I woke up feeling sore, like I had been buried underground for years. I sat up stretching my arms, I slowly opened my eyes adjusting them to the brightly lit room. I'm in my room, wait what the hell happened—
That was when it hit me. Every memory from last night came flooding in, maybe a little too fast,making my head hurt. Was I dreaming? There's no way in hell last night happened. I jumped off my bed and ran to the bathroom.
What stared back at me wasn't the girl I knew. My skin was paler, my eyes glowed darker. And the bite marks.. They were there. It wasn't bleeding, but my veins simmered faintly silver. It's real.
I gripped the sink, what did he do to me? And then I heard it.
A voice. In my head. It was deep.
"You bled for me, little witch. You opened the door"I gasped, stumbling back.
"I am awake now… And I see you." I ran out of the bathroom and bumped into someone. I looked up, it was raven, my roommate.
"look who finally decided to show up"she said with her arms folded across her chest
"I'm—I'm sorry"I said running past her. I slammed the door behind me on getting to my room. I paced back and forth running my fingers through my hair. I was scared, I was terrified. My chest felt heavy. I sat on my bed with my head in my palms.
"I warned you,"the shadow whispered. "shut up"I whispered back
"You've woken him" "he knows you" "he sees you—"
"arghh! "I screamed, and the bulb glass exploded.
"anara"raven barges in and locks the door behind her. She walks over and sits beside me
"I should have known something was wrong the minute you disappeared from the party"
"I'm so sorry raven, you put in so much effort and yet i—"
"what happened?"I didn't know what to say,should I tell her? Should I not? Raven was the only one who knew my true identity, she only knows about me being a dark witch, she doesn't know about the shadows. She has been the sister I never had.
"I've done something really bad"
"calm down anara, I'm here"
"I've woken something that should have been kept locked away"
"What do you mean?"How do I explain something I don't understand?
"I just have a bad feeling raven"
"Are you sure nothing happened?"
"no"
"everything will be okay anara, you said ashveil girls weren't supposed to survive their eighteenth birthday right? You're just a bit tensed maybe"
"yeah maybe"
"go shower and get ready for class. I'm waiting."
"you go, I'll be long"
"I'll wait".
"Go save us seats, raven"she's reluctant but eventually gives in. I grab my towel and go to the bathroom.
The cool water slid down my spine like silk, washing away the heat clinging to my skin. With every drop, the tension melted from my shoulders, and my breathing finally slowed. I closed my eyes, letting the chill soothe the fire burning beneath my skin. I dried off my body once done and went straight to my room. I got dressed In a black Jean palazzo trouser and a black basic top. I brushed my hair allowing it to cover the bite marks then pack my bag and leave.
On getting to class, I saw the empty seat beside raven and made my way over.
"yay, you made it" she said and I gave a faint smile.
"Good morning class, today we'll be talking about the old history" just what I needed to hear. That was sarcasm by the way.
"Way back,vampires used blood bonds to enslave humans. The witches intervened and cursed them. That the next time they bond with a mortal, they'd be bound for eternity. They call it the crimson binding curse" I've never heard of it. I raised my hand
"yes anara" the teacher responded, turning his attention to me
"What do you mean, bound for eternity?"
"good question. The vampire and the mortal become one. They feel the same things, if the mortal dies, the vampire dies, do you get it now?" I nodded.
"Mr. Drunken, are hybrids real?"another student asks
"Indeed they are. Hybrids are offspring born of two different supernatural beings. There are vampires and werewolves, even vampires and demons, but that is the most rare."
"So do they still exist?"I asked again
"it is said that they have been sealed for decades"
"why were they sealed?"I was becoming curious
"the ruinborn legacy. A hybrid from the vortigern bloodline was born and a prophecy came that a ruinborn child would bring about nightfall reckoning, he was the ruinborn child and the last of their kind" The bell rings dismissing the class.
"today's history class wasn't bad"raven said as we walked down the hallway
"yeah"we went to train later then I decided to take a walk. Once I felt tired I decided to go back to my dorm. The hallway was quiet. Too quiet. I paused
Something was off.
The shadows along the far wall didn't match the angle of the light. They moved slightly even if nothing else did.
Then I saw him. Just for a second.
A man—tall,Bare chested,black eyes glowing faintly red—stood at the end of the hall, half-shrouded in shadow. His hair fell over his face.
Our eyes meet.
And my breath caught, my knees almost giving out. He didn't speak, didn't move, just.. Watched. And then in a blink, he was gone.
The hallway was empty again. I exhale. I made it to my room and went straight to the shower.
I pressed my forehead to the cool wall, eyes closed. This isn't real. This isn't real.
"you're mine now,"the echo whispered. I stayed under the water long after the bite stopped throbbing, until my fingers wrinkled and my heart stopped racing. Until I felt a little less like a prey and more like a girl still in control of her own story….. Even if it was a lie.