A Day of Unexpected Encounters

Chapter 3: A Day of Unexpected Encounters

Today, 17/09/2015, the sun was bright and hot. The sitting room door was wide open, the clock ticking loudly, its sound echoing through the room. It was an old clock, one from the '90s. Bera, who had been out, returned home to find people arguing inside the sitting room. Before she could step inside, a voice called her name. It was their neighbor, Emily.

"Oh Bera, I need you to give me a hand," Emily said, pointing to a big trash bag, which made Bera hesitate to enter. After helping Emily, she finally went inside.

"Bera, you're back?" the old woman said, looking at Bera with confusion. 

"I heard some sounds here," Bera replied, concern lacing her voice.

"Oh no, you might be mistaken," the old woman said, her gaze shifting uneasily. Bera scanned the room for any signs of trouble before heading straight to her own room.

As night began to fall, she had to come downstairs to prepare dinner when she overheard the old woman and Lucian in conversation. 

"Grandma, I can't become the vampire king. How does that have to do with me?" Lucian's voice was high with frustration.

The old woman urged him to keep his voice down, wary of the neighbors. "Lucian, please, keep it low."

"Grandma, how do you expect me, the weak vampire, to be the king? I don't feed on human blood; I'm also half human. Who would want a weak vampire king?" Lucian exclaimed, his voice rising again. Suddenly, they both felt someone was eavesdropping on their conversation. Before they could check, they realized Bera had left the room.

"Could that be Bera?" Lucian asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"Nope, she can't be. She will be in the kitchen by now," the old woman replied, her eyes narrowing as she tried to gauge the situation.

The next day was filled with excitement as the supermarket buzzed heavily with marketers advertising their goods. "Bera!" Emily called, her voice cutting through the chatter. Emily also worked in the supermarket. "Is that Emily?" Bera said lowly, trying to move closer to her. Just then, a baby slipped off the edge of the elevator, and Bera quickly saved her from falling. "Are you okay?" Bera asked, her heart racing as the footfalls and voices of people passing by echoed through the supermarket. The baby nodded, wide-eyed.

"Miss Chloe!" a lady called out. "Are you Chloe?" Bera asked, looking at the baby. Chloe nodded again. "Chloe, you are here!" the lady exclaimed, breathing heavily as she rushed over. "My baby!" another lady's voice chimed in as she approached with a man whose suit was impeccably tailored, and his black shoes shone like polished obsidian under the fluorescent lights.

"Miss Chloe, are you okay?" the lady asked, her voice laced with concern. She was Luna Lyra, and she turned to Bera, her expression shifting. "Did you hurt my child?" Lyra asked, her tone dripping with arrogance.

"Did you mean me? I saved your child's life," Bera replied, standing her ground.

"Lyra!" Renon said, signaling her to keep quiet as she stormed off angrily. "Thank you for saving my kid; I really appreciate that. I'm Renon," he said, extending his hand to Bera. As they shook hands, he felt a strange sensation, grateful for the bead on Bera that masked her vampire scent.

"No, it's fine. I'm so glad I had that opportunity. I'm Bera," she said, smiling back at him. Renon left, and Emily approached, her hair curling softly and her eyes sparkling with curiosity. 

"Bera, why were you with Mr. Renon?" Emily asked, her voice filled with intrigue.

"Oh, I saved his child," Bera replied, still processing the encounter.

"You saved his child? You must be rich by now!" Emily exclaimed, her eyes wide with anticipation. 

"What do you mean?" Bera asked, confused.

"That's the C.E.O. of this supermarket! He owns many of them. Don't tell me you don't want to share the token he gave you!" Emily pressed.

"Token? What token?" Bera asked, bewildered.

"Did Mr. Renon not give you a token? God, he is so stingy," Emily said, leaning in closer, her mouth nearly touching Bera's ear as she stood on her toes, being shorter than Bera. "I also heard he is a werewolf," she added, her eyes glinting with the thrill of gossip.

The mention of werewolves sent a shiver down Bera's spine, bringing back memories of her childhood—the vampire bite, the wolves that had approached her, and the young boy who had saved her. Overwhelmed by the flood of memories, she collapsed.

"Bera! Bera!" Emily shouted, panic rising in her voice as she knelt beside her. "Help!" she screamed, drawing the attention of customers who began to gather around. Some started calling for an ambulance.

"Is that who saved Miss Chloe?" Renon's secretary asked, pointing at the unconscious Bera. Before the ambulance arrived, Renon rushed over, scooping Bera into his arms. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, but everything was a blur. The chain around Renon's neck was hidden beneath his shirt, but Bera caught a glimpse of it.

He rushed her to the hospital, where she received treatment. Emily had already called the old woman and Lucian.