My Careful Lover

THE CRAZY SEER LADY 1

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Ocean tossed around in his small tent with his mind all over the place. He had no intention of sleeping as he couldn't get his mind to focus on anything in particular. He tried to take his family's advice and rest so he could perform better, but the whole thing was not working for him as it felt like his soul was also ticking away with time.

All his life as a vampire, he had believed they had time, but not until recently. How long was the search going to take? A decade? A century? If he were to be human, he would have died before that time. It sounded much better than carrying on the way he was because nothing made sense to him.

He decided to explore the village, hoping for some luck. But as he looked around and saw no one, he frowned. "Where did everyone go?" he asked before shrugging.

His pace was slow and mindful as he walked. Sharp eyes scanned the environment for anything suspicious, but there was nothing. When he reached a road that led to two paths with a bush in the middle to separate them. After a few seconds of contemplation, he decided to take the left path.

The more steps he took, the voices from a distance became clearer, and the more people he saw. When he finally reached the source of the noise, a small smile settled on his lips. It was a small market. A very busy one. At times he would forget how the people here are different from those on the other side, the modern world as they called it. These people can still be seen as primitive. NO change has taken place. The women wore what modern women would have tagged as 'Old fashion,' as their skirts and gowns swept the floor of the market without any care. He wondered how the women would react if they were to be introduced to modern clothing. A heart attack won't be that bad. He laughed as he continued walking, gaining people's attention.

He turned alert when he sighted a few of his kind amidst the humans. He closely watched as the vampires chatted away animatedly with the humans as they laughed. Of course, not all of them were bad, and seeing how the vampires blended well, he could tell they were old village occupants.

"I guess I am not the only one that wants a normal life." He told himself with a sigh.

As if sensing his gaze, one of the vampires, who had been conversing with an elderly woman, raised his head to meet Ocean's gaze. From where Ocean stood, he saw how the man's eyes flashed light red before turning to its usual colour. A normal vampire, he told himself. From the look on the man's face, he knew the man identified him as well.

Before he could walk away from there, the man was already making his way towards him. Ah, it is time to socialize! I don't look forward to it. He let out an internal groan while maintaining a pleasant smile.

"Hey man," Ocean greeted the man first, looking all happy.

"You are new." Stated the man. Though the man maintained a smile, Ocean could tell the man was trying to access him to know if he posed a threat to the people in the village. He might be one of those crazy vampires who go about looking for trouble in their wake. When the man found nothing, his smile faltered. Ocean was simply what he called 'Neutral,' He didn't know if the new vampire was there to fight or if he was in their small village for some other reason. He sized Ocean up and down, noticing how the new man towered him with a few inches. His clothing was different from theirs in the village.

"Relax, I am not here to make trouble. I am clean."

The man nodded, "I believe you already know what I am."

It was Ocean's turn to nod as he sized up the man he was a few inches taller than, "A vampire. Yes, I do."

The man licked the corners of his lips before going straight to the point, "And you also know that we vampires have a treaty with these humans."

"A treaty with the humans? What was it about?" Ocean asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"We made a deal with them to protect their land from harm if they let us become part of it. The deal was made with the village heads. Others do not know about it. So don't go causing trouble for us, else I won't hesitate to push a stake through your heart. AM. I. Clear?" The man's eyes glared at Ocean.

Fighting back a scoff, Ocean said, "I won't cause any trouble. I am only here to look for my wife."

The man frowned, "Your wife is missing?"

"Yes," Replied Ocean as he brought out a piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded the paper that held a rough sketch of Moon, "Have you seen her around here?"

The man looked at the rough drawing for a few seconds, a frown appearing and disappearing from his face, "No, I don't think so."

"Are you sure?" asked Ocean as he had caught on the man's facial expression.

"Yes, I am sure. Try to create a clearer portrait of your wife as this one won't be very useful. I can barely make out the face."

"So, are you saying there is a possibility that you might have seen her somewhere?"

"No, that is not my point. I am Hawkins."

"Ocean," He introduced himself.

"Weird name, why does it sound familiar?" Asked the man as they exchanged manly handshakes, eyes locked on each other. "Okay, I will get back to my friends. Don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need my help anytime. Just ask anyone about Hawkins. They will direct you to me, okay?"

Ocean nodded, "Thanks man, I appreciate it."

Before leaving, Hawkin threw a sidelong glance at Ocean before rejoining his friends. Should I tell him what I saw? The man thought to himself but brushed it off with, 'It might be nothing. Let me not give the poor man false hope.

Ocean stopped in front of a fruit stall, "Good afternoon," He greeted the stall owner, " I would like to buy some apples."

"Please, feel free to choose the ones that you would like. 54, 55,56,57...." Said the stall owner without looking up from the coins she was counting.

After he selected a few apples, Ocean brought out some coins from his hip pocket, "You can keep the remaining coins," His words were enough to tear the woman's eyes away from her previous activity.

"Really? Thank you!" The middle-aged woman beamed at him before giving him a suspicious look, "You are new here, are you not?" Though it came out as a question, Ocean could tell it wasn't one.

"Just how small is this village?" Ocean looked around and caught a lot of people staring at him.

"Small enough for me to know when a handsome well-mannered man like yourself is around. I should have heard the whispers." Before Ocean could say anything, the woman was already beckoning someone. A woman "Linda! Have you ever seen this man before or heard anything about him?"

Ocean turned around to see another woman staring at him in awe. "You must be him. You look better than I've heard!" Linda gushed, sizing up the new man causing a stir. Remembering something, Linda cleared her throat. "Daphne, don't you think he'd make a good husband for my daughter?"

"I saw him first! My daughter is the best match for him!" Daphne argued.

"Goodness! That doesn't matter. I am sure he has a good eye- Oh! Anna! Dorothy! Thank god you two are here." Two women appeared beside Ocean with baskets full of vegetables. "I want you two to be truthful in this matter. Between I and Daphne's daughter, who do you think is best suited for this good man?"

One of the women let out a derisive chuckle."I can't believe you two are arguing over something like this when my daughter is preparing to meet him today!" The other women flashed the woman a menacing look before they all began to talk at the same time as more people joined the discussion or argument, causing his head to spin as they all tried to snag him for their daughters.

Hello everyone! 

I was originally going to save this chapter for later, but I don't want to keep you waiting! Do well to show some love people!

STAY SAFE AND HAPPY! ❤