Clayton and the others were stunned when the news on television reported a human victim who had been found dead under mysterious circumstances. The atmosphere in the room immediately grew tense. Clayton, who had just received information from Baron, spoke in a serious tone.
"The Vanholm vampire clan has emerged," Clayton said, his eyes fixed sharply on the television screen. "They're not just stirring up trouble, but they're also after Odel because of her special blood."
Odel froze in place, her face turning pale. "They're... after me?" she asked, her voice trembling, unable to hide her fear.
Clayton stepped closer, looking deep into her eyes. "Yes, Odel, but I won't let anyone from the Vanholm clan lay a finger on you."
Emilio, who was standing in the corner of the room with a grim expression, let out a long sigh. "We can't just sit back and let this happen. We need to be prepared. Vanholm won't stop until they get what they want."
Daffin clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "I agree. They must already have a plan in motion. We have to stay alert."
"What if they've disguised themselves as humans and are already among us on campus?" asked Odel.
"Luckily, no! The Vanholm clan despises anything related to humans. Their physical traits make them instantly recognizable as vampires," Emilio explained.
"That's an advantage for us! As long as Odel stays in human territory, they won't make a reckless move. But judging by what happened on TV, I think they're getting desperate."
"Then what should I do?" Odel asked, confused.
"You must stay with us! And no more going on dates alone with that human boyfriend of yours!" Clayton grumbled.
"Human boyfriend? Going on dates? Hey, did I miss something?" Daffin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, forget it! I don't feel like talking about it!" said Clayton to Daffin.
"But, Odel, the thing you must remember! You're the future queen of vampires! Don't ever think about living a normal life. If you don't like me, you can choose Daffin or Emilio!" Clayton snapped before turning away and storming into his room.
"Clayton! You...!" Odel looked like she wanted to explain, but Daffin and Emilio exchanged suspicious glances.
"So you really are cheating?" Daffin asked.
"Who is he? Are you dating Adrian?" Emilio pressed.
"Ugh, enough already! I'm tired of arguing! I'm telling you, Adrian and I are just friends! Remember that!" Odel said before disappearing into her room.
Daffin moved closer to Emilio. "Did you hear that? She just clarified that she and that human guy are just friends. Isn't that progress?"
"Hey, I think so too! If she doesn't like Clayton, that means she likes one of us! That's why she doesn't want us to misunderstand!" said Emilio.
"Exactly! That means my only competition left is you! This is going to be easy!" Daffin said confidently.
"Underestimating me? Oh no! Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you're better!" Emilio shot back.
***
Meanwhile, someone sneezed just as the vampires were talking about him.
"Achoo! Is someone talking about me?" Adrian muttered, rubbing his itchy nose.
He had just arrived in front of his house. Without needing to open the gate, the large black iron fence moved inward as if by itself. No one was there, but Adrian smiled and said,
"I'm home!"
The gate immediately closed behind him as he walked further inside. Suddenly, his instincts kicked in—he sensed a dark aura passing by. A gray mist with glowing red eyes floated by, trying to escape the house.
"You're not going anywhere! Hup!"
An invisible net snapped into place, and the mist was sucked into a small crystal bottle, immediately sealed by his father.
Adrian clicked his tongue. "Another restless spirit? What did it do this time?" he asked casually.
"It's been haunting the hospital," Mr. Blackthorne replied.
"Isn't it normal for hospitals to be full of ghosts? They love to stir up trouble; that's just their nature," Adrian remarked with a smirk.
"He strangled patients who were already on the brink of death, causing the hospital's mortality rate to rise! One of the indigo doctors is my acquaintance, so I helped him!" explained his father.
"Wow, did he pay you? Did you get a lot of money?" Adrian asked curiously.
"Of course not!"
"Oh, come on! You should have asked for payment! You could get hurt dealing with evil ghosts! Even the police get paid, so why shouldn't you?" Adrian grumbled.
"Hey, our skills as ghost hunters are not business! We must protect humans selflessly. Besides, I already have a business that makes enough money for us to live comfortably," Mr. Blackthorne replied.
No wonder we're not rich!" Adrian muttered.
"Adrian! Watch your mouth!" His father scolded him immediately.
Adrian ran away while chuckling. He loved teasing his rigid father. Instead of going straight to his room, he entered his little sister's room. He wanted to greet his sweet little sister, but she was currently floating on the ceiling with her two invisible twin friends.
"Adrian! You're home? Hey, guys! Meet my brother!" said Celeste to her two ghost friends, who looked like twin girls dressed identically.
"Oh, are they your new friends? What are their names?" Adrian asked.
"Yoyo and Yoyi, they're twins! Aren't they pretty? Dad brought them from the hospital! I invited them to play," she explained.
"Oh, I see. Well, carry on playing! I'm going to look for Mom," Adrian said.
Leaving his sister's room, Adrian went to his mother's room, where he saw the still youthful-looking woman taking out a very long heirloom sword and wiping it carefully.
"Why did you take that out? You're not mad at Dad, are you?" Adrian teased.
"What are you talking about? When have I ever been mad at your father?"
"Isn't it every day?"
"That's just our way of showing love, nothing more!" Mrs. Eva replied.
"Really? I never thought Dad received so much love!" Adrian grinned.
"Stop teasing me!"
"Okay! So, what's the sword for? Is there a ghost so powerful that you had to bring this out?" Adrian asked.
"Haven't you seen the news on TV?"
"No! What happened?"
"Vampires! They appeared! There have already been victims!" Mrs. Eva replied.
Adrian's previously relaxed face suddenly turned serious.
"What did they do?"
"They killed three people on the outskirts of town! The victims were drained of blood. No one but vampires could do something like that!" his mother stated firmly.
"There were three victims? Does that mean there are three vampires?" Adrian asked.
"I don't know, but I believe there's more than one."
Adrian's expression changed, looking tense, but he didn't say anything and went to his room. In his mind, it was possible that the three vampires he knew were the culprits. Once inside his room, Adrian took something out of his drawer—a folding dagger—which he quietly slipped into his school bag.
"If it really is them, then I can't just stay quiet!" he muttered.
The next day, as usual, Odel and her three fiancés were getting ready to go to campus. However, this time they didn't take the bus but instead drove in their new car. As Clayton sat in the driver's seat, the other two fiancés sat in the back, flanking Odel in the middle.
"Hey, you guys! Why is everyone sitting in the back? Do you think I'm a chauffeur? Ugh!" Clayton grumbled in annoyance.
"Don't be upset, Clayton. By sitting like this and flanking Odel, we can ensure she's always safe!" Daffin explained his reasoning.
"Stop making excuses; the car won't move if everyone's in the back!" Clayton refused to start the engine.
"You should sit in the front, Emilio!" Daffin urged.
"No way! Why should it be me?" Emilio protested.
"Enough! I'll do it!" Odel said, moving to the front from the middle row.
She simply jumped in and sat next to Clayton, making the vampire man bewildered.
"Alright! Let's go!" said Odel.
Clayton was still stunned because now Odel was sitting right beside him in the front seat.
"What's wrong? Come on, let's go! Don't we have a morning class?"
"Oh yeah, okay! Put on your seatbelt!" replied Clayton, hiding his smile. Deep down, he felt happy having Odel beside him.
They arrived at campus, walking together like they did when they were first-year students. Even in class, the three of them didn't sit too far from Odel. They left a few seats between them, so Odel could feel more comfortable.
"We need to stay alert!" whispered Daffin.
"Yeah, I get it!" replied Emilio.
But then someone came and casually sat right next to Odel. Adrian sat down comfortably and greeted Odel warmly.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah!"
"That's good!"
"I summarized some notes for you while you were absent. You can read them later!" said Adrian, handing her a notebook.
"Wow, thanks!" Odel replied.
Her face looked awkward, all because her three fiancés were watching her like a girl caught cheating.
"Adrian again! I'm sick of him!" whispered Daffin.
"You think I like this? If I could, I would have bitten him a long time ago!" Emilio retorted.
Feeling annoyed, Clayton, who was originally sitting in front of Odel, immediately moved to the back and sat on Odel's right side.
"What are you guys talking about? Sounds interesting?" said Clayton, not wanting to be left out this time.
"I just gave her my notes. I know you wouldn't summarize the materials for her," Adrian replied, not backing down.
"I'd take all the books in the library if she needed them! Don't underestimate me!" replied Clayton, starting to get heated.
"You think she'd read all those books? She just needs the right equipment, not a pile of books! Do you not understand something that simple?" Adrian retorted sharply.
Clayton glared at Adrian angrily, but Adrian stared back, refusing to back down. Just then, Fiona arrived and interrupted the tense atmosphere.
"Odel! Sit with me!" she called from the back of the class.
"Yeah, Fiona! I'm coming!" Odel replied, finally escaping from the tension between the guys.
When Odel left, Clayton turned his gaze to Adrian, his eyes sharp as if he were looking at a mortal enemy.
"What do you want, Adrian? I told you, stay away from Odel!"
"Why? I like her; she's a beautiful and kind girl! Besides, it's weird for you, her cousins, to be so obsessed with her! Just let her go; she'd better off dating me!" Adrian replied.
"No! She's my fiancée! She's mine! Don't you dare come near her!" Clayton shot back.
"I will get close to her! I don't even care about your threats, Clayton!" Adrian said as he stood up and moved to the front row to avoid Clayton.
After class, Adrian approached once again. He joined Fiona and immediately invited them both to the cafeteria.
"I know there's delicious food at the cafeteria! Let me treat you!" Adrian said.
"Actually, I'd love to, but my driver is already here to pick me up. My dad's coming and he wants to meet me today!" Fiona explained.
"Oh, that's too bad! I'll treat you next time," Adrian said.
"Alright! I'm going now! Bye!" Fiona said as she left.
"Let's go, Odel!" Adrian invited Odel.
Odel noticed from a distance that her three fiancés were watching her with burning jealousy, which made her start reconsidering Adrian's invitation.
"I can't, I'm having lunch with my three cousins!" Odel replied.
"Are they threatening you? Are you feeling pressured? You're a human, Odel! What could you possibly be doing that you're involved with those three vampires?" Adrian whispered.
Odel's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.