The school halls felt different. Tense. As if an unspoken warning was in the air.
Jaytee stood in the shadows near the lockers, his gaze fixed on Nora from a distance. She hadn't spoken to him in days. Hadn't even looked at him. But she wasn't just avoiding him, she was
avoiding everyone.
Her shoulders were stiff, her head slightly lowered, as if she was carrying the weight of a secret too big for her to handle.
And Jaytee, he knew exactly what that secret was.
His hands clenched at his sides. If she talked… if she told anyone what she had seen….His stomach twisted, he wasn't comfortable with the whole situation at all.
She wouldn't, he told himself. She couldn't. No one would believe her.
And yet, fear still sat at his insides. Because Nora wasn't just keeping quiet, she was acting like a girl who wanted to talk but didn't know how. And that made her dangerous.
Nora had to remember the previous night, she heard a sharp knock against the window, and it made Nora jerk upright in bed, her pulse hammering in her ears. Her breath caught.
She stared at the window, her chest tightening.
"No. Not again" She whispered, and there was another knock.
Hesitant, heart thudding, she forced herself out of bed, tiptoeing towards the window, her fingers trembling as she reached for the curtain.
She yanked it aside as she recognized a familiar face peering back at her.
"Emma?!" she hissed, yanking open the window. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Emma swung one leg inside and climbed in with absolutely no shame.
"I had to come," she said, dramatically brushing dust off her jeans. "You are not going to believe what I found out."
Nora shut the window, throwing her a glare. "You're insane."
Emma flopped onto the bed, unbothered. "So, I did a deep dive, like, a real deep dive, on some historical records, and you know what I found?"
Nora crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Let me guess. Vampires?, Witches?"
Emma's eyes lit up. "Yes! But not just any vampires, bloodline vampires."
Nora sighed, rubbing her temples. "For real Emma?!"
"Listen, okay? This isn't just some dumb internet theory. There were actual records of powerful vampire families, some of them dating back centuries. And guess what?" Emma leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "They are real!" She said lifting her both hands in excitement.
Nora's blood ran cold. Her mouth went dry.
She forced out a laugh. "That's ridiculous."
Emma sat back, arms crossed. "Is it? Because last time I checked, you ran out of class like you saw a ghost. What aren't you telling me, Nora?"
Nora turned away. "Nothing."
Emma huffed. "Fine, keep your secrets. But if you did see something… just know, I believe you. You can talk to me for anything "
Nora swallowed hard. She wished she could unsee what she had seen.
Because the more she thought about it, the more real and scary it became.
And the more real it became… the less safe she felt.
Nora looked down at her book, recalling everything, every single piece of information Emma had given her. She knew Emma had told the truth and she had seen it.
People were whispering. She could feel their eyes on her.
It wasn't just paranoia. Something was wrong.
Ben, the guy who had locked her earlier, leaned against the lockers, his gaze sharp as he watched her.
When she walked past, he smirked. "Yo, Nora."
She stiffened. He pushed off the locker, stepping into her path.
"You've been looking a little… distracted lately."
Nora forced herself to stay calm. "Move, Ben."
He chuckled. "Relax. I was just wondering, what's got you so jumpy these days?"
She met his gaze, heart hammering. Like he knew. Maybe not the full truth, but enough to suspect something.
Ben leaned in slightly, voice lowering. "I mean, you've been avoiding Jaytee like the plague. That's kinda weird, don't you think?"
M
Nora swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Ben smirked. "Sure you don't."
Then he walked away, leaving her standing there, cold dread creeping into her bones.
Later That Night, Jaytee stormed inside, his eyes burning as he slammed the door behind him.
Adel barely glanced up from her seat, casually flipping through an old book.
"You're losing your temper again, Matteo."
He glared. "Stop calling me that."
She smiled. "But it's your real name, isn't it?"
Jaytee clenched his fists. "Enough. I want answers."
Adel sighed, shutting the book. "Answers to what exactly?"
"Why are you back?" His voice was sharp and demanding. "What do you want from me?"
Adel stood gracefully, stepping closer, her golden eyes gleaming in the dim light.
"I already told you," she said softly. "I came to help you."
Jaytee scoffed. "Help me do what?"
She tilted her head. "Survive."
His stomach twisted. "I don't need your help."
Adel smiled knowingly. "Don't you?"
Jaytee stepped back. "Stay out of my business, Adel. And stay away from Nora."
Adel's expression darkened. "Oh, Matteo," she whispered, voice almost… sad. "You still don't get it, do you?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Get what?" Adel reached into her pocket and pulled out something small.
Jaytee froze. It was a pendant. A tiny, silver locket. He recognized it instantly.
His breath caught. His world tilted.
"Where did you get that?" he whispered.
Adel held it up between two fingers, smiling. "From her," she said.
A sharp, cold silence stretched between them. Jaytee's mind reeled. His pulse roared in his ears.
It wasn't possible. That locket belonged to someone he had lost a long time ago.
Someone who shouldn't exist anymore.
His chest tightened. Adel's smirk widened. "You see, Matteo… I came back for a reason."
She tossed the locket onto the table.
And with a whisper that sent ice down his spine, she said
"I will not let history repeat itself again Matteo." She whispered "You cannot be so vulnerable in this human world, you cannot repeatedly like a person, you have responsibilities, and apart from your survival, I need you for us. For your father, for you."