CHAPTER ONE

'Ring! Ring!'

A clock beeped at exact 6:30 am, as the sun illuminates from the window, spreading light to the room.

Inside the room, something stirred at the covers of the bed, revealing a figure of a woman with a long wavy black hair and pale skin.

Lifting herself out of the bed, wearing comfortable sleepwear, she fixes the covers and left the room.

Her day started like that 750 years ago; ever since she decided to live among humans and tried to look out for her father who went missing after chasing a close friend. Whatever happened to her father that day, no one knows of his whereabouts and triggered something to the island, forcing her and his father's butler to leave the place and tried to look for him.

Her day starts like that, pretending to be a human when it wasn't one of her strengths. But in order to survive, she needs to adjust and leave what she was accustomed when she was living with her father and the clans on that island.

As soon as she left her room, a door from both left and right side of her opened too, revealing two men: both in their late twenties to early thirties.

"Good morning, Cass!" A guy wearing a white cotton shirt and grey shorts greeted her. He has short blonde hair, trimmed properly to see his face.

His hazel eyes gleam with energy to start his day. "Morning Charles!"

Cass nodded in return as the other guy scratch his head. "I don't want to go to work. Can I just stay here?"

The one who complained has a black sando with blue-grey pyjamas with a lean body for a guy who workout regularly. His blue eyes have its sharpness and alertness of a soldier who went and returns from war.

"I won't even see any beauties in there since I'm just holed up on that accursed room, handling papers like there's no tomorrow," Charles added. "Daniel here can go everywhere when you ask him to, isn't that unfair?"

Cassielle ignored him and went to check her beloved dog who's still sleeping at the couch.

"Sir Charlie, it's advisable for you to go to the office since they won't wonder why a person like you can fly many types of an aeroplane, even the oldest ones. We need to avoid suspicion while we are here." Daniel said. "Also, please make breakfast."

Charles groans. "Is it necessary to eat? Cassie won't eat."

Daniel turns towards him who's about to take a shower. "The last time we both skipped, we almost faded, have you forgotten that? Our body still needs to be replenished even if we are not totally human."

"Fine, fine. How about you, Cassie? Anything u want to eat?" Charles gave up at the thought of skipping meals.

"Do anything you want, I don't mind," She answers as she went back to her room to grab her things.

Pretending to be a student is an easy feat for Cassielle who's in her third year of business management class. She never talks to anyone in her class, unless it's a group project or she needs requirements to pass and should have a partner.

All the students in her class know that she is rich, but any other information about her is unknown.

"It's Friday today, want to do something fun?" Charles said as he flips the egg from the pan.

"Amelia and I will go to a bar later. I might not come home tonight." Cassielle said as she sat at the dining chair.

"It's fine, milady," Daniel, who came back from the showers, wearing a sando and shorts answered as he took a seat. "Do you need a lift to that place?"

Cassielle shakes her head. "No. Amelia's dad will send us there, so it will be fine."

Amelia Greens. A bubbly girl who dares to invade Cass' personal space to befriend her. A gullible child in Cass' eyes who wants a friendship from her.

Cass never planned to befriend a mortal after the incident 79 years ago, and it was one of the reasons why she avoids interaction with humans, never staying longer than 10 years and will move somewhere to start a new life.

As time progresses, she learned a lot from humans. From varied emotions and how they adapt and accept certain situations in order to survive reality.

A feat she will never learn if she didn't leave the island where she grew up.

As soon as she heads to the university, she started wasting her time idling and staring at the windows, until the time for them to have fun came.

And she must say, it was disastrous. Like she had expected it should be.

"Come on, Cass. The party's about to start!" Amelia dragged her towards the venue excitedly, like a kid that was preparing to accept her reward.

Cass refused to go near the crowd, as she smells the liquor and sweat from that place even from a distance.

"Cassandra, you're such a killjoy! You're just staring at the dancefloor, holding a punch. Enjoy for tonight, I'm sure you won't regret that." Amelia persisted.

Cass still shakes her head to decline. She still wonders why she befriended a child. And how should she call her if her age is a thousand older than Amelia and her brother?

"Ame, you know I don't want to be here. It's crowded and loud." Cass sighed. "I only agreed because you want and your mother gave a condition that I must accompany you. I'm not required to get wild and drink too much."

Amelia pouted. "Awwww. You really sound like mom."

"Yes, because you are entrusted to me. That's why no drinks. Dance if you want, but no drinks. Or else I'm going to force you to drink a pure coffee to wake up."

Amelia sighed in defeat. "Alright, you win. Just until eleven."

"Ten," Cass said.

"Ten forty-five."

"Ten." She insisted.

"Ten thirty."

"Nine sharp," Cass answered with finality. Dealing with her is difficult if she doesn't want the things you are insisting on her.

"Ok. Ok. Ten it is." Amelia said, giving up.

"No monkey business! Or I'll drag you to your home right away." Cass said as she walks away.

"Yes, mother," Amelia shouted while laughing.

'What a kid.' Cass shook her head as Amelia walks back to the dance.

She can sit still for hours as long as she's busy with my hands and eyes. And somehow, she can keep herself occupied just having random thoughts while staring at the drink.

Time flies so fast that she didn't realise that it was almost ten o'clock and they need to go home now.

As what had Amelia promised, she's still on the dancefloor, but she looked a bit wasted. Cass dragged her outside not bothering to say goodbyes to the latter's friends.

Dragging Amelia to the taxi that Cass managed to get, the former was giggling like there's no tomorrow, making the latter sigh.

Teens and their hormones.

They arrived at Amelia's house for half an hour, thanks to light traffic. Amelia's parents were already at the front door when the taxi stopped.

"Eli didn't give you too much trouble, did she?" Her father, Avery, asked.

"She's a bit wasted, uncle. It's fine." Cass told him.

"Did you drink?" Amor, his wife asked her.

"No, auntie." She lied. "I need to guard her, or else there would be a ruckus."

"How about you stay here for the night? Your condo is a bit far from here, you might get there at midnight." She offered. "And I won't take no."

"Sorry to intrude," Cass mumbled as she walked inside. Amelia's parents won't accept no, so she gave in.

As uncle brought Amelia to her room, aunt Amor steered Cass towards an empty room.

"From now on, this will be your room whenever you stay here, got that? I'm so happy Eli got a friend like you. Where's your parents?" She asked.

"Umm, my father is missing till now. So I'm the one who's managing the household. My mother died when I was young, so I don't know her. My father's servant is the only person I'm with, although he's at our place, tending the house." Cass answered, twisting some information.

"Oh no. Why did your father go missing?"

"Our family has this responsibility that had been passed for generations. And my father is the head, so it's on his shoulder. And he's currently doing that task for two decades, so he's been missing for eight years." Not years but centuries.

"But you're still young! You might be eighteen when he left, but that doesn't mean you can do everything."

"It's alright, auntie. We can't escape our destiny even if we tried to. For now, I'm relieving for a bit, and when I graduate, I will resume as the head of our household."

She shook her head. "Too young to be a breadwinner of your family. Where are your other relatives?"

"My grandparents are already dead, so as my uncle. My mother was an orphan, so we don't know who are her relatives when she died."

Amor pats her head. "Don't worry Cass. You can treat us as your parents. Get some sleep, we're going to give Eli an earful tomorrow."

Amor winked and left Cass alone in the room. Sleep? They don't sleep too much.