The rain creates a sweet song she neglects while sitting in front of her window, waiting for him to come. She knows that if he doesn't she would be free, and her life can get back to normal. But still, in the back of the head, she wants him to come.

It's been a month since that fateful night, and still no sign of him.

Is this it? The end of her suffering? But then, why freedom is harder to live with?

She is fighting herself, hating what she feels and loving how she feels at the same time.

She thinks of the time she met him, still struggling to remember what exactly happened. But whenever that moment passes through her head is like someone is pressing her head down and she only remembers bits and pieces. And she holds on to that.

What if that night never happened? When she was going home late at night to bring medicine to her mother. A handsome stranger stopped her before she entered her home. His blue eyes fixed on her, the moon shining in his hair, giving it a dark blue shine. His lips so colored, as if they were made of cherries.

What happened next is a mystery. She only knows she was weak for two days. She was so sad she couldn't even remember how she got inside her home. Her mother was already asleep is all she remembers.

She met him again after that, two weeks later.

A man approached her on the market while she was passing by the apples and said:
"Good morning, Emily".

She turned around, saw him and recognized his face right away! But for some reason, even after she didn't remember anything else, not even his name, she didn't feel fear. In fact, she felt nothing. She stared at him, not saying anything back. He took her hand to his lips to give her a gentle kiss. She stood still, not saying a word, while he smiled:

"You look dashing my lady. You would look wonderful in a brand new dress!"

But this lady was not present, she could listen to everything that he is saying and doing, but as if she is seeing all this from afar, and cannot act.

"You can ask me how I am this morning, " he continued speaking.

"How are you this morning", she said to him right away.

"I'm very well my dear!" he smiled at her, as a blonde man approached them.

"You are pathetic Marcus," the blonde man said.

"Oh, I'm just having fun" Marcus responded.

And in the blink of an eye, both men were gone. Emily resumed her errands in the market. Not once did she thought of the handsome guy. She brought her mother three apples that day.

She smiled when she remembered Lucas's comment on the market, while she still is sitting by the window, ignoring the beautiful raindrops that make their way down in a magnificent dance.

She saw the blonde man rarely, only Marcus, who was strange, but also very normal.

Like, he would do something to her, that she would not remember, but it would be okay because it's necessary, as he would say.

Unfortunately for Emily, one day he decided he was tired. He appeared in front of her out of nowhere and that was the first time she would see his red eyes and his strange teeth right before she felt pain on her neck and her vision blurred. He looked at her eyes and said:
"Just don't tell anyone, my love."

And he was gone in a blink of an eye.

She was weak again, but it only lasted half a day this time. She was mortified by the face she saw in him. She didn't want to meet him again, but couldn't confide to anyone. Something was stopping her from telling anyone. She wouldn't even think about him when she was surrounded by other people.

Her mother would ask what's wrong, and she would not know what to say, so she would get quieter but with a mild smile on her face...

She was tired of standing in front of the window, waiting for him to come back, wishing she never met him. But she did, again and again.

As that second time in the market. She was getting fresh cucumbers for her mother when he approached her:

"Emily" is all he said.

She turned around in fear. Still, as someone was holding her legs she couldn't run. He looked deep in her eyes and said to her:

"Don't be scared, my dear."

And as soon as he spoke those words to her the fear was gone and that confused her even more.

She looked at him without speaking or moving.

"I would like to take you to the ball later. Lucas will be furious with me of course. He doesn't like when I take humans with me. But then, it's not fun if I don't!"

She looked at him, not fearing him, but her heart did skip a beat when he said, humans. What does that mean?

"My lady, before sunset be sure to get out of your house and get in the cottage waiting for you. And of course, as always, don't tell anyone of me."

She made the cucumbers for her mom, cutting them one by one. Saying nothing. Her mother was worried. Something was wrong with her child. Once happy Emily was now a shadow of her former self. She worried that her sickness is the reason for that, for making her child's life sad. If only she would get better.

She remembered how she was preparing medicine for her mother that day, but as soon as she sensed the sunset is near, she walked out of the house and got inside the cottage. She was taken out of it forcefully and taken by a group of ladies who bathed her and made her hair. They were so rude to her and her body. She felt pain by their touch. Soon they put her in the nicest dress she has ever seen, so big she had to learn how to walk. But it came easily once as she made a few circles in front of the mirror.

She sensed a presence behind her. She turned around and saw him: Marcus.

"I knew you would look dashing!"

She responded nothing, not even a smile for the compliment she received. He got close to her face and said:

"You can talk whenever you like, and say whatever is on your mind. But don't leave until I say so."

She felt as she could breathe again.

"Why am I here?" is the first thing she said.

"Because I want you to be here," he responded right away.

"But how did I just left my mother, and who are you? I want to leave, but I can't, why?"

"I hope you speaking won't exhaust me..." he let out a lazy air. "Listen, you do as I say and you can't help it. No one can. And I, as I've told you before, but you don't remember, am Marcus. Your friend."

"This doesn't make any sense," she distanced herself from him. "Why I don't trust you being my friend, and I... I would remember your name, I've seen you before," she continued.

Marcus took her hand at that moment and put his finger on her mouth.

"Shhhh, don't ruin this, you are leaving a bad impression with your questions," he moved his hand from her lips and took her hand, "it's sad that no matter what I say you should do or think, I cannot control how you feel deep down about me, but I assure you, I've told you my name before. But I kindly asked you to forget it."

"I don't understand..."

"It's alright, it's not your fault."

"No, I understand what are you saying, but I don't understand how you do it!" she said to him.

"You understand now?" he looked at her amused.

"You told me not to leave until you say so, and I'm not leaving, despite wanting to. And it's the logical thing one would do, still, here I am!" she explained, looking in the ground, and then to him to try to guess how can he do this.

Satisfied, he took her by the hand with a smile that showed his beautiful, ordinary teeth.

They entered the ballroom together. The room was full of people dressed in the most beautiful outfits. Most of them wore masks. She turned around and he smiled at her. A man runs towards them and gave them two masks. She took hers and held it before her face. It was beautiful. Every single person in the room was handsome. The woman wore the most beautiful gowns. Their masks were so beautiful. As she turned around to see every corner and every person, someone grabbed her hand!

"What is she doing here?" the blonde man yelled at Marcus.

"She is my plus one, brother" Marcus calmly answered.

"You two are brothers? You don't look alike," she said to them.

The blonde man turned to her and then to Marcus:

"She speaks freely now...?"

"Lucas, relax, she won't say a word to anyone."

"Marcus..."

"Brother, you worry too much!"

"I worry," Lucas tried not to yell, "because I am sick of cleaning your mess! You will return her."

"...after the ball," Marcus said and took her by the hand to distance themselves from Lucas, but when she turned back he was already gone.

"Do you wish to dance my Lady?" Marcus asked her.

"I... I've never danced before..."

"What?! You must!" he took her by the waist, "let me show you."

She was shaking, she always wanted to dance, dressed in a beautiful dress, surrounded by people, just as now, but she never had the chance to.

She remembered this dance, still sitting by the window. A smile sneaked on her face.
The way he held her, his intoxicating smell, his cheek pressing against hers, his remarks whispered softly to her.
It was a dear memory. Even after his confession.

"I want to ask you something," she said to him.

"Go on" he encouraged her while walking towards the balcony.

"I'm not sure if it really happened, but I remember clearly, you had red eyes and your teeth were sharp, and..."

He stopped her with his finger on her mouth.

"It was my fault, not taking care of that, but I was in a rush."

"What did you do? It reopened my wound from an injury when I was younger."

"Yes. But that's a lie. You never had a wound there as a child. It was something I did to you when we first met." He says to her as they are both leaning on the fence on the balcony.

"What did you do? And your eyes..."

He moved closer to her, holding her waist and pulling her to his face. She shivered but stayed still. He pecked her lips and then looked deep into her eyes:

"I drank your blood Emily," is what he said.

Confused, she didn't know what to say to that. Partly because it's strange for someone to drink your blood, but also because he touched her lips with his. She felt a strange sensation in her belly, and couldn't take her eyes from him.

He smiled all amused. Took her by the waist once again and attacked her innocent lips. Overwhelmed, she lost balance. Fortunately he held her and she fell more deeply in his embrace. As soon as the kiss broke, he got close to her ear, feeling her trance and whispered:

"I'm a vampire Emily."