Suddenly, I was awakened by noises outside the window. Bubbly was barking at it. I turned on the bedside lamp and saw a bird pecking at the window. But as I looked closer, I realized it wasn't a bird; it was an eagle. "Why is an eagle pecking at my window in the middle of the night?" I wondered. "Could it be Ezekiel's eagle, Nimbus?" I didn't want to wake my parents, so I opened the window to let it in.
To my surprise, it wasn't Nimbus that entered but Ezekiel. Nimbus remained perched on the window, standing guard. "So, Ezekiel used Nimbus to get my attention," I thought. "What an unusual way to knock!"
I patted Bubbly, calming him down. Bubbly stopped barking as Ezekiel approached my bed.
"What's going on?" I asked, trying to hide my irritation. "Why are you here in the middle of the night? I have school tomorrow and I'm really tired. Can't it wait until morning?"
Ezekiel, looking a bit sheepish, replied, "I'm sorry. I'm used to... We used to greet each other like this all the time. Didn't you enjoy it?"
"We've only known each other for a day!" I snapped. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Eliza," he said softly, "don't you remember our time together? Are you still mad at me about that incident?"
"I'm not mad because I don't know what you're talking about," I said, exasperated. "And my name is Ayla, not Eliza."
Half-asleep, I climbed back into bed, hoping to end the conversation. But Ezekiel walked over and pulled back my blanket, gently touching my cheek. "You say your name is Ayla, not Eliza? But you look and smell just like her. Don't you remember our life together? You promised you would always love only me."
As Ezekiel uncovered me, Bubbly growled menacingly. I stroked his head and soothed him while addressing Ezekiel. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I think you need to calm down. If you want to explain, shouldn't we find a proper time and place to talk, rather than waking me up in the middle of the night?"
At that moment, someone else jumped through the window—Walter! Bubbly immediately ran to him, bowing as if greeting him. Walter petted Bubbly's head. "Good job," he praised, then turned to Ezekiel. "I've taken care of the soldiers you sent to the pack. Your plan was clever, but you don't have much time. What do you want? If you have a problem with us werewolves, deal with us directly. Why involve an innocent human?"
Ezekiel's eyes flashed with anger. "This has nothing to do with you, you savage werewolf!" he snapped, conjuring a magical energy ball and hurling it at Walter. Walter dodged, but it left a hole in my closet.
Not knowing what to do, I grabbed Walter with my left hand and Ezekiel with my right. Strangely, they both complied. I pulled them under the bed, pressing their heads down. "Please, give me five minutes of silence," I pleaded.
I hurried back to bed just as Mom opened the door, looking worried. "Ayla, are you okay? I heard noises. Is there a burglar?"
She glanced around the room and noticed the hole in the closet. "What happened here?"
"I think Bubbly got too excited and accidentally ran into the closet," I lied, holding Bubbly close.
Mom sighed, "Oh, alright. And how many times have I told you to close the window at night?" She walked over and shut the window. "Alright, go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
She closed the door, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I checked under the bed, but it was empty. "Where did they go?" I wondered, standing up.
"Next time, don't use such methods to make me hide!" a voice came from my left ear. I turned to look behind me and realized it was Walter standing there. Ah, right, I had forgotten he could turn invisible! Then, another voice came from my right, "Eliza, I'll do anything you ask, but next time, can you avoid getting me so close to a werewolf? Their blood smells really bad," said Ezekiel with his arms crossed.
I replied, "Ezekiel, you can turn invisible too! You guys invisibility ability is really convenient!"
Ezekiel responded, "Don't compare me to werewolves. We vampires are high-intelligence creatures, unlike those nocturnal beings!"
Walter snorted at Ezekiel's comment and shot him a cold glance but didn't make any further moves. After the earlier incident, both of them seemed to consider my feelings and actions, lowering their voices.
I said, "Alright, let's talk about this tomorrow. You both should leave now."
Ezekiel: "Okay, since it's inconvenient for you now, and you want a serious discussion, no problem. I'll pick you up after school tomorrow, and we can talk seriously."
Walter interrupted Ezekiel, "Who gave you the right to let a cruel vampire pick up a human from school? You just wanted to suck her blood and kill her."
I said, "Walter, it's okay! Ezekiel thinks I resemble his lover a lot. I just want to explain to him that I'm not her and let him confirm it. You saw earlier that Ezekiel had no intention of killing me. If he really wanted to, he would have sucked my blood before you arrived. So, you can rest assured."
Walter said, "Vampires are deceitful. I won't let what happened 500 years ago happen again! I'll go with you!"
Ezekiel gave Walter a cold look, a disappointed and sarcastic one, and said, "We vampires are high-intelligence creatures; we won't lose control like werewolves."
I said, "Alright, you two, stop arguing! We'll talk more after school tomorrow!"
Ezekiel responded, "Alright! I'll leave now." He flicked his red cloak, turned around, and left with Nimbus.
Walter walked up to me and said, "See you tomorrow! When you sleep, keep him by your side, so you won't have nightmares." Walter handed me Bubbly.
I asked, "Bubbly?"
Walter: "Yes, he has the ability to dispel magic and provide some protection."
I hugged Bubbly and said, "You're amazing!"
Then I asked Walter, "So why couldn't he dispel Ezekiel's magic ball earlier?"
Walter scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, and said, "He can only dispel weaker magic. Stronger magic, like Ezekiel's, is beyond his ability. But Bubbly is more approachable, and I'll feel more at ease with him by your side. If anything happens, he will call me immediately, and I'll be right beside you, so don't worry." Walter said the last sentence with a hint of shyness. "Sorry to bother you! I should go back to the pack and wrap things up."
I said, "By the way, you mentioned Ezekiel sent soldiers to attack your pack. Are the pack members okay?"
Walter: "It's nothing serious. The soldiers he sent were weak and not very capable. Even without my intervention, the pack members should handle it just fine."
I rested my chin on my hand and said, "What's Ezekiel's intention in doing this? Honestly, he could have sent a lot of soldiers at once to wipe out your pack."
Walter: "I think so too. That's why I find him unfathomable. He might be plotting something. Though he seems to pose no threat to you now, who knows what he's planning. After your conversation with him tomorrow, we'll see if he reveals anything."
I yawned and said, "Alright then."
Walter: "I won't disturb your rest any longer."
With that, Walter left.