Charlie walked through a narrow alley in the city when he met a woman. The pale full moon was shining brightly in theght sky, and he couldn't control himself. He attacked the innocent woman and drank her blood.
"Help!" The woman screamed, and a group of gangsters and some spies appeared in the place.
Charlie found it difficult to escape from them, so he had no choice but to fight. At first, he defeated some of the gangsters, but they eventually caught him, made him smell something, and everything turned black.
Charlie woke up to the cold temperature as a gangster poured him a bucket of water. He growled, attempting to bite him, but he realized his hands were tied behind him. He was inside a mansion, two men on his side, and a man sitting on the throne in front of him.
"Where am I?" Charlie asked.
"Welcome to my humble home, little boy," the man in front of him said, standing up from his throne. He walked towards him and asked, "How much?"
Charlie looked at him, confusion appearing on his face. "What do you mean, how much?" he asked.
"How much is it for you to become my servant?"
"Me? Become your servant?" Charlie asked.
"You're still young, so I'm giving you a choice: become my servant and I'll pay you fairly, or die," the man said. "You've hurt some of my men and killed a woman. I know you're a vampire, so I'm giving you a chance to live."
Charlie remembered what happened. He had killed someone again, as he couldn't control his bloodlust, but this man was asking him to serve him without fear. Who is he exactly? Why is he that desperate to get him?
"Alright," Charlie said, since he didn't have a choice—he'd rather serve him than die. "I'll be your servant."
The man laughed and said, "Release him."
The two gangsters untied Charlie, then he slowly stood up and asked, "What do you want me to do?"
"Well, I only have one mission for you," the man said.
"What's that?" Charlie asked.
"Don't be so excited. I'll tell you, but first you have to tell me your name," the man said.
"I'm Charlie."
"Alright, Charlie, I want you to kill someone."
"Kill someone?" Charlie asked, shocked.
"I know you can do it since you've already killed someone without hesitation; you're perfect for this job. Killing people wouldn't be difficult for you, and besides, you can have their blood, and I'll also pay you once you've finished the task," the man said.
Charlie thought about it for a while, then he realized that he'd lose nothing if he did it. The man had a point; he couldn't just suck their blood but also could have a lot of money.
"Alright, so who is that person you want me to kill?" Charlie asked.
"Perfect. I'm starting to like you, Charlie," the man replied. "Well then, there are actually two of them."
The man showed Charlie the pictures of his target and told him where he could find them. "These people have been my cousin's enemies for too long, and I'm giving you this mission to end them."
"And if I won't do it?" Charlie asked.
"My men will keep hunting you, no matter where you go, and the next time they catch you, there won't be any chance like this; you'll die," the man said.
"Is that a threat?" Charlie asked.
"Call it what you want, kid," the man said. "I'll give you two weeks to finish this. Can you do it?"
"I will," Charlie replied.
"Good boy," the man said, extending his hand to Charlie, and they shook hands. "I hope this ends well, Charlie."
Charlie put the pictures of his target inside his pocket, and then he started on his journey. It was his first mission, and he felt so nervous and excited about it.
Even if he was a vampire, he knew he had a weakness. He could also die just like any ordinary human, but what set him apart was his ability to stay young and live forever if he desired.
Kwan, on the other hand, had been sleeping outside for almost two days now, as Rebecca didn't allow him to enter the mansion. She told him to never show his face again, but he insisted, saying that he couldn't live without her.
Meanwhile, Lucille had already gone home. She didn't have the face to show Rebecca—she was so ashamed of what she had done. She just added to her problems instead of solving them.
"What?" Carolina asked. "Why didn't you tell us sooner, and why did you leave their corpse in the morgue?"
"I'm sorry, Auntie, but I just didn't have the courage to do that," Lucille replied. "My children suddenly died, and it took me a while to accept it."
"We understand you, Lucille," Demetri said. "We know how it feels to lose a loved one."
"Thanks for understanding, Uncle," Lucille forced herself to smile, but deep inside she was bleeding. She didn't know what to do anymore. Her children were all dead, Charlie left, and Rebecca hated her. This is too much for her.
"You're always welcome, dear. You're our son's wife and we consider you as a part of the family, so please don't be shy to tell us if you need something or someone to talk to, we're always here for you," Demetri said.
Lucille's heart melted to her uncle's words. "Thank you so much uncle. That really meant a lot." She burst into tears.
"Oh, darling, you've made your daughter-in-law cry," Carolina teased.
Lucille didn't expect she could still smile genuinely despite what was going on in her life. She realized that life wasn't really about waiting for the storm to pass but rather learning how to dance in the rain.
She was so grateful to the people who are always there for her, for good or for bad—these people weren't just her friends, but her family.
There were a lot of people who attended her children's funeral, most of them were Patrick's family, since her own family couldn't make it because of some reasons like the weather, they didn't have money, or the distance, but she realized that the once who truly cared would show up instead of making excuses.
"Condolence, dear," Pamela, Patrick's sister said. "Please stay strong, sis, you've still got a long life ahead of you. Don't think that this is the end. Life is just like a roller coaster, as what they say, there are moments of joy, of sorrow, ups and downs, so enjoy the ride while it lasts."
Perhaps Pamela was right, Lucille thought. She was so focused on emotions, stuck to them, that she forgot to look at the bigger picture. It might be a bad page, a bad chapter, but her whole wasn't that bad at all. There were moments when she smiled widely and moments that she burst in tears.