Beauty
I don't know what came to mind, and suddenly I thought of calling Mr. Dario the lonely nightwalker. That's the title of the new book I'm going to write about a century-old vampire who had the chance to fall in love. Perfect fit with the character I am writing the characteristics of Mr. Dario. It's not that I think Mr. Dario or Dusk is a vampire. He looks like one, but I don't know if it's true. And I wouldn't dare to talk to him if he's a vampire. Dusk is so mysterious that I can see it in his eyes. Another thing I remember is that I saw him coming out of our house the night my father's relative tried to scam me.
Other than that, I remember nothing. Matt told me he caught me outside the house in a daze. I removed the book above the diary I was carrying. It still has traces of mud, but I can't remember where I dropped it. It's okay if it gets dirty because I'm not careful with my things either. All my items are scattered over the table I am occupying right now, and the coffee from Mr. Dusk is placed on the edge of it.
Dusk.
His name is Dusk, and when I search for the meaning of it online, the name suits him. Dusk is the darker stage of twilight, based on my research. He said to call him that way since we're not in the school. Maybe I can do that when it's just the two of us together.
I slowly stood up and would have reached the coffee on edge, but someone else did it for me.
"You're Dusk's student, aren't you?" asked a voice not far from the voice of Mr. Dario. I accepted the coffee that I should have been the one to reach, but he got ahead of me. "I am Renwick, his brother."
Does Mr. Dario have a brother?
I stared intently at Renwick, who said he was Dusk's brother. They have pretty similar eyes that are dark and deep. But Dusk's eyes were blue, while Renwick's were orange-like cats.
"Is there something wrong with my face?" a question that aroused me.
"No," I responded quickly.
"Are you okay?" I felt that he held my hand and then caught my gaze. "Tell me what's on your mind, lady,"
"No." I brushed his hand away, then quickly put away my things and left the cafe where I was. What was that? Was Renwick trying to hypnotize me or put something into my mind? Mr. Dario is a mysterious man, while Renwick is a cunning man trying to eat my hidden desires. "Matt!" I called my assistant slash driver and manager.
"Are you done reading?" he immediately asked me.
"Yes. Let's go home now."
"Is it okay if we go to the flower shop? Today is our anniversary, and I owe Helene a lot."
"You should've told me that earlier. I can leave alone now, and you know where to find me, Matt."
"Helene will be angrier with me if I leave you alone. It's dangerous, especially now that wild animals are on the streets."
The whole of Meadow Ville has been awakened by the mysterious death of several people, including those professors at Meadow Ville University. They were all found at the edge of the Meadow Ville Cemetery with bite marks on their necks from an as-yet-unidentified creature.
"You're not thinking about your parents, aren't you?"
"Everything is the same, Matt."
"Take that out of your mind, Beau. Come on now,"
I took a deep breath before finally getting inside my car. I should take the idea off my mind to avoid being stressed and having another mental breakdown. I must also care for myself because no one else will do it. Only I can do this—just me.
***
I was now staring intently at the pictures in front of me. I compared it to an image of my parents, and the resemblance was striking. However, the place was different because my parents were found in the woods while the new victims were at the cemetery's edge. I know there's a message lying and a pattern. Only an expert can notice, and I'm not that, but I'm curious if my suspicions are correct.
"Beauty, what are you doing here?" a question that slightly surprised me. Aside from Matt and Helene, Drake is my cousin and only friend. He is a police detective assigned to the recent case of wild animal attacks. "Does Helene know you're here?"
I shook my head, causing him to sigh. "Is there still no progress in this case?"
"You're not allowed here, Beauty. My sergeant will scold me if he finds out you're here."
"I just want to know if it's the same thing that happened to my parents."
Drake took another deep breath and led me out of their squad room. I didn't object because I didn't want him to be scolded by his sergeant. Coming into Drake's squad room was wrong, but my feet brought me here out of curiosity.
"I'm looking for it, Beau. I don't want to stress you. That's why I'm keeping you out of the loop. When I have a lead, I will come to you. You don't need to go out at this hour."
It was late, and I just ran away from home. I took advantage of the fact that Matt and Helene had a date so I could get a peek at the investigation, but I wasn't allowed here. Like relatives of the dead, they keep some information from us that would cause anxiety. The least they can do is assure us there's no other wild creature of the dark involved in the murder case. Their conclusion about what happened to the five victims, one of whom has not yet been identified, is still a wild animal.
"Let me know right away, Drake, and I want to extend my apologies. It's natural for writers like me to be curious."
"I like the book you released earlier this month."
"Thank you, and I'm working on the new one."
Drake smiled and offered to accompany one of his colleagues, but I refused. The police station is close to the house, so that is not needed. When I started walking, I put my hands in my jacket pocket. I stopped when a crow flew, suddenly reminding me of a vague scene. I think I saw that crow before, but I don't know where.
"Beauty..." a call made me turn around.
"Dusk?" Strangely, he's here. Why is he here anyway? Is Meadow Ville too big for me not to notice that he is also at the police station? I walked closer to Dusk to see if I was right. Maybe it was his brother who called me later. "It's you. I thought you were Renwick."
"You knew Renwick?"
I nodded in response to his question. "I met him in the café minutes after you left. He introduced himself as your brother, but you don't have the same eyes."
"He's wearing contact lenses, that's why," he said, which I accepted. "Why are you here?"
"I'm visiting a cousin inside. He's a detective and currently handling the case of your colleagues. I'm so sorry about them, Dusk."
"Yeah, that's unfortunate, and the school will hold a charity event to help the deceased families." I received that email and sent help to the deceased, but I kept the donation secret. "Do they have a lead now?"
"My cousin is keeping all the information private."
"I see. That's how the police work." I nodded in response. "Come on, and I'll walk you home."
"You'll do that?"
"Yeah, so let's go?" I smiled and started walking home with him.
Fortunately, Dusk is here, and I'm not anxious to go home. I dared to leave and not accept Drake's offer, and then I was scared. Sometimes I am also confused about myself. Being yourself's enemy is formidable, especially when in my position.
Because I'm in the middle of being decisive and indecisive always.
***
"Thank you for walking with me until here, Dusk."
I am standing in front of my house's main entrance while Dusk is standing a few steps away from me. I was wondering if I should let him stay inside and invite him for coffee or not to avoid the wrong thoughts of other people. He's still my professor, and I'm his temporary student in History. I will only attend his class for three months, enough for the new novel I'm writing.
"No worries about that. You love walking in the night, Beauty."
"Walking at night is peaceful, and I've been told many times that it's dangerous now." I saw that Dusk nodded at what I said. "Do you want to come in and have a coffee?"
"May I?"
I opened the door and let him inside. I invited him inside my study room, where the books I was reading were. I left him for a while to get coffee for both of us. Matt told me that they would go home tomorrow, so I would be alone at home now. After making coffee, I immediately returned Dusk to my study room.
"You love books in different genres," he said when I got inside.
"You can take something to read at home. Since childhood, reading and collecting books is already my hobby."
"Can you recommend a book? When we first met, you gave me something I forgot to buy." I remembered that, so I immediately picked up the book I had recommended to him before.
"That's the book you forgot that day."
"This is a good way to do to know you better, Beauty."
"Why do you want to do that?"
"Simply because I'm curious about you."
My lips parted when I heard what he said. He is also curious about me, and I feel the same way. Was he a real mind reader? What is he exactly?