Lynda received it with glee and opened the packaging the moment it reached her hands. Throwing a cookie into her mouth, she continued.

“It’s been a while since I could bake anything. It’s really boring staying in the hospital, you know? I really want to go back home, but the doctors just wouldn’t let me.”

“When are you going to be discharged? Any dates have been given yet?”

“Until everything is A-O-K. So it’s pending. I just found out recently that for stage one vampires, they can offset the attack by drinking their own blood. Bite your tongue enough and you’re good to go. I wish I knew that earlier,” Lynda said, laughing.

What? That shouldn’t be..

And then she stopped and turned to me, remorse on her face.

“Why didn’t you tell me that Avner?”

“I.. I didn’t know..”

“You were the one who gave the doctors this information. You said you could see the future, so why?”

How you could drink your own blood to stimulate the NtBM nanomachine to release the suppressive.. I thought Novelle wrote that it wouldn’t work?

It couldn’t have worked.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You caused me a lot of trouble, but I can’t say you’re wrong because you’re also the one who saved me. Now I have to go for surgery to install a vein opener in my esophagus. You know what the machine does? It ruptures the blood vessels to cause blood to flow into the stomach. If I was stage one, biting my mouth would’ve been enough, now that I’m stage two, I need more blood.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Cain said, I remained silent.

“Avner.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What else happened? Did I die?”

“You didn’t.”

Emily was the one who died because of a blood infection.

“How about now? Will I die if I don’t go for the surgery? I.. I don’t want that implant.. my parents left the decision in my hands.. “

“Then don’t go for it.”

“Then you take responsibility, Avner. If you become my recipient, then I won’t need that surgery.”

“Donor and recipient. You’re aware of the differences.. right?”

“Yes. I'm very aware.”

Lynda is demanding that I become a stage one vampire so that we can feed off each other’s blood.

There are clearly many other more appropriate methods out there to treat an NtBM attack. Why was she choosing this?

Part of me wanted to know if she was being serious or that she was simply venting..

“Then you know that If I become your recipient..”

“Why did you save me, Avner?”

“If you knew you could change the future, to make it better, is there a reason not to?”

“Of course I would. Avner, come here.”

I shook my head, and instead, took some distance.

Lynda’s expression turned sour.

“I just took my blood two days ago. I won’t bite you.”

I shook my head again.

Lynda took out another piece of cookie and bit into it.

“This is good.”

“Are those your concerns, Lynda?”

“Yeah. I really don’t know what to do. To take the surgery or not. If I don’t then I’ll need to find a stable source of NtBM blood or wait until the blood bank creates a new referral system for us NtBM victims.”

Lynda wiped her tears with the sleeves of her clothes.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“You’ll be alright. God is with you.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, you’ll be fine.”

Lynda nodded to Cain’s words. He then began to pray for her.

Lia walked up to me.

“Don’t you think there’s something weird about her? One moment she’s angry, then she’s sad, now she’s normal.”

“It’s.. part of the disease.”

Personality distortion.

What did that mean in reality? In stories it may sound like a nifty trait that makes characters interesting.

But physiologically, alteration in personality means the NtBM virus affects the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, which in turn affects the mind.

No wonder in the original story, it’s as if Lynda has bipolar disorder. That’s because she actually does.

I don’t even know how she got NtMB. How I’m I responsible for her in this case? I merely saved her, nothing more nothing less.

“I’m weird aren’t I?” Lynda began tearing up, “I don’t even know why I’m saying all this. I’m happy and sad. I feel like my heart is going to break, are you going to go away again Avner? They say I have to take medication. If not I’ll feel like this, so I told them I won't eat it. I’m I going insane? Avner, you must have a way to solve this too right? Just like before?”

“I’ll call the nurse.”

I said with a sigh and walked to the exit.

She’s unstable.

“Don’t!!”

I pushed the door, going against her pleas. Cain held her down.

Nurse Shelly noticed me.

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Nurse she..”

Come to find, there was a medication error. The dosage for the antipsychotic drug was below the prescribed amount.

I wasn’t sure what happened in detail. A psychiatrist was brought in to examine Lynda. An adjustment was made to the medication and Lynda was put to sleep.

“I’m so sorry.”

Shelly apologized. I dismissed it saying that it was normal to make mistakes. Though, a medication error is a fairly serious oversight in the hospital. Xe was lucky it didn’t cost Lynda’s life.

Worse when considering how Lynda was being treated in the executive room. Mistakes like this cost a lot.

Now on the ELRT, the scene of the city whizzing by, I gazed out the window. The sun was still bright out, the sky was clear with few clouds overhead.

The question of how the vampire cult wasn’t reported even after 3 volumes keeps repeating in my mind. How exactly was that possible? Perhaps the students were already aware that they were vampires and they’ve just come to accept their existence in the school? Or perhaps treatment for the disease had already been found and it just wasn’t mentioned? Maybe Lynda’s parents were pulling the strings behind it all?

Why did no one take the vampire cult seriously? NtBM is no different from a chronic disease which needs maintenance and a watchful eye like asthma.

There’s no way the original storyline would’ve been able to progress as it did unless there’s some major backing behind it. A plot hole?

“Avner, don’t be too down.”

“I’m not. Just sorting out some things.”

Will Lynda recover? Why do I feel guilty for her condition? She’s scared, lonely, and confused. Wasn’t there anyway else I could help?

You’re no hero Shin. Don’t try to be.

“What did she mean by you being able to see into the future?”

Lia’s question brought me out of my thoughts.

“Now that I’ve made changes, the future won’t happen as I remembered.”

“Huh? So you can actually see the future? It’s not because she’s.. um. You know.”

I shook my head.

“So.. how you got such amazing results in the exams was because you already knew the papers beforehand?”

How did you come to that idea?

“Aha! I’m right, aren't I?”

“I did not.”

“Ah, so my big bro is a cheater. Mister Cain, you heard that right?”

“Avner, behave yourself.”

“I-I don’t even know what kind of exams we had alright? Besides, knowing the future is useless now.”

I’ve made too many changes. My advantage is now gone.

Not that it was very significant anyways.

Pressing my head against the cold glass, I asked.

“Hey Novelle, where exactly are you?”

Everything would be resolved if only I could find her.