A Hidden History

"What's in there?" I ask, my voice filled with wonder.

For some reason, Vlad's eyes darkened, his smile vanished. His face turned serious as he gently grabbed my chin away from the sight of the door.

"No matter what, don't ever go there. And I mean never." He said, his voice deep, dropping to an octave, filled with an intensity that made my heart race.

I got nervous at the sudden change in demeanor. I slowly nodded, not wanting to anger him.

"I.. won't go there, I promise. But…if you don't mind me asking…why..? What's inside..?" I ask in a soft, curious tone.

"It's…filled with ghosts.." He replied to my question, his voice dead serious.

My eyes widened at his words, "S-seriously..?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yea, and if you enter, they'll strip you down and grill you like a chicken." He replied, his face completely serious.

I blinked, then frowned, realizing he was messing with me. "You're lying!" I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "You think I'm that gullible?"

Vlad laughed, "Of course I'm lying, silly! Don't tell me you actually believe in ghosts!" he let out a chuckle, his lips curving up to form a smile.

"Okay, but what's.. actually in there..?" I ask again, hoping he wouldn't joke around this time.

He thought about my question, before finally answering.

"I own a family business…we sell…drugs, medicine, you know. That room used to be used as a temporary laboratory where we would…experiment on pests…like rats."

The answer shocked me, "That's…a bit cruel, isn't it..?" I said.

"Well, you gotta sacrifice one to save another. Even this chair was once part of a tree in the forest before it was chopped down." He said. His tone calm and rational. His words did have logic though…

"Still…rats are cute, you know, I couldn't imagine myself hurting one…" I say, my voice softening.

"Ah, you're pretty cute too, should I call you 'My Rat' then?" He smirked at me, letting out a chuckle.

"No! I-i.."

I started to protest, but before I could even get the words out, a sudden cough caught me off guard. My lungs felt like they were tightening, forcing me to gasp for air.

The coughing fit was sharp, unexpected and left me feeling dizzy. I quickly pressed a hand against my chest, trying to calm my breath, but it didn't help.

Vlad's expression shifted immediately, his playful demeanor fading. He stood up and walked over to a small cabinet nearby, retrieving a small bottle of medicine. He moved quickly, like he had done this many times before.

"Here, take this. He said, his voice more softer, filled with concern. He handed me the medicine and a glass of water. "It should help."

I nodded , trying to catch my breath as I slowly took the glass of water from his hand. I took the medicine, swallowing it using the water.

I slowly calmed down, taking a deep breath. "What…ah..what just happened…?"

Vlad patted my back, helping me get up and sit down again. "It's..just a part of your illness..you should keep this bottle close to you at all times.."

Illness? I didn't know I had an illness…

"I..have an illness..? What's it's name..? I asked, this was pretty new to me.

"Ah, well it doesn't exactly have a name. There's no cure for it either, this medicine will only help temporarily." Vlad responded.

"Oh..I see..the medicine tastes awful though.." I say as I took one of the tablet out, observing it. It had the initial " V&A" carved on it.

"The initials are..pretty ugly too.." I say absentmindedly as I put it back in the bottle.

Vlad's expression shifted immediately at my words, a faint look of hurt crossing his face, "that's my company's name…" he said quietly.

I froze, realizing what I just said. "W-what..?! I-i.." I stammered, instantly regretting my words, I didn't mean to hurt him…maybe I should think before I speak next time…

"I-im.. really sorry…" I said, trying to recover. "I was joking! The initials are..um..unique! Yea, really pretty..!" I said, the situation getting more awkward by the second as I tried to lighten the mood.

He let out a sigh, pouting dramatically, "You hurt my feelings, I don't think I'll ever forgive you now."

I immediately felt a knot of guilt in my stomach, I never meant for it to sound hurtful.

"Please, I'm sorry…I really didn't mean it.." I say, my voice filled with genuine remorse.

Vlad chuckled, smiling at me, "It's okay, I was messing around you, I didn't mind it at all."

I let out a sigh of relief, glad the tension had eased. But I should be more careful with my words next time, I couldn't just say whatever came to mind. It was clear that this man enjoyed teasing me..I wasn't sure if I was ready for all it yet.