Annalena held her mouth in thought, glancing between the clan. She was surprised that they hadn't attacked or threatened her in anyway, so she felt better about the situation. After a few minutes, Annalena shook her head.

"Alright," she answered. "Now what? Will you still guide me to Stuttgart?"

"Of course, of course," Margarete responded nearly immediately. "Please don't tell anyone about us, though. We haven't hurt anyone."

"My lips are sealed," Annalena replied with a shy smile before turning to the men. "My name is Annalena, if you didn't catch it."

The men also introduced themselves. The dark haired man with the wolf was named Reinhold, and he was the youngest of the seven. The second oldest had blond hair and was called Gunter. The two identical men were named Emil and Ernst, and they were practically inseparable. The third oldest was Hannes, and the second was Sven. The oldest, who also had the canine in the kitchen and had scolded Reinhold, was Ottomar.

"Why don't you go back to bed," Margarete suggested, noticing that Annalena started to tremble. Annalena nodded as she let Margarete lead her away from the kitchen.

"Thank you," Annalena murmured as they started to climb the stairs. Margarete shot her a curious look. "I can't imagine sharing that secret with a stranger would be easy, but thank you for trusting me."

"I should be thank you for not running out of here in a panic," her host replied with a nervous laugh. The truth was, Annalena wasn't a stupid woman. She was smart enough to know when to scream and when to keep a level head. Vampires were famed to be the ultimate predator, and she wasn't about to anger one or become worrisome. Besides, Margarete had been nothing but kind and lovely the entire time, and that led to at least some trust. Annalena was vulnerable, yet Margarete didn't exploit her.

"I would never. You took me in, even though your secret was at risk," Annalena argued as Margarete chuckled.

"Well, regardless, I'm glad we were able to come to an understanding," her host mentioned as they reached the second floor. "Although, I'm sorry you had to find out like that."

"That was a little unnerving," Annalena admitted, running a hand through her hair. If she hadn't gone into the kitchen, she would never have known the secret. "They seem nice, though."

"They are troublesome at times, but they are good men," Margarete agreed.

"You raised them well," Annalena added with a smile, catching her host off guard.

"I don't think most people would say that. They wanted to become vampires," Margarete reminded, her voice sterner than before.

"Because their parent was one. Just because they decided to live with you in your lifestyle doesn't mean that you aren't a good mother. I'm sure there are people out there that would suggest that you persuaded them, but I don't think you did. Those men think the world of you, and they wanted to continue to be a family," Annalena continued, understanding where her sons were coming from. Annalena would do anything to be with her parents again, even if it meant that she would live forever and need to suck the blood out of creatures. 

"They just had their entire lives ahead of them, and yet they chose to live forever in a dark forest. If I had a choice, I wouldn't choose this life," Margarete replied with a sad smile. 

"At least you were able to get a family out of it," Annalena grinned, hoping to lift her spirits. Margarete smiled to herself.

"You're right. I was able to get a family out of it," Margarete laughed. Annalena smiled as they walked back to her room.

"And you really want to show me the way to Stuttgart?" Annalena asked, skeptical of Margarete. She trusted her host, but she wouldn't be surprised if Margarete decided that it would be better to keep Annalena close.

"Of course! I am a woman of my word. We'll get you home," Margarete smiled, reassuring Annalena. A small pain hit Annalena's heart as she said the word home, but Annalena found that it wasn't because she had left home earlier that day. Something deep within her was deeply disappointed, but she smiled back.

"Thank you. I'll see you in the morning," Annalena answered before closing the door. Margarete nodded before turning away, leaving Annalena alone. She slid down the door and sat on the floor for a moment, starting to wonder if she really wanted to go to Stuttgart.