt away, and the light grey inside started to turn darker and darker. He was concentrating on something.

  And it hit me.

  He was concentrating on getting into my mind, probing around and trying to find out what I was thinking that very moment.

  I immediately shut up my eyes like it was programmed into me, and used my own powers to block him from inside.

  Then I heard him chuckle.

  It was a chuckle full of amusement, like when a small kid giggled when they are exited. He wasn’t an exception. What was so funny when I didn’t even laugh?

  ‘What’s so funny, Aiden?’ I said, half frowning, my mouth a little twisted out of impatience.

  He was still chuckling. It didn’t look like it was going to end soon. He was having too much fun now, playing with me. But the thing was that I didn’t even know how or why.

  ‘Hmm… And you said you forgotten everything?’ he said, the humor growing in his already humorous eyes, a sparkle of light inside that ominous grey.

  ‘People forget, you know.’ I murmured. But then I was woken up by my own words and noticed.

  I wasn’t even human.

  As if he saw right through my thoughts, he said, ‘But you’re not human. Barely.’

  I fought the urge in myself to just jump and attack him, flashing my fangs and then sinking it into his veins. But I just couldn’t. There were too many people here that would get hurt. Or even worse, they could see me, my fangs, my true nature. Inside of me started trembling slightly, imagining that happening.

  If that really occurred, I would feel really bare, like I just exposed my very flesh to the whole school to see, and everyone would know I really looked like. It was just too scary to think of it that way.

  ‘But then wasn’t I the one to teach you these few simple rules about how to survive this discriminating human society with other vampires? Like what I did just now and you reacted immediately, like it was programmed into you since your early years. And it was.’

  ‘No it’s not learnt from you. I just didn’t want anyone to look into my mind, get it?’ I grumbled.

  Aiden wasn’t lurking inside my mind anymore, but he was standing right in front of me, looking through my facial expressions like I was a slide of glass. He seemed to know everything. It was like I actually was a slide of glass, easy to see through but you couldn’t possibly put your hand through it. I was that slide of glass, so fragile, so noticeable.

  He chuckled again.

  This time it was louder, added with more humor and excitement in it, like he was playing a simple game of the vampires with me.

  ‘Well, well. I also thought you that…’

  He didn’t finish his sentence.

  There was a slight sound of the wind in the air, and my reflexive eyes caught his movement at once. His voice appeared in my mind for just a few seconds, but it was long enough for me to interpret it.

  Follow me to the storeroom now, and could you make sure the janitor doesn’t come in?

  I gritted my teeth.

  There was a grin playing on his lips, while he was taking off with his speed. The students walking around barely noticed him, and I turned my head into the direction he just ran off into. A few students helping the teachers to carry their papers flew out from their hands, white sheets flowing all over the hall and lastly touching the smooth floor tile that was just renovated a few weeks ago.

 My eyes caught sight of a male student with brunette-colored close cropped hair, and on top of his hands were a stack of black papers. The sudden gust of wind in the hallway made the stack of black papers fly everywhere, seeking for a safe ground to land in the sea of people. I stared at the black papers.

  They looked just like black feathers, the ones demons own.

  Aiden’s voice resounded in my head again, and I finally noticed that he was watching me all the time, observing my expressions and laughing at me, like I was made to be a joke.

  You filthy demon, I planted firmly in his mind.

  Oh, and you’re not, vampire?

  You’re just filthier than any vampire. I hate you. You changed my totally normal life. I totally hate you.

  The next thing he said in my mind surprised me. It wasn’t what I expected him to say.

  You changed my life too; but in a different way. Too bad I don’t hate you.

  My legs staggered back a little, unable to accept what he just said.

  Slowly, slowly, I started to go back into my normal self. What was this guy talking about? What was his problem?

  ‘Amber! We’re going to be late for the next class if you don’t hurry!’ Jane’s voice called behind me, and I didn’t even flinch. My eyes were still concentrated on Aiden, observing his every movement. Not that he moved a lot to begin with. This was just revenge.

  Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder. A small, fragile hand holding my shoulders firmly. It was Jane.

  ‘Come on, let’s go before Mr. Daż hands us detention slips or something!’ Jane said while pulling me away.

  His voice was still in my mind, not saying anything.

  But then finally he smiled, a smile representing a goodbye.

  Goodbye, Amber. And remember, I’m not a filthy demon. I’m a dangerous, burning demon.

  Finally he said something that made sense.

  I was pulled away by a supposedly human best friend to our next class, and Aiden disappeared into the shadows of the pillar, probably going to his next class too.

  Aiden, I thought, meaning little fire. But a little fire can eventually burn into something bigger, right?

  Then I turned my head into the direction of my next class and ran with Jane, leaving my mind conversation between me and Aiden behind.

  But then, there was still a flicker of thought resounding all over and over again in me.

  But I don’t hate you, he said.

  Was there any kind of special meaning in that? 

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P.S. this is just a teeny-weeny part of what i'm writing now.

thanks alot to Siew Hui and Hui Zuin for reading and stuff. :)

P.P.S. gonna release chapter one of Delicious here soon, and probably i'll show you the cover i've drawn. 

P.P.P.S. ohhh crap =.= exams are coming! =O

Volume 2, One.

Ok, so i was just TOOOOOOO lazy to start posting anythiing from volume one anymore. You can understand the characters using volume two too, so...

WALAHHH!
Author's Blog :
Click Here Please.

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Chapter One. He was gone

  No. This wasn’t happening.

  Ivan is gone. Maybe forever, and I couldn’t chase him back.

  The first second after he left, I couldn’t bear it anymore.

  After coming back from Merlin Square, I ran up to my bedroom really quick and buried my face into my pillow. I felt like I could die anytime now without Ivan by my side. I cried, I yelled, I shouted. But Ivan still isn’t here yet. Where did he go? Just where did he go…?

  I don’t want to give up on him, just like that. I knew how much I’ve loved him since the first time we met under the woods. All my memories with him, no matter how short or brief it was, it was all etched into my soul. I couldn’t forget, just like that. I didn’t want to forget. I just wanted him to be by my side, so badly.

  Mum and Dad tried various ways to comfort me, but the worst thing was, they kept telling me that vampires and demons were never meant to be together, although Mum was a demon.

  After a week, they both gave up and said that time would heal me.

  Maybe after an eternity, yes. But in a few centuries? Never.

  My heart was aching the whole time. Plus Zell was nowhere to be found too. Everyone searched everywhere, but still no sign of him. Great, Ivan was gone and now Zell too? All the people I loved the most, disappeared like thin air.

  Ivan wasn’t here beside me. Zell wasn’t here telling me the silly jokes he made up.

  There was no one else I could really talk to. I didn’t want to add problems to Mum and Dad when they were busy searching for Zell.

  After a week, I didn’t know why or how, but I became deadly calm. Everything seemed so… boring to me. I often skipped class to go back to the woods, near the pond, where I first saw Ivan. I would stare into the pond for hours and hours, until it’s time to go back from school.

 And also since Mum and Dad would be in Canada by now, finding for Zell, there was no one the teachers would complain to.

  Everybody in school knew that Zell disappeared already, and since he was wildly popular as he was really cute and funny, people usually tread carefully while talking to me, avoiding the use of the name Zell in front of my face. Even though I felt and was deadly calm, I still noticed things around me pretty fast.

  When I finally realized that winter was coming soon, a few months after Ivan left, I quickly put a shield over the pond in the woods, so that the fish wouldn’t die and I could still stare at them blankly day by day.

  Every day before I go in the front door of my empty house, I would remember when Ivan lightly kissed my forehead, how sweet it felt, how warm his lips were. That was the first time I really felt warmth from him. The rest of my memories only showed that icy cold smile, forced out on his face. But that was still a precious memory, deeply attached into my heart.

  I’ve dreamt almost every night, about Merlin Square, the part where Ivan left. It kept repeating in my mind, until I think I could get crazy.

  I didn’t want to remember about that, instead I wanted to keep thinking of that kiss on the forehead, his sincere, real smile. That precious image that had my hope of him coming back someday in me.

  ‘Your love is the sweetest, isn’t it?’

  I kept saying that sentence in my head, about how I wished I told that to Ivan. Maybe if I said that before he left, there would be a bigger chance he would return. But I didn’t. And I regretted it.

   But also, when I think of that precious memory, where Ivan coldly smiled, it could make me suffocate.

  I don’t mind if he still coldly smiled to me. I just need to see him. The memories I had in me weren’t enough to keep me going. I needed him in my life. He was like a drug to me, where I just want more.

  Ashley and my other good friends stayed with me, where they would cheer me up and I sometimes would laugh. But Ivan was still in the back of my mind, and it popped up again after I forgot about him.

  Maybe that was a sign saying that he is still here.

  I hoped that that was true.

  Please, another look will do…

  Your image is like a drug to me.

  Am I?

x x x

 IN ANOTHER CITY

  ‘Ivan, are you sure about this?’

  ‘Of course I am, Enneil.’ he crinkled his nose a little.

  ‘Then why are you looking so… sad and uncomfortable?’ Enneil asked innocently.

  He thought hard to find a reason to tell his innocent little brother.

 ‘Err… Well, I’m feeling a little sick now. Ahem.’

  He wondered whether he could trick his little brother. Enneil was quite sensitive of the things happening around him most of the time.

  Enneil shook his head lightly.

  ‘Surely it is because of that vampire scent you had on you a few hours ago, right?’ he chuckled.

  His eyes showed some surprise, and Enneil figured that he had caught his older brother’s answer.

  ‘…Maybe.’ Ivan answered abruptly.

  ‘He he.’ Enneil chuckled. ‘I knew it. So who is the vampire? There were two smells.’

  ‘You really won’t let me go, right?’

  Enneil chuckled a little more loudly. ‘Of course not, as I am really interested. I can keep a secret for you.’

  ‘Ah… You noticed the vampire scent a while ago already, huh. Well, the most I can tell you is that one of the vampires was the one who made me leave that town.’

  ‘Aw… Telling no more?’ Enneil asked.

  ‘… Since Julia isn’t here now, I’ll tell you this. I… fell in love with a vampire, okay? Keep this a secret. If not Julia would surely kill me.’

  Enneil giggled.

  ‘So that’s the reason, eh? How interesting. Since it’s so interesting, I’ll keep this secret for you. Can you tell me the vampire girl’s name, unless you’ve turned roads?’

  It took Ivan a little while to translate what his little brother said.

  ‘Oh. Err… She’s a girl. Her name is…’ he hesitated a little before saying her name, hoping to avoid saying it.

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘Hea… Heather.’ he winced at every word as if it hurt. A lot.

  The wound when he hurt her heart opened up again when he decided to close it forever. For eternity.

  ‘Oh… What a cute name.’ Enneil smiled. Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep.

  ‘Yeah… What a nice name.’ Ivan repeated. He thought back to when he first met Heather, in the woods. He noticed how utterly beautiful she was, although she was covered fully with a vampire’s scent. Her gorgeous crystal clear light brown eyes plus light brunette hair made her look like an angel. And he was a creature straight from hell.

  He never was suited for her.

  But he fell in love with her.

  Does she love me? He asked himself.

  The damage had been done. Maybe by now Heather hated him, despised him for leaving just like that. Just one, short goodbye. Maybe she was unsatisfied. Maybe she still wanted to see him. Or she turned to that vampire that made him leave.

  Ivan remembered himself kissing Heather’s forehead. The softness and tenderness of it was something he would never forget. The smile coming out from his own bare lips. A sincere smile from the bottom of his heart that was sealed a long time ago.

 He played his fingers over his lips slowly. He wanted to see her, but he didn’t dare to. He left her just like that, and now he just wants to appear again?

  Ivan and his little brother were on the train, on the way to some other city, leaving the city or anywhere near it where Heather could find for him.

  He wouldn’t bear to see her again. Ivan slowly closed his eyelids too and then dreamt endlessly of when he first met Heather, the vampire he loved… so much…

x x x

I coughed lightly while walking back to the house. Winter was already here but the fish in the pond were safe. I tried to concentrate on the street of where I was walking to but I kept thinking of Ivan. Suddenly he was stuck in my mind, unable to go anywhere else.

  ‘What are you doing, girl? Want to get killed?’ a man’s voice yelled to me.

  I suddenly woke up from my daze. I swiftly looked around me and noticed that I was in the middle of the street, with a car just a few inches away from me. I quickly nodded then apologized and the man just cursed at me then drove away.

  I continued my journey back home, trying to push Ivan’s image out of my mind for awhile. I didn’t want to forget about him, but, I have the need to stay alive now, if he ever comes back.

  Suddenly, there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around but there was nobody there. Only one thing that I could sense, and that was Zell’s scent. Did Zell tap me on the shoulder just now?

  I hurriedly looked around but no one was there. Not even a shadow.

  Maybe that was a hallucination, I told myself. No way would Zell appear here… Right?

  When I opened the front door, unexpectedly, Mum and Dad were in there. They looked a little surprised to see me but then they rushed over and Mum said ‘Heather! It seems that someone saw Zell come back to this town and he is somewhere around here! We have to find him together!’

  I felt a slight shock in myself.

  That meant that… Zell really was the one tapping on my shoulder? Why did he disappear later? Why…?