I was aware of the things that was happening in her life including the recent fight she had with her mother. I heard them accidentally because I was occupying the apartment next to Brianna’s. We became neighbors officially last night. I couldn’t be away from her because I had to protect her from Sullivan. He was a full-blooded Vampire who could hunt Brianna any day now.
My time was limited under the sun. I have marks on my body which only the Vampires could see. It was a gift by a Sorcerer. Each time I would walk under the sun, my marks would fade. The longer I stay outside, the higher the possibility of my marks to disappear. Once they vanished, I would no longer be able to leave unless it was night time. Otherwise, I would burn. And after more than three hundred years of existing, some of my marks had fade away. Only a few remained.
And I used that mark to leave today when I followed Brianna.
Before I arrived in the Philippines, Dexter, my mortal right-hand man, had already prepared everything for me. That included the house I would live in and the car I would use. I pay Dexter to do the things I couldn’t do at daytime. I used the car to follow Brianna because I was anxious to just let her be after witnessing how she almost break down when she left her apartment. She seemed to be driving aimlessly a while ago until she saw this bar.
The music inside the bar was loud. It was like the vocalist was screaming and not singing. And I didn’t want Brianna to keep listening to that. That’s why while she was busy ordering more alcohols, I went to the band and compelled them to lend me the stage for a moment. I normally don’t do that but I made an exemption today.
For Brianna.
Because I wanted her to listen to a different song. There was a message that I wanted to relay. And I hope that message could reach her heart.
“Lights will guide you home. And ignite your bones. I will try to fix you...” I continued singing.
When I kissed her last night, her past had been revealed to me. If only I found her sooner, then she wouldn’t have suffered so much in the hands of the people who could not see her worth.
“Stop crying, Brianna. You have to be strong. The world won’t stop turning just to wipe your tears. The Universe will never reach out to you.”
Despite the noise inside, I still heard what Brianna said. In an instant, I stopped singing.
“In our life, there will always be that one person who will stop everything just to reach out to you, just to comfort you. The one who truly cares for you will surely find a way to attend to you. Always,” I softly said using the microphone.
It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be weak. Because I’m here now, Brianna. I’m reaching out to you now, I wanted to add those things but I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t approach her that way. I didn’t want to scare her.
I closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them again, everything had stopped except for me and Brianna. I removed the guitar strap on my shoulder and handed it back to its owner who was standing nearby. I jumped off the stage and walked towards Brianna. She was so drunk that she didn’t notice what was happening around her.
“Hello there, stranger,” I said when I reached her table.
“H-hi,” she answered after being stunned for a minute.
It was too late to stop my hands. They moved on their own to wipe her tears away. “Do you know that your face is too lovely to be filled with tears? I’ve been watching you. You’ve been crying since you came here. Hush now.”
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Have you ever felt so exhausted in your life that you just wanted to stop everything? You just wanted to give up and die... so you could finally rest.”
“Twice in my life, I felt the same way. But the thought that I would see you saved me from death.”
She didn’t respond anymore. She just looked at me for a long time before she fainted.

(Brianna)
“IT'S YOU again.” I had mixed feelings when I felt those familiar arms embraced me from behind right after I entered the kitchen. I was happy, surprised, and excited at the same time. Just like before, it was dark, like there was another power outage.
But I was not as terrified as before because I was in his arms. I didn’t know why but I felt strangely safe with him even if I could not see his face. I leaned on his body and closed my eyes contentedly. In this position, it was as if we were one.
“It's weird. I don’t see you but I feel like I could trust you. I just don’t understand why you always have to appear whenever it’s dark like this.”
“Let me in your heart completely. With no inhibitions, with all honesty, and only then can you see me.”
Those words silenced me. After the heartbreak I’ve been through, I’m not sure if I could do that anymore. When I remained quiet, the stranger kissed my head.
“You seemed tired. Should I go now so you can rest?”
“No,” I immediately opened my eyes and held his arms. “Don’t leave me. At least, not tonight. I’m hurting so much.”
He embraced me tightly. “Is there something I can do to ease your pain?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you can kiss me? Make me forget the pain.”
In a blink of an eye, the stranger was now in front of me. He pulled me so close to him, our bodies grazed against each other. When he claimed my lips, all the sadness in my system flew away.