Autumn glanced around.
She couldn't move from her seat because the Dancing Stars and Kai had blocked all exits on both sides. They even stationed a few male members right behind her.
And the row in front of Autumn was already packed with Harmony students. Clearly, jumping over the heads of the excited crowd to reach the stage was not an option.
"Stay where you are, Autumn! It's been a long time since we last had a talk!"
Kai spoke calmly, sitting down in the chair next to Autumn - while she and her two classmates from 11D still stood motionless.
"There's nothing between us to talk about. Move aside. Or don't blame me later!"
Autumn glared at Kai as if she were ready to tear him apart.
Following the instinct for combat embedded in her blood, Autumn slightly lowered her body's center of gravity, preparing to react as fast as possible.
"Heh heh! So, what are you going to do to me, Autumn?"
Kai showed no fear of her fiery stare. He remained composed and glanced toward the Dancing Stars.
Immediately, the seven girls of the group - each with a beautiful name: Rosa, Azalea, Iris, Midori, Myo, Daisy, and Saraca - surrounded Cherry and Amy after receiving a meaningful look from their leader, Kai.
Their sharp fake nails, lavishly decorated with gemstones and floral patterns, began to stroke the faces of the two girls from class 11D. Usually, it was by the colors and patterns of those nails that Autumn could tell each of the Dancing Stars apart.
"Well well, the skin of these 11D girls is so smooth! What's your skincare routine? Five steps or seven?"
"Stay still, okay? If you keep squirming like that… and your pretty faces get scratched, we won't take responsibility."
"Hey, girls under 1.6 meters really are cute, huh? But… don't they look kind of fragile?"
"Ohhh! You smell so good! What perfume are you using? Or is that your natural scent?"
"Haizzz! Why are you trembling so much? We haven't done anything to you yet!"
"Come on now! Don't cry. We're no good at comforting people, you know!"
The Dancing Stars weren't very tall, but each wore heels at least ten centimeters high. Cherry and Amy looked as if they were standing among a group of giants. The malice radiating from the dancers made even the two normally bold girls feel terrified.
"Autumn…"
Cherry's voice trembled as she looked toward her. Both her and Amy's faces had gone pale; their dark eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"Let them go, Kai. Cherry and Amy have nothing to do with this."
Autumn's tone was low and edged with anger. She despised cowardly acts like this the most.
"The thing happening down on the stage doesn't concern you either, Autumn. That's an internal matter of the Music Club. Let's Dance and Dancing Stars - only one of us gets to stay. This tiny school doesn't need two dance teams. So, why don't you and your little friends sit down and enjoy the rest of the Purge?"
Kai lightly patted the empty seat beside him as if politely inviting Autumn to sit.
Autumn bit her lip.
She had no intention of compromising with Kai.
Taking out Dancing Stars and Kai himself wouldn't be difficult for her. They were only slightly faster and stronger than ordinary humans.
The real problem was that Autumn would have to use her special power to do it. And with so many people in the Grand Theater tonight, acting without attracting attention would be nearly impossible.
"How funny! That guy Ethan always ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. It should've been Royce in that spot. But who told Ethan to take Royce's place in Let's Dance, huh? Poor guy - what rotten luck."
He chuckled darkly, leaning back and propping his short legs on the chair in front of him, completely at ease.
At the mention of Ethan's name, Autumn's heart clenched.
Ethan might not be as fortunate as others, but his troubles weren't just bad luck. If anything, she had contributed to his misfortune.
Just last September, when she had returned to school and officially met Ethan for the first time…
Because of her impulsive, hotheaded, and competitive nature, Autumn had challenged him to a race during P.E. class. She hadn't thought much of it at the time - just wanted to have some fun after exhausting days dealing with the Infected at the Field Hospital.
Who could've guessed that Orange, Flora's cat, would somehow wander onto the track?
Panicked by the crowd's shouting and excitement, the cat had gone berserk - digging its sharp claws into Ethan's shoulder and drawing blood right there on the field.
And so, the sweet, alluring scent of pure blood - from a teenage boy untouched by the world - had accidentally turned Ethan into the next target of Femme Fatale.
Autumn had secretly wished that Ethan's streak of bad luck would end there.
But somehow, fate tangled him even deeper into the complicated web surrounding the Blood-Giver, leading to countless troubles - and nearly costing him his life - when he became her Bloodbound.
And the truth was… Autumn still didn't understand how a Bloodbound was even created.
Every single day, there were always humans willingly offering their necks to Vampires, yet they only ever became Bloodslaves.
A Bloodbound, however, was so rare that most believed they existed only in fantasy novels.
Yet Autumn - on the very first night she ever drank human blood - had somehow created one.
Her cheeks flushed red as she recalled that night when Ethan had forced her to drink his blood. It had only been two weeks ago, but it already felt like ages.
She still couldn't accept being bound - by blood and soul - to a human.
She hated how her mind filled up with images of him, uninvited.
She hated how her brain felt stretched thin, always worrying for Ethan's safety every minute, every second.
And she truly hated how her heart raced out of control whenever she saw him standing near other girls - or other Vampires.
From down on the stage, Ethan was looking up toward the section where Autumn stood. His face looked anxious. It seemed that beyond simply being able to sense her presence, Ethan could also feel what she felt.
Bloodbound and Master, huh?
Who was the one truly trapped in that bond?
Autumn wanted to blame it all on Ethan's strange blood - or on fate itself - but deep down, she knew the truth. All of this had happened because she was too inexperienced to control her instincts, her fangs, and her venom glands.
"So, have you decided yet, Autumn? Who will you protect? These two friends of yours… or your man down there?"
After Kai's questions, Amy suddenly burst into tears. One of her shirt buttons popped off and fell to the floor. The Dancing Stars shrieked with laughter - like a pack of lunatics drunk on cruelty.