Camarilla | z.zy ✓

CHAPTER 6

Mia opened the pot and smiled to herself when she caught a whiff of the food she was cooking. She was going to eat it alone, but she was surely going to save some for her mother so that she could also have a taste of the food Mia thought would taste incredible.

She stirred the contents of the pot then stopped when she heard a loud tap on the window. Her heart leapt out of her chest as she turned around, seeing there was someone at the window behind her. He waved at her.

Mia didn't know what to do, she just kept staring at the person and didn't move from the stove.

'Open up!' Jungwon finally interjected from outside.

'Why?' Mia asked as she walked towards the window, and she wasn't sure if he had heard her. Jungwon was a scary person, and she didn't want to be alone with him in the middle of the evening. Even though the neighbor's houses were so close, she couldn't really take the risk.

'Can I talk to you!?' he interjected again.

Seeing that Jungwon was being quite loud, Mia decided it was better for her to open the door. If the neighbors who happened to be quite gossipy heard Jungwon, they would probably assume Mia and Jungwon were in a relationship and would tell her mother who would probably overreact.

Mia slowly unlocked the door and opened it, standing face to face with Jungwon who had now walked over to the door. To be safe, she decided to still stay inside and only open the door only slightly.

'Why are you acting scared of me?' Jungwon inquired.

Mia shook her head. 'I'm not. What is it?'

'I wanted to ask you more about that kid who fell from out of nowhere. You're saying you don't know anything more?'

Mia shook her head. 'I really don't. He's had amnesia and he doesn't remember a single thing that happened.'

'Maybe he'll remember if you try to ask him more about the vampires, or show him pictures of vampires or something.'

'Last time I talked to him about vampires, he laughed to my face. I don't think a vampire did it Jungwon.'

'I'm sure it was a vampire. I told you it's way too coincidental for it not to be a vampire. Do you have his number?' Jungwon asked desperately.

Mia shook her head with a surprised look. 'Of course not, how would I get it?'

'You should...'

'I don't know...' Mia's sentence stopped mid-air when she saw her mother's car pull up in the driveway. 'Jungwon, you should go.'

'Why?' Jungwon turned his face towards the driveway as well.

'Stay away from her!' Mia's mother's voice resounded as she rushed from the car towards the kitchen backdoor.

'Me?' Jungwon wondered.

'Yes!' Mia's mother replied, now having walked closer to the two teenagers. Jungwon backed away slowly, not wanting to disobey the woman.

She wrapped her arms around Mia then started to check her face for only bruises.

'Honey are you okay?' Mia's mother asked worriedly.

'I'm fine.' Mia answered in a low tone.

'Go away!' Mia's mother said once she had turned to Jungwon. 'I don't want to see you here ever again!'

Jungwon wasn't surprised, a lot of people treated him like this. He was always being blamed for something he knew he never did. Slowly, he nodded and started to walk back to his house which was opposite to Mia's.

'Let's get back in,' her mother ushered her inside her house.

'Okay.' Mia replied. Once they were in the house, Mia's mother closed the door and locked in. She sighed once they were inside.

'Does he come around here often? Now I think this neighborhood is not safe.' Mia's mother cried.

Mia shook her head. 'No, he doesn't come around here often...he's not even my friend. He just came to ask some stuff.'

'And what if he keeps coming?' Mia put her hand on her chin in thought, she was completely worried. 'I don't want him hurting you. And you're the only teenage girl around here...I should have known you'd be his victim.'

'What? No. You don't have to worry about anything. He was just asking some stuff.' Mia assured her.

'I don't think it's safe leaving you home all alone anymore. This is all because you don't have a father. At least if you had a father I'd know you'd be safe.' Mia's mother hugged her tightly again. 'I can't leave you alone again.'

'What do you mean?' although Mia always enjoyed the idea of going to work with her mother every evening, she didn't like the fact that her mother was worried about her for no reason at all. Indeed, Jungwon was creepy, but he didn't seem like he was going to do anything to her that evening.

'No it's not safe. You can't always be alone.' she went on.

'I'm old enough though.' Mia mumbled amidst the hug.

'I'll see what I can do.'

...

The next day, Zhenyuan was sitting at the reception reading his book. It was an enjoyable novel, but he was too laden with emotions to enjoy it. Even though the sun was glimmering beautifully on the scene, it didn't do much to lift his emotions.

'Zhenyuan,' Dr. Carnie said once she appeared on the scene. 'I don't think your parents are coming, so we're going to find you a shelter for now. We can't keep you in the hospital.'

Zhenyuan sighed and nodded. 'I guess I understand. I just need some good books and I'll try to pull through.'

Mia's mother had also just entered, listening in to the conversation while standing behind Dr. Carnie who hadn't recognized her presence.

'Sorry kid, and the government looked through the records of people called Zhang Zhenyuan and nobody looked like you. Are you sure you didn't mistaken your name?' she raised her eyebrow.

Zhenyuan shook his head.

'Besides, you seem pretty strong. Maybe you should try being an athlete.' Dr. Carnie told him and walked off the scene.

Zhenyuan looked at Mia's mother then at his book, seeing that she wasn't saying anything.

'Are you excited to be out of here?' Mia's mother asked him.

Zhenyuan looked up from his book and to the lady. 'Maybe if I look at it that way it will be better. Yeah I wanna be out of this place that constantly smells like medicine but ending up at some shelter isn't necessarily my dream.'

Mia's mother once again felt herself relating to him, as she watched him focus his eyes back on his book. Ever since Zhenyuan had been at the hospital, he hadn't done nothing much except read novels and whatever book he could get his hands on. She had the notion that this boy was probably behaved, and if that was the case, he could be of help to her.

'Hey um...Zhenyuan? If you don't want to go a local shelter, I can accommodate you in my house and get you in school. I know what it's like being in a strange place without anyone to rely on and I wouldn't want you to go through that.' Mia's mother told him honestly. Apart from that, she knew it would be safer for Mia staying alone if she had a brother. And with how well-behaved he seemed, she felt she could trust him around Mia.

'What?' Zhenyuan asked with shock. 'Really?'

She nodded. 'Yes, I don't think you'd be problematic would you?'

Zhenyuan nodded. 'I wouldn't but...I'm just really surprised.' A slight smile appeared on his face. 'You can save me from going to a shelter and letting me stay with you until I find my family?'

'Yes.' she assured him, a smile appearing on his face at how excited he was.

'I'd love to. I really would. And I promise I'd never misbehave, it's the least I can do for someone who has been so kind to me.'

'Alright, I'll inform...Dr. Carnie.'