Julie stared at the man for a second more before his name registered, and she quickly bowed her head, "Thank you for saving me and my friend yesterday, Mr. Blackburn."

  She felt like she had heard the last name somewhere, but she wasn't sure where exactly she had heard it. It was as if someone had mentioned it once, and it had registered somewhere in the back of her mind.

  The man had black eyes, his hair neatly combed to the side, and he had changed his clothes from what he had been wearing yesterday. "I am going to the market as well. Do you need me to take you there?"

  At first, she was about to nod as it would be impolite to refuse, but then she realized she wasn't planning to head to the market because she wanted to take a look around the place of how people and things worked in this timeline. But she wanted to follow her mother and see what she was doing, to be able to take a closer look and know how her mother was.

  Julie, who was about to nod, quickly shook her head and said, "That is fine. I will find my way there."

  Cillian didn't bother to insist, and he only stared at her.

  "Thank you again," said Julie, offering a small bow before she quickly turned and walked quickly in the direction of where she had seen her mother walk.

  On the other hand, Cillian stared at the young girl, who seemed a little odd compared to the other people or women he had come to meet in his lifetime.

  "You are late for your work, aren't you?" came a question after a few seconds.

  It was Mr. La Fay who had stepped out of the house and found him standing a few steps near the house. The older man's gaze fell on the girl, whose feet were quicker than a rabbit.

  "Hm? Where is the other girl?" murmured the old man.

  "She's going to the market," remarked Cillian, tearing his eyes away from the girl to look at Opaline's father. "Did you hear anything about the uproar of the vampires in the West, Magnus?"

  "Far too many that makes me worry, but I think there are other pressing matters than the vampires," replied Magnus, rubbing his beard with his hand. "The humans are not taking well with our kind's existence. We are being exposed because of the few bad apples."

  "Then isn't it only right that we do some damage control," stated Cillian, his gaze dull and a frown on his forehead. "We already have a decent number of humans on this witch land of ours in Willow Creek. We just need to have them see us in a good light."

  "Only if it was that easy," harrumphed the old man, dropping his hand to the side, and he placed his weight on the staff that he held in his right hand.

  "One of the vampires tried to make a treaty with us."

  "Who is that?" Magnus' eyes narrowed by the mention of the treaty.

  "It was Mortimer. Says he wants to bring peace to these lands," said Cillian and Magnus' lips twisted.

  "Bring him over, and we can consider talking and see how things goes," said the old man, and the younger man nodded his head. "Times right now are hard, and we need to tread carefully. By the way, why did you pick the lost sheep?"

  Cillian could tell that the answer to the question had been given many times, but Magnus was still not satisfied with it. Instead of answering, he asked, "Why?"

  "I don't know why, but there's something very odd. Something I am not able to place my finger on the two girls. Especially the one that ran away" said Magnus in a thoughtful yet a tone of suspicion in it. "I wonder if they are vampires."

  "Did you not check with the Silverwater?"

  "Oh, I did. I had Opaline offer them food. It is one of the easiest ways to know if the guest who steps on our land is a vampire or a mere human. But they showed no reaction to the food," hummed Magnus before he said, "I have work to do, and so do you. I will see you later, Cillian."

  Cillian gave a small bow while Otis appeared outside the house and joined him to walk away from there.

  On the other hand, Julie had tried to catch up with her mother. When she did, she saw her mother talking to people in the market. There was a smile on her face, which was pleasing to the eye.

  One of the women spoke to Julie, "Are you looking to buy fresh meat that has been cut out this morning?" trying to offer her the best price.

  Julie shook her head, putting up a polite smile while she continued to walk through the crowd, who had already started their day. The market was noisy, and there was chatter of people's voices.

  Opaline was buying something from one of the vendors, and Julie saw how her mother was graceful. She moved like water, her presence as bright as the sun, shedding light wherever she went.

  One moment, she was there, and another second, her mother had disappeared from her sight when she had looked away from her. Where did she go? Julie tried to look for her—


  "Is there something you are looking to buy, Julianne? You have been following me for sometime now."

  As Julie turned, there was an awkward smile on her face, and she came to stand face to face in front of her mother. Her mother looked at her with a calm expression, but there was genuine curiosity in her eyes.

  "I uh… I was too obvious in stalking you. I mean I didn't mean to," Julie's voice trailed, and Opaline smiled.

  "I think you were decent, but I have been followed too many times to know when a person is following me, for example the one who is standing with the blue muffler around his neck," whispered Opaline, and she added, "Turn very very carefully and you will find him on your left."

  Julie did as she was told, and she noticed a not so suspicious guy standing in front of a shop.

  "Why are you always followed?" asked Julie.

  "Sometimes to woo me, sometimes wanting to track and maybe kill me. I don't think any of your reason falls into these things," said her mother, and Julie couldn't help but admire her mother, hoping she could be as sharp as her one day. "Are you here to buy something? Or just to follow me."

  Being red-handed, Julie pursed her lips before she said, "I saw you walking from the house, and just wanted to see what was around. I thought it would be safe to stick around."

  "Is that so," chuckled Opaline before saying, "You do look a little shy, you don't have to be. People here are wonderful, at least most of them. You don't have to walk behind me, when you can walk right next to me. I am almost done buying things, and we can then get back."

  Julie nodded her head. Once they left the market, they walked on the side of the road in silence. She asked her mother,

  "Do you plan to leave Willow Creek anytime soon?"

  At the sudden question, the woman turned to look at her, "Why would I do that? Willow Creek is my home," she lightly chuckled, "I grew up here, and my family is here. I don't see a reason as to why I should leave when everything is right here. How do you find it? Far away from your family?"

  Julie replied, "A little sick, and I miss them I think."

  Her now the family was only Roman, and the one's she was related to, that person was right next to her.

  "Why did you leave then?" asked Opaline. She then said, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

  "I didn't come here by choice, but I am glad that I did," replied Julie, and the woman nodded her head.

  "Your words intrigue me, Julianne," murmured Opaline, and the woman could tell that the young girl tried to phrase her words before speaking.

  On the other hand, Julie didn't understand something. From what she knew, her mother had willingly left Willow Creek to explore the world outside this place. And it was also when the changes in Willow Creek took place. But here, her mother had no intention to leave and learn. Something was just not right.

  "As you know, my siblings have been left motherless, and they see me as a mother who takes care of them. Brushes their hair in the morning, feeds them and scolds them, tucks them in bed which even Otis does when I am busy. And this is a life which I don't mind continuing for the rest of my life," stated Opaline with a bright smile on her face. "Family is everything."

  "It must be nice," blurted Julie, who then bit her tongue to let it speak freely.

  "To have a family?" asked Opaline.

  That too thought Julie in her mind. Because as days passed, the family she thought was hers never belonged to her, and she felt less and less that she belonged anywhere.

  "To have the hair brushed and to be scolded," said Julie, looking at the path ahead of her while sensing Opaline's gaze.

  Julie didn't remember her mother brushing her hair, and mother here being Natalie. Though she did try to make amends for the trouble and pain she had caused, she now came to realize that there had always been a line that her surrogate mother had drawn. A line that came because of the sense of what had been inflicted.

  And it might have been one of the reasons why she was never scolded like how an actual parent did. She wondered if it was normal to complain about something like this, but then nothing ever was normal in her life but twisted.

  "Some mothers are busy and some don't know how to do it," Opaline tried to console Julie, and this time Julie smiled.

  "I lost my mother when I was too young," whispered Julie because it was true.

  "I am sorry to hear that," apologized Opaline. "Do you have any memories that were passed to you about her?"

  Julie stared at her mother, noticing how the woman waited for her to speak. She responded, "It seems she was a very kind woman. Someone very thoughtful and smart, beautiful and her presence could make everything better."

  "Sounds like she was a wonderful person," chimed Opaline, and Julie nodded.

  "Yes. Actually…" Julie's voice drawled in a testing manner, "You remind me of her."

  "That is very kind of you to stay, Julianne. To regard me as high as your mother," Opaline replied with a smile, "If my sisters were older than now, I would have married, and have a family, but then I do not want them to feel neglected. Between us two women, I have noticed some potential grooms."

  "Y-you have?" asked Julie, wondering if her father, Knox, was in her mother's eyes.

  "Yes," replied Opaline with confidence. "But not from here, but in different towns. I have traveled? for a day and met them either for some tea or other festive time. But there are other things I need to—"

  Suddenly out of nowhere, four arrows were lodged at them, interrupting their conversation. Julie and Opaline moved away from each other while another set of arrows were sent their way. Four men jumped down from the trees.

  From where Julie came, arrows were outdated, but the way the arrows were fired at them one after another without stopping more than three seconds made it difficult for either of them to stay still.

  Opaline instructed, "Stay behind the tree, Julianne and don't come out."

  But Julie was not a mere human, and this was not anyone who was with her. This was her mother, "I am helping too," she said to her. She noticed the little frown on her mother's face, who didn't have the time to react or reply to her, as the attackers started to aim at her.

  When the attackers were done using their arrows, they decided to go for physical combat.

  "Take the witch's heart and burn her in the town to let the others know!" said one of the men.

  "Tie her hands!" said another.

  But Opaline didn't let them get too close to her.

  Julie herself was combating with two men, who were too eager to stab her. She moved backwards, trying to get away from the men's hold, while unsure if she should use her ability on these men. But that would only reveal who she was. She decided to go old school and used her hands and legs in kicking or punching them straight in the face.

  These humans were too strong, and she asked, "Who are these people?!" to her mother.

  The look in Opaline's eyes was enough to know that she was torn like Julie in revealing herself, but she said, "People who want me and my people dead."

  Julie didn't want to kill people, and she wondered if there was a way to put these attackers to sleep, but if they were trying to harm her family, was it the right decision to not get rid of them? There once used to be a time when Julie couldn't kill a fly, and here she was now, thinking of killing the attackers to protect her mother. She wondered if it was because of the amount of time she had stayed around vampires or if it was just the instincts of her survival.

  When one of the attackers got too close to Opaline, Julie's mouth hung open on seeing her mother snap the person's head.

  Julie tried to keep her eyes focussed on the two men she was dealing with, and for a moment, she noticed the little flash of red appear in one of the men's eyes. These were no humans but vampires! Picking up a wooden stem lying on the ground, she used it to stake it through the vampire's heart.

  The other vampire glared at her, bringing out his full potential and attacking her relentlessly while she tried to get away and attack back. But there was very little room for it when the vampire was too quick. She used the ability of light to blind the vampire before getting a shot at the person.

  In the meantime, Opaline fought with the other vampire, who had come forward with his true nature. When the force got too much, she used her ability that crackled like a bolt of lightning before electrocuting the vampire. Another vampire sneaked right behind Opaline, ready to stake her, which she didn't notice.

  Julie's eyes widened, and her lips parted, "Behind you!"

  But the vampire had already moved too close to kill, and Julie's hand reached out for where her mother was. Unknowingly, her hand created the wave-like motion in the air, and the vampire who tried to stab Opaline her stepped into the created medium and disappeared in thin air, shocking the people around who was still there,

  "Where did he go?!" questioned the vampire who had been dealing with Julie a moment ago. "She's a witch too!"

  Crap, thought Julie, noticing Opaline's eyes turn in her direction with a slight surprise.

  Julie felt a pain rip through her arm when the vampire nearby tried to get hold of her arm but ended up swiping his nails on her skin.

  Opaline bent down, placing her hand on the vampire's chest, whom she had snapped the neck earlier, and in a moment, the vampire's body turned dry without the need for a stake. And in the second, the vampire combusted, leaving his body outline with the help of his ash.

  When they got rid of the vampires, Julie leaned her back against the bark of the tree. It was too early to be fighting with anyone, she thought in her mind. While somewhere, she avoided eye contact with her mother, not knowing what she would say to her.

  "Are you alright?" questioned her mother, walking and coming to stand in front of her. "Your arm is wounded. We need to get it treated."

  "How about you?" asked Julie, taking a look at her mother and noticing she was fine. She was glad that she wasn't hurt.

  "Thanks to you I am alive," replied Opaline, looking at the vampires who were killed, but more importantly, her eyes moved to the spot where she had been standing earlier. She had felt the vampire's presence and the next moment, she had seen the vampire disappear. "I had a slight inclination that you were one of us. A witch."

  Julie softly gulped because she hadn't meant to expose herself like this.

  "Who were these people?" questioned Julie, taking a look at the ashes of the vampire.

  "If you used a stake, you must already know about the existence of vampires," said Opaline and Julie nodded her head. "There are a few vampires, who come sniffing around the villages and towns, to hunt down vampires, which is why we lay low. Come, we should get your wound treated."

  They returned to the house, where Melanie, who had been waiting, quickly ran to where Julie was.

  "What happened to your arm?!" Melanie looked shocked.

  "There was a little conflict, Ms. Davis. Don't worry, your friend is fine," said Opaline, and Julie was taken inside the house. She was made to sit, while Melanie stood next to her with her eyebrows knitted in concentration.

  "Was it a vampire?" asked Melanie in a whisper.

  Julie nodded, "There were many of them and they tried to attack her."

  "I thought this place was safe," murmured Melanie, and Opaline, who had returned with a box in her hand, placed it on the table.

  Opaline said, "This is a peaceful town, but lately we have been having people trying to break in and cause turmoil." She took one of the vials, pouring the liquid on the cotton. Julie winced when she felt the cotton on her arm, feeling a burn. "Some of the witches, they have killed people. The bad witches, and it has caused an uproar in the other lands. The humans don't take well of our existence and neither do the vampires, who fear us. You two should delay your time of travel, and pick a safer time, because this time right now, it isn't safe for the witches."

  When Opaline's eyes fell on Melanie, she was quick to shake her head, "I am just a human."

  "I see," replied Opaline. "For a human to know about the existence of vampires and witches, and not go around telling, you must be very close. People aren't that good at keeping secrets like these."

  "I just found out about it recently," confessed Melanie and Opaline smiled.

  "What matters if you decided to keep the secret, and that is a value in itself," said the woman, before she continued to tend to Julie's arm.