1 "Playing Detective"
PROLOGUE
It's just 4:55 in the afternoon yet it feels like the temperature just dropped five more degrees. It has been snowing for weeks now, way ahead from the anticipated start of winter. Not that heavy yet, but cold enough for people to start wearing thicker clothes.
The people of Eunoia are already used to this. The world is not the same anymore. Due to the extensive effects of global warming, the weather remains unstable and almost half of the planet is now inhabitable.
Eunoia is among the countries that remain safe for both humans and vampires, where the temperature never exceeds twenty-six degrees Celsius and the sky remains dim most of the time.
Not far from the walls of Wisteria, the capital of Eunoia, stood the renowned pub called Old Coney. It is among the oldest establishments outside the walls, initially built to accompany people through their loss during The Wipe Out. Now it just serves as a frequent meeting place for vampires and humans, especially for confidential businesses.
At the back corner of the pub sat a man in his 50's. On his table rests a leather bag, flat on its back. He has been fixing the rim of his glasses for a while now, attentively lifting his head every time the door chimes.
A man wearing a long brown coat and grey hat enters the pub. The cold wind rushes in as he opens the door. He took his time, searching for the man he is about to meet. Once spotted, he politely closes the door then approaches.
He calmly drags the chair and sits opposite the old man. He appears to be in his 30's but his gestures say that he is much older. The pub's light showed how the shade of his crimson eyes intensifies as he glares.
"You got some nerve contacting me again." He tries to keep his voice down despite the frustration in his tone. He takes off his hat, brushing off flakes of snow as he lays it on the table. He rustles his hair then lays back comfortably on the chair.
The older man opens the leather bag and pulls out eight cream-colored folders. "Thank you for meeting me, Kalvick." He took one of the folders and flips it open. It contains three sheets of paper with a picture of a woman. Below the picture are a few details about her disappearance.
"What's this?" the younger man asked, narrowing his brows. He knows what this man is implying but he wants to hear it from him, just to make things clear.
"People are going missing here in Oblivia." The old man pushes the papers towards the vampire. "I know about the bodies."
"Do you now?" The vampire kept himself distracted, facing the glass window of the pub. Watching the streets go dim and street lights flicker. "You still have connections huh?"
"Some of them still kept in touch."
"Yeah, except me." He turns to face him. "What do you want anyway?"
"I need your help." There is frustration in his tone, almost shaky and teary. His fear being fought off by determination. His eyes focused, pretending to be brave. "We need to do something about it."
"We?" He chuckles, grabbing the papers to look at them closely. He then glares at the man. "Same old Toto, meddling with things he couldn't handle."
"If this gets out of hand, this won't be just humans' problem. It's going to be your kind's problem too."
The vampire clenches his fist. "And since when do you care about us? I'm done dealing with your kind or my kind's issues. You took away that right from me! Remember?" He slams his fist on the table. The loud thud made the five customers opposite their table stare at them. He was about to raise his voice when the waitress came to serve them some drinks.
"Are we good, gentlemen?" the waitress asked as she lays the drinks on their table. As much as she doesn't want to barge in their conversation, she is obliged to interfere in order to maintain peace in the pub.
Kalvick kept his head down while Toto politely smiles at the waitress and thanks her for the drinks. This permitted her to leave and return to her station at the bar.
Toto takes a sip from his pint then clears his throat before speaking in a softer tone. "I'm sorry. I know I've done you wrong. So many wrong things that I couldn't take back anymore." He gently pushes, offering the steaming tea cup towards the vampire. "But I really think we need to handle this as a team." Looking away, he recalls a memory he wished he could forget. A memory he never thought he'd look back again. "Please. For her…"
The vampire, who is now calm and collected, lifts the tea cup to sip. He then puts it back on its saucer. He closes his eyes then exhales deeply before speaking. "So, where do we start?" he asked. His eyes now gradually change from crimson to grayish blue.
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Toto has been missing for two days now. His daughters, Stella and Cora, almost haven't slept since then. Though being aware of their father's tedious job, it is never in his nature to neglect leaving a message, especially when he can't go home.
The snow already grew five inches thicker overnight. Stella takes a peek through the window one last time before shutting it. She then pulls down the blinds before brushing off bits of snow past the window sill.
Cora just finished lighting up the fireplace, rubbing her hands together before tucking them in her pockets. She remains quiet as she leans down, almost hiding her face in her long curly rose brown hair. She has been brooding about the possibilities of their father's disappearance all night. She is good at this. Thinking of the worst. Not that she wanted the worst to happen. But she prefers to prepare her feelings for what's ahead. It's part of her defense mechanism.
"He's gonna be back soon. Don't worry," Stella said, looking back at her sister, trying to break the silence. She is the optimistic one. She prefers to look at the good possibilities and solutions. For her, there is always hope.
The little sister just kept sitting still, staring at the flames as it engulfs the chunks of wood. "I don't think so," she mumbles.
"Hmm… Why is that?" Stella sits beside her then leans forward to warm her hands. She knows what her sister is thinking. She couldn't blame her. It's been days.
They did everything they could. They immediately contacted the sheriff on the first day. But the sisters are getting impatient now. Waiting for days without news makes them upset, almost losing faith at the authorities if only they didn't know the sheriff personally.
She went back staring at the ember, her mind stirring with these memories, scenarios that she can't seem to shake off. "There's something off with Papa these past few days."
"What do you mean?"
"Last Sunday, Papa came home from work early. I offered him some key lime pie and he rejected it. He never rejects my pies. Ever."
"Maybe he's just not hungry? Bad day at work?"
"No. Listen. He rejected my pie then went straight to his office. Then I heard a loud sound. Kinda like when you slammed something on a table. I was about to knock and ask if he's okay but then I heard him talking to someone on the phone. I didn't mean to eavesdrop but it's quite loud."
"And what did you hear?"
"All I heard is him saying, 'Please! I need to talk to you!'. He sounds desperate. I wanted to ask him about it but… You know Papa. He likes dealing with his issues on his own."
"Hmm… Come to think of it, Papa has been locking himself in the office way too often lately. Which is odd because he doesn't usually stay there until after dinner."
Snapping her fingers. "See? Something's going on and maybe that's the reason why Papa is missing." She immediately gets up.
"But what could it be?"
"There's only one way to find out." Cora hurriedly ran upstairs to their father's office. Toto specifically instructed that the office is off limits and his daughters respect it by heart. But due to his current situation, she assumes this is the right time to break the rule.
Stella immediately follows her. "Wait! Cora! I don't think that's--"
But it's too late. Her sister already turned the knob and by surprise, the door swung open. They thought it's always locked. They both peered in and all they saw is a messy desk with stacked folders and books pilled up on the floor. Every pile is leaning against each other. One wrong move and they could collapse like dominoes. An odd sight because their father does not deal with this much papers. He is a courier guy. He doesn't need to keep this much files for work.
"No wonder he won't let us in. This will take us weeks to clean up!" Cora pointing out the clutter.
The sisters carefully invades the room. It is so crowded that taking a step further is like walking into a landmine. Stella accidentally trips over a stack of folders lying on the floor. The folders' contents scattered out of order.
The contents caught Cora's attention. "What the--."
There are gruesome pictures in it. Among the pictures is an image of a few buildings and homes where the crimes were committed. None of these seem to belong within Oblivia but one definitely hooked Cora's curiosity. An image of an old church. She was about to take a closer look at it when her sister hovers on her shoulder.
"What are those?" Stella covers her mouth in shock.
The sisters don't usually get squeamish when it comes to sight of macabre. They are very fond of old crime stories and horror movies. But this is the real life and murders aren't that usual in Oblivia. There aren't much major crimes happening here since the Highborns started governing the country.
"It seems like Papa has a weird hobby," Cora flips more pages only to see more grim photos. She reads the notes on each paper, searching for some clue as to whom these pictures belong to but there is none.
"They're case files," She grabs a folder. "But the authorities never release case files to civilians."
"I don't think these are official case files," Cora pulls out a page, showing it to her sister. "These papers don't have the authorities' seal. Papa personally compiled these. Or at least some other official does and shares them with him. But why is he playing detective?"
The older sister inspects the desk and saw a sticky note plastered on a hardbound book. She took it and read out loud. "Kalvick Rosen. Old Coney. July 13, 2034. 5:00 p.m."
"July 13. That's two days ago. Wait. Kalvick Rosen. Uncle Kalvick? Isn't he the vampire who used to bring those very sweet chocolates when we were kids?" Cora asked as she presses her finger against her lip, trying to recall Kalvick's face.
"Yeah. Uncle Kalvick. I remember, you used to be so fond of him. You once said you wanted to marry someone like him," Stella teases.
"I did not!" Looks away, pouting. "But I really wonder what happened between him and Papa… I must admit. I missed him a lot."
"Papa told us not to trust him anymore," the older sister said as she folds then tucks the sticky note in her pocket. "But if we shouldn't trust him, then why is he meeting up with him again?"
"Whatever it is, it must be related to these files," Cora said while cautiously walking around the room. She accidentally trips over a stack of boxes, pulling down the black cloth covering the board. On the board are more images pinned and connected by strings of different colors. Among them are pictures of people with their names written below.
"France Skinner, Pascal Thacker, Pristine Chap--" Cora counts all the pictures on the board. "These are all the eight missing persons in Oblivia. Four bodies were found and four more are still missing." Below the pictures are other images of strangers adjacent to some crime scene photos. She stares closely at one specific photo then suddenly froze.
"Cora? What is it?"
"There are bite marks." Squinting her eyes to look closer then looks up, inspecting the rest of the pictures on the board. "These people." She looks back at her sister, shaken up. "It seems like they're all killed by vampires."
"But if vampires are involved, then why aren't the Highborns doing anything?" Unlike her father and sister, Stella never doubted the Highborns. Despite being aware of their ravenous nature, she believes that there is still some humanity in them, that is why they remain merciful and just.
"Isn't it obvious? They're covering it up. We never heard any news about these. The missing persons, yes. But the murders? None. If this goes out to the public, it will cause panic to Oblivia, every city and town outside Wisteria. The whole Eunoia! It means that the Highborns can no longer control their kind."
Wisteria, the center capital of the country Eunoia, is a highly sophisticated city where vampires and humans can live together without boundaries. A place where vampire fanatics and humans who apply as Givers and Consorts thrive just to get closer to their masters. It is built within walls, separating it from the outside cities like Oblivia. It is the Highborns' way of protecting humanity from their own kind. That despite the harmony between two kinds, they still believe that vampires have to be in controlled environment especially when their population is growing.
No vampire-related crimes have been recorded outside Wisteria ever.
Stella leans forward to reach out something on the board. She pulls a piece of yellow paper from the pin. "What's this?" Showing a sketch of an odd-shaped dagger.
"I've seen that somewhere," Cora drags her finger across the board, inspecting every detail of the crime scene photos. "Ah! There it is!" She points at a crime scene picture of a body part, showing a scar of the same shape as the drawing on its wrist. "That same scar appears on most of the severed body parts but there's no clue as to whom they belong to."
Stella pulls out her phone and takes pictures of everything that was placed on the board. She was about to walk towards the table to take pictures of the other files when she noticed something odd. "Do you smell that?"
"What?"
"It smells like smoke."
"Must be the fireplace. I'll go check and see AH--!" Cora touched the door knob and it burned her. Using her other hand, she immediately grabbed the chair and threw it to the window.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"There is fire behind that door. If I open it now, it'll kill us both. We have to jump."
"Are you crazy?! It's two floors down!"
"There's like fifteen inches of snow outside. It's better to have broken bones than-- What the hell! There's no time to explain!" She immediately grabs her sister's hand then drags her towards the broken window. "JUMP!"
The sisters jumped and landed on a thick patch of snow. They both ducked as they heard a loud explosion coming from their house.
Looking back, they couldn't do anything but just watch the fire consume their home, along with its treasured memories.
Cora wasn't able to hold back her tears anymore. She began sobbing in her sister's arms as their lives slowly turn into ash. Having a heart of stone doesn't work tonight. The defense mechanism failed her.
"It's gonna be okay," Stella continues to comfort her. "We'll get through this. I promise."
