Chapter 5: Let Me Go

Art slowly felt himself getting dizzier the longer he stayed in the hall. He was obviously only sitting there doing nothing, not even talking. But the music, the blinking lights, the noisy chatter, and the smell of liquor still affected him as he is not used to any of it.

Thea kept wanting to leave but the tipsy people on the table would not let her. Art thought he should tell her about going out to get some air, but he could not find the timing. In the end, he decided to go on his own and just come back later.

Art stood up and easily slipped into the crowd, but his smooth exit was cut when he bumped into someone who straight up blocked his way. His eyes that were originally lowered to the floor looked up to meet a certain gaze. The red neon lights lingered on the man's face for a moment, and Art could see his muddy and clouded stare.

The two were close and bumped into each other every now and then when the people dancing about accidentally pushed them.

Lyle leaned to his ear and spoke, "Where are you going?"

Art flinched at the breath he felt in his ears and subconsciously stepped back, only to be pushed back again, making him collide slightly harder into the man in front of him.

It was probably because of the force. Lyle suddenly caught a whiff of the air around Art and he was rattled. He forcefully stepped back in an attempt to avoid him, making the person behind him crash to the floor. The cloud in his eyes completely covered his sight and all he could see was a hazy red.

Perhaps Art lived in the cities for most of his life, where humans have a higher population rate than vampires, and the minor number of vampires are either hiding or too far for his reach, that he knew so little about them. In some schools he attended, vampires were even nothing more than a legend. What he heard were all gossip that he deemed unreliable, so he never paid them any mind. That was why he did not recognize the look in Lyle's eyes.

"Sorry," Art muttered before looking over at the girl who was sent flying to the floor.

The partying people around them just laughed the incident off and continued dancing and fooling around. Tom, who found his sister but did not see Lyle behind him and also saw that Art was nowhere to be found, heard the sudden commotion not far from the table. He quickly made his way over and immediately felt that something was wrong.

With slightly widened eyes, he moved to grab Lyle by his arm and woke him up from his daze. When he came to, he glanced at Art.

"Leaving already?" Tom asked him as he let go of Lyle.

Art noticed that the music's volume lowered down by a notch and could finally hear some words. He shook his head in response to Tom's question.

"No. I was dizzy and wanted to get some fresh air for a minute."

Thea also arrived after apparently scolding the DJ for being overly loud. She rushed to Lyle's side and rubbed his back. The action did not escape Art's eyes.

"Okay. This guy you already met is called Lyle. Will, the annoying tanned boy from before, is the Human Representative, while Lyle is the Vampire Representative. You will probably be oriented on Monday, but for now, you need to know the important people first." Tom smiled. "There's a garden out the front. Come back in when you feel better."

Art could feel something piercing through him. The burning gaze followed his back till he reached the hallway, and the sound finally receded a bit. He forgot to ask for specific directions, but Tom said 'front', so he looked out a window and followed the corridors which he felt would lead him to the garden.

He stumbled on a small balcony on the way. Art abandoned the idea of going out and chose to go here instead. Outside, there was a steel table and a few intricately designed steel chairs. The house was actually elevated high, so he realized that even though he was just on the first floor, he was still a few meters above ground.

Art leaned on the hard concrete rails. His eyes brightened at the blooming hanging plants dangling below. He was just enjoying the view of the rustling trees and starry night when he heard a voice from behind.

"Have you ever met a vampire before?"

Surprised, Art turned and saw Lyle standing by the sliding doors with crossed arms. He unconsciously breathed out a shaky breath upon seeing his cold appearance. He couldn't see his eyes properly in the hall before, but now, under the gleam of the moon, he could finally see them clearly.

It was like he was sent back to the past. The only vacation he ever had with his father was a getaway near the ocean. He remembered being so enamored by the color of the sea in that place. It was a sea green color.

Art slowly shook his head.

"Even so, nobody ever told you about the dangers of encountering one?" Lyle took a few steps forward. "Especially in the dead of the night?"

Art sensed a hint of danger, making him step back, but he was stopped by the rock hard rails.

"Scared?" It was almost a whisper, but with the rustle of the leaves and the night being still, Art heard it as if it was just spoken beside his ear. He felt current creep down his spine in an instant. He gasped quietly as the unexpected tingles came.

Lyle seemed as if he knew what he was currently feeling. He licked his lower lip and raised the corners of his lips, baring his fangs.

A sense of crisis warned Art's every nerve to quickly bolt and run, but his feet would not listen. He breathed deeply and tried to step to the side to avoid Lyle and make his exit, his eyes never leaving the sharp fangs in front of him. When he planned to warn him about getting closer, a gust of wind threw him off and made him lean heavily to the railing behind him.

In the blink of an eye, his back was suddenly supported and prevented him from falling as a soft cloud of hair caressed the side of his face. A warm breath lingered over his neck and his whole body was pressed thoroughly to the vampire in front of him. Art firmly closed his eyes, anxious at the pain he was frightened to experience.

Moments passed, but nothing happened.

He could still feel the breaths on his neck and he could also hear faint deep inhales. Still panting from the sudden scare, he opened his eyes and let go of the clothes he unknowingly grasped tightly. He tried to move away, but the person in front of him locked him inside his embrace again and continued to snuggle on his neck.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

The initial feelings of fear dissipated. What was left was consciousness and embarrassment as Art thought about what he must smell like at the moment.

Lyle didn't care about him shouting. His shoulders and chest still shook up and down as he took deep breaths. Art felt a cool hand hold his nape in place. He shuddered at the touch and was confused whether it was because of the cold or if he had become sensitive. What he did know was that he wanted to quickly get away from the vampire!

A tinge of red appeared at the tips of his ears as he felt hot and tried to struggle out of Lyle's hands again. His voice cracked more than once as he screamed in panic.

"Get off me! Damn it. Let me go!"