.
.
.
The mysterious spotted young man came even closer, and the bloody heart stained my dress. It was warm in contrast to the surrounding cold. My breath was coming out in hitches now, my lips dry, as I couldn't even blink properly.
Goosebumps piled on my skin, as I sought mercy in his eyes.
"I love fingers, and yours look really beautiful," He said casually, as his fingers slipped around mine.
All of me trembled. His hand was bloody, large, strong, and had definitely known years of hunting. Yet, my heart said, 'Ceci, he will hold you like this on your wedding day.'
Shut the F up! You're going to die! I wanted to tell my heart.
My fingers were stained with blood as he raised them to his lips, eyes still holding mine, intimidating me, killing me slowly. He pressed my fingers to his lips, and I found them way too soft.
Is this what it feels like to be hypnotized? He was so attractive that my fingers moved on their own, brushing his hair aside like they were being compelled to by some strange power. His hair was as silky and soft as it looked, and my gaze fell onto his lips. I swallowed. This school was dangerous. If they had creatures who could command your body into feeling such things, then maybe it really wasn't for humans. Because could anyone explain to me? Any explanations on why I was facing death, but wanted to press my lips against its lips?
He raised the beating heart to his lips, and bit into it, fangs piercing into the pulsing flesh. Blood sprayed onto my face, and I closed my eyes, mouth open, as my fingers curled away from his hair. Slowly, they lowered, like the blood brought back a bit of my senses. The blood was warm. My chest began to rise and fall fast.
"Do you eat hearts too?" He asked gently, and I opened my eyes. Blood was running down his lips, down his chin, and onto his chest.
"No," I breathed out in fear.
"Then feed me—feed me yours," he said, hungrily, his gaze fixed on my chest, like he wanted to cut my heart out.
A smirk lifted his lips, and my heart said, 'Give everything to him, Ceci.'
He took the long piece of my clothing hung on my arm, let it fall to the grass, and on it, he dropped his heart and fingers.
Then he looked at me, red tongue licking his lips slowly and greedily.
"Nobody will notice," he rasped, voice way too deep.
"No!" I suddenly heard, and turned sharply. There was Valen walking towards us.
Salvation!
Valen's suit jacket was lined with silver chains that clinked and rattled, as he came closer.
The deep-voiced creature, suddenly grabbed me, and I gasped sharply. My back hit his chest, and his long black claws were right against my neck in the blink of an eye. My eyes went wide.
Then Athie came behind Valen, and quite calmly, she registered the situation, looking from me to the creature behind me.
I couldn't even speak. I just kept swallowing, my fingers squeezing my dress tightly.
"No, please no. This isn't the best choice. Like eating someone. Actually eatng someone. No, it's a bad idea," Valen said, silver earrings dangling from his earlobes, looking like he was trying hard to find words.
Athie spoke, her dark eyes unreadable, "You can't eat another creature schooling here."
"She's human, Miss Athena," his deep voice drawled, "She doesn't belong here, nor does she contribute anything here."
"Human or not. Contribution or not. She's Hayden's date," Athie replied calmly.
"Ah. Hayden," he said slowly, and I felt his grip release. I was allowed to breathe a bit, "nobody wants to be the nasty vampire's target," he added, turning me to face him even though he was still looking at Athena.
Then he smiled down at me. A smile as bright as the sun, as he held my shoulders, "Only good things, okay? That's what I symbolize," he pushed my hair behind my shoulders, "Cute. See you around," With a wink, he walked away, "Lost my appetite, Athena. Why don't you finish up?" He said, with gritted teeth.
"I don't eat flesh," Athena replied, pulling on a fake smile.
Valen came quickly to me, his white hair parted in the middle. His sunset eyes held so much comfort that I just leaned into his embrace, weak from his encounter. He hugged me wholly, while Athie walked to us, and patted my back, as I tried to regulate my breathing that was crashing heavily.
"Where's Hayden?" She asked, "how could he leave a dumb idiot alone?" Her words were harsh, but they were said with so much softness that they didn't sting.
"What was that?" I asked, horrified at how I couldn't even help myself. I couldn't run or scream. My body fell to petty desires.
"An hyena," Valen replied, "Looking into their eyes makes you want to keep looking. You get enchanted easily, and if you look too much, there's no going back. Especially for weak humans."
"What? Hyenas have that? Hyenas? What about what he did? I mean is there no punishment for that? He killed somebody. Somebody's heart…" I pointed to the bloody mess he'd dropped on the piece of my outfit, my voice finally filled with the fear I ought to have felt. I was trembling.
"That's likely an animal's. He knows better than to kill a student on the school premises, but the fingers… the victims should be happy he didn't decide to rip off their limbs or chunks of flesh. Come, let's leave," Athena said, looking around.
"You okay?" Valen asked with a pout, wiping my tears, "We came searching for you when Natalie said she saw Hayden alone minutes ago."
"I'm fine. Just shocked. How did you find me?" My words came out slowly, as we began to walk away from the scene of horror.
"I had to ignite my fox senses to fish out the scent of a mortal, and here we are," he said, his arm around my shoulder. He smelled nice.
I looked at him, and bit my inner cheek, feeling myself calm down, "You're looking really good," I said quietly, watching his skin glow. He'd put a little glitter at the edges of his eyes, and blush on his cheeks.
He blushed, giving that foxy smile that made me give a weak one in turn.
"And you look beautiful, friend."
"What the F is going on here?" Athie asked, "Romance?"
"No way," Valen and I said, and she looked at us weirdly, before nodding slowly.
"Okay, where's my compliment?"
"Bad bitches became my craving since I met you," Valen said, like he'd rehearsed it, and was waiting for the moment to say it. I couldn't help my smile at the look on Athena's face. Valen was so good!
Athie wasn't prepared for it.
"Oh," she said, before a little smile curled on her lips, "Feminine boys aren't all that bad either."
She turned away sharply, walking faster, although I could tell she was smiling harder.
"Hayden told me to go to the hall. I was the one who went off course. He may be there," I said, feeling like they had to know Hayden didn't just leave me, even though it really felt like he did.
"Oh. Yeah, let's just take you there, and he'll get you," Athie replied, looking at her smartwatch.
"You and Hayden look good together," Valen complimented.
"Why, thank you?" I gave a smile.
"What was your first impression of him? A knight in shining armor?" He asked, and Athie chuckled.
"I was actually scared. I was looking in the mirror, and just heard him speak behind me. You know how creepy that is? Someone is right behind you, but you're the only one in the mirror."
Athie burst out laughing, and so did Valen.
"It's not really funny," I pouted, "but how do vampires know what they look like when they can't see their reflections?" I asked, suddenly curious, "If Hayden wasn't a twin, you mean he wouldn't know what he looked like?"
Speak of someone wielding such beauty without knowing what it really looked like.
"Vampires can actually control reflections, shadows, and some of them can make illusions. It all depends on their level of skill. Not every vampire can hide their reflections," Valen explained.
"Ah, I see," I muttered, as we approached the entrance of the hall, which was less busy now, "Athena," I called.
"Yeah?"
"You said something about Hayden's mirrors. What are they? You said they shouldn't stay in my room," I reminded her, and she stopped. Slowly, she turned.
She seemed to hesitate, watching me carefully. She opened her mouth like she was going to speak, then said nothing.
"I want to know," I insisted, and she bit her lip, then gave a sigh.
"Honestly… if you asked me, I sense hostility from Hayden towards you…" I watched her, her words sinking in slowly, "but it's masked. Djinns grant wishes, but we can also know your deepest desires, which is how we strike. We present your deepest desires to you to get you to demand them from us. I sense something close to hostility when he's with you, but he masks it. Maybe… I don't know, but maybe he doesn't like your parents, or the fact that you're lesser than us, or the fact that you took over his room."
"Wow. That's…"
"Crazy," Valen completed for me.
"It is. And that's why you probably should be wary of his mirrors."
"Why?" Valen asked, and Athie looked at me, straight into my eyes.
"Hayden watches people through his mirrors."