Camarilla | z.zy ✓

CHAPTER 20

'What?' Yaxuan laughed a little. 'You're obviously not a vampire. If you were, you'd have bit us all.'

'I don't know but I'm seeing signs Chengxin, I'm telling you.' he put his hands on Yaxuan's shoulders in desperation. 'I don't know what happened with the nurse but I found that I had almost bit her. My blood is dark in color and cold, I feel really attracted to blood and I found a crown with the name Zhang Zhenyuan on it.'

Yaxuan rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably. 'Well...'

'You're scared aren't you? I'm a master right?'

'No that's not what I wanted to say...look...'

'Back to class everyone! Back to class!' the principal interrupted their conversation. 'What are you doing here talking when classes are in progress!?'

'I'll tell you later.' Yaxuan assured him before they started walking back to class with the rest of the students that had rushed to the nurse's office.

...

After classes, Mia walked over to Zhenyuan quickly. He had already gotten up from his seat, ready to go home.

'Zhenyuan...what happened? It was really lack of iron wasn't it?' She asked him with concern.

Zhenyuan nodded and didn't say anything.

'I told my mom,' she continued to explain. 'She said we shouldn't go home, we should go straight to the hospital. Also, she doesn't want us being home alone with what happened to Chengxin. That was so creepy.'

'Geez I'm 17 years old, I'm pretty sure I could handle a vampire.' he answered in a bored tone. Well, also because the creatures spreading terror were probably one of his kind.

Yaxuan and Jungwon walked towards Zhenyuan and Mia, ready to get home.

'Sorry guys, my mom wants us at the hospital 'cause she needs to check on Zhenyuan and she doesn't want us home alone.' she explained. 'Guess we'll walk home together next time.'

'Okay, bye guys.' Jungwon was the first to announce, followed by Yaxuan. The two of them left the classroom while conversing.

'Let's go.' Mia told Zhenyuan after a while of silence.

Zhenyuan nodded. He remembered that he was supposed to talk to Yaxuan before he left, but he could save it for the next day. He really wanted to hear what Yaxuan had to say, but he was probably too skeptical about it. But maybe some skepticism is really what Zhenyuan needed.

He followed Mia, with a sad look still on his face. She understood that he may have been sick, so she didn't force a conversation on him. Besides, she enjoyed the silence too sometimes.

'So how long does it take to get to the hospital on foot? I really don't know.' he finally spoke.

'Maybe like 30 minutes? It's not that far from here.' She answered him.

He nodded. Everything on this side of town seemed so new, because he had only been around here once and it was in a car. That was the day when Mia's mother took him away from the hospital and introduced him to his new home.

'You haven't really been here right?' Mia read his mind.

'Yeah. It's a better place this side.' he observed the better looking buildings and the numerous cafes and food shops. Their side was much bleaker and darker. There was even an aroma of cake in the air, but unfortunately for Zhenyuan, he didn't really find the smell particularly tempting.

'Do you smell that?' Mia asked him with a smile.

Zhenyuan nodded.

'It smells so good doesn't it?' she asked him again.

He nodded once more, wanting to make himself seem normal. 'Smells really great.'

'Let's get ice cream.' Mia pointed at an ice cream store beside them. 'Most times when I'm here with my mom, we get ice cream.'

'Okay. Sure, I'm definitely craving ice cream!' he exaggerated his hunger once again.

'Yeah, you really need to eat. You look terrible.' She walked into the ice cream shop, and Zhenyuan followed behind her. She walked over to the counter to order some ice cream, while Zhenyuan stood behind her a distance away.

He looked around the ice cream store, and just like the day before, he found that someone was looking at him. He felt uncomfortable. But it got worse when he noticed that it was the man who had pulled him in the alley.

'Earth to Zhenyuan,' Mia said for the 3rd time, until Zhenyuan finally focused back on her. 'What are you looking at?' she asked him curiously, noticing that he had zoned out.

'Um...nothing.' he turned back to Mia. 'What did you say? I'm sorry, I didn't quite get you.'

'Yeah I noticed.' She shook her head. 'I wanted to know what flavor of ice cream you'd like. I'm having strawberry and vanilla.'

'Same.' he replied with a smile.

She nodded then turned back to the counter. Zhenyuan's eyes once again set on the man, and he was still staring back at him. He wondered if he should go back there and ask him what was going on. He wanted to know, but then again, he didn't. So he simply looked towards the counter as well.

'Thank you.' Mia smiled as she took the two ice creams. She handed one to Zhenyuan, and he gladly took it. The two of them left the ice cream store, and as expected, Zhenyuan didn't like it. It tasted more like ice than ice cream.

'This is delicious,' he said to her after he had taken one lick.

'You don't really like it do you? Your words say you do but your face doesn't agree with you.' she frowned. 'Zhenyuan, you have to be eating. It's not healthy to go long hours without eating like this.'

'I know.' he agreed with her as they walked. 'By the way, you finally feel comfortable with me don't you? You were really shy and reserved at first.' he changed the subject.

'Yeah, I'm just not usually comfortable with many people. I guess that's what happens when you grow up with one person.' She chuckled. 'But you're cool.'

'I hope you don't mind me asking, but what happened to your dad anyway?'

'Well,' Mia looked at the sky momentarily. 'My dad died when I was pretty young. I didn't really remember him, but my mom said we were the best of friends. She said ever since he died, I lost that spark.'

'Meaning you were once more exciting than you are now?'

'Heyyy, do you mean I'm boring?' She glowered. 'Anyway, I guess so. Because I don't really have fun with life now. It's pretty boring and seems like a waste of time to me. So anyway, my mom is always in the business of protecting me and the like simply because she feels bad about everything.'

There came that word again: protection. It reminded Zhenyuan of what he was supposed to do. But he started to think that was a failed mission. How was he going to protect Mia from something he probably was? In fact, wasn't he the one who was going to hurt her? He constantly felt the wrong kind of allure to her, and he had once probably almost bit her. How was he even going to tell Mia and her mother the thoughts inside his head?

'You're zoning out again.' She reprimanded him.

'No I'm not.' he defended himself even though he was actually zoning out. He looked at her as she continued to talk. She was so beautiful and innocent, and he really needed to protect her.

He cared about Mia, he loved her.