Cursed Blood | Chaelisa

Chapter 46.

And when she noticed us, she just shrugged and said, "She's a natural."

At the Lunch Hall, I was waiting for Lisa though she didn't have to come to school on weekends. It had been always optional for her in the Ultara Academy. It was my first weekend in here, though, and I didn't see Lisa this morning, but I had texted her to come to the Hobbit House. It's the only place that I can think, but maybe some part of me just wanted to be there with her.

As I walked through the forest and towards the rusty wooden door of the garden, I realized it was completely quiet without Lisa's music. And how lonely I was in that place. I took a stroll around the broken fountain, looking at the still water occasionally trembling to the winds. Then I decided to walk over to the Hobbit House and wait for Lisa there.

The small earthly house was empty. The fireplace was frozen cold. I sat on the soft rug we had once made love on with a smile. The afternoon sun was drawing close.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but then I found myself lying on the cold floor. I sat up wide awake in the middle of the dark. Twilight had gone down for who-knows-how-long. How could I just fall asleep like a human? I cursed myself.

Though I didn't have trouble seeing at night, it still gave me a chill of panic. Getting up from the floor again, I immediately checked my cell phone. A ton of missed calls and frantic messages from Jisoo and Joy glared at me from the screen. They must have been worried sick. Then the phone vibrated in my hand and I saw Lisa's number. I quickly answered it, expecting to hear her voice.

"Lisa?" I said, but a familiar woman's voice spoke from the other end.

"Chaeyoung, it's me, Florentine," she said.

"Oh," I said in surprise.

"Listen to me carefully my dear, Lisa's with me, but we need your help." she said, "She was attacked by the vampires from the Underworld. I don't know any of them, but I need you to come here as soon as possible. Please, it's important."

"What happened to Lisa?" I asked, starting to feel worried.

"She's badly injured,"

"Oh my god," I breathed, putting my hand to my mouth. So that's why she didn't show up.

"Come to my house now," she said, "She needs somewhere safer to stay rather than be with us here."

"I'll be there soon," I said and then I hung up. I tried to think of what to do next. Lisa was in trouble, she was hurt, and I had to see her. Then something stopped me in my tracks as I turned towards the door. Jennie told me the Kim Shield was set up at nighttime, so by now every corner of the Ultara campus had turned into a deadly zone. And the Hobbit House was probably the only place that had no hidden traps, which means I was locked in here until the next morning.

I couldn't let my friends know about it, they would want to follow me to the end of the world. I really didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me.

Then I remembered Jennie also said anyone could access the secret passageways if they ever find one. I didn't know whether there was any in this house. But I had to try and find out.

Turning back to look around, I realized I was completely clueless. Where do I find the secret passage in this place?

I didn't see anything suspicious enough to be a hidden route, except the fireplace in the middle of the living room. Then a thought hit me.

I walked up to the fireplace and started looking around, searching for the Ultara crest. Running my hands along the marble frame, I suddenly touched some loose bricks. Then I removed them from the wall and brushed the dust away. I almost screamed with joy. The Ultara symbol was in plain sight. There was no time to waste and I pressed my hand on the crest, and it started to glow bright red.

All of a sudden, the ground began to shake beneath me, light shone out through the wooden floor. And before I realized what was happening, I fell down a small passageway as if a vacuum had sucked me in. Sliding through a pipe-like tunnel, I kept bumping into small rocks that had stuck there for a very long time. And let me tell you, people's butts aren't made to withstand such a hardship.

The falling was over at last. Greenish-ivy covered the end of the entrance as I burst through it. Finally, I dropped to the ground again, and as I got up, I found myself outside the wall of the Ultara campus. My sense of direction was a bit hazy at the moment, but I heard cars running at a far distance.

I picked up my inhuman speed and headed off towards where I could find a ride.

And once again, I was in front of the colonial mansion of Lady Florentine. The guard let me in without any question, but I noticed that he looked a bit nervous. His hands were slightly shaking when he operated the automatic gate, but my mind was full of Lisa.

The same man I met from last time ushered me into the living room. Then I saw Florentine sitting in a comfortable armchair with her husband, Robert standing beside her. But as I scanned around the place, there was no Lisa.

"Florentine? Where's Lisa?" I asked hesitantly, starting to feel something weird in the way they looked at me.

"I'm sorry, Chaeyoung," she replied and just like that, several pairs of strong hands gripped my arms and shoulders. More undead vampires in black leather coats showed up with their red eyes staring at me.

"I'm sorry," Florentine repeated with a guilty shake of her head.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I gritted my teeth, feeling betrayed and hurt and angry. I struggled against the vampires' strong grips, but they pressed me down with extra weight. My knees buckled over onto the floor.

"They have Yeri," Robert said. "If we don't turn you in, they'll kill our daughter," the lord seemed like he was trying not to cry.

"You're doing the right thing, my lord," one of the undead said. "Your daughter is safe now."

"And what about Lisa?" I asked.

"She isn't here," Florentine said, "I stole her phone to call you when she dropped by last night. But don't worry, she's okay. They only need one half-blood."

Then I realized Florentine had chosen me instead of Lisa, which was absolutely a sensible thing to do. Lisa was her niece, and I would do the same thing if I were her. Apart from that, their daughter was in the undead's hands. I had no right to get mad at her decision. Maybe, I had brought trouble to their family in the first place.

"I understand," I said. "Just take care of Lisa for me."

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