Chapter 168Light to Change

Nuru was still busy in the guest room, changing into something more practical. There was no problem to fill up the time though, I had to ask something.

"Anka", I began, "Who drank you?"

She looked up. "She never told me her name, but she looked so much like you, maybe less green in her eyes and longer hair. And there was another girl too, more mature, pale skin, long black hair. She took charge of the situation. It was obvious they knew you, so I presented myself. After I talked to them I allowed the younger one to drink from me."

"Khuna and Valerie." I whispered.

Anka looked up. "Who?"

I smiled. "The one like me is Khuna, the other Valerie. Did Valerie do anything to you?"

Anka blushed profoundly. "Eh... she kissed me."

Hitori looked genuinely surprised. "Was it that intense?"

Anka simply nodded silently.

I smiled. "I guess Valerie really thinks you're special then."

The tension was almost palpable at this point. Anka was blushing so strongly, steam could be seen from her ears. Of course, it was very fortunate for everyone that Nuru chose this time to interrupt us and defuse the situation.

"Will this do?" It was Nuru's voice, she'd stepped back into the living room and filled our vision with a lovely sight.

Nuru had picked a simple long dress, no layers, of a greenish fabric, no pattern. The stitching, in dark green, was simple as well. But the whole dress gave off a sort of simple and sweet look. Anka and Hitori gazed at her as much as I did. It was strange, somehow it looked even nicer than her elegant, more extravagant dresses.

"That's perfect." I smiled kindly and Nuru made a small bow in return.

"We'll go now. Although there are some things that Anka might tell me, I guess it can wait."

She looked a bit confused but shrugged it off. We all said goodbye to each other, quick hugs and kisses on cheeks passed by casually, if still slightly tense in Anka's case. Hitori let us out and saw us off as we walked the streets away.

Walk we did. When I first suggested the other clothing, I wanted to fly back to my house. But the walking was refreshingly welcome. It got a lot out of my system and in fact, made me feel a lot better cheerful even.

It didn't take long for Nuru and me to happily skip along, going through the park laughing like little girls. It was pretty quiet there, it brought back some memories of the past months, but nothing really bad. Despite my temporary hiding place underneath an important tree and the reasons for that hiding, it was a place that I carried in my heart with joy. It wasn't like we were playing tag or anything while we were heading for my home.

Alright, perhaps we were. But no one would know.

The streets of my old neighborhood welcomed me as well. I started to see every corner in a different light as my eyes compensated for my vision in the dark. Everything I saw was recolored to the lovely light of the sun in my head. Until I was on the last corner.

It was the corner I met Khuna and part of me was expecting her to be there.

But she wasn't.

It almost made me sad to see the place where I truly had started with my new life. Being turned wasn't the major difference, I'd have stayed on my own if it hadn't been for Khuna finding me here. Now that I came to think on it, it was quite strange she had been there right after I was turned. I knew it wasn't her that did it, but why was she there?

Slowly we continued to my home and it was only then we saw something strange, something that was definitely unexpected.

Light.

Considering the time I didn't expect anyone to even be awake anywhere else. It was way past midnight now and the rest of the street was completely dark. But in my home, somehow, two lights were on downstairs. And...

it shocked me even more.

I saw a shadow walking in the kitchen, but even my sharper sight could not discern who or what, male or female, it was. At least it removed any trace of suspicion in my mind.

No doubt about it, someone was inside.