Freddy raises her head and peers at the unassuming, four-storey apartment before her. Painted in grey and white, with small balconies on each floor, located just outside of the busy city of Port Vyren, many would consider it a decent place to live.

Too bad it is haunted.

That's right. The reason Freddy can score an apartment in such a prime location despite having limited funds is due to the fact that no one wants to live in it. There are many accounts from previous residents of ghost sightings and encounters, ranging from drifting shadows and strange noises to tenants' hysteria. It did not take long for the apartment to be emptied.

She recalls how the landlord, a man in his mid-thirties, spilling happy tears when she signed the tenancy agreement. He was overjoyed to the point of offering to furnish her home. He must be hoping for her to advertise the place. Maintaining such a big structure without income is difficult, after all.

As of now, she has the whole building to herself. With a confident grin, she sets foot into the apartment with two of her bags in tow. Walking along the carpeted hallway, up the first flight of stairs, third room to the right, is Apartment 203, her home for the next four years.

The sound of her jingling keys as she unlocks the door is deafening in the quiet hallway. It opens smoothly and silently when she turns the knob, as expected from a newly constructed building. The interior is dimly lit by the sun penetrating through the thin curtain, and she can smell the lingering scent of fresh paint.

Locking the door behind her, she releases her hold on her bags and makes her way to the living room. With a tug, the curtains open to display a small balcony and the quiet street outside.

Turning around, she takes a good look at the furnishings. The landlord sure knows his interior design. The way everything is arranged and the colour combination create a classic, yet modern look. There is even a study corner beside the living room! She feels like she can be at ease here.

Returning to the entrance, she grabs her bags and turns right, bringing her to a narrow hallway. She opens the door to her left to find the bedroom. Unlike the living room, it is more minimalistic, consisting of a bed, a bedside table and a built-in closet.

Placing her bags beside the bed, she leaves the bedroom and opens the door next to it. It is a small bathroom with a shower, a toilet and a sink. She prefers a bathtub, but she can make do with what it has to offers.

Finally, she turns her attention to the last room of the house, located across her bedroom. She remembers her landlord mentioned something regarding a laundry room and storage combined, which she assumes referring to this room. Curious about the layout, she opens the door.

A pair of shining, red orbs stares back at her in the darkness.

Giving a nonchalant smile, she slams the door shut with more force than necessary.

Ah, that is sooner than she thought. Freddy expects to encounter the spirit that haunts the apartment, but to see it immediately after moving in is too shocking.

Opening the door slowly, so as not to frighten the ghost inside, she peeks into the room. It has scurried deeper into the darkness.

"Excuse me," she says in a low voice to avoid agitating it, "I'm moving in this apartment starting today. Nice to meet you."

It keeps its eyes trained on her, not moving an inch. If she strains her ears, she can hear it's laboured breathing.

"If it's not too much trouble, can you give me privacy while I'm in this place, please?" she asks with a polite smile. "I promise I won't do you any harm or disturb you. If possible, I would like us to live peacefully together."

When it did not move, or make any indication of communicating with her, she wonders if it understands her at all.

"Why don't you come out of there. We can discuss this somewhere more comfortable." When she receives no reaction from it, she continues. "You know, it's difficult to talk like this. I'm going to turn on the light, alright?"

Using her right hand, she feels her way against the wall until it comes into contact with the switch. With a flick, the room brightens immediately, causing her to squint her eyes. She blinks a few times to adjust to the light before looking at the corner.

"Oh my," she exclaims. It seems Mr Ghost is, in reality, a squatter!

Cowering in the corner, eyes wide with fear, is a pale man with soft blond hair. Despite his dishevelled appearance, he looks stunning. In her opinion, he can make a living by using his face alone.

She takes a step into the room and crouches down, "You don't have to be afraid. I won't call the police on you. If you leave now, I won't even report you to the landlord." She inches herself forward slightly and is met with a hiss.

She freezes. Under the bright led light, she can clearly see two incisors on the top row of the man's teeth. Oh no, this person is not a simple squatter at all. Several terms float into her minds but the most profound ones are demon, vampire and monster.

The man opens his mouth, but only a few croaks are heard.

"What is it?" she asks warily, "You need to speak up."

It takes a few seconds before he finally raises his voice. "Please..." he pleads. "Don't make me go out there."

Freddy tilts her head. Once she processes the meaning of his word, her eyes widen. "Is it the sun?"

The man nods, "I'll be burned to death."

Now that is not good. Waiting until the sun to set is too long for her. Moreover, there is no telling when he will go berserk and go on a murder rampage. It is best to have him removed as soon as possible. The question is how to do it without killing him in the process?

A sudden thought flash across her mind. She stands up and heads for one of her bags in her bedroom. Retrieving a green plastic bottle from it, she returns to the laundry room.

"Give me your hand." she instructed in a brisk tone, "This might be able to help."

She makes a quick work of applying a liberal amount of lotion onto his hands. Once that is done, she proceeds to put more of it on to other exposed areas. "Excuse me." she says when her hands touch his face, "Please bear with me."

Despite being a fearsome creature, the man is surprisingly docile. Other than a couple of whimpers, he remains quiet and still.

When she is satisfied with her work, she gets up, pulling him along with her. The man cowers as they leave the room.

"Don't worry," she assures him with a pat on the hand, "We'll do this slowly so you won't get hurt, alright. Come on." With a tug, both of them are on the hallway.

The man hisses and covers his eyes.

"Ah, sorry. I'll get something for that." she disappears into the bedroom and reappears with a couple of accessories. "Here you go." She proceeds to put the sunglasses over his eyes, covers his head with a hat and wraps a scarf around his neck. "That should do it."

They walk further into the living room. As they are about to reach the ray of the sun shining through the balcony, the man's breathing becomes increasingly heavy and uneven.

"No, please." he murmurs, squeezing his eyes shut and pulls back.

Her lips curve into a reassuring smile, "Hey, it's fine. Everything is okay. Look."

True to her word, when the man opens his eyes, he can see his hand on hers, basking under the sunlight.

"See. You're fine," she said proudly. "Not a single burn."

He looks at her in astonishment, "How is this possible? What did you do?"

"Nothing much. I just applied some sunblock." she hands him the bottle, "It helps protect our skin from the sun. It seems it works on you as well, whatever the heck you are."

He opens his mouth to display his fangs for her to see. "Vampire."

"I see," she replies, scratching the back of her head. "Well, now that your problem is solved, you can leave, right?"

He gives her a strange look before nodding. "Alright. Apologies for bothering you." He returns the bottle to her, but she raises her hands.

"You can have it." she says, pushing it back to him, "I hardly use it. Just remember to reapply it every four hours when you're under the sun."

He nods and gives her a bright smile, "Alright. Thank you."

"No problem at all." she chuckles, then mumbles quietly. "It's a small sacrifice for getting rid of you."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, nothing," she says, guiding him to the entrance. Opening the door, she looks at him and extends her hand, "Well then, all the best on your journey under the sun."

He grabs her hand with both of his and shakes it, "Thank you so much for your help. Can I have the name of my saviour?"

"It's Federica." she answers, looking away as she scratches the side of her cheek.

"Federica, I, Auberon Amadeus Ashwell, will find a way to repay the kindness you have shown me today." With that, he steps out of the house and gives her a bow. "I'll take my leave."

"Have a good day," she says and shuts the door. She waits for the sounds of footsteps disappear before crumbling to the ground, her adrenaline drained from her body. Placing a shaking fist to her chest to calm her heart, she takes a deep breath. Never in her life did she expects to come face-to-face with a supernatural, those creatures in novels and mythical encyclopedia.

But it's over. She is finally safe.