HOPE
This is absurd. Really absurd.
I sit curled in the corner of a sleek, half-laboratory, half-investigation room. The chrome counters are lined with labeled Testubes and humming machines, and the faint scent of chemicals and blood fills the air, making me more uncomfortable.
Across the room, the guy I still don't know by name is mixing something in a test tube, moving like he's done this a thousand times before.
I should leave. I should've run the second he opened those cell padlocks like they weren't even locked. But instead, I'm still here, stuck on the same damn page of my e-reader for the past ten minutes, pretending I'm not panicking inside.
What the actual hell am I doing?
Partnering with a stranger I met in a school holding cell just because I love the fact that it's science related? A guy who might be just too brilliant or completely unhinged or both? If he decides to strangle me right here, I probably wouldn't survive long enough to scream.
This is dangerous.
And stupid.
The air-conditioning bites at my skin, raising goosebumps. At least it's warmer. I drop my phone on the metal table beside me and watch him from under a veil of messy red hair. He hasn't spoken in a while. Just glances up occasionally with those sharp eyes that seem to see right through me.
Why did I say yes to this? I don't even understand what game they are playing, and I already accepted to be his partner.
"You're watching me like I'm your dream boyfriend. Don't worry about confessing how sinfully breathtaking I am while working," he says without looking up.
"Breathtaking my ass," I mutter.
He finally turns to face me, tilting his head. "Stop thinking I'll kill you. If I wanted to, I would've done that twenty minutes ago. Also, don't just sit there. If you're curious, you can ask questions."
He swirls the contents of the test tube, then pours it into a glowing Testube. Whatever this is, it's not just science. Not normal science, anyway.
"Let's start with what your name is and why you think I'm good enough to be your partner."
"Eli is my name. Come take a look at this, cupcake."
I rise slowly, my curiosity barely outweighing my sense of self-preservation and annoyance that I'm still called cupcake. The floor is cold beneath my bare feet as I step closer to his table, eyeing the glowing Testube like it might explode in my fucking face.
"You keep calling me cupcake," I say, crossing my arms. "That your thing, or are you just trying to piss me off?"
Eli grins, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Little bit of both."
I roll my eyes but look down at the Testube. The liquid inside is really dark. If I didn't see it before, I'd say it's not human blood. He adds a drop of a chemical, I didn't catch the name and the colors change from dark red to blue, then green, then a deep, molten gold. I've never seen anything like it.
"What is this?" I ask.
He leans closer, voice low and suddenly serious. "It's a sample of the girl's blood. This is exactly the result I get when I react every victim's blood with the extraction serum I developed. It highlights anomalies—supernatural interference, manipulation markers, dark energy traces…"
I blink at him. "That's… a lot of sci-fi words to describe blood."
Eli lifts the Testube, letting the golden liquid catch the overhead light.
"Her blood is dark because she's a witch, and she or one of her ancestors practiced magic. The blue color change shows she was first poisoned with… a rare herb known as Nightroot, often used back then to suppress magical abilities before execution. The green means her powers tried to fight back the body resisted. But the molten gold? That's the shocker. With the tiny level of black magic in her blood, it means she's been dead before today. Have you heard of the undead?"
"What the hell is that?" My brows furrow. Of course I've heard undead in horror zombie movies. Not in a real-life academy.
"I figured you wouldn't have. What about Thrall? Have you heard that one?"
"I've got no clue what you're talking about."
"Ughh," he sighs and shakes his head from left to right.
"Victim was poisoned to death and brought back to life with a necromancy spell by the culprit, who later made her jump from that school roof."
"Because the culprit either doesn't want anyone to know about the poison or its source and how the girl probably got it," I say, bringing the pieces together.
He snaps his fingers. "Exactly! I didn't know pretty girls are also smart."
Actually, it honestly doesn't make sense that—one, a student who has the golden opportunity to attend here would jump off a roof.
Secondly, that another sane student might have pushed her. It makes sense now why the disciplinary puff man wanted to stay in denial.
I mean if you have grudges for someone in this dying period, it's way better and stress free to wait for the apocalypse to take your revenge for you.
I walk towards the window of his 'workplace' and fuck! It's dark out there already. I am suddenly back to my actual sense.
"What exactly will I do about my hostel allocation, uniform, and all that? I won't sleep in your workplace tonight. Where's the principal's office? It's past 7 p.m. already. When did we spend that much time here?"
Eli raises an eyebrow and casually checks a sleek black wristband on his arm. "Technically, it's only 7:12 p.m. now. It's not that late," he says.
He then places the Testube on a rack, removes his gloves and lab coat, washes his hands, and steps closer. "As for sleeping here—no one's asking you to... you're going to have to stop thinking like a regular student."
"Why? I'm a regular student."
"Few hours ago? Yes. Now you are my partner, and that changes everything. You'll get a hostel later. I'll call one of my Alpha brothers to get you uniforms."
"You keep saying Alpha this, Alpha that. What exactly are you? Since you believe witches are real, you must be somet..."
"I'm a werewolf, Cupcake. An Alpha in rank," he cuts in.