Crimson Angel

by Yume

  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 a
nd 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 o
r 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…

  “A
lice…” 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.

  “C
armine?” 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 s
he 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.”