ELARA
The flight felt endless.
But the moment we stepped out of the plane, I knew something was different. I felt different. Even the air felt different.
"Finally." The word slipped into my mind like it had been waiting.
While we were walking away from the terminal, I noticed spirits moving through the crowd, talking among themselves. But the second their eyes locked with mine, they fell silent. They stepped aside.
Not even close to me – and still, they moved.
The fuck?
After a few minutes, we reached passport control. Officers were checking passports, asking the usual questions.
"Why did you come?"
"What business do you have in China?"
Honestly, I just wanted it to move faster. I was exhausted. When it was our turn, I realised the man checking passports was a vampire. He hesitated when he saw me. For a second, it looked like he was ready to wave me through without even touching the passport. I subtly motioned toward it.
"Act normal", I muttered under my breath.
Vampires had excellent hearing. I was sure he heard me because he quickly took the passport and pretended to inspect it carefully. After a few seconds, he handed it back without asking me a single question. But he questioned my family. Especially William. He questioned him the most.
When we finally walked toward the exit, my dad said, "I hired a driver."
We all nodded.
As we passed a shop, I spotted two goblins. Goblins? Wow. It was rare to see them. They looked like two handsome men talking casually. But I recognised them instantly. When they saw me, their eyes widened. They stepped aside.
Why are they behaving like this? In the U.S., they didn't act like this.
William suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.
"Nobody's stealing her from you", my mom laughed.
"It's hard to believe when men keep staring at her," William muttered.
Only if they knew those weren't human.
Before we reached the car, I saw the driver standing beside it. He's a… werewolf? You must be kidding me.
What is going on today?
I slowed my steps, letting my parents and grandma walk ahead. The moment the driver saw me, he straightened and began walking toward me.
"Act fucking normal. Take their luggage," I whispered. Werewolves also had good hearing.
He heard me.
He gave the slightest nod before turning to collect our luggage. But "act normal" didn't last long.
He opened the car door only for me.
"Miss," he said respectfully.
Kill me.
The SUV was large. I sat in the middle. Grandma on my right. William is on my left. William held me like his life depended on it. The driver kept glancing at me through the rear-view mirror. I avoided his gaze. I told him to act normal, yet here he was — not acting normal at all. It's irritating enough when people stare at you. It's worse when supernatural beings stare at you. And treat you differently.
When we arrived at the house, I went straight to one of the rooms and collapsed into bed.
----
I woke up the next morning to William gently kissing me.
"Morning, baby," he said with a smile.
"Morning", I mumbled, one eye open.
"How did you sleep?"
"Good."
"Your parents want to go to the hospital. Go get ready."
"Okay."
---
On the way to the hospital, I stared out the window. Hong Kong looked incredible. When we arrived from the airport, I hadn't paid attention. But now, in daylight, the city felt alive.
When we stepped inside the hospital, I saw ghosts and spirits everywhere. Every single one of them stopped what they were doing and looked straight at me. I pretended I didn't see them.
Living here for a while will be the death of me.
When we entered my uncle's room, my aunt was sitting beside his bed.
"Jessica. Daniel", she said, rushing forward to hug my parents.
"I'm here too, you know," Grandma said.
We all laughed.
"How could I not notice?" my aunt replied, hugging her, too.
Then she stepped toward me. I had barely seen her before — only through video calls.
"Hi. You're so beautiful," she said, giving me a short hug.
"Hi. Thank you."
She looked at William. "And this is…?"
"This is my boyfriend, William," I said. "She's my aunt."
"Nice to meet you, Auntie," William said politely.
"Nice to meet you too."
My aunt returned to my uncle's bedside.
"How is he?" Grandma asked.
"The doctor gave him a sleeping pill. He was in so much pain," my aunt said, tears in her eyes.
Suddenly, my necklace turned warm. Very warm. Before anyone could say more, a doctor entered the room.
The moment he stepped inside, the necklace grew warmer. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Tall. Broad shoulders. Black hair brushed back. Very handsome.
"Hello, everyone," he said in a deep voice.
We all greeted him.
"My husband's sister and her family came to visit," my aunt explained.
"Nice to meet you all," he said calmly, shaking hands with everyone. Then he reached me.
He looked straight into my eyes.
"I'm Dr Tian," he said. "But you can call me Dr T."
"Elara", I replied.
For a few seconds, we just looked at each other. While I was holding his hand, my necklace shifted from warm to hot. I tried not to react. It was hard.
I glanced down at the necklace, then back at him.
What the—?
He let go.
William immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me closer. When I looked at him, jealousy was written all over his face. I cannot deal with that now. My necklace was hot. It reacted to Dr T.
Why?
Dr T's eyes dropped to where William was holding my hand. His expression didn't change. But he couldn't look away.
"How is my brother?" Grandma asked.
"He has late-stage bone cancer," Dr T replied, still casting a subtle glance toward our hands.
I studied him while they talked. His aura gave him away. He wasn't human. Then what was he? Even though he was a stranger, something inside me felt like it recognised him. But I had never seen him before.
"How much time does he have?" Grandma asked.
"A few weeks. Maybe a month. It depends on the patient."
"Will he be discharged?"
"No. We'll keep him here so we can monitor him closely."
God, I feel dizzy. It's strange. Usually when the necklace burns this hot, I feel terrible. Now I'm just dizzy. And even that isn't too bad.
"If you'll excuse me," Dr T said.
He looked at me again. For a few seconds, our eyes locked. Then he left. The moment he walked out, the necklace turned cold.
What the hell was that?
Who is he?