VAMPIRE'S FAIRY

THE NEW KIND COLLEAGUES

Freyana had always been unusually protective of me at the office. If she hadn't been leaving with the vice president every day, I was certain she would have been offering me rides home as well. During tea breaks, she would make coffee for herself, the vice president, and me. I had offered to help more than once, but she always insisted on doing it herself.

At lunchtime, she never failed to come and fetch me so we could eat together. Her behavior hadn't gone unnoticed. Everyone in the office seemed baffled by how close she had become to me—and why I, of all people, was the only one she treated that way.

"Was she like this before?" I asked Alice, another colleague who had worked with Freyana for years. She had even admitted she was a little envious that I had somehow befriended one of the higher-ups.

Alice shook her head. "Not at all. Freyana was always serious—a complete workaholic. You'd hardly ever see her smile or laugh unless she was with Sir Luke."

"And if Sir Luke hadn't had a girlfriend back then," my supervisor, Mary, added with a knowing sigh, "we all would have assumed they were dating."

She glanced up from the files on her desk and smiled faintly. "You're lucky, Ayl. She smiles around you, laughs with you, and even makes coffee for you."

I turned back to my own work, but her words lingered. Why was Freyana being so kind to me? What was it about me that made her go out of her way like this? I couldn't think of any reason.

A few minutes later, Mary handed me a stack of files that needed the vice president's signature. I really didn't want to cross paths with Lynn's brother any more than necessary. My first thought was to ask Freyana to take them for me, but when I looked toward her desk, she was nowhere to be seen.

With no other choice, I headed for Luke's office.

The door was slightly ajar. Just as I was about to knock, I overheard voices inside.

"Let me talk to her too," Luke was saying. "I want to get to know her."

"You'll only make her uncomfortable," Freyana replied. "She already avoids coming anywhere near your office."

"Why? I'm not nearly as intimidating as Lynn."

"Just being his brother is enough to scare her. Besides, you're her boss. Who wants to casually befriend their boss?"

"I'm not the big boss. That brat Lynn is."

"Watch your tongue, little vampire. Lynn is your older brother."

Their easy banter caught me off guard. Freyana sounded completely at ease with him, as though they'd known each other forever. Perhaps they had. Either way, it wasn't any of my business.

I finally knocked.

"Come in," Luke called.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately greeted by warm smiles from both of them. Luke started to rise from his chair, only to freeze when Freyana shot him a warning glance.

"What?" he asked, sounding both annoyed and disappointed.

"Hey, Ayl," Freyana said brightly, walking over to me while pointedly ignoring him. "Do you have something for Sir Luke?"

I approached Luke's desk, placed the open file before him, and stepped back. "This needs your signature, sir."

He skimmed through the documents before signing them. I quickly collected the file, ready to make my escape, when suddenly Luke appeared right in front of me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Behind me, I heard Freyana let out a long, weary sigh.

"Would you like to have dinner with us tonight?" Luke asked, grinning. "Freyana will be there too."

I turned to Freyana. She nodded encouragingly, a soft smile on her lips.

I hesitated. Since Lynn hadn't joined me for dinner in quite some time, I doubted he would suddenly appear tonight.

"Okay, sir," I agreed at last, though mostly because I wanted to get out of that office as quickly as possible.

Luke's face lit up instantly, his excitement impossible to miss.

Why did he want to get close to me too? Why were both of them so interested in knowing me better?

The questions swirled in my mind as I glanced from Freyana to Luke.

"I should get back to work now," I said.

"Of course," Luke replied, stepping aside.

I wasted no time slipping out of the office. The moment I was outside, their voices drifted after me.

"See? She agreed," Luke said triumphantly.

"But you frightened her," Freyana scolded. "Didn't you see how fast she ran out of here?"

"She'll get used to me."

They sounded almost like siblings—bickering with the kind of familiarity that only came from years of knowing each other.

Then something struck me.

Their voices... they sounded strangely familiar. As if I had heard them somewhere before, though I couldn't place where or when.

I paused for a moment, trying to grasp the memory, but it slipped away.

With a small shrug, I returned to my desk.

Dinner, huh?