Chapter 8: VI

George

"You said you're going to show me around, right?" I ask while glaring at Clarkson.

"Yep," he answers with a smile. He continues to drag me to the entrance of the village.

"But why are we running outside!?" I ask in confusion and gasp for air.

"We should act as if you haven't been here before," he explains.

"But why?" I frown. "Sometimes you're weird. You know that?"

"Nah. Humans are the weirdest. I'd rather talk to mermaids than talk to humans," he teases and laughs loudly. I watch him as he drags me. His red locks are tied up in a topknot. The denim jacket he wears bounces together with the beat of our footsteps. He looks at me as soon as we get to the entrance of the village.

"Okay. Let's start," he brightly smiles at me, which turns the darkness of the night sky to morning sunshine.

I smile at him and nod. My feet take a step as I look around, acting like a total stranger.

"Saufe!" Clarkson greets with open arms and a full grin plastered across his lips. "Welcome to Wolves place, ruled by Dranula, our current Alpha."

Dranula.

"I'm Liev," Clarkson says.

"Oh, so you're using your real name, huh?" I tease.

"Stop! Don't ruin the moment!" he glares.

"M'kay," I chuckle. "I'm Antoniette, then," I casually say and start walking through the woods.

His mouth gapes. "Did you just–"

"Don't ruin the moment," I quickly whisper.

"Antoniette," he nods. "What a beautiful name."

"That's too lame, you know," I laugh loudly. "Stop using those cliché lines that you watched from my laptop."

"You're out of your character!" he whines.

I grab his arms while laughing loudly. "Okay, back to our mini role play, Liev."

He removes my left hand from his arms and puts his arms around my waist.

"You see these woods, Antoniette?"

"Mmm, hmm," I nod while admiring the sight of tall forest trees. Who would've thought that unbelievable creatures live in this wide and peaceful forest?

"Those are our deceased clan," he quietly whispers.

The mood suddenly drops.

"W-What do you mean?" I ask and shift my gaze at him.

"One tree, one werewolf. We bury our fellow werewolves underneath and plant a seed on where we bury them."

"It's your father's idea," he whispers.

"Father?"

He nods. His right arm moves from my waist to my arms. I feel his cold palm on mine. We intertwine our fingers.

I never thought I would hear something about my father.

"It's so cold tonight. I shouldn't have left the house without my coat," he whispers. I grip his hand tighter and put it in the pocket of my brown long coat. He quickly shifts his gaze from the trees to my face.

"So...we're walking in a cemetery," I whisper to him.

He opens his mouth but is unable to say a word. I laugh at him. He is really like a kid sometimes.

"Mmm... hmmm," he nods.

He clears his throat and starts talking again. "They are victims of vampire invasion," he starts.

I hitch my breath.

"A long time ago, vampires were part of this hidden place. Witches are in charge of keeping this place hidden from the humans. Vampires are the higher man. Werewolves are like soldiers. Mermaids are the agents of the water. Elves, fairies, and other creatures are the mediators," he calmly speaks.

The night breeze blows. The rattling of the branches on trees vibrates in my ears as the smell of the fresh leaves mixing with the night winds lingers in my nose.

"I thought vampires and werewolves were like enemies," I pout in confusion.

"We're not. We're more afraid of humans. Humans keep on devouring us 'unique things'. They sell us, collect us or probably torture us because we're monsters. We view humans as greedy unsatisfied creatures, who keep on aiming to be powerful."

I sigh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean–"

He sighs.

"That was before I met you," he rubs his thumb on my hand.

"No, it's okay. I share the same thoughts with you. Humans are the worst creatures out there."

Silence.

"What happened, then? It seems like everything is perfect," I ask while looking at the trees standing tall and strong.

"Nothing's perfect, Miss Antoniette. Vampires became greedy with the position that they had. They are the brains of our organization. They are the ones who finalize the plan, from the system of food gathering to the orders to follow. Gustavo, I remember that's what they call him, is the leader of the vampires who became greedy. He is the reason why they're not here anymore."

Gustavo.

I have to remember that name.

"Saufe!" Clarkson yells after reaching the wide grassland. "Welcome!" he let go of my hand and ran towards the center of the open field. My eyes land on the bonfire where a group–or should I say the whole village is gathered. They're dancing to the beat of a modern song.

"Antoniette! Come here!"

"Gosh! You don't have to yell my name!" I run at him. He spreads his arms as I approach him. I bump my head on his chest as I laugh like an evil kid. He falls on his back while I am on top of him.

"Why did you do that!?" he yells while laughing.

I laugh loudly. "I don't know!"

"You're crazy sometimes, you know that?" he chuckles and gets up.

I stand on my feet and look around. My gaze lands on the Bluetooth speaker on the ground.

"You have a Bluetooth speaker!?" I exclaim.

"Yeah, it's from humans. Cayden bought it," he says.

"Oh."

Clarkson holds my right hand. "This is our night gathering. We do this every time we accomplish something."

"Hmm? Accomplished something?"

"Yep. We found the hidden Alpha."

"Oh, so you mean–"

"She's here!" one of the male werewolves exclaims. Everyone stops as if they are frozen and glued to the ground.

"Yes, I brought her with us. However, Anto–I mean, George is a bit tired. So she's just here to say hi."

Silence.

"H-hi?"

Everybody erupts a cheer as if I said something important. They start dancing again, but this time they form a circle around me. Clarkson holds my hands. He lifts his left hand and twirls me like a ballerina. He laughs as I spin.

I feel so awkward but at the same time happy. There's this weird type of joy once I'm with the werewolves. It feels like a family.

It feels like home.

"That was such a warm greeting," I say with a smile. "Are they okay if I'll leave early?"

"Yes, they'll surely understand."

"So, where should we go next?"

"Okay. So, as we enter our main village," he goes back to 'Liev the tour guide mode' you are greeted by our strongest soldiers."

"Strongest?"

"Mmm... hmm," he nods. We stop walking and face the open field. "The first three rows of these houses are the houses of our generals and commanders. Half of them are assigned there."

Only half?

I follow him as he starts walking again.

"Going to the center of the village, our prioritized citizens are located. Those who need more protection."

"Interesting," I say in amusement while nodding. "So? The Alpha is at the center?"

"What?" he frowns.

"That's how chess goes, right? Protect the king no matter what."

"No, he's on the top of the cliff village. Most of the attacks of vampires are from the cliff. That's why the strongest one is assigned together with the other half of the generals and commanders."

"Wow, that's genius," I speak in awe. "Humans should think like this!"

He chuckles as if I said something funny.

"Can we visit the witches?" I curiously ask.

"Oh. No, no, no. Witches are great, but they're kind of strict. Also, they're at the top of the cliff."

"Oh really? Why are they located there?"

"They're the ones who give us signals of danger. They're also the medical team of this village," he explains.

I nod and yawn.

"I guess we should go back to your place," he says.

We walk in silence.

"Clarkson?"

"Hmm?" Clarkson asks.

"Why didn't the vampires find out who really am I? Jared told me before that he could smell blood. He can even hear my heartbeat," I ask as I open the door.

"The witches created a potion to hide you from any other creatures. You'll look and smell like a human."

"How did they do that?"

"I guess you should ask Aunt Liz about that," we enter the house.

"Why didn't they hide your scent?" I ask.

"There's only one witch who can do that. She never shared the potion because she was never allowed to go outside the village ever again."

I nod. "She's a bit selfish then."

"So, where should I sleep?" Clarkson seriously asks while looking around.

Gosh, I almost forgot that.

* * *

:>