The room was a huge, dark space. Artificial beams of light cut through the darkness, causing pools of white to collect on the black floor tiles. A vast screen surrounded by hundreds of smaller monitors dominated the opposite wall.
"I think it's a good idea for the Sivan family to mingle among humans." The head of the council said as he talked from the high table.
A member got to their feet. "The Silas brothers won't even know they are here in the human world. We wipe off all their information from the internet."
"Good choice." The head said, as he nodded. "What did the prophecy say about our chosen one?" he asked.
After a brief period of silence, the second person in the chorus stood up. "Inez will try to change everything we have built; she will change the rules."
The head takes a big gulp, clearing his throat in the process. "Continue," he commanded.
"She'll develop feelings for a human boy, which is against our policies. The human boy will also turn out to be a calamity for her, leading her to act foolishly and make bad choices that could lead to the end of the world." A second member added: 'As she settled in.
The head of the council sighed. "I shall pay a visit to Sivan's home." He stood up and he went out of the meeting room.
...
I entered the house and said, "Mom, I'm home." I was surprised to see how full the room was.
Except when it's time to eat or there is a crucial meeting, my family doesn't always stay in the same room. Separated from one another, my parents were seated. A stranger's face was seated next to Arden. I stepped a little forward and they all had their eyes on me.
Why are they looking at me? Who is this man sitting next to my brother?
"Sit." Dad gave me an order. On the ground, I dropped my bag. I sensed the aura of the strange man as he approached me. He was dressed in a floor-length black outfit. He appears to be in his 50s or 60s or older. He appeared strong as well. He touched my forehead with his thumbs as I sped away from him. He was so powerful that I couldn't help but keep a safe distance between us.
"Your fangs came out today, didn't they?" The strange man asked.
The son of a bitch understood my thoughts. I didn't permit him, but he could read them.
"Who are you, first of all?" As I got up, I questioned. "Mom, Dad, who is this man?" I was angry as I looked at them.
"He's your uncle," Mom announced right away. "Don't be scared, he just has something to say."
"Uncle? I thought you said everyone hated us because I was assigned as the chosen one. I heard you say that."
"Not Sivan's family, and besides, he is the head of the council." Mom replied.
I looked at him. "I have homework and I have to submit it tomorrow. I'm pretty busy, so please let's get straight to the point."
"That rude Inez, shut up." Dad shook his head and spoke in a somewhat low tone. "Just sit down and let him examine you, and you have to permit him."
"What's the point of doing that? He clearly got through without my permission."
"You must give him permission so that he can view everything and determine whether the prophecy is true." Arden intervened.
"Prophecy? Mom..." I looked at her instantly.
The unknown uncle raised his hand to silence Mom as she was about to speak. She remained silent as he took a seat. "You have to let me get through that mind of yours. There is a prophecy about you, and if it comes true, then you will ruin us all," he said.
I said, feeling very frightened, "Okay, you can read me."
"You have a lot of lives in your hands as the chosen one, and believe me, you don't want to destroy them." He said while putting his hand back on my head and chanting a spell. Was he a witch as well? I was clueless. At last, he opened his eyes. "That boy," he continued.
"A boy?" I asked.
My thoughts initially did not turn to Chase Parker, but then he repeated himself. "That boy. On the field, he and a few other boys were holding a ball, as I saw."
"Chase Parker?" I asked immediately.
"Is that his name?" As he took his hand away from my head, the man asked.
"Yes, I didn't speak with him. I have not spoken with him."
"Then refrain; it will be for the best. If you avoided talking to him, you'd save a lot of lives."
I stare at the man in perplexity. "How will talking to a boy ruin their lives?" I asked.
"He is not of your kind; he cannot be the right one for you."
"I don't know what you are trying to do or say, but I won't talk to him. Okay? If that's what you want," I grabbed my bag. "I have to do my homework." Running up the stairs, I made my way to my room, and shut the door.
I sat on my bed and placed my head on the pillow. my phone started to buzz. The message came from an unidentified phone number.
'Hey love, this is Denise. Got your number from the class group chat.'
I saved her number immediately and replied to her.
'What's up, Denise? I just got home. I had an emergency.'
As soon as she got my text, she called me and asked me to meet her at Jada's house.
They were planning an after-party to celebrate Chase's winning team. I declined and informed her that I had homework to complete. The mere mention of Chase's name brought to mind what the elderly man had said.
It was 6 o'clock when I looked at the time. Maybe going for a short walk would help me feel better. I got up, put on a different outfit, and then sneaked out of the house through my window.
Even after I told Denise I wouldn't be there, she still sent me the address. As I continued to walk, I eventually arrived at Jada's gate and found myself staring at it.
I was ready to go in, but I held back. No, I can't. What if I see that Chase guy? I pondered.
But then, at the same time, I wanted to see him. I was so drawn to him earlier in school. I felt the sparks.
After today, I won't speak to him or pause to gaze at him even though I am aware that it all begins with the sparks. I promise.
"Hey, boo." I jumped and screamed as I heard someone say.
"Geez, you scared me." I saw Denise standing in front of me as my heart was beating so quickly.
She chuckled and said, "I know."
"You look drunk. Are you?" I asked.
"I'm not." She said, putting her hand on my shoulder.
"How did you know I was outside when I never told you?" I questioned as I gently pulled her hand away from my shoulder.
"Well, that camera allowed me to see you." She gestured toward the fence-mounted CCTV camera.
I questioned, "How many people watched that with you?"
"I'm not sure; I guess only I did," Again, she chuckled. Undoubtedly, Denise was intoxicated.
My phone rang as soon as she was done speaking. It was Mom. I sighed as I took another look at her.
"No. Don't say to me that you're going to vanish like you did this afternoon, please." She drew a dejected expression.
I pouted. "I'm not disappearing. I simply have to return home. My mom needs me. I think she's already found out I sneaked out of the house." I sighed. "I'm sorry, but tomorrow I'll make it up to you. I promise."
Despite never having attended a party before, I was curious about what it was like.
The bell for the first period rang, and we were having biology. Denise and I both walked into the lab."Okay, class, we will be talking about osmosis." Mr. Lovato said as he picked up the textbook from the table. Denise and I searched for a seat and ended up sitting next to the window. "Who can define osmosis?" he asked, staring at Chase. Chase ignored him, and one of Chase's football players raised his hand. "Okay, Larry, please define it for the class even if it's in your understanding."Larry stood up. "Osmosis is a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.""Good. You can sit down. Who else can try?" he asked as he looked in my direction. "Hmm, your face is new.""This is her first time in your class," Denise replied, and Chase looked my way. I got to my feet but had no idea what to say because all I had learned at Shadow Academy was about blood.Everything was about control
When the bell rang, it was time to leave, but I didn't leave until 6:00 since I had to see the principal about how poor my math grades were. I will be walking home today since my dad went out in his car.I took a shortcut through the woods and began walking. The wood was peaceful.A few minutes later, I heard a scream. "Help me, someone help me." I ran towards where the sound was coming from. The scream got louder. I stopped when I saw a figure biting a woman's intestines and flesh.On instinct, I yelled. "Hey, get off of her," I said bravely as I threw a stone at it.When I saw his face, I was in shock. The monster finally stood up and growled. He was huge and he looked at me. I saw the blood and got tempted to feed, but I didn't want to be a monster. I'm not a monster. I remind myself. I started breathing fast as I moved back step by step, swallowing hard. I turned and started running. I ran without looking back to see if the beast was chasing after me or not."Mom," I screamed, as
I followed Chase back to my room as I shut my door behind me. We continued on with the equation, then I looked at him and our eyes met. I quickly looked back at my note, then he broke the silence. "So are you still going to go out with me tomorrow?"I looked up and smiled at him. "I knew you didn't come here for the homework."He smiled. He already knew he was already caught. "Oops, you got me.""I have never been on a date before," I said as I dropped my pen."Then say yes. We will have a great time.""I don't know about that. My parents won't let me, and besides, I'm different and not like you.""Different, how?" he asked as he gave a small smile.I jammed my lips together. "I don't do parties. My life is boring. I'm not even on social media." I said, instead. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I was a Dhampir."It's just a movie. I like you, Inez. I know it sounds stupid, but I do like you, and it started the first time I saw you standing in the middle of the hall, in the cro
My parents came back home before midnight, and I told them about the police that came looking for them. Mom and dad didn't tell me what the council told them, instead they walked to their room immediately after my news. I looked at Arden and gave him a quick smile."I know that look." He said as he sat down on the kitchen stool."What look?" I asked as I poured cereal into a bowl."The look you give when you want me to tell you stuff.""So, tell me, what happened there?" I asked as I sat next to him."They said I shouldn't tell you anything, but you have to feed on blood in the next month or you will die." Arden spilled."Is that what the council said? I thought you all went there for the animal information." I said."We did and the beast you saw is called the wendigo. I think they are controlling it and the head also said that witches are trying to break the barrier and the barrier isn't strong anymore. You are the only one that can save us, so you can't die." Arden replied to me."I
I walked home immediately after the incident without even attending the rest of the classes. I told my mom what happened and showed her my hand. She removed the plaster and I was already healed. 'You've started your healing process - that's a good thing.' She said.I ran to my room and took a nice hot bath, and after hours of staying indoors, I decided to go see Chase at the cinema. I wore my black leader short skirt with my ankle boots, and then wore a white long sleeve round neck top. I used my room window as an exit and went through the woods.When I finally got to the cinema, I saw cars outside and could hear some boys talking. I noticed Larry's voice and saw Chase walking in with his hand around Jada's shoulder. Are they back together? That's the first question that comes to mind. I couldn't go to him. Instead, I headed back home and climbed onto my bed to sleep.Then I heard a knock on my door. I walked to open it and, to my surprise, it was Arden. I was shocked because Arden ha
"I want to know more about Wendigo." I changed the topic."Okay." He said. He took a big book out of the drawer and handed it over to me. " This is the book of supernaturals. You are the only one that can read it since you are chosen. You will know more about what you are looking for in it.""Thank you." I said as I stood up to leave the room."Remember Miss Sivan, the remaining ten days till the month ends. You decide if you want to live or die. It's your choice."The minute I got home, my phone buzzed, and it was from Chase. He asked why he didn't see me at his game. I ignored his message and entered my room. I heard someone knock on my window. I checked and it was Chase. He was here again.I closed my window and ignored him, but he kept calling my name. My parents must not know he was there or I'll get grounded. I opened my window and let him in."I called you five times yesterday...why didn't you pick up?" He asked."I was busy." The truth is, I went to see him at the movies and s
Cutting off my mom's distant protests, I stepped out onto the front porch. And stopped.All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over me again. The anxiety, the fear. And the certainty that something terrible was about to happen.Charles Street was deserted. The tall Elizabethan houses looked strange and silent as always, as if they might all be empty inside, like the houses on an abandoned movie set. They looked as if they were empty people, but full of strange-looking things. That was it; something was watching me. The air was stifling and I could feel that someone or something was watching me.I caught sight of something dark in the branches of an old quince tree in front of the house.It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it. And it was something that was watching me.I tried to tell myself that this is ridiculous, but I have seen crows like this in the shadow world. It was big and sleek, with rainbows shining in its black feathers. I could see every
The boy moved on down the hallway and went out of sight. Dimly, I realized the bell was ringing. Denise was tugging on my arm."What?" I asked."I said, 'Here is your schedule. We've got classes on the second floor right now. Come on!"I allowed Denise to push me down the corridor, up a flight of stairs, and into the classroom; I slid into an empty seat automatically and fixed my eyes on the teacher at the front without really seeing me.He walked right by. Without a glance, they all looked, at least. Some whistled. Some stopped to talk. Some just stared.Ms. Ryan passed out trigonometry books. I took mine and wrote my name inside, still wrapped in thought."He is looking at you," Denise whispered."Who?" I asked. I was still focusing on the board."Chase." Denise said.The shock that came to me at that moment was a big one. Oh, Chase, Chase Parker. The guy I like but I can't be with or the world will destroy. Last week, Chase was mad at me, and now I don't know if he still is."Is he