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mostlycompetentwriter · 4 years ago

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Side Effects- Complete

M/F Pairing: Y/N x Stray Kids (M/F Primary: Y/N x 3racha)

Warnings: Smut, Language, graphic depictions of violence, blood, gore, non-con elements

Genre: Yandere Stray Kids AU, Vampire AU, Fantasy AU

Word Count: 13K

Summary: Y/N just wanted a normal life, attending to her studies while earning the degree she’s always dreamed about. Unfortunately, her funds are running low and she’s increasingly desperate for money until she finds an advertisement online. Although she doesn’t know much about vampires, she decides to take a position as a blood donor to the mysterious Miroh Coven, unaware of the consequences of her fatal decision.

It had been almost six months since the incident. 24 weeks of paranoia, glancing over my shoulder in response to unexpected movements and sounds. 182 days of watching the bruises slowly fade from my skin, dark circles under my eyes gradually succumbing to the much-needed 8 hours of sleep I managed with the assistance of medication and my new roommate who always welcomed me in her bed when the nightmares progressed. Finally, it seemed like things were getting better with each passing day further and further away from the traumatic event that had changed my life forever.

I could now walk by myself at night without the risk of breaking down in the middle of the sidewalk. I could finally keep down the food my roommate prepared for me without the familiar feeling of nausea churning my stomach unpleasantly. I could finally find a job to support myself, working full-time as a Secretary at a company with full benefits and a reliable 401K.

They were gone from my life, taking the pain and suffering along with them. I was better now and I was determined to turn my life around because I was a strong and independent woman who should’ve known better. But I had been desperate back then, working through my college degree while my savings account was slowly drained. I wouldn’t be able to finance my Senior year and the idea of giving up on my education so close to the finish line had almost broken me in half.

That’s when I first saw the advertisement, promoted through Google’s convoluted Adword system. It was like an answer to my prayers, everything that I had been searching for wrapped up neatly with a handy URL link that took me straight to the source. I remember reading the advertisement with greedy eyes, unhesitating when I clicked on the “Apply Now” button:

ATTN:

Looking for a reliable blood donor for an estate of 8 young men belonging to the Miroh Coven. Preferably female with a blood type of O negative. Please send in an application ASAP.

Vampires weren’t uncommon in our society, though the government had heavily restricted their creation since a dramatic increase in population. Now, the government required notification if a Coven planned to initiate a new member. It was all a dramatic affair meant to prevent fledgling vampires who were more prone to violence and chaos. Of course, there was the occasional rogue who turned humans against their will simply because they couldn’t handle their blood-lust. However, more often than not, Coven leaders knew how to keep their members under control.

Blood donors were also not uncommon. Covens often hired several different donors to keep around when they required access to fresh blood. It was a practice that was initially met with hesitance from the greater public, but when Vampires proved they could handle themselves better around a reliable blood source, the government gradually acquiesced.

I had never given much thought to Vampires or Blood Donors until I saw the advertisement. More specifically, until I saw the amount of money this Coven, in particular, was willing to pay for their donor. It would be enough to pay my college tuition and keep money in my savings account to pay for rent and food. Since the new semester was rapidly approaching, I needed to pay for tuition immediately and provide a deposit for an on-campus apartment.

In hindsight, it was probably a foolish idea to jump headfirst into the application without doing proper research. Case in point, questioning just exactly why this obviously wealthy and established Clan needed a blood donor immediately. Under any other circumstances, I would’ve hesitated at the obvious sense of urgency behind the advertisement. I might have wondered what happened to the Clan’s previous Donor, but I was simply enraptured by the dollar signs and refused to consider that this could be a very bad decision.

It only took a few days before I received a notice on the application, requesting an interview at the Miroh Clan’s address. I remember feeling excited by the opportunity, dressing in my best slacks and blouse. I drove with barely constrained enthusiasm, singing along to the ridiculous pop song playing on the radio even though I really preferred classical music. But this was a special occasion and I was potentially meeting with someone who could change my life and allow me to finish the remainder of my education in luxury.

“Tuition is due this Friday,” I reminded myself, gaping at the giant Mansion gated in circumference by an ancient wrought-iron fence. “Remember to tell them you can start immediately, Y/N.”

I checked my make-up in the rear-view mirror before opening the door, heels clicking obnoxiously against the sidewalk. My first impression was rapidly becoming something like a passage from Bram Stoker’s Dracula as I ascended the steps to the front gate, smashing my finger against the button on the elaborate security system. The gate opened without warning and I jumped back in surprise, hand fanning against my chest as my heart nearly skipped a beat or two in my chest. “Relax, Y/N,” I said, smoothing down my slacks.

Despite it’s older appearance, it was obvious that the grounds of the Mansion were well-kept and I took note of the elaborate display of hydrangea’s lining the walkway to the front door. I presumed the Miroh Coven likely hired someone to do the work for them, especially since it was a known fact that Vampires generally disliked the sunlight as it bothered their enhanced senses. In any case, I was prepared to meet a bunch of older men who had perhaps lost their last client to old age or something. Instead, the man who opened the front door looked like he could attend the same University as me. Dressed impeccably in a dark mahogany suit, the man straightened his tie before offering me a relaxed smile. “Y/N?”

I nodded my head, trying not to react to the sight of his sharp incisors glinting menacingly in the light. “My name is Bang Chan,” he said, offering me an outstretched hand. “I’m the leader of the Miroh Coven.”

I shook his hand cautiously, aware of the strength in his arms highlighted by the bulging veins visible from the upturned aspect of his shirt sleeves. “Nice to meet you,” I said, recovering from the unexpected appearance of my potential benefactor. I had not anticipated meeting someone so obviously young.

“Come inside,” he said, opening the door further to welcome me into the shadowed hallways of the Miroh Mansion.

Present

“What else will you do?” my roommate asked with a pout.

I continued to read my book, far more concerned with the fate of my beloved heroine as opposed to my roommate’s desire to find free alcohol. “This,” I said, reclining further back against the comfortable stretch of pillows.

“Y/N,” my roommate chastised me softly. “I know why you don’t want to go and they’re just gonna win if you keep insisting.”

I tensed at her words, fingers mangling the corners of the pages. My roommate knew everything about my last situation because she was often the recipient of my screams when the familiar nightmares flooded my dreams. “They already won,” I grumbled. “I can’t even watch a vampire movie without losing my mind.”

“Are you afraid they’ll find you?” my roommate asked. “They’re thousands of miles away and you haven’t seen them for months.”

“Seven months,” I informed her curtly. “And I’d like to go for eight.”

“Y/N,” my roommate groaned. “You told me that you used to love parties.”

“I know,” I said. “Maybe someday I’ll go out with you, but for now this is the best way I can cope.”

My roommate nodded, messing with something in her bag before approaching me on high heels that were just bordering on too tall. “Here, I found this is the laundry room.”

I held out my hand absent-mindlessly, not really considering what she had given me until I pulled my attention away from the book. When I finally realized what it was, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen followed by a wave of nausea that left me tossing my book to the side before bolting for the bathroom. “Y/N!” my roommate called my name, but I was already expelling the contents of my stomach, groaning from the sickness.

Because the item now discarded next to me was his necklace and I could have sworn I threw it out with their other gifts when I finally attained my freedom from their clutches…

I was completely spent, lungs still seeking additional oxygen and legs sore from where they were wrapped around his. Chan was always rough when he was feeling particularly possessive, hands determined to bruise every inch of my skin along with the deep marks from his fangs. He had taken a lot of blood and despite the offered chocolate now discarded on the side table, I was incredibly light-headed.

“Y/N,” Chan said, fingers tracing a rather nasty bite mark he had left on my shoulder. “Can you look at me, sweetheart?” It was difficult, but I managed to turn my head enough to meet his gaze, startled by how red his eyes glowed under the influence of fresh blood. Chan’s fingers traced along the edges of my lips, forcefully inserting themselves inside and I managed enough strength to lightly tongue my way across the tips. He shivered at that, removing his hand before reaching behind him for the gorgeous necklace I had noticed briefly on his nightstand before he had pushed my face into the mattress. “For you,” he said, helping me into a sitting position so that he could clasp the chain around my neck, golden pendant hanging heavy between the dips of my collarbones. “Perfect,” he soothed into my ear, growling around a husky “mine” before he was kissing a trail down the side of my arm.

Present

I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache that only responded to three painkillers washed down with a glass of cold water. It was a Saturday which meant I had the day off from work and I couldn’t be more grateful. After last night’s incident, I had finally managed to convince my roommate to go out and have fun while I dropped onto my bed with a heavy sigh. The only way I could calm myself down was by repeating assurances that I must have forgotten Chan’s necklace in the small bonfire I had made of the expensive things they had bought for me. It must have gotten stuck in the bottom of my pocket which explains its presence in the laundry room. There was simply no other explanation. But a shiver still ran its way down my spine when I recalled the way Chan had looked at me before I bolted out the front door. “I will always find you,” he had snarled the warning before I was lost into the unforgiving darkness of the night.

I ran home from the hospital, throwing my belongings into a suitcase before booking a one-way trip back home, far away from these horrible monsters who I had willingly entertained for the past year of my life. The only positive was the fact that I had graduated which meant I was in no way expected to stick around any longer. Instead, I uprooted up my life and moved back home where I felt safer, finding my current roommate who willingly offered me her unused second bedroom. I could’ve afforded to live alone, but there’s no way that I could manage a solitary arrangement without losing my mind. And I didn’t have my parents because I was far too prideful to crawl back to them considering the unfortunate way our last encounter had ended when my father told me that I could never amount to anything on my own.

They wanted me to attend a local community college before marrying the son of my dad’s business partner to demonstrate loyalty between the two brands. There was no way I would allow my parents to strip away something that belonged exclusively to me. My mother had ranted all night long when I missed my scheduled reservation, telling me that no boy would ever want me. I wish she had been right because I might have avoided the eight consecutive nightmares who entered my life one by one with every intent of bringing me down.

Regardless, I couldn’t change the past if I wanted to focus on the future, and I was doing well for myself these days without my parents or the Miroh Coven. I was assured that I could get through this unpleasant stage of my life because I had every intention of rising through the ranks. My dream was to open my own business one day and marry someone who could show me both love and respect. Because that was what was missing when I served the Miroh Coven. They might have insisted that they loved me, but they certainly held no respect for the woman they wanted to enslave, especially Jisung.

In fact, Han Jisung might have been the worst of the three brothers. You see, Chan’s claim as a leader only went as far as legalities required, having someone’s name down to attribute ownership. But Chan was just as much leader as Jisung and Changbin. The three brothers were thicker than thieves, having grown up together in a despicable orphanage when they were younger. They weren’t bound by blood, but by something much stronger. When they were turned by an older vampire who envisioned them as perfect little soldiers, they decided that they were owed something for all the years of torment they endured. They turned against their sire, freeing themselves from his control, before forming their own tight-knit clan to claim. Throughout the years, they lived in the Miroh Mansion while forming their very own elaborate enterprise and becoming very wealthy in the process. One of the very first things they did as CEOs was to tear down the orphanage they hated and replace it with one of their office buildings. Next, they tracked down everyone that had ever mistreated them, writing down the names in a disheveled notebook that I had discovered one night in Jisung’s nightstand. Some of the names had already been marked out, but there were still so many left, and I didn’t realize at the time what exactly I was holding in my hands until it was too late.

I shivered at the memory, trying to will it away, but it was already forcing itself to play out again in my mind with perfect clarity:

1 Year Ago

To save costs on ridiculous surcharges, and to make things easier for the coven, I had recently moved into the Miroh Mansion with my eight benefactors. They cleaned a room for me on the top floor where Chan, Changbin, and Jisung also lived in relative peace. The eight of them had been thrilled when I agreed to their proposal, talking nonstop about our new situation. Of course, I didn’t intend for it to hold any sort of permanence, but I didn’t dare speak out against Felix because the younger boy had a vicious temper and lashed out violently when things didn’t go his way.

Nevertheless, I quickly settled in with the others and their regular routine. I came to discover that Chan, Changbin, and Jisung were often missing throughout the day, but I figured it had something to do with their business. As for the others, Hyunjin spent a lot of time in the attic where he had attempted to recreate a dance studio, often requesting that I sit and watch him as he moved to the gentle music playing from an older record player. Sometimes, Felix joined him too, but for the most part, Felix liked to play with the younger boys, Seungmin and Jeongin, in their rooms or in mine. They loved video games and I remember countless hours spent playing with the three of them as they giggled and laughed like the harmless school boys I once believed them to be. Occasionally, Minho liked to poke his head in when we were being too loud, scolding us because he was concentrating on his newest art project.

But the mood shifted considerably once Chan, Changbin, and Jisung came home. Immediately, the other vampires would rush downstairs to greet the brothers. It was the same occurrence every night and I was ignorant at first until I finally mustered the courage to ask Chan why they were so eager to see them. The older man had chuckled at me. “We’re their sires, Y/N. They experience a lot of discomfort without us around.”

“Sires?”

Chan explained the concept to me patiently. “Seungmin and Jeongin are sired to me and Hyunjin and Felix are sired to Changbin.”

“And Minho is sired to Jisung,” I said and Chan had smiled at me proudly like I had just discovered something profound.

“When we come home, it’s important that we reinforce our bond. Otherwise, some very bad things might happen.”

I had nodded like that made perfect sense to me. I was really tired and wanted to simply crawl into Chan’s arms and fall asleep. Chan had realized my intentions, holding me close while running his fingers through the messy strands of my air.

The next evening, Jisung summoned me into his bedroom. “I’m hungry, little one,” he said, drawing me onto the bed to slowly strip me out of my clothes. The very first-time Jisung had attempted to remove my shirt, I freaked out and demanded to know why it was necessary. Jisung had smiled, a cunning manipulative behavior that I hadn’t fully realized at the time. “I don’t want to ruin your clothes.”

Of course, his intentions became evident as our sessions increased and I finally gave in and let Jisung fuck me because it did feel really good when he was inside while drawing far too much blood from my carotid artery. It became just another part of our routine, Jisung drawing me into his bed before sliding his cock inside before biting viciously on the side of my neck. I moaned from under him, focusing on the way his cock slid in and out as opposed to the dizziness I was experiencing from losing too much blood at once. Jisung only stopped when I orgasmed, tightening around his cock before he emptied himself between my legs, pressing sweet kisses to my chest before pulling his flaccid length out of my sensitive opening.

“Sleep,” he whispered close to my ear. I whined because I hated it when he left me alone after sex.

“Sungie,” I said, trying to get his attention. I was incredibly drowsy, fighting against every desire to close my eyes.

Jisung chuckled, entertaining my wandering hands. “I have business that requires my attention and you need to rest for me.”

I watched through lidded eyes as Jisung opened his nightstand, drawing out an unfamiliar notebook. He grabbed a loose pen from the organizer on his desk before scratching something out against the paper. Afterward, the notebook was returned to its previous location before Jisung was silently escaping the bedroom. I groaned loudly at the soreness in my neck, massaging the tender skin before allowing myself the sleep I deserved.

It felt like minutes before an unexpected scream pierced through the walls, startling me into consciousness. I jolted up in my bed, far too quickly for my poor body which was still recovering from Jisung’s feeding. I shook my head to clear the black spots, opening them again only for my eyes to latch onto Jisung’s nightstand. I swallowed hard, curiosity getting the better of me as I slowly pulled on the drawer’s handle.

The notebook wasn’t very large but I could tell it was old and well-used. I slowly opened the first page, frowning as I read the unfamiliar names listed in random order. A few of them had been carefully blacked out, indecipherable now that they had been clearly forgotten. I was growing distracted by the names, trying to piece together the mysterious puzzle, when another noisy scream reminded me why I had been so suddenly disturbed. Carefully, I returned the notebook to its home, slipping on a pair of slippers before leaving Jisung’s bedroom.

The hallways were dark and empty with no other sounds alerting me to the unexpected scream that had previously penetrated my drowsiness. I started down the familiar purple carpets, holding tightly to the railing as I descended the grand staircase. It was then that I noticed light spilling from a crack in the door leading to the basement. I had never been down there before, warned explicitly by Chan to never enter that room. But his warning did nothing to assuage my curiosity, so I ignored the alarms going off in the back of my head before reaching out for the door.

There were several voices now, clearly audible, attempting to speak over one another. It sounded like an argument as I started down the stairs, frowning when I smelled something that reminded me distinctly of a sharp metallic odor. “It’s fine,” I heard Jisung’s voice growl and I paused in my steps, wondering if I would get in trouble for interrupting.

“So messy,” Chan spoke now, clearly irritated. “I thought you planned better than this.”

“I did,” Jisung said. “Consider the girl an added bonus.”

I didn’t like the way they were talking, continuing my trek into the basement until I could finally see the three brothers standing together. But I immediately regretted my decision, covering the scream threatening to rip itself free from my chest as I discovered the corpses hanging from the ceiling. It was a disgusting sight, limbs dismembered and lying out across the floor. There was blood everywhere, covering Chan, Changbin, and Jisung, thick and revolting in the way it stained the concrete floors. I instinctively took a step back, wincing when the stair creaked under my weight. Almost immediately, three pairs of eyes turned in my direction and I fell backward in my haste to retreat.

Chan was on me in an instant, cursing when his touch forced a loud scream to pierce the silence of the room. “Relax, sweetheart,” he said, grabbing my shoulders despite my thrashing. He forced me to meet his eyes and the influence of his power was enough to render me unconscious once again.

Present

“You look beautiful today, Y/N.”

I blushed, of course, from Mark’s tender compliment. “Thank you,” I managed sheepishly, watching as my boss offered me a cheeky smile before entering his office.

Ever since I left the Miroh Coven, I had been working a part-time position as the Secretary to a wealthy CEO. I didn’t mind my job, enjoying the menial tasks I was usually instructed to obey. It was quite mind-numbing, a worthy distraction when I first started working here hollowing the horrors I had endured from the Miroh Coven. The pay was excellent and I was able to help my roommate afford rent while reliably buying myself luxuries like a new mattress or a fresh wardrobe since my old clothes reminded me too much of the past.

The hours were also minimal, and I often found myself sitting down at my desk only to look up at the clock and realize my day had already concluded. Subsequently, I was able to leave the office on time every day to join the steady stream of afternoon traffic. Afterward, I might stop by a restaurant to pick up something for dinner, or occasionally drive through the downtown marketplace because I enjoyed shopping for fresh produce. It was all quite nice and I enjoyed settling into my new life with a deep sigh of relief.

It had almost been nine months since I last saw any of the boys and other than the unfortunate encounter with Chan’s necklace, I was sure that I would never have to experience anything so unattractive ever again. I was slowly regaining my confidence, joining my roommate several times when she wanted to see a movie or shop at one of the outdoor malls. Everything was starting to work out for me, which meant that I was also starting to comfortably take more risks.

“Please have fun tonight,” my roommate said, practically dragging me along with her as we entered one of her favorite clubs. After much convincing, I had finally given in and allowed my roommate to take me out late at night for drinks and dancing. “This is a nice place,” she said, leading me to the bar. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

I nodded my head, looking around the relaxed atmosphere. It was certainly a much tamer club than what I was used to visiting, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Of course, the influence of alcohol had a way of making a person far more willing to lower their defenses. “One glass,” I said, accepting the fruity beverage from the bartender before my roommate and I found a table near the edge of the dance-floor.

“So many handsome faces,” my roommate remarked. “Interested in anyone?”

I scoffed at her question because I seriously doubted that I would willingly jump into a new relationship anytime soon. “Really?”

“Just wondering,” my roommate shrugged, drinking down the remainder of her scotch. “Wanna dance?”

I waved her off, deciding that I was okay with enjoying my drink at our table. My roommate let out a giggle, locking eyes with a suave businessman who looked ready to devour her whole. “I’ll check on you soon,” she promised and I quickly lost her in the mass of bodies occupying the dance floor.

I rolled my eyes because I knew better than to expect my roommate’s return. Instead, I sipped at my drink while admiring the friendly atmosphere of the bar, neon colors dazzling in my peripheral vision. It reminded me of my younger college days when I was swept away by the illusion of freedom which independent adulthood offered, attending every frat party I could find.

I grinned at the memories, feeling way too old to try anything like that ever again. It was fun once, being so irresponsible, but now it was time to start paying bills and scratch my head when I attempted to do my taxes. Freedom was addicting, and I could see why so many younger people were enamored with the idea of moving away from home and conquering the world.

Wistfully, I must digress because I often lose myself in my thoughts, and I can’t afford a break in concentration. Instead, I sipped tentatively at my drink, watching the moving sea of bodies. I was entirely focused, which allowed me to raise my guard at the approach of an unfamiliar figure.

“Excuse me? Do you have the time?”

I shrugged loosely because it was an innocent request from someone who clearly wasn’t looking for anything ill-intended. On instinct, I reached into my bag to grab my phone. “It’s almost midnight,” I said, thinking that our interaction would be short-lived.

Instead, the man was insistent, a cold hand digging harshly against my shoulder. “Don’t you know that it’s dangerous to stay up so late, sweetheart?”

The accent had been disguised, but now I recognized it thick and heavy in my ear. I couldn’t even remember to scream before his hand was enclosed over my mouth, teeth nipping at my jaw. Another body slipped into my roommate’s chair, brows raised as he reached for her discarded glass. “Is there room for some company, Y/N?” Jisung asked, blonde hair hanging low in his eyes.

I shook my head desperately, fresh tears clouding my vision. “Where are your manners, sweetheart?” Chan asked with a harsh tone and I was suddenly jerked to the side, a strong hand holding my chin into place.

“What a coincidence, Y/N,” Changbin growled. “We have unfinished business in this little town of yours.”

“You’re coming with us,” Chan said, ignoring the way I fought against him as he practically forced me out of my chair. “Look at me,” he snarled, eyes trained on mine as I started to drift out of consciousness.

I was slowly starting to realize that the implications of being a sire went far beyond just simply turning someone immortal. For example, I knew how cruel Changbin could be, turning violent on a whim, especially if you disobeyed him. He was the one who liked to punish me when he thought I was being bad, dragging out all sorts of special toys to use against my body. Paddles and lashes, whips and spikes, everything Changbin needed was lined perfectly along the walls of the special room he had decorated for himself whenever he wanted to play with someone. He was a sadist in every sense of the word, enjoying the sensation of watching someone suffer for his own pleasure. When he had first brought me into the room, I had immediately protested, close to tears when Changbin had cooed at me and insisted that I would never be forced to do anything outside of my comfort zone. He spoke with a wicked tongue, dark eyes revealing the truth if I had been so willing to look for it, but I eventually allowed him to have his way with me. Tears streaming freely down the side of my face while Changbin’s tongue traced the salty rivulets with a groan.

But Changbin wasn’t the only one with a fiery temper and desire for pain and suffering. His fledgling vampires, Felix and Hyunjin, had decisively taken on his more brutal aspects. Felix lost control whenever I said something to offend him, growling out insults while I tried to avoid his hands. Hyunjin had special permission to use Changbin’s secret room to explore his own masochism, and I had accidentally wandered into one of his sessions at the beginning of our arrangement before things had turned sexual between us. I remember the look of existential terror on the girl’s face that I had foolishly misplaced as pleasure, crying out not in ecstasy but in pain.

On the other hand, Jisung was the manipulative and cunning brother who thought out everything instead of living on a whim according to his pleasures. It was this same trait that I discovered in Minho who also shared Jisung’s tendency to plan out his movements. The only difference between them was that Minho was silent in his execution while Jisung was loud in letting everyone know that he had gotten his way.

Finally, there was Bang Chan, the legal leader of the Miroh Coven. Chan was the last of the brothers to attempt a siring bond because he had never found the right person. I would never know for sure why Seungmin and Jeongin were “the right people,” but Chan doted on them in every sense of the word. He treasured them like they were his possessions, buying them expensive clothes and allowing them leeway when their bloodlust tended to get the best of them. It was up to the sire to teach their fledglings how to properly drink blood from a source, but Chan had decided not to blink an eye when Seungmin or Jeongin accidentally took things a step too far.

Just like Chan, Seungmin and Jeongin were also extremely possessive, especially when they considered something to belong exclusively to them. I can only wish that I had noticed sooner, the way the three of them liked to leave their marks on me in various ways, whether it be through a harsh bite or buying me something nice and insisting that I wear it at all times. Seungmin and Jeongin were also dangerous because there had been times when I felt like I was on death’s door, feeling them drink my blood like they would never stop.

Sadly, I thought I had escaped all of that, so imagine the utter sense of dread crippling my entire body when I woke up to see Chan, Changbin, and Jisung standing over me as they watched me slowly awaken. Chan was the first to react, sitting down on the edge of the bed as he appraised me. “Sweetheart,” he said and a shiver ran down my spine. “Don’t you know how worried we were when you ran away from us like that?”

My lower lip trembled and I bit down on it hard. “I couldn’t stay.”

“Why not?” Chan asked, looking every bit as patient as I remembered.

“You hurt people,” I whispered. “And you hurt me too.”

“Hurt you?” Chan huffed, a look of annoyance masking his features. “We protected you and cared for you, sweetheart.”

“You belong to us,” Jisung said, gaze cold as he watched me from afar.

I sniffled, slowly losing my last shred of pride as I tried not to cry in front of these horrible vampires. His words reminded me of the night I left, rushing out into the streets with blood covering my body. “I don’t have to work for you anymore,” I said.

Changbin growled. “The arrangement meant more than that, Y/N.”

“We love you,” Chan said, reaching for my hands and I didn’t have the strength to fight him. “Remember? We can be together forever.”

I was crying now, triggered by the all-too-familiar words spoken 9 months ago when I entered the Miroh Mansion for the final time.

Eight Months Ago

Jeongin was still young enough to celebrate his birthday, and the rest of the Clan had decided that nothing was too good for their precious youngest member. I remember going shopping with Chan, buying party decorations without any consideration for how much it would cost them. Earlier that week, Jisung and I had visited the bakery to order Jeongin a custom-made birthday cake, including a cheesy message at the bottom to commemorate the occasion. Everyone was in good spirits and I had finally stopped thinking about the bodies in their basement, believing Jisung when he told me that they had been donated to the Miroh Clan to use as a source of fresh blood. “It sometimes happens,” Jisung said. “Whenever there’s an accident and nobody claims the bodies, they send them here for us to use.”

It was an extremely unreasonable explanation but I refused to believe anything else in an attempt to protect myself from the truth. I was determined to move past it, forcing myself to smile at Jisung’s cheesy jokes or Chan’s attempts to make me laugh. I must have been a good actor because they stopped hovering around me at every possible opportunity, watching me like they were waiting for me to bolt out the door and never return.

“Y/N!” Jeongin had said, jumping into my bed to wake me up that morning. “Guess what?” he giggled, adorable face mere inches from my own.

“Hmmm?” I wondered, smirking as he practically beamed with excitement.

“It’s my birthday,” Jeongin said. “I’m supposed to be 40-years-old today!”

“Congratulations,” I snickered, deciding that it wasn’t the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

“Will you come play with me and Felix?” Jeongin asked. “We can do whatever we want until Chan gets home.”

That’s another thing I had noticed about the fledglings. They never really liked to talk about anyone except for their sired master. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I would think that Jeongin had no idea that Jisung and Changbin even existed. “Okay,” I said. “Let me take a shower first.”

Jeongin allowed me to get ready in peace and quiet, and I enjoyed the feeling of the water scalding my skin as I stood under the faucet for far longer than normal. Afterward, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, finding Felix, Jeongin, and Seungmin in Minho’s room, arguing over who would join teams. I yawned when I entered, wary of the way Minho was watching me from his bed, legs stretched out in front of him as his eyes followed me all the way to where Felix was holding out my controller.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon with the younger boys, ignoring Minho completely as I let Jeongin win several times even though I was much better at Street Fighter. “Finally,” Jeongin exclaimed, racing for the door before I could question him.

“Chan’s home,” Minho informed me, holding out a hand which I reluctantly accepted, trying not to react when Minho leaned in to press his lips against my delicate pulse point.

Downstairs, all of the vampires were busy setting up Jeongin’s party. Streamers hung from the overhead banisters and balloons floated mindlessly through the room as Chan hugged Jeongin tightly against his chest. “Were you a good boy today?” he asked the youngest who nodded enthusiastically in response.

“Y/N,” Jisung called my name. “Help me in the kitchen.”

I obeyed immediately, finding Jisung situating candles on top of the cake we had purchased earlier that week. I was struck by the normalcy of the situation, standing next to Jisung as he instructed me to start boiling a pot of water. Apparently, despite their delicate diets, on special occasions, the Vampires could enjoy human food and Jeongin’s favorite was being prepared for him.

It was chaotic in the Mansion as everyone attended to their various responsibilities, amusing little Jeongin who flitted from person to person. Although, more often than not, Jeongin stuck close to Chan’s side, talking to his sire about all the nuances of his day. Chan listened patiently, nodding along as he finished the elaborate ribbon around one of Jeongin’s birthday presents. “Is everyone ready?”

We all stood together in the kitchen, singing for Jeongin who was vibrating from head to toe. He blew out the candles and beamed at the accompanying applause. “Happy birthday, Jeongin,” I said, allowing him to pull me into an impossibly strong grip.

Meanwhile, the other vampires slowly congregated into the living room where Jeongin’s presents were waiting for him. “Y/N,” Chan said, holding me back as Jeongin raced out of the kitchen. “Help me carry these drinks.”

I wrinkled my nose because they were obviously filled with blood. Nonetheless, I obeyed diligently, accepting one of the trays before following Chan into the crowded foyer. “Channie!” Jeongin said, holding up a delicate pocket watch. “It’s so nice!”

Chan smiled warmly at Jeongin, ruffling his hair playfully as he started handing out the glasses. Changbin grabbed me by the hips as I passed in front of him, pulling me into his lap as he took a sip from his glass. “It’s not as good as yours,” he teased, lips scarlet from the liquid.

I chose not to respond to his comment, trying to relax against his body. “Y/N,” Chan said before handing me a glass. I studied it cautiously while I gingerly took the glass from him.

“What is it?”

“Just some wine,” Chan shrugged indifferently and I nodded before trying a sip of the beverage. Almost immediately, I winced at the taste and Changbin chuckled at my obvious aversion.

“It was very expensive,” he lightly chastised me and I tried not to notice the smell as I forced more of the wine down my throat.

Meanwhile, Jeongin continued to open more of his gifts, expressing his gratitude towards each of his older members as he tried on various pieces of clothing and jewelry. When he finally got to my present, he shot me a mischievous smirk. “Y/N…”

“Open it,” I encouraged him.

Jeongin needed no further encouragement, ripping through the wrapping paper before discovering the portable gaming system tucked neatly in the box it once came in. “For you to practice,” I said, pleased at his grateful expression. It was an older system that once belonged to my brother, but I didn’t have a need for it, and Jeongin talked relentlessly about how cool it would be to play the older versions of the games he loved.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely.

I was warmed by his genuine reaction, feeling nothing but affection for the boy. “You’re welcome.”

“What a good girl,” Changbin said, tipping my glass back against my lips. “You shouldn’t waste it.”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering why he really cared about how expensive the wine cost. After all, these were the same men who brought new things into the house every day after flashing their shiny credit cards at whichever cashier had the privilege of accommodating their requests. Still, I knew better than to upset Changbin, especially on poor Jeongin’s birthday, so I downed the rest of the nasty drink before placing the glass down on the side table. “Shall we watch a movie?” Jisung asked, eyes glinting rather maniacally as he studied my discarded drink.

“Please!” Jeongin chirped. “Something scary.”

I hated the idea of watching a horror movie, but I couldn’t protest when everyone else was in total agreement for once. Instead, I followed the rest of the boys into the main living room, resisting a sigh when Chan drug me down next to him on the sectional. “Whatever you want, Jeongin,” Jisung said, tossing the younger the remote control.

“Dracula!” Jeongin declared, an amusing pick perhaps if these Vampires were less violent.

But my opinion held no weight and the film began while Felix turned off the lights. Bathed in darkness, I resisted the urge to curl in tighter against Chan as I tried not to think about the film playing on-screen. Everyone else was comfortable, settled in their usual pairs which meant Minho was sitting between Jisung’s legs while Felix and Hyunjin flanked Changbin on either side. Seungmin and Jeongin sat close to me and Chan as they watched the television with wide, eager eyes.

I tried to turn off my mind, focusing on a distant spot beyond the edge of the screen. It worked for a while, keeping my mind occupied away from the movie playing in the background. In fact, I might have managed to survive the rest of the evening had it not been for Chan whose lips were suddenly brushing along the length of my neck.

I immediately flinched away. “What are you doing?” I whispered, unrelenting when his hand wrapped around the back of my head to force me into place.

“I’m hungry,” he smirked against my exposed skin, teeth sharp against my delicate flesh.

“Why now?” I said, looking over at the others because there was no way they couldn’t hear the two of us.

“Just one bite,” Chan said and I rolled my eyes but bared my neck for him, hoping he would be fast about the unexpected ordeal. He was quick to adjust me on his lap, fixing our positions to his liking. Chan’s teeth penetrated my skin gently and I could feel his mouth latch on tightly as he started to drink from me. I tried not to react, glancing away at the other members who were still watching the movie. With the exception of Changbin, who was looking at me with a dangerous smirk that immediately alerted me to the fact that something was terribly wrong.

As the seconds ticked away, I realized that Chan had no intention of stopping and my instincts kicked in as the storm of anxiety registered throughout my slowly weakening body. I jerked away from Chan who must have been caught off-guard, blood spraying into the air around us as the wound had not been properly closed. But my decision proved to be a necessary distraction because Jeongin and Seungmin both immediately reacted to the intense smell, teeth bared as they sought the source of the blood coating the furniture and my clothes. I managed to dodge Jeongin as he jumped at me first, colliding into Chan to send them both falling back into the floor.

With my hand pressed against my neck, I started for the front door, aware of Changbin closing in behind me. But the older boy was unprepared for Seungmin’s attack whose instincts probably insisted that someone was trying to steal his fresh supply of blood. Changbin let out a grunt as he wrestled with a feral Seungmin, receiving help from Felix and Hyunjin who were trying to protect their sire. Through the haze clouding my eyes, I could see Jisung holding back Minho whose sharpened incisors were cutting deeply into the thin skin of his lips. “You belong to us!” Jisung snarled.

“We can be together forever,” Chan said, still distracted by a wild Jeongin whose dark eyes were starting to look very unfamiliar. It was only then that I realized I had been tricked. They had been trying to turn me without my permission. The expensive wine Changbin insisted I drink must have been someone’s blood because when a human died with vampire blood in their system…

I forced those thoughts away, deciding it was far more important to focus on escaping, and the feral vampires provided the perfect distraction. I managed to make it out onto the street, finding my car parked at the sidewalk. I started the ignition, blasting cold air through the vents to keep me conscious as I pulled out onto the main road. Blood was still pouring steadily from my wound when I stopped next to the Emergency room entrance, ignoring a nearby policeman who was clearly displeased that I was blocking the road before I finally succumbed to the darkness with a grateful sigh.

Present

What have they done? I questioned immediately when I realized that I was back in my regular bedroom the following morning. The normality of the situation should’ve been impossible because I was certain that Chan, Jisung, and Changbin had inexplicably decided to hold me hostage after finding me at that stupid club. “Remember? We can be together forever.”

However, no matter how much I tried to make sense of the preceding night’s events, I couldn’t understand why they would allow me to leave after making such promises to turn me. I don’t recall escaping, especially considering my weakened condition, which meant that the three men had brought me back to my apartment on their own accord. I mean, was this just another attempt to mess with me?

I glanced over at my nightstand, discovering a faded envelope sitting on top of my cell phone. I decided to check my messages first, relieved when I saw my roommate’s contact name. She had apparently spent the night with someone she met at the bar, but she assured me that she was safe and would be home later after work. I was glad that she was fairing better than her roommate, and I turned my attention to the envelope. The handwriting on the front was familiar, and I gently tore through the sealed contents. Inside was a folded letter, and my hands were shaking when I smoothed out the paper to comprehend the brief message written in perfect cursive:

Y/N,

Although our reunion was postponed, please accept this invitation on behalf of the Miroh Coven for your company tonight at 8:00 pm sharp.

Sincerely,

Bang Chan

What did he mean by postponing our reunion?

Unfortunately, I had no time to try and figure it out because the buzzing sound of our doorbell abruptly pulled me out of bed, and I wordlessly tucked the envelope inside my pocket. My roommate and I never received visitors, and there was a small part of me that feared for the possibility that one of the Miroh Coven members was waiting outside in the hallway. Yet, when I searched through the door viewer, I realized that a uniformed police officer was carefully sorting through a file of paperwork in her hands.

“Hello?” I asked cautiously, opening the door just enough to acknowledge the unfamiliar woman.

“Y/N?” the officer questioned.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“My name is Officer Smith. I have a few questions for you concerning your previous employer,” the officer said and I was left shaking from head to toe as I allowed her to come inside.

“Do you have somewhere we could sit down?” she asked, and I nodded curtly before leading us both in the kitchen.

“Coffee?” I asked, crowding around the machine in the kitchen.

“That would be nice.”

We were both silent while I served the warm beverage, holding my mug tightly between my hands. “Do you want any creamer?”

“I’m fine,” the officer said. “I just want you to be comfortable. There’s some very troubling things I want to talk to you about.”

“I see,” I nodded, looking intently at the file she had brought with her.

“We’re in the middle of an investigation,” she continued. “It concerns the Miroh Coven. According to our records, you were previously employed with them as a blood donor.”

“Yes, but I was forced to leave.”

“Oh?”

“We had a disagreement.”

“Well, I want you to know that they’re in a lot of trouble,” the officer explained. “We found the body of a young woman on the side of the highway completely drained of blood. When we ran her license, we discovered that she had been employed by the Miroh Coven as a blood donor during the past few months. However, when we asked the Coven about her employment, they told us a very similar story about...a disagreement.”

I shivered despite the heat from the liquid trailing down my throat. “I just...I had a lot of trouble with balancing my college lectures with their schedule. It was very demanding.”

“Of course,” the officer said, but she still wore a look of suspicion. “Normally, we might be inclined to attribute these kinds of things to a rogue attack, but there’s just too many factors that coincide with this case.”

“Like what?”

“For starters, we’ve been unable to contact their previous employees, with the exception of yourself,” the officer explained. “It seems like the Miroh Coven has a history of making their employees disappear without a trace, and I find it very problematic that the young lady we found yesterday had clearly suffered at the hands of a vampire.”

“How many other employees have they had?”

“Quite a few,” the officer said. “I think there’s something bigger going on, and I really need for you to be honest with me, Y/N, because you might be able to help us stop them.”

I swallowed hard. “You think they killed those other donors.”

“It’s very likely,” she said. “Can you tell me anything else about your resignation?”

I found it impossible to make eye contact with the officer, especially when I could still remember everything that had happened the night I left the Miroh Coven. My intention had always been to forget about those terrible circumstances because I was determined to move forward with my life, but all those other ill-fated donors suddenly made it very difficult to remain silent. “They were always nice to me,” I said. “We had a reasonable arrangement because they paid for my schooling and even let me live with them to assuage the cost of on-campus housing. It helped me finish school, but it was always meant to be a temporary arrangement.”

“I understand,” she nodded. “Did they know you were planning to leave?”

“No, but they were keeping secrets from me too,” I said. “A lot of strange things happened when I was living at the mansion.”

“Like?”

“One night, I found a pair of bodies in the basement, but Jisung told me that they were donated...” I trailed off with a choked whimper. “They were also planning to turn me into one of them.”

“Did they tell you this?”

“I guess I didn’t have the right to know,” I said. “I escaped that night and drove myself to the hospital. After that, I moved back here and tried to forget about everything that happened.”

“I understand that it was traumatic for you,” the officer said. “I’m sorry you had to bring it up again.”

I shook my head. “If they’re hurting other people, then I don’t mind the pain.”

The officer sighed, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “Have they tried to contact you since then?”

“Yeah,” I sniffled, reaching into my pocket to retrieve the folded letter. “They actually found me at a bar the other night, but they let me go for some reason. I found this letter on my nightstand.”

The officer read over the simple message and frowned. “Were you planning on meeting them tonight?”

“I don’t want to see them ever again.”

“Interesting,” the officer said. “It seems like they really like you.”

“They always told me that,” I said, remembering their whispered words of affection while sharp teeth penetrated my skin.

“I’m going to be completely transparent with you, Y/N,” the officer said. “My station is leading an investigation into the Miroh Coven, but we still need a lot of evidence to bring a case to the court of law.”

“You can have the letter,” I suggested, but she shook her head.

“It needs to be more concrete,” she said. “I need something that condemns them for the previous disappearances of those other blood donors.”

“Maybe a record or something?”

“I wish we had one,” the officer sighed. “We know those donors were employed by the Coven, but there’s no evidence of what happened to them or why they were dismissed.”

“Chan, Jisung, and Changbin own their own company,” I said. “There might be something in one of those buildings?”

“I doubt they’d be careless,” the officer said. “Actually, I’d imagine that the three of them would keep those things close, and there’s probably very few people who they trust inside the mansion.”

I could feel my entire body trembling at her knowing look. “Actually, Y/N, it seems like they trust you.”

“You want me to go to that dinner tonight with them,” I whispered, completely missing her next words because my heart was beating too loudly, drowning out the other noises around the apartment. It felt like I was falling back into a dark place, and I was desperate to find the light again.

Officer Smith suddenly reached out, fingers cold against my arm, and she effectively pulled me back into the conversation. “I know it’s a lot to ask from you, Y/N, but the answers are inside that house! Whatever you might find could bring justice to the people they’ve taken advantage of over the years.”

It was easy for her to tell me to return to the Coven when she desperately needed my help, but why did it have to be my responsibility to return to a place where I had once escaped tragedy? Nevertheless, I could feel the weight of her gaze, imploring me to undertake such a terrifying mission, and I wondered whether or not I could still protect myself when so many other people were depending on me? “Okay,” I finally said. “I’ll do it.”

The Miroh Mansion was still dark and foreboding, reminding me of the very first time I walked through the front door for my interview with Chan. It was a pivotal moment in my life, but one whose consequences I never understood until I drove to a hospital with blood pouring from a wound meant to serve as the last reminder of my mortality. I had nightmares about the Coven kidnapping me and forcing me to return, but I could’ve never imagined that I would come back here of my own decision.

I slowly knocked on the front door, swallowing down my fear because I couldn’t afford for the Coven to think anything was wrong. “Act as if we had never gotten involved,” the police had instructed me.

“I’ll try,” I had promised, and I intended to do whatever was possible to help the innocent. However, I wouldn’t go as far as risking my life to expose these horrible vampires, even if dozens of missing donors were counting on me for justice.

“Y/N,” Chan greeted smoothly when he met me outside on the porch, dark eyes swallowing me into their endless depths. “I’m glad you saw things our way.”

He invited me inside, and I anxiously made my way across the familiar carpeted hallway leading into the living room. I wasn’t surprised to see the other Coven members waiting, but it still didn’t stop my heart from leaping into my throat when I realized that I could very well die tonight if I wasn’t careful. “My dearest Y/N kindly accepted our invitation,” Jisung remarked, gliding across the floor with an impossible speed. I could smell blood on his lips as he wrapped an arm around my waist, escorting me to the lovely sectional where Minho was watching me through lidded eyes.

“You look beautiful,” Changbin contributed, holding a glass of red liquid daintily between his fingers. Felix and Hyunjin sat next to him, looking at me with barely constrained hunger. “You’re just in time for drinks.”

I stiffened instinctively under Jisung’s hold because I remembered the last time I had been offered to drink with them. “It’s just wine,” Minho smirked, holding out a glass for me to take.

I accepted it cautiously, tasting at the rim only to discover a grape-flavored taste that certainly didn’t remind me of blood. Still, I declined to drink further, holding my glass while Chan started a conversation about their business, eliminating the initial silence that had occupied the room upon my arrival. Seungmin and Jeongin happily listened, focused on their sire with an attentiveness that reminded me of my previous stay with the Miroh Coven when I had once been ignorant of their bond. “Dinner should be ready soon,” Chan reassured me and I could only nod in response.

“Do you mind if I use the restroom?” I asked, and Jisung reluctantly let me go while eight pairs of eyes watched me all the way up the staircase.

I took a deep breath, waiting until Chan started talking again before disappearing around the corner into the room I knew he maintained as an office. I immediately started for his desk, pulling out well-organized files and the notebooks full of his writings. Every so often, I glanced up at the clock hanging above the doorway because I knew that I could probably only manage twenty minutes unsupervised before someone came looking for me.

“Please,” I sighed, reading over a promising file tentatively titled extraneous paperwork. “Holy shit!”

Pictures.

Dozens of them.

They were incriminating, various bodies splayed at unattractive angles. Close-up shots of mangled corpses drenched in blood with empty eyes staring straight at the camera. I flipped them over and gasped, reading the names that sounded way too familiar to merely be a coincidence. “This is it,” I said, almost giddy with excitement despite the uncomfortable nausea twisting my stomach at the sight of these poor donors who had managed to fall victim to the merciless Coven.

I shuffled them together, restoring Chan’s office to its previous organization, before tucking the pictures inside the pocket of my jacket. I was more than ready to return downstairs, when I suddenly remembered a faint recollection of the little notebook I had once discovered in Jisung’s bedroom. It wasn’t that much further down the hallway, and I quickly jerked open the drawer of his nightstand, shoulders deflating in relief when I saw the tiny book waiting on top of his other belongings.

I gripped it tightly when I eventually retreated, resting my head against the door to his bedroom quietly because this was causing me more stress than I could handle. “Y/N?”

I immediately turned around, eyes widening in shock when I realized that Chan was waiting for me. I swallowed hard as I held my ground, keeping the journal behind me. “Did you need something, Chan?”

He didn’t respond right away, and I could feel myself growing smaller and smaller with every long second passing between us. Finally, Chan took a step in my direction. “You’ve been gone a while.”

I shifted anxiously. “I- I just remembered something in Jisung’s room. We used to look at it together when I lived here.”

Chan nodded, and I was relieved that he accepted my explanation. “We all missed you.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I missed you too.”

He closed his eyes, cherishing the lie that somehow sounded much more believable than it did inside my head. “Can you show me?”

“What?”

“In Jisung’s room,” Chan said. “What did he show you?”

I trembled as I leaned against the door. “I’m not sure if it was something he wanted to share.”

“I see,” Chan murmured. “It’s interesting because there’s something that I want to show you too.”

Chan walked away without another word, and I assumed that he wanted me to follow him. I ignored every instinct that was screaming for me to escape with my evidence because I wouldn’t make it the bottom of the staircase before a Coven member would prevent that from happening. Instead, I took slow steps on unsteady legs into Chan’s bedroom. I was inherently curious, but when he gently backed me against the wall, I understood perfectly well what he wanted.

His fingers were undoing the buttons on my shirt and I carefully shrugged off my jacket before he could find and apprehend the valuable photographs inside my pockets. I also made sure Jisung’s journal was hidden beneath the fabric before I allowed Chan to take me to his bed. The oldest vampire made no secret of his desires, tossing aside his shirt before tugging the fabric of my jeans down my legs. “Y/N,” he sighed, fingering the edges of my panties while his sharpened canines drew lines along my collarbones. My body reacted on instinct because it was impossible to resist Chan when he was looking at me like I was the answer to all of his problems. Despite everything he had done to me, I still responded to his touches and the taste of his skin on my lips. Instead of pushing him away, I held him close, occasionally glancing at my jacket waiting next to the door with the incriminating evidence necessary to end the Coven forever.

“Oh, Y/N,” he moaned. “I missed you.”

Maybe that was part of the reason why I didn’t resist because I knew that he would never bother me again once the police had their prosecution trial. It was an intoxicating sensation since I was the one with all the power and he was completely clueless to my intentions. He had no idea that I came back to spite the Coven instead of joining them like they wanted.

I watched him roll on a condom, erection prominent as he pushed slowly between my legs. I felt incredibly full, studying the pleasure on his face when he started to thrust inside of me. I looked at him the entire time with eyes wide open because I knew something that he didn’t and, while he was pleasuring me with his precious members waiting downstairs, I was taking back all that time spent in this mansion, knowing that they were more dangerous than anything I had ever encountered before.

His cock moved faster, and I reacted by spreading my legs wider for him, opening myself up to Chan’s advances. It didn’t take him long to come, and I finally closed my eyes when I felt his warm release through the thin latex of the condom. His kisses were familiar, but they also made me want to laugh because I was planning on betraying the people who claimed to love me, the vampires who actually did love me in their own messed up way.

“I love you,” he eventually said, but I didn’t respond, choosing instead to count the tiles on the ceiling overhead.

“Photos, names, addresses, detailed journal accounts...Y/N, you managed to find everything! We can cross-reference this stuff with the files and paperwork we already have.”

I smiled despite the circumstances, watching as two younger detectives sorted the files and pictures before retreating from the tiny interrogation room. “It wasn’t exactly easy for me.”

“Still, this is brilliant, Y/N,” Officer Smith exclaimed, and I felt satisfied knowing that I had done a good job. “We have enough evidence to start the raid.”

“Raid?”

She nodded. “You should know that Vampire raids are extremely rare, but I don’t think your Coven will surrender when we issue the warrant.”

I wrinkled my nose at the suggestion that I could ever belong to the Miroh Coven. “Is it safe?”

“It’s a commonplace occurrence and we’ve all received special training,” she said. “Hopefully, they’ll come to their senses and agree to a trial, but it won’t take much for a judge to officially convict them.”

“Will I have to be at the trial?” I asked, dreading the idea before it could even become official.

“I wouldn’t force you,” she replied. “A testimony would be critical, but this is enough to put them away for the rest of their immortal lives.”

I couldn’t imagine the dreaded reality of such a punishment. “What if they escape? They might try and track me down.”

“Witness protection,” she suggested. “We’ll accommodate you to the best of our abilities.”

“I understand the concept,” I said. “But they’ve found me before despite everything I did to hide.”

“Well, we can work out the details later,” she said. “For now, we need to prepare for the raid. We’ll start by sending in the evidence to the court to get our warrant for their immediate arrest.”

“Is it something that will happen soon?”

“I might have a way to expedite the process,” she grinned. “We’ve been on this case for long enough, bothering the courts for documents and employee records.”

I nodded slowly. “So everything is done?”

“For the most part,” she agreed. “We can commence stage two of our operation.”

“Thank god,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “I’m glad that it’s over.”

“Yes,” the officer said, but there was a reluctance in her tone that sent me immediately on edge. “Of course, we can always use your help with one last thing.”

“What could I do at this point? I’m not exactly trained for this sort of thing.”

“Yes, but we wouldn’t want the Coven to suspect anything,” she said. “They might try to leave before our warrant is formally issued. Until then, I think a distraction might hold their attention.”

“Me,” I intoned, narrowing my eyes because I wanted nothing more to do with those nasty vampires.

“We wouldn’t want them to suspect anything,” she said. “If you go back to the Coven, then they might lower their guard.”

“It was supposed to end,” I reminded her. “You said that I was finished with them.”

“I know we’re asking a lot of you,” Officer Smith said. “But this will be the last time you ever have to see them again.”

“You keep saying that,” I muttered, but we both knew that I was in too deep, which meant that I had no choice but to return to the mansion.

Felix greeted me at the door with his familiar smirk, escorting me inside to the bottom of the staircase. Today meant the official end of the Coven, but they were all completely ignorant to their impending punishment. “They want to discuss something with you,” Felix said, and I understood immediately who he was referring to despite the unnecessary pronoun game.

Still, I knew that I couldn’t keep them waiting, pausing outside of Chan’s office door before I heard someone invite me inside. I took a deep breath, opening the door to discover the three leaders waiting for me expectantly while wearing similar expressions of dark foreboding. “Y/N,” Chan said. “Have a seat.”

I obeyed instantly, looking at the Miroh Coven leader as he watched me with an unnerving attentiveness. “What’s going on? I asked.

“I think we have something serious to discuss,” Chan said and my heart was practically beating out of my chest as I studied Jisung and Changbin from the corner of my eye. They knew, I repeated to myself over and over again as I imagined a dozen different scenarios that all ended with my lifeless body thrown into some kind of river because they had discovered my treason.

“You came back,” Jisung finally said. “We weren’t expecting you to accept our invitation.”

“I was being polite,” I said, rubbing my hands along the seam line of my jeans.

“Yes, but we’re all here,” Changbin said. “We can be together.”

I shivered at his words. “We love you, Y/N,” Chan said. “The eight of us would like nothing more than to keep you with us forever.

“To turn me,” I confirmed, and he nodded his head.

“We’ll make it special,” Jisung said, patting his lap and I reluctantly joined him.

“It doesn’t have to be tonight,” Changbin confirmed, swiping his tongue across his sharp teeth. “But we are hungry.”

“And you’re such a sweet girl,” Jisung added, holding me on his lap as his teeth brushed across my carotid artery.

I held my breath because he was close to biting, but then...

“Chan! The police are outside and have a warrant to investigate the property!”

Jeongin’s face was a mess of tears which, at one time, might’ve forced me to reconsider everything that I had done, but not anymore. “What?” Chan growled, before glaring at me. “You stay here,” Chan said, and Jisung snarled in frustration as he released me before following Changbin and Chan downstairs.

For a moment, I could only focus on breathing because I had narrowly escaped Jisung’s bite and now the Coven knew that they were about to receive an unanticipated raid from the police. I swallowed hard, falling down into the floor as a piercing scream shattered the previous silence that left me shaking like a leaf inside of Chan’s office. There were suddenly loud growls and vicious noises penetrating the closed door and I buried my head between my legs and tried to calm down my racing heart.

I could hear the familiar sounds of glass breaking, of inhuman screams and yells breaking the barrier of the office. The voices of the vampires I had once known yelling out insults and curses, the destructive noises of gunshots and human-like cries for help as teeth tore through skin. It was apparent that the Miroh Coven was not backing down from this fight, and I could only pray that my officer had been right in her assurances that they could handle the Coven.

It seemed like hours had passed before I finally removed my hands from my ears, realizing that the screaming from downstairs had suddenly stopped. I waited for several moments, hearing nothing but my heartbeat in my ears and the gentle sounds of the river outside. Eventually, I managed to stand on unsteady legs, holding myself up against the wall as I started to make my way downstairs.

The smells that assaulted my senses should’ve told me everything, but I still released a piercing scream when I collapsed at the bottom of the staircase.

It was a terrifying sight, nothing but blood and crooked bodies spread throughout the room. I recognized most of the Coven, bile rising in my throat when I made contact with Changbin’s lifeless eyes. I carefully took a step back because I knew that this wasn’t supposed to happen, but an unexpected pressure around my ankle tore another scream from my throat and I fell down onto the floor.

“Y/N,” Chan croaked and I shivered when he moved over me, blood seeping through his shirt, but his eyes were still perfectly focused. “I have nothing now, Y/N,” Chan gasped, gripping tightly to my chin and forcing me to look into the empty eyes of Han Jisung.

He pulled me closer, exposing his sharpened teeth and I could do nothing to stop him. This was it, I thought to myself, the moment I had been running from since that tragic night eight months ago. Because Chan was unrelenting, drinking with long, painful bites that sent a searing pain down my spine as my body fought against the significant blood loss. Everything was cold and I wondered if death always felt this unpleasant.

However, the sudden reverberation of a loud snarl forced me to reconsider the darkening spots in my vision, searching behind me when I realized the brutal aspect of Chan’s bite had suddenly subsided. I felt my mouth drop open in horror, but the feeling quickly disappeared when I realized Officer Smith had speared Chan straight through the heart with a silver stake. The impact was immediate and Chan’s body dropped to the floor unceremoniously, leaving me with only a pair of red eyes gazing unblinkingly from the beyond. Meanwhile, Officer Smith offered me a kind smile that seemed out of place considering the blood staining the front of her uniform. “You deserve a better life, Y/N,” she whispered before her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she collapsed next to Chan.

It took me a moment to regain my bearings, looking around at the surrounding carnage. There was blood everywhere, bodies lying in deep puddles and contorted awkwardly from their injuries. It was a startling realization because they were all gone, both vampires and humans. There was nothing left from their vicious fight.

I was also incredibly tired and I closed my eyes despite my situation. Everything felt heavy, and I just wanted to forget the entire night before I had to comprehend the unfortunate tragedy of the Miroh Coven. I thought I deserved it considering the heavy loss weighing over my heart.

After a while, I became aware of a piercing light burning from somewhere in the distance. I gradually opened my eyes because the morning had arrived and, despite the death and destruction around me, I wanted desperately to find a better future in that beautiful light...

Epilogue- 2 Years Later

Vampires had rapidly gone into hiding, especially following the inquiry into the Miroh Massacre, as the newspapers delicately framed the tragedy. Apparently, society decided that they would no longer embrace their culture, finding more evidence of various Covens abusing the donor law which was eventually retracted in court. Subsequently, the vampires were forced to remain out of the public eye lest they face a severe punishment from the newly minted Hunters who spent their lives training to kill rogue vampires.

As for myself, I had finally taken back full ownership of my life, accepting a full-time research position that eventually led me to my future husband. After our marriage, we moved into an idyllic home in the suburbs and I gave birth to my son who proved to be everything that I needed in this world. Everything was starting to work out for me, and I was finally reassured that the past was truly forgotten because the ones who had haunted it were now gone forever.

“Mommy!” my son called, and I found him in the doorway to his bedroom looking up at me with tired brown eyes. “I can’t sleep.”

“Why is that?” I asked while gently encouraging him to lay back down on his bed.

“A kid in my class,” he said. “He told us about the vampires.”

“Yeah? Well, how would he know anything? He’s probably never even seen a vampire. Not many people have.”

“What about you?”

I shivered at the question. “It doesn’t matter, sweetheart. Vampires aren’t a problem anymore and there are people now who can protect us.”

“Really?” he asked, and his eyes were incredibly innocent of the true horrors of this world.

“They won’t ever hurt you,” I promised my son before flipping his light switch. I closed the door gently, praying that he might sleep through the entire night in his own bed, before I walked into the kitchen for something to drink. I smirked as I popped the cork on a new bottle of wine that my husband had bought for the two of us to share. It seemed unnecessarily mischievous to drink with my son in the other room, but I still liked to indulge every now and then, especially after remaining sober for nine months during my pregnancy.

I sighed as I drained the first glass, feeling the numbing effects spread through my body like an aphrodisiac. It had been a stressful day because of some unnecessary paperwork at the research institute where I worked, but I knew that everyday couldn’t be perfect. After all, I was absolutely grateful for everything in my life, even if it caused me the occasional headache.

I started washing my wine glass, lost in thought until a strange noise outside forced me to pause in my cleaning. It sounded close to the garage attached to our house, and I figured it might be raccoons again because they were becoming a problem. I glanced out the window, shrugging when I didn’t notice anything suspicious. However, if I had only taken an extra moment to study the outline of my husband’s garden, then I might’ve noticed the unusual pair of crimson-red eyes watching me from outside.

The End.

#stray kids #skz #stray kids fanfic #stray kids yandere #skz yandere #stray kids smut #skz smut #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #skz minho fanfic #skz chan fanfic #skz changbin fanfic #skz hyunjin #skz jisung fanfic #skz han fanfic #skz felix fanfic #skz seungmin fanfic #Skz jeongin fanfic

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deepdarkwaters · 7 years ago

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Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Got back from the Kingsman double bill a bit ago and am trying to put my brain into words even though I'm very tired and a bit numb and I smuggled five hours' worth of gin into the cinema in an Evian bottle so I'm as drunk as Harry at breakfast time.

OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW

Watching them back to back like this was interesting because it highlighted so clearly how much better the first one is than this fumbly ridiculous sequel. Not saying it's not good or not worth watching or whatever because it absolutely is worth watching for several reasons I will babble after another teacup of gin, but holy god is this really the best they could come up with? REALLY? A 100% true fact that I believe with my entire heart: YOU reading this, you are a better writer than people being paid obscene money to write films. I could easily name thirty fic writers off the top of my head right now who have an infinitely better grasp on pacing and plot and characterisation and dialogue than the people responsible for this stuff. I've not read any press or fan reviews but I imagine there's going to be a hell of a lot of backlash over so much in this from every angle because it's just so incredibly lazy and sometimes ugly and absolutely cannot stand up to its own hype.

Really good things:

* SPECTACULAR, EH!

* Eggsy/Harry and Eggsy/Merlin shippers, goddamn we have a lot of new stuff to work with. Chemistry through the roof, especially Eggsy/Harry (including possibly the best clingy desperate hug I have ever seen on film in my entire life WE HAVE WAITED SO LONG AND IT'S HERE AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL). That was the heart and backbone of the first film, I'm so relieved that it's not only survived but evolved into something fiercer and often messier. So so good to watch. Pretty sure I've got Harry/Merlin written down the inside of my heart like the words in a stick of rock, and though it's not romantic you get much more of a sense of their friendship here and it's all just a bit shattering and gorgeous.

* Pretty much everything to do with Harry's memory loss and Eggsy and Merlin trying to shock him into remembering was great, Y E S P L E A S E. And Harry's matter of fact comments about his loneliness, fuckkk. Angst writers, go forth with all this new information and break my heart some more! Fluff writers, fix him!

* Lots of beautiful intricate fight choreography which is literally all I need in my action films, so even if I did think the rest was complete balls (which I don't entirely) then I'd still be happy. Nothing comes near the vivid glorious gutpunch of the church scene as a standalone set piece, BUT there's so much Harry & Eggsy teamwork and please just inject this directly into my veins, it's amazing. Prepare for several years of me writing many more elaborate fight scenes than I already do.

* Part B to the above: Whiskey is a lot of fun and his fighting style is full on hardcore pornography to me.

* Merlin in a flawless Kingsman suit, RIP me.

* One of my Bespoke WIPs is about Merlin and Eggsy getting into the habit of going to the pub together sometimes and rolling home completely drunk with a kebab in each hand then trying to get in the house really quietly because Harry's asleep but they end up waking him because they think it'll be really nice to cook him breakfast in bed and Harry comes stomping downstairs in his dressing gown like "it's four o'fucking clock, put those frying pans away and drink some water!" while Merlin and Eggsy side eye each other and try not to giggle. So maudlin singing drunk Merlin was very nice to see :P

* Eggsy and Roxy bromance. There’s such lovely chemistry between them as well, it feels so natural and real, and it’s so good (and miserably rare) to see platonic friendships that aren’t shoehorned into some shitty boring love triangle.

* Eggsy and Tilde were seriously adorable. It ended up not at all satisfying as a romance plot arc because it was like CUTE - fight - marriage, it needed so much more screen time. Like all the important stuff was there, but it was just so abrupt. Include a satisfying romance or don't include one at all, fuck your lazy bullet points. But it started so well and I hope there's a ton of fic that treats them better than the script did. I appreciate the anti-Bond-ness of it all, that Eggsy's genuinely in love and wants to settle and is figuring out how that and his job can possibly fit together, especially with the complications of marrying into royalty. Interested to see where they take that if there's another film. Until then, soo much scope for fic.

* I'm shipping Harry/Elton like burning.

* Poppy was terrifying in a vaguely Umbridge-ish way. That sort of characterisation is always freaky, Julianne was great. So glossy and cheerful but absolutely dead in the eyes. And I'm ambivalent on Charlie, but I ABSOLUTELY want lots of brutal older woman villain/pathetic younger male minion smut. Please provide asap.

* T H E M Y T H I C A L B R E A K F A S T S C E N E I S R E A L

Really bad things: well where the merry fuck do I start haha.

* I will never ever understand why they thought it was a good idea to wipe out all the locations and almost all the existing characters at the very beginning. It's lazy shitty writing. If you feel like you need to shake up your fictional world you don't just knock it all down and start over. It's cheap and very shallow angst.

* I only have two middle fingers but I need about seventeen million to even begin to profess my disgust at them killing Roxy. I knew it was going to happen, it was the only spoiler I asked someone for ahead of time and it was not at all a surprise to find out for sure. Still utterly infuriating. The way people responded so positively to her in the first one is a real indication of how ridiculously low the bar is for female characters in action films ("good at something" and "not the hero's love interest" are literally the only two requirements), and JG/MV didn't even think enough of her to follow through on the absolute base level achievement they made before. Fuck everyarse involved in this decision.

* Absolutely revolting honeypot mission scene. Not really the fact that it exists, just the entire way it was handled and shot - so predictably male-gazey and laddishly "waheyyy!" that it kind of turned my stomach. Horrible and completely unnecessary.

* A million new characters and not enough time spent on any of them to care. Tequila was barely more than a cameo. Champ and Ginger hardly had anything to do. All the Statesmen (except Whiskey) were completely two dimensional and it's such a jarring contrast to the obvious care taken over Eggsy, Merlin, and Harry. It's not even because we already know them, I don't think? It's weird to try and explain. The Statesman characters just feel so rushed and shallow, there's no substance to any of them. Kill off Roxy and replace her with paper cut-outs, ok that makes loads of sense!!! Whiskey’s a level up from the others because he gets loads more screen time and some beautiful fight scenes, but his ~emotional plot twist fell completely flat. I don’t know what it was, the pacing or a boring cliche backstory or what. It was just dull as fuck. WE HAVE HEARD THIS EXACT STORY FIVE MILLION TIMES.

A bad thing that's somehow not really a bad thing even though I'm fucking numb and want a hug:

* I've been raving for ages to people about Roxy being killed off and trying to figure out a way to satisfactorily explain how I feel about a character dying for a reason and a character dying because a writer is a lazy bastard who wants some quick angst. Merlin's death was an A+ wonderful death along the lines of my dear fictional boyfrends Quincey Morris and Lee Scoresby and a million others. Maybe it comes from all the swashbuckly historical adventure stories I grew up loving, but I'm a desperate sucker for a good noble death. Characters brave and self-aware enough to look at the bigger picture of an impossible situation and realise that their death means a better outcome for the people they love? This is ABSOLUTE CATNIP to me. Characters who go down fighting to the very end. If a character I love with my entire soul has to die, this is how I want it to happen. Give them some agency and a proper goodbye.

I mean I fully expect him to be magically resurrected with fancy prosthetic legs if there's another film because we saw those wedding set photos of him in the nice neon green cgi stockings, so really I should be saying "death". I totally reject this one. (I reject Roxy and JB's deaths as well, but the big difference is I really can't see the filmmakers bringing them back. Eyeroll.) Maybe that's what's making it easier to deal with? A not-real noble courageous self-sacrificing death. That's about as good as it gets. All three of them get Oscars for this whole sequence.

Anyway the tl;dr of it is:

This film is a very beautiful, very patchy mess. The good stuff is absolutely gloriously perfectly incredibly wonderful. Most of said good stuff is the interaction between Eggsy, Merlin, and Harry, which is written and performed with real care and heart. Nearly everything else is relatively lacklustre filler, misogyny, and shitty nonsensical decisions. These people cannot write women.

I liked it? I will definitely see it 900 more times, mainly for wet terrified Harry and gorgeous fight scenes. But ffs, how can it possibly be this difficult to pinpoint the reasons why people loved your extremely successful creation and consider including them in future plans?

I'm feeling fairly zen about everything. I kind of trained myself ages ago to think of sequels as just another bit of fanfic, so it's going to make absolutely no difference to the cheerful fluff porn and fight scenes I like to write. What I'm annoyed about isn't so much to do with ~new canon~ limiting what we're allowed to create for ourselves now, because that's just silly. It's more about being pissed off at the shoddy state of action films, particularly women in action films, when it seems like it should be SO EASY to take these astronomical budgets and create something groundbreaking. I'm so tired of this unimaginative lazy narrow-minded bullshit.

#kingsman #kingsman 2 #kingsman spoilers #kingsman: the golden circle #kingsman: the golden circle spoilers #tgc spoilers #is this enough spoiler tags haha

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benkyogo · 6 years ago

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What is the JET Programme?

Visit the JET Programme Website for all information. In short: the JET Programme is an avenue you can explore to end up living and working in Japan as an Assistant English Teacher (ALT).

Applicants must:

hold a Bachelor’s degree (in any subject);

be a citizen of the country where the recruitment and selection procedures take place;

have excellent skills in English

have a keen interest in the country and culture of Japan;

not have lived in Japan for 6 or more years after 2000, nor be a former participant in the programme after 2007.

This post isn’t what the JET Programme is, but rather how you can go about building an incredible application once you have decided you wish to apply!

Mythbusting: I won’t get accepted because…

Find confidence in your application. Many people are hesitant to apply to JET having read horror stories online of reasons why people may get rejected. I’m here to bust several myths I’ve seen online:

- “I won’t get accepted because I have piercings/tattoos/bright pink hair!!”

Although removal/hiding these things is definitely recommended to better assimilate in Japan, I have seen hundreds of JET’s with the above characteristics. Providing it is not to the extreme (body modification etc.), I think that many interviewers will overlook bright pink hair in favor of an incredible application and personality. I made a personal choice to hide my tattoos and also remove my piercings before my interview, but it appears that many people did not.

- “I won’t get accepted because I’m asian!” I saw online plenty of times whilst I was applying that some people think they got rejected for being ‘asian-looking’ or ‘Japanese-looking’. This is completely false. There are people of all ethnicities on the JET programme.

- “I won’t get accepted because I don’t speak Japanese!” There are plenty of people on the JET programme who have a good knowledge of Japanese. Knowing none will hinder your application because it indicates an unwillingness to learn to adapt to the culture you apparently want to live in! However, there is no need to master Japanese before you go!! Learning to read katakana/hiragana can be done in a couple of weeks with flashcards. Also, I would really recommend learning a basic introduction: “Nice to meet you, my name is ____, I am from ____.” because you will be saying it constantly for the first month in Japan. But you won’t get rejected for not being able to have a fluent conversation!! Whatever you choose to do, don’t overstate your Japanese level on your application, as some placements depend on a particular proficiency in Japanese.

- “I won’t get accepted because I have no teaching experience!” Hardly anyone on JET has teaching experience. There’s no need to rush to get a teaching qualification like TEFL. Our responsibilities are (usually) restricted to an ‘assistant’ role which does not require planning curriculum, preparing for exams, and so on. You just need to speak English and want to be an ambassador for your country and home culture.

Building the best personal statement

If you’ve got an interview, you’re halfway there. By the looks of some guesstimates online, between a quarter to a third of applicants who are interviewed are accepted onto the programme. Providing you show up to the interview appropriately dressed, on time, full of energy and not giving ridiculous answers - you’re in! So how do you get the elusive interview? It’s mostly based on your educational experience and references, but another large part of it is your personal statement.

Here’s some tips and structure from my own personal statement:

- Experience living in Japan: Have you lived/travelled to Japan? What did you learn from that experience? How did you successfully adapt to the culture? Do not be negative about your experience!

- Relevant skills: What have you learnt from your work experience/volunteering/educational experience that you can bring to JET? e.g. I learnt another language and lived abroad, so I understand the importance of intercultural communication and have a good awareness of adapting to cultural expectations.

- Knowledge of Japanese language/learning other languages/teaching English: Give all your language-related knowledge here! Remember: you should be considerate of the difficulties in learning a second language, varied ability/motivations of students, the benefits of learning a 2nd language particularly English in Japan.

- Current Japanese affairs - why is English important for Japan? Think about the Olympics, Rugby World Cup, Tourism, international trade … show an appreciation of the importance of your role as a future English Teaching Assistant!

- What will you bring to the JET programme? Any activity/classroom ideas? Any overarching themes you want to bring to the classroom - e.g. learning through songs? - Do you have a passion/particular interest you want to share with the class?

The most important part of your personal statement is that you show an appreciation of Japanese culture, and a willingness to be a representative of your own culture. Take a look on the JET programme website for what kind of duties you’ll be fulfilling and create a personal statement accordingly.

Filling out the paperwork

This is the most important aspect of your application: read through what is required of you with the paperwork. If unsure, don’t call the embassy every Monday morning - use Google! Every question you could possibly think of, no matter how stupid, has definitely already been asked. Reddit and Facebook JET application groups are your friends here - especially older ones with more questions asked.

Make sure you don’t put any major errors on your application - but a minor slip up won’t completely ruin your chances! I put my age wrong on my application and managed to get accepted. I thought that would be a major issue but apparently not! Of course it’s always better to be safe than sorry so its worth a friend or family member checking over your application.

Ace the Interview

So you’ve written a killer personal statement, managed to not spell your name, age and address wrong on your application, and you’ve been granted the elusive interview!! Congratulations!! I spent weeks researching interview questions and answers and, although every interview is most certainly different, there are a few themes you can definitely rely on making an appearance:

- Why do you want to do the JET program? Even if you’ve covered this in your personal statement, reiterate your intentions for being involved on JET. Sound enthusiastic!

- What can you bring to the JET program? e.g. from your experience, interests or passion, what are you bringing to Japan that someone else can’t? What is unique about you? - How does your experience relate to the JET program?

- How would you deal with (difficult cultural difference) I have seen many examples of this online. In these kinds of questions, the interviewer is trying to trip you up in order to weed out the assholes from the not-assholes. A question such as: ‘What would you do if your Headteacher told you to dye your hair?’ should not be met with a ’Screw them, I’m keeping it!’ kind of response. Something demonstrating a willingness to assimilate and respect another culture is appropriate here - e.g. “If my hair color was against uniform policy I would dye it without hesitation. I am going into JET knowing that I may need to adjust some aspects of my appearance and behavior in order to better assimilate into society”. My interview question of this type was: ‘How would you deal with it if Japanese people in your community seemed stand-offish/unfriendly towards you?’ I answered that I had lived in Japan before and found out very quickly that Japanese people are intrigued by foreigners and perhaps want to know more, but don’t necessarily want to approach them directly and so may come across as unfriendly. However I adapted to this by being approachable at all times and smiling. I mentioned that I was not expecting necessarily everyone to greet me with open arms, but rather that I would make an effort to gain the trust of my community and encourage openness that way.

As for what to wear: anything other than a black suit is not recommended. For Men: Black suit, colored tie. Women: black blazer, white shirt with skirt or trousers. When you first meet your colleagues and schools it is recommended that you wear this kind of Japan-appropriate suit on such occasions. You will also need one for special events, so if you don’t have one - invest now, and don’t turn up in jeans! It might be a good idea to Google-image ‘Japanese businesswear’.

Certificate of Health and International Child Protection Certificate (ICPO) - UK information.

This is relevant for UK applicants only because I was a UK applicant. I do not know how applications from the US/other regions work! If there’s one thing you take note of - it is to get this sorted early! Even if you are allocated as a reserve/alternate candidate, I really recommend getting this paperwork done ASAP in order to avoid being late! It varies from person to person, but it took me 2 months in total to receive both a certificate of health and an ICPO - and there is little information online on how to acquire these or how long it takes!

- Certificate of Health During my application, this piece of paper caused the most stress. I was expecting it to take around 2 weeks to receive all the appropriate information from the doctor. As it turns out, my doctor and local hospitals were a little harder to bypass than some others’ experiences. For the certificate of health, you are required to receive a doctors signature for some basic physical attributes like height, weight, eyesight, etc. but also to receive a Chest x-ray.

The chest x-ray caused the most difficulty. I tried to get this free on the NHS, but I was told I must go private. The x-ray cost around £130 privately, but can be more or less depending on your location - it’s worth shopping around! Some may refuse to do an eye test for you as well, so it’s worth getting an updated eye test done at your local optician and just bringing that into your GP.

I saw 3 doctors and 2 nurses, and only 1 agreed to fill in the certificate of health for me and sign it off. I think this is because there is a lot more red tape surrounding doctors and nurses recently, and by saying that I’m unlikely to die in Japan they were making themselves liable if I did turn out to have Tuberculosis after all. If your doctors are refusing, don’t necessarily resort to getting the whole form filled out privately, as I nearly did in a panic. Keep trying, or if worst comes to worst (and you have the time), you can change your GP or Doctor’s surgery! The certificate of health cost me £50 at my GP - if you let your GP/reception know that you understand there will be a charge and that you’re willing to pay, that may speed up the process.

After receiving the certificate of health and the ICPO, make sure you keep copies as if these are lost in the post it will cause some real trouble for you! On that note, photocopy every document that you send to the JET office and retain everything until your placement is confirmed!

Good luck!

---------------

🍣Folllow Benkyogo on YouTube!

⛩️Check out the Benkyogo Store!

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firstagent · 8 years ago

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Fact-Checking Maki

Now that we know Maki’s primary motive in tri., it’s easy to lean one way or another as far as her trustworthiness. But why go off a gut reaction or what other characters are saying about either her or the statements she’s made to the Chosen? Let’s go back to movie 3 and do some fact-checking!

We’re going to focus on Confession because this is the first time she fully conveys information to the Chosen and their partners. Prior to that, the only ones she can potentially deceive are Daigo and the bureau (we don’t hear her conversations with Meiko). Those may become important, but she says so little in movie 1 and isn’t specific enough in movie 2 to warrant a deeper analysis. Yet.

Here are the possible ratings for each of the 32 statements she makes in Confession:

True: Statement is factually correct with no attempt to deceive. Probably True: Statement cannot be fully verified but we have no reason to doubt it at this time. Uncertain: We do not have enough information to properly rate it for accuracy or deception. Possibly Misleading: Statement’s accuracy is hard to question, but there’s a catch in there that makes us doubt her honesty or sincerity. Misleading: Statement isn’t an outright lie, but hides vital information that would affect the recipient. False: Statement is an outright lie.

Daigo: Is Meicoomon causing all of this? Maki: That’s likely.

Analysis: Electrical interference is on the rise following Meicoomon’s outburst at the school and continues until the reboot. Minor, localized electrical inference is also seen connected to Meicoomon in the first and second movie, and the first movie opens with news reports of widespread blackouts in the Kawasaki area.

Rating: Probably True

Daigo: Why didn’t you tell me sooner that the one they were aiming for was Meicoomon? Daigo: If we had heard about Meicoomon, we might have been able to give different support at school! Maki: Our priority now is to discuss countermeasures.

Analysis: Based on actions and reactions in the first two movies, Maki knew Meicoomon was connected to the infections. While it is possible Maki did not expect Meicoomon to be targeted, she fails to justify why she did not share Meicoomon’s relation to the infections when Daigo correctly recognizes that they could have targeted their school patrol better.

Rating: Misleading

Maki: Now 13 places within the city and 52 places country-wide are having trouble with electrical devices. This is causing considerable communication issues. However, he biggest problem is that is also occurs around the airport which affects the planes that take off and land. There were four emergency landings at Haneda airport alone. In one case an airplane nearly collided with another. It’s under investigation with certain air lanes closed.

Analysis: There is no reason to doubt the accuracy of Maki’s statements. Furthermore, the increased attention and severity of the situation would only serve to disrupt her intentions by adding more government and civilian scrutiny to the situation.

Rating: Probably True

Mochizuki: Just before all this occurred, there was a report of an unconfirmed Digimon at Tsukishima High School. Boss: Do you think that is related to the crisis? Mochizuki: I can’t say conclusively for now. But in light of these escalations, it’s possible they may be related.

Analysis: Maki is silent here, despite confirming with Daigo earlier that “it is likely” they are connected. This may be either a deliberate effort to keep Mochizuki/the bureau in the dark or meeting protocol and hierarchy that would prevent her from speaking. It’s ambiguous whether the “unconfirmed Digimon” refers to Meicoomon, Imperialdramon or even the Mysterious Man. Given the amount of resources the bureau has at its disposal, it’s unlikely they would rely on Maki’s testimony alone. At the very least, it’s unknown if both Maki and Daigo gave reports on this incident (Daigo would presumably be thorough in his testimony). We also have to consider the possibility Mochizuki is withholding information from the bureau.

Rating: Uncertain

Daigo: This is more dire than expected. Maki: At this rate, it’ll happen again. There’ll be victims again. Daigo: I don’t want them to have that harsh experience. Maki: Yeah.

Analysis: If we assume they are referring to their experiences as original Chosen, this remains a curious statement. Their “harsh experience” had nothing to do with electrical interference or infected Digimon in the real world, and they’re aware the current Chosen have overcome more dire situations than this in the past. Maki clearly considers herself a victim in losing Bakumon, but the current situation would not be a repeat of her loss. In addition, Daigo does not know about the reboot, yet seemingly knows what Maki means by “it” and the “harsh experience” awaiting the current Chosen. There is more going on here. At the same time, Maki appears sympathetic towards the current Chosen- an important observation.

Rating: Uncertain

Yamato: I need to know more. We’re in a tough situation so I need as much information as possible. Please. Maki: All right. You’re also involved. You have a right to know, to some extent.

Analysis: Whether an effort to solidify their trust or a sincere effort to provide information, Maki makes it clear she will lend the Chosen information to a limited degree.

Rating: True

Maki: You saw what occurred in the shadow of the school festival, right? This is the result. We haven’t reported it to the media. And we don’t intend to. Sooner or later, it’ll become an uproar though.

Analysis: Maki is showing Yamato a prepared internal report. Since they have not reported it to the media, it is for bureau eyes only and is peeling back the curtain for Yamato. The report likely omits details about Meicoomon’s history with the infection (which would be helpful for the Chosen), but nothing Maki says here is a lie.

Rating: Possibly Misleading

Yamato: What about Ken Ichijouji? Maki: We’re always checking the welfare of the digidestined. Don’t worry. Yamato: I was worried because I couldn’t contact him. Maki: Go tell everyone the Meicoomon investigation will begin ASAP and we will cooperate as much as possible.

Analysis: While factually correct, Maki is clearly hiding the fact that the bureau knows that Ken’s whereabouts are unknown. Again, she is withholding key suspicions about Meicoomon.

Rating: Misleading

Maki: I’ll tell you as soon as anything new comes up. We’re okay, right?

Analysis: Maki fails to inform the children about Meicoomon’s link to the infection, Meiko’s awareness of Meicoomon’s infection, the reboot, or a way to stop it.

Rating: False

Daigo: Himekawa-san! You went overboard! Maki: How so? Daigo: By deceiving the kids! Maki: Should I have been honest about everything? Daigo: Well...

Maki: I can’t, right? To say that those people are all missing? I don’t want to burden those kids anymore. It’s part of our duty to deceive them well.

Analysis: She is openly admitting to Daigo that she didn’t tell Yamato the whole story. Knowing how sensitive Maki is about her partner, it is entirely possible she is sincere in not wanting to give the Chosen any more grief in their current situation. However, we cannot confirm this is her true motive for doing so.

Rating: Uncertain

Daigo: What about the fact that Meicoomon caused all this? Maki: If we tell them, what will it do to Meiko and their relationship? They’ll know sooner or later. No need to tell them. Koshiro Izumi will figure it out.

Analysis: Same situation, although knowing Meicoomon’s role in initiating the reboot makes this more likely to be a deliberate cover. However, her (correct) assumption that Koshiro will put it together makes it unclear if she thinks the Chosen have any way to prevent the reboot. While she doesn’t help them, she does nothing to stop them from discovering the truth or countering it.

Rating: Possibly Misleading

Daigo: But still! Why keep things from me too? Am I that untrustworthy? Maki: Some things are better off not knowing.

Analysis: Maki is more or less confirming that she’s hiding information from him too. Given the consequences of the reboot plan, she should have run this by him to make sure she wasn’t crazy. She’s lying to herself here more than Daigo, but it’s still a lie.

Rating: False

Maki: It’s okay. She just blacked out. Tailmon: It’s not okay! What on Earth happened to Hikari?! Maki: I’m not exactly sure, but it seems like someone else borrowed her body to speak with her.

Analysis: Maki was also once possessed by Homeostasis and is using that experience to hypothesize that Hikari just went through the same thing. She can’t be completely sure since she doesn’t have a first-hand recollection of the event.

Rating: True

Gabumon: What did they mean by “a great sacrifice?!” Maki: Probably... a reboot.

Analysis: This gets murky. The simplest explanation here is that Homeostasis is the only one who can initiate a reboot. If Yggdrasil or Maki could have done it themselves, they would not have needed to raise the threat of mass infection (and the additional scrutiny from the bureau, Homeostasis, and the Chosen). While it could still prove differently, Maki is probably right in saying Homeostasis is suggesting a reboot is the only answer.

Rating: Probably True

Maki: The Digital World is one of the possible worlds that exist side-by-side with ours. As long as our world remains, it’s possible to start over. That’s “rebooting.”

Analysis: The clues about other possible worlds existing have been vague, so there’s no way of knowing for sure. However, Maki is explaining clearly what a reboot entails and it’s hard to see how fudging an explanation helps her cause.

Rating: Probably True

Maki: Infected Digimon didn’t originally exist in the Digital World. So they would disappear by rebooting.

Analysis: This clearly turned out not to be the case, but there’s no way we can tell if Maki knew this would happen going in. She may have hypothesized this or Yggdrasil may have told her this. As the existence of a post-reboot Meicoomon doesn’t affect Maki’s goal, we can’t shoot the messenger.

Rating: Uncertain

Patamon: Then... then why haven’t you done that?! Maki: Rebooting is the last resort. Digimon: The last resort? Maki: The quantum sea has created other worlds besides the Digital World. The quantum sea is different from our world and any possible world. It is the primordial world. Carelessly rebooting could produce gaps in phases causing the Digital World to be engulfed in the quantum sea.

Analysis: For someone so bent on engineering a reboot to get Bakumon back, this is foreboding stuff to be telling the Digimon. It’s hard to fathom her warning against the dangers of careless rebooting while being so cavalier in making it happen unless it were true. She knows the risks, and later is seen waiting to make sure this fate does not befall the Digital World.

Rating: True

Tailmon: Are we out of time? Maki: Yes. All the worlds will be destroyed if we just stand by and watch. So we’ll reboot before we lose the chance.

Analysis: She’s telling them the reboot is going to happen, and the risks involved with not doing it. Homeostasis confirmed the danger of the current situation and the reboot does occur.

Rating: True

Gabumon: If we reboot, will this world... will Yamato’s and everyone’s world be okay? Maki: If all traces of the infection are totally gone from this world, it shouldn’t affect anything here.

Analysis: The reboot did eliminate the infection from the real world and the electrical disruptions immediately ceased. Life in the real world continued normally.

Rating: True

Tailmon: How do you know this? Maki: Because I’m a high-level person at the bureau.

Analysis: Maki is shown researching the reboot well before she joined the bureau. It appeared to be something of a pet project of hers. We’re given no information as to whether other high-level officials at the bureau are aware of the implications of reboot.

Rating: Misleading

Gabumon: In short, “a great sacrifice” means that time turns back in the Digital World? Maki: Well... that sums it up.

Analysis: While it appears that Maki isn’t aware of all of the implications of a reboot (primarily memory loss), she does know that Digimon who die without becoming a digiegg are restored. It may not be pertinent to the Digimon’s present concerns, but it is a major detail she is aware of and withholds. It would be interesting to know how some of them (Tailmon in particular) would react to hearing this.

Rating: Possibly Misleading

Piyomon: How does a reboot occur? Maki: I don’t know. Whether to invoke a reboot depends on the will of Homeostasis, who desires universal stability.

Analysis: It’s hard to question this. While Maki knows a reboot is about to be triggered, understanding the mechanics of how Homeostasis does it may be out of her reach. She just knows it’s imminent.

Rating: Probably True

Tailmon: Homeostasis? Maki: Probably the one who spoke using Hikari-chan’s mouth. Would you get it if I said it was the God of the Digital World? Gabumon: The one who decides whether to reboot? Maki: Considering the situation now, the next time Meicoomon appears it may bring a reboot on.

Analysis: Once again, Yggdrasil and Maki have no reason to time their own reboot in order to pin the blame on Meicoomon. Homeostasis’ possession of Hikari is consistent with its possessions in the past and Meicoomon’s next appearance does trigger the reboot.

Rating: Probably True

Maki: That’s a relief. You’re just a little anemic. Hikari: Um... what was I doing? I remember being in the school hallway, then I ended up on a hospital bed. Maki: Not sure. I’d found you after you’d already collapsed. Maybe you’re tired from all that’s been happening recently? And, it’s hot.

Analysis: Maki is inventing reasons for Hikari to have passed out without acknowledging her possession by Homeostasis.

Rating: False

Maki: A sign of the distortion. The data pool density is exponentially increasing. It’s coming.

Analysis: Maki is just doing her job in reporting the distortion to Daigo, but in doing so allows Daigo to witness the reboot first-hand and possibly assist the Chosen trying to prevent it.

Rating: True

Maki: It’s been a week. The quantum sea still hasn’t materialized in the Digital World as of now.

Analysis: Maki may be eager to jump in after her partner, but she is still aware of the risks of reboot and is waiting to make sure the coast is clear. There is no evidence of the Digital World sinking into the quantum sea in the next movie.

Rating: True

Daigo: There was a massive trade-off... Maki: I know. Those kids just have to move on. Move forward.

Analysis: Given how bad Maki was at moving on from the loss of Bakumon, it’s incredibly unfair for her to just expect the Chosen to cope. There’s probably no deception going on here, but it’s such a hypocritical statement that it should raise eyebrows.

Rating: Possibly Misleading

Maki: In the blink of an eye, new buildings will be up within six months, and Odaiba will be just like before. In a year, everyone will forget what happened there.

Analysis: Somehow, this has been the case historically. The Chosen forgot about Hikarigaoka even after being reintroduced to Digimon. Despite the incidents in 1999 and 2002, many civilians were confused and upset by the emergence of Digimon in 2005. These people have short memories.

Rating: Probably True

Maki: No one in the world will even mention Digimon anymore. Daigo: Those kids, too? Maki: That’s a part of becoming an adult.

Analysis: Once again, Maki is ignoring her own feelings. Again, it’s hard to see the deception here, but she should know better. At the same time, this would be the ideal opportunity to sell Daigo on the idea of helping the kids enter the Digital World. She doesn’t, she waits for Koshiro to propose it to her, and Daigo objects to it throughout.

Rating: Possibly Misleading

Maki: You’re serious, right? Taichi: Yeah. Maki: We have just one chance. Even if we open the gate, it’ll be unstable. There’s no guarantee you can come back. Daigo: The risk is too great! Guys, you should discuss this more first. Yamato: I’m going.

Analysis: It’s uncertain what she means by having only one chance, but she is clear about the warnings and risks. If her plan requires them to enter the Digital World, she not only waits for them to contact her, but she does try to talk them out of it.

Rating: Probably True

Maki: I’ll go prepare. Go wait where the reboot occurred. Daigo: Himekawa-san! Maki: Nishijima-kun, please take them there. I’ll contact security and pull them away.

Analysis: Maki successfully engineers a way to take them to the Digital World despite Daigo’s objections.

Rating: True

Hikari: D3? Maki: We independently proceeded with the analysis. Though the analysis still isn’t complete, if D3 can synchronize with your power, the gate can probably open. Sora: Our power? Maki: Using the power of your Crests.

Analysis: While there are tons of questions about how Maki came into the possession of the D3, what is true is that the Chosen using their Crest power was able to finally get the thing to work. It enables the Chosen to get to the Digital World (and only the Chosen; the Mysterious Man probably pulled Maki in), even if it’s certainly suspicious that she has it in the first place.

Rating: True

Final Total/Analysis:

True: 9 Probably True: 8 Uncertain: 4 Possibly Misleading: 5 Misleading: 3 False: 3

She’s certainly not the most trustworthy character, with a number of lies and deceptions, but it’s not as bad as people may think. She is very forthcoming about the reboot to the Digimon (it’s important to note she does not suggest that it can be stopped nor that it erases memories), and if there is an ulterior motive in helping the kids enter the Digital World, she’s not pressuring anybody into making it happen. At the same time, she does hide information from Daigo, Yamato, and probably the entire bureau in order to ensure the crisis escalates to a point where a reboot is necessary. While that may be enough of a crime on its own, so far that appears to be her only one.

#digimon #digimon adventure tri #digimon tri #maki himekawa #Tri spoilers #digiarticle

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listiqueblog · 6 years ago

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From Retail to e-Tail: How to Launch an Ecommerce Website for Your Brick-and-Mortar

Are you ready to bring your brick-and-mortar store into the world of online shopping?

Building a virtual storefront from the ground up can feel like an overwhelming experience.

You’ve probably noticed that there are dozens of SaaS products on the market claiming to ease your transition into ecommerce.

But how do you navigate this experience and maximize your resources? How do you find the right tools and deploy them for maximum efficiency?

There are 3 major pieces to this approach:

Laying the groundwork with pre-launch preparation.

Optimizing your store.

Marketing your store.

In this guide, we’ll look at each of these parts in detail, and you’ll learn how to transform your existing physical store into an online shop—all while exploring various marketing strategies that keep customers coming back again and again.

We’ll look at how three ecommerce professionals were able to transition from brick-and-mortar to online shopping.

Those three experts are:

Tommy Ekstrand, BigCommerce designer and SEO specialist.

Rohan Moore, founder and CEO of UK fashion company, Olive Clothing.

Tahnee Elliott, founder and CEO of T.C. Elli’s fashion company in the United States.

Best of all: You’ll learn how to do most of this without relying heavily on SaaS tools and marketing agencies.

Let’s get started.

Lay the groundwork with some pre-launch preparation

1. Determine your primary customers.

There’s a lot of planning that goes into building a successful ecommerce website, which is why you shouldn’t rush into building your virtual storefront without doing first doing some strategic planning.

Before anything else, you need to answer the following questions:

Who are your primary customers?

How will they find your website?

For Tahnee Elliott, identifying and servicing her primary market was especially easy.

“Being in a college town, we have a lot of transient customers who go home during the summers and holidays,” she said

“The primary objective of launching the online store was to give these customers a chance to buy our clothing while they were away from school for the summer.”

Generally speaking, primary customers are going to be the ones who’ve already been consistently shopping at a brand’s brick-and-mortar store.

This existing customer base is a major advantage, as businesses can get a running start with an audience that’s already interested in the brand.

2. Choose your domain name.

The next challenge is determining how to redirect focus to your online presence—and to do this, you need to pick a domain name where people can find you in the digital environment.

There are two ways you can go about picking your domain name:

Choose a catchy, SEO-friendly name that will resonate with your audience.

Stick with your current brand name.

Both approaches have their advantages.

An SEO-driven domain name gives you a chance to:

Rebrand your store.

Create an online marketplace that’s optimized for organic ranking and traffic.

The downside of choosing a new domain name is that you won’t be able to capitalize on the brand awareness you’ve developed with your brick-and-mortar business.

With that said, choosing the right SEO-friendly domain name can make it easier for your company to reach a larger audience—especially when combined with a site that’s been optimized for text and voice search.

When BigCommerce designer Tommy Ekstrand helped his father come up with an online marketplace for their brick-and-mortar paint store, they decided to go with a new domain name that was appealing to a wider audience.

“We ended up with an SEO-friendly version: US Paint Supply. We’ve owned the family name website since 1998, but that site is purely informational.

The decision to go with a more SEO-friendly domain was to find something more universal across our selling area (U.S. target audience).”

Ultimately, if your online marketplace depends on organic traffic, you might want to drop your brick-and-mortar name in exchange for something more SEO-friendly.

While it can be more work in the beginning stages as you create more awareness around your digital brand, it can help your brand in the long run as your organic SEO ranking increases more quickly.

3. Select initial products to place online.

Ideally, your inventory or services should be strategically chosen to appeal to a broader audience—especially when you’re just starting out.

If you’ve got a wide selection of products to choose from in your brick-and-mortar store, we recommend narrowing your inventory down to approximately 100 of the best-selling items for your online marketplace.

“We started with offering tops, bottoms, shoes, dresses, and rompers,” said Tahnee.

“Of course, we added more as needed and reorganized so our list of categories and subcategories evolved based on demand and trends.”

When choosing products to carry online, make sure to choose items which are:

Top sellers in your brick-and-mortar store.

Items you receive special requests or calls for 2-3x per month.

The latter is especially important, as many customers have a hard time finding special inventory on ecommerce sites.

Another great way to optimize your online inventory is by stocking it with products that are nationally popular.

That way, you’re able to start out with an appeal to a wider audience (rather than only targeting specific segments of the market.)

Want more insights like this?

We’re on a mission to provide businesses like yours marketing and sales tips, tricks and industry leading knowledge to build the next house-hold name brand. Don’t miss a post. Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

4. Learn what your competition is doing.

To ensure that you’re offering a fair and competitive price for your products, you’ll want to look at what similar online retailers are charging.

Don’t just look at the price retailers are charging for their products, look at the total cost as well (tax + shipping charges + service fees).

When conducting market research for US Paint Supply, Tommy noticed that these additional charges made up a significant portion of the total cost.

“Shipping is often a big thing for online retailers as almost everyone was charging an arm and a leg for shipping due to heavy products. Most of the product itself was priced moderately.

On Amazon, though, product prices were extremely high because of their marketplace fees for someone to sell. Many of the products we sell that also sell on Amazon are nearly 2x the price over there.”

5. Write custom page titles and meta descriptions.

When you’re trying to get your store launched ASAP, you won’t have time to write product descriptions for 100 or more items in your catalog.

Besides, full-length descriptions aren’t something you exactly want to rush through.

Fortunately, you can quickly come up with a collection of meta descriptions and page titles to get your online marketplace operational in the meantime.

Here’s how:

Compile all your products and product data into a CSV file.

Use the following format for titles and meta descriptions:{Product Name} is a {type of product or category} used in/for {primary uses}.

If your product happens to come in various sizes and colors, or if it’s important that your buyer knows its dimensions, add those details in the meta description.

Remember: Your page titles and meta descriptions aren’t supposed to be in-depth.

You just want to get something custom on the page that highlights what you’re selling. You can always revisit and refine your descriptions over time, expanding them after the site is up and running.

6. Take pictures of your inventory.

Did you know that using original photos rather than stock pictures can give you a much-needed SEO boost?

If you have a basic camera or smartphone, you can take professional-grade product photography for your store. All you need is a piece of white paper to use as a background.

“Original images and image descriptions helped us to rank far above other retailers using stock photos. Having alt tags on all images is absolutely necessary.” Tommyy commented.

“Most of the time it’s just the product name and maybe “- Front” or “- Back” or “- Side.” Since I sell paint, some examples are ‘C2 LUXE Gallon in Satin’ and ‘C2 LUXE Quart in Eggshell.’”

If you’re working in an industry like fashion or design, you’ll need to schedule extra time to taking quality product pictures—especially if your website involves models.

For Tahnee, who worked in an aesthetically-driven industry, taking pictures of inventory was one of the more time-consuming processes.

“Next step was taking quality product pictures, which required investing in quality equipment and sourcing: a camera, tripod, professional lights, professional background, models, learning how to edit pictures, and training an employee to help.

Since we’re a clothing boutique, we’re heavy into visual aesthetics, which needed to reflect our branding.

Of course, I thought I had a great game plan but soon found out I needed a lot more training and equipment. Studying at night about photography, lighting, and modeling poses became a six-month undertaking.”

Also, regardless of your industry, you may want to consider purchasing photo editing software like Photoshop and Lightroom.

Combined with a good quality camera, these tools are essential for creating attention-grabbing, lucid images that help your website stand out.

7. Determine your shipping costs.

The last thing your customers want is to watch their total cost skyrocket at the end of checkout.

Consumers don’t like unexpected fees, which is something you want to be mindful of when setting your shipping costs and other fees.

We recommend going with a flat rate on shipping, as well as offering free or discounted shipping for customers who spend a certain amount of money.

In the case of Tommy and his father, they offered free shipping on orders over $100.

“This helps our conversion rate by setting up total cost expectations right away and removing surprise costs during checkout.

It also helps with organic advertising in SERPs (search engine results page) as a quick callout to “Free Shipping.” Consider a meta description that says ‘Free Shipping over $100’ at the end of it.”

Research shows online shoppers are often deterred by additional costs that pop up during checkout.

This method helped boost sales by giving the customer a clear idea of how much they’ll pay throughout the entire purchasing journey.

Here are some ways you can use shipping costs to drive sales and reduce abandoned carts on your website:

Display shipping fees (as well as other expenses like taxes and processing fees) in a table on your website and/or item pages where customers can see.

Offer free or discounted shipping for customers who spend above a certain amount.

Add a line into your metadata to include the following in your item description: Free/DiscountedShipping on orders over ___ to encourage customers to spend more, and increase your AOV.

8. Choose your payment methods.

There are two things you should keep in mind when choosing your payment methods:

What’s the easiest payment method to set up?

How can you accommodate a wider audience?

When it comes to maximizing convenience, PayPal is a must. It can be integrated into your digital marketplace in a couple of minutes and opens you up to a wide range of payment options, including:

PayPal/PayPal Credit.

Apple Pay.

Most major credit and debit cards.

Moreover, according to PayPal, ecommerce sites can gain as much as an 82% improvement on their checkout conversion just by offering PayPal Checkout.

“Payments were first accepted via PayPal which was the easiest to set up,” noted Tahnee. “Gradually, I started using Authorize.net which had great rates.”

With that said, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Not everyone prefers paying with PayPal, which is why you should consider offering another payment method alongside it.

Stripe: Another popular payment-processing gateway, makes it easy for ecommerce brands to credit and debit card payments.

Braintree: Braintree accepted credit/debit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more—including ACH Direct Debit.

Square Payments: Like Stripe, Square accepts all major credit and debit cards as payment. Great for brands that run an active brick-and-mortar shop, Square can be used to turn iPads and similar devices into point-of-sale systems when coupled with a card reader.

For Tommy, accommodating the largest amount of customers was the motivating factor behind US Paint Supply’s accepted payment methods.

“We ended up with both PayPal Express and Stripe as a credit card processor. This enables us to capture the widest variety of customers by making them feel comfortable with different payment methods.”

9. Take care of your security and tax details.

Taxes and security are two things you want to make sure you have sorted before launching your store. Otherwise, you’ll run into issues later that could inhibit your growth and revenue.

The good news is that tax compliance has never been easier with the help of programs like:

Avalara: Designed to help ecommerce businesses of all sizes, Avalara automates calculations, exemptions, and filings to ensure that your company is tax compliant from day one. Also, its platform comes ready to integrate with more than 600 ecommerce and ERP applications.

TaxJar: Like Avalara, TaxJar automates filings, reporting, and sales tax calculations to ensure that your business doesn’t make any unnecessary compliance slip-ups. Moreover, TaxJar is trusted by more than 10,000 organizations, including Coca-Cola, Dell, and the American Cancer Society.

You also want to make sure that your customers’ information is protected from data breaches.

This can be done by adding an SSL certificate to your website. BigCommerce offers free SSL certificates to all digital stores regardless of service plan and can easily walk you through the process of securing your digital marketplace.

“This is when I got into the other details of setting up an online store, including taxes – we use Avalara – importing products, and installing an SSL,” said Tommy.

“This is all standard stuff and the Bigcommerce backend walks you through these.”

10. Come up with an ironclad shipping and refund policy.

Unless your brick-and-mortar store is already a nationally recognized brand, you’re going to need to spend time building relationships with your customers.

One way to build trust between you and your shoppers is by being upfront about your shipping and refund policies.

Create a webpage highlighting your shipping and return policies, as well as any other important information the customer should know.

Provide links to frequently asked questions (FAQs) in your emails to customers.

When asked about ways to improve customer service and work more efficiently, Tommy mentioned the importance of linking to shipping and refund-related FAQs in his emails.

“By providing links in emails, we were able to prevent additional contacts through our customer support channels.

Typical questions were ‘What does this status mean’ or ‘When is my order going to ship’ or ‘I need to return this,’ so making sure that those things are right up front in their emails they receive helps to deflect that stuff. It saves us time and cuts service costs in the long-run.”

Make it easy for customers to return their products. Give shoppers a generous timeframe to return their items—we recommend a 20-day return window.

For many customers, returning online purchases can feel like a hassle.

Coming up with a refund policy that makes returns more efficient is an important step towards building customer loyalty and increasing conversion rates.

BigCommerce offers a Return Request feature, which gives customers a return shipping label when they complete a return request online.

When asked about her return policy at T.C. Elli’s, Tahnee had this to say:

“We wanted our brick and mortar return policy to be reflected online as well. BigCommerce offered a Return Request option which worked great for us!

Customers would need to complete a return request in order to receive a return shipping label from us. This way, we could confirm the item wasn’t past the 20-day return window.”

Another way to make shipping more convenient is to use reusable boxes.

Eco-friendly packaging company, Ecoenclose, has solved this problem by creating resealable boxes. This lets customers return their purchases in the same box they received.

Taking a more practical approach, Rohan Moore believes that good shipping starts with inventory management.

“For most retail products, warehouses are best organised with stacks of picking bins that can be numbered and labelled, so you know what’s where when fulfilling orders.

I’d recommend adopting these principles early, even if your ‘warehouse’ is a cupboard under the stairs.”

11. Build organic SEO content.

Have you uploaded your products, written your meta descriptions, and put a checkout system in place?

If so, your store is ready to go live.

That means it’s time to focus on building organic SEO content that attracts visitors to your website.

In the beginning, focus on inbound marketing techniques:

Build content.

Engage with customers on social media.

Write SEO-driven product descriptions.

Don’t worry too much about how your website looks as long as it’s functional. We’ll get to aesthetics later—for now, focus on basic SEO.

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Optimizing your ecommerce store

After your website is up and running, it’s time to build upon the framework you created in the days leading up to your store launch.

This is where you’ll start to focus on the aesthetics of your site, as well as continue the ongoing process of building good SEO content.

1. Choose a design for your website.

Unless you’re in a field like design or fashion, you don’t need to have an overly flashy website.

Most customers prefer functionality over creativity.

With that said, you don’t want to neglect your website design completely—it still needs to look professional.

BigCommerce offers a number of different themes and templates that make it easy for you to design a site that looks both professional and aesthetically pleasing.

But what you really need to focus on is mobile responsiveness.

Mobile commerce made up nearly 60% of digital sales in 2017.

Google prioritizes sites that are optimized for mobile devices.

Customers are 62% less likely to purchase from sites that aren’t optimized for mobile devices.

In today’s market, it’s absolutely essential for your ecommerce site to be mobile responsive. If not, you run the risk of turning away new and returning customers.

2. Boost conversion rates by enhancing your design.

Look at ways you can improve your website’s design and improve user experience (UX).

Customers buy online for convenience, so it’s only natural that your website should be designed to make the shopping experience as convenient as possible.

A good customer service policy doubles as an effective conversion strategy.

For this reason, Rohan recommends launching your website with a ticketing system in place.

“Similarly with customer services, you’ll get in a mess with customer queries over orders and returns without a formal ticketing system. Integrate one from the outset — don’t believe that an organised inbox will suffice.”

Here are some other ways you can increase conversions through design optimization:

Reduce the number of clicks on checkout by defaulting to guest checkout or pre-selecting shipping methods.

Organize your inventory into categories and subcategories based on demand or market trends.

Arrange your menu items into easy-to-understand categories.

Include trust seals like: SSL certificates, accepted credit cards, payment gateway.

3. Don’t spend too much time tweaking your homepage.

There’s a good chance that most of your traffic will come from people searching for products or traffic being directed through your landing pages.

While your homepage is important, your product pages are where you want to devote most of your time perfecting your design.

“Very few people search for our brand or store by name,” admitted Tommy .

“They’re searching for the products we carry and therefore landing directly on those product pages”

4. Start working on your product descriptions.

Now that all the heavy work is out of the way, it’s time to start writing product descriptions.

While your meta descriptions did a fine job directing traffic to your website, there’s nothing more effective than a rich product description that captures the visitor’s attention to increase organic traffic—especially when the right keywords are used.

“Product descriptions were fairly straightforward and simple until we discovered that keyword-rich descriptions benefited the customer in their buying journey,” suggested Tahnee.

“It decreased the number of customer service phone calls and emails, which were few and far between at first but gradually ramped up in 2014 and 2015”

But there’s more to effective product descriptions than good SEO.

You also want to summarize your products in a way that connects with your customers.

Here’s how:

Be consistent with your style.

Use well-written headlines that capture the reader’s attention.

Use bullet points to summarize important information and product specifications.

5. Continue writing SEO content.

As the saying goes, “Content is king.”

Developing SEO-driven content isn’t something you do once off—it’s an ongoing process.

A large part of what makes ecommerce websites successful is the content. You want to always have fresh, meaningful content that benefits your readers in one way or another.

Here are some ways you can create content that adds value to your site:

Add content onto your brand pages using banners so that your products remain above the fold.

Include short descriptions in your category pages—be brief enough to keep products above the fold.

Create an FAQ page to drive traffic from people searching Google for similar questions.

Also, if you ever get any questions related to a specific product, consider adding the question and answer in your FAQ page or as part of a product description.

This will help direct more traffic to your site from people looking for specific products.

Marketing your ecommerce website

While a solid business strategy and optimized website are important for converting leads, you still need a good marketing plan to get your ecommerce business off the ground.

If you’re a smaller company, we recommend doing your own digital marketing rather than outsourcing it to an agency.

That way, you’ll get a better idea of your customers’ needs and expectations as you interact with them on social media.

“If you’re a small player, tackling the technical and strategic challenges of digital marketing directly — with an overwhelming focus in the social media space — will educate you more about your customers,” suggested Rohan.

“And which products and content they relate with, than any market research or agency insights.”

By running your own marketing campaign, you’ll be able to see firsthand which type of content engages your audience the most.

Next, let’s take a deeper look at how you can create a digital marketing strategy that takes your business to the next level.

1. Improve your website’s performance with Google Search Console.

Google Search Console (GSC) lets you compare a list of keywords on your site with a list of keywords users commonly search for, as well as see just how many impressions your keywords are getting.

To do this, simply:

Go to the Search feature and turn on all data times (CTR, clicks, impressions, position)

Sort your keywords and phrases by impression, making note of which words and phrases are the highest ranking

From there, you’ll be presented with a ranked list of keywords and phrases which helps you see how well your keywords are performing.

When asked about increasing keywords impressions, Tommy had this to say:

“Know that moving from position 50 up to 10 or even 20 is going to be extremely difficult. Consider paying for these (AdWords) if you know they’ll convert.”

There are a number of other third-party tools that can help your business grow. However, Rohan warns against new businesses depending heavily on marketing and management tools.

“There is an ever-growing catalogue of SaaS products on the market, often promising solutions to growth and conversion that all e-com store owners are anxious to enhance.

It’s not a mistake to see e-com as an opportunity to expand sales without property costs, but SaaS is undoubtedly the new rent.”

When asked what tools he felt new online businesses should rely on, Rohan had this to say:

“To avoid the digital rent doing to the profitability of your website what your property rent already does to your bricks-and-mortar profitability, limit those SaaS subscriptions to three core products: your shopping cart, your warehouse management system, and your online customer services ticketing system.”

2. Apply GSC’s keyword list to your website.

The benefit of GSC’s keyword is that it helps you get a better idea of the type of keywords and phrases potential customers are searching for.

You can then incorporate this information into your titles, product descriptions, meta descriptions, and image tags for an added SEO boost.

You can even change product names and URL addresses to fit these keywords—just remember to implement a 301 redirect.

3. Come up with an outbound marketing strategy.

You read that correctly.

Outbound marketing still plays an important role in generating brand awareness and engaging with customers.

Here are some tools to help you reach out to loyal and prospective customers:

Mail After Purchase (MAP) post-purchasing reviews from Yotpo surveys customers after they’ve made a purchase.

Social Bribery widget by Justuno makes it easier for you to run incentivization campaigns, rewarding your customers for sharing your products with their friends on social media.

Use Smile.io to enroll customers in loyalty, VIP, and referral programs.

Emailed coupon discounts for abandoned checkout carts.

When asked what he suggests new businesses spend their marketing budget on, Rohan placed value in marketing tools over outsourcing.

“Many fledgling (and some established) online businesses are enticed, for every £100 they spend in digital marketing, to pay another £100 to be told how to spend it.

Taking the wheel and spending all £200 on actual marketing will give you both results and experience that will form the backbone of your longer-term strategy.”

4. Explore different ways to increase conversion rates.

As you may have guessed, conversion rates is a topic that is constantly featured throughout this guide.

Converting visitors into loyal customers is how you’re going to grow your businesses, and it’s something that needs to be in the forefront of your mind as you design your website, interact with customers, and come up with a solid marketing strategy.

Here’s how you can increase conversions while marketing your ecommerce site:

Survey customers. Gather feedback from customers whenever you can, and include their feedback into your product descriptions and FAQ sections—especially if customers are inquiring about a product’s specifications. This will help the lurking visitors who want to learn more but are reluctant to contact your customer support.

Use Google Analytics to pinpoint any drop-off points. If there’s ever a sudden dip in your website traffic, look at factors that could’ve caused it and correct any issues that inhibited your conversions.

Minimize your website loading time. More than half your visitors will leave your website if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Prevent this from happening by optimizing your site for speed.

When asked how he increased his website’s speed, here’s what Tommy recommended:

“Compress images, load JavaScript in async mode or defer, minify all CSS and JavaScript files or combine if possible. If an app that requires extra JavaScript isn’t performing, remove it.”

Executive Summary and Launch Checklist

There’s a lot of work that goes into launching an ecommerce site that accompanies your brick-and-mortar store. But you can help make your launch go as smoothly as possible by remembering the following tips:

Convenience and UX of your website are more important than looks. Give your customers a seamless website that’s quick and easy to navigate through. And don’t forget to include more than one type of payment option.

Make SEO your top priority. Look at ways to incorporate keywords into your descriptions, metadata, and headings. If you think it’s information that the customer would benefit from knowing, add it to your page.

Be up front with your policies. Make sure customers are informed about your return policy, shipping fees, and other expenses they may incur. Also, give them step-by-step instructions on how they can return a product without them asking you beforehand.

Constantly explore various ways to increase conversion rates. Consumer preferences change over time, and if you don’t change with them, you’re not going to get the growth you’d hoped for. Never stop optimizing your website design, SEO content, and marketing strategy for conversions.

Focus on the important things first. Get your products online, create a site that works, and implement a good SEO strategy. These three things need to be taken care of before you worry about making your site look visually appealing.

Don’t be surprised if your online sales lag in the first couple of quarters after going live. In fact, many businesses report that following the initial launch of their ecommerce site, their brick-and-mortar stores benefit from a huge boost in sales as customers browse selections online and make purchases at the physical stores.

In the first two years of her website launch, Tahnee recalls just how much her ecommerce site influenced brick-and-mortar sales:

“The online store wasn’t a huge success at first but it was huge for driving foot traffic to our local brick and mortar shop.

I initially leveraged it as a marketing tool. Girls would get online during class to see our new arrivals and then stop by the store afterward to try on the pieces they loved online.

In 2015, just two years after the launch of the online store, our brick and mortar sales tripled!”

When it comes time to enhance the look and feel of your site, try using a powerful development platform like Stencil by BigCommerce.

Stencil makes it possible to get the best of both worlds—a beautifully designed website that offers a smooth, sleek build that’s easy to navigate.

“I’ve worked with all sorts of front-end systems,” says Tommy.

“And [Stencil] is by far the most advanced, capable and well-thought through. I’m psyched to get to rebuild my own store using Stencil, I hope to see a 10-20% increase in conversion from the changeover.”

By following this step-by-step guide to migrating your brick-and-mortar store over to ecommerce, you’ll have a greater chance of seeing as much as 50% growth over the course of the following year.

Interested in learning more ways to get the most from digital storefront? See how 12 online companies used a popular brick-and-mortar business tactic to maximize sales.

Want more insights like this?

From Retail to e-Tail: How to Launch an Ecommerce Website for Your Brick-and-Mortar published first on https://goshopmalaysia.tumblr.com

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moversdevelopment · 7 years ago

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Social media marketing for movers

Marketing strategies are making your moving company visible into an ocean of professional movers. There is no simple way to stand out and be different in a positive manner. Attracting customers to pick you out of hundreds and thousands home moving professionals. Hence, you need to approach your moving strategy from different aspects. One of the most exploited ways of the advertisement is social media marketing for movers. Yes, social media are one of the crucial ways to distinguish your moving and storage company. However, many moving companies are not taking care of this important aspect of movers marketing. Or they are doing it in an improper way. Not achieving the goal of attracting people to hire them for moving services.

Moving companies can benefit a lot from social media marketing

Make a connection with your customers using social media marketing for movers

You’re probably aware of the importance to be recognized as reliable and reputable moving company. This is the major reason why the owners care about movers development. One way to upgrade your moving business is to keep your customers satisfied. And to exceed their requirements. But you shouldn’t stop there. I mean, keeping your customers happy can, but don’t necessarily bring you, new customers. This is why you must be in front of eyes of potential customers all the time. Is there a better way than implementing social media marketing for movers and be present in mind of people planning to move every day? Just think how many people use social media to find moving companies.

Some of the reasons to create a marketing strategy for moving company over social media:

You create your moving company’s brand name popularity- Over the social media marketing, you’re making people aware of your moving company’s existence. Being able to create an image of how you want your relocation company to be recognized.

It is 24/7 movers marketing activity- There’s no limit of when people can see your company. Given that Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, Instagram etc. have no hours when they are closed. Hence, your moving company is constantly visible. In case you implement social media marketing strategy in moving business you run.

The possibility of creating B2B relationships- Social networks are a great place to communicate with other moving professionals. That way, you can collect some good practice and implement it in your moving company. Providing other moving businesses with some of your good ideas.

Affordable investment- Being present on interactive multimedia networks doesn’t cost your company for relocations too much. And comparing what you get by appearing on, for example, Facebook is immeasurable.

Potential of creating and keeping customers’ loyalty- Using marketing for movers over interactive media you get to keep in touch with your current and potential clients all the time. This could lead to creating loyalty. But it certainly leads to keeping your customers loyal.

How to properly implement social media marketing for movers?

After the good planning comes the implementation

The different ‘bibles’ about this do exist, or some claim so. But there isn’t an ideal way of managing your moving company’s Twitter or Instagram account. There are rather proper and professional approaches to movers marketing over interactive media. The future of moving is coming, you must prepare for it ASAP. Here are some hints on how to manage your moving company’s profiles on social media:

Have a clear picture about the goals- What do you want to accomplish using marketing strategies for movers over public networks.

Choose only the networks adding value to your moving business- Have a research. Discover where you need to be present.

The most important: Create interesting and informative content- This is the crucial step in attracting people to like your moving company on social networks.

Keep in touch all the time- Don’t leave people waiting for your reply for days, or even for hours!

Learn from experience- Measure what kind of marketing strategies for moving company gave the best results on the social web.

Setting the goals

What is it that you’re trying to accomplish implementing social media marketing for movers? Is that recognition of your moving company? Drawing traffic to your website? Improving your customer service? More presence of your moving business brand online? You need to have a sharp-cut plan what is the goal of your moving company’s social media marketing strategy. If you have a clear idea, you can move to the next step, which is doing a quality research on what to do to achieve that kind of a goal.

What kind of public network suits your plans the best?

This matter is directly connected to the previous one. After you decide what your goals are, you should explore what public network/s are the best to achieve those goals. For example, if you need to get business contacts in the first place, then you should consider making a LinkedIn profile. In case you want to get as many customers as you can, then perhaps Facebook could be the best solution for you. You could use Instagram to publish photos of your successfully conducted relocations etc. These are just some examples. The most important thing is to do the exploration. It’s the best indicator what is a good solution for your moving company marketing over social networks in your local area.

The content is the crucial factor of social media marketing for movers

Your movers marketing strategy over social networks cannot be successful without interesting and informative content

Without a good content, everything else is worthless. It doesn’t matter if you decided what your goal is. Or you chose the best social networks to accomplish those goals. If you have uninteresting and not engaging content published on those networks- you got nothing. It is a great potential if you’re at the right place at the right time. But you must do the right things. Or you’ll get lost in the sea of those not using proper marketing strategies for moving professionals over the social web.

Reply promptly

Be always there for the customers and potential customers. If someone contacts you, reply in the shortest time possible. It leaves a good impression and makes people sure of your commitment to the customers. It doesn’t matter if the question is directly or indirectly connected to your moving business. You never know who’s your next customer. And f you have public network profiles, make sure you didn’t make your moving company’s marketing strategy over public networks for nothing.

Measure the results of each tactic of movers marketing strategy on social networks

This is also an important activity you should take from the beginning. Check what influence makes each step you take. No matter if the result is good or bad. That way you’ll be able to know what you should do in the future. How to manage your social networks so the movers marketing effect would be positive. In the beginning, you’ll probably try out different tactics. But we suggest you have a clear strategy. What does this mean?

It means you need to have a bright picture of social media marketing influence on your moving business. And while you can experiment with different tactics or steps inside of strategy, you must have a strong strategy. To achieve this, it is important to have the clear goal you want to achieve and how to achieve it. This is why we recommended a research about the social media marketing for movers before you take any step. In addition to this article, here are some mistakes to avoid in your social media movers marketing activity.

If there’s something not clear enough, or you want a more thorough explanation of some part of this article, we’re here for you. We could also do your website audit and recommend the best strategy for social media marketing for your moving company. And the overall movers marketing strategy you should implement.

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mostlycompetentwriter · 5 years ago

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Side Effects- Part One

M/F Pairing: Y/N X Stray Kids (Multiple Pairings)

Word Count: 4K

Genre: Yandere Stray Kids AU, Vampire AU, Fantasy AU

Warnings: graphic depictions of blood, violence, smut, and language

I could now walk by myself at night without the risk of breaking down in the middle of the sidewalk. I could finally keep down the food my roommate prepared for me without the familiar feeling of nausea churning my stomach unpleasantly. I could finally find a job to support myself, working fulltime as a Secretary at a company with full benefits and a reliable 401K.

ATTN:

Looking for a reliable blood donor for an estate of 8 young men belonging to the Miroh Coven. Preferably female with a blood type of O negative. Please send in an application ASAP.

Vampires weren’t uncommon in our society, though the government had heavily restricted their creation since a dramatic increase in population. Now, the government required notification if a Coven planned to initiate a new member. It was all a dramatic affair meant to prevent fledgling vampires who were more prone to violence and chaos. Of course, there was the occasional rogue who turned humans against their will simply because they couldn’t handle their bloodlust. However, more often than not, Coven leaders knew how to keep their members under control.

“Tuition is due this Friday,” I reminded myself, gaping at the giant Mansion gated in circumference by an ancient wrought-iron fence. “Remember to tell them you can start immediately, Y/N.”

I checked my make-up in the rearview mirror before opening the door, heels clicking obnoxiously against the sidewalk. My first impression was rapidly becoming something like a passage from Bram Stoker’s Dracula as I ascended the steps to the front gate, smashing my finger against the button on the elaborate security system. The gate opened without warning and I jumped back in surprise, hand fanning against my chest as my heart nearly skipped a beat or two in my chest. “Relax, Y/N,” I said, smoothing down my slacks.

“Come inside,” he said, opening the door further to welcome me into the shadowed hallways of the Miroh Mansion.

“What else will you do?” my roommate asked with a pout.

“Y/N,” my roommate chastised me softly. “I know why you don’t want to go and they’re just gonna win if you keep insisting.”

“Are you afraid they’ll find you?” my roommate asked. “They’re thousands of miles away and you haven’t seen them for months.”

“Seven months,” I informed her curtly. “And I’d like to go for eight.”

“Y/N,” my roommate groaned. “You told me that you used to love parties.”

“I know,” I said. “Maybe someday I’ll go out with you, but for now this is the best way I can cope.”

My roommate nodded, messing with something in her bag before approaching me on high heels that were just bordering on too tall. “Here, I found this is the laundry room.”

I held out my hand absent-mindedly, not really considering what she had given me until I pulled my attention away from the book. When I finally realized what it was, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen followed by a wave of nausea that left me tossing my book to the side before bolting for the bathroom. “Y/N!” my roommate called my name, but I was already expelling the contents of my stomach, groaning from the sickness.

Because the item now discarded next to me was his necklace and I could have sworn I threw it out with their other gifts when I finally attained my freedom from their clutches...

I shivered at the memory, trying to will it away, but it was already forcing itself to play out again in my mind with perfect clarity.

“Sires?”

Chan explained the concept to me patiently. “Seungmin and Jeongin are sired to me and Hyunjin and Felix are sired to Changbin.”

“And Minho is sired to Jisung,” I said and Chan had smiled at me proudly like I had just discovered something profound.

“When we come home, it’s important that we reinforce our bond. Otherwise, some very bad things might happen.”

“Sleep,” he whispered close to my ear. I whined because I hated it when he left me alone after sex.

“Sungie,” I said, trying to get his attention. I was incredibly drowsy, fighting against every desire to close my eyes.

Jisung chuckled, entertaining my wandering hands. “I have business that requires my attention and you need to rest for me.”

“So messy,” Chan spoke now, clearly irritated. “I thought you planned better than this.”

“I did,” Jisung said. “Consider the girl an added bonus.”

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