The night was bright with stars scattered high above showing a faint glimpse of the Milky Way. Zephyr embrace Astrid Kaija's long black hair in soft hum. Astrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath smelling the fresh meadow and its lavender field down below. She laid on a study tree branch of a banyan tree. The spot where she rested on the branch was smooth, as it was her sleeping `bed'. Her mind was at peace. But not for long…

`Astrid…!', her grandfather called her name breaking her stupor.

`Coming pop!', Astrid replied. She opened her pale brown eyes and with a swift motion, she climbed down the tree pressing her foot on the dents of the tree trunk where she had carved with an ax long time back.

Astrid walked a small path practically hidden by plain sight unless you observe the well-trodden ground. She quickens her pace when her grandfather called her again. Astrid arrived at a small hut built further inside Mellow Forest. It was a simple house with attap roof made from coconut leaves and recycled timber as walls and flooring of the house. The house has 2 rooms, a small kitchen and a hall with basic chairs and a table adorning it.

`What took you so long?' Grandfather Jones queried.

`I slept on my tree and lost track of time. I'm sorry Pop', she replied with a dazzling smile and hugged her grandfather at the same time.

`Quick let's eat our dinner before it turns cold', said Grandfather Jones pulling a chair for her to sit before he sat.

`Thank you'. Astrid started piling her plate with yam curry, leafy green vegetables, sweet and sour beans, potato puffs, and some pickles. She ate with her heart's content. After her meal, she left for the kitchen and cleaned the dishes and pots.

Astrid has been staying with her grandfather ever since she can remember. Her father abandoned her mother when she was a toddler and her mother died of pneumonia. Funny she can't remember how her mother looked like. Was it that long?  Perhaps she was too young to remember her passing. Her maternal grandfather took her under his wing albeit with a house in the Mellow Forest.

Astrid grew up with hunting skills such as archery and wield a hunting knife which she uses when pursuing small animals. She loves archery beyond anything else. Her grandfather taught her the basic moves and stance before she started practicing daily.

Astrid's prized possession is her Japanese Laminated bow which looks like an M. It has intricate Japanese waves painting on the end of the bows with a strong cable. She made multiple shafts; some laced with poison arrowheads used for hunting.

`Astrid don't forget you have to look for a job. I'm getting old and this forest is not suitable for you to stay here on your own. Where will you go after I'm gone?' Grandfather Jones lamented before he walked to his room and laid on his bed.

`Fret not, pop. You are not leaving me ever. I will hunt for a job but first I need to sort these jars of essential oils,' Astrid spoke while her hands unscrewed the lavender oil jar and took a whiff of the smell. Thinking it to be ready for sell she took a small portion of it and poured it into a cup. Next, she added peppermint oil and mixed them well using a wooden spatula.

She took the cup and left for the outhouse where the washroom was located. Botany was another of her forte. Having lived her life up till now in the Mellow Forest where there were abundant herbs and plants for her to utilize to her benefit.

She passed by Grandpa Jones' room and closed the door after seeing him snoring away. She smiled and a small dimple formed on her left cheek. A loud thunder grumbled on the sky and Astrid rushed to the outhouse. She washed her body using a homemade Eucalyptus soap and shampooed her hair. Astrid took great care of her body and her skin. She needed to if she wanted to earn some money from selling her products at the market in Anubia City, located outside of Mellow Forest.

After drying herself she applied the essential oil on her body and hair. Sensing the smell of fresh raindrops on the grass outside she quickly left the outhouse to the comfort of her room.

Astrid's room has a sturdy bed with a coconut husk mattress. She never uses a pillow, and her small comfort is her thick wool comforter. 2/3 of her room is covered with shelves of books, jars of essentials oils, and dried plants in bigger jars. She has books on archery, botany, forests, and plants.

As soon as she finished high school, she donated all of her school books and items to charity. Her high school life was dull and uneventful. She rarely made any friend for it was a hassle to bring them to her house in the forest. What would she say? Welcome to my jungle house? Not to mention her toilet was an outhouse with big water storage and a squatting toilet.

Astrid was an average student who disliked noise and unnecessary chatter. She liked the library and the outdoor activity though. She excelled in sports and that was the only time she was in `demand' to be in someone's team.

Astrid took part-time evening classes at a local college in Anubia City majoring in business management. Initially, money was an issue for her. She worked out a plan with her grandfather where they both scavenged for essential oils and plants which women used in their daily beauty routine. The forests and their abundance provided both whatever they needed for a head start. She dabbled in oils and creams and tested them herself before selling them in the market.

Anubia City is a modern city with a fast-moving life and pace. There are tall skyscrapers, apartments, condominiums mixed with old world charm of shops lots and houses. There were huge shopping malls as well as modern infrastructure such as trains and buses that run on designated platforms and railways all over the city. In short, Anubia City has a modern and reliable transportation hub that runs 24/7 without failure. But the same cannot be said of its citizens.

The citizens of Anubia comprised of humans and vampires who live along with each other in relative peace. The vampires and humans have a set of presidents ruling the city with their unique rules and regulations. They do not encourage intermarriage unless the human is willing to be converted to a vampire. Some humans survive the conversion, but a small number do not hence the risk of death is evident and this alone is enough to prevent intermarriage.

Several thousand of years ago, when the vampires had an upperhand in the human world, an unexpected turn of events happened. The vampires as every vampires are out there, feeds on blood, flesh and meat. With a canine ability, elongated canines, sharp sense of smell, crystal clear sight and a cunning mind, they practically override and took over the ruling reigns from the humans.

Murders, slaughters and powerful forced takeovers were rampant all across the world. Someone or something happened, at first it was so subtle, no one noticed it. The vampires were losing desires to hunt and kill humans. Their sense of smell were paralyzed against the humans. Vampires were becoming dormant, less dangerous. As if they were not the enemy anymore. It did not happen overnight, but it took almost 3 to 4 months for the vampires to fully change genetically, to not to kill the humans.

Whatever was happening, the vampires could find no cure or prevention from it. They could only succumb to it. Could the water or air be contaminated? Was the food poisoned with something? More questions, but no answers. With a resigned fate, the vampires and humans joined hands, joined forces to rule back their country or lose to those whom were better than them. It is either work together, or die altogether.

Like an atomic explosion, when the humans weren't the prey, vampires turned to animals. For once, there was a fair chance of humans and vampires staying together, in relative peace without ripping each other apart. The tipping scale reached its peak when animals were killed, too fast, leaving some into the brink of extinction. That is when man made blood factories started popping up to satiate the vampires. 

One thing both the humans and vampires found odd was a sudden mail send in to every established countries out in the world. A formula to revert rogue vampires back to dormant vampires. Both humans and vampires tried to tinker around it, to revert dormant vampires to rogue but it simply did not work that way. 

Mahatma Gandhi once said, a man is but a product of its thoughts. What he thinks he becomes. In this case, the more humane side of vampires and humans shone through when they made choice to be together for the betterment of their own futures.

However, socio-economic disparity is huge. The rich and upper-middle-class society be it a vampire or human get richer by the day and the less privileged poorer. In order to step to a higher ladder in society, either a person works multiple jobs or just leech off the rich. There is a vibrant society of sugar daddies, prostitutes, and gigolos who meet the demand of both humans and vampires.

Some climb their ladder this way. Be it legal or illegal money and fame guarantee a place to sleep, eat, and a car to drive. The government tried to contain this vice activity, but they gave up because it was a business based on the will of people to be exploited and the oppressor to be willing to depart with their riches.

This reason alone driver Grandpa Jones to shift his house from the outskirts of the city to the forests. Mellow Forest is the gem of Anubia City. Its forest provides much-needed oxygen and a healthy balance of greenery. There were some citizens who moved to the forest but the lack of necessity, lodging, and distance between the forest and the city hampered their stay. Only a handful of humans with a strong will and strength such as Astrid and Grandpa Jones managed to stay back.