Chapter 3

That night, I slept deeply.

There were no fists, no shattering bottles, no muffled sobs from my mother. Only the clock's chime.

Steady and regular, like someone was keeping watch outside my door, quietly assuring me that the world hadn't collapsed yet.

Later, I found out Samuel really did sleep during the day. Not in a coffin, though.

He slept in a windowless study. The walls were covered in dark wood paneling, and thick black cloth wedged under the door to keep every bit of light out.

The room had a narrow bed, a desk, and a silver pocket watch.

Every evening, he'd wake up, and the first thing he'd do was check my homework. "You spelled this wrong.

"That's not how you use that word.

"Do the pronunciation again.

"You got the third step wrong in the math problem."

I gawked at him, dumbfounded. "How do you know so much?"

He lazily flipped the page. "If you live long enough, you gotta find ways to kill time."

I always thought vampires just prowled the night, sweeping around in capes, charming ladies, and playing dramatic tunes in gloomy castles.

But Samuel was nothing like that.

He could fix clocks, make soups, balance the books, dry out my shoes after a rainy day, and even sit outside my door with a book when nightmares woke me up.

He hardly ever ate.

Or to be exact, he didn't eat human food at all.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, a stranger would knock on our door and hand over a sealed silver bottle filled with blood.

The first time I saw it, I went so pale that I looked more like a ghost than he did.

He tucked the silver bottle away in the cabinet and asked, "Scared?"

I shook my head, and then nodded. "Just a little."

"That's normal."

"Is that human blood?"

"Yeah, it's from the hospital. The dying donate it, and their families get paid for it. Nobody gets hurt."

I let out a sigh of relief.

He looked at me and suddenly said, "But not all vampires are like that."

According to Samuel, vampires weren't just solitary monsters from old tales.

They had covens, territories, and a strict hierarchy.

The lords were at the top, ruling the ancient covens; the dukes kept the laws in check; the counts watched over the city borders; and the viscounts and barons took care of coven business.

And those who'd just been embraced, not yet recognized by the coven, were called fledglings.

Fledglings were the weakest, and most prone to losing control.

"Vampires can't just make new ones whenever they feel like it," Samuel said. "Every time they embrace someone, they need permission from the elders."

I asked, "What if they don't get permission?"

"The one who embraces faces judgment, and the descendant gets killed."

A chill ran down my spine. "Why is it so strict?"

"Because desire spreads. Immortality isn't some blessing. It's an endless hunger."

I looked at him. "Are you hungry?"

Samuel paused.

The candle flame flickered.

He lowered his gaze, his voice barely above a whisper. "Always."

I suddenly didn't know what to say.

After that night, I started secretly brewing him a bowl of sweet soup every evening.

It didn't do him any good, but he'd always lift the bowl, take a token sip, and then frown. "Too sweet."

"I like it sweet," I'd say.

He'd stay quiet after that.

The next day, I'd notice there was an extra sugar cube in the sugar bowl.

*****

I thought that as soon as I moved into Raven Alley, everything would instantly turn good around for me.

But pain like that didn't just vanish because you put on fresh sheets.

At school, the bullying only got worse.

They said I spent my nights at a man's place, that I was shameless.

They said my mother was weak, my father a drunk, and that sooner or later, I'd end up like those streetwalkers in red dresses from East Albio, standing on street corners.

They poured ink into my bag, threw my lunch to the stray dogs, and cut off a chunk of my hair.

I put up with it until they stuffed a dead rat into my locker. That was when I finally threw up.

That day after school, Samuel came to get me.

He usually stayed far away from the school, since even the last bit of daylight was risky for him.

But that day, it was pouring rain, and the sky turned dark much earlier than usual.

As soon as I walked out the school gates, I saw him standing across the street with a black umbrella.

The girls around me went quiet all of a sudden.

He was impossible to miss.

Dressed in a long black coat and holding a cane with a silver handle, he had gorgeous looks—pale as a ghost, with eyes so icy that others couldn't look straight at him.

The girls whispered, "Who's that?"

"Irene's brother?"

"No way. Her family's dirt poor."

"Maybe her lover."

Someone made sure to really emphasize the last word.

Samuel lifted his gaze.

The girl's smirk froze on her face, as if she'd been hit by a blast of winter air.

I walked over and stood under his umbrella.

He looked at my soaked skirt, and then noticed the uneven side of my hair where it had been cut short. "Who did this?"

I didn't say a word.

He turned to the group of girls. "You guys did it?"

The blonde girl in front forced a calm look. "Sir, it was just a bit of fun between us girls."

Samuel gave a faint smile. "Fun?"

He took a step forward. The puddles on the street didn't reflect him at all.

The color drained from the girls' faces.

Samuel's voice stayed gentle. "Let me tell you something fun as well. Back in the 17th century, there was a countess who got her kicks from chopping off her maids' hair.

"In the end, she had her own head shaved and spent thirty years locked up in a hall of mirrors."

The blonde girl's lips went pale. "Who do you think you're scaring?"

"I don't bother scaring kids."

Samuel leaned in, and for a moment, a faint red flickered in his gray eyes. "But I've got a good memory. I'll remember anyone who ever laid a finger on Irene."

The girls scattered like a flock of startled birds.

I stood under the umbrella, and my heart was racing. "Will this give you away?"

He said, "Not at all. Humans are great at finding reasons for their fear. Tomorrow, they'll just say that Irene knows a nobleman who's not to be trifled with."

"Are you a nobleman?"

He paused. "I used to."

"And now?"

"Now, I'm just the clockmaker you paid ten dollars to."

I couldn't help but laugh.

Samuel reached out and gently tucked my chopped hair behind my ear. "Does it hurt?"

I shook my head. "No, it's just ugly."

He looked at it carefully. "It's not."

"You're lying."

"Vampires can't lie if they're bound by a contract."

"Really?"

"No."

I shot him an angry glare.

He finally let out a laugh.

For the first time, the fog in Albio didn't feel so cold anymore.

*****

But then my father came for me.

That night, it was raining in Raven Alley.

I was upstairs doing my homework when suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door downstairs. "Irene, get out here!"