The moment Bella opened the door to her dorm room, she knew she was in trouble.
Elara shot up from her bed so quickly she knocked over her bedside table. Her eyes were wide and rimmed with worry, they were also bloodshot like she'd been crying.
"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded, in a sharp and trembling voice.
The door clicked shut behind Bella.
"I—I was out," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Elara stared at her in disbelief. "Out? For six hours? Without your phone??" Each question mounting with more pressure.
"I've been looking everywhere for you! I went to the cafeteria twice, I went to the sit out area, I went to the studio, I went to the playground, I even went to the old toilets looking for you! The only part of this school my legs didn't touch today was the boy's hostel.
Do you have any idea how scared I was?"
Bella opened her mouth to apologize, but Elara wasn't finished.
"I thought something happened to you!" she cried. "You can't just disappear like that Bella. You're not even supposed to be walking alone just yet. This place is different. You don't know anyone, you barely know the campus... and you just left?"
Her voice broke on the last word, and Bella felt guilt wrap tight around her chest. She took a hesitant step forward, unsure of how much she could say without revealing everything that had transpired that afternoon.
"I didn't mean to worry you," she said. "I met these boys after my painting class, Killian, then Luca. I had this crazy conversation with Luca then he offered to show me some of his paintings. I guess we lost track of time there." she concluded, scratching her head.
Elara folded her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Luca?"
"Yeah. He's in my painting class."
"I know who Luca is," she said. "He's also one of the creepiest guys in this school. And you've known him for what, 1 hour? 2 hours? 3? And you followed him to see his paintings? Common Bella"
"It wasn't like that," Bella murmured.
"No?" Elara shot back. "Because it looks a lot like you're getting caught up in something you don't understand."
Bella didn't respond.
With a sigh, Elara sank back onto her bed and dragged a hand through her curls. Her voice was quieternow.
"I just don't get it," she said. "You've just started here. You complained that this school is strange to you. The least you could do is be low-key at least till you find your footing. But no you're already out there… hanging out with boys?"
The way she said "boys" landed like an accusation. Bella flinched, even though Elara's tone wasn't angry anymore.
"It wasn't like that," she repeated, more softly this time
"Then what was it like, Bella?"
Bella stared at the floor. "I don't know."
Keep away from that Luca boy, we don't know what he is yet. Killian should be better company at least from what I know about him.
Then Elara stood and quietly slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
---
The quiet that followed was worse than any shouting.
Bella sat still on her bed, her legs tucked under her, staring at the wall. Elara's words echoed in her mind.
You're already out there… hanging out with boys?
It wasn't said out of judgment. It was said out of concern. Fear, even. Like Elara didn't recognize the person Bella was turning into.
Maybe she didn't either.
She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, guilt swirling in her stomach.
Her mother's voice rose in her mind, stern and certain.
"Focus on your studies and stay away from boys"
She'd nodded back then, even promised her. but deep down she'd known the truth. She didn't trust herself. It didn't even take Luca any much effort to win her.
That was the same thing that happened the last time.
Liam.
Just remembering his name made her chest tighten.
He was a smooth talker and very charming. Which girl could resist him?
And of all the girls in the school he made her feel most special.
Liam was the first boy I ever liked, she thought to herself. I let myself go completely in love with him.
Gave every single thing he asked of her, even my virginity.
Even that wasn't enough for him, he wanted nudes too.
I gave in. And here I am now, stuck in this strange school away from mum, away from home…
I had promised myself I'd never let that happen again.
And yet… here I was. Days into a new school, and already I've let her guard down for a boy, A BOY!
She buried her face into her pillow and groaned.
I shouldn't have gone to see his paintings. Shouldn't have stayed. Shouldn't have let myself feel… anything.
The kiss haunted her.
What was wrong with me?
Am I really that desperate for connection? For validation?
Tears prickedher eyes, but she blinked them away, clutching the blanket as if it could keep everything out.
No more Luca.
No more Killian.
No more getting pulled into anyone else's orbit.
I am not here for that. I have to stay focused. Keep my head down.
From this moment on, only things I allow would happen. That was it.
She reached for the light switch, turned it off, and curled beneath the covers.
---
Bella's limbs were heavy. Her chest rose and fell slowly as she drifted in that hazy space between sleep and wakefulness. One minute she was curled up in her bed, blanket tangled around her legs, and the next, she could feel the strangest breeze blowing.
A distant but strange sound, crept into her consciousness.
A melody.
Soft and sorrowful.
It didn't sound like anything she'd heard before. No instrument she could name. Just a haunting string of notes that felt… alive. It danced just beyond reach, tugging gently at her soul like a whisper in her bones.
Suddenly, she opened her Eyes4.
But it wasn't her room.
She was standing at the edge of a forest.
The trees were impossibly tall, with ancient trunks, their leaves were silver under the light of a full, impossibly bright moon. The wind brushed her hair gently behind her shoulders as if inviting her forward.
The melody called again.
Closer now.
She took a step. Then another. Her feet were bare, the forest floor soft beneath them, moss and soil welcoming her as if she belonged here.
That was when she heard the cry.
A small, broken sob. A teenage boy's.
Bella's heart clenched. She quickened her pace, weaving between the trees, guided more by instinct than sight. Her breath fogged in the cool night air, but she didn't stop. Something deeper than just curiosity pulled her forward.
She found him by a shallow stream, kneeling at the water's edge.
He looked no older than 17. His hair was pale and fell in messy waves over his face, and his shoulders trembled as he wept. A faint bluish glow surrounded him like the light of the moon had chosen him as its vessel.
"Are you hurt?" Bella called gently, kneeling a few steps in front of him.
The boy stopped crying. Slowly, he lifted his head and turned to look at her.
His eyes were silver.
Not any other shade, but silver
He stared at her like she was something holy. Something lost and now found.
"You came," he whispered.
Bella's breath caught. "Do you know me?"
He nodded once. "I've waited so long."
She took a step closer. "What's your name?"
But the boy didn't answer. Instead, he rose to his feet and walked toward her, barefoot like her. When he stopped in front of her, he reached out with shaking fingers and brushed her wrist.
"You don't remember," he said softly. "But I do."
Bella swallowed, heart pounding. "Remember what?"
The boy tilted his head, studying her face. "You were different before. Braver. You walked with the shadows. You kept the moon in your blood."
"What are you talking about?" she asked, voice trembling.
He stepped back, eyes growing wide as if realizing something.
"You don't know who you are yet." His voice lowered. "But you will."
Then he said it.
"Moonblood."
The name struck her like lightning.
The world paused around her, Light flared behind the boy, and then, everything disappeared
---
Bella bolted upright in her bed, gasping.
She was drenched in sweat, her heart racing so fast it hurt. She looked around.
She was back in her dorm room.
Morning light spilled in through the curtain. She could also hear the voices of the birds singing away
It was morning.
And It was over.
Except…
It wasn't.
She touched her wrist, the one the boy had touched in the dream.
It tingled, feeling really warm in it's wake.
Then she remembered everything. It was indeed real
The forest. The boy. His silver eyes. The melody. That name.
Moonblood.