There was a faint light coming from the street a few meters ahead.

She was lying on the cold, hard ground covered with dirt; tall grasses and stones of varying sizes spread around.

She felt a huge, scary presence surrounding the area, the deafening silence further empowering her senses of hearing. There were rustling of leaves close by, and she felt them slowly coming closer and closer.

She knows every second that passes by threatens her safety and yet she was at loss of what to do in the current situation she was in.

“I need to go,” she told herself, yet her body won’t follow to the instructions that she was giving it.

“Stand, Mari, come on!” She whispered desperately, her voice not shaking as much as her whole body which wasn’t able to move completely out of fear.

She felt helpless, being in a situation where danger awaits, and she is making the matter worse by letting herself succumb to her fears.

“Mari..” she heard a voice inside her head. “Don’t be afraid.” The voice was hoarse and deep. If anything, it doesn’t sound very friendly at all. Mari doesn’t know where the voice came from and why she was hearing it.

“Don’t be afraid..” the voice repeated. “Tonight, I’ll make you mine.” It told Mari, before the voice finally disappeared.

Mari’s attention was brought back to reality by a loud snarl coming from behind the tall grasses. Aware by the sudden threat, Mari dragged her legs and hid behind the huge tree, hoping that the creature behind the grass won’t be able to detect her presence.

The rustling got louder, suggesting the approaching danger and Mari held on her breath, every second a matter of life and death.

When the sounds of branches crackling and breaking on the ground minimized, Mari looked out for a pathway to flee.

She ran and ran and ran, determined to escape the place alive.

Her eyes flickered with hope when she saw the entrance to the forest nearing, but all her aspirations went down the drain when a huge, magnificent wolf emerged, guarding the entrance of the forest.

She stopped in her tracks; shocked, surprised. She hasn’t seen an animal as big as this wolf. It was larger than what the pictures say and it is twice as scary to see it real and alive. Never has she ever thought of seeing a wolf in this era. It was already a species believed to be extinct up to date.

She stepped backwards, shaking. The wolf was staring straight at her, its eyes dark and hungry with blood. Its presence alone is menacing and its huge body looks as if it can break every limb inside Mari’s body.

Suddenly, the wolf began to run towards where she was standing. Mari’s eyes widened in surprise and she unconsciously began to move and run away, praying to all the gods not to let the wolf catch up to her.

But the wolf was fast. Its long hind legs advanced forward faster than Mari’s legs can do and it doesn’t took the wolf a long time before it can almost reach Mari.

Mari paced faster in panic, her breathing starting to get heavy from running. She let out a loud scream when the wolf caught up to her, attacking and tackling her to the ground.

“Help!” She called out loudly, hoping for somebody to hear of her cries. She tried to escape from the wolf’s limbs but the wolf was so huge and heavy, that she wasn’t able to move an inch.

The wolf stared at her hungrily, baring its fangs. Mari felt tears build up in her eyes.

This is the end, she thought.

She felt a pang of pain hit her neck when the wolf buried its fangs to her neck; but the pain doesn’t feel as strong as she was expecting it to be.

She opened her eyes and saw a figure of a human towering her instead, its arms filled with fur that was starting to dissipate. The man’s head was on her neck, burying its teeth that seem sharper than a normal human’s. She let out a gasp when he bit harder, as if he was desperately trying to leave a mark into her being.

“Ahh!” Mari screamed and sat abruptly on her bed.

It was the first time she dreamt in years and it ended up being a bad dream.

She held on the side of her neck where she was bitten and let out a sigh of relief when she felt nothing but the softness of her skin.

“There’s no wound.” She sighed and wiped off the sweat forming on her face.

It was already morning, the sun was beginning to rise and people were already preparing for the day.

She headed towards the living room where her father was watching the television and drinking a cup of coffee.

“Where’s mom?” She asked.

“Buying groceries.” Her father replied.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from their gate, indicating that someone was trying to come in.

“Oh, that’s probably mom.” Mari went to greet her mother at the entrance and helped her carry the groceries.

“What are we having for lunch?” She asked.

“Honey Glazed Chicken and some side dishes.”

“Oohhh,” Mari hummed as they went towards the kitchen to bring the groceries.

Mari placed down the plastic bag and started to bring out the items that her mother bought.

“You bought a lot,” she said looking at her mother. “What’s the occasion?”

“Oh, nothing in particular.” Her mother grinned. “You know, just to celebrate our move in. Maybe it will give us luck on our side in our new home.”

“Oohhh,” she nodded while separating the items into ingredients and side dishes.

“Do you need help cooking?” She asked her mother.

“Not really. Do as you please.”

“I’ll help.” Mari went to get the chopping board and the knife and started cutting the ingredients. Her mother went on to prepare the side dishes and they stood side-by-side, busy with their tasks.

“Have you unpacked?” Mari’s mother questioned.

“Not yet. I didn’t have the time to unpack yesterday when we arrived home.”

“Really? What did you do?”

“I played games,” Mari chuckled. “I didn’t notice the time while playing so I ended up being unproductive.”

“Tsk tsk... You should probably do it later then. You have a lot of time.” Her mother suggested.

“I’ll probably do,” she replied. “I can’t let it stay untouched for the rest of the week.”

“Good.”

“I’m done here. What should I do with these?” Mari said, pointing at the ingredients.

“Bring it there and prepare the pan. I’m going to cook them once I finish seasoning these sides.” Her mother replied.

“Okay.” Mari said and followed what her mother instructed. She brought the chopped ingredients in the cooking area and pulled out a large pan from the cup board. She placed the pan on the stove and walked back towards her mother.

“I’m going to my room to unpack my things, mom. Call me when you need something.” She bid goodbye and her mother nodded in agreement.

When she arrived inside her room, she went to pick up the box and started unboxing it. She first pulled out the books and arranged them at the bookshelf right next to the door of her room. She arranged them according to their categories — the fictions at the top and the informative books at the middle. On the bottom of the shelf, she placed old photo books and her photograph collections including photos taken from family travels and even random photography.

She placed her music cds on the shelf on top of her clothing rack together with her other collections.

When she finished arranging the things inside the box, she went to get her suitcase and started unpacking. She placed half of her clothes in a hanger and hung them inside the cabinet while some clothes — especially the ones she wears at home — were folded and placed inside the drawers.

It took her about an hour to finish arranging everything, and when she hung the last piece of clothing inside the rack, her mother was already calling her to eat lunch.

“Did you finish with the unpacking?” Her father asked.

“Yes dad, I was just about to come out of my room.” She smiled and sat at the chair in their dining area.

“That’s good,” Her father paused. “Anyway, your mom and I is planning to go to the mall. Do you want to come?”

“Oohh, is it a date?”

“We’re just going to buy new sheets and maybe go window shopping for your mom. You know, since we left our old ones at the city.”

“Naahh, just go and enjoy your date. I’m just going to study here.”

“Okay. Make sure to lock the door in case you’re going outside though.”

“Yes, dad.”

“My dear, come here for a second.” Her mother called from the kitchen.

“What is it mom?” Mari stood up from where she was sitting and went towards where her mother was preparing the foods to be served.

“I separated some sides and chicken to give to our neighbor. Go visit them after we finish eating.” Her mother said and pointed at the separated lunch box resting on the corner.

“Okay, mom. Let me help you with that.” She took the bowl of Honey Glazed Chicken and Rice and brought them to the dining area where her father was waiting while her mother bought the side dishes.

Her mother and father was conversing as they eat while Mari just listened, not understanding some of the things that they were talking about.

When they finished eating, Mari volunteered to wash the dishes while her mother went to rest at the living room.

When she finished with her task, she proceeded to take the lunch box at the corner and brought it at the house next door.

‘Ding dong.’ The doorbell rang and she waited for someone to open the door.

“Why aren’t they answering?” She thought.

‘Ding Dong.’ She pressed the doorbell once again.

The door slowly opened revealing a man of her age. His skin was pale and milky white, looking as smooth as a porcelain glass. He was still wearing his pajamas, rubbing the sleep off his eyes, as if he’s been sleeping all along before he opened the door.

“What is it?” He asked, his voice tired and husky, a hint of disinterest present in his tone.

“Hi. I’m Mari, your new neighbor next door. We just moved here yesterday so we haven’t met before. My mother made some dishes and I went here to give you some. I hope we get along!” She smiled and offered him the lunch box she was holding.

The man looked at her in disbelief. His eyes bore holes into her being, his intimidating stare deeming Mari speechless. The silence was making her uncomfortable.

She shifted her legs, her arms starting to hurt from being stretched out for long.

“Um.. Aren’t you going to take it?” She raised her hand a bit, suggesting for the guy to take the lunch box in her hand.

The man shifted his stare from her face to the lunch box in her hand, suspicion evident in his eyes.

“Thanks.” The guy said and took the lunch box in her hand.

“Sure, uh, what should I call y-”

The door in front of her shut before she could finish.

“-you?” She stared at the closed door dumbfounded.

“Wow. Not so friendly, aren’t we?” She frowned at the treatment she received.

“Please return the box after you finish!” She talked a little bit loudly so that the guy inside the house will hear.

“Which part of that is lovely?” She rolled her eyes, remembering the comment her mother made regarding their neighbor. “I don’t understand.” She shook her head and turned to leave.

Sighing, she returned to their house empty-handed.