"Will you become mine?" 

The braziers on the columns came to life as the girl asked the question. I could barely hear what she said. I was too focused on her face. Her small lips were cherry. Her button nose was adorable. She had gorgeous long black hair, and her crimson eyes captivated me. I simply stared at her face. Her face…that was pouting. 

"OH! I am sorry! What did you say?" 

She crossed her pale, exposed arms, covering whatever design was on her black t-shirt. Looking down, she had on a red skirt. I stared at her legs, which were covered in black leggings. 

My eyes shot up. I was checking her out way too much, but something felt off. For some reason, I expected her to be wearing something else. My eyes finally met hers again as she responded.

"L-like I said. Will you be mine?" The girl's cheeks became rosy, and she started to fidget. The gesture was beyond cute, and I felt my heart begin to race again; however, I was confused. 

"W-what do you mean?"

"We are both women, aren't we?" She paused, seeming to be thinking about something. “Do I have to spell it out for you?" She got close to my ear again, and I felt her cool breath touch it. "I want you to be mine." 

I finally understood her perfectly. My brain tried to deny it, but what she asked was apparent. She was so close I could smell her hair. I didn't know what scent of shampoo she used, but it smelled heavenly. I stammered out a response. "B-b-but, I just met you. I don't even know your name."

"Right, sorry about that." The girl took a step back before she performed a curtsy. It looked awkward with her current outfit. "My name is Enora Twilight. It is a pleasure to meet you." She looked up and met my eyes expectantly.

"R-right! I-I am…" I almost tripped over my own feet as I attempted my curtsy. "...Melle… Melle Garnsey."

"Melle Melle?" Enora tilted her head in such a cute way. 

"No, just Melle!"

"I see, well then… I am just Enora!" She rushed up to me and grabbed both of my hands. "So now you know my name! Will you be mine?"

Despite how cute she was, to me, this was insanity. Sure, I swung that way, but what sort of person just asks someone they met to be theirs? "Why do you keep asking me that? What about taking me to the place of the giants?"

"Is it not good? I would love to have you…" Her sad expression pulled at my heartstrings. 

"No, it isn't that, but this is sudden. You were just saying how you could take me to that place."

"The truth is, I can't stay here much longer. If I keep delaying, I will never be able to go back there. If you want to come with me, the only way I will take you is if you agree to be mine. This is a one-way ticket. You can't come back here once you are there…"

Really? I wouldn't be able to come back here ever again. Somehow, I already knew that in the back of my mind. If I followed Enora, I would never see my current life again. It would all be gone. 

I thought about what I would leave behind. My parents? They were already gone. They died soon after I started high school. My friends? All I had were my coworkers. Were they my friends? Sure, I always talked to them at the office, but they weren't really my friends. My job? My job was a dead-end office job. My house? I lived in an apartment. At least my landlord was friendly. Was that it? Could I really just leave this world behind? All to chase a dream from my childhood. 

"You can say no…"

I looked up into her eyes. She was smiling at me. I knew I would never get another chance if I abandoned this one. What about Enora, though? She had just asked to be my girlfriend, and I had just met her. I didn't even know how to feel about her yet. My heart was pounding just looking at her, but wasn't that just lust? I had never even been in a relationship before. Besides, she wasn't even human. 

"You should know I am a…"

"Vampire." I finished the sentence for her. Sure, I was an idiot, but there was no way I was that stupid. I read fiction in my free time. 

"So you already knew? I guess that's a…"

"Yes! I will come with you!" 

Her eyes widened in surprise. "If you know, then why?"

"Why? Well, because… because I like you. Does a girl have to spell it out?" That's right, I could trick my mind all I wanted. I could tell myself anything, but from the moment I looked at her… I knew….My heart knew…

"Pfft… haha haha…"... " She tapped her leg as she broke down. She kept laughing until tears filled her eyes. It was my turn to start pouting. 

"Hey! What's so funny!?"

Enora stopped laughing as she righted herself. "You know… you are strange for a human. But I guess that's why…"

She leaned in close again. With how much she did this, I could swear she was trying to give me a heart attack, but actually, what almost gave me a heart attack were her words. "I fell in love with you right away."

Enora's confession left me dazed and speechless. Plus, I could still feel her breath on my neck. My body wanted hers. My whole being wanted her, but I had just met her. This was wrong, but it felt right when I wrapped my arms around her. She twitched from the touch, but she didn't push me away. Holding her felt right. 

"Mind if I take a bite?" 

I barely heard her as I continued to grasp her. I didn't respond to her voice, but I soon felt a sharp pain in my neck. At first, it hurt quite a bit, and I had to suppress a moan. Soon after, it started to feel good. I held her tighter as she took her fill. My whole body was feeling warmer and warmer the more she drank.

Soon enough, my vision started to go black. I felt like I would fall over, but I didn't want to let go of her. For some reason, I thought I would get left behind if I let go of her. So I held on like someone would hold onto the edge of a cliff for dear life.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you…" 

Those were the last words I heard before passing out.

I saw my parents before me. Their faces were smiling at me. "We are both glad. We are so happy that our daughter can fulfill her dream."

"Hi, Mom and Dad. I miss you both so much…" 

They shook their heads at me. "We miss you too, but what happened isn't your fault. Sorry, we never listened to you. We just wanted you to have a better life than us…"

I remembered now. I went to university because it was what my parents had always wanted. When they died in that accident, I had sworn at their funeral I would do what they wanted. What they thought was best, but I broke that promise. I left it all behind. I would never be going back. "I am sorry. Mom, Dad, I broke the promise I made."

They both placed a hand on my shoulder as I looked down. When I looked up, they were smiling gently at me. There was no trace of anger. They weren't mad at me at all. 

"Dear, we want you to walk the path you have chosen…" My mom placed a hand on my chest. "Be true to yourself. We will always love you, no matter what."

My eyes shot open to a brown and rocky ceiling. Water dripped from the stalactite above onto my nose. Or was it a stalagmite? The tites were tall, right? Or where the mites mighty? Either way, this was… "an unfamiliar ceiling…"

After a bit, an upside-down head appeared above me. Startled, my head shot up and slammed into hers. "Ow…ow… wait, it doesn't hurt…"

I rubbed my head and looked at Enora, who was staring at me. "Pfft… hahaha!..." 

She was laughing at me! She scared the jebus out of me! She was clenching her sides firmly as she laughed. "Stop! Or I will get angry!"

"Ha...…ha… I'm sorry, but your reaction was so funny just now. Not to mention that hair…"

She made a hand mirror appear, and I didn't even have time to gasp from the display of magic. I still had the same face I got from my mother. My eyes were still the same muddy brown. My hair was the black color it had always been, but I had a severe case of bedhead. Strands were sticking out everywhere. I looked at my neck in the mirror. There were two punctures. 

"Hey! You bit me!"

"Huh? You are only saying that now?" 

I rubbed the spot where she had bitten me, but there was nothing wrong. If anything, the skin had gotten smoother. "No! That isn't what I meant!" 

"Oh? What did you mean, girlfriend?" 

My cheeks burned. No one had ever called me their "g-girlfriend!?” 

"We are partners now, remember? Maybe I drank too much?" She looked genuinely concerned for me as she touched my cheek. I could feel her claws on my temple. "What's the matter, Melle?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

She put the mirror back in front of me. "You are crying."

Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I wondered, "Why?..."

I couldn't hold back the dam anymore. The tears flowed out of my eyes while Enora pulled me close to her chest. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I saw my parents…" Somehow, I switched positions, and she gave me a lap pillow while I looked up at her. "I saw them before I woke up. They both died in a car accident while I was in high school."

There was nothing else I could say. The words wouldn't come out. How could I tell Enora that it was my fault? I told them to go that night. I wanted them to have fun. They were always there for me. I saved money and paid for them to go to the movies together. It was just supposed to be a date for them. Enora placed a finger on my lips as she stroked my hair.

"Shh, you don't have to say anymore. I am sure it wasn't your fault, and I am sure that your parents agree." She smiled brightly at me, exposing her sharp fangs. I stared at her as my cheeks went red. "What?" She asked. 

"You bit me…" 

Her face went red, too, as she giggled. "You said that earlier…what did you mean?"

"Why am I not a vampire? Or am I now your slave? I mean. I already… but…"

My words were cut off, and her lips stole my own. My heart pounded in my chest. Her lips were so soft, and they tasted sweet, not to mention warm. I closed my eyes as I kissed her back. Our lips were intertwined, but we were both clumsy. It was obvious neither of us had ever kissed someone. When she finally broke away from me, I struggled to catch my breath. 

"Ha…ha… What was that for…?"

I wasn't complaining. If anything, I wanted Enora even more, but it was so random. 

"When I saw you like that, I wanted to help…, but I didn't know what I should do. Then I thought…What would I want her to do if the positions were reversed?"

"So you kissed me?" 

She nodded. "Are you mad?" 

"Come closer real quick."

 I heard her gulp as she leaned forward. This time, I grabbed her head and pulled her into a kiss. She was such a devil. It was all her fault, but damn was she hot. Now, this sexy beast was my girlfriend. I already didn't want to let her go. 

Eventually, the kiss had to end, and this time, she was trying to catch her breath. "Ha… you demon…"

"Says you! You are the vampire! Wait, you still didn't answer me…" 

She tilted her head cutely once more, placing a finger on her adorable chin. "...oh right! No, you aren't a vampire…"

I placed my hand on my neck and rubbed the smooth spot where she had bitten me. It was right on my carotid artery. It was no wonder I had passed out. My brain probably wasn't getting the blood it needed. She said I wasn't a vampire, but then—

"You aren't a blood slave either. If you ask me… you are a dork!" She flicked my forehead lightly. 

"Hey! I might have been into those sorts of fantasy stories— a tiny bit…"

"Oh?" She raised one of her thin eyebrows. 

"Hey! Let's get back on topic!"

"Right, you aren't a vampire, an enslaved person, or any of the sort. You only have a slight change. I had to do it to bring you here." 

"What's that?" It was my turn to tilt my head. I probably looked funny to her since my head was still resting in her lap. 

"Hehe, it's nothing. I just gave you half of my magic power."

"Pardon?" Did I hear her right? She gave me half of what? That thing in fantasy stories? That thing that the hero always has too much of? The one where they…"Ow!" 

She flicked my forehead again. "Your excitement is showing on your face. You have half my mana, mp, energy, whatever you fancy."

"Sorry, I got excited. Wait! What does that mean for you?" I shot up and grabbed her shoulders. “You will be okay, right?" 

She smiled at me. "I am perfectly fine. In fact! I am better than I ever would have been on Earth! My body feels so light! It's refreshing." I looked down at her chest as she stretched her arms. Her chest was just the right size for me. It had to be a B-cup. “And where do you think you are looking?" 

She grabbed my cheeks and pulled my head up so our eyes matched. "I was just… just…"

"I don't mind if you look…but you can't touch them yet!" My eyes widened. How could she say something like that so boldly? All the while, she looked like a tomato. "Anyway, I don't even know where we are yet."

"That's right! We are in another world, aren't we!?" My yell echoed in the cave. I didn't even notice, but there were the stalagmites—or whichever one. I stood up quickly and started to stretch myself. "My body feels super light, too! I have so much energy!"

"It must be the effect of all that mana you have now…" We both looked towards the same spot. The exit to the cave was right up a slight incline. The place was tall enough that I could barely carry her on my shoulders if I wanted to. Rays of light were coming in from the exit. 

"So it's daytime over here?... wait, won't that be a problem for you?" 

"If we were still on Earth, it would be a problem, but here… not really." 

The way she said that made me think differently, but she didn't wait for me to respond. She ran straight for the mouth towards the sunlight. Once she reached it… 

Nothing happened. Enora stood there with an arm stretched out and her palm open towards me. "Well, don't you want to see your new world, partner?"

The way she winked at me sent butterflies into my stomach. The sunlight further brightened her smile, recapturing my heart. 

"Of course I do!..." I ran up to her and grabbed her hand. "...P-partner."

The light blinded me, and with the arm that wasn't holding my girlfriends, I had to cover my eyes for a second. Once they adjusted, the view stood before me, and it was all— “Beautiful!”