The next morning (7:30 a.m.), Uzi woke up with tired eyes. She was still wearing the same clothes from the previous day, and her hair was a mess. Even though she had slept when she returned to her home , her body still felt exhausted and seemed not to have recovered from the excitement of the previous night.
Uzi yawned and rubbed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened last night. When she remembered, the look in her eyes changed from tired to a mix of worry and fatigue. Every time she tried to convince herself of what had happened, she still couldn't believe she had seen a vampire the night before — a real vampire. Not an illusion or a hallucination, but the very creature mentioned in stories and novels, the same creature that had tried to kill her.
With all these thoughts racing through her mind one after another, the next one that popped into her head was: "What time is it now?" When she looked at the clock, she was shocked to see she was late for school. She jumped up quickly to start changing her clothes and head to school, despite her exhaustion and what had happened the night before , and the risk that she might encounter one of those creatures again. But that risk was nothing compared to the school administration and their annoying questions, especially their insistence, which would pressure her father to get involved in this matter. Also, her attendance record was already full of absences.
Uzi got ready quickly and prepared to leave, but before exiting the apartment door, she made sure her weapon was with her. After it had malfunctioned after firing just one shot and needed a long time to recharge, she decided to fix it at school so she'd be prepared if she ever met that monster again. She put the weapon in her bag and left the house , heading to school while muttering to herself, "I hope this day ends quickly… I'm so tired."
6:00 p.m. at the old facility. When the sun set and the last ray of its light disappeared from the sky, N woke up immediately. Without any hesitation, he went out the window of the room, spread his wings, and flew quickly toward the same place where that girl studied , Uzi Doorman (Copper-9 High School) , in an attempt to fix his mistake (meet her again) before something bad happened.
While flying, he thought, "What should I say when I meet her?" Then he shook his head, trying to push those thoughts away, and said, "No, no time for games. I have to do something before she exposes our secret or hurts J and V with that weapon." After a while he added, "But… it's not wrong to talk to her, right? I should take a peaceful path through dialogue before doing anything else." A short while later he said again, "Should I bring some flowers? Maybe she'd like some purple irises , the same color as her hair and eyes."
Even after everything that happened last night, N still didn't understand why every time he remembered that girl his heart started racing. Even though she had blown his head off with her weapon, all he could think about was how awesome she was last night. Despite standing in front of a vampire, she didn't run away — she faced him with full courage and awesomeness.
Then N said to himself, "Yes, flowers would be a good idea. After all, girls love flowers."
(6:15 p.m. at Copper-9 High School)
Uzi was exhausted and looked miserable. Even though the school classes were boring and time passed slowly in them, that was nothing compared to the interrogation session (counseling meeting) with Marie, the school counselor, which lasted three hours. The result was that she was banned from using the school workshop, the reason being that she spent most of her time there and didn't interact with her classmates.
Uzi said angrily while walking out of the school, "What a bunch of idiots… Don't they realize I'm trying to save their lives? I should be a hero, but no , they punish me by banning me from the workshop." Uzi kicked an empty metal can on the ground with full anger and said, "Bite me. I don't need any of them. I can do this alone."
The can she kicked hit one of the students walking in front of her. He was a boy with blue hair walking with a group of friends. He turned to Uzi and said, "Hey Doorman, why don't you watch where you're going?"
Uzi replied angrily, "Bite me. In your dreams. I didn't do anything to you, or are you gonna cry over a tiny can that bumped into you, you big baby?"
Uzi's words embarrassed the boy in front of his friends, so he decided to do something to salvage what was left of his dignity. As Uzi passed by him, he snatched her weapon — which was wrapped in tape — from her bag and said mockingly, "Whoa, what's this? Guys, look — one of Doorman's failed inventions, hahaha."
His friends started laughing at what he said. (Well, that's high school in short: to be considered "cool," you have to bully someone else or make them a laughingstock. The targets are always the quiet ones or those who don't have friends.)
Uzi said, "Give it back, you idiot, or…"
He threw it to one of his friends, who caught it and said, "Aren't you the emo girl of the school? Don't you know the emo era is over?"
At that moment, N landed in a spot not far from the school so no one would notice him. He was holding a purple rose and began looking around, trying to find Uzi, while saying to himself, "I hope I'm not too late. School's over and the students went home. Will I find her now?"
While thinking, he noticed a group of students mocking a short girl. N said, "How rude , why would they do that to…" When he looked closely at the girl, he recognized her and said, "Uzi… Uzi Doorman." He pulled her ID from his pocket, checked the photo again, and said, "Yes, it's her… and she's being bullied."
Then N realized Uzi's situation and said sadly, "So she's also being mocked and ignored by her classmates… just like me."
The blue-haired boy held Uzi's weapon and said, "Want it back? Maybe if you behave, Doorman, and apologize for what you said earlier… maybe I'll think about..."
Uzi kicked him in the shin and said angrily, "Bite me. I'm not apologizing to an idiot like you."
The boy yelped in pain and said furiously, "You'll see what I'll do ..." He grabbed Uzi and tried to hit her, but before he could land the punch, he felt someone holding his arm. He turned and saw a tall young man with white hair, yellow eyes, wearing a black coat, glaring at him angrily. (This was N.)
N's furious look made the boy and his friends freeze in place. They hadn't seen this person walk past them , how did he appear here so fast?
N said angrily, "Let her go. Now."
The boy, trying not to look scared, said, "And what are you gonna do if I..."
N tightened his grip on the boy's arm, making him wince in pain. The boy groaned, "Okay, okay, I'll let her go." He released Uzi and ran away with his friends, shouting, "This isn't over, Doorman!"
N turned to Uzi and asked, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"
Uzi replied, annoyed, while picking up her weapon, "I'm fine. Actually, I didn't need your help at all. I could've handled this myself."
She answered that way because it was the first time in a long while someone had helped her, so she felt embarrassed about herself. That feeling was strange to her — she had never felt it before.
N said shyly, looking at Uzi, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
Uzi felt a pang of guilt for what she had said to this young man who had helped her even though she didn't know him. So she looked at N and said, "It's okay… and also, thanks, I guess."
N said happily, "You're welcome!"
Uzi looked at N and asked, "Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you before."
N replied, a bit flustered, "Uh, well… you could say that."
While Uzi was examining the details of N's face, she thought to herself, "White hair, yellow eyes, black coat and hat with white shoes… why does that feel familiar?" Suddenly, memories of last night slammed into her brain, making her eyes widen in shock as she realized the person standing in front of her was the same vampire who had tried to kill her the night before.
Immediately, she raised her weapon toward N and said, "Stay away from me, you monster."
In panic and hesitation, N pulled out the purple rose, held it toward Uzi's gun, and said, "I surrender. I came in peace. I don't want to fight , I just want to talk." Looking at the confused Uzi, he added, "Please?"
Uzi said in surprise, "Talk?" Then angrily continued, "Are you kidding me? You tried to kill me last night!"
N said, "I know, and I'm really sorry about that. But trust me , I only came to talk."
Uzi pointed the gun at N's face. "Don't lie to me. I'm sure you want to lure me somewhere isolated and then finish the job. Do you think I'm stupid or what?"
N said nervously, "No, no, it's not like that. Trust me, I only came to talk."
Uzi, still unsure whether to believe him, said, "And how can I trust that you won't just drag me away?"
N replied, "Listen , if you don't trust me, how about we talk somewhere with a lot of people around? That way I won't be able to attack you without risking exposing myself in front of many humans. Also, I'm sure you have a lot of questions you want answers to, right?"
Uzi thought for a moment about what N said. She thought to herself, "Okay, that makes sense. Vampires are careful to keep their identity secret, but…" After long consideration, she lowered her weapon and said, "Fine. I know a place where we can 'talk'… but..." She aimed the gun at him again and continued, "If you try anything, the next shot will go straight through your heart. Understood?"
N said happily, smiling, "Yes, I understand." Then to himself: "Finally I can talk to her. I must not mess this up."
Uzi thought to herself while looking at N's smiling face, "What a weird vampire."
At the same moment, N thought while looking at Uzi's angry face, "What an amazing girl."
In the crowded center of New Orleans, especially in a busy café full of people, Uzi sat at one of the tables with N sitting across from her. Despite the noise of the city and the sounds inside the café, Uzi kept watching N with sharp, unwavering eyes. Meanwhile, N sat nervously , he had never been in a place with so many humans before. On top of that, he was thinking of a way to start a friendly conversation with her.
During the silence between them, the waitress came to their table and asked, "Have you decided what you want?"
N wanted to answer but started stammering in front of the server, so Uzi spoke first: "No, I haven't decided yet what I want. As for this guy — I don't think anything on your menu would satisfy his appetite."
After hearing that, the waitress said, "Well, you know, we have a discount for couples if..."
Uzi interrupted angrily, "We're not a couple."
The waitress left, and the atmosphere returned to cold silence between them. They hadn't spoken the entire way here, and after entering the café, they hadn't talked for a full ten minutes.
N tried to break the tension and silence: "So… how's the weather?"
Uzi raised an eyebrow and said in disbelief, "How's the weather? You tried to kill me last night, we came all this way, and you're just gonna ask me how's the weather?"
N said, "No… that wasn't…"
Uzi replied, "Good. The weather is nice and cold because it's winter. You'd know that if you watched the weather forecast. Wait , do vampires even watch TV? Or care about the weather forecast to decide which day is good for hunting their prey?"
N froze at her response, which made the atmosphere even colder, and said, "We haven't properly introduced ourselves, right? My name is N."
Uzi said, "N? Wait a second , is your full name just one letter? Is this some kind of code or symbol so you can hide your identity, find out my name and info, kill me, and drink my blood? Or is this...".
N said nervously, "No, no. My name is just N. It's not a code or anything , it's just my name." He looked down and added in frustration, "Or at least… that's all I know about myself, I guess?"
After hearing that, Uzi's expression changed. She didn't know whether to feel cautious or pity toward the person sitting in front of her. She sighed and said, "Uzi. My name is Uzi Doorman."
N said, "Yeah, I know. Actually...".
Uzi interrupted angrily, "You know? Wait , have you been stalking me? Following me home? Are you trying to make me lower my guard so you can..."
N said in panic, "No, it's not like that! Your ID..." He pulled her ID from his pocket and continued, "You dropped it last night. As you can see, your name is written on it."
He reached out to hand it to her, but she snatched it quickly from his hand and said, anger visible on her face, "You mean last night when you tried to kill me? Huh?"
N put his hand on his head and looked down, trying to calm himself and gather his thoughts. Every word he said, she countered with a barrage of accusations and incorrect assumptions. Well… mostly incorrect. After all, he did try to kill her, and now he was sitting with her in a café. He thought to himself, "Okay, I don't blame her. This doesn't make sense at all."
While N was lost in thought trying to find a way to start the conversation, Uzi was staring at him, examining his appearance, facial expressions, and clothes. Last night she hadn't been able to focus on these details well because she was fighting to stay alive. As she stared, she noticed his pale white face, yellow eyes, and slightly tattered coat at the bottom. She asked herself out loud, "Are all vampires like this?"
N heard the question and said in surprise, "What do you mean 'like this'?"
Uzi realized she had spoken out loud and said, "Uh, I mean…" Then angrily, "Don't distract me. And I'm the one asking questions here, not you. First question: how many of you are there? Second: why do you hunt humans ? what's your goal? Third: what the hell was that ? how did your body regenerate so fast? And also..."
N tried to calm her down: "Okay, okay, slow down a second. First, there are three of us. We hunt humans to feed on their blood, as you know. About what happened last night… well, all I know is that when my body gets damaged, it repairs itself, but it consumes a lot of energy, to be honest. As for the other abilities like flying and claws — yes, they exist."
Uzi said, "Energy? You mean you need to feed if you do that many times to recharge yourself?"
N said, "Yeah… something like that, I guess?"
Uzi asked, "You said there are others besides you. Who are they?"
N said, "Oh right! First there's V." While explaining about her, he remembered one situation with her and continued, "She's really awesome. She's a very skilled hunter , one of the best , and she loves playing with her prey before catching them. And of course there's mutual respect between us." N remembered a time when V completely ignored him and continued, looking to the side, "Yeah… mutual respect. Then there's J." He remembered a moment when J was punishing him and continued, "She's the leader. She takes care of everything related to the team , from hunting to storing prey and how much blood we should consume. She's awesome." (Despite how they treated him, he spoke about them as if they were friends.)
Uzi asked, "How's your relationship with them?"
N said awkwardly, "Well… there's some tension, I won't lie to you. But other than that, they're really great. And honestly, I don't blame them for how they treat me. They have their own problems too."
After hearing this and the way N answered, Uzi realized things weren't as great between them as he described. She asked, "Okay, what about your names , why are they just letters? I mean, isn't that weird? Don't you have full names with multiple letters?"
When N heard the question, worry appeared on his face and he said, "Well… uh… to be honest with you, I don't know."
Uzi said in surprise, "You don't know?"
N continued, "Yeah… my memory about that matter is… fuzzy?"
Uzi said surprised, "Fuzzy meaning you can't remember, or you get a headache when you try?"
N said, frustration on his face, "Yeah, exactly."
Uzi said thoughtfully, "But what about your teammates? Surely they know something, right?"
N replied with a frown, "Actually… they don't like talking about it."
Uzi asked, "You never tried asking them?"
N said, "I did try, but every time either V ignores me completely or J punishes me, calls me an idiot, or says I'm slacking on my job again like always."
Uzi said surprised, "Like always?"
N said, "Yeah… actually I haven't gone hunting for a while… well, I won't lie , quite a long while."
Uzi raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Why? Don't vampires need to feed on blood?"
N said, "Yes, but I didn't want to. I would stay home, do some chores, and in return consume only a small amount of blood… you know, just so I wouldn't become a burden."
Uzi thought about what N told her while staring at his pale face. She thought to herself, "Okay, he does look quite pale… and judging by his behavior and the way he speaks, I don't think he was lying about any of the information he gave, but…"
Uzi asked, "Why don't you like hunting?"
N froze in place, a hint of anxiety appearing on his face. "I… I don't want to talk about that." He turned his face away and looked to the right as he said it.
Uzi said, "But you said you'd answer any of my questions."
N replied, "Yes, I'll answer your questions, but this question… honestly I don't know exactly how to phrase the answer for you."
Uzi saw the increasing anxiety and tension on N's face, which made her feel a bit sad, but she held back her feelings and thought to herself, "No, no Doorman. This is a vampire who feeds on blood and tried to kill you. Even if what he said is true, you can't weaken in front of him."
Uzi said, "Okay, I have one last question I want to ask you, and I want a direct answer. Understood?"
N said, "Of course. What's your question?"
Uzi asked, "What's your goal with all of this?"
N said in confusion, "Sorry?"
Uzi said angrily, pointing at him, "Don't play dumb. You helped me a little while ago against those idiot boys, and even though you had the perfect chance to get rid of me, you offered to talk. And now here you are sitting in front of me, answering all my questions and spilling your secrets to me. Why? This makes no sense at all."
N said, "I wanted to talk to you… that's all."
Uzi looked at N in annoyance , she didn't accept his answer , and said, "Again , that makes no sense."
N tried hard to find an answer that would satisfy Uzi: "I wanted to talk to you because… you're amazing."
Uzi raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Sorry?"
N struggled to pour out everything in his heart to Uzi: "You know… after what happened last night… you never gave up even though a vampire was in front of you. You resisted, you fought for your life. You were so amazing. So I was thinking… maybe we could—" N's cheeks turned red from embarrassment as he continued, "maybe we could become friends."
Uzi said angrily, "Are you kidding me? That's nonsense."
Uzi's response left N stunned. She continued, "You want to be my friend? This is a trick , please tell me this is some scheme so you can kill me."
N said, "No… no, it's not like that. You don't understand, I..."
Uzi interrupted loudly, "You what? Are you stupid or are you that pathetic that you ask the prey who blew your head off last night to be your friend? I mean, who else would do that except a crazy, useless, hopeless idiot? You know what , I think that's why your teammates treat you like that. Because you're a huge idiot no one can rely on."
Uzi's words shocked N , her tone had become exactly like J's. In an attempt to fix things, he said weakly, "But… I..."
But Uzi interrupted again: "You know what I think of you, N? I think you're a hypocrite. You said you don't want to hunt, but last night you tried to attack me, and now you want to be my friend. Why? Do you see yourself in me? Yeah, I can be angry sometimes, and yeah, my classmates don't care about me , just like my dad , but at least I don't lie to myself like you do."
Uzi sighed, put her hand on her head, and said, "You know what , this conversation has become really stupid." She picked up her bag to leave and continued, "I'm going. If you try to follow me, I'll point my gun at your heart and end you." And Uzi left, leaving N in a state of shock and disbelief at what he had heard.
After leaving the café, Uzi kept muttering about what happened: "Friends? Is he stupid or pretending to be? That's impossible — one of the most impossible things." Then she stopped, saw her reflection in a shop window mirror, and remembered when N said so innocently and shyly that he wanted to be her friend. Looking at her reflection, she said, "Why… why would he want that? What's so special about someone like me "
While thinking, the sky began to rain. She said annoyed, "Great. Of all times, it starts raining now. I should hurry and go back to—" Before she finished her sentence, she saw N standing in front of her, sadness and frustration clear on his face.
Uzi pulled her weapon from her bag and said, "I thought I told you..."
N interrupted loudly, "I didn't want that."
Uzi said surprised, "What?"
N said, rain falling on his face to hide the tears starting to flow from his eyes, "I didn't want to be a monster. I didn't choose this. I woke up one day and found myself like this." He stepped closer to Uzi and continued, "I didn't want to feed on human blood or hunt them, but I was forced to. Every time… every time I hunt someone, they start crying or begging for their life, but I kill them anyway. It makes me disgusted with myself. Do you think I wanted to kill innocent people just to survive? I don't drink much blood, thinking maybe… maybe my body would gradually stop depending on it. But the result is always the same , my body just gets tired and weaker. Every time J punishes me or she and V insult me, I don't talk back because they're right. I'm a failure, an idiot, a coward… and above all, I'm sinful… sinful for killing innocent people just so I can live… a failure for accepting reality and not trying to find a solution to my problem… a coward for not being able to kill myself and end this suffering."
He stood right in front of Uzi's gun and continued, tears streaming down his face, "An idiot for believing that maybe… maybe I found someone who understands me — like you. Trust me, I never wanted any of this to happen." Then he grabbed the barrel of her gun, pointed it at his own heart, and said, "If you don't believe me, then please — end it now and give me peace. I'm tired of all of this. Please."
Uzi froze in place. Even though N stood right in front of her, her finger couldn't press the trigger. After hearing those words, she realized that the person standing before her wasn't a monster , just a broken person. A person let down by those around him. A person with no one to turn to. A person exactly like her.
Uzi felt guilty for everything she had said to him earlier. She lowered her weapon and said, "Okay."
N said, "What?"
Uzi replied, "We can be friends… or whatever."
N said, "But you said..."
Uzi said, "I know what I said and I… I… want to give you a chance."
N wiped his tears and said, "Really?"
Uzi said, "Yes, really. But if you try to betray me or…"
N said happily, "No… I won't… I definitely won't." Then he extended his hand and said, "Friends?"
Under the rain, in front of the vampire who had cried in front of her after pouring out his heart, Uzi extended her hand to shake his and said, "Friends."
Uzi thought to herself, "I hope I don't regret this."
And at the same time, N thought to himself while smiling, "Awesome. Finally I have a friend."
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