The rest entered the bar from the back, the dark-haired boy went towards the bartender, Clare and Jayden went to her apartment, which was upstairs. They climbed the old wooden stairs. The corridor was wide, with a high ceiling and a dark parquet floor. They entered the apartment. Clare went to her bedroom to get something and came back quickly.

"Go wash up," she gave him his clothes and pointed to the bathroom. Jayden nodded and did as she told him. When he saw himself in the mirror he wanted to break it, so he threw away his clothes and took a quick bath. He put on the clothes Clare gave him. Surprisingly, they fit him. Navy blue hoodie and black jeans. He looked at himself in the mirror with disgust, put his head to it and felt tears flowing. After a few minutes, when he stopped crying, he left the bathroom and sat at the table. Tea and sandwiches were waiting for him. Clare came out of the other room, changed into a light T-shirt and shorts. Her hair was loose. They almost reached halfway down her back. She sat down next to him.

"Eat" she smiled at him, Jayden looked at the food but had no intention of eating.

"I'm not hungry," he replied quietly. Clare patted him on the back.

"I think you are." She looked into his eyes, the boy felt warmth on his cheeks and took the sandwich. He slowly started eating.

"As for your family," she began quietly, "don't worry, they're all alive." Jayden looked at her in disbelief. He put the sandwich down, "but... it'll be better if they forget about this incident."

"I almost killed them" he replied, feeling anger, regret and sadness "I don't know what happened to me, I wanted to kill them" his voice broke at the end. The tears started flowing again. “My body…it didn't listen to me at all…”

"It's not your fault" she looked blankly at the wall "it's my fault" the boy looked at her with a grimace. This whole situation was beyond him, he felt like he was having a nightmare.

"Then perhaps you can enlighten me," he retorted roughly. "Explain everything to me!" he stood up, his voice rising in anger as tears streamed down his face, yet he didn't care. "It's your fault! It all began with you!" he bellowed, the boy collapsed back into his chair, sobbing loudly. "I've lost everything," he repeated softly. Clare remained seated, unfazed by his outburst.

"Yes, it's all because of me," she admitted coldly, taking a deep breath as irritation filled her. She knew the consequences of her actions and had made the choice consciously. She felt guilty for ruining his life, knowing that because of her, he almost killed his entire family and lost his old life.

"Listen," she began again, still gazing at Jayden, "in that park, you were attacked by a vampire, he almost killed you," her memory of his piercing gaze from that moment still haunted her. "And I used the vampire's blood that hurt you... to save your life," Clare felt a deep sense of guilt for the destruction she had caused. She knew that if she had finished with the vampire sooner, it wouldn't have happened. She had no right to say she saved him; she understood how he felt. She looked at the boy, who was still sobbing, his head buried in his hands on the counter. "It's my fault this happened, so... I'll take care of you."

"What's the point if I don't want this?" the young man shot back, his eyes a blend of red and gold, clearly holding her responsible for his predicament. "You've turned me into a killer... a beast, and now you're talking about vampires?!" He rose to his feet, slamming his fists on the table, his voice brimming with fury and remorse. "I despise you! You've wrecked my life!" He marched towards the door, but Clare seized his hand, blocking his path. Jayden struggled to break free from her grasp, yet it was futile. The girl got up, maintaining her hold on him. She gazed at him sternly, her eyes like a blade that cut deep into him.

"Pay attention...or will you end up on the streets again, trying to kill someone?" she spoke icily, grabbing the nearest knife. She sliced her hand swiftly, causing heavy bleeding. Jayden recoiled, his vision dimming once more, all he could see was the blood on her hand. The boy had no command over himself, he lunged at Clare, pinning her to the floor. His eyes had an actual red glow. His mind was in turmoil, some primal instinct steered him. He clutched her injured hand and brought it to his mouth, about to bite it but hesitated, trembling.

"Mine...mine," he heard faintly in his mind. He was terrified. He gazed at her, his golden eyes filled with sorrow.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered, looking at the girl, regaining some consciousness, but still devoid of control over his body, which craved blood. "I feel... that something is controlling me... there's something inside me... something evil."

"You're transforming," Clare replied indifferently, never breaking eye contact with the boy, "I told you, you're not a human anymore," she added calmly. Jayden rested his head on her shoulder, weeping, gradually embracing her. They stayed like that for a while. She waited for him to compose himself, for him to relax. She felt uneasy when he didn't embrace her. Clare had never been one to express her emotions, she was clueless about how to react in such circumstances. She slowly placed her hand on his head, attempting to act naturally. In this situation, she wished to push him away, she wouldn't let him hug her at all, she wasn't his mother or friend. She cursed inwardly. Eventually, Jayden awkwardly stood up and sat down at the table, and she followed suit. There was an uncomfortable silence for another moment. The boy was the first to speak.

"So," he began quietly, not knowing what to say, another silence fell between them, "let's just say...I believe you," Jayden finished his statement quietly and hesitantly, looking at the table, avoiding her eyes. He heard a loud sigh.

"I think you don't really have much of a choice" the girl kept her eyes on him the whole time "you're a vampire, Jayden. You can't turn back time" her voice seemed sad and her eyes were distant. The boy looked at the floor, not understanding what she was saying to him, he didn't want to hear or understand it. He wanted to close his eyes and wake up from this nightmare "Jayden, I can't take it back but" her voice was firm "I am responsible for it, that's why I will do everything to help you. You will not be alone, ever" the blonde looked at her surprised. For some reason he trusted her even though he didn't know her. He felt warmth in his heart. He smiled slightly, her words calming him down. From the very beginning when he met her, he felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Thank you," he said quietly, looked at her shyly and saw her warm smile that made him feel like time had stood still. The setting sun illuminated her mahogany hair, which fell to her shoulders. Jayden blushed and looked down. He heard her soft laughter.

"Jayden" Clare crouched down in front of him, showing her hand with dried blood, the boy moved away in disgust, she grabbed him with her other hand, "you have to do this if you want to survive" she continued to watch him.

"But I..." the boy began hesitantly, he crouched down and looked at her hand, he felt his body demanding the blood, "I don't know how... I'm afraid... what if…" In his head he remembered what happened to his family, how he almost killed them. . Clare placed her hand on his cheek, smiling softly. Jayden didn't know what to do, no girl had ever done something like that. The boy had always been shy and embarrassed about his appearance, especially his height. He fell in love many times but never had the courage to confess his feelings. He dreamed of meeting his other half who would accept him as he is, but it never happened. He tried many times to change to be more open and more confident, but this also ended in failure. Therefore, he had no idea how to behave in this situation. He looked at her and then the girl became slightly nervous, it was obvious that she felt awkward too.

"Just...listen to yourself," she said, embarrassed, "don't worry about me," she added quickly, turning her head away and putting her hand closer to his mouth. The young man slowly brought his mouth to her hand, felt her heartbeat, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His body knew what to do. He gently touched her hand and dug in his fangs. He felt disgusted with himself and at the same time he felt happy. His eyes flashed red. He felt warm inside. He felt emotions he had never felt before. And the source of it was Clare. Her blood. By the second he was starting to want more than just her wrist. His eyes reacted to his emotions and began to shine brighter. He looked at her. He felt like he was starting to lose control. He looked at her more and more dominatingly. Thoughts that he couldn't control began to appear in his head. He wanted more. Much more. Clare looked at him firmly, she wasn't afraid. The voice he had heard before, he felt that even though it was silent, it was still with him. And he was craving out for blood. Her blood. Her.

“Jayden,” she moved her hand slightly. At that moment he jumped back, disgusted with himself.

"I…I…I don't know what's happening…what's happening to me," he said, more to himself than to her. There was fear on his face.

"It's an instinct. Unfortunately, I don't know much about how vampires feel about blood, but I know one thing. A vampire on hunger is a dangerous vampire." She approached him slowly, still looking at him. He was running away from her gaze. "Don't worry. I won't let you lose control. Let your blood control you. Since you're already a vampire, I'll do everything to make you the best of them," she added confidently. Jayden looked at her and her confident smile. He nodded.

"Okay...I'll trust you, Clare." deep down he was terrified but he had no choice. She was his only option, the only person he could trust now. At least that was what he hoped.