A few days after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Harmony High no longer shimmered in brilliant red. Every lantern that had decorated the schoolyard, hallways, and classrooms had been taken down, restoring the campus to its sleek, modern look.
The students of Harmony thought life was returning to normal…
…but life is never that simple!
It was still Week 2 of the "Take Care of the Girls" Event for Vietnamese Women's Day, October 20th. Every morning and lunchtime, the atmosphere in the school cafeteria remained lively, noisy, and almost absurdly romantic - like one giant group date.
Which meant, of course, there was no way introverts in general - and Ethan in particular - could enjoy peaceful school days.
Luckily, thanks to Camellia, Ethan had been spared a little this week. The twin sisters from Class 11A - Anya and Yara - had been absent for several days. Ethan no longer had to look after them during lunch as part of the Women's Day event.
The only problem was that Lucas, the class president, was practically tearing his hair out. Like many members of Class 11D, he knew exactly why Anya and Yara had to miss school.
Naturally, Lucas didn't dare reveal that it was Camellia who had fired those DanInject darts - from the secret chamber in the Harmony clock tower - into the twins. After all, that would make him an accomplice!
And there was another reason Lucas didn't want to bring the incident up anymore: he had started to feel uneasy around his ghostly pale classmate.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Fruit Tray Decorating Contest, thanks to Andrew the Detective's big mouth, Harmony students were once again buzzing over a rumor.
They were convinced Camellia was actually a Vampire… and that she was living in the school's old bomb shelter.
But instead of being afraid, influenced by movies and popular novels, the Harmony students formed hunting parties to track down the mysterious Vampire Princess.
Since none of them had the slightest clue about the actual transformation process - with its 99.99% failure rate - they kept fantasizing about being bitten by the white-haired Vampire girl, dreaming they'd become beautiful, immortal, and powerful Vampires.
Poor Mr. Locke - the school's night guard - had his hands full. He'd already caught more than a few students trying to sneak into his bedroom. The entrance to the old bomb shelter, after all, was right there in Mr. Locke's quarters.
"So you're really not going to explain anything, Camellia? At least say something to our class, won't you?"
Ethan yawned. He had just enjoyed a deep afternoon nap in Camellia's Library. Ever since discovering the serenity and quiet of this place, he had stopped going to the boys' nap room altogether.
"The innocent don't fear accusations. I'm not a Vampire, so why should I worry? Rumors like this don't need explaining away. Nor do they need the mind tricks of real Vampires here at Harmony. Once something hotter comes along, people forget immediately. Look, nobody even talks about Felix's 'death' anymore."
Camellia finished shuffling her Tarot deck and held it out to Ethan invitingly.
"Just one card, that's all. Please, Ethan!"
He hesitated for a moment but finally drew a card.
As soon as Ethan's fingers touched the deck, it felt like a current of electricity jolted through him. His left brain buzzed, and the hairs on his arms stood on end.
He quickly flipped the card he had drawn and showed it to Camellia.
Eight of Cups.
"Oh no, Ethan! Are you… planning to leave?"
Camellia cried out, startled, when she saw the image.
The Eight of Cups depicted a bleak, sorrowful scene: under the glow of a moon above, a lone figure leaned on a staff, walking toward a distant mountain. Behind him, eight cups stood abandoned - five on the bottom row, three on top.
"Ethan, is Autumn's family treating you badly?"
"No… her family…"
"They're making you do all the housework, aren't they?"
"That's not…"
"Or is Autumn two-timing you? That innocent-looking Vampire girl - flirting with you while being sweet to another boy?"
"She…"
"I knew it! Something must be wrong, or else you wouldn't have come up with that fruit tray contest video idea. A human boy - gentle, kind, enduring abuse from his Vampire wife's family, then betrayed and murdered by her…"
Camellia kept pressing, question after question, without giving Ethan a chance to properly answer.
"You're overthinking it, Camellia!"
Ethan finally cried out, exasperated.
He knew very well how differently girls thought compared to boys. Girls always searched for hidden meanings beneath every word and gesture. If he let Camellia keep going like this, her wild guesses would spin the story far beyond the truth.
"Here's the truth: When the girls in our class forced me to… kiss Autumn, I texted my younger brother - he writes web novels - to help me come up with a story motif that would appeal to most teenage boys. Victor's specialty is Western fantasy, but he actually understands Asian readers' tastes - both male and female - pretty well. The story our class created was based on his suggestion. That's all!"
"I don't really buy it…"
Camellia narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Her drama-hungry brain refused to accept such a simple explanation.
"I swear it's true! Autumn's family treats me like one of their own. Mr. Silvan is as harsh with me during morning training as he is with his own sons. But honestly, thanks to that, my running speed and stamina have gotten a lot better."
Ethan held out his arms, covered in scratches and little bandages, for Camellia to see. Then he hurriedly added, desperate to defend Autumn's family.
"Autumn's parents don't even accept my living expenses. Basically, I'm living in their house rent-free. I don't have to help with chores except cleaning my own room. And you know how fast Mr. Silvan is when it comes to housework - definitely not human speed. On top of that, they go out of their way to drive me to school every day. I feel really guilty about it!"
"This time, Autumn's whole family even helped me make paper flowers for the backdrop decoration for the Women's Day event on October 20th. I'd nearly finished them before, but all my paper flowers got ruined the night my boarding room was attacked by Infected."
"As for Autumn… after dinner and homework, she goes with her brothers, Royce, and Felix to the Old Fortress. Sometimes she takes care of Infected, sometimes she monitors the cameras. So every time she comes to class, she just crashes at her desk. Autumn doesn't even have time for normal conversations with me, much less flirting."
"And even if she is sweet to someone else, it has nothing to do with me. She's a Vampire, and so are they. They grew up together as childhood friends. Their timelines match. They'll have centuries to walk side by side…"
(Wait… what the heck am I even rambling about?)
Ethan's face burned bright red. His voice grew smaller and smaller until it trailed off completely when he talked about Autumn.
He couldn't understand why he had let such self-deprecating words slip out.
Maybe it was the soothing atmosphere of Camellia's Library?
Or maybe it was the pressure from Camellia's gleefully drama-thirsty expression?