The Blood Hourglass Volume 1 Chapter 10

As we talked, the car arrived back at my home. It was a black house with a small garden, planted with white roses. There was ivy-wrapped fences, and everything was scented with flowers.

He parked and opened the door like a gentleman. As we stood in front of the yard, he commented, “What a beautiful place!”
 
“You like it?” I asked. “You don’t think this is like Dracula’s castle?”

“I’ve never seen his castle, but it does sort of look like it from what’s in the book.”

“I’ve seen the castle.”

“What? You’re for real?” He looked shocked.

“Dracula used to live here,” I said casually.

“Here? Where is he now?”

“He’s been missing for many years.”

“Missing? You mean dead? Is he still a vampire if he's dead?”

“If a vampire wants to, it’d be easier than it is for humans. After watching one sunrise, it’d be gone without a trace.”

“How did you get to live here?”

“Are you gonna ask all the questions standing out here?”

“Are you asking me in for tea?”

“As a gift for driving me home.” I pushed open the door in the courtyard and walked toward the front door.

“You don’t lock this door?” He followed me.

“We never lock this door.”

“That’s just as well. No one would dare to come in a place this creepy.”

“It’s not that. I couldn’t find a lock to match this door.”

“Weird reason.”

The front door wasn’t locked. I turned on the dim chandelier in the hall. The place looked even scarier under this lighting.

“Sit. I’ll go make tea.” I went into the kitchen. When I came out, he was looking at everything in the hall.

“Found anything?” I put the tea on the table.

“All the antiques are quite valuable. This house must be pricey when it was bought.” He sat down by the table.

“Expensive. One hundred dollars is expensive.” I smelled the tea.

“One hundred dollars? That’s impossible. Anything here is worth far more than that.”

“I’m serious,” I answered with a straight face.

“But why?”

“The reason is simple. Would a regular person want to live at Dracula’s castle?”

“You’re not a regular person?”

“Would a regular person have a necklace like that?”

“I always thought anyone who could be out in the sun was a regular person.”

“Hopefully everyone feels this way.” I showed my resignation.

“If you get in trouble, I’ll help you.” He seemed to see something in my eyes.

“Because I’m a regular person or because I can be in the sun?” I stared at him with curiosity.

“Because you’re Xiaoya’s friend. Because you gave her that necklace. Because you wanted to protect her. And because you wanted to forget the past and be the person you are now.” He said a lot, but I knew he was only saying one thing: Because I wasn’t a vampire anymore.

“What if I was a royal?” I asked pointedly.
 
“But you are not.” His answer was direct.

“How do you know?” I quizzed without expression.

“Because I can be in the sun?” I kept asking before he could answer.

“The first time I saw you, I thought you were very odd; you seemed mysterious. Or rather, you were divine. I never thought you were a vampire. You didn’t have any of their traits. When I saw you again, I was surer than ever that you weren’t a royal. Mostly because you seemed so natural under the sun. I can still picture it.”

“So it is because I can be in the sun,” I said coolly, sipping my tea.

His phone rang suddenly. He picked up and yelled, “I’m nearby. I’ll be there right away!”

He told me, “So sorry. I have an emergency.” He stood up.

“Are the vampires hunting again?” I asked as he was about to leave. “Goodbye! I won’t see you out.” I didn’t stand up or look up at him. I sipped my tea and tasted its bitterness.

“All right, goodbye.” He turned to head for the door. Before he got there, he suddenly said, “We’ll talk again.” He then charged out the door. As I listened to the sounds of the car become more distant, I kept drinking the tea little by little. I looked back on my day with indifference. I seemed to have said too much today, but I needed to say them. It was fine; they wouldn’t affect me, spoken or not. I was still me. Sipping my tea, in the company of bitterness and quiet, I felt comfortable, and I liked the feeling. The lack of sound meant safety, and having tea to drink was pleasure.