"Where--" She looks around and just like in her last dream, she is back in the old abandoned church but this time, she is standing in the altar. Beside her stood the vampire she also met in this same dream last time.
"Isn't it beautiful? Being together like this again. Just like before," he solemnly said, staring at the big Wisteria tree growing at the altar.
"Before?" She turns to him. This time, she fights off the fear and tries her best to communicate with him despite being aware that this could be just another dream. A dream that could put her in danger.
The vampire turns to look at her, smiling. His eyes, still glowing crimson but now calm. "Yes. Before." He immediately grabs her hand, gripping it tight.
"What are you--" She tries tugging her hand. "Let go of me! It hurts!" But the more she struggles, the tighter he grips.
"Oh you're not gonna get away that easily this time." His smile grew wider, flashing his sharp fangs.
"Let go of me!" She shuts her eyes while she forcefully pull her hand back. "This is just a dream!" she convinces herself. "Please wake up-- PLEASE WAKE UP!" she yells at herself. "WAKE UP!!!".
"Hey! Cora!" Kristian starts shaking her shoulder. "Cora!"
Cora woke up with dread in her eyes, dilated and teary. "Kristian…" she said, catching her breath as she tries to absorb everything that just happened in the dream.
"Are you alright?" the vampire asked, staring worriedly.
"I--I'm fine. I'm fine." She forces herself to get up and take a seat on the sofa, takes a deep breath as she wipes off the beads of sweat on her forehead. "Just a bad dream…".
Furrowing his brows. "Sounds like a very horrifying dream."
She lifts her wrist and confirmed that the vampire's grip in her dream manifested to real life again, just like the bite mark. The sight horrified her.
"Hey--"
They were both distracted when a guy with blonde hair came in, holding a basket of freshly baked bread. "Hey, Kristian! Put some clothes on, will ya!" he said as he puts down the basket on the coffee table.
That's just when Cora actually noticed that Kristian's top is bare, with a towel still hanging on his shoulder and hair still damp.
Kyle slightly tilts his head and saw Cora. "Oh! You're awake! Hold on. I'll go get my brother." He hurriedly leaves, heading upstairs.
"Sorry about that. That's just Kyle." Kristian walks towards the coffee table while drying his hair with the towel. He then hangs it on a chair then grabs the plain white shirt hanging on another chair. "Don't worry. He's human."
While putting his shirt on, Cora noticed the healed scars all over his body. She finds it odd. All along she thought that vampires completely heal, without visible scars left at all. But it seems like it's a different case for him. She immediately looks away before he notices her staring.
"Where are we?" she asked, diverting her attention.
"My friends' place." He grabs a glass of water and bread from the basket then walks towards her. "Theseus will check on you soon. He's Kyle's brother and a doctor." He places the glass of water on the table beside the sofa then hands over the bread. "Eat."
"Thank you," she said as she starts nibbling the freshly baked bread.
Kyle came back, now with an older man with jet black hair following him. The man takes off the apron from his waist then hangs it on the wall. He then walks towards the two.
"Hello. I'm Doctor Thereus Kaeser. Kristian brought you here last night after passed out." He pulls a chair beside the sofa. "Forgive me. I just need to check up on you. May I?" he politely asked.
Cora just nodded at him, giving him permission to do so.
He touches her forehead then starts rubbing her palms. His hands are very light and soft, as if he's handling something too delicate. "You really should go easy on those Innefilis teas. Too much can definitely give you something worse than just getting knocked out. Kristian said you drank too much."
"I did?" She confusedly looks at Kristian.
"We met in some speakeasy in Vermilion District. You took way too much Innefilis and passed out at the back alley," he lied, staring at Cora as if wishing for her to go along with the story.
"Ah… Right. He's right."
"Told ya he's been hanging out in those speakeasies again! You're always a troublemaker!" Kyle teases.
Theseus glares at his brother then focuses his attention back to his patient. "Well, you're lucky it just gave you mild fever. I personally think Innefilis should be off limits to humans. People are starting to use them as some sort of drugs." He stares at her seriously. "Promise me you won't do that again."
"I--I promise." She agreed despite feeling uneasy that she is lying to the doctor.
"That's better." He smiles then gets up. "Lunch will be ready in a few minutes. Please do join us. You need to regain your strength."
She just nodded at him.
With the brothers now leaving, Cora turns to Krisitan who remained standing at the corner of the room.
"Why did you lie to them?" she asked.
"I know you're an Oblivian and that you were drugged with Innefilis. I can smell it all over you. Your sweat. Your blood." He takes a seat beside the sofa. "They know that I'm lying. I can never hide anything from those two. But they also know that I'm doing it to protect you. And you must have a serious reason for getting lost in Diaspora. But you have to tell someone about it. At least tell me about what's really going on and what we just got ourselves into."
Wrapping her arms across her chest, she leans down as she curls up her knees. For a moment, she tries to think of possible excuses for him. But he just went through a perilous situation just to save her. He even brought her here to be taken care of. Even lied for her. Aren't they enough to trust him?
She took a while, processing all of it. Last time she trusted a vampire, she was drugged. But that vampire didn't make an effort to help her at all, despite providing the invitation.
Kristian didn't do any harm to her. Even though he chased her all the way towards danger, he still risked his life saving her. He had all the chances to take advantage of the situation. To feed on her, maybe not to leave her for dead but at least taste her blood. But he didn't. All he ever did was keep her safe.
"Can I trust you?" she mumbled.
"Of course."
She takes a deep breath. She needs all the resources she could get especially now that she is exposed. She managed to track down Kalvick but his kidnappers saw her too. More vampires knew that she exists now and not all of them are as friendly as Kristian. If there's anyone to hold on to, it's the vampire who saved her.
"My sister and I went to Wisteria, looking for our father. We've been tacking down someone. A vampire who may be the only clue to our father's whereabouts. My sister and I, we've been through so many things along the way. The vampire who invited us drugged us. Our friends who are just trying to help got themselves in trouble." She forms a fist, looking down as guilt takes over her. "Lost my sister that night. She was kidnapped and I don't know where or how I'll find her. Everything that I had on my father went back to square one too. I found the vampire that we're tracking down but as it turns out, he doesn't have a clue as to where our father is either. Then a bunch of vampires kidnapped him too." She tries to hold back tears, covering her mouth. "It was horrifying. Seeing his eyes as they took him," she said in a muffled voice. She then lifts her head up, staring at the burn mark on her palm. "But I can't give up now. It's up to me to find them all. To save them even if it kills me."
At this point, Kristian finally understood why she is having a hard time trusting him. But he has to do something. A part of him tells him that he shouldn't let her go out there by herself. "Then I'll go with you," the vampire daringly suggested.
"Huh?" She turns to look at him, surprised by his sudden offer. "Why?"
"I don't know. I guess I'm just a sucker for damsels in distress and I have a superhero complex." Shrugging his shoulder as he smugly smiles. "Just kidding." He chuckles. "You're an ignorant Oblivian cluelessly wandering the streets of Wisteria. Whatever you got yourself into, I doubt that you can't handle it on your own. At least not without my help."
"But… Everyone who helps me always end up in danger…"
"Well, technically…" He starts scratching the back of his head. "You kinda got me involved in this already the moment those vampires saw my face. Even recognized me."
"Right. He did mention that you're a Pope. Any relations to--."
"Yes. I'm Highborn Kameron Pope's youngest son. The black sheep of the family," he straightforwardly answered. There is a slight frown on his face that he immediately shook off. "Anyway!" He slouches, leaning towards her. "I'm a vampire carrying a very powerful name. Harming me is like asking for a death wish." He smiles, showing a glimpse of pointy fangs. "You're safe with me."
"Hey! Lunch's ready!" said Kyles as he takes a peek, calling out the two.
"So, shall we?" Kristian offers his hands to Cora.
She holds his hand as he helps her get out of the sofa and stands. Her arm clinging on to his shoulder as she puts some weight on her feet to walk. "Thank you, Kristian."
"Hmm…?"
"Thank you for everything…"
"You know, that superhero complex is kinda true though."
She chuckles, finally loosening the heavy feeling in her heart.