Eva leaned against the counter, resting her chin on her fist, her elbow propped up as she stared into the empty shop. She was bored. Not a single customer had come into the Mystic Curio Shop all afternoon.

Footsteps echoed across the polished floor as someone stepped into the shop.

Eva looked up and saw Clara.

"Clara, what brings you here?" Eva asked.

"I wanted to check on you after everything that happened last night," Clara said softly. "I'm sorry we couldn't talk at school."

"We don't want people thinking we've gone mad," Eva reminded her. "Anyway, I'm still having a hard time processing what happened last night."

"I understand," Clara said softly.

"Have you ever been to Late Night Bite?" Eva asked.

"Late Night Bite?" Clara repeated, puzzled.

"It's a restaurant in town," Eva explained. "They open at ten o'clock at night."

"Whereabouts in town?" Clara asked curiously.

Eva pulled out her phone and showed Clara the location on her GPS map, which she had marked just before leaving the area near the restaurant.

"That's on the outskirts of town, and that area is pretty empty," Clara said. "Do you know when the restaurant opened?"

"I was told last year, over the summer," Eva replied.

"It's the first time I'm hearing about the place," Clara said. "How did you find it?"

"There's been a black dog following me since Sunday afternoon—first in front of the shop, then yesterday at the school grounds during homeroom, and finally on the sidewalk opposite your house after I said goodbye to you. I tried getting close to it last night, but it ran away. So I decided to follow it, and well, it led me to the restaurant," Eva explained.

"I've never seen a black dog in town. I don't know anyone who owns one," Clara said.

"You won't believe this, but two really strange things happened at the restaurant. My cheesecake screamed, and three teen boys from Mareville Academy started playing rock and roll," Eva said excitedly.

"Mareville Academy? There are some strange rumors about the school and its students," Clara said.

"The boys were nice. I talked with them, and they're about our age. There was something strange about the lead guitarist—it felt like I knew him from before, but that's impossible. It was the first time I'd ever met him," Eva said.

"Did you say your cheesecake screamed, or did I mishear you?" Clara asked, confused.

"My cheesecake formed a mouth and screamed. I don't know how it happened, but I saw and heard it with my own eyes and ears. Maybe I should take you to the restaurant one day," Eva said.

"So, were the boys good-looking?" Clara asked.

"The boys said the lead guitarist and I look alike. One of them even asked if we were related, but the lead guitarist said that was impossible," Eva said.

"Wow!" Clara exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah, creepy," Eva said.

"How's your reading going?" Clara asked, noticing the novel Dracula on the counter beside Eva.

"It's fictional journal entries by Jonathan Harker," Eva said. "He's nothing more than fiction."

"The author wants you to believe that. If people really knew vampires were real, there'd be mass panic worldwide," Clara said.

"Are you saying the novel is based on some truth? Is Jonathan Harker based on someone real?" Eva asked.

"You know what you saw last night with your own eyes. Jonathan Harker is an ancestor of mine—and a vampire hunter," Clara replied.

"You need to differentiate fiction from reality. Jonathan Harker is a fictional character," Eva said.

"Whatever," Clara said, frustrated and not wanting to argue with Eva. "Why don't you join me on one of my hunts sometime soon?"

"After what happened last night, you want me to go hunting with you—for real?" Eva asked.

"Now that you know monsters exist, why not go hunting for them? You know, to keep the town safe," Clara said.

"Is it happening at night?" Eva asked.

"Of course! You don't see monsters roaming around in broad daylight, do you?" Clara replied. "How about tomorrow night? Meet me at my place."

"Sure," Eva said, secretly hoping there wouldn't be any monsters tomorrow night.

Multiple footsteps echoed through the shop.

Eva turned her head to see the boys from last night heading her way. That meant three more people had been able to see and enter the shop. But why only certain people?

"Eva!" Ethan called out.

"Ethan!" Eva called back.

The boys had reached the counter. Ethan and Liam had their guitars slung over their backs.

"Clara, this is Ethan, Liam, and Julius," Eva said, introducing the boys to her.

"Hi!" the boys said in unison.

"Clara. Clara Harker," Clara said, introducing herself.

The three boys took a small step back from Clara. Clara stared at Ethan with wide eyes before turning to look at Eva. Eva was puzzled.

"So, what brings you three here?" Eva asked.

Before the boys got a chance to answer, the shop owner appeared beside Eva.

"Grandpa!" Julius exclaimed.

"Grandpa?" Eva asked, confused.

"Mr. Jones is my grandpa," Julius explained.

Mr. Jones! That's the owner's name.

"Julius, it's nice to see you. And these must be your friends?" said Mr. Jones.

"This is Ethan, and that's Liam," Julius introduced his friends.

Mr. Jones looked at Ethan, then at Eva. "Any relation?"

"None," Ethan said quickly.

"How's the band going?" Mr. Jones asked Julius.

"Great! Eva came and listened last night at the restaurant," Julius replied.

"What did you think?" Mr. Jones asked Eva.

"She used the word 'good'," Ethan interjected.

Mr. Jones looked at Eva in shock. "Good? Just good?"

"They were amazing," Eva said quickly, though it was too late to change her opinion.

"You don't need to change your opinion just because you work for me," Mr. Jones said.

"Dracula!" Liam exclaimed, picking up the novel from the counter.

"Clara lent it to me. She thinks it's a real story, not fiction," Eva said.

Everyone except Eva stared at Clara in silence. Liam placed the book back on the counter.

"Is everything alright?" Eva asked, sensing the sudden tension in the room.

"It's fine," Ethan said, turning away from Clara.

"Mareville Academy? Eva says you three go there. What's it like? What's it like at a private boarding school?" Clara asked, intrigued.

"Boarding school?" Eva asked, surprised.

"Yes," Julius began. "Homesickness hits you when you first get there, but once you settle in, you don't miss home as much. Having grandpa move to town and open his shop here over the summer helped me with the homesickness. We've been at Mareville Academy since the start of high school, grade seven."

"You can visit my place if you ever feel homesick," Eva said.

"You shouldn't be inviting strangers to your house," Clara said sharply.

"They're not strangers. We're friends," Eva insisted.

"Do you know anything about them?" Clara asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I know their names, and I work for Julius's grandpa," Eva replied confidently.

"You barely know them," Clara said, her tone sharp.

"So? I'm just trying to be polite," Eva shot back.

"I'm just saying you should get to know them better first," Clara replied.

"If I don't spend time with them, how am I supposed to get to know them?" Eva argued.

"Speaking of spending time together, why don't we hear you sing today?" Liam suggested.

"May I remind you again we already have a singer for the band?" Ethan reminded Liam.

"Where's Billy? I'd like to meet him," Eva asked.

Ethan showed a photo of the whole band on his phone. In the picture, Billy stood beside him to his right. His hair wasn't exactly black—more of a deep blue-black, with a subtle sheen that hinted at the colours of midnight.

Eva and Clara both glanced at the photo.

"No idea. He's been keeping to himself lately, missing out on performances and leaving us hanging," Liam answered.

"He's taking some time off," Ethan said, trying to defend Billy.

"Stop protecting him. He's thrown himself out of the band. We didn't do this to him—he did it to himself. And now we desperately need a singer for the band," Liam said.

"I can sing!" Ethan exclaimed, hurt by Liam's words.

"Good! That's what Eva says about our band. We'll never get a record deal if we don't find an excellent singer," Liam explained.

"You don't have to be mean. Some of us have feelings," Ethan said, upset.

"Guys, let's just hear Eva sing before we make any decisions," Julius interjected.

"Fine," Ethan mumbled.

"Do you want me to sing right here?" Eva asked, confused.

Eva hadn't sung in two years—since her grandpa had disappeared without a word. She wasn't ready to sing again. Her grandpa had been the reason she sang; he had taught her, and they used to sing together.

"You'll scare away the customers," Mr. Jones said.

The teens looked around the shop to find that they were the only people there.

"Slow day," Mr. Jones said, noticing there were no customers. "I've got a back room where you kids can practice. It's soundproof once the door is shut. I've been setting it up for band practice ever since Julius first came by after summer holidays. He mentioned practicing at school isn't the best option, so I suggested the shop's back room. I've set up combo amplifiers for the guitars, a drum set, and a keyboard back there. Looks like the keyboard won't be getting much use."

"We've got portable, pocket-sized combo amps," said Ethan, proudly showing off his own.

"Let's go to the back room," Julius said eagerly to the teens.

"Coming?" Eva asked Clara, noticing she was still standing in place.

Clara glanced hesitantly at the boys.

"Any friend of Eva's is welcome to hear us practice," Ethan said.

"Something isn't right. I'm getting a weird vibe—a tingling sensation," Clara said nervously.

"Don't you want to hear me sing?" Eva asked.

"Of course," Clara said, trying to shake off the strange feeling. It was the same feeling she had felt last night when Eva was pulled underwater by the siren—but it couldn't be. The three boys were ordinary students at a private boarding school, or as ordinary as rich kids can be. Strangely, Eva gave off the same vibe. Clara had sensed it since Eva walked into homeroom on Monday. She had shrugged it off at first, but after last night, she couldn't get rid of it. The mention of her name had startled the boys. Things weren't adding up.

"Come on," Eva called, urging Clara.

Clara and the rest of the teens followed Julius to the back room. Even with instruments and equipment laid out, the room still felt spacious.

"May I present the back room—our new practice area," Julius said proudly.

The boys inhaled the air of the room.

"Finally, a place to practice without anyone disturbing us," Ethan said excitedly.

Ethan and Liam began plugging their guitars into the large combo amps.

"Music? It's your choice if you don't want any to sing along to," Julius suggested.

"No music," Eva decided firmly.

"Alright, let's hear you sing. You did, after all, win the junior singing contest in the city you used to live in," Liam commented.

"You won a singing contest? You must sing like an angel," Clara said, astonished.

"Can we let her sing?" Julius interjected.

"Let her sing," Ethan muttered to himself, his voice tinged with envy.

"Jealous that she might sing better than you," Liam said to Ethan.

Ethan ignored Liam.

"Here goes nothing," Eva said.

Clara closed the door to the room.

Eva closed her eyes and opened her mouth slightly. Her voice floated through the air—soft and clear—each note weaving through the stillness of the room. Across from her, Ethan recognised the melody. Without hesitation, he joined in. His voice was deeper, rougher—a striking contrast that somehow blended seamlessly with hers in perfect harmony.

Eva didn't understand why, but Ethan's voice made her want to sing endlessly. It felt like he was a missing piece inside her—like her grandpa was there beside her, singing alone.

As the melody slowly faded, the others cheered.

"You two need to sing together," Liam suggested.

"I agree," Julius said.

"Loved it," Clara said.

"Now we just need music," Liam said, swinging his guitar, which he had been carrying, from his back to his front, the strap sliding over his shoulder with ease.

Liam began to strum, creating the first few notes of music, which hung high in the air. He continued strumming, his fingers gently brushing against the strings, producing a melody that was unmistakably rock and roll—its rhythm strong and sharp.

"Can we get some words to the tune?" Liam asked Eva and Ethan.

Eva and Ethan sang along to the guitar tune for a while before Ethan joined in with his own guitar, strumming alongside Liam. Ethan nodded to Julius to join in on the drums, and he did. The new band was performing together for the first time.

Once the singing and music ended, Clara applauded.

"We're performing at the restaurant again. We'd love you to join us," Liam said.

"Late Night Bite?" Clara asked.

"Yeah," Liam replied.

"Doesn't that place open at ten at night?" Clara asked. "Do you think your parents will let you go and perform that late, Eva? Especially on a weekday when there's school the next day."

"Of course not," Eva said, hesitating slightly.

"Not if you don't tell them," Ethan said with a mischievous grin.

"My parents are never letting me go anywhere at ten at night," Eva said sadly.

"Tell them you have to study at a friend's place. Clara," Ethan said.

"At ten?" Eva said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ethan, you may not have parents watching you, but we both do, and they're not going to let us go anywhere at ten o'clock, especially to some unknown restaurant to play in a band," Clara said, frustrated.

"I have my grandpa," Julius said, raising a hand.

"Grandparents don't count, especially if you don't live with them. I can't believe your school lets you stay out late. It's dangerous out at night," Clara snapped.

"Dangerous," Ethan scoffed.

"Last night I was almost..." Eva caught herself mid-sentence. Her mouth snapped shut, the rest of the words lodging in her throat. She couldn't let them know. They'd think she was insane.

"What happened?" Ethan asked, intrigued.

"Nothing," Eva said, trying to keep calm.

"Is everything alright?" Julius asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Eva replied.

"It looks like you saw a ghost," Liam said. "And trust me, when a ghost sneaks up on you, you look just like that."

"Liam!" Ethan and Julius said in unison, glaring at him.

Clara and Eva stared at the boys, trying to figure out what was going on between them.

Monsters don't exist. There's no such thing as ghosts.

"We play at the restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, not on days when we have school the next day," Ethan said, changing the topic.

"Didn't you play yesterday even though you had school the next day?" Eva asked.

"One-time thing. We hadn't played in a while because of summer holidays, so we decided to play yesterday. I was hoping Friday and Saturday nights would be okay with your parents," Ethan explained.

"I'll talk to them, but no guarantees," Eva said. "How will I let you know?"

"You can have my number," Ethan said.

"Or just tell my grandpa. He can tell me," Julius added.

"Why do you both hate me?" Ethan said to his friends. "I'm trying to make a friend—something you both should be doing."

"I'll take your number," Eva said, trying to save Ethan from feeling embarrassed.

Ethan and Eva exchanged numbers before the teens all headed out of the back room.

"How do you like the back room?" Mr. Jones asked, once the teens were in the front part of the shop.

"Loved it," Julius said.

"Now I don't have to worry about how loud I jam on my guitar," Liam said.

"Same," Ethan said.

"What did you girls think?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Nice!" Eva exclaimed.

"Great place to rehearse," Clara stated.

"It's getting dark," Eva said, noticing through a window that the sun was setting below the horizon.

"I've got an errand to run," Mr. Jones said glumly. "Could you watch the shop for a while?"

"Maybe I could run the errand for you," Eva offered.

"I'm meant to go to a night market to collect an amulet for the shop," Mr. Jones explained.

"If you give me directions to the night market and a description of the amulet, I could pick it up for you," Eva said.

Eva had already pulled out her phone and opened the GPS map app. She handed it to Mr. Jones, who began searching for the location of the market in town.

"Here," Mr. Jones said, pointing to a location on the outskirts of town, not far from the restaurant.

Eva took her phone back and marked the location on the map.

"Ragnartorg," Mr. Jones said.

"Sorry?" Eva asked, not quite catching what he said.

"The night market is called Ragnartorg," Mr. Jones said.

"Ragna..." Eva tried to say.

"Let me write that down for you," Mr. Jones said, scribbling the name on a piece of paper. "You'll find a sign in front of the market with the words 'Welcome to Ragnartorg'. There's one more thing you should know about the market: Everything magical that you can imagine—and much you can't—is here, up for sale, for a price."

Mr. Jones handed the paper to Eva before opening a drawer in the counter and pulling something out. It was a photo of a violet-coloured amulet.

"Use this photo, and if you can't find the amulet, show it around. Ask for Marly—an elderly lady. She'll have it," Mr. Jones said, handing the photo to Eva.

Eva slipped the novel Dracula into her backpack, then slung the bag over her shoulders. She turned to the teens. "I'll see you all again later."

"See you," the boys said in unison.

"See you at school," Clara said as Eva exited the shop.

Eva took her bicycle and pedalled toward the location marked on the GPS map, as darkness began to settle over the town.

"Welcome to Ragnartorg," a wooden sign read.

Eva had reached her destination.

The night market was adorned with an array of stalls, bustling with vendors selling glowing fruits, luminescent trinkets, ingredients for potions, and other curious artefacts. The market seemed to exist in a time of its own. The vendors offered Eva enchanted artefacts that promised to grant her extraordinary abilities, but Eva politely declined, unsure of the consequences.

The fruits on display in this extraordinary place ranged from the familiar to the utterly foreign. Alongside the glowing pears and apples were fruits with names that Eva had never encountered before.

As Eva wandered about, one stall promised potion ingredients that included a siren's tongue.

Among the stalls, Eva spotted one adorned with a collection of antique trinkets. The vendor, an elderly woman with twinkling eyes, greeted her warmly and presented an assortment of peculiar objects. A violet-coloured, glowing amulet caught Eva's attention, its radiant light pulsing like a heartbeat.

Eva took out the photo of the amulet—it was a perfect match for the one on display.

"Marly?" Eva asked.

"Yes," the elderly woman vendor replied.

"Mr. Jones sent me to collect an amulet," Eva said, showing the photo in her hands.

"The amulet. Mr. Jones was supposed to collect it," said the elderly vendor as she picked up the amulet for Eva. "You'll need to pay for it."

Mr. Jones had not mentioned anything about paying for the amulet.

"How much does it cost?" Eva asked, unsure if she had enough money.

"Currency holds no value in this market. Instead, the price demanded is a worldly possession," said the elderly vendor, her voice steady.

Eva rummaged through her backpack, puzzled by the concept of a worldly possession.

The elderly woman pointed to a silk scarf protruding from Eva's backpack. "The scarf— it will suffice."

Eva took the scarf out of her backpack, an item she had no memory of owning. Mr. Jones must have known about the payment system and put the scarf in her backpack.

Handing the scarf over, Eva received the amulet in return.

"Take great care of the amulet," said the elderly woman as Eva turned to leave the market.