“It went well,” she paused. “I saw this girl outside the building. It could have just been the light, or stress, but she looked so familiar.”
“How so?” Elijah asked. He leaned in, his voice. “I think we’re seeing the same girl.”
“You’ve seen Abby too?” Lana leaned forward.
He closed his eyes, exhaled, and dropped his head.
“I thought she died…”
“I did too,” Elijah said. “But it could be someone else, maybe a relative?”
“She was a vampire, Eli,” Lana said. “Unless she had a kid before she was turned.”
“She never said anything like that,” Elijah said. “Either way, we should assume she’s not until we know for sure.”
“Not what?”
“Not Abby,” Elijah said, his jade eyes meeting hers. “The last thing you need is to be worried about a doppelganger.”
Lana fidgeted with her hands, her nails tracing her cuticles.
The thin figure of a teenager approached, her hair pulled back in a high pony. Elijah stood, Lana’s head craning back like on hinges.
“You must be Rachel,” he said, a smirk on his lips.
“It’s Rae, actually,” the Seer snarked. Looking down at Lana, Rae ignored Elijah’s handshake. “C’mon, it’s time for history.”
She held out her hand, hoisting Lana from the ground. “But I don’t wanna go…”
Elijah snickered, “You never liked history.”
“Lana, who is this guy?” Rae gestured with her thumb.
“Rae, this is Elijah,” Lana said. “Elijah Jacobs.”
Rae dropped her arm, staring him up and down. “You’re a bit unattractive for a vampire.”
Lana pulled her friend by her bag, the girl nearly tripping. “Now you know how it feels. Rae, how could you?”
“What? I thought vampires were supposed to be beautiful? He was kind of meh,” Rae said, pulling her bag from Lana’s grip. “How was your class?”
“Whatever,” Lana crossed her arms. “Elijah wouldn’t date you anyway.”
Rae huffed, her feet pounding the gravel sidewalk.
“And you want me to protect her?” Elijah laughed. “She’s so not worth it.”
“You just have to get to know her. She’s really not that bad,” Lana smiled. “You fell for Abigale.”
Elijah stood still. “And you fell for Micah. I’ll see you around, Lana.”
“Eli, I didn’t mean it like that,” Lana called after him. Elijah disappeared in a crowd of bodies.
Chapter 10
Aiden sat on the steps of the Jacobs Library listening to Christine drone on and on about how she wasn’t invited to the Beta Psi party, his eyes concentrating on Lana and Elijah.
“I just don’t understand what it is about those other new girls that Alexa and Vanessa like,” Christine stated. “I mean, look at that one girl Alexa was talking to. Her hair was a mess, she slept in whatever she wore. Like seriously?”
She ran her fingers through her hair, the curls loosening. “Do you think I’m pretty?”
“What?” Aiden’s voice was low.
“Are you even paying attention to me?” she put her hands on her hips.
“No,” he shook his head.
Her hand met his arm, heaving him from his position. “Why the hell not?”
“Because it’s the same thing over and over, Christine. Oh, nobody likes me, boo hoo hoo,” Aiden said. “Grow up.”
Aiden hopped the remaining four steps, landing softly on the balls of his feet.
Christine dug her nails into the back of her neck, gasping for air. “Aiden, something’s wrong.”
“It’s just a vision,” he said, taking the steps two at a time.
“No, it’s burning!” the air caught in her throat.
She leaned against him, Aiden pulling her to the ground. “What do you see?”
The pain dissipated, a numbness washing over her. “It’s too hard to make out… There were screams. Fire. Do you think maybe it’s the attack Dimitri warned about?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Go home. I’ll see you after class.”
~
In her dorm, Christine drew the curtains, darkness encasing the small space. The twin bed was made with a wool blanket and white sheets, all folded under with hospital corners. On the desk across from the bed, books were organized based on size with plain bookends propping them upright.
The chair made a small thud when she placed it on the ground, taking a seat and pulling out the first book in line. Each page described a piece of her childhood. The day her father killed her golden retriever she received her first vision.
She was five.
White and gray Daisy and Dandelion wildflowers wave in the wind as a little girl in a dark gray dress runs her hands over the small flowers. Her white sandals stomp over patches of the fruity-smelling weeds before she bends down to pick a Daisy here and a Dandelion there. Once her tiny hands are full, she races a golden retriever back to the front porch of a shack on the edge of the woods.
A young woman with dark hair and gray eyes turns while the little girl keeps running toward her, holding up her treasure above her head. When the woman kneels to greet her, the little girl stops two feet from the woman, squinting her eyes shut.
The little girl drops the flowers, and sees the golden retriever running in the field, sees her trailing behind the furry friend. The next thing she sees, a small dark blotch getting larger quickly and the dog with its eyes closed. The flowers fall from her hands before she opens her eyes. The young woman has her against her chest, her left hand on her head, her left arm wrapped around the little girl.
Eight years later, the next page read.
A young girl sits at a white table, various drawings scattered across its surface. In one drawing, small hands hold wildflowers, in the next, the flowers lay crumbled on the dirt. Her hair is pulled back in a long braid down her back, the rings on the cuffs of her white jacket tap against the surface of the table as she colors a red splotch on the torso of an animal. She stops coloring briefly. She closes her eyes, the creases on her forehead she never forgets.
The young girl sees an arm with an open hand, the palm facing up. Blood runs along the underside of the arm, dripping on the ground. She sees light reflect from an object on a finger, and moves closer, soon realizing what she has seen.
Once the pain subsides, the girl opens her eyes, a flashing light and siren going off in the room. Two men in white coats grab either arm, putting them behind her back. They place a combination lock through both rings on either cuff of the jacket, locking her arms behind her back. She thrashes, manages to hit one of the men in the face with the back of her head.
Christine flipped through the remaining pages, her hair blowing in the breeze.
“It happened again today,” she said softly as she wrote. “The Furies are in danger. All I see are shadows.”
The pen clicked before it slid into the pen jar, clinking on the glass bottom. “They would kill me if they saw the tense change.”
The sun-kissed brunette let the diary close slowly, reading bits and pieces of her past as each page fanned. The day of her mother’s funeral was the first she had been out of the correction facility in eight years. It was also the first day she’d met others like her.
“You may feel as though you are useless, but that is far from the truth,” his voice startled her. Dimitri leaned against the edge of the bed, wrinkling the blanket.
“Don’t do that!” she cried, pushing him away. “There can’t be any wrinkles!”
He grabbed her by the shoulders. “They can’t hurt you anymore, Christine.”
She brought her hands to her face, her cheeks wet. “Why did you take me away?”
“Nobody deserves to be treated the way you were for being what we are,” he said softly. His breath moved the hair by her ear. “Rest, please.”
He tugged the covers free, laying the Seer on the bed. “What’s going t
o happen when they come for you?”
“We will destroy them,” Dimitri stated. “We will not let them win this time.”
Chapter 11
The history classroom was empty save for a few students, Lana a few seats from the door. Taking the seat behind her, he noticed the tattoo behind her ear. A Gemini symbol.
“Gemini, huh?” he asked, keeping himself distracted.
“I’m sorry?” Lana looked behind her, slightly confused.
“Your tattoo, it’s the Gemini zodiac symbol.”
“Oh, yeah,” she smiled slightly.
A squirrely looking woman entered the room from the front door, pushing her thin-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose.
“Unfortunately, today’s lecture has been canceled as Mr. Thomas has unexpectedly quit,” her voice shook. “Please do not return to this classroom until you have been notified that the class has been issued an instructor.”
The remaining students packed up their things quickly, some nearly running out the door. Aiden took his time, waiting for Lana to finish putting her book in her bag before following her out the door. Although she knew he was following her, she paid no attention to him.
He touched her arm gently, clearing his throat. “I saw you and your boyfriend in the quad earlier, is everything alright?”
“Boyfriend?” she squinted her eyes. “No, he’s just a friend. And everything’s fine.”
“He stormed off…”
“He does that…” Lana crossed her arms. “I have to go.”
“Would you like to join me for coffee later?” Aiden called after her, his hands in his pockets.
She turned to him, “Not tonight.”
It wasn’t like him to question his feelings. Watching her walk away was like a slap to the face, a blow to his ego. Christine fawned over him, and Lana couldn’t care less. She kept her head low, eyes to the ground, left hand clasped over the top of her book bag.
Aiden ran his hands through his hair, linking his fingers behind his head.
“Lana,” Aiden called after her. “Lana, wait up.”
“If you know what’s good for you, you will stop following me,” Lana said, speeding up her pace. Aiden ran to catch up with her, grabbing her wrist and turning her around.
“Are you deaf?” she said rudely.
“I’m stubborn, there’s a difference,” Aiden said, smirking.
Lana attempted to avoid eye contact, crossing her arms and diverting her gaze to a tree in the quad.
He tilted his head slightly, realizing how much more tired she looked. Her skin was slightly paler and shadows had appeared under her eyes.
“Let me walk you to your car, please,” Aiden said.
He half-expected a no. She sighed, turning on her heels. “The Hideout has good coffee. Have you been there?”
Aiden’s gait fell in line with hers. “I’ve had better.”
“It’s the best Clover Bay has,” Lana stated.
“You’ve been here before?” her nose twitched and a smile grew on her lips at his question. He must have forgotten their conversation the night the Darkness attacked her and Rae at the frat house.
“That surprises you?” she asked, letting go of her book bag.
“I didn’t expect it, that’s all.”
Dimitri leaned against Aiden’s truck, watching the two head to her car.
Aiden opened her door, Lana tossing her book bag into the back seat. “I’ll see you at the Hideout.”
“Who’s that?” Dimitri pretended.
“No one,” Aiden tugged on the handle.
“Why aren’t you with Christine?” he asked as Aiden climbed into the vehicle.
“She had a vision and needed to rest, and I had class,” Aiden pulled the door shut.
Dimitri sat in the passenger seat, green haze filling the cabin. “Where are you headed?”
“Seriously, D?” Aiden refused to back out.
“What?” Dimitri fastened the seatbelt. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I thought we could catch up.”
“I’m busy,” Aiden said. “Get out.”
“With that girl? What do you know about her?” Dimitri asked. “Is she single? Is she magical? What is she studying? How old is she?”
“I haven’t asked,” he shook his head. The reality was all he knew about Lana was her major and not much else.
“What do you expect to get out of this coffee date?”
“Go check on Christine.”
“Already did. She’s asleep.”
“Well then, go fuck Terra.”
“Watch your language.”
“Dimitri, get the hell out of my truck. I have places to be,” Aiden stated.
~
Outside the coffee shop, Aiden scanned the street for Lana’s car, his hands in his pockets. A slow breeze swept his loose hair, sending a chill down his spine.
“I didn’t mean to make you mad earlier,” Lana said, her hands cupping her latte.
“Don’t worry about it, we all say things we don’t mean,” Elijah smiled.
Lana lifted her eyes, focusing on the man entering the coffee shop.
“Mind if I join you guys?” Aiden asked.
“Sure, I was just leaving,” the Vampire said. “Aiden, right?”
“Yeah,” the two shook hands, Elijah’s skin cold. Aiden hated vampires.
“I’ll call you later, Lana,” Elijah waved, tossing his coat on when he got outside.
“So how did you two meet?” Aiden asked, Lana sipping her drink.
“We met a few years ago on a restoration project of the Jacobs’ manor,” Lana said.
“Is he related to the family in any way?” he asked. “That’d be cool if he was. That family was pretty twisted.”
“Great, great grandson I think. Maybe there’s another great in there, I’m not sure,” she sipped her latte, the caramel aroma filling her nostrils.
“Do you believe in the supernatural?” Aiden shot straight to the point.
Lana set her cup down, pondering the question. An odd question to ask someone he’d just met, she kept her eyes on the foam slowly dwindling to a few white bubbles on top of the liquid.
“Do you?” her gray eyes met his. He turned his head, biting his lip before speaking.
“I do. I believe things happen for a reason, sometimes unexplainable things and when things cannot be explained by science, I tend to lean toward the supernatural meaning or occurrence of things,” Aiden said. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“So, you’re saying you believe vampires really did attack Clover Bay over 100 years ago and that it wasn’t random animal attacks that killed those hikers…” Lana stated.
“That’s correct,” Aiden crossed his arms, leaning against the table. “And just between you and me,” he lowered his voice, “I don’t think your friend is as distantly related to the Jacobs’ as he’s letting you believe.”
“Is that so?”
“You still haven’t answered my question, Lana,” he asked once more.
“I think that you’re crazy, and that you should stay away from me,” she grabbed her bag, swinging it over her shoulder. On her way out the door, she stopped, staring straight through the window at a familiar figure.
“Lana?” Aiden saw nothing.
She left the coffee shop, tossing the bag by the rear tire of her car before sprinting after the figure. Aiden chased her through busy sidewalks and across the street toward Clover Bay Cemetery.
The wrought iron gates were locked, Lana pulling at the thick, rusted lock and chain.
“What is going on?” Aiden put his hands on his knees, pretending to be out of breath. “Were you in track or something?”
“Or something,” Lana said, looking for handholds in the swirled design of the gate. Once she found them, she began scaling the gate, placing each foot where each hand was previously and pushing to the next available handhold. Aiden watched as she swung her body over, clashing against the other side and nearly losing
her grip.
When she was about five feet from the ground, Lana leapt from the gate, the hard landing sending a shock of pain through her knees. Aiden backed up, running toward the gate. He scaled it in less time, swinging his body over the gate gracefully and releasing his hands from the iron. He landed softly on the balls of his feet, fingertips lightly touching the dirt beneath him.
Lana saw from the corner of her eye but disregarded him, scanning the cemetery for Kyle.
“Oh c’mon, you can’t say you weren’t impressed by that,” Aiden leaned back slightly, his hands out to his side, palms facing the sky.
“I wasn’t,” she said softly. They walked a few paces into the cemetery before hearing clapping behind them.
“Bravo, bravo,” Kyle said, slow clapping. “That was impressive to me, Aiden.”
“Professor Thomas,” Aiden said. “Why are you hanging out in a cemetery?”
“I could ask you the same thing, but you should ask her,” he pointed at Lana who positioned herself behind Aiden. “Aw, look at that, already hiding behind you.”
“You two know each other?”
“Knew,” Kyle corrected the Fury. “But I’m sure if you asked her, she’d deny everything.”
“That’s not true,” Lana said.
“It’s not? Huh, well that’s good, I guess,” Kyle sighed. “How was your coffee date? Talk about anything good?”
“Why do you care?” Aiden asked.
“Isn’t it obvious? I still care about her and you’re trying to take her from me,” Kyle exclaimed. “God, you’re dense.”
Lana took a step back, making sure to stay exactly behind Aiden.
“You really think she won’t do the same to you?”
“And what exactly will she do?”
“Leave without any explanation,” Kyle said. “Just up and leave you with questions about why and what you did wrong… Kind of like that.”
Lana hurdled the stone casing before sprinting through the cemetery toward the back entrance.
“Bet I can catch her before you,” Kyle taunted, turning and scaling the gate.
Once they were both out of sight, Aiden disappeared in a red haze, appearing in an alley close to her vehicle. Kyle was there shortly after, Elijah pushing him into the wall.
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