After I took a sip of my liquor in comfortable silence, I gently placed the glass down and turned my attention to Willow. “My second question. What's the story behind you and the Twilight Guards? From what I can gather, you don't seem to despise them, but you're also not particularly fond of them.”
"I am constantly faced with numerous challenges here. A tragic incident unfolded here that involved both my parents. The repercussions were widespread, causing harm to numerous people. It's...” Willow suddenly fell silent. I followed her gaze and saw Myla and Lyly watching us with expressions of disgust and distrust in their eyes.
“Would you like to leave?” I asked.
"No.” She observed as they casually strolled out of sight. "I assure you, I am completely alright."
"Are you certain?" Willow lifted her gaze to mine, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Remember when you said you weren't concerned about my well-being?" she playfully reminded me. I let out a dismissive laugh, causing a small smile to spread across her beautiful face.
"Would you like another?" I gestured towards her empty teacup.
“Water, please,” she replied.
I motioned to Imsoo. She promptly approached with a cheerful expression. "May I help you with something?"
"Bring me a glass of water," I requested, before shifting my focus to Willow.
"I used to spend a lot of time playing in the Greenland. One day, I stumbled upon someone I probably shouldn't have. While playing, my ankle got hurt and I found myself struggling to walk since I was so far from home. The sun had set and darkness had descended, but I still hadn't made it back. Exhausted and disoriented, I stopped for a break and eventually drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, I was startled to see a girl my age kneeling in front of me. When she spoke, her voice sounded almost otherworldly, as if she were a mystical being. As a curious child, I learned very early about vampires, and wondered if she was one. She was pretty, like a creature from fairy tales or legend. She had long, curly locks the colour of carrots, and introduced herself as Momo.
"That night, Momo carried me on her back and took me home. My mother couldn't resist her charm, and my father was hesitant about her staying with us. But my curiosity about her was shared by my mother. Momo rarely spoke, making it difficult to learn why she was wandering alone in Greenland. She would have died out there hadn’t we met, was what I thought, but that wasn’t the case. Momo wasn’t alone. She simply wandered.
“It rained the following night, with strong winds and an uneasy feeling in the air. Suddenly, Momo sprang to her feet and rushed outside. She sniffed the air and spoke words I would never forget: "Something terrible has happened." For the first time, she seemed older than her years. There was a terrible accident. Blood filled the air, carried by the wind like a haunting melody. Momo was shocked, her small body stiffening with fear. There is too much fresh blood in the air. They will come. We fled to avoid harming anyone, but the smell of blood always seemed to find us. Momo's words echoed in my mind: "What are we supposed to do, Willow, when fate keeps testing us with our greatest fear?" Despite her youth, Momo was more mature than I could ever hope to be, and a vampire, I had come to learn. Vampires like Momo and her friends, Twilight Gauds call them Wild Ones because they tend to go into frenzy at the mere taste of fresh blood.”
The words of Willow caused me to gasp. Was I one of them? The smell of fresh blood does send my nerves on edge, but it was only when I taste it that I couldn’t control myself. Even now, I could vividly recall my first encounter with blood. Whose blood was it, I wonder? Was it my father's, my mother's, or perhaps my sister's? I couldn't recall who I first fed on, or the expression on their face as I drained them. The only thing that remained vivid was the taste and my insatiable desire for more.
"Eden, have I lost you?" Willow inquired. "It seems your attention has drifted away."
“Please continue.”
“On the night that Momo left my side, she made it clear that I was to stay home. There was something dangerous happening and people were in danger. I tried to argue about my parents at the temple. As a child, I was scared for them. It was a normal reaction, and Momo must have sensed my fear because she restrained me and made it impossible for me to leave. Hours passed, and my dad returned home, with the morning already dawning. I was still in the same position that Momo had left me, and I could see the misery etched on my dad's face. His voice shook as he told me about my mother. I can still recall the countless apologies he made through his tears. According to my father, Momo had tried to stop her friends, but it was too late. My father recounted how the creatures were everywhere, moving with inhuman speed."
I swallowed and looked at Willow in horror. Or was it amazement?
The death of your mother at the hands of a vampire could have filled you with hatred, yet you hold none. It is truly extraordinary that despite this, you are able to sit and have a conversation with me.”
Slumping in her chair, Willow absentmindedly twirled her curls. "What sets vampires apart from humans?" She mused. "After all, we were all created in the image of God, right? Just like humans, some vampires may be cold and uncaring, while others are kind and compassionate. But Aki and others view it differently, and I struggle to see things from their perspective."
“Why?” I questioned.
“Some people don’t have choices. So why is it that we judge people differently, even if their actions are the same? Take murder, for example. When a human confesses and asks for forgiveness, we readily forgive. But when a vampire does the same, we recoil in disgust. It's revolting! Though my own mother fell victim to such an act, I refuse to paint all vampires with the same dark brush. After all, Momo, who is a vampire, was never a despicable person.”
The point she brought up about making choices was insightful. I also made the decision to never feed from humans. Surprisingly, this one decision played a role in Willow's choice to engage in conversation with me. Despite her perception that I was one of the few decent vampires, she couldn't have been further from the truth. Being decent goes beyond appearances and also encompasses one's intentions. And unfortunately, mine were far from noble.
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