Dressed in a loose hoodie and a baggy jean pant, Hazel descended the stairs slowly.
"Good morning Riley... " She greeted softly, striding towards the dinning table.
"Morning, darling. Didn't sleep well again?" Riley asked, eyeing the dark circles beneath Hazel's eyes while she spread peanut butter over a slice of bread.
Hazel nodded tiredly. She sighted Chris seated on the couch, his gaze locked on her face as though he was trying to confirm something.
"I guess I was studying last night and must've fallen asleep afterwards... I can't even remember when. Maybe it's the fever messing with my head," Hazel said, stifling a yawn.
Her gaze darted towards Chris, he gave her a warm smile then faced forward.
Hazel let out a small sigh of relief.
Though Chris had erased every trace of how he sank his fangs into those women's necks and Riley's too—the memories still lingered vividly in her mind. That night, when she returned to her room, sleep had refused to come until morning.
Chris didn't know that she remembered... that she knew what he was. But lately, she could feel it in his eyes—the subtle way he watched her, the flicker of suspicion in his voice.
And as much as she tried to act normal, Hazel couldn't shake the fear that one day, Chris would find out.
"Let me go get some drugs for you," Riley said then head upstairs.
Hazel took out some fruits from the nylon bag and drop them into a bowl. Carrying it to the kitchen, she began rinsing them under the tap.
Hazel heard the faint sound of footsteps behind her. She spun around and froze.
Chris stood in the doorway, his expression unreasonable.
"What do you think of my offer, Hazel? Don't you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked softly.
"You already have one," Hazel replied calmly. "So please, stop asking me to be your girlfriend."
"I'm not interested in Riley anymore," Chris said coldly, his gaze fixed on her face. "You should know the real reason I always stop by... so we could spend the night together."
Hazel's jaw tightened. "I don't think you're normal," She said, her voice low and trembling with anger. "If I were Riley, I wouldn't stoop so low as to date a shameless man like you."
Her hands trembled as she picked up the bowl of fruits. "Do you think you'll keep seeing me here forever? One day, you won't—because I refuse to stay and look at your face every day." Hazel said then turned to leave, but Chris suddenly grabbed her wrist. His grip was so tight it made her eyes sting with tears.
"Even if you run far away, " he muttered, a cold smile curving his lips, "I'll find you."
Hazel stumbled back as he released her, her chest pounding violently.
Without another word, she rushed out of the kitchen.
"Here are the drugs, you can take them at school," Riley said as she came down the stairs.
Reaching the dinning table, she picked up Hazel's bag and slipped the tablets inside.
"Thank you so much, Riley. I'll be on my way now," Hazel said softly, setting the bowl of fruits on the table with care.
"You should wait and have breakfast first, " Riley insisted.
Hazel shook her head. "I have lectures this morning," she said calmly. "Bye, Riley."
Riley sighed as she watched Hazel leave. There was something distant about her lately—something she couldn't quite place. The way Hazel smiled now felt... forced, as if she was holding back a storm behind her calm eyes. Though Hazel had told her last night that she might be coming down with a fever, Riley couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else—something Hazel wasn't telling her.
Outside, Hazel stepped into the crisp morning air, clutching her bag close to her chest. The streets were quiet except for the faint hum of passing cars. Her thoughts, however, were anything but quiet. Chris's words form earlier replayed in her head like an echo she couldn't silence.
"Even if you run far away, I'll find you."
She swallowed hard, her steps quickening.
She wished she could tell Riley the truth—but how could she? Who would believe her if she said Chris wasn't human and keeps threatening her to go out with him?
The words Chris had said today were the same ones her father had spoken the day she tried to run away from him.
Just the thought of seeing her father again made Hazel's skin crawl—especially after the dream she'd had last night. The way he had killed her mother replayed in her mind like a nightmare she couldn't escape.
There hadn't been a trace of remorse in his eyes. Instead, he'd smiled—calling out to her sweetly, as if he hadn't just taken a life. That image burned her eyelids, a twisted memory she wished she could erase.
With the way he had slaughtered her mother, Hazel couldn't help but believe that if he ever got another chance... he'd kill her too.
The thought alone made her heart clenched in fear.
As she neared the bus stop, a cold breeze brush against her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. Hazel turned around instinctively, her eyes scanning the street. No one was there. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
******
••WEXFORD COLLEGE••
As Hazel stepped into the school building, she spotted Ava and Skylar from a distance. They seemed to be scanning a sheet of paper pinned to the wall, searching for their names.
Ava was the first to notice Hazel. She tugged at Skylar's dress and pointed in Hazel's direction.
"Hazel!!!" they both screamed at once, rushing toward her before pulling her into a tight hug.
"You— you guys are going to crush me!" Hazel gasped, struggling to breathe. Her protest made them burst into laughter as they reluctantly let go.
"So sorry, my sweet, nerdy little baby," Skylar said with exaggerated pout, making Ava giggle beside her.
"Whatever," Hazel muttered tiredly. "What were you guys doing over there?" She asked curiously.
"We had an exam last week, so we just wanted to see our scores," Skylar muttered dryly.
"And unfortunately, Skylar's name didn't appear because she submitted a blank sheet—while i scored thirty!" Ava chirped proudly, a wide grin spreading across her face.
"That's not something to be proud of, Ava," Hazel said with a faint frown. "Besides, i already expected that from Skylar. It's not the first time she'd done that."
Skylar let out a chuckle. "Yeah, yeah, that's me," she said with a shrug. "It was just some useless math exam. Find the value of y, find x... blah, blah, blah—like I even know where x and y went to!" She added, her tone dripping with irritation.
"Maybe if you had studied, you'd know where x and y went to!" Hazel shot back with a playful glare as she started toward her dorm, Skylar and Ava trailed behind.
"Oh? What has aunt Riley been feeding you lately?" Ava asked, feigning shock. "You've gotten so sharp-tongued!"
"Wow your boobs are growing," Skylar said bluntly, earning a scandalized look from Hazel before she reached over and gave Hazel's boobs a teasing squeeze.
"You—! " Hazel yelped, her face flushing a deep red as she glanced around nervously. "You're so shameless! Can't you see people are staring?!" she whisper yelled.
Ava burst into laughter while Skylar only grinned mischievously, clearly proud of herself.
"I heard we're getting a new transfer student today! I can't wait to see him!" Ava said excitedly, her voice dripping with curiousity.
Skylar gave her a light knock on the head.
"You only think about guys," she teased before turning to Hazel. "Come on, let's hurry to class—i can't wait to see the new student myself!"
Without waiting for a reply, Skylar grabbed Hazel's hand and darted toward the classroom, dragging Ava along with them.
*****
"Alright everyone settle down, we have a new student so we would like to hear a little introduction from him," The teacher said aloud and the classroom became quiet.
A guy walked into the classroom, his short blonde hair tousled neatly to the side.
"Hello, I'm Xavier Grayson," he said, his voice low and distant. "Nice to meet you all,"
His gaze swept across the room before finally landing on Hazel. The moment their eyes met, a strange chill ran through her. Xavier began walking forward, when he reached her desk, Hazel's breath hitched. For a brief moment, she thought he might stop beside her. But he didn't. Without a word, he walked past her desk as though she didn't exist and took the seat behind her.
Hazel swallowed hard, her pulse still racing. She didn't know why—but something about him felt... strange.