11:00 am,6/8/2018. 

Scarlet woke up to rays of sun shining outside her window. As partly vampire she had a black curtain to block out the sunlight from burning her skin. When she went out she'd apply sunblock to protect herself. She always thought that it cost so much to be a supernatural. 

She got out of bed and went to brush her teeth and comb her hair. She then got out of her room and went to the kitchen. Both her parents had left for work already. Her parents were forensic doctors who'd dissect dead bodies.

She took 4 eyes from the fridge and turned on the TV. She switched to the news channel.

"2 cops are missing and they were last heard and seen at 8 pm yesterday in the Central Park. A witness claimed that he saw the cops in the park and later they were attacked by a ghoul that came out from the side at quick speed. Their heads were sliced off instantly and the witness said he hid behind a bush. Only their clothes that are stained with blood were found."

"Shit," Scarlet muttered to herself as she chewed the eyes. She took a deep breath.

"If they keep investigating, they would certainly get to us and take more actions to eliminate ghouls and other supernaturals. Fuck, what should I do if the cops come here?" She thought and furrowed her eyebrows. 

She decided to just leave after eating and go to the gym to work out. She needs a fit and strong physique to escape from the hunters. 

She changed into tight leggings and a t-shirt. "I have to leave through the window and return to the apartment with the escalator, since the CCTV didn't capture me return last night," she thought to herself. 

She turned into a bat and flew out of the window. 

- 

5 pm, 6/8/2018.

Scarlet stepped out of the shower with wet hair dripping water down her shoulders. She left the gym and walked into a dark alley, it was a shortcut. It was evening and the sun was going down. She was tired from the workout. 

Two large, broad men appeared in front of her all of a sudden, holding a shining and glowing elastic rope in one hand and a silver shield in the other. They were in some sort of clothes that looked like bulletproof vests but definitely much more powerful. They were two of the hunters that got her sisters in the cinema a few months ago. 

"Fuck," Scarlet thought, "These men are big, I'm at disadvantage." 

"Just surrender already, young lady," a man said with a sly smile. "I don't want to hurt you, my boss told me to catch you alive."

Scarlet's left eye turned black and her iris was red. She's in her real form now, half- vampire and half- ghoul.

"What did you do to my sister?!" She demanded. 

"Are you that desperate to know?" The other man laughed wickedly. "Don't worry, you'll be with her soon." 

"I must kill you both today," Scarlet said to herself.

"So, what've you decided? Just come to us and surrender already."

"Not in a million years. Never!" She yelled as she stretched out her hands and shot out beams of deadly lasers to each of the men. 

The men used the shields to block out the lasers. Their ropes extended and they swang it to hit Scarlet. The ropes would burn her skin really badly if she touched them. She turned into a bat in the twinkle of an eye and flew up. She shot out lasers again.

One of the men swinged his rope and attempted to tie Scarlet with it, but she successfully dodged it with her fast speed. The other man, however, did the same thing and got her. A look of extreme fury stretched over her face and she tried to break free. The rope broke. 

Scarlet was happy for a moment but she let her guard down. The other man got her with his rope and she instantly felt pain. The other broken rope extended and caught her too. She was caught and tied up in two ropes. She tried struggling and biting the ropes off with her fangs but failed and she turned back into human form. The ropes started burning her clothes and very soon penetrated through the clothes into her skin. 

"Ah!" She screamed in excruciating pain and panicked. She tried struggling and breaking free but the ropes were too strong. "These shit hurt like hell," she thought to herself and started tearing up. 

"We suggest you stop struggling. The more you struggle, the tighter this rope gets," one man said and pulled his rope, making it even tighter. Scarlet screamed again in agony. She was panting heavily and she felt like she was about to pass out. 

"Fuck... I'm losing..." A thought crept into her mind. "No, no!" She shouted to herself in despair.

Suddenly blood slashed out from the men's back and their expressions turned rigid. Their heads fell off. The ropes then loosened and Scarlet was free. But she was too weak to fly, and she fell to the floor facing it.

"What... happened... fuck... it hurts..." she muttered as she was wrapped in blood and in pain. 

"Hey, are you okay?" A voice asked her worriedly. She looked up and saw a young guy in a blue sweater, jeans and sneakers. He had straight but messy black hair, a pointy nose and soft red lips with beautifully dark brown eyes. They weren't big but they are expressive.

"...Who are you? Did you just help me?" Scarlet could barely open her eyes. 

"Oh hey," the man knelt down and tried to help her get up. "I'm a sorcerer and yes I just helped you." He couldn't help her get up as she was too badly hurt.

"It hurts really badly, I feel like my bones are melting," she cried.

"Relax, I can help you," the guy put his hand over her bleeding shoulder and it healed in 5 seconds. The painful look faded into a smile on Scarlet's face. She opened her eyes and looked at her shoulder.

"Wow... your power is really useful. Thanks," she smiled as the guy put his hands over her neck and her stomach. 

"Hey, it's fine. We are kind of the same type after all. Different from humans,"he smiled too.

"I guess so," Scarlet chuckled and the guy put his hand on her thigh, she had a really deep wound there. "My name is Scarlet," she introduced herself.

"I'm glad I saved you, Scarlet. My name is Max, I'm a wizard," Max replied.

"I'm half- vampire and half- ghoul," Scarlet sighed. 

Max's eyes widened. "Wow, you're the first mixed supernatural I've encountered. No wonder why you are so targeted by the hunters."

Scarlet let out a sad laugh. "Yea, I was nearly shot last night. My sister is mixed too, but they got her in March when we were watching a movie."

Max looked at her eyes and could feel her sadness. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Scarlet. I hope she's fine."

She took a deep breath after a while and sat up, "I can shoot out lasers that cause serious harm to humans. I can turn into a bat too. I can do both at the same time."

Max put his hand away from her thigh, "I can mutter spells and control bodies of humans, including their organs. I was invisible and I cut their veins just now," he looked at the corpses of the hunters. 

She looked up at him. "Wow, that's impressive, Mr. Wizard. Um, would you mind if I ask to see your wand?"

"No problem," Max put his fingers in an "ok" gesture and stretched his hand over the air. A wand appeared out of thin air.

"Wow, that's... so cool," Scarlet's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Thanks, you too. Hey, I'm 21. How old are you?"

"I'm 16. Thank you so much for you help," Scarlet thanked him really sincerely.

"My girlfriend is 16 too. Oh, you're welcome. "

"Oh, you have a girlfriend!" Scarlet's eyes brightened. "What is she? Is she a vampire? A werewolf? Or a sorcerer like you?" 

"She's a human," Max replied in a nonchalant tone. 

"Oh." Scarlet felt like she said something wrong. "Does she know you're... um... not like her?"

"Nope, she doesn't. She's quite bratty and annoying sometimes to be honest," Max shrugged.

"I see. Well, she's your girlfriend so maybe just tolerate her? Also are you in university?" Scarlet raised her eyebrows. 

"Maybe, and yes it's my final year at university. I take engineering."

"Wow that sounds cool as hell. You must be smart," Scarlet said in an envious tone. 

"No," Max laughed. "I'm not."

After a while, Scarlet stood up. "Hey Max, I'm very grateful for you today... but... why did you have to kill them and save me?" 

Max stood up too. "Because I hate them too. They killed my older brother 3 years ago." 

Scarlet was shocked. "I thought sorcerers weren't their target!"

"You wish. They target sorcerers too. Besides, all supernaturals are considered dangers towards humans. We can never coexist." Max sighed. 

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Hey, it's getting late. We should go home before more hunters come... "Max looked at his watch. "But maybe we should exchange numbers? So you can call me if anything happens. It's nice to make a new friend too."

"Sure," Scarlet took Max's phone from his hand and entered her number. "Text me then," she smiled. "Now I have to take them home for dinner," she pointed at the dead bodies of the hunters.

"Oh, sure. Do you need some help?" Max asked.

"No thanks, I'll just fly," Scarlet turned into a bat. "Bye Max."

"Well, bye, and enjoy your dinner," he waved and walked away. 

Scarlet flew towards the dead bodies.

-

"God damn it I'm hungry as fuck," Scarlet muttered as she munched down some blood vessels. Then she took a large bite from the arm. 

"Fresh human flesh taste so good."

Suddenly the door opened. Her parents are home. 

"What happened?" Her dad asked in shock when he saw 2 dead human bodies lying across their rectangular dining table. 

"Basically, I was attacked today and I nearly died. A sorcerer who passed by helped me kill the hunters and here they are," she explained. 

"I told you to stay home unless necessary," her mom sighed. 

"I am not young and I can take care of myself," Scarlet argued. "I'm a grown person."

"Yea right, you're not a person. And you nearly died today," her mom rolled her eyes.

"Just sit down and eat," her dad sighed.

The family had their dinner in silence. Scarlet turned on the TV and switched to the news channel. 

"Two ghoul hunters went missing when they were on a mission today. A witness claimed that she saw 2 men being carried by some sort of bird or bat in the evening in the sky. The incident is classified as an attack done by supernatural beings. Their weapons were left in a dark alley. The police suspects that the hunters were nearly succeeding in taking a ghoul down but got attacked by something else. Their bodies are nowhere to be seen but the government has cooperated with the Supernatural Elimination Organisation (SEO) and would take all supernaturals that are considered a threat to humans down. The SEO warns citizens to stay home unless necessary and avoid going out late at night."

"The case of the 2 police officers that went missing last night is considered another attack by supernaturals." 

"Look what you've done, Mom," Scarlet blamed as she chewed a flesh off an arm.

"Well you drew their attention too," her mom said, chewing a liver.

"I didn't choose to draw their attention but you attacked them first!" 

"You guys should just stop arguing and finish the food. And stop hunting," her dad drank a bowl of blood. 

"Fuck it," Scarlet finished the arm and some blood vessels and returned to her room.

-

"I don't even want to go out anymore... it's so dangerous outside and I don't know if I'll be so lucky next time," she sat on her bed and looked out to the night view of Hong Kong. So glamorous. 

"A shame that I can't go out and fly tonight."

Her phone popped up a notification from an unknown number. 

"Hey Scarlet it's Max. Did you enjoy your dinner?" 

"Oh, it's Max," she thought to herself. "My lifesaver."

Scarlet : Hey Max you can call me Scar, all my friends call me that. Yea I did enjoy my dinner.

Max : Scar as in Lion King? 

Scarlet : Well yea lol. Scar. 

Max : That's funny. Scar, are your friends ghouls? Humans?

Scarlet : Nah, I have a werewolf friend and an enchantress friend. I never really talked to anyone in my life tbh. They talked to me first.

Max : Well I can understand as you're so rare, haha. 

Scarlet thought about the guy she met from work. Is he human? Is he a vampire? A ghoul? She felt like Max can be a really nice friend to talk to...

Scarlet : Hey Max.

Max : Yea?

Scarlet : Look I think I'm interested in this guy... and I want to talk to him but I'm worried...

Max : You're worried about...?

Scarlet : I don't know... Maybe he's a human and what if he's secretly a hunter... And also even if he's a supernatural like us, what if he messes around with my feelings?

Max : Are you that interested in him?

That question hit Scarlet hard. "I didn't even talk to him yet and I don't even know his name but I'm always thinking about him already just because he kept staring at me?"

Scarlet : I don't know... I guess so?

Max : Just be careful. My ex was a vampire and she told me about a male vampire who'd always mess with girls' feelings. His name is Torn. He's crazy and sometimes even kills vampires to drink their blood!

Scarlet : Wtf that's just sick. 

Max : Yea so... if you unfortunately ever come across him then just be careful.

Scarlet : Okay. I will. Thanks Max. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight.

Scarlet sighed. What if that guy is a ghoul? "Well then we can maybe be a couple... and he can protect me if he's powerful..." Scarlet started fantasising.

"I wish that can happen... although he's not flawless he's so attractive and he just has this special aura around him that keeps drawing my attention! And why's he always looking at me...? He's probably interested in me!" Scarlet thought and smiled.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep. 

-

11 pm, 6/8/2018. 

Inside the headquarters of the SEO. A conference room with a few people.

"Fucking useless assholes!" He shouted as he slammed a file onto the conference table.

"Boss, calm down. We would get her next time," a lady apologised.

"They fucking got killed!" The man shouted again.

"Don't worry, we'll handle them much better..." another man said softly with a cunning smile. "We have the guns."

-