PRESENT CHAPTER 1: ANCIENT He opened his eyes, startled and confused. It was just a dream. The same dream he had been having for days. His breathing relaxed a bit seeing it was already sundown. It was nothing, he told himself. Creatures of the night like him rarely dream. Sleeping is what most vampires do during daytime even though their kind do not really need sleep to function. When you have all the time in the world, you can afford such a tedious activity, he told himself bitterly. Gualtiero has been existing in the world for two hundred eighteen years, and it’s not always a pleasant existence. Maybe if he pretended the dream wasn’t getting to him, he wouldn’t have to think of that face anymore. It’s been over two centuries ago. She was dead. She couldn’t possibly be haunting him in his sleep. But why was he dreaming about her killing spree? Why that specific one? What makes it special? He didn’t recognize any of the faces from his dream, except for her. Could she possibly have found a way to bring herself back to life? He felt sick just thinking about her. She deserved what she got. He would not feel any remorse about it. It was the right thing to do. She was not coming back. His senses started to work with clarity after shaking the monotonous yet disturbing dream off his mind. Moving with a lightning speed, he got up from his bed to start tonight’s hunt. Hunting unsuspecting preys gives him excitement. He decided it might even help erase the uneasiness and agitation he was feeling. He doesn’t indulge himself too much in drinking human blood. He mostly feeds on animal blood instead. Although he had his fair share of human murders, he was a saint compared to her. Stop thinking about her, he chided himself. She’s long gone, and rightly so. He found a stray cat to feed on as he was walking in a dark alley. The cat hissed at him. He glared at it, irritated. Without hesitation, he pried its stomach open. Blood sprinkled all over his face. This is going to be a good day after all, he thought as he relished the taste of blood in his mouth. What happened next momentarily blinded him. He wasn’t expecting it. The prey was able to escape from him. It hurriedly scampered away, fighting for its dear life. He followed it, annoyed. Speed comes naturally to him, but he was taken aback with what he saw. There, holding the cat with so much affection, was a lady he had never seen before. Not that he frequented the area, anyway. He curiously watched as the lady tried her best to treat the badly wounded cat. Spending years blending in with humans, he was already aware that they treat animals like pets, or to his understanding, slaves. That’s what pets are, right? You take care of a pet so you have something to own. Everyone wants to own something. It makes them feel significant. How can she care for this creature this much? It’s not even her own kind. It’s not human. It’s just an annoying cat. He continued to watch her with fascination. Would it really affect her badly if the cat died? He moved closer to her and suddenly felt something foreign in his chest. He didn’t understand what it was but he knew he wanted to ease the pained look on her face and make everything alright. “What happened to… your cat?” Gualtiero spoke to her. The lady looked startled. She clearly hadn’t noticed he was watching her for a while now. “Who are you?” she asked, eyeing him nervously, looking momentarily transfixed. “I am Gualtiero,” he said, extending his hand towards her. His own name sounded foreign in his head. It’s been a very long time since he said it out loud. It’s been a very long time since he last spoken to a human not intending to drink their blood. “Your cat looks badly hurt.” The lady finally blinked when he spoke again. “I’ve been trying to save him, but I think his wounds are already too fatal,” she sobbed. “I think I won’t be able to save him. He is a stray cat, not mine, but I wish I could save him. I think a wild animal got to him.” Gualtiero noticed she didn’t shake hands with him or even introduced herself, but he let it pass. Yes, you are looking at that ‘wild animal’, he smirked despite himself. She gave him a disapproving look upon noticing he was smirking. “Give him to me. I might be able to help,” he said, wiping the smirk off his face, trying to sound serious. She handed him the cat ever so gently. “Are you a doctor?” she asked, eyeing him with an evident look of disbelief on her face. “Med student,” he lied smoothly. “I can stitch him up and bring him to you tomorrow good as new.” The suggestion was met with silence. “Maybe we can meet here again? If you don’t like the idea, how else am I going to return the cat to you then?” “Give me your phone. I’ll save my number,” she said, looking relieved. Of course, she bought the lie so easily. Every human does. One look at his face and they all melt like cheese too easily. He doesn’t really understand that about humans. Why are they so fascinated with physical appearances? He’s been called handsome many times. He has always found it strange because he has never really seen his own physical features. He can’t see his own reflection in the mirror and he had never really wanted to. Other vampires have ways of looking at their own faces but he has never tried those spells. “Actually, I might have something in my car to stitch him up right here. I’ll be back,” he said, handing back the cat. Another lie, but he could tell she bought it just as easily as the last one. With lightning speed, he went to the first house he could reach the moment she tore her eyes away from him and focused on the cat. It was a mundane house. It looked so boring he almost fell asleep just staring at it if he didn’t remember the urgency of his purpose. He rang the doorbell. An old woman as tedious as the house opened the door but instead of speaking, she opened her mouth, momentarily gaping at him, and did not utter any word. “Do you happen to have a needle and a thread? There’s a… there’s something I need to stitch up,” he explained, looking at the woman straight in the eyes. “Come in, handsome,” she said, smiling at him. There’s that word again. Handsome. “I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you new?” she kept talking as she was walking to a drawer to give him what he asked for. Gualtiero sat on the couch taking his surrounding in. It worked well for him that she invited him in, otherwise he won’t be able to enter the house. Instead of answering, he moved quickly towards her, and in a flash, he was standing right behind her. She jumped nervously when she noticed him there. “How did you…” she stammered. He snatched the box she was holding. “And a cellular phone. Please?” he added. “I need a cellular phone.” She handed her phone to him without saying another word. She looked compelled. Well, she is compelled, he laughed to himself. In a span of not even longer than five minutes he was back where he met the lovely lady earlier. He was standing behind her, watching her care for the cat for a few good minutes before finally making his presence felt. “Don’t worry, I’m back now. The cat will not perish,” he assured her. She looked so happy to see him but didn’t say it out loud. Or maybe she was just too happy the cat will be treated. He treated the cat’s massive open wound, not noticing she was watching him with amazement. “What did you say your name was again?” she inquired. “I am Gualtiero. And you? How do you like to be addressed?” he asked, not looking up and intently focused on saving the cat. He didn’t really lie to her. He was a med student. In his centuries of existence, he has studied almost every course known to man. Stitching an open wound was something he had done before. “You are… interesting,” she said, bemused. “I’m Diana. I would like you to “address” me as Diana.” “Hello, Diana. You need not to worry about this cat. He is going to make it out alive,” he assured her. He smiled at her. Diana is a beautiful name. He liked saying it. “I believe you,” she said, smiling back. “He will not… perish.” She said the word so mockingly it confused him. Two centuries and he still didn’t really understand the concept of sarcasm and mockery that much. The cat ran away from him and landed on Diana’s lap as soon as it started feeling better. Maybe it could tell he was an enemy and not a savior after all. “You are interesting, too, Diana,” he said earnestly. “You probably say that about everyone, but okay,” she teased. “Thank you for treating him, Gual – whatever.” “Gualtiero,” he finished for her. “My name is Gualtiero.” “You have an ancient sounding name,” she said, and upon noticing he wasn’t laughing along, added, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun. That was rude.” “There is nothing wrong with anything ancient. It just means it stood the test of time,” Gualtiero commented. “Why do you think humans find ancient insulting yet add the word ‘forever’ in every sentence? Forever is a perpetual state. It is wrongfully being used as a form of dramatic exaggeration.” She stared at him in a mixture of shock and confusion. He was not wrong in what he said about people but there was something weird with the way he said it. “What do you mean by ‘humans’? You made it sound as if you aren’t one.” Maybe he isn’t, she thought to herself. Her heart was beating so fast. Gualtiero was ethereally good-looking and he has perfect everything. He couldn’t possibly be human. “Well, I am ancient,” he told her jokingly. He stood and got ready to leave. He was craving for blood. He couldn’t stay there any longer. “I have to go, but before that, here is my cellular phone. You said you will save your number, right?” Why was his heart pounding so loudly in his chest? Was he anxious about something? He didn’t really understand his own emotions in that moment. She smiled at him widely as she took the phone from his hand. They both looked at each other briefly as their hands grazed each other’s, but quickly looked away. “There, I saved my number in your… cellular phone,” she said, fighting hard not to laugh. “Thank you, Diana. I have to go. It was fancy meeting you,” Gualtiero replied. He was starting to feel dizzy. He needed blood and she was right there. For a second it was too tempting to feed on her, but he ignored the urge. He walked away not with his usual speed this time. Finally, the hammering in his chest has stopped…