CHAPTER ONE

"Granny! I'm home" Zoey said, knocking on the wooden door, footsteps were heard and the door creaked open, revealing a woman in her mid sixties. "What took you so long? I was getting worried", her grandmother asked as Zoey entered "oh.... it was pretty late when you told me to get the veggies so mama Pete was closed", Zoey explained "where did you get them then? she's the only one who sells rotten veggies in the village" her grandmother asked, "oh, from the black m-" Zoey was saying but she quickly stopped and pursed her lips that were running too fast, "What!? the black market!? Are you kidding me!? Zoey!".

Her grandmother's face turned serious "how many times do I need to tell you that the black market is not for young humans like you! you're literally a walking juice bag to the vampires there!" "not to mention, it's almost night, that place is even more dangerous at this time. What is wrong with you!?" her grandmother scolded "Granny... I'm sorry but ... that place isn't as dangerous as everyone tells it to be..." "... besides, I'm no longer a kid... I'm eighteen already" Zoey said, her granny chuckled and said "Zoey. Listen to me, you've just been lucky, I do not know how many times you've been there but you've just been lucky, and I hope you don't run out of luck because if you do, there's no telling what will happen", her grandmother angrily said and took the bag of rotten veggies with her, leaving a small green puddle on the floorboard "ugh, what does she even use these veggies for?" Zoey pinched her nose and went to get a cloth to clean the puddle.

*Later that night*

Zoey's grandmother Scarlett, entered into the kitchen and locked the door, she then brought out the rotten veggies from a locked cabinet and other stuff from the other cabinets then started pounding.

...Meanwhile...

Zoey rolled on her bed once again with a blush with a certain memory scene playing in her head.

-flashback-

"hey, Xavi" "do you live in the black market?" "yes, vampires aren't allowed in the village, we are isolated in the black market, you guys have population on your side... and, did you just call me Xavi?" A tall fine young vampire with wine eyes, pale skin and brown ruffled hair said to Zoey who was blushing beside him "yes.. do you like it?" Zoey asked looking at his eyes, he smirked "of course".

-present-

"he said to meet him again tomorrow... ahhh Xavi" Zoey blushed to herself and rolled over again.

The next day, Zoey's grandmother was up early, she was already dressed up and was holding a big polythene bag, she was about to leave so she told Zoey to wake up and go to the shop "there's a meeting involving all the market traders" she said and left.

"I'm still so sleepy" Zoey mumbled and rolled over on the bed.

Half an hour later, Zoey eyes flung open "oh no, I overslept!" she said as she rushed out of her room to have a bath, she then threw over a knee-length yellow gown and a brown overcoat to protect her from the cold dry breeze of the harmattan season, she brushed and tied her hair into a messy bun and went to eat the remaining mushroom risotto from last night, she then took her inhaler and darted out of the house to the shop.

When she got there and saw that her grandmother wasn't there yet, she heaved a sigh of relief, she opened up the shop and started displaying the items, her granny sold cooking ingredients and materials at the village market. When she was done, she sat on a plastic arm chair, awaiting customers.

"Zoey, where is Scarlett?" a customer came and said "morning Mrs Will, granny is at the traders' meeting" Zoey greeted with a smile "alright then, two milk boxes and a rubber of flour" she said as she dipped her hand in a bag and brought out a coin pouch "that'll be a hundred bronze" Zoey said, Mrs Will handed over the money pouch and collected the nylon bag from Zoey "thank you" Zoey said and went back to sit.

After a while, Zoey sighted her grandmother walking towards the stall "the meeting took so long" Zoey said as she stood up for her granny to seat "yes, the council was talking about expanding the village market and building more shops for traders" "I see" "I brought apples" her granny added as she brought out two apples from her bag "you want?" she asked "mhm" Zoey nodded and collected an apple from her. she went to sit on a small stall and started eating it "Granny, I left my knitting pins and wool at Margaret's house last week, I want to go and get them" Zoey said as she took a bite "okay don't take long" her grandmother said.

Zoey walked out of the shop and when she was sure she was out of her granny's view, she started walking in another direction, towards the black market.