Chapter 3: The Fugitive

If you've done it once, the next one will definitely be easier.

Those words seemed to fit Christine. After her first experience of sneaking out, she already felt less nervous and scared than her first experience.

After her parents left, Christine snuck out and visited other places in the human world.

From only watching from afar, Christine became even more daring to interact with them.

Even though she actually felt the current situation was ridiculous because she was interacting with creatures that were supposed to be her food, she was very curious why humans had such beautiful looking items, and wanted to try using them.

What Christine found out when she went to the human world was that humans were distinguished according to their caste. If a person wears a beautiful item, he or she must be a noble, and those who use an ugly item are called commoners.

"Then does that mean the white-haired man is above royalty? His house is very big and the room looks spacious," thought Christine, who immediately remembered the man she met that time.

She had visited many places, but nowhere looked as big as the white-haired man's house.

Another thing that Christine also knows is that humans, especially men, look very amazed when they see her. They always call her beautiful and sexy, which amuses Christine.

How could she be seduced by her own food?

But Christine likes it too, what woman would refuse to be praised as beautiful?

It turns out that all men are the same, whether they're vampires or humans - they all like her!

***

As Christine approached her home, she felt a sense of accomplishment for successfully sneaking out and exploring the human world once again.

However, her excitement was quickly replaced by surprise and dread when she heard the voices of her parents, who just came moments after her.

"Christine!" her father exclaimed, his voice strained with anger

"What's wrong? Did you bring my food? I'm so hungry!" Christine said while peeking behind her father and mother, wondering what kind of people they brought.

"Did you secretly go to the human world?!" her father demanded to know, his tone harsh and accusatory.

Christine's heart sank.

Has she been found out?

She tried to keep her composure as she faced their stern expressions, knowing that she was in trouble.

Christine felt a lump form in her throat. She knew that lying to her parents would only make things worse, but admitting the truth was equally daunting.

"I? Not really. I never went to the human world!" Christine said while rubbing her left ear, hoping to convince them of her innocence.

As long as she was never seen directly by her parents in the human world, Christine would always deny it.

"How dare you lie to us! You know you always rub your ears when you're lying, right?!" her mother exclaimed, her voice filled with frustration.

Christine cursed herself for giving away her telltale sign. She took a deep breath and decided to come clean.

"Well, I did go to the human world. So what?" asked Christine who finally chose to be honest.

Her parents were taken aback by her admission. They knew all too well the dangers of the human world. They had lost friends and family members to the violence and hatred of humans.

"So what? Are you seriously asking that? Have you forgotten how dangerous the human world is! They killed our kind cruelly and savagely! Have you forgotten your childhood friend who was killed by them? They even killed a child, Christine!" her mother scolded.

"Well… I know about that, but how long are you guys going to keep me locked up here? I'm an adult, dad, mom! I'm not acting recklessly by killing any humans I meet! I'm always careful!" argued Christine who felt this was completely unfair.

She knew that her father and mother were only worried about her because of the bad experiences they had. Humans suddenly came to their living residence and destroyed all the vampires that existed, and only their family survived the incident.

But how long are they going to keep her locked up like this? She is now an adult, she can take care of herself!

"Then why did you become a fugitive?!" her father suddenly asked, his voice rising.

"What does it mean?" Christine asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

Christine's father then threw the paper he had been holding at Christine angrily, making Christine, who was still confused, immediately take the paper.

Her eyes opened wide when she saw the paper.

It was her face!

"What? Why? How could that be?" Christine said confusedly.

She had been very careful, so how could her face be on a wanted poster, with a large reward for her capture?

"How do we know about that? The point is you weren't careful and now you're a fugitive! It's been all over the place!" said her father.

"But I don't kill humans at all! Let alone showing my fangs!" Christine said in frustration, feeling unfair about her parents' accusations.

"Then how come your face is on the wanted poster! Right now, you won't be going anywhere anymore!" her mother replied, her tone tinged with something Christine couldn't quite place.

"What do you mean, mom?" asked Christine, feeling that there was something a little strange about her mother's tone.

"We decided to put you to eternal sleep," said her father.

Christine's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was hearing

"No! I don't want to do it! How can you say something like that? It's the same as you guys killing me!" said Christine, who unconsciously shed tears, feeling that her parents' decision was really unfair.

Eternal sleep is sleep that keeps vampires asleep and from which they can only awaken when the nails that were driven into the back of their heads are finally removed. That's more or less the same as dying.

"Sorry, Christine, but we have no other choice. This is to protect you. We will wake you up when people have forgotten about it," said her mother with a very sad expression on her face.

Before she could protest any further, Christine felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Her father had already driven the nail in.

As she sank into darkness, her parents' voices echoed in her mind.

"We did this for you. We love you Christine."

***

Christine took a deep breath as her consciousness returned. She looked confused, thinking about what had happened. The last thing she remembered was… She didn't know, right now she was feeling so hungry that she couldn't think properly.

"Blood…" Christine muttered under her breath as the scent of fresh blood immediately wafted into her nose.

Without thinking, she followed the aroma to its source and found a bleeding human lying on the ground. The temptation was too strong to resist, and she pounced on the human, eagerly drinking its blood.

As she savored the metallic taste, a deep voice interrupted her feeding. "You eat well. Tell me if you want more."

The voice of a man she didn't recognize made Christine immediately stop eating, stare at the man, and then wipe the blood flowing from her lips

Christine's eyebrows rose when she saw a man with striking features, his pale skin contrasting with his long black hair. Despite not recognizing him, she couldn't help but be drawn to his cold aura and captivating presence.

"I don't think I've ever met him," muttered Christine, who couldn't remember anything about the man.

After all, that man had a very handsome face with a cold aura that made women very attracted to him. There was no way she wouldn't remember such a handsome man if they had met before, right?