1 Moonlight

Being a college student is really difficult. I don't even remember the last time I slept properly. My eyes are always tired, it almost seems like I have a single eyelid.

"Ann!" Joy shouts through the phone. "Wake up or else you'll be late."

This is a usual thing now. My alarm rings, I stop it, then sleep again, then joy calls me, then I wake up and then..."I'm going to be late!"

But today, I'm rather excited. Nothing special as such, it's just I received an email from my team leader. My presentation was partly responsible for our success in the recent project that we were worked on and today we have a team party in celebration of that. I felt happy as my work was appreciated. Validation gives you confidence at the workplace, especially when you are an intern.

"You're lucky cuz everyone is in a good mood that didn't notice your absence." Joy says.

"I don't know. I feel really exhausted nowadays. Yesterday aunt and I were really worried about Min so we slept late."

"What happened to her?" she asks.

"She comes home late nowadays. When I say late then I mean really late like around 3 or 4 am."

"Ann," Joy goes on. "She's a teenager now, maybe she's acting up." she tries to assure.

"But still this is not the way to behave. How much will Aunt and I keep tabs on her? It's exhausting." I rub my forehead in frustration.

"Um, did you ask her friends about what may be up with her?" She suggests.

"I did but later she scolded me for invading her privacy." I rest my back on the chair as I think about that incident. "I hope she's not into those bad influences," I say while looking at the ceiling.

"Don't worry Ann. She's a good girl." Joy gives a reassuring smile.

"Thank you guys for your work. This project wouldn't be as successful it is without you all." Our team laeder raises her glass to give us a toast.

Although I was happy because of my contribution in this, I was anxious at the same time wondering about Min. After the death of our parents, my aunt adopted both of us. Her husband had died due to cancer so she lived alone with her son and managed her husband's business.

Our team leader was drunk so Kit called a cab for her. Meanwhile, Joy and I were chatting with others out of the restaurant. Bangkok looks different at night. It's so bright and lively, almost as if the day started for some people. While I look around a young lady walks past me. She looks like my sister, I thought. I looked at her again, suddenly alarmed that it may actually be my sister. I march my way towards her to have a closer look at her, she indeed was Min. I look at her from a safe distance, so that she doesn't notice me. I sneakily follow her to her destination. I was surprised, anxious, and worried to see her dressed so maturely. I never expected to see her like this, at least not now.

She stopped in front of a club. I lift my head to see the signboard, "Moonlight," it read. I follow her inside and observe her movements. She walks towards another entrance within the club which was being guarded by two strong males. She shows something on her neck which makes them nod and they let her in. I somehow could feel that it wouldn't be easy to get in but I still wanted to take a shot.

"Hi, so my sister just went in. I'm her elder sister. I need to speak with her." I give them a sincere explanation.

"Identity verification." One of them speaks, unfazed. I remove my identity card and show it to them. They look at me skeptically.

"We cannot let you enter." One of them replied.

"What? Why? I am eligible to enter any club." I was disappointed.

"You need to leave or we will have to use force." One of them replies. My phone rings and Joy's name flashes on the screen. I leave the club to answer her call.

"Ann? Where are you? I've been calling you for 20 mins." She says.

"Joy, I'm sorry. I need to handle some important matters, you head home."

"Wait, what happened?" She asked.

"Don't worry. I'll fill you with the details later."

I hang up the phone and book a cab. There was no way they were gonna let me walk in that door anyway, so I decided to leave for the moment. Along the way, I thought of the ways I could barge into that place somehow. I would also think about scary things behind that door. I internally hoped that Min was not into prostitution or drugs or something like that. It would be very difficult to save her from that kind of thing.

I use the spare key to open the main door and enter the house with steady steps. I didn't want to wake aunt or Pat. I slowly went in and laid on my bed. It was 3 am and I still wasn't able to sleep. All I could think of was Min's safety. Suddenly I hear loud music coming out from a car's stereo and I could hear loud noises. I look outside the window. It was Min coming out of a fancy car. I couldn't see anyone's face but I saw Min waving at her friends and smiling. Why doesn't she smile at me nowadays like that, I thought.

I wait for her to settle. I didn't want to confront her about what I witnessed today because I was scared that I might lose that tiniest of faith she has in me. After an hour I go to her room to check on her. She was in deep sleep. I slowly made my way towards her and lit her side lamp. She flinched, so I ducked down to hide. She sleeps again, so I slowly move her hair, away from her neck. "So it was a tattoo," I whisper to myself. I lift my phone to click a picture of her tattoo. After clicking the picture I switch the lamp off and slowly make my way out of the room.

I went over to Joy's place early in the morning and filled her up with the details of what had happened yesterday. She had no idea about Moonlight or that area within the club. She just promised to help me out with Min. Joy and I then went over to Alice's place who is a makeup artist and Joy's friend. We told her to make an exact copy of that tattoo on my neck that was on Min's neck. She was really friendly and kind to help us at such short notice. As evening approached, Joy kept an eye on Min while I dressed up.

"She's going!" Joy whispers.

"Okay, okay. I'm going." I take my sling from the hook.

"Ann," Joy said, she looked anxious. "Just call me if you need me."

"I will." I nod with a smile. "Don't worry."

This time the guards had let me enter the club. As I had thought earlier, this tattoo was basically a pass here. I went inside and grabbed a spot that would keep Min in my sight. I was sitting on a couch while Min sat on the bar stool waiting for someone. That someone arrived pretty shortly. I couldn't see him properly but I saw him from the side. He looks as if he's is in his mid-twenties. Is she dating him? If I went and confronted her here, she would most probably get angry. So I decided to observe them patiently from a distance.

That man and Min seemed quite intimate with the way they were sitting. He was saying something in her ear and she smiled in return. He then slowly moved closer to her and kissed her passionately. As he moved away Min seemed as if she was drugged. She seemed numb and wouldn't move. He grabbed her and bit her neck. I was shocked, I quickly made my way up to them and pushed him away. He smirked and wiped the blood off his lips with his thumb, I gulped with my eyes wide open. I shake Min slightly, in order to wake her but she wouldn't react.

"That's not gonna wake her." He said with a grin."You are so loud, I could hear you from a distance." He pretended to rub his ear.

"What do you mean?" I was irritated. "And who the hell are you?"

"Who do you think I am?" He said in a low deep voice. You seem like a vampire, I thought. "Bingo!" He laughed. "Guess it wasn't difficult at all." What the fuck?! Can this psycho read my mind or what?

"I came here to take my sister. I'll just take her then." I try to lift Min by keeping her arm on my shoulder. Her body was still numb and wouldn't react at all. "What did you do to her?" I bite my quivering lip. He just stood at a distance watching me with his arms folded across his chest.

"I'll bring your sister in a normal state and make her leave but." He smirks which brings back my anger. "You will have to become my blood bank in exchange for your sister." He backs me up against the wall. I was really angry. I wanted to punch this man in front of me and wipe that stupid grin off his face.

"Fine," I move away from him. "I'll take my sister's place." He didn't flinch, he tells me to follow him and makes his way to a table where 2 men and a woman were already seated. I quietly follow him.

"Isra." the woman gets up and greets him. "I want you to get a slave transfer contract." He says. His statement made me shudder.

He shifts the piece of paper along with the pen towards me. "Sign it, and then I will make your sister leave." I read through the contract and signed it.

"Good girl." He pats on my head and moves towards my sister. He snaps and makes a sound with his fingers and Min comes back to normal.

"It's done?" She asks him dumbfounded.

"Your contract has been transferred to someone else. Now you don't need to come here anymore." He tells her.

"But why? Am I not good anymore?" Her voice was pleading.

"Come on Min. Your embarrassing me. Our contract is over, you can leave." He looks into her eyes and she starts walking out. He smiles and makes his way towards me.

"I've done as you asked. Your sister will not come here anymore." He smiles.

"I will just check on my sister and be back." I force a smile. I make my way out and run as fast as I can.

"She is escaping our territory," Isra tells Dawn.

"I know. I read her mind." He laughs. "She is foolish. Knowing that I can read her mind, she made such a mistake."

"What are you planning?" She asks.

"I temporarily removed the charm off Min. I can still control her subconscious mind, she will come here if I call her which will compel her sister to come here as well." He plays with the rim of his glass and looks at Isra with a grin.

I ran with heels in my hand. It's alright if I look like a fool running barefoot in the middle of the night. As long as I lost sight of that club, everything was fine. Someone bumped into me while I was running. I almost fell but he caught onto me. I hold onto him. "Just a moment." I pant. "Let me just catch my breath," I say while looking back, in the fear that someone might be following. He doesn't reply but just keeps staring at me. "I'm fine. Now you can let me go." I push his hand away when he doesn't. As I am about to leave he grabs my arm.

"This is my card. Call me if you need me." He hands me his card and leaves. I take a glance at his card. "Vampire negotiator," it read. I look around but he was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he had vanished.