Jared
"Hah," I exhaled and put the glass of blood on the dining table. "Finally," I whisper.
I inhale the scent of vanilla shampoo getting rinsed in the bathroomâthe door of the bathroom clicks open. The smell of floral soap lingers in my nose, dominating my senses. I take another sip of blood. My gaze watches the girl coming out of the bathroom. She walks with a bathrobe covering her wet body. Her hair is wrapped with another towel. She hums as she gets ready. My gaze follows her as I sip blood. She walks to her built-in dressing room at the corner of the room. She pulls the curtain and hides inside.
"Why bother hiding your body?" I ask. I bit the glass to suppress my smile. "We've seen each other naked," I tease.
"Do not say it that way," she says.
I hear werewolves outside, walking past each other like people rush in the morning.
"You're late," I say and finish my drink. "Again," I add.
"I'm not yet late," she replies, stepping out of her dressing area.
"How's your agenda last night?" I ask in a soft voice. Whispering is the number one rule in this house.
"It's a kindergarten," she replies while doing her hair.
"Hm?" I frown in confusion.
"They're all kids," she answers while finishing her braids.
I nod. "Do not get insecure," I say and stand up. I clean the table and put the dishes in the sink.
"I'm not," she says and looks away.
"I wish I could tell if you're lying," I say and do the dishes.
"I'll go now!" she yells. "Bye, Mr. Tuna," she says and giggles.
"Tch," the sides of my lips rise. "Meow," I say with my low voice.
"Saufe!"
"Saufe!"
"Hey!"
I take a stroll around the village with my cat-disguise. My paws leave marks on the thick layer of snow. I watch the students performing on the field. Everyone follows Fatima's instructions except Sophia and George who are taking their tasks seriously.
This Sophia girl is quite annoying.
I sit beside a leafless tree. A loud clanging sound occurs. My gaze lands on George who is lying on the ground. My tail swings as I hold my emotions.
"The two of you keep interrupting the class. I'm still having hope for the two of you to realize what's the reason you're stuck at the bottom line of the ranking," Fatima says.
"One more meaningless fight, you won't continue this training," Fatima warns.
"You! You shouldn't have been born!"
"I could've been the next Alpha!"
The next Alpha? I look at Sophia. She walks away.
"You're also the reason why I'm in the lowest rank in this training. You're so stupid!"
"I'll finish my training days soon. And still, no one knows that I am your daughter," a memory plays in my head.
It's that voice I heard when I tried sneaking in at the top of the cliff. My mouth gapes in realization. It's her. Sophia is Dranula's daughter. Should I tell George? They can tell if she's hiding something though.
"You're so cute," a little boy sits beside me and scratches my chin. I close my eye with the sensation and purr.
"George and Sophia always messed up this training," I hear a female werewolf say.
"It's because of George," the other female student replies. They are sitting near me.
"What do you expect from someone raised in humans' land," they continue to gossip.
"Humans, very vicious creatures. I've heard they're very selfish creatures that do not think of other humans."
"That's why the two of them don't cooperate."
Funny to think how they gossip like those vicious creatures.
"Look, she's even an ally of vampires," the male werewolf beside them joins their conversation.
"I've heard her mother didn't help Dranula about those 'spies'," he adds.
"She didn't?"
My gaze shifts from the gossiping werewolves to George. She inhales and continues to train.
"Do you know that the Prince of vampires seduced her?"
None of them know what's truly happening around them.
"Really? I've heard the Prince is a thousand years old. How could she fall for that?"
"Isn't it the other way around?"
"We've never seen any of their kinds before. When the siblings announced what he looks like. It's kind of..."
"Weird."
"Yeah."
"I mean. They can live more than a thousand years old. What do they look like then?"
"Very old."
"Long fangs."
"Pale skin."
I chuckle at what I'm hearing now. The little boy beside me stands up and plays with twigs and rocks behind me. He jumps on the thick layer of snow and giggles innocently.
I leave the field before I even laugh at their gossip.
"Bye," the little boy says to me.
I have to get out of this place.
I have to help George and clear my name.
I have to prove to my father that I'm not a failure.
I visited the forest up the cliff. It's always quiet here during the daytime. But it is different during nighttime.
Just what humans have.
Up here are the greedy werewolves who disguised their selves as leaders. They have the best followers which makes this place look so perfect. No one dares to break the rules because of how high their respect is for their leaders.
There are so many secrets in this area of the village that's why they don't let their citizens visit. Greed. Lies. Power. Now, a hidden daughter?
If they only know.
It's only George who keeps on messing with their rules.
I walk to the witch's forest.
I tried to step into the witch's forest. But the clear walls are still there.
"I see," I touch the clear wall. "I'm still not allowed."
I go back home and cook for the two of us. It's hard to cook in this place because they manually make fire. That's why George is so lazy to cook.
"I'm home," I hear her voice.
Oh, Look at that back.
A smile forms across my lips after hearing her thoughts. I feel a sense of relief. This means my body is in better condition now.
"What are you cooking?" she asks and stands beside me.
"Pork with whatever you have in your kitchen," I answer and taste the broth.
"Instant noodles," she says while looking at the pot.
"It's done," I say.
"Did you..." I look at her while she eats, "...asked your Mom about my favor?"
"I did," she replies while nodding.
"I see..." I reply and eat the instant noodles with pork.
It means she's not giving me her permission.
Should I tell George? But this will only distract her in training. They might also realize that she's lying or hiding something. Being called a spy and connected to runaway vampires, I think now is not the right time to tell her. She's probably feeling that I am hiding something.
"What? Do you have something to tell me?" she looks at me.
I shift my gaze back to my food after realizing I've been staring at her for so long. A sigh escape my mouth. I am so grateful that my body is better now or else she heard all of that ramble in my head.
"You have new instructors?" I ask, remembering the guy who is stressed the most during the whole class. This may shift her attention from what I am actually over thinking.
"Theo?" she asks. "Yeah," she says before slurping the noodles. "Why?"
I give her a small smile. "Nothing," I shake my head.
Is he jealous?
"My body is fully recovered by the way," I tell her.
"You can tell me anything that's bothering you," she says before chewing.
"Next time, George," I say before drinking a glass of water.
I'll tell you everything next time. After we finished eating, she left to attend the next training.
"Bye," she says and waves at me. "I'll go straight to my new training tonight," she says.
"Bye," I reply.
I wear my cat disguise again and roam around the village.
There are different trainings in this village. I walk to the center of the village where a group of female werewolves gather. They make handmade utensils and ceramics. I think George will also like it here. At the corner of the village, one of George's new friends is there attending medical training. They think about which type of plant is best for certain illnesses. They have weird-looking plants that cannot be found in the human world.
"George's cat is here again," Dahlia says.
They're aware of who I am. I am a regular passers-by here.
"Meow," I say and watch their class.
It was last week when find this part of the village. I wonder why Clarkson didn't show this part of the village to her.
"Saufe!"
"Saufe!"
I look around the farm.
The memory of our midnight chase flashes in my head. I was so shocked at that time how George became so strong and had high stamina.
"Shoo!" one of the farmers says. "I know you're George's pet. But you're not allowed here!"
I run and leave the farm. I decided to go back to the I'm obsessing.
Hah.
My gaze lands on the witch's forest. I try to take a step inside but I felt an invisible barrier stopping me from entering.
I'm not yet allowed.
I sigh.
Just trust me, Ma'am.
I walk down to the wooded stairs.
"Where do you think is the Prince of vampire now?"
"He's nowhere to be seen. That's what I've heard. I guess it's true that he fell in love with her."
Perks of being a pet.
You can hear everything.
"Leaving your kingdom," the female werewolf dramatically sigh. "Is such a bold move."
I know, right?
A novel-worthy plot.
I chuckle.
I go back to the open field to check George. My mouth gapes with what I see. Clarkson holds her hands while she points the bow at the target.
What the...
"Yes!" Clarkson smiles while he gives George a high five. "You did it!"
George looks at him with a bright smile. My gaze searches for Elis but he's not there.
"I got the best tutor. You see," George says.
Are they... flirting?
"Liev, you can let them take a break," one of the apprentices says.
So Clarkson is also an apprentice?
I turn my back and walk away
"Is that Mr. Tuna?" I hear Clarkson says.
"I think so. He's the only cat here," George answers.
I stop walking. The two of them sit beside me. George scratches my head.
"I received an offer," Clarkson says. "But I won't be able to see you even more."
"What is it?" George asks.
I jump on her lap, like a cat asking for attention. Well, I am asking for her attention.
"I'll stay on top of the cliff village," Clarkson explains. "This is a direct offer from our Alpha. I can also help you with your Mom's case," he adds.
"Well," she takes a deep breath and looks at me. "If you've made up your mind."
"Don't worry. I'll keep you updated about what's happening," he says to her pinching her chin.
The night comes, and George is still in her new class.
I walk outside the house. The deafening silence of the village greets me. The sound of my paws burying in the layers of snow is too loud on this quiet night. I leap and climb up to the wooden staircase.
The sound of clinking glasses is normal up the cliff every evening. A regular scene. There's no serious meeting now. I think they're celebrating something.
I run to the forest.
Please...
Please...
Just let me in...
I stop in front of the forest. For the third time, I try to enter the forest. I stare at the small pink flower in front of me and reach it.
My eyes widen when my paws touch the flower.
I'm inside the forest!
I exhale.
Finally.
Thank you, Ma'am.
* * *
:>