It is all inside us
Good Bad
Angel Devil
All...
It is WE who decide
what we want to be.

//Night//

** Dawn **

I have never felt like this before. Standing in front of the ancient gate, I have totally zoned out. The manor standing in front of my eyes is beckoning me. As if every brick is looking at me with sadness and a strange feeling of loneliness.

Rain is afraid, but for what I don't know. My heart is crying out to make a run towards the house. I don't know what's happening with me. I become harsh when Rain rambles craps about the house. The logic side of my brain is constantly screaming, you've officially gone crazy. Still, I can't control myself and pulling a screaming Rain, I rush for the unknowing familiar house.

☆☆☆

Standing in front of the old oak door, my eyes are fixed at the symbol crafted on the door. It's a sickle-shaped moon inside the middle of a big star. And the star is placed on a heart. On the right side of the star a long, horizontally flipped S is engraved but the stomach of the S is flat not bulging. And the top of the S is like a needle loop making the top look like small W turned upside down. And at the end of the S, a straight line is coming out from the stomach like a leg beneath the loop.

My eyes move towards the left side of the star. But the symbol on the left differs from the right. The top of the symbol is W and from right side of the W a straight long line is engraved. Also, another straight line is passing across the long straight line, diagonally.

I have seen nothing like this before. Still, I feel a strange familiarity towards it. I can't hold back the rising urge inside me to run my fingers over the symbol. I am about to stroke the symbol when Rain shoves down my hand.

"Are you sure this is the right place? Just look at those women." She gestures me to look at the women who are standing somewhat far from the door, all clad in black.

"We are standing here for a whole one minute. But they didn't even ask a single question. Nor even greeted us." Rain whispers in her trembling voice.

My eyes are roaming over those two lady in black. They are behaving as if they can't see us. I walk up to them and scan them from top to bottom. Realizing they will not budge any word, I move my hand in front of their eyes in the air.

"Hello. How may I help you two?" The lady on my right says in a raspy voice, with no kind of excitement. Slightly, I turn my head back and see Rain holding her phone to her left ear and is listening something. As much as I can see in the mild blending of blue and yellow light, her face is showing a concentration which I have never seen before.

Turning back to those women I speak softly, "one minute" and walk towards Rain.

"Hey, what're you listening with so much concentration?" I ask as Rain cut a call and smiles at me.

"Duh... I was talking with the host of the party. I got the number from the notice." Rain waves her phone in front of my eyes.

I put my arm on Rain's shoulders. "So, what did the host said?"

"It is the party and this creepy decor is for the game." Rain gestures at the manor and for a moment my eyes again get stuck on the star and the symbols crafted on the door.

"Excuse me." I turn around to meet the two alike looking women. As my eyes roam down, I see each of them holding a card towards us.

Taking the card, both Rain and I ask in unison. "What's this?" They are about to reply when Shade and Melvin comes and interrupts them.

The women give both Melvin and Shade the same card. I take a glance at the card but as soon as I see the fire painted on the card; I look away. I don't want another of my panic attacks again. Yeah, fire is one of the many triggers that evoke my attack. Fire, my worst nightmare.

I hear one of the women saying that we'll need this card inside. Rain is nagging to go inside and all of us are getting impatient, except Shade.

Shade's eyes are fixed on the card. But there is no expression on his face. His hands are clutching the card as if he is trying to hold something for some support. I call him out to get his attention. Once, twice, thrice... no response. He has totally zoned out and his eyes are still fixed on the card. Slowly my voice rises higher and higher and when it has reached its highest, Shade comes back from his world with a surprise lurking in his eyes. We all are shocked seeing all these weirdnesses, but shrugging off the rising tension we step inside a world, which is like a blend of pitch black and bright black with a tint of gloomy light.

☆☆☆

As soon as I step inside, a nostalgic wind hit me. The blend of light and shadow on the walls of the long passage in front of us are trying to tell me something.

"zzzz... Hahaha..."

Sweat forms on my forehead as I hear a man's sinister laugh and some muffled voices. I have never been to this place, but still the laughter has a familiarity.I turn to look at everyone thinking maybe they have also heard it or maybe it's a prank they are playing. But all of them are looking in front. I am surprised seeing that none of them are laughing, neither talking. Thinking it to be my mistake, I look in front. But again, different voices of people hit my ears. Most of them are shouting. Some are crying and howling in pain, and amid all those that same sinister laughter pierces my ears like pieces of broken glass. I am feeling as if I have been transported to a world where everything is getting destroyed by someone's evil conspiracy and I am its sole witness.

I am feeling cold. My whole body shivers. And then, I hear something astoundingly pleasing amidst all the chaos. It's a whisper, not so loud like the rest of the sounds, but still, it rings in my ears clearly. With a pain-stricken voice someone whispers closer to my ears,'I Love You El.' But the very next moment I hear a crying of a baby. That shrieking cry of the baby hits my heart like an icy dagger. I am feeling as if someone is shredding my heart out of my body. Suddenly I hear someone's voice.

"Dawn!" The voice is working as an ointment on my pierced heart. And just as suddenly the voices have come alive, with that suddenness the sounds die. I shiver hearing my name again, "Dawn".

I slowly follow the source of the whisper and my eyes meet with a soft glowing blue eyes. The eyes are staring at me with a frown but still a softness is glistening. In the dimly lit corridor, I recognize Shade's worried face. I try to explain all I have felt a few minutes back, but can't bring myself to tell anything. He is constantly comforting me and trying to make me speak. At last, bringing a chunk of courage within me, I speak. But all I have uttered is, "My... Home."

I feel Shade stiffening hearing it, but I don't know why I said that.

"What?" Rain quizes from aside. Holding my shoulder Rain turns me to look at her. In the little light I can still make out her eyes which are eyeing me from top to bottom with full suspicion. Then Rain breaks into a fit of laughter. The silent passage is now booming with her shrill laugh.

"You... you... have... gone... haha... to... totally... haha... crazy... hahaha!" Rain continues laughing like a maniac clutching her stomach. While laughing, she takes a glance at all of us and then shh... she stops. She knits her eyebrows together.

"Mm... I thought you are joking." Rain says as her serious tone replaces the mocking voice.

"No. I am not. I don't know why I said that, but I felt warmth and closeness after stepping inside. And..." I look at each of them and saw everyone is gazing at me as if I am giving some kind of breaking news.

"And?" All three of their voices break out with rising restlessness.

"And... I heard some. strange. voices. too." I am feeling as if I am giving an exam whose result will come out just now.

Finishing my sentence I look at them again, but they are all quiet and blank. It is pin drop silence. After whole one minute of the trance, Rain breaks it.

"Dawny... I think you're stressed. I mean we all are here with you but didn't hear a single sound. And..." Rain holds my hand in her giving me a reassuring feeling. "we have never been here before. In fact, I've never been here in my whole life and I don't think you too, within the last four years. And before that, you always were in England. You only told me that."

Rain's comforting voice is slowly calming down my anxiousness. "Yeah... I guess you're right. It's all my imagination. I've never been to this place before. Yeah... absolutely. It's all in my brain. Right. Right?"

I look at all of them. They are all giving me a reassuring smile. I look down at my feet whose fingers are fiddling with each other without my own accord. "Yeah... Right. I need to think about... um... the party."

I look up and say with extra enthusiasm, "Yes, I'll now think about the party." It comes out like self assurance because my brain has agreed with Rain, but my heart, has not. Well, that's why it's called, stupid, stubborn heart.

"Okay. Come. Let's go. The party is already in full swing." Rain pulls my hand and walks but after walking like two steps she halts. She turns around giving Shade a suspicious look.

"Well... you guys are new in this town right? Then, how come you know this place and you," She points her index finger at Shade and asks frowning, "even took the shortcut. How did you know?" Rain raises an eyebrow and gives Shade an interrogating look.

Shade looks at Rain for few seconds then turns his gaze towards Melvin. My eyes are wavering between Shade and Melvin while they are doing some kind of eye talk.

Finally, after thirty to thirty-five seconds of an intense eye lock, Shade speaks looking at Rain.

"Mm... well. Our family used to live here before your birth. So---"

"Your?" Rain interrupts with her question. Shade is looking at Rain, confused, with no idea what she is talking about.

"You said before 'your' birth. I mean before our birth." Rain gestures at me and herself. "What's your age? Hundred?" Rain is behaving as a CBI officer with hands on her hips.

"Huh?" Shade frowns but within a second, realization hit him. "No, no, I mean before our birth." Shade waves his hand in the air gesturing towards everyone. "So... after we got the address. We asked our family for the direction and mom told us about this shortcut." I am shocked seeing Shade lying so fluently. Maybe he can't lie in front of me. Stop it Dawn. You're not important to him. And remember who he is? You... hate him.

"Okay. Cool." Rain finally believes. Turning towards the silent corridor she pulls my hand again making me walk with her. Walking, I slightly turn my head back and see the vampires hugging each other. Seeing their closeness and the previous eye talk, I have joined the dots. I have realized that Melvin is not different from Shade. And seeing them embracing each other with so much care, a thought flickers in my mind, that maybe... Maybe vampires are not always monsters. A small smile creeps up to my face as I turn my head in front and follow the booming noise of music.

☆☆☆

** Shade**

As the girls blend with the dark and the light of the passage, I look at Melvin whose eyes are still fixed on the passage. Realizing, that I am staring at him, he turns his questioning eyes towards me mouthing, "What?".

"Your girlfriend should become a detective." I say it as a matter of fact.

"She's smart right?" Melvin gives me a smirk as if he is enjoying the situation.

"I'm not joking Vin." Hearing my serious tone, Melvin comes closer and puts his arm on my shoulders from the side.

"Just chill man. She will not eat you and look at yourself! You're still alive after her questions right?" Melvin lightly punches my arm pulling away his arm from my shoulders.

"Now give your brother a hug baby." He pulls me in a hug as I roll my eyes hearing his cheesiness. Melvin chuckles as I mumble, "You both are perfect for each other."

We stand that way for a whole one minute but Melvin is in no mood to pull away. I pat his back saying, "Dear Vin, it's now getting awkward. So... with your due permission, can we pull away?"

"Ya, ya. Whatever." Pulling away from each other we break into a laugh and walk into the passage.

As we reach the end of the passage, we see a turn on the right and come face to face with a throbbing sound and a mixture of various coloured neon lights passing through the plain glass door. It is the door of a hall and we need to walk four to five steps more to step inside. Dawn and Rain are standing in front of the door talking with a man. Melvin is in front of me and I am about to take the turn but I stop on the path. I have a sudden feeling of uneasiness. I sense a presence behind us. As if someone is watching us. Out of instinct, I glance back. In the flickering of light, I see a dark shadow standing at that place, where we were standing a few minutes back. Seeing me glancing back, the shadow moves away in the dark but I can't say it has moved away by walking, rather; it has moved away by floating.

☆☆☆

Hello friends!!! This is it. The next chapter. Everything is slowly unfolding. I hope you liked this chapter.Thanks a lot for all the reads, votes and comments and also for the advices. Also sorry for the late update.

Please let me know how do you feel about the story till now and if I need to do any change. 😊😊

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Thanks a lot for reading it. I'll be updating again within two or three days, I hope so, as I'm judging few awards so, it might get late but I'll update for sure and sorry once again for the late update.
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