Chapter Four | Wide awake

Beauty

He disappeared again without saying goodbye. I don't even know where he sneaked in or came from. All I remember is I was sitting on top of this old tomb. I was busy writing when a crow landed on my shoulder. I pimped it several times, but he followed me one after the other, so I started yelling, shooing the crow away from me.

I didn't expect Mr. Dario would have heard my screams. Why is he here again? Right, he's visiting someone here. Maybe a relative which I forgot to ask. It's not that I want to be close to him; I'm curious. Mr. Dario was the only one who sent the crow away earlier, and before it came back, I had to leave.

I gathered my things and started to walk away. Slowly, I step away carefully, minding all the tombs I pass until an epitaph captures my attention.

Dario 1850-1920

Dario 1922-1975

Dario 1977-1994

It's three graves bearing the same surname as my professor has. I'm sure they're part of Mr. Dario's family. I finally confirmed that he was not a ghost or from another dimension. But where did the wind come from yesterday if the windows were closed?

I took a deep breath. I'll stick to hallucinations for now. I looked around, and when I saw a flower, I immediately picked it up and put it on the grave of Mr. Dario's relatives. Then, I utter silent prayers for their souls before leaving for home.

"Where are you from, Beau?" Helene asked as she treated the wound I sustained when I tripped earlier. She cleaned it up and gave me medicine to fight the infection. I couldn't help but cringe when she put betadine on it and then covered it with gauze.

"In the cemetery." Helene suddenly left me and went to the kitchen. When she returned, she had a jar of Himalayan rock salt that she threw at me. "Hey! Helene, stop it! It's not like I invited everyone there into our house."

"You didn't invite, but there is a clingy ghost that comes along even if you don't invite them."

"You believe that?" She frowned at me.

It's not that I'm against Helene's belief, but I don't believe in ghosts. I know that Helene was born into a family of psychics, which is why she went with Matt. She got tired of that, and Helene didn't believe she had a 'gift' either. She didn't know yet nor recognize it. That was the right thing to say.

"You still need to shake off the uninvited clinging on you, Beauty." She kept throwing salt at me. That cost too much, and I can't stand her wasting any of it. In my annoyance, I left her and did my thing inside my room. I was about to enter my room but stopped when I saw Matt talking to someone outside. "What's the matter, Beauty?"

"They're here," I answered.

"Who?"

"My Dad's family."

I let out a deep sigh and finally went to my room. I'm sure they're not here to check on me. There is only one reason why they are here now in my house.

They need money from me.

***

I shouldn't have thought twice about cutting my ties with Daddy's family. All they want from me is his money. They dare to come here and then ask for the money because they are among the immediate recipients of Daddy's insurance money. They're greedy, so I'm here now, leaving the house crying. Even though it was late, I thought of going to any place to get some fresh air.

I was about to exit our gate but stopped when I bumped into a firm and masculine body.

"Mr. Dario?" I asked the person I bumped into carefully. "How did you know I live here?"

"School database." I nodded immediately after he answered. "I came to return this." It's my notebook which I didn't know that I had dropped. I couldn't pay attention to my things because of the sudden visit of Daddy's family. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I'll walk around to breathe normal air. It's suffocating inside."

"I'll walk with you, then." I didn't protest anymore, and I think I could trust Mr. Dario. "It's dangerous to walk alone, especially now that a group of professors has been found dead again."

"Who are they?"

"My workmates. Ms. Bitavarra, Mr. De Leon, Mr. Ruiz and Ms. Leonedes."

"Murdered?"

"By wild animals." I don't want to settle on that reason. Four professors were found dead. Before that, a woman was also found dead with a bite mark on her neck. Murdered by wild animals was also the speculation of the police the other day. There's no way I would believe in them. "What are you thinking, Ms. Carisi?"

I looked at Mr. Dario; his good eyes delved into mine, and I saw how they changed from bright to dark.

"Nothing. I remembered the toxic scene at home." Of course, that's my excuse, so my life doesn't become an open book to others. "What are you doing outside aside from giving back my notebook?"

"I also want some fresh night air, Ms. Carisi. Even if our air is polluted, home toxicity is suffocating."

"You too? I don't want to feel glad about it, but it's comforting to meet someone carrying the same dilemma as mine."

I saw that Mr. Dario smiled. A kind of smile that's mischievously charming. He's mysterious, but I'm not Beauty Carisi or Serene if I don't like a mystery. A part of my mind tells me to get to know him better. I guess curiosity makes my mind alive, especially at this point.

"Mine surpasses the normal level of toxicity in this world." I smiled and couldn't help but look at the moon. It's fat, but half of it is missing. However, she was not less beautiful then, but there was a part of me that was secretly annoyed with her. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion, but when I opened your notebook, I saw story outlines. Are you a writer?"

"Yes, I am. People know me by my name, and some call me Serene. That's my pen name."

The dark aura on Mr. Dario's face faded upon hearing my introduction. "You are that writer?!" I couldn't help but be surprised by the way he asked. The emotions I see on his face are mixed. Emotions that others cannot name. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

I looked at my professor. His eyes are twinkling now as if admitting my identity as a writer a piece of good news to him. I didn't think he was my reader.

It's not on his aura, and it's odd. Odd.

He could pass as a playful man, but being vampire-romance suckers, it's pretty unexpected. He is making me want to know more about him.

"Which novel are you now?" I ask as we continue walking towards nowhere. It's not necessary anymore as long as I'm outside the premises of my home.

He is my reader, so I have to entertain him. But Matt warned me to set limitations in every conversation I have with my readers. I should maintain my privacy and let no one be obsessed with me. I don't want to repeat the past when a reader stalked me and broke into our house to watch me sleeping. That's why Matt keeps all my social engagements closed.

"The Vampire's Muse. I'm almost done. Wondering how you know all the vampire's traits?"

"I research. I love to read books about vampires too. Some, of course, were fictional, products of my imagination."

"Yeah, I noticed that." I just met a reader who noticed which of my writings is fictional and which is not. "But for a normal reader, they can't notice it."

"Are you saying you're not normal?"

"Extraordinary, that's me," I chuckled as I continued walking towards the cemetery. I just noticed that we are on our way here. How deep is the conversation between the two of us? "Which family member suffocated you a while ago?"

"My dad's side. They're greedy."

"Human traits."

"You're human too. You have the same greed as we are in this world." Mr. Dario nodded and agreed with what was said. "I want them all to disappear. I'm fine on my own here with Matt and Helene. I don't need them."

"Family ties are as tight as the rope in the flag pole. It's either they will pull you up or down." I looked at him and suddenly stopped walking. Mr. Dario stopped, and we were right in front of the cemetery. "It's getting late. You should head back home now."

I looked around, and I remembered I had to walk in a dark alley to get back home. Even though I write paranormal novels, I still get scared. A side of my brain wanted to ask Mr. Dario to walk with me again because it's creepy, and the wind gives me chilly feelings. I don't even have a cell phone to call Matt.

How do I get home?

"I'll walk you back home." My face lit up when I heard what Mr. Dario said. "I want to ask you about the one you're working on now."

"I will only say clips, but the entire story,"

"Deal." We started walking back. "It's about a Historian who falls in love with a century-old vampire. Everything is outdated and new to the vampire after he woke up from a long sleep."

"That's interesting." I don't know, but I just thought of writing about century-old vampires. "I look forward to reading it in books."

"The pressure you gave me is already above my head. I still can't believe that my mysterious professor is one of my readers. How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Disappear like a ghost."

"I'm not. Maybe you're hallucinating." Maybe Mr. Dario is correct. I felt like I was in a loony bin and was too distracted, so I didn't notice that he had left. "Ms. Carisi."

I looked at Mr. Dario when he called me. Our eyes met, and I couldn't resist his beautiful gaze on mine. I gulp hard, never breaking our gaze on each other.

"Beauty." A baritone voice called me by my name, which woke me up. "What are you doing outside?"

My forehead was wrinkled, and I seemed unconsciously hug myself when the strong wind blew. Did I dream while I was wide awake? What was my dream exactly?

"What am I doing here?"

"I don't know about you either. Let's go where you can rest."