Tonight, the Blood Worm Moon rises — the crimson call to hunt and mate.
It was a period most eighteen-year-old girls anticipated, while others dreaded it like the sound of a closing coffin lid.
For those with ambition burning behind their eyes, the season was a chance—a dangerous game where beauty and cunning could elevate one from prey to queen. But for those who knew better and valued peace over power, it was nothing short of hell on earth.
«⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘⁘»
Basian County Airport, Fifth District.
The sun had set in the West, casting a soft glow over the old airport, where quiet hellos and heavy goodbyes filled the air.
The terminal buzzed with restless energy more than usual, spurred by the looming selection of this generation of vampires and werewolves, finally ready to claim their human counterparts.
Amid the crowd, an unusual pair stood out.
"Oh my gosh! My little cupcake, my adorable jiggly pudding!" A man sniffled. "Daddy is… Daddy's going to miss your sulking and grumpy face in the morning."
The girl pushed his crying ass face and yelled in between her equally loud sobs and hiccups.
"Stop… Stop crying, waah! Everyone's looking and your scary face is...sniff! Daddy, you're so ugly when... when you're crying... ugh!"
Velvetiana's cheeks burned with tears as her maternal uncle and pink foster father, Pauly, clutched her in a bear hug, sniffling so loudly it echoed through the halls of the airport. His muscular arms, which could rival a heavyweight champion's, squeezed her so tightly it was a wonder her ribs didn't crack.
Uff!
"Urk! Daddy, I can't… breathe! Oh god, you're squishing your daughter so hard!"
Nearby travelers slowed their steps to glance at the unusual scene, their curiosity only fueling Velvetiana's growing discomfort.
"Get away, ugh. Daddy, your face looks gross right now! Ahh, Dad! Your snot is falling on me now! I swear get off!"
"But… But I forgot to bring ma wipey dilly. Lend me some princess…"
Sobbing, the two looked at each other like two lost puppies with swirling round watery gazes.
Velvetiana turned glum and squinted. "Daddy?! We're too broke for wet wipes. I just throw in the single roll of tissue I can find inside my backpack."
On that note, the girl added, "Daddy, do... do you want my hanky?"
He stared at the damp and gross handkerchief and shuddered a little with a hint of trepidation.
Pauly retracted his arms and let go of the hug like he was zapped by a current, before taking a step back. Afraid that she would really rub the slimy, wet fabric on his well-contoured face.
"D-Dear me, h-how can I take my little pudding's thing?! Keep it to yoursel, darling." His eyes shook as he gulped in secret.
"Huh? But you said—"
"Mamamiyah! I-I almost forgot that I still have this with me! Goodness, ha... Ha-Ha."
He laughed awkwardly and quickly averted his gaze as he took out a clean, threadbare, worn-out white fabric he had been using for god knows how many years.
Seeing his clear aversion, Velvetiana parted her lips wide as a goldfish and gasped feeling betrayed.
"Daddy, why you…!" she wanted to sulk and accuse him but when she glanced at her used hanky, she inadvertently winced. She paused and decided to just put it on a thin plastic before tossing it in her hand carry.
'I should wash it thoroughly later... Squeaky clean,' she made a mental note to herself.
The poor can't be wasteful.
Pauly was dressed in an outfit that could only be described as an assault on the senses—a rainbow-striped jacket with sequined lapels over a hot pink mesh shirt. His pants, on the other hand, were a violent clash of lime green and electric blue. Secured by a belt adorned with glittering star-shaped buckles.
The entire ensemble practically screamed, Look at me!—which was exactly why Velvetiana wanted to melt into the floor.
Still, as mortifying as it was, she let him cling to her. Pauly's theatrics weren't anything new, and under the embarrassment lay the painful understanding that this was his way of saying goodbye.
Pauly hiccupped and sighed emotionally thorned.
"Sigh, why do you grow up so fast? Daddy will be so lonely without you, darling. You have to stay strong while living on campus. Be sure to wake up early to be on time for school, okay? I'm not sure how's the weather in that place but wear thick clothes and don't forget to apply the sunscreen I gave you whenever you go out."
Velvetiana's lips twitched, but she held her expression neutral while listening to his reminders.
"I know. I know..."
When a particularly loud sniffle hit her ears almost deafening.
"Eat your breakfast and don't stay up late watching porn. I won't be there to nag you, so—"
"D-Daaad?!" Her eyes widened in horror.
All she could do at that point was throw her hand in the air to cover his mouth to stop him from saying more.
"—umphh!"
The murmuring near their spot quieted. But it was not the quiet that provided her solitude. Rather, it was the opposite!
She felt utterly screwed.
Several people outright stopped walking to stare and Velvetiana's heart dropped to her stomach.
"Oh please! Not this again. How many times do I have to tell you? It was just a clip in that damn sex education course that my damn classmate deliberately splice before sending me! I didn't—! Aish, whatever!"
Pauly tilted his head, looking entirely unconvinced. "Mmm-hmm."
Velvetiana shook her head in sheer embarrassment.
Pauly's whims were over the top even on a serious day, but this… this was a new low. But how else would she get a Velvetiana Red name if her old man wasn't a weirdo?
Darn right just because she was deeply attached to the color red while the velvety word was so random pick as if a stubborn gum stuck on Pauly the moment he first saw his precious darling baby.
The worst part? The crowd of travelers looked far too interested in the exchange. A mother discreetly covered her child's ears, while a businessman smirked behind his coffee cup. Someone clutching a smartphone held it at just the right angle to suggest they were filming.
Oh great. Just great.
The only shred of comfort was that Basian County Airport lay three hours away by train from her hometown, Dreg Zone—a backwater place on the edge of the Fifth District, long written off as a wasteland among the five territories.
No one there would know a damn thing or recognize her face. At least not the aunties who like to tease her at every opportunity and the local gangsters that she transformed to become her subordinates.
Velvetiana's hands curled into fists at her sides, her face burning a shade deep enough to rival her namesake.
"Tch! What are you all looking at?" Her eyes narrowed into thin, dagger-like slits as her voice dropped into a growl. "Do you want me to gouge your eyeballs out before you board? Scram!"
Gasps followed and the crowd dispersed quickly under her glare, though a few dared to steal lingering glances.
"Those damn pricks," she hissed under her breath. "As if you have never seen pictures of dicks and pussies when you were my age! I bet they've done far worse and messier!"
Pauly giggled, wiping his face with the hem of his sleeve.
"That's my baby girl. So fierce like her Mama!" he winked and struck a pose with his index fingers firing at her, finally forgetting how to behave outside as he promised and started addressing himself with a high-pitch 'Mama' like he would used to at home.
The lass pressed her lips thinly and muttered a mantra in secret.
'He's your Daddy, Vel. He's your Daddy… You cannot smack your Daddy.'