“A-aunt-“
“Leave, Ingram. You’re just making me remember my daughter. You’re just making me remember the pain.”
“I love you, Aunt,” I softly said instead. “You had been a wonderful mother to me. And I did love Levana, too. For the past years, whether you believe it or not, I didn’t completely leave the both of you,” my chest tightened. “Levana's existence was a proof of my love. My heart had always been here in Calhoun, it had always been with the both of you,” I added before walking away with a heavy heart.
Erasmus followed me together with Kiara, the Seeker whom I turned into a Vampire as a part of our deal. They both insisted to come with me to meet Alvira. Later on, we found out that we shared the same life experiences. Life had been cruel to Kiara, too. She was an orphan, her mother died in an accident when she was still a teenager. She was left with a Stepfather who sexually abused her. Her life was ruined. She made it her goal to become stronger so that no one else could hurt her again. When I turned her into a Vampire, she volunteered to become my servant.
“You can leave now, Kiara and Erasmus. I will be staying in this town.”
“And what do you plan to do, fledgling? Mourn at Levana's grave for the rest of your immortal life?”
“No. I want to die, Erasmus,” I whispered as emptiness swept over me. “Can’t you see? This whole eternity thing is useless! How can I go on living? I don’t have any reason to live anymore! All those reasons vanished the very second I found out that I couldn’t get near Levana! What are we fighting for in the first place?” I cussed under my breath as tears glazed my eyes. “I just want to rest. I am so, so tired. Please leave me alone now. I am not your responsibility. I will wait for the sun here.”
“Sullivan clearly does not want you to die,” Kiara said.
“To hell with Sullivan!” I screamed as I gritted my teeth.
“You brute, listen to me,” Erasmus held my face firmly. He roughly tapped my cheeks which forced me to meet his determined eyes. “If you die now, you will die a coward not just in my eyes but also in Sullivan’s. As much as possible, I don’t want to interfere with the doppelgangers’ lives because my life is already a big mess as it is. But I want to give you a purpose. Your doppelganger will only be born after you die. That means that only one doppelganger will get to live and that’s Acantha's version.
“And the day Levana died marked the beginning of the three-hundred-year countdown for another one. Wait for two hundred and ninety-two years more. If you are really guilty over Levana’s death, then help her doppelganger. Protect her from Sullivan.”
“Thank you for taking care of me last night. I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re still a stranger to me. Now, if you don’t mind, please leave. I want to rest.”
My mind wandered back to the present upon hearing Brianna’s words. I smiled faintly. Brianna and I were the only remaining doppelgangers in the world which meant that if the curse was true, we were the ones destined to meet and fall in love with each other.
I stepped towards the mortal. She gasped and stepped away until her back reached the wall. I placed my arms on the wall, cornering her. I had searched for her for three hundred and nineteen years. With Kiara’s help who remained my faithful assistant, I found Brianna at last.
Erasmus, on the other hand, had opted to stay in South Korea, it was the last country we went together. The three of us had become a family over the years. We had also succeeded in finding a Sorceress that would lift our sun curse in exchange of a few gold bars and droplets of our blood that she would use in her future spells. That same Sorceress was the one who had warned me about the dangers of meeting Brianna after she had a glimpse of the future.
I softly stroke Brianna’s cheeks. She looked bewildered. “Do you still remember what I said last night? You said that you were too tired that you just wanted to die so you could finally rest. But don’t give up on life, Brianna. Always be glad that you’re alive.”
Suddenly remembering Levana had left a bitter taste in my mouth. “Being alive is a privilege that many people aren’t so fortunate to have. And if ever you need someone to remind you that, I’m just right next door. Just call my name, I will hear you right away and I will come to you. Till next time, neighbor,” I added before releasing her.

(Brianna)
MY EYES widened after seeing Ellen’s recent post on Facebook. She was my co-writer and my best friend, too. And we just talked over the phone a while ago. She bombarded me with text messages and calls and didn’t stop until I told her the reason why I wasn’t able to attend the meeting yesterday.
After we talked, I continued researching for my novel and was now browsing online when I saw her post. She tagged Stella on Facebook with a caption, “Best wishes, you snake.” She also had a hashtag that says, “I hope Karma hits you soon.”
After seeing that, I rushed to call her immediately.
“What do you think you’re doing, Ellen?” I asked even before she could finish saying ‘hello’. I loved Ellen. She was my classmate in college. She was like a sister to me. She knew my life story. But right now, I feel tempted to throw her away.
“What?” she asked innocently. “You didn’t have the courage to do that so I did it for you. I was only telling the truth. Everyone knew your story anyway. The problem with that bitch was that she wanted to steal everything and everyone away from you."