CHAPTER 2

It was a chilly night here in New Jersey. Groups of people walked outside, going into and out of bars, and the music was so loud. After all, this city is famous for being vibrantly alive.

I could feel the phone vibrating in my pocket. I took it and responded to the call.

"Hello, you must be Miss Nevermore. We'll meet at the cemetery in District 2." After giving the order, he did not wait to hang up the phone.

I am curious about the identity of my 'new boss.' Hmm, who could this guy be?

I took a stroll down the street while taking in the scenery. Walking through District 2, I realized it had been three days since I had eaten anything. My new job kept me from eating, and the other pedestrians started to appear more and more like walking blood bags as they got closer and closer to me.

I quickly turned left, diverting my path from the main road. A sudden, piercing scream startled me. Before I could think, my instincts made my first response. I sprinted in the direction that the scream was coming from.

My legs were carrying me faster than ever. I found myself in a dark alleyway. A man was looming over a young woman, his teeth buried deeply in the girl's neck. A bloodsucking vampire.

I stealthily approached the vampire and leaned close to his ear while I spoke.

"That is not a nice way to treat a lady." The woman escaped after the vampire got frightened by my sudden action

.

He suddenly turned around and stared at me while maintaining a bewildered expression. I averted my gaze from the vampire and stared emotionless into the eyes of the woman.

"Run and never speak of what happened here." The woman took a quick breath before bursting through the door and running fast towards the main street.

"Who do you think you are?" It was uttered in a furious tone. My expression was lifeless, except for a sarcastic smile that began to grow on my face.

"I was hungry."

After my teeth began to show, I sank my face into the vampire's neck and bit down hard. I pinned him against the wall and drained every last drop of blood from his body as I continued to force him against the wall. He just put up a brief resistance before giving up and turning limp when I had him in my grip.

I let him go, and with a dull thud, he landed on the dirty pavement. I got down in front of him and grabbed him by the face, forcing him to look at me. "Why are you doing this?" He asked while sounding sleepy and out of breath.

"You see here... uhm, what's your name?" I asked. When I know the names of the people I am about to kill, it makes the mood much more enjoyable.

"Dylan." He responded. I gave him a slap right in the face.

"Stay awake, Dylan, or else you're going to miss out on all the fun," I said. I flashed a nefarious gleam in both of my eyes and smiled.

The look of terror spread across Dylan's face. "Please don't-" That was the last thing he could muster just before I tore his heart out of his chest.

"Wow, Dylan, that's quite a wonderful heart you've got there. Pure and bloody. You were a strong and robust young man. What a shame." I couldn't help but grin as I saw Dylan's slouched-over form.

-

A gentleman in a fine suit awaited me when I reached the cemetery's front gate. "I was instructed to lead you to your destination." He said courteously. Wow, a human being who was under mind control. He took the initiative to lead the way.

The sight of an enormous mansion amazed me. The faded paint and the partially collapsed walls gave the impression that it had been left unoccupied for quite some time.

It feels like I'm watching a horror movie right now. As we approached the front door, the man halted and turned to me.

"Please enter. It's an unowned property." I was about to pass the human when I let out a mocking taunt at him. I gave a harsh crash as I opened the double doors. The human stayed close behind me and calmly closed the doors.

"Hello!" I shouted, but no one was around.

"In here, Miss Nevermore."

That was the same voice I heard on the phone speaking. I went in the direction of the voice and found a huge living room with a table.

There were two chairs, and the person who seemed to be my boss was sitting on one of the chairs. He is carrying a wine glass, but I could tell from where I stood that the drink was filled with human blood rather than wine.

He positioned himself in the light beam so I could see him. What a stunning man he is now. It never occurred to me that I'd run into this jackass again. At least he is still alive.

"You…" I was the one to interrupt him.

"Lucy," I said straightforwardly.

He was startled but quickly recovered his composure.

"Leon Bloodtear," I smirked at him as I called his precious name.

"I hoped to never see you again, yet here you are to order me around," I continued, maintaining the same tone.

"Likewise, you're not as gorgeous as I remember." He said, looking at his hand and fingernails while pretending to be bored with the conversation.

He looked up at me in a calm and collected manner.

"I notice that you've gone ahead and gotten a haircut. I think your blue hair was more attractive," he said. "I see that is where you got the inspiration for your alias," Leon remarked slowly while sipping his glass. Lucy means a blue pearl.

I got up and walked over to the table, sitting in the chair directly across from Leon.

"Blue hair is too noticeable in my line of work, and if it gives you any kind of pleasure, I'm glad I changed it," I smirked as I got more comfortable in my chair. "If it brought you any pleasure, I'm glad I changed it."

I heard a sigh from him. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?" He asked while reclining back in his chair.

"Five hundred or something years, but who is counting?" I replied while resting my elbows on the table.

I mumbled, "Let's talk business since that's what I came for."

When he called, he probably wasn't aware it was me on the other end of the line. My most intriguing customers are the only ones who ever see my face. The rest of the world never even gets to see it. I'm glad that I see Leon's voice as intriguing enough.

Leon held out his hand and motioned the human to approach him. He ordered him to cut his wrist open over his wine glass so that the glass could be filled with blood. He extended his hand to me and offered the drink, but I declined his offer by raising my hand.

Leon narrowed his eyes at me but allowed the human to walk away.

"Fascinating," Leon remarked while keeping his attention on me. He could have continued to press the issue, but instead, he talked about why I was here.

"I have a job proposal for you." He said. I nod as a sign that he should spill it now. "I need you to get rid of my brother, Cedric."

"Cedric, is that the same as Cedric? As far as I know, he is the one and only hybrid." I said while making a mocking my hands in the air. I leaned forward while getting closer to Leon. He nodded.

"How interesting." It made me grin. Cedric and I haven't crossed paths, and it is like centuries. This has the potential to become a really intriguing job.

"From what I've been told, getting rid of Cedric Bloodtear is quite difficult. What would you suggest I do to solve this problem?" I asked while resting my elbows on the table. Given Leon Bloodtear's history, hearing these words come directly from the man himself is shocking.

The huge wooden stake was pulled out from Leon's coat pocket. It was covered in something that looked like metal, which snaked around it like veins that covered the entire surface.