dawn eclipse: a blood oath

prologue

belle's pov

belle. no matter what people say about you... i trust you.

"leo! no, no, no! it can't be... you were only 12!" i cried, looking at my one and only friend from afar.

leo was in the coffin, lying dead with a huge bite mark on his neck. i heard a lot of mumbling from the villagers, accusing me. as always...

"look at that bite mark on his neck. there's no blood left in him. i'm sure it was a vampire."

"a vampire? that's never happened before in our village. do you think... that she did it? that girl named belle?"

"bad things keep happening ever since she came to our village. a fire broke out at leo's house only a little while ago..."

"how could such a tragedy happen again? maybe the rumor about the girl is true..."

flashback

"people say you're a vampire," i heard a sweet boy's voice just in front of me.

i looked up to see an innocent boy around my age with blonde hair and emerald green eyes, towering over me as i leaned on the tree.

"what?"

he showed a cheeky smile. "well, are you?"

me, being the belle as i already am, tilted my head to the side to avoid looking at the boy, sighing as i sulked. to my surprise, he reached out his hand to me.

"i'm leo. i've never seen you out in daylight. what's your name?"

i let out a low "hmph," not wanting to respond.

"is your name 'hmph'?"

i felt taken aback, slightly raising my voice. "no!! my name's—"

"belle, right?"

he cut my words, and i looked at him, confused.

"i actually knew already. you're famous in our village. they say you're the vampire that moved here."

"i'm not a vampire!" i shouted, defending myself, but i knew it was no use. all the villagers already saw me as a vampire.

"really? everyone says that you've bounced around different cities. you don't come out during the day, walk around alone at night..." he stopped for a moment.

"and eat pigeons."

wow, and that was the most ridiculous thing i'd ever heard in my entire life. they didn't believe me when i said i'm not a damn vampire!

"absolutely not!! especially that last part!!"

"right? i thought so." leo sounded so innocent that i couldn't slap him in the face.

i looked at the ground, my head low as i facepalmed. "ugh... why are there such weird rumors going around about me?"

leo looked at me like he had a brilliant idea to share. but all i heard was pointless.

"why don't you just come out during the day? you can go and tell everyone it's not true."

heh, no matter how many times i told them it wasn't true... nobody ever believed my words. and what if...

"belle, you must never use that ability. don't show it to anyone. people will misunderstand you. make sure not to draw attention.

when others see you using that ability, even by accident... everyone will think you're a vampire!"

even my own parents believed i was a vampire. i could judge from their words... it's still echoing in my head.

why do i even have this ability? what if i really am a vampire? i was scared the rumors might be true.

leo's voice woke my thoughts. "i don't think you're a vampire. because i was born with a limp."

"huh?" now, what does he mean?

"if you think that you're not like the others, you become afraid of facing them. lots of people gossip about those who are different from them."

his words slapped me back into reality. i felt dumbfounded.

"i once heard someone say that my parents would regret giving birth to me. and i was scared that might be true."

he looked so sad but smiled a few seconds later. "but not anymore. i know for sure that my parents love me. so i don't let stupid gossip like that get to me."

leo grinned widely ear to ear, his emerald green eyes shining brightly into mine.

"let's be friends. other kids don't let me join them either."

i processed his words for a while before taking his hand, smiling too. "sure."

it was my first time having a friend, spending days full of fun and wanting to tell my secret to someone else.

"whoa!" leo's face showed he was in awe. he looked funny.

"i-it's a weird ability, isn't it?" i whispered.

"not at all! it's a special one! that's so cool!" he beamed, smiling happily.

"you really think so...? you're not scared that i might be a vampire?" i asked, still feeling suspicious.

"nah, of course not. i know you."

"really? you mean it? you really think that?"

"yeah!" he said, assuring me.

i was still scared that i might be one, though.

"belle." leo called me.

"huh?"

"wanna try biting my neck?"

no way! what?!

"what?! nonsense!! absolutely not!! what if something goes wro—"

he stopped me with a soft smile and said, "it's okay, belle. i trust you."

"b-but... what if..." my voice trembled.

"you don't have to do it right now. when you believe that i trust you and when you start believing in yourself. when that time comes, promise me that you'll bite my neck."

it was my first time... having someone who trusted me more than i trusted myself. meeting you, leo, was the best thing that happened in my life. i enjoyed every second spent with you... and i looked forward to what was to come. should i ask you to go see fireflies together next week?

i'll come to you this time. to your village, your home. you always approached me first, so this time i'll come to you, leo.

so i did.

when leo's house was caught in the fire, i ran as fast as i could to the burning house. i must save him. i must save my leo. when i saw him, he was caught under the large bricks and walls.

this time, i won't hold back again. i should use my ability this time, i don't care what people say anymore. it doesn't matter. whatever people say, whatever they think of me... i won't let their dumb words lead me by the nose.

i lifted the bricks up like a feather, throwing them aside as i finally saved leo.

he grinned widely, which i adored so much. "belle! you came to save me. no matter what people say about you, i trust you. someone with such a kind heart as you can't be a vampire."

flashback ends

leo. until now... i thought that there was only misfortune in my life. but now i know all those were stepping stones to meet you. to learn to value you as a friend.

to never lose a precious friend like you.