

**CRIMSON ANGEL**

WENDY TSANG

Copyright 2012 by Wendy Tsang

Smashwords Edition

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The Crimson Angel

A feast of Vengeance

By Wendy Tsang

For those who believe in eternal love and fantasy

First sight

The girl

What had happened was never really expected to actually take place in my life. I was a typically practical girl, obedient and innocent. I only knew things that existed in my own world. And yes, my own private world. Nothing more. I used to regard myself as a knowledgeable person but that would sound insane at this moment, for up until now, whatever that crossed my life was totally out of my prediction and plan. Did I just say plan? Yes, plans are my way of doing. A sensible and down-to-earth person always has plans but they don't necessarily work out sometimes. Unrealistic things seem to always appear in the life of a realistic girl like me.

Not only was I practical, I was also outspoken. That was one of my shortcomings to be sure. I always said things I wasn't supposed to say; especially personal opinions that often send one's self-esteem straight to the bottom. The way I was so candid might be the main reason why my relationship with Edmond came to an end. I never blamed him for dumping me because I reckoned breaking up with him would be much better. He didn't really love me, to be honest and I could tell easily from how he looked at me. He was the most popular boy in the grade. What do you expect from him anyway? I couldn't agree more he was arrogant and overconfident, but so was I. Neither of us ever made concessions in any argument. Therefore, the ending was always bitter.

I should say the story truly began when I broke up with Edmond. It was a muggy summer day and we were patronizing my favorite restaurant. Right, my favorite dinning place but not Edmond's. He had never told me he detested this place until this day. It was ridiculous! If only he had told me frankly how he felt, I would never have asked him to bring me here every time we ate. And now, he was making me feel so guilty as if it was my entire fault that he was sitting here all along.

The waiter was serving us when Edmond began to speak.

"Well," He had that kind of cute voice that could win over thousands of girls out there. "Alice?"

What was I supposed to answer? I used to melt whenever he called my name in such gentle manner, but not at this instant. I was thinking hard and deep. I had foreseen what he would say so I was getting myself well-prepared. I was not showing off but to tell the truth, my qualities were never worse than his. I was also one of those always chased by many boys. I chose to be with Edmond not for his handsome appearance but for his friendly, charming characteristic. Still, I wasn't surprised to realize he was never that perfect. Nobody is perfect and people always appear wonderful when they are courting you. After being with him for awhile, we were pretty aware of each other's demerits.

"Yes?" I knew he was trying to confirm I was listening. Well, I was. It was just, I didn't want to listen. I pretended to act casual by taking a sip of my lemon juice.

"I've been thinking..." Edmond stammered.

Come on! I was waiting. If you had not the gut to break up, you shouldn't have started it in the first place.

"Alice, we are so different. Don't you think so?"

I nodded silently. We were different. Totally different.

"To be frank, part of the reasons why I am with you is because you are pretty."

I scowled. Boys are so abhorrent! Some of them really love you for whom you are but some of them are only there to take you for granted. Unfortunately, Edmond is most definitely the latter one. How can boys always consider one's appearance? No, how could Edmond like me partly because of my exterior look? Does that mean if I was a hideous fat girl, he would not even lay an eye on me?

"Me too." I replied in a strong voice. I had to let him know I could hurt him in the same way too.

Edmond raised his eyebrows as if he didn't expect me to say that.

"Oh," Edmond grinned. "Guess you know what I want to say?"

I knew, indeed, because I was smart. If I were dumb, you wouldn't have said that.

I decided to fool around for a moment.

"No," I shook my head. "What do you want to say?"

"Um..." Edmond seemed troubled. Either he was afraid once his words came out, I would be angry or he was still dithering over whether to spit the words out or not.

"Let's break up." He had said it so plainly. SO PLAINLY THAT I ALMOST DROPPED MY GLASS OF JUICE.

I shouldn't be astonished but still I said. "What?"

"I said, it's time for us to break up." Edmond said. "First off, we are people from two different worlds. I don't really love you and you don't really love me either. I have to admit sometimes I find your personality quite disturbing. Can't you be a bit more submissive like other girls? Why do you always have to argue with me? You are always the one making decisions on where to go, what to do and....and....so many other things. I just....can't stand you any longer."

He was right. Everything he said was true except I did really love him, unlike him, who never gave his heart to me. I had so much to improve but he was not better than me either.

"Edmond, can I ask you a question?"

Edmond stared at me.

"Why am I always the one at fault? Don't you deny you went out with Victoria last Sunday? I was there, soaked in rain and watching you from behind the cinema where I had waited you for two hours!"

Edmond's mouth went wide open. I didn't truly want to catch him directly but he was driving me mad.

"What do you say? You are not very good at keeping this relationship either, are you?"

Edmond's eyes narrowed.

"Right, I cheated on you because I grew bored of you, okay?"

I didn't understand why he had to hurt me that way. I tried my best to be an ideal girlfriend but my effort was just insufficient.  
"Listen Alice, I can make it up to you. Do you want money or presents? Let me buy you a farewell gift, perhaps. I am sorry, okay?"

What was this boy thinking? A farewell gift! This was the stupidest thing I had ever heard of in my whole life!

"I don't want anything from you. No gifts. No money. Do you actually think this kind of things can make me feel any better? You are hell wrong! What do you think I am? Some random girls who..."

"Alice, you are too loud." Edmond interjected me, trying to avoid the glances from the surrounding people.

"Well, let them hear it! Neither do I want to be with you anymore!" I shrieked indignantly, almost pushing Edmond to his limits. "EDMOND ADAMS, LET'S BREAK UP!"

I stormed out of the restaurant without turning back. I could feel Edmond looking absolutely bewildered behind me. He was definitely cursing me by now. A person like him would not bear one second of insult for sure.

I was running on the street like a mad woman and I knew I looked horrible with my long wavy hair floating around and tears rolling down my face. I never believe in fairytales and a happily ever after, so why was I still uncontrollably crestfallen when a relationship ended?

Not concentrating where I went, I bumped into someone hard and fell down. It hurt! That person must have felt the same pain since I could hear him moan.

"I'm sorry." I tried to stand up but my ankle ached.

Whoever in the front offered me his hand. I took it and with his help, regained my balance.

"Are you okay?"

Couldn't he tell from my face?

I looked up and...frowned.

It was a boy around my age. A gorgeous boy! He was probably the finest boy I had ever seen. Even more good-looking than Edmond. He possessed this prince-like blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. He was the kind you can never take your eyes off once you meet him.

"You seem sad." The boy's smile died away. "Do you need any help?"

Something about him gave me a familiar feeling.

I backed away from him and mumbled. "I'm alright."

"Are you getting to the station?"

I nodded.

"I am also on my way there, too."  
Without waiting for my response, he walked me to the station.

"My name is Len." The boy introduced himself and I took a quick glimpse of his adorable face.

"I am Alice." I replied softly.

"Alice...it's a nice name." He grinned again. I swore that grin could kill millions of girls in the street.

"Thanks."

For a long moment, silence took over the atmosphere. And then, I decided to ask him some more questions. Even a cute boy might be a bad person.

"Where do you live?"

"Sorry?"

I was certain my voice was loud enough. Maybe he didn't want to expose so many personal details. That was fine, for I was also a stranger to him.

"Nothing."

"You did say something."

"I said nothing."

"Come on, I didn't take that. You can ask again."

"What grade are you in?"

"Grade? I don't go to schools."  
I turned to him abruptly. "What?"

"Oh, I mean I have moved here not long ago. I have not assigned to any schools yet. Later, I guess."

That was weird. Even if he didn't go to school now, he should have known which grade he was.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen, you?"

"Same." I mumbled.

My terrible mood relapsed and I suddenly didn't want to speak again.

"You broke up with your boyfriend?"

I widened my eyes.

"How did you..."

"I was just guessing." Len smiled.

That couldn't be possible. I mean, it could be a guess, but it was almost abnormal for him to get it correct for the first time. Was he some kind of mind-reading experts?

"No, no, I am nothing like that."

Now, I was even more dumbfounded. Though he it came out as a mutter, I was certain he was referring to my question in MY MIND.

"Don't be that unhappy, Alice. A new relationship can always come after one." He comforted me.

"I am not that type of girls." I clarified and stared at him angrily. I knew right away I had overacted then.

"I know you aren't." Len said calmly.

I didn't know what to say, so we both kept silent until we eventually reached the station.

"Well, here we are." Len pointed out.

We took different trains so we waved goodbye. He had the widest smile ever seen on his face.

"See ya, Alice." His eyes were shinning.

See ya? But I didn't think we would meet again.

He seemed to read my mind once more.

"Certainly, we will see again." Len turned around and vanished in the crowd, leaving me quite confused on the platform.

"We'll see again....?" I muttered and then almost burst out laughing.

What a weird boy! We were strangers and I didn't even know his full name. I had no idea which school he went to, where he lived and neither did he know anything about me.

That would be funny if by any chance we came across each other again.

I was feeling better when I arrived home. That boy must have played some magic on me, even though I didn't want to believe there was actually magic.

I couldn't stop thinking about him. Whatever he had done to me! His smile, his words, all still remained stirring in my head.

"Forget about him, Alice." I told myself. "You have just failed in a relationship."

That night, I went to bed early. I had to figure it out how to confront my classmates the next day. Edmond must have spread bad rumors about me by now and tomorrow everyone in the grade would have learnt about the truth.

I needed to keep up my appearances anyhow although I was the one being dumped.

Out of blues, my phone rang. It was Clara. To tell the truth, I didn't have many friends at school. Two of my best friends, Ann and Jenny had left me subsequently. Ann's father changed his job so her whole family had to move out of town last year. Jenny dropped out of school because of bad grades. We rarely contacted each other these days and back in school, I only had Edmond and Clara, whom I reckoned as one of the closet friends to me. Now, Edmond was out of my life so that would leave Clara. I was never the type to fit in the crowd and girls always ganged together before you got a chance to join in.

"Alice, are you asleep?"

That was a funny question. If I were asleep, I wouldn't be able to pick the phone.

"No, just lying on the bed." I replied.

"Did you just break with Edmond?"

I told you news spread fast.

"Yes."

"Well, I saw him with Victoria this evening. They were..."

"Clara," I cut in, unable to withstand the jealousy. "Don't mention it, okay? I don't care what he does or who he is with now. We are over. OVER!"

"Oh...okay." Clara apologized. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I should have known he's like that."

I was warned about his irresponsible behavior long before I went out with him. Someone even said once he could handle eight girls in a row without getting caught. Well, he must have felt pretty disappointed for this time he was caught right by me.

"Are you alright, Alice?"

"Emm..." I murmured. I was not sure myself. First I was furious and then I felt foolish. Right now, I was in total puzzlement.

"I have a funny feeling about this."

"Huh?" Clara thought I had gone mad. She pacified me and advised me to go to sleep early.

If I had a chance, I would have confessed that I was about to enter my dream just before she called.

Still, I took her reassurance as treasure. I didn't really have anyone to care for me now. Only Clara.

When the dawn arrived, everything would be different. It would be a new beginning, I deemed. Little did I realize this was the entrance to the underlying unpredictable dangers.

* * *

The alarm clock went buzzing next to me and I let out a sleepy yawn. I got up leisurely and headed straight to the bathroom.

I almost screamed when I saw my reflection in the mirror. I looked horrible, damn horrifying. There were black circles around my eyes which were swollen from all the sobs. I sighed and washed my face.

When I was still with Edmond, I put on make-up every day, not much but just enough to make him fancy. He adored girls looking more mature and I admitted without make-up, I looked like a kid.

Victoria was mature, indeed. I saw her a few times and even though she was only fifteen, with all those heavy make-up and accessories, she appeared more like a twenty. Perhaps Edmond only fell for old women.

I grinned as I thought of it. No need make-up today just to please my boyfriend. No need special things to put on to make myself attractive and noticeable. I could return to being an ordinary teenage girl. Slowly and carefully, I combed my tangled crimson hair and fitted a clip to my fringe. I looked fresh and carefree.

I didn't have to beautify myself on purpose anymore. Before, I might feel it was part of my responsibilities to look good for Edmond so that he could have a perfect girlfriend to show off in front of his buddies. Right now, a broken heart wished nothing more than being normal again.

But just one more thing missing. I rummaged around the drawers and finally found my glasses. I wouldn't wear any more contact lens from now on. Was it just my imagination or my eyes did really look brighter than usual after putting on the glasses?

Back to normal...

Normal...

Alice was normal again.

Second thought

The Encounter

The first thing that struck me in the morning was such a misfortunate. I bumped into Edmond at the school gate, with his two abominable mates beside him. They paused for a second when they caught sight of me. Then, they studied me carefully. Edmond raised his brows as if he couldn't believe what he was looking at.

I had tied my hair back into two infinitely long ponytails and wore my glasses. I looked exactly the same way before I met him. An archetypal school girl, probably the goody-goody.

I had sworn never to drag myself into trouble ever again. Since I hang out with Edmond and his friends, I had been late to schools for ten times, skipped class for five times and failed in tests three times. I had already told myself a boy like him wasn't worth for me to get in any more problems. I just needed to return to how I used to be.

"Good morning, Alice." Edmond greeted sarcastically. "You changed your looks, didn't you?"

I didn't even bother to look at him. His used-to-be cute voice sound disgusting to me right now.

I passed the school gate without a word. The boys mocked behind my back. I knew what they were thinking. I looked so stupid.

All the way up to the homeroom, plenty of people threw weird glares at me. Most of them, of course, bore in mind the fact that I had been dumped by the most famous playboy in the grade.

I kept on walking until I reached my own seat. I took out a book and started reading, ignoring everyone else.

I was only awakened from my reading when Mr. Rapp entered the room. Just bout to stand up, I noticed nobody was up. Everyone was gazing ahead. Curiously, I looked in their direction and there in the front stood a boy beside Mr. Rapp. He was...Len!

"Class, today we have a new transferred student to join us." Mr. Rapp introduced and Len stepped forward. "Why don't tell us briefly about yourself, Len?"

Len nodded and grinned. "Hi, I am Len Faber. Nice to meet you."

Nobody made a sound. I could tell all the girls were bonded to his magnetic smile. As I said, he was beyond gorgeous.

"Well, let's see..." Mr. Rapp's eyes flickered around the room searching for bare seats. In the room, there were only two empty seats- one at the back and one next to me. When Mr. Rapp began to lift his finger, Len said out of sudden. "I'll take a seat there." He pointed at my right hand side. My heart jumped a bit.

"Oh, good, I was also thinking about asking Alice to help you out in case you have any problems. That would be better than you sit alone." Mr. Rapp nodded and directed Len to the seat beside me.

Len was looking and waving at me all the way as he walked towards the seat. I tried to pretend natural and avoided other's odd stares. Something was making my heart beat so fast and I was certain the closer Len drew to me, the more thrilling I got.

He landed on the seat and dropped his bag, taking out the textbooks.

"Mind if I borrow a pen?"

It took me a moment to react.

"Course not."

I lent him a pen and wondered how a student could possibly have brought textbooks but not pens to school.

"I haven't bought any stationery yet." He seemed to feel my doubt.

"Why..."

"Why am I here?" He read my mind again!

"To study of course! It's such a coincidence I've come to the same school as you." Len whispered. "I told you we would meet again!"

I didn't really know what to say but some part of me was awfully convinced that it was not merely just a coincidence.

The lesson lasted long. We did a couple of exercises in the class and I was amazed by Len's cleverness. He was excellent and intelligent. He could answer to every challenging Mathematics question. Usually I was the best in Mathematics but I was totally taken back this time. I lost to him by the last question.

"Want some explanation?"

I did say I was self-centered, didn't I? I shook my head firmly despite the truth I really didn't get it.

"Draw a tangent to the radius in the circle. Determine the slop of the radius and you will find that of the tangent. Use the two points you have previously found in the first part and you can deprive the equation of the straight line."

Before I could stop Len, he had explained the whole thing to me, so clearly. I tossed him a thankful stare and started writing on my notebook.

Soon, the bell rang for recess and people darted out of the classroom in various directions. Some were surrounding Len like he was a superstar. Everyone seemed interested in this new boy.

"Len, where do you live?"

"Len, which subjects do you like most?"

"Which school did you go to before?"

"Do you have girlfriend?"

All kinds of questions swung near me. I tried my best to concentrate on my fiction until I heard my name.

"Be careful, Len, Alice is someone not to be offended."

Such words would only come out from that mischievous Tom's mouth. I shot him an irritated look and immediately he shrugged.

"See?"

Len just smiled and I walked away from my seat.

Far from behind, I could still vaguely hear their conversation.

"Tell me about her." I heard Len say. I blushed but didn't stop walking.

"Oh, Alice is very lonesome."

That Tom never learnt. One more word and he would completely offend me.

"She doesn't really get along with anyone. She doesn't need friends anyway. Quite an independent girl."

I was near my limits right now. He was right about independence but I never said I didn't need friends.

"It's normal for you to be interested in her. She's undoubtedly the prettiest girl in the class after all."

I was right about beauty being the common topic among boys.

"But tell you something, recently, she's dumped by Edmond in the next class so she's...."

WHAT!?

I couldn't hear any more of it. Dumped. Dumped. Dumped. Why was I the one to be dumped? I should be the one dumping Edmond!

ER...flushed with rage, I stormed out to the corridor.

Seconds later, I was rushing towards the library when Len caught up with me. He still carried that grin on his face.

"Alice, where are you going?"

"To the library! Can't you see?" I retorted. I was so exasperated that I almost called him stupid.

"Well, are you bothered by what they said? You heard them, right?"

"Never mind." I looked around as if I could care less. Len should have known I could hear everything they talked about back there and yet he still asked questions about me. Did he just try to upset me intentionally?

"I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to know about you." Len defended guiltily.

"Well?" I turned to stare straight into his eyes, my arms crossed. "You can ask ME anything about me."

"Really, I thought you were in a bad mood to speak."

It was true though. I was still in utter frustration to talk to anyone, even new companions. "That's one of the reasons why I hate schools." Len dropped his voice and leaned forward. "All those rumors and prejudice from peers."

"We face them no matter what." I said. "Even if it is not in school, this kind of things is everywhere."

"You're quite right."

Len followed me into the library. With him beside me, peculiarly I felt much more relieved.

"You like books?"

I nodded. Books are something I find the best way of entertainment. With Edmond, my life was all about dating and going out. Now that I was back to myself, I was a bookworm again. People could judge and tell you what they thought but inside the dreamy world of the books, the earth was mine. Even a practical person could imagine somehow.

"I knew a place where there are millions of books more than here."

"Really?" I exclaimed, my eyes glittering with greed. "Where?"

Len just made a faint smile. "I'll bring you there some other time."

Some other time. Boys always say that. That is always a fake promise. They convince you they will do something some other time but they never really achieve it. Edmond was like that. Up till now, he still hadn't brought me to that newly-opened arts museum.

"You suspect me, don't you?" Len's brows furrowed.

I was beginning to feel queer. How could he understand every one of my thoughts? That was suspicious enough.

"I give you my words." He flew me a promising smile. I swore I did melt inside. "A word spoken is past recalling. I will bring you to the place with the most collection of books in the world."

I smirked. There were no places with that many books in this town or near where I lived. So, where was he going to bring me? Was he just attempting to cheer me up?

"Why, you have got to believe me, Alice."

"I do believe you." I mocked and strolled towards the shelves.

I was scanning through a couple of novels when Len let out a funny sound.

"That's interesting." He had picked up a book and was flipping through the pages at the highest speed I had ever witnessed. I never thought he was reading it in the beginning.

"What?" I took a look at what he was holding. Guess what? He was reading twilight.

"This is... cool." Len complimented. "I've never come across this kind of books."

Right, a minute before he was boasting about knowing the place with most books in this world and now he was telling me he had never heard of twilight before. That was...

"So, they do think of vampires that way." Len was still grinning at the book.

"What way?"

"Do you humans think vampires always quarrel with werewolves?" He had said it so seriously that I began to feel chill.

"We humans?"

"That's not necessarily true. We don't conflict with werewolves, but rather ourselves."

"What are you talking about?" This guy was so hard to reach. Was it one of his tricks? I couldn't understand him a bit and yet he could read my every intention.

Len burst out laughing. "Got you! Look at you, you look all lost and..."

"Enough!" I was used to people teasing me but I never expected Len would be one of them. I stood motionlessly for a second with tears welling up in my eyes even though I knew it was just a joke. The next moment I was out of the library weeping and Len was chasing after me.

"Alice, wait up!" Len was bawling behind me. "I'm sorry!"

I didn't stop or even turn around. I thought I was losing him when, suddenly, he stood in front of me.

"I said, stop, Alice."

I stared at the ground, refusing to look at him. His unbelievable speed still sent me wondering.

"Alice, I was just trying to make you laugh. I didn't know you would cry instead. I am terribly sorry."

He didn't fully understand me after all. I shook my head. It wasn't his fault. I was just a bit sentimental these days, probably because of Edmond!

"Look at me, won't you."

I did as told, my eyes reaching his handsome face. It was so embarrassing to let someone see me cry. Even Edmond had never seen my tears.

"There." Len tucked a handkerchief into my hands. "You are such a crybaby. Are girls always like that?"

The bell rang for the third lesson. We should head back to the classroom.

"Come on, don't let me scolded by teachers for my first day." Len joked and gently took my wrist.

* * *

The day went on smoothly except everyone was befuddled by Len's wisdom. He was perfect in every single subject. He spoke fluent French and Spanish. He could design an experiment in Chemistry lesson which was not yet even taught by the teacher. He got full marks in Physics pop quiz and memorized all parts of a human body.

"How can you do that?" I frowned at him. That couldn't be possible for a normal fifteen year-old boy to possess that much knowledge. Did he self-study at home?

"My parents always want me to be the best, so..." Len seemed to find it difficult to continue. "Um..."

"Won't you just say you are simply intelligent?" Kelvin turned around and smiled. "You are being too modest, Len."

"Haha..."

I loved that naive laugh. His voice was so tempting.

"What's your IQ?" Helen next to Kelvin also joined in and inquired.

"Huh?" Len looked challenged.

"IQ...Intelligence quotient." I explained. I hoped he understood.

"Oh, yes." He was like suddenly remembering something. "I never checked it before."

"What a waste." Helen sounded let down. "You really should."

"Maybe you get over 180." Tom taunted.

"Stupid, even Albert Einstein was around 180."

Well, I didn't deem it was a stupid idea although Tom might just have said it randomly. I DID think Len could have IQ above 180, inhumanly talented.

"What do you do for lunch?" Len turned to ask me, smiling again.

"Nothing, eat and read."

"Oh, mind if you show me around the school, just for a bit?"

"Okay." I sounded cool and all that but deep down I was delighted. At least, I had met a new friend.

However, things didn't turn out this way at lunch. When the clock first stroke twelve, lots of boys gathered around Len, asking if he wished to play basketball.

"I can't, I have to..." No one allowed him to move on.

"Come on, Len, show me your talent in sports."

"Len, we need one more player!"

"Len, you can just tell Alice to wait!"

I took a quick glimpse at Len and he was also looking at me.

"I don't really like sports..." He was still staring at me when he said that. "But who's also playing?"

"Who, the sporty group in the next class of course! You haven't been told, have you? Edmond Adams, the fastest basketball shooter in this school. Wanna challenge him? We are playing against him."

"Alright." Len replied almost right away. He stood up and left with the crowd. Before turning to the door, he threw me a piece of paper.

Frankly speaking, I was a bit annoyed by his action. Boys always loved challenges and they didn't remember their promises to girls.

I turned over the paper and there it wrote.

Help me buy my lunch, please.

I sighed. Boys were like that.

I stood up reluctantly and went to the canteen. I was purchasing our lunch when I heard shrieks and howls at the playground.

"What's happening?" I asked the closest person I could get.

"Don't you know? Len the new comer is fighting against Edmond!"

"Fighting?" Lunch almost slipped from my hands.

"I mean, playing...That new comer is so outstanding that Edmond's group is nearly losing."

"Wow..." I should have expected that. Len was something different.

Quickly gripping two lunch boxes, I dashed towards the playground. It was the funniest moment in my life. The second Edmond saw me, he looked impatient and disturbed. On the other hand of the court, Len was grinning confidently at me.

Things changed fast, didn't they?

Everyone at the court who used to shout "EDMOND" was now calling out for Len.

"LEN, LEN, LEN!!!"

He was the star of today. Another match began. Len got to his feet and leapt up. The ball was his immediately. He was incredibly fast and flexible. I had never seen someone play so flawlessly. Every movement he took was unpredictable. Every action he made was stunning. You could never take a breath till the end. Even the way he played it was elegant and seductive. Edmond was totally defeated.

The coach whistled for a stop. Lunch was around ten minutes before over and I still hadn't started eating yet. Len accepted towels from his playmates and then jogged to me.

"Hey..." He called out.

"Hi," I smiled. I felt so pleasant to see Edmond lose. That arrogant, proud boy should have learnt the lesson this time!

I handed him his lunch and he gratefully took it. "I'll pay you back."

"No," I said. "You already did."

* * *

If Len had told me earlier, I wouldn't have been angry at him.

When the coach asked him to join the team, Len politely refused.

"Why?" I asked as we walked back to the room.

"Because I don't like sports."

"But...you played pretty well out there."

"Don't you see why?" He turned to me, his eyes sparkling.

And then I got what he meant. He played it for me. He knew Edmond was also playing so he joined in to defeat him to make me feel better. What a good friend he was!

"Why would you think I feel happy about this? I hate being hurt but I never say I love hurting him either! I thought you just won him by accident but you actually did it on purpose!"

Len paused and looked hurt.

I knew I had said the wrong thing.

"Look," I sighed and smiled. "I am glad you care about me but don't ever bother to fight him next time. What I mean is that kind of people isn't worth us sacrificing our sweat to hurt!"

A grin spread on Len's face. So adorable and impressive. For almost years, I had never found someone so considerate and caring. Nobody was really interested in how I felt. No one stood up for me. And yet, this boy, whom I barely knew, had somehow become the most indispensable thing in my life.

I still felt pity for him. Even a girl like me could never have matched his appearance and potentials. He should be a star and only those beautiful artists could be qualified enough to hang around with him.

"Alice, why are you so sensitive to how I look?" I heard Len mumble next to me.

It was the last lesson of the day. I was counting the minutes left till the bell rang the end.

"Huh?" I scowled.

"Looks aren't what matter."

I got what he said. Even for Edmond, I wished he didn't go out with me solely because of my looks. When one says he likes you only for your appearance, it hurts too much to realize he never tries to dig into your heart and sees how you truly are. Still, for me, Len looked as though he was as gorgeous on the inside as he was on the outside.

"Someday you will learn the truth." He muttered.

I missed this one at that time. I only found it out later.

"Are we friends?" Len whispered at my ear.

Of course we were. I had never been that friendly to someone but I didn't say it.

"Yes."

"Good." Len held back in relief. I didn't get why. Why was he so desperate to have me as his friend? Was he like me- lonesome and lonely?

And then, the bell rang...

Third move

The Challenge

"Watch out!"

I was pondering when I walked and stepped hard on someone's feet. I looked up and to my astonishment, the victim was Edmond.

"You..." He was infuriated. I knew he had a bad day but he couldn't blame me for that. All he could charge was himself.

"Did something happen?" Len walked out from the washroom and swung his bag around his shoulder. He looked deadly cool.

"Len..." Edmond narrowed his eyes and glanced at him irately. "You played pretty well. Quite happy to yourself right now, I guess."

"I never said I am." Len stopped beside me. It was strange to see two beautiful boys ready to argue.

Edmond shifted his gaze to me. He must be wondering why I was with Len.

"Alice, I didn't know you are so quick on the new comer."

"Shut up, Edmond." I was raged. This was an insult, absolutely an affront.

"Dumping a girl isn't very gentle for a boy, is it?" Len took my hand and started walking. "Totally not for someone who just failed to keep up his appearance today."

I could feel Edmond's terrifying anger behind us. One second later and he would...

"Don't be so confident. You'd better watch out!"

See? He would threaten someone when he lost in an argument.

"And you too."

Len turned around but I didn't see the way he looked at Edmond. When I turned back again, Edmond was shivering. Was it just my...imagination or did Len...

"He's mean." Len commented.

"He's like that." I warned. "Don't make him angry or he will come back with a bunch of back-ups."

"You mean his dogs."

I was stunned by Len's way of speaking. He was just as outspoken as me.

"Yes." And we both laughed.

We reached the school gate and I was suddenly aware of a dark figure. Someone was waiting not far from the street. I stopped, hesitating.

"Don't be afraid, Alice." Len was still holding my hand. "He's my butler."

Now I was speechless. A butler? A butler! Was he from a wealthy family or what? That shouldn't be surprising though. He looked like some rich guy anyway.

"I am not rich. We just manage to afford one butler. That's all." Len answered for my doubt.

The dark figure approached us and as he drew near into the sight, I could see clearly it was only his black suit that made him look spooky in a distance.

This man was inhumanly gorgeous too. He had his brown hair neatly combed and his beautiful green eyes shining bright. He was around six feet tall, slim and fit. Yet, unlike Len, he gave me an unnatural feeling. To be more specific, he didn't look at all friendly but a bit...cold-hearted.

A smile split from his mouth when he saw Len.

"Your hi...."

"Len!" Len demanded. "Call me Len."

"Yes, Len, I almost forgot." He seemed to be suddenly aware of my presence.

Did he just try to call Len "highness"? By no mistakes?

"This is my new friend, Alice."

I nodded at the butler and he bowed. I was shocked.

"Traditional greeting in our family." Len explained, seeing me puzzled.

"Um..."

"He's George, my best mate." Len just called his butler his best mate. I could see how lonely he used to be.

"Nice to meet you, George."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Alice." He had lowered his pitch when he said my name. Oddly, chills went down my spine after hearing it. I was still unable to take my eyes off him. How could someone, even a butler, look so remarkable?

"Is something matter, Ms. Alice?" George queried curiously.

I instantly blushed and shook my head vigorously.

"Nothing."

"Well then, we can start walking." Len started his move in a way a play-free kid did. "Which path do you take, Alice?"

The way he was taking was correct so I just joined him. "This way."

It felt so uneasy with George stalking us. No, I couldn't say "Stalking". He was just serving Len but the feeling to me was no different to being stalked. All this time, he seemed to be taking glimpse of me while Len kept silent for a long moment. I wondered what both of them were thinking. And more importantly, I questioned myself why I was walking home with two weird people.

"Your hi..." George spoke. "No, Len, we had better be going."

Len widened his eyes and shot George a DO NOT SPEAK stare.

We had come to a junction on the road so I reckoned Len's home might be on the other side.

"Do you have to go?" I asked.

"George, we still have time." Len complained.

"But your... Len, we need to be prepared or else..."

"George, I said we have time..."

"It's alright, Len." I stepped in between them. "I can go home by myself. Plus, you take a different path, don't you?"

"It's not like that." Len denied.

"But what?"

"Len, we should be cautious not to put ourselves in danger by our own choice." George notified.

What? I didn't understand anything they were talking about. Danger? Choice? What was George saying? I felt as though I was an idiot.

"I am not putting us in danger, George!" Len retorted, annoyed.

"Obviously you are and you are being stubborn, prince."

Prince? First, George was calling Len highness and now he was calling him prince! What was going on? I backed away from them, scared.

"George!" Len shrieked. The butler stepped aside guiltily and Len walked up to me.

"He's got problems in communication."

I raised my brows, my mouth open with no words.

"I have some urgent things to do. I'll see you around tomorrow."

Of course, we would see the next day unless he didn't come back to school.

Then, Len left with his butler, both running in the direction to the hill. So, Len took neither path of the junction but the lane to the hill! Did I think too much or did they live up there? And was it my imagination again that they had vanished in a couple of seconds?

It was totally bizarre.

* * *

It was a long way home. The trees lined both sides of the narrow roadway. The sun was just setting and shadows extended to the far end of the path. A sudden breeze rushed by and I sneezed. What happened today still appeared so hazy to me. To begin with, I broke up with Edmond and this was unexpected. Secondly, I met a boy called Len whom I almost had no knowledge of except his known cleverness and name. Yet, we became friends already.

The more I mediated, the more confused I got.

People these days don't have butlers. They have domestic helpers. And their servants probably won't call them Prince and highness. I thought to myself.

Another thing that appealed to me was Len being able to read my mind. It was already abnormal for someone like him to be so all-rounded and if he was also a mind-reader...

No. I told myself. To be practical, Alice, no one on this earth can read someone's mind, except some super heroes.

The instant I returned home, I threw myself onto the sofa. What an exhausting day!

Winnie peeked from the kitchen and waved her cooking pan. "I am about to cook dinner. Aren't you hungry, Alice?"

"A bit." I said.

Winnie was my adopted mother. I didn't have a chance to say till now that I was actually an orphan. Somehow, my real parents abandoned me in an orphanage and when I was about three or four, I was picked up by Winnie. She was amiable and beautiful, the nice-mother type. She was young too, only thirty-seven years old right now. That would mean she adopted me when she was twenty-two. Taking up a job in the child centre, she had developed a loving heart towards kids but still, I wondered why she chose to adopt me. A lady like her could always find a good man and get married and have her own kids. Instead, she remained single all these years and only concentrated in taking care of me. A couple of times, she dated. But soon she broke up with her boyfriends. Somehow, I felt I was one of the causes.

"Don't be silly." Winnie had said. "Wouldn't it be better just me and you?"

It would be better but I wouldn't want to ruin a wonderful girl's life. I would never mind living with Winnie forever and if she found someone she truly loved, I would feel sad for her to give up the relationship because of me.

I never called her "mother". On the day she brought me home, she already told me to call her "Winnie", so until this stage, she was still my "Winnie."

"Winnie, I am going back to my room." I shouted as I went up stairs. "Call me if dinner's ready."

"Yes, sweetheart."

I heard her say.

I slammed the door behind me. It was much more comfortable to be in my own room. My room was just like any other teenage girl's. The wallpaper was azure sky because I fancied blue color. My bed sat neatly next to my desk and a gigantic wardrobe stood in the corner. In addition to that, I had this bookshelf with lots of my favorite books. I loved reading. That's all.

I finished my homework before seven and it was when I felt something was staring at me through the windows. I turned swiftly but saw nothing. It had started raining outside.

I got up from my chair and headed down stairs for dinner.

After dinner, I had my regular routine- watching television with a plate of fruits with Winnie.

She allowed me to watch TV only after I completed my schoolwork. She was a parent with high expectation of her child.

"I heard you have broken up with Edmond."

How did Winnie know? It must have been Edmond's mother.

"Um...yes."

I didn't intend to let her know the truth. Truth about me was always devastating to her. The first time she learnt about me going out with a random boy known for his rebellious school behavior, she was nearly mad. And when she saw my grade slip because of Edmond, she couldn't let me rest. Right now, what would she do?

"It's a good thing." Winnie patted my hand. "He's just playing with you. Breaking up with him is a wise choice."

"Well, Winnie," I wanted to tell her I was the one being dumped. "He..."

"I don't mind you getting another boyfriend but please, don't meet someone like him again."

I used to think Winnie strongly opposed to relationships but I was wrong. She was just against Edmond.

"I won't."

I swore I wouldn't. Edmond was never my type.

Speaking of relationship, Len popped up in my mind. I could feel heat accumulating around my face. Over and over again, I convinced myself someone like Len would never consider me as one of his choices for girlfriends.

"You still have school tomorrow. Why don't you sleep early?" Winnie suggested.

I obeyed obediently and before I turned to the stairs, Winnie said in a soft voice. "And don't be sad, Alice. Talk to me anytime if you wish to cry."

I nodded and off I went.

It was the same feeling I had when I climbed to my bed. Someone seemed to be watching me! But where and who?

I looked out of the window and all I could see was the huge oak tree in the garden, its branches waving under the brutal wind. Nothing more.

At last, I decided I was just being paranoid. Drawing the curtains and switching off the lights, I calmly lied down.

The clock went tick tack tick tack. Though still feeling out of place, I fell asleep.

It was in the middle of the night when I heard something slapping my window. Frightened, I opened my curtains and....I saw a bat!

It was flapping his wings furiously with his sharp teeth showing. I had never seen such an unsightly creature before or should I say I had never met one bat.

I fell down to the ground and screamed. Winnie broke into the room, concerned.

"What's happening?" She asked.

By then, the bat had disappeared. It was impossible! A moment before it was still out of the window trying to attack me.

"You must be having a nightmare." Winnie tucked me back into bed.

"I swear I saw..."

"Come on, Alice, don't be so hard on yourself."

I was not being hard on myself. Why would I do so anyway? Breaking up with Edmond meant nothing to me! Well, maybe something but not serious enough to make me start imaging things like bats at three o'clock in the morning!

Tiredness only returned after an hour and the next time I woke, I was yawning.

* * *

Len was waiting at the junction the next morning. As soon as he saw me, he waved.

I scurried towards him.

"Greeting to you, Alice." Len smiled.

"Why are you here?"

"Why, waiting for you." Len seemed amazed. "Can't you see?"

He had repeated the last sentence the same ironic way I said it the previous day. I shrugged.

"Did you sleep well?"

I wanted to tell him what I saw the night before but he would probably think I was crazy.

"Yes." I replied.

"You're lying."

I took a fleeting look at Len but he didn't look at me. He stared ahead as we walked along.

"How..."

"You're too easy to see through." Len said before I could finish my own line.

"In what way?"

"You don't look as though you slept well. What happened?"

"I saw a bat last night. Tapping my window in the middle of the night."

I was ready to receive laughs from Len but they never came. Rather, Len was shocked.

"What?"

"Why are you...so shocked?"

"Because..." Len couldn't continue.

"Len?"

"Listen, Alice, I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I think I have made a mistake."

"What mistake?"

"Nothing, just let me know if something weird happens again."

I heard him sigh.

I didn't get why he was so frustrated. Still, I kept silent.

No sooner had we reached school, trouble had come around again.

Edmond and his fellows were blocking our way as we entered the gate. He didn't look happy and I should have known why.

"Excuse me." Len said politely but Edmond wouldn't budge. He was up to something for sure.

"Crawl under me if you want to pass through." Edmond ordered and his boys laughed.

Len stared at him solemnly. Even standing next to him as a bystander, I felt the humiliation.

"What're you staring at? Didn't you stand out so well yesterday? You beat me in the match and you should know nobody has done that in my history."

"I am giving you a chance." Len cautioned. "Step down, Edmond."

"Or?"

"You wouldn't like it."

"Let's see, shall we?"

I found it urgent to discontinue this argument. Both of them seemed to be getting their fists ready.

"Stop it, Edmond." I interfered.

"It's none of your business, Alice. You are dumped, remember?"

I was exasperated, unable to resist anymore insult.

"As I said, don't you feel at least ashamed of double-crossing a girl?" Len had me behind him, just like protecting me.

"Shame?" Edmond sniggered. "I'll make you ashamed, Len. Mind your words."

"I don't see the need to do so, especially not in front of you"

"You..." Edmond lifted up his fist but then he held back.

"If you have such courage to say that, why don't you fight me?"

"That won't be necessary." I cut in. "Len is not fighting with you."

"Shut up. Girls are out of this."

"Alright," Len accepted his challenge. "But don't you regret."

"We'll see who regrets."

Boys never listened to girls! They had things planned and decisions made their own way. That was one of the intolerable things about them. Girls could never step into boys' business. That's the rule!

"Len, are you mad or what?" I screeched at him.

"Why?" I almost punched him when I saw him still as calm as if nothing had happened.

"Edmond's strong and he'll beat you up!"

"No, he won't." I didn't see how he could have such assurance. I had seen Edmond in many fights before and there was not a single time he lost.

But it could be different this time, for Len also won him in the match.

"No," I said firmly. "You are making a mistake!"

"I think I have made it clear, Alice." Len stopped to face me. "I won't lose."

The boy's eyes were flashing bright. It was irresistible to listen to his words. He was...so alluring.

However, one perception about Len was always right.

He hardly told lies.

Forth turn

The Unnatural

For the entire morning and afternoon, plenty of butterflies were swirling in my stomach but Len was still reading his Twilight saga! He seemed to sense neither danger nor my anxiety at all. And what really got on my nerves was the way he read books. He could finish a book within two seconds, just by flicking the pages. I was dubious at first but when I interrogated him about the contents, he could retell every single detail. I was beginning to feel deceived. Perhaps Len had read Twilight before.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Len showed me that pathetic look of his which at once fill me with guilt.

"It's not that I don't want to believe you." I clarified. "It is just hard to do so."

"I see." Len didn't say much afterwards and for a minute I supposed he was angry.

"Len, I..." I was about to apologize when Len stopped me.

"Don't you worry, Alice. A scratch won't do any harm to me."

And I knew he was talking about the fight after school.

"I am not worried about you!" I lied, trying to hide my nervousness. I didn't want him to think I cared about him that much but of course; my voice was not convincing enough.

Len just smiled though he could have caught me lying. I must have looked so stupid.

"Len, where do you live?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It's alright if you don't want to tell."

"It's a secret. I can't tell anyone."

"Anyone? Not even me?"

"I am sorry, Alice."

"But why? Will you be robbed if you expose your home's location?"

"You think too much."

I hated people say I thought too much. Whenever I suspected Edmond, he told me that and my theory always turned out right.

I had had enough of it. There were so many things I required an answer.

"What about your family?"

"Don't mention it."

"Why?"

"Alice, I can tell you everything about me except my family and the place I live."

Len was still reading. I groaned.

If the first two questions I tried on Len were already some top secrets of his, then I was sure if I tried buying a lottery that day, I would have won the first prize.

"It's not that bad." Len put down Breaking Dawn and patted on it. "The way they portray vampires is cool."

"Do you like this kind of things?"

I saw there was no way for him to avoid this question.

"Not really. I am just curious how you people think about vampires. Why do you call them vampires anyway?"

"Pardon?"

Why did we call them vampires? Len also call vampires "vampires".

"Haha, nothing."

"Len, are you aiming at Harry Potter next?"

"If I have time."

Time? He didn't need much time to read a book. By my calculation, he could finish the whole series of Harry Potter by eighteen seconds with no delay.

"You think I am strange?"

"Wholly." I spit the word out straightforwardly.

"Quite normal to think that but..." Len lowered his voice. "I want to try something"

Len moved forwards to me and my heart was hammering. It was pumping so fast that I dreaded it might jump out at any moment.

Stop. I wanted to shout. He was killing me.

Len must have detected my embarrassment because he stopped. He took off my glasses and put them on.

"How do I look?" He asked playfully.

My heartbeat dropped drastically as I breathed in relief. I could have died of heart failure!

"Give me back, Len, I can't see properly."

"Didn't you wear contact lens before?"

"Yes, but I don't, now."

"You still haven't told me how I look." Len insisted.

"Handsome! Are you happy?"

"I have never tried on glasses before. Everything looks...so blurred."

"That's because you don't have short sight." I said and reached out. "Come on, stop messing around."

He returned my glasses under my command.

"Glasses aren't that bad. I think they are cool." Len confessed. "People like me will never get a chance to wear them."

Everything he said was a question to me. How could he guarantee it would never come to a day when he had short sight? That was weird enough.

The lunch passed on with Len chatting with me. I still couldn't see Len had any pressure. He really didn't feel it was a hassle to fight with Edmond, did he?

But one anomalous thing did happen during lunch. I cut myself carelessly with the scissors and blood was spilling out from my small wound. All of sudden, Len went sensitive and turned on. In the beginning, his glare was horrendous. He looked as though he would eat me. It was a desire, a thirst.

The next second he kept himself away from me.

"Len, give me some tissues." I demanded.

It took him a minute to react, which was too slow compared to the speed he read books.

"Sorry, Alice."

He didn't even dare to touch me when he handed me the tissue. I wrapped it around my finger and it soon stopped bleeding.

Len was gasping and all. I didn't have the heart to figure out why though it was too strange.

"Are you scared of blood?" I asked.

Len thought over and nodded. "A bit."

"Oh." I had heard people who developed unusual fear towards blood. They became as terrified as if they were at the edge of death.

Only when he ensured he could see no more blood from me, he sat back next to me.

"You smell good." Unconsciously, Len said it and I shot him a doubtful gape.

Instantly, he corrected himself. "I mean your hair smells good."

"Really?" I couldn't understand why. I was using the same shampoo all this time and he only scented it right now. That would be too strange again.

* * *

Panic overtook me as the lesson ended. I saw the need to stop Len from stretching further from the mistake he'd made. Edmond was indisputably a wild boy and he would by all means maintain his greatest dignity. He was someone who wouldn't give up easily. If Len lost, he would definitely be severely injured. Even if by chance he won, Edmond would come back for vengeance.

I remembered last time Edmond fought a group of gangsters who attempted to flirt with me in the street. It was his best fight ever. One against five. And it was also the time I was charmed by him. He was courting me at that moment. What a nice move! Somehow, I began to suspect if those guys were under his order and protecting me was just an act to lure me. Girls are readily persuaded, aren't they? At least I was.

I knew my words would not reach Edmond so I targeted Len. I had the responsibility to keep him away from danger. Plus, what if his family found out he fought with someone and got hurt? That wouldn't be a happy ending. And his butler might be accused because of it too!

To save Len and every surrounding individual this fight might trouble, I had to prevent Len from meeting Edmond.

"Len, don't go." I seized his sleeves and pleaded like a child asking for ice-cream.

"Huh?"

"Please, don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Either he didn't get it or he was acting stupid.

"I said don't go fight with Edmond."

"A vow is a vow. I pledged and I must do."

It was useless. Len was as stubborn as Edmond. Maybe all boys were like that. I had no choice but to follow him. At least if anything happened, I might be able to provide some first aid. I had already stolen some bandages from the school medical room. I just hoped the nurse wouldn't find out.

Edmond and his gang were already waiting in the playground when we got there. They all turned to us with much malice and nastiness.

"Edmond, be fair, one to one." I said.

"It's always a fair game." Edmond unbuttoned the first button of his shirt and took off the tie. Len was also putting off his cardigan.

"Mind if you help me hold this for a moment?" He handed me his bag. I wanted to reject and said. "No, unless you don't fight." But that would be too rude and meaningless. He wouldn't give in.

"Watch her." Edmond ordered his boys. "I don't want her disturbing the fight."

What a bastard! The boys kept me away from the scene and we could only stay in the corner of the playground. The two boys declared their beginning of attacks.

Edmond got to his feet fast but Len was even quicker. Len punched Edmond on the face and he retaliated by a kick. Len leapt and dodged. It was a graceful move. Raged, Edmond made another attempt to reach Len but he couldn't even get a touch of him before Len hit him again. Edmond stumbled over and fell down.

Quickly getting up again, Edmond rushed towards Len and pushed him hard. Len stepped back but still stood firmly. I couldn't see exactly how he did it. In a blink of an eye, Edmond was tossed across the ground. The boys around me began to feel astounded.

Never turning his face down, Edmond tried again and this time, he grabbed Len's wrist. Without much effort, Len clenched his neck and hurled him. It was apparent Edmond was fighting with all his might but Len was acting as though he was really in a game. Edmond was standing no chance against Len.

Len was too powerful. Too forceful.

Edmond moaned in agony after being chucked onto the ground.

"Giving up, Edmond?" Len asked.

Edmond, indeed, refused. He stood up and lifted his fist once more. And...that was the end of it.

The boys gathered around to help Edmond up. I still found the whole incident absurd. Edmond was covered with bruises and Len was perfectly fine. Without shedding a drop of blood. Without even a scratch.

"Are you alright?" I still inquired.

"Yes."

Len took his bag from me.

"Wait!" Edmond bellowed. We turned to see this poorly defeated boy.

"Don't you think this is it. I was just not in the right condition today."

"Is that so?" Len tittered and that set Edmond on fire.

"I'll make you kneel before me one day!"

"I don't want to disappoint you but that will be pretty unachievable."

"Shut your mouth."

"You were the one who made me talk."

Edmond was losing all his pride by now. It was funny to see how irritated and yet helpless his expression was.

I was thinking he deserved it.

"How did you do that?" I asked, still shaking my head in amusement.

"What?"

"How could you be...so hasty and...?"

"Did I scare you?" Len looked at me anxiously.

"No," I said. "It just happened to surprise me."

"Oh..."

"And don't fight again. Even though you aren't practically hurt, fighting is bad."

"Thank you for caring, Alice."

I blushed when I heard his gentle voice. I was about to hand him a handkerchief for wiping the sweat when I noticed he was not a bit wet from the fight.

"Isn't George here to pick you up today?"

"He's busy."

Could a butler be busy? Well, yes, but wasn't picking up Len one of George's tasks?

We were walking down the street when Len suddenly took my hand.

I didn't duck but felt a bit lost. I had only met Len for two days, three at most (Including the day I bumped into him) and he was holding my hands! He was doing too much for me as well. Why would a stranger stand up for me and comfort a broken-hearted girl like me? It was totally out of order.

"Alice, if I were not what I seem, would you still be my friend?"

I was unprepared for his sudden inquiry. What did he mean by that?  
"I mean...what if...I am rude and evil?"

Evil? Could Len be evil? The way I saw things was Len was the most sociable person I had ever met.

"Why?"

"You like to ask why, don't you?"

I knew I asked "Why" frequently but that was just because I wanted to gain knowledge to something. Len was concealing too much from me!

"You can't be evil. That's all."

"Oh, and if I can?" Len interrogated.

"That depends. There are also good evil and bad evil."

Len burst out laughing. "There are?"

"For me, there are!" I snapped angrily.

"Thank you, Alice." Len gripped my hand even tighter. My heart skipped a beat.

Some music could be heard and not far from us was an ice-cream stall. A fat lady was selling ice-cream to young children.

"Fancy one?" Len offered. "I still haven't paid you back my lunch."

"You didn't even eat it."

It was the fact. Len asked me to buy him a lunch but when the match ended, he told me...

"Oops, I forgot I can't eat."

"Why?" I scowled. "Everyone eats lunch and you have got to be dying hungry."

"I am still fasting."

"Fasting?"

"Yes, my...my..." Len stammered. "My religion!"

So, in the end, he didn't take a bite. I was the one who consumed both lunches and I swore I gained one extra kilogram for that.

I was taken back from my memory as Len was ordering one chocolate ice-cream.

"Hey, I haven't said I want it!"

"Just take it." He forced the cone into my hands.

"You take a puff also."

"I can't."

"Why not? It's just one bite."

Len sighed at my request and agreed to taste it. I could never forgive myself for my selfish command because right after that, Len threw up.

"Len!" I cried in distress. He turned away from me so that I couldn't see him vomiting.

I could see he was in pain and I was almost to tears.

"Len!" I muttered and handed him mountains of tissues. He waved okay at me, still keeping his face out of my sight.

"I'm sorry." I repeated over and over again. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Len was grasping for air when he finally looked up again.

His face was clean and a smile emerged at the corner of his mouth.

"I can't stand cold things." Len explained.

I was still castigating myself for bringing him needless pain.

"You should have told me earlier."

"You really wanted to share it with me so I guessed I might try one sip." He chuckled. "But it doesn't work, eh?"

"You scared me to hell."

"You don't know what real hell is." Len said acutely.

I stared at him and he grinned again. "Come on, your ice-cream is melting. Eat."

I obeyed and started licking my chocolate ice-cream.

Later, Len walked me home .

"I'm really sorry, Len." I apologized once more.

"I told you I am alright."

I leaned forwards and whispered. "Can't you tell me where you live? Not even some hint?"

Len pondered for a moment and replied. "If you want me, call my name. I would be there."

I grimaced.

"Curiosity kills, you know."

"Whatever!" I pretended to be angry and headed to the door.

"Bye, Alice." Len said softly.

When I turned again, he was nowhere to be found.

"Who's that boy?" Winnie asked once I entered home.

"You've seen him?"

"Yes, that handsome kid."

"He's my friend, a new transferred student to school."

"I hope he's not as impish as..."

"He's nothing like him." I mumbled.

"I don't mean to be nosy but..."

"Really, Winnie, you needn't worry." I assured. "I will never meet anyone like Edmond again."

Winnie nodded and returned to her kitchen.

Winnie might be a thoughtful mother but sometimes she was too over about me. I needed some privilege and secrets to myself too.

That night, I couldn't stop dreaming of Len. He was mysterious. I had so much to learn about him, if only he would allow me.

Who exactly was this boy?

Where did he live?

Why did he possess numerous skills?

Why? Why? Why?

Fifth step

The Sentiments

Time ticked by and it had been a month since I met Len. We became close friends and I couldn't deny he was a good assistant in studies. Whenever I encountered difficulties, he always found the solutions for me. And I also got to know him more, including some of his habits.

He liked to say "Mind if..." when he wanted me to do something for him. He never ate lunch and still remained energetic throughout the day. He would go to the canteen with me and love to watch me eating, which usually made me feel weird. Once he told me I was cute with a mouthful of cucumbers and I almost hit him. All subjects appealed to Len except sports. He never lied about detesting sports although he was basically the fittest boy in the class. He jogged with inhuman speed during gym and he could manage to do two hundred times of push-ups in thirty seconds. He was outgoing and extroverted so everyone in the class grew to like him. Needless to say, he was popular among girls but he rarely took any notice of them. It was still a mystery why he chose me to be his company. Each time Len came out from the washroom, he swung his wet hands in the air splattering water everywhere. Next, he would have his hands stuck in his pockets, looking utterly cool. His smiles were the best of all. Nobody could resist his smile, not even boys. Edmond despised him, indeed. He was determinedly trying to get him but I wouldn't let that happen. Len loved to tease and joke with me but mostly he was just cheering me up. I couldn't see through his optimistic personality and he was keeping his family secrets all along. A couple of times I spotted George with him when he waited for me in the morning or after school. That butler never changed a bit. His black suit had gradually become the common remark of him. Any time I saw a dark figure, I would assume it was George.

Life was pretty normal except the fact that these days lots and lots of pets disappeared in the neighborhood. Winnie tried to warn me about that but I didn't see how a pet-murderer could suddenly target a teenage girl. Anyway, I was melancholy about the death of these pets. Either being kidnapped or tortured, it had to be tough on them. They were pets but they also had lives and souls, I believed.

Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who cared. Len was very much enraged about this issue. He even cursed those who harmed the pets. I didn't know he was such a pet-lover.

Today, I suggested hanging out in the park after school. Len agreed right away.

We played on the swings and the sunset was magnificent. I could feel the warmth and the joy of the day. Winnie used to bring me here when I was small and there was so much to reminisce.

"Alice, do you like parks?" Len asked. We were facing each other.

"Sort of, cause I used to come here."

Len nodded understandingly. For a moment, we just stared at each other and then...He made a move.

We were so close that I could feel his breath. He pressed his lips against mine gently.

The feeling varied strongly with that when Edmond kissed me. The way Edmond did it was a bit persuasive and overwhelming. It made you feel he would never let go of your life and you would always live under his shadows. But Len, he was so tender and meek. He didn't even need to use any force and I was already yielding, ready to devote my whole life to him willingly.

Len withdrew himself quickly but that enchanting moment seemed to have lasted forever.

"I'm sorry." He blushed and apologized.

Why would a boy apologize after kissing a girl?

"Don't be silly." I smirked. "A boy doesn't apologize after kissing a girl."

"I do." Len grinned and held my hand.

I didn't want the night to fall. It kind of spoiled everything when Len told me he had to leave.

"Why?"

"I have something to do." Len said. "I'll catch you later, Alice."

He swiftly kissed me on the cheek and vanished into darkness. I was left alone at the crossroads.

Still grumbling, I walked home alone. That was when I witnessed something dreadful.

It sounded like some creature yelping and automatically, I was lured to the back of the street, right into a gloomy alley. The screeching sounds grew louder and I could feel the goose bumps, the hairs on my arms standing upright.

I didn't dare to make a noise. I just stared with my eyes wide open, at the shadow around the corner.

Someone was in the corner doing something.

As the recent incidents about pets popped up in my head, I was alarmed. Whoever near could be the pet-murderer. I lifted up my bag, preparing for attacks as I peeked.

To my fright, I saw no one. The corner was vacant except for a cat was lying dead there. I rushed to corpse and looked around. I was certain a few seconds ago a person was here making the pet suffer. But where had he gone? He couldn't have walked out since I was around the corner all this time.

Then, suddenly, a pair of hands enclosed my neck. They tightened as I struggled to break free. Someone was strangling me and lifting me up from the ground. My legs kicked but no sound came out from my mouth. I tried moving my elbows to see if by accident I could smack that person's face but I was in no such luck. I was suffocating. An acute pain went over my body. Blood was flowing at the fastest rate in my arteries and terror had taken the control of me.

It was unbearable. I was being murdered.

Just when I thought I would faint and perish, someone appeared and the grip around my neck loosened. My attacker let out a cry in anguish and the next thing I knew was darkness.

I regained my consciousness after awhile and saw Len kneeling down beside me.

Dizziness hadn't left me and I couldn't really see his face. It didn't take me long to realize I wasn't wearing my glasses. My hair was messy. My uniform was wrinkled. I was in total mess.  
"Are you alright, Alice?" Len asked apprehensively.

"I'm...okay..." My hands started searching for glasses.

"There." Len put them on me and I thanked him.

"What happened?"

I could tell we were still in the dead end of the alley, in a shadowy corner where no one else was present. Standing and guarding next to Len was his butler, George. I wondered what had just taken place. Did Len save me? He could have. He was so strong and such a good fighter.

"You were attacked and luckily George came by and saved you."

"George?" I looked up. George was still expressionless.

"Ms. Alice, do you have any injuries? If yes, we can take you to the hospital." George offered kindly.

"I'm not wounded." I tried to stand up but that was a challenging approach. I found it hard to balance myself. At last, I stumbled over and fell straight into Len's arms again.

You could never imagine his strength. Even if his exterior was no different from any other slim boys, this guy seemed to be capable of lifting thousand tones. I knew it was rather exaggerating but it was how I felt in his arms. It was like no one could ever get you.

"Who's he? Is he the pet-murderer?"

"Probably." Len nodded. "We have already called the cops."

That was weird because when I looked around, there was no cops or anybody. My attacker had also evaporated without a sign. If they had really informed the police, by any time, they should have arrived and Winnie would be taking me into her arms.

"Len, tell me the truth." I glanced at him desperately. "What happened?"

Len wasn't the usual kind to tell lies so immediately he unraveled everything.

"We've taken care of him."

"Huh?"

Did they...kill the pet-murderer?

"No," George said. "We didn't kill him."

"I just thought you wouldn't want to call the cops and worry your parents, so George will manage it later." Len grinned. "Are you sure you have no broken bones and..."

Under the bright moonlight, Len's eyes were twinkling like the stars above. For a second, I thought they were shining red, like two bloody diamonds.

"What are you looking at?" Len leaned forward and his eyes returned to blue.

"Nothing." I shook my head.

Nothing...

"I'll take you home." Len took my wrist and my bag.

"I can..."

Len shushed me before I could say anything.

"You must have had enough frights tonight. I'm sorry I didn't walk you home. If only I had, you wouldn't have been attacked."

Winnie was at the doorway waiting for me and this was by no doubt a bad sign. I had already prepared for the worst.

However, it turned out the other way round. Winnie ran to me with her face flushed with worries and mother-love.

"Oh, Alice, did you hurt yourself? We can go to clinic, you know."

"What?" I frowned, thunderstruck.

How did she know...?

"Len?"

Len nodded at me. "I called her and said you fainted in the street. You are working too hard these days."

"If it wasn't for Len, it would have been a disaster." Winnie turned to Len. "Thank you so much for saving my daughter. Do you and your guard want to come in? I've just cooked the dinner."  
"It's very kind of you but I think we had better be going." Len rejected politely.

"But...that would be..."

Len exchanged looks with George, who just nodded.  
"Well, maybe I'll take a seat for a few minutes but George will be going."

Winnie's face brightened up and together we entered the house. I still had not an idea why Len had to call Winnie and lie. And more importantly, what did he mean when he said George could handle it? What did they do to the attacker? I was beginning to feel chills. Somehow, with Len next to me, I felt insecure. HE WAS INSECURE TO ME.

Len threw himself onto the coach comfortably and I just stood there.

"What's wrong, Alice?"

"You know what is wrong." I stated. He knew what I was thinking. He always did. So why was he still asking?

"Alice, I never mean any harm to you." Len sat back. "You have to trust me."

"It's not a matter of trust. It's a matter of truth. You are covering many things from me. I seem..."

I couldn't go on because Winnie had returned from the kitchen holding a plate of tea.

"Len doesn't drink tea."

I said and Winnie stopped.

"Alice, you're so funny." Len took a cup of tea and drank it. "It's sweet, Winnie."

"Alice, you must be fed up." Winnie advised. "Why don't you take a shower and go to bed?"

"I still have some unfinished business."

"Don't dare do the homework. You are already working too hard!"

"I am not working too hard!" I yelled and immediately I regretted it.

"I'm sorry, Winnie, but I have something to discuss with Len." I grabbed Len by his tie and dragged him upstairs.

"Wait up." Len was falling behind. He was pushing my hand away. I let go in the end.

"What?"

"Where...is...the washroom?" Len stuttered. His face had turned pale. And I meant PALE WHITE. He was breathing hard, puffing. He looked as though he would collapse.

"Len, are you alright?"

That was a moron's question. Clear enough, he was in soreness.

"Toilet..."

I led him to the washroom and he shut the door behind him. Even outside, I could hear him throw up and whimper. My heart was racing so fast. I didn't mean to be vulgar. I was just seeking for some truth.

Why would he vomit anyway? Was it the tea?

"Len, are you okay?"

I knocked on the door and it swung open. Len was wiping his mouth with tissues.

"Yes, perfectly fine."

I studied his look. He had turned back to normal again, his face with some colors and spirits.

"I can't stand green tea."

That was nonsense. As far as I knew, he could not stand anything. Any food. Any desserts. Any drinks.

I stayed back and an instantaneous terror stroked me.

"Who are you?" I interrogated. "No...what are you?"

"Alice?" He tried to take my hands but I smacked him.

I smacked Len.  
Hard.

He placed his hand on his burning cheek, startled. "Why would you do that, Alice?"

He sounded hurt.

"I..." Tears trickled down my face. I didn't know why either. Why did I slap him? He was at no fault. He saved me and had always been there for me when I was down. Yet, I hit him.

"Alice, you want to know the truth, don't you?" Len said calmly, brushing the hair from my face.

I turned away because I didn't want him to see me weep. It felt awkward.

Without my permission, he pulled me into his arms, embraced me and comforted me as if I was a child.

"I promised to tell you anything except my family and my home." Len muttered. "So, ask..."

"It doesn't matter now."

I was in no mood to ask anything. I didn't want to ruin the atmosphere. As long as Len was there for me, it was enough. There was no reason for me to dig out everything about him. Even two lovers could have their own secrets. That is called privacy.

"Are you sure?"

"Maybe later." I said and withdrew from his hug.

"Okay." Len said. "Do you need help in homework?" "Er..."

I had got piles of homework waiting for me. I was still in difficulties combating with that.

"Don't you have your own homework to deal with?" I asked.

"Oh, I finished it."

I admitted I felt a bit envious, but that was not surprising, for Len always behaved inhumanly. If he could read a book within two seconds, he could have completed a piece of worksheet within 0.5 second.

"No, I finish one in 0.1 second."

That really drove me crazy.

I swore to him he could break all the genuine records but he said he didn't bother to try something so silly. He did have a temper.

"Ha, you get lost in that question, right?" He was pointing at my homework book.

"Yes, just teach me and stop teasing me."

He did as told. With his help, I completed what would have taken me a day within thirty minutes.

"You're brilliant, Len."

"Am I?" He was so self-righteous.

"No, I change my mind. You are stupid, Len."

Len laughed. "Just so you know, I'll be in your services anytime."

"The project's coming up, who are you going to group with?"

That was a ridiculous question. We only had each other as company so the answer was pretty obvious. "You." Len answered. He had stretched the word "you" so that it sounded like I was significant to him.

Winnie entered the room without warning. It was a luck she didn't see us kiss because we almost did.

"Well, I guess I'll be going." Len stood up. "Thank you so much for letting me in."

People didn't normally say that, did they? It was as if he was a bad person and we let him enter our house.

"So fast?" Winnie asked. "I have just prepared the fruits."

Len smiled bitterly. "I think I really have to go."

"Yes, Winnie, let him go." I showed him the way down.

"Call my name if you need me."

It was quite hilarious.

"Are you a superhero or what? How can I call your name and you're here?"

"Spiritual comfort. Don't you realize that?"

I crossed my arms. Every now and then I did that whenever I felt Len was speaking bunk. "Never heard of it."

"It works, really."

Soon, Len faded in the dark, his voice still echoing around my ears.

When I was back to my room, the windows were wide open. The wind was trespassing cruelly and sent all my worksheets flying. I locked the windows and drew the curtains quickly.

Soon, I discovered the red paints on my desk. No, they weren't paints, more like blood. Nauseating smell was overflowing the room. I stared at the words written.

STAY AWAY FROM Him

Sixth sense

The Fellows

Len didn't come back to school for a week.

He went missing without any symptoms. It was just as unanticipated as his usual behavior. I had been trying to contact him but no matter how many times I called him, the reply was air. I was getting so impatient that for once I thought my mind would explode. I could never forget what occurred that night. The red paints kept whirling in my head and without Len, the riddle would never be solved.

I presumed there were three things I had to learn about. The first mystery was to define the person who wrote that sentence. The second question was the invader's intention and his or her relation with Len. And the third one was- how exactly did he or her get into my room? Seriously, my room was located at the second floor of a three-story blue house and that person had only two possible paths to get up there, one of which was the ladder and the other one was through climbing up a tree. As far as I knew, there were no ladders in my garage and there were no trees next to my room but one in the middle of the garden. That would indicate the person flew to reach my room. It sounded rather infeasible to a sensible person like me. Or...there was another possibility. Was Len the one who left the note?  
No, I was sure he wouldn't do that. I would have seen him write it before he left. So, what could be going on?

On the other hand, I was struggling to tackle another thing- the disappearance of Len. One day he was there and the next he just vanished out of nowhere. Where did he go? I was not a patient person and if he thought this was a funny game, I swore I would never forgive him this time. While I was confronting all kinds of worries (which were mostly because of him), he was not even by my side. If he had asserted he was my friend, there was no way I could accept it.

Len's absence stirred up quite a lot of problems in school. People, especially his fans, began throwing various questions at me and my answers were always dissatisfactory. I was downhearted, totally. I wanted to denote that even I did not fully understand Len's attitudes and behaviors or maybe our friendship was not even real. He might have got transferred to another new school and met some new friends or he might be on a vacation. At least, if only he had called, I wouldn't have been so sad and all.

"Alice, what have you done to Len? Did you scare him away?" Tom asked ironically.

I was in an awful mood, not bothering to answer him. If he wanted to make fun of me, he had better seek another more appropriate time.

"Why are you keeping silent? I was right then!" Tom began to sing. "Alice scares Len away ~ Alice scares away Len~"

There were always boundaries to everything and at this moment, I would say Tom had already crossed the line. MY LINE.

I picked up a book and tossed it at him violently. It hit his head straightly.

"OocH!" He cried in pain.

Everyone in the class was witnessing the uproar and some were already giggling.

"You don't have to be that harsh, Alice!" Tom complained. "I was just kidding!"

"Oh yeah?" I went up to him and he took a step backward, fearing me. I grabbed back my book. "I don't think it's a good one."

"Why are you so angry?" Kristy stepped in. "Len will come back, won't he?"

There, how should I answer that? I didn't have a single trace of Len and I was quite pessimistic these days. I even considered the worst- Len never coming back.

"I don't know." I said plainly and returned to my lonesome seat. Nobody really communicated with me afterwards. I could see sometimes some might try to approach me but my unfriendly look always kept them at least one meter away from me.

I was used to that anyway. I had always been a weirdo in the class. Girls found me annoying because of my being too outspoken. They detested me for telling the truth too honestly, normally about comments on their appearances and clothing. Still, I did not want to tell lies. There was no good in saying all those sweet words just to gain a sense of recognition or to fit in. Even if I was in the crowd, I wouldn't be happy that way. For boys, I was like some scary superwoman. They knew how wild and crazy I could get once they offended me. Plus, some were already the victims of turned down relationships so it was somewhat awkward for us to be any close friends.

I admitted I could be weird at times and I didn't mind people looking down on me because I knew, there had to be someone, perhaps on the other side of planet, just the same as me. And when I thought I had found one, he drifted away.

The clock was chiming shrilly as I walked in the corridor. The bag felt extra heavy today. It was like my burden had somehow added to its weight. Children of lower grades were playing on the ground floor and I must say I envied them. I could remember when I was their age; I still had Ann and Jenny by my side but now, no one. If I had agreed to alter my personality a bit, my current situation should have been different.

I was just out of the school gate when I discovered I had forgotten my Mathematics textbook. I had no choice but to rush back to the classroom. It was a long way there.

How unlucky. I was thinking.

I tried the knob, hoping it would turn for normally the classroom was locked after school. The door swung open and I smiled.

I got the book out of my drawer and put it into my bag.

BANG! Suddenly, the door closed in front of me. Overwhelmed, I turned the knob but it wouldn't open!

"Hey!" I started clapping on the door barking. "Open it! Someone, open the door!"

It turned out to be one of Edmond's pranks. His face emerged on the other side of the glass window with a cunning grin. Accompanying him was two of his "dogs".

"Edmond, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Just passing by. What a coincidence, Alice." Edmond grinned, waving a bundle of keys in the air.

"Stop it, open the door." I demanded.

"No." He shook his head.

"What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me?" Edmond sneered. "This is funny, Alice. Let's play hide and seek."

"Stop it, Edmond!" This was my last warning. This was far beyond a joke.

"Did you see how insulted I was the other day? I am so glad Len is absent. Maybe he doesn't even have the guts to come back."

"If it is about fighting with you, I think it's a piece of cake for him." I said truly. "He doesn't even have to hide from you, Edmond. You should be mortified."

"Right, Alice." Edmond moved away from the glass and his two friends chuckled. "I really should."

"Wait, Edmond." I leaned forward, tapping the glass.

They were laughing by now, seeing how frightened my face was.

"Where's your Len? Why isn't he here to save you?" Edmond teased, straying further and further from the door.

They were intending to leave and trap me in the room!

"Edmond!" I shrieked.

"What?"

"Please!" I begged. I was not fond of it but I had to.

"Alice, don't be afraid, Len will come to save you for sure." Edmond shook his head and turned away.

"NO!" I screamed, hitting on the glass harder and harder. "Please, come back, Edmond!"

Their figures faded at the end of the corridor. I could see them laughing proudly to themselves. There was no way for me to escape now and I had a feeling Len would not be here to free me.

I took a deep breath and sat down.

"Jerk." I accused. I cursed Edmond again and again, imagining the scene when he stepped on a banana and stumbled like a ball.

The room was vacant and silent like hell. It was useless to sit and wait so I took out some of my homework and started doing it.

About five minutes after I started my homework, I could hear footsteps coming. I stood up abruptly and headed to the door. Before I could scream for help, I saw Edmond with his two fellows coming to a stop in front of the door, their face twisted and drained with horror.

"Quick!" Edmond ordered and his buddy slipped the keys into his hands. He inserted one key into the keyhole and turned the knob robustly. The door opened.

"Um..." I frowned at what had just happened. Why did they come back? They couldn't have changed their mind, could they?

"You..." Edmond was in sheer terror. He had tripped backwards and fell onto the ground, his eyes wide open.

"You are crazy!" One of his friends howled and pointed at me.

Just when I was wondering what was going on, I saw, apart from them, someone was there.

Three juveniles were standing, arms crossed, and staring at Edmond's gang.

Edmond quickly got up and together the three fled like poor animals under hunt.

"You and your friends are crazy!"

I heard him roar.

I inspected curiously at the three strangers, who did not look scary at all.

There were two boys and one girl. Good heavens, they were not any ordinary people but someone as gorgeous as Len. No, even more glamorous. One boy had gothic black hair and huge grey eyes. He was perfectly lean, taller than the other two. His pale white face seemed to shine under the light. The other boy had his fair hair gelled in tidy spikes, his face more round. He looked like some hot rock star on the stage, wearing several stuns, just like Len. The girl's beauty was hard to describe. She had this shoulder-length brown hair and her eyes were yellow- GOLDEN yellow. She had a straight nose and a little mouth with pinky lips which contrasted strongly with her white cheeks. She had her hair departed on one side and fringe held with clips. Her large dangling earrings swung below her ears.

I stared at them, amazed.

"Are you alright, Alice?" The black-haired boy asked.

I leaned backwards a bit. I did not recognize them at all and yet they knew my name.

"Who are you?"

The boy smiled. "Oh, we must have frightened you. Sorry, Alice. I'm Jim and these are my mates, Roy and Bess."

I raised my brows. "Do I know you?"

"I guess not." Bess said.

"And...may I know what's happening right now?"

"Well, we have just threatened those morons to open the door for you." Roy explained.

I examined them again. They were dressing casually like someone from the street. They were not even wearing proper clothing, to be honest. Roy had a checked vast, a T-shirt painted with "ROCK!" and a pair of baggy trousers on. Jim was wearing a jacket and blue pants while Bess was dressed with a single flowered piece.

"Where do you guys come from?" I questioned. "How do you know my name? Why are you..."

"Alice, you have quite a lot of questions, don't you?" Jim grinned. "Len has told us about your inquisitiveness."

"Len!" I exclaimed. "Do you know where Len is?"

"Yes...umm... no." Roy stuttered. "I mean, he's sent us to meet you."

"What?"

"Len's quite hectic lately." Bess said. "He thinks you'll need help without him."

"So, you are Len's friends?"

"Yes." Jim nodded.

"I never heard he has friends!"

It was true. Len never revealed he had companions outside school. He only told me about George and nothing more.

"He does." Bess smiled. "Maybe we are not his best mates but we are glad you are okay. Those guys are really mean, aren't they?"

"Never mind them." I did not care much about Edmond and his friends, but rather how these people had made them scared that way.

"Alice, why don't you save your questions now and let us leave this place first." Jim seemed to read my thought and suggested.

Therefore, we left the school.

"So, where's Len?" I asked, with Bess on my left side and Jim and Roy on my right side.

"He's busy." Bess said.

"You're not answering my question."

"Alice, we can't tell either." Jim confessed.

"Why did he send you to me?"

"To protect you." Roy blurted out.

"Huh?" I looked at him doubtfully.

"He means to hang around with you." Bess corrected.

"I don't need anyone to hang around with me."

"You're really cute, Alice." Jim tittered. "I can see why Len likes you."

"Len always likes girls with a temper." Roy added.

"Excuse me?" I felt mocked, in fact. I didn't see why a tempered girl was cute and more importantly, what were they trying to say?

"You see, we can be very good friends." Bess said enthusiastically. "If only you accept us."

"I have no problems with that." I muttered.

"Great!" Bess put her arm around my shoulder. "Alice, do you like schools?"

"Um...average."

"I hate schools." Roy groused. "They are pretty much a waste of time."

"People aren't like you, Roy." Jim reminded. "They don't have knowledge to every single thing and finish all the work that fast."

"What do you mean by that?" I began to feel interested. "Do you also finish a worksheet within 0.1 second?"

"Yes, why not?"

They were looking at me as if I was a freak. I hushed and thought deep. So, was I the only one who had problems? No, certainly not. Everyone in the class could not possess that extraordinary learning ability except Len. That would mean it was only Len's and his friends' abnormalities.

"Oops." Roy shut his mouth. "That doesn't always happen though."

He seemed as though he had said the wrong thing previously.

"Yes, it depends on our conditions." Jim nodded. "Do you know when you get enough sleep; you study more efficiently and effectively?"  
"I see." I knew deep down they were just trying to make me feel better because they might think they had lowered my self-esteem boasting about their inhuman abilities. The truth was I had got accustomed to that, not long after I met Len.

"When's Len coming back?"

I reckoned if they did not want to inform me what Len was handling, they could at least give me a time when Len would be back. I longed for him so badly. I yearned to see him. To see his face and his smile.

"Soon." Bess assured. "Very soon."

"He can't wait to see you, too." Jim said. "But you have to understand. He has a complicated family and his parents actually have high expectations from him. From time to time, he has to engage in business."

"Do Len's parents own a company?"

"Yes, a worldwide one."

"Doesn't he have to study too?"

The moment I said it, I took it back. Len could perform distinguishably without studies. It was not a big deal for him to skip class.

"Why has Len never told me about his family?" I murmured.

"He has his reasons in doing everything. Perhaps he doesn't want to let others know how his family pattern is like. That's all." Bess said.

"So, he's rich after all." I thought. "That's why he can afford a butler."

"Can you tell me how you menaced Edmond and his friends?"

"Oh, that coward is easy to handle." Jim sniggered and whispered to me. "He has no guts at all."

I doubted. Edmond wasn't really the kind to get scared easily. Last Halloween, he broke the school records in entering 20 haunted houses consecutively without screams. Once, I even believed there was nothing which could possibly make him shiver.

The three new friends walked me home in spite of my objection. Somehow, I felt they took different paths from mine.

"We have the responsibility to stay beside you." Jim pointed out.

"This is the task Len's confided us." Roy said, grinning.

"Really, Alice, we have no problems at all." Bess reassured. "We want you to be happy because we are friends. And when you are happy, Len is also happy."

"Um..." I found nothing to say.

I just waved at them.

"See you tomorrow." Jim said keenly.

We would meet again? I thought they also had their own schools to attend.

Seventh space

The Peril

A big gift was waiting for me at home. It was a large box wrapped in blue eye-catching paper with red ribbons. For a second, I just paused there, thinking it might be one of Winnie's tricks. Winnie made her way into my room and gestured to me, directing me to open it.

"Thank you, Winnie." I said, shaking the box, but I could only hear something rattling inside.

"No, it's from Len." Winnie said. "That boy sent you this."

Surprised, I placed the box back on the table.

"But why?" I asked. "Where's he? Did you see him?"

Winnie shook her head. "Someone handed it to me this morning, his guard I think."

"George!" I cried out. "Why didn't you ask him where Len is?"

"Why?" Winnie's brows pulled together and then I realized she didn't know Len had been absent.

"Er...nothing." I smiled.

"Alice, is something wrong?" Winnie walked to me, observing my expressions. "Did you two have a little row and that's why Len sent this to..."  
"No, no." I refuted. "We didn't fall out."

"Good then." Winnie's smile reappeared. "I suppose this boy is quite charming, isn't he?"

I didn't reply. Len was charming, of course. He had always given me the feeling of a prince, a fantasized prince in this real world.

"Come on, open it." Winnie urged. "I can't wait to see what's inside."

She could behave like a child sometimes, even more childish than me. Her youth never left her as she aged. With her, we were always equally like two adolescents heading to adulthood. Seldom, I could quite stand her when she was even more eager than me in teenage issues like LOVE.

I forced Winnie out of the room and shut the door.

"Tell me later!" Winnie persisted.

I neglected her words and returned to my gift box. What could be inside? If Len had the time to prepare and send me such gift, why couldn't he have come out and met me?

I hesitated before I tore the wrapping paper. It was so beautiful that I regretted having broken it. It was blue, the color I fancied.

The box opened and a pair of dolls came into sight, together with a bracelet. I was not particularly into girlish things like dolls but these two were unique. They were Len and me! I could see the boy with blonde hair and enchanting blue eyes. A big friendly smile spread around his face and his top was painted with "LEN". The girl looked exactly like me with two long red ponytails nearly reaching the butt and a pair of glasses. I could also see my green mega- like eyes and my dress was carved with my name "Alice" on it. It was fun to see how you appeared in animated-like dolls. I took out the bracelet. The blue stuns were gleaming.

In addition to what I had found, there was a piece of paper. It was Len's handwriting.

Alice,  
I'm terribly sorry I can't stay by your side these days. So many things are keeping me away. I know you don't really love dolls but I hope you'll see these two differently. And the bracelet. I haven't actually seen you wear one, so when I came across this in the street, I thought it would suit you.

Love, Len

I folded the paper and kept it in my drawer. It was the first letter from Len. Though it might look more like a small message but he must have spent time on it. I had to treasure it anyway.

I smiled at my gifts, satisfied. I placed the two dolls on my bedside so I could see them every night when I went to sleep. I took good care of the bracelet too. If Len thought it fitted me, I would wear it the day when he came back.

Winnie was so thrilled when she heard what I received. I couldn't blame her. She was always like a girl. The dinner went happily because I was in such a good mood. People said love is crazy and it was exactly how it was. A gift of love was enough to stain sweetness round my mouth.

I jumped onto my bed and hugged my pillow. The feeling was fresh after taking a shower. Switching off the lights, I went to bed.

It was around mid-night when something woke me. I leapt out of bed as soon as I saw the bats outside my windows. Those bats had come back and this time, it wasn't one but three!

I almost screamed but I swallowed the sound because I didn't want to wake Winnie. There was a possibility that I had imagined things again. Plus, they couldn't get in without me opening the window.

However, I was WRONG!

The window creaked and broke into pieces of glasses spattering everywhere. The bats were marching into my room in all directions. I screeched but the words came out sounded "Len! Len!"

And then, in a fleeting moment, a pair of hands gripped me and the bats fell dead on the ground. "Are you hurt, Alice?"

The moment I heard the voice, I turned. Len was standing next to me, his eyes glowing red.

"Len?" I was still in much shock to speak. Everything had happened so fast. AND I REALLY MEANT FAST.

"Yes?" Len stepped forward and his fingers reached my cheeks. It was then I realized I was crying.

"Len..." I whined, more tears welled up in my eyes.

"It's okay." Len had me in his arms, pacifying me. "You're safe now, Alice. Forget the bats."

"I'm scared, Len." I whimpered. "I'm scared..."

"Yes, I know." Len held me even tighter and I started hitting him with my powerless hands.

"Where've you been?" I blamed. "Don't you know I am so worried about you?"

"I know." Len nodded. "I'm sorry."

Len lifted up my still trembling body and took me back to my own bed. I was so fatigue that within seconds, I returned to my dream.

The next morning when I woke, the room was fine. There were no broken glasses, no corpse of bats, nothing.

So what happened the previous night? Did I dream about Len and all those bats?

A piece of paper was left on the table.

Alice, call my name and I'll be there. I'm glad you love the presents.

Then, I knew it was no dreams at all.

Len was there because I called out his name.

He had protected me and killed the bats.

But how?

"Len." I called out, feeling rather dumb.

Nothing happened.

"Len." I made another attempt. Still he did not appear.

I was just thinking what a liar he was when I heard someone whisper.

"Night."   
My heart fluttered to a stop.

I turned around but there was nothing, no one. Yet, it was Len who spoke.

"Night?" I pondered and immediately I got his meaning.

So, he would only be there when I called his name at night.

And how did he do that?

* * *

Len's friends were already waiting at the junction. Their casual wear remained unchanged.

"What a sunny day, Alice." I could hear Roy greet.

"Good morning, Alice!" Bess ran past Roy and threw me a warm embrace.

I flinched at first because I was not used to being hugged by others, especially friends whom I had made for solely one day.

"Good morning, Bess." I smiled.

"Now, let me carry your bag." Jim offered to hold the bag for me but of course I refused.

"No, I can..."

"Come on!"  
Were Len's friends always like him- never listening to everything you said before they made a move?

Jim had the same surprising strength and my heavy bag weighted like a sheet of paper on his shoulder.

Bess snickered.

"Don't you have to attend schools?" I asked, raking over their fashionable dressings.

"No." Roy said. "We are here to play with you."

"We dislike schools anyway." Bess smiled. "We study on our own."

"Really?" I was envious to be true. I also wished to self-study and stayed at home all day, without having to meet those tedious schoolmates and dull teachers.

"Actually, if you have any problems, you can consult us." Jim kindly offered.

"You can trust us, you know." Roy guaranteed.  
"I saw Len." I said tersely. They all swung their heads to me.

"You...what?" Bess stammered.

"I saw Len." I repeated. "He came to me last night."

"Are you attacked?" Roy asked right away.

"Yes, how do you know?" I gazed at him.

"Oh, because...."

"Seriously, what's going on?"

"We...." Roy still couldn't find the proper word.  
"Len can play magic." Bess answered for him. "He can make you see him whenever you want."

"That's impossible. Why should I believe you?"

"You have to believe us, Alice." Jim said. "Len was just an illusion. It's a kind of spiritual comfort."

"Do these things even exist?"

"They do!" Bess said, nodding her head forcefully.

"So, he wasn't really there?"

"We don't know, but he'll be back soon."

"How long have you met Len?"

"We?" Jim seemed surprised. "We are childhood friends!"

"If he has such good friends like you, why would he bother to have me as his friend?"

My words totally got them nowhere.

"Alice, why did you say that?" Bess looked puzzled.

"Because we are so different." I said, lowering my pitch. "But you and Len are the same type of people."

"Alice, don't you understand?" Roy asked. "Len likes you."

"No, I don't." I said. I was just telling the truth. There was too much I had no idea of. Len had never told me why he fell for me either.

"It doesn't matter we are different." Jim said grimly. "Differences only add up to prejudice."

I tried to make it clear this world was full of unfairness because someone was always more superior than others. But then that would sound sarcastic for these people walking with me were really the ones superior.

"It's true you are different from us." Bess paused and then continued. "But you are also different from many other girls out there."

"In what way?"

We were walking down an incline when out of sudden; a trolley of heaps of loads was sliding towards us, heading to me in particular. The trolley was rumbling on the rough road with the loads falling at any rate. The time I spotted it was already too late. I tried to evade but Jim and Roy dashed to the front.

Jim made a slight turn and kicked the heavy trolley. It went running down in the other direction. Roy grabbed the handle hastily and the trolley stopped.

The whole thing happened in around two seconds, with Bess staying close by my side as if she was guarding me.

Following the incident of the trolley, I heard the sound of shattering glasses. The instant I looked up, I was astounded. Several plant pots were falling down from the second floor of the two-story house. It's too late, I thought. Yet, Bess was faster. She pushed me away and lifted up her arms. The pots fell right on top of her and I screamed. I expected blood to be spewing by now but nothing occurred to Bess. Instead, the pots broke into pieces, like my bedroom windows had been the previous night.

"Bess, are you..." Before I could finish my sentence, we heard a rumble sound.

We turned and another truck approached. I widened my eyes and stared ahead. There were no drivers in the truck and it was running out of control towards us.

I screamed again.

"Bess!" Roy shouted. She got hold of my wrist and dragged me out of the scene.

Roy let go of the trolley and Jim actually stood still in front of the approaching truck.

"Jim!" I bawled. He was in utter danger.

And then, the truck changed its direction on its own. It turned to me and Bess.

"This is bad!" I heard Roy say.

Roy and Jim reacted like the fastest runners on this earth, with Roy stopping before us and Jim leaping into the driver's seat flexibly.

Jim hadn't made it in time though. The truck hit Roy and I screamed even louder. And then, everything dropped dead.

"ROY!" I squealed. Bess and I rushed to help him up and I really couldn't believe my eyes. He was not injured. There was no blood, no wounds, nothing! Yet, the truck's head was dented.

Roy scratched his head and said peacefully. "Jim is too slow."

Jim peeked out from the window. "Is anybody hurt?"

I blinked my eyes several times, flicking them from Roy to Jim and from Jim to Bess.

"Alice?" Bess scowled.

"How...how did you do that?" I cringed. This was just too bizarre. Weren't they teenagers like me? They weren't supposed to have body as hard as rock and limbs as fast as wild animals. They just stopped a series of odd accidents within the shortest period of time!  
"Oh my God!" Someone yelled.

There were more and more people surrounding us. They had all witnessed the commotion. Within minutes, corps arrived and investigated the case. The truck driver appeared and was shocked to see his truck's damage.

"I....parked it outside the market." He shuddered. "How did it run on its own?"

"Perhaps some engine problems." Jim smiled.

"Kids, how come you..." A police officer glanced over Jim and Roy.

"We've learnt some karate and kung fu before." Roy made an excuse. Undeniably, such move was nothing related to karate and kung fu.

In the end, the police called upon our guardians. They got Winnie but none of others' parents.

"They are working overseas." Bess explained.

"It's strange." The police officer commented. "How can you kids have no guardians at all?"

"My maid must have just gone out." Jim stuffed his hands in his pockets. "We can go back alone."

Therefore, I ended up at home eventually.

"Alice, are you alright?" Winnie was making all the fuss. "They must be crazy! Letting a trolley and a truck running..." And blah blah blah...

I was not worried about the trolley and the truck, but rather the three youngsters who were there with me. What kind of people had super strength and speed? I could only come up with "superhero".

The door bell rang and I went to answer it.

"Hi, Alice." Jim was grinning at me, delighted.

"Jim! What are you doing here?" I inquired.

"Can I?"

"Yes, of course." I welcomed him into the hall. Winnie paused, her mouth wide open. She must be thinking how on earth I brought in another amazingly gorgeous boy.

"Who's this?"

"My friend, Jim."

"Hi, Mrs..."

"Winnie."

"Hi, Winnie." Jim took out his hand and Winnie shook it.

"He and his other friends saved me this morning." I said.

"Really?" Winnie exclaimed. "How can I ever thank you?"

"It's okay." Jim turned to me.

I knew what his look was trying to hint at. He meant "Some private talks."

I led him to my room and together we settled down.

"What's up, Jim?" I asked.

"Alice, do you want to hang out?"

"Huh?"

"We are planning on the park later this afternoon." Jim said.

"Where are Roy and Bess?"

Jim smiled. Well, if I were a complete fool, I would never comprehend what lay behind his silence.

"Are they..."

"Yes," Jim nodded. "So, I guess I have no reason to interrupt them."

"Oh." I sat back on my armchair.

"Did I happen to disturb you?"

"No, you can chat with me anytime."

"Thanks, Alice."

"Jim, don't you also have..."  
"No, not at all." Jim said. "I can't handle that kind of things."

Really, I thought a good-looking boy like him could have thousands of girlfriends and I was not overstressing it.

"So, would you like to join us?"

"I am fine with it as long as Winnie lets me out."

"Good."

"Jim, what are you?" I asked directly.

Surprisingly, he didn't look at all shocked.

"A boy."

"What kind of boys?"

I was not giving in that easily. If he was concealing something, I was to dig it out.

"A teenage boy."

"What type of teenage boys?"

"Alice!" Jim crossed his arms. "Do I have to prove it to you?"

"A normal teenage boy!"

"The way I see things is," I said bluntly. "You are not normal."  
"You think too much..."

I flared with anger when I heard that.

"Sorry, but Alice," Jim seemed to sense my emotion change. "You won't want to find out what kind of boys I am."

"Is that so?"

"Plus, Len would be pretty jealous by now." Jim joked.

"Great, if you know where he is, tell him if he keeps on missing, I am going to fall for some other boys."

Jim laughed. "Alice, you won't."

"How can you be sure?"

"You are way too easy to see through."

I blushed and sighed. I missed Len. I wished to see him so badly. I had never wanted someone this way before.

"Hey, those dolls are adorable." Jim exclaimed, suddenly discovering Len's gift at my bedside.

He stood up and walked to pick them up.

"Len gave you these?"

I nodded.

"Wow..." His eyes gleamed. "I don't know this is such a good way to charm girls."

"I am not charmed." I said.

"Len will be heart-broken to hear that."

"Let him be."

Jim chuckled again.

Winnie knocked on the door and entered with a tray of biscuits.

"Er..." Jim looked horrified.

"What's wrong?" I nudged him.

"I think I have to go."

"Alice, your friends always have to go when I serve anything." Winnie complained. "Is my food really that bad?"

"No, no." Jim waved his hands in the air. "They taste good!"

"But you haven't even tried one!"

"Winnie, Jim's full." I said.

"Huh?"

"He's had three burgers at lunch. It's not the right time for tea."

"Oh I see!" Winnie cried.

"Winnie, can I go out?"

"What? Where?"

"Um...I think I'll hang out with some friends. Is that alright?"

"It's nice to have some friends." Winnie said. "But be sure you'll be back early."

"We won't be long." Jim answered for me.

Quickly, I took a jacket and left with Jim.

"Thanks." Jim said as we walked down the road.

"Don't thank me. I want to know why."

"Well, I am not hungry."

"Nobody can fear food like that." I turned to Jim. He was obviously avoiding my eyes.

"Never mind."

"Alice, don't be sad."

"I'm not sad." I snapped. "I'm angry!"

"But..."

"Len is always hiding things from me and now, you as well! This is enough. I am like an idiot!"

"You're not."

"I feel so."

Jim sighed. "Let's meet Roy and Bess first. We'll have a little of a talk then."

Eighth glance

The Legend

Roy and Bess were resting leisurely on the benches. The park was enveloped with trees' shadows and the space was empty and quiet. It was rare to see nobody there as usually it was occupied by kids after school. The sun was still blazing bright and a drop of sweat tripped down my forehead. It was a relief when a breeze came by. I slightly brushed away my fringe.

"Alice!" Bess called out to me passionately.

I returned a smile.

"So, what are we doing out here?" I asked. Frankly, I really could not fathom what fun was there when these three people in front of me were actually doing nothing.

"Alice, do you know recently there are some pets disappearing in the neighborhood?"

"Yes, I was attacked by the pet-murderer last week." I said, taking a seat next to Bess. "And..."

"And?"

I paused, trying to work out the meaning behind their questions.

"And George saved me."

Bess opened her mouth but hushed.

"George saved you?" Roy asked.

"Yes." I confirmed. "Len was there too."

"I see." Jim said. They all looked as though they had understood something but I definitely got nothing.

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh, we just came up with this case." Bess said. "You know, not all the pets' corpses were found."

"Do you know how they died?" Jim questioned.

"I am not interested." I muttered plainly.

Jim smiled. "They were found with severe holes on their necks and they lost a great amount of blood before they perished."

"And it was clear that they struggled for survival before being strangled to death." Roy added.

There was an instantaneous flood of creep to the atmosphere. I shuddered yet still fixing my eyes ahead.

"So?"

"So!" Roy clapped his hands and leaned back. "Do you feel any fright, Alice?"

I shook my head.

"Not a bit?"

"No." I finally flashed my eyes to Roy. "What are you guys getting at?"

"Nothing." Bess said.

"It doesn't make any sense to me."

"We never make sense." Jim gurgled. "Why must things make sense anyway? There are plenty of bunks in this world."

"Because it's the way we should be." I said. "We don't say things without reasons. We don't do things without intentions. A consequence doesn't happen without a cause and we don't talk nonsense for nothing."

"Well, if one day you have realized something is totally out of any logic and natural explanation, what would you do?" Roy challenged.

"That won't happen." I said firmly. "Things without logic are supernatural and belief in such things is superstition. That's why we have science here. It's to eliminate every single misconception and to explain every baffling phenomenon."

"Somehow you just have to admit, Alice." Bess grinned. "There are unlimited things which can't be explained by your science."

"Like?"

"Like what you are going to see and what you have already seen."

"You...mean the truck?"

It was getting more and more unbearable to feel as if I had no intelligence at all. They seemed to expect me to know everything but the truth laid flat- I did not understand anything.

"Partially....yes."

"You said there were some engine problems."

"We can't be sure though." Jim folded his arms.

"Why are you bringing up this topic?" I said. "Are we some gang of ghost fighters or is it a horror-story sharing session?"

Roy and Jim laughed.

"Alice, this is no story." Bess said.

"What's the point then?"

Bess did not answer back. Jim had already left the group and was standing next to the swing. Roy lowered his cap and checked his watch.

The afternoon was long-lasting and I could feel the heat behind me. The sun had to be illuminating directly on my back. I rolled up my sleeves and it was when I noticed I was still in my uniform. I had forgotten to get changed after the incident in the morning. I looked around and examined the others. They were more or less straight-faced and frozen. I glowered at their long-sleeved clothing. Didn't they feel a bit hot? Something convinced me they were different. Even the air surrounding them seemed to be cooler. It felt all wrong for a moment but I didn't plan to wander off. I remained still in my seat.

After about thirty minutes, I could no long put up with the boredom. My patience had almost reached its edge and I knew in any case I would explode.

"What are we waiting for?" I finally asked.

The sun was already setting and it was getting darker and darker. I took a quick look at Jim, who was having fun standing on the swing. I checked on Roy and he seemed to be taking a nap. Bess was the only one who could have heard me.

"We'll see." She muttered.

Another half an hour passed and the sky was immersed in sheer darkness. It was night.

"I'm going back." I stood up but before I could act, Bess had my hand.

I shivered the instant she touched me. Her skin was icy cold and her face was as pale as a piece of white paper. There were simply no colors at all. Why had I not noticed that before?

"Bess?"

"Alice, wait."

Roy had woken up and joined in. "It's hard for us to explain with words, so maybe you'll understand more with your own eyes."

I held back as soon as Roy and Bess got up. Their eyes were sparkling in the dark and they were bright red- the color of blood.

I drew back hurriedly, fear beleaguering me. I could feel my heart beat fast and I was grasping for air.

It was suffocating.

It was terrifying.

I took more steps backwards and felt hands gripping my arms before I fell over.

"Alice..." Jim's voice was no longer encouraging but bloodcurdling.

"You are...not a human." I stammered. I dreaded I would break down anytime.

It all came clear to me then. For anyone to possess such inhuman strength and speed, scare a intimidating bully like Edmond without actually doing anything and live to stop a truck running down the road with bare hands, it could never be achieved by humans.

"Right." Bess nodded. "We're not."

"Who are you?" I asked. There was no room for me to escape though I had this silly thought. Jim was right behind me and the other two were in the front. I considered picking up some broken branches as weapons but it would be useless again. I was certain the second I wielded them in the air, they had already got over me.

"You should know it." Roy said.

"I am not as clever as you think." I shook my head.

"Give it a try." Bess urged.

"Devils?"

"This is not what you're thinking." Jim said.

He caught me. The answer "Devils" never popped up in my mind.

"Va..." I found it hard to breathe. Too much pressure was building up within my body.

"Yes?"

"Vampires?"

"We don't call ourselves vampires." Bess' face brightened. "But you're right."

"What do you call yourself?"

I was making myself a fool for sure. At a time like this, I should be asking "What do you want from me?" rather than getting interested in what they called themselves.

"We do have a specific name, like you humans." Bess explained. "And the word 'vampire' doesn't exactly match our characteristics."

I recalled from my knowledge about vampires. There were old myths about them where mostly they were described as creatures coming out in the night for hunt. With their fangs sticking out, they were like zombies or monsters. In some recent books I had read, vampires were always gorgeous and dexterous, with unanticipated abilities and skills. They were no longer some crazy mad creatures which only crept out at night but rather something that had invaded our life without our knowledge.

One common trait about Jim, Bess and Roy was that they were indubitably beautiful, physically powerful and unpredictably speedy. These features all matched those of vampires. So, which characteristic was Bess talking about?

I must have calmed down because my heart was not beating that fast anymore. The atmosphere also became less tense but relaxing.

"We are very similar to you." Roy said. "It's just you are from the human race but we are from the blood race."

In what way did he see similarities between us? Whatever he could do could never be any one of our abilities and whatever we could do, it was just the edge of an iceberg to him. Perhaps the only similarity was that they could do things we could do.  
"What's blood race?"

"Another race where we feed on blood." Jim said.

I trembled. Bess placed her hands on my shoulder and I nearly lost my breath.

"We are not going to suck your blood." She scowled. "Why are you so scared?"

"The only misconception about us in your world is that you think we take innocent blood from humans." Jim added.

"In fact," Roy said. "We are quite civilized. In our world, blood is taken from animals and people serve them in bottles like the juice in your world. We don't go around sucking blood from live animals. That would be too disgusting."

The idea of drinking blood was disgusting enough to me.

"We feel the same when we see your food." Jim admitted. "How can you stand the meat?"

"The same way you stand blood." I answered straightly.

"She's smart, isn't she?" Bess turned to Roy and whispered.

"You talk wise, Alice." Jim grinned in a friendly way. "I am starting to feel why Len fell for you. You're very different among the crowds."

"Len is also a vampire, is he not?"

"I am." Len's voice echoed from behind and we all turned to his direction.

He was waving at me with his remarkable smile. His eyes were burning red. Behind those pupils were lust and longing.

"Len, you're late." Roy complained, pointing to his watch.

"Yes, I'm sorry." Len apologized.

"Are they still chasing you?" Jim asked.

Len nodded but kept moving towards me. My heart ordered me to run away and never look back. Yet, I stood still as a statue.

"I am sorry, Alice." Len's smile broke into remorse and misery.

"For?"

"For..." He paused and then went on. "For being late and not telling you anything."

He must have added the last one in his line because it was what I was thinking at that moment. Vampires could read others' mind, right?

"You know what I want you to say."

Len raised his brows and shrugged. "Alice, I said I am sorry."

"I heard it."

"You are not forgiving me?"

"I didn't say that."

"You did."

My mind did just a second ago. He sensed it again.

"Well, we'd better go." Jim patted on Len's shoulders and left with Roy and Bess. "Catch up with us later."

Len nodded okay to Jim and soon they vanished in the dark.

"Alice." Len stepped forward and I dodged from his hands. I could see how startled and upset he looked.

"Can we just..." He looked up and guided me to the swings. "Sit down and talk?"

I took a deep breath and followed him.

The park at night was frigid and windy. I sneezed as I rubbed my hands against my bare wrists.

"Here." Len wrapped his jacket around me. He was only wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt then.

"You need it." I said as I stared at his arms. His skin was as white as Bess'.

"Not really." He smiled. "We have very strong immunity. We hardly get cold."

I sneezed again. My hands started searching for tissues when Len handed me a pack.

"You don't have tissues."

I thanked him.

"Are you still angry at me?" Len asked softly.

"Yes."

"May I know why?"

"You can read my mind, can't you?"

"Not always." Len confessed. "Sometimes, I get lost in what you're thinking."

That was normal because most of the times I did not understand what I wanted.

"You lied to me."

"Did I?"

"Yes. You didn't tell me you're a vampire."

"But you didn't ask, remember?"

He was right. He never did really lie to me. He just didn't happen to tell me because I never inquired!

"You told me you were fasting because of your religion." I claimed. "But the fact is you can't eat."

"Huh?" Len seemed incredulous. He must think I was weird to bring up something so old to blame him for. The truth was clear. I had nothing to accuse him of so I just came up randomly with a situation where he actually lied to me.

"Alice, you are angry at me because of that?"

I hushed. I was not even sure if I felt any anger. When I saw his face, the underlying happiness was indescribable. The week without his presence was a mess to me. I had soon realized I could never live without him. His smile, his help, his love...all meant too much to me.

"Not anymore." I said. I could forgive him for every sin he committed if only he never cheated on me like Edmond.

"I'll never cheat on you." Len said. "Do you know there's a legend about blood race?"

Slowly, I turned to face him. His eyes were blue again and he was no different from any ordinary teenage boys.

"No."

"They say once a blood soul falls in love with someone, he never changes his love."

"A blood soul?"

"That's what people in the blood race are called, though it's not a universal name. In your world, we are called vampires."

"Why? I mean how can he do that?"

"Because one big difference between blood race and human race is that..." Len placed his hand on his heart. "In our eyes, eternal love always exists."

"So, there are no divorces?"

"Divorce!" Len exclaimed. "What's divorce?"

"Er..." I found it hard to explain but Len's eyes were filled with inquisitiveness. "When two people get married and they get fed up with each other, they get divorced. It's like they separate and step out of one another's life."

"That's so sad." Len shook his head disagreeing. "We don't have that thing in our world. After people get married, they stay together forever!"

"What if they quarrel?"

"They seldom do because we understand each other so well." Len said. "And we don't fall for someone too readily. We can sense who the right partner is to spend the rest of our life with because once the decision is made, we can never love another person again."

"That means Roy and Bess will have to stay together for eternity."

Len nodded. "It sounds chilling to you, doesn't it? That's why Jim never bothers such thing. He's afraid he cannot deal with the rule. Love is a rule from the very beginning."

"Len, do you love me?"

I was determined to know the truth. Half of me didn't believe Len actually loved me because if he did, he would have to stay with me forever and we were people from two entirely different worlds. Instead, he might just be testing on and playing with a human girl like me, for it was not the first time I got let down.

"I love you." Len blurted out sincerely.

"But..."

Before I allowed my words out, Len had already gripped my wrists and kissed me. His lips were unexpectedly warm and soft. I shut my eyes as I felt his caress.

"Isn't that real enough?" He asked after releasing me. "Do you believe me now?"

"Yes..." I murmured, my heart still racing.

"I've made up my mind the first day I saw you in the street." He said. "Even having undergone such terrible thing, you still stood brave and strong. And soon I knew it's time for a girl like you to be protected and truly loved. I fell for you at the first sight."

"I am not special. I am just a..."

Len clamped his hands across my mouth. "If I had a chance, I wished I were a human too."

"Why?"

"You see, I'm not an ordinary blood soul." Len said. "My family is notable and prosperous in the race. We have certain dominance and power among the population and what we have is like a kingdom in your world."

"You're a prince?"

"You can say that. But that's not what I want. I've got two older brothers. My father is planning to give away his throne to one of us and he chose me."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"No. They despise me."

"Your siblings are just jealous of you."

"Alice, how do I look?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just tell me what you think."

"Well, I think you're handsome."

"What if I tell you I am not?"

"Are you joking?" I laughed. "If you're not handsome, I am probably nothing!"

"We don't see things the way you do. I don't want to deceive you but..." Len sighed. "I am the ugliest in my family."

"What?" I thought I had misheard something.

"Our family stands out among others in every perspective including beauty, wisdom, and wealth. All the members are mostly the top in any fields. Unlike them, I am very average in all aspects. In fact, I don't look like anyone of them. That's why they don't feel comfortable with me. From the day I was born, I was treated as a freak. They don't think I deserve what I've got. In terms of appearance, skills and intelligence, I am actually a shame to the family."

"It can't be true."

"It is so." Len persisted. "They treat me as an outcast with defect."

"Len, if your family thinks you are a shame, why is your father..."

"Because he knew what my brothers are going to do with the family's power." Len interjected me. "He doesn't particularly like me. He just thinks I am more reliable and dutiful. That's all."

"Are your brothers going to do something bad?"

"I am not quite sure but I've heard Carl, my eldest brother, is bonding with our family's enemies. Perhaps they want to destroy and rupture my father's prominence."

"Can't your father notice that?" I argued.

"He must have. That's why he wishes for me to be the next leader of the family and that's a mistake because according to the ancient rule, only the eldest son can inherit the family's property. My brothers are now after me and I am on my escape, in fact."

"Are they trying to kill you?"

"I guess so. I thought it would be safe to find a shelter in human world and then things went out of schedule. I met you and even went to school."

"Len, were the bats real?"

"Yes." Len nodded. "Alice, I am sorry I've brought you trouble. Those bats are our family guardians, most likely under my brothers' control. They must have been stalking me when I went to your house last time."

"And those pets..."

"Those were probably done by my family's agents. Since I have left home, my parents have been out looking for me. They knew I could not stand witnessing innocent lives claimed because of my selfish behavior. It was actually a way to force me to return but earlier, George and I handled that blood soul who tortured the pets. I went missing for the previous week to make sure no one would find us and that we are safe. It seems like another miscalculation though. My brother's spy found you this morning and it's a good thing I have Jim and the others to protect you in advance."

"Len, you're being hunted by two parties."

"I am." Len made a faint smile. "Pretty harsh, eh? Once I considered ending my own life but then I thought of you."

"Don't." I reached for Len's hands. "It doesn't worth it."

"I know it doesn't. But as long as I stay with you, you are in danger."

"You saved me last night, didn't you?"

"It was only lucky you called out to me. If I hadn't arrived on time, you could have been injured."

"You can't leave me without reasons."

"I have every reason to leave you."

"No..."

Len opened his mouth and two fangs slid out. I silenced as I gawked at his scarlet eyes.

"Are you scared, Alice?"

"No."

"Bess hasn't told you under certain circumstances, we will also attack humans."

"You wouldn't do that to me." I said.

"You're right, Alice." The two sharp fangs sank back into his gums. "I wouldn't."

"Your way of scaring me is not very effective." I noted.

Len sighed. "It's because you're too gutsy."

"I don't really mind being a vam...I mean a blood soul." I grinned. "It's quite exciting."

"Alice, it hurts like hell. You'd wish you were dead."

"Len, how old are you?" A sudden question arose in my mind. In many books about vampires, the creatures never aged and a teenage boy could possibly be a decade year old.

"Fifteen."

"I'm not a fool." I said. "You know even Edward Cullen is over hundred."

" But I'm really fifteen." Len protested. "We may look young for centuries but as time passes, we age like humans. Our strength declines and eventually degenerates."

"Er...."

"Alice! You just thought I am an old man!" Len nagged, dissatisfied.

"You can't blame me for that! You can be hundred years old and still look fifteen, right?"

"No one's look really matches their age. The real you is not fifteen either."

He was right. I could be a teen but thought like an adult. There was nothing wrong about being old. A heart could always stay young and it was what made feelings special. That's why love never ages or dies.

Ninth gaze

The History

"Alice! Alice!"

Someone was roaring in my dream. The disquieting sounds forced their way into my ears. I turned my body and held on tight to my blankets. Tiredness ran down my limbs. My entire body was worn out.

"Alice, wake up!"

Winnie was calling again. This time, I woke up, stretching my arms. Half-conscious, I opened my eyes.

"Um..." I groaned because of inadequate sleep.

"Good heavens, you know what time is it now?" Winnie shouted. "You have school today, Alice!"

I blinked my eyes and everything came sharp into the sight. I was in my bedroom. But...how come?

"Winnie, why did I end up here?"

"Of course you are here!" Winnie exclaimed. "This is your room! Len brought you back last night! I was about to smack you but he told me not to wake you! You said you would be back early!"

I tried to remember what cropped up the previous night. I was talking to Len and then I must have fallen asleep on his shoulder. That explained why he brought me home.

"How did he bring me home?"

"How!" Winnie was stunned. "Ask him how! Now get up!"

I jumped out of bed immediately and headed downstairs.

The memory was still buried deep inside my head. I wondered how long we had stayed in the park. Was it really that late? Winnie was totally hopping mad.

After breakfast, I left the house, scurrying down the street. I was thirty minutes late and if I could not reach the crossroad within five minutes, I was busted.

Len was there on the road. I could see my prior worries were pointless- I had feared he would not come to school again.

"Hi, Alice." He greeted me. "You're late."

There was nothing in his voice. He stayed as stress-free as usual.

"Len, we have to hurry!" I grabbed his hand and off we went.

"Must we do that?"

"Yes!" I turned back and yelled. "We will be punished if we're late."

"Wait." Len held me back and I stopped still.

"What?" I bellowed impatiently.

Len pushed his bag to me and turned around, gesturing me to climb to his back.

"I can't, it's too embarrassing."

"If you don't, we'll be late and that's more embarrassing."

"But..."

"No one would notice."

It was too late. Len already had my arms around his neck and with a minor move, he began to run.

I had seen it in movies but I never thought it would feel this way. Len was right. The speed at which he was carrying me was nothing compared to the fastest motor vehicle in this world and I bet nobody could even see us in the street. Everything flashed around me and the wind was so strong that for once I thought my glasses would fly off.

"Len, you're too fast!"

"Sorry!" He seemed to slow down a bit but it was about one minute before we ended our journey. We were standing a meter away from the school gate.

This was the greatest shock I had ever experienced in my whole life. I checked the time and Len had only used two minutes to reach school from the junction, with me on his back!

Len put me down carefully and winked at me. "Now, we're early."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Are you...."

"Crazy?" Len laughed. "No."

"Don't you feel my weight?"

"You're skinny."

"I am not skinny!" I protested. Last time I stood on the balance, I was sure I gained two kilograms.

"To me, you are." Len smiled and we walked towards school.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"Seems like you can't live without me." He whispered teasingly.

"That's not true!" I objected but deep down, I knew it was beyond the fact.

"Alice, unless necessary, I'll always stay with you." Len said. "If only you permit me."

"Okay." I grimaced. "Don't break your vow."

"A blood soul always keeps his promise."

"And we haven't finished our conversation yet."

"We haven't?"

"Yes, because I fell asleep yesterday!"

"What more do you want to know then?"

"Um..." I pretended to think hard but my mind was blank.

I was sure there were still plenty of unanswered questions about Len. Now that I realized we were two different species, I wanted to learn more about him, to understand the way he lived a life. Part of me did not really believe our relationship would work out and I had prepared myself to accept any devastating truths though I could not deny I liked him very much either. I deemed there were always possibilities in many things. In a more mature way, I would never do things I had no confidence in. Yet, this time, I altered my rule- I had decided to take a risk which I might not even be able to afford.

We turned around the corner and there we met Edmond and Victoria. People used to say the more you hate to see that person, the more often you would encounter him. That was true. How could we come across this guy so often? I guessed he was having the same problem in his mind.

Edmond stared at me in a way that made me think I was an alien. I still had not been told about what exactly happened the day when he tried to lock me in the classroom. Victoria batted an eyelid and scanned me from top to bottom. My instinct told me she was judging me by now. I flashed back a glance at her. Her thin oval face was covered in make-up and her curly light brown hair lay flatly over her shoulders. She was slender and tall, like a professional model. I could see how other girls could stand no chance next to her and her grown-up exterior was enough to steal Edmond's heart.

"What's wrong?" Len asked, lifting his eyebrows at Edmond, who was looking back at him.

Edmond's face turned red at once. His anger was doubtlessly bubbling up inside him. His expression hinted to me he wished so much to hit Len but could not.

"Nothing." Victoria crossed her arms vainly. "Just didn't think you would be here."

"Did I happen to let you down?" Len taunted.

Victoria hushed as her eyes almost bulge out.

"Come on." Edmond gripped her hands and dragged her out of the scene.

It was unusual for Edmond to leave without an argument.

"Len, our project..." I suddenly remembered I was grouped with him in the History project and the assignment was due today.

For the whole previous week, Len was missing so I had to work on that on my own. However, with just one person, it seemed that twenty pages of long report would in no way be accomplished.

"Oh, yes!" Len cried. "I almost forgot!"

"Don't vampires have good memory?"

"We forget things sometimes." Len grinned. "Especially some unimportant things."

Sure enough, in his eyes, homework was rubbish. Possessing such intelligence, it was nearly an insult for him to attend the school. He only came along to stay beside me.

"It's not always that bad." Len interfered as I carried on with my thoughts. "I mean schools are quite interesting. We have home-study in our world so we never get a chance to learn in a group."

Len had been mentioning about his world quite a lot but where was it exactly? Did he live in another dimension or a place connected to earth?

The bell rang before I could ask. People were all overjoyed when they saw us. We were like some superstars as we entered the room. Indeed, Len was the real one everyone was pleased to see.

The History lesson was at the end of the day so we had plenty of time to complete it. In fact, I had finished nineteen pages and that actually left one page for Len. I began to run out of information when reaching about page seventeen. Therefore, the last two pages were basically some garbage and non-sense.

I hoped Len would correct and further beautify them. Rather than that, I had a better idea. Len could re-do the work once and that would not take him more than five minutes, I believed. We could get an excellent grade without a doubt.

"I can't." Len shook his head. "You spent much time on that, didn't you?"

Well, I spent three consecutive nights on the project, hardly having any sleep. I still remembered myself cursing Len because he wasn't there when I needed him. Anyway, if Len did it all over again and we got a higher score, I might be happier. Grades meant much to a practical person like me.

"I think your work is good enough." Len complimented as his eyes scrutinized my work at the highest rate. "Your description is very detailed. The information is concise and accurate. The language you used is sophisticated and your words are more than beautiful..."

"Len, be serious!" I accused. How could my work be so perfect? He must be trying to cheer me up and make me feel better. Yet, his way of doing was just too noticeable.

Len sat up and sighed. "Okay. I'll just make some amendments on the last few pages and finish the last page."

"Better still, change the whole thing." I said while tidying up my desk after the lesson.

"I said you put effort in it. I could not just wipe out everything." Len said. "Plus, I really meant what I said. Your work is brilliant, not really a normal human girl's ability."

I laughed. "Len, are you trying to make me feel I am a vampire?"

"You know I hardly tell lies." Len replied grimly.

We paid a visit to the library to use the computers. I helped open a document and Len sat down and started typing. He seemed to be capable of doing anything fast and efficiently. He typed everything we needed in one minute and I was standing there, shocked.

"Finished!" Len yawned and stretched his arms as though it was a boring work. "Satisfied?"

I was still busy reading what he wrote. I had not captured a single word when he typed. To be true, I really had to get accustomed to his unusual behavior.

"That's..." The tone and writing format Len adopted were similar to mine. Perhaps it would look weird if he used his own words. It would be too obvious to spot out which part of work he was responsible for.

"That's what?"

"Good." I said and clicked the button of printing. "I mean wonderful."

Len inserted a paper into the printer and the machine began to operate.

"I hope Ms. Field likes it."

"Oh, she will." Len said confidently. "You worry too much, Alice."

Maybe I worried too much. In Len's eyes, what was worth worrying might be how to get along with his family and stay out of danger. In my eyes, my anxiety was all about studies and relationships. After breaking up with Edmond, I thought the latter one no longer existed. Now, it looked like it had come back. Was it a good sign or a bad thing? I did not know.

"There!" Len held up the paper and smiled proudly. Sometimes, his attitude was really childish. He was too naïve and immature. At least, this proved to me he had never lied about his age.

We combined the pages and stuck them with a stapler. The work was complete!

Len was happy wandering around. It felt much better to see him carefree than to see him worried like the other night. I could not read his mind so I could not be sure if this instant happiness was just a pretend. The real heart of this boy could be hard to reach.

"Alice, do you want snacks?" Len asked. "We still have ten-minute break. We can head down to the canteen, you know."  
"But you don't eat."

"Um..." Len paused for a second. "Do they sell blood here?"

"What?" I exclaimed. Speaking of blood, I could only come up with those cold packages stored in hospitals and they were for patients' needs but not for sales.

"I see." Len bit his lips in disappointment. "They don't."

"You can have my blood if you want." I offered.

"Of course, I can't." Len shook his head. "Your blood is too tempting. I won't stop once I start it. Last time you cut your finger, I almost lost my control."

"Really?"

Len nodded. "Your scent is different, very different from others. Last time you bled, I could hardly believe you were a human."

"What do you mean?"

"You see, there are two kinds of smells- a blood soul's smell and a human's smell. Your smell is somewhere in between and it makes your blood even more delicious to be honest."

"Can that actually happen?"

"I don't know." Len joked. "Perhaps you're an alien."

I lifted my hand ready to hit him and he ducked.

"But as we said, we don't usually drink humans' blood." Len said. "We have animals' or other blood souls'."

"You can hurt your same kind?"

"We are not hurting our own people. It's just some of us are allergic to animals' blood so we have to rely on our own kind's blood to survive."

"How?"

"Most of the blood souls with this disease are noble so they have their servants to serve them. Basically, they drink their servant's blood."

"Yuck!" I cried in disgust.

"Alice, we rarely see these people." Len grinned. "And don't you worry. Even if we die of thirst, we'll never hurt any human."

"Blood souls know about our existence but how come we are not aware of your race? Where is your world?"

"Do you really want to know?"

I nodded.

"Well," Len took a deep breath. "Humans and blood souls originally resided in the same race. In the very old days, we were both creatures in the nature. We were different species though. Humans fed on meat, which we blood souls could not understand. Our diet was blood and in the same way, humans found it hard to accept. Still, the two maintained a fairly good relationship because in hunting, humans often took the meat while blood souls would get the share of the blood. This way of living benefited both parties."

"But then," I butted in. "How did it happen that...two species do not live together anymore?"

"Well, that's what I am going to say." Len smiled at my impatience and went on. "As time passed, blood souls seemed to learn things in a faster way. They got more intelligent and their development was far beyond humans'. It was also when they discovered there were actually two worlds connecting to each other in fact. There was a boundary through which you could travel between two dimensions. Things got clear. The reason why blood souls suddenly made appearance in front of humans was that they had previously crossed the boundary from the other world and failed to return. After realizing the fact, humans regarded blood souls as a threat and chased them back to their own world. We, of course, did not want to have anything to do with humans so we agreed to go back to our home and live in peace. Seldom, certain humans and blood souls kept in touch. Human's knowledge of blood souls faded gradually and when the new generation witnessed a blood soul again, they thought we were monsters and called us vampires."

"So, you mean things like Dracula were actually true in history?" I asked, puzzled.

"I don't know." Len shrugged. "I think Dracula is just something you humans made up of. Sometimes though, some blood souls broke the rule and attacked humans. That usually worsened the relationship between us. The kings in your world actually knew about our existence. Later, in several centuries ago, werewolves started to appear and claim many humans' lives."

"Wait a second." I said, putting up my hand.

"So, what's it this time?" Len widened his eyes.

"Sorry." I apologized for my interjection. "I just want to ask- werewolves are real?"

"Of course they are." Len said as though it was a well-known notion. "Even now, they still exist, mostly in places like Brazil or South America, where there are woods to make their habitats."

"Okay..." I nodded, comprehending the paranormal fact I had just heard. "And what happened then? After the werewolves appeared..."

"Oh, yeah, after they appeared," Len thought for a second to recall where he had last ended. "Humans and blood souls made a contract. Humans permitted our entry to this world and provided us with a large supply of blood after we succeeded in fighting the werewolves. Up until now, the contract still exists. Although humans are rapidly developing technology and science, the ones who know us still bear in mind blood souls possess much more abilities and wisdom. Leaders of various countries call upon us when they are in trouble. We offer our aid in exchange for blood supply. Many battleships and satellites in this world were actually invented with help of our wisdom. In our world, we don't have worries about economy and wealth. We have everything we need but sufficient food. And unlike your world, ours is very beautiful without any pollution because we never have to use vehicles for motion or any devices to improve our quality of life."

"Wow..." I could not think of any better reaction. I had never known we were actually people of the same kind in a certain way and those without any knowledge about blood souls still thought they were some imaginary characters.

"Len," I knew what I had on my mind. "Can a blood soul and a human get together?"

"Yes, why not?" Len smiled. "There are many blood souls in your world. They act in a human way so you think they are humans. As a matter of fact, I think your neighbor Mrs. Rolls is one."

"But Mr. Rolls has to be a human! He's too..."

I wanted to say Mr. Roll was too clumsy to be a blood soul but Mrs. Roll was surely a beauty. That often made many other men in the neighborhood jealous.

"He is."

"Then, how..."

"Don't you know some of us are half-blooded?" Len said. "Roy and Bess are both half-blooded. Roy's father is a blood soul while his mother is a human. Bess' situation is opposite."

"So, it's like a mix."

"Yes."

"Len, are you..."

"I am a full blood." Len's smile died away. "Normally, a full blood should stand out in everything compared to a half-blood. A full blood is said to be much stronger and better but I am not. That's why my family doesn't really like me. Nowadays, there are very few full bloods in our world and they are mainly from traditional and wealthy families. Half of us are like Roy and Bess."

"Jim is a full-blood?"

"He is." Len thought for a while and then continued. "He came from a well-known family who had very good reputation of hunting. You can notice the difference between Jim and the others."

It was true. Jim did look more beautiful and stronger.

Our conversation was forced to end when the Literature lesson began.

"But I still have so much to ask!" I protested.

"Alice, I am sitting right next to you." Len stated calmly.

What was I worried about anyway? Len would always be there with me. I could ask anything I wanted to know at any time of the day.

"By the way, mind if George comes with us after school?" Len asked. "He insists on guarding me."

"No problems!"

I had not seen Mr. George for a long time and I admitted I missed him a bit too. Was he also a blood soul? There would only be one answer. A human would not be the butler of a vampire, right?

"George was a human."

"Huh?" I could not believe what I had heard.

"He had a pretty sad story. I don't know much myself." Len gathered his Literature textbook and placed his pens on his desk. "Maybe we can ask him after school."  
Now, that made me long for the end of school even more.

Tenth woe

The Messenger

Our history project turned out to be a vast success. I did not think I had ever got this grade before.

Ms. Field was impressed as Len and I went out to present. She praised us for our precise information and well-organized writing structure. I was totally amazed and I could not stop myself from smiling. Len acted as though he had expected the honor long ago. The moment we finished it, everyone clapped their hands.

"Marvelous." Ms. Field extolled. "Excellent work, Len and Alice."

"Thank you." We said.

We handed our work to Ms. Field. She looked through it and was still admiring it.

"I think I'll have to give you A plus. It's just perfect!"

I returned to my seat in relief.

"I told you, Alice." Len nudged me. "You did well."

"That's because you weren't here." I said sarcastically.

"Really." Len grinned.

We met George at the gate. To me, he looked as eccentric as before. He was wearing a different set of black suit though. I wondered if he really fancied black.

George had changed his hairstyle. He seemed to have a haircut. His fringe was much shorter but his hair was still combed in the usual way. People passing by all shot weird glance at this butler who was waiting patiently for his master.

"Hey, George." Len waved at him, hyperactive.

"Your..." George swallowed his word as he saw me. "Len."

"Um...actually, Alice knows about it already." Len said, handing his bag to George.

"Hi, George." I greeted the butler. George smiled at me.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Alice."

"Alice." I corrected him.

"Where are we going, Len?" George asked.

"Are there any signs of them?" Len inquired.

"No." George replied. "Just silence."

"Right then, it's safe to go anywhere."

Len took my hand and turned to me. "The decision is yours, Alice."

"The park then."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't know."

"I think Roy and Bess are nearby." Len sniffed. "I can smell their presence."

He was right. Roy and Bess were in the park. The boy was concentrating on his PSP while the girl was reading a book.

They were dressed in sports clothes as if they had been doing exercises. Bess had her hair tied in a tiny ponytail and Roy was wearing a casual red cap.  
I looked around to see if Jim was there but he wasn't.

Sensing our presence, the two dropped the things in their hands and welcomed us.

"How's school?" Bess asked, smiling.

"Nice." I said, still in much pleasure after the History lesson.

"What've you been doing?" Len asked, examining their clothes.

"We went jogging this morning." Roy pointed out. "I heard it's healthy to exercise."

"You don't need to exercise to be healthy." Len teased. "You just need to stick to your diet."

"Anyway, we have been hanging around a bit." Bess reported. "To see if any of your brothers' spies are here."

Len nodded. "Where's Jim?"

"You wouldn't believe it." Roy sighed. "He fell in love with shopping."

"What?" Len jumped.

"He said things they sell here are interesting." Roy explained. "This morning, he couldn't take his eyes off a guitar in the glass window and right now, he's gone to shop for clothes which he thinks are much trendier and more stylish than the ones in our world."

I almost laughed when I heard it.

Fashion was not even necessary for them because whatever they wore they looked as beautiful as angels.

"Um... Len, do you mind if we..." Roy took a look at his watch. I had discovered this was one of his frequent acts- checking the time. I presumed vampires might view doing things on time was important.

"No, of course not." Len smiled. "It's your supper time, right?"

"Yes." Bess replied and went off with Roy.

"Well..." I turned to Len. "Where are they going?"

"To get their supper."

"You mean blood."

"Yes." Leisurely, Len walked to the swing.

"Do you have schedule on meal?"

"We do." Len explained. "And we must follow it or else we will behave abnormally."

"So, you have to be fed at an exact time for each meal every day."

"Precisely." Len sat on the swing. "My supper started at six."

I frowned as I heard about the weird routines.

"What if you don't get your meal?" I asked curiously.

"You know what abnormal behavior means." Len smiled at me. "It's very dangerous for a blood soul to get hungry in a human world because he may not be able to resist humans' blood."

So, that would indicate if I wanted Len to go out of control, I would only need to keep him away from his meal until thirst struck him.

"That wouldn't be the best idea, Alice."

Well, Len caught me. Sometimes, I guessed I should just get used to the fact he could read my mind. That was hard though. I could think before I acted but I could not possibly think about what I should think next, right?

"Hey, George," Len waved at George, inviting him. "Won't you tell us about yourself?"

I was surprised Len spoke to George so directly.

"Len." I gave him a look but he just nodded. "It's alright. He doesn't mind."

"Yes, Len" George stood straight in front of us. "What's your command?"

"Alice and I want to know more about you. Would that be okay?"

"Certainly." George scowled. "But... what do you request to know about?"

"Um...anything!" Len suggested. "Something about your past?"

"Where should I begin?"

"I still do not know how you entered my family. Perhaps you can start there."

Just as Len had mentioned, George's story was heartbreaking and depressing. It turned out that twenty years ago, he was still perfectly an ordinary human. Yet, the dark fate caught him when he went hiking one time. He slipped and fell off the cliff, landing in the forest at the bottom of the mountain. He was severely injured and had long fainted. His mates went searching for him and called for help, but nobody could find him. He had been left unconscious for two days when it began to rain. At once, he woke, finding himself bleeding and several of his bones being broken. He could not move himself.

Soon, George began screaming until his throat got sore. No one answered him prayer though. On the third night, he was struck by hunger and thirst. Already, he was suffering from excessive loss of blood and he began to panic he might not make it. Just then, someone appeared. He thought he was finally rescued, but that person was no human at all. He was a blood soul and worse, he was not one with a kind heart. He bent down to drink the blood coming out from George's wounds. George was completely lost and bewildered, shivering badly.

The blood soul made an awful groan before biting George's neck. George struggled, feeling his blood being drained out at the fastest rate. At the exact same time, two persons leapt out from the bushes and grabbed the blood soul by neck. The blood soul was instantly stabbed in the heart and perished. Almost at the moment of dying, the two people helped George, who could feel himself being lifted up. When he woke again, he was in a wholly different world. He also found out the bite had turned him into a blood soul and one of the people who had saved him from his doom was Len's father.

"Sir Tristen saved my life and I pledged to serve him till the end." George said proudly.

"Sir Tristen?" I wondered.

"He's my father." Len explained. "Tristen Morganthe."

"So, your name is Len Morganthe."

Len shook his head.

"My real name is Lucard Morganthe."

I felt a bit annoyed. So far, it seemed that nothing about Len that I knew was true. He had concealed the fact of being a blood soul and unable to eat meat in the beginning. He refused to talk about the place he resided and his family. Now, even the name I used to call him was a lie.

"But..." Len must have felt my anger. "I can't use that name in this world."

"Why not?" I interrogated, crossing my arms.

"Because that name is weird." Len smiled. "I mean I have to try my best to fit in your world if I want to stay here. I cannot attract too much attention."

Generally, he did not really need a name to attract too much attention but with all the behavior he had at school.

"Plus, I like Len better." Len chuckled. "It sounds great, don't you think so?"

With the expression on his face, I could guarantee his interior was way younger than fifteen.

"So, Jim, Bess and Roy have other names." I said.

"Exactly. Their real names are Jaymes, Belinda and Romulus."

Now, I totally understood why they had to rename themselves. I could not believe someone's real name could be so classy and long, let alone with their surnames. I had no interest to continue exploring their names.

"Okay, I think I will just call them Jim, Bess and Roy."

Len laughed. He knew I would say that. I was a terribly lazy and forgetful person.

"But George, don't you miss your family?" I asked, suddenly feeling sad for people close to him.

"I had no family." George answered. "Morganthe is my family."

"Didn't you have parents and wife?"

"My parents passed away long ago and I was too young to have a wife."

"How old were you when you....er..." I spent some time to search for the right word, for George did not die. "Changed?"

"Twenty- two. No wonder you look so young."

"But I am happy, Alice." George smiled. It was rare to see him smile that way. His gorgeous face seemed to glitter with light. "To be able to serve Len and have an eternal youth, it isn't that bad."

"George, you will always be my best butler and friend." Len smiled back.

Out of nowhere, a blast of wind tapped on our back. My hair went floating in the air. I could barely open my eyes because some sand had got into them. Something peculiar was taking place.

Len stood up from the swing immediately.

"Finally, we found you." A deep familiar voice howled behind us.

There was a flash of dark shadow, which I was not fast enough to get a clear sight of. Everything happened in a blink of an eye as Len darted to my front and George held out his hand to grab whoever that was in attempt to attack us.

The two figures leapt into the air. I cringed behind Len, watching as the fight began. There was blood splashing everywhere and the scene was tremendously sickening. I screamed as I dreaded George was hurt.

All of a sudden, my hair was pulled forcefully from the back. Something was dragging me across the land powerfully. I squealed even louder. Len seized my wrists just in time to pull me back and pushed me aside, dashing crossly toward the creature.

"Alice!" Jim yelled, running with Bess and Roy in our direction.

"Help!" I called out.

"What is going on?" Bess exclaimed in disbelief as Jim and Roy joined in to help Len and George.

"I...don't know. They just...appeared!" I whined.

"Bess, get Alice out of here!" Len commanded.

Bess had me on her back and began to run but was blocked. Every motion seemed to stop just at that very instant.

Bess put me down and I grasped for air.

I could not believe it. Standing right in front of me and Bess was Edmond.

"Edmond?" I glared at him.

Yet, he was no Edmond at all. His eyes were as red as blazing fire and he looked eviler than ever. The fangs sticking out of his gum proved to me he was no longer a human being but...

"Alice..." Edmond mumbled, his eyes fixing on me.

A girl flew past us and landed next to him. It was Victoria.

"I should have known it was you, Viktoria." Len took one step forward, shedding the blood from his mouth. The lesions on his skin healed immediately.

"It's been quite a long time, brother." The girl named Viktoria smiled.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"So, that's the girl who's kept you away from home for months!" Viktoria shook her head and sighed. "Not only are you different among us, your taste in choosing your mate is also quite different."

"Shut up, Viktoria." Jim roared. "Len is not going home with you!"

"Yes, if you want to take him home, you have to fight us first." Roy added.

"I can't believe you are still hanging out with those stupid friends of yours." Viktoria smirked. "Do they even know manners?"

"Viktoria, say what you have to!" Len shouted.

"Fine, I am not here to force you but be reminded, I am just under father's command to deliver a message to you. If you continue being that stubborn, then I am afraid that girl-" Viktoria pointed at me. "will perish in no time."

"We don't trust you!" Bess stated. "You are on the side of Len's brothers."

Viktoria laughed. "Well, that's your choice. I am just telling you the truth. Plus, I have no intention to report my encounter with you today to Carmine and Zander. They are still planning on some other important issues. We don't have time to play with you yet, Len. I guess you'll have to handle your affair with father before being killed by us!"

"Alright, I'll go home." Len answered.

"What?" Jim exclaimed.

"No!" Roy objected.

"It's a trap! As soon as you get home, Carmine and Zander are going to kill you!" Bess warned.

"But if I don't go home, Alice will be killed." Len turned to look at me.

"Exactly!" Viktoria smiled. "And one more reminder- father commands you to bring this girl home because she's known too much of our family."

"I object! You have no choice." Viktoria said. "I don't think father will kill her yet, though I might when I reach home and see her."

"Wait a minute." I intruded. "What's Edmond doing here?"

"Edmond!" Viktoria cried. "There's no Edmond!" She placed her hands around Edmond's neck. "His new name is Emmit- Emmit Morganthe."

"Viktoria, I can't believe you did this." Len criticized. "Father will punish you. You know we cannot attack humans!"

"Attack humans! I did not attack him!" Viktoria gave Emmit's a slight kiss on his cheek. "He succumbed to me willingly. He's dedicated his heart, his spirit and his soul to me, in return for my love."

"You are despicable." Bess accused.

"But where's Victoria?" I asked.

"Victoria?" Viktoria laughed again. "You are sillier than I've expected you to be. I am Victoria! I just did a little bit work on my look."

Gradually, Viktoria's face changed. Her curly brown hair grew much longer and turned silvery grey in color. Her eyes widened as the dramatically glamorous green pupils shined. Her lips were as red as blood and her skin was just like everyone else, pale white. She had completely turned from the Victoria at school to Len's sister Viktoria.

"You wouldn't believe it, huh?" Viktoria laughed. "A heart-broken girl. Your boyfriend dumped you for me and now my brother gets interested in you. This is so lame!"

I did not know why my eyes e welled up. Somehow, the whole humiliation just infuriated me. Viktoria had snatched Edmond away deliberately. She had chosen him to be her eternal partner from the start. Going out with him behind my back and ganging on me at school were all Viktoria's work. I had lost Edmond to Viktoria, a vampire girl.

"Well then, it's getting dark." Viktoria winked at us and took Emmit's arm. "Remember to come home, brother."

As she vanished, her husky voice still reverberated in the park.

"Obnoxious." Roy said.

"Now, we seriously need to discuss." Jim said.

"Are you sure you are going home, Len?" Bess asked.

Len nodded. "I have to."

"But are you bringing Alice along?"

"No!" Len said firmly. "I will never bring her to that world. It's too dangerous."

"But your father will hurt you if you disobey him." Jim said. "You know Sir Tristen's temper. If you do not do as he says, he's going to kill the innocent."

"You mean I will get killed." I said.

"I guess so."

"Well, I will go with you then." I held Len's hand.

"I refuse." Len shook his head vigorously. "It's wrong, Alice! You can't go with me. I mean, who knows what my father will do? Perhaps once you come with me, he will try to kill you. If you stay, I am sure you will be safe. Blood souls never want to cause commotion in human world."

"You are partly right." Bess said. "But what if your father targets you if you return alone? Even if he cannot reach Alice, he will get his revenge on you!"

"I don't mind! I have been..."

"I am going with you, Len!" I insisted.

"Are you mad? My siblings are going to eat you! Didn't you see what Viktoria just did? She tried to kill you!"

"But you protected me."

"Yes, but..."

"Prince, I think we should bring along with Alice." George said.

"George, have you gone mad like the others?"

"No, prince." George said grimly. "What I see is you are not safe to return home alone, which indicates you, must be accompanied. In that case, only very few of us can stay to protect Alice in this world. If anything happens to both of you, we will surely fail. If we stay together, we are more powerful. It can also safeguard Alice's life. Since you have made up your mind to go back to Sir Tristen, Alice must come with us so that all of us can keep an eye on her. Plus, I know Sir Tristen will never do any harm to Alice."

"Why are you so sure?" Len challenged.

"All he wants is for you to come home. His purpose of meeting Alice is probably to seal away the family's fact. He won't hurt Alice but may just give her some lecture or warning."

"Well, I think George is quite right." I said, nodding my head at his fabulous plan.

"Alice!" Len sighed. "You don't know my parents!"

"That's why I am going to meet them!" I tried to stay humorous. As a matter of fact, I felt both frightened and nervous. I could never foresee what was going to happen when meeting a blood soul's family. It was a crazy idea. Nonetheless, I could not conquer my curiosity and my worry for Len's safety. I had placed his life prior to mine though I knew I was the one among all most likely to get casualties if any other fights began.

"It's settled then!" Roy said. "Now, can we get going?"

Eleventh line

The Arrival

"Viktoria is Len's elder sister." Roy informed as we walked through the forest. For the previous five minutes, we had been running from England to the west of the Italy. Generally, I did no running at all because for the entire time, I was on Len's back. I was beginning to doubt I had serious vertigo the moment I landed back on the ground again.

"I don't remember you telling me your sister is a big antagonist." I commented.

"Well, she's always quite nasty." Bess said. "Being a year older than Len, she thinks she is better than anyone else."

"Um...that's a bit exaggerating, isn't it?" I mumbled.

"It is not exaggerating." Jim joined in. "You don't know her. We have been playmates since we were children and she always picked on us!"

"Anyway, the big problem right now is she's with Carmine's gang." Roy said.

"Carmine?" I wondered.

"It's my brother Carl that I have mentioned before." Len said. "It's easier to remember that way."

"Oh, and your second brother is called Zander?"

"Yes."

"Carmine is supposed to be the next master of the Morganthe's family but Sir Tristen banished him long ago." Roy said. "Because he is evil- pure evil. His twin sister as well."

"Twin sister? How many siblings do you exactly have, Len?" I asked.

"Four actually. I forgot to mention Carmina to you. She hardly shows up anyway." Len confirmed.

"And she always sticks with Carmine. People think they are together." Roy said in a mystifying way.

"Didn't you say they were twins?"

"Siblings can marry each other in our world." Bess explained. "It's like what those royal families in your world did in ancient times."

"You mean... like pharaohs?"

"In fact, the real purpose is not to help preserve family's royalty. Most of the times, we can't help it. Many of us grow up with our siblings and have each other as a company for a very long time. It is believable that some develop certain bonding and love towards one another. Once they regard each other as their destined lover, there is no turning back."

"Now, Carmine and Carmina are both rejected by Len's parents." Roy said. "They cannot return home."

"But why?"

"Carmine betrayed Len's family." Jim said. "He joined forces and started an army with the Morlette family, our greatest enemy of all time."

"The Morlettes are devils." Bess said in disgust. "They are well-known traitors and predators. They do not comply with the laws and have long been a threat to the nature. They hunt live animals and even humans in the human world, which is forbidden. George was attacked by one of the Morlettes when he got trapped in the woods."

"But aren't there some lawful punishments to restrict them?" I asked. "What if a human gets into your world by accident?"

"No, there aren't." Len replied. "Because Morlette is an ancient nobility. Nobody can punish them or stop them from committing sins. They are too strong and distinguished. If a human gets into our land, that will be quite unfortunate. The kind ones will help him get back to his own world unharmed but if he encounters a Morlette, dead for sure. So, every human should be accompanied by a friend of blood souls who can guard them."

"Therefore, once we reach Bloodland, we have to protect you very watchfully." Bess said. "If a Morlette finds you, especially when you are with us, you are going to get bit for sure. They abominate us too much."

"Abominate, why?"

"Because of the conflicts between two families starting from thousands of years ago." Roy said. "It's been so long that we don't even remember the exact time when the first battle took place."

"Well, that's easy then." I said. "If two families are in conflict, why can't they just have a talk? Someone can make concession and negotiate. Isn't that brilliant?"

"Oh, come on, Alice." Len laughed. "You aren't pulling my leg, right?"

"I am serious!" I said angrily. "I am really trying to help."

"I am glad you want to help but you have to remember you are a human." Len said. "It's something we blood souls cannot even tackle. It's not as simple as a mere compromise."

That kept me contemplating for a moment. I had always hated complicated things and Len's family issue seemed to be one of those. Never had I heard of anything like conflict between two noble families in my word. The only time I did was when I read Romeo and Juliet. And I learnt that love was not a very ideal way to resolve the whole thing though because Romeo and Juliet had to sacrifice themselves in the end.

Another thought began to whirl in my head. Len had told me how perfect his world seemingly was, with no competition for natural resources, not a single environmental pollution or rivalry created by wealth. However, the race had regular conflicts among themselves for no reasons. It was even worse when siblings attempted to kill one another just to get the so-called throne. That would mean the world Len lived in was dominated by throne. People were blind by supremacy, authority and rule.

Eventually, we came out of the forest and arrived at a barren land. The view was spectacular and stunning. The fresh air rushed into my lungs and I took a very deep breath. It felt so good.

"So, what are we supposed to do here?" I inquired.

"Come." Len took my hand gently and together, we all stepped forward.

The most mysterious thing occurred. There was like an invisible shield in front of us and we passed right through it. It was like a boundary separating two worlds and the moment we reached the other side of it; we were already in another dimension.

"Wow..." I looked up at the azure sky and the colorful land ahead of me. It was the most beautiful natural habitat I had ever seen, even better than places shown on documentary.

"I told you it's a different world." Len winked at me. I was still busy looking around.

There were various animals and creatures in this enchanted forest. Most of them were probably new species to our own world. The outgrown flowers were tempting and the bushes were ever so green. The whole place was filled with sweet scent and amazing breeze.

"I can't believe it." I shook my head as we continued walking. "This is the place you live! Why didn't you tell me it's so pretty?"

"Well, I knew I could not say anything about this world to you at that time." Len said.

A few bats penetrated the overlapped leaves and flew towards Len. I dodged.

"It's okay." Len comforted. "These are my friends."

"But aren't they..." As I took a closer look, I realized these bats were different from those which had attacked me. These did not look all evil but endearing.

"We had better hurry." Len turned to beckon us. "Father is getting impatient."

I got back on Len's back and we started moving.

"You can communicate with bats?" I asked, my voice half covered by the wind.

"Bats are our soul mates." Len replied. "Most of us have a special bat staying beside us from the day we were born. It's like a pet to us but we are actually equal partners. My bat is called Leo."

As we ran further, the shape of a gigantic grand castle began to fill my view. It was the most majestic architecture I had ever seen in my life. The building was wholly black though and it kind of crept me out. I had to admit it might appear more like a ghost house in my world.

The enormous gate opened automatically to let us in. We strolled along the rocky path into the garden, where billions of roses were grown. There were three colors of them, black, red and white. My eyes widened as soon as I saw them. I felt as if I was in a dream, where I had the honor to be invited to such a magical garden. In the middle of the garden, there was a pavilion. On its wall carved several sentences.

To celebrate the new arrival

Snow will fill the garden

To complete an unbreakable oath

The hands of the lovers are sealed in red

To welcome the destined end

The darkness falls and the world is black

Now I understood what the colors of the roses meant. White roses were supposed to celebrate the birth of any new blood souls. The red roses were the proof of eternal love. And the black roses were symbols of death.

Len picked a red rose randomly from the flowering shrub and stuffed it in my hair like a decoration.

"It looks good on you."

I smiled.

A youthful maid emerged from the front door and bowed at us. The maid was exceedingly alluring. With her polished black short hair and snowy skin, I swore she was a real-life model of snow white.

"Welcome home, prince Lucard." The maid greeted, her face expressionless though. "We have been waiting for you."

"Frita, where are the others?" Len stopped and asked.

"All the servants are preparing for tonight's banquet."

"What's this about?"

The maid stole a glance from me before continuing. "It is a celebration for the success in reclaiming our land in Floris from the Morlette."

"Another meaningless celebration!" Len said. "When will he ever stop?"

The maid led us into the magnificent hall. Every single part of this place was decorated with exquisite ornaments and luxurious furnishings. I could hardly take my eyes off the walls, where there was what seemed like exotic craftworks.

"Here, prince." After climbing up the stairs, the maid opened the door of a room.

Len entered first while the others stayed close with me. George followed the maid and left.

The room was gloomy, with only dim light available for our sight. It was then I realized blood souls had excellent eyesight. They could probably see well in the dark. A woman dressed in black gown turned around, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. I had never seen someone so attractive before. Not even the prettiest woman of the whole universe could compare to her extraordinary beauty. And of course, I meant OUR universe.

"Oh, Lucard!" The woman, without any warning, rushed to Len and hugged him.

"Mother, I'm home." Len just grinned and hugged her back.

"Lucard!" The woman said. "Don't you realize I am so terribly worried about you? I miss you so much! Where have you been? Why didn't you leave a message before you went away? Why did you do that? Why?"

"Mother, you are talking so fast that I missed all your questions." Len laughed.

"Come here, dear, along with your friends."

We all sat around a table.

"Oh, Lucard, you brought a new friend!" Len's mother exclaimed as soon as she saw me. I remained astonished and speechless.

"Weren't you and father the ones who demanded to see her?" Len scowled.

"Her! Who's she?" Len's mother seemed puzzled and lost.

"She's Alice!"

"Alice?" Len's mother shook her head. "We never asked to see a girl. We only asked to see you."

"That Viktoria!" Len mumbled angrily.

"But Alice looks a bit different from us, doesn't she?" Len's mother smiled. "Which family are you from?"

"Um..." The five of us looked at each other and hushed.

"Wait." Len's mother leaned forward to me and sniffed. "Your smell is weird."

After seconds, she blurted out. "Oh my, you aren't one of us! Lucard, whatever have you done?"

"Mother!" Len shushed his mother. "I told you I thought you asked to meet Alice but there seemed to be a miscommunication."

"Miscommunication? I ordered Viktoria to fetch you home."

"Yes, I met her."

"So, where's she?"

"I don't know. She didn't come with me."

"That girl is still so mischievous." Len's mother sighed.

"Where's father?" Len inquired.

"Your father is not home. He's out to handle some business, so I will be in charge of tonight's banquet."

"Viktoria lied again!" Roy accused. "She said Sir Tristen wanted to see Lucard."

"Well, I am sure he does." Len's mother said.

"No, he doesn't." Len said. "He doesn't even want a son like me."

"Why would you say that, Lucard?" Len's mother looked heartbroken. "You are our dear son and we love you so much."

"I know you do, mother." Len stood up. "But I am afraid I have to go now. Alice is not safe here."

"Oh, not again!" Len's mother almost cried. "You aren't leaving me again, are you? I am going to punish George, letting you live in a strange world of danger and making you forget where your home should be!"

"Don't blame George." Len said. "He just listened to me."

"But, Lucard!" Len's mother closed the door before we could head out. "I am not letting you run away from home again. I have devoted so much effort to bring you home, spending nights to talk Viktoria into helping me for I cannot leave this house when your father is gone. Don't you see how much importance you mean to me?"

"Mother! I can't stay here!" Len persisted.

"If it's about the fight between you and your brothers, I will know what to do." Len's mother assured. "Let's resolve this family issue together."

"You don't understand, mother." Len sighed. "It's nothing that can be resolved."

"I wish I were a better mother." Len's mother said. "Carmine and Carmina never do listen to Tristen and me. They are rebellious as can be, but what else can we do? They are our children and we cannot hurt them. Zander has always been a good boy. I do not even know why he can turn so disobedient and join the twins. As for Viktoria, I have given everything I could for her. Still, home is never her vocabulary. Parents never are there in her eyes. Only you, Lucard..."

Len's mother begged. "You are the only good child in this family. I cannot lose you and I don't wish to see you harmed."

Len took a deep breath and turned away. "But..."

"At least, attend the banquet first. The banquet means so much to me. All the royal families are going to be there. I have to introduce my son. I can't attend alone, can I? After that, you can tell me about leaving this world again."

"Alright, mother, but..."

Len's mother saw through his mind and turned to me. "This girl is a human, isn't she?"

Len nodded.

"Well..." Len's mother circled and examined me. "We cannot let her out at this time of the day. The guests are going to arrive soon and if they see a human trespassing into our world, Alice will be in big trouble."

"And we can't let her attend the banquet either, madam." Jim said.

"There is one way to do it." Len's mother glanced at me seriously. "Will you cooperate with us, Alice?"

I was brought to a room. Len and the others left to dress for the banquet. Len's mother and Bess stayed beside me.

"Come and sit down, dear." I sat down in front of the mirror. This room was presumably Len's mother's. Placed in the middle of the room was a candle-lit bed covered in bright red sheets. In the corner was a colossal wardrobe. I wondered how many dresses were stored in there.

Len's mother untied my ribbons and combed my hair, urging Bess to take one of the dresses in the wardrobe at the same time.

"Thank you, madam." Bess said.

"You're welcome, dear."

"Now, that's better." Len's mother said.

I looked into the mirror. My hair lay flat on my back, stretching from shoulder to my butt.

"You can't wear those to the banquet." Len's mother took off my glasses. I was about to protest I could barely see well without glasses when she rubbed some powder around my eyelids. When I opened my eyes again, I could almost see every distant object in detail.

"What's..."

"Magic." Len's mother smiled and took a make-up brush.

After putting make-up on my face, she styled my hair, turning it into shiny curls.

"You just look ravishing." She commented. "You are as beautiful as a blood soul. Just one more thing."

Then, Len's mother led me to the wardrobe. As expected, inside, there were plentiful dresses and ball gowns. Just like the roses in the garden, there were only three kinds of clothes in the wardrobe.

"Let me see." Len's mother thought for a moment and finally took out a red deluxe ball gown.

"Lucard's given you a red rose." She said. "A red dress will suit you best."

Up until now, I had not said a single word to Len's mother. For once, I thought I really had to thank her gratefully for what she had done to me.

"I thought you don't like to speak, dear." Len's mother laughed. "You're so adorable. Now come, I will help you with the dress."

The ball gown made me feel sort of uncomfortable. After all, I had hardly attended a ball or any immense banquet before. I was not used to wearing this kind of superb clothes.

"Aren't you just beautiful?" We both glared at my reflection in the mirror. I could scarcely recognize myself. Standing next to a vampire queen was an ordinary human girl dressed in a vampire way.

"I think you will have to cover your scent." Len's mother said and helped me wear some perfume.

"Has Lucard made the unbreakable oath with you yet?" She asked, sitting down beside me.

"I...don't quite understand what you are saying, Madam." I answered.

"Oh, call me Demonia." Demonia said. "You are different from Jaymes and the others. Lucard has chosen you particularly, hasn't he?"

"I suppose so."

I frowned as I spent a second to recall Jim's real name was Jaymes. It was starting to disturb me a bit that every now and then, people were being called their real names in this world.

"That kid never grows up." Demonia complained. "He's always so happy-go-lucky and immature. He only knows who to detest and who to love. There are so many things he still does not understand. I am just worried for him."

"Len is not immature!" I said. Demonia's eyes widened. "Well...I mean...he is very wise at times. He is just different from the crowd, like me. He has his own way of thinking and he knows how to treat his friends best. He never abandons anyone he considers as valuable to him. He will never leave you on purpose unless necessary. I believe he has his reasons doing things. Even for a simple butler like George, he cares and loves him dearly. I think...Len is the best person I have ever met..."

As soon as I finished my words, I regretted it. It was so foolish and ill-mannered of me to talk about Demonia's son right in front of her. Still, I could not control myself when I heard anything bad about Len. So far, he had risked his life to save me even though most dangers were because of his presence. Yet, I loved him and the way he was right now.

Demonia paused for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Alice, you are the oddest girl I have ever seen. I never knew someone would care for my dear son so much. It seems that you love him as much as I do. Don't worry. I know Lucard is not always so immature. He's had numerous good sides too. Although many of his characteristics do not stand out, he is the most precious and unique son to me."

"Len will be so happy to hear that." I smiled as I remembered how much Len wanted to be cared for by his parents.

"Speaking about the unbreakable oath," Demonia returned to her previous topic. "It's rather like a proof of love between two lovers. Wedding is only a ceremony hinting that two persons are together, but unbreakable oath is more than that. It is an everlasting promise between two people. Once they make the oath, they cannot break it. I suppose Lucard has mentioned the principle of eternal love to you."

"He has." I said. I was not told about the unbreakable oath though. Perhaps Len felt I was not ready yet. Frankly, I actually faltered a bit when I heard of the oath.

"Demonia..."

"Yes?"

"Do you really think I can stay with Len? I didn't know you would approve of me."

"Just because you are a human doesn't mean you have no right to be Lucard's bride." Demonia said. "Our family does not discriminate any species different from us. Once Lucard has chosen you, I believe there will be no change for him. Perhaps Tristen may scorn a little because he never on the whole fancy humans. Still, we will respect all our son's choices."

There was a knock on the door.

"Mother?" Len's voice could be heard. I stood up enthusiastically but Demonia held my hand.

"Let it be a surprise." She shushed me before I spoke.

"Yes, dear, what's it?" Demonia said.

"Can I come in?"

"No, I am afraid not, dear. Alice is still dressing."

"Well, mother, I am not very sure if this is a good idea to invite Alice to the banquet."

"Don't you worry, darling. Nobody will know she's a human. My idea of inviting her to the banquet is simple. If you two have to stay together, she at least has to learn briefly about our lifestyle."

"Yes, mother, I will wait at the stairs."

The footsteps faded away from the door.

"Now, Alice, are you ready?"

"What...do I have to do?"

Demonia ginned. "Be a blood soul for one night."

Twelfth night

The Unforeseen

Demonia's tenderness surprised me a little. I had always pictured Len's parents to be unsympathetic and demanding. Nevertheless, Demonia was like any other submissive and compassionate mothers who would care and give over anything to her children. I could not fathom why with such a supreme mother, there existed no real love and harmony in the family. If I had a mother as likable as Demonia, I would have thought I was in a dream. Winnie was the best I could dream of, yet, she would always be an adopted mother even if I called her mom.

I never got to see my parents, which I reckoned was always an unfair thing. I never understood the reasons why my parents abandoned me either.

"Alice!" Bess suddenly appeared and clang into me in the corridor.

"Belinda, I want you to accompany Alice." Demonia ordered and started to walk away. "I have to greet the guests. Remember to come down sharp at seven."

"Yes, madam." Bess had the biggest smile on her face. She swung her body for a split second. "Do you think Roy would like my dress?"

"Um..." To be honest, she looked wonderful.

"Thank you!" Bess' eyes were twinkling with joy. "And you, Alice, is beyond a simple beauty."  
I kindly thanked her and we scurried to the hall.

Len was leaning on the wall not far away, waiting for us. He had his hair neatly combed and with that dark suit on, he looked both mysterious and handsome. The wildness his face used to show was now nowhere to be seen. In its place were grimness and anxiety.

"Isn't Alice beautiful?" Bess patted on Len's back after he remained silent for a while.

"Um...Yes." Len was still looking elsewhere instead of facing me. He was looking around dismally, checking everything with great care.

"Oh, come on, it will be fine." Bess said. "I mean, aren't your brothers already banished by your father?"

"Yes, but still..." Len scowled.

"Still what?" Roy appeared from behind. "I don't think they can get us. We should be safe in this house. The only danger I can think of is Viktoria, who apparently stands on their sides but your parents seem ignorant to this."  
"They knew it long ago." Len said, shaking his head. "Mother is just too fond of Viktoria that she can't endure seeing her punished."

"So, your father intended to punish Viktoria too?" Roy exclaimed.

"Yes, she was caught assisting Carmine and Carmina as they tried to assassinate father. You know my father never spares his enemies, not even if they are his children. He was outraged. He almost killed Carmina but mother stopped it just in time. The Morganthes cannot stand any betrayal so the ultimate punishment decided was to banish both Carmine and Carmina. Until they do any good for the family again, they are not to return. As for Zander, he was not in any of the fights so there was no evidence supporting him as one of Carmine's gang. He just went away from home two months ago. In the beginning, Viktoria was banned from having any access to family issues and locked up in the Silver Tower. Mother found this punishment too harsh so she talked father into letting her go. And this is how it goes right now. Viktoria is free to do anything she wants as long as mother has her under protection."

"Really?" Roy and Bess were both taken by surprise.

"I thought Zander was banished too." Roy said.

"And the Silver Tower! I heard nobody gets out of it without spending at least ten years of remorse staying there." Bess cried.

"What's it?" I asked, puzzled.

"It's like a prison for the sinners." Len explained. "When someone commits a crime here and the crime is not serious enough to cause any death penalty, he or she is to stay locked up in the Silver Tower where freedom and privilege are all deprived from individuals."

The bell went chiming and the front door opened.

"Oh no, the guests are coming." Bess jumped and instantly turned to Roy. "How do I look? How do I look?"

"Oh calm down!" Roy tried to settle his girlfriend but she kept dancing about. "You look just fine! No one is..."

"Really? Really?" Bess was in utter excitement. "This is the first time I ever attend a royal banquet! You never invite us, Lucard! What a great friend you are!"

"Well, that's because every time we do have a banquet, my father is present and it's always a disaster in the end." Len shrugged.

"Let's go, Roy!" Bess dragged Roy away and the two headed downstairs with joy.

It was awkward at first, for neither Len nor I knew what to say after Bess and Roy left. I kept my head down though I could feel Len staring at me. I still had not the courage to look up and face him. My heart was beating fast and I was blushing so badly. Partly, this was due to the nervousness of having to attend an unusual blood soul's banquet minutes later but mostly, it was an unexplainable feeling bubbling inside me that made me suddenly feel so timid.

"Alice, you're beautiful." Len smiled his usual smile, which kind of relieved me. For once, I thought he would stay grim for the entire night.

I smiled back.

"I want to show you something." Len whispered and took my hand.

"Aren't we supposed to be down at seven?"

"I don't feel like showing you to anyone." Len said.

"But your mother..."

"Do you really want to meet the guests so much?"

"No, it's not like..." I paused as I examined Len's face. His worried look returned.

"Len, why are you so worried? Shouldn't I be the one nervous?"

"Alice," Len took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want you to be seen to be known and mostly, to get hurt."

"But I won't be hurt. Your mother has made sure no one finds out I am a human." I said.

"I know. I just want..." Len stopped walking.

"You want what?"

"I don't want you to meet any other blood souls other than me and my friends and George and Mother..."

I could see asides from my safety, Len's concern had directed on something else. It was the desperation that he had in his eyes right then. He seemed determined to keep me away from anyone. I wondered why.

"Because..." Len turned away as he mumbled. "You're too precious to me. I can't afford to lose you..."

I had never seen Len this serious before. Neither had he ever spoke of me that way. He had always been irreplaceable in my heart but never did I realize I was also so significant to him. At once, my heart was filled with glee and contentment. Len and I were both the outspoken type of people but when it came to expressing our own passion and feelings, we were a total loser. I was glad because of what Len had said and because of his boldness and sincerity. It was then I learnt of how deeply he felt for me and the same way I did for him.

I seized his hand and grinned. "No one is going to take me away from you. Not ever."

Len eased a little bit but still would not let go of my hand. We walked on to the end of the corridor and made a turn.

"Where are we going?" I asked, unable to resist my curiosity in the end.

"It's a secret." Len just winked at me. I groaned at his trick again. I pretended to care less, looking as uninterested as possible but indeed Len knew I was keen to see what he had prepared for me.

"Ask if you want to know, Alice." Len teased. I shot him an angry stare. He laughed.

"Is it an object?" I guessed.

"Um... there are objects." Len replied.

"More than one?"

"Millions or perhaps billions of them." Len smiled.

I widened my eyes. That was a challenging game.

"And you are certain I would love what I am about to see?"

"Definitely." Len said and then added. "If I haven't been wrong about you."

"Oh? Don't you know people can change? Especially for a girl like me."

"I know." Len laughed. "I hope you still like what you used to like. What I am going to hand over to you will then please you."

"Why is it so secret that you can't tell right now?"

"Because you love surprises."

"I don't."

"You are lying."

"Okay." I sighed. "I admit I am quite excited. You are driving me crazy. Just be quick, Len."

"We are here."

We stopped at a door. It appeared like any other ordinary rooms in this building, so what could be so special about this place?

"Is it something that shines?" I asked again.

"Oh, Alice, I don't know you love jewelry." Len scratched his head. "I will have a room full of jewels and diamonds for you next time."

So what was in the room could not be any accessories and gold. I reached out for the knob but Len pulled me back.

"I'll turn it for you. Now close your eyes."

I did as told. The door creaked open and I walked in with Len holding my hand. I controlled myself not to take any peep until Len said so.

Len slammed the door behind us and led me further into the room before speaking again.

"You can open your eyes."

I did and what came into my sight was beyond a usual surprise. I could not believe it. I almost screamed in disbelief when I saw thousands of giant bookshelves surrounding me in this vast grand library. Those millions or billions of books lay neatly still. They seemed to be glittering in a distance as though they had been waiting long for a reader to pick them up.

"Wow..." All I could do for the first few moments was to exclaim incredulously. This was indubitably the largest place for books in the whole universe. Len sensed my happiness for he smiled proudly to himself.

"How..." I was still jumping about.

"I promised you last time in school library, didn't I?" Len said.

He did remember that. I almost forgot about it. Now that I thought of it, he did swear to bring me to a place with the most collection of books in the world.

"A blood soul never forgets a promise once he gives out his words." Len walked away, running his hands over a pile of books on the desk. "We only forget things which are unimportant to us."

Len had not forgotten his promise to me, so it would mean the promise was important to him.

"Do you like it?" Len finally asked. "Or you prefer a room of jewelry."

"No..." I said, my eyes blinking with joy. "I love this place. I love it!"

"Well then, it's yours."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"This library will be yours, Alice." Len smiled. "I give it to you as a gift."

"But..."

"It's okay." Len said. "This room belongs to me only. All these books are mine. No one is allowed to touch them unless I permit them to do so."

"You mean...you have read all of them?"

Len nodded modestly.

"My father is a very strict parent as he expects highly from us. My siblings and I were to be provided with the best education and resources when we were small. We have been expected to be the most outstanding people among the race. To much of my father's dismay, none of us seemed to have taken an interest in learning what we were supposed to learn. We grew with lack of manners and much wildness. Mother never opposes to our way of behaving. She thought we should be given freedom instead of being bound by restrictions, which is the opposite of my father's attitude. They spent much time quarreling over about this issue and believe me, it is the first time ever that mother won in an argument with him. We grew being pampered and badly spoilt. Instead of learning properly, I developed interest towards reading, so my mother offered me with books. Father seemed to agree with my hobby and I kept on reading. Before I realized it, I had already read a number of books that could stuff the biggest room in this house."

I listened to Len as he told me about his story. Every time he spoke a bit of his childhood and his past, I felt both fascinated and delighted. I was stunned by what a life he had led before he met me and was happy because he was willing to tell me lots of things about him. In the beginning, I always thought Len was someone hard to reach even if I fancied him. It was because there were so many mysteries about him. Now that I had learnt at least some of his experiences, I deepened my understanding in him.

"I am sorry, Alice." Len stopped suddenly. "Did I happen to make you bored?"

I shook my head.

"I want to hear more of it." I smiled.

"You do?"

I nodded.

"If there happens to be a part of this home that I love," Len took a seat on the couch. "it has to be this library."

Len confessed this was also one of his hiding places. He hid whenever he felt the need to cry or stay undisturbed. The books had stayed beside him throughout all the hard and terrible times. The secret place witnessed more of his childhood than anyone else in the house. His hatred, love, fantasies and every single emotion were shown on the surface once he entered this room.

"I only show it to someone else once." Len said. "And it's Jaymes."

"Jim?"

"Yes." Len smiled. "He's the first person I can call him a friend and is the most trustable person to me."

"I thought it is George that you trust most."

"Well, George knows about this room but he has never enters it. Jaymes has, because we used to read together."

"Why didn't you show this to Bess and Roy too?"

"I met Jaymes before them." Len said. "Plus, I don't think they are very interested in seeing these things."

I could imagine that. Bess and Roy were the play free types of people. They were too outgoing and extroverted to have interest for books. Things that concerned studies and knowledge would probably bore them.

"And I don't want them to mess with my collections." Len smirked.

"If Jim has a part of this place, you can't just give it to me." I said.

"Oh, he has agreed that this would be the best gift we could ever give you." Len said. "So, now, this very wonderful place of Lucard and Jaymes goes into the hands of Alice."

I did not know what to say so I just gave him a hug. It was all I could do to show my gratitude and glory.

"I need to thank Jim too." I said.

Len nodded and led me out of the room.

"We will go down at once." He said. "But you can come here whenever you want."

Then, Len gave me a golden key. "The secret place is normally locked to prevent any intruders." Len whispered.

I carefully stuffed the key into my pocket.

The feast had begun. There were people sitting around the table, each holding a glass or two. Needless to say, those glasses were filled with blood. Some were dancing in the hall. Music was playing and the gentle melody seemed to cheer everyone.

It was the most enchanting scene ever. All the people down there seemed to have come from heavens. No one could believe such perfect creatures existed in this world. They were dreadfully beautiful, dignified and honorable. Each had a face of an angel though dressed in clothes of a demon.

"The dance has started." Len said, leading me downstairs. "We will just keep you in a low profile. After this night, we can go back."

I nodded, my body beginning to tremble.

As we walked down, several heads turned to look at us. Some people began to whisper to each other. When Demonia called out to us, it was worse. Everyone was immediately glancing at Len and me.

Len showed a face of dissatisfaction as he grabbed my hand tightly.

"Oh, the last-born son of Morganthes is here." Someone said.

"It's prince Lucard, the next leader of the Morganthes."

"He's come back eventually after a month's disappearance."

"He ran away from home, didn't he? The pressure of being the next leader is surely too much for him."

"God knows! He's way better than those traitors."

"Such a pity he isn't perfect."

"Oh, and who's next to him?"

"It's a charming girl I have never seen before."

"Who's that girl?"

All the words reached our ears and that did not please us, as a matter of fact. Len sighed and whispered to me this was the reason why he hated it at home. Whenever there was banquet or gathering, people treated him differently and discussed him both because he was the next expected leader and because he was a defect in the family. I began to feel how awful it was to confront all those heartless and careless words of the guests.

"Everyone." Demonia clapped her hands and had us by her side. "I am proud to present my dear son Lucard. For the past several months, he has been dealing with much business so he can hardly show up in any activities. Now that he's returned, I wish every one of you can welcome him. As the master of this house has left for important issues, Lucard will temporarily take over the lead."

"Mother!" Len exclaimed but all the guests went applauding with their glasses holding up.

"Lucard, trust me, you can do this." Demonia comforted her son.

"I thought you would let me go after tonight."

"I can't, son." Demonia shook her head with guilt. "This house needs you. I need you especially when your father is gone and your brothers are out there."

"Alice needs me too!" Len shouted and many have turned their head to us again.

"Alice?" Someone said.

"Is that the girl's name?" Someone questioned.

"Who's she exactly, prince Lucard?" Someone asked. "Is she your bride?"

I could feel my face turning red, so was Len's. He was either too frightened or too embarrassed at what he had just said.

"You're right." Demonia stood next to me. "This girl is my son's bride."

Now, everyone was astounded by the news. Even I could not believe my ears. I had become a blood soul's bride. That could not be true, could it?

"Where's she from?" Someone asked.

"The family of a very distant relative of mine." Demonia explained.

"Is she a noble?"

"Oh dear," Demonia smiled. "My son does not necessarily need a noble as the bride, does he? She does come from a noble family though."

"Mother! Enough of this." Len dragged Demonia out of the scene.

"What? I am just introducing Alice to everyone else." Demonia said.

"You can't do that, mother!" Len said. "You know Alice is a human."

"So? She's going to be a blood soul at any rate now, isn't she?"

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Mother, no!" Len shouted.

"What do you mean no?" Demonia's face fell as if she had heart the most heart-breaking news ever. "Don't tell me you aren't going to change her, Len."

"I am not." Len replied.

"Why?"

"Because Alice is going to live the way she does now." Len said firmly. "I am never going to turn her into any one of us. It's her right to live as a human. And the rule says we can't attack humans!"

"Well, we'll just make this exception secretly. No one will know." Demonia said. "You know we can never accept a human as our family member." "To maintain our royalty, our generation must go on as full-bloods."

"I do not intend to listen to you, mother." Len turned away and kept me behind him. "I do not intend to be the next leader either. I just want to lead a free life with Alice. In the human world!"

"Lucard!" Demonia howled with rage. "After all I have done for you, you are going to turn against your mother because of an unpromising love!"

"It's not unpromising!" Len retorted. "I love Alice and I will promise her with the unbreakable oath. I will make it tonight but I will never turn Alice into a creature like us!"

"How dare you say that? I will never ever allow you to hang out with a human girl!" Demonia tried to drag me. "If you can't make her one of us tonight, I am going to do it for you, Lucard."

"Demonia..." I cried in pain as she seized my wrist.

"Stop it, mother, you are hurting her." Len came forward to release me from Demonia.

"Lucard, please," Demonia sobbed. "Alice loves you enough to sacrifice for you. I can see that. Alice will agree to it. She's a very nice and obedient girl. I am sure she will make a very fine bride for you if only she can be like us."

"You're wrong, mother." Len said. "Alice does not have to sacrifice for me to prove her love. She loves me enough to come along with me and to meet you, which is an unpardonable mistake I have allowed. She has done enough for me after all the trouble I have caused her. I will give away anything to protect her, even from you, mother, if you insist on hurting her."

"Lucard! Why are you so stubborn? She's a human girl who can never exist in this world of ours! The law says we blood souls have the right to cross the boundary and so do the humans. For us, we are never hurt in the human world but every human visitor to our world has no guarantee of safety. If you stay with her, you have to reside in the human world and that is absolutely forbidden! I will not permit you to leave home again!"

"Human!" Someone cried from behind. We all turned to see a man and a woman. They must have overheard our conversation in the garden. "Is there a human being here, Demonia?"

More and more blood souls gathered around us. The crowd examined us carefully and most had directed their eyes on me. I avoided looking in their way and Len tried his best to keep me as far from anyone as possible.

"This girl is a human!" A woman cried.

"Oh my goodness!" Another woman said. "How can a plain human girl be the bride of the next Morganthe leader?"

"It is unacceptable!"

"Any humans present here must either be changed or expelled!"

"Yes! She has to be..."

"Stop!" Len shouted. "Alice..."

"She is not a human." Demonia interrupted. The guests grasped in surprise.

"What you have overheard must be about a human my son has met in the other world. It's not Alice."

"But...this girl," A man leaned forwards. I took a step backwards. "I cannot scent her properly. She is a total stranger to us. How can you prove she is one of us?"

"As I have said, she appears new to you because she has never shown up in our family before. I have just brought her here from my distant relative."

"Well, to resolve such commotion, I believe madam; you have to take certain measures. You cannot ease our worries simply by some words." The man said. The others agreed.

"If that would satisfy you, I believe my husband would agree to it if he were here."

Demonia led us back into the house and the others followed.

"To prove Alice is a blood soul," Demonia grabbed a glass of blood and held it high in the air. "She will drink this."

"Mother!" Len bawled, trying to stop her but it was too late. Demonia had already given me the glass.

"Dear, it'll be alright." She whispered in my ears. "Just take one sip."

I stared at the glass and at the red liquid in it. I was beginning to feel dizziness and nausea. I could not possibly drink this, could I? Yet, everyone was looking and if I did not do anything fast, even Len might not be able to save me.

I closed my eyes and let my lips dip to the glass. The first sip was bitter and odd. It smelled all wrong. I wanted to choke but held it back until I drank more.

A second later, a hand smacked the glass I was holding and it fell right onto the ground, shattering.

"Enough!" Len was almost in his tears. "I cannot believe you can allow anyone to humiliate Alice like that, mother. And I, have done the wrong to bring her here, to let her suffer like that."

My stomach was churning and I had had the weirdest feeling of all. If Len hadn't stopped me, I might go on drinking it. Blood was still dripping out of my mouth and the scent was so strong under my nose. Len gently wiped away the red stain from my face. His eyes were welled up with guilt.

The others said nothing but stared in silence. I thought it was all going to end when the crowd began to leave us.

"Well, she is one of us." I heard someone say.

"After all, she drank it."

"Yes, and humans can hardly stand blood, so she has to be one of us to drink it without hesitation."

Someone even stepped forward to apologize.

"It is so wrong of us to doubt you, Miss Alice." A woman said. "Please forgive us for our rudeness, prince Lucard."

Len did not have the heart to listen to any of the apology. Instead, he just concentrated on cleaning my face. A few minutes later, before Demonia could stop us, Len walked me upstairs.

"Alice does not feel very well." Len declared. "Probably because you people have been surrounding her. She is pretty much stuck by your behavior. I am bringing her to rest."

Some guest still apologized but Len just lifted me up, holding me in his hands and left the hall.

Thirteenth floor

The Thirst

Len placed me on a couch. He then went to get me a cup of water.

I drank the water and became conscious of how plain and dry it was compared to what I had had a minute ago.

"Alice, I am so sorry." Len sat down beside me. "I never thought it would turn out like this. I should have never brought you here."

"Is it true?" I asked.

I wanted to know if it was true everything Demonia had said. To stay with Len, I had to become a blood soul and this was the only way out because Len would never be allowed to go back with me.

"I don't know." Len sighed. "We can escape. No matter what, I am going to bring you home safe."

"Why don't...you just bite me?" I said. At that very moment, I had nothing in my mind. I was still a bit shocked from the previous events. However, I knew what I was doing. I had no family to depend on. Having been an orphan for so long, the only person who cared for me was Winnie. I understood her too well. She would never object to my choice if I found the person I could really rely on. Being left out and isolated at school, being deceived, mocked and continuously teased by others, being cheated on by Edmond...all had made me quite frustrated. To think more deeply, I had never had any ambitions in life. All along, what I kept to myself was the fact that I wanted to be noticed, to be cared for and to be loved. After meeting Len, I could see this wish was not at all impossible. If there was a world where eternal love existed and I could escape from reality, I would never mind spending the rest of my life as a blood soul.

"You're wrong, Alice." Len shook his head. "I won't do it."  
"If it's about the pain..."

"It's not about the pain." Len said. "It's that you aren't supposed to be one when you weren't born that way."

"But even Edmond..."

"Viktoria is wrong. It's basic moral." Len said. "We cannot deprive the most precious thing from an individual for our own sake."

"The most precious thing to me is you."

"No, it's your life, Alice. You cannot do it for me."

"I do it for my own sake too." I said. "I don't want to be a human being. I am tired of it. If I were a blood soul, you wouldn't have to protect me anymore because I would have the ability to fight and..."

"Alice, if I let myself bite you, I will regret for the rest of my life. I would never forgive myself for ever hurting you."

At that point, someone knocked on the door and burst in. It was Jim. He looked dazed and was panting.

"Bad news, Lucard." Jim was still out of breath. He slammed the door shut and locked it.

"What's wrong, Jaymes?" Len stood up.

"They have come." Jim said, his face turning pale. "The twins and Zander are here, in the hall."

"And?"

"And they have brought along with lots of Morlettes. Most of the guests have been captured."

Just then, the sounds of scattering glass and screams could be heard from outside.

"Your brothers have tricked your father. He's fallen into Morlette's trap and is imprisoned by them."

"What?" Len exclaimed. "It can't be true!"

"It is so. Your brothers have finally got their revenge. They have captured all of us. Bess and Roy are nowhere to be seen. I hope they have escaped just in time."

"Where have you been?" Len asked.

"I was in the longue room all this time." Jim answered. "Bess and Roy asked me to wait there for them but they never came back. I heard noises and when I got out, everyone was fighting."

"Len, what should we do now?" I asked.

"Alice, lie down, you are not feeling well." Len said.

"I am alright now."

"Where is George?"

Sadness appeared on Jim's face as he said. "He protected me so that I could come to see you."

"They are coming in any minutes." Jim urged. "Carmine wants to kill you and takes over the throne. After that, he can completely join line with the Morlettes and changes the whole Morganthe family. We have to hurry."

Len stole a glance from me and then turned back to Jim.

"Assist me, Jaymes." Len commanded and lifted me up again. "We will have to leave this place at once."

Jim nodded. Someone banged on the door.

Without dithering, Len jumped out of the window with me in his arms. Jim followed. It was an utter mess out there. Figures could be seen battling each other and there was blood everywhere. We landed on a branch of a tree.

"Lucard, where are we going?" Jim asked.

"There is only one place to hide." Len said as he carried on leaping from tree to tree.

Someone must have seen us because shadows chased after us.

"Oh no, it's Viktoria." Jim shrieked from behind.

Len did not turn back. Instead, he whistled. After a few moments, several bats flew past us.  
"Help me, my friend." Len guided them to fly towards the dark figures at the back.

"That won't do the attack, Lucard!" Viktoria howled. "Stupid pets of yours."

"Well, deal with them first, Viktoria!" Len shouted and we ran on with the highest speed.

I could not see anything because it was so dark out here and Len was moving too fast. I could only hear sounds. In a fleeting moment, something grabbed my wrists and I cried in agony. I was no longer in Len's arms. I fell into the air, hitting the ground straight ahead.

I moaned as I felt my ankle twisted. I could not move myself.

Someone stood in front of me, looking down at me. In the dim light, I could see Edmond's face.

"Edmond?" I scowled.

"It's Emmit." Edmond corrected. Neglecting my broken leg, he seized my arm and chucked me against a tree. I screamed.

Jim got me just in time before my head hit the wood.

Len gave Edmond a powerful kick which sent him flying backwards. Edmond did not see Len come again and was punched by him. Blood spewed from his mouth.

Edmond began to fight back. Now that he had become a blood soul, he was much stronger than before. The two struggled and fought in the middle of the forest.

"Are you alright, Alice?" Jim asked though he could clearly tell I was hurt. Careful not to hurt my leg, he placed me down under a tree and joined Len.

I thought I was safe for a few seconds but I was wrong. Viktoria caught up with us pretty soon. Len sensed her presence and stopped fighting Edmond. He dashed forwards to protect me.

Edmond leapt into the air suddenly and flew to Viktoria's side. Jim returned to us.

"They will arrive in any seconds." Viktoria shouted. "After they tackle mother, they are after you, Lucard."

"How can you betray mother?" Len shook his head. "She almost runs into trouble to save you every time."  
"Lucard, I do not feel anything for that woman." Viktoria said cruelly. "You know our parents are too wrong about their kids. We just aren't materials to be the good people and stay under their control forever. We are born to succeed and to strive for the best. The best is when you conquer everything and make others bow to you because of the power you have."

"This is incorrigible!" Len said. "The rule of the Morganthes is to gain acceptance from others for whom we are but not to force others to obey us!"

"That's why you are the first to be destroyed!" Viktoria laughed. "You are too much a Morganthe. I never agree a single thing about Morganthes. I would rather stick to the wild, ferocious life than one without freedom. The Morlettes can satisfy my every need, unlike father and mother. If anyone is to blame for their children's disloyalty, it's them who have taught such sons and daughters that go against them."

Viktoria jumped down from the tree and aimed at Len but Jim rushed forward and fought her.

"Run, Lucard!" Len hesitated a bit but started to move. "Hold on tight." He said. He held me up and I had my hands around his neck.

Edmond chased after us. Once or twice, Len was almost knocked down by him but he managed to dodge from his attack. Eventually, Len pulled out a small dagger from under his shirt and hurled it straight at Edmond. Edmond broke it into pieces but that seemed to keep him away for sometimes.

We crossed over the river because I could smell the strong scent of water and heard the sounds of waterfall. We headed to another forest. The night seemed long to me. Jim caught up with us soon and that meant Viktoria was back chasing us.

Viktoria tried to fly something at us but Jim blocked it. She tried again. It must have originally aimed at Len because I saw it coming to Len's back. It was something extremely bright and silver in color. It was a dart.

I knew there was no way out. I could never be fast enough to tell Len and Jim was about a mile away this time. Still, I got to try.

I pushed Len and shrieked. "Move!" Len, who did not expect my smack, turned away instantly. Whatever Viktoria had throw missed Len's back and went straight through my shoulder. Everything seemed to stop at that very moment. Viktoria and Edmond had stopped, so did Jim and Len.

It was a miracle I did not happen to cry or scream. I was too calm for my situation because blood was running down my arm, staining my dress badly. I felt the heat around my wound. Blood was racing in the veins and my heart was thumping against my chest. I breathed hard.

Len stared at my wound and then turned to Viktoria angrily.

Viktoria, standing not far away, laughed and then vanished with Edmond.

"It's a poisonous strike." Viktoria's voice echoed in the woods. "If you want to save her, turn yourself in."

What happened next I could not remember, for I fainted afterwards.

When I woke again, my left shoulder ached. It felt as though hundreds of arrows had struck me there. I had difficulties getting up. The first thing I saw was a white ceiling and a heavy smell of blood.

"Alice!" Jim helped me up. "How are you feeling?"

"Pain..." I muttered. Even when I talked, my body was in acute pain.

"It'll be alright." Jim comforted. "We are safe for a moment."

"Where are we?"

"We are in Mrs. Kittel's house. She was Len's nanny and a servant in the Grimmel's family."

My frown must have suggested I could not understand a single thing Jim said so he stopped.

"Len has gone out to get you some food and water..."

I turned around and saw a large container on the table. Lots of bandages stained with blood were still in there. Those must have come from my wounds. It was my blood...

I was desperate to get off the bed though I did not know why. I had a strange feeling. It was a feeling of yearning for something badly and unable to possess it. It was a feeling as if I could not get what I wanted, I would lose my control. It...was thirst.

"Stop it, Alice." Jim held me before I slipped. "You must stay in bed. We will soon find you the antidote. Mr. Kittle knows where it might be. The Grimmels are good at making antidotes. We can..."

I did not listen to what Jim said because I was too thirsty to do so. I needed it. I wanted it. I had to have it.

"What? What do you want, Alice?" Jim asked, bringing me back to the bed.

"B..." I stammered. "Blood..."

"What?" Jim held back. "What did you just say?"

Didn't he hear me?

"I want BLOOD!" I screamed as streams of tears rolled down my face.

"Why? Alice!"

I was jumping out of bed again, totally ignoring the pain. My broken leg could not support my weight so I fell again. Jim went to help me up but I slapped his hand. I crawled forward. There was something much more painful than the wounds. I was thirsting for blood frantically. I knew I needed it.

"Alice, you are scaring me." Jim began shaking me. "Did you hit your head? Or are you out of your mind? Alice, your face is turning white!"

"Blood! Blood! Blood!" I screamed and bit Jim.

Jim cried. At first he tried to push me away but then he realized a push from him could have broken my neck. He backed away from me but I held on to him.

I did not exactly feel my fangs because I was sure I had none at that moment. Yet, I wanted blood so I had to bite even if I was not a blood soul.

I felt Jim's blood in my mouth. I was draining more and more of his blood from his arteries. Only until the odd feeling disappeared and the only pain came from my injuries did I stop.

Jim was astonished. He held his hand and stared at me. I was glaring at the mark I left on his hand. Gradually, the wound got smaller and healed on its own, but I knew Jim was still in much pain.

"I..." I began shaking my head. I felt confused. "Jim, what have I done?"

I sobbed. Jim was as bewildered as me. He, who had been bit by me accidentally and me, who had bit and drank someone's blood, were glancing at each other like strangers.

"Alice, why...did you do that?" Jim asked.

"I... don't know."

Slowly, Jim got to his feet and helped me into bed again.

"You just drank my blood." Jim was then scared. "You just drank my blood..."

Jim looked helpless as he sat on the bedside.

"Oh geez, you are..."

"Will I...turn into a blood soul?" I asked.

"I don't know. I don't know." Jim repeated the words continuously.

"Lucard is going to kill me." He buried his face in his arms and wept. "He's going to kill me..."

"Why? Why?"

"Because!" Jim gazed at me, his face washed with tears. "You bit me and you drank my blood. Nobody knows what can happen! You might turn into one of us and if you do....if you do..."

Jim whimpered. "Lucard is never going to forgive me. Oh, what should I do?"

"But..." I tried to think of something to say. "I drank blood in the banquet too. If I did turn into a blood soul, I would have done long time ago."

"Really?" Jim's face brightened. "Is it true?"

I nodded.

"Well..." Jim wiped away his tears and smiled. "Lucard will not blame me for that then. Thank goodness."

"But why would I thirst for blood?" I asked.

Jim looked at me suspiciously. After studying my face, he said. "You look a lot better now. Before, your face is so pale like a dead, but now, your cheeks are burning red."

"What does that have to mean?"

"It means..." Jim scowled. "The blood keeps you alive..."

Len entered the room. Immediately, the food he was holding dropped to the ground. We turned in shock to face him.

"What did you just say, Jaymes?" Len approached us.

"Listen, Lucard..." Jim stood up fearfully. "I didn't mean to...I..."

"What did you do to her?" Len shouted and grabbed Jim's collars. "What did you do to Alice?"

"He did nothing, Len!" I said, crying. "I bit Jim. I drank his blood. I don't know why I did that, Len. I just thirsted for blood all of sudden and before I knew it, I have bitten Jim..."

Len let go of Jim's shirt. From the way he looked, we could tell he was thunderstruck and crestfallen.

"I am sorry, Lucard." Jim said.

"It's okay." Len said calmly. "I thought you bit her but it seems like the opposite has happened."

"Wait." Len left the room. Jim tried to follow but Len asked him to look after me.

After sometimes, Len came back with a young woman of twenties. She had dark brown hair tied in two plaits and was wearing a maid uniform.

"This is Ms. Kittel." Len introduced. "She was my nanny when I was small."

"Call me Oma." The woman smiled and closed the door.

"Lucard, can I take a closer look at the girl?" Oma requested.

"Yes, sure." Oma stepped forward and examined me. Her large blue eyes scanned over my face.

"Crimson hair." She examined my hair. "Hazel eyes... And the face."

"Oma, what's the matter with her?" Len asked. "She should be a human but she just bit Jaymes for his blood."

Oma closed her eyes and placed my hands in hers.

"What's she doing?" I asked.

"Oma is gifted with the sixth sense, a very few kind in the race." Len went on. "She can tell what is wrong with you."

Oma opened her eyes and stared straight at mine. "Dear, I do not think this girl you have brought along is a human."

Len and Jim looked so surprised as though the sky had collapsed.

"What? Is it because she's drank Jaymes' blood? Or is it because she's drank the blood in the banquet?" Len began firing all kinds of questions at Oma, who looked perfectly peaceful.

"No." Oma shook her head. "She's a blood soul all along. We just don't realize that."

"It can't be!" Jim exclaimed. "She is a human! We met her in the human world!"

"She was." Oma clarified. "Once but not now."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's odd." Oma said. "You grew up in a human world but you are never a human. You are a blood soul. Your instincts as a blood soul are all hidden because you have never used them or learnt of them. That's why you have not gained any super powers. When you drank the blood, the deepest part of your soul must have woken. That explained why you thirsted for blood. When you are a blood soul, once you take a sip of blood, you never stop. Normal humans cannot stand our blood. The moment they drink it, they faint but you did not, did you?"

"No, she didn't." Len answered for me.

"But that is impossible." I said. "I never..."

"That's the question." Oma said. "I think I know where you are from."

Oma said she would help search my family for me, to see if any groups had a lost daughter but I was still too shocked to accept everything she had said. Oma left soon and there were only the three of us in the room.

My shoulder seemed not to hurt as much as before.  
"Len, is it true?" I asked.

"I...don't know." Len was as uncertain as me. "But I knew from the very beginning you are different. You smell between a human and one of our kinds but I never expect you are actually one of us."

"If I am a blood soul, does that mean my parents are one too?" I asked.

"It would only make sense that they are." Jim said.

"But you are an orphan." Len said. "Where did your parents go? Why would they leave you in a human world?"

"I want to know too."

"Well, Alice, does it still hurt?" Len asked, looking at my shoulder.

"Not really right now."

"It is true then." Len said. "Your wounds heal automatically if you are a blood soul. After you drank Jaymes' blood, you must feel a lot stronger."

"But I am not." Jim said and we both laughed.

"What's our plan?" Jim asked.

"We'll see." Len said thoughtfully. "I have to go back if there aren't any antidotes for Alice. Only they know how to save her."

"You will fall right into the trap if you go back!" Jim said.

"I have no choice!" Len reminded him. "Alice has to be saved. She cannot die. After all, I am the one who's supposed to be struck."

"Len, don't go back." I said.

"It will be alright." He said. "My brothers will not kill me yet."  
"What do you think of getting some help?" Jim asked.

"Oma is going to inform the Grimmels. I hope they will help us."

"Grimmels?" I asked.

"Grimmels are our family's old friends. They live in the southeast part of the Bloodland." Len explained. "We have just come here to seek for a shelter."

"Even if the Grimmels help, they aren't powerful enough to fight against the Morlettes." Jim said. "Plus...your father has had conflicts with your uncle and aunt before."

"Your uncle?" I turned to Len.

"They are dead." Len said. "They were killed by the Morlettes before I was born. My father has a sister he was pretty close with, as I have heard from Oma. Oma used to hang around with them when they were small. Her name is Winona Morganthe. She married the eldest son of the Grimmel family. My uncle was also one of my father's playmates when they were young but my father seemed to dislike the marriage. He thought my uncle was too weak to protect my aunt."

"Your uncle!" Jim exclaimed. "He's Sir. Antone Grimmel! How can he be weak? I heard he's the best fighter in this area."

"But I guess he was still not as strong as my father." Len continued. "My father loved his sister too much. That's all. He gave in at last though. Why he conflicted with my aunt later I did not know. Oma never told me about it."

"Wait a second." I intruded. "How...did they die?"

I could not understand why I asked so. The questions just popped up in my mind

"I heard my aunt was stabbed in the heart by the enemy and my uncle committed suicide in sorrow after losing her." Len said.

"I thought blood souls are immune to all kinds of injuries."

"Not really." Jim said. "We can be killed by decapitation or being stabbed in the heart. Sometimes, poison can make us lose all our strength and suffer slowly and pass away in the end."

"I never really blame my father for his lack of attention towards us." Len said. "Oma has always said after my aunt died, my father lost all his interest in life. His sister meant too much to him and he could not accept the fact that she had passed away. He became a very severe and harsh person afterwards."

"In short, the Grimmels are the only people who can help us now." Jim said.

Fourteenth touch

The Lost Child

Oma did come back, but not alone. She brought her a man with her. The man had crimson hair and a pair of hard blue eyes. At first, he stared at me with disgust and then with interest.

"Who are you?" Len blocked him before he could reach me.

"Me? I believe I am partly your uncle." The man said.

"What?" Len exclaimed. "My uncle is dead, isn't he?"

"I am not Sir. Antone Grimmel." The man said with a smile. "I am Adam Grimmel, Antone's younger brother."

"I never knew that!" Len said.

"That's because your father never wants you to know." Adam grinned and walked to me.

"Young lady, you have no memory of your past at all, do you?"

I shook my head.

He took a serious look at my hair and then at my face.

"You look just like..."

"Who?" Jim asked.

"Oh no," Len said. "You don't mean my aunt."

"No," Adam smiled. "but my brother."

I felt I was going to faint again. This was ridiculous. In a day's time, I had to learn about my true identity and to meet a blood soul uncle. That was absurd and insane. I thought I was dreaming but when I pinched myself, it hurt.

"I cannot be sure." Adam said. "I just recognize your appearance. The crimson hair is the best remark of the Grimmels because almost only we have it around here. Your eyes are like those of Winona's. Hazel as I remember. And there is a secret."

"What's it?" Len asked.

"My brother did have a daughter."

"You are lying." Jim accused. "I never heard the Grimmels have children."

"He is not lying." Oma said. "It's true."

"Nobody knows except Oma and me." Adam continued. "I believe even my brother did not know about it. They were on an escape at that time. The Morlettes were chasing them. They split. My brother went to the west to seek help from Morganthes while Oma and I stayed to protect Winona. It was war time and Winona was pregnant. She forbade us to tell my brother though. She said it was for all our sakes. She gave birth to a baby girl afterwards but Antone was still not back. We were betrayed by a friend and were captured. Winona managed to run away with the child and without much luck, she was abducted by the enemies.

"When she returned, there was no sign of the child. I asked her and she said 'the child is safe.' She shushed me before I could ask more. Soon, she was killed. I could never forgive myself as I had promised Antone to protect her but I never could fulfill my job. I was held imprisoned by the Morlettes. I heard Antone had finally got back with the Morganthes but I could not reach him. He later knew his wife had perished. On learning the her death's news, he killed himself. I never got the chance to tell him he had a child."

Adam looked down to the ground sadly.

"Once we were released," Oma said. "We searched throughout the entire Bloodland but could not find the child. We believe the child might have been killed and that Winona was, perhaps, in too much pain to tell the truth. We never told Sir. Tristen because we thought it was no use telling after all. We never knew the child lived and..."

Oma stopped and glared at me. "If that child is alive, I think you have to be her. You look exactly like Winona."

"If...Alice is the lost child of the Grimmels," Jim said. "then, she and Len have to be cousins!"

"Exactly." Adam said. "And she's not Alice. She was named Armenia. Princess Armenia to be more specific."

"Princess Armenia..." Jim repeated.

"Armenia..." Len repeated the name too.

"I don't like it." I said. "I want to be called Alice, not Armenia."

For me, the conversation ended here. Since I was too exhausted, I fell asleep. I slept for a very long time. When I woke again, Len said I had been unconscious for nearly four days. I had a bad headache afterwards. During my sleep, I kept dreaming and dreaming. Most of the time, I had those never-ending nightmares in which I pictured myself dead or Len left me. The first thing I did once I opened my eyes was screaming. It was later that Len told me I was both screaming and crying at the same time. He and Jim came into the room right away but I was still frightfully scared. After reassuring me for some time, I fell into a deep sleep again and it went straight till the other day.

Jim said Len was so apprehensive about me after all the screaming that he stayed beside me for days, refusing to leave the room. Sometimes, when I was half-awake or got disturbed by noise, I could feel Len's presence. He was taking care of me all along. As I found his hand, I would feel comfortable and secure again. I would then continue my sleep.

On the fourth day, I finally could get up. There were no more screaming or shouting from me. Miraculously, all my wounds have healed and I felt not a single pain. Len was too pleasant to see me wake so he almost could not find the right words to say.

"Alice, you have not fully recovered yet." Len informed me as he handed me the breakfast.

I shook the glass slightly. I was still not familiar with the diet of blood.

"The only thing we can do right now is to have your instincts regained." Len said. "The more you behave like a blood soul, the sooner you will become one, Oma said. Your wounds have healed but the poison is another problem."

I swallowed my breakfast without saying a thing. Len watched as I drank the blood. The scene was as unnatural for him as for me. He seemed to feel out of place when he saw the blood left on my mouth.

"There." He took a handkerchief and cleaned my mouth just like the way he had in the banquet.

"The Grimmels have invented a medicine for you." Len added. "Every now and then, you are drinking it. It's not a real antidote though. Your uncle is still working on it. We hope the medicine can ease the pain the poison causes you. If we can't find the antidote, we'll need another plan."

Len said no more for that day. Seeing me alright, he left the room. I wanted him to stay but I did not dare plead. He was in a terrible mood, I could tell. And that upset me more. Whenever meal time came, it was Jim who brought the meal in.

"Alice, Lucard said..."

Perhaps I was becoming more like a blood soul, I seemed to sense what he was going to say.

"He cannot come, right?" I said.

"Yes, he's busy discussing with Sir. Grimmel about the battle but he will come to see you soon." Jim smiled but it was just obvious he was trying to pacify me.

"He doesn't want to see me." I muttered.

"No, Alice, why would you say that?"

"His eyes." I thought I was going to sob. "He never looks at me that way. This morning, his eyes were so cold as if I was a complete stranger to him."

"He is just worried." Jim said. "He is tired, Alice. Having stayed around for four days straight and having to deal with the family trouble, he just cannot take any more of it. He needs some fresh air."

"So do I." I mumbled.

"Don't be so depressed, Alice." Jim said. In fact, he looked more miserable than me. "Lucard hasn't said a thing to me too."

"Oh?"

"He's probably still angry at me."

"Why?"

"Of course, he's mad." Jim said. "He must still be sensitive about you drinking my blood."

"Um..." I did not understand. I could not control myself at that time. I did not mean it to happen too. So, was he also mad at me for that reason?

"I don't get it." I said. "What's wrong with it?"

"You don't drink someone's blood randomly." Jim explained. "The only person who has the right to take your blood in this world is your mate. Therefore, it is wrong for the Morlettes to hunt people because you bite anyone according to your wishes. There is an underlying power behind this. When Viktoria bit Edmond, Edmond would have to follow her till the end. He has to do whatever she says because he has become hers."

"Is that a rule?"

"Yes." Jim said. "A very normal phenomenon. That's why you aren't supposed to bite me. Lucard is the only person whose blood you can drink."

"I..." I wanted to say I did not do it on purpose.

"I know you didn't." Jim said. "Lucard knows it was an accident too. It's just he blamed himself for being so ignorant to your true identity. He blamed himself for not being there when you thirsted for blood. He might not be really mad at me but he has not the mood to talk to me either. Being his friend I feel so ashamed of myself. I should have stopped you when I could at that time."

"It's not your fault." I could not hold my tears any longer. I gripped Jim's hand and blubbered. "Oh please, Jim, get Len to talk to me. Please, I don't want him to pay no heed to me. Tell him I am sorry for whatever has offended him. I cannot lose him. I had a nightmare last night. He abandoned me. He left me in a garden full of black roses. Please, Jim, help me."

Jim sympathized with me. He did not know how to handle my crying because he had never seen a girl cry in front of him. He was as hopeless and powerless as me.

Smoothly, he took my hands and nodded. "I will try, Alice. You wait here."

The moment Jim closed the door behind him, I felt more lonesome than ever. There was nothing with me but my crazy thoughts.

At last, I felt a bit dizzy being left alone in a suffocating room. I decided to get out of bed though I had been warned not to. I prepared for any pain to come once I stepped on the ground. Fortunately, nothing happened.

I wandered around the room, walking and examining each thing I could find. There was not much furniture in the room. I took a seat on the couch, drank the cup of water on the table and even opened the wardrobe. I expected it to be empty but there were a few dresses in it. I quickly took off the white night gown I was wearing and put on a blue dress instead. Now, it looked much better. I did not want myself looking like a patient in the hospital. I walked up to the mirror and I cried. No wonder Len and Jim had stared at me in a bizarre way. I could not believe my changes in the appearance too.

My previously crimson hair had grown brighter and redder. It had grown much longer too, almost reaching my knees. My face was pasty and colorless. I just looked different. Overall, I had become more striking, more like a blood soul. Then, I realized why I had been feeling eerie all day. I had not yet put my glasses on but I could see very clearly. It could not have been Demonia's magic because my face was washed several times together with the wounds. I must have turned into a blood soul, a vampire.

I combed my long hair and tied it into a ponytail. I put on my shoes and left the room.

I begged for fresh air. I could not stay in that room much longer without turning mad in the end.

There was a garden out there. I found that my room was actually a small hut in an estate. Ahead of me was a titanic mansion, though not really a castle. I lingered in the garden. This one was full of red roses. There was not a single white petal or a black flower. I searched for the pavilion, for words must be written there to explain this scene. I found it at last.

The master that conquers all

Is gifted with the best of all

The mistress that possesses all

Is praised and loved among all

The curse put on this fateful day

With the burning love and hate

They shall remain and stay

In this silent and dramatic place

I was not quite sure who the poem was referring to. I deemed it was a story about two lovers, admired and honored by many other people. This garden of red was made deliberately in the memory of their ceaseless and influential love. That explained the reason why there was no white and black in this place. There was only love.

"There aren't past and future." A voice said. "There is only present."

I turned around abruptly, startled. I was aware of that voice. It was Len speaking.

"You mean in this garden?" It was Jim.

I saw two figures approaching the pavilion and I hid quickly behind some bushes. I should not be seen or else they would find out I had left the room without permission.

"What use is it anyway?" Len walked up the stairs and sat on the bench in the pavilion. "Nothing lasts forever."

"Perhaps the love of your uncle and your aunt does." Jim sat next to him.

"Oma said they are buried somewhere here, in a very quiet place."

"Did you tell Alice?"

"No." Len shook his head. "What can I tell her? She can hardly accept the fact she is a blood soul. There is no way I am going to talk about her parents' stories."

"What is bothering you?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Lucard, your problem is my problem." Jim said. "If you still treat me as your friend, you have to tell me what is going on. I will do whatever to pay back for my fault."

"It's not about you, Jaymes." Len sighed. "It's not about Alice either. I am not angry at you nor am I mad at her. I am just annoyed because of myself."

"Huh?"

"It is nobody's fault that Alice is a blood soul. I just regretted having brought her here. If I have never shown her to this world, none of this should have happened. She will remain as a human, living peacefully and happily with Winnie in the other world. I might not be able to stay around her forever but at least, she would never have run into the danger she has encountered. She would never have been poisoned in order to save me. She would not have had those terrible nightmares and had to scream in her sleeps. Do you know how much it hurts? To see her not even getting peace in sleep. What bothers me more is that she is not a human anymore. She's a Grimmel, a typical noble princess. How can she bear the fact? How can I bear to view her as one of us? The girl I used to love is a human, not a blood soul. It's all wrong. It's out of order."

"Alice has never blamed you for all the troubles you caused her." Jim replied. "And I believe she will not do so either. She is so distressed that you look at her in a way as though you don't recognize her. You cannot leave her alone like that. All she needs now is support and loving words which can only be given by you. Don't you see how unhappy she is when you refuse to see and talk to her?"

"I can't." Len said. "It's so hard to...well, I just can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because....because I don't want her to be a blood soul. I know it is selfish of me to think so but she...if she is a blood soul, she will deserve someone much better than me. Don't you agree? She will soon begin to see things in a way blood souls do. She will see how weak, useless and ugly I am. Each time I look into her eyes, I fear when the moment comes that she says 'Len, you look different. You are not like how I think of you before.'"

When I heard it, I really had the thought of going up to Len and spoke to him, but I stopped myself.

"Surely Alice will not think that." Jim said. "Don't be offended but I'll say it is childish to think that way, Lucard. You know Alice is not the type who cares much about your strength or appearance. What she likes is your spirit and personality, not your looks but talents and wisdom. You don't have to be the best guy in this world to charm a girl. If she thinks you are the best to her, it's enough already. Don't you see? You have to talk to her before judging whether she now thinks of you differently. You never know unless you try. If she is a blood soul, the rule of eternal love works on her too. She will love you forever."

"Why are you so sure?" Len doubted. "We haven't made the unbreakable oath. Anything can change for her because it is only the beginning she turns into one of us. She can fall for you as well."

"I don't believe Alice will fall for me." Jim laughed.

"Seriously Jaymes, you can't deceive me." Len said. "You said you are never interested in girls but you do like Alice."

"Well, yes, I do."

At that point, I wanted to shout "What?" but I covered my mouth just in time. I could not believe what they were saying. Jim liked me. That was awful. Not that he was bad; he was in fact a very nice and gentle person. He could be a good friend and that was all. The only person I loved was Len.

"But," Jim smiled. "You only read part of my mind, Lucard."

"Eh?"

Jim laughed. "I like you too, Lucard. I like Bess and Roy the same way. It's not really romantic love that I have for Alice. Well, perhaps yes, but only for a minute or two, when she talks funny and tries to cheer her friends up. I was impressed by her a few times but not enough for me to love her as much as you do. She does not love me as a lover either. We can be friends but not in a relationship like you have with her. I love you equally because you are my dearest friend. And I love Bess and Roy too. We have gone through hard times and happy times. I am just glad Alice joins us because now, we are not a group of four anymore but a group of five. I will do anything to bring you and Alice together. There is no one on this earth more suitable for her than you. Am I not right, Lucard?"

Len turned to face his companion. Jim only smiled. He looked happy, naturally happy.

"But," Jim put up his hand. "If you do anything bad to Alice, I cannot guarantee I won't step between you two. After all, I would prefer to stand up for a girl than to stand on the side of a boy. That would make me a hero."

"You are hopeless, Jaymes."

The two burst out laughing. Behind the bushes, I smiled as I listened. I must have been too excited because I did not watch my step. I stumbled over after kicking a rock by accident. I fell right onto the ground.

"Alice!" Len and Jim exclaimed, flabbergasted.

They went up to help me up.

"What are you doing behind the bushes?" Jim asked and then instantly blushed. "You didn't hear it, did you?"

"Um..." I tried to look away and avoided the two's eyes. "As a matter of fact, I did."

"Oh my...." Jim fell back to the bench, rolling his eyes. "This is ever so embarrassing."

"It's not like you are the only one embarrassed." Len went to sit down. The two still found it hard to recover from the shock. I sat between them and sighed.

"Is anyone going to speak to me?" I asked.

"Yes." Jim said. "Lucard has something to say."

"Shut up, Jaymes." Len said. "One more word and I am going to..."

"To what?" I turned to Len. He hushed and turned away, his face flushing red.

"Look, I didn't mean to listen to your conversation. I just happened to overhear." I said.

"Like we are going to believe you, Alice." Jim said. "Overhearing is always more on purpose than by mistake."

"Okay!" I said and stood up. "I admit I did stay behind the bushes to hear what you said. I have already told you before that I needed some fresh air. You can't blame me for leaving the room. And when I leave the room and wander in the garden, you can't blame me for bumping into you. Since I am scared to be scolded by you two, you can't blame me for hiding behind the bushes. When you stop in the pavilion to talk, you can't blame me for staying behind to listen. You can only blame curiosity that causes all these problems."

"A very well interpretation, Alice." Len laughed. "A marvelous excuse."

"You are too honest." Jim sniggered.

"You can't blame me for being honest!" I shouted, having enough of the tease.

"Yes, we can't blame you for that." Len agreed calmly.

"Well, it's my supper time. I have to go." Jim stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait, Jim." I called out. "Don't be embarrassed. I am impressed by what you said. I like being your friend too."

Jim smiled and winked, leaving the pavilion.

"And Len," I decided to punish him for refusing to talk to me. "Lately, I have been thinking, about all the trouble we have been facing. Really, I don't think I can take it much longer. It's so...well, tiring and I am worn out. I just think...once we get back to the other world, if there is luck achieving so, I need some time to think all over again. You know what I mean?"

Len stared at me speechlessly. I almost laughed at his face.

"Okay, I will be frank." I went on. "I have not the confidence to trust and love you anymore. It is tearing me apart. As you have mentioned, my life would have been extremely normal yet safe and secure if I hadn't happened to meet you! I have had enough already, all the adventures and journeys. Plus, I am starting to think you are different."

"What?"Len scowled. "You are serious?"

"You just look rather different than you used to do." I frowned.

"Why don't you speak?" I asked as his eyes narrowed. "Don't you care if this is really...you know...the end of us?"

"Because I have nothing to say." Len grumbled. He was very disappointed indeed.

"You must have something to tell me." I said, waiting for a reply patiently. "I mean, we can still be good friends. Don't you think?"

"Okay, I will ask." Len said. "Is this an indirect way of dumping me?"

"Why don't you read my mind?"

"I would rather not do that." He said. "You can say it and let me hear it directly."

"Oh Len, don't be sad if I say so." I reached for his hand but he put his hands behind him, rejecting my touch.

"I will try not to." Len said. "It takes time to do so."

"I thought your love for me is longer than eternity."

"Yes, I just forgot to say it takes more pain than time not to remain sad."

"I am glad to hear it."

"You are?"

"Yes, that proves I am still in your heart."

"Mind if you excuse me?" Len looked heartbroken as he turned to leave.

"Don't you want to know if you are still in my heart?" I said, rolling my eyes. I would have pictured him catching me red-head and saying "Got you, nice one, Alice." And yet, that moment had not come.  
He stopped but did not turn around.

"Alice, stop fussing about." Len said in a very mild way. "It takes a hit to break a glass but less to break my heart."

I hid my laugh. That did not stick to my expectation but still, it was hilarious.

"That's not funny, Alice." Len said, still not turning to face me. "If I didn't happen to read your mind, I would have thought this is all real."

"It is real." I said. "You do look more different than before. You look more miserable and serious. There is one second I don't know what has gone wrong. You used to smile at me all the time and joke with me. I want the old Len back. That's why I am dumping the present one."

Len didn't say a thing but he did turn around at last. He walked to me quietly and looked at me the way he used to do. I was relieved. He smiled.

"Okay, you want to know what I think?" Len said softly. My mind asked what he was thinking a moment ago.

"Yes and I wonder why I can't read your mind."

"Alice, you can, I just don't allow you to." Len laughed.

"There is a way to hide one's mind?"

"Of course there is." Len said. "Or else why do you think we still have to talk? If all the blood souls know what each other think, we don't really have to communicate with mouths, we can simply talk with our minds."

"But you can read my mind!"

"Yes, I can, that's because you don't know how to hide your mind." Len said. "We all do."

"Oh, teach me how to."

Len just smiled and whispered in my ears. "No way I am doing it. I don't want you to become a complete blood soul yet."

"You are selfish!" I scolded, pretending to be annoyed.

"I am." Len admitted. "I can't deny my selfishness is developed because of you. I want to read your mind so that I know what you think. Since you are too mischievous, I do not want to risk my heart nearly broken for another time."

"That's not fair."

"Nothing is fair in a relationship, Alice." Len said. "If everything is always perfect, we never learn to treasure and love anything with our heart."  
"Is this a plan?"

"I will tell you just what you want to know." Len grinned. "I need one thing to keep you beside me forever."

"You are using the knowledge of how to hide my mind to lure me!"

"Exactly, clever as you are, Alice."

"I can ask Jim or Bess or Roy about that."

"Oh, they won't tell you." Len made a cunning smile.

"They will!"

"They can't." Len said. "Because I was the first one to read your mind. Other than you and me, nobody understands how your mind works. The only persons who can help seal away your mind are you and me. You don't know how to do so, but I do."

"Come on, Len, just tell me." By then, I was so agitated but Len still kept the secret.

"I will tell one day." Len said, pulling me to him. "When I feel that you will not hide your mind forever from me once you learn the skills."

"I won't." I said and leaned against his chest. "I'll let you read it whenever you want."

"Me only?"

"Yes."

"Alice?"

"Yes?"

"Mind if I kiss you?"

Fifteenth round

The Oath

The crowd helped me into the seat at the long table. All the servants were looking at me inquiringly. Len objected the idea of my showing up at first but Sir. Grimmel insisted on taking me to a formal family dinner.

"We want a proof of her identity." Sir. Grimmel said.

"She's not well enough to talk!" Len lied.

"But she's well enough to kiss you?" Len and I both blushed. Len objected strongly because he was angry at what Sir. Grimmel had done. He caught us kissing in the pavilion. I blushed for total embarrassment.

"Alice," Len turned to me. "Just say 'stop' when you can't take it."

I nodded.

In front of me was a piece of white paper. Sir. Grimmel ordered the servants out and Oma soon appeared with two tiny bottles, each containing blood.

"This is my brother's blood." The man said as he held up the bottle tied with purple thread.

"And this is Mistress Winona's." Oma held up the other one.

"What do I have to do?" I asked.

"They want to test whether you are a Grimmel or not." Jim said. "If your blood combines perfectly with theirs, it means you are Princess Armenia, the lost child from this family."

"Seriously, I doubt if she is strong enough to stand it." Len came forward.

"She is brave and strong." Sir. Grimmel said. "A small cut will do no harm if she is really a full-blood."

I held out my hand obediently. Oma cut my wrist with a knife. It hurt but soon the pain faded. Being a blood soul really made me stronger than before.

My blood dropped onto the white paper, making it wet.

"Now, we will see." Sir. Grimmel opened the two tiny bottles and poured the blood onto the same paper.

"If you are a Grimmel, nothing will happen. The blood just goes together. If you aren't a Grimmel, the mixture will turn blue." He said.

We waited. The cut on my wrist mended. After a long moment, the mixture remained bloody red.

Sir. Grimmel let out a relief.

"You are a Grimmel." Oma said excitedly. She even hugged me. "You are Winona's child! Oh she will be happy to know you are alive. We all are happy to see you, Armenia."

"Alice." I confirmed.

"Okay, Alice, you are proved to be my niece." Sir. Grimmel, my uncle said. "We'll need a feast to celebrate the discovery of the long lost princess in this family."

Not long after, a large-scale celebration took place. All the people in the mansion cheered for my return and arrival. The servants started calling me Princess Alice, as I insisted on the name Alice. veryone seemed delighted to see the only child in the family was back.

After dinner, Uncle Adam brought us to a room, my parent's room.

"We tried our best to protect this place when the house was broken in last time." He sighed. "Still, some precious properties are lost."

All the furniture in the room was made of gold and silver. The place was even larger and grander than Demonia's room. We were brought to a big portrait hanging on the wall.

For once, I saw my parents' faces.

The portrait was like any other that could be found in a castle. It was a picture of the master and the mistress. An elegant woman, with long wavy dark hair and hazel eyes sat on a chair. She was wearing a white long dress, plain but attractive. Standing next to the chair was a man with crimson hair and blue eyes. One of his hands was placed on the lady's shoulder and the other one was holding a golden cane. The two looked very young, not much older than Len and me. They were both smiling.

"There are more." Oma went forward, opening some drawers. She came back with some photos. "Antone and Winona were both very naughty when they were young. Despite our warning, they always ran to the human world. They discovered a thing called camera and were very interested in it. Here are the photos they have taken."

I got the photos from Oma and looked at them. My parents in these photos looked even younger than they did in the portrait. They looked as though they were playing with the camera. A bunch of them were taken by themselves. There was my mother dancing in a shopping mall while my father was playing tricks on some people. One of them even showed they were playing in the amusement park.

"Um...what's that thing?" Jim pointed at the roller coaster.

Oma laughed.

"Alice, your parents went over the whole human world before sixteen. They never stayed in this world for long. Ever since they turned ten and were allowed to cross the boundary, they always wandered everywhere. We never found them. Most of the times, Tristen and Demonia went into lots of trouble searching for their lost friends."

"My parents and Alice's parents are that close?" Len scowled.

"Oh yes, Tristen and Winona met Antone in a ball held by the Grimmels. Later, Tristen met Demonia when he was out exploring. The four became close friends. And I was saved by Winona when I was small. I was an orphan and was almost captured by a Morlette to become his slave. I followed Winona to become her maid. When she married Antone, I worked for the Grimmels."

"I don't know there are so many romantic stories behind these two families." Jim said.

"Lucard," Oma said. "Your father never meant any harm to you. He loves his children dearly but he doesn't know how to show his love properly. Even when we were small, he tried to protect his friends and the ones he loved. Yet, he always ended up being misunderstood and hated for his recklessness and ignorance to the feelings of people whom he did not love."

"He cares for us very much." Uncle Adam said. "I was very young at that time but I remembered him trying desperately to keep the Morlettes away from us. Our parents died young, killed by the Morlettes. At that time, my brother had not reached fifteen yet. He had not sufficient experiences to handle the issue of becoming the next leader in the family. Tristen was older than all of us, around twenty I guess. He, too, had suffered the loss of his parents and had to take over the throne urgently. When he was the master of the Morganthes, he often came to us and provided us with help. In the end, he even helped us fight away the Morlettes, leaving us in temporary peace."

"What happened then?" I asked.

"My brother ruled this territory for five years. I was then twelve and he was nineteen. He and Winona had been together for more than ten years and since the Morlettes did not bother us often at that time, they decided to get married. Tristen objected at first. Although he cared for Antone and Winona very much, he felt that my brother was not strong enough to take Winona as his bride yet. Winona disagreed with it. She persisted in marrying my brother so Tristen gave in. The couple soon performed a wedding. We did not know that they had made the unbreakable oath long ago. Happiness followed then but not for long.

"In the early time after marriage, everything was fine. The Morganthes and the Grimmels remained close to each other. Winona loved children so she constantly played with her nephews and nieces. I believed Carmine and Carmina did meet her before. She even gave them gifts. She took great care of the young servants as well. In the house, with her kindness and love, she was adored and respected by everyone."

"Even when hassle came, we all stayed beside the master and the mistress till the end." Oma said.

"It was later that she said she wanted a child of her own." Uncle Adam continued. "At that time, Antone was always busy working. Winona did not want to bother him too much so whenever she had a hard time, she came to Oma and me. One day, a Grimmel was found murdered in the woods. The Morlettes became the main suspects. Conflicts began between the two families. Two Morlettes were killed for their murder and more fights started. When hearing the Morlette wanted to start a war to invade part of our land, Antone did not hesitate to protect the Grimmels. The battle followed and lasted for months. Lots of blood souls were killed and we were losing. At first, neither Antone nor Winona wanted to seek help from the Morganthes because they dreaded it might bring more trouble. But things got worse. The house was not safe anymore. Antone had to leave to the other end of this world to find Tristen and Demonia." Uncle Adam picked up a music box from the dressing table, which I supposed belonged to my mother.

"Meantime, Winona stayed to protect the remaining servants. One of Antone's friends stayed with us but he turned out to be a traitor. He sold us to the Morlettes. What came next was even more unbelievable. The master of the Morlette, Hunter Morlette, demanded to see Winona. We were all puzzled and bemused. We thought he wanted to kill Winona but to our surprise, he wanted Winona to his own while Antone was away. Hunter happened to encounter Winona when they were teens. At that time, Winona did not know he was a Morlette and actually befriended with him for some time, before Hunter showed up no more. Hunter fell in love with Winona and had always wanted to find her. After knowing she had married Antone, he was rather jealous and enraged. That was how most quarrels between Morlettes and Grimmels were stirred up. Winona did not know this until she was captured by the Morlettes after Antone left. When she met her old friend again, she begged him to spare the Grimmels. Hunter, indeed, would not abide by this easily. He demanded Winona to live with him. Winona refused. She told him she would never betray Antone and would not fall for anyone else. Hunter realized they had made the oath so there was no turning back except to imprison Winona by force.

"Winona was imprisoned for some days before she escaped and went back to tell us what happened. The Morlettes eventually broke into the house. Oma and I got separated from Winona. When we heard of her again, she was dead. My brother returned too late. I was told when he learnt of Winona's death, he was so furious that he went up to the Morlette's castle and slaughtered a hundred of blood souls. The Morganthes did hurt lots of the Morlettes and the Morlettes surrendered, giving up one third of the land to the Grimmels. Tristen was too depressed to face his sister's death. Soon, he directed his frustrations on my brother, claiming that he could not protect Winona. My brother, too, blamed himself for her death. He took the very knife that stabbed his wife's heart and stabbed his, dying next to her corpse. When I was finally rescued, everything had happened. I could do nothing to stop. Up until now, I can tell Tristen still accuses himself badly for the deaths of his sister and brother-in-law."

"You didn't mention how Alice was born." Jim pointed out.

"Oh, you miss that part, Adam!" Oma exclaimed. "Now let me tell you. Alice was born before Winona was first captured by the Morlette. One night, Winona was crying in pain. She went into my room and said she might be pregnant. I thought she was joking because she did not look at all pregnant. Her abdomen looked as normal as ever but then I realized pregnancy in this world can be hidden. In human world, the pregnant woman may have their abdomen stand out clearly but in this world, the foetus can grow without making physical changes to the mother's body if the mother does not want the symptoms to show. I was shocked and did not know what to do. Even Winona was ignorant to her pregnancy all the time. She only figured it out when she felt sudden pain in her abdomen.

"In the middle of the night, she did give birth to a child. I was right there during the labor. It was terrible because at that exact moment, the Morlettes and the Grimmels were fighting. Everyone in the house was in panic and every once in a while, screams could be heard. In such hazardous environment, Alice, you were born. I can still remember the happiness and hope Winona had when she first held the child. It was a pity the master was not home. Antone never got the chance to see his child. Winona said to me in a rather weak voice. 'Antone says if it's a girl, I should decide her name. If it's a boy, he should do so. I will name her Armenia then.' After this, she asked me to help her escape at the backdoor. She said if the Morlettes found out the Grimmels had a new-born baby, the child would definitely be killed first. I demanded to know where she would be going but she refused to tell. She ordered me to stay and soon, with the baby in her hands, she left the house fast.

"I could not see where she went. When she finally returned, she told me. 'The child is very safe now. No one is going to get her. I just wish she could forgive me one day. I have seen her fate. She should be rescued in that place. She will not be harmed or reached by any one of the Morlettes.' I asked repeatedly where she had placed the child but she only replied. 'I can't tell, Oma. One day, she will return. She will return to us. Someone will love her and care for her. Someone will save her and bring her back. Now, I must face my fate.'"

At that part, I almost cried. Len had my hand in his. The words that had just come out of Oma's mouth still remained in my head, the words about someone loving and caring for me. I knew who my mother was referring to. It had to be Len. He had brought me back to this world where I had been born and should have grown up but did not.

"Winona was one of those who could foresee the future. Not many blood souls were gifted with this power, like my sixth sense. I knew the fate she was talking about was death. She had predicted both Antone and she would perish. She refused to tell the location of Alice and said if the secret was sealed, Alice should have future. 'My child has to survive. She has to change the fate of the Grimmels.' Those were the last words I heard from Winona. Once the battle was over, Adam and I looked all over the land to find the Grimmel's descendent. Without luck, we could not find you, Alice."  
"My mother left me in the human world, where she thought was the safest place for me." I whined, suddenly comprehending everything.

"Winona always said she wanted to live in the human world, so did Antone, but the family restricted them to do so. They said there were good humans and bad humans but neither kind of them could be eviler than a blood soul. I could see why they said so. The humans brought you up. Orphans in Bloodland often become slaves of Morlettes or servants in royal families but in human world, there are always people who care and love the abandoned and unwanted ones. The sympathy and kindness are something we blood souls can never have enough of."

Immediately I thought of Winnie, who had adopted me and loved me unconditionally. Even though I was not her child, she treated me like her real daughter. She had protected me, raised me and supported me for the past eleven years or so. All the love she had shown me was never less than that my real parents had for me.

"We'll go back once everything is over." Len said as I cried leaning on his shoulder.

I slightly nodded. I knew what he was talking about. He must have felt that I was missing Winnie and I wanted to return to my real home.

"Where?" Oma said.

"I hope I can bring Alice back to the human world after saving my family." Len said and I looked at him. He sensed my question, so he said. "And I will go with her."

"But, you are supposed to be the next master of the Morganthe." Uncle Adam said.

"My father will understand that." Len said. "We can't stay in this world. Alice can't. When my parents learn of Alice's true identity, I am sure they will agree to it. My father can find a better man to replace me. I am not suitable to be a leader after all. I would prefer a more simple life."

"I agree." Jim said. "We should be allowed back to the other world."

"We cannot decide that right now." Uncle Adam said. "But I would support your choices. At this moment, we must first plan on how to save the Morganthes and to invent the antidote for Alice."

"Alright, we will continue our last talk then." Len said.

"Yes, do come to my room later, Lucard." Uncle Adam said and walked out of the room. "Alice, you should rest early. You have had enough today and remember to take the medicine. Oma will bring it to you."

After Uncle Adam left, I turned to Len.

"Can't I come as well?" I asked. "I am also a blood soul now."

"Um...I suppose not." Len said. "You won't understand what we say."

"Fine, can we have the unbreakable oath?"  
"What?" Len looked as though he had heard the wrong words.

"I said can we have the unbreakable oath?"

"Why would you say that, Alice?" Oma asked.

"Because you said I will be going back to the human world soon." I said, looking down at the ground.

"You want to stay in this world?" Len asked, staggered.

"No, but how can I be sure you will go with me?" I said.

"Of course I will. I promise you."

"Demonia will never let you do so. She said so last time in the banquet."

"We just need more talks and compromise. That is."

"It's so unfair." I complained. "You know how to keep me beside you forever but I never have a thing to keep you with me forever."

"So you think once we make the unbreakable oath, I can never leave you?"

"Isn't that right?"

"True, but don't you trust me, Alice?"

"I do." I looked away. Len was right. If I did trust him, I should not make such an unreasonable request. He would stay beside me even without being bound by the oath. He was never the kind to break a promise. How could I have feared something so childish?

"Oma, prepare for the ceremony, will you?" Len said.

We all looked at him in surprise.

"Ceremony?" Oma seemed confused.

"The ceremony to perform the unbreakable oath."

"Really? You are doing it?" Jim exclaimed.

"Yes." Len turned to face me and smiled. "If that's Alice's wish, I will by all means grant it for her."

"Len, I..."

"I know you trust me." Len said. "You are just impatient. You can't wait to have me."

"You are being too vain." I said, my hands on my hip.

Honestly, Len never changed.

* * *

The ceremony was performed in the garden. Oma was in charge and Uncle Adam was the witness.

"I cannot understand children these days." He shook his head. "What is there to rush about?"

"Oh, you will never understand, old man." Oma teased. "It's what is called innocent love."

"Oh?"

"Uncle Adam, may I ask why you don't have a partner?" I blurted out. Oma giggled. Uncle Adam shot her an annoyed look.

"Um...actually, I don't have someone that I can hand over my life and my soul to yet." He sighed. "Not that I have found one."

"It's because he's too weird to get on with." Oma said. "I remember the days how Alice's father, totally different from him, could even draw attention from girls across the mountains. But Adam is just not that charming like his dear brother. No girls bother to go out with him."

"Enough, Oma." Uncle Adam said, irritated. "I hate you."

"So do I."

The way they talked did not quite convince me they were actually adults. With eternal youth, they looked more or less in mid-twenties, but they talked like children. I wondered if it was because of the exterior which never grew old that kept their mind so immature. Even when Demonia saw her son, she behaved like a girl. She acted more like Len's sister than his own mother.

"But you do hang out with Sir. Grimmel, Oma." Jim said. "Perhaps you two are meant to be together."

"Oh, shut up, boy." Uncle Adam and Oma shouted at the same time. We all laughed.

"Okay, are you ready?"

Len and I nodded. In front of us were three roses of different colors- white, red and black.

We were ordered to hold out one of our hands. Len held out his right hand. Standing on his right- hand side, I held out my left hand. Our hands touched. Oma took out a knife and cut our wrists. This time, the cut was so deep that I clinched at first. I was cut twice in one day but it was worthwhile.

Blood dripped from our wounds onto the first white rose.

Len and I began to speak the lines we had been requested to memorize some minutes ago.

"From the day we were born, together our fates were hooked."

Blood spread all over the white petals, darkening them.

We moved on to the next red rose.

"In the present we stand, in this garden of love we will, care and love each other with all our heart."

The red rose was darkened and gradually turned black.

Standing at the final rose, we took a deep breath before continuing.

"When the day it comes to an end, even in the fire of hell, our love remains."

Now, all the three roses in front of us were black. The initially black one was blacker than ever.

A sudden chill went over my body and I trembled. Len felt the same way too because he also trembled.

"The knot of your souls will never be untied from now on." Oma declared.

"Black is the color of death." Oma added. "Birth has witnessed your love, so white is gone. The presence proves your passion towards each other, but the flowers never bloom forever this way. It's death, which, in the end, can really show the best. God bless you. I hope even death cannot do you part."

Sixteenth warrior

The Intimidation

Len did not consent to let me join the talk. He said I was too worn out. I played a bit tantrum saying I should be given right to do whatever I wanted. Right then, I was not in the mood to rest so I should not be going to bed. Still, nobody would agree to hang around with me because Uncle Adam had given orders that I should be asleep. I managed to win an argument though and that was about me leaving that tiny little hut.

"There are plenty of rooms here." Uncle Adam said. "I don't know you hate that hut. I thought it was perfect for a patient."

Len knew what was on my mind.

"Alice is planning to wander around when we are not looking." He said and I stepped on him.

"You really understand her so well, Lucard." Uncale Adam laughed. "Don't you worry. Oma will watch over her."

"I don't want Oma to watch me to sleep." I argued.

"Then, I will watch you to sleep." Len said.

I knew it was a mistake to make the unbreakable oath so soon because ever since that oath, Len seemed to understand me even more than before. He could almost read all my thoughts, especially those about messing around and exploring in the house secretly.

"No, Alice, you can't regret it now." Len smiled.

I totally lost it.

Without any more fights, I obeyed everything like a sheep. I got into bed. Len stayed with me a while longer after I took my medicine but I was still too angry to speak to him.

"Alice, do you want a song?" Len asked, completely ignoring my anger. "No?"

I did not answer.

"Still, I will sing you one."

Len sang me a song which wasn't supposed to be one. It was terrible. He was doing this intentionally.

I put my hands over my ears and hid under the duvet.

"You don't like it, do you?" Len sounded saddened. "Well, perhaps a bedtime story?"

I remained motionless.

Soon, Len began to tell a story which wasn't supposed to be one.

I could not stand it any longer. Finally, I sat up and shouted. "Stop it, Len!"

"So, you are speaking to me, Alice." Len smiled.

I wanted so much to hit him but his face was too adorable for me to leave a mark on it. I cried with rage.

"Alice, I just want you to rest." Len confessed. "I did it for your own good."

"I know." I muttered.

"Then, why do you like to go against me so much?"

"Because..."

I knew why but I did not want to say it. My rebellion just proved I wanted more attention from Len. The more I argued with him, the more he cared for me. I liked it when he desperately wanted the best for me. Whenever I started a quarrel, he would stay beside me for a longer time. He was not the only one selfish. I was selfish too. That was why I made the command of the unbreakable oath. That was also why I used arguments to make him stay with me on purpose. We were too much alike. Both of us loved to use our selfishness to keep the other one close to ourselves.

"I guess you are right." Len sighed. "We are pretty much alike."

"You can go now." I said and lied down. "I can go to sleep if you want."

"Our meeting starts at ten." Len said. "It's still only a quarter to ten."

"So?"

"So I will stay here until then."

"Do as you want."

"Alice, you are angry at me."

"I am."

"Do you want me to sing you a song?"

"Oh come on, Len!" I turned to face him. "I am not angry at you now."

"That's good." Len smiled.

"You are so bad." I shook my head. "Now, not only my life is under your control, my thoughts and my emotions as well!"

"My selfishness is to punish you for your selfishness." Len said.

"Then, I shall punish you for your selfishness in the same way."

"Exactly!" Len clapped his hands. "That is how it goes between us. You know what they say about keeping a relationship? There has got to be one thing between two lovers that keep them loving each other. For some people, it is the hatred towards one another that keep both to love each other. For some, it is the expectation that each holds for one another that keeps the love going on."

"And I believe ours is selfishness?"

"I believe so." Len said.

"You can't just punish me like that!" I said. "You ought to be punished as well."

"Alright." Len sat back on the chair. "If you insist."

"I cannot decide it right now." I said. "Perhaps later."

Len smiled.

"Don't you think you can get away so easily!" I warned, trying not to smile. "I won't forget that."

"You are beginning to know what my mind says." Len said.

"I have always known what your mind says." I said. "It never stops talking about silly things."

"Oh? Is that so? And should I say it is even sillier for you to think over the same thing every night?"

Right away, I blushed. He had read my thoughts every night I went to sleep. That was intolerable!

"You can't spy on me like that!" I said angrily and threw a pillow at him. "I hate you!"

It was the most embarrassing thing ever. How was I to face him after he knew this? I would not think it was an appropriate thing that Len had done. He should not have read my mind all the time, especially when I went to bed. Most of the times, I was thinking about him, thinking about us and...

"Do you really want to go to the amusement park with me so badly?" Len asked, leaning forwards to me. I still refused to look at him.

"Yes! Now what?" I said.

"I did not mean to spy on you. As a matter of fact, I did not spy on you. I just read your mind." Len said. "I can't help it. I just want to know if you still think of me even when you are about to sleep. When I first knew you do, I was so happy."

"How long have you been doing this?" I asked.

"Quite a while." Len said. "Usually you don't know my presence because I appear when you are about to lose all consciousness. I love doing this as I get to know what you are thinking the moment you are totally relaxed. People say it is also the moment when one's thoughts show what they really want the most. Unable to withstand the temptation, I read your mind. I see you think of the same thing every night- going to the amusement park with me."

"That is because there is this stall in the amusement park where they take beautiful pictures of the couples." I said. "Many of our classmates have been there. I just want to take one to prove how lucky I am to have you. I want to show it to Victoria and Edmond and other girls who have teased me."

Still, that was not the only thing that I thought of. There was something else.

"It's not the only thing though." I said. "I know you have read my other thought."

Len's face turned red as well.

"Well," He tried to look at the pictures on the wall. "I don't want to embarrass you."

"You have embarrassed me enough already." I reminded him.

"I have to go now." Len stood up. "It's ten already."

I nodded.

I watched as he walked to the door but then, suddenly, he turned back and kissed me.

It happened fast. A second later, he vanished.

"Good night, babe." I heard his soft voice.

I was still caught by much surprise. Other than the thought of going to the park with Len, another thing I wished every night was that Len could give me a good-night kiss and say "Good night, babe."

He had granted my wish again.

* * *

That night, I had not a single nightmare.

When the morning came, I could not wait to see Len. I wanted to tell him how his good-night kiss had done me a great deed, blessing me with a sweet dream.

However, they did not look happy when they saw me go down stairs. Uncle Adam and Oma turned to me looking nervous. Jim went up to greet me. Behind his forced smile, I knew something was up. Len looked worse. He was sitting in an armchair, holding a piece of paper.

"What...is happening?" I asked, wondering why all the Grimmel servants had gone.

No one answered. I walked up to Len and snatched the paper from him. He stood up but did not stop me. It was a letter from his brother.

To the foolish and useless brother of mine,

Do not view this letter as a simple message but a declaration of war. If you do, still, care a bit for your family, it would be wise of you to show up. I do not wish to capture you with violence for I believe a defect like you also deserve some dignity. The girl who has been accompanying you will perish soon. If you do not want this to happen, you are advised to take action right after you read this. There is one antidote in my hands and it is the only one as well. To get it is an easy task for you. You only have to come and tell me the location of the Great Cane of Ancestors. Then, I will consider making both of you as my servants and spare your life. Do as told and no one will suffer. You have to bring her along as well. You cannot hide her from us forever. I shall have the right to meet my brother's future bride. Am I not right?

Signed,

Carmine

I handed the letter back to Len.

"Lucard, we mustn't go." Jim said.

"We have to." Len said. "But Alice will stay. I will get the antidote."

"He will not give you the antidote if you go alone." Jim said.

"We will think of something."

"Carmine is not stupid." Uncle Adam said. "He can figure it out if we play tricks. Even if we use the magic potion to turn Oma into someone looking exactly like Alice, he will know because the whole Morganthe family knows how to use this skill."

"Yes, even Viktoria did it back then." Jim said. "You cannot hide Alice from them now."

"What should we do?" Oma asked.

"I am thinking." Len said. "Carmine will not kill me. I can bring Alice along. I will threaten him to hand over the antidote and release Alice. Only after doing so will I tell him the location of the Great Cane of Ancestors."

"What is the Great Cane of Ancestors?" I asked.

"It is a symbol of power. Each royal family has it." Jim said. "A king has a crown. A Great Cane is only given to the leader of the family. Only with it, one is proved to be the master of the land."

"Do you really know where it is?" Uncle Adam asked Len.

"I guess so." He said. "Is it supposed to be a stick?"

"Yes. A very normal brown stick. Only when you become old enough to be the next leader, it will shine and turn gold in your hands. You saw Antone holding it in the portrait. At that time, he was seventeen, just old enough to inherit this property."

"Father gave it to me one Christmas." Len said. "I thought it was some kind of silly presents. I kept it in my place. I never thought it is the legendary Great Cane."

"So, Tristen has expected you to be the next leader long ago!" Oma stated.

"Where did you hide it, Lucard?" Jim asked.

Len turned to look at me.

"You don't mean that place..." I thought.

"Yes." Len said.

"Alice knows where too?" Jim asked.

"I showed her." Len said. "Remember the gift we did talk about?"

"The library! You hid it in the secret room!" Jim said.

Len nodded.

"Listen, Lucard," Uncle Adam said. "We must save your family and Alice. I have people from five royal families." He stopped and turned to Jim. "Including your family, Jaymes."

"They agreed to help?" Jim looked as though he did not care.

"Yes, the Lockwoods will support us with a hundred of blood souls and your parents," Uncle Adam's face became more somber. "They are awfully worried about you. Since you have run away from home with Lucard, they have been searching for you. They want you home as soon as things are over."

"I am not going back." Jim said. "Even if they agree to help, that won't be enough to drive me home."

"Why did you run away from home?" I asked. I knew why Len did so because he was on an escape, both from the trouble of becoming the next Morganthe master and the threat of his siblings. I did not realize Jim had been homeless for the previous few months.

Jim did not answer. Len spoke instead. "His parents are trying to find him a bride. He did not want it so he ran away."

"I am not returning unless they take back their words about my marriage." Jim said firmly.

"I believe they will." Uncle Adam said. "They are quite desperate to have their only son back. Knowing a war will soon begin, they did not hesitate to give us a hand. Either it is for the friendship between two families or for your safety, we accept with much gratitude. An army is now ready. All of us have been waiting for this moment for a long time, the moment to defeat the Morlettes. We should have sufficient people to fight with them, but the Morlettes do not know yet. They only think there are Grimmels to deal with. The others will assist us secretly and by then, the Morlettes will know they have underestimated us."

"Are you sure this works?" Jim doubted. "If we fail, it will be the end for all of us."

"It should work. After all, Jaymes, your family has the best reputation of hunting. The army they provide should hunt the Morlettes down fast. And that is also the only plan we have discussed and could come up with." Len said. "We have no time."

"I will meet Carmine as he has demanded." Len said in detail. "After I save Alice, I will trick him to some other places. When Carmine is gone, you will start the attack and break into the house. I believe father and mother are imprisoned somewhere in our house. Someone will have to save and free them. Without Carmine, Carmina and Viktoria will be powerless. It is easy to tackle them. I will face Carmine alone."

"That is a perfect idea." Uncle Adam said. "Once Alice is saved, she will be taken to the human world. The Morlettes will not do her any harm because we cannot cause riots in the other world."

"Wait." I put up my hand. "I object to the plan."

"Why?" Jim asked.

"It is too dangerous."

"We all know it is dangerous but you will be saved." Oma said.

"I don't mean it is too dangerous for me but for Len." I said. "Len, I have a bad feeling about this. I don't think you should meet Carmine. If you said he is clever, that would mean this can be another trap."

"True." Len agreed. "As soon as he sees me, he will capture me and you, but as long as I do not reveal the location of the cane, he has to keep me alive. Nobody knows except you, Jaymes and me, but then, Carmine thinks I am the only one who knows. No matter what, I must get the antidote for you."

"Wait, we miss Zander." Jim said. "He is also in the gang."

"I don't think he will do anything." Len said. "He is only under Carmine's control. He is never that bad."

"Are you sure?"

"I will have my plan to make him stand on my side." Len said confidently. "We used to be quite close."

"I hope your plan succeeds. If not, we can be in danger. He is strong."

"I know." Len nodded.

"We have to prepare for the leave." Oma said.

I was still not yet ready to react. Everything happened too fast, just like a flash. What was I supposed to do? Something told me it was not as easy as they planned. Something bad was surely going to happen. In no time.

* * *

It was a fast ride back to the castle of the Morganthes. Uncle Adam and Oma stayed behind to receive signals, which would be sent out through Len's and Jim's bats.

We were in the forest, finalizing our plans. Suddenly, someone moved behind the trees and we all turned with fright. We thought one of the Morlettes was here and found us but instead of an enemy, Bess and Roy appeared.  
"Finally, you are back!" They went up to us.

"Bess? Roy?" We were too astonished to see them.

"Alice, you look different." Bess said.

"It's a long story." Len said. "Now, we are planning to meet Carmine."

"Are you crazy? Your brother will never let you go once you enter that house!" Roy said. "We have been hiding out here ever since that night. You won't believe what they do. They slay every blood soul that comes in their way. All the servants that serve in the castle are now Morlettes or those who agreed to follow Carmine."

"Hunter Morlette made a deal with Carmine." Bess continued. "We heard that he wanted to trade with him one third of his land for Sir. Tristen's life. He wants to kill your father on his own. I don't know why Hunter hates him so. There's got to be some historical secrets behind this."

Certainly, what Bess had mentioned was what we had just learnt of from Uncle Adam and Oma the previous day.

"Hunter hates the entire Grimmel family because he thought Antone had stolen Winona from him." Uncle Adam had said. "He hates the whole Morganthe family as well, because he was rejected by your mother and was once defeated by Tristen. Jealousy and grudge have taken over him. The man is aggressive, fierce and callous. The Morlettes destroy the harmony and kill the innocents. Even in the other world, they show no mercy. They are the real shame of the race, best known for their unconventionality and brutality."

"But on one condition can Carmine trades with Hunter," Roy said. "First, he must become the leader of the Morganthes, so you mustn't give him the Great Cane of Ancestors."

"I do not intend to." Len said.

"You can't meet him. It's a lethal trap." Bess said.

"Alice is poisoned and Carmine has the only antidote." Jim said. "We must meet him."

Bess and Roy said no more but agreed to help us.

"Now, since Bess and Roy are here, things are much better." Len said. "We thought we had to save you as well. It is good you weren't captured by them. I need both of you to stay outside the castle. Once Alice is saved and Jaymes brings her out here, you two must help send her back to the human world as fast as possible. Send her back to her own house, understand?"

"What about you?" Roy asked.

"You have to come back and help me indeed." Len said. "But Jaymes, you stay in the other world to guard Alice."

"But..."

"No objection, Jaymes." Len said. "Sir. Grimmel has allowed you to come with us provided that you must be safe. And I agree with that. You parents must be worrying you and I have the responsibility to look after you. I did my wrong in helping you run away from home."

Jim nodded.

"We have no more time to spare. We must go now."

So, we went.

Seventeenth wonder

The Assembly

Bess and Roy accompanied us until we reached the end of the forest, nearly to the gate of the Manganthe's castle. They stayed behind so as not to be discovered. Len, Jim and I continued our walk. There were three men standing in front of the gate. As soon as they saw us, their red eyes shined in the dark. Len stayed fairly tranquil but I could hear Jim breathing hard next to me. Len walked up to the gate first. Jim stood close to me. Both of them tried their best to hide me.

The men made some gestures and opened the gate to let us through. As we passed, they stared at me with the most vice eyes I had ever seen. The gate locked behind us and we knew we could not leave this place anymore.

The garden was different from the first time I visited here. There were no white or red roses but black and the withered ones.

"Whatever happened in this place?" Jim said quietly.

"The roses have been stained with blood." Len said. "That's why they are black. Many must have been killed in the banquet."

I covered my mouth. The strong, choking smell of blood was stimulating my nostrils. It was disgusting when I thought of people being torn by enemies and corpses being thrown to the flowerbeds. It was cruel and wicked.

The garden was full of blood souls. There were at least twenty of them, all throwing malicious stares as we walked by. Their expression suggested that they would watch our every step to ensure we would not escape. I began to feel sick.

"Are you alright?" Len asked, slowing down his pace.

"Yes." I nodded, but both Len and Jim knew I was sick.

Len's face turned paler than ever, filled with regret and grief. Sure enough, he was fighting himself for having brought me here, right into the trap.

Someone opened the front door for us. I could not catch the sight of that man. It was too dark in this place anyway. No one made any speeches. There were only smells and breathing noises.

I shuddered the second I stepped into the hall. It was completely black in there.

Just then, the lights were on. The hall was nothing I had seen before. The paints on the wall had changed, so did most of the furniture. Even with my vague memory, I remembered there used to be a long grey table in the corner but it was gone. In its place was a statue of the most hideous creature I had ever seen. In fact, the entire room was decorated with statues of what I supposed were demons and devils, oil paintings of gloomy forests and bloody rivers as well as golden swords.

"This is unsightly, Carmine." Len commented.

Sitting in an immense chair, more like a throne ancient kings used to sit on, were two people. Precisely, it was the boy who was taking the seat of state, with the girl on his lap. The boy was Carmine. I could not believe he was related to Len though. The two looked completely different, or I should say Len was the one different from his family members. He did not take after Demonia's features, not a bit. Carmine was more after Demonia's beauty. He had her silvery white hair, as I recalled how she looked. I was also sure his eyes were the same as those Demonia possessed, except his appeared more unkind and evil. His skin was lighter than Len too. Both of his hair and eyes shone with unlimited charisma. It was then I realized why he could look down and discriminate Len, for he was really even more glamorous than Len. The girl leaning against his chest shared the exact same face with him but had long straight hair instead. The first grimace they made when they saw us was more like an insult than a welcome.

"Welcome home, Lucard." Carmine held out his hands in a friendly way. "Or should I call you Len?"

"That's my name in the other world." Len said, expressionless.

"I have been waiting for you." Carmina said, her voice less hoarse than her twin. "We all have."

I blinked at her posture. Her two legs just climbed onto Carmine's other knee. They were so intimate that I began to think it was fulsome. The two siblings seemed not to care what others thought. Instead of pushing Carmina away, Carmine held her even tighter.

"You are sickening." Len said.

"Are we?" Carmina hurled something at Len. It was so fast that I could not see what it was. Len dodged. The thing hit on the wall. It was a dagger.

"Good dodge, Lucard." Carmine laughed.

"Release father and mother." Len commanded. "You are such a Judas, Carmine."

"We are." Carmine said. "And I do not think they will ever be released. You, too, will soon be imprisoned. As I have said, I can take your life into some account if you reveal where the Great Cane of Ancestors is."

"I am not going to tell unless you hand over the antidote." Len said firmly.

"Is that so?" Carmine stood up, leaving Carmina on the throne. "Let me take a look at her."

Len and Jim stood in front of me.

"What is there to hide?" Carmine was taller than Len and was well-built. Each move he made was graceful yet aggressive.

"The antidote." Len said. It was more like a warning.

"I will give it to you but I have to see her." Carmine said. "Viktoria said this one is rather special."

"I cannot see how humans can be special." Carmina laughed. "I will say no matter how pretty she is, she is around Lucard's standard. Only someone like that would suit him."

"Let's see." Carmine pushed Len and Jim away.

My eyes met his. He kind of frowned when he saw me. He said nothing at first. Carmina stood up to see what caused the silence and grasped.

"That girl is a human?" Carmina walked down, rushing to me in an instant.

Carmine sniffed.

"No humans should look that perfect!" Carmina stared at me as if I was a monster.

"She does not smell like humans but I think she is one." Carmine still did not take his eyes off me.

I looked away. My body was shaking so badly.

"Her mind." Carmina said. "She is so frightened."

Carmine laughed. "Poor little thing you have brought here, Lucard."

"She does not know how to hide her mind." Carmina said, walking back to the throne. "She can't be a blood soul."

Len dragged me away from Carmine.

"It's a beauty." Carmine said. "A rare beauty. No wonder Viktoria said this human is special. I have never seen one with such wonderful features."

Carmina coughed as if to hint Carmine had said something wrong.

"Carmine, a deal is a deal." Jim said. "Hand over the antidote and you can have the Great Cane."

"Deal!" Carmine laughed. "We never have a deal, Lockwood boy. I heard your parents have been looking all over for you."

"Shut up and give me the antidote." Len shouted.

"Do not shout at me." Carmine shouted back, his voice high and strong.

I took a step backwards. We were all surrounded by Carmine's servants.

"I will give her the antidote." Carmine smiled an evil smile. "But on one occasion,"

"What?" Len said under his breath.

Carmine seized my wrist and pulled me to him. Not only was he brawny, he was also mean. My wrists hurt as it was pressed under his palm.

"She will be mine."

I turned to look at Len and Jim, who looked back at me. All of us seemed to open our mouths with no words out.

"Are you deaf?" Carmine said.

"You can't do that!" Jim shrieked and was immediately held by two men. He kicked and struggled, punching one to bleed but there were just too many for him to handle.

"You can't take Alice!" Len howled, trying to reach Carmine but was also forced to fight several blood souls.

"Of course, I can." Carmine gripped my wrist even tighter. I heard the bone crack inside. I cried. He pulled me up, lifting my whole body into the air.

I screamed in pain.

"So, this sweetie is called Alice." Carmine leaned forwards to me. Tears were running down my face.

"Let her go!" Len and Jim begged, but were busy fighting. They could not even take an inch closer to us. Carmine let go of my wrist and held me in his arms.

"This is not happening." I shook my head. My mind was saying to me something like this had happened before, but where?

"Oh yes, I remember this scene." Carmine said. "Hunter Morlette did the same once to Winona Grimmel, our aunt. I think it is quite interesting."

"You are a devil!" Jim accused.

"We will see if you can rescue her, Lucard." Carmine said. "You have to kill me then. I will cure her but she will have to stay with me, forever."

The word "forever" made me tremble.

"What're you talking about?" Carmina stood up with rage. "You can't have her, Carmine."

"Why not?" Carmine grinned. "I have not had the unbreakable oath with you yet. I have found this girl even more charming than you are. Though she is a human, I will change her soon."

"You are joking!" Carmina shot a furious stare at Carmine and grabbed his arm. Carmine slapped her hard to get rid of her.

"Do I look like I was joking?" Carmine's grin disappeared. He roared in anger. "I can have as many women as I want because I am the master of this house."

"You are forgetting who got you this far." Carmina shouted.

"I will pay you back."

"I don't want land!" Carmina shrieked and vanished.

I looked over Carmine's shoulder. Len and Jim were captured. They both looked in my way, their faces in anguish.

"Carmine, the Morlettes can be tricking you." Len said. "They hate Morganthes too much. They are just taking revenge on us through you. Once Hunter kills father, you will be his next target."

"Well, I have thought of that too." Carmine said. "But it doesn't matter."

"You will have no power at that time. You will be killed as well!" Jim said.

"I will not care much about power at that time, I believe." Carmine turned to face the two struggling boys. "I want power right now, just at this moment, to beat you, Lucard and to defeat father. I am taking my vengeance upon this home, this family of mine. The only aim I have is for me to make you and father disappear completely in this world. You two have caused enough misery in my life. I know what the Morlettes will be up to and I will be happy to hand over this entire land to them just to accomplish my mission."

"You will lose everything, Carmine!" Len shouted. "Turn back now before it's too late. The Morlettes are your true enemies. They taught you to betray your family. They are the ones to blame for your banishment, not father!"

"My banishment!" Carmine exclaimed. "I was banished because of you, who are supposed to be a useless outsider of this house. I could never understand why father sees you as the material to lead. I, the mighty one, should be the one to rule, not you, brother."

"Carmine!" Len pleaded as he and Jim were dragged away. "Do not hurt Alice!"

I shouted for Len but Carmine shut my mouth with a smack.

"Well, that depends." Carmine smiled. "But right now, I won't hurt her. I will wait until tomorrow when you shall witness me changing her in front of you. See how painful it is. Just so you know, everything that belongs to you, I will take them away by all means. The throne, the power and even the bride of yours are now mine."

The causes for Carmine's betrayal were often in people's discussion. On hearing his conversation with Len, I believed he did so due to lack of trust in the family and the jealousy he grew towards his younger brother. I could never be sure though. I had never spent as much time with this family as Len did. The family knew the best of their own issues. Even after the war was over, I pondered about why Carmine was brainless enough to turn against his own family. Blood souls were meant to be the most intelligent species in this world and that only implied there should be more reasons behind Carmine's doing than what we presumed from the surface.

We climbed up the stairs and then out of blues, Carmine dropped me to the ground. In fact, he tossed me hard. My broken wrist had healed but I dared not let him know. He still assumed I was a human. I cried and pretended I was in pain as my hand landed on the ground.

"There." He summoned two female servants who pulled me up. "Lock her in Demonia's room, clean her and dress her in the morning to prepare for the Changing Ceremony."

Each of my hands was taken by a servant and I was led along the corridor. What was on that stupid idiot's mind? I cursed Carmine but was found out by one of the servants.

"You ungrateful girl." She criticized me. "Sir. Morganthe has taken you as his bride and abandoned Lady Carmina. Now you are saying these disrespectful words against him!"

I saw it was better to think nothing at all. Whatever I thought of now could be easily read by others and I suffered for that. So much of Len's selfishness!

Still, it made me wonder why Len did so. It was not merely his selfishness that he refused to teach me how to hide my mind. Perhaps it was a way to hide my true identity. Was he actually doing me a great deed?

Across the end of the corridor, someone appeared in a flash.

"Release this girl." A deep voice demanded. I looked up to see the speaker. At once, I knew who he was.  
"No, Sir. Morganthe..." Before the servant could finish her line, the boy cut in. "Carmine has just changed his mind. He ordered me to take care of her."

"Is that so?" The servants released me and the boy took my hand.

We entered Demonia's room and he locked the door behind us.

"Are you hurt?" The boy asked.

I shook my head, taking a clear look at him. From his appearance, I could easily tell he was related to Carmine. It was the same light, almost translucent, skin he had and the same dark eyes.

"You are Len's other brother?" I asked.

"Yes, I am Zander." Zander said.

So, this was the Zander I had heard before. He looked younger than Carmine, around eighteen of age I guess.

"Actually, I am seventeen." He said.

"But that is not the matter." He approached me but I clinched.

"Hey, don't be scared." He stopped, seeing me step further away from him. "I will not hurt you. I am here to help you."

How could I trust this guy? He was one of Carmine's gang. He was also a traitor to the family.

"Yes, I was a traitor." He sighed. "But now, I am not."

I scowled.

"How can you not be a traitor now when you have already betrayed your family?" I asked. It did not make much sense to me.

"You're right." Zander took a seat in a chair. "I helped Carmine betray my family but it was never my own will to do so. I never wanted to do that."

"You are forced?" I began to relax a little. This guy did not seem he would harm me like Carmine did. His face was not evil. The feeling he gave me was more or less like the one when I first met Len. Still, I made caution not to trust him so soon. This could be one of his plans.

"Partly yes." Zander said. There was a moment of silence before he continued. "Now, he is using the same trick to get Lucard."

"What do you mean?"

"A year ago, I found out his plans. He persuaded me with all the lies about our parents to join him. I refused."

"And then?"

Zander took a deep breath. "Carmine spied on me and dug out my secret. I was dating a human girl at that time. I kept this from everyone but Carmine caught me. He kidnapped her and locked her in. He forced me to go along with him. I had no choice because I had to save her."

"And now, Carmine is using me to force Len to hand over the Great Cane of Ancestors." I added.

"Exactly." Zander shook his head. "Carmine is good at threatening someone by snatching the most precious thing from them. I thought he would release her after I helped him successfully trick father but he did not keep his words. I found out from one of his men that he had killed her long ago. He had no intention to fulfill what he promised me before. I was enraged. There was a moment I considered going up to him and slay him but I had a better idea to make him suffer. I pretended to still be loyal and stayed by his side. I would betray him the same way he did to me and to his family."

So far, what I had heard was a bit too much for me, especially the part where Zander's innocent girlfriend had to die. The fact was rather strangling.

"I do not want to repeat the same mistake I have made." Zander said. "Once Carmine has the Great Cane of Ancestors, he is going to kill you. Even if I cannot save my own bride, I will have to save Lucard's."

"Len said you never wanted to betray the family." I said. "He said you are under his control. That is true, then?"

"I know you don't quite trust me, but think about it," Zander said. "If you send me away now, what will happen is that you will become Carmine's bride next morning and be changed. If you allow me to help you, we can now make an escape and you will return to your human world."

I thought deep for a moment and then decided to take the risk. It would make more sense to trust him now than to wait slowly for my doom. I would see how nice this brother of Len's could be.

"I am not a human, Zander." I said.

Zander raised his brows and stood up. "But I thought..."

"I am actually a blood soul." For the next hour, I told him my entire story, from the time I met Len to the moment I was informed about my identity and past.

"So Carmine has mistaken you as well."

I nodded.

"Lucard must have done this on purpose." Zander said.

"What do you mean?"

"He wants to hide your identity. He wants others to think you as a human."

I did think of that possibility. But why?

"I don't know, but he must have his reasons doing this."

"But even if we escape, Len won't be saved."

"I will come back to gather more people and seek help."

"Well, Uncle Adam..." I shut my mouth before leaking out any more information.

"What? What's it?" Zander urged.

"Nothing." I looked away.

"You know something, don't you? You have to say it or else I won't be able to help."

If I talked about Uncle Adam's plan and Zander was still a traitor, everything would be ruined.

Eighteenth flaw

The Lust

I told Zander everything at last. I did not know where my trust in him came from but my mind convinced that this was the right thing to do. I even revealed where the Great Cane of Ancestors was.

"Lucard told you about where he hid it?"

"Yes."

Zander thought for a second before saying. "We will get the Great Cane now."

"What?"

"Carmine cannot have it." Zander said. "We will have to escape together with it. Then, he will never know where it is."

"He will kill Len if he does not get the cane." I retorted.

"He will not. Lucard will not tell him that easily. If Lucard refuses to tell, Carmine will start searching on his own. The place where he starts will then be this house. Even if the library is locked, he will break into it. In the end, he will have what he wants."

I bit my lips as I listened.  
"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

"We are going to the library." Zander took my hand and headed to the door.

He looked around at the corridor first, to make sure no one saw us. Then, with the highest speed possible, he brought me to the library.

I took out the golden key from my pocket and inserted it into the keyhole.

"Be quick." Zander said.

I turned the knob and we went in. Zander shut the door behind us. I just wished I was making the right choice.

"You are." Zander replied. "Now, where is it?"

"I don't know." I said. The place was still piled with books and numerous bookshelves.

"We have to search then."

I thought he was joking. If anyone was to rummage around billions of books to find one tiny little brown stick, he must be mad.

"Well, actually," I said. Zander was already searching. I saw his figure moving about in flash. "I heard about this secret room."

Suddenly, Zander stood in front of me.

"Secret room?"

"Yes, Jim said Len hid the cane in a secret room."

We flickered our eyes from the bookshelves to the ceilings and then to the ground.

"Great, as far as my sight can reach, there are no doors or knobs." Zander sighed.

We did more searching until I found something odd.

There was a crystal ball on one bookshelf. A cloud of mist was curling inside it, giving a shape to a word. I leaned closer and that was when I saw "ALICE" inside the crystal ball.

I touched the thing. It was icy cold. The mist inside changed color every now and then, from white to red, from red to purple and then from purple to blue...... All the same, I could see the word "ALICE" in it. I tried to take the crystal ball out of its place but it did not even budge a little. I could not lift it up. It seemed to be stuck in one place. I pushed it. Nothing happened. It was weird. Eventually, I decided to try turning it and it worked.

It was the most eccentric thing ever. As the crystal ball was turned, the two huge bookshelves in front of me parted to give a path. Behind them were two more bookshelves. Like layers, the inner bookshelves parted subsequently until a stair came into sight.

"Zander!" I called out. He emerged next to me right away.

"Wow..." He exclaimed. "This is the secret room."

We walked down the stairs. It was dark. I almost tripped over and missed a step but Zander caught me in time. We reached a tiny room. It was better there as there was a bit light.

Like a study, there were desks and chairs. Piles of books could be seen on the table and on the wall hang a few paintings. We looked around with curiosity and interest.

The room was obviously not big enough to hold so many things. A family portrait was hung on one side of the wall. Len was in it with his other family members, including his parents and siblings. I took a look at my uncle's face for the first time. He was expressionless and solemn. There was no smile on his face at all. Carmine and Carmina were standing behind Len and Viktoria. Zander took the side next to his father. The portrait must have been taken a few years back because all the children looked much younger.

Beside the family portrait was a painting of Len and his friends. He had his shoulders around Jim, Roy and Bess. The four looked happy. My eyes reached down to the desk. There was a photo in a frame. It was a photo of Len and me. I remembered taking it in the school Carnival with Len, before his disappearance.

"This is Lucard's room?" Zander was as much in disbelief as I was. "I can't believe he keeps the family portrait here."

Len cherished his family. He cared for everyone around him but everyone was just turning against him, hurting him over and over again.

Zander's face fell as he muttered. "I never think he is an outcast. We used to hang out together. The twins never like him though, because he is so different from us. Not only does he look different, he also acts and does things in another way. Father and mother seem to love him the best, which has always made us, envy him. Carmine has hated him from the very start. Carmina and Viktoria were both influenced by him. Lucard later always left home and played with friends he met outside. This made our parents angry, both at us, who isolated him and at Lucard himself."

"Len never wants the throne." I said, looking under the table to see if there were any wooden sticks. "All Len wants is just a family that accepts and listens to him."

We found the Great Cane of Ancestors on top of a bookshelf. It was smaller than I thought, more like relay baton.

"Now, what do we do?"

Zander shushed me.

"Wait." He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, listening with full concentration.

I closed my eyes as well and I did hear something. It was a rough move from upstairs. The person was now on this floor. There were footsteps in the corridor, very soft. Someone was approaching us, walking towards the library.

"We must go now." Zander ordered and we ran upstairs.

The door was still locked but we knew soon someone would break in.

"Hide it." Zander said. I hid the cane in my pocket.

"No, it's too obvious." He said.

I slid it into my boot.

The smell of a blood soul was getting stronger and closer. Zander raced to the large glass window and with one swat, it fragmented into pieces. The footsteps had quickened their paces. We were heard and our scents were detected.

Zander tried to take my hand but it was too late.

Five steps. Four steps. Three...

"Go back in there." He whispered.

At once, I dashed back into the secret room with all my might. The bookshelves closed behind me, making no sounds. I couched on the stairs.

I could hear the door kicked open violently.

"What are you doing here, Zander?" It was Carmine's voice.

"Chasing the girl." Zander remained as calm as could be.

"You mean Alice." I felt Carmine walking this way. I went deeper into the room.

"I don't know her name."

"She's gone." Carmine sounded furious. "The last time the servants saw her was when you appeared, taking her away. I never asked you to take care of her, did I?"

"No." Zander answered and sauntered to the window.

"Then, what on earth do you think you are doing?" Carmine shouted, shoving Zander hard against a table.

"I am afraid you made a terrible mistake, Carmine."

"Oh?"

"That girl is not a human."

"Do you think I can trust you?"

"It's your choice, Carmine. Do not forget I am the one who helped capture our parents. They are in my hands, not yours. I imprisoned them and only I had the keys to free them. I can easily turn down your trade with Hunter."

Carmine did not go further. He released Zander.

"I was passing by and was about to check on that girl when she attacked those two servants and escaped. Your servants did not dare tell you the truth, of course. I have been searching for her myself. I was in the garden when I saw shadow move in here. I broke in through the window."

For the next few minutes, I heard nothing. I still did not move a single muscle. Every breath I took made a noise and every move I made gave a scent.

"Very well then." Carmine turned to all the servants standing behind him. "Go find the girl."

The servants obeyed and left like motors. Carmine and Zander remained in the library.

"What is your plan?" Zander asked.

"I must get Lucard to tell me where the Great Cane of Ancestors is by dawn." Carmine said. "My trade with Hunter cannot wait. No, Hunter cannot wait. Neither can I. So, prepare Father to meet his execution. As for Lucard, as long as he does not know a single thing about that missing girl, he is totally under my control."

"Nice."

Carmine laughed and left.

I breathed out a relief. I expected to be found and caught, but did not. It would mean nobody sensed my presence in this secret room. Back then, Carmine did walk close enough to notice the crystal ball but he suspected nothing. The several layers of bookshelves must be so thick that my odor could not reach the other side of them.

Zander soon came down to meet me.

"There is one thing Carmine does not know." He said. "I have freed father and mother two days ago."

"What?"

"I held the keys to the Silver Tower. I imprisoned my parents." He explained. "But when I made up my mind to betray Carmine, I released them. They are hiding somewhere I believe. They said they would seek help from the Grimmels and other royal families."

"You mean Len's parents are actually safe?"

Zander nodded.

"Now it's only Carmine." He said. "And Viktoria and her lad. Carmina seems to have gone."

"We have to save Len." I claimed.

"Give me the cane."

I handed him the Great Cane. He hid it under his coat.

"I will go to the dungeon and see Lucard."

"How can you save him with that?"

"All Carmine wants is this cane." Zander said. "Once he gets it, he will be satisfied. I will take my time to save Lucard and then tell Carmine I am the one who has it. He will target me later, but by then, the army will arrive to help."

"Len and Jim are sending their bats to give signals." I said. "But now they are locked."

"Well, I have my own pet to do that."

He whistled and in no time a bat flew to him. He whispered some language to the animal and off it left.

"I told them to arrive at ten. Now it is nine." Zander said. "We have an hour to carry out our plan."

Zander headed towards the door and I followed.

"No, you stay."

"What? I thought you said it is 'our plan'." I argued.

"Yes, in 'our plan', you are to stay." Zander said. "Can you fight?"

That was pathetic. I could only shake my head.

"You see, you stay within that secret room and you get no hurt. Once you step out of this room, Carmine will get you."

"So, I will just have to stay and do nothing?"

"Correct."

Before I could stop him, Zander left in a blink of an eye.

It turned out Zander had one thing absolutely wrong. I was not safe in the library. No sooner had Zander left than I was discovered again. Someone opened the door when I was walking towards the crystal.

"And where do you think you are going, sweetie?" At the door stood Viktoria. Beside her, was Edmond.

I looked at the crystal and then at her. I could not get into the secret room fast enough. Even if I did, she would know how to follow me in.

All the same, I would only have to try something. Without Len and Jim around protecting me and Zander gone, there was no one to save me this time. Len's plan had not worked out so far. What Carmine did was definitely out of everyone's expectation. Len and Jim must have not predicted he would lay an eye on me and capture me instead. They must have thought he would show no interest and hand over the antidote as soon as Len agreed to tell him about the secret place.

"Wait a second," Viktoria's brows pulled together. "You look rather strange. I mean, you change."

"Excuse me?"

"But her eyes aren't red." Edmond said.

"Stupid, she can have them red anytime she wants." Viktoria stared back at me. "Did Lucard change you?"

"No." I said fast. I did not want her to get what my mind thought. Only when I spoke fast, I could prevent them from hearing my mind. There was once when Len said he sometimes got mixed up in what I thought. I believed one of these moments was when I had complicated thoughts and talked faster than my brain could function.

"Of course not, he won't even see you lose one strand of hair." Viktoria laughed.

My eyes flickered to the broken window. While Viktoria was still laughing at her sick joke, I had an idea on my mind.  
If I were now a blood soul, it would just make sense that I owned inhuman speed and strength. Well, it was worth trying though.

Edmond must have seen my face because he hastened in my direction. I made a swift move, heading fast to the broken window. With much luck, I did gain the incredible speed. Viktoria and Edmond were surprised but tracked me right away.

With one leap, I flew as easily as a paper would float in the air. I had lost my weight. There was no gravitational force pulling me down. The whole body was in my control. I jumped over the window and fell straight onto ground, landing like a gymnast. There was no one in this side of the garden. Everyone must have gone into the forest or anywhere near the boundary to find me. I smiled and ran into the bushes.

"Stop!" I could hear Viktoria screech. That was a stupid thing to do. The more she shouted 'stop', the faster I ran.

There was no fear in me at all. I was so thrilled, agog and delighted with my new abilities. I could not stop smiling as I flew over one flowerbed to another and across the tall trees.

"She's crazy!" Edmond said.

And I believed I was. I forgot I was the one being chased and bumped right into Carmine. I did not see him coming and he caught me.

"You are one naughty kid." He said, grabbing my hands forcefully. I struggled with all my strength and he did look awed for one second.

"I thought you were a human."

"Well, you are wrong." I said.

"Yes, I certainly am."

On saying that, he lifted me into the air and hurled me. I flew back for several miles, my head hitting on a wall. Blood dripped off from my forehead. I had not the time to scream as Carmine flung me hard into a bash of roses. I could feel my skin grazed and scratched deeply by the stems. At last, he gripped my hair and pulled me up. Every part of my body ached with unbearable pain. My hands and my legs were bleeding.

Carmine leaned forwards and stuck out his tongue. I clinched but he was too strong. He licked a drop of blood from my face.

"You poisoned blood tastes delicious." Carmine grinned. "Did Lucard drink the same very blood? He is such a good chooser."

"He did not drink my blood." I said, grasping. My limbs hurt less now as the wounds healed.

"Really, then I shall be the first one to taste it." Carmine smiled and spanked me. His nails went deep into my flesh, leaving scrapes on my neck. My skin was swollen as the blood rushed out. I felt difficulties to bleed. Carmine pulled me to him and began sucking my blood. I kicked and twisted my body.

It did hurt like hell, as Len had said before. It felt more than a knife cutting into flesh and bone. The pain was beyond a combination of skin grazing, flesh cutting and bone fracture. Heat was accumulating at the point where Carmine bit me. Blood was transferring from my veins into his mouths at insufferable speed. I was losing a large amount of blood. My limbs began to feel lame. Darkness clouded over my eyes. At this point, I thought I would soon lose all consciousness and die but Carmine stopped. My body was left with no more strength. I fell forward and he held me up.

Indistinctly, I saw his ghostly face. His ruby eyes glazed down at me and his mouth was covered with my blood.

"You are too young to die, lady." He smiled, beginning to walk. "I regretted my last murder. She was such a beauty but I lost control when I bit her. She died with excessive loss of blood. This time, I won't make the same mistake. You will stay with me."

"No, I won't." Even with the last breath I could draw, I let those words out.

"You will." Carmine said. "You are too good for Lucard. You deserve better."

Len was the best.  
"If he is the best to you," Carmine swore. "I shall kill him. When this 'best' is gone, you are mine."

Ninetieth decade

The Salvation

I closed my eyes for a while. Carmine placed me on what felt like a bed. I lied there like a corpse. I could not move. I was fatigue.

Carmine ordered his servants out so that there were only two of us. I still had my eyes shut. I lost the strength to even open my eyes. I felt Carmine's hands reach for my coat.

"No..." I whined.

He took it off and grabbed my neckline of my dress. It slid to show my left shoulder. I wanted to rebel but my limbs were still.

"The mark is still there." Carmine said softly. I supposed he was talking about the bruise where the poison left.

"They tried to keep you alive." His fingers went over my face and then my neck, way down to my bare shoulder. "But they can't cure you. Only I have the antidote."

I sobbed. I felt my tears. Carmine wiped them away with his hands. He was touching my hair now.

"Crimson." He bent down to scent it. I quivered. "So much for love."

I continued to murmur some words which I could not even hear them.

"Abandon your love for Lucard." Carmine whispered in my ears. "Abandon him and be my bride."

I shook my head slightly but my neck hurt as I moved.

"Why not?" Carmine questioned. "I am better looking than him. I am more powerful than him and I can give you anything you want, not only a stupid room of books, but a room of money and jewelries."

I did not want these things. I only wanted Len.

"Do you really beg for him so much? What's so good about him?"

I wanted to say everything about Len could be better than him.

"Oh, really." Carmine laughed. "Perhaps I should not kill him. I think I have found a better way to torment him. I will have you tonight."

"No..." I pleaded.

Carmine tried to comfort me. "You don't move and you won't feel the pain."

He forced me to drink something. It was not blood though. It was bitter. Maybe it was another poison.

"It is the antidote." Carmine said. "You can now have enough strength to open your eyes. At least, I want to see your eyes as I kiss you."

I could open my eyes but my limbs still felt heavy.

"I said I will not kill you." Carmine smiled as he leaned over to kiss me. I turned my head away but his lips still pressed against my neck.

I wanted to cry out but no sounds came out of my mouth. My mind kept calling out for help. If I allowed Carmine to assault me, I might as well die. I would not even wish to see his face as he kissed me. The only person whom I wanted to see right now was Len.

The door swung open.

"Enough, Carmine."

I thought I was dreaming but I was not. The voice was loud and real enough. It was the voice I wanted to hear most in this world.

"Len..." I moved my hand a little but Carmine was still holding my wrists.

"Lucard! How did you..." There was astonishment in Carmine's voice.

"Carmine, this is the end." Zander said. "Face your doom, brother."

"Zander, you betrayed me."

"Yes, and I have freed father and mother."

"This house is surrounded now." Len said. "The great mansion of the Morlettes will be broken down tonight as well."

"You detestable, loathsome freak." Carmine bellowed. "I'll kill you."

At first, he took a step towards Len and the others but in a split second, turned back to me.

He held me up and flew off from the window.

Yet, Carmine could not get far. He was blocked in front of the gate.

"Let go of Alice!" Len commanded.

Carmine laughed. "No! One more step and her neck will be twisted."

Everyone stopped their motion.

"Let her go, Carmine." Someone approached him. It was Carmina.

"No."

"They agree not to kill us if we surrender now." Carmina said.

"I am not surrendering!" Carmine shrieked.

"Carmine, please." Carmina argued. "All our people have been killed. They will spare us. Father won't kill us if we stop right now."

"He will kill us, Carmina!" Carmine shouted. "He will!"

He put me down at once but I could not stand with my legs. He held my shoulder with one hand and surrounded my neck with another.

"This is all wrong." Carmine said. "It shouldn't be this way. You don't deserve this girl, Lucard. You never deserve anything that has been given to you. You should never have been born and I should never have you as my brother. The throne should be mine. The land and the right to be the pride of Morganthes should belong to me, not you."

"Greed and resent have surpassed you. I never want to compete with you in anything." Len said. "If the throne means so much to you, I will hand it to you, but spare Alice."

Carmine let out a laugh and the next thing I knew, I was in air. I was thrown with the most powerful force. My body flew without direction. My head ached so much that it might explode at any seconds. I could no longer think nor breathe. It was an instant when I gravely wished for death. And then... the pain ended.

* * *

"Alice...Alice..."

Someone was calling me. To my disappointment, I could not hear Len's voice.

A ray of light forced its way into my eyes. The pain I had been experiencing a while ago had vanished. I was enveloped by white mist. My limbs were well enough to move. I wondered where I was.

I made a sensible guess that this had to be a heaven. I woke up in such a dreamy place without any injuries when theoretically I should have been dead. This had to be the heaven I had always heard of throughout my life.

It just surprised me when I witnessed no angels at all. Every now and then, shouldn't creatures with beautiful wings approaching me? The mist was so dense that I could not view anything. Perhaps there was nothing in this dimension.

"Hello?" I called out, quite happy that I could speak again. "Len?"

I shouted but there were no answers.

I continued my exploration in this brand-new wondrous realm. Was this a dream? Was this real?

"Alice..."

The voice called again.

I turned to the direction where it came from. I walked and walked on for what seemed like forever. At last, I saw a figure, getting into a shape. I narrowed my eyes. Someone was holding out his hands to me as if offering me a hug.

"Alice..."  
The voice got louder and clearer.

I quickened my steps to reach the person.

And then, I saw him...her...No, there were two of them.

They were...my parents.

"Alice..." My mother smiled at me.

"Alice..." So did my father.

How...did I end up here? I had to be dead.

"You are not dead." My mother said, brushing my fringe. "Alice, we just want to see you."

"Once and it is enough." My father bent down to touch my face. I looked into his passionate yet mournful eyes. They held so much happiness and sorrow at the same time.

"You have done very well so far." My mother said softly.

"What have I done?" I wondered.

"You saved the Grimmels." My father grinned. "You saved the Morganthes."

"And you saved Len." My mother added.

"No, I didn't." I shook my head. "Len and Jim saved me, so did Uncle Adam and Oma. Len saved his own family. Zander saved him."

"Really?" My mother questioned. "Do you think they can come this far without you?"

I did not answer.

"Perhaps you did not save them." My father said. "But you saved the Great Cane of Ancestors. You made the right choice to assist Zander."

"And you have suffered enough." My mother gave me a kiss on the cheek. "We are so proud of you."

"No, don't go." I cried as the two figures drifted away. "Don't leave me alone."

"But you are not alone." They whispered. "Just remember how much we love you. Always."

I cried a river of tears before I fell onto the ground again. It was cold. I lied there and stared ahead with hollowness.

And once more, I fell into a sleep.

* * *

"Alice!" This time, I made sure it was Len's voice that was calling me.

"Alice!" How wonderful it sounded! If I could have him calling with that voice and saving me from my faint, I would never mind being thrown by Carmine for another time.

"Alice..." What was at first a shout turned into a whimper. I opened my eyes to meet Len's handsome face.

"Alice, my goodness, you woke." There was delight in Bess' voice.

I turned to look at my friends. Roy almost jumped and Bess could not stop crying. Jim stood next to Len, elated.

"Alice, you scared me to death." Len said. "I thought..."

"We thought you would die." Bess wept.

"Carmine almost tore you apart." Jim said. "You lost so much blood that they said you wouldn't survive."

"I don't believe that." Len said, tears in his eyes. "If only I could have saved you earlier..."

I reached out for his hand and smiled.

"You saved me, Len." I said, sitting up. "You did."

* * *

I spent a week in bed. The spot where Carmine's bite left on my neck did not fade until the fifth day. Every part of my body looked just fine except I still had not regained adequate strength. Len said as I lost too much blood, I required a long period to fully recover.

What occurred after the throw was quite a story. Len caught me as I fell but the damage the force made was great enough to make me faint. On hurting me, Carmine seized the chance to escape when everyone went to save me. He made it to the forest but was later hunted down. Carmina did not give up the persuasion but with no success, Carmine killed himself. She died with him.

Viktoria and Edmond were caught indeed. They received harsh punishment. As a result of their crime, they were locked up in the Silver Tower. The Morlettes were defeated in this war. It seemed they had totally overestimated themselves and trusted Carmine too much. Hunter Morlette never expected the Grimmels would retaliate and help the Morganthes by having five royal families to join in alliance. In fact, many had always wanted them to vanish but none of the families had enough courage to stir up a real war with the Morlettes. This time, the betrayal of Carmine and the hassle of the Morganthes triggered the malice everyone had towards the Morlettes and were enough to drive them to fight. The Morlettes forfeited plenty of their people and land. They had now little power in this world.

"I want to hear the story." I begged.

"But it's time to rest." Len said, as usual, being at all careful and stern.

"You didn't tell me how you got saved."

"Oh? That was quick. I did not expect to be locked in the dungeon. Jaymes and I both learnt a lesson this time. Our plan does not always work and we should always expect the worst."

I chuckled a little.

"Zander came down to the dungeon, though I had no idea how he managed to do so. I guess Carmine and others still did not know he was about to betray them. He did a little bit of fighting and we were freed in no time. At least I got one thing right. I did have some hope about my second brother and he turned out to be the good guy. He told me what happened and we rushed out. By then, help from other families had already arrived. We went to find you. Zander said you were in the secret room but nobody was there."

"And then?"

"And then you should sleep."

"Oh, please continue!" I said.

"And then I told him, 'you made a mistake leaving her alone.'"

"You did?"

"Yes," Len smiled. "I said whenever you were left alone; something else would surely take place. Either you did not do as told or you just got into danger even without doing anything. I may be a troublemaker but to me, you are worse."

"What am I?" I interrogated.

Len sniggered. "An accident prone."

I groaned and Len laughed.

"Next?"

"Next, we encountered Viktoria and Emmit in the garden. They intended to fight us but of course, the number of our people outweighed the two of them. They stood no chance and had to confess Carmine took you. That was how it went. I stormed out of that place to find you."

I rolled my eyes as Len made the last sentence sound exceptionally heroic.

"But," Len sighed. "I still could not stop him from drinking your blood."

I could tell he was extremely thwarted and that was just rational. The first time I got linked to blood was when Demonia forced me to drink a cup in the banquet. He blamed himself for the humiliation I suffered right away. The second time, I drank Jim's blood and that frustrated him enough, for I turned into a blood soul afterwards. The third time was worse. His brother, who had always been his rival and foe, drank my blood when Len was supposed to be the only one that had this privilege. The whole thing was just pitiful. Len must have felt more hurt than I did.

On the seventh night, I insisted on getting out of bed despite the fact I knew it would be another failure in an one-sided fight.  
"Stop being so stubborn." Len said. "Stay in there one more night, okay?"

"I don't want to." I complained. "I need some fresh air."

"I will open the window."

"Oh no, you know what I mean."

Len smiled. "I do?"

"Stop fooling around." I said. "Why should I stay in bed all the time? Can't I at least walk around a little?"

"No," Len said. "You will get out of this room once you are allowed on the ground."

I snorted. "You are cruel."

"Think what you like."

"Len," A question suddenly appeared on my mind. "Why do you think Carmine let me go?"

I had always wondered why. He did not kill me. He even had me drink the antidote. He could have twisted my neck but he did not. Instead, he threw me, though the throw was strong enough to end my life. Still, I did not reckon he had the mind of murdering me.

"I think you know better than I do." Len sighed.

"Well, I don't." I pouted. "Though I would not thank him for that, I do not really think he is that evil."

"I think the same." A sullen look came on Len's face. "But I have just made a conclusion."

"What might it be?"

"Carmine would have been able to escape if he did not indulge so much in you." Len said. "He could have heard the sounds and noises but he did not. He was concentrating in you and had no idea he was losing until we broke in."

"You don't think..."

"I do believe he really felt something for you." Len made a bitter smile. "That's so ironic. Everything I owned he wanted to pursue so much, even you."

"And there is one more thing troubling me." I arranged some pillows behind my back and got into a more pleasing posture. "If I was poisoned and he drank my blood, did he poison himself?"

Len tittered. "Well, that's easy to explain. Either he was being too stupid or you were too tempting. Perhaps both."

I raised my brows, to show my dissatisfaction.

"Well? Not satisfied with my answer?"

"No."

"If you want a more scientific one, I will give you." Said Len. "But don't grumble if it is too boring."

"I am too much engrossed in hearing that."

Len's look changed to a more sober and professional expression.

"Let's see." He thought for a moment and said. "I have two deductions on my mind. First, I assumed the night you were attacked by Viktoria, the poison only reached your arteries. It travelled down to the heart directly or through blood capillaries to the other body parts. It infected your cells and gave a paralyzing effect. It slowly consumed your organs and you would lose all your strength. The Grimmels' medicine could only reduce the symptoms but could not eliminate them. Practically, Carmine drained blood out your veins, where poison should not exist if it had been absorbed through your arteries. Another theory could be someone like Carmine was basically clever and cautious at most times. He would not allow himself to be poisoned by his own invention. He could have done something to himself such that even if he drank his own poison, nothing would happen. It's like how people invent vaccine in human world to create an immunity before getting a disease. It works the same way on poison. You can have a poison and an antidote, but there can be something more to prevent oneself from being harmed by a poison."

Despite the fact I listened to my full concentration, I still yawned.

"See, I told you."

"No, I was listening."

Len made a face.

"Look, can I ask a rather stupid question?"

"Go on."

"Is blood in arteries or in veins cleaner?"  
"Why are you asking? You are not planning to drink someone's blood, are you?"

"I am just curious, after what you have said about the poison."

"I don't know." Len shrugged. "It depends on certain situation, like when you are poisoned or something. But I will say, mostly when a blood soul bites, he drinks blood from the veins. If you start with arteries, the prey dies right away. It will be too much."

"I really think there can be a subject on this race." I said. "It all sounds so logical that I can't even...I did think things like vampires and fangs were just myths, nothing that can be explained and studied about."

"Surely you are wrong." Len smiled. "Our diet and exercising habits can all be explained scientifically. You know how we get blood from the animals? To prevent them from suffering too much pain, we slaughter them by hurting the part that would cause the least ache."

"People do that in human world."

"Yes, we can be very considerate and kind if we want to." Len said. "And very brutal if we have to."

"I don't understand. If you care so much for the way you kill the prey, how can you stand murdering your own kinds?"

"Let's say if a war starts in the human world, the same thing happens. People kill each other from time to time. We are some species that are far too direct and emotional, easily provoked but we feel more than anyone does. Humans can be crueler than us. I will say they can kill each other without making someone physically bleed but in a much more unbearable way that we can think of. Don't you agree?"

"Give me a second to get what you mean."

I brooded over his words.

"Do you mean something like verbal attack?"

"Can be." Len said. "What do you say about bullies, kidnaps, rapes and arson? There can be more. Someone can be ruined for the rest of their life, betrayed by their closest ones, constantly deceived or maltreated. In that world, these things never end and the victims have to go on living. In this world, the traitors face their doom fast. Revenge is direct. Penalty is harsh. Here, we live our own ways, punish the bad ones, get on with our feelings and do as we want."

"Very...er..."

"Practical, I know."

"Now I understand."

"You do?"

"I will try." I said. "Or else I can never live a life as a blood soul."

"Great."

"Oh, speaking of being a blood soul, you owe be something."

"I don't owe you anything." Len pretended to be unaware.

"You do." I crossed my arms. "You owed me an explanation why you refused to teach me about hiding my mind. The first time Carmine met me, why was he so convinced that I was a human when he could read my mind? Why didn't the same thing happen in the banquet?"

"You did notice something after all!" Len exclaimed, looking rather surprised.

"Yes, I did notice something weird was going on." I said. "Did you do something to my mind? I mean, nobody ever mentioned my mind in the banquet."

"Okay." Len took a breath. "I admit I did do something about your mind."

"How could you do that?"

"Not many others know about this rare ability of mine." Len said. "I only explained it to Jaymes once. I never told anyone too. I can, in fact, hide one's mind besides reading it."

"You can?"

"Not all of us can. It's like some of us are more gifted than the others. Oma has the sixth sense and your mother was capable of looking into the future. My father can teleport and Carmine was very talented in making poison."

"I thought every blood soul knows how to hide their minds."

"We do." Len nodded. "But we can only open and hide our own minds. We can all read humans' mind but only few of us can hide someone else's mind without their knowing."

"Really? You hid my mind in the banquet."

"There are two ways to prove whether you are a blood soul or not." Len explained. "One is to check whether you can hide your mind from us and the other one is to make you drink the blood. I was surprised when you could take more than one sips of the blood Demonia handed you, without vomiting or your face turning green."

"Why didn't you hide my mind when we met Carmine?"

"Because I wanted him to think you were a human." Len sighed. "He found out the truth anyway."

"What was the point in doing that?"

"Don't you see?" Len said. "I did so to keep you alive. If you were a human, he would not give you more hurt than a human can stand. What did he do once he knew you were one of us?"

"He..." I looked away. My heart suddenly felt painful. "He tossed me around and drank my blood."

"Exactly." Len said. "When you were a blood soul, he could go as far as he could and because normal pain would not even hurt you much, the pain he gave you would then be beyond a human being could endure. That was what I pictured out at first."

"I don't know things can be this complicated." I shook my head.

"They can get even more complicated than this." Len said. "I knew my brother too well. As you have always been told, we, blood souls, don't do things without reasons. So, Carmine freed you in the end for his own reasons too."

"I feel bad." I said.

"You should." Len giggled. "You are too alluring. If someone can happen to tame and make my evil brother completely lost, she must be eviler."

"So you are suggesting that I am evil?"

"You bet." Len laughed.

Twentieth century

The Love Story

I washed myself, combed my hair and put on the best dress I could find in the closet. Len waited at the door and together we walked down the grand stairs.

Everyone was waiting below. Two lines of Morganthe servants looked up to welcome us. In the centre of the hall were my family and my friends. I smiled at Uncle Adam and Oma, who waved at me.

I was finally well enough to leave the bed. I had been waiting for this day, the day when I could return home.

I met my uncle and aunt for the first time, in a formal way. They had visited me regularly during my recovery but we never had any serious talks. Len's father, my Uncle Tristen, seemed to change a lot after the incident. Probably, he had never predicted the day when his children betrayed and turned against him. Carmine might think he got the throne with his own power and strength but that was not true. Zander pointed out once that Uncle Tristen fell into Carmine's trap not because of his carelessness and of Carmine's success but due to the wrong trust he still had in his son at that time. That implied Uncle Tristen had always kept his hope and belief in his children despite having banished them. Carmine had taken his last trust for grunted though.

Demonia went through hard times making herself guilty. She remained rather sensitive after what she had done to me in the banquet. After losing two children, her sorrow was only understandable. She was the kind of mothers that cared much for her children but had unfortunately spoiled them in the same way. Learning of my true identity, she almost fainted. She said she could never forgive herself having been so selfish, trying to keep her son beside her regardless of my life. She claimed she could never pay for the rudeness she had towards her best friend's daughter. All I could tell her was her selfishness was never a sin, for it just proved her love for Len.

Uncle Tristen stepped forward to meet me. His pale face showed a somewhat dubious expression. He reached out to touch my face. His hand was cold but I did not mind. I stared straight into his hazel eyes.

"I still can't believe this." He shook his head, taking his hand away. "You look so much like her."

"Why did I never see that?" Demonia said. "Your face is just a copy of Winona's."

"Well," I began. "I suppose it does not really matter now. I do believe my parents are happy the way I am right now and they never blamed anyone for what's happened."

"And you talk just like her." Uncle Tristen said. In fact, I thought he was quite friendly, after having got on with him for the past few days. He was not as severe as I had imagined him to be.

"I have found I have made plentiful mistakes being the way I have been." He said, either answering my thought or confessing something. He turned to Zander and then to Len. "I did not do my part in this family properly. That's why I deserve such betrayal and loss of my children. It is meaningless for regrets now. I just want to clear all the misunderstandings and problems that have existed in this family due to my long-time ignorance and incautiousness."

"Zander and Lucard," Demonia said. "Will you forgive us for being such bad parents?"

"It's never your fault, mother." Len said. "You have cared enough for us."

"There is nothing to forgive." Zander said. "As a member of this family, I am ashamed of what Carmine and Carmina have done. I will not blame you and father for your past mistakes because I have done my wrong as well."

"We are just sorry about what happened to Lucia." Demonia took Zander's hand. He looked doleful.

Lucia had to be Zander's girlfriend, whom Carmine had abducted and used as a bait to threaten Zander and eventually killed. I shivered as I recalled what Carmine said about making a girl die with excessive loss of blood.

"It must be hard on you." Demonia said.

Zander turned away and remained calm. "It is my wrong not being able to protect her."

It was just heartrending. The girl was buried in the Morganthes' garden as a proof of being part of the family. It turned out that Zander had not made the unbreakable oath with her before everything happened but Lucia was still literally his bride. He would not forget her for at least several centuries. Or more...

"Father," Len stood beside, taking my hand. "I have a request."

Uncle Tristen nodded at him.

"I want to give the inheritance of this land to Zander. He should be a better man than I am. He has done the most to save the family."

Everyone looked surprised.

"What?" Zander turned to him as though Len was mad.

"I do not want to become the master of the Morganthes." Len said. "I never wanted to. I did not wish to disappoint you and mother so I never expressed my feeling truly. Right now, I only beg for your understanding and hope you respect my decision, allowing me," Len smiled at me. "to stay beside Alice in a world that suits her best."

"But, Lucard..." Demonia scowled.

"I know what you want to say, mother." Len said. "You want me to stay home with you but I believe I deserve more freedom than that. I will stay as often as you want if you permit me to pursue a life that will make me happy at the same time."

"We would want you to be happy." Demonia smiled.

"My answer to your request will be the same." Uncle Tristen said. "I will make Zander the next master of the Morganthes and you, Lucard, should live a blissful and pleasant life with Alice."

He turned to ask Zander. "Do you accept such decision and my faith in you, Zander?"

Zander paused for a moment before nodding.

"Thank you, Lucard." Zander said.

"No, I should thank you." Len said. "You saved Alice."

* * *

The feeling was odd when we crossed the boundary again.

"Is this the only place where we can go back home?" I asked.

"There are several boundaries." Len said as we walked through the woods. "One lands in South Africa and I believe there is one in China. The one close to the Grimmels links right to the England but by measures, it will take us a shorter journey to travel from West Italy, which is closest to the Morganthes, to England than from Morganthes' castle to Grimmels'."

"I see." I could not believe there was even a calculation on this.

We passed through the dramatic invisible barrier, landing on a mountain in Italy. What took place in my life for the past two weeks were still hardly believable. It was a complex of various feelings and pain.

We promised to stay in Bloodland every once in a while. I would visit my own home, the Grimmel estate and Len would spend time with his family. All the same, we preferred residing in the human world. Winnie did a lot of shouting and interrogation after my return. Due to my missing, police were called on and the whole town was investigated. I was even believed to be kidnapped. What amused the people was I left no traces when gone. No evidence suggested I left the town through any transport and Len as well as George became the first suspects of my kidnap. Winnie mentioned about them but nobody figured out their real identities.

When I finally did appear in my own doorway, Winnie rushed out and threw her arms around me. There was so much explanation to do. We did a good job telling her everything though. She fainted when Len and I showed her our bloody eyes and fangs to convince our identity. She spent months recovering from shock. As soon as George was rescued after the incident, he followed us and continued serving Len.

Len actually brought a house next to Winnie's and soon, I possessed two homes in the human world. Winnie loved Len very much and agreed he was the right guy for me. Len did not really bother to go back to school at first but I talked some sense into him. At least, we had to finish the semester.

People at school were in sheer astonishment when they saw us show up again. Everyone thought I eloped with Len but I could not blame them for thinking that way. I explained to the cops I ran away from home instead of being kidnapped by Len. The class stared at me as I entered the room. Due to the drastic changes of my appearance, the girls all thought I had gone to do a cosmetic surgery, which I reckoned was a relatively absurd idea. The boys, worse than I could expect, believed Len did some sort of magic to transform me with evil spells. We both laughed at that.

Now, it's been a year. We are no longer at school, living leisurely in our own house instead. Remember Len mentioned about the business between blood souls and humans? Well, we work sometimes. Once, swine flu spread across the Europe and all the presidents went into panic. The Grimmels, having an excellent reputation of medication, provided aid in exchange for tones of goat's blood. Len and I joined in to help and believe me, it was a fascinating job to work in laboratory, inventing vaccine and medicine to do some good deeds. After all, creatures with fangs can be good-natured.

Another significant change in life is Winnie finding a new boyfriend. The new boyfriend is no strangers- he was George. That surprised me but Len seemed to have predicted that. I have no problems having a new father though, especially when he is a kind man like George.

Jim, Bess and Roy are all living near us. Bess and Roy have a house of their own, fairly romantic. Lately, Jim has finally convinced his parents to let him lead a free life. He no longer has to worry about love and marriage. Frequently, we five have gathering and crazy outings.

The first place Len and I went after returning home was the amusement park. We did take the picture in that stall. Sarcastically, Viktoria and Edmond were in the Silver Tower and would not be free in ten years or so. It was a pity I could not boast about the picture. Speaking of Edmond, his parents searched throughout the town for him. He disappeared on the same day as me but without return. I once considered telling the truth to his parents yet Len stopped me. His words made sense though.

"I would rather leave it the way it is now." Len spoke. "Do you think his parents can bear the shock of their son becoming a vampire better than they accept the fact he might go missing for some time?"

I had to agree to what he said.

After the trip to the amusement park, I now decide to have another ambition in life. That is to travel around the world. Hopefully, we can finish this task before eighteen. Wait a second, that won't be necessary. My parents rushed to do this because they could not spend much time in human world. Now, Len and I have more than a century to live on (If by chance nothing bad happens), what's the rush?

We will live our life to the fullest, do as we wish and only care for the present.

With Len, I have no regrets.

Epilogue

The Afterlife

A week off  
"You can't be so irresponsible, Winnie." I complained, walking down the stairs.

"I can't help it!" Winnie said enthusiastically. "As soon as he got a week off, he bought two tickets to Egypt."

"You don't even have to take a flight." I rolled my eyes. "We can fly you to that place right now."

"We have to behave normally, Alice." Winnie smiled and blew me a kiss. "Just help me a bit with this house."

I raised my brows as I scanned through the untidy, messy living room and I groaned.

"Bye, honey. Greet Len on my behalf." Winnie said, closing the door behind.

Seconds later, Len walked down the stairs in his pajamas.

"What's the fuss about?" Len yawned. "I was so tired."

"Oh, you won't believe this." I said, throwing myself onto the sofa.

We had spent the last twenty days in thirty countries of the world, without rest. We were so relieved to get to sleep after our trip last night but this morning, with quite a bad luck, woken by Winnie.

"Not again." He sat beside me. "Is Winnie out?"

"Yes!" I said, hitting him. "For heaven's sake, why did you give George a holiday?"

"Well, because I thought we could sleep for a week." Len smiled.

"Great." I said. "Now, we have to take care of this house for a week."

"Two houses precisely. Isn't that marvelous? We have just got each other to spend these few days." Len laughed, as optimistic as always.

"We have just spent the past twenty days together, just the two of us." I reminded him, sighing.

"It won't take long." Len stood up. "I'll do it."

Within a minute, the entire room was tidy and clean again. The floor was polished and shone under sunlight.

Len returned to my side, so much for a responsible son.

"I won't thank you for that." I teased.

"Really?" Len smirked. "Your heart is full of gratitude."

I snorted and walked back upstairs. "I am going to bed. Again!"

"Hey, wait up." Len chased after me.

The new member

"Excuse me?" I thought I had heard the wrong thing. "What did you say, Winnie?"

"Oh, sweetheart, didn't you hear it?" Winnie smiled. I had never seen her so lighthearted before. "You are going to have a sibling!"

"Are you going to adopt another child?" I asked, knowing it wasn't truth.

"Alice! You know what I am saying." Winnie groaned. "Don't act so ignorant."

"I can't believe this." I shook my head as I turned to Len. "She did it with George!"

"Take it easy." Len laughed. "I think it is quite exciting."

I snarled.

"Why are you so angry, honey?" Winnie looked sad.

"Well, she doesn't like it because she thinks George has snatched you away from her." Len answered for me and I shot him a stare.

"Oh, so, you are jealous?" Winnie smirked. "Of George and of this baby?"

"Alright." I put up my hand to hint a stop on this subject. "Leave me alone for a moment."

I walked back to my room and threw myself onto bed. I could not believe this- Winnie was expecting a child! An unusual child!

There was a knock on the door.

"Leave me alone." I mumbled, getting ready to lie down.

Len opened the door despite my words.

"Hey." He settled down at the edge of the bed. "I know what you are thinking."

"Then, why do you have to come in and check on me?" I pointed out.

"Because I want to say something."

"Go on."

"It isn't that bad, is it?" Len said with his never-growing childish face. "I mean, I have always had siblings older than me but never one younger than me."

"Right." I sat up. "One that is younger than us by sixteen years!"

"Isn't that fantastic?" Len smiled and I rolled my eyes. "I like children. They are cute."

"You are one of them yourself." I reminded.

"Fine." Len sighed. "Look, what is bothering you is just an unprepared, thrilled feeling. It isn't a big deal."

"You don't understand." I said.

"I do." Len argued. "You feel queer because you have never had a sibling and you feel disappointed because you are going to have one."

"What exactly am I disappointed about?" I asked.

"Your disappointment is that," Len paused for a moment. "Winnie cannot be with you all the time if she has a child of her own."

"Nice try." I said. "You read my mind."

"And there is fright in you."

"Oh?"

"You are afraid she won't focus on you as much as she does now and has always done."

"So what?" I said. "That's a normal thing to worry about. If you want to continue this talk, you have got to come up of some solutions for me."

"Let me see." Len said. "As I said, it isn't a bad thing at all. George must be terribly happy and so is Winnie. Your reaction will only add up to her stress. You don't want her to be sad even when she is expecting a child, do you?"

I did not but I could not help it. It just, felt all wrong for me.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Len said.

"Try what?"

"Show some understanding and acceptance."

"This is all you have to say to reassure me?"

"Alice," Len said in a serious voice. "You know well Winnie cannot stay with you forever. You know she is a human. She's been looking after you for the last decade and now she has to enjoy her life a bit. Don't you agree? She doesn't have much time spent with George, only about forty or fifty years more or so. You can't expect her to spend each second with you, can you?"

I bet he was right after all.

"I am."

"You are always right." I said. "It's just...rather hard to accept the truth right now. I am not..."

"Confident that you can get on well with this brother or sister?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I have lots of siblings myself." Len said. "What have I experienced? All kinds of bond and hatred and even conflicts between us. But, they were all preventable. I just wish I had a second chance to start all over again, with my family."

"I guess...I know what you mean."

"You have never had one before." Len said. "And I know things will be just fine in this family."

"Okay." I surrendered. There was no one that could talk more sense into me than Len. "I'll try."

* * *

"The wedding will be next week." Winnie declared, holding her mate's hand.

"Nice." Len said.

"Now, can we start the game?" Bess jumped with joy.

"What game?" Roy looked at his hyperactive girlfriend.

"The guessing game." I explained with a smile. "We have to guess what Winnie is expecting. A girl or a boy."

"And what happens to the winner?" Jim asked.

"Why don't you ask what happens to the loser?" I smiled.

Jim laughed. "Well, I only think of the good side."

"Alice, you are the only one of us that thinks of the bad sides first." Len stated.

"That is the good thing though." I argued. "It just makes a balance. In a bunch of people, there have to be ones that consider the best while ones that expect the worst."

"You are becoming a professional." Roy said.

"Now, can we start the game?" Bess could hold no more patience.

"I still am not told about the punishment for the losers."

"Honestly, perhaps none of us wins the game." I said.

"Alice!" Winnie shouted. "Don't be so pessimistic."

"Fine." I said.

"We still haven't decided on the punishment yet." Len said.

"Can we start now?" Bess urged.

"Yes, you go first, Bess." Jim said.

Bess kneeled down and pressed her ears against Winnie's abdomen.

"Are we all going to do that?" Roy scowled nervously.

"Alice, are you sure this is the game?" Jim asked, astonished as Bess got even closer to touch Winnie's abdomen.

"No." I said. "Girls can touch but boys have to stay a meter off."

"What?" The boys exclaimed. Bess and I made a cunning smile.

"You don't want to get into trouble, do you?" I flickered my eyes to George, who stood smiling.

The boys groaned.

"I was really hoping to do that." Roy said. "Aunt Winnie is pretty."

"What did you say, Roy?" Bess stood up, staring at him.

"Nothing!" Roy ran away from the scene and we all laughed.

"That is unfair." Jim complained. "I mean, you girls have the chance to get so close to the embryo, which gives you too many hints. And we boys have to stand aside and just look with our eyes. We can never win the game!"

"Life is always unfair." I smirked, looking at Len.

"Oh geez, what did you tell your girl?" Jim rolled his eyes.  
"Alice, I mean unfairness exists in a relationship." Len tried to clarify. "But not in a game."

"Oh? Is that what you said?" I laughed. "I don't remember it."

Jim groaned.

"Does anyone want to hear my choice?" Bess said.

"No." The boys said.

"Yes." Winnie and I said.

"I bet it's a..."

We all leaned forward to wait for her answer.

"A girl!"

"Really?" Winnie exclaimed. "I have always wanted a daughter!"

"Oh no." I sighed as the boys jumped with excitement.

"What's wrong?" George asked.

"I want a boy!"

"Excuse me?" Len stood beside me.

"I mean a brother." I said. "A good-looking brother."

"Alice, you are crazy." Winnie said. "You already have a good-looking boyfriend and a good-looking father."

"That's not funny." I said. "I seriously think I can get along better with a brother than a sister."

"Why would you say that?" Bess inquired.

"I don't know." I scowled. "It's just a...feeling."

"Now, can I try?" Roy volunteered, heading to Winnie.

"Stay where you are!" Bess grabbed his arm and he had to give in.

"Okay Okay." Roy stepped back obediently.

He glanced at Winnie for a minute, using all his senses for the attempt.

Finally, he said. "I bet it's a boy."

"Wow!" I jumped. "Really?"

"Yes!"

"Don't believe him." Bess warned. "Whatever I say, he goes against me."

"Let me try." Jim stepped forward and began to concentrate.

"A girl." Jim said confidently.

"Why?" Roy asked.

"Because I hear her moves." Jim said. "Graceful and silent. A boy is always more mischievous, I suppose."

"That is not an explanation!" Roy argued. "It smells more like a boy."

"My turn." Len tried.

Len took a longer time and came out with a surprising answer.

"Twins." He said.

"What?" We all exclaimed.

"Really, I hear two lungs." He said.

"What gender?" Winnie asked.

Len thought for a moment.

"Boy, I bet."

"See." Roy patted on Jim's back.

"We will hear what Alice says." Bess said.

I walked over to Winnie. She smiled down at me.  
"I trust you best, Alice."

I pressed my ears against her tummy. At first, I did hear only one embryo breathing and swimming about in the amnion. The small creature's blood smelled more like a girl's. And then, there was another slight movement. Soon, it was getting clear that another embryo was turning behind the first one. Len was right. There were two of them. Yet, the smell got mixed up. For once, the scent of a girl was not as strong as before. I doubted they might really be boys.

"Alice?" Len asked.

"Have you got the answer?" Bess asked.

I stood up and glared at my friends.

"Twins." I said.

"What? Your answer is the same as Len's!" Roy exclaimed.

"No." I shook my head grinning. "Fraternal twins."

"A boy and a girl?"

I nodded.

"Isn't that wonderful?" Winnie clapped her hands and hugged George.

"Um..." My friends all raised their brows, hardly believing in my bet.

At last, we had Oma to confirm the answer. The losers were decided to serve the winners for one day, doing exactly what the winners demanded and requested. We all found this treatment fair enough and quite interesting.

Oma did not even have to lay a finger on Winnie and could tell directly what she was carrying.

"Jim, Bess, you choose girl, right?" Oma turned to us.

The two nodded.

"Well, you are..." Oma smiled. "Partly right."

"What do you mean?"

"Roy, you choose boy and Len, you choose twins." Oma said.

"Yes."

"You are also...partly right."

"So, I am the winner!" I jumped with delight.

"Yes, Alice." Oma smiled. "Fraternal twins."

"So, does that mean we don't have to receive any punishment?" Roy suggested.

"No!" I retorted immediately.

Len sighed.

"You are only partly correct, which means I am still the winner of the game." I said proudly.

"Alright." Bess shrugged. "What do you want us to do, princess?"

"I won't request something impossible." I said. They all breathed a relief. "And you would all like it."

"Yes?"

"A party!"

Girls' talk

"Alice, which one do you like best?" Bess asked, crossing her legs.

I examined the seven glass bottles in front of me, each containing red liquid. I had taken one sip from each of them.

"Um..." I thought for a moment. "I think I like the rabbit's blood the best."

"Oh?" Bess said. "It's certainly a cuisine, but I like goat's blood better."

"Exactly, what's the point of doing this?" I asked and then whispered. "Without the boys knowing?"

"Len will kill me if he finds out what I am doing to you." Bess laughed. "He doesn't like you being...you know..."

"What?"

"Too much like a blood soul."

"Well, every now and then, I drink blood." I said. "There is nothing wrong with it, right? We all have the same diet."

"Yes." Bess said. "But these are special treats. The best of the best. I don't want to tell the boys because they will go frantic with it."

The samples Bess got me did taste rather different from what I used to drink. They were more delicious to be honest.

"Where did you get these?" I asked.

"My sister got them from a ball." Bess said. "They had a buffet there, serving all kinds of blood of top quality."

"Really? I never heard you have a sister."

"I have." Bess said. "So does Roy. But we are pretty much the bad children in the family. We like hanging outside and hardly return home. My sister and I are close so whatever wonderful thing she gets, she shares with me straight away."

"Nice." I smiled, feeling glad Bess had a sister that cared for her. "Um...I wonder..."

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I ask about you and Roy?"

"Sure."

"How do you two actually get along with each other?" I asked. "I mean, what kind of things do you usually do and talk about?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes, because I have been thinking..."

"Do you have a problem with Len?"

"No, not really." I blushed. "I just think we live our life in a too crazy way."

"There's nothing wrong with it." Bess laughed. "You see, Roy and I are even crazier than you two. We dream about doing all sorts of stupid things, like saving the world or causing an explosion on the desert."

I stared at my little friend.

"What?" Bess said. "You look...er...dumbfounded."

"I really am." I smirked.

"Look, travelling around the world and going to amusement parks cannot compare to what Roy and I normally do." Bess said. "Once, we set a kitchen on fire trying to cook in a human way. Another time, we walked into the mall too carelessly that we broke two glass windows. We had to pay for that."

"Well...I don't know what to say." I could not stop exclaiming.

"Oh, that reminds me." Bess' face brightened up. "When we were still kids, we scared some humans away with our fangs. They were also children, I guess. We watched them running to their parents and complained about seeing monsters in the park. We all laughed at our prank."

"You are naughty, Bess."

"That's the fun we have as a blood soul." Bess said. "We are happy even if we are crazy."

"I can see that."

"It's such a pity we could not witness you making the unbreakable oath with Len." Bess sighed. "That is one regret in my life."

"It isn't really a big deal, is it?"

"Of course it is!" Bess exclaimed. "You are my best friend and I never have the chance to attend such an important ceremony in your life."

"When did you make the oath with Roy?"

"Let me see." Bess took a glass from the table. "When we were around thirteen or so, three years ago."

"What did you see in Roy? You must like him so much that you want to be with him forever."

At once, my crazy companion got serious.

"Well," She had another mouthful of blood before continuing. "You can tell he is reckless, rash and immature. He is the type that goes breaking the rules and hurting others' feelings with careless, unintentional words. But, that's what I like best of him. I don't need a partner that is perfect in all categories. Even though he is always like a big baby, he has his good sides of being cheerful and caring. That's what I think of him."

Bess' feeling for Roy is intense and strong, as I could tell from her gleaming eyes. My passion for Len was more or less the same. What Bess taught me was a valuable thing. Len has his own bad of being childish, over-confident and vain but most of the time, he loves me with his whole heart. He teases me continually and treats me selfishly. Yet above all, he is the most precious person to me.

"Alice, you worry too much." Bess said. "You are just afraid you cannot handle living the rest of your life with one certain person."

"Yes," I admitted. "You know it's hard to do that."

"Follow you heart, just like what the song says." Bess said. "It makes sense that you think it's hard. Sometimes, I am really pissed off by Roy, that moron but still, he is one that I love best. We don't care other things when we are in love. When something goes wrong in a relationship, we quarrel and then get over with it. This is how we, blood souls, maintain a lifelong bond with the loved ones."

"It is impressive." I said. "What we can do. I feel lucky after hearing that, Bess. Some people can never find a single true love in their whole life but we can stay with one for eternity. Isn't it a bit unfair, for humans?"

"Humans feel much stronger than we do. We are told that they are the only species that hold the most emotions of all. They may not be as smart and skillful as we are, but, they have the strongest determination. One thing that impresses us most is how they keep on trying and never give up. They learn from mistakes and history and never repeat them, unlike us, revenge can go on forever. While we possess the most perfect body, our souls are destroyable. Yet, humans' souls live on forever and ever even if their body perishes."

"Life," I wondered. "is, by far, the most amazing thing ever created."

Night time

"So, I have heard you are doing something behind my back." Len accused.

I continued with my book, completely ignoring him.

"Alice, stop reading the book." Len said. "You have been on the same page for the last minute."

"So?" I pouted. "I want to read it in a human way."

Sitting next to me, Len sighed. The television was on but Len was not watching it.

"What? What's it?" I said, flipping through the pages.

"What did you do with Bess this afternoon?" Len interrogated.

"Nothing."

"Really." Len grabbed my book and pulled me to him.

"Do tell or I will..."

"What?"

And then, he started his punishment, giving me all sorts of tiny pinch and tweak until I could no longer take the itch.

"Okay! Stop it." I could not stop laughing with tears.

"I will ask again." Len said patiently. "What did you do with Bess this afternoon?"

"We...had...a girls' talk." I confessed. "We talked...about ourselves."

"And?"

"And you and Roy and Jim."

"And?"

"Nothing."

"You want me to start again, don't you?"

"Fine!" I succumbed to his power over me. "We did have a...little bit of a feast."

"That's what I want to hear." Len sat back and released me. "Bess is going to pay for that."

"What? Why? I had fun!"

"Fun! She's like making a human child drink wine." Len said. "The treats she gave you are, you know, different from what we normally drink."

"High-class."

"Yes, and..."

"Len, you are just jealous." I pointed out. Len blushed immediately.

"Why should I be jealous! You should be sorry, Alice Grimmel, doing things behind my back and thinking I won't even know. You are guilty!"

"And what punishment do I receive this time?"

"I will think of that!" Len sneered and turned away from me, pretending to be exasperated. Yet, I knew he was not a bit angry.

"Oh please, Len," I pleaded, reaching for his shoulder. "Can I have my book back?"

If he had looked annoyed before, he was infuriated now.

"Is this all you have to say?"

"Um..." I smiled. "What if I say yes?"

"Oh man." Len sighed, looking as if he would cry at any rate.

Just when I was about to break his fragile heart again, I said the one thing he wanted to hear most.

"I'm sorry, Len." I apologized. "This is what you want me to say, right? Well, I really am sorry. I won't do that again. Next time, I will share the feast with you."

"Really?" Len's face lit up.

"Yes," I nodded and then added. "I was just kidding."

That was the end of the night, I suppose. I ran out of the house and Len chased me across seven streets, three highways and way back to Winnie's estate.

"I have had enough, Alice." He was puffing, so was I. "You are going to have it."

"I am going to have what?" I grasped.

"We'll see!" He chased me to the bedroom, catching me at last.

"Lucky Winnie and George are out." Len smiled an evil grin, holding me tightly in his arms.

"You can't do something evil." I warned, cringing against his chest.

"Oh?" Len said. "That depends on my mood."

"What's your mood right now?" I asked right away.

He stared at me for a moment and then showed his fangs. "Thirsty."

I screamed and we started running again. That is a game we have every once in a while, more like a hide-and-seek but often, Len is just provoked by my words and tries to scare me.

Again, he caught me.

"That's so unfair." I growled. "You are always faster than me."

"Don't blame me." Len laughed. "Blame your legs."

"Oh, I almost forgot." I ran over to the dresser and took the box from the table. The box was wrapped in blue paper and a red ribbon. "It's...what day is it exactly? I forgot."

"You are one forgetful blood soul." Len said. "It's the Gifts Day in our tradition."

"Oh, yes, like thanks-giving, right?" I said and handed him the present I had prepared for him. "I have been very cautious with it."

"Really? May I?"

"Sure."

Len opened the package happily and took out the blue-covered book.

"Wow..." He exclaimed at my gift- "Alice in Wonderland".

"I have checked through your collection." I said. "I can't believe you don't even have this one. So much for you boasting about possessing most books in the world."

"Thank you, Alice." Len said and blew me a kiss.

"Do you seriously like it?" I asked. "I am sorry I can't find a better gift. It's all so sudden. You told me a week before but I totally forgot about it. Bess reminded me today and I rushed to buy it for you. It is one of the most precious copies in the world, nearly an antique in a museum. Look, the ancient blue cover and the stylish handwriting..."

"Alice," Len stood close to me and whispered in my ears. How I loved his soft gentle voice! "I love it. Whatever you give me, I will keep it forever."

"You do?"

Len nodded slightly and leaned forward to kiss me.

"I love you, Alice."

I pushed him away instantly after I heard the voice. It was weird. Len was kissing me but then, I heard him speak. A smile appeared on his face.

"How...how you did you do it?"

"Do what?" Again Len did not open his mouth.

And then, I knew what was going on. I was- reading Len's mind.

"Alice, I hope you like this gift." Len winked. "I don't open my mind to anyone but you."

"But I thought you had a better gift than that." I complained in my mind. "Since you looked so confident this evening, so sure that your gift could please me."

"Does my gift not please you now?"

"Not really." I smiled playfully. "You know what I want."

Len lifted me up and carried me to my bed. He sat next to me.

"I know what you want." He took my hand. "But I am not giving you that."

"You are cruel."

"I say, I will be the only one who can read and hide your mind."

"But I never get to hide your mind."

"When you never get something you want from me, you will just have to stay with me forever."

"Yeah, I heard that before."

"Alice, I ask you again. Are you really that disappointed?"

"Um....no," I wanted to reply 'yes' out of mischief but the mind spoke the truth. "Your gift is enough to please me."

"For how long?"

"Err...for some time." I teased.

"Just some time only? And yours..." Len grinned, his eyes sparkling under the starlight. "is enough to please me forever."

He bent down to kiss me once more.

The Bloody Profile

Name: Alice Grimmel

Age: 15 (16 in epilogue)

Gender: Female

Blood Type: B+

Horoscope: Scorpio

Hair color: Crimson

Eyes color: Hazel

Height: 160 cm

Weight: 46 kg

Appearance remarks: Striking, shiny long wavy hair

Classification: Human/ Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Student

Identity: Princess of Grimmels

Family members: Father- Antone Grimmel, Mother- Winona Morganthe, Uncles- Adam Grimmel, Tristan Morganthe, Aunt- Demonia Morganthe, Adopted mother- Winnie, Cousin- Lucard Morganthe

Diet: Rabbits' blood

Hobbies: Reading, jogging

General personality: Practical, outspoken, harsh on the outside but meek on the inside, bold, strong-willed, stubborn, clever, selfish (with Len)

Special ability: Eyes of past (This instinct is still hidden. Eyes of past allow Alice to be able to look into the past of any people or objects when she comes contact with them.)

Spouse: Lucard Morganthe

Name: Lucard Morganthe/ Len Faber

Age: 15 (16 in epilogue)

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A+

Horoscope: Virgo

Hair color: Blonde

Eyes color: Blue

Height: 174 cm

Weight: 58 kg

Appearance remarks: Handsome, sparkling blue eyes, tempting smile

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Student

Family members: Father- Tristan Morganthe, Mother- Demonia Morganthe, Uncles- Antone Grimmel ,Adam Grimmel, , Aunt- Winona Morganthe, Mother-in-law- Winnie, Cousin- Alice Grimmel, Brothers- Carmine Morganthe, Zander Morganthe, Sister- Carmina Morganthe, Viktoria Morganthe

Hobbies: Reading, painting, gardening

General personality: Cheerful, optimistic, vain, self-righteous, generous, considerate, innocent, childish,intelligent, selfish (with Alice)

Special ability: Mind-reading & mind-concealing

Spouse: Alice Grimmel

Name: Edmond Adams/ Emmit Morganthe

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O

Horoscope: Gemini

Hair color: Dark brown

Eyes color: Green

Height: 175 cm

Weight: 60 kg

Appearance remarks: Attractive, stern eyes

Classification: Human/Transformed blood soul

Occupation: Student, Viktoria's knight

Family members: Unrevealed

Hobbies: Flirting with girls, basketball, gang-fighting, bullying

General personality: Irresponsible, playful, foul, cold-hearted

Special ability: None

Spouse: Viktoria Morganthe?

Name: Jim/ Jaymes Lockwood

Age: 15 (16 in epilogue)

Gender: Male

Blood Type: B-

Horoscope: Virgo

Hair color: Black

Eyes color: Grey

Height: 177 cm

Weight: 62 kg

Appearance remarks: Gothic hair, eye lines

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: None

Family members: Unrevealed

Hobbies: Shopping, sleeping

General personality: Honest, friendly, smart, courageous, careful

Special ability: None

Spouse: None

Name: Bess/Belinda Dybbuk

Age: 15 (16 in epilogue)

Gender: Female

Blood Type: O

Horoscope: Aquarius

Hair color: Brown

Eyes color: Golden-yellow

Height: 157 cm

Weight: 44 kg

Appearance remarks: Parted fringe, shoulder-length hair, dangling earrings

Classification: Half-blooded blood soul

Occupation: None

Family members: Unrevealed

Hobbies: Food-testing, shopping, swimming

General personality: Extroverted, enthusiastic, out-going, down-to-earth, caring

Special ability: None

Spouse: Romulus Sangre

Name: Roy/Romulus Sangre

Age: 15 (16 in epilogue)

Gender: Male

Blood Type: O

Horoscope: Aries

Hair color: Fair

Eyes color: Green

Height: 172 cm

Weight: 58 kg

Appearance remarks: Stuns, spiky hair, baggy trousers, cap

Classification: Half-blooded blood soul

Occupation: None

Family members: Unreavealed

Hobbies: Gym, computer games, skating

General personality: Reckless, rash, childish, impractical, easy-going, simple-minded

Special ability: None

Spouse: Belinda Dybbuk

Name: Victoria/ Viktoria Morganthe

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Blood Type: A-

Horoscope: Leo

Hair color: Light brown (When appears as human), Silvery grey

Eyes color: Green

Height: 170 cm

Weight: 50 kg

Appearance remarks: Cunning smile, huge eyes

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: None

Family members: Father- Tristan Morganthe, Mother- Demonia Morganthe, Uncles- Antone Grimmel ,Adam Grimmel, , Aunt- Winona Morganthe, Brothers- Carmine Morganthe, Zander Morganthe, Lucard Morganthe, Sister- Carmina Morganthe, Cousin- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Cross-dressing, modeling, going to balls

General personality: Cunning, brutal, heartless, mischievous

Special ability: None

Spouse: Edmond Adams?

Name: Carl/Carmine Morganthe

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A+

Horoscope: Taurus

Hair color: Silvery white

Eyes color: Green

Height: 178 cm

Weight: 60 kg

Appearance remarks: Evil-looking

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: None

Family members: Father- Tristan Morganthe, Mother- Demonia Morganthe, Uncles- Antone Grimmel ,Adam Grimmel, , Aunt- Winona Morganthe, Brothers- Zander Morganthe, Lucard Morganthe, Sister- Carmina Morganthe, Viktoria Morganthe, Cousin- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Hunting, chess

General personality: Evil, cruel, cold-hearted, ruthless, foxy, sentimental

Special ability: Poison-making

Spouse: Carmina Morganthe (supposed)

Name: Carmina Morganthe

Age: 20

Gender: Female

Blood Type: A-

Horoscope: Taurus

Hair color: Silvery white

Eyes color: Green

Height: 165 cm

Weight: 47 kg

Appearance remarks: Husky laugh

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: None

Family members: Father- Tristan Morganthe, Mother- Demonia Morganthe, Uncles- Antone Grimmel ,Adam Grimmel, , Aunt- Winona Morganthe, Brothers- Carmine Morganthe, Zander Morganthe, Lucard Morganthe, Sister- Viktoria Morganthe, Cousin- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Having tea with Carmine

General personality: Evil, cruel, cold-hearted, ruthless, foxy, sentimental

Special ability: None

Spouse: Carmine Morganthe (supposed)

Name: Zander Morganthe

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A+

Horoscope: Pisces

Hair color: Silvery white

Eyes color: Green

Height: 175 cm

Weight: 57 kg

Appearance remarks: Serious-looking

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: None

Family members: Father- Tristan Morganthe, Mother- Demonia Morganthe, Uncles- Antone Grimmel ,Adam Grimmel, , Aunt- Winona Morganthe, Brothers- Carmine Morganthe, Lucard Morganthe, Sister- Carmina Morganthe, Viktoria Morganthe, Cousin- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Playing violin, writing songs

General personality: Vulnerable, sincere, kind-hearted

Special ability:None

Spouse: Lucia (Perished)

Name: George Morganthe

Age: 22 (Appearance), 46 (Actual)

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A-

Horoscope: Libra

Hair color: Black

Eyes color: Grey

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 65 kg

Appearance remarks: Lean, black suit, neatly combed and gelled hair

Classification: Transformed blood soul

Occupation: Lucard's butler

Family members: Wife- Winnie, adopted daughter- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Gym, hiking

General personality: Generous, conscientious, amiable, loyal

Special ability: None

Spouse: Winnie

Name: Demonia Morganthe

Age: 25 (Appearance), 43 (Actual)

Gender: Female

Blood Type: A+

Horoscope: Pisces

Hair color: Silvery white

Eyes color: Green

Height: 168 cm

Weight: 49 kg

Appearance remarks: Polished black nails, red lipstick

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Mistress of Morganthe, Queen

Family members: Husband- Tristen Morganthe, Sons- Carmine Morganthe, Zander Morganthe, Lucard Morganthe, Daughters- Carmina Morganthe, Viktoria Morganthe, Niece- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Gardening

General personality: Lovable, passionate, sensitive

Special ability: Hands of magic (Demonia is granted with the instinct to create various magical chemicals e.g. potion that heals short-sight, special perfume that hides one's smell, face-changing potion etc.)

Spouse: Tristen Morganthe

Name: Tristen Morganthe

Age: 25(Appearance), 46 (Actual)

Gender: Male

Blood Type: A-

Horoscope: Capricorn

Hair color: Light brown

Eyes color: Blue

Height: 182 cm

Weight: 66 kg

Appearance remarks: Solemn expression

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Master of Morganthe, King

Family members: Wife- Demonia Morganthe, Sister- Winona Morganthe, Brother-in-law- Antone Grimmel, Sons- Carmine Morganthe, Zander Morganthe, Lucard Morganthe, Daughters- Carmina Morganthe, Viktoria Morganthe, Niece- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Reading, travelling

General personality: Strict, serious, calm

Special ability: Teleport

Spouse: Demonia Morganthe

Name: Adam Grimmel

Age: 22 (Appearance), 37 (Actual)

Gender: Male

Blood Type: B+

Horoscope: Libra

Hair color: Crimson

Eyes color: Grey

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 65 kg

Appearance remarks: None

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Master of Grimmels, King

Family members: Brother - Antone Grimmel, Sister -in-law- Winona Morganthe, Neice- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Playing piano

General personality: Faithful, firm, open-minded

Special ability: Medine-making

Spouse: None

Name: Oma

Age: 20 (Appearance), 36 (Actual)

Gender: female

Blood Type: AB

Horoscope: Sagittarius

Hair color: Dark brown

Eyes color: Blue

Height: 165 cm

Weight: 50 kg

Appearance remarks: Maid dress

Classification: Half-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Housekeeper of Grimmels

Family members: None

Hobbies: Poetry

General personality: Sociable, submissive, responsible

Special ability: None

Spouse: None

Name: Antone Grimmel

Age: 20 (Perished)

Gender: Male

Blood Type: B+

Horoscope: Leo

Hair color: Crimson

Eyes color: Grey

Height: 180 cm

Weight: 63 kg

Appearance remarks: Handsome, wavy hair, cheerful smile

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Master of Grimmels, King

Family members: Wife- Winona Morganthe, Brother- Adam Grimmel, Brother-in-law- Tristen Morganthe, Sister-in-law- Demonia Morganthe, Daughter- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Travelling with Winona, exploring

General personality: Intelligent, kind-hearted, mischievous (when small)

Special ability: Medicine-making

Spouse: Winona Morganthe

Name: Winona Morganthe/Grimmel

Age: 20 (Perished)

Gender: Female

Blood Type: A-

Horoscope: Scorpio

Hair color: Dark brown

Eyes color: Hazel

Height: 170 cm

Weight: 48 kg

Appearance remarks: Long wavy hair

Classification: Full-blooded blood soul

Occupation: Mistress of Grimmels, Queen

Family members: Husband- Antone Grimmel, Brother- Tristen Morganthe, Sister-in-law- Demonia, Morganthe Brother-in-law- Adam Grimmel, Daughter- Alice Grimmel

Hobbies: Travelling with Antone, exploring

General personality: Generous, compassionate, sensible

Special ability: Eyes of future (Winona is granted with the instinct to look into the future)

Spouse: Antone Grimmel

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