𝔇𝔢𝔞𝔩 | sᴋᴢ

10

Chan led me through the house and to a door leading to a huge garden. It was full of all kinds or beautiful flowers and arches of green vines. A couple trees hung around the plants, providing just the right amount of shade for a warm day. There was a stunning marble fountain at the center of all of the garden that looked like it had been there for decades, but worked like new. It's water was glistening in the sunshine, giving the entire area a magical aura.

"This place is gorgeous, Chan!" My face lit up. "It's like a dream." I stood gazing across the beautiful garden.

We stood in silence for a moment while I was captivated by the scenery.

"Dahae?" He spoke softly, as if he was trying to wake me.

"It all seems so familiar yet I know I've never been here before." I glanced back at him, then back to the garden. "I feel so at home."

He outstretched his hand with a peaceful look on his face. "Come with me."

"Okay." I muttered, taking his hand.

He walked us over to the fountain where we sat. The faint noise of the water flowing was comforting as I stared at the flowers.

"I spent a lot of time by myself here when I was young." Chan gazed aimlessly into the distance.

I looked up at him, "You were alone?"

"I lived with my parents here when I was a boy, but they never seemed to have time for me. I spent most of my days out here, or in the library." He smiled faintly as he directed his attention to me.

"Well, I guess you aren't alone anymore huh?" I grinned, hoping to change the mood a bit.

"I suppose that's true." He chuckled breathily.

"So Chan, if you don't mind me asking, what's your favorite flower?" I glanced across the garden, taking in the variety.

"Convallaria majalis." He smiled as if I knew what he just said.

"Sorry, what?" I tried not to look too confused, in case I was supposed to know what he meant.

"Well, I guess you would call them lily-of-the-valley." He laughed.

"Oh," I pictured the dainty white flowers in my head. "That's the one that looks like little white bells right?"

"Correct! And they bloom in spring and are said to symbolize good luck and happiness." He recited the facts like he was some kind of search engine. He must really know his flowers.

"Wow, that's cool." I smiled.

"They're also poisonous and can cause pain, vomiting, or rashes if eaten. So it can also symbolize sadness or pain due to loss or death." He kept the same polite smile on his face, which was beyond creepy.

"Oh... That's cool."

"Do you have a favorite flower?"

I thought for a second, "Sweet peas." I smiled at the ground, deep in thought.

"A penny for your thoughts, Miss Choi?" He leaned forward, entering my field of vision.

"They were my mother's favorite," I looked back up at him to see a sympathetic look on his face. "She would always have at least one sweet pea on our porch at all times. She said that it was her favorite smell in the world." My heart slowly sunk into my chest. "And she said that they have a few different meanings, but the one that she liked the most was 'thank you, and goodbye'."

I chuckled with tears in my eyes. "Isn't that a little ironic?"

He placed his hand on my shoulder, his expression changed form sympathetic to heartbroken. I could see in his eyes that he knew exactly what was in my heart. And somehow, he looked peaceful. Like he felt this all of the time.

He looked at me like he had just accidentally knocked my ice cream onto the pavement. "I am very sorry, it was not my intention to-"

"No no, it's okay. I know." I smiled, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. "Hey by the way, I have a question about some vampire stuff."

"Of course, I will answer to the best of my ability." He pulled his hand off my shoulder gently and smiled.

"What happens when you don't drink blood? Is it like in The Vampire Diaries where you shrivel up and become kinda like a corpse? Or like Twilight where they just get weak and their throats hurt?"

He chuckled, "I suppose it is very similar to humans, except we do not die. We experience hunger that only grows. Until it is so unbearable we are unable to move."

"Oh..." I trailed off. So basically The Vampire Diaries, okay... "But what about human food? You guys eat, but does it do anything for you?"

"We only eat because we enjoy it. We do not get hungry for anything but blood."

"Wow... So how long can you go without blood? Like, until you get hungry, I mean"

He paused, "A few days, sometimes weeks. Depending on how much we drink. And who it is that you drink from."

"What do you mean? Do different people taste different?" At this point, I was genuinely interested.

"Yes, they do. And surprisingly, it has nothing to do with blood type."

My eyes widened, "Really? That's so interesting!"

He laughed at my intrigue. I guess it's pretty weird for me to be so interested in people that could most definitely kill me.

I wonder what I taste like... I narrowed my eyes, thinking hard. "Hey Chan?"

"Yes?"

"When was the last time you drank?"

"Around a week ago, why do you ask?"

"Do you wanna drink from me?"

Sorry for the late update, I've been busy with a lot of different things.

Please don't give up on me!   (シ_ _)シ