Soft and the Strong Hearted.

"That was fast," Perdita said to herself with a laugh. She had failed to escape the woman who was quick to appear at her stall this evening. Why not create fear in her? It would be entertaining! There's no harm in having fun. Is there?

Perdita chuckled to herself before following behind Mrs. Perkin. Now outside the forest, Mrs. Perkin seemed to have regained her composure.

The fear of vampires had always been something that is passed from generation to generation. Despite their hatred towards them, they also held an equal fear for the night creatures. That was why they didn't want to live together or have anything to do with vampires.

Mrs. Perkin who had stopped running didn't notice the mischievous smile that was on Perdita's face. Her eyes fearfully gauged her surrounding to see if any vampire will suddenly come out and attack them.

Perdita took her time in reaching where Mrs. Perkin was standing. She held the bag she hung across her shoulders and suggested to Mrs. Perkin.

"Why don't we go and look for your husband in the village security building?" Though it was a suggestion, Perdita had said it so the older woman will give up and allow her to return home. She was already tired from today's work, and to be walking around searching for a man she knew how he went missing was wearing out the last strength in her body.

Mrs. Perkin instinctively backed away from Perdita as if she was now the head warden who wanted to drag her back to the cell.

"No!" She shrieked in a loud "I don't think he's there. In fact, he's not there" Mrs. Perkin's voice sounded like she was about to cry. She didn't want to go back there. Remembering that dirty and ugly smell she inhaled for the few hours she was in there, she didn't want to experience it again.

It was working. Perdita smiled in her head. Pretending as if she cared, she continued to persuade the woman. "But we won't know whether he's there or not if we don't take a look. It's just for some minutes, it won't take long"

"No, no, no, Perdita. You know what, I searched there but I didn't see him. So he's not there. He couldn't have gone there. He's not a criminal"

"Not all criminals go there" Perdita stated in an obvious tone. "What if he was wrongly held in custody?" Perdita's words sounded off and it made Mrs. Perkin's face fall.

"I…I'm sorry" Perdita apologized realizing her mistake "I d…"

"No, it's fine. Don't apologize. It happens sometimes. But I'm sure he's not there. I asked one of the wardens to help me and search for him, but he did not find him"

"Are you sure? Then maybe we should go ho…" Perdita started and was interrupted by Mrs. Perkin again.

"I have a feeling he might be somewhere in that alley"

"In the a…alley?" Perdita quizzed to make sure she heard correctly.

"Yes," Mrs. Perkin confirmed her statement with a nod "I know he's there. Let's go and search for him. If I'm lucky, we will find him there"

And I'll be doomed! Perdita screamed in her head. "Mrs. Perkin, I don't think it's a good idea to go to the alley."

Mrs. Perkin turned to give Perdita a narrowed look "Why do you say that?"

Perdita nervously scratched her head. "Don't get me wrong, Mrs. Perkin. What I meant to say was, why would he go there? No one will go there except these bad men and thieves. I get scared whenever I pass through there"

Mrs. Perkin frowned "My husband is a good man, Perdita"

Good man my foot. Perdita sneered in her head. "I did not say he was bad, Mrs. Perkin. If you want, we can go and search for him."

"Come on then, we have wasted a lot of time here arguing" Mrs. Perkin hissed and started walking in the direction that led to the alley.

Calm down Perdita, calm down. She won't find anything suspicious. After all, Mr. Perkin is not there. Perdita breathed in and out to soothe her beating heart. If Mrs. Perkin was a vampire, she could have heard the way her heart was pounding in her chest. Why did I even help to release her?! Ugh!

The false story she had told in an attempt to scare Mrs. Perkin away from the forest, now backfired on her. Come what may, if she found anything suspicious, she will hit her head the same way she did to her husband. The only problem was that she didn't have anywhere to hide her since Sthena was not there. God Perdita! When did you turn this bad?! Perdita internally scolded herself. Well, when your safety is at stake, one would do anything.

Reaching the alley, Mrs. Perkin suggested that they split in two. While Mrs. Perkin went the other way, Perdita took another way. But immediately Mrs. Perkin walked away, Perdita stopped walking and stood where she was.

What was she going to search for? The man she had knocked unconscious? Better she took a rest than walk around. Perdita saw a hidden place and went there to relax and wait for Mrs. Perkin. When she gets tired, she will return.

Perdita found a good spot to sit and she rested her head on the wall behind her while taking her sweet rest. She stayed for some minutes until she heard,

"My, my, my, what do we have here?" A voice sounded over Perdita's head. She gasped in fright and immediately turned around to see who it was, only to see it was the red-haired vampire.

"You scared me," Perdita breathed out in relief.

"Well, shouldn't you be scared?" Sthena questioned in a dead tone void of humor. His red eyes shone in the dark place they were in. It made him look wild together with his red hair. The way the words sounded made Perdita look at him again in surprise and a little warning bell rang in her head.

Sthena chuckled darkly. His dark glacial red eyes twinkled with wickedness "You're now scared"

"What are you doing here?" Perdita queried as her green eyes continued watching every move Sthena made. She didn't want to let her guard down after Sthena uttered those scary words that made her want to bolt out of there.

"I should be the one asking you that, green eyes"

Perdita's face immediately darkened as she glared directly at Sthena "Why do both of you call me that?"

Sthena glanced at Perdita with slight confusion "Call you what? Oh, you mean green eyes? Well, isn't that the color of your eyes?"

"I'm not green eyes. My name is Perdita" She snapped at Sthena.

"What's the difference?"

"And why do you both speak the same way" she remembered the other man saying exactly what Sthena was saying now.

"Who?" Sthena questioned in confusion for the second time before he realized the person she was talking about.

"You mean Daemon? You can say I influenced him to speak and act like me. I'm wonderful at being someone's companion just like I am accompanying you now. So you should be careful before you start speaking and behaving like me" Sthena laughed at end of his talk. He looked around and also saw a nice place to sit.

"Daemon" Perdita said under her breath. So that is the name of that man.

Perdita felt her head throb in pain. She glanced at Sthena who was making himself comfortable on an old wooden chair. How she wished the chair will break and perhaps suck some broken pieces into his bottom. The thought made a small laugh escape her lips when she imagined how Sthena will scrunch his face in pain.

"The last person that had that kind of look on his face died near me," Sthena remarked in a casual tone but the underlying meaning of his words was not mistaken by Perdita.

"What?" Perdita's brows rose in question and her heart also skipped a beat. Coupled with Sthena's earlier words and the one he said now, Perdita started feeling conscious of this red-haired vampire.

With the time she had spent with him, she noticed his demeanor sometimes made someone comfortable and sometimes he raised goosebumps on one's body. And right now what Perdita was feeling was not the usual goosebumps but something that slowly slipped into her body telling her that this man was more than what meets the eye.

Sthena's lips pulled up as a smile crept on his sharp handsome face. Perdita had to blink twice to make sure she was seeing right. Some seconds ago, Sthena looked like he will snap her neck. But now? He was smiling at her like he hadn't uttered a word.

"I heard about the good you did yesterday from Daemon. Though I must say you were kind of stupid" Sthena threw the words at Perdita still smiling.

"Who will save the wife of the man that wants her dead? Only you would do that. And now you're helping her look for the same man. You surprise me. Tsk" Sthena clicked his tongue and shook his head while he mockingly looked at Perdita.

"Not everyone is strong-hearted like you" Perdita snapped back with a frown on her face for being called stupid when she was only helping someone who was wrongly accused.

"If helping someone that will be the death of you someday will make you a soft-hearted person, then I think soft-hearted shouldn't be the word here. I'll rather call the person a dimwit" Sthena replied with the same vigor as Perdita who was more than infuriated with him.

"I thought you were better than some narrow-minded people. But I guess I expected much from you. Excuse me," Perdita stood up and turned to leave.

Sthena's brows furrowed and his red eyes became darker than it was before. He felt his skin prick in anger directed towards Perdita who was about to leave.

Standing up, he suppressed the urge to show her what a narrow-minded would do. He went and stood behind her and whispered, "Not everyone who stays beside me with an attitude as yours is fortunate to see the light of day again. Consider yourself lucky. Happy Halloween in advance" And with that, he teleported from there.

Before Perdita could register and understand what Sthena's told her, Mrs. Perkin walked towards her from the other direction she had gone to.

"Did you find him?" Mrs. Perkin asked Perdita who stood like a statue. Perdita shook her head to a no.

"I'm going home, Mrs. Perkin. It's late and I'm tired" Perdita announced with a mixed expression on her face.

"Aye, it's late. Tomorrow I'll continue to look for him. Or I will go to the village security office and report him missing" Mrs. Perkin continued chattering as they left the alley before going to their various homes.