Chapter 1: The Start (Pt. 2)

CYRILLE decided to return to the set and looked at the director, who was sitting there looking at the monitor.

“There you are,” she said, her face bright and cheery.

She quickly dashed towards the direction where the director was sitting, and when she arrived, she called the director’s attention.

“Direct!”

The director took a deep breath, clearly expressing his rage at Cyrille’s imprudence.

“Cyrille! Please, for Pete’s sake! Isn’t it obvious—”

Cyrille cut the director off before he could finish his litany.

“I hereby resign!”  She made it absolutely clear, taking her ID and handing it over to the director.

“What the—are you really testing my patience, Cyrille?” The director yelled.

Everyone on the set stops what they’re doing and ended up turning their attention to Cyrille and the director.

“No, I’m not. That is why I have decided to resign,” she stated emphatically.

The director looked around to see if he was being played, but the look of surprise on everyone’s faces told him it wasn’t a prank.

“Cyrille, if you were going to ruin my production, you better—”

“No, direct. I’m being serious right now. I want to resign; accept or reject, I will resign now.”

Cyrille immediately turned around and began to walk away after uttering her final words.

“Cyrille, return here!” the director yelled, but she didn’t turn around. “Cyrille, return here!  How can you possibly simply abandon this project? You’re not done with this story yet!”

Cyrille came to a halt and turned to face the director. “Aren’t you the one in charge? You can finish my crappy story the way you want,” she replied. “Because you’re the great and famous director, aren’t you?” she sarcastically added before turning her back and leaving.

Hearing Cyrille’s words, the director’s face flushed bright red. He kept shouting, but Cyrille didn’t even bother to pay attention to him, making him even angrier.

“You, wuss! Come back!”

Cyrille raised her hand and waved goodbye to the director without looking at him, walking freely and smiling as if she had managed to regain her freedom. She can still hear the director’s screaming and shouting, but she doesn’t give a damn and keeps walking until she reaches her motorcycle. She began whistling a cheerful melody as she started her motorcycle’s engine.

“Let’s go on an adventure, Zai!” She said cheerfully as she walked out of the set.

***

CYRILLE began packing her personal belongings as soon as she entered her room.

“I can’t wait to see a real-life vampire,” she exclaimed with pure delight.

She continued to pack her suitcase but stopped in the middle.

“Wait, am I bringing the right things?” She began to wonder about this as she thoroughly examined the clothes she had packed in her suitcase. “I should check the weather in Romania.”

She immediately browses the internet, and after checking the weather in Romania, she turns her gaze to her luggage, which contains the thin fabric of blouses, skirts, pants, and even long dresses that are comfortable to wear when summer arrives.

“I admit these will not continue to allow me to survive in a freezing country. I might turn into a frozen woman like during the ice age,” she laughed awkwardly. “I should bring clothes that will enable me to live longer,” she said as she began to return her clothes to her cabinet and chose the clothes, she had that were completely appropriate for the country she planned to visit.

She can’t help but wonder what she’ll do once she arrives in Romania. Things that could happen, and she is about to be discovered. A lot of thoughts and questions raced through her mind. Everything she’s been obsessed with since childhood will come true.

She’s finished packing her belongings after nearly an hour.

“Ah! Thankfully, I’m done packing!” she exclaimed with relief and exhaustion after packing most of her belongings. She threw herself onto her bed and went to get her phone. “Now it’s time to book my flight to Romania,” she quipped excitedly.

She went to the Philippine Airlines website. “How much would I pay for my—” she couldn’t finish her thought when she saw the price of the plane ticket to Romania. “Fuck! Thirty thousand pesos for a one-way ticket?” She exclaimed in shock.

To calm herself, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She made a shaky motion with her head. “I never thought I’d spend so much money,” she said. “I can’t believe my one-month salary as a scriptwriter will only cover the cost of a one-way ticket to Romania,” she continued, still stunned into silence.

She keeps checking the site for the cheapest flight, but she can’t find it, and that’s the only one that is.

“I don’t think there’s any other option,” she said with a bit of disappointment. “At the very least, I know how much money I’m going to spend.”

She takes out her notebook and jots down the flight cost.

“I need to apply for a tourist visa now.”

She carefully researched the prerequisites for getting a tourist visa.

Passport

Copy of Valid ID

2 photos white background

Visa Application Form

Certificate of Employment or Business Registration/Permit

Two-way Ticket Booking

Medical Insurance valid in Romania (SafetyWing)

Proof of Means

Proof of Accommodation

Visa Fee

Her eyes widened when she saw the total amount after jotting down and calculating the total expenses she actually requires.

“FOUR MILLION PESOS?!” She exclaimed in huge surprise. She went straight to her bank account to see how much she had saved over the previous five years. She has a total of five million pesos in her account. “In my five years of working my ass out with those all-mighty directors, is just the worth of one week stay in Romania? Is it even worth the expense?” She continued, shaking her head sideways.

The excitement that had previously filled her body had disappeared completely, leaving her room dead silent. She went back to her notebook and then to her bank account.

“Should I keep doing this?” She asked herself, feeling a little guilty about spending so much money on her vampire-hunting obsession.

But after a few seconds, she snapped back to reality. “Why should I feel bad about spending money on something I really wanted? I’ve been seriously wondering if vampires really exist, and now that I know they do, why am I having such doubts?” She was shaking her head to help dispel her thoughts and guilt. “This is once in a lifetime chance that I will have, so this is worth it. When compared to seeing a real vampire, four million pesos is nothing!” She said, trying to smile after a few seconds. “But is this—” She didn’t finish her sentence and shook her head, again. “Cyrille, stop thinking! This is truly worthwhile! Vampires are expensive; four million pesos is nothing in constant comparison to their luxurious lifestyle and material possessions. You can simply seduce one of them and rob all of his wealth, and voila! I’m a billionaire right now!” And laughed and laughed as if she were a wicked witch.

After a loud and wicked laugh, a tear began to fall from her cheeks, and she began to bawl in tears. “Final goodbye, my four million pesos!  Goodbye!”

***

Cyrille’s departure came after two weeks of processing requirements and waiting.

“Zai, I can’t believe you! You’re completely insane!” Rina burst out shouting in shock and disbelief.

“I know I am, Rina,” Cyrille said, nodding.

“How can you spend your five-year earnings on something like this? Aren’t you making an impulsive decision?”

“Rina, you just told me a few weeks ago that this is our chance to hunt, so why are you stopping me now?” Cyrille retorted.

“I know. I said it, but I figured you wouldn’t blow your money like that. I assumed you were going to speak with the directors who filmed in Romania, or that they would send you to check out the location or apply for work there or something along those lines. Spending four million pesos on a one-week tourist trip! This is the most insane decision I’ve ever heard from you!” Rina continued to blab on the other end of the phone call.

“I’m insane, Rina. You already knew I was. And there is no turning back now that everything has been completed. All I have to do is sit on a plane for forty damn hours and I’ll see the thing I’ve been wanting to see for years.”

“But—”

“Enough, Rina,” Cyrille said, closing the door behind her. “There will be no more arguments.”

“However, Zai—”

“Good day, passengers. This is the announcement for flight 69A to Romania—”

“Sure, sure. I must depart at this time. They’ve already started calling passengers. Bye. I’ll call you when we arrive at our first stop.”

She didn’t let Rina bother her again and ended the call right away. Cyrille stood up straight and took a deep breath.

“That’s it. I’ll be there, Romania. Vampires await my grand arrival.”