Vero found her cell phone, and she was pulling it out of her bag when someone crossed the side hall and stopped when he saw them.“What are you doing here? Isn’t the lecture over?”A tall, thin man like a dry tree in winter appeared and gave Vero goosebumps. Looks like it’s one of the campus staff. His appearance and face reminded Vero of Ms. Caroline. Both were pale-faced and seemed to have no feelings.All the girls were shocked and the arrogant attitude they had shown to Vero just now disappeared.“We’re taking Vero for a walk, introducing her to the campus area,” said Mia. The lies she told were so smooth that Vero wanted to compliment her.“You can do it tomorrow, at lunchtime,” the man said in an even tone. He barely even opened his mouth as he said it.“Okay, Mr. James,” said Ava.Mr. James glanced at Vero. “You’re the new student? Verona Windward?” he asked.“Yes, sir,” Vero answered, nodding.Mr. James gave Vero an appraising look from head to toe.“I hope you’ve read and mem
“What?” Vero thought she was misheard. There’s no way her father said that she couldn’t come back. “Dad, what are you saying?”“You can’t go back here.”“Why?!” Vero almost screamed when she asked that. This was the worst news she had heard after moving here. “Dad, don’t pull my leg! Are you not listening to me? The person is still alive! He is here!”“Vero, we’ll talk about that later, ok? Now, you must—” Her father’s next voice faltered. Only in the form of fragments of words that Vero could not hear.Once again, Vero took the phone away from her ear and looked at the signal indicator on the screen. The signal was very weak.“Dammit.” She put the phone to her ear as she walked out of the room. “Daddy! I can’t hear you! The signal is terrible,” Vero said in a hurry. She opened the door to the verandah and stood there, hoping for a better signal. “I was walking out to find a better signal. Don’t hang up the phone just yet.”No answer.“Dad?” Vero took the phone away and looked at the
It’s cold tonight. Just like any other night in Duradel. At least that’s what the locals have been saying for a long time. The same complaints about Duradel that never let go of the bone-chilling cold at night, even in summer.But whatever the weather that hit Duradel, it didn’t affect Lev and dozens of other vampires who lived in Noblebranch, the area where the vampire nobles of Duradel lived, which consisted of large mansions that attracted the attention of tourists in this little town.Although many seasoned tourists are willing to pay whatever it takes to visit Noblebranch, this place is not accessible to just anyone. Of all the Duradel areas, Noblebranch and the surrounding forest areas are forbidden places for tourists and residents who do not have permission to enter.Lev was sitting on the domed roof of the tower of his mansion. The moon tonight shone brightly in its perfectly round shape. And no matter what impulse moved him, Lev wante
When Lev lifted Verona from the lake, the girl was passing out. She slumped limply in his arms. Her body was as light as a feather, thought Lev. Does she never eat? Lev still doesn’t understand why girls these days are obsessed with skinny bodies like slates.Lev didn’t take her back to the dormitory or to the town area. There will be many eyes watching and that is not good for Verona. Especially if the dormitory gets to know about it.He carried Verona into the woods on the other side of the lake, a suitable distance from the town and closer to Noblebranch. Unlike the residents of Duradel, the noble vampires in Noblebranch wouldn’t give a damn about what was going on around them, as long as it didn’t disturb their comfort.Lev walked a little into the woods and, after making sure that no one could see them, he laid Verona down on the grass.“A very heroic act.” Sant emerged from the darkness. Lev knew he caught up with
“Hatchi!” Vero hadn’t even come out of the room and she had already used half a box of tissues to blow her nose. Upon returning to the dormitory, Vero immediately took a warm shower and wrapped herself in layers of blankets. The dorm provided three spare blankets in the cupboard and Vero used all of them. When morning came, the situation had not improved. Instead, now she felt dizzy and feverish. She had thought about skipping today’s class schedule, but this was only her second day. There’s no way she wouldn’t come. After all, she had a lot of things to do. Dizzy, Vero unsteadily walked to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. After making sure that her face didn’t look swollen and that there wasn’t any dirt on it, she changed her clothes. Vero threw her pajamas into the dirty clothes basket and stopped when she found a T-shirt at the top of the pile. It was her savior’s shirt. Vero wanted to meet the person and thank him, but she did
Her image of the kind-hearted man who had saved her life was shattered in an instant. Of all the boys in this city, why did it have to be Lev who saved her? It was more likely for him to let Vero drown than to save her after what she did to him. When they face each other, it’s clear that Lev doesn’t like her. Then why did he save her? Did he hope Vero would feel indebted and submit to him? “It couldn’t be me,” said Vero. “And the video is blurry, so we can’t be so sure about who’s in there—” The blonde girl stamped her foot and pinched Vero’s chin with her slender thumb and forefinger. Her nails stabbed into her cheeks. “This evidence was so clear, yet you still dare to deny it?” she hissed. “Do you think I threw myself into the lake on purpose to get Lev’s attention? You think I’m that crazy?” “Well, yeah!” replied the blonde girl, as if that was the obvious thing. “You smacked Lev’s table in front of all the students. You threw food over Mia’s head.” She released her grip. “If
A chubby girl, wearing black and purple gothic lolita make-up and dress. Vero thought she was seeing a ghost until the girl finally spoke.“Did Fancy Barbie lock you in here?”“Fancy what?” Vero flinched at the name that sounded so tacky.“Fancy Barbie,” said the girl impatiently. She snapped her fingers and moved her forefinger, telling Vero to stand up.Vero stood up, still staring at the girl in confusion. She didn’t want to take a step closer until she was completely sure that the girl before her wasn’t a bully like the blonde.“Are you going out or not? The staff will lock the building soon and you will be cooped up here all night.”“Who are you?” instead of paying attention to the girl’s words, Vero asked about her identity. “How did you know I was trapped in here? Did they tell you to pick me up and you’re going to take me somewhere else, where t
Lev shouldn’t care. He could have just let Conner take Verona and done anything to her. However, if Conner tries to suck Verona’s blood and reveal her secret, Verona cannot get out of Duradel alive.“Fuck,” Lev cursed under his breath. It only took him less than a second to make up his mind.He slid down the dome and jumped into a nearby tree. After that, he jumped down and ran along the edge of the lake, heading for the path that led him to the forbidden forest section. It’s a place where vampires eat their prey.Duradel is entirely in the reign of the vampires. The vampires here hold important positions so they can manage this city freely. And in order to maintain the existence of Duradel, they try to live side by side with humans.Even so, there are times when the vampires get out of control and want to prey on one or two humans here, so the vampire elders create a special place where vampires can freely prey on humans, but they are not allowed to kill them.Conner and his friends