Dark Eclipse : The Bloody Truth｜SEVENTEEN

22. Becoming Clearer

Haeun POV

Joshua looks at me for a few second betore mutter his words. "H-Haeun, are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"Huh?" I flinch.

"Oh, not at all... Thanks to you." I blush.

"What about you, Shua? Did you get hurt in that fight?" I look up, glancing at him.

"No, I'm totally fine. Not that I can die anyway." He chuckles, making my heart broke.

I look down in guilty, "I'm sorry."

"Don't say that. I'm the one who should apologize. I'm sorry for not telling you the truth."

He takes a deep breath before continuing his words.

"We've been keeping identities from everyone... ever since we left the orphanage. But, it was especially hard to bring ourselves to be honest with you."

"We were more afraid of letting you down... than people finding us we're vampires. I'm sorry, Haeun."

I hold my tears. "All of this is confusing, to be honest. I still can't believe that all of you are vampires. You told me you grew up together in an orphanage. How'd you end up becoming vampires? Did all of you get bitten by one or something?"

"I don't know. I have no clue as to why we ended up becoming vampires or how that happened." He sniffles.

"From the time I could remember, we were already vampires and practically grew up in confinement... in a place disguised as orphanage. So we're not sure if we were bitten by vampires, if we were born vampires or if someone turned us into vampires."

"But you guys are different, isn't it? I mean... you guys are way smarter than the other vampires." I said with curiousity.

"Yeah. Unlike other vampires, we're hardly affected by sunlight, the cross or holy water."

I click, seeing a chance. "Then how do you know you are a vampire? I know you each have special abilities, but you could be non-vampires, like me!"

Joshua's expression darkens as he looks down, "It's because we crave blood. We have an innate desire for blood. We don't feel like having anything... other than blood."

He brushes and ruffles his hair in frustration, "In fact, we can't live without food. But we drink blood only once a year on our birthday. Blood from animals that have just died, nothing else. We've never attacked people or drunk human blood. We promised each other to do that. I'm telling you the truth, please believe me."

He then looks at me, letting out a deep sigh. "Actually, it's okay if you don't. I'll keep trying, so that you believe me. It's completely natural for you to be afraid of us."

I look at him for a few second, "Why'd you come to rescue me? Weren't you afraid that I might blame you or tell the school about your identity?"

"It just felt right. It always did..." He whispers.

"Ever since the moment I first met you as if it was my fate to save you. For the first time in my life, I had a clear answer about who I am, what kind of life I should live and the purpose of my existence."

"I... was born to protect you. I live to save you." He said with a determined tone.

"Joshua..." I take a deep breath.

"Do you want to bite my neck?"

His eyes widen, "What?!" He flushes, embarrassment overtakes him. "N-no way! I-I can't..."

I grab his shirt, "I trust you."

With that, I take off two button on my shirt, exposing my neck as I look at him. He hesitates but soon lean closer and...

He bites my neck with the moon shining brightly above us. It feels ethereal.