'"Jake!" I scream.He doesn't turn.I race out into the night, trudging through the ice-cold water.I grab Jake hyung's arm, but he doesn't seem to notice me.I know I have no choice.Just before my face becomes submerged, I bite.Jake hyung goes limp, an...
We sprinted deeper and deeper into the forest, unsure where we were headed. The boys were going so fast, but I - having the shortest legs between us - could only watch as they grew further and further away from me. One of the powers I had failed to pick up as a half vampire was super speed. I was panicking, realizing I may be abandoned once more. But then Sunoo, who seemed to be struggling like me, turned and saw me far behind them. He took one last glance the others before running back for me, grabbing my arm and pulling me along even though he seemed to be just as exhausted as I was. We were getting further and further away from the others, my extra weight slowing Sunoo down.
'Sunoo, I'm sorry for this, are you going to be ok?' I asked.
'Don't worry, I live with Ni-ki, being exhausted is part of my daily routine.'
Almost as though he heard his name, Ni-ki turned and saw us, shouting something at the boys before sprinting full speed back to us and grabbing my other arm. He showed no sign of exhaustion and pulled the two of us along fast enough to almost catch up with the others. We ran. I'm not sure for how long, because I lost count after the first five minutes. The stitch in my side was killing me and I was panting so hard I thought I might collapse. But as we ran the dense forest around us became brighter and brighter, until a clear light shined in from the trees. Ni-ki stopped, causing Sunoo and I to collapse to the ground, gasping in air.
Once I had regained enough oxygen to talk, I sat up slowly and saw the six boys examining a sign post on the side of the road. We had left the forest, and seemed to have reached a sort of remote village. The path beneath me was cobbled and the few buildings that I saw reminded me of the houses from my old village. The boys seemed to be discussing something seriously as they pointed at the sign post. Sunoo and I exchanged a look before getting up and joining them.
'Jungwon-ah, where are we?' Sunoo asked Jungwon, who was crouching on the floor beneath the sign post in deep thought.
'I don't know. I don't ever remember being outside of the orphanage when I was younger, and Jay hyung, Jake hyung and Sunghoon hyung say they don't remember too, but Heeseung hyung thinks he might remember this place,' Jungwon explained. 'He thinks he remembers coming here with Ni-ki once when he was a baby. He says Ni-ki was sick so he came looking for help, but the villagers here refused because he was a vampire. This is one of those anti-vampire villages. If we're going to stay here we'll need to lay low.'
'But we need to get food and water!' Jake exclaimed. 'How are we going to survive without any money?'
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(Just a reminder that this is the same Ikeu who spend 80,000 won on a slinky (en o'clcok episode 5) Soz I just had to)
'No you don't. We don't need this right now, none of us are starving. We'll save it till we're hungry and then split each one between four people. I have twenty pounds. That can only last us a few days. We can get water for free in some places so we don't have to worry about that. Has any one else got money?' I asked. They all turned out their pockets and shook their heads. But I glimpsed something gold in the palm of Heeseung's hand.
'What's that?' I asked.
'It's a key,' he told me.
'For what?'
'I'm not sure. I've had it since I came to the orphanage but I've never been able to figure out what it's for. I carry it everywhere.' Heeseung explained, holding it out. I caught sight of something on his wrist.
'What about that watch?' I asked. It was a peculiar color, something between silver and bronze. He stared at it.
'I got that from the orphanage on my 12th birthday,' he said.
'My mum used to say that things like that could sell for a lot,' I told him. He looked down at the small object and turned it over in his hand. Finally he sighed and said:
'You're right... I guess I don't want anything from that orphanage anyway,' he muttered, his face tensing. He took it off and handed it to me. 'Do what you have to do.'
I left the others to pick the berries which I said were safe to eat, hoping the chocolate bars, berries and a loaf of bread would be enough to last us a day. Heeseung and I went off into the village, agreeing that I would do the talking whilst hiding my fang. First I went to buy a loaf of bread, then stopped off at a cafe and put on my best cute face, asking the waitress if I could 'please have eight bottles of water because I was very thirsty'. She smiled and patted my head lightly before returning with the water. Then I shoved them into the bag Heeseung was holding and did the same thing at the next cafe we came to. Worked like a charm.
'I sure am glad you're here Sophie,' Heeseung sighed in relief.
'I have my uses,' I smiled as we approached the shop I had been told was a jeweler. I had decided to let Heeseung do the talking on that occasion, so we took a deep breath before walking in the shop, Heeseung pursing his lips to hide his fangs. We opened the door, walking into a small, antique looking shop. The man at the desk was small and most of his face was hidden by his long beard. He looked up as we walked in and gestured us over to his desk lazily.
'Welcome to Billy's Jewelers, what can I do for you?'
Heeseung sat down opposite him and rested his elbows on the table, using his hands to cover his mouth 'discreetly'.
'I'd like to sell this watch,' Heeseung told the man.
'What metal?' he asked.
'Erm... I'm not sure,' Heeseung replied.
'Copper?' I suggested. The man shook his head.
'This is a peculiar material, can't tell what it is just by looking at it,' he rubbed the watch with his thumb. 'It doesn't seem to be painted, I don't think I've ever come across it. Never seen an alloy like it either. This one's a weird case, I'm afraid I can't buy it until I know what metal it is or I won't know its worth,' the man told us.
The eight of us lied down under the clouds, munching on our bread and berries. Heeseung turned the watch over in his hands. Suddenly he sat up.
'I remember Ameena told me something a few months ago.' All seven of us stiffened at the mention of her name. 'On the day I got my watch: my birthday, she said she wanted to go somewhere with us one day, some place called Kalbaek meadows. She said James had told her about that place when she was my age just before he 'left the orphanage'. I'm beginning to think he faced the same fate as Ameena, the same one I was about to face. We never got the chance to go there with her, but she told me it was a place only vampires could access, one that holds a lot of secrets about the history of vampires. I've dreamed about going there ever since, because it could be the place where we discover where we came from. She also said that a special metal can be mined there, one that all vampires have in their blood. Could it have been the metal that my watch it made of?'
'Where is it?' Jay asked.
'I don't know, but she said that James told her there's a map leading to Kalbaek meadows in the main office of the orphanage,' Heeseung told us. We all exchanged looks of worry and excitement.
