Early December – Amazon Jungle, South Brazil

The old man was sitting by the riverside, weaving a basket. The air was even more moist near the water. Beads of sweat were running down his forehead. The busy twittering of the birds was pleasant in his ears, the jungle's sweet melody. The swooshing behind him didn't even make him turn. He could hear it alright, but there was nothing he had to worry about. The sound could be nothing more than an opossum. After all, Lilen, his little treasure, would be there if he was in danger.

Lilen… she was such a precious child. Aku wasn't really her father. He'd raised her as his own though. He took her in when she was still a baby, a little, crying bundle, placed right by the river. Not too far away had been who he assumed was her mother, probably having bled to death hours ago. He'd brought the baby to his village, but as soon as everyone heard about the mother's unfortunate ending, the baby was called a demon. Aku, refusing to let go of her, left, bringing her up in the jungle the best way he could.

She might have been a demon, like his villagers had said. She had a kind soul though. She grew up fast and was curious to explore and learn, always trying to help him, even when she couldn't. She was a strong and fast child, always understanding what had to be done right away, far more intelligent than her years should allow.

He smiled as her childish face took shape in his head. His daughter was no demon. She was a child with an heart of gold, far better than the children in that village could ever be.

A shady figure crept over him.

Before he could turn to look, Aku was grabbed by his neck, gripped so tightly he was gasping for air. The hands holding him were cold, sending shivers down his spine. Lilen's picture evaporated as terror overtook him.

"Por favor…" he stuttered, trying to push the hands away.

"Where is she?" the voice hissed.

Aku's eyes widened as more figures gathered around him. They stood around quietly, wrapped in dark cloaks, pale and still as if marble statues. His lip trembled. "Eu não posso falar bem Inglês…"

"Oh, you can speak English just fine," the cold voice hissed.

"Eu não posso falar bem Inglês, eu não posso falar bem Inglês…" he repeated over and over again.

"Let the man breathe, Demetri. He can't go anywhere anyway." This man's voice was calmer, like flowing water, and Aku thought it had a hint of madness in it too. Aku was released suddenly, causing him to lose his balance, staggering, and then falling hard into the thick underbrush. "Onde está a menina?" the crazy man said.

Aku felt his hands shivering. That he could understand. A menina… The girl… My little Lilen!

"Ah, see? You don't have to pressure him. He understands fine. Look at his face."

Aku's dark eyes met with the decided crimson ones of the madman. These were the real demons. He'd met one before. She wasn't as menacing though. She was the aunt of Lilen's half-brother. Almost Lilen's aunt really. She took good care of Lilen while she was living with her and her brother. These demons didn't look the same. He didn't trust them at all. They felt cold and distant... evil. Yes, that was the word. Evil.

He shook his head. They weren't going to take his little treasure away. She had helped him countless times; she seemed to take better care of herself than he could. The least he could do was to protect her this once.

"Aaah, so he knows. Where is she?" the madman inquired.

Aku shook his head again.

The madman came closer. He reached for his hand. "We know she lives with you. You can't hide her. She'll show up sooner or later."

Aku understood only bits of his words, as he knew very little English himself. Lilen knew more. Involuntarily, he felt this morning's events flooding his head. Lilen smiling and hanging upside down from the trees like a wild animal. Lilen kissing Aku's cheek and saying, "Eu te amo, Papa," just before leaving to get water.

He knew some demons could do things. Even his sweet little Lilen could. What if these demons could tell just from his thoughts?

"The girl went for water," the demon with the mad look announced, letting go of Aku's hand, a smug smile on his face. The demon behind Aku shifted. He raised his hand. "No, no, you don't need to get her. She'll be here on her own soon enough. We'll just sit and wait."

Lilen was dusting her white dress off, although it was already far too smeared with red to hide it. Yes, indeed, she was sure Papa knew about it already, but as long as he said nothing, she wasn't going to give it away. She did feed on humans sometimes. Usually she would go for human food, eat with her Papa because she knew that this way he was happy. There were some sorts of food that she liked anyway.

She wondered if Papa knew it was one of those days. She usually needed just half the time to get the water and come back home. Before leaving, she picked up a pineapple from the ground and easily cracked it open. She let some of the juice spill on her dress, on purpose. She had to do at least some effort to cover the blood.

Unlike most times, she hurried to get back, running through the jungle but trying not to spill the water at the same time. She easily caught the foreign scent as she neared home. Smelled somewhat familiar, a little like aunt Huilen. Of course, Huilen wasn't really her aunt; she was her brother, Nahuel's, aunt. The scent reminded her of vampire. She set the pot with the water on the ground by the door and carefully followed the scent.

All of a sudden, Lilen felt the need to be completely silent. She kept walking until the sound of flowing water reached her. She ducked, hiding herself into the thick bushes. Papa… she thought, seeing Aku standing at the bank, a terrified expression all over his face.

She'd never seen him like this; not even when Nahuel had asked to take her, show her a different way of living. Not even when she asked Aku herself, if she could go with Nahuel for a while.

She noticed shadowy figures around Aku. They wore dark cloaks, far too warm for this climate. These must have been the vampires. What did they want?

"Master— perhaps— we should go looking now?" The voice seemed to belong to a girl, not too old. The way she spoke was sharp, clipped, as if it could slice through diamonds. "She's not going to show up."

Lilen bit her lip to keep herself from making any sound. They were looking for her. She could understand English, unlike her Papa. Nahuel had taught her a little in the short time they'd spent together; although, Lilen was stubbornly refusing to speak English herself.

"Patience, my Jane. She will be here sooner than you realize."

Lilen sunk lower in her hiding place. If she could smell them, they probably could smell her as well. They could hear her heartbeat. They could feel her breathing. Of course, she could run. But if she ran, what would happen to Aku?

No. She had to get out there.

Without thinking twice about it, she stood up and walked out of the bushes. Twelve heads turned to look at her. Eleven of them were pale with deep, crimson eyes; the twelfth was Aku's, his tanned face losing its color and his eyes widening like a fish at her sight.

"Não. Vá! Corra!" he called to her, shooing her away.

Lilen recognized the words, but tsked at him. She wasn't going to go anywhere.

One of the vampires smiled at her, his eyes locking with hers. She somehow got the feeling that he was the leader of them all. Lilen opened and closed her mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. She took a deep breath. "You want to get out of the jungle," she said. Her voice was heavy and the English words rolled awkwardly off her tongue. She felt like she was doing it all wrong, but this was her last chance to help Aku. It had to work. "There is nothing that you need here. You have to go back."

The head of the vampires seemed amused. It wasn't working; none of them seemed to be influenced. She shivered, finally afraid. She thought it might not work on vampires, but she never had the chance to practice it anyway. She couldn't try to hypnotize aunt Huilen, now could she? Of course not.

She took a deep breath and continued. "The trees are closing in. They make you suffocate. You want to leave."

The vampire laughed. "Look at that! What a beauty! She does have potential. Yes, yes, needs a little practice, but she'll get there." He turned to Aku. "Kill him. He isn't needed for us anymore."

Lilen was trembling. She was trying to remember every English word she had ever heard. "If…" she started, her voice almost a whisper. "If you kill him, I won't do what you want." She shook her head and took a few steps back, feeling the safety of the trees behind her.

A smile formed on the vampire leader's face. "As you wish," he said, offering Lilen his hand as he bended down into a slight bow. He came closer. "You have my word. But I do promise you that if you try leaving us, we'll get him, before we get you."

Lilen nodded and shaking off the nervous feeling running down her spine, she took his hand... "I understand. I'm coming with you."

"Não! Lilen, não vá!" Aku shouted at her, finding himself instantly under the grip of the same demon who'd first grabbed him.

"Eu te amo, Papa," Lilen said for one last time and turned around, led away from home, surrounded by the foreign vampires from all sides.