The sights and sounds of the town square completely captivated Mircalla. She heard music playing from somewhere, a delightful tune probably from the corner to her left, and the fresh fruits and vegetables' colors were unmatched natural beauties.

She hadn't been into town for many years—it had to be a good twelve years or so since she'd last been there—her parents preferred to keep her away from the townsfolk so as not to risk a friendship or whatever it was they didn't want for her.

But she wasn't there to socialize. She was there to listen for any conversations pertaining to the Karnsteins and to see if she could possibly find that girl with the birthmark.

"Did you hear of Count Karnstein's passing?"

"I heard it was murder."

"Where did you hear that?"

"He wasn't sick. And he was with his wife who just happened to die at the same time?"

"What of his daughter?"

"Nowhere to be found."

"Perhaps she was taken as a token for a ransom?"

"The person wouldn't have killed the both of them."

"Do you think she did this?"

"Hard to say. She's a recluse. Hasn't been out in over a decade. You know how they are... Maybe she lost her mind and killed her parents in blind rage."

Mircalla chuckled and continued on her way, making sure to keep her head low and most of her face concealed from sight. In doing so, she nearly bumped into a fair-skinned girl with light brown hair and a friendly smile who stood near an apple stand.

"Pardon me," Mircalla politely apologized as she watched a few apples tumble to the ground. "It appears I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Neither was I," the girl excused her. They both bent down to pick the apples up and put them back. "My name is Laura."

"Mirc—um..." Mircalla wracked her brain for another name. Any name that wasn't her own. She got so desperate she even took to mixing the letters around before she sputtered, "Carmilla."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Carmilla," Laura smiled at her.

"And you," Mircalla, now deemed Carmilla, replied.

"Unfortunately, I must be going," Laura apologized. "My family and I are moving and I came out here to buy food for the trip."

"Moving?" Carmilla inquired.

"The district lines have shifted once again," Laura explained as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "One of the king's counts has died and we are relocating to the late nobleman's property."

"Is that so?" Carmilla studied her with interest and Laura nodded.

"It is," she affirmed. "Though, it's more of a return than a relocation. You see, we used to live there before the district lines were adjusted. When they changed, we were forced out. We have a beautiful place now, but I must admit that it will be wonderful to return home."

"I'm sure it will," Carmilla nodded pleasantly. "I wish you all the best of luck."

"Thank you. I wish I could have stayed to get to know you better," Laura remarked with slight disappointment. "You seem to be a kind soul."

And with that, Laura turned and began walking away. Carmilla watched her leave and just happened to catch a glimpse of a familiar crescent-shaped birthmark on the back of Laura's neck. She felt something inside her click and she bolted after her, only to be stopped by some man blocking her path.

"Move, dammit!" she shouted at him and when he turned around, she saw that the man turned out to be Nicolaus from the other night. "Oh. It's you."

She shook her head.

"The other night was fun, aside from your biting, but I really must be going—"

"What are you doing out here?" he asked her sternly. "Everyone is looking for you. You're wanted for the murder of your parents."

"They don't know exactly what I look like," Carmilla replied.

"You're confident," he commented.

"And you're in my way," she retorted. "I really must be going."

"And I really insist you stay here," he told her. "There is so much you need to know."

"I agree," Carmilla hissed. "And all the information is going that way."

"I bit you for a reason," he explained. "And now, that means you're like me."

"I don't plan on going around biting people, so no. I'm not," Carmilla shook her head and tried to get around him. He stepped to the side and blocked her.

"You're not human anymore. You're a vampire. Have you ever heard of those?"

"Get out of my way," she growled.

"That means you will be biting people and you will like it. But you need to know how to control yourself, lest you go on a killing spree. And you'd eventually be so drunk on blood, you'd be caught," he informed her. "And I don't know if you've found this, but humans don't do well with things that are different from them. And even if they did accept you as the monster you now are, you'd still be wanted for murder. Both your parents and the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people you killed during your spree."

"You're a mad man!" she forced a laugh. "You truly are. Now move."

"You can see better than you could before," he tried. "And hear every little thing. That's not weird to you? That your senses seemed to magically improve?"

Carmilla went silent as she looked him in the eyes.

"You're stronger too. You could probably lift a horse and its buggy. You have believe me."

"Fine. I believe you. Now will you move?"

"You can catch her later," he promised. "I didn't make you miss a thing. I can teach you everything."

Carmilla clenched and unclenched her jaw as she went over her options. Did she really believe him? What he was saying did kind of make sense... Perhaps he was telling the truth.

"Fine. Teach me. Starting with how the hell I might find that girl after only learning her first name."

"You can find her the same way I found you," he grinned and picked an apple up from the nearby stand, tossing it to her and saying, "Scent."