Thank you for the golden tickets <3.

  Julie's steps were slow as she walked into the forest. Pausing her feet, she placed both her hands on her knees while taking deep breaths. "I want to go back," she wheezed.

  Roman was way ahead of her, and he turned around, signalling her with his two fingers to come fast, "It is right around the corner."

  Julie shook her head. Lifting her head, she stared at him. He had told her the same words nearly an hour ago and had made her walk, which felt like forever.

  "If you are going to huff at this age, you might bite the dust faster than others," commented Roman, watching her struggle to stand straight without breathing hard. "Come on."

  Julie didn't know what Roman wanted to show her and if there was really something here. The first time he had made her play treasure hunt, he had done nothing but made her walk all around the campus from one building to another before sending her back to her dorm.

  Roman had started to walk, and she quickly followed him, not knowing where exactly she was.

  "Have you explored the whole property?" asked Julie, trying to walk faster to catch up to him.

  "Most."

  With both of them, who had shared conversations in more than a single sentence, which were in paragraphs, it was easier for Julie to not hold herself back without feeling Roman might bury her somewhere here if she were to step on his nerves.

  She wondered how many classes he had missed over the past years. To be born genius must be something, thought Julie in her mind.

  "How many times have you stepped into the restricted area of the forest?" she continued to ask him, noticing him give her a side glance.

  "Why do you ask questions that you already have answers for, Winters?" Roman questioned back.

  "Because it is good to be in touch with facts rather than assumptions?" asked Julie in doubt and a small frown on her face, "Why do you call me Winters? It feels like you are addressing my family when you do that," she muttered the last words.

  "A girl should not be addressed in a frivolous manner. You should be glad that I address you with your last name. Most of them aren't addressed with their last names or any names," stated Roman in a nonchalant tone.

  That was the reason? Asked Julie in her mind, a little startled by the idea.

  It was only in olden times that people didn't address each other directly by their names unless they were close.

  "It feels like you are truly part of Veteris now," a small smile appeared on Julie's lips as she said that. She went on to explain, "It is because they have traditional ideas. But we are friends now, and it is odd to get called Winters."

  "You are right. Troublemaker sounds much better on you," he said, his eyes set in the path they were walking in.

  Julie was going to say something, but while looking at him and forming words, her feet got stuck to one of the roots on the ground. Before she could fall on the hard roots of the trees, Roman caught her to stop her from falling. Her heart felt as if it had momentarily slipped from her chest. Her hand held his forearm for support, feeling the firm muscles underneath her touch.

  She felt the masculine smell and the expensive cologne invade her nose.

  "What cologne do you use?" asked Julie, something she had been wanting to know for a very long time.

  Roman's eyes subtly narrowed at her odd question, "Like I said. A weirdo," and he had her stand straight before stepping back. "If you still want to know…" he drawled in suspense.

  Julie gave both her ears, waiting for him to say.

  "It is a couple of innocent souls, mixed with their agony and a twist of evilness. That's what it is about," on Roman's words, Julie gave him a long stare.

  "Sounds about right," she nodded to herself. As they continued to walk, she noticed the light fog that startled to crawl on the ground. The raven that had earlier croaked, flew above them, croaking once again. "I feel like we are in a horror movie," whispered Julie, feeling a chill run down her spine. She was nervous as they had come far away from the centre of the university.

  At the sound of the raven, Roman's eyes narrowed and he looked ahead of them. Wondering what he saw, she turned her eyes to the front, but all she could see was the fog and not far away was an old bridge.

  It was foggier near the bridge than the grounds where they stood right now. The trees here were taller and denser, obstructing the little sunlight from falling on the ground, that left a shadow of darkness around.

  "This is what you wanted to show me?" asked Julie.

  "It isn't," Roman's eyes narrowed as he took in sight in front of them.

  The reason he had come to this side of the forest was to see if he would find something. Living in Veteris this long, he had strolled over most places in and around the property. But this was the first time he had come to see the bridge that creaked and swayed in midair. He wondered how he had missed it before.

  The fog got heavier, surrounding them and Roman said to her, "Stay close, Winters."

  But before Julie could get near him, the fog got denser, making it difficult for both him and her to see anything. She could hear her own breathing, and she waved her hand before saying, "Is it normal for the forest to have such thick fog?" It felt as if it had come out of nowhere.

  She tried to reach where she believed Roman was, but instead, her hand only touched the space near her. The mist was cold, and she could sense it on her skin. Not receiving a response from Roman, she turned anxious and called out,

  "Roman?" But there was no response from him.

  Julie started to walk backwards, looking in front of her, and when her back hit the tree, she turned slightly startled. But then she felt the tree move, and quickly, she snapped around to catch sight of the crow-like person. Her face instantly turned pale and out of panic.

  "AHHHH!!" she screamed and flailed her hands, where one of her hands knocked down the person's crow-like mask on the ground. It fell in a light thud, and so did her heart, when she noticed the neck and the head of the person was missing. "Please tell me you aren't real," she whispered to herself.

  The person or the alien in front of Julie raised its hand, showing its tree-like hand as if it was trying to get hold of her. An alien wanted her!

  The very instant, Julie started to run in the opposite direction, to keep running until she would find her Dormitorium. But within a few seconds, she collided with Roman, who got hold of her.

  "T-There's an alien in here!" Julie gasped for air, her eyes wide and her heart beating loud enough for Roman to hear the rush of blood.

  Knowing aliens didn't exist, and it was the vampires who existed, Roman placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Calm down. Breathe." It was because if more seconds passed, there was a possibility of Julie fainting.

  "I-I, but-"

  "Breathe," Roman looked straight in her eyes, waiting for her to calm down. When she finally listened to him, he praised her, "Good girl."

  Roman turned to look in the direction where Julie had come running. Earlier, he had been trying to take a better look at the bridge that had been blocked from his vision because of the dense fog when she crashed into him.

  The fog slowly started to disappear, and Julie saw that the bird guy wasn't there anymore.

  Roman questioned, "What did you see?" Because he hadn't been able to sense another person, nor did he hear the footsteps of someone walking in and out of this place.

  "An alien with a mask, he stood right in front of me," replied Julie, a shiver running down her body, and she felt goosebumps on her skin. "But the person had no head. It felt like I was watching a live scooby doo."

  "What kind of mask?" Roman doubted Julie was imagining things.

  "A bird mask."

  "You mean like the plague doctor?" Roman narrowed his eyes, and Julie was quick to nod.

  "There was a mask," Julie used her hands to emphasize what she saw, "And then, it fell because of my hand. But I swear, there was no head on the body. It was completely empty. I wasn't dreaming-"

  "I believe you," said Roman and Julie, who was about to explain more, paused.

  "You do?" she asked, looking at him in a whole light different compared to any time before. This was what friendship was all about! The trust where he didn't think she was making up things. "This isn't the first time I am seeing it. Is Veteris haunted?"

  That was a plausible question that Roman doubted he could answer her.

  "You mean Willow Creek," corrected Roman, as they were away from the buildings of Veteris and in the forest. "I don't think anyone has ever come across a ghost here." And if they did, that was not ghosts but vampires, where the humans were later compelled to forget what they saw.

  Roman had heard the references of the plague doctor, which had a different version than what the humans had come to know and pass on to the others. "When did you last see this person?"

  "The night you ate all my chips," said Julie, noticing the grim expression on his face. "But I was asleep and dreaming before you came by that night. I thought it might be the Hallow's after effect. Because there were so many plague doctors around during the day of Halloween."

  With the fog that slowly settled down on the ground, clearing the misty atmosphere, Roman turned back to see the bridge was not there anymore. Julie didn't pay attention to it, as her mind was occupied with the alien who had landed right in front of her.

  Julie questioned herself on what she had eaten this morning that she was hallucinating this early, around noon. Even though Roman said he believed her, she wondered if he secretly thought she was a screw loose. She found this place unsafe, especially with the alien-like creature that must have gone into hiding.

  "Do you believe in aliens?" Julie questioned him.

  Roman turned to look at her and said, "Looks like the alien is quite fond of you."

  An awkward smile appeared on Julie's lips, and she said, "I don't think it is something to feel? happy about. I mean, I am a pretty normal person."

  Roman doubted it.

  Everything usually had a reason for why things went around the way it did. Her, unable to be compelled, it wasn't about Silverwater, and instead, it was her itself. There was more to Julianne Winters than it met one's eyes.

  He walked forward, trying to see if they had perhaps walked too far away from the bridge, losing its sight, but then it felt like it had vanished in thin air.

  Roman caught sight of something on the forest floor, and he made his way near a tree. Bending down, he tilted his head, noticing something that was underneath the roots.

  "Is that a board?" asked Julie, standing right behind him.

  "Seems like it," and Roman, pulling it from beneath the roots that were holding it. He blew air at the surface of the board, and Julie noticed the writing 'Willow Creek. "It's just the name of the place." Dropping it on the ground, he stood up.

  Roman noticed Julie checking the trees around them from where they stood, ensuring the so-called alien wouldn't reappear. He wondered why she was dreaming about the plague doctor and what significance it held.

  "Do you think anyone would believe it if we tell them that we saw something in here?" questioned Julie, her eyes anxiously looking at him.

  "Has anyone ever taken the information well, when someone told them that they saw a ghost?" questioned Roman, and Julie shook her head. He didn't want her speaking about it to anyone, not her friends who were the hunter's children. Also, he didn't want word spreading to Dante where they would try to compel Julie before investigating the matter further.

  "Then we keep it a secret?" asked Julie, and he gave her a nod.

  "Yes," Roman responded to her. "Come, we walked too far into Willow Creek."

  Roman led the way out. It was only her, and not him, who had seen it.

  On the way, Julie was surprised that he hadn't questioned her. The birds chirped, and the Raven that she had earlier seen had flown away. The next time when he stopped walking, he turned to her and looked at a tree,

  "This is what I wanted to show you."

  Julie's gaze shifted from him to look at the tree where the branches weren't too high. Raising herself by standing on the tip of the toes, she wondered what it was. "Is it a nest?" she asked him, noticing the twigs.

  "Mm," Roman hummed, and Julie turned curious, forgetting about what happened a few minutes ago. She tried to place her foot on the stone so that she could get a better look. "It is an empty bird's nest.

  "It is someone's nest," he tilted his head to the side.

  A small frown appeared on Julie's forehead, and when she went back to look closer at the nest, she caught sight of black hairy legs.

  That…it was a spider!

  "Beautiful, isn't he?" came Roman's words, and Julie stared at him. She had hoped to see a nest of a bird and little eggs in it. But she should have known that this wasn't a normal person, but Roman, who would find a spider beautiful.

  "What made you think that I was looking forward to seeing a spider?" asked Julie, taking a step backwards while watching Roman stretch his hand forward to where the spider was. The spider slowly crawled on his hand, and one side of his lips was pulled up.

  "I thought it would be interesting to have you meet him," stated Roman as if the spider was his pet.

  He turned to her with the black hairy spider that slowly crawled on his hand. "How many other friends like this do you have?" Julie warily asked him. "I used to have Jimmy, my dog. But he passed away."

  "I am not sure," came the thoughtful words from Roman. "He is my original pet's child. With the number of brothers and sisters, there must be many. There used to be a time when I didn't like them," confessed Roman, bringing his other hand and petting the insect's leg with his finger as if to pet it. "But they are great pets. Want to hold him?"

  "I think it is better for both of us to admire the other from this distance," said Julie, watching Roman enjoying his time with the spider.

  Julie's eyes fell on his palm, and she commented, "That's fast. Your hand looks all better now."

  Roman's eyes slowly shifted from the spider to look at Julie, who had a curious expression on her face. He said, "I have a faster metabolism and healing process." Which was true, and it could be interpreted as a joke by the human.

  "I mean, you bandaged the wound which was probably deep and wounds like that usually takes time to close itself and then start the healing process," said Julie, not letting the subject go. Roman placed the spider back near the nest where it had built its web at the top of the tree.

  With his shirt that covered his arm, Julie's eyes didn't fall there, but only his palm, which she hadn't noticed that day as he had entered Melanie's guest room with a cloth wrapped around his hand.

  "Quick healing, Winters," Roman calmly said.

  Julie laughed, "No. It is like you are…"

  Roman stared at her, waiting for her to complete her sentence without speaking a word.

  "Like superman," Julie completed her words, and Roman brought his hand up to scratch his temple.

  "First alien, now superman. You seem to have a wild imagination. Might as well put it in writing and direct the play with Piper. Though I cannot guarantee the success of it," said Roman, staring at her and gauging her expression.

  Roman noticed how Julie continued to stare at his palm, a doubt of suspicion slowly coming to appear in her eyes.? With one long step towards her, he covered the distance between them. Julie craned her neck because of their difference in height.

  "Is there something you want to tell me, Julie," Her name rolled out from Roman's tongue, and it was enough to shift her attention.

  Julie looked suddenly guarded, and she asked, "No? Why are you suddenly using my first name?"

  "I thought that was what you wanted to hear. No?" he tilted his head to the side.

  When Roman suddenly leaned his head forward and towards her face, Julie was caught off guard and her heart skip a beat because he looked straight into her eyes. Her hands clenched on the sides of her sweater. She squinted it close. Feeling nothing after two seconds, she opened one eye and then the other to see he wasn't in front of her.

  She then caught Roman, who had bent down to tie the shoelace of his boot that had come out loose.

  Her cheeks turned red. His face had come too close, his lips as if descending near her lips, and she wanted to bang her head on the bark of the tree for thinking something like that.

  Once Roman was done tying his shoelace, he straightened his back and noticed Julie's face.

  "You look red," Roman pointed out.

  Julie wanted to bury herself under one of the trees. All she needed was a shovel, and she was sure Roman would help her with the rest. She cleared her throat and said, "How do I get back to the Dormitorium."

  "I am heading to the lunchroom," remarked Roman, and they started to walk from there.

  Embarrassed at her own assumption, Julie quietly walked next to Roman until they reached near the path where the Dormitoriums was located.

  "About what you saw in the forest, don't mention it to anyone," stated Roman and Julie nodded her head.

  While Julie stood in front of Roman, where he had slid both his hands into his pockets, watching her, there were a few students who noticed the senior boy and the junior girl talking to each other.

  One girl stood next to two boys, commented, "Hasn't Moltenore been hanging around her too much?"

  "The human?" questioned the boy, who was in his senior year and a vampire. "Who is she? His new prey?"

  "I wouldn't call it prey," said the girl who was a vampiress, staring at Julie. "He's been spending time teaching her in the library. How many times has he done that, Griffin?"

  The boy chuckled. He threw the cigarette down on the ground without exhausting it. An arrogant smirk appeared on his lips, and he spat, "So what you're telling me is Moltenore has something special with the girl? Is it because her blood is sweet?"

  "Who knows," said the girl, looking away from the two people to look at Griffin. "Do you want me to check it?"

  Griffin clicked his tongue, and he laughed, "I will do that myself. Let me see how special the girl's blood is. It has been a while since I got back with Moltenore. I don't think he would mind if I break his little human toy."

  The other vampire, who sat with them, looked dubious about the idea and intervened, "Will it be a good idea, boss? The last time our boys broke his motorcycle, he sent them to the infirmary-"

  "Don't act like a scared pussy, Eddie. It isn't necessary to let him know who got the human, you don't use your brains do you?" asked Griffin with his face twisted in annoyance, "We were the creatures of the night, who can compel people."

  The vampire named Eddie wanted to speak more, that Griffin's ability to compel wasn't only on par like the others, but the person they would be involving with Roman Moltenore. The person didn't care about reputation or being kicked out of Veteris.

  "Nobody is asking you to take part in it," Griffin spat, an evil smile coming to form on his lips. "I will need your help though, Lila."

  "Of course," Lila grinned, wanting to be part of this scheming plan. "Tell me when."

  Back where Roman and Julie stood, he was chewing gum, watching her, when Julie asked in a low voice, "What do I do if the alien comes and abducts me?"

  "I will pray for you," came the deadpanned words from Roman. He jerked his head towards the Dormitorium. "Later then, Winters," saying this, he walked away from there, and Julie headed to her Dormitorium.