7 Stranger

"The ritual."

Astraea fixed her gaze on Ophelia. Astraea knew there had to be a vampire ritual before she could begin witchcraft training. But she hadn't expected Ophelia to start everything so quickly. Ophelia ignored Astraea and went to another shop, while Astraea and David trailed behind.

Ophelia looked around her before turning to face Astraea and whispered. "Look around at everyone and tell me what you think they're feeling."

Astraea squinted her eyes at the passers-by, trying to discern their moods, but all she saw were people going about their business. "Neutral?"

Ophelia looked at Astraea, then at the audience, before speaking in a reprimanding tone. "A skilled human should be able to look someone in the eyes and tell their mood, whereas a vampire can simply sniff it out."

Astraea looked perplexed. "If this is a vampire skill, why should I learn it as a human?"

Ophelia sighed in frustration as she replied, "You don't learn this as a vampire. It just happens. It's something that will haunt you if you go into town or anywhere crowded. Knowing how to identify a human emotion as a human will help you deal with it better."

Astraea nodded in understanding and decided to get to work on it. Ophelia detailed the habits for each emotion as they walked. "Remember that being able to do it as a human does not remove the pain of doing it as a vampire because there is more to it. Certain things are invisible to human eyes, but a vampire's senses can detect them immediately."

They walked into a shop and took a look around. When David saw that Astraea and Ophelia were no longer having a lesson, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to approach Astraea when she walked away in the direction of Ophelia. David reached out his hand and opened his mouth to call out to her. But he drew back and closed his mouth before walking away from the shop's contents.

"Is it possible for me to see the list? I'll see what I can do." Ophelia stared at Astraea for a moment before pulling the paper from thin air. Astraea assumed she was employing spatial magic, one of the more difficult spells to master. Astraea stared at Ophelia in admiration before shaking her head and looking at the list.

If Astraea is certain of anything about herself, it is her memory. When the palace teachers saw how much Astraea could remember, they were always surprised.

Astraea picked up a red stone and showed it to Ophelia. Ophelia nodded, pointing to the basket she was carrying around despite the fact that she didn't need it because she could use spatial magic.

They kept shopping like this for a while, and before long, the sky had lost its blue color. The three had gathered all of their belongings and were ready to return to the cabin. The walk back was quiet, but not as awkward as it had been. David tripped over a twisted tree and nearly fell face first, but Astraea caught his arm and helped him balance. Ophelia shook her head as she perceived them. 'Well, they need as much time together as they can get because they won't be together for long.'

The path widened and widened until the small cabin was visible. Because of the strong wind, the crystals collided and made a pleasant jingling sound.

The three entered the cabin and went straight to their designated spaces. Astraea sat up for hours, contemplating the future. She never imagined her life would turn out this way. She didn't mind being outside the castle; in fact, she would have preferred to be outside under different circumstances.

Of course, Astraea didn't sit around for hours thinking about how bad her life is. She also considered her plans. Her destiny was to become a Vampire-Witch and marry the King, but how would they meet? People say that fate works in mysterious ways, but she didn't see this fate working out, and she didn't mind as long as she avoided the palace. Astraea and his Majesty will never meet because, according to stories, he never leaves his castle unless it is for military purposes.

Astraea eventually fell asleep because her mind was not yet strong enough to resist fatigue. Looking back on her previously sheltered life, this was to be expected.

__________________________________

Astraea's long eyelashes fluttered open, and she gazed at the ceiling for a few moments before pulling herself up and swinging her legs off the bed. As she stood up, her feet touched the hard wooden floor, and she pushed her weight to her feet. Astraea went to the bathroom Ophelia had shown her and freshened up before navigating the maze-like cabin. When Astraea arrived at the dining table, she sighed and sat down.

When Ophelia spoke, she didn't even look at her. "Now that her 'Highness' has arrived," Ophelia emphasized the title and finally looked at Astraea with questioning eyes, that asked. 'Could you possibly be any later?' Astraea was aware of her tardiness because the annoying clock on the wall -not far from the table- had indicated that it was nearly noon.

"Please accept my apologies, ma'am; I overslept." Astraea wasn't a wimp, but she knew when she was wrong. Astraea took up a fork and looked at the stack of pancakes in front of her, which had probably gone cold, happy that she had something to eat, she had money, but there might come a time when she'll need it.

Ophelia sighed and pushed the chair out of the way before standing up. "The ritual will take place tomorrow." "You two, spend a relaxing day in the woods or something," she said as she moved down the long table, smirking at David as she passed him. Ophelia yelled as she exited the room.

Astraea turned to face David, who was sitting behind an empty plate, looking around the room and twiddling his thumb. As Ophelia had said, Astraea observed him and watched his every move. 'He appears nervous.' Astraea mused. "Are you okay?" she asked, looking at him with concern.

His head snapped to her in surprise, and he nodded and stood up, picking up his plate as he went to the kitchen. Astraea watched and waited as David washed his plate with the supplies he'd been given. "You are my guard, not my maid," Astraea said when David offered to clean her dish.

"Are we heading into the woods?" As he dried his hands, David inquired. Astraea cast a glance at him before returning her attention to the plate she was scrubbing. Her thoughts wandered to the woods, and Astraea remembered how they got lost, but something pushed her, telling her to go there. She welcomed the sensation.

She returned the plate to its proper place and nodded to David as she dried her hands. They moved to get ready, and a few minutes later, they were both standing on the cabin's porch. Astraea smiled and waited for him to take the lead because she had no idea where they were going. "Follow the wisps if you get lost," Ophelia said from the cabin door. Astraea thanked her, and the two of them set off for the woods.

They'd been walking in silence for a while, and Astraea kept giving sidelong glances at David, concerned. He appeared to be on edge. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. "Do you have anything on your mind?" Astraea inquired as she swerved to avoid a spiky tree branch.

David looked everywhere except for Astraea. He was afraid that if he looked her in the eyes, she would figure him out. Ophelia had been giving him warning glances all day yesterday. It wasn't bothering him, but when she suggested that Astraea spend the day with him at breakfast, he became concerned. Ophelia then smirked at him. He was concerned that his time on Earth would be coming to an end soon.

David shook his head and sped up his steps to avoid Astraea's stare. Astraea shook her head and looked away from him for a moment before returning her gaze to the tall forest trees that made her smile. She resolved to question him about it later.

She took another look around to make sure she wasn't tripping over anything. Astraea, on the other hand, looked perplexed when she noticed David was missing. She frantically searched the woods for him, a worried expression on her face, tears welling up in her eyes, and she dashed forward to the last place she saw him going. "David!" "If this is a joke, I'll never forgive you!" she exclaimed. Her voice cracked as she spoke; she couldn't imagine David cracking a joke like this. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she refused to give up. Astraea ran for several minutes before reaching a clearing. She came to a halt, panting heavily.

When Astraea looked around, she noticed a hooded figure sitting on a log. The individual had broad shoulders that could only be attributed to a man. Astraea would have assumed the person in front of her was David if it hadn't been for his build; David isn't scrawny, but he isn't as built as the person in front of her. Without even realizing it, Astraea found herself walking towards the person.

"Good day, stranger."