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1.Countdown

Lacrimal city, Cardelhas 2075

Many years after London

The day dawned beautiful and the only object shining in the blue sky pool above everyone was the sun.

The world had evolved, and with it the vampires both in physical and spiritual form. Julio Cesar, for example, had cut his long hair and 'spiked' it up giving it a stripped charm along with the leather jacket that had taken the place of the long overcoat. Marcus, on the other hand, let the hair grow with light curls at the shoulders, but also let the long

coats for blouses and jackets with a little more color since vampires are adept at funeral colors. Of course, not everyone decided to change so much, especially the vampires who still remained in Julio Cesar's clan.

At this moment the small group was coming through a tunnel formed by tall trees with many leaves; ok, the sun no longer affects them so much, but this doesn't mean that they love it.

Abruptly Julio Cesar stopped.

  • Julio Cesar, what is it?", Brenda asked him, following his gaze and stunned, like him, at seeing what was not possible.

-It's not possible," she murmured, her heart racing as it had not been for a long time.

Everyone was stunned, happy, amazed and even angry.

-That can't be Miranda," Lais raged, "I killed the bitch myself. I saw her turn to ashes in the air - she added the last part in clear thought since her secret was worth gold.

Just ahead, coming towards them came what everyone thought was the reunion of the past incarnated in the future.

A beautiful girl with long, straight black hair with dark blue streaks and eyes as black as the night was approaching from the direction of the strangers that she had noticed stopping from nowhere and staring at her with different emotions in their eyes. In her hands she was carrying two schoolbooks and a school bag, an indication that she was on her way to school.

The meeting was close, but Julio Cesar couldn't and didn't want to wait, so he stepped forward towards 'his' Miranda and grabbed her arm firmly, and the girl's eyes widened and she shivered.

-Miranda, my love- and for the first time in a long time he smiled.

  • I'm sorry," she said, gently, but shivering, pulling her arm out of the stranger's exaggerated grip, "but my name is Soraia-and she tried to leave the presence of the group that gave her the creeps.

-She's Miranda," she said as her loving smile changed to one of resentment at Soraia's refusal and lies.

-Didn't you hear her say her name is Soraia?

Lais brought fury and fear in her words, after all, if Julio Cesar found out what she had done, much blood would be spilled once again, literally-she's lying!

-And why would she do that?

Brenda looked closely at the girl and saw that besides her not lying there were more differences than similarities between her and Miranda, but she knew that love has the power to blind. Even someone like Julio Cesar.

-I don't know, but I'll find out," he swore as he shrugged, "but his thoughts were on that girl who was his love and he wouldn't rest until he had her for himself once more, even if it meant doing what he had done in London.

Marcus was the only one there who could warn that girl of the dangers that Julio Cesar brought with him, but how to do this without Julio Cesar knowing?

-Soraia, what is it?" asked Amy, a petite girl with red hair and white highlights in the middle of her back, and Soraia's best friend since she was a child, looking up with her bright green eyes of concern when she saw that her friend kept staring at this guy who was staring at her.

-That guy came up to me, calling me Miranda and my love in a very strange way.

-He mistook you for someone else." Amy smiled, but as she took her friend's hands she realized that they were trembling and cold.

Soraia glanced around and felt relieved to see that the scary group had disappeared. At least she hoped so.

-I think we'd better go in," Amy said, feeling a chill on the back of her neck as if eyes were watching her, but as she looked around she saw nothing.

I'm getting paranoid.

Eyes peered from behind a tree, her target was too beautiful not to look in those white pants, dark blue blouse with straps hugging her body and those dark green eyes that looked like two diamonds in the sun.

A huge three-story building stood out and the black sign DIVISION ACADEMY stood in contrast to the light color of the building, and the stairway was crowded with students heading for the double doors that were open to them.

What Julio Cesar and his group didn't even know was that behind an alley in the corner of a beautiful house, a pair of light green eyes with a few black strands of hair slipping over them were peeking at them, frowning and admiring.

But who was it? What did he want?

The second floor of the school was occupied by classrooms where many students entered and exited the classrooms. The second floor was the cafeteria, the library and the video library. And on the third floor was a hall for dance classes. Everything was painted in light colors, but the furniture and objects were made of dark wood in a strong contrast to the white curtains. The school campus was quite large, with trees and wooden benches scattered here and there, and a strip of gravel leading to the basketball and soccer courts.

At this moment some students were scattered around talking about the cinematic costume ball that would take place on Saturday to benefit the hospital that had been looted.

-I have to stay close to that girl," Julio Cesar said as he sat at a desk at the back of the room, pointing with his head and eyes fixed on Soraia to Brenda, who couldn't believe that after millennia, despite her youthful appearance, she was back in a classroom.

-But she's not Miranda.

-She may not be in soul, but in body she is," she said, and then Soraia looked straight into her eyes and saw that she had the potential to be her Miranda in body and soul. Before Brenda could say anything Marcus sat down at the front desk and said: this is obsession, Julio Cesar.

Julio Cesar growled a -I'm going to bring Miranda back to me- and stood up quickly, which made many eyes turn to him, but he didn't care.

On the other side of the room Lais heard everything clearly and gritted her teeth with narrowed eyes staring at this Soraia who was smiling at the other one beside her, while Julio Cesar was at the back of the desk watching everything she did.

He still hasn't forgotten that wretch. And even after she's dead she still stinks up my life.

  1. Countdown

At last the long-awaited Saturday arrived. And from the beginning of the week until now Julio Cesar had done nothing but follow in Soraia's footsteps.

The stranger with the green eyes did the same. Soraia took advantage of the sunny Saturday to go for a walk in the neighborhood like so many other people, but she felt that someone was following her, but what made her sigh of anger was that she didn't see anyone following her.

Suddenly a whisper came through the wind to her ears -Soraia, be careful with the witch- and the hairs on her arms stood up, by instinct, she rubbed them as she took a good look around her and once again saw nothing.

Julio Cesar forced himself to turn into a bat and get out of there because he didn't want to risk a confrontation with that wretched race in front of witnesses.

The whispering wind continued its alertness because the voice knew that a whispering wind, not even a vampire with acute hearing, could hear. Her problem was that Soraia was afraid and retreated away from there which was good since she felt Julio Cesar's presence around her constantly, but in her fear she would not understand him, but she would not give up her mission:

PROTECT HER.

In the vampire house Brenda and Marcus were sitting on black leather sofas with white iron tables in the center with a single glass vase with a very opulent arrangement of red roses talking while they were alone.

-So Marcus, will you tell me how you ended up in Chile?

Marcus smiled all charming and dull.

-I felt death embracing me, Brenda, but somehow it rejected me." Suddenly her smile vanished and a dark cloud passed over her face as she concluded.

Brenda then got up from her armchair and walked over to Marcus who smiled fondly at her as his hands wrapped around hers when he said- you don't have to worry about her anymore, because Julio Cesar wanted to get rid of her too.

-Thank you," he had said, and it was then that Brenda dared to speak what had been burning inside her since the moment she had gone

to look for Marcus' ashes on the cliff and found nothing.

-I was afraid of what might have happened to you.

Marcus then did the only thing the moment demanded and like a son hugging his mother he hugged Brenda.

The night came starry with a magnificent new moon rising into the bed of the sky.

The school hall was packed with people both inside and outside. Colored lights of various shapes danced on the black marble floor; tables were spread out against the walls with various food and beverages; white muslin curtains partitioned the room like an Arabian tent in the desert; and huge speakers spread the music throughout the school.

throughout the school.

Conversation, laughter, and fantasies mingled, but one caught her eye because of the silver sheen of her cape and jumpsuit and her long white wig.

Distracted Amy shuddered when a voice reverberated behind her as she said, "The storm's here, but where's the lightning?

-Wow!

Soraia laughed, but when Amy turned around and saw that her friend was really dressed as a catwoman her jaw dropped, because the costume included a butt in the pants and nails, but one thing was missing and she took the cue-lost the whip on the way.

-Very funny.

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