He’s the guy Vero met on her birthday. She was so sure about it. Vero would never forget that face anywhere. A handsome young man with a distant, cold impression, his pale face was so easy for Vero to recognize.
As soon as she saw him, two things happened simultaneously within her.
Her memory of the young man covered in blood in the hotel room gave her chills. Then an unstoppable curiosity welled up within her.
How could he be here when Vero had to hide and leave her life because she thought he was dead?
With no hesitation, Vero stood up from the chair. The sound of her chair creaking caught the attention of her new friends. They stopped chatting and followed Vero with their gazes while she walked towards Lev’s table.
“You,” Vero said as soon as she arrived in front of Lev’s desk. She stood straight and folded her arms in front of her chest. “How could you be here?”
Lev, who was sitting facing to the side, listening to his friends chatting, glanced at Vero with an expressionless face.
Now everyone in the class focused their attention on Vero and Lev. Nobody talks or plays on the phone anymore. Even students who were walking down the hall outside the classroom stopped and looked through the windows to see what was going on.
All that attention didn’t make Vero falter. She was used to being the center of attention. The most important thing now is to get the truth from the young man named Lev.
“Did you prank me? You know it was my birthday, so you-“
Lev raised his hand, telling Vero to be quiet. Vero’s breath stopped at her half-opened mouth, which was ready to bombard Lev with various questions.
“Who are you?” asked Lev, in a nonchalant tone. He tilted his head to the other side but did not change his sitting position.
The question, and the way Lev said it, made Vero feel humiliated.
She didn’t want to be humiliated like that in public. Especially after Lev messed up with her birthday and forces her to move to this remote town.
Vero smashed the table with one hand. Its voice was so loud in the middle of the silence that now surrounds the class. Her palm throbbed and felt hot from the impact.
“Don’t mess with me,” Vero hissed as she leaned forward, passed half the table, and brought her face closer to Lev. Her eyes narrowed with hatred. “In case you forget, I’ll refresh your memory,” she gave him a cynical smile, then continued, “We met at The Queen’s Secret Palace and left the club together. That night, we were supposed to spend the night enjoying ourselves, you said, in the hotel room, but you—” Vero stopped.
The image of blood that flooded Lev’s body and her own made her sick. As if it had just happened, Vero could almost smell the blood in the air.
When Vero felt nauseous from the terrible memory, Lev turned his body and now they were facing each other. Vero hated the way Lev leaned his back casually against the back of the chair and one hand stretched out on the table. He tapped his forefinger on the table and momentarily averted his eyes.
A small, mocking grin appeared on his face. His canines were shiny and sharp and reminded Vero of something. But right now, she couldn’t think of anything other than her pride and her desire for answers.
When Lev looked back at her, the scornful expression was gone. He narrowed his eyes and said, “Are you new here?”
Vero flinched at the question. “It has nothing to do with our situation right now.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“And you didn’t answer my question either.”
Lev lifted his chin. “Let me tell you something,” he said. “No one in this place dares to talk to me unless I start it, let alone bang on my desk and make cheap accusations without proof.”
Proof. Vero has proof.
“Thank you for bringing up the matter of proof,” said Vero in a satisfied tone. “I will present the proof to you, Your Highness. And when that happens, you must kneel before me and apologize.”
“Sure,” Lev said with a pout.
The debate had to end because the lecturer entered the class. All students returned to their seats, as well as Vero.
Before returning to her seat, she gave Lev a warning glare, which Lev returned with dim eyes of indifference.
*
Because she was too busy with her own thoughts, Vero didn’t notice the change in the behavior of her new friends. They fell silent and glared at Vero as she returned to her seat.
Vero’s daring action just now makes the girls, especially Lev’s fans, feel disturbed. They couldn’t leave Vero alone.
*
Of course, Lev didn’t know that Vero took a photo of him covered in blood and sent the photo to her friend. He must have thought that she had nothing against his evasion.
It’s a shame that campus regulations forbid Vero from carrying a cell phone during lectures, so she left it in the dorm. Vero could only return to the dorm at lunchtime.
She rushed towards the dorm and went up to the fourth floor via the elevator. When the elevator door opened, Vero was busy looking for the room key in her bag, so she didn’t know someone was waiting for her in front of her room.
When Vero looked up, she was so surprised to see someone other than herself there that she dropped the key.
“You? What are you doing here?” Vero asked Lev.
Lev stood leaning against the wall, next to Vero’s bedroom door. “You got a room with a good view,” said Lev, nonchalantly. “Congratulations.”
Vero crouched down to pick up the key, then she stood up and held the key in Lev’s face. “You know me!” she hissed. “You know me, but you play dumb in front of everyone!”
Lev got rid of Vero’s hand from his face by nuzzling it aside, using the tips of his long, icy fingers. “Unlike you, who easily reveal personal disgrace, I have a good name to protect,” he said.
Vero didn’t like Lev’s easy-going and nonchalant impression, as well as his extraordinary self-control, which made her look like a mass of emotional outbursts in front of him.
“Now tell me. What happened then?” asked Vero. Her neck and shoulders tensed as she asked. “I saw you die! You were covered in blood!”
“I have no obligation to tell you,” said Lev.
“Then what did you come here for? Do you want to silence me? Are you afraid that I will reveal evidence that will make you couldn’t evade and damage your reputation?” Vero gave as much ridicule as she said the word ‘good name’.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Lev said, firmly. He pulled away from the wall and shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “I just don’t like it when there are pesky flies around me.”
“I’m not a pesky fly-“
“Listen,” Lev interrupted. “If you want to live peacefully in this place, you must forget about that incident. Never discuss it with anyone and have no desire to seek answers about it.”
“You think I’m afraid of you?” Vero replied. She snorted with a mocking smile. Vero folded her arms across her chest and looked out the window at the end of the hall. “No one can get away from me after they dare to threaten me.”
“It’s your call,” Lev said. He walked away and stopped after a few steps, then looked over his shoulder. “Maybe you are something back in your hometown. But now you are in my town.” One corner of his lips moved up. “I warned you. Don’t blame me if anything happens to you.”
Duradel may not be Vero’s domain, but she believes she can make her new friends bow to her, just as she did back home.After making sure Lev was no longer on the 4th floor, Vero entered her room and took the cell phone she kept in the nightstand drawer. She turned on the phone and waited for the main screen to appear and the signal was established.For a moment, she expected notifications of messages or missed calls, either from her parents or from her friends who wanted to know her whereabouts and current condition.But none appeared.Vero pursed her lips, and her shoulders slumped in disappointment. She put her phone on silent mode and put it in her bag. It is a violation to carry a cell phone to class and Vero didn’t want to lose it on her first day here. So she had to be careful.The long lunch hour was still going on when Vero returned to the campus. She headed to the cafeteria and looked around for her new friends amidst the crowd of students having their lunch.Mia’s red hair a
Vero found her cell phone, and she was pulling it out of her bag when someone crossed the side hall and stopped when he saw them.“What are you doing here? Isn’t the lecture over?”A tall, thin man like a dry tree in winter appeared and gave Vero goosebumps. Looks like it’s one of the campus staff. His appearance and face reminded Vero of Ms. Caroline. Both were pale-faced and seemed to have no feelings.All the girls were shocked and the arrogant attitude they had shown to Vero just now disappeared.“We’re taking Vero for a walk, introducing her to the campus area,” said Mia. The lies she told were so smooth that Vero wanted to compliment her.“You can do it tomorrow, at lunchtime,” the man said in an even tone. He barely even opened his mouth as he said it.“Okay, Mr. James,” said Ava.Mr. James glanced at Vero. “You’re the new student? Verona Windward?” he asked.“Yes, sir,” Vero answered, nodding.Mr. James gave Vero an appraising look from head to toe.“I hope you’ve read and mem
“What?” Vero thought she was misheard. There’s no way her father said that she couldn’t come back. “Dad, what are you saying?”“You can’t go back here.”“Why?!” Vero almost screamed when she asked that. This was the worst news she had heard after moving here. “Dad, don’t pull my leg! Are you not listening to me? The person is still alive! He is here!”“Vero, we’ll talk about that later, ok? Now, you must—” Her father’s next voice faltered. Only in the form of fragments of words that Vero could not hear.Once again, Vero took the phone away from her ear and looked at the signal indicator on the screen. The signal was very weak.“Dammit.” She put the phone to her ear as she walked out of the room. “Daddy! I can’t hear you! The signal is terrible,” Vero said in a hurry. She opened the door to the verandah and stood there, hoping for a better signal. “I was walking out to find a better signal. Don’t hang up the phone just yet.”No answer.“Dad?” Vero took the phone away and looked at the
It’s cold tonight. Just like any other night in Duradel. At least that’s what the locals have been saying for a long time. The same complaints about Duradel that never let go of the bone-chilling cold at night, even in summer.But whatever the weather that hit Duradel, it didn’t affect Lev and dozens of other vampires who lived in Noblebranch, the area where the vampire nobles of Duradel lived, which consisted of large mansions that attracted the attention of tourists in this little town.Although many seasoned tourists are willing to pay whatever it takes to visit Noblebranch, this place is not accessible to just anyone. Of all the Duradel areas, Noblebranch and the surrounding forest areas are forbidden places for tourists and residents who do not have permission to enter.Lev was sitting on the domed roof of the tower of his mansion. The moon tonight shone brightly in its perfectly round shape. And no matter what impulse moved him, Lev wante
When Lev lifted Verona from the lake, the girl was passing out. She slumped limply in his arms. Her body was as light as a feather, thought Lev. Does she never eat? Lev still doesn’t understand why girls these days are obsessed with skinny bodies like slates.Lev didn’t take her back to the dormitory or to the town area. There will be many eyes watching and that is not good for Verona. Especially if the dormitory gets to know about it.He carried Verona into the woods on the other side of the lake, a suitable distance from the town and closer to Noblebranch. Unlike the residents of Duradel, the noble vampires in Noblebranch wouldn’t give a damn about what was going on around them, as long as it didn’t disturb their comfort.Lev walked a little into the woods and, after making sure that no one could see them, he laid Verona down on the grass.“A very heroic act.” Sant emerged from the darkness. Lev knew he caught up with
“Hatchi!” Vero hadn’t even come out of the room and she had already used half a box of tissues to blow her nose. Upon returning to the dormitory, Vero immediately took a warm shower and wrapped herself in layers of blankets. The dorm provided three spare blankets in the cupboard and Vero used all of them. When morning came, the situation had not improved. Instead, now she felt dizzy and feverish. She had thought about skipping today’s class schedule, but this was only her second day. There’s no way she wouldn’t come. After all, she had a lot of things to do. Dizzy, Vero unsteadily walked to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. After making sure that her face didn’t look swollen and that there wasn’t any dirt on it, she changed her clothes. Vero threw her pajamas into the dirty clothes basket and stopped when she found a T-shirt at the top of the pile. It was her savior’s shirt. Vero wanted to meet the person and thank him, but she did
Her image of the kind-hearted man who had saved her life was shattered in an instant. Of all the boys in this city, why did it have to be Lev who saved her? It was more likely for him to let Vero drown than to save her after what she did to him. When they face each other, it’s clear that Lev doesn’t like her. Then why did he save her? Did he hope Vero would feel indebted and submit to him? “It couldn’t be me,” said Vero. “And the video is blurry, so we can’t be so sure about who’s in there—” The blonde girl stamped her foot and pinched Vero’s chin with her slender thumb and forefinger. Her nails stabbed into her cheeks. “This evidence was so clear, yet you still dare to deny it?” she hissed. “Do you think I threw myself into the lake on purpose to get Lev’s attention? You think I’m that crazy?” “Well, yeah!” replied the blonde girl, as if that was the obvious thing. “You smacked Lev’s table in front of all the students. You threw food over Mia’s head.” She released her grip. “If
A chubby girl, wearing black and purple gothic lolita make-up and dress. Vero thought she was seeing a ghost until the girl finally spoke.“Did Fancy Barbie lock you in here?”“Fancy what?” Vero flinched at the name that sounded so tacky.“Fancy Barbie,” said the girl impatiently. She snapped her fingers and moved her forefinger, telling Vero to stand up.Vero stood up, still staring at the girl in confusion. She didn’t want to take a step closer until she was completely sure that the girl before her wasn’t a bully like the blonde.“Are you going out or not? The staff will lock the building soon and you will be cooped up here all night.”“Who are you?” instead of paying attention to the girl’s words, Vero asked about her identity. “How did you know I was trapped in here? Did they tell you to pick me up and you’re going to take me somewhere else, where t