The Turning

(Twenty-Five)

Hyungwon awoke, the memory of a nightmare lingering within his mind. He closed his eyes for a second and tried his best to push the horrific images out of his head. Outside, the sun hung high in the sky, signaling the start of a new day. It was time for him to get up and get ready.

He threw his legs over the side of his bed and headed toward the door. One of the many things he loved about the MX clan was their strong family dynamic. The clan was more than just a clan. They treated each other as close family members, brothers. Every day the clan got together for a meal in the morning and evening. Unfortunately, lunch wasn't always possible because of their schedules.

He walked down the hall, passed the living room, and arrived at the glass table located near the kitchen. Everyone seated at the table watched him pull out a chair for himself and take a seat. A large pitcher of red liquid sat in the middle of the table. Kihyun exited the hallway, dressed in a soft grey sweater, black pants, and black dress shoes. He greeted them warmly as he walked toward the table. He took a seat across from him, removing the camera bag from his left shoulder and placing it on the ground. After a few minutes, the pleasant chatter died down as they all focused on their meals. Hyungwon stared at the pitcher of blood, thoughts swirling inside his head.

"I'm sorry," Wonho said.

Hyungwon's eyes drifted toward him.

"I know Chorong told us to go back to work and pretend everything is normal, but I don't like this. This reminds me too much of the time we had to wait for Hyungwon to come back."

Shownu nodded, placing his glass on the table. "I understand. We've done a lot of waiting lately."

"There is nothing we can do right now," Kihyun said. "Chorong wants us to go back to our daily lives. She said if we do anything else, we'll cause trouble. I don't like the idea of pretending everything is fine either. Everything is not fine."

Hyungwon thought back to his conversation with Chorong. He hadn't seen the other vampire since the day she appeared in his room. He hoped she would stop by again, but she didn't. Maybe he had to wait a little longer.

"Oh! I just remembered. Hyungwon," Minhyuk said, placing a hand on his left shoulder. "Hoseok brought something from the café yesterday for you. I think it was those sweet pastries you like so much. I'll go grab you one and your supplements."

Minhyuk pushed his chair back and stood up.

"It's okay. You don't have to. I'm fine. I'll just have a drink," Hyungwon said.

"Oh, okay. I'll just grab you one of the fruit juices from the fridge. I'll—"

"Min, its fine," he said. "I'll have a drink."

Minhyuk glanced at him, head tilted to the side. Hyungwon's eyes drifted toward the pitcher of blood in the middle of the table. His fingers trembled as he reached for the glass container. He paused, hand hovering right above the pitcher handle. An unpleasant sensitivity from his fangs reminded him of his blood related problems. He needed to move forward and that meant drinking blood again.

"Hyungwon?"

Hyungwon glanced at Minhyuk. He noticed Minhyuk wasn't the only one at the table staring at him. The rest of the clan had matching perplexed expressions. He expected the confused stares. Blood hadn't been on the menu for him for days. He mostly ate human food and occasionally took the blood supplements given to him.

"I'll just have a drink," Hyungwon said, wrapping his fingers around the pitcher handle.

Hyungwon pulled the pitcher closer to him, staring at the blood contained within it. Silence filled the atmosphere. He winced as a sharp pain traveled up his right leg. He could no longer avoid blood. His body had been screaming for blood for too long. It was time for him to listen. His days of avoiding blood was over.