"Correction, you have one addition to the list of your enemies! These two are not the only ones!" She clarified."Well, that was truly helpful!" I smirked, leaving her house and putting my tracksuit back on.I suddenly realized that my pendant was missing. I searched under the sofa and around it, checking my pockets."Did you see my pendant?" I called out to Jade."No, what pendant?" She asked from another room."It was a small orb kind of thing! Leave it, I'll search for it at home, maybe I didn't wear it this morning," I said, pursing my lips before leaving.That evening in the cafe, I spotted Sheriff Scott with the girl I had seen in front of Mr. Redwood's front door that day. Judging by their expressions, it seemed like they were having an argument.Then, she suddenly stood up from her chair and almost yelled at him before storming out."If I turn out to be right when it's too late, I swear you will regret it!" She pointed her finger at him and left the cafe.I had no choice but to
However, a smile eventually broke through his angry expression, and he exclaimed, "That was a blast!" "Why didn't you mention that you are a singer?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning on the table."Because I'm not a singer," I replied nervously. "It's a shame no one informed you sooner, Julia! You possess a remarkable voice and great command over the guitar strings!" the woman behind me spoke, placing her hands on my shoulders."You almost gave me a heart attack there!" I joked, staring at Mr. Thompson, who chuckled in response."Honestly, I did intend to startle you, but my smile always gives me away!" he admitted with a grin.As I was led out of the cafe by this woman, my eyes caught sight of Victoria and Dominic engaged in a conversation."I am glad that we chose you!" the woman exclaimed, showering me with compliments.Grateful for her kind words, "Thank you so much... uh..." I squinted, trying to recall her name.Confusion clouded my mind as I wondered what to call her.
As I made my way past these doors, I heard whispers, so muffled that it was impossible to crack what they were about.The atmosphere was thick with otherworldly tension, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.“What is this place?” I whispered to myself, trying to make sense of my surroundings.The doors, some ajar and others closed tight, seemed to emit dark energy.One door in particular caught my eye. It was larger than the others, its surface engraved with beautiful carvings that seemed to shrink just like what happens when you look at something for too long.I felt a strange urge to open it, a pull I couldn’t resist.As my hand touched the door, a sudden jolt of energy traveled through me, and the door creaked open.Inside was a dimly lit chamber, and at its center stood a figure cloaked in shadows.“Welcome, Julia,” the figure whispered, its voice echoing with horror. “I’ve been expecting you.”The figure in the dimly lit chamber began to move, stepping closer
Regaining my senses, I realized that I was sitting in a small pool of blood. Panic surged within me as I mumbled, "No, no, no, no! Not again!" Quickly, I rose to my feet, brushing off the stains from my clothes.Driven by a mix of anger and fear, I rushed toward the storage room, where the haunting whispers began to echo once again.They called out my name, filled with anguish. Scanning the room, I noticed some tools left behind by the laborers.Without a second thought, I grabbed a pickaxe and began to break the wall where the haunting hole was."Julia!" my mother called out, her voice filled with concern. However, consumed by my emotions, I couldn't contain my frustration any longer. "What do you want from me?" I screamed against the whispers, striking the walls until numerous bricks crumbled down.What we uncovered were more bricks behind the ones I broke. Apparently, they were ordinary clay bricks, yet engraved with strange markings.These markings seemed incomplete, leaving me wi
My heart raced as Dominic gently lifted my chin, his touch sending a wave of emotions through me."I shouldn't go there," I told myself, feeling a battle raging within me.I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to escape the memories of my past, of him.Evan, with his beautiful face, his eyes, his smile."Oh, Evan, what did you do to me?" No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't replace him. I would never be able to replace him.My eyebrows furrowed as Dominic's grip on my wrist loosened. "I will never ask who he was," he murmured, his words barely audible. "But I must say, he was the unluckiest man who lost a gem like you." His eyes met mine again, filled with a strange mix of sadness and pain.In an attempt to lighten my mood, he chuckled and said, "Got you!" But I could see through his act.He wasn't good at hiding his true feelings. He turned his face away, allowing two tear drops to escape his eyes."I just love rain!" he exclaimed, closing his eyes and tilting his head toward the sky.It
There was once a woman who suffered from infertility. Despite being told by everyone that it was impossible for her to conceive, she refused to give up hope.Determined to find a solution, she convinced her husband to take her to a healer as a last resort.Unfortunately, even the healer turned her away, leaving her feeling completely hopeless. Faced with the reality that adoption was not an option at the time, she decided to take her own life.Later that night, while her husband slept soundly, she quietly slipped out of bed and made her way to a nearby lake.Under the moonlight, she removed her cape and waded into the water, fully intending to drown herself.Just as she began to sink, a hand reached out and grabbed hold of her. It was a woman, described as the ugliest creature anyone had ever seen.This woman was often seen around the village, wearing a gray cape and carrying a basket of fruits to sell door-to-door. Her face was disfigured, with half of it burned, with wide nostrils,
She had brought large chunks of raw meat for him, using them to lure him out of the circle.He was hungry and had a preference the raw meat, so it wasn't too difficult for her to get hold of him.Finally eating the last chunk, he satisfied his hunger before she made her demand in exchange for his freedom."What do you want?" he asked, licking his fingers."I want your child!" she demanded.He agreed, but he also had a condition. "Give me anything my brother desires. I want to possess everything he wants, but before him!" He had grown to despise his brother.This was always the purpose of the ritual - to free him and offer something his brother desired, in exchange for granting any wish. Afterward, the havoc he unleashed upon the earth was unlike anything they had ever witnessed.Blood flowed through every alley, houses burned to the ground, and he preyed upon innocent children.He took their women, violated them, and then killed them, forcing their husbands to watch.By this time, th
"Don't worry about it," I reassured him, settling down on the soft grass beside him.As we lay side by side, our eyes locked in a silent exchange of awkwardness.Breaking the silence, I mustered the courage to know more about him. "I can't imagine the hardships you've endured as a vampire, the painful transformation you've gone through," I pursed my mouth.A painful smile played upon his lips as he lay straight on his back, his eyes tracing the constellations above."You have no idea of what I've faced," he chuckled softly, his voice filled with a hint of sorrow."Tell me," I demanded, making him feel that I wouldn't judge no matter what he had done.“You wouldn’t wanna know!” He smirked.“I do!” I answered him confidently, my gaze fixed on him.He glanced at me briefly before returning his gaze to the sky. "You truly believe you can handle the darkness that lives within me?" he questioned, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.With true intentions, I placed my hand on his forearm. "I promi
It was now important that we visit her immediately. "I guess we're heading to the cafe!" I said to my friends.They looked puzzled, but they followed me. We arrived at the cafe and everything seemed normal, until I spotted Claire by her cabin, motioning for us to come over with two fingers.We made our way to her, and as soon as she took us inside, she led us to her storeroom. What we saw left us breathless - it was Luna, and she was so weak that it seemed like she might not survive if she wasn't taken to the hospital.She was injured; someone must have attacked her. I felt regret for ever doubting her. I rushed to her, but Claire's words caught my attention."She's not speaking, she just wrote this," she said, showing me a note. It read, "Call Julia, don't call anyone else, please!" I looked at Luna, she was barely able to hold up her head and keep her eyes open."Who did this to you?" I asked gently. She couldn't answer; her mouth was sealed shut."Let's take her to the hospital!" I
We exchanged confused glances, realizing that maybe she's right. Without wasting another second, we rushed out of her home. As we hurried, my phone rang. It was my mom.“Claire has been calling my number over and over again. She has something important to talk about!” Mom said, sounding worried, before hanging up.I looked at my phone and saw multiple missed calls from Claire. “It isn’t time yet,” I mumbled, leaving her a message, “I’ll be there on time!”Our hearts were racing wildly as we made our way back. My heart pounded as we reached his house. Dominic didn't hesitate; he stormed inside, with Victoria and me following closely. We began tearing through the house, moving carpets, checking for hidden doors, anything that could lead us to the basement.Suddenly, Dominic shouted, “Over here!” He had found a trapdoor hidden under an old rug in the living room. It was so well concealed that it was no wonder we missed it the first time.I felt a mix of hope and dread as we opened the do
“What do we do? Hire a cab?” I looked at my friends, feeling lost and anxious.“No, it won’t get here on time! I have an idea!” Dominic replied, a smirk forming on his lips.Without another word, we sprinted toward the bus station. From there, Dominic carried us, sprinting from tree to tree with astonishing speed. It was like being on a rollercoaster, but only faster, the world blurring around us as we moved.As soon as he dropped us in the front yard of Viviana’s house, Victoria clutched her stomach and bolted toward a dustbin in the corner, vomiting into it.I held my head, trying to steady myself as the world spun around me.“I don’t know how you cannot find it fun!” Dominic chuckled, clearly amused by our discomfort.We made our way to Viviana’s door, which was ajar this time. She was sitting just inside, sleeping on her armchair in front of the door with a shotgun clutched in her hands. The moment we stepped in, she jerked awake, pointing the gun at us.“Whoa!” I shouted, raising
"Wait!" I yelled, "Why are you helping us?" I asked.He didn't answer, instead, he just kept walking.Dominic and Victoria reached me, and Dominic shrugged. “I think you should tell the Sheriff anyway. If not about that white-haired dude, then about the redhead,” he suggested.“I think we should get out of here as soon as possible!” Victoria clutched her chest. “Something doesn’t feel right!”"Hey!" I held her shoulder, and we followed her advice and decided to reach out to Luna first.When I called her, she picked up right away but seemed busy. She whispered, “I’ll catch up with you guys later!” before excusing herself.“What are we gonna do?” I looked at my friends, worried and confused.“Let’s go to Viviana on our own!” Dominic suggested. “What do you think?” he asked, turning to Victoria.“I have no problem with that!” she nodded, and we left immediately.When we arrived at Viviana’s, her door was locked, unlike before. We knocked, and she opened the door, her expression confused,
Jade's voice echoed through the air once more, softer this time. "You've succeeded in retrieving them from their memories. Now, return to the real world."The sea began to dissolve around us, and we found ourselves back in the tub, the knives gone, our palms healed. We were drenched, exhausted, but alive. The connection between us had deepened, and we knew what she meant by them being hinges to the door.Jade stood over us, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Well done. But this is only the beginning. There are greater challenges ahead, and you'll need each other more than ever.""What was the purpose of this test?" I stepped out of the tub and dried myself with a towel, I stared at my healed hands with surprise."I wanted to see how all that revelation affected you, how you are going to face him after finding out the truth about yourself, and what you'd choose between your fear and the lives of your loved ones." Jade grinned, helping Victoria out of the water.Then my phone rang, and
This time, I had to go to the realm of fear once again, and this time, Victoria and Dominic were going with me.We took our boots off and entered the tub. “Present me your palms!” Jade extended her hand, holding a knife in her other hand. We obeyed her and offered our palms to her. At first, she placed my left palm on top of Victoria’s palm and then did the same with my right palm and Dominic’s palm.Then she picked two sharp, thin knives and poked them together in both my hands, piercing through Victoria’s and Dominic’s palms as well. We screamed and grunted with pain, but that was it; she left the knife in our hands, still piercing through our hands when we fainted together.After a while, when we three woke up, we woke up in a strong stormy sea. At first, I swam toward the surface of the water and coughed as I saw ocean waves crashing against one another.I caught my breath and coughed, struggling to find my friends, but one after another waves ran me over, I again reached the top,
I was left in shock, staring at her in disbelief. "Mom?" I struggled to speak. "How did Dad pass away?" I questioned."He had a heart attack," she replied confidently, but sadness was visible in her eyes."Do you remember his last message?" I tried to dig in."What message?" She raised an eyebrow."Do you recall anything about the blood in the granny's restroom?" I pressed on."Blood? Did you hurt yourself?" She took my hands and examined them."It's nothing, I just... I think I need to rest," I said, holding her hands before retreating to the bed.It was a difficult night, filled with thoughts that kept me awake: "What's got into her?" I couldn't believe anything that happened with Mom.It wasn't just hard for us, but also for Viviana. An image of the map and an unseen presence tormented her, a man's voice echoing in her mind. "You shouldn't have done that," it repeated throughout the night.When morning finally arrived, I headed out for a jog. Later, I explained everything to Domini
"Let me!" Dominic tenderly cradled her in his arms, carefully adjusting her position on his lap. Gently stroking her hair, he whispered into her ear, "Do you remember that night? The night you turned me into a vampire?" His voice was filled with a mixture of gratitude and affection. He continued, "You saved me that night. Now, it's my turn to save you." With that, he bit his wrist and fed her his blood.She swallowed a mouthful of his blood, feeling a surge of energy, but then she whispered. Her voice barely audible, "Disgusting."Dominic couldn't help but giggle, tears streaming down his face. "That's more like it," he said, his face lighting up. "Now, tell me, what was the spell you used to restore your health every time you fed me?" His tone was gentle, filled with care.She began to whisper something in Latin, and as she did, her body started to heal. Taking a deep breath, she felt a sense of relief wash over her.Dominic wrapped his arms around her, a smile forming on her lips.L
She whispered an incantation in Latin, then paused and turned toward the sheriff."She is strong, she has not allowed this soul to take complete control of her body yet!" She said."But the longer it remains inside her, the more it will dominate!" After that, she said something else that sent shivers down our spines."I know a way to help her.But there are three things you must know. First, once the ritual begins, there is no turning back.Second, she could die in the process. Third, you have no other choice..." Before she could say anything else, I interrupted her."You make the act of 'killing' sound so simple! Do you have any idea what you just said? Is there any guarantee that she will survive this?" I furrowed my brow and stared at her.Victoria grasped my shoulder and nodded. "Jules! Even if I die, at least the city will be safer. I do not wish to end up like Hunter!" She glanced at the sheriff, who was staring at the ground."I choose to rid myself of it, and you must respect