I had come so far to even stop now. That thought had been stuck in me since the day I thought I was going to give up.  I pulled myself from the ground and stood up, taking in a deep breath before releasing it. I wiped my hand that was stained with mud on my tunic clothing and looked around me to see where I would be heading. I could hardly tell what time it was because of the darkness engulfing the sky, but, despite that, I figured to roam around the forest to search for the pack. I ventured further into the forest and kept my fingers crossed that I would, somehow, find them. My phone was gone and the only thing I had right now was the knife the dwarves gave me, tucked inside the pocket of my clothes. And just when I was about to divert my way, I flicked my eyes behind

I had been lying on Giofré’s soft mattress, tossing and turning as thoughts lingered in my head. The sheets were crumpled underneath me and the pillows were sprawled all over the bed. I couldn’t sleep as the vampire’s face appeared vividly in my head. It was haunting me: those sharp fangs and mischievous smirk. They bothered me. I pulled myself up, sitting at the edge of the bed with my palm laid on my side. I rubbed a hand on my forehead and bowed my head, letting my hair cascade to my sides. My heart thumped fast and my hands were sweating, though the room was cold enough because of the rain. I didn’t know what to do and I kept on recalling the moment I saw that vampire, alive.  I stood up from the bed and crossed my hands on my chest before approaching the transparent sliding door. The drizzle of the rain spatter

I was filled with anticipation as I studied the devastated look on their faces. Wendy’s forehead started to form some wrinkles and Weston’s eyes were cloaked with worry. They didn’t budge for a few minutes, hesitating to blurt out what they had been suffering from. They told me I was just in time and they needed my help, but I guess Lucas’s presence made them quite hesitant. I flicked my eyes to my side where Lucas stood, arms crossed above his chests as he stared out the window. He wasn’t paying attention to the dwarves, instead, he was checking the weather for a distraction. When Wendy let out a sigh out of exhaustion, she finally spoke. “It’s about the gemstone, Portia,” she told us with a wary look on her face.  “What about the gemstone? Was it stolen again?” I worriedly replied and clasped my hands toge

No, no-no-no.  Silence rang in my ears as I watched Giofré’s body stumble on the ground. As it unfolded in front of me—the dreadful moment that had traumatized me since the day my parents died—the same amount of pain came flooding back. There was a sudden tightness in my chest, making me gasp, as my throat constricted as if suppressing the whimper that dared to escape my mouth. It was then I realized that tears had already cascaded down my cheeks like how the rain would trickle on my face. “Giofré,” I mumbled, bottom lips quivering in utter shock. I threw myself helplessly on the mudded ground, defeated, my mind blanked out. There was an unexplainable feeling in my chest—perhaps the grief, the pain, the anger—I couldn’t lash out from. All of those overwhelming emotions boiled inside of me and as muc

The next morning, after we all rested after the exhausting day we just had, we went to the dwarves to ask them for some help. Though I knew it wasn’t a great idea to be asking more for their help after I broke the gemstone and had the audacity to return it to them, I was starting to feel desperate, especially after what happened to Giofré. The dwarves might appear vulnerable and gullible, their knowledge was what made them strong and we needed that, at this point. I think being strong at moments like this wasn’t enough because we needed to also be mindful and smart. And my knowing nothing about almost everything would lead me to another bad decision and another misfortune.   We were inside the car with me driving down the road and Agatha seated on my side. Lucas was in the backseat, looking out the window and seemingly lost in his thoughts as I would casually glance at him through the rearview mirror. Since the radio was turned off and there wasn’t any music bla