Love and Redemption in the Moonlight

One is a girl who cannot see the sunlight.

One is a vampire who likes darkness.

The setting sun illuminated the earth in a dim yellow, and the wind blew up the dust on the ground. The crows on the branches cried a few times, then flapped their wings and flew into the gradually darkening sky. The town at the end of the road seemed strangely quiet.

A dusty family car broke the silence, its wheels rolling over small stones on the road, occasionally hitting the car window. A big boy in a dark blue sweater sat in the back seat in a dull manner, watching the town getting closer and closer without saying a word.

This not-so-wide road had many small potholes. The car bumped along the small potholes, and the people in the car also bumped along with it. Unlike his quietness, his mother was obviously not affected by the bumps. She was full of enthusiasm for the new home they were about to move into, and she kept talking to his father excitedly along the way.

He got bored, so he put on his headphones, pulled up the hood of his sweater to cover most of his face, and closed his eyes to immerse himself in the music. His eyelashes were long and fluttered slightly like a fan. But he didn't hum along with the music, but kept pursing his lips tightly, as if he was immersed in his own world of thoughts.

Soon after, the car stopped in front of a two-story house. While his parents were moving things downstairs, he stood in front of the new house and looked at it carefully. It was not his first time here, but the house had not been renovated when he came to see it last time. Although the renovated house could not be called brand new, it was very compatible with the surroundings and scenery.

This house is located in the west of Moon Lake Town. There is a lawn in front of and behind the house, but not much of the grass is green now. The houses on the left and right sides are of the same architectural style as this house. There are lights on in the houses on both sides, indicating that someone lives there.

There is a big lake further down this road. When we first came to see the house, the real estate agent said there was a water monster in the lake. After he said that, the fat real estate agent laughed and said that the water monster was a specialty of this small town. You will like this small town and also the water monster here. The boy's parents laughed too, but the boy could not laugh.

As the real estate agent spoke, the boy gently inserted his fingers into his forehead and pushed back his smooth hair. His blue eyes flashed with contempt. His eyebrows were very beautiful, like a sword piercing the night sky. His bright red lips raised up, revealing his disdainful attitude. I don't know if he doubted the real estate agent's words or disdained the existence of the water monster.

At this time, the boy stood upright. A gust of wind blew by and he squinted his eyes slightly. Everything here was strange, even the smell of the wind.

But a house next to it caught his attention. It was a two-story white wooden building with a corridor in front of the door and a recliner. No one had sat on it for a long time, and it was covered with dust and withered leaves and branches. It had not been taken care of for a long time and was overgrown with weeds. He didn't hate weeds, but he hated another plant, the sunflower.

There were many such plants planted in the yard of the neighbor on the right. Although only some broken stems and branches were left now, he could recognize them. Those broken branches were like lonely warriors guarding this home. Someone was looking here. He glanced to the right and a figure disappeared from the window of the house next door. He saw that the girl behind the window was a pale girl.

The boy noticed that the windows of that house were different from those of ordinary people. There was something stuck on them. It didn't look like a curtain, nor did it look like plastic.

"Will, maybe you can move aside." The person who spoke was the boy's father, Sig Lipton. The boy's name was Will Lipton. Sig stood behind Will holding a large cardboard box. "You know, I can not ask you to help, but at least please don't stand at the door."

Mr. Lipton looks to be in his thirties, but he usually says he is 40 when talking to others. Although he does not look like a 40-year-old middle-aged man. He said it is due to his maintenance and mentality.

Will took off his hat and headphones after hearing what Mr. Lipton said. His whole face was exposed, with fair skin and a straight nose, but he kept his mouth tightly closed. He looked about ten years old, young, but lacking vitality. And he seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Wei, you should go help your mother." Sig moved a box half a person's height into the house. "Since we live here, we should behave like the locals and blend into the local environment."

Sig looked inside the house. It had already been cleaned. Some large furniture had been moved in yesterday by a moving company. Now he only needed to put some personal belongings in the house and move in immediately. Only the outside needed to be cleaned. "Maggie, do you like those sunflowers?"

It seems that Sig has also noticed the sunflowers in the front yard of his neighbor's house. Will's mother's full name is Margaret Lipton. But everyone in the family calls her Maggie.

Maggie, wearing a camel-colored dress, stood at the trunk of the car to take her luggage. She did not hear what Sig asked her. "Honey, can we fix this road? It has caused me a lot of pain along the way. Wei, can you take your own things to your own room?"

Even in the dark environment, Maggie's golden hair is still very conspicuous, shining like gold. As Will's mother, she is at least nearly 40 years old, but she looks only 32 or 33 years old.

Will picked up a cardboard box tightly sealed with tape, walked through the corridor and entered the house. Sig turned on all the lights in the house, and Maggie placed things aside. His room was on the right after going upstairs, and Sig turned on the light in his room as well. He didn't like glaring lights, so he turned off the main light after entering the door and only turned on a dim bedside lamp.

Will knew that even in the pitch dark, they could see their surroundings. But Sig said that they had to act like normal people. Will didn't want to argue, or they would move again.

He put down the cardboard box and suddenly moved his arm backwards. Suddenly, a young man appeared in front of him. "Roy, can't you just appear like a normal person?" Will warned the person who suddenly appeared with a serious expression.

Roy, whose full name is Roy Lipton, is Will's younger brother. He looks about 17 years old. He is more handsome than Will, and has a little bit of charm that is not easy to detect. He has a pointed chin, a straight nose and light brown hair, but his eyes are a little bit dark green. The only difference is that there is a green light flashing in his eyes at this time.

"Wei, when did you become like your parents? Do you want to pretend to be a normal person too?"

"Call me Will, Roy. Take away that light in your eyes. Don't you want our family to move away again just after we got here?" Will stood up and was half a head taller than Roy.

"Hey, brother, don't act like a father and lecture me." Roy raised his head unconvinced.

"As long as you don't act too arrogant. Can you go back to your room?"

Roy smiled and stayed in Will's room. "William, you are my good brother. Hi, there are guests at home." He smelled the scent of strangers in the air. "I didn't expect people here to be so hospitable. They can't wait to visit at this late hour. I'll go and see, brother." At this time, Roy was like a little brother who acted like a spoiled child in front of his brother, and was full of curiosity about the guests at home.

Will and Roy walked to the stairs, where they could see the door. They saw Maggie and Sig standing at the door to welcome their first guest since they moved in. The visitor was an old lady in her sixties with gray hair, wearing a loose pink home dress. Her plump figure made her look like a greasy girl in a floral dress.

The visitor was holding a freshly baked banana pie, which smelled like banana cream. Roy made a retching expression to Will, and Will looked at him to stop. Roy laughed. The visitor and Maggie noticed the two brothers at the same time.

"Banana cream. Isn't that nice? It's necessary etiquette."

Roy sniffed and showed a look of disgust, "No, I mean the smell of her body. I don't like her blood."

"Roy, keep your voice down." Will saw Mrs. Lindbergh's curious eyes sparkling like a hamster, especially when she saw the two brothers standing at the stairs.

Humans are curious, especially in a small town, when a new neighbor moves in, it will cause a lot of discussion among the whole town. Some people don't even wait until the next day to pay a formal visit, just to have more topics to talk about, or to show off to other housewives that they are the first to see the new neighbor and make such an abrupt late-night visit.

Mrs. Lindbergh also saw the two brothers. "Your children are so beautiful. They will definitely make friends with the children in the town. This is a banana pie I made myself, a small gift to celebrate your move to Moon Lake Town. I hope you will like this town." As she spoke, she kept looking at everything she could see in the Lipton home, including the owner, furniture, decorations, etc.

Will saw Maggie accept Mrs. Lindbergh's banana pie and turned to call the two brothers down. "Mrs. Julien Lindbergh," Maggie introduced. It seemed that in just a moment, Mrs. Lindbergh had already briefly introduced herself to Maggie. She then said to Mrs. Lindbergh, "My two sons, Will and Roy. Come down and say hello."

Roy left the building first, followed by Will.

"This is Mrs. Lindbergh, she lives in the house across from us." Maggie said that they would soon see the Lindbergh family, the house with the exterior painted pink. "These are my sons, Will and Roy."

"Hello, Mrs. Goldberg." Roy spoke in a very pleasant way.

Mrs. Lindblad had a smile on her face from beginning to end, but her cheeks were squeezed to the sides. "What a handsome boy." She deliberately extended her hand to shake Roy's hand, and Roy did not resist and shook hands politely.

"Hello." Will said hello and turned to go upstairs. He heard Maggie tell the visitor that he was the child of the Prime Minister.

Will snorted softly. The Minister, maybe, he just doesn't like dealing with humans. In his eyes, humans are an inferior species.

, New Neighbors

Will returned to his room, and within a short while he had put his things in order. Familiar objects but unfamiliar surroundings, as if sensing someone's gaze, Will looked up alertly at the neighboring house.

There was a window opposite his, and Will was sure that someone was standing behind that window, looking over here. Are the people here full of curiosity?

The window opposite was only slightly opened, and the other party intentionally did not show his face, but even with only a small gap or weak light, Will could clearly see the other party's appearance. He should be the same person as the one who peeked just now.

She was a girl of about 17 or 18 years old, with black hair and a long white dress similar to pajamas. Her tall stature made her look even thinner, with a pale face and a frail body. Just when Will was wondering if she was malnourished, she smiled at him.

Will was surprised. He didn't think she saw him because there was no light in his room. Could it be that just as Will was staring at her, trying to make sure she was the same as him, the girl's eyes moved from Will's room to the top.

The girl raised her head and looked up at the starry night sky. Will slowly relaxed, knowing that he had thought too much. But the expression in the girl's eyes caught his attention. Her eyes were full of begging and helplessness, as if she was telling of her longing for the outside world, but she was trapped here.

Why would there be such a look? Will remained calm and continued to observe. Then the girl bowed her head, clasped her hands together and began to pray. Will did not hear any sound, so he thought the girl must be praying silently in her heart.

"Hi Will" Roy did come in from the door this time, but he didn't have the habit of knocking. Roy saw Will standing at the window, "Want to go out for a walk? I like the night view and the starry sky here. It's much better than the place we stayed last time. Will"

Will turned around immediately.

Roy walked up to Will and put a hand on Will's shoulder, "What are you looking at?" Roy also looked out the window, but only saw the closed windows of the neighboring house.

"In no mood."

"Will." Roy did not give up because of Will's refusal and suggested going for a walk again.

Will pulled Roy's hand away and said seriously: "Roy, we just moved here. Don't cause any more trouble for us. We don't want to clean up your mess. It's time for you to control your emotional problems." While speaking, Will did not let go of Roy's hand.

Roy smiled and pulled his wrist out of Will's hand: "Hey, brother, I think you are the one who needs to relax the most."

Will didn't laugh like Roy did. "The guests are gone."

"By the way, do you want to try her banana pie? It's really disgusting. Maggie actually said she liked it very much. Haha, she likes it very much, I like it very much." Roy imitated Maggie's way of speaking.

"Roy"

Suddenly Roy's expression changed, like a child seeing delicious candy. "Willie, I smell something fresh. I want to go out for a walk." Just as Roy turned around, he was grabbed by Will. "Willie" Roy's eyes fell on Will's hand holding his arm, like a pair of pliers, tightly stopping his actions.

"Roy, how much more trouble do you want to cause?"

Roy broke free from his wrist again, "I know, brother, I will go back to my room and sleep like a child until dawn." Roy walked to the door and said to Will, "Maggie said we have to go to school tomorrow. It's so boring. I don't know how many times this has happened. Okay, I'm going back to my room first. Good night."

"Good night"

After Roy left, Will looked out the window again. He found that the door to the neighbor's backyard was open. The girl just walked into the backyard.

Will noticed that the girl was barefoot.

She walked barefoot on the stone road, and then walked to the grass. The wet mud clung to her soles. Will could see clearly that her skin was pale, but not healthy. Her hair was scattered behind her head and on her shoulders, and a white lace nightgown was blown gently by the wind.

Will stared at the girl motionlessly, but the girl didn't realize that she was being stared at by a stranger. The girl seemed very happy, she took easy steps and danced on the grass. When she spun, her skirt spread out like a white daffodil blooming in the moonlight.

The moonlight spread all over the girl's body, making her look hazy and particularly beautiful. She sang softly, a song he had never heard before. Her voice was very soft, but he could hear it. It was a song of longing for love.

Will was attracted by the girl's singing. His feet slowly lifted off the ground, and he floated out of the window. Because it was night, he was not afraid of being noticed. He landed quietly behind a bush not far from the girl in mid-air, so that he could observe her more closely.

The girl's singing was pure and innocent, which was very different from the people Will usually met. The girl under the moonlight didn't look like a person, but like a moonlight fairy who had fallen into the world.

Her eyes were not polluted by anything, as pure as a mountain spring flowing down the mountainside.

She is so beautiful. Will stood quietly in the dark and watched her.

The girl stopped, as if there was a gentleman in the air. She lifted her skirt, bowed, and stretched out her hand. It was as if she was being led by the gentleman. And her other hand was around the gentleman's waist, dancing with the imaginary other's steps.

Will watched her spin, sing, and dance. He saw that the girl was dancing the waltz, but in fact she danced very crudely and her steps were not correct. But she danced happily, stretching her arms and spinning. Her crude steps did not hinder her graceful turning. She was really a flower swaying in the wind.

Her voice was so soft and beautiful that it was intoxicating. Will, standing behind the bushes, couldn't help but want to step out and get to know this girl.

But just as Will took a step forward, he heard someone calling the girl. Alert Will immediately retracted his steps and hid quietly deep in the bushes.

"Madeleine."

At this time, a boy came out from the back door of the house, and he looked vigilantly in the direction where Will was hiding. Will saw him coming this way, but when the boy appeared in the bushes, Will had returned to his room and stood at the window to continue observing.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief, and then he returned to the girl with peace of mind: "Madeline, you sneaked out again. Mom and Dad will be worried about you."

"Brother, I'm fine. Because the moon is out." As she spoke, Madeline looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky. "Look, the moonlight is so beautiful, and it won't hurt me."

"Yes, Madeline. I know you will be fine when the moon comes out. But you are wearing so little, I'm afraid you will catch a cold. Put on another piece of clothing outside." The boy put the coat in his hand on Madeline, telling her to keep warm and not catch a cold.

Parker Clemens is Madeline Clemens's older brother. He is two years older than Madeline. Because Madeline is different from other children, Parker also has to take care of her for her parents. In Parker's eyes, Madeline is his cutest and most beautiful sister.

"Madeline, you are the angel of our family." Parker straightened Madeline's long hair and patted her back gently, "Dancing under the moon."

Brother, you come too." Madeline took Parker's hand and danced the waltz. "I am an elf under the night sky. Every day I look forward to the stars coming out and the moon coming down. When the moon comes out, I will be safe. I love you, brother. I also love mom and dad. I love each of you as much as I love the moon."

Parker felt a pang of sadness in his heart. How long could such a lovely sister stay by his side? "I love you, too, Madeline. I hope there will be no more daytime in your world."

Will, standing at the window, heard the conversation between the brother and sister, but he didn't quite understand what the conversation meant.

Roy was surfing the Internet in his bedroom when Will suddenly appeared next to him. Roy said calmly, "Will, that's not fair. Why can you leave but I can't suddenly appear?"

"What are you looking at?" Will noticed that Roy's computer page was stuck on a school website.

"Look at our new school." Roy chuckled harshly, "I'd still like to know some news about the new school. I'm a good student, right?"

Will didn't see how his brother had any interest in learning. Maybe he was looking up information for other purposes.

Even if Will's eyes were serious, Roy could still smile: "Come on, brother, I know what you are thinking. Or are you also interested in humans?"

Are you interested? Will's mind immediately popped up the girl Madeline dancing in the moonlight.

"Although they are not our food, those guys from the Macavi or the Ravno tribe prefer humans. Wei, do you want to keep eating animal blood or disgusting artificial plasma, or eat human food like Maggie? Most of our generation have never really tasted human blood. Do you want to try it?" Roy's eyes flashed with greed as he spoke.

Will knew Roy's thoughts. A long time ago, Roy had been persuading him to try real human blood, which Roy called real food. Will noticed that Roy had become more and more interested in human blood recently. If this continued, Roy might attack humans and take their blood.

Will originally disagreed to move here. In Roy's words, he would rather live in an uninhabited forest or an old castle. But Maggie insisted on moving here, and Sig also agreed with Maggie's idea. Is there any reason?

There were so many questions troubling Will that he couldn't get answers to them all.

Roy, on the other hand, always seems to be easygoing, because there are humans everywhere. Now when Roy meets a human, he will first smell the other's blood. Once, his eyes turned emerald green and emitted a faint light. That means Roy is very interested in that person. If he hadn't stopped Roy, Roy would have left two teeth marks on the other's neck.

Roy would become increasingly difficult to control. Will stopped talking to Roy and ignored Roy's calls behind him, and walked straight out of Roy's room and back to his own room.

I wonder if the girl named Madeline is the type that Roy likes. Will hopes that Roy will not notice the existence of Madeline.

, pretend to be human

Will was in bed, but he wasn't sleeping, and people like them didn't need much sleep.

"Will, are you asleep?" Maggie knocked on the door and came in with a banana pie sent by Mrs. Lindbergh. Suddenly, Will's room was filled with the strong smell of banana cream. "Sieg said maybe you would like to try it." Sometimes Maggie is not like a mother, but more like a friend.

"Thanks, Maggie. I think I'd rather have an apple than a banana pie. Thank you." Will rejected Maggie's kindness. Indeed, he didn't have much interest in human food, and he didn't want to pretend to be interested, at least in front of Maggie.

"Well, Wei, I hope you like this new home. I think Roy already likes it here. Good night, Wei."

"Good night, Maggie." Will watched Maggie close the door and go out.

Has Roy already fallen in love with this place? Will couldn't laugh. Didn't Maggie notice Roy's changes at all? That was a unique change during the growth period. I hope Roy can control his bloodthirsty nature. If he can get through this growth period safely, his personal abilities will grow rapidly.

Because none of their family members are human, Maggie and Sig have been able to disguise themselves as ordinary humans very well, because they both try their best to integrate into human life. But Will doesn't want to, and I'm afraid Roy doesn't want to either.

Roy has always emphasized that their race is the most noble even among their own kind, so he disdains to become partners with ordinary humans. Roy cannot understand Maggie and Sig, and is unwilling to try to understand, but Roy seems to be willing to live in the human world, and Will knows the reason for this.

What Will couldn't understand was why Maggie and Sig left their own tribe and became wanderers.

The moon had already hidden behind the clouds, and the world outside was getting darker and darker. But in the darkness, Will seemed to still hear the song the girl had sung, a song of longing for love.

Will doesn't like humans, doesn't want to get along with them, and doesn't want to understand their behavior. For example, love, in his opinion, is stupid. All they need is offspring, not love.

Will's room is opposite Madeline's room, but Madeline rarely opens the window. Her room is decorated very ordinary and girly, and the whole room is in a warm color. Madeline sat on the bed, leaning on Parker's shoulder.

"Brother, will you protect me forever?"

Parker stroked Madeline's back, "I will." Parker's heart has always been in uneasiness. He is not sure whether he can protect Madeline for her whole life. Madeline is too special for ordinary people.

Madeline realized that her topic was too sad, so she changed the subject: "Brother, have you seen our new neighbors?" When the house was being renovated, they knew that there would be new neighbors here soon.

"Yes." Parker did notice their new neighbors. "They have two boys. Mom said she will go visit our new neighbors with Mrs. Brennan and Mrs. Lindberg tomorrow."

"I hope my new neighbors will accept me. Parker"

"Yes, Madeline, we all love you." Parker coaxed Madeline to sleep first. Because Madeline was different, Parker treated her with extra care.

Parker's beloved sister suffers from an incurable skin disease. Doctors in the city say that people with this disease usually don't live past the age of 20, and Madeline is 18 years old. Parker doesn't know how long Madeline can live, and there are still too many things that Madeline hasn't tried.

As an ordinary girl, she couldn't play around during the day like other girls in the town because she was afraid of the sun, even a little bit of it would kill her.

Madeleine suffers from xeroderma pigmentosum, an autosomal recessive genetic disease caused by DNA damage. She cannot be exposed to sunlight, and her skin cannot repair itself if exposed to sunlight. Even sunlight shining through glass can cause her serious damage.

Because of this, people in Huangzhen called Madeline the Moon Girl, saying that she must be a child favored by the moon.

The people in Moon Lake are willing to help the Moon Girl grow up, so that she can enjoy the fun that other children can enjoy. But as Madeline grows up, she wants more and more to be like an ordinary girl, to play, to have fun, to sunbathe, or even to have a picnic in the sun.

But she couldn't, she could only wait until dark before going out carefully. She had to avoid all sources of ultraviolet light and always be careful about her life safety.

Since the onset of the disease, she has never left the house during the day. She cannot go to school and can only study at home. Parker would explain to her every day after returning from school, and the school sent a teacher to let her take the exam at home. She passed the elementary school and middle school exams and is now studying high school courses, but what about the future?

Parker will go to another city to study in a university soon. No one can accompany her to study and protect her patiently like Parker. But Madeline cannot ask Parker to give up studying in a university because of her selfishness.

Parker couldn't be with her all her life. As he grew older, he had his own life.

He had sacrificed too much for her. In order to prevent Madeline from feeling lonely, he accompanied her except for school. He rarely spent time with his friends, whether playing ball or going out.

Madeline knew that Parker had given so much for her, more than her parents had.

She also wanted to have a relationship, at least before she died. Madeline thought she was too selfish and no boy would be willing to have a relationship with a dying girl.

Madeline has lived with love for everyone until now. She is eighteen years old and she still has two years to live. She knows that she is getting closer and closer to death. She is afraid of death, afraid that she will no longer live in this world and afraid that she will never see her loved ones again.

But at the same time, she also hopes that her death will be a relief for her family. Who can understand Madeline's heart? A girl who longs for life but has to face death. Life has too many