83. Outside, at last!

Demetria sighed. "Why are you looking at me like you are going to murder me? Are you mad at me? Why?" Clarice was about to lash out at her tormentor but realized at the last minute that no matter what she said, Demetria had her own mind. She wouldn't listen to her arguments at all. In Demetria's mind, she was her property and could do anything with her without feeling guilty. "Why are you not answering me? Are you mad that you didn't see any chance of escape?" Demetria stated the obvious. Clarice bit her lip and nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm sad and mad, but what can I do? I'm your prisoner and blood feeder. I must obey all your commands to please you," she grumbled in a low voice. "I hear you, dear," Demetria said, smiling. "The sooner you accept your fate, the better you will be. Why resist destiny when it's already happening? Just embrace your fate because it's not going to change anytime soon. Clarice sighed inwardly. "Is there no way out of this mountain?" she asked despite knowing she might not receive any proper answer from her tormentor. Demetria smiled, amused by her question. "What? Are you still planning to escape?" Clarice didn't answer, fixing her gaze on the floor beneath her feet. "The answer is no. If you try to escape this place while I'm away, chances are you will fall straight into the sharp rocks waiting for you on the ground. Don't ever try to escape if you value your life," Demetria warned her. Clarice hopes Demetria will go somewhere soon so she can study the whole place and plan her escape. There's got to be some secret passage to leaving this mountain. As long as she doesn't give up, she will definitely find a way out! "Follow me downstairs, dear. Let's go to the dining room. I have already prepared your delicious lunch," Demetria said and led the way. Clarice had no choice but to follow Demetria downstairs to the first floor. While they were walking in the hallway, they passed by a total of ten rooms on the second floor. The rest of the rooms have a padlock on them, which means they are forbidden rooms to enter. "In case you are wondering why there are many locked rooms on this floor, the reason is that inside those rooms are vampires waiting to be awakened. If you enter the rooms, those hibernating vampires might suddenly wake up aroused by the smell of your blood, and you will be dead meat before you know it. Trust me, I'm not joking," Demetria said seriously. Clarice's chest tightened with dread. One vampire alone is difficult to handle, so many vampires coming at her at once to feed on her blood will definitely kill her in seconds. "Those vampires are not as kind as me. They are brutal vampires, so I have locked them up inside their rooms. So don't open the locked doors, ignore them and mind your own business. As long as you obey my rules, you are safe," Demetria added. "Um, how about the third floor? Can I go up there?" Clarice asked. Demetria shook her head. "No. That is my private territory. The third floor is mine. You are not allowed to go there. If I catch you sneaking in there, I will punish you! Do you understand, dear?" Clarice nodded her head. "Yes, I understand." "Good." Demetria smiled, pleased with her answer. "I want you to know despite what you think of me, as long as you remain obedient to me, then there will be no problem between us. I will provide you with food every day to nourish your body so you won't get hungry. In return you will provide blood for me anytime I want. We are just feeding each other food to keep us alive every day, a win-win situation, right?" No, you are wrong! Clarice was about to protest, but she kept her mouth shut. Demetria will never listen to reason, so why waste her time arguing with her? "Clarice, are you listening to me?" Demetria snapped, trying to get her attention. "Yes, I'm listening," Clarice replied quickly. They descended the staircase, reached the first floor and walked a few steps more. They entered the room with a dining table and chairs, good for ten people. On the table were five ceramic serving dish bowls used for food storage and also clean utensils on the platter. "Have a seat," Demetria ordered. Starving, Clarice quickly settled on the chair and picked up the utensils, ready to eat her meal. Demetria removed the cover of the ceramic bowls and revealed delicious dishes such as pan-fried salmon fish, honey garlic chicken, potato salad, slices of ripe mangoes and sliced bread. "I hope you like the dishes I brought for you today, dear. The rest of the food you can eat later for supper. Enjoy your meal. I'll wait outside so you can eat at your own pace," she said casually and left the dining room. Salivating at the sight of delicious food in front of her, Clarice began eating. She ate with a good appetite. After she finished her meal, she covered the ceramic bowls and gathered the dirty dishes to wash them in the sink. She left the dining room and found Demetria sitting on a chair near the dining room. "Where is the kitchen? I want to wash the dishes," she said. Demetria pointed her hand to the room a few meters away from the dining room. "That's the kitchen," she answered. Clarice proceeded to the kitchen and washed the dishes in the sink. While busy washing, she was thinking about where the water and electricity came from. After she finished her chores, she left the kitchen. "Are you done?" Demetria asked. "Yep," Clarice replied. "Let's continue the house tour. Follow me," Demetria said, standing up. "OK." Clarice followed Demetria around the first floor. She discovered that there were two more rooms on the first floor. "Can I stay in this room?" she asked. Demetria's brows furrowed. "Why do you want to stay here? This room is smaller than the one you had on the second floor." "Because I like this room. It's much safer here. My room upstairs was surrounded by sleeping vampires. I'm afraid they will wake up due to the scent of my blood, so I'd better stay away from them as far as I can," Clarice explained apprehensively. Demetria smirked. "Alright, you can have this room. You can stay here as long as you like. If you want to clean up this room, the broom, dustpan and cleaning materials are in the storage room." "I got it. Thank you." Clarice was happy that Demetria allowed her to stay on the first floor, easy to plan her escape. They proceed to the spacious living room with a sofa and a nice chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The furniture was old, but the sofa is still usable and comfy to sit on. Surprisingly, the house was free of cobwebs and dust. "Did you clean this house yourself?" Clarice asked curiously. "No. I hired a cleaner from the city that I bring here to clean the place every two months," Demetria replied. "Ah, okay. Um, where did the electricity and water come from?" Clarice asked further. "Last year, I installed solar panels on the roof and the water came from the underground," Demetria responded casually. "Since you are already here, I might as well buy a small fridge to keep the vegetables, fish, and meat fresh. I will also buy canned foods so you can cook your own food. Do you like it?" Clarice smiled. "Yes, please. I would like to cook my own food," she replied excitedly. "Alright, you can give me a grocery list every two weeks, so I can buy them in the city," Demetria agreed. "Can I also come with you to the city to buy my own groceries?" Clarice pressed further. Amused, Demetria stared at Clarice's face for a few minutes. "You want to go with me to the city so you can escape?" she asked. Clarice sighed heavily. Demetria is indeed wise. It's difficult to trick her. "Don't be sad, dear. Maybe one day, if you remain obedient to me, I might bring you to the city to shop for groceries with me. Just continue being a good girl and avoid giving me headaches. I will definitely reward you in the end," Demetria said, giving Clarice false hope just to shut her up. She's getting annoyed with her never-ending questions. "Thank you," Clarice said, feeling hopeful that the day would come when she could finally go to the city and make her escape. "Alright, enough of the chit-chat, let's continue outside so you can see the beauty of the sea." Demetria walked to the main door. The two women stepped into the sunlight. Clarice stared at Demetria in awe. She noticed that her vampire companion was casually walking in the sun. Her skin wasn't burning at all. "How come you are not burning in the sun?" she asked, confused.