Julie stared at her aunt, who obviously looked unwilling to share her cooking skills with the two people who had entered her house, but Uncle Thomas took no account for it as if he didn't notice his wife's reaction.

  "Your aunt has been speaking about this for such a long time and it is supposed to be very tasty. Lots of chillies and with a glass of wine. We thought it would be better to try it when your cousin isn't here," Uncle Thomas lightly chuckled.

  "Y-yes," Aunt Sarah agreed as her husband had already revealed her special dish, and she offered the three in the room a smile. "I think it would be better if I start cooking it, as I didn't know we would be having two more people joining us for supper."

  Having already being refused chicken dish once, where her aunt had made-up reasons, Julie said, "You don't have to trouble yourself, Aunt Sarah, we will g—"

  "We won't eat much," Roman interfered by stopping Julie from speaking, and Julie turned to look at Roman, wondering what he was doing. "Sharing food is equal to sharing love, that is what Julie had taught me when I spent time in her dorm."

  Oh God, Rome, no! Julie internally shook her head for him to not speak about anything like that.

  Uncle Thomas's expression looked blank for a moment, and he nodded, while Aunt Sarah's eyes turned to look at Julie, as if in disbelief that she had let this delinquent into her room.

  "Julianne, why don't you come and help me in the kitchen. I might need some help," stated Aunt Sarah, with a polite smile on her face, and Julie nodded her head.

  "Excuse me," said Julie, and she followed her aunt. But before they could leave the living room, Uncle Thomas asked Roman,

  "Where are you staying? It is going to be late to get back to the university, isn't it?"

  Julie turned around, and she told her uncle, "Uncle Thomas, Roman will be staying here with us during this weekend."

  She could tell that her uncle wanted to say something, but he refrained from saying it and nodded his head. "I will see what arrangement can be done so that we can accommodate you here."

  "Julie and I can share the room. You don't have to trouble yourself with that," remarked Roman, and his direct answer was something that Julie's uncle and aunt had caught off guard.

  "Let us discuss this after dinner," said Uncle Thomas, knowing his wife was going to say something.

  When Julie entered the kitchen with her aunt, her aunt didn't speak a word about Roman, and instead, she asked her to help her cook for them too. While Julie was mixing the steamed vegetables, Aunt Sarah said,

  "It seems like you grew up too fast."

  Julie turned to look at her aunt, who was right now cutting the meat she had pulled out from the oven. "What do you mean, Aunt Sarah?" asked Julie, not sure if her aunt was cross with her for bringing Roman home even after she knew how her aunt disapproved of the person in her life.

  She heard the sharp sound of the knife hitting the cutter board and her aunt, who continued to slice the meat. Aunt Sarah said,

  "Your uncle and I took time to come and visit you at your university. To make sure you were doing alright, after hearing your father was out and God knows where he is? now. I advised you that the boy was a bad influence on you, people like him are not a good fit with people like you."

  Julie didn't know what her aunt exactly meant when she said people like her, but she calmly said, "Roman is not how he appears to be, Aunt Sarah."

  A small huff escaped from her aunt's lips, and the woman said,

  "You are naive to think like that. Boys or men of his age appear to look nice and sweet, use honey words to trap you. But those are only false promises. It will only end up with your heart breaking, and find someone else."

  "Did someone break your heart before?" Julie softly asked, and Aunt Sarah stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Julie with a deep frown on her face.

  "What makes you think that?" Aunt Sarah looked a little red, and Julie wasn't sure if it was because of the kind of question she had asked or if the question brought some unpleasant memories to her aunt's mind. "Seriously, Julianne, what even makes you think that I would have ever gone out with a delinquent."

  "I don't mean to be rude, auntie, but as I have said before and even now, Roman is not how you think he is. My grades have improved because of him and so has my confidence," replied Julie, the movements of her hand with the spatula halted. "You are judging him before even knowing the type of person he is."

  "He is not supposed to sleep with you in the same room. Not unless you decide and know that you are getting married to him. When your uncle took you in back then, he promised he would watch over you and make sure no harm would come to you…" Aunt Sarah shook her head.

  "Why is it so hard for you to believe that I have picked the right person for me?" asked Julie, her eyebrows furrowed in question.

  "Look at your hand," remarked Aunt Sarah, and Julie's eyes fell on the scars on her wrist that she had forgotten to hide.

  With having Roman around her, Julie had let down her guard, and she had stopped worrying about the little things that didn't matter. But she had forgotten that the world in Veteris was different compared to this side of the world.

  "You didn't hurt yourself before, but now. Do you think your mother would be happy to see this?" questioned Aunt Sarah, her eyes slightly wide, and Julie couldn't help but think that it was a questionable question, what her aunt just asked her.

  Because ironically, it was her mother's younger self, Natalie, who had given her these scars.

  "I received these when mother was still around," replied Julie, and she covered the scars with her other hand. "They were something from the old place and nothing related to Rome."

  Aunt Sarah held a grim expression on her face, and she said, "We just don't want you to be in a bad company."

  "I am not. Instead, I am in the best company than I have ever been in my life," Julie assured her aunt, who stared at her for long seconds.

  "I still do not approve of you sleeping in the same room as him. You both aren't sleeping in the same dorm, are you?" asked Aunt Sarah, and Julie shook her head and saw her aunt nod. "I know you might find it to be annoying, but it is best we adults make sure you kids are safe. I think the vegetables have been done."

  When it was time for supper, Aunt Sarah's new duck's recipe was being served. Julie sat next to Roman, while her uncle and aunt sat on the opposite side.

  "It smells good, doesn't it?" Uncle Thomas praised his wife's cooking, and Julie nodded her head. "Here, why don't you take this, Roman," her uncle suggested to Roman.

  "Sure," said Roman, taking the vessel from the table and using the spoon to put some of the food on his plate. Julie was about to take it from him, but Roman stopped her and served it to him. "Want some more?"

  Julie shook her head, "No, I am good."

  She picked up the juice placed and poured it into her glass before turning to Roman and wondering if he would drink a fruit juice.

  "What are you waiting for, Julie?" asked Uncle Thomas, and he said, "Go pour some for him." Why did it feel like her uncle had warmed up to Roman when she was in the kitchen with her aunt.

  "Yes, Uncle Thomas," replied Julie, and she poured the juice into the glass while taking a quick peek at Roman, who had an expressionless face. She hoped that Roman had not tried to compel her uncle because she didn't know how to feel about her uncle's mind being tweaked.

  "So how's your studies coming along, Julie?" asked her uncle, "Are you prepared for the upcoming exams?"

  "Yes, the preparation has been going well, uncle," replied Julie, and she realized she had missed her recent classes and it would take time to catch up with it. She was busy chasing her lineage that the subjects had disappeared from her vision. She wondered if she could get the headmistress to make sure to not kick her out of the university. "We have these projects of presentation and it will give us extra credits."

  "That's good to hear, make sure you do well. After all, not everyone can get an admission to Veteris," stated Uncle Thomas, and Julie nodded her head.

  "Do you think it would be possible to get Joel in there when the time comes?" questioned Aunt Sarah, who was already planning about her son's future.

  "That will depend on Joel grades and if that is where he wants to study," responded Uncle Thomas, and he then said, "He will have to be as smart as Julie. My niece is brilliant," he praised, and Julie shied from the compliment. It was because she was just an average student, while there was someone more brilliant than her, who was sitting next to her right now.

  "She is quick to pick up on things," agreed Roman, as if playing the perfect boyfriend.

  "So Roman," Aunt Sarah addressed Roman, her fork lightly hanging in the air as her wrist had raised. "How did you get into Veteris? Julie says you are the topper of the university."

  "I am, Mrs. Winters," replied Roman, "But also because my family has connections in the university."

  "Do they now?" asked Aunt Sarah, who hadn't heard this piece of information before.

  "Yes," confirmed Roman, the expression dead on his face that made the woman slightly uncomfortable. "My family was one of the founding members of Veteris when it was first started and they keep funding the money for it to run."

  "I see," murmured Aunt Sarah, and she quietly watched Roman.

  The next few minutes of supper went quiet, with just the sound of knives or forks making a sound as it touched the surface of the plates as the family ate at the table. "I am guessing you want to go and visit your mother this weekend? When was the last time you visited her?"

  "It was a few months ago," Julie's voice was lower than the last few words she had spoken.

  At first, Julie had tried to push the time of visiting her mother because she was in grief. But now, she was a little confused with everything she was learning, and it was as if someone had given her a crash course on catching up with the truth about her life.

  "How far is the cemetery?" questioned Roman.

  "Just four hours from here," answered Uncle Thomas, being helpful, "We didn't want Julie's mother to be buried too far from us and not near where their previous house was."

  Roman turned to look at Julie, and he said, "Pick one of the days and we can go and visit." Julie gave him a nod. When they finished eating, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Thomas were the first to get up from their seats. While picking up some of the empty containers and going to the sink, Aunt Sarah turned to look at her husband and whispered,

  "Tom, you aren't joking that the boy can stay here. Did you see those piercings and tattoos?"

  "Yes, they were glaringly obvious and so is your disapproval, Sarah. It's not like people don't have it. The boy isn't so bad, he seems decent," replied Uncle Thomas, and his wife's mouth fell open. "And he's going to be a surgeon."

  "He looks like someone who will stab people rather than stitch people's wounds," came the hushed whisper from the woman with a deep frown on her forehead. "He looks arrogant and pr—"

  "The duck was delicious, Mrs. Winters. We should have more lunches and dinners together," said Roman, who had come from behind.

  Aunt Sarah closed her mouth immediately as if she had been caught badmouthing him, and she cleared her throat, "Yes, thank you about it."

  "Roman, why don't you give me that. Julie, show him where the bathroom is," said Uncle Thomas, looking as if he wanted to speak to his wife.

  Roman and Julie left the dining room, and when they were alone in the corridor, she asked him, "What did you speak to Uncle about?"

  "Just the normal conversation where he was asking me questions and I was answering," replied Roman, and they entered the bathroom where he washed his hands.

  "You… didn't compel him?" she asked him, and Roman's lips quirked up.

  "There was no need for it. He seems more accepting than your aunt, who has a strong distaste against people who have inked hands and piercing," said Roman, picking up the dried towel that Julie offered him.

  "Don't mind aunt, she grew up in a very strict and different family and when she sees things going out of the norm, she frowns about it," replied Julie, taking a towel from him and placing it back on the stand.

  "I wouldn't have minded, but knowing you have very few relatives to call as your family, I think it would be a great loss to lose them because of these little things," answered Roman, and his words warmed her heart. It was true, the family that she had was gone, and these were the only one's she was left with.

  When they stepped back near the kitchen, her uncle and aunt seemed to be speaking in a rushed voice as if they were having a small argument.

  "You can go use Joel's room, Julie," said Uncle Thomas.

  "Keep the door open. It would make all of us feel better," added Aunt Sarah, and Julie turned red.

  "Goodnight uncle and aunt," wished Julie, and her uncle offered her a warm smile. She quickly darted towards the stairs and was followed by Roman.

  Once they reached the room, which was of average space, they kept their backpacks at the side. "When do you plan to speak to your uncle?" questioned Roman, and Julie looked at the watch on the wall.

  "Probably tomorrow," replied Julie. "They seem alright and it looks like father hasn't contacted them."

  "Doughlas," Roman said the person's name. "You don't have to call him your father. He doesn't deserve that title."

  "Habit," smiled Julie, and she asked him, "Do you think it's strange that he hasn't tried to visit them?"

  "Maybe a little, but then he's supposed to be in prison for killing Natalie. It would be odd for him to contact your uncle and let himself be caught by the officials," Roman walked to the window, leaning forward to check the neighbourhood. "The possibility of him lurking around the house is possible, but he might have lost his patience."

  "Yeah, I guess," replied Julie.

  She took her clothes from her bag and said, "I will go first."

  "Go ahead," replied Roman, staring at her, and he said, "Do you think your relatives will pop in the room if we are to step into the shower together?"

  Julie's cheeks turned red at the question, and she said, "There… might be a possibility."

  "How unfortunate," murmured Roman, watching her closely, and Julie's eyes lowered before she cleared her throat. This wasn't a place because she had her uncle and aunt present under the same roof.

  Julie noticed the way Roman's eyes turned from black to red, his eyes raking through her, and she felt as if someone had flicked the matchstick over the surface of the matchbox, igniting the flame in her.

  She quickly showered, where the warm water fell on her skin, gliding down her body. She took extra time to wash before stepping out of the bath. Roman walked up to her, taking the towel from her and his eyes fell on her neck.

  "How hot was the water?" he asked her, and Julie felt a little heady. Half because of the steam, and half because of Roman in front of her.

  "I didn't realize how hot the water was," replied Julie, her brown eyes staring into Roman's eyes.

  Roman's hand reached to place near her arms, running the back of his finger down her arm, and he said, "You'll burn your skin. Looks like I will need to teach you the temperature of the water again." His touch and promising words had Julie softly gulp. "Would you like that, Winters?"

  She would love that, whispered her mind. But her imagination had started to run wild, and Roman dropped his hand back to his side.

  He took a step backwards, and soon Julie heard the footsteps coming from the stairs, moving towards their room. Her aunt appeared in front of the room, carrying two blankets in her arms.

  "The night is colder this time. Your uncle told you might need them," said Aunt Sarah, looking at both Julie and Roman, who stood one step away from each other. Julie quickly made her way towards her aunt.

  Julie took hold of the blankets and said, "Thank you for these."

  "No problem. Do you need an extra pillow?" asked Aunt Sarah and Julie shook her head, and she said,

  "No, that won't be necessary. We are good."

  "Okay then. Breakfast will be served at eight in the morning," Aunt Sarah informed them, her eyes falling on Roman and then looking back at Julie, "Goodnight."

  "Goodnight, Aunt Sarah," and they saw the woman leave the front of the room, her footsteps receding before they completely vanished.

  "I am surprised she didn't have me shifted to the couch in the living room," remarked Roman, and when Julie turned to look at him, she saw his hand reach the back of his shirt before he pulled it off his body.

  When his hands reached for the button on his jeans, Julie asked him, "Do you want me to pull out your clothes from the bag?"

  "That won't be necessary. As cold as the weather is for humans, I find it rather hot and I prefer to sleep in my boxers," said Roman, and Julie nodded her head.

  She could only hope that her aunt wouldn't make a surprise visit in the middle of the night or maybe even early in the morning. Roman was teasing her now, wasn't he? She climbed on the bed while he went to take a shower, and she heard the sound of the water hitting the ground, which was also hitting his body.

  Julie fiddled with her phone, going through the notifications, and she was glad to see there were no messages from her father, Doughlas Leighton.

  While Julie and Roman were in the Winter's house, in one of the hospitals, the young girl who had met herself with an accident had been brought by the two men was now admitted in one of the rooms.

  The monitor in the room that was connected to the girl softly beeped while she had her head wrapped in a bandage and IV's connected in her hand. Suddenly the girl's eyes flew open, and the heart monitor spiked as she tried to take a deep breath.

  Her hands flailed in terror of what she had seen in the woods, and she gasped for air in panic. One of the nurses, who stepped inside the room, noticed the girl awake.

  "He-hel-p," the girl tried to speak.

  "Please calm down. The doctor will be here soon. You are perfectly safe," assured the nurse, but the girl shook her head.

  She moved her lips with difficulty, "V-va……" The nurse tried to have the patient calmed down, but the patient was nowhere near listening.

  "I will be back soon," and the nurse stepped out of the room to get the doctor.

  The girl raised her hand, wanting to stop the nurse, "Va-vampire."