Chapter 1

Antique Shop

The sunlight seeped through Chris's curtain. He groaned, growing impatient of how long his day would be again, even though it hasn't started yet. Lifting himself up from bed he headed towards the shower, not bothering looking at his faint reflection on the bathroom mirror. After cleaning up, he threw on a black shirt and wore a black hoodie over it. Chris slipped on some denim jeans and headed towards his bedroom door.

After tying the knot of his sneakers, he proceeded downstairs. With a snap of his fingers, the lights and all the candles lit up. But he manually turned the AC on. Chris made his way towards the counter, opening the small fridge underneath it.

"I think I need two." he said to himself. Fetching 2 flasks of fresh blood. The smell of old stuff and books somehow masked the scent of blood. After finishing his drink, he easily crushed the containers with his hands and threw them to the bin, making sure there was no trace of blood in them.

Chris went around the counter towards the door and flipped the sign "We're Open!" he sighed, reminding himself to change it into something more encouraging. He was still surprised by the fact that he has a lot of customers, it never occurred to him that people these days still consider buying old and vintage stuff for a hefty price.

As soon as he place his hands on the counter, the bell rang. Indicating a customer, the faint smell of blood told Christhat it was a human being. He hummed, before pushing himself towards the door. Momentarily, he stopped on his tracks. There was no one there. He made his way around the sections of antique clocks and saw a tall figure with his back faced towards him. "What can I do for you?" the customer yelped and spun around facing Chan.

Chris gave a small bow, "I'm sorry for startling you." his voice was low and casual. The boy looked at him with widened eyes before bowing in return. Chris reminded him of a fox, to him the boy looked more like a fox than Felix. "It's okay!" Jaemy smiled. Chris was a bit taken aback by his braces but he didn't really pondered on it that much.

"So, what are you trying to find?" again, he asked, eager to finish the transaction and be left alone. Jaemy's curious eyes scattered around the place. He hummed. "I'm not really trying to find anything." Chris raised his eyebrows at him. "Oh." he was about to turn his back when the boy spoke, "How long have you been here, sir?" the sudden curiosity annoyed Chan. But he had to make a good impression towards his customers.

"I've been here quite a while now." Jaemy nodded and proceeded to look around. "Huh, that's weird. I have never seen this place before, and that's funny because I was born and grew up around this area." the boy chuckled. Chris grew stiff, ah, the only flaw in the matrix. "Well, it's not really an eye catching place so you might have never noticed it." he tried to sound as casual as he can. Jaemy shrugged and gave him a smile.

"Maybe you're right!" the boy exclaimed. Chris couldn't help but smile too, Jaemy had this soft aura radiating from him that makes your feel warm and cozy even though his body is already cold and dead. "Why don't you look around? Maybe you'll find something you'd like." Jaemy eagerly nodded. Chris made his way back to the counter. He turned up his hearing, and noticed the boy mumbling random stuff to himself. 'Oh, this looks cool, wow. I have never seen something like this-oh! That looks sick.' he found himself smiling as he continued to listen to the boy's whispers.

It's been weeks since Jaemy first visited Chris's place. The boy completely forgot about the fact that the store suddenly popped out of nowhere. Chris was a bit bothered by his daily presence but eventually got used to it. He even scoffed when he found himself waiting for the arrival of the school boy.

"Chris! I brought fresh donuts!" the familiar voice resonated around the room. Chris was busy tending to a customer, he excused himself and shouted back at Jaemy. "Hang on, Jaemy. I have a customer." he knew Jaemy would just walk towards the counter and sit there waiting for him. But the bell rang again, Chris almost groaned, he hasn't rested until this morning except for lunch break. Customers have been in and out for the past 6 hours. "Chris~ I'll get it don't worry!" the kind gesture of the kid made him smile. He was always thankful for Jaemy, although he doesn't express it quite often.

Jaemy has been helping Chris for almost a month now. He was convinced that Chris wasn't really a people person that's why he didn't hire other employees. Jaemy wanted to change that, so he started coming in the shop after his classes. He can clearly tell the old man was annoyed but he pushed further, until 1 week after his frequent visits, Chris offered him some tea. Feeling accomplished, he started coming into the shop even on weekends.

Jaemy was practically an unofficial employee at Chris's antique shop.

He made his way towards the customer, following them from behind. Answering their questions about the products. For almost a month of working there, he already knows all about the stuff and where they are located. Not unlike the first time he made a beeline around the shop and ended up confusing both himself and the customer.

"Oh that, Sir, is a locket from 1882. It belonged to a farmer who was deeply in love with this rich woman, he sold half of his land just to buy that and gave it to the lady" the customer was in awe and mentioned something about his wife liking vintage jewelry. Jaemy beamed at him. "Well isn't that great! She would love this!" and just like that he got his 50th transaction completed.

Jaemy handed the customer the paper bag with a small box in it containing the necklace. With a bow and a smile, he thanked the customer. He didn't even notice Chris creeping up beside him. "Nice work." the boy flinched. He could never get used to Chris just popping out of nowhere inside the shop. It's like he teleports. "Thanks!"

The customer Chris was tending to, wanted to be left alone so he went back to the counter and talked to Jaemy. When he heard the customer call, he pushed Jaemy back into his chair. "I'll get it." earning a soft smile from the boy. Chris made his way to the customer to answer his question about the vase he got in China.

Jaemy watched Chris's figure vanish into the clutter of stuff. He smiled. The guy was clearly lonely here. And he felt good about himself, making Chris befriend him, although the man hasn't officially said it. Jaemy's eyes rested on the flask that was sprawled onto the counter. He stood up to see if it was open. Glad that it was sealed shut, he arranged the container just to make sure it doesn't spill. But curiosity drowned him.

This was the first time he ever saw that container on the counter, or even around the shop. He really didn't take Chris as someone who drinks. He started turning the lid. Chris on the other hand hasn't noticed what Jaemy was doing because he was busy explaining to the customer. Jaemy expected to be welcomed by the strong smell of alcohol, with a final twist he removed the cap of the flask and took a whiff. His eyes went wide and the flask slipped from his hands, falling onto the floor with a loud clang. Painting the marble floor in a deep shade of red.

Chris's head snapped towards Jaemy's direction right after the boy opened the lid. Chris prayed to his ancestors, wanting the boy to not try to smell the contents of the flask. "Um, excuse me?" the customer piped, waving his hand in front of Chris's face. Chris faced the guy and apologized, he tried his best to answer the question with sweaty hands.

But a loud sound made him panic. With the blink of an eye, Chris vanished into thin air. Startling the customer.

"What do you think you're doing?" his voice was low and deadly. Jaemy fell onto his butt with the sudden figure of Chris standing in front of him. He swore to himself that the old man just magically appeared. With a surprised face, his gaze went back and forth from Chris and the mess he just made.

The customer screamed and started running towards the door. Chris snapped his hands, the door locked by itself and the blinds were also pulled down. He did that while staring right into the boy's eyes. He slowly made his was towards the customer, leaving Jaemy in a trance. "Forget." his eyes turned red for a second and the customer face was stoned. Again, with a snap, the door flew open. "Go." the customer slowly walked out the room. With the loud thud of the door, he was back to his senses. Clearly forgetting a whole chunk of his day as he walked home.

Chris sighed and popped back in front of the fox.

Chris noticed the boys erratic heartbeat, but that didn't stop him from moving closer towards him. His mind was clouded by anger. Jaemy should've never visited him here. He shouldn't have entertained the boy. He should've just pushed him away. He even warned the boy multiple times to not touch his stuff. Chris felt betrayed and at the same time he was mad at himself for letting the boy soften him up.

Jaemy's breathing was hitched and he could feel every muscle in his body stiffen. He couldn't move because he was terrified. "Wa-you-" with a small voice he tried to make out the words "What are you?" Chris's face appeared right in from of him. Jaemy noticed the absence of his usual soft stare. Chris slowly opened his mouth. The boy saw how 2 large fangs grew from Chris's canine teeth. And at that moment he knew…

He's gonna be killed by a vampire.

"CHRIS!" a loud voice appeared out of nowhere. Jaemy still couldn't move, he heard the voice but his attention was focused on the monster right in front of him. There was a flash, out of reflex he covered his face with his arms and braced for impact. When the bright light vanished, he slowly peeled his eyes open. Chris has vanished in front of him. His wide eyes looked around, searching for the vampire.

"Jeez, you can never control your goddamn temper-Jaemy Yang from Class C, right?" a tall boy appeared right in front of him, his hand outstretched. Jaemy's gaze slowly lifted up to the unknown person's face. His mouth went agape.

"Aren't you gonna take my hand?" Samuel's voice had a hint of annoyance. Not waiting for the boy to respond, he withdrew back his hand and started gesturing his hand. Jaemy was suddenly lifted up in the air and with a soft thud, his feet were back on the floor. He never have thought that his school's student council president would be saving his ass. Maybe because he doesn't know what the fuck is happening.

Chris found himself laying on his bed with a gag on his mouth. With muffled screams he easily broke free from the iron shackles on both feet. His eyes were blood red as he looked at the door. "That fucking witch teleported me." within a millisecond he appeared right in front of the scene. His frantic eyes found Yang Jaemy facing the witch with a bewildered look. Chris stomped his way towards them.

Jaemy recoiled at the sight of Chris, his eyes were red, fangs were shown and he also noticed his claws. The sight terrified him. Never in his life did he imagine encountering something like this. Sure, he believed in some fairy tales because they wouldn't exist if they weren't true. But, he never begged to see them in real life. Oh god, he wished he never even encountered any of those vile monsters. But here he is, standing in front of Samuel, which seems to be somewhat magical and Chris who is a blood sucking monster.

Samuel saw how the boy's face grew pale. He sighed and turned to Chris. Their faces only centimeters apart. His expression didn't change. "Who the fuck do you think you are to sto-" Samuel held up his finger and lifted Chris of his feet. The vampire's eyebrows furrowed as he struggled in the air. "Put me down you witch!"

Samuel looked the devil right in the eyes before sighing. He chuckled a little making Jaemy more uneasy with the situation. Samuel clearly knows Chris is beyond mad and now he still has the audacity to chuckle, Jaemy prepared for the worst. "It still doesn't make sense how useless a powerful vampire like you becomes feeble when being levitated in the air by magic." Samuel laughed a bit loudly, making Jaemy shake in fear. He tried stealing a glance from Chris but was stopped by the witch.

"Don't, he can kill you with his stare" hearing the seriousness behind Samuel's voice, the boy nodded and looked away. Samuel turned to Chris. The vampire's expression was terrifying, even Samuel earned goosebumps just by taking a small glance. He knew Chris could easily control him so he avoided the vampire's gaze. "You have to calm down Chris." the vampire continued to growl in a low tone. Jaemy was still shaking but he felt bad about what happened. It was all his fault, if he had not opened that flask, both him and Chris would have been enjoying the fresh donuts he got from the bakery. Jaemy looked down on his bag, thinking to himself that they're probably cold and hard now.

Samuel waited for the vampire to calm down. Chris on the other hand had no plan on doing what the stupid witch said. Samuel sighed in defeat, "Okay, but don't hurt him. Just erase his memories and let him go." Chris's eyes faltered. Samuel had a point. He continued to soften up a bit until Samuel finally let his feet touch the ground.

The witch turns to Jaemy who was still standing and catching his breath. He gave him a casual smile while putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "This will not hurt." Jaemy accepted his fate. He knew what was gonna happen, he felt sad and defeated. Chris was the only person who was nice to him. He knew the man was clearly annoyed at first by his frequent visits, but Chris never said anything that would offend the boy. He didn't push him away. It was a shame that their friendship would end like this.

All of a sudden the door shot open, alarming all three of them. Chris knew he locked the door but who would be powerful enough to bring down an antique door sealed shut by magic. His query was answered when Wisdom came dashing through the store with a strong smell of blood that was visible when he arrived in front of the counter. His eyes were full of worry and anger as he looked into the eyes of the bloodhound. Chris's displeasure towards the boy had vanished. "Wisdom…" those were the only words that were exchanged between the two. Wisdom held back his tears and approached Chan, ignoring the two unknown presence watching the scene unfold. Chris's eyes travelled from the man's face to his bloody shirt. "It's Han…" Chris's head snapped back to Wisdom's face. His face was stern and serious. He didn't need an explanation. Both of them sprinted towards the door, leaving a baffled witch and Jaemy.

Samuel let out an exasperated sigh and gripped the boy's wrist before dragging him outside the shop, shouting "REALLY CHRIS? WEREWOLVES?!" as he did so.