At first, I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me, but the veins crawling underneath the vampire's skin confirmed my doubts. His flesh began regaining colour as the blood vessels disappeared down his body, enabling movement.

"Ethan?" I spun around in a panic, fighting the nerves that gnawed away at me. He had left me. Without a weapon, I had a slim chance of survival.

How can he leave me alone?

The vampire had moved. All that remained was the mould of his body against the soft grass. My legs wobbled with uncontrollable fear as I clambered my mouth shut, afraid of mumbling in fright. It was like a blind man searching in the dead of night, unable to rely on sight alone.

Time was enduring as he lingered, waiting to pounce. It took a second before he swooped in for the kill, plummeting his jagged fangs into my neck.

Screaming, I woke up.

As I sat up, I took in the familiar surroundings. The beige throw dangled off the settee, exposing the graze on my alabaster skin. The edges were sore and rough against my fingertips.

Fiona rushed in, turning on the floor lamp in the corner of the room. "Erika, what's wrong?" It was clear to say that she had been exercising. The neon pink headband was a big clue, and the towel wrapped around her shoulders was the second.

"Nightmare." The area on my neck stung as his fangs delved into my flesh, radiating a dull ache. I shook the memory, confirming it was a dream from the lack of a bite mark.

Witnessing a vampire chomping on my neck is just as scary as Freddy Krueger visiting my dreams, if not worse. It's only a dream, but isn't that what all of Freddie's victims say?

Fiona removed the towel from around her neck, showing visible sweat marks under her armpits. "Ethan told me what happened. Do you want to talk about it?"

I was surprised at how calm she appeared. If my son had told me that he had killed a vampire, I wouldn't believe him. Vampires shouldn't be real. They were simply a myth that traumatised villagers, influencing them to hang garlic on their doors. "No, but thank you."

Reaching for the glass of water on the woven placemat, I took a sip.

"I'm going to hop in the shower, but if there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask Ethan." She loosened the tie in her hair, revealing the tresses around her shoulders. She hovered a little, rocking back and forth on the sole of her foot before she turned away.

"Can I have some paper and a pen, please?" I called out, remembering minor details from earlier.

"Of course." She disappeared into the hall and came back a moment later with a few sheets of paper and a black biro. "If you need more, the paper is in the cupboard in the hall."

I whispered my thanks and waited until she energetically jogged up the stairs before I started sketching the symbol I saw on the vampire's wrist. The tip of the pen moved effortlessly in my grasp as I drew from memory. The two upside-down triangles represented something in the circle, but what it meant was still a mystery.

"I'm surprised Mum hasn't given you a grand tour yet." Ethan leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms across his chest. His baseball top was taut, enhancing his biceps, and his muscles were slightly defined and pleasing to the eye.

How can a boy wear the most unattractive clothes and still look great?

I focused on my sketch, letting the biro trace the marks on the page. It was easier to focus on the symbol and not on his lingering presence. "Did you want something?" A part of me hoped he would say no, so he could leave.

"Nope, not really. You aren't exactly quiet, though," Ethan teased, staring at me with eager eyes.

The warmth spread across my cheeks in a rush. "I'm sorry if I woke you," I said in a hurry, readjusting the pen within my sweaty grasp.

Ethan waved off my apology, raking his hand through his wavy fringe. "I sleep like a log. To be honest, after the night you've had, I thought you would've slept longer. You've only been asleep for," he stopped and fished out his phone from his sweatpants to check the time, "about two hours."

"Two hours?" I glanced at the mahogany mantle clock on the fireplace for confirmation. I had been in Shadowbrook for more than five hours. What troubled me the most was I had slept and woken up in the same place without going back home. That hasn't happened before.

For clarity, I gazed at the marks imprinted on my palms, wondering how on earth I had become stuck between two realms. Tracing my finger across the tiny misshapen forms on the outer part of my palm, I relived the memory of last night when Ethan came to my rescue. "How did you learn how to shoot a bow?"

"Well, what can I say? I like to shoot things," he said, rubbing his earlobe between his index finger and thumb.

"Is this the first time you've killed a vampire?" The word was foreign against my tongue.

Fiona's voice startled both of us as she descended the stairs. "I can't believe you lied about what happened. You know there are consequences for killing a vampire." She was fresh out of the shower wearing a black silk dressing gown tied around her waist.

Ethan rolled his eyes and unfolded his arms. "It's not like I intended to kill him." He sat in the armchair, resting his ankle on his knee.

"You know the rules, Ethan. It's their law, and as long as we're alive, we have to respect that." Fiona took a deep breath, pacing the room with her hand on her hip.

"I'll say he walked straight into my arrow. Wrong place, wrong time," he joked.

"You think this is funny?" She whirled around, facing him. Her mouth twitched in annoyance at Ethan's lack of care. "Okay, let me take care of this," she said and rummaged through her bag for her phone. "I'll make a call."

Fiona left the door ajar as she was mumbling to the recipient over the phone.

I fiddled with the hairband on my wrist, and after tugging on the elastic several times, I tied my hair into a ponytail as best as I could. The shorter strands were stubborn and fell, framing my face. "Why did you lie?"

"Duh, because of her reaction. I knew she would react like this." Ethan leant back in the armchair, resting his arms against the soft padding.

I hid my hands under the throw as I consciously pinched the material with my fingers. "What did Fiona mean when she said there were consequences? A verbal warning? Community service?"

Maybe the less I knew, the better it would be, but something tells me I am already in the middle of it all.

"Death. One way or another, the kids here go missing. At first, the police thought it was an animal attack—a wolf, to be specific. It was only when the police from nearby villages started to suspect foul play, especially when teenagers wind up dead. You can never be too careful in a place like this." He seemed relaxed, as though he was retelling a bedtime story.

How is he calm when he is waiting to know the verdict?

Ethan clicked his fingers to grab my attention. "Hey, I'm fine. I can handle it, unlike you, blondie."

It's always the attractive guys that are the most arrogant.

I kept my mouth shut and focused on the drawing, taking out my anger on the sketches. Ethan didn't know what he was talking about. I could handle it because I was going through something far worse.

Ethan's voice filled the awkward silence as he put his bare feet on the cushion. "If you want to know about the history of Shadowbrook, you should visit the library. I don't know the nitty-gritty details, but Edwina was the girl that stood out among many. She was like a martyr to the human community."

"So, she sacrificed herself?" I tried to sound disinterested, but my pitch rose at the end, giving me away.

"Edwina stood up for human rights, but vampires saw her as a threat. So, they..." He gestured to his throat, running his finger across his Adam's apple.

A shiver ran down my spine from the horrific image implanted into my mind. They slashed her throat.

She's brave and stupid for thinking she stands a chance against a vampire.

The black protruding veins and crimson irises were enough to give anybody nightmares for days.

Fiona rushed in, ending the call abruptly. "Samuel is trying to bargain with the committee. You have to plea for self-defence."

"Who's Samuel?" I looked up from my sketches, witnessing a flushed Fiona.

"Samuel is my estranged father." She threw the phone in her opened bag and sat on the brown footstool beside me. "He's a vampire and the only person that can help us now."

A/N

Word Count: 1,538

We know a little about the history of the town, but what are your thoughts about Edwina? (She is the girl from the Prologue).

What could the symbol of the two upside-down triangles mean?

What are your thoughts about Ethan & Erika so far?

And so the plot thickens...

Have a fangtastic day!

(㇏(•̀ᵥᵥ•́)ノ)