Legend Of The Vampire (Chapter 8: Thorns)

8/6/2019 Legend Of The Vampire (Chapter 8: Thorns)

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CHAPTER 8: Thorns

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Up on the balcony box, Ian was occupying a crimson velvet chair, his arms resting stifflyalong the armrests. The row of three seats behind him was empty, reserved to ensure hisprivacy. Somewhere below his guards must have kept him on their watch at all times. Eightpersonal bodyguards were assigned to guard him twenty-four/seven. After the First Districtincident two weeks ago, it was the only bargain his father accepted if he were to set footout of the lair again.

Ian rubbed his temple a bit. The continual lack of sleep, night after night was getting tohim. After coming to term with having to lead a life with eight men trailing him, he decided

to buy himself a nice night out to clear his mind from battles and blood. He tried to push theexistence of the guards to the brink of nothingness by concentrating solely on the beautifulsinger in white garb on stage.

The heroine lifted her hands into the air, shaken as she lamented over her dead lover andtheir misfortune. Towards the suicidal end, the singer's heavenly voice gripped Ian in a wayhe hadn't expected. Ian stared down at the lithe figure below. He couldn't but follow the lifeof a woman spiraling down the path of unexpected betrayal and vicious truth. The lovethemeclaimed such powerful meanings that he found it almost absurd how someone wouldgive it such importance. He shifted in his chair, irritated that he was easily frustrated by theclichéd sentiment. To him, love was just a poetic excuse for jealousy and self-interest. Hedidn't understand it, but hated to admit to have felt the familiar turmoil. He might neverknow why people felt anything at all. Feeling was a chemical imbalance²a trick in one'smind, and it never had a place in his life until this very moment tonight that he found it

suddenly storming up inside of him.

Before the curtains called Ian left the box. He intended not to see the heroine succumbingto the tragic end. It wasn't in his soul to surrender, or he wanted to believe it that way.Picking out an antique, silver-cased pocket watch from his leather coat's pocket, he flippedthe cover open and studied his mother's smile.

Ann Kruger wasn't innocent«

Annie Lu's words echoed in Ian's head, and the thought of a hateful WOOHP agent broughtquestions upon him. He wouldn't know what his mother would have reacted if she were stillalive and saw her child becoming a sort she despised. But perhaps someone would have ananswer for her.

Slipping the pocket watch back into the pocket, Ian strode through the carpeted hallway of the opera house and exited the front entrance. It took a little more than an hour fromdowntown Midgard to reach Annie's remote home. Forbidden to roam freely on his Ducati,Ian was driven in a black, bulletproof limo with four of the guards. Four other guards pairedup, each pair leading and following the limo by motorcycles. Suddenly, Ian felt like a VIP inthis silly parade.



Ian took a look outside as the limo drove through the crowded streets, sipping from a cupof coffee he got from Sally's twenty-four-hour diner. As expected, the secret service, underdisguise as police, had the First District secured, and the neighbors were given theexplanation for the occurrence as a terrorist attack. The news, of course, never made it tothe front page. WOOHP' ambition was heightened by the destruction of the First District,the vampire's only headquarters in Midgard. Now the werewolves must have become theirnext target.

Even with tight security around him, Ian had sneaked back to the library a few days ago,although only briefly before the guards caught up with him. The entire building hadcollapsed. Some parts of the walls still stood, shattered glasses and rubbles piled up alongthe pavements. Ian had climbed over the huge mound of debris and witnessed a large holein the middle of the ground, blasted deep enough to see the maze-like walls andpassageways below. The vampire headquarters was annihilated, and it would be a miracle if anyone had survived the calamity.

Ian closed his eyes for a few moments as the limo turned along the graveled path that ledto the monastery up on the hill. Alex was ordered off the security team and given a monthto rest. Both Samantha and Sam were presumed dead, and considering the dawnapproaching, it was safe to assume that Spencer and Julia had perished as well. Alex hadn't

taken the aftermath well, secluding himself in his room, while Ian himself was trying to livehis life as normally as he could, although it was becoming harder each second now that thelimo finally pulled over in front of the monastery.

Getting out of the limo, Ian ordered the guards to stay with their vehicles. His lack of explanation was to be expected, and they knew to keep their distance. At least, he wasn'tgoing anywhere near WOOHP this time. Walking up the driveway, he glanced up at thewindow to the living room, the only room lit in the house, and his heart skipped a beat atthe sound of piano playing inside. Before he could stop himself, he rushed up the stonystairs and pushed the front door open.

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The rusty backdoor of the bar burst open, and a svelte, raven-haired woman rushed out intothe dark alley. It was four thirty in the morning, but passersby still filled along thedowntown Tokyo streets. Gasping for air, she leaned against the cold wall to catch somebreath. The music kept pounding inside the building that the wall trembled. Her head wasspinning, hammered by the powerful vodka shots. Her breath smelled of alcohol, and hereyes and cheeks were reddened. She was in no condition to drive home tonight, but gettinghome wasn't her main concern at the moment. As a young, bright WOOHP agent, she couldlose a lot of credentials being spotted drunk. As a brilliant scientist, who was also a fieldagent with strong combat expertise, she could lose her precious career being in love with amanmade immortal. Just when nothing seemed to be able to stop her way to greatachievements, Ann Kruger found her life slowly destroyed by the only person she had everloved.

Ann wiped the wet strands of her hair from her face before looking around, paranoid forany sign of WOOHP agents. She wasn't followed. She wasn't being spied on. Not yet. No oneknew of her blossoming relationship with Hideaki Kruger, but she already felt hunted.Sooner or later, it was inevitable.

Just when she straightened up to leave the alley, a heavy figure fell from the sky andlanded right in front of her, sending her a few steps back in panic. The large, blond-hairedman groaned in pain as he tried to get up, the tail of his black coat stained with blood and



dust. Judging from the situation, Ann was rather certain that he was an immortal, or else hewould have died from the fall already.

To make matters even more complicated, Ann turned to see another stranger just a few feetfrom her. A young-looking vampire with wild, chestnut tresses in a patched, charcoal coatstood in the middle of the alley, clenching her fists as she stared down at the man she had

just struck down to the ground.

"Curse you, traitor!" he yelled. But his hunter silenced him with a fierce kick in his chest,shoving him against the wall.

Alarmed, Ann backed away until her back met with the opposite wall. Although she hadbeen recruited into WOOHP for almost a decade since her first year in college, she had yetto come upon the vampires without her squads, protective gears, and most importantly, anexit strategy. This was a street fight between vampires she had never encountered before.

Her foot on his chest pinned him in the position. Her eyes glowing in red, the femalevampire bent down a little, scrutinizing the face of her victim as if she had never seen himbefore.

Fruitlessly struggling to free himself, he snarled in his poor attempt to threaten her."Master Masaru knows now that you're the one! You told that damn queen of our location!Know this. We'll never surrender to Uriah. Tell your queen that!"

Ann was about to sneak away from the scene, but the mention of the Serpent covenstopped her. The information could be invaluable for WOOHP. It was known that theSerpent branch was destroyed by Uriah three hundred years ago, but there were suspicionsof the surviving members of the fallen clan to this day. Perhaps, they weren't just rumorsafter all.

"Masaru will die just like his father before him, and his followers will die just like theirmaster. You won't be the last." The female vampire spoke plainly without remorse or angerin her voice. She sounded ridiculously mechanical as though it was her ritual to repeat this

for every victim. Without another word, she pulled out a stake from beneath her knee-length coat and staked into her prey's heart. Screaming, he twisted in pain as his entirebeing gradually dissolved into ash.

Ann involuntarily stiffened when the chestnut-haired vampire spun around, the staketightened in her grip. Her eyes widened. Her heart beat so fast in panic. It was a rareoccurrence to witness a vampire carrying a stake, a weapon fatal to them, and thenmurdering their own kind with it. The glowing red eyes eventually dulled into hauntingcrimson, and the vampire studied the shaken Ann with newfound interest. Ann quicklystilled herself, determined not to show her fright. She had never feared death before. But alot of unexpected things happened today, and the circumstances affected her more than sheever wanted to admit.

The vampire stood absolutely still as if waiting for Ann to break down and run before she'dbegin another hunt. There was something peculiar about the vampire Ann had never feltwith others. There was an ounce of perilous innocence and wild curiosity in the crimsongaze as the vampire held the stake in her hand with neither regret nor shame. It was as if she was designed that way, dictated to hunt down without a care for reasons. A cagedanimal released only to hunt for its master. Was she really a spy from Uriah? What hadmade her to be without the slightest guilt to massacre her own kind? Even at the bottom of decadence, vampires were once humans as well.

"You always carry that with you? It looks« efficient ." Ann finally broke the silence.



"It works with humans, too. But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Ah!" Ann was suddenly snatched by the collar and thrust up against the wall before shecould even register the vampire's rapid movement.

However, the attacker halted, the sharp end of the stake stopping just a few inches from

Ann's chest. One hand around Ann's neck, the vampire remained silent for a while, silentlycontemplating.

"I« promise« not to tell anyone«" Ann tried to speak with the harsh grip around her neck.

The vampire eventually retracted her hand. "You better not, because seven months fromnow, I will come back and kill you and everyone you might tell them about tonight." Withthat, the vampire left the alley.

Her hand dropping to her knees, Ann took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Shelifted her hand to her tummy. With just a touch on her, the vampire detected a presence of life inside her, and amazingly, spared her for that very reason. She had only found outtoday of her pregnancy with Hideaki's baby. The news deeply scared her, and she was

unsure whether to keep it. If she were to keep her career at WOOHP, the baby would haveno place in this world. But Hideaki would find out sooner or later, and their secret marriagewould certainly end.

Ann looked up again at the entrance of the alley. The vampire was long gone. People werewalking about, enjoying their time with friends or loved ones. Upon seeing their smiles, shecouldn't help but envy their simple life she could only wish for. Slowly, she made her wayout of the alley and walked her way home. Maybe the baby would change all that for her.Just maybe.

What should I name you? What would you like to be called?

Ann was involuntarily excited to name her baby. Her life would be turned upside downseven months from now, and she must prepare herself for every possible threat against herfamily. But there was no secret in this world, and she knew not to keep it.

"Well« Thanks for telling me. Now I'm on the death list with you." It was the responsefrom Annie Lu, a fresh face recruited into WOOHP, Ann's partner at Red 3 Division. They hadbeen working together for over a year now. The duo was both young and attractive, a rarepairing which had most men at the Tokyo headquarters taking turn visiting their officeevery hour.

Annie leaned back in her chair. Her left arm rested on the edge of the desk full of tall stacksof documents and two black laptops. She looked away from her partner, obviouslydisturbed by the information Ann had just told her.

"I need your help, Annie. I don't know who else to ask." When WOOHP leaned closer, the

younger woman sharply scooted away.

Annie gradually looked up, staring at her partner square in the eye. "Terry just told meabout your resignation this morning. I don't like too many surprises in one day. It's bad formy mental health. You've always ignored me, Ann. You're t he star around here, and I couldunderstand your indifference at times. But now you really owe me some explanations. Youbetter make yourself likable before I throw you out of this room. Now, talk ."



Ann cast her gaze down on the floor, her hands fidgety on her lap. She had never felt thishelpless in her entire life. As an orphan, she never had a family to worry about. There wasnever a loved one to care for. But it had changed since she fell in love with Hideaki a fewyears ago, and fear which had grown with love became almost unbearable to her. Now, shehad not only her husband, but also her unborn child to fear for.

"Are« Are you mad! You're pregnant²a²and²and with H ideaki Kruger , the very thingwe're supposed to hunt down and destroy?" Annie had shot up to her feet, almost topplingthe chair in the process. Hands in her hair, she paced back and forth, taking in deepbreathes. There was clearly a look of shock and hurt in her vibrant violet eyes. "I don't feelgood about this at all. Why are you telling me this? You know I have no choice but to reportyou."

"I know you wouldn't."

Annie kicked the desk, alarming her partner with the unusual display of anger. "This is sounfair! You've always been unfair to me! You're so selfish, Ann. You just don't give a shitabout anybody. You never have. How dare of you to ask this from me now?"

Burying her face in her palms, Ann found no excuse to her partner's accusation. Annie's

career was put on the line now if she chose not to report her. But if Annie did, the fate of Ann's family would be jeopardized, and she would have to live with the guilt for the rest of her life. Ann knew full well of her young partner's kind heart, a rare trait to find amongWOOHP agents, and it was the very reason she chose Annie to partner up with her. But nowshe had shamefully taken advantage of that kindness.

"I'm so sorry. I just don't know who else to turn to." Ann looked up again, but Anniefiercely turned away.

"I didn't hear anything. Just resign and disappear."

"Annie²"

"I mean it. Now . You have to leave now."

"The reason I told you about the vampire because²"

"I don't want to hear another word from you."

Ann literally threw herself at the younger woman, gripping her arms. "I need your help. Ineed the guns, Annie, WOOHP' new invention. I'd have to resign before it shows, but therewouldn't be time for me to even get to see the real UV bullets. I need your access to theweapons. It's the only way to protect my family. Please, Annie. You're my only hope."

Brushing Ann's hands away, Annie tried to walk away from the smaller woman. "I'll never

steal for you. That's out of the question. Stick with stakes, Ann. You should just gosomewhere far away, so no one can find you. Oh, wait, I think your boyfriend might be ableto kick the bitch's ass. Isn't he supposed to be super strong and stuff?"

"You don't understand. This one« She's stronger than any other vampires I've seen, andshe's smart, too. She's going to find me. She will«"

There was a moment of silence from the short-haired, blonde woman before a sigh escapedher thin lips. Ann wasn't sure whether Annie had taken pity on her baby, or if her partnerhad just succumbed to the challenge of the death threat. Besides, rogue vampires were few



and far in between to come across, and it could boost Annie's reputation a great dealamong her macho peers if she could slay one. Only a few days later, Annie called on asecured line and agreed to help.

In the meanwhile, Hideaki decided to move to a ranch up north, where it was extremelyremote and the thick forest literally cast him from the rest of the world. But Ann insisted toremain in Tokyo to continue her search for the sacred blood. The decision was difficult, andAnn refrained herself from telling Hideaki about their baby, fearing that he would notescape to the north as planned. She had partly hoped that her search might protect herbaby, and secretly wished to return to WOOHP after giving birth. The fact astonished evenher partner that Ann's love for her husband proved not enough to cloud her ambition. Thevampires were fearless criminals in the lawless land. To Ann, WOOHP was a symbol of

justice, and she had sworn to serve it until the end.

"You need to rest. Come on, it's almost 3 in the morning. That can't be good for the baby."Annie Lu, in her white pajamas, was reclining on the couch in the small living room of theirshared apartment.

Warmed in a wool sweater, Ann was occupying the desk, reading a thick book she borrowedfrom the library. Stacks of more books scattered around the room, and it had become a

familiar sight for both women. Gossips of Ann being pregnant without a father did spreadthrough the organization, but nobody in their wildest imagination had thought itwas t he infamous werewolf's baby she was carrying. Most peers only thought that it wasthe byproduct of her one night stand, but Ann knew that she had to be careful in everymove she made, knowing how tenacious WOOHP was when it came to spy games.

Annie yawned. "Does he still call?"

"Of course. We're still married," Ann deadpanned.

"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot« For Pete's sake, just put the book away. You're ruiningyour marriage with all these craps. When was the last time you saw him?"

Ann ticked the tip of the pen at her chin. "About a month ago. I was wearing a thick coat,and he thought I'd put on some weight."

"You have."

"Not so much," Ann said, narrowing her eyes whilst continuing to jot down some notes onher green-leathered, personal journal.

"Oh, yes, you have. A lot," Annie said, chuckling.

"I'm not going to see him again until I delivered."

Annie suddenly paused at the notion.

"I don't want him to worry. I don't want him to risk being around me to protect me." Anninwardly sighed. She was saddened by the thought of not seeing Hideaki for another threemonths. It was going to be hell for her. While the vampires were to be despised andhunted, WOOHP had unfairly punished her husband for his inhuman strength, casting him inthe same light with the vile beasts of the night.





Standing by the door, Ann gasped in fright and spun on her heels to see a slender figuresitting on the couch. Her pale face was partially hidden by the shadows, but Ann recognized

just who it was. The death had come as promised.

"You really are a WOOHP agent, Ann Manson," the vampire said.

Ann felt her throat dry. Obviously, she had been spied on all these months. Did the vampirecapture Annie and tortured her for information?

"I thought you were going to give your baby to your husband, but it's been two monthssince. Are you having second thought?" The intruder stood up so quietly one would havefailed to detect her movements.

"H²how did you get in here?" Ann breathed.

"I waited. But you're making it difficult for me."

Ann froze as the tall frame moved past her into the bedroom. The charcoal-clad vampirethen stopped at the cradle and took a long look down at the baby, the action prompting Ann

to charge at her. With ease, the vampire turned and grabbed Ann by the wrists, forcing herto stand still.

"Did you tell them about me? Your partner? What about your husband? Where is he? I'dlike to keep my words," the vampire snarled.

Ann spat at the pale face, causing the vampire to let go of her. She raced to the corner of the room and held up a golf club with both hands. "Don't you dare touching my family, ormy friend! You won't get away with this!"

Glowering at Ann, the vampire sternly wiped her face in disgust. "I've warned you. I gaveyou the chance to save them, but you didn't. Would you even grant me the same kindness if you were in my position? I doubt it," she said. Her tone was tender and melodic, unlike the

bitter and vengeful message behind her words. "You're a self-righteous murderer who'sclaimed countless lives in the name of justice. You're despicable."

Ann uneasily shifted in the corner, her gaze never leaving the intruder. Beads of sweatformed over her forehead, and her heart beat so fast it almost leapt out of her chest. "Weboth kill to defend our kind, and our hands are tainted. But the winner writes history, andthe loser always ends up being the vile one."

"You're nothing, Manson. History will forget you."

Ann watched the vampire closing in on her fast. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying thather last moment would be short and painless. She could only hope that the vampire wouldhave mercy on her son.

"Stop right there!" Annie's yell interrupted.

Opening her eyes again, Ann looked over her shoulder to see her partner standing in themiddle of the narrow walkway that connected the living room to the bedroom. Tightlyholding a gun in both hands, Annie was in a black suit, her usual WOOHP uniform, gearedup and ready for combat. It seemed that she had been prepared for the intrusion.

Annie's violet eyes glowered at the vampire, who had halted at the peculiar sight of theluminous blue bullets loaded onto the gun. The young agent frowned slightly; she must be



perplexed to see a vampire with such a pleasant face instead of the expected cold andhideous one. Ann knew she was, since she was also struck by the vampire's genteelfeatures. The vampire even appeared to be younger than both women. It was common tocome across a vampire in their teenage bodies, or even younger, but they were never roguesince young bodies generally reacted severely to the transformation. The difficulty inhunting for food rarely allowed them to roam unaided from the start. Rogue vampires thenwere usually older and must possessed tremendous strength to be able to survive in the

wild alone.

"You've got the nerve to invade our space, you little brat. Now, on your knees," Annie said,smirking in triumph. But the vampire stood still, ignoring the command. "If you don't wantto taste these UV bullets, then get down on your knees. It will definitely killyou« painfully ," Annie added.

Ann quickly got up to her feet. "No, let her go."

Her partner's jaw dropped. "What are you talking about«! Are you out of your mind? Shewas going to kill you!"

Ann took in a deep breath as she turned to the chestnut-haired vampire. "Will you let my

family go, if we let you walk away tonight?"

The vampire just stared at the UV gun, her eyes unblinking as if she were made of stone.

"I swear that I'll never expose your existence to anybody outside of this room. I haven'ttold my husband about you, and WOOHP has no knowledge about you. At least, not fromme, or my friend. Can we just pretend that we never met?"

Annie took a step closer to her friend, her aim at the intruder steady still. "This is crazy,Ann. There won't be any negotiation with a killer. We have no reason to believe she'd keepher word!" Without a second thought, Annie fired, but missed as the vampire crawled fastonto the wall.

"Let's see how good of a shooter you are!" the vampire hissed, her white fangs protruding.She leapt off the wall, snatched the baby out of the cradle and jumped out through thewindow.

"Ian!" Ann rushed towards the open window and looked down into the street below. Thevampire had crawled down along the wall and ran fast into the milling crowd.

"Goddamn it!" Annie grunted.

"I got a tracking device on Ian. We must get to him before the vampire notices it. Followme!" Ann then rushed out of their apartment, Annie closely behind.

With Annie sitting behind her, Ann sped her black Yamaha down the street where thevampire had gone. One arm wrapped around Ann's waist, Annie was holding Ann's wristwatch, reading the blinking, moving red dot, and giving directions to her partner. Soon, thedot stopped, leading them to an abandoned warehouse in the outskirt of Tokyo.

As they got closer to the two-story building, Ann parked her vehicle along the narrow,graveled path and sneaked through the paddy field by foot. Her partner followed, holdingthe gun in her gloved hands. When Ann reached the side door to the warehouse, shesignaled her friend to stop and then peered inside.



The warehouse was large enough to accommodate a dozen gas trucks. The first floor washeavily dusted with used tires and wooden boxes scattered around. An old, red truck wasset aside to the far wall. A few, emptied gas tanks were laid around unchecked. The upperfloor spanned only one third of the area of the first floor, a flight of rusty staircase at itsright corner. It was a lot busier with broken pipes and stacks of wooden boxes, blockingmost of the view upstairs.

"Did you see anything?" Annie whispered.

Ann shook her head, frustrated that there was not even the slightest sound of her baby.Catching a faint mumbling from behind the boxes above, she moved a little to her right toget a better look. There was some light from the small bonfire set upstairs, and through thegaps between the boxes, Ann could see the vampire sitting and fumbling for something onthe floor.

"Be still« Hold on« What a surprise. I'm stuck with you. What are we going to do now«?Oh« What's this?" The vampire lifted up the tracking device she had just unfastened fromthe baby's wrist, scrutinizing it as if it were an extraterrestrial object. "Is this yourwristband?" The vampire then slowly waved it above the baby's face, trying to lure Ian intosleep.

Ann involuntarily let out a relieved sigh to see that her son was still safe. Truthfully, shewas struck even more so by the primitive lifestyle the vampire led. How could a Uriah spynot knowing anything outside of her own little world besides killings?

Carefully, Ann crawled into the warehouse and climbed up the stairs. Annie was rightbeside her with the gun ready. Her partner certainly had picked up the oddity from thevampire as well; her gaze softened as she stared at the loner's back.

But Ann froze when the old stair creaked, the noise prompting the vampire to snap andlooked over her shoulder. However, the pair of crimson eyes gave off very little reaction atthe intrusion. It was as though her whole life had revolved around an endless huntinggame, and she was naturally prepared to encounter a surprise at any given moment.

"You dropped this," Ann said, picking out a silver pocket watch out of her jacket. From theslight dart of the crimson eyes, Ann sensed the importance of the object in her hand. "Youdropped it in the alley that night. I did expect that you'd come back to look for it."

Seemingly deep in her thoughts, the vampire sat absolutely still, her gaze lowered to therusty rails to her left. She had made no move to attack or escape, and Ian was still in herdeadly reach.

"We're not here to hurt you. I just want my baby back. We'll leave you be, I promise," Annsaid. Annie nudged her, but she ignored her friend. Ann slowly crawled towards thevampire. "There're only two of us who know about you, I swear to God. Your identity issafe²"

"You don't know who I am, and those who knew are already dead," the vampire said. Herface remained expressionless, but Ann could sense deep distrust seeded within themelodious voice.

Ann adamantly nodded, and flipped the cover of the pocket watch open. The clock handsstill moved, but the picture frame was empty. "Yes. Yes, you're right. I don't know who youare, and I have no reason to expose you. We won't tell a soul about you."





Occupying the couch, Ian watched Annie's fingers slowly glided through the piano keys,softly striking a few incoherent notes.

Ian found it hard to believe that Annie Lu, now seventy years old, was 'my young andvibrant friend' in the journal. His mother was careful enough to pen down entries afterentries but never mentioning any names outright. He never understood the secrecy in thoseentries. It was a personal journal, but his mother still felt the need to hide something.When questioned, his father always claimed that he barely knew his wife's acquaintancesand friends. Hence, the old woman in front of Ian had become the last link to the missingpages.

Sitting on the piano chair, Annie looked frail in her creamy dress and a purple wool jacket.She had been playing Spencer's tune ever since the vampire disappeared two weeks ago,waiting for her to return. Dark circles under her eyes, her lips were dry and her gaze wasdull. There was disappointment in Annie's eyes when it appeared to be Ian coming throughthe front door unannounced. Like so, Ian felt a hollow in his chest to see Annie standing ontop of the stairway instead of the owner of the piano tune. Their feeling was mutual, andthere wasn't any need for apology.

"That was all. My mother seemed to suddenly stop writing. It was..." Ian squinted at the

written date, and then looked back up at Annie, whose back was still facing him. "It wasten months before she died. What happened? What happened to her?" He read the journaltonight because Annie requested it out of nostalgia. The old lady confessed of her illness,and Ian didn't have the heart to refuse.

"Your father wouldn't know. He was pretty much kept in the dark. Please don't blame him if he couldn't give you the answers you need." Mumbling, Annie turned to smile at Ian. "Moretea?"

Ian shrugged a bit. "Sure. It seems we're going to have a long night."

Annie moved to the table and poured some more for the guest. She sat down opposite toIan, sipping from his own cup. It must have been well past her rest time, but the old

woman had refused to waste a waking minute of her life.

"Ann held so many secrets, many heartbreaks and burdens. I remember« I remember herturning down WOOHP' call to go back to the organization. I was surprised. WOOHP was herlife, but then Spencer changed everything. Ann believed that Spencer could give her Uriah,that she'd find the sacred blood, her lifelong obsession. Oh, your mother was crazy, I'd tellyou."

Ian raised his brows and let out a big sigh in slight embarrassment. Obsession-wise, hemust have inherited the willfulness from his mother. "Well, did my mother find Uriah?"

The old lady's face turned grim at the question, and she looked down before she said, "Ibelieve she got more than she bargained for."

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Ann met Hideaki a week after the warehouse incident. That night, she showed the baby tohim and asked for forgiveness.



"How could you do this to me? I thought we were family." Her husband's question wasrather rhetoric, and Ann wasn't sure how to react to it. Occupying a table in the in the lobbyof a cheap motel, she was holding the baby in her arms.

"I didn't want to stop you from moving up north. I couldn't risk your safety, Hideaki. You'reeverything to me."

"You've made it clear that I'm nothing to you." Hideaki sharply looked away. But he had tolook back again as he couldn't take his eyes off his son, the proof of their love and thereminder of all the difficulties they both had gone through to be together.

"Can I hold him?" he finally asked.

Hideaki took the baby from his wife and felt the weight of love so tangible, so real for thefirst time. He didn't have to chase after it. He didn't have to hide from it. It was nothing likewhat he and Ann had experienced.

"Ian«" Hideaki whispered, watching his baby sleep in his arms. After a long moment, helooked up again at his wife. "What are you going to do now?"

"I« I plan to go back to WOOHP." Ann leaned forwards when she saw the hurt in his eyes."It's the only way to get to Uriah. Please, Hideaki, you know how important it is to me."

"Yeah, it's important. But I don't know why, Ann. You never told me anything." Certainly,he was upset that Ann refused to move to the ranch with him, but he tried to reason thatone had his or her own purpose in life. He promised to build a home for them, and that hewould wait until she fulfilled her journey in the outside world.

"I have forever to wait, and you know where to find me," he said, and kissed her beforeleaving the table. Their meetings had always been short for precaution.

"He has forever, but you don't. You should go back to your family." Annie Lu had her arms

across her chest as she watched her friend picking up the car key from the small desk in theliving room of their apartment. Looking at her friend now, she sometimes wondered howmuch Hideaki really meant to Ann. Taking a pity on the werewolf, Annie had secretly givenher spare UV gun to Hideaki for his own protection, knowing that he was high on bothWOOHP and Uriah's list.

Annie rolled her eyes. "You're not going to the warehouse again. That's out of the question.Why do you love to get yourself into troubles? I still remember how pissed off that vampirewas last time we were there. I doubt she'd let us go this time."

"You'll see." Ann put the car key into her pocket and picked up a white envelope from thedesk, reading it briefly before tossing it into the bin. It was the letter from WOOHP, callingher back to duty.

Annie let out an exasperated sigh. "Are you mad! That's exactly what you've stayed herefor. Didn't you let your family go, so that you could go back to WOOHP?"

To Annie's surprise, Ann turned to her with a wide grin. "I've got a better idea than that.I'm going to get what WOOHP can't give me."

"That weird vampire? Come on! She's an outcast. She's a dead-end lead, leading younowhere." Annie paced around the tiny kitchen. The whole idea of befriending the roguevampire in hope that she'd lend a hand in finding Uriah was just absurd. She didn't see



what was so special about the vampire until Ann grinned even wider at the knock on thedoor.

Annie immediately pulled out her gun as she peered at the door. She didn't expect a visitorat this time of night. Unbeknownst to her, Ann had.

Ann strode towards the door and winked back at Annie. "I'm not going to the warehousetonight. Don't worry. We have a better place to go."

The door opened and revealed the chestnut-haired vampire in the dark hallway. The windlightly pulled her wild tresses to the back, revealing her deep set of crimson eyes. Therewas a brief moment when the vampire's gaze met with Annie's before she coldly lookedaway. The vampire appeared almost timid, or tired, to be exact. Perhaps, she wasn't askeen on hunting for food as hunting to kill. And what could be a better place to lure avampire these days than a hospital full of donated blood. This rogue vampire had no way of sneaking into a hospital unnoticed, and Ann was about to help her getting it.

"Annie Lu, this is Spencer Lee. Spencer, this is Annie Lu," Ann said, gesturing back andforth. Annie had no idea how Ann worked around her back to get this close to Spencer, buther partner always had her ways.

'We' was no longer Ann and Annie as a team, and suddenly Annie felt a pang of angerstorming in her chest. "You're not going anywhere with her alone. Not without me. Notwithout my gun to keep her in check. For Christ's sake, Ann, you should know better thananyone else not to trust this t hing," Annie said, pushing her way out of the apartment asshe sneered at Spencer's ashen face.

The vampire offered no reaction. Indeed, she looked nearly green at the lack of food. Anniewondered how long Spencer had gone on without any blood. She only discovered later that,for weeks, Ann had poisoned the animals the vampire usually fed on around the warehouse,and then approached her and offered some proper food as a friendly gesture. Surely,Spencer knew nothing of the scheme, or she'd be enraged. To Ann's credit, the plan workedout splendidly that the vampire came peacefully to their door, learning to knock instead of

breaking in.

The trio's visits to smaller hospitals around the city gradually became as frequent as thricea week. Spencer was visibly healthier with constant feed on human blood, and Anniesecretly pondered of the vampire's growing strength. Although they were on a peacefulterm, the vampire remained aloof when it came to her past.

"Was it beautiful?" Ann struck out the question as she admired the city view from the top of the skyscraper.

Along the edge of the building, Ann sat between Spencer and Annie, a bottle of beer in herhand. Annie had a box of juice, and Spencer was sucking blood from the bag she had stolentonight.

"What was?" Spencer echoed.

But Annie sensed that the vampire knew exactly what Ann was referring to. After all, shehad been around long enough to know how twisted human intentions could be. Ann mightbe friendly, but there was always a catch. For some strange reasons, Annie found it harderand harder each day to deceive the vampire as it was plain to see that Spencer was playingalong just to have someone by her side. How lonely the road must have been for thevampire to roam the world alone for centuries.



"Was your hometown beautiful?" Ann elaborated without shame. She was letting Spencerknow that she did want something back from their masqueraded friendship. She wasn'tafraid that the vampire, who had flown them up to the top of the skyscraper, would getupset and hurt them. She feared no more because she knew that Spencer wouldn't. She hadbegun to learn that the vampire did have a heart like humans²a heart to be fooled andpained.

"It was very beautiful. But it was so long ago. It must have changed completely by now."Spencer briefly looked away.

"Did you have a family? Friends? How old are you?" Ann concentrated her whole attentionon the vampire now, and Annie could almost feel the sincere curiosity in her partner's voice.Sometimes Annie had to admit that she didn't like the intense way Ann stared at Spencer. Itmade her feel uncomfortable when Ann acted as though she owned the vampire.

"You're staring." Out of the blue, Spencer's words brought Annie out of her train of thoughts. The vampire was pointing out that it was, in fact, Annie herself who had beenstaring intensely.

An involuntary blush flushed her cheeks as Annie stuttered, "I²I was just thinking«"

"You were thinking about?" Spencer raised her brows.

Ann now turned to Annie in curiosity, and Annie had to look down to avoid her friend's eyes.The last thing she wanted was Ann's disapproval.

"I was thinking what has kept you from returning home, wherever it is," Annie said quietly.

There was a moment of silence before the vampire replied, "It's no longer my home. Ithasn't been for a long time."

"Is it Uriah? It must be." Ann leaned so close to Spencer that she was now completely

blocking the vampire from Annie's view.

"You're relentless, Ann. Watch it. It's going to come back and hurt you one day."

"Yes, or no? Please," Ann pouted.

Spencer turned at Ann's childlike plea, and Annie found herself stop breathing for a secondat the vampire's smile. She had to lean back a little, peeking at the vampire over Ann'sshoulder, fearing for getting caught again.

"I was sent to Uriah when I was four years old because of my illness. I basically grew upthere. My mother was there to take care of me. She« I'd say she was all I had." Spencerlooked out to the beautiful view of the city below. "The island was different back then.

People came and left all the time. It was very different."

Ann and Annie sat still for a moment, stunned at the revelation that Uriah was onceaccessible to humans in ancient time. The information would have WOOHP at its knees,begging for more.

"Why are you still here, Spencer?" Ann asked, frowning. "Aren't you supposed to go backnow that you've finished your hunts on the remaining Kyoto vampires?"



Spencer sucked the last drop of blood and shrugged. "I do what I have to do, and by noone's order."

"So you really are a rogue? They made you, and then you just decided that you had to killthem to go rogue?" Annie blurted out. For some strange reasons, she was relieved that thevampire had no relation with Uriah. But then again, she saw no solid reasons why Spencerhad to destroy her own clan.

"I do what I have to do, Annie. You don't have to believe in me," Spencer said, chuckling.But her tone was sincere and without a hint of resentment. She rubbed her hands a fewtimes and continued, "The Serpent coven is a thing of the past now. I don't want to mentionit again."

"I want to go to Uriah. Will you bring us there?" Ann asked.

Spencer just smiled a little. "Even if you could get there, the queen would have you killed."

"Are you certain of the queen's strength?" Ann grinned in challenge. "Time has changed,Spencer. We've got UV bullets now, and every vampire should be very afraid."

Spencer shrugged. "Then I hope you've got enough of your new toys, because Uriah had anarmy of twenty thousand vampires last time I was there. And that was a very long, longtime ago."

The information left Ann and Annie reeling. It was discovered that Uriah harbored a fewheadquarters around the globe, and one on Japanese soil, Midgard Island. But they hadobviously underestimated their entire population. No wonder that WOOHP, a hugeorganization it was, still could not bring down Uriah. Maybe Spencer really was their onlylead, and having her in their team now seemed a better deal than Annie had anticipatedbefore.

"That's a nice watch," Annie commented at the pocket watch in Spencer's hand. At four inthe morning, the trio was occupying a bench at a deserted train station after a night out ata bar. Ann wanted to relax, and Spencer and Annie tagged along as usual. Ann tried to getthe vampire to drink something other than blood, and Spencer proved to be able toconsume whatever that her body didn't absolutely need, just like humans. Ann seemedpleased at the result, but Spencer assured them that most vampires were not keen enoughto take anything other than blood.

Spencer slightly shook the pocket watch next to her ear. "It's broken again," she said.

"I can get it fixed for you in the morning," Ann said, grinning. She snatched the watch fromSpencer's hand and flipped it open. "Oh? Still no picture. You should put a picture of yourself in there."

"I don't think the immortals can go digital. We're too fast," Spencer said.

Her cheeks reddened from the excessive alcohol consumption, Ann laughed. "So you'restuck in the past, or something like that? How ancient are you?"

Spencer smiled knowingly.

"You're so secretive. Most vampires just loved to brag about their strength and their pastachievements." Ann scrutinized the watch, frowning. "It looks pretty old. Where did you getit?"



Annie only kept quiet. She had grown to feel rather uncomfortable at Ann's endlessinterrogation. Somehow she was afraid that Spencer would get upset and left themaltogether.

"Some watchmaker in London gave it to me« He was a kind man«" Spencer said, lookingaway. And Annie began to know t hat look in the crimson eyes²the same look whenever thevampire was hurt, thinking about the past.

Ann flipped the watch closed and stared at Spencer. "You've been everywhere, haven'tyou?"

"No. Not yet. We didn't have planes back then."

Ann let out a merry chortle, swinging her legs over Spencer's lap. "Or you would have goneto the moon already!"

"The moon, yes," Spencer said and smiled.

"Who was he, that watchmaker?" Annie asked. Strangely, she felt the unstoppable urge to

interrupt their laughter.

The smile disappeared from Spencer's face, and she failed to answer. As silence grew, Annbegan to catch the uncomfortable air among them, and glanced between Annie and thevampire.

"I know what to do with it now!" Ann broke the silence with a big grin, clutching the watch.She had the watch fixed the next morning, and put a picture of herself on the inside of themetal lid. It was a not-so-subtle suggestion to Annie that the vampire was now Ann'sproperty. Spencer, however, didn't seem to catch the notion, and was rather pleased thather watch was working again.

Other than Annie's personal discomfort with her partner, all seemed to have gone well

between Annie and Spencer. Little by little, Spencer began to open up to the young WOOHPagent. On a pleasant, quiet night, Spencer admitted to Annie that she was given the watchby the Londoner about two hundred years ago. But the old man, who had befriended her,was killed during her fight with some of the members from the Kyoto coven. He was justone of many faces²one of many whom Spencer had lost through the centuries.

"You shouldn't have to live alone. No one should," Annie said. And before she could stopherself, she reached for the vampire's hand and brought it up to her chest.

"But it suits me well. I'm quite used to it," Spencer said, returning Annie with a small smile.

Annie felt her cheeks hot and had to let go off the cold hand before the vampire wouldactually pay any mind on their seemingly casual touch.

As strong as a team the trio had grown, all hadn't gone so smoothly for Ann. Her husband'scalls became more frequent due to his worries over her safety, and more importantly, hisgrowing mistrust in her.

One night Hideaki unexpectedly paid her a visit, holding Ian in his arms. Wearing a baseballcap, he was in a gray, hooded coat and a pair of black trousers.



"Hideaki«? Oh, my God«" Ann hurried him into the apartment, glancing into the hallwaybefore shutting the door. "What happened? Are you all right? Is Ian all right? Is she okay?"She rushed to take the baby in her arms.

Annie came out of her bedroom and quietly greeted Hideaki with a slight nod. He paused fora moment before pacing around in the living room. "Ian is ill, Ann. I brought him to see afew doctors. But so far, they couldn't diagnose what is wrong with him. He's got high fever,and he can't eat."

"How long has he been ill?" Ann studied the baby.

"A week."

Ann looked horrified. "A« a week?"

"You have to get to him to a bigger hospital. The clinics closest to the ranch couldn't helphim." Hands clasped at the back of his head, Hideaki walked further into the apartment. Hepaced around some more in front of Annie's room, his gaze filled with unease.

Ann quickly nodded and said, "Annie and I will take him to the hospital now. You waithere²"

Hideaki suddenly threw a punch through Annie's bedroom door. With his inhuman strength,he grabbed the person behind the door and swung the slender frame out into the hallway.Pinning Spencer up against the wall, he stopped for a second in terror when he realized thathe had caught a vampire. Spencer was equally stunned to see him. Surely, she hadn'texpected him to catch her scent so quickly.

Hideaki then focused and struck the vampire in the face, plunging her to the floor.

"Spencer!" Annie called out.

"Hideaki, stop!" Ann dashed to her husband's side.

On her knees, Spencer turned in time to catch his fist just a few inches from her face,halting further attack. She spat out some blood and glowered up at him. Hideaki wasalarmed that he couldn't seem to lose her grip since most vampires were unmatched to hisstrength.

³Hideaki Kruger. It's a pleasure to meet you in person," Spencer said as she slowly got up.She then raised her free hand.

Ann threw herself in front of Hideaki. "No, Spencer! No, please, don't hurt him."

After a long stare, Spencer scoffed and let go off the werewolf.

As soon as Hideaki was freed, he instantly motioned his wife to move away from thevampire. "What's going on here, Ann? Who is she? You know her?"

"Yes, she's a friend. She's our friend," Ann assured.

Hideaki glanced past Spencer's shoulder to see Annie nodding back in reassurance. He thenturned to look at his wife and a deep hurt set in his eyes.



"Hideaki, I meant to tell you²"

"Tell me about what? I tried to understand when you refused to move to the ranch. Iwaited and waited. But it's been ten months, and you never visited us. And now you'rekeeping a vampire in your place! I can't imagine what else you haven't told me, Ann. MaybeI don't want to know anymore." Hideaki strode out into the living room and stormedtowards the front door.

Ann followed suit. "Wait! Wait! It's not what you think. I couldn't risk visiting you and Ianbecause I refused WOOHP' offer to go back. And they've spied on me ever since. We have tobe patient. It takes some times to prove to them that I am not going against theorganization."

Hideaki coldly stared at his wife. "You told me back then that you were staying to go backto WOOHP. You lied to me again."

"I refused WOOHP because I found her." Ann gestured towards Spencer, who was glaringat them from the corner of her eyes. The vampire was leaning against the wall, wiping theblood from lips with the back of her hand. "She knows Uriah. She can give me what I can'tget from WOOHP."

Hideaki studied the young-looking vampire. Cocking his head a little, he took one stepforwards and said, "Rogue vampires are usually older, and they're very hard to comeacross. Who are you, really? What have you got from befriending my wife? Who do youwork for? Answer me now, or I will tear you down."

Spencer gave out a calm, but scornful smile. "I followed no one's orders, not even yourwife's, though she'd tried."

Snarling, Hideaki clenched his fists. But the knock on the door broke the mounting tensionbetween the two immortals.

"Did you expect someone?" Annie asked Ann, in which her partner shook her head. Shethen carefully pulled out the gun and approached the door.

Spencer stood at the far corner of the room, not really paying much attention to anythingexcept the werewolf who had just challenged her.

Annie leaned close to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Victoria. Annie, are you all right? I heard some noises."

Annie felt a pang of relief to hear it was her neighbor. Definitely, the commotion Hideakiand Spencer had caused earlier had gotten some attention from the rooms nearby. Annieopened the door to greet her fifty-year-old, hefty neighbor.

"I dropped something in the bathroom, and I slipped. How clumsy of me! I'm so sorry aboutthe noises. I hope I didn't wake you."

Victoria gave Annie a warm smile. "It's all right, dear. I hope you aren't hurt²" The oldneighbor was cut short when a pair of black-gloved hands reached from behind her andsnapped her neck broken in a swift movement.

Annie screamed and raised her gun. Ann and Hideaki rushed into the doorway to see whathad happened. To their utter surprise, a tall, dark-haired vampire in a gray suit stepped out



and stopped at the door. He pushed Victoria's body to the floor. He looked from Annie toAnn, and then Hideaki, his gaze dark and intense.

"Ann Smith« and Hideaki Kruger«? I can't believe my luck tonight," the vampire said. Atriumphant smile slowly crept up his cold, handsome face.

Annie and Ann were equally bewildered. They had expected WOOHP agents, who had beenkeeping them under surveillance for all these months, to show up at their doorstep ratherthan a vampire. Did this mean that the vampire had got rid of the agents on their watch?

However, the intruder stopped and a look of surprise set in his hazel eyes. "Spencer«?"

"Reito«" Spencer staggered in her post.

Ann turned to Spencer, her eyes widened in disbelief. "You« You set us up."

Before Spencer could respond, Hideaki pulled out a UV gun Annie once gave him and firedtwo shots at Spencer, catching her off-guard. The force spun the vampire off her feet andsent her lithe form against the window. Cornered, Spencer broke the glass with her elbow

and leapt off the building.

"Spencer!" Annie rushed to the broken window and peered down seven-story below.Spencer had already gone out of sight.

Hideaki turned and fired at Reito at once. But the vampire dodged the bullets anddisappeared fast into the hallway. Hideaki meant to follow, but Ann pulled him back.

"Leave now, Hideaki! You must leave now!" Ann urged.

Hideaki looked frustrated as he kept glancing back and forth between his wife and theempty hallway. "What are you talking about? I can't leave you like this. Who knows howmany vampires are out there right now?"

"WOOHP must have noted the absence of their agents by now, and they'll send more mensoon. You have to take Ian with you. It's not safe for you both here."

Hideaki took the baby, but still lingered at the doorway. "Come with me, Ann."

"I« I can't« They'll question my absence, and they'll track us down," Ann said, reachingfor him as tears welled up her eyes.

But Hideaki took a step back, avoiding her touch. "I'm going to protect you and Ian. I'mwilling to risk it to be with you. Are you?"

Ann paused, failing to find words to help her husband understand. "Save Ian. Save yourself,Hideaki. This is not your fight."

"I guess we've stopped fighting together for a long time now, and I've just realized it. It'snot about WOOHP. It's not me being hunted. It's all about Uriah, the only thing you've evercared about« and I don't even know why. Why, Ann? Why is it more important than yourfamily²more than us?"

There was only a long silence, and Hideki eventually turned and walked away.



"Why?" Annie watched her friend from the back. She, too, had always wondered. Amongstall the agents she had known, no one could match Ann's devotion in her quest to destroyUriah.

Letting out a sigh, Ann tiredly walked back into their room and shut the door behind her.She sank down on the couch and rubbed her face. "It's complicated. I wish I had an easyanswer for everyone« I'm« I'm so tired. All my life, I've been chasing Uriah. I've tried sohard to protect the people I love« I don't know when it became my obsession, but I cannever be at peace until I find it."

"You've got to stop one day, you know that. Believe it or not, life is short. We're notimmortals."

Ann's head shot up, and she stared at her friend. "And I should thank God for turning out tobe a human despite having a vampire as a mother."

Annie froze, unable to believe her ears.

"On my graduation from high school, a WOOHP agent approached me and gave me a file

that had my whole life recorded. From the day I was given to the orphanage by a localpoliceman to my teenage years. My whole life, I always believed that both my parents werekilled by vampires." Ann looked down at the pieces of shattered glass on the floor, the windsoftly blowing her dark hair. "My« my mother murdered my father, a human. She took hislife because« it was just who she was²w hat she was. She fled, and even WOOHP lost hertrack. She was lost forever."

Annie took in a deep breath and said, "So you've gone through all the troubles to find her."

"To kill her and the likes of her. Her kind should be annihilated, "Ann said, glancing past thedark stain of vampire blood on the wall and out the window to the moon high in the sky. "Ihave to find Spencer. She's the only link to Uriah." Ann then stood up and stalked intoAnnie's bedroom.

Annie followed to the doorway and silently watched Ann taking the gun underneath thepillow and collecting more ammunition from the drawer. She knew she couldn't stop herpartner, and perhaps, she shouldn't. But it troubled her somehow that she kept worryingfor the already injured vampire. Witnessing firsthand how WOOHP had run tests of UVbullets on some captive vampires, it was a miracle that Spencer was able to escape Hideakithat fast.

"But Spencer is different from them«" Annie finally said.

"She set us up tonight," Ann said as she continued to check the guns. "We've been socareless. She's not a rogue as she claimed to be. She almost got us and Hideaki killed."

"I still think that« I don't know«" Annie looked away, frustrated at her own conflicted

feelings.

Ann paused for a second. "Are you in love with her? Didn't I just tell you it's a verydangerous thing to fall in love with a vampire? They'd tried, Annie, and they failed toovercome their nature²their urge to bleed the life out of us²"

"She's not your mother." For the first time, Annie defiantly stared back at her partner,whom she had always respected and secretly idolized. But Spencer's life was on the line,







understood now the meaning of the look on Spencer's face when she saw that her left legwas broken and anything below her right knee was completely missing. Her mind suddenlyregistered all the physical pains, and she screamed out in terror. Her whole life flashedbefore her eyes, and she could see the end of it now. Tears poured down her face, and she

just couldn't stop herself from crying aloud, trying to wake from the nightmare she was in.

It was only until Spencer spoke in a language she did not know that Ann was able to breakaway from the state of oblivion. Oddly, the vampire's harmonious voice soothed her mindeven though she did not understand the meaning of those words. She eventually stoppedcrying and wiped her tears from her face. Although she felt her energy was slipping awayfast, and that her life could end any minute now, she turned and took a long look at thevampire, who appeared to be as calm as the sea before them.

"What« What did you say«?" Ann breathed.

Spencer tried to move, but ended up coughing up more blood. But it didn't seem to matternow. She kept glaring at the human who would soon share the same fate with her. "If« If Itell you« I'm gonna have to kill you«" Spencer still managed a dry scoff.

Her body starting to shake, Ann closed her eyes and smiled. She knew that if the vampire

wanted to kill her, she would have done so long ago, and she knew that Spencer could notpossibly come out of her hiding place now to reach her in the sun. But she also knew for afact that she was going to die anyway even if help was on the way.

"I accept« your challenge« I want« the truth«" Biting her lips to muffle her cry of pain,Ann started to crawl towards the vampire. But her muscles weren't functioning as shewished. She whimpered and had to stop to take a breath in. When her body simply refusedto move any further, she reached her shaky hand as far as she could and grabbed the coldhand in the shade.

"Take« my blood«" Ann said with determination in her eyes.

Spencer paused a little, staggered by Ann's action. "Does« Uriah matter« Does it matter so

much« that you'll die for it?"

Ann slowly shook her head. "Because« Because you spared my child« You knew that I'dlove him even before I did« You« gave me the most incredible« thing I've ever had« myIan«"

There was a moment of silence before Spencer hungrily snatched Ann's hand and drew thewoman close enough to whisper into her ear. Ann's eyes widened at Spencer's last wordsfor her. The vampire then buried her fangs into Ann's wrist and sealed the truth into thedark once again.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"I« I still remember that beautiful evening« The sun was setting«" Annie muttered as shewas lying on her warm bed, her dull gaze staring up at the ceiling. Her shaky hand wasclinging to the black rosary around her neck, her most beloved gift from Spencer.

After long hours of recollections of the past, Ian tucked the old woman into bed, coveringher with a thick blanket. With the vampire gone, Annie had lost the will to live. She enteredher final days earlier than the doctor had predicted.



"The agents and I spread out to find Ann, hoping that she'd survive the accident somehow.She was the strong one, you know« But she was only human, and she couldn't win all thetime. I found her« I found her body lying in the sun. She looked peaceful as I recalled, sopeaceful that I thought she was just sleeping«

But then the injuries on her body looked extremely severe, and I realized then that we hadcome too late. Then I saw Spencer hiding further into the shade. She was scared of mewhen she saw me. I« I raised my gun up at her, screaming in my head that she was amurderer. I stared at her with all the hate I could muster. I wanted her to beg for her life.She had no way to escape. Not out in the sun like that. Not with WOOHP agents around«But she didn't say a word. She just looked at me, sitting there, hugging her knees« The bitemark on Ann's wrist was telling me to finish her. I could have shot her right there. I couldhave«"

"But you didn't," Ian said quietly.

Sitting on a chair with a cup of coffee in his hand, his mother's green, leather journal on thedesk nearby, Ian tried so hard to stay calm, and not running away in frustration as heusually did.

"Because I trusted her. I trusted that she would never hurt my friend²that she wasdifferent. And I spent the next fifty years of my life proving myself right time and again«She was different."

Ian shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I« God«" he muttered. It was clearto him now that Spencer deliberately let him believe that she was the murderer of hismother, so that Ian would not linger to help and escaped the First District unharmed. Itseemed that the vampire had finally repaid Ann's dues.

"I asked her if she killed my mother«" Ian said, reluctantly looking up at Annie. His heartwas begging him to regret, but his head was telling him that he did the right thing to leavethe vampire there. "She didn't answer« So I left her there. I let her die."

But Annie offered no reaction to Ian's confession. The old woman just kept mumblingthings inaudible to Ian's ears. Nothing could be done now. No one could undo the past. AndAnnie wasn't going to delve into regret and anger anymore. She saw a brighter path aheadof her, hoping to join her love in a place far away from this chaotic world.

Pulling his collar closer, Ian got into his car and headed back to his apartment. On his ridehome, he kept looking at the picture of his mother on the pocket watch, one of thebelongings his father had kept from the day she died. Ian left Annie that night, feeling faremptier than when he knew so little about his mother.

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Legend Of The Vampire (Chapter 8: Thorns)