• My eyes fluttered open, the repetitive dream misting away from my sight, my body still full of the pleasant nub feeling. I could see clearly, no fog came to blur my vision. I looked closely, my right leg was put in a deep purple cast.
    “Ahhh good to see you’ve woken up,” a woman walked in, her body aged, but not her personality. “That was quite some fall you took there, Hai.”
    “Fall?” I questioned.
    “Yeah, apparently you became unconscious and fell down the stairs. You got quite a lot of scars and bruises, not to mention you broke your ankle. Edan brought you over here early this morning.”
    “Edan brought me here?”
    “Yes and good thing too, you had lost rather a lot of blood. In fact he has been waiting outside all day. I’ll go let him in.” She walked over to the door, and motioned him in. They walked over together, the elderly nurse’s pager vibrated. “Oops I’ve got to run. Somebody isn’t feeling well.” She smiled and exited the room.
    Edan gently grabbed my hand, saying nothing.
    “Y-you’re a-a,” I stuttered.
    “Just say it, Hai,” he sighed, avoiding my eyes.
    “You’re a vampire? Aren’t you?”
    Edan gave a deep sigh, “Yes. It’s hard to admit, but it’s true.”
    “Then why didn’t you kill me?” I muttered.
    “I don’t kill humans.”
    “I see. But then how come you had such self control? You’ve got to be really old to have that kind of control.”
    “First of all I haven’t been like this for very long, and second I really don’t have an explanation for that.”
    “How long have you been like this, Edan?”
    He gave another sigh, “I don’t want to cause you worry.”
    “Tell me.”
    “No. You’ve got too much to worry about already.”
    “Like what?”
    “The Damned, for some reason they want you, and it’d be best for you to be careful. They are not the sort of people you want to be around, trust me.”
    “Why would they want me?”
    “I don’t know Hai, but I do know this. If they do get you, be prepared for death, they are from the Netherworld.”
    “Oh, I understand.”
    “Just promise me you’ll be more careful.”
    I sighed. “Promise.” I started to feel lethargic.
    “Good, now just lie down.”
    “Not until you tell me how long you have been a vampire,” I declared stubbornly.
    “Hai-,” he started.
    “Please?”
    He avoided my eyes again, “Six months.” Six months? That wasn’t very long; I should expect him to be ravenous and uncontrollable. But he wasn’t like that at all. He had saved my life.
    Edan started for the door, “Wait!” I called. He turned around, “Thank you,” I whispered sheepishly. Edan walked up to me, brushed the choppy chunks of hair out of my face, and placed his cool dead lips to my cheek. I couldn’t believe it.
    Edan kissed me.
    “Just be careful. Now go to sleep.” That’s when I for sure saw it, yellow eyes. I uncontrollably and drowsily closed my eyes. I felt his cold hand tuck my hair behind my ear. The world was fading away.
    I had learned a few things

    A group from the Netherworld called the Damned was after me.
    Edan was a vampire.
    There was a chance he was in love with me.
    And that there was a small chance loved him back.

    The whole world was gone in a flash, embers standing in its place.