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
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
In the morning, as I woke up and my vision cleared, I noticed a lizard on the ceiling directly above me. I may be a brave girl, but I have a fear of amphibians, particularly lizards, a condition known as Herpetophobia. I didn't mention this earlier because it's not something to be so proud of and brag about.Reacting quickly, I rolled to my right and hurriedly ran out of the room, screaming for my mom. "Lizard, Mom! A Lizard in my room!"She rushed toward me, concerned about what was happening. I explained to her that there was a lizard in my room, gesturing with my right hand to indicate its size, "It is this big!" I said, pointing my fingers to the ceiling and putting the other hand under my palm.Then a thought terrified me as I exclaimed, "What if the lizard was crawling all over me during the night?" I panicked.My mom, trying to calm me down, raised her voice and called out my name. "Julia!" she yelled."Stop and listen to me... I will take care of it!" She comforted me by pattin
I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Give in to me, you are mine!" He whispered.Every pore of me wanted me to scream 'Yes', to tell him that I would give myself to him willingly.His lips were only an inch away from mine. I closed my eyes, and he held my thigh as I opened my mouth to kiss him. I got close to him, and his claws sank into my leg, making me bleed, yet I didn't feel pain but rather pleasure.While in reality, I was crying with fear on my bed.I was shaking helplessly. My cries reached my mother's ears, and she rushed to my side, unlocking the door with a key. We were so close, but before our lips touched, I pulled back. Slowly lifting my eyes, I whispered. "I am not yours!"As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw my mother shaking me violently."Mom!" I hugged her and cried."It's alright, you are alright!" She rubbed my back.She rubbed my lap to comfort me, but instead, I let out a moan of discomfort."What happened?" She asked, her voice filled with concern.She glanced down
"That was just a dream!" I tried to excuse myself."Oh, but it was more than that, and you know it too!" she said."Mom!" I turned to my mom, wanting to leave."You are a ticking time bomb, on the verge of exploding! You need to accept that what you saw was not just a dream, but a reality more real than you can imagine!" she declared.I stood up and declared, "Enough! I may be a gentle person, truly I am, but you are constantly calling me a misfortune, ticking time bomb, or whatnot.Whether you believe it or not, I have self-respect!" With that, I walked out of her house.My mom looked at her with a sense of helplessness in her eyes. "This is why I cannot assist her because taming a 16-year-old is far more challenging than taming a wolf!" she stated."I want no part in it unless it is her choice." She turned her chair away. As my mother got up to leave the house, Green quietly said, "Don't push her; whatever has to happen has to happen by her own will."Next, we were planning to sta
It may sound absurd, but my history teacher, who is arguably the most attractive man in the school, only glanced at me once. "You're new..." he glanced at the register and continued, "Ms. Julia Murphy! Welcome to Shadowbrook!" He smiled, and from then on, he never looked at me again.I really liked that, not that I don't like being admired, but he is young and handsome yet he took his job so seriously, that was really impressive.Later in the cafeteria, Dominic came up to me at my table and handed me a rose. "I know this is cheesy, but I like to welcome new students!"There was something about him that would attract any girl, his amazing eyes, his messy black hair, his physique, his height! I took the rose and said, "Thank you!"Even though I didn't feel any romantic attraction toward him.Then we spotted Victoria, as she walked in, everyone's eyes were on her."Meet Victoria, the most popular girl in our school!" Jeniece winked.Victoria smirked and glanced at Dominic, I looked at Do
He approached me slowly, his movements uncertain. Suddenly, he jumped toward me, but before he could reach me, another wolf jumped on him from my left side, knocking him off balance.Reacting quickly, I stood up with my gaze fixed on this other wolf who saved me, his face was bright, and I retreated back into the safety of the house, closing the door behind me.Peeking through the side glass of the door, I witnessed the intense fight between the two wolves.They inflicted severe wounds to each other, their anger evident. Then, the wolf that had come to my aid lifted its head toward the sky and let out a haunting howl.This seemed to frighten the other wolf, causing it to flee. This second wolf disappeared into the bushes, and what I witnessed next was beyond my wildest imagination.I heard grunting noises, and as I looked on, the wolf stood upright on its hind legs.Its fur began to shed, and it turned and twisted in agonizing pain, transforming into a human figure.The darkness of th
Mr. Redwood eventually realized he had lost his control over his anger and had strayed out so he returned to his desk, turning his face away.His jaws were hurting, and he was breathing heavily, his pupils shrinking. He was on the verge of losing control.However, the student who had made fun of me stood up and sincerely apologized to Mr. Redwood, “I am sorry, it won’t happen again!”.This seemed to calm our teacher, and he turned around with a smile. "It's good that you take responsibility for your mistake," he said, allowing the student to return to his seat.This guy happened to be one of Dominic's friends. Speaking of Dominic, he didn't show up to school that day. I had no idea why he was absent, but I heard he was sick.After school, my friends and I gathered outside the building. Victoria had a plan to cheer me up."My mom is out of town for the next two days, so I'm throwing a party at my place tonight!" she exclaimed.I looked at her and then glanced down, smiling. "I'm not su
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