Chapter 4

~ Aria's POV ~

I kept trembling as their eyes remained fixed on me. They didn’t look away, and that made my heart pound loudly in my chest. I have never been this scared in all my nineteen years on earth.

I had every reason to be afraid—because I was surrounded by monsters I thought only existed in storybooks. If I wanted to live a long life, I needed to get out of this place before I became their next meal.

These werewolves might feed on my flesh, and the vampires would feed on my blood. As their eyes stayed focused on me, I stepped backward slowly, and the moment my hand touched the doorknob, I bolted, running as fast as I could.

I didn’t know where I was going. All I knew was that I was running through a hallway that seemed to stretch endlessly—until Miss Hellcat, the cartoon-like lady I had nicknamed, suddenly appeared in front of me.

I screamed so loudly that I landed harshly on my butt, nearly twisting my wrist.

“Going somewhere, my darling?” she asked with a smile.

I stood up from the ground, anger burning in my eyes. “What kind of school is this?” I demanded.

“Judging by your facial expression, you must've realized this is a school for supernatural beings,” she replied with a smile.

“Exactly! I didn’t even know these monsters existed until now! Why did you accept me into this school, knowing full well I’m human?” I snapped.

“Do you really think you are?” she asked with that same unsettling smile.

I furrowed my brows, trying to understand what she meant. I've always lived as a human—ate human food, bled when I get injured... maybe I should skip the part about being sick. I’ve never been sick. Not even once.

“I don’t belong here, Miss Hellcat. Call my mom and tell her to come pick me up. She must have thought this school was for troubled kids like me. This is a school for monsters, and I’m not one of them!” I shouted.

I was still trying to process the fact that I have just seen real vampires and werewolves.

“Your hair,” she began, and my eyes locked on hers. “Do you really think I believed your mom when she said you dyed it silver-white?”

I went speechless.

“I know it’s natural. You never dyed it silver-white.”

“Then why did you pretend to believe her?” I asked in a calmer tone. I’ve always been curious about my silver-white hair, but since I never got answers, I stopped wondering.

“Why don’t you find out why your hair is silver white—and why I accepted you into a school meant for supernatural beings?” she smiled.

“It’s because you’re crazy—and so is this school!” I snapped.

“I’m sure, with time, you’ll grow curious about who you really are,” she said, still smiling, which made me even more annoyed.

“I’m human, and there’s nothing to be curious about in a school filled with monsters,” I retorted and walked away.

My next goal was to call my mom and demand she come get me. I’d rather attend a school full of annoying girls and weirdos than be around literal monsters.

As I headed to my room, I passed some students. I had no idea if they were vampires, werewolves, incubuses, dragons, or witches—but I did my absolute best to hide from them.

If they were vampires and I being human, they wouldn’t hesitate to suck me dry. I’ve read plenty of stories about vampires being bloodthirsty monsters, and humans were always their targets.

When I was sure they were gone, I ran until I reached my room.

“Hi, roomie,” Callista said suddenly, making me scream and giving her a weird look.

“Why did you run off like that?” she asked, walking toward me.

“Don’t come any closer!” I shouted. I didn’t believe her before when she said she was a witch, but after seeing real vampires and werewolves, I finally did.

“Come on, Aria, I don’t bite,” she smiled.

“But you’re a witch, aren’t you?” I asked, swallowing hard.

“Yeah, I am—but I’ve got the weakest powers here,” she sighed. “Well, since you’re not a werewolf or vampire, are you a witch then? A siren? A demon? Ghoul?” She paused and licked her lips. “I don’t sense any power from you.”

“That’s because I’m human!” I snapped, then immediately got scared. What if she cast a spell on me and turned me into an old lady? Witches always did that in stories.

Callista stepped closer before I could stop her. My heart was in my throat as she touched my hair.

“If you’re human... why are you here?”

Her voice was gentle, giving me a sense that maybe she wouldn’t curse me after all.

“I don’t know either. My mom just brought me here in a twinkle of an eye, only for me to find out monsters like you exist.”

“We do exist. We try to blend in with humans. Even in Greystone Falls, there are people like us—you just never noticed. But here in Velmora, we’re free to be ourselves, as long as we don’t harm the few humans here.”

“Humans live here too?” I asked, sighing in relief. At least I wasn’t alone.

“Yes, a few. But not in Eclipse Academy—which makes it strange that Miss Hellcat accepted you here,” she said, eyeing my hair. “But your hair,” she added, running her long pink nails through it, “why would a human have such precious hair?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, grabbing her hand. “You have to help me leave. I don’t care if people like you live in Greystone Falls—at least there are more humans like me there. Please, I don’t belong here.”

She pulled her hand away and smiled. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you.”

“Why not?!” I nearly shouted.

“I’m a weak witch. I have limits. Talk to Miss Hellcat—she’s the one who brought you here.”

“I can’t! She’s insane! You said we’re friends, right? Please help me. I can’t stay here.”

“I’m sorry, Aria, but I can’t. I’ve got a witch party to crash. Wanna come?” she giggled, but I glared at her, and she nodded, getting the message.

“I’ll just go alone,” she mumbled, grabbing her pink coat with a grin before leaving.

I collapsed on the bed, confused. But there had to be a way out of this place.

I grabbed my phone and called my mom. It rang and rang—but she didn’t pick up.

“Fuck!” I screamed, nearly smashing my phone. Did my mom know what this school really was? And if she did... why would she send me here?

I felt betrayed—but no matter what, I am leaving this place. I packed my small backpack and headed to the window. I didn’t care about my luggage. This monster-filled school could keep it.

I opened the window and looked down. A small smile curved on my lips—it wasn’t too far from the ground. I jumped down, wincing when my knee scraped against the pavement.

It was late, but the sky was bright—the moon shining boldly over everything. I walked quietly through the vast school grounds, my fear increasing with every distant howl I heard.

Still, I didn’t stop. I reached the school gate—it was tall, but I managed to climb over it.

I walked through the streets of Velmora—a town I knew nothing about, yet somehow, it felt familiar. Like I was born here.

“Please help!” I cried, waving at a car that drove past me. Unfortunately for me, it stopped, and I rushed toward it, hopeful.

“Where are you going?” the man asked, rolling down the window.

“Greystone Falls,” I answered eagerly. I was finally leaving this cursed place. My mom will definitely get it for me real hot.

“I’m going there too. Hop in,” he offered with a smile.

“Thanks,” I laughed, but paused before opening the door.

“Are you a werewolf? Vampire? Dragon? Incubus? Wizard?” I asked, just to be safe.

“What’s that?” he replied.

“Nothing,” I chuckled nervously and got in. “Thanks a lot, mister. I won’t forget your kindness.” I smiled at him as he drove me to Greystone Falls.

He nodded with a smile. But then... I noticed something strange about him—he only had one ear.

That’s odd—for a human like me.

“Mister... where’s your other ear?” I asked quietly.

“My ear?” he repeated.

Then—suddenly—a truck came speeding toward us, and the last thing I remembered... was the truck hitting us.