Flashbacks

"I don't want to leave Mom. Why do you keep on insisting that I don't belong here? What's wrong with El Colmillos and you don't want me here? I don't understand you."

"And why can't you understand me, Adra? Why do you still want to come back here? What is it about El Colmillos that makes you want to come back?"

"Because it is a part of me Mom!"

"You knew?" She asked.

I frowned at him.

"What do you mean I knew?" I asked.

Its mouth is closed. "N-nothing."

"Mom, what is it? Why do I feel like all of you are hiding something from me? Alta is not the same anymore. She is very cautious on whatever she is going to say to me. I don't feel like she sees me as a friend anymore. She is not sharing anything to me about her. Why? Will something trigger me or what?"

Mom returned home to El Colmillos and Alessandro picked her up to go to the mansion. We just finished eating with Alessandro's family and Mom is immediately like this.

Earlier he was smiling and very grateful to Alessandro's family for letting me stay in their mansion because we no longer have a home here.

Alessandro's family liked Mom, because they both have a business so they both jive.

I thought that's where it all ends. Oh how wrong I was because after that dinner she went to my guest room and started lecturing me on why I wanted to kill myself by leaving our house in Manila without her knowing.

"Aunt?" Alessandro walked in before Mom could even answer me. I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Uh, Alessandro." She said,

"I hope you are not mad with Adra. It is my idea to bring her here. I knew you wouldn't let her and I still did it anyway. I'm so sorry.

I just want her to meet my parents because they want to meet her too. And if Adra, in the coming days, feels different about me. It is a good thing to bring her here. For our family." He said to Mom.

Mom listened to him.

I kept looking at Alessandro.

Is he just saying that so Mom won't be mad at me? Or is it real? Why does it feel so freaking real?

Maybe Alessandro was just being rational. Why was he nervous about what he said?

That is the last thing that I wanted to hear from him. What I saw last night is terrifying and amazing but I don't know if I could really trust Alessandro this much.

He has been a good friend but I'm not sure if I really know him that well.

I saw blades, swords and daggers at the end of the room in the hallway. There are so many nuns and they are all hung on the walls of the room. Others are still framed. There are also animal horns, and some furs. There are also teeth... in fact it's like your fangs.

I didn't know where it came from or why Alessandro's house had this but something in me says someone close to me is in danger because of all that.

I'm not sure if Alessandro really knew about it. Who knows if it's his parents? Or are they parents too?

Maybe an heirloom or collection?

But the daggers...

They look too painful to look at.

When I entered and looked at it closely, it was as if I felt the point of it go into my heart.

I never told Alessandro about it. I don't want to ask him too. He looks too kind to be involved with those dagger and hunter things inside that room.

One thing that I questioned inside that room is the fangs... is it a vampire fangs?

Unlike before, my head doesn't hurt anymore when I mention anything about a vampire or things such as the moon.

It's weird but somehow the pain is gone in my head.

What I thought about what I saw earlier is that I didn't follow what Mom and Alessandro were talking about.

"I know you only want good things for Alessandro but it is too dangerous for her to go back here. I know the intention is good but please beg her to go back to Manila." Mom pleaded.

My eyes squinted as I saw how she held into Alessandro like her life depended on it.

Why does it feel like I have seen this scene before?

But where?

"Well it is up to Adra now Tita. I can't dictate to her what to do. She has her own life and I respect all of her decisions whether she stays here or goes back to Manila. I'm in full support because I can still visit her there but I'm too busy here." He said as he looked at me.

I stared back at him.

"I want to stay here Mom." I stated.

"No, you can't. You are coming with me. Alessandro is going to visit there and you just need to go back to your life and continue." She insisted.

"No! I won't go back there Mom. I'm old enough to have my own decisions."

"And those decisions ended up wrong! She said,

"What?" I asked.

She came closer to me.

"Please Adra. Let's just go home. I will let you be free in Manila. You can do whatever you want but you can't go back here anymore."

"Why are you running away from here Mom? What's wrong with El Colmillos and you don't want me to stay here?",

"Nothing Adra. You will only waste your time finding out what that thing is rather than focusing on your life." She said,

"I'm focused, Mom. And I will find that out."

"No, Adra. We are going home. I'm so sorry Alessandro but I need to take Adra back to Manila."

Alessandro smiled bitterly. "It's okay Aunt, I'll drive you home."

"No! I'm not going home." I said as I ran away from Alessandro's mansion.

My foot led me to the forest.

I don't know but only in the forest I felt a peace that is not found in any other place.

I know it is supposed to be terrifying because of the unknown animals and monsters that might be lurking here but these monsters and wild animals are no different to the people outside, both of them don't care at all.

Well at least, the monsters have true intentions, unlike the people around me. They are still, much better.

I wonder if there is a vampire here...

Why am I so fascinated with vampires even before? And now I just lost interest in them because Mom told me to burn all my vampire novels and everything about them that I had and never ever thought about vampires.

I look up at the sky...

I'm not even allowed to look at the moon. Mom always wants me to avoid the moon. But it's so mesmerizing to look at it.

I sat on a fallen tree, to watch the moon in the sky with the stars shining.

"It's midnight, why are you here?" said the man behind me.

I already know this voice.

"Amo?"

It kept looking at me.

"Shouldn't you be at home? With him?" He asked.

I looked down at his hand. Wasn't he injured yesterday?

Why doesn't that seem to be his thing?

I couldn't help but look at his hand. I reached for it and looked at his hands.

My forehead creased. Why is there no wound on his hand? Shouldn't he have a clue because he broke the glass with his hand last night?

I reached for his other hand.

It is the same. No injuries. It's not like I want him to have an injury but it's weird.

I'm sure he was hurt that time.

Because that will break!

I looked up at him. We both thought it was right.

"W-wait, Aren't you supposed to have a wound?"

"What do you mean?" He asked.

I squeezed his hand tightly, maybe because I was just creating an illusion that he didn't have any injuries, he didn't moan or anything. It means that he really has no injuries.

"W-some glass was broken yesterday Wasn't it? I-I didn't see it but I heard it."

"Silly, nothing broke." He said.

I sighed. "Well I'm broken. Mom came and she wants to send me back to Us but I don't want to go back there. This is my home. I feel like I belong here better than there. I don't feel empty here. In fact the forest helps me so much, it makes me more calm. It is peaceful here." I said.

"Is that all the reason why you wanted to stay?" He asked.

I nodded.

"That's not enough reason, Adra. Your life's in danger and you want to risk it just because the forest makes you calm?"

I stood up at what he said. She sounds exactly like Mom.

"I… I don't know Asmo. It's been years since I came here. I don't have a memory that I left… In fact I don't have any memory after my first semester in college. That's all I can remember There are gaps in my knowledge and it is so hard to live like that. I felt like I'm not alive at all." He kept looking at me.

His eyes are really longing for something, it looks even sadder every time he looks at me.

My heart beats faster as I stare at him longer.

Asmo….

"I'm just here to be scolded and told not to do this, do that. Stay away from the moon, from vampires. Like, they're not even real but my Mom keeps on insisting I stay away from them like them" re going to pop out in front of me." I joked.

But Asmo's face is serious.

"I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't be ranting about all of this. You don't deserve to hear all of my nonsense crap." I said.

He doesn't look pleased with my jokes at all. As if it were real and possible that I would see a vampire in this forest.

It's delusional to think of that.

Mom and I are the same.

"You should go home now, Adra. They might be looking for you. It's not safe here," he said.

I walked closer to him. "Asmo..."

I don't know why but I cupped his face.

"Why do I feel like I've known you before?" I asked him as I stared into his gunmetal eyes.

"You are probably hungry, you are starting to think differently."

I shook my head.

"No… that's not true. It's just that—"

Before I could even talk he cut me off.

"Go now, Adra. Before I do something that I will surely regret."

"And what is that?" I asked as I looked down on his luscious lips. This is probably the wrong thing to think of but why do his lips look so sweet?

What is going on with me?

"Asmo..." I called his name.

"Adra," he said as he cupped my cheeks.

"You shouldn't be here, you shouldn't have come back."

My brows furrowed with what he said but I didn't care at all. It's like I'm under his spell right now. I can't think of anything else aside from him.

"Why shouldn't I, Asmo? Who are you to me?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"O-okay." I said. I turned around and was about to leave but I turned to him again.

"Can you kiss me?" I asked. Warm crept up to my cheeks.

"What?" He asked.

Fuck shit. Never mind. I'll just kiss him. If this is the last day that I will be here I will seize it to the fullest.

Instead of answering him, I leaned forward, cupped both of his cheeks as our lips touched together.

I closed my eyes as our lips touched. Our kiss is long and meaningful.

My eyes widened realizing what I had done.

Fuck shit.

Before he could speak, I ran out of the forest.

Shit. Shit.

You fool Adra! Why did you do that?

I was walking, finding my way out of the forest when I fell to my knees because of the excruciating pain in my head. I grab onto my chest when a stabbing pain makes my heart beat rapidly.

This is not normal. What is going on with me?

I tried to open my eyes but when I tried to, everything was going around and it's too bright.

It is midnight but why is my vision bright?

"Ahhh!" I groaned in pain.

I lay down in pain.

I didn't care where I lay because my whole body could barely move.

I opened my eyes and stared at the moon, laying there helpless.

What the fucky shit is going on?

My eyes widened as I saw the moon turned green.

"Asmo..."