Eli looked down the corridor at the several students walking from around the corner, now heading toward the exit just as he was. The feeling was mixed amongst them, almost as if it were actively trying to hide.
Eli wasn't about to let this opportunity pass.
He started walking toward them. As he got closer, he realized the presence was coming from an imposing, bald black dude—the same one who had looked at him strangely before he had entered his physics class.
Keeping his eyes on the target, he picked up his pace while getting his syringes ready. Hidden inside his sweater, they slid down to his wrist just before they could be seen.
As he drew closer, a thought struck him.
Wait... wouldn't I have noticed him earlier?
Just as Eli was about to focus on that question, he heard a loud voice.
"What the hell, man?!"
Boy's back came rushing straight toward him.
"Eli—"
Bam.
Eli groaned under the weight of Boy's massive body. What the hell was this guy eating?
With some effort, he managed to push him off. As the boy started getting up and noticed who he had crashed into, he immediately apologized.
"Ah, man. Sorry, sorry. Some guy just pushed me. You okay?"
Eli looked him up and down.
"What the hell are you eating, man?" he asked, huffing slightly as he recovered.
The Boy scratched his bald head with an apologetic look.
"Wait. You said somebody pushed you?" Eli asked, glancing around.
"Ah, yeah. Sorry. I don't know what their deal is."
But Eli had already stopped paying attention to him.
His eyes locked onto a guy in a leather jacket just as he was about to turn the corner.
"Hey, I'm Boyd—"
His voice died away, and he lowered his hand as he watched Eli rush off.
"Sorry, I guess," Boyd muttered before walking away.
Eli turned the corner and found the end of the corridor empty.
At the far end, the library door was just beginning to swing shut.
His knife flew forward, landing at the foot of the door.
The lights above his head flickered for a moment.
Eli approached slowly.
Just then, he felt two distinct presences.
One was faint and heavily suppressed, entering the library.
The other was an overwhelming malice continuing down the adjacent corridor.
It was obvious which direction it had gone.
Or was it?
He looked back and forth between the two paths.
Library.
Corridor.
Library.
Corridor.
A blond-haired boy on a bike pedaled down the street, moving peacefully along the sidewalk. Eventually, he came upon a small driveway before turning into it and setting his bike beside the car parked inside.
"Is Dad not working today?" Henry wondered aloud.
Moving over to the button that controlled the garage door, he pressed it and slowly watched the door close. Once it did, he started hearing voices coming from upstairs.
Walking up the small steps that led inside the house, he made out his father's voice.
Finally inside, he saw his father talking on the phone.
"I'm telling you, it was the whole family. Why are the hunters coming back to Beacon?"
His father stopped talking long enough to notice him and give him a small smile before returning to the call.
From the phone, Henry could hear another voice.
"Hey, what was that? Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," his father replied. "It was just my eldest."
"Oh, David? Is he doing okay? Still not eating?"
His father gave him a side glance before answering.
"He's fine. Let's get back to the hunters. What are we going to do about them?"
Henry didn't waste any time heading upstairs.
Once there, he entered his room and slammed the door shut.
It seemed he and his father were the only ones home.
The circle of Wendigos in Beacon wasn't very large. After all, too many predators couldn't occupy the same territory. He was only aware of his own family and one other.
Unlike other supernaturals that might have a more relaxed relationship with hunters, Wendigos were killed on sight.
So it made sense why his father sounded worried.
As for the Argents, Henry had taken special care to stay away from their daughter at school. In fact, every supernatural in the school did.
They were even beginning to extend that caution toward someone else.
Ding.
Ding.
"Omg guys, why is the Argent girl so pretty?"
The message came from a group chat on his phone.
Not really his friends—just other supernatural's from school. Their own little community.
For people like him, it was something he needed.
Even though he hardly ever spoke in it.
Even among supernatural's, Wendigos made people uncomfortable.
"Omg Carrie, it's actually so weird. That guy you were talking about—Eli. He looked at me today. It felt so weird, like he was looking straight through me."
"I told you. There's something strange about that guy. Didn't the news say he died in the hospital? How did that change to a coma?"
Elias: "It's best if you guys avoid him, along with the Argent. Who knows what kind of supernatural he is."
She was probably right.
Henry had never seen a supernatural that could control things with their mind or read someone's thoughts without sticking claws into their neck first.
Just as Henry was about to type something, Kayleen replied to Elias's message.
"David, that you? lol"
Elias: "..."
Carrie: "..."
Before anyone else could respond, Henry threw his phone onto the bed.
He never did like being called David.
Maybe Eli wasn't so bad.
Eli walked into the library. He had chosen to follow the weaker feeling; the other one had been too obvious.
Then a thought suddenly filled his head.
Oh my God. What is he wearing?
Barf.
Jacket, shorts, slippers, and shades.
I'd rather kill myself.
Eli stopped and looked over.
Was it really that bad?
The boy he was looking at immediately glanced away the moment their eyes met.
Eli looked down at his clothes.
He was comfortable. Was that not enough?
The other guy's thoughts came through again.
Please don't come over here. Your fashion sense is burning my eyes.
Eli deadpanned.
Dramatic much?
Don't worry. I wouldn't want to get near your jeans either. Who even wears a full suit of denim?
Eli huffed.
Focusing back on the feeling that had led him here, he noticed there were clearly other students in the library and the presence had become even fainter.
Though it wasn't gone.
Following the scent, Eli headed for the stairs, making sure to take the route completely opposite the boy with the uncomfortable fashion sense, he could actually feel the fabric scratching him from all the way over here.
After reaching the second floor, the feeling grew stronger.
He approached the opposite side of a bookshelf.
The moment he rounded it, the feeling vanished.
Eli frowned and moved to the next shelf.
Again it disappeared.
Then the next.
And the next.
Soon Eli found himself jogging through the aisles.
Finally, he stopped behind a familiar shelf.
Beyond it was the spot where he had tied up Henry.
As he turned the corner, the feeling finally stopped moving.
However, standing there was only the librarian.
Her back was turned to him as she picked up a piece of rope from the floor.
Looking at her with his eyes, Eli saw nothing unusual. Her essence appeared no different from that of a normal human.
Just then she turned around and nearly screamed upon seeing him.
Remembering she was in a library, she somehow managed to hold it back.
"Oh, it's you again. Just a reminder from yesterday—I hope you aren't disturbing the peace of the library."
As she spoke, she waved the rope around.
Her voice was high-pitched and nearly as irritating as The Agitant's.
While she continued reprimanding him, a dark fog began to rise behind her.
It stretched upward from the shadows beneath her feet.
Past her waist.
Past her shoulders.
Up to her neck.
Eli didn't notice it until it was too late.
A book shot from the mist.
Crack.
The spine slammed into the side of the librarian's head.
She stopped speaking instantly.
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
Eli lunged forward and caught her before she hit the floor.
At the same time, the black mist grabbed at the rope in her hand.
Instinctively, Eli swung at it.
The moment his hand touched the black mist, a sharp shock raced through his arms as his hand were thrown backward.
Grunting, Eli grabbed his burning hand as the shadow seized the rope.
Then it bounded up the bookshelves and disappeared through an open window.
A screen appeared before him.
Mountain Ash - Level 1
Attribute: Living Spirit, Pure Purity
Ability: Live Like a Human
Description: No. Ye are desecrated. Get away from thee.
What?