6:00 AM
The sun began to rise on the horizon, its rays spreading and transforming the dark night sky into day. During these beautiful moments that captivated onlookers, something was flying through the sky at breakneck speed, racing against time to escape the sun's rays that were about to touch it.
N flew as fast as he could, following the directions of the girl he was carrying in his arms, trying to reach her house. But despite his efforts, a tiny ray of sunlight reached him. Upon contact with that small amount of light, his body began to burn. As we all know, vampires are vulnerable to sunlight, but there was no clear explanation for this vulnerability. Was it due to their body composition, the nature of their skin, or some curse placed upon them?
Regardless of the reasons and explanations, the result remains the same: exposure to the sun will cause the vampire to burn and turn to ash. This is what N tried to avoid. As the sun's rays touched parts of his body, steam began to escape, accompanied by the smell of burning. The sensation that overwhelmed N was strange; he had never experienced this situation or this feeling before. He always followed J's orders to return to the facility before sunrise to avoid such situations. Although the amount of sunlight that touched his body was small, he felt as if someone had stuck a hot rod into him.
Over time, the amount of sunlight that reached his body increased, and consequently, the pain intensified. N could no longer concentrate on flying and began to stagger in the air. Thoughts began to creep into his mind. He closed his eyes and said to himself, "Damn it... I can't keep flying. Maybe I should..."
As he thought, he heard a voice urging him to continue. N recognized the voice, but it returned. When he opened his eyes, Uzi was in his arms, holding him tightly. "Don't give up now, you idiot... Come on... Come on, we're almost there, just a few more seconds, come on!" For a moment, N forgot he was carrying Uzi in the pain. He even wanted to give up, but Uzi's encouragement made him forget that thought, and he continued on his way despite the pain.
Uzi spotted her house and gestured for N to land there. N did so, but the landing was arduous, and they both fell to the ground. Despite the fall, Uzi immediately got to her feet, saying hurriedly, "Come on... we don't have time!" But she fell silent when she saw N, steam rising from his body. The smell was awful, like burning flesh, something she hadn't noticed before because she was so preoccupied with finding her house. She quickly glanced at her watch and was shocked to see it was 6:01 AM. Without thinking, she rushed to him and helped him up. Holding his body, she felt an intense heat, like touching burning wood, and immediately pulled her hands away to avoid getting burned.
"What is this? Is this how vampires react to sunlight?" Uzi wondered to herself. She shook her head. "No... no time for that." She took off her black jacket and put it on N's body in an attempt to avoid burning her hands. She carried his body, which was taller and heavier than her, but she aimed to support him and help him stand. Uzi pulled his body with all her might, saying, "Come on... we don't have time." N responded to her call and was able to stand on his feet. Uzi went to the door and took out her key. She inserted the key into the lock and opened the door, and behind her was N, who could barely walk. He entered through the door, followed by Uzi, who closed the door immediately after they entered.
Upon entering the house, Uzi breathed a sigh of relief. She leaned against the wall and slowly sat down on the floor, finally able to relax after a long night. She turned to face N, who was also sitting on the floor, his body still burning from the sun. Now, away from the sun's rays, his body was gradually healing. Despite knowing this, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay?"
"Yes... I think so," N said.
He tried to stand but almost fell before Uzi caught him and supported him. "Take it easy, man," she said. "Remember, you don't need to push yourself any further. Come on, sit here for a minute while I check the house to make sure there are no open windows or any other light sources. Then I'll lean on you, okay?"
N sat back down on the floor and replied, "Okay."
Uzi went and checked the windows in the living room and on the second floor. There wasn't much to do, as luckily all the windows were closed and there was no sign that her father had been there. It seemed he had spent the night at work, as usual. But when she thought of him, she said to herself, "That's right, he came here last time, so there's a chance, however slim, that he might come home again without telling me." Thinking this way, she realized she now faced a problem: where would she hide N so that her father wouldn't be alarmed by seeing him?
Uzi hadn't thought of that when she suggested to N that they come here. "Well, I can't hide it in the kitchen or the living room," she thought to herself. She glanced around the second floor of her house, where she was standing, and continued, "Well, I can't hide it in the bathroom either." Uzi considered the attic and the garage, but then she stopped herself, remembering that her father stored most of his spare parts there and sometimes went there to get parts he needed for his work. He seemed to be one of those people who like to store things they find. "Where am I supposed to hide it?" Uzi wondered. She needed to find a place her father wouldn't even dare go into.
After a minute of thought, Uzi knew the answer. She called to N and told him to go upstairs. During the time Uzi was gone, N's body regained some of its strength, allowing him to stand without falling as he had before. N headed towards the source of Uzi's voice, which was on the second floor. He walked down the short, dark corridor and reached the living room. He began moving his head from side to side, trying to understand his surroundings. He noticed that the living room windows were closed, which made it dark. He saw that there were some cartoon pictures hanging on the wall, a brown sofa, and a television in front of it. There was a small table between them. From the living room, there were two paths. The one on his left seemed to lead to the kitchen, and the one on his right led to a short flight of stairs that took him to the second floor.
N climbed the stairs and, as he approached the second floor, called out to Uzi. She replied, "Here." N turned to his right and saw Uzi standing in front of a room's door.
"Why did you want me to come here specifically?" N asked.
Uzi answered, "Well, apparently this is the only place I can hide you without fearing my father will walk in."
"Why?" N asked. "Which room is this?"
Uzi pointed to the room, saying, "It's my room, of course." She had deduced this earlier; her father would never even consider entering her room. The last time he'd done so without permission, there had been a huge problem, and since then, he'd always asked permission before entering her room. So, this was the best option.
N heard these words and froze, his eyes wide with surprise. Uzi noticed the shock on his face and asked, "Are you alright?"
N didn't know how to respond. All he could think was, "Oh my god... is this normal? Isn't there something wrong with this?"
While he was thinking, Uzi interrupted him, calling his name loudly. "Hey, Dude, what's wrong with you? Why are you frozen like that?"
N composed himself and said, "No... nothing's wrong, but... is this normal? I mean, isn't there really anything wrong with this?"
Uzi looked at him, surprised by his question. "What do you mean? There's nothing abnormal here." Uzi opened her door and continued, "Look, there's no sunlight in here, and this room is the perfect hiding place for you."
When Uzi opened her room door, N saw what was inside. Although the window was closed and the lighting was dim, he could see the bed in the middle of the room and the computer on the left side of the bed. Next to the computer was something like a bookcase full of books, and to its left was a hanging shelf with CDs on it. Above the computer were hanging cabinets, and in the middle between the computer and the hanging cabinets was a board with a lot of notes that Uzi had put there. Not only that, but the rest of the walls were covered with posters of musical groups and apparently with strange symbol-like things like skulls and bones. One of those symbols was similar to the one on Uzi's jacket (an empty battery with two bones in the shape of an X).
The magic of the room was evident. Although it appeared ordinary to anyone who looked at it, it was completely different from the rooms in the old mansion, which were old, dilapidated, and gloomy. This room, however, exuded a certain life. The room's occupant was lost in thought, a reflection of Uzi and her way of thinking.
He wanted to enter the room, but Uzi stopped him. "Not so fast," she said, pointing to the door to the left of her room at the end of the corridor. "The bathroom is over there. You can use it."
N was surprised. "The bathroom? But why?"
Uzi looked at him, equally surprised. "Just look at yourself. You're covered in mud and swamp weeds. And don't forget your torn clothes and the smell of burnt flesh emanating from you."
N looked at himself and understood what Uzi meant. But there was a small problem here. He told her, "But Uzi, if you take a shower now, there aren't any clothes I can wear here."
Uzi replied, "Don't worry, I'll look through Daddy's clothes for something that will fit. You two might be different heights, but I'm sure there's probably something there that will suit you."
There was nothing else N could say, so he agreed and went to the bathroom to wash up. Meanwhile, Uzi went to her father's room, which was at the end of the hall on the right.
Uzi entered her father's room with an annoyed expression. It wasn't that she hated her father or anything like that, but it was because of the room's contents. The room was the same size as Uzi's and contained a large bed, a wooden desk, a wardrobe, and a collection of photos hanging on the wall—photos of her father, Nori, and some of Uzi herself as a child. Every time she looked at those photos, she felt deeply embarrassed and uncomfortable. There were also photos of her mother that reminded her of her mother.
Ignoring those feelings, Uzi went to the wardrobe and started looking for anything that might fit N. Luckily, she found her father's tracksuit, which he'd never worn because it was too big, yet he hadn't returned it to the store. "Well, I'm lucky my dad kept things and didn't return them," Uzi thought. "Who would have thought I'd find some boys' clothes that fit N?"
As Uzi headed back to her room, she remembered N's reaction when she told him about her room. She chuckled at his surprised expression and thought to herself, "Cute. Has he never been in a girl's room before?" While she was thinking, she noticed something she hadn't seen before. She stopped and looked at the boys' clothes in her hand. Remembering N's reaction, she realized something that made her blush. "Oh my god, there's a boy in my house!" she exclaimed.