Blood bonds

Chapter 31

Present day

Siyeon had finished explaining Gahyeon's story for a few minutes already, but the younger girl hadn't said a single word yet. Minji was gently stroking her back to calm her down and Siyeon was looking at the floor, with tears streaming down her face. The fact that Gahyeon didn't say anything yet, was scaring her to death. Minji had tried to warn her, she had tried to warn her that this day would come but Siyeon didn't want to think about that. And now it was all crashing down, just like Minji said.

"You... You made the call. You decided to erase my memory, Siyeon" the younger girl said and Siyeon felt a sharp pain in her chest. Gahyeon calling her with her name instead of 'sis' didn't feel right.

"I did... I... I didn't want you to... to remember that. To relive your p-pain... you would s-surely have nightmares and you... you d-didn't deserve that" Siyeon tried to explain. She couldn't justify herself because what she did was wrong.

"The parents I remember... they weren't real. They don't even exist, do they? My childhood friends? They don't exist" Gahyeon slowly realized. Siyeon couldn't bring herself to answer so she just shook her head. Looking down at the bed.

Minji tightened her grip on Gahyeon as she slowly caressed her back with one hand and massaged her shoulder with the other.

"I... I don't know what to say" Gahyeon whispered. "How... how can I understand what was real and what wasn't? Who... who was real. The people I thought were important in my past they... they don't even exist" she said, dropping her head in her hands.

"Everything you did and everyone you met after that day in the alley was real, Gahyeon... the rest... isn't" Minji whispered, sketching the situation for the youngest vampire.

Gahyeon nodded weakly.

"So you... you're not my sister. You were a stranger neighbor and-" she said, suddenly realizing something "The bond we have... what I feel for you... it's just... it's because you turned me" she said, weakly as the tears started streaming on her face. "Even the bond we have isn't real"

Siyeon stayed silent again so Minji took a deep breath to explain.

"In human laws she isn't your sister. In vampire laws she is. And the bond you two have is based on that blood bond but that's it. It's only a base, the love you two shared was real" Minji tried to calmly say.

"Why aren't y-you saying anything?" Gahyeon asked, irritated. "Y- You... you did this. You turned me and you decided to take away my memories"

"What s-should I s-say? H-how awful I a-am to have... r-removed every t-trace of your h-human life because... b-because of my s-selfish reasons?" Siyeon sobbed.

"How... how do I know that what you are saying is real? How do I know my life wasn't perfect? F- For all I know you could be... two crazy vampires that took me away from my perfect family" Gahyeon said, realizing that something like that could actually be the truth.

"I- I don't k-know... I c-can't... I j-just... I love... y-you Gahyeon" Siyeon managed to say, not knowing how to answer that.

Gahyeon turned towards Siyeon and she couldn't answer... She couldn't say it back... not now.

"Why am I half vampire? Why can I eat?" Gahyeon asked, trying to figure out something more about herself.

"That's something we are not sure about either... maybe it was because Siyeon didn't turn you via the right process or... maybe deep in Siyeon's heart, she didn't want to turn you but she did because it was the only thing that could save you, and that thought messed with the process" Minji explained.