Fang Marks

**Chapter 5: Am I an Adult?**

"Am I an adult?"

"I am an adult."

At that moment, Lila Bennett began doubting his actual age. Under Alexander Reed’s gaze, he felt as though he would be overwhelmed with guilt if he didn’t answer truthfully, as if the mere act of lying would have serious consequences. He had to tell the truth.

*Ding.*

A text notification.

*Tick.*

A social media alert.

*Whoosh.*

A news push notification.

One second, Lila Bennett was lost in a spiral of deep thought, and the next, his attention was drawn to the sudden signal on his phone.

Perhaps the friend he had asked about a part-time job had replied. Someone might have liked his recent post on social media or sent a friend request.

There might even be new developments regarding the collaboration between two singers, something he'd been following on his feed lately.

The room was so quiet that the series of notification sounds seemed abrupt.

Alexander Reed was still looking at him and said, "Turn it off."

Lila, distracted by the reconnection to the outside world, didn’t quite catch it. "What?"

Alexander Reed’s voice was calm but firm, "Turn off your phone and answer the question."

Lila looked up at Alexander Reed.

There was something magnetic about his strikingly pale face. In that moment, Lila could only see him, only hear him, and could only obey him.

Suddenly, his already tense heart began to race even faster, and his face started to heat up.

Alexander Reed’s gaze stripped away most of Lila’s capacity for independent thought. Despite a notification for something important lighting up his phone at the last second, he quickly turned it off.

"Yes, I’m an adult," Lila answered Alexander Reed’s earlier question. "I’m eighteen."

Alexander Reed seemed skeptical. "Eighteen?"

Lila immediately added, "To be precise, I’m eighteen years and three months old. I was of legal age when I signed the agreement."

Recently, Lila had been asked about his age numerous times. When he had to handle his inheritance, when he applied for jobs—everyone asked the same question. He figured Alexander Reed had the same concerns.

Lila did look very young, and although that was true, he was, in fact, an adult. His personal information was clearly listed in the agreement, and now he was sure of one thing: Alexander Reed didn’t know his name and probably hadn’t even read the contract.

After getting a clear answer, Alexander Reed withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and leaned back.

"Legal?" Alexander Reed reminded him, "Do you realize that the contract you signed isn’t legally binding?"

Six blood donations in six months, unconditional compliance, with vague details about the other party.

Lila had researched this online and knew that many clauses were in a legal gray area. If not for the generous payment, it would have been a very unfair deal for someone in his position.

Now, Alexander Reed was pointing that out again.

Lila pressed his lips together. "I know."

Crossing the stormy sea, battered by the fierce wind.

He had come from a sheltered environment to this place, with no way to turn back.

Alexander Reed spoke slowly, "You know, but you still dared to agree. I thought you were timid."

Lila, who had run in terror last night: "..."

Alexander Reed’s questions became increasingly casual. "Why aren’t you in school if you’re only eighteen?"

It was now the end of December, and the winter break for most students hadn’t even started.

A trip to this island meant sacrificing both a Friday and a Monday.

Lila hesitated, as this question seemed too ordinary for someone like Alexander Reed, more like something a parent would ask.

He felt like a truant student being interrogated by an adult. "I’m going. I took a year off from college. I’ll be back in school next fall."

Alexander Reed hummed in response but didn’t press for reasons behind the leave or why Lila had chosen to donate blood.

Aside from his age, those details didn’t seem to concern him.

"Next fall." Alexander Reed repeated Lila’s answer, frowning as if he had some thoughts about it.

But in the end, he said nothing more, only tapping his finger lightly against his cup.

He took a sip from his glass, staining his lips with a vivid color that slightly offset his sickly pallor, though he still didn’t look well.

"There’s a long time between now and next fall." After a brief pause, Alexander Reed looked at him again. "I need you to promise me that, during this time, you will completely dedicate yourself to me."

There was no warmth in his sharp gaze, and Lila felt a faint tremor in his heart.

What did it mean to "completely dedicate" himself? Did it mean he couldn’t back out of the blood donations?

"No betrayal, no running away, and no fear. No one here will harm you. If you need anything, you can ask me, and I’ll provide it." Alexander Reed’s words were clear and deliberate. "Next fall, you can go to college and never have to return to the island for donations."

The gravity of his words weighed heavily on Lila.

He figured this had to do with his attempted escape last night. Alexander Reed needed him, so he wanted a serious commitment.

But aside from the generous compensation for the blood, Lila didn’t really want anything.

So when Alexander Reed asked again, "Can you do that?" Lila replied, "Yes."

Alexander Reed told him to repeat it.

In that tense atmosphere, Lila unconsciously repeated from memory, "I won’t betray, I won’t run, and I won’t be afraid."

Alexander Reed didn’t say much more and finished the conversation with a calm, "You can get up now."

* * *

A few minutes later, Dr. Ling arrived, somewhat late.

Seeing Lila already in the room, the doctor paused in surprise. "Apologies for being late," Dr. Ling set down his medical kit and explained, "The surgery was complicated—there were injuries to both the small intestine and the stomach. We ran out of anesthetics on the island, and the patient’s pain kept returning."

Alexander Reed asked, "What about morphine?"

Dr. Ling replied, "It’s been used, but the dose was insufficient. Still, it’s better than nothing."

As Dr. Ling opened his medical kit and prepared the needles and blood bags, it became clear that the blood donation would take place right in Alexander Reed’s room.

Lila overheard their conversation and asked, "Dr. Ling, are you referring to the injured worker from last night?"

The doctor nodded. "You know about it?"

"I saw the blood in the snow outside," Lila replied.

The sight of that pool of blood in the snow last night had been shocking, and now, hearing how severe the injury was, Lila was worried someone might die.

Dr. Ling asked, "It was the middle of the night, wasn’t it? Why did you go outside when there were gunshots? That was dangerous."

Lila didn’t have a good answer for why he had gone outside.

Alexander Reed, who had saved him, was now lounging lazily on a black velvet sofa, his long hair tucked behind his ears, saying nothing.

The private conversation they’d had earlier seemed to have reached some unspoken agreement, and Alexander Reed wasn’t going to bring it up again.

Changing the subject, Lila asked Dr. Ling, "I heard from Grandfather Kang that the man’s back was pierced. Why wasn’t he taken to a hospital?"

Dr. Ling hesitated briefly, and Alexander Reed glanced at Lila.

As the focus of their attention, Lila instantly regretted asking the question. It seemed as though he was questioning Dr. Ling’s medical skills, and besides, he wasn’t from the island and had no right to meddle in their affairs.

Dr. Ling smiled reassuringly. "We’ve made arrangements. He’ll be fine."

Lila felt a bit foolish.

When he was asked to sit down and prepare for the blood draw, that feeling persisted.

Dr. Ling’s arrival had broken the room’s earlier silence, and the following conversation centered solely on the procedure.

In this highly private setting, Alexander Reed’s presence was overwhelming.

As the cold needle pierced his skin, Lila could almost feel Alexander Reed’s gaze on his arm.

He turned, and their eyes met.

The hint of red in Alexander Reed’s pupils seemed even more pronounced, though Lila wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination. Maybe Reed was wearing colored contact lenses, he thought.

They were separated by some distance.

Lila’s heartbeat grew heavier, and strange thoughts entered his mind about what was to come.

Two strangers, and soon one of them would have the other’s blood inside their body—a transfer of life force.

He turned back, watching the warm red liquid flow through the thin tube, spiraling into the blood bag.

Bit by bit, the sterile, limp bag gradually filled, swelling with life.

The process took about fifteen minutes. At one point, Alexander Reed set his glass down and rested his chin on his hand, watching him.

Throughout the entire procedure, Lila had to endure the weight of Reed’s gaze, his face growing warmer with every passing moment. He had no choice but to focus on the now-empty glass.

The rim of the glass had a faint red residue, which gradually faded over time.

Maybe it was something sweet, Lila thought.

Then his mind grew fuzzy.

When he opened his eyes again, he was staring at the ceiling, but it looked like the one in his childhood bedroom, the one he’d grown up in.

The room was filling with seawater.

Cold and wet, the sensation overwhelmed him,

Chapter 6