The road leading to Julien's house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Tall trees surrounded the narrow street, their branches stretching over the road like dark arms. The fog followed them as they walked, moving slowly across the ground.
Nora whispered while walking beside Eva.
"This better not be a trap."
Zoe glanced at Julien walking ahead of them.
"If it is… we're officially the dumbest investigators in Ashwood."
Julien said nothing.
He simply continued walking until a large house appeared through the fog.
The house stood on a small hill above the street.
Old.
Elegant.
Tall windows.
Dark wooden walls.
Soft lights glowing inside.
It looked strangely familiar—like something from another century that had somehow survived into the present.
Nora stopped walking.
"Okay…"
"That's a vampire house."
Zoe nodded slowly.
"Yeah… that definitely looks like a vampire house."
Julien turned toward them.
"It's just a house."
Eva looked up at it carefully.
"Just a house built like it belongs in another century."
Julien opened the front door.
"Come in."
Inside the House
The inside of the house felt warm compared to the cold night outside.
Soft lamps lit the living room. Bookshelves filled one entire wall, packed with old books and journals. A large staircase curved upward toward the second floor.
But the center of the room held a long couch and two armchairs around a wooden table.
Julien gestured toward the couch.
"Sit."
The girls exchanged glances but eventually sat down.
Eva leaned forward immediately.
Her patience was already gone.
"Alright."
"Enough mystery."
Nora nodded sharply.
"Yeah."
Zoe crossed her arms.
"Now tell us."
Eva's voice became cold.
"Who killed Lana."
Julien stood across the room, watching them.
Eva continued.
"We don't want to hear any vampire stories."
"Just answer the question."
Julien's expression darkened.
"You think I don't want that answer too?"
The room fell silent.
Julien stepped closer.
His voice was suddenly sharper.
"If you want to understand what's happening in Ashwood…"
"…then you need to understand me first."
Eva stood up angrily.
"We didn't come here to hear your life story!"
Julien's eyes flashed.
"And I didn't invite you here to be accused of murder!"
The sudden anger in his voice filled the room.
For a moment none of them spoke.
Then Julien took a slow breath and calmed himself.
"If you want the truth…"
"…you listen."
The girls remained silent.
Julien finally began.
Julien's Story
"I was twenty-four years old when I died."
The girls looked at each other.
Julien continued.
"This was in the year 1871."
"My family was wealthy."
"We owned land, businesses… almost everything in the town where we lived."
He walked slowly across the room while speaking.
"But my uncle wanted it all."
"Every piece of it."
Eva watched him carefully.
"My father refused to give it to him," Julien said.
"He told my uncle the property belonged to our family."
Nora whispered quietly,
"That didn't go well."
Julien shook his head.
"No."
"He left our house that night… furious."
Julien stopped walking.
His eyes grew darker as the memory returned.
"An hour later…"
"…our house was on fire."
Zoe leaned forward slightly.
Julien's voice lowered.
"The flames spread so fast."
"My mother and father were trapped inside."
The room grew silent.
"They died in that fire."
Eva's anger faded slightly.
Julien continued.
"My younger brother and I survived."
"But barely."
"For a moment… I thought we would die too."
He paused.
"But someone found us."
Zoe asked quietly,
"Who?"
Julien looked at her.
"My girlfriend."
The girls exchanged another look.
Julien continued.
"She wasn't human."
The words hung in the air.
"She was a vampire."
Nora whispered,
"So she turned you."
Julien nodded slowly.
"She saved my life… by taking it."
"And she turned my brother too."
Eva frowned.
"So you both became vampires."
"Yes."
Julien looked toward the window as if remembering another time.
"For years we stayed together."
"But eventually… things changed."
Zoe asked,
"What happened?"
Julien answered quietly.
"I left her."
The room was silent again.
"It's been more than a century since that night," Julien continued.
"And in all those years… I never felt anything like that again."
His voice softened.
"Until Lana."
Eva looked up immediately.
Julien's expression changed.
"She wasn't afraid of me."
"She understood me."
"For the first time in a long time… things felt normal again."
Nora asked softly,
"You loved her."
Julien nodded.
"Yes."
"And everything was good…"
"…until the night she died."
The room became very still.
Eva stared at him.
"So who killed her?"
Julien met her eyes.
His voice was quiet but serious.
"That's what I'm trying to find out."
Outside, the wind moved through the trees around the house.
And somewhere in Ashwood…
The real killer was still out there.