That night I couldn't sleep. I was tossing restlessly on my bed. Beth was still not back. I wondered if Solstice was not yet over. The time on my phone was a quarter pass 12 midnight.
Relax, Night Carter, I tried to soothe myself. Harmon is a Tishian Vamp and he will never hurt Peach. After all it's not their first meeting in the woods.
Suddenly I saw Peach's face and then a trail of blood. And just as suddenly as it had appeared, the vision swiftly disappeared. I sat up in cold sweat. Without thinking, I tied my hair and hurriedly slipped on a hooded overcoat atop the flimsy nightdress I was wearing.
I walked to the window, noiselessly slide it open and wondered how I was to let myself down since our room was on the topmost floor of the Dormitory Wing.
I must have been fussing over the window for a couple of minutes , shaking my head in frustration. My eyes darted furtively across the room and landed on a rope coiled beside Beth's bed. I grabbed it wordlessly and tied it to the window silt.
Of course my inexperience manifested the moment I slide onto the rope. It loosened instantly and I found myself flung mercilessly to the ground. I did not break my neck. I did not shout. But I had landed with so much force that when I touched my head, I felt a rising bump. And my back ached so violently it was taking sheer will not to cry out in pain. I lay down like a sack of corn while my eyes surveyed the surroundings.
I was outside the building but not outside the gates of The Academy. Even from where I lay half dead from my fall, I could see the big shiny padlock on the huge gates. That was definitely not my exit route.
The Academy was as still as a graveyard. I wondered whether the night crickets did not chirp here. I got up slowly and picked up the treacherous rope then I spitefully folded it and flung it into my pocket.
The walls were not as huge as the gates. Soon I found myself outside the walls. Without another fall mercifully.
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The woods were dark and definitely creepy and I had stupidly come without a torchlight. The moon sat radiant above but the trees were so thick together it practically obscured most of the moonlight.
After walking aimlessly for a couple of seconds, I stood to think.
Why had I come to the woods tonight. Somehow I thought my presence here would save Peach. What if I was wrong. What if Peach was already dead and the monster was creeping slowly behind me.
I turned back in fright. And saw nothing but trees and creepy darkness.
I was only a Dark Magian. Cursed with unalluring visions of death and gloom. I could not effectively manifest the littlest spell without a Grimoire. I was not part beast, part human. Which literally translated to the fact that I was a feeble human who could easily be crushed and snuffed out like a helpless candle.
Suddenly I heard a loud howl and my feet did not wait to be told to run. I ran breathlessly and blinding, bumping into trees and shrubs and falling twice flat on my face.
The next thing I bumped into was not a tree. It was fluffy and furry and though my hands comfortably caressed the fur, it was red and bright, my eyes looked up and I found myself staring into the eyes of a wolf. Except of course this wolf was standing upright like a man and was actually much taller than I was.
It did not make the open fangs and the claws any comfort. I was staring at a werewolf.
Well the shock was enough to trigger my adrenaline. Nothing came out from my throat though, it seemed like fear had snuffed out my voice . My mouth was open and hanging but I could not cry out. My feet was mobile though. I turned to flee.
I ran again. But the footsteps behind me were faster and somehow I found myself pinned to a tree , the buttons of my overcoat blown out in all the chaos and my feeble nightdress trying so hard to cover what was left of my frightened, human flesh.
The werewolf had his claws on my neck. It was not rough , surprisingly. It did not hurt but it was firm enough to assure me I was just a helpless human. It let out a loud howl and then dropped me to the ground like a bag of wheat.
I lay half dead and tangled in all my helplessness. The werewolf bent down to stare at me and the next thing I saw, I was staring at the face of Jordan Files. The transformation was swift . His frozen eyes stared at me amusedly and there were traces of laughter on his face.
"Not funny" I fumed with all the dignity I had left.
"Assuredly not funny" He smiled like the ass that he was. He stretched out a hand to help him up.
I slapped his hand away . "I am fine. " I snapped and painfully made it to my feet. But the moment I stood up, my eyes swooned, my head felt dizzy and alas, my readers, I collapsed into the outstretched hands of Jordan Files.
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I awakened to the warmth of a strange room. I was lying on something soft, a bed that was just as unfamiliar as the room I was in. When my eyes hovered around, I found out that I was in a tent. But it had signs of occupancy. There was a wooden box half open, with heaps of clothes kissing the floor. There were pans and pots and a little stove at the extreme corner. I got up slowly, noticed the shiny table and the piles of books and a mirror and a hairbrush on it. I frowned. I remember collapsing into the repugnant arms of that asshole, Jordan Files. Where on earth had he dumped my body. It was still night. There was no clock to tell me the exact time but as I opened the flabby tent door, I stared back into pitch darkness and could hear the chirping of crickets and the wail of night frogs.
I closed the door and when I turned back to face the room, I froze to see Jordan Files seated on the bed with a half smile on his face.
"How are you feeling?" He asked listlessly as if his ability to disappear and appear was to be accepted without preamble and without a sense of shock.
"Dont sneak up on me like that" I spat out instead, working my face into a mask of anger.
"Sneak up on you?" He appeared genuinely surprised "Girl, you are in my space "
"You live here?" I rolled my eyes.
"Sometimes" He shrugged.
"And the other times?" I wondered loudly
"I live amongst humans " He smiled.
"A pity for us" I said icily.
"What were u doing out in the woods at late night " One minute he was seated on the bed, the next minute he was only inches away from my face. I took two steps back and placed a hand out to stop him from manifesting any step closer.
"I should be asking you that " I said flatly.
"I am a werewolf, Night Carter" He laughed. As if that explained everything.
"I am human" I retorted.
"And humans" He stared at me intently with his ice cold eyes "take their sleep at night"
"I was out to save Peach" I said with a bogus sense of pride. Only then did I remember my visions and why I had actually come out to the dangerous woods this night. I froze. Shit. What if Peach was already dead and I was here, restrained by this non human stalker. What if Jordan Files was actually the monster and he has actually killed Peach before I bumped into him. Werewolves killed people in the woods, didn't they ?
"I am not the monster in your visions " He said flatly. And for the hundredth time since I knew him, I wondered why on Earth he could read my mind. I could not know his littlest thoughts unless he voiced them out and yet I could not think something small without him deciphering it as if I was an open book.
"Can you stop doing that Mindcraft with me " I nearly yelled. "Stop reading my mind, you wolfish stalker"
He seemed amused by my outburst. Typical of him . And just like I expected, he shook his head and muttered "feeble human".
I turned to leave. To continue my hopeless mission of saving Peach. And within me I secretly hoped Jordan would volunteer to accompany me because, stalker or not, he had certain abilities I didn't have and yes, he wasn't human . Which meant he couldn't be snuffed out like a wretched candle.
Read that too, you dumbass , I muttered to myself.
He was in front of me in a flash.
"Can I walk you to your death?" He shrugged "The woods is not safe for a fickle human. And yes, your friend and her Tishian Vamp are strolling casually a few feet away from here. We could watch them silently while you soothe your conscience, Miss Defender of the universe"
I fumed but the retort forming in my throat disappeared the moment I saw that Jordan was no longer standing there. I looked around the room and saw that I was all alone. I got frightened and the tears actually tickled down my face.
"I am out here, Flamehead " I heard his voice just outside the door.
Wiping my tears, I hurried out of the room and saw Jordan standing calmly outside.
"Don't disappear on me next time" I warned him with all my fears and fright put together.
He held my hand tightly and although I inwardly protested, it felt like comfort of a kind and together we drifted further into the woods.