Dominic was arguing, "I cannot allow him to force her into this!" he exclaimed.Then, a voice pierced the air, I recognized this voice; this was Jeniece. "Now you suddenly care about a girl you barely know? Where was this protective side of yours when you were forcing her into it?" she yelled.If I even had a little bit of trust left in friendship, Victoria's voice broke it. "This is not about me, Jeniece!" She said. "We must carefully consider our next move," she advised."It's too late for that!" Jeniece stormed out of the forest, "I'm gonna have to do something on my own," She mumbled on her way out.As Dominic switched on his flashlight, Victoria's gaze fell upon me."What are you doing here?" she asked, panic evident in her voice as she approached me."Stay away from me!" I was terrified, trembling uncontrollably. My friends had deceived me, and it was traumatizing. I turned away and attempted to flee, but I stumbled."Careful!" Dominic rushed toward me, almost reaching me when t
"Of course! Come in," he said, guiding me to his desk and offering me a glass of water.I broke down in front of him, sobbing uncontrollably. "I don’t know how to explain this," I said, covering my face with my hands.The sheriff waited patiently, letting me cry, giving me the time I needed to collect myself.Finally, gathering my courage, I spoke up. "Someone tried to rape me at the chapel," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. I looked up, meeting his gaze, my eyes pleading for understanding.Sheriff Scott’s face turned pale. "I am so sorry, Ms. Murphy, I am so sorry this happened to you," he said, rubbing his face with his hands, clearly distressed."Can you explain what exactly happened?" he asked gently.I knew I had to lie, at least until I learned the whole truth. So I began with a deep breath, "Dominic and I went to the Chapel for ghost hunting," I said."We got separated, and I ended up in the chapel. I was mesmerized by that place, so I somehow reached the center of
Oh my! Goosebumps spread all over my body. Victoria, just turn around and head to your class. You don't want to ruin this one and only chance!I told myself and paced toward the class, stumbling and sometimes stepping on my own toes.In the class, our teacher, Mr. Evan Redwood, stood there before us, teaching us about the history. He was even more attractive than Dominic, but for me, only Dominic was the one who made my heart pound like a drumbeat. However, his knowledge was even more captivating than Dominic's for me.I turned around and quickly made my way toward the classroom, stumbling and occasionally stepping on my own toes. Inside the classroom, our teacher, Evan Redwood, stood before us, captivating us with his lesson on history. As the class settled into their seats, Mr. Redwood began with "Ladies and gentlemen, today we delve into one of the most fascinating eras in history—the Renaissance," his voice carrying a hint of excitement."A time of rebirth, creativity, and cultur
"Mom, you were right! I always wondered why I was going through all of this, but now I understand. As a reward very handsome guy asked me out at a party tonight!" I exclaimed, bouncing on my toes.Her eyes welled up with tears at my happiness.That evening, I dressed modestly, going for a loose pink shirt and leaving my hair down.I was too shy to wear anything revealing, so I tucked my hair behind my ear and headed to the address I needed to visit.Upon arriving at the house, I noticed it was completely dark. A shadowy figure ran inside with a candle in hand."Dominic?" I called out as I entered.Suddenly, I felt another figure approaching from behind. I turned around, only to be startled by a person in a grizzly bear costume leaping at me.I let out a scream and fell to the ground, realizing it was just a prank as I felt the fur.However, I soon realized there were multiple people in costumes surrounding me.Before I could react, a man's voice echoed through the room, "Hey!" he ente
After two days had passed, most people seemed unbothered by my disappearance, except for my mother, who loved and cared for me deeply.Posters of me were plastered everywhere, but it wasn't until two days of silence that I felt a sudden rush of air being forced back into my body.I awoke to find myself under a tree in a cave with an opening above, still dressed only in my undergarments.I could hear a woman's voice reciting a mysterious and poetic incantation."Vitam revocare ex tenebris,In lucem etiam redire.Anima revirescit,Mortem devictam sentire."Every inch of my being throbbed with pain as my wound slowly began to heal, causing the skin around it to stretch uncomfortably.The broken bones in my body shifted back into place, mending themselves.I couldn't help but moan and squirm, overwhelmed by a mix of confusion, restlessness, and unease.As the sensations faded, tears welled up in my eyes, dampening my hair.I reached out to touch the ground, trying to figure out where I wa
"You have such captivating gray eyes, and that eyeliner looks absolutely stunning on you!" She complimented me, gently turning me toward the mirror.I was dressed in a vibrant yellow tank top, paired with a stylish jeans jacket and white pants. With my high heels, I felt like a completely different person from my past self.As we were halfway through our conversation, we spotted you with your skateboard.That was the day we first encountered you, and Jeniece whispered to me, "This is the girl!"Befriending you became our first mission. I had always been used by people I met in the past, which is why I made a promise to myself to never get too close to anyone, no matter what.But things changed, and I started to develop a deep affection for you. I considered you as my own sister.Because you were kind to me, no one has ever been that kind to me before.And about the dark lord, I thought that he wanted to love and protect you. I couldn't imagine in my darkest dreams that his intentions
"You have such captivating gray eyes, and that eyeliner looks absolutely stunning on you!" She complimented me, gently turning me toward the mirror.I was dressed in a vibrant yellow tank top, paired with a stylish jeans jacket and white pants. With my high heels, I felt like a completely different person from my past self.As we were halfway through our conversation, we spotted you with your skateboard.That was the day we first encountered you, and Jeniece whispered to me, "This is the girl!"Befriending you became our first mission. I had always been used by people I met in the past, which is why I made a promise to myself to never get too close to anyone, no matter what.But things changed, and I started to develop a deep affection for you. I considered you as my own sister.Because you were kind to me, no one has ever been that kind to me before.And about the dark lord, I thought that he wanted to love and protect you. I couldn't imagine in my darkest dreams that his intentions
"Anything!" They spoke at once."Not now, I'll let you know when the time comes," I exclaimed.As I glanced at the time displayed on my phone, a sense of urgency washed over me. "I must go see Mr. Redwood immediately. His grandmother and her caretaker were tragically murdered last night!" I exclaimed, rushing, making my way out.Victoria's eyes widened in shock, exclaiming, "Oh my God!"Dominic was equally shaken, replied, "I had no idea either!"Upon returning to the house, I noticed that Mr. Redwood's car was parked outside. I approached his door and knocked. He emerged from inside and fixed his gaze on me as if he had witnessed something both dreadful and captivating at once. His eyes mirrored the conflicting emotions he was experiencing.Despite his previous promise to himself to never see me again, the heart has a way of longing for what it desires.He made way for me by leaving the door open and stepping with his back against the door.As I entered, it felt as though we were mee
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
Afterward, we left the cafe, not to return to town but to meet the sheriff's friend. He drove us closer to Shadowbrook, eventually pulling over in front of a large bungalow.The bungalow, tucked away in the corner of the town, has its architecture a blend of simple charm and unique elegance. Tall, arched windows lined the front, allowing glimpses of the warmly lit interior. The exterior was covered in old stone and dark wood, giving it an inviting yet chilling appearance.A broad porch wrapped around the front, with sturdy columns supporting the overhanging roof. Vines climbed the stone walls, and the soft glow of lanterns illuminated the pathway leading to the entrance.Large oak trees framed the property, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze, adding to the safe and peaceful environment. The garden was beautifully maintained, with neatly trimmed hedges and an arrangement of colorful flowers that stood in contrast to the surroundings. A stone driveway curved gracefully up to the
"No!" Scott snapped. He walked over to our car, noted the number, and made a call. His next words left us all in shock, except for Luna. "Listen to me very carefully! I need you to do something big this time. It is a matter of life and death. The number I just gave you, I need you to shift its locations through all CCTV footage, and also alter the memories of this car throughout Shadowbrook.Oh, yeah! One more thing! Visit the secret back entrance of the Li Lake, collect the blood samples, and start working on searching for him right away!” He then hung up and turned to Luna.Luna's eyes narrowed. "Who did you call? What is going on?"Scott sighed. "We need to leave immediately."“You all are coming with m,e and no, I am not asking!” He almost commanded and entered his car. So with no time to argue, we piled into the car. He drove us to a decent little café located away from Shadowbrook. It was a place I had never been to before. We all settled down at a table in the corner, and he k
Victoria tried again, this time shouting "Confractus." Unfortunately, the boulder remained unaffected, but the strong force of the spell threw Victoria back with great power.Thankfully, Dominic was quick to react and caught her before she could fall. Confused and frustrated, Victoria exclaimed, "I don't understand! This should have worked!" Meanwhile, Luna retrieved the phone from the pool, and we decided to explore our surroundings in the hopes of finding an alternative route.However, our disappointment grew as we realized that there was no other way to go. Desperate for answers, I looked at everyone and asked, "If he's not here, where could they have taken him? We need to find a way out of here!" As we looked up toward the opening at the top, the moon shone brightly, casting a beautiful glow that captivated my gaze.Dominic also had his eyes fixed on the scene, but then Victoria, filled with curiosity, glanced at me before looking up. She wanted to see what had captured my att
At first, I stared at her, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. After a moment, I shook my head. "I'm completely lost right now, but this is not important right now... what is important is that we have to find him. No matter if he's a vampire, a Lycan, or even a gremlin, we'll save him!" I finally breathed a sigh of relief."Gremlin? Seriously?" Victoria sniggered.However, the fear of losing him again was still in my mind. "But how are we going to find him?" Victoria asked, her confusion evident on her face."We'll do what detectives do! We'll go to the crime scene!" I declared, but Luna interrupted me."You kids stay right where you are. I'll inform Asco!" She pulled out her phone, but I grabbed her hand."I just found him. I can't just sit around and wait for another problem to tear us apart!" I looked into her eyes, pleading with her."Besides, he reached out to me. He needs me!" I convinced her.I turned my head toward Dominic. "Are you coming?" I asked, hoping he would join us.