Art decided to "stroll around the city" during his free day like what Kelly had said. He hasn't gone back to the club yet for the past few days, and he hasn't seen any of his soon-to-be co-members as well. They did not give him a deadline, so he assumed maybe that meant finishing the task as soon as he could.It was also kind of beneficial to him since he was yet to explore the city ever since they arrived. He sent a message to his father about him going out that day, and even though he might not read it till much later, he wanted him to feel relieved that he wasn't holing himself up in his room again.He got in his father's car which he left for him to use. But once he was comfortably seated, he looked out when he realized he had not thought of anywhere to go yet.A breath got hitched in his throat in surprise when he saw someone standing beside the car door. The person's white polo was blocking the window. The first thing Art thought of after his initial shock
"Eyes on the road."Face heating up in embarrassment, Art focused his eyes on the road and clumsily changed the topic."Where are we going?" His tone was unnatural, and he scolded himself inside upon hearing it.Lyle did not seem to mind much, though, as he indifferently answered his question, "No specific destination. Just follow the main road. It will lead us back to the city.""Are you lowkey sabotaging my assignment?" Art asked suspiciously. Having no specific destination means leaving it to fate whether he could stumble upon an interesting story that is useful enough, or something insignificant that no one was going to waste time reading. Afterwards, another matter came to mind. "How did you know I was going out at this time and day, anyway?"It was Lyle's turn to feel a rush of embarrassment, but the guy beside him did not seem to feel any of it. So he quickly got over it and extinguished his internal turmoil, matching it with the p
Things happened too fast for the shocked Art. Lyle helped him get back in the car while he was calling someone on his phone. They waited for only a few minutes until the twins and the authorities arrived to deal with the crime scene. Art watched them talk outside with serious expressions.A while later, Lyle walked to his car and opened the door to the driver's seat where he was. Art looked up to him as the vampire studied his pale face."You okay? Can you drive home?" he asked.Art nodded but when he raised his hands to hold the steering wheel, Lyle noticed his fingers still trembling. Gritting his teeth, he pushed him slightly, pointing at the passenger's seat."Move. I'll drive you home." Art did not budge and only stared at him. "Hurry up.""I can drive. I just need a moment," Art said, still stubbornly holding onto his seat.Lyle clicked his tongue, feeling impatient. "You don't have a moment. This place is not safe until we catch whoever did that t
A maniacal laughter echoed throughout the white room. The man seated on a lone chair placed in the middle struggled and tried desperately to break free from the ropes tying his hands. His wrists are already swollen and bleeding from all the struggling. It is not certain as to whether the ropes were really tight, so he could not free himself, or if he was just losing strength. Streaks of tears flowed down his pale, hollow cheeks, blurring his sight. He was gritting his teeth so hard he didn't notice he had accidentally bit into his lower lip that was already blue. He tasted rust in his mouth, mixed with tears and sweat, which slowly diminished the hope he was trying to gather. Yet it was still not enough to remove the traces of the pills he was forced to swallow. Frustrated and desperate, he flailed and stomped harder, almost toppling the steel chair.
"Delta is good. There are rumors about it being the most populated with vampires, but the city is peaceful." Mr. Salacosa gave a sideways glance to his son, Arthur, who was in the passenger seat. The boy had his eyes closed, head leaning to the window, but he was surely awake and listening. The proof would be his fluttering eyelashes. "Were you able to say goodbye to your friends?" Mr. Salacosa asked. Art, his nickname, sat properly and sighed quietly upon hearing his father's question. He absentmindedly answered, "I said my goodbyes to the dean." Then shifting in his seat, he continued, "I heard that there are many social clubs in City D. I'll look to see where I can sign up. Are we not there yet?" He knew his father was only going to keep talking about him making f
Art was clad in a printed white shirt tucked in his fitted cargo pants. He slipped on his dark leather jacket and caught the keychain his father threw towards his direction. The keys clanged when he attached the ring to his belt holder. "Drive safely." Mr. Salacosa nodded at him when he turned to speak. "Don't push yourself. I'm not asking you to be social. Just at least give chances to people who want in. Have a good night!" Art also muttered his good nights to his father then reluctantly left. It was already eight o'clock and he was half an hour late, but he still took his time. It was fortunate that his father went to their new house first and started settling in and unpacking earlier this week. All he had to do was fix some things and furniture he was a bit unsatisfied with. Art even took a nap in his c
Wilhelm Reich often receives criticizing stares from humans. Some had their eyes lit from worship while others had clouds in them from envy. These jealous people loved gossipping about him and lowkey making things hard for him. The vampires did not care about the dramas humans engage in, and other humans did not want to get involved, so no one really stood up for him. It isn't like he needs someone to defend him, anyway. That was why Will never liked attending these kinds of parties. They are filled with these calculating looks and lazy vampires. However, he was a double plus human. He could be considered nobility, and he was obliged to welcome all the immigrants. He had already met four, yet he could not find the fifth. He decided to leave the hall for a few minutes to breathe, then just happened to run into the Clemente Twins hovering over a poor guy on the
Art slowly felt himself getting dizzier the longer he stayed in the hall. He was obviously only sitting there doing nothing, not even talking. But the music, the blinking lights, the noisy chatter, and the smell of liquor still affected him as he is not used to any of it. Thea kept wanting to leave but the tipsy people on the table would not let her. Art thought he should tell her about going out to get some air, but he could not find the timing. In the end, he decided to go on his own and just come back later. Art stood up and easily slipped into the crowd, but his smooth exit was cut when he bumped into someone who straight up blocked his way. His eyes that were originally lowered to the floor looked up to meet a certain gaze. The red neon lights lingered on the man's face for a moment, and Art could see his muddy and clouded stare.
Things happened too fast for the shocked Art. Lyle helped him get back in the car while he was calling someone on his phone. They waited for only a few minutes until the twins and the authorities arrived to deal with the crime scene. Art watched them talk outside with serious expressions.A while later, Lyle walked to his car and opened the door to the driver's seat where he was. Art looked up to him as the vampire studied his pale face."You okay? Can you drive home?" he asked.Art nodded but when he raised his hands to hold the steering wheel, Lyle noticed his fingers still trembling. Gritting his teeth, he pushed him slightly, pointing at the passenger's seat."Move. I'll drive you home." Art did not budge and only stared at him. "Hurry up.""I can drive. I just need a moment," Art said, still stubbornly holding onto his seat.Lyle clicked his tongue, feeling impatient. "You don't have a moment. This place is not safe until we catch whoever did that t
"Eyes on the road."Face heating up in embarrassment, Art focused his eyes on the road and clumsily changed the topic."Where are we going?" His tone was unnatural, and he scolded himself inside upon hearing it.Lyle did not seem to mind much, though, as he indifferently answered his question, "No specific destination. Just follow the main road. It will lead us back to the city.""Are you lowkey sabotaging my assignment?" Art asked suspiciously. Having no specific destination means leaving it to fate whether he could stumble upon an interesting story that is useful enough, or something insignificant that no one was going to waste time reading. Afterwards, another matter came to mind. "How did you know I was going out at this time and day, anyway?"It was Lyle's turn to feel a rush of embarrassment, but the guy beside him did not seem to feel any of it. So he quickly got over it and extinguished his internal turmoil, matching it with the p
Art decided to "stroll around the city" during his free day like what Kelly had said. He hasn't gone back to the club yet for the past few days, and he hasn't seen any of his soon-to-be co-members as well. They did not give him a deadline, so he assumed maybe that meant finishing the task as soon as he could.It was also kind of beneficial to him since he was yet to explore the city ever since they arrived. He sent a message to his father about him going out that day, and even though he might not read it till much later, he wanted him to feel relieved that he wasn't holing himself up in his room again.He got in his father's car which he left for him to use. But once he was comfortably seated, he looked out when he realized he had not thought of anywhere to go yet.A breath got hitched in his throat in surprise when he saw someone standing beside the car door. The person's white polo was blocking the window. The first thing Art thought of after his initial shock
Completely weirded out and perplexed at the new side of Lyle that Rey was seeing for the first time, he decided to just shrug it off and get to business. He was climbing up the stairs and heard the group still talking.The engrossed people upstairs were not aware that the little club's leader had already left through the balcony, especially Art who didn't even know there was someone else with them. Maria was first to get over how fast this new member they were recruiting at picking up things. She felt that it would not be long till one of the dusty lockers was used again. She said, with a rare grin on her face, "That's also why even though our club only does records and— like how others would call it—menial tasks, we are still one of the most strict when it comes to welcoming new members.""Do I have a tryout?" Art asked plainly, not intrigued at all."Yes. It's actually really easy," Kelly replied. "Got to be a piece of cake for you. We'll only have trouble wi
From very early on, when events were still not recorded in any way and only stories were passed on, it was said that humans and vampires have already coexisted for a long time. It was due to greed that the war started, almost wiping out both species. When the alliance and the vampire aristocrats signed the treaty, it was only then that peace began to reign over the world again. However, because of the hostility and grievances that grew over the course of the war, it was inevitable that there will still be those who harbor ill intentions and desire revenge. The government alliance and the aristocrats needed a way to assure their people. This was when a clause was added to the treaty. Double plus vampires are the aristocrats. They just wanted to idly enjoy their lives in the dark. They play a game to know which vampire will be on duty for a hundred years to ensure that the vampires are doing their part and not doing what isn't their part. Single plus vampires are t
Art's first day at his new university went smoother than expected, considering his chaotic experience the other night. He could successfully navigate his way in the university, knowing where to turn and when not to show up in specific places, unlike one of the few humans who was with him during the orientation. That guy just moved into the dorms. Art already heard some gossip about him being specifically targeted by the athletic vampires in the field that morning while he was doing his morning jog. He apparently foolishly agreed to race and obviously lost. The price was nothing harmful, and it was just like any consequence with your group of friends. He only had to do an embarrassing dance for the vampires' entertainment. Art initially thought it was childish, but maybe the ages of those vampires could still be considered young for their species. When he ventured into this train of thought, he was suddenly filled with questions and curiosity. His father worked fo
"Why is it you?" Art defensively asked as he turned to look at him suspiciously. Unexpectedly, what he saw was not the same vampire with an intoxicated disposition wearing those cloudy eyes that were not to be trusted. The Lyle in front of him was cold, indifferent, and formal, unlike yesternight when he was sporting a disgruntled appearance of a youth. For a second, Art thought he had mistaken him for someone else. "I'm in charge of the second half of the orientation because I'm the representative." However, the man's voice from before was still fresh in Art's memories and he would not mistake him. Art doubtfully replied, "Why can't I go with the others instead?" "Why should you? We have enough manpower," Lyle instantly answered like he was expecting him to ask.
"Arthur." The absentminded Arthur who was fixing the straps of his bag looked back at his father with a dazed expression when he heard him call his name. The sides of Mr. Salacosa's mouth twitched as he studied his son. He was sure something had happened last night. However, he felt that Art was not ready to tell him anything. He could only remind him with a helpless expression and tone, "Be careful. Out of ten people you meet, five to seven of them could be vampires." Art thought, "If you warned me earlier, I would have been more grateful." Instead of assuring his father, he asked, "How long will you be gone this time?" Art never knew what kind of work his father did, but he knows he works for vampires and that his job
Art slowly felt himself getting dizzier the longer he stayed in the hall. He was obviously only sitting there doing nothing, not even talking. But the music, the blinking lights, the noisy chatter, and the smell of liquor still affected him as he is not used to any of it. Thea kept wanting to leave but the tipsy people on the table would not let her. Art thought he should tell her about going out to get some air, but he could not find the timing. In the end, he decided to go on his own and just come back later. Art stood up and easily slipped into the crowd, but his smooth exit was cut when he bumped into someone who straight up blocked his way. His eyes that were originally lowered to the floor looked up to meet a certain gaze. The red neon lights lingered on the man's face for a moment, and Art could see his muddy and clouded stare.