Chapter 1
The moon hung high above the little town of Pinewood, its light spilling over the landscape like silver mist. I sat cross-legged on the damp grass beneath the great oak tree at the edge of the forest, staring up at the sky, thinking deep thoughts that only a human could muster.
“Why must the stars exist, when no one’s there to appreciate them?” I murmured to myself, a half-smile playing on my lips.
Suddenly, a familiar rustling interrupted my musings. I turned my head, grinning as I watched Taehyung step out from behind a cluster of trees. His dark hair tumbled over his forehead — a wild mess that somehow seemed to accentuate his illuminating smile. My heart fluttered slightly; he always had that effect on me.
“Lost in thought again, Maria?” Taehyung’s deep voice sent shivers down my spine. He closed the distance between us in one elegant stride.
“Just trying to understand the universe, you know? There’s so much out there. So many stars,” I replied, gesturing vaguely to the sky. “But sometimes it feels like I'm the only one here who notices.”
He chuckled, a sound so rich and warm it wrapped around me like a blanket. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“Impossible? Or unique?” I shot back playfully, pretending to glower at him.
“Definitely unique.” He leaned down, his face just inches from mine. “And that’s why we keep you around. Who else would have the gall to sit here and converse with creatures like us?”
His words carried a weight, one I didn’t fully understand — creatures like us. I laughed lightly, pretending to bat away his compliments. “You’re just saying that because I’m the only human in your strange little group.”
“Not just any human.” Taehyung’s eyes glinted like the stars above us. “You’re...” He hesitated, searching for a word that was either too grand or too simple for how I made him feel. “...different.”
I didn’t know what he meant by that, but a quick glance at his wolfish grin sent a blush creeping to my cheeks.
“Hey, where are the others?” I asked, glancing around nervously. Despite spending time with Taehyung and the rest of his vampire friends, there was always a small part of me that worried I was intruding on their world, that they would suddenly grow weary of my human presence.
“Jimin and Jungkook are doing their usual rounds,” he explained. “They’re probably fighting off rogue vampires somewhere.” He smirked, as if envisioning a mental image of them in some ridiculous scenario. “And the others are keeping safe… Well, as safe as one can be in this town.”
The mention of the others made me feel this warm bubble of belonging swell in my chest. They were fiercely protective of me, a fact that both comforted and confused me. What did I do to earn such loyalty? I was just Maria, an average girl with an affinity for stars and strange friends.
“Sometimes, I wonder if you guys are overprotective because I’m… a girl,” I pondered aloud, twirling a strand of my hair between my fingers. “I mean, I can handle myself. I’ve been on my own long enough to know how to look after, uh, my…” I stumbled over the word ‘friends,’ as I struggled to comprehend the hidden depths of our relationship.
“Maria, it’s not that you’re a girl,” Taehyung interjected firmly, his voice lending a seriousness that froze the playful tone in my heart. “It’s because you’re… you. And you’re not just a human being.” He locked his gaze onto mine, his dark eyes searching mine for something I couldn’t quite grasp.
I tilted my head, intrigued but still irked. “What do you mean, not just a human? I’m not special, Taehyung. I mean, I’m just… me. I’m as human as it gets.”
He let out a breath he seemed to be holding, running a hand through his hair as if to steady himself. “The truth is, Maria… you are special. You smell different from other humans. It’s not just your laugh or that funny way you squint at the sun. It’s something deeper. Something… inexplicable.”
Here we were, sharing secrets beneath the silver glow of the moon, and yet there was an undeniable tension hovering between us, fueled by unspoken words. “Maybe I should take you to some alien expert,” I tried to joke, hoping to ease the intensity of the moment. “I could ask them why I don’t smell like a regular person. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Taehyung chuckled softly, but his eyes remained serious. “Maybe it’s not about what you are, but who you are and what you mean to us. You’ve become our light, Maria. Without you, it feels…” He trailed off, searching for the right expression.
“Dark?” I ventured.
“Yes,” he stated, a hint of vulnerability creeping into his voice. “You bring a warmth we didn’t know was missing.”
I felt my cheeks heat again, a strange flicker of power stirring inside me — one I couldn’t yet place. “Maybe I’ve gone crazy spending too much time with you all,” I joked, though my heart was racing.
“You’re not crazy, Maria. You’re just…” He leaned closer, and for a moment, it felt as if the whole world had collapsed around us, like the universe had contracted to just this one place, just us. “You’re magic.”
Magic. The word hung in the air, and for a fleeting moment, I wondered if perhaps, in the deep recesses of my memory, there was something more — something beyond the explanations that wrapped themselves around my reality like shadows.
“Maybe,” I breathed, caught in the intensity of his gaze. “But why can’t I remember anything about my past? Why am I even here?”
“That’s something we’re still figuring out,” he replied gently. “But until we do, I’ll make sure nothing hurts you. You’re part of us now, and we don’t let go of our own.”
I felt the warmth of his words seep into my soul, that warmth a paradox to the cold uncertainty that plagued my mind. Taehyung wrapped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me close, while the dark whispers of midnight wrapped around us, offering a moment of solace.
“Just promise you won’t leave me,” I whispered, barely audible above the rustling leaves.
“I promise,” he vowed, his voice steady. “I’ll always be here.”
As we settled into the night air, I felt a flicker of something — the kind of spark that ignited hope in the deepest corners of despair. Perhaps there was something hidden within me, something just waiting for the right moment to emerge. But for now, I was happy to just be Maria, the girl who found her place among the shadows.