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
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,
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
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
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.