I'm Not A Vampire

THAT night, Grace slept soundly. For the first time in three months, which felt like an eternity, she finally could fell asleep in peace. No more painful feeling. Or cold. Those uncomfortable and throbbing pain on her body were long gone. Instead, it was warm. And tranquil.

On that night, Grace dreamt about her mother. Her loving mother that she missed and yearned for so long. For years.

Grace heard her mother was speaking to her. Softly. "Endure it. Just a little more. Everything will be fine. You're almost there, sweetheart." Like her mother was sitting right there next to her. Giving the supports she needs.

Surprised by the unexpected dream, Grace woke up anxiously!

Grace thought she was sleeping on her cozy king-sized bed in her chamber. She assumed she was at her family estate. But how disappointed she was when she realized she's back at the slave house. Back to this suffocated cage. And these heavy chains that shackled up both her legs. She could run nowhere.

To keep her from running away again, those slave traders chained her legs to the steel bars. And she would need a key to unlock the chains.

All the troubles she endured before were for nothing!

She escaped one time. And the furthest she went to was the black market, near the port town known as Frostford.

She risked her everything when she ran away. Only to be back at the slave house.

The Boss was so mad. He whipped Grace to vent his anger. He hit her body multiple times but never touch her face. The last time they touched her face was at the black market. One of the trackers slapped her.

But after that, they intentionally left her face unbeaten. Her face was her only asset to keep alive in the slave house.

So instead of Grace's face, the Boss hit and whipped her back.

Did Grace try to stop him? Yes! Grace pleaded for him to stop. But did he hear her? Of course not. He did not even care. He was brutal. And ruthless! Grace's precious tears were wasted. When she finally collapsed, only then the Boss stopped.

As Grace slowly regained consciousness, she was shocked. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

Grace touched her back. Grace's body, which once mixed with cuts, scars, bruises, and blood, was recovered.

And she was sleeping comfortably on someone else's laps!

Froze. Grace accidentally pushed that person away. Her push was strong. And that person eventually woke up.

Yuki blinked at Grace, too stunned to say anything. Yuki fell asleep without her knowing. Healing someone really could make her exhausted.

"Who are you?" asked Grace. That was her first time seeing an adult vampire.

The slave house normally abducted only children.

Yuki did not answer. To be honest, what could be the answer in that tense situation?

Thus, she just shut her mouth. Silence is always the best solution.

"Who are YOU?" Grace kept asking. And Yuki still not answered her.

Suddenly, a loud voice broke the silence.

"These BITCHES. It's morning and you already make noises!" It was the guard. Yuki and Grace heard his footsteps walking down the creaking board of stairs, headed to the cage. The guard showed up with a platter of… food?

"Rise and shine, idiots! Eat your food now! Since you made rackets yesterday, you only got a single serving for today!" The guard threw the food inside the cage. What a cold-blooded man!

Like ants, Yuki saw the children woke up and stream out to the steel bars to get their food. They were scrambling and pushing each other. And the food was not even enough for everyone.

It was a wild sight for Yuki to watch this unfamiliar scene. An unfortunate child did not get her food just because she was the last to wake up. When that child asked for one, very nicely, while her small hands gripped the steel bars in desperation, the guard belted her hands!

ZAPP!

Yuki was thunderstruck!

The guard left the cage. And the child cried really hard. From afar, Yuki could hear the child's stomach rumbled hollowly. Like she never had food for a long time. Yet the other children seemed unwilling to share their food with her.

The children got a bag of dark red liquid each. But, one child did not get her portion. Grace got a small piece of moldy bread. While Yuki also got the same pack of liquid as her breakfast.

Yuki's breakfast looked exactly the same as what the other children received. She thought it was some kind of protein shake or something. But it looked so weird. Thus, Yuki smelled the bag.

Wait… blood? What on earth?!

Why blood? This is not a hospital! And this blood bag was not for blood transfusions!

"You better drink eat fast. Or others will take it from you," said Grace after seeing Yuki just sat there and not eat her breakfast.

"I don't drink blood," answered Yuki.

"What kind of vampire does not drink blood?"

Yuki was truly speechless. The guard gave her a bag of blood. What? And why do others keep calling and assuming she was a vampire?

"I'm not even a vampire."

Yuki stood up. She took her blood packet and handed it to the poor child. It was her intention from the beginning. Even before she knew it was blood.

The child looked reluctant to accept at first, but Yuki said it was fine.

"It's okay. I don't drink blood, anyway. Just… don't tell the guard." said Yuki gently while patting the child's head.

The child hurriedly took the blood packet and ran to the corner. And Yuki smiled.

"You shouldn't do that, you know. Don't be so kind." Grace spoke up.

Yuki stared at Grace in disbelief.

"Sharing is not wrong," Yuki muttered to herself as she looked at the children, ravenously eating their breakfast and food for the day.

Grace looked at Yuki with a weird stare. This adult standing in front of her was exceptionally strange! That was their only food for the day. No one shared because saving yourself first was more important than saving others. That was common sense! Is she stupid or what?

Yuki sat next to Grace after that.

"Don't sit so close to me. I hate vampires!" exclaimed Grace with this hate gaze.

"For the second time, I'm not a vampire." Yuki tried to explain.

But of course, Grace did not believe her. With red-colored hair and pale-looking skin, everyone would assume Yuki was a VAMPIRE!

The silence returned. And no one dared to speak. Only the black, motionless ceiling was staring at them coldly.