"I never said that," he heaved. "See you in class." With that, he walked away, looking behind him too much.
Zara had never been one to ignore her instincts. And today, they screamed at her not to let Ethan Moreau out of her sight.
She still thought of the way he disappeared from her view the day she was seated at the bleachers with Noah, and in an instant, he was gone, only to be seated in front of the class, whereas she and Noah had come late. There was the impossible footage of his race and also the way he saved that child without anyone truly seeing him move. And now, as he left the training facility, walking alone down the quiet streets, she knew something wasn't right.
So when she saw him leaving practice that evening, instead of heading straight home like she usually did, she waited behind a little. Her father had already left because she lied to him that she had cross-country training and that she'd catch a ride with one of the assistant coaches. She did no such thing.
She watched as Ethan walked with his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his hoodie, shoulders slightly hunched as if warding off the cold. She stayed far enough behind that he wouldn't notice, or at least she hoped he wouldn't.
At first, she thought he'd head home, maybe to some sleek, modern house that fit the image of an athletic prodigy. Instead, he veered off the main road and into the heart of town. Zara followed, keeping her distance, every nerve in her body on edge.
The streets were dimly lit, and the distant hum of traffic provided a steady backdrop to her pounding heart. Ethan didn't take the route she expected. He didn't go home, nor did he stop by any of the usual places students frequented after training, like Wendy's coffee shop, the arcade, or the mall. Instead, he kept walking further into town, and then, to her utter disbelief, he entered the local library.
Zara frowned, hesitating before stepping inside. A library? She had expected something else, but even she didn't know what she had expected. This was such a normal place to be that it threw her off. Maybe because he wasn't nerdy, or maybe because he could have gone to the school's library, which was open until seven o'clock. He slipped inside, moving to the opposite end of the room and picking up a book at random from the shelf.
She walked in when his back was still on the shelf and used the hood of her jacket to cover up her face. Ethan sat near the window, a book in his hands, flipping through the pages with a bored expression. Zara crossed her arms. What was he reading? She squinted, trying to make out the title, but from where she stood, it was impossible to tell. She debated on moving closer, maybe pretending to browse, but the risk of getting caught was too high. Ethan's long fingers were turning pages at an alarmingly fast pace.
Was he even understanding what he was reading?
The minutes dragged, and she sighed, rubbing at her temples. This was pointless. She turned on her heel, prepared to leave, when she caught a movement from the corner of her eye.
Ethan had stood up. He walked towards the librarian and signed the book out before moving toward the exit, tucking the book under his arm. Then, just as he stepped outside, his head lifted slightly, and his eyes darted around as if trying to see if there was something following him.
Zara ducked her head behind her book, heart racing. When she dared to peek, he was already a few meters away from the library, so as quickly as possible, she dropped the book and then she hurried to follow him, being careful not to seem too obvious.
The streets became quieter as he took a less-travelled route. The further he went, the more uneasy she became. He was going somewhere specific.
They were on the outskirts of town now, near an old, mostly abandoned street. The kind of place where gangs lingered. The part of the city where people exchanged hard drugs. The streetlights flickered, casting long, eerie shadows. Zara pressed herself against a wall, her heart hammering in her chest.
He moved through the streets with the same unhurried pace, as if he had all the time in the world. But then, he took a turn into a narrower alleyway—one Zara knew led nowhere but to more abandoned buildings. She followed him into the alley but kept her distance, hiding behind lamps, posts, and mailboxes to prevent her presence from being detected.
Ethan paused at the mouth of the third alleyway. For a moment, he stood perfectly still, his head tilted as if listening for something.
Zara had never been much of a rule-breaker. She prided herself on being careful, on knowing when to push and when to pull back. But with Ethan Moreau, the lines blurred. He made her reckless in ways she didn't understand. On a normal day, she would never have followed him past the first abandoned district, but she had, when it was possible that everything could go wrong for her. She had no idea what gave her the confidence—maybe it was just that gnawing feeling in her gut that something about him wasn't right.
Then, almost in a blur, something moved. Two figures emerged from the darkness. Zara's breath caught. They weren't normal men. She knew that instantly. There was something off about the way they carried themselves—the way their bodies moved was too fast. Just like Ethan, just like a bike suddenly zooming off to another place.
"Luciano Moreau," one of the strange men called out in a deep, guttural voice.
"You shouldn't be here," Ethan said. His voice was cold and detached.
One of the figures chuckled. "Neither should you."
Then they attacked.
Zara barely had time to register what was happening. One moment, Ethan was standing there without movement, and in the next moment, he was moving with a speed that defied all logic and was, at another point, evading the men who also moved with the same speed.
She had never seen anything like it. The way he dodged the attacks, countered back, and struck them was everything and anything but human. The others were fast, too, but Ethan was faster.
She saw a flash of silver in his hands—probably a knife, she thought—but on peering closer, it was not. It seemed like a claw, but how? One of them slashed at Ethan with his own claw, but he moved before it could touch him. And then, for the briefest second, Zara saw his eyes.
They weren't the silvery grey eyes she had always known. They glowed red, burning like fire, and his teeth...
They were fangs.
A/N
OMG You're Still Here??? After 5 Chapters???
HELLOOOOO.
You made it to Chapter 5?? Be honest, did you lose a bet?
Are you okay?? Blink twice if you're being held hostage by my compelling powers as a vampire.
No but seriously.
***Gasps loudly*** I'm lowkey emotional.
If you've made it this far and you're loving the book then go on, bestie. Feast, bless your tastebuds (more like reader buds but meh, anyhow ;)).
Keep going, I love youuuuu
You're my favorite.
BUT.
If you're sitting there like:
"Hmmm I don't hate it… but I'm also not sure what's going on…"
First of all... Excuse me? Do you not have taste? Ugh.
Sorry, that was a typo. I completely understand why you won't want to continue. (actually I don't.)
Second of all! LISTEN TO ME!
Before you decide to take yourself out of here and go back to mafia daddies, daddies' best friend or whatever Wattpad-core you crawled out of...
Can I ask you for five more chapters?
Just five more I promise.
This book is a slow burn but hot vampire soup of bad decisions and teenage trauma.
Some things haven't even started cooking yet.
So yeah, like I said...
If you're having fun? Keep going.
If you're not sure? Keep going anyway.
If you hate it? …Maybe you just don't have taste (I'm kidding. OR AM I?)
Either way, I'm so glad you made it this far.
Now get comfy, and here's some blood if you're thirsty ***hands you a goblet of blood***
~ Lashes (still running on 3 brain cells, caffeine, and human blood)