6. The Cursed Kid (2)

A week passed on a whim, and the world continued to spin. The sun rose and set, the moon waxed and waned, and the stars still shone brightly in the sky. Life went on like usual.

Nevea's day usually started at eight with breakfast. After that, she went to class until three in the afternoon, and then she played a bit with kids her age in the garden. Dinner would start at six, and around nine, she should be sleeping soundly in her bed.

Nothing much happened in a week except meeting with possible family for her, and she honestly enjoyed it. Fortunately, no one had died since she entered the orphanage.

She was anxious every day, waiting to see whether someone had lost their life because of her, but nothing of the sort had happened. So, she dared to conclude that everything that happened in Vuysire was merely a coincidence. A kid like her had no power to take people's life.

"Go to sleep, Nevy. Tomorrow, we have to wake up early to clean the classroom." Liza reminded her as she pulled the blanket to cover her whole body like a cocoon.

"I'm not sleepy," Nevea replied shortly. She kept staring at the ceiling.

Suddenly, a thundering roar filled the night, and the power went out. The darkness was eerily quiet—no cars on the street, no lights on the road or the building. It was as if the world had disappeared.

"Ne…Nevea, where are you?" Liza carefully enunciated each word as she spoke, her fear evident in her shaking voice.

"I am in my bed. Don't worry. I am with you." Nevea tried not to sound scared, but she could not help feeling the dread creep on her skin. She did not like this feeling. It was like a sign that something terrible was about to happen. "Let's just sleep, Lizzy."

"Sleep, okay, let's sleep."

They did not talk again. Both were trying hard to get into dreamland and forget the fear in their heart.

Minutes passed, and they had not lost into slumber. Instead, they kept tossing and turning in their bed, seeking the most comfortable sleeping position.

"NO!"

"HELP!"

Nevea and Liza immediately stood up from the bed. Their bodies shook at the sounds of kids crying and screaming, along with the sounds of people running around.

"We should hide, Nevea. Hide in your wardrobe, and I'll hide in mine." Liza said as she crawled to her wardrobe, and Nevea also did the same without complaining.

The sound of agony was getting louder and louder, mixed with a sinister laugh from several people. Nevea heard one voice getting closer to her room, and her heart dropped. She closed her eyes and prayed to all gods she knew.

"Please leave us, please leave us, please leave us." She chanted those words like a spell as though it would save her.

The cracking sound of the door being opened assaulted Nevea's senses. The monster was here, and they were going to die. There was no way out, no escape. They were trapped, and the monster would bathe in their blood.

The man who entered the room could smell the fear from the two closets in front of him, bringing a smirk into his mouth. He enjoyed the smell and look of fear. It pumped his heart and fueled his desire to inflict more terror on people.

He strode to the closet on his left. He deliberately made his step louder to scare his prey, and it succeeded.

Tears dropped from Liza's eyes, and a sob almost left her, but she covered her mouth with her palms. She was trying hard not to make a sound to attract the monster.

"What a bummer, no one is here."

Liza sighed in relief at the monster's words. It seemed she and Nevea were saved. They only had to wait until everything died down then they would look for help. "Thank God." She whispered.

Suddenly the closet was opened, and a figure was standing there. It was a tall figure wearing black clothes. His eyes were blazing red, and blood was seen in his mouth. "I have come for you, little girl." He said with a wide grin.

Liza's eyes enlarged, her body shook in fear, and her jaw dropped. Then, before she could scream for help, the monster took her out and slammed her tiny body into the wall. After that, she felt excruciating pain in her neck.

She could not scream. All she could do was give in to her fate. She hoped Nevea could live. At least one of them should be able to pass the age of six.

Nevea peeped through the hole, and with the light from the moon, she could see the monster devouring her friends until the light in Liza's eyes died, and the monster threw Liza's body to the floor like it was trash.

The monster's eyes then shifted in her direction, making her breath hitch. She had stopped praying since it looked like the god had gone to sleep. So, no one could save her.

The monster's footsteps were killing her. Every step felt like a hammer blow, driving the nails of pain deeper into her skull. Nevea held her breath to fool the monster, but to no avail. She was still busted.

"Hello there." The monster said as he waved his hands in the air.

Nevea's eyes darted everywhere except the monster before her. A cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She was shaking; she was terrified.

"Don't worry, little girl." If what the monster said was to ease Nevea's fear, then he failed since it sounded like a pure threat.

"Don't kill me, please."

Nevea's plea did not affect the monster. Instead, it seemed to energize him even more as his laugh reverberated again the walls. The man then gripped her neck, blocking her breathing pathway, and lifted her body in the air so they were at the same level.

"Human sure is fragile." The monster made a sound of tsk tsk at the end of his words. He brushed Nevea's hair to the other side and lowered his hide to her neck. He inhaled the sweetest aroma from her body, which drove him mad. "I am lucky today, hahaha." He laughed like crazy.

Nevea was ready for the pain to invade her body. However, it did not come. Instead, the monster before her screamed in agony. Her eyes dropped from the monster's face into his chest, and there she saw blood forming on the area of his heart.

"What—"

"Foolish."

Another monster was in the room with them. The voice was low and dangerous, like a snake coiled and ready to strike. Nevea gulped. Her luck was truly rotten.

Nevea's shock doubled when the blood splattered into her body, and then her body was dropped to the ground. She did not think; she only followed her instinct to move far away, and she did before the other monster could sense that she was missing.

She crawled carefully without making noise. The goal was to pass the door.

"Don't move!" A command came from the other monster, and Nevea froze on the spot.

Nevea turned her face to the source of the voice with fake bravery. She saw the other monster for the first time. Under the dim light from the moon, Nevea could only catch his red eyes that were glowing so brightly.

She exhaled her breath and then asked, "Do you want to kill me too?"

The man moved towards her, and she took two steps back, making the man show his displeasure. "I told you not to move!"

Nevea's head dropped lower, and she uttered in a small voice, "I'm sorry."

"You enjoyed watching people die, didn't you?"

The unexpected question from the man made Nevea's eyes grow larger. "No…."

"I see you, little girl." The man scrunched down in front of her and stared straight into her blue eyes. "You faked your shock."

Nevea did not expect to be exposed. She had played her part like what her second mother told her when watching people die; she should be shocked and scared, and no one should know what her heart was feeling.

"I did not!" Nevea screamed like a little girl her age should. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Let me tell you a secret. It feels good to kill." He said it nonchalantly as if he did not just talk about murdering people to a little kid. "Do you want to try?" The man handed Nevea a small folding knife.

Nevea's body tremored tremendously. Not because of fear but something else. She could not name it. She gazed at the strange monster in front of her, pondering whether she should try to stab him and escape. But she decided not to. Her second mother once said that if she had blood on her hands, then it would ruin her.

"No," she said while averting her gaze, and she gave the knife back, but he did not take it from her. Instead, he gripped her neck tightly.

Nevea placed her little hands on him, trying to break free. But her effort was fruitless. The man did not budge, and his hold grew stronger.

Nevea clenched the knife in her hand so hard to resist the urge to stab the monster.

"Please…." She uttered her word with difficulty, yet he did not seem to hear it. Nevea closed her eyes to calm herself and lifted her hand to follow her instinct, and then she stabbed the monster's chest.

The hold on her neck loosened, and she took the chance to attack the giant monster again. She plunged into him and thrust the knife into his chest multiple times, "Die, die, die, die…." She screamed and cried at the same time. This monster had to die for making her sully her hands with blood. She hated him, and she wanted him gone. "You should die." She used both her hands to make the impact bigger.

Despite having been stabbed many times, the man seemed to be fine. Instead, he chuckled at her as if he was only playing with her. Then, he took the knife from her and hurled it.

"It does feel good, right?"

Nevea remained silent. She lost her words as she locked her eyes with the man's red eyes that seemed to contain so much madness.

The monster touched her chubby cheeks with his hand, which was covered in blood. "You have it in your eyes."

"What?"

"The insanity like mine."

"No, I don't." She denied.

"Stubborn girl." He flickered her forehead. "What is your name?"

"Will you let me go if I tell you?"

The man shrugged his shoulder, "Your name, little girl."

"Nevea."

Her name rang a bell in his mind, but he did not know when he had heard her name. It just felt way too familiar to him. "Nevea…." He said under his breath.

"Yes?" She cocked her head to the side innocently.

"Come to me when you are old enough." He leaned in and whispered to her, "My name is Zachary."

Confusion was evident on Nevea's face. She did not understand why the monster introduced himself and even asked her to find him in the future. She had expected him to kill her, not to have a conversation like a friend.

"When help comes, don't tell anyone you saw me here, and don't tell anyone my name. That is a top secret." He stood up and led her back to the closet. "Be a good girl and hide here until they find you. Understand?"

She wanted to ask, but she nodded her head. It was better that she did not know. Her brain was still growing, and filling it with too much information would make her dizzy. "Okay."

Zach closed her bedroom door and came face to face with a man with brown hair and green eyes.

"Your Majesty, you scared me. You promised to hunt in the forest, not in an orphanage."

"The girl in the room, send her to Vlastta."

"But Your Majesty…."

"Silas…." He glared at the man beside him, "I know you understand what you should do."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

"Oh, and told Levi, Vlastta should start working. They are paid to kill the rogues. But so many rogue vampires roam in this place, and no one knows." Zach said, unimpressed, even though he was the one who released one of the rogue vampires free out of boredom.

Nevea could not hear anything after a few minutes. She was sure no one was left in the orphanage.

She did not expect to experience a fluctuation of emotion today. She did feel scared about getting killed by the monster, but the man named Zach was not wrong when he said she enjoyed watching people die.

She had tried to hide it. Her second mother had taught her to blend in because she was the same as her but unfortunately, her second mother could not finish teaching her since she died of a heart attack, so she had to move into another house.

Nevea lowered her head. Another death was added to her record of bad luck. Maybe everyone in Vuysire was right. She was indeed a cursed kid. Maybe God cursed her because she was different.