《Shadow Creatures》 Chapter One: The Beginning. ¡°Hey, hey, keep breathing for me, okay?¡± Willow whispered, the cool tile floor pressed harshly against her side as she laid next to her friend. Red¡¯s back shook with her sobs, her red hair tousled and spread across the stark white floor. She didn¡¯t touch Red, knowing fully well it could make the panic attack worse. Red took a deep breath, and rolled over, her watery eyes watching Willow carefully. It was obvious that she was shaking with fear. Red hasn¡¯t had a panic attack this bad since they were in middle school. ¡°Just breathe, it¡¯ll be okay.¡± She whispered again, watching Red take another breath. Her blue eyes were bright against her red rimmed sclera. ¡°Wh-what are...fuck.¡± Red cursed out, tears coming out in bigger bursts, her hands shaking even more. She curled up tighter into a fetal position, cradling her shaking hands into her chest. Willow shook her head, shushing Red. ¡°Just breathe for me, okay? In and out. In,¡± Willow mimicked a deep breath, gesturing for Red to do the same. ¡°And out.¡± They exhaled at the same time. ¡°In.¡± Willow made the gesture again, and Red paused. She stared blankly at Willow, sobs still escaping her. ¡°C¡¯mon, Red, please.¡± She pressed, pleading slightly. Red snapped out of it and took another deep breath. ¡°And out again.¡± Red was shaking less now, tears slowing. Willow smiled, and mimicked a deep breath again. Red followed, and exhaled on her own this time. Willow watched as she took another breath and heaved herself upwards to sit on the cool tile floor. ¡°We good now?¡± Willow murmured, slowly rising to sit up on the floor. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulders, probably full of dust and tangles. Red nodded, her mouth pressed into a straight line, her mind processing everything that¡¯s happened in the past hour. ¡°Yea¡­ seeing pictures of No-Face¡¯s..victims just...made me break down.¡± Red spat out, glaring at the classroom door. ¡°You¡¯d think they¡¯d have some discretion. You literally..saw it happen.¡± Red hummed and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine with the gory pictures, but the stories with them? No. Makes me think of me and my parents.¡± Willow nodded in understanding, absentmindedly running her fingers through her hair to tame it to some degree. ¡°Unfortunately all the stories are the same. He kills the parents- er, victims and covers the kids in their parent¡¯s blood.¡± She replied, pulling her hair into a ponytail. Red was doing the same, tying her hair up into it¡¯s normal bun. ¡°It makes me go back to that time. When he..¡± She readjusted her cloak and slipped her hood back on. Red opened her mouth to say something but closed her mouth quickly after. ¡°We don¡¯t need to talk about it yet, okay? Just breathe.¡± Willow smiled gently, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. She rose from the ground, offering her hand to Red. She gently took her hand and allowed Willow to hoist her up off the ground. Red stood an inch or two taller than Willow, which, admittedly, didn¡¯t bother her at all. Totally didn¡¯t bother her that Red shot up a few inches over summer even though they¡¯re sixteen and supposed to have stopped growing. She totally wasn¡¯t salty. Shut up. ¡°We should get back to class.¡± Red groaned out loud at Willow''s suggestion, dramatically waving her arms to the ceiling. Willow had a small bit of gratitude for whatever god had decided to not give Red a spoon right then and there. ¡°Do we really need to though? I just had a panic attack.¡± Willow let out a huff of exasperation at Red. She motioned for Red to follow her, and thankfully, she did. ¡°Red, it¡¯s ten in the morning, school isn¡¯t even close to being over yet.¡± they turned out of the deserted hallway, walking side by side. ¡°Yea and?¡± Red said, pulling out her phone to scroll through a book. Probably a cookbook. Or a book on vintage spoons. ¡°And we have to actually attend class to pass our classes, dumbass.¡± Willow snorted, rolling her eyes. They continued down the hallway in total silence, occasionally glancing into classroom doors. ¡°Don¡¯t counter me with logic and reasoning, that¡¯s not how our banter is supposed to go!¡± Red exclaimed sarcastically, flailing her hands again. So what if they were taking the scenic route back to class, what were they gonna do? Expel them? Probably. Oh well. Life was short, might as well live it to the fullest. ¡°I¡¯m allowed to lead our banter however I want, thank you.¡± Willow snarked, flashing a grin at Red. Red responded in kind by sticking her tongue out. ¡°Oh really?¡± Red challenged, now grinning as well. They shared a look. Red raised a brow in question. She nodded, and, in unison, they took off running. She knew the goal. She knew Red knew the goal. They¡¯ve done this since they were kids. They run until someone runs out of breath. Person who stops first loses and buys the other a dessert of their choice. Piece of cake. More like easy as pie, since Willow was going to win. Willow¡¯s done endurance training for years. Red has followed her for this routine ever since she moved into Willow¡¯s house. She turned a sharp corner and saw a flash of Red¡¯s cloak not far behind her. They kept running. Willow knew her record, roughly around five or seven minutes of non stop sprinting. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to remember Red¡¯s record. They practically flew past the glass corridors that circled around the huge courtyard. She grinned, and pushed open one of the doors outside, and took off. She heard Red struggle to slow down enough to follow her. She knew Red made it outside when she heard her thundering footsteps behind her. It was a straight shot across the courtyard at this point, Willow didn¡¯t have time to take in the cavern walls around them and glistering crystals that sparkled like stars. Red¡¯s breath was starting to sputter behind her. Her grin grew bigger and she slammed into a door that led her into another hallway. She spotted stairs a few yards in front of her. She ran for it, sprinting up the stairs and narrowly avoiding some tall guy. Blood rushed in her ears as she thundered up the steps. Red seemed to almost crash into him as well but managed to scrape by without stopping. She continued sprinting down the hallway and glanced back at Red. She was maybe a few feet behind her, give or take. Red opened her mouth, eyes going wide. Willow turned around, grinning even more. ¡°Will-!¡± Red¡¯s voice called out as she slammed into a wall. ¡°Ow.¡± A voice above her groaned, staggering at their impact. Not a wall. Definitely not a wall. She stumbled away, grasping at her nose. ¡°Son of a mother fucking dick!¡± She sputtered out, feeling the blood drip out of her nose. She put a hand up to catch any more blood. ¡°You kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?¡± A voice rumbled above her, and she sharply glanced up, green eyes meeting ice blue and straight black hair. Vladimir. God, typical vampires. ¡°I don¡¯t date and you know it, you dickwipe.¡± She growled out, and he sneered at her, fangs flashing in the light. Red gently tapped her shoulder, reminding her where they were. Right, school. Can¡¯t get into fights. No matter how tempting. ¡°What a shame that is.¡± He let out a low whistle, leaning against the wall and letting his hair fall into his face. He chuckled at her, and shoved his hands into his pockets. She lunged forward, and Red grasped her at the elbow, pulling her back. ¡°Alright, get to the nurse¡¯s office, doll, or else you¡¯ll have every vampire come running at the smell of werewolf blood.¡± he quirked a grin that made her freeze, and leaned towards her. ¡°Unless you want every vamp here so I can defend you.¡± he whispered, watching with cold eyes as she growled, and he was fucking lucky Red was there to drag her away from the impending fight. Didn¡¯t stop her from flipping him off though. ¡°You know you¡¯re risking suspension everytime you almost get into a fight with him.¡± Red started her lecture, which in turn caused Willow to roll her eyes. ¡°He started it. Not my fault he wants to sleep with everything that has a pulse.¡± They¡¯ve done this so many times, either by themselves or with their other friends. It ended the same, with Willow rolling her eyes and Red lecturing her more than Alistair would; if she actually got suspended of course. ¡°But you seriously need to reconsider what could happen if you actually get into a fight with him.¡± Red scolded, pulling her towards the nearest bathroom down the hall.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°It¡¯s just because of the stupid no werewolves and vampires fighting rules, you know that.¡± Willow retorted, yanking her arm in a half-assed attempt to free herself from Red¡¯s grasp. ¡°Yes but-¡± Willow cut her off with a wave of her hand. ¡°Yea, yea, I know. Just because my father works at the school doesn¡¯t mean I get off scot free.¡± She droned out as Red pulled her into the bathroom, guiding her to sit down into a stall and handing her some toilet paper. ¡°God, what an ass.¡± Willow snorted, then coughed as the blood shot up to the back of her nose. Ouch. ¡°Yea, I get that a lot.¡± That little comment got her a sharp smack on her head. And a small grin was trying to bust it¡¯s way past Red¡¯s glare. She tore up the paper and stuck it up her nose, and pinched her nose. She got enough nosebleeds during boxing practice, this was nothing. ¡°I meant Vladimir.¡± Red spat out, leaning against the stall¡¯s wall, typing furiously on her phone. Willow rose a brow, and grinned. ¡°I know what you meant, I¡¯m just giving you a taste of your own smartassery.¡± Red scowled at her, and rolled her eyes. She continued to type. ¡°What¡¯s the blog post about this time?¡± She asked, watching Red with curious eyes. Red glanced up briefly, and continued on. ¡°No-Face¡¯s current movements. He¡¯s started to go after high tier shadow creatures now.¡± Red explained, turning the phone towards Willow, who gagged at the sight of a mutilated body, strung up in a tree, chest carved open and empty. There wasn¡¯t a soul. Just like all his other victims. Not that souls could be photographed anyway. They just looked like a standard human heart when photographed. Or if a human was looking. And yes, they (they being shadow creatures) also had hearts and shit, but they aren¡¯t a guaranteed death if someone were to be shot or something in the heart, as long as the soul was safe and unharmed it was all good. Yea, it¡¯d hurt like a bitch but it would be as drastic as if you had gotten a bullet graze. Unless you actually had A) A gun for killing shadow creatures or B) A different type of weapon that kills shadow creatures. They actually have to be able to harm the souls of shadow creatures, or else it¡¯s basically null and void. Sure, lower tier shadow creatures could be killed with other things, like Willow, being a werewolf (which was a lower tier creature) herself, could be killed with silver. Red, on the other hand was a shadow mixer, meaning she was a medium tier shadow user. Shadow users were on a whole different level than shadow creatures. They had different levels, starting from shadow walkers and going up to shadow demons. Red was born a shadow mixer and was well on her way to becoming a shadow thrower. (after shadow thrower was becoming a shadow mage, and next would be shadow demon) Blood users also followed this scale of power, though they weren¡¯t at as much of a risk as shadow users were. She got off topic. Shit. what was she thinking about? Oh! Shadow users. No. yes? Fuck. ¡°Willow?¡± Fingers snapped in front of her and she jolted out of her thoughts. She looked back up to curious and concerned blue eyes. ¡°So, like, would he go after my dad or something?¡± She joked, knowing fully well No-Face wouldn¡¯t be able to even come close to her father, who was in a high spot in the council. And he certainly didn¡¯t fuck his way to his position, so it had to be his power. And even if he did fuck his way up, Willow would definitely have more siblings if that was the case. Red hummed in thought for a moment, and nodded. A sick feeling of unease crept into Willow¡¯s stomach. ¡°He would go after people of that tier, but I think he¡¯s too weak to go after Alistair.¡± Red explained, seeming to sense Willow¡¯s spike of anxiety. She let out a small sigh, relaxing against the toilet. ¡°Start with that next time, jesus.¡± Willow muttered, pulling her hand away from her nose to check if the bleeding stopped, and frowned. ¡°Not my fault you went into panic mode, you know I always have more information than I give.¡± Willow moved her gaze up to Red¡¯s and stuck out her tongue. Red¡¯s neutral scowl scrunched into a confused, almost comical expression. ¡°It¡¯s your fault for not being clear enough, dumbass.¡± She put fresh pieces of toilet paper in her nose, tossing the bloody paper into the toilet. ¡°Whatever.¡± Red walked backwards, slipping through the stall door and ended up outside, her cloak rustling slightly from the movement. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t just ditch me!¡± Willow called out, rushing to get up out of the stall. Red laughed gently, and stood still beyond the stall. ¡°Calm yourself, I¡¯m just going to get the gatorade in your locker. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Red called, probably completely aware Willow was flipping her off. A few seconds passed, and Red had disappeared. Theoretically, Red could get the gatorade within thirty seconds, just because of how many shadows were around. Shadow users are able to walk among the shadows, and even teleport using shadows. It was just one of the many things they could do. Meanwhile, low tier creatures, like werewolves and vampires (there¡¯s more than that but this is a brief generalization.) had very little soul power compared to high tier shadow creatures. Souls had different strengths and different presences. A high tier shadow creature had a bigger presence, but is more at risk. A low tier shadow creature is less at risk, but have less abilities that they¡¯re capable of. Jesus, I studied too much for my Soul Theory test. She stared up at the ceiling, knowing full well that by the time her third block she¡¯d be thinking of some stupid meme Savvy had sent her at three in the morning. ¡°Are you lost in your own head again?¡± Red¡¯s voice startled her out of her thoughts. Shit. ¡°No¡­?¡± She tried, and opened the stall door with a hesitant grin. Red quirked a brow, and handed her the red drink. ¡°You¡¯re such a bad liar.¡± They grinned at each other. Willow pulled the toilet paper out of her nose, not surprised that it finally stopped bleeding. ¡°Leave me and my lying abilities out of it.¡± Red grinned at her, and Willow twisted the top of drink. She hated gatorade with every bit of her very existence. She couldn¡¯t find a lime flavor in gatorade and red flavor was only a second best. Tolerable if anything. ¡°Not my fault you suck ass at lying.¡± Red snickered, checking her phone. She pushed past Red out of the stall, and they walked out of the bathroom. Willow was relieved to escape the claustrophobic odor of the bathroom. ¡°So, I texted Savvy, and she teleported our stuff outside the classroom.¡± Red said, blue eyes watching Willow carefully. As much as Willow loved Savvy, the girl had little to no control over her fire. When Savvy was approximately eleven, she had teleported into class and had physically combust into flames. That¡¯s how everyone found out a bunch of new things about the blonde demon. One, genetics certainly came into play, considering both her parents were teleportation demons. And this revelation caused the divorce to happen too, and because Savvy was never exposed to fire before, Savvy had gotten first degree burns everywhere. So, needless to say, Willow had good reason to be wary of Savvy using her powers. Almost every time Savvy teleported something when she wasn¡¯t focused, something was set on fire. ¡°If she burned my homework, I¡¯m skinning her alive.¡± Willow sighed, taking a gulp of gatorade. Red huffed a laugh, glancing into classrooms as they walked past. ¡°I warned her to be careful, she¡¯s aware of how you feel about her and her fire.¡± That comment made Willow frown. She was just overly cautious, and Savvy had an uncontrollable power. She felt bad on how she felt but it¡¯s nothing she could do about Savvy¡¯s inability to contain the fire. It was rather fitting though, fire was uncontainable, just like Savvy. You couldn¡¯t control it without putting it out completely. She winced at that last thought, and sent a silent apology to Savvy. Not that she was aware she had been apologized to for a thought, but it still helped Willow¡¯s conscious settle. ¡°I just have trust issues.¡± Willow muttered, glancing away from Red, who nudged her with a pale elbow. ¡°Yeah, I get that, but does Savvy know that?¡± Red did have a point. She watched the floor tiles pass under them as they walked back to their classroom. ¡°I¡¯ll let her know.¡± Red hummed in contentment, and they walked in silence. Did she ever hurt Savvy by not trusting her? Probably. Don¡¯t get her wrong, she loved Savvy and always will. But is her mistrust of her powers really all that bad? She didn¡¯t know. ¡°You better. She doesn¡¯t realize how you feel about her fire.¡± Red explained, rapidly typing on her phone. ¡°Yeah. I know.¡± she hummed slightly, processing the conversation. She took a deep breath, eyes watching as Red¡¯s fingers skimmed over the screen. ¡°Is it because she¡¯s a hybrid?¡± She shot her gaze up to Red¡¯s, bewildered. ¡°Where the fuck did you get that idea?¡± She asked, eyes wide. She had nothing against the fact that Savvy was a hybrid, as much as the supernatural community disliked the idea of hybrids being made because of the soul risks and the overpowered nature of hybrids. Though honestly, she was fascinated by hybrids. There were so many variables with them. She just...didn¡¯t know how to trust their powers when they¡¯re so out of control. Savvy¡¯s soul, as far as she was aware, was overly huge. Teleportation demons already had a fairly large soul, and combine that with a Fire demon¡¯s soul, her entire body could be damaged in a certain way and she could quite possibly die. It was fascinating yet disturbing. Fascinatingly disturbing? She should really stop trying to be poetic. ¡°You have Shadow Physics next, right?¡± Red asked suddenly as they turned a corner. She nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. ¡°Yeah. Alistair wants me to take it just so I can help be prepared when Vanessa gets her powers.¡± She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. Red tilted her head. ¡°But you¡¯ve taken other Shadow user classes too though, right?¡± Red¡¯s second question came tumbling forth, and she glanced over. ¡°Yeah. I want to go into Soul theory and all of that. You know that.¡± She said, squinting her eyes at Red. ¡°And to get into the more advanced soul stuff you need to take all these shadow user classes.¡± Red hummed, and pointed ahead of them. Their bags sat innocently against the hallway wall. ¡°I just want to be a chef.¡± Red muttered, shaking her head slightly. ¡°You¡¯d be good at it. You can walk around a kitchen and hit everyone over the head with a spoon.¡± Willow joked, flashing a smile. ¡°Yea, I probably will. By the way you owe me an apple cheesecake.¡± Red poked Willow¡¯s side playfully. She tilted her head curiously and let out an oath. She lost the race. ¡°Fuck! I lost! Dammit!¡± She internally cursed Vladimir for being in her way when she should¡¯ve known he was there. ¡°Ha! That¡¯s what you get for being overconfident!¡± Red teased, mouth stretching into a cheshire grin. ¡°Oh whatever. Vivian¡¯s?¡± She asked, already knowing the answer. Red rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, duh. We always go to Vivian¡¯s.¡± Willow nodded in acknowledgement. Vivian¡¯s was the bakery they always went to after a race. Vivian was a blind shadow mixer who ran an amazing bakery and Red¡¯s biggest inspiration. Vivian helped Red find inspiration in herself and something to distract her thoughts. They¡¯d also bonded over being shadow mixers and Vivian had taught Red everything she knows. ¡°Yeah, I know. Just clarifying.¡± Red stifled a snicker, shaking her head. ¡°Well, see you at the end of the day.¡± Red grins. They got closer to the bags and picked them up, and knocked their fists together in farewell. ¡°See ya, bitch.¡± Red snorted, and gave her a playful glare. ¡°Technically, you¡¯re a bitch.¡± She turned on her heel and walked away from Willow, who was giving her the finger. ¡°Fuck you!¡± She called after her, and turned to head the opposite direction. ¡°Love you too Willow!¡± Heavens Light Here I stand, On this lonely step. Supervising the passerby, Watching the aimless ramble.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Then, in the distance, I see a heaven¡¯s light. Bright, stark against the darkened sky. Heaven¡¯s gaze blips over me, Barely seeing, barely knowing. And for once, the sky is light. Then, suddenly, All is dark. All is empty. I am alone. All I see is Minerva Chapter Two She walked into her next class before the bell rang, the chairs completely empty. As she entered, her father glanced up from his desk, a deep frown on his face. He looked old, gray hair at his temple. His long hair pulled back into a half up ponytail with the rest of his hair hanging free. A stubble lined his chin, gray hairs flecking the dark brown hair. ¡°Did you skip class again?¡± He asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. His cloak wrapped around his shoulders and cast a dark shadow over his face. He didn¡¯t look happy. ¡°No¡­? Why do you ask?¡± She tilted her head, watching him. His green eyes narrowed at her, watching as she dropped her black bookbag onto his desk. ¡°Chalice called me, said you weren¡¯t in class for the last half of the class. Where were you?¡± He pressed, now rising from his chair to place cards on the lab tables in his classroom. She raised a brow in surprise. ¡°Did he fail to mention what he was discussing?¡± She thought aloud, reaching behind her to grab her buzzing phone from her pocket. Alistair turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. ¡°What was he teaching?¡± He grilled, continuing to put pieces of paper on each desk. Willow scowled, staring at him. ¡°He was discussing No-Face¡¯s tactics and mannerisms, and specifically bringing up what he does to families.¡± Alistair¡¯s eyes went wide, mouth wide open. ¡°Red¡¯s in that class with you.¡± He murmured, realization washing over him. ¡°Yeah.¡± She clicked her home screen, distractedly skimming her texts. Nothing important. She looked back up to her father. ¡°Is she okay now?¡± He asked, seeming to finish his task. He walked back up to the front of the room, leaning against the table he kept in front of the whiteboard. He mainly used this table for throwing shadow balls at or experiments in general. ¡°Yeah, we did our little exercise around the school.¡± She explained, shoving her hands into her pockets. He raised a brow at her. ¡°Everytime you say ¡®little exercise¡¯ to me I get worried you two are having...relations on school property.¡± He grinned, watching as she flushed red. ¡°I¡¯M NOT GAY, DAMMIT!¡± She yelled, right as someone walked into the room. She and Alistair both looked over in surprise. The first thing that crossed her mind was that he looked sick. He narrowed his dark eyes at her, watching her carefully. Dark curly hair was all over the place, it curled around his ears and framed his face. He towered over her, and when he spoke small fangs flashed in the light. He didn¡¯t smell like a vampire though. ¡°Congratulations¡­?¡± He asked, and raised his hand up to wave awkwardly. Alistair smiled, and held his hand out for him to shake. The guy took his hand and Willow watched as they greeted each other. ¡°You must be Shadow, right?¡± Alistair guessed, quirking a brow in question. The guy- Shadow nodded. Alistair gestured to her, and continued. ¡°This is my daughter, Willow. Willow, this is Shadow. He¡¯s just transferred to our school.¡± She nodded in acknowledgement, and held out her hand for him to shake. He gingerly took her hand, and she tried to ignore how warm he was. ¡°So, uh, this is a coincidence, but because the rest of the class is shadow users who have shadow demon partners, you two sit together.¡± Alistair explained, wringing his hands together. She nodded, and Shadow did the same. ¡°Where do we sit, then?¡± Shadow asked. Alistair wordlessly led them to the back of the classroom, at the lone table in the back. ¡°You two sit here, and then our other eight will fill in the rest.¡± Alistair explained, walking back over towards his desk. She plopped down on the right, and Shadow sat on her left. The other eight tables were in front of them and slightly to the side, two on the right and two on the left. It formed a ¡®U¡¯ shape where Alistair could walk into the middle, and just talk or demonstrate something. ¡°Were you the maniac who was sprinting around the school earlier today?¡± Shadow suddenly asked, pulling at the cuff of his black turtleneck sweater. She tilted her head in thought, and nodded. ¡°Yeah, that was me. Why?¡± He laughed a bit at her response. She frowned, and watched him curiously. ¡°Just wondering. You almost bulldozed me down in the stairwell.¡± Her eyes went wide, and he flashed a grin at her. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. If it makes you feel better I ran right into someone not soon after.¡± She explained, checking her phone. He huffed, crossing his arms. ¡°It¡¯s cool, the person chasing you was closer to hitting me than you were.¡± He replied, pulling out his phone as well. The conversation died from there. She felt her phone buzz again. She squinted at her phone, clicking it on and opening her texts. Red> No-Face killed again. Red has sent a link She clicked on the link, curiosity getting the best of her, and instantly regretted it. She was met with news of a family. All murdered. Including the kids. She gasped in shock, the poor children¡¯s chests were ripped open, as were their parents. Shadow looked over at her, and looked at her phone. His eyes went wide as he read the news article. ¡°Holy shit.¡± He exclaimed, looking back to her. Alistair¡¯s head shot up, eyes narrowing. He crossed his arms to look intimidating. The effect was lost on Willow, considering she¡¯s seen the man put a banana in a microwave. ¡°Language.¡± clearly Alistair¡¯s stern tone scared the shit out of Shadow. He tensed up, arm slightly trembling. She bumped her wrist against his, smiling at him. ¡°Dad, there¡¯s another No-Face article.¡± Alistair¡¯s face went serious, and he walked over. Willow turned the phone around so he could read. ¡°Shit, five dead, two parents and three kids?¡± He murmured, eyes wide. He read through the rest of the page and shook his head. ¡°Why the kids though? He¡¯s left them to survive before¡­¡± Willow asked, nervously tapping her fingers against the hard table. Alistair shrugged, and turned as another pair came into the room. ¡°Hey hey hey! What¡¯s up?¡± A bright voice called out, her ginger hair slipping out of the hood of her cloak. Alistair flashed a grin, waving to the cloaked girl and the shadow demon that stood behind her narrowed her eyes at Willow suspiciously. ¡°Hey Cherry, hello Amber.¡± giving them a curt nod and walked away from Willow and Shallow to direct them to their seats. Cherry was short and thin, with a black line across her nose. Her arms were decorated with spiraling black lines, and Amber matched. That showed they were bonded. Shadow users and shadow demons have a ritual. A very specific one, at that. Shadow users are unstable, most die from being unable to regulate their powers. Bonding with a shadow demon fixes that. A shadow demon can control the shadow user¡¯s powers, and turn it into usable power. A shadow user¡¯s cloak also helps with this. ¡°Why¡¯s there a wolf in our class?¡± Amber drawled, leaning back in her chair. Willow¡¯s eyes flickered to her. Amber¡¯s broad frame made her look huge next to Cherry. ¡°Because I¡¯m smart enough to be here.¡± She bit back, tensing her shoulders. She rose from her seat, as did Amber. ¡°Girls! That¡¯s enough! You don¡¯t need to compete for who¡¯s prettier, considering it¡¯s me!¡± They turned, looking over at the door. Another shadow user stood in the doorway, his blonde hair cut short (which is a bold statement) and hood down (another bold statement). Two thick black lines wrapped around his neck and the second one curved just under his collarbone. Two triangles went from his temples and met in the middle of his forehead. A tiny shadow demon with short, straight hair stood behind him. The two curves around her neck proved she had been unfortunate enough to be bonded with this guy. Shadow and Amber barely stifled a snicker. Her face warmed as she suddenly remembered a very important fact about shadow demons. Mind reading. And she was most likely broadcasting like at idiot, considering the very displeased look on the new shadow demon¡¯s face. ¡°Jasper...just take your seat.¡± Alistair sighed exasperatedly, pointing at the table to the right of Cherry and Amber. Jasper gave Alistair finger guns and plopped himself into his seat. Willow slowly lowered herself into her seat, face probably still red. ¡°Jasper, care to introduce me to your shadow demon?¡± Alistair asked, waiting patiently for the shadow user to remember common courtesy. Shadow and Amber let out another laugh. ¡°I take back what I said, the wolf is hilarious.¡± Amber chuckled out, earning a glare from the small shadow demon. Willow¡¯s face flushed again and she looked down to avoid everyone¡¯s gaze. She vaguely heard Jasper say the shadow demon¡¯s name but she couldn¡¯t be bothered to listen. A hand nudged her. She peeked over to her left, green eyes interlocking gazes with red. Shadow flashed her a gentle smile. ¡°Just make a mind wall. It¡¯s easy.¡± She glared at him, watching as he flinched in surprise. She looked away angrily, crossing her arms with a huff. ¡°Fuck off.¡± she made eye contact with her disapproving father, who was shaking his head at her. Oh great, I¡¯m gonna get in trouble for cussing out my desk partner. Whoopee! She didn¡¯t miss how Shadow¡¯s brows furrowed and he turned away, mouth pulled into a tight scowl. ¡°Just trying to be helpful. Sorry.¡± He bit out, pulling out his phone to negate further conversation. She gave another glare, just for good measure. ¡°You¡¯re Mr. Crescent¡¯s daughter, right?¡± A shadow demon stood in front of her, his bright red eyes alight with mirth. The mole under his left eye crinkled as his grin grew wider. ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± he rested his elbows onto the desk, red eyes watching her. Shadow demon. She felt so utterly grateful for her deduction abilities. Truly, she did. Because watching someone get a smug grin on their face because they can read your mind is something to be grateful about. ¡°Aaron Larsen. Shadow demon bonded to Smith Stevens. Who should be coming into the room right about now.¡± As he finished his sentence, two shadow throwers burst into the room, almost comically. ¡°I won!¡± The girl, who had dyed a pink streak in her chocolate brown hair, yelled out. The boy was struggling to get his breath back. Both of their shadow cloaks were slipping off, probably because they ran here. Willow felt a pang of familiarity. Why couldn¡¯t she remember who they were? ¡°The shadow thrower twins?¡± Shadow asked, staring at Aaron with mild curiosity. So that''s who they were. She had been racking her brain for where or how she knew these two. Why was it a big deal that they¡¯re twins..? Shit I can¡¯t remember. ¡°Yea, Bonnie wanted a race, Smith can¡¯t turn down a challenge. Something about seeing two girls run across campus.¡± Willow shrunk back in her seat when Aaron and Shadow both gave her pointed looks. She promptly flipped them off, not liking the red eyes staring her down. It¡¯s something about shadow users. Shadow users and twins. ¡°Bonnie and Smith Stevens?¡± Alistair asked, crossing his arms. Bonnie glanced up, grinning wildly. She was going to kick herself later when she remembered. ¡°I won right?¡± Alistair sighed, shaking his head. Bonnie let out a groan and Smith tried to laugh victoriously but just wheezed like a squeaky toy. Another shadow demon with long, straight black hair burst in, clearly angry. A thick spiral curled down the entire expanse of her arm, and she was glaring at Bonnie. ¡°Did you seriously just jump out of a window to win?!¡± Everyone looked at Bonnie in alarm, though Smith had more so the face of suffering. Willow was slightly worried at this point. Alistair rolled his eyes. ¡°You better not have caused body or property damage, Stevens. Both of you.¡± Bonnie gave him finger guns, and waltzed over to her seat, with the angry shadow demon following her. Aaron walked over to Smith, guiding him to the last empty seat, and handed him water. ¡°It¡¯s because most shadow user twins don¡¯t live this long.¡± Shadow muttered, not looking at her. She looked at him, tilting her head. ¡°Explain?¡± His red eyes slid over to her, and ran a pale hand through his dark hair. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Most of the time, the weaker or youngest die from shadow poisoning. So, both of them surviving for this long is considered a miracle.¡± oh. Yea she needed to kick herself. She looked back over to Smith, who was leaning on Aaron¡¯s shoulder and steadily breathing. Aaron looked up at her, a small smile on his face, and waved. She waved back. Alistair started walking towards the middle of the room, his dark cloak billowing around him as he moved. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Alistair clapped his hands together, gaining everyone¡¯s attention. Her father pulled his hood down, and everyone waited as Jasper slowly pulled his hood up. She should probably explain this, shouldn¡¯t she? Shadow users have a strict way to show respect. Only leaders or people in places of authority have their hoods down. As well as have their hair short. Most shadow users have long hair, either shoulder length or longer. Jasper has buzzed hair and some shaggy bangs that fell in his face, whereas literally all the shadow users in the room (with the exception of the shadow demons, the rule doesn¡¯t apply to them apparently. Willow doesn¡¯t understand it) had long hair. So that¡¯s why Alistair pulled his hood down, and Jasper needed to humble himself. ¡°You¡¯re still projecting.¡± Shadow leaned down to whisper, and she turned, giving him a blank stare. ¡°Then stop listening.¡± She vaguely registered Amber doing a spit-take across the room. The class went by quick, with her father discussing with the class about safety measures in their class. Well, okay, it went fast for her because she¡¯s heard the safety speech probably hundreds of times now, considering he rambles it in the car when he¡¯s driving. She timed who would be the first to fall asleep, because someone always gives in. Turns out, it was her own desk buddy. It took him approximately ten minutes into Alistair¡¯s forty minute lecture to pass out. She didn¡¯t know if he was confident in his abilities or if he was just stupid. She was leaning more towards the latter though. Now that she was heading into her last class of the day, she prayed to all the possible deities above and beyond to please put her in a class with someone she knew. ¡°Is that Willow Crescent?¡± A particularly familiar annoying voice called out. She let out a curse under her breath. She knew that voice. She looked up, seeing Vladimir sitting in a seat in the middle of the classroom. Nope. He waved at her, a wide grin stretched across his face. She squinted at him, while he had been enthusiastically pointing at the seat next to him. She sat in an empty seat in the back row, practically hearing Savvy calling her an emo in the back of her head. She should really stop praying. Or start being more specific. Placing her bag onto her desk, she plopped down into the chair. ¡°Aw, did me teasing you in the hallway earlier make you embarrassed?¡± Vladimir sat down in the seat in front of her, which she was pretty sure someone had already been sitting in. he flashed her a toothy grin, and leaned into her space. ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked, crossing her arms. His ice blue eyes stared into her core, like he was searching for something. His dark black hair fell into his face as he let out a laugh. ¡°You.¡± He purred, placing his phone on her desk. He had a contact page made, with her name but no phone number. ¡°You mean you want my phone number so you can cheat for this class?¡± He gave a non committal shrug, giving her a sly grin. ¡°Something like that.¡± She handed the phone back to him. His grin fell, and he gave her a confused glance. ¡°I¡¯m not up for blood orgies at the moment, sorry.¡± he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. She gave him a smirk this time, enjoying how annoyed he looked for once. ¡°That was one time.¡± he bit out, averting his gaze. She watched him turn fully around before she said anything. ¡°That¡¯s what they all say.¡± He whipped around, eyes ablaze with anger. At least she thought it was anger. She wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe mild annoyance. ¡°You should watch how you talk to people, Willow. You never know what they might do.¡± Vladimir leaned towards her, flashing his fangs in the light. She decided to ignore the chill that shot down her spine. ¡°Is that a threat, or a promise?¡± She whispered, watching him carefully. Vladimir chuckled, shaking his head slightly. ¡°You¡¯re something else, Willow Crescent.¡± She pressed her lips together tightly, and kicked his chair, hard. He yelped and dramatically placed his hand on his chest. ¡°Be careful, you almost gave me a heart attack!¡± He smiled, and she almost missed how his eyes flickered down to her lips then back to her eyes. ¡°You¡¯d have to have a heart for that to happen.¡± She deflected, looking away from him. He turned fully around in his seat, a smug grin on his face. ¡°Are you just going to pretend that your heart rate didn¡¯t just speed up?¡± she pointedly was not looking at him, crossing her arms and scowling. ¡°Yes.¡± He opened his mouth to say something, but was ultimately stopped when the teacher decided enough was enough. ¡°Either you two can stop flirting or I can write you both a hall pass for you to work out the sexual tension.¡± Vladimir grinned, loving the attention. Their teacher rose a brow, waiting for an answer. ¡°We¡¯ll take option two, please.¡± She smacked him on the back of the head, face burning. He laughed lightly, cold hand grabbing her wrist to keep her from hitting him a second time. ¡°Please, just...be quiet so I can teach.¡± She pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. Vladimir blew a kiss at Willow and turned around. She kicked his chair again, getting a tiny yelp, feeling a tiny flare of satisfaction. As far as she knew, Vladimir could just be teasing her because she didn¡¯t know how to react. But that didn¡¯t stop her from writing her number on a slip of paper and passing it to him by the end of class. When the end of the day rolled around at 4 o¡¯clock, she practically ran out of her fourth block, managing to avoid Vladimir¡¯s curious gaze. She bounded down the stairs, walking with the movement of the hoard of high school students. Everyone either stood outside talking, or were rushing towards their cars or buses. In her case, it was her car. And she needed to get around the two freshmen who were passionately making out in front of her- oh dear that was a penis. She averted her gaze and managed to slip by without hitting the freshmen. She somehow got outside with no more incidents, grateful that she survived. She looked up, and breathed a sigh. The crystals were pretty today. They were normally pretty, but they seemed...different today. She didn¡¯t really notice during her run with Red, she was more focused on distracting Red. The crystals radiated a soft magenta light, painting the area around the building in a soft pink light. It would be more intense of a light the closer you got to them. There are some apartments in the city that are constantly bathed in a soft colorful light. She couldn¡¯t remember how they worked at the moment, though she was fairly certain it was due to the seasons and temperature up on the surface. Yea, you read that right. Surface. Supernaturals lived underground, with some living on the surface close to the mountains. They went underground roughly after the war, approximately six thousand years ago, and are now a self governing nation. Most mountain ranges have a ¡®continent¡¯ of some sort, and a teleportation system to travel between them. In her totally unbiased opinion, their mountain range; named after their specific founder ¡®Vaila¡¯, was the prettiest. She knew the Uriela range (which was on the other side of the country) was more well known for its food and culture rather than it¡¯s aesthetics. She knew her friend Violet was from the Quirina range, which she knew was across the Pacific ocean. She couldn¡¯t remember the human name for the country though. She broke out of her thoughts, realizing she just walked past her car, and turned around. Nope. She turned back around after seeing Vladimir talking with some of his friends. She was ignoring the fact that he was holding a piece of paper, probably the one with her number on it. She slipped in between two random cars and walked behind the cars until she saw her license plate, while keeping an eye on where Vladimir was looking. Jesus, you¡¯re acting like a middle school child. She spotted Vladimir getting into his car, and driving off. A twig snapped behind her, and she whirled around, almost about to throw a punch. Shadow was staring at her, his brows drawn together in curiosity. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked, crossing his arms. She gave him an awkward grin, and rolled onto the heels of her feet. ¡°Uh...avoiding people?¡± He rose a brow, and looked over to where Vladimir¡¯s car had been. A grin spread across his face. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re just avoiding a certain someone?¡± She turned away from him, ears burning. He laughed, bright and clear. Another set of footsteps was approaching them. ¡°Shadow? What are you¡­oh.¡± A boy walked out around the cars, his curly black hair tucked under his gray beanie. His hair was obviously longer than Shadow¡¯s, who had his just long enough for it to curl around his ears. Shadow turned to look at the kid, who swallowed nervously and waved at Willow. ¡°Oh, hey Zachariah.¡± Zachariah frowned, punching Shadow in the arm and walked forward to offer his hand to Willow. She shook it gently, and he smiled. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Zach, this idiot¡¯s brother.¡± oh. That probably makes more sense. They looked like brothers, now that she thought about it. They were both tall and lean, with wild curly black hair and red eyes. Though Shadow had faint freckles and Zachariah didn¡¯t. ¡°Wow, you actually do narrate in your mind.¡± Zachariah said, eyes watching her curiously. She jumped, eyes wide. Shadow gave his brother (she was assuming Shadow was older, she wasn¡¯t exactly sure) a pointed glare. ¡°What?¡± she muttered, looking at the ground. Shadow elbowed Zachariah, and sighed. She kicked at a rock, and glanced between the two of them. ¡°You think weird. You think like a book character or something, considering you state facts in your mind or whatever.¡± He explained, not looking at her. She politely ignored his bright red ears. ¡°Oh. I have memory issues. I was in an...accident when I was little, so my childhood is practically nonexistent and I can¡¯t remember things very well unless I either write them down for me to read later or to pretty much internalize it by thinking about it repeatedly.¡± She explained with a small laugh, rubbing her forearm awkwardly. Shadow hummed, nodding. Zachariah had a look of surprise, and was giving his brother a look she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Well, we¡¯re gonna go. Our grandmother is probably wondering where we are.¡± Zachariah piped up, and turned on his heel to walk away. Shadow watched him walk to the car, and turned back to her. ¡°See you.¡± She gave him a curt nod and he stalked off. She smiled warmly, seeing the two interact reminded her of her younger sisters. Though her sisters were only eight and thirteen. She sighed and walked over to her car, unlocking it. She opened her car door (a lovely little black Chevy Cruze, thank you) and sat inside, watching for a shock of red hair. She hooked up her phone to the car¡¯s audio system, sending a few texts and let Alistair know where they were going. She got a vague confirmation and she felt that he might be in an argument with Artemis again. Artemis Belligrate was a royal pain in the ass. She was the current head of the council, and sucked at her job. She went to school with Alistair, and from Willow remembers, they used to be friends. But power changed Artemis to be more of a stuck up brat than an admirable person. From what she remembered, Artemis was tall, pale, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. She had a daughter who was twelve? She wasn¡¯t particularly sure, she just knew she had a daughter. ¡°Are you mind narrating again?¡± She jumped, cursing and looked over at Red. At some point Red had taken out her bun, and now her long wavy red hair tumbled down, framing her pale face. She stared at her, pursing her lips in thought. ¡°No¡­?¡± She tried, giving a small smile. Red rose a brow, and buckled her seatbelt. She lowered her hood, breathing a sigh of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t try and bullshit me. Just drive, I need cheesecake.¡± Willow huffed, starting the car. She also buckled, because driving and Willow don¡¯t get along. Red normally drives, though she doesn¡¯t like to when she¡¯s had a panic attack. Willow tends to get lost in her head and Red doesn¡¯t, so Red is mostly the preferred option. ¡°Aye aye, captain.¡± She checked her left, right, and then left again and backed out of her parking spot, thankful Red took her time leaving the building, because majority of the parking lot was now empty. She turned left onto the well maintained road, watching one particular idiot speeding past them. If Red had been driving right now, even her ears would be burning from the creative curses. Red was well known for her road rage in their house, though she wasn¡¯t allowed to do it in front of Vanessa. They pulled to a stop behind a red car, almost blood red. Oh yea, she should probably tell Red about her poor decision making today. ¡°I gave Vladimir my number.¡± Red whipped her head to stare at Willow dumbfoundedly. Her mouth was wide open, eyes wide. She kinda looked like a fish. ¡°You WHAT?!¡± She shrieked, pulling out her phone, presumably to text their friends of this new development. She sighed, regretting this already. She took a right turn, waiting for Red to finish her freakout. ¡°I gave him my number. We have fourth block together. He seems pretty chill.¡± Red was now staring out the window in shock, covering her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are anymore.¡± Red said dramatically, and Willow rolled her eyes. They hit a red light, so Willow now had a moment to give Red a look. ¡°Why are you acting like this?¡± Willow asked, raising a brow. Red grinned at her, mischief in her eyes. ¡°Is this the year Willow Crescent breaks her vow of never dating anyone?¡± The light turned green, and because there were no cars in front of her, she suddenly stepped on the gas to make Red lurch forward. ¡°Shut up.¡± Willow said, watching the cars in front of her. Red laughed, bright and clear. Red brushed her bangs out of her face, cerulean eyes showing more emotion than she normally lets on. Willow gave her a questioning glance, but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°How was today?¡± Red murmured, just as Willow turned left. She thought about her answer before she actually responded. She knew what Red was asking, if she had forgotten anything important during the day. ¡°It was good, I only forgot why it was a miracle if shadow user twins survive.¡± she paused, debating. ¡°And I can¡¯t remember if I turn here or go straight.¡± She glanced at Red, who was giving her an enigmatic stare. ¡°Straight, Willow. I know it¡¯s hard to stay straight, but you gotta try, for poor Vladimir¡¯s sake.¡± She let out a squawk, almost slamming the brakes to make Red lurch forward again. She opted to instead flip her off. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude!¡± Red mock gasped, placing a hand on her chest. Willow, now recognizing where they were, took another left. ¡°You¡¯re in my passenger seat, I¡¯m allowed to be rude!¡± She exclaimed, sticking her tongue out playfully. Red snorted, and went back to scrolling through her phone. ¡°Just drive.¡± Willow rolled her eyes, driving past the halfway point. Almost there. The rest of the drive was ridden in a comfortable silence, with Red casually humming to the music playing from the radio. Vivian¡¯s was a small, modest place. It was warm and cozy inside, with little glass blown ornaments that Vivian absolutely adored. She really liked the texture apparently. When they entered the bakery, a little bronze bell chimed above them. Vivian¡¯s voice called out from the kitchen, quick and hasty. ¡°Be there in just a second!¡± Red grinned at Willow, and they walked up the counter, peering into the glass case featuring sweets and treats. Willow felt her phone buzz in her hand, and looked at her screen, scrunching her face. Cleo, her sister had texted her. Baby Sis> Since ur at viv¡¯s, get me some food. She rolled her eyes and sent a thumbs up for affirmative. She looked up, seeing Vivian slip out of the kitchen, her blind eyes scanning the area. She stopped and her smile brightened, walking towards the counter. Vivian was a petite, busty woman, with white hair and pale eyes. She had her long hair pulled back into a french braid, a few loose strands escaping it¡¯s plait and framing her face delicately. ¡°Hello! How can I help you?¡± She asked, bright and cheery, completely unaware of who was in front of her. ¡°One special apple cheesecake please!¡± Red said, a big grin on her face. Vivian raised a brow, and turned her head to Willow. ¡°How in the hell did you lose?¡± Vivian asked, crossing her arms and leaning back. Willow gave a sheepish laugh, and opened her mouth to respond, but Red beat her to it. ¡°Willow¡¯s got a boyfriend!¡± Red whisper-shouted, clearly excited to ruin Willow¡¯s life. She gave her a sharp elbow under the ribs, though Vivian raised a suspicious brow at Red¡¯s groan of pain. ¡°Literally running into someone does NOT make him my boyfriend.¡± Willow grumbled, crossing her arms. Vivian squinted her eyes, and tapped her fingers against the counter. ¡°Red, tell me about the boyfriend.¡± Willow groaned, dramatically stomping her foot like a child, ignoring Red¡¯s and Vivian¡¯s amused laughs. ¡°Okay so first off, he¡¯s a vampire!¡± Red exclaimed, waving her hands around to exaggerate to a blind person. ¡°What?? Is that even possible?¡± Vivian asked, leaning forward on her chin. Red made a thoughtful hum. ¡°Maybe? And! He looks suuuper emo. He¡¯s got straight black hair, and it falls in his face all the time. And he¡¯s got bright blue eyes and he¡¯s super tall so you know that¡¯s Willow¡¯s type,¡± Red took a breath from the rapid information dump she was pouring onto Vivian. ¡°AND, he¡¯s an asshole. He once had a blood orgy.¡± Even now, miles away from Vladimir, she could hear his indignant squawk. She laughed quietly to herself just imagining it, and felt her face go warm. No. no no no no no no no. We are NOT doing that. No way in HELL! We are not crushing on Vladimir. No. ¡°And! And! She gave her number to him!¡± Vivian gasped, eyes blown wide. She looked over at Willow, a stern expression on her face. ¡°Willow Crescent. You better bring this boy here one day.¡± Willow groaned again, and plopped herself down onto the ground. ¡°Viv, please, just get us an apple cheesecake and a key lime pie. And Cleo¡¯s normal order please.¡± Willow muttered, knowing she would hear. ¡°Alright, grumpy.¡± and with that, she heard Vivian stomp away, not angrily, it¡¯s just how she walks. Red looked down at Willow with a teasing grin. Her face was a mixture of triumphant smugness and playfulness. Willow just crossed her arms and pouted, causing Red to roll her eyes. ¡°Come on, get up you big baby.¡± ¡°No.¡± Willow said, sticking up her chin in childish stubbornness. Red rolls her eyes again and grabs Willow by the forearms, and unsuccessfully pulling her up. Willow sighed and relented, standing up so Red wouldn¡¯t hurt herself or embarrass herself even further. They ended up spending the rest of the time waiting for their food by making faces at each other and sending each other stupid memes while they bickered like toddlers. Broken Heart. A Tree with Sapphic tendencies. A Blood demon with a shadow. A dead mother.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. A living corpse. A vessel. A paradox. A blind woman. A thief. A mistake. Me. Broken. Help. She¡¯s gone. Chapter Three ¡°I have an offer for you, Red.¡± Vivian said, sitting down at the table where Red was currently stuffing her face full of apple cheesecake. To be fair though, Willow was doing the same but with her key lime pie. Red covered her mouth politely, even if Vivian couldn¡¯t see her, and swallowed before she spoke. Vivian was waiting patiently, tapping her fingers gently on the table. ¡°Does it involve being a taste tester?¡± Red asked, watching as Vivian got a shit-eating grin. Willow rose a brow, and Red did the same. ¡°I would like to hire you. At the bakery.¡± Red¡¯s eyes went wide with surprise, and she struggled to get an answer out. ¡°Vivian, I think that¡¯s a yes.¡± Vivian clapped her hands together in joy, a wide grin spread across her face. ¡°Wonderful. You start Friday.¡± And with that, she got up, fingers in the air as if she were tracing something leading her into the kitchen. Her braid swung as she walked away, her hair appearing golden in the soft orange light the bakery was bathed in from the warm candles acting as lights. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Red exclaimed, quite loudly. Willow shushed her, waving sheepishly to a couple of angry stares. Red was practically vibrating with excitement. ¡°Okay, take a chill pill.¡± Willow murmured, gazing wistfully out the window. She would¡¯ve missed the footsteps approaching them if she hadn¡¯t been paying attention. ¡°Is this the table with the order of butter croissants?¡± She and Red both glanced up, startled by this new person. His eyes were a soothing deep brown, with tan skin and long light brown hair that ended around his shoulders. Speaking of his shoulders, they were broad and muscular. He towered over them, a gentle smile on his face. Willow looked over at Red to see her completely broken. Like, actually broken. Red had always been able to hold a conversation with anyone, no matter their appearance. Unless they were maybe twice her size and had bright eyes paired with a gleaming smile. Willow glanced over again, Red¡¯s face was probably rivaling her hair. ¡°Yea, that¡¯s us.¡± Willow answered, saving Red from more embarrassment. He looked over at her, and placed a warm bag on the table. He glanced back at Red, who was nervously fiddling with her shadow cloak. ¡°See you Friday.¡± He rumbled out, and walked off. Red squeaked, watching him walk off. Willow looked over at her, a crooked grin stretched across her face. ¡°Someone¡¯s got a boyfriend~¡± She cooed, laughing as Red gave her a glare, and a feeble attempt to kick her under the table. ¡°Shut up.¡± Now, their roles were reversed. Willow, giving the triumphant grin, and Red, pouting. Willow was the first to get up, grabbing the warm bag of croissants, and Red grabbing their empty plates. They headed to the door, and Red placed the plates in the plate return area by the door. Willow held the door open for Red, and they exited the bakery with a quick shout of a goodbye to Vivian. They barely made it three feet from the door when they stopped. Savvy stood in front of them, with her mom by her side. They were both tall, and thin, with platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes. The one difference was Savvy¡¯s mom had straight hair, cut into an angular bob, and Savvy had wavy hair that poofed up any chance it could. Savvy¡¯s mom had orange horns that curved back, somewhat like a goat¡¯s. Savvy¡¯s horns went more skyward. ¡°Willow, Red, what a nice surprise!¡± Savvy gave them a look that screamed ¡®run¡¯ as her mother clapped her hands together and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Ms. Carcus.¡± Willow greeted, giving a small wave. Savvy bit her lip, and turned to her mom, wringing her hands nervously. ¡°Can I talk to them for a bit about our second period? I need to know what notes they missed so I can send it to them.¡± She explained, watching her mom carefully. Her mom rose a thin brow, and pursed her lips. ¡°Okay. Glad to see you¡¯re being useful.¡± Her mom turned on her heel and entered the bakery, her high pitched, fake cheery voice still leaving a ring in Willow¡¯s ears. Savvy flinched at her mother¡¯s harsh words, and looked back over to her two friends. ¡°Sorry about her. Her boyfriend called her on the ride over and I think they had a fight last night.¡± Red and Willow hummed in unison, exchanging a glance. Savvy¡¯s parents split up soon after Savvy had quite literally combusted into flames and burned down a classroom. It would¡¯ve been difficult for them to really stay together after that, considering the both of them were teleportation demons and no history of fire demons in their family. ¡°It¡¯s cool, it¡¯s nothing we aren¡¯t already used to.¡± Red murmured, nudging Willow in the ribs. What was she saying? What was she doing? I¡¯m confused. Red noticed the look on her face and sighed, rubbing at her temples. ¡°Sorry, Willow¡¯s probably daydreaming about her new boyfriend.¡± Red deadpanned, giving a small grin as Savvy¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Whoa what?¡± Savvy looked between Red and Willow, trying to tell if Red was pulling her leg or not. Willow glared at Red, arms crossed. ¡°I told you-¡± Red cut her off by covering her mouth with her hand, a wicked smirk on her face. Savvy rose a curious brow, watching them. ¡°SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND AND YOU¡¯LL NEVER GUESS WHO IT IS!!¡± Red yelled, wrapping her arms around Willow as she thrashed to get away. A group of vampires turned the corner and she made eye contact with one of them, and she wiggled violently even more. ¡°Me?¡± A particular vampire asked, crossing his arms and watching her with bright icy eyes. Red whirled around, a grin on her face and she grabbed Savvy by the arm and sprinted inside, cackling the entire way. ¡°No not you.¡± She grumbled, looking away as he leaned towards her. A few catcalls and whistles rose from his group of friends, and he turned, scowling. ¡°Go inside, you douchebags.¡± He snarled, fangs flashing. The group of vampires went into a stunned silence, and quietly (and awkwardly) shuffled inside the bakery. ¡°Now that we¡¯re alone...¡± He leaned against the brick wall next to them, grinning down at her. She was pointedly not making eye contact, ignoring the blood thumping through her ears. ¡°What?¡± She flinched as his cold hand caressed her jaw. She made eye contact with his icy blue eyes, her breath catching in her throat as he slowly leaned towards her. ¡°Scared, doll?¡± He whispered lightly into her ear, his laugh tickling her skin. Goosebumps skittered down her arms and spine. She huffed an awkward breath, as she recovered from...whatever that was. He grinned a toothy grin, his fangs stark in the dusk of the coming night. She gulped, pressing her back against a brick wall. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure when he had moved her against the wall, though she suspected it was when he had been encroaching into her space. ¡°No.¡± He rose a brow, smirking as he twirled a piece of her hair between his fingers. She frowned, angling her head so her hair would fall from his fingers. ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar.¡± He mumbled, leaning against the wall again, though still fairly close to her. Rolling her eyes, she fully prepared to walk away, though, he had a...different stare on his face. He looked pensive, and calm. The enigmatic gaze he had on his face just...compelled her to stay. So she did. ¡°Shush.¡± She retorted, crossing her arms and staring at the ground. She could feel him looking at her, his observant eyes making her burn all over. ¡°I¡¯d rather not, when I¡¯m with you.¡± He muttered, letting out a shaky sigh. She peeked up at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She bit her lip, pondering for a second. Would it be so bad...if I just...didn¡¯t care? Just went for it? She rocked on her heels awkwardly, considering her options. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± She asked, deciding to glance behind her into the bakery. Red and Savvy were excitedly chattering away to Vivian and pointing outside- even though Vivian was blind and couldn''t see anything. ¡°I like talking to you. You always...surprise me.¡± Whirling around in surprise, her mouth dropped open. He was blushing. A vampire. Blushing. Good job, Willow, you probably broke him. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, biting his lip nervously. ¡°I-I uh¡­¡± She trailed off, the bakery door opening. Vivian walked out, Red behind her. Vivian looked over to Willow, and slowly, her gaze moved to her left. When Vivian¡¯s stare returned to Willow, she frowned. ¡°He¡¯s not the one, Willow.¡± She said, and walked back inside with no other words. Willow just gave Red a look, who gave her a confused shrug in return. ¡°Did...Did I offend her somehow?¡± He asked quietly, leaning down slightly to whisper to Willow. She shrugged. If Red, -the person who understood Vivian the most- didn¡¯t know, no one did. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡± She responded, giving him a small smile. He hummed lowly, nodding slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll text you later, yea?¡± He worded it like a question, but it felt more like a statement. She gave a curt nod, and gestured for Red to follow her to the car. ¡°Wait!¡± He called after her, and she turned, raising a confused brow. He waited for her to respond, but when she didn¡¯t, he continued, ¡°Does this mean we¡¯re dating now?¡± her eyes widened, and she laughed and shook her head. His face fell, and she smiled. ¡°You gotta swoon me first, big shot!¡± She yelled, and he brightened up immediately. His lips curled into a cocky smirk, and she knew she might regret that decision. ¡°See you tomorrow, doll!¡± She flipped him off, continuing her walk to the car, Red following. ¡°Soooo-¡± Red started, a wide grin on her face. Willow held up a hand, cutting her off. She glared at Red, knowing fully well it wouldn¡¯t intimidate her at all. ¡°You¡¯re not to say a word, got it?¡± Red nodded, a suspicious grin on her face. Willow narrowed her eyes, and held out her pinkie. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Red complained, dramatically stomping her feet on the ground like a toddler. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I am.¡± She wasn¡¯t even looking at Red, just holding her pinkie out and waiting until Red wrapped hers around Willow¡¯s pinkie. ¡°You¡¯re such a child.¡± Red groaned, and half-heartedly wrapped her pinkie around Willow¡¯s. She huffed a laugh at Red cursing her out under her breath. ¡°You are too, don¡¯t even deny it.¡± They walked up to the car, pinkies still linked together. They only let go when they needed to enter the car. They pulled into their driveway right as the sun finished setting, the crystals above them a dark blue. Red grabbed Cleo¡¯s bag of croissants and Willow snatched up their book bags from the backseat. Red walked into the house before her, rushing to get inside to her kitchen. Willow stood there, staring at the cul-de-sac and watching the trees around her rustle. ¡°Willow!!¡± She turned, bracing herself for impact as her youngest sister came barrelling out of the house, her dark brown hair fluttering behind her as she tackled Willow to the best of her ability. ¡°Hey, troublemaker, what¡¯s up?¡± Vanessa gave a snaggletooth grin, her front top teeth now missing. Unless they were gone this morning and I forgot. She smiled, and rubbed at Vanessa¡¯s head. Vanessa pulled at her hand, tugging her towards the front door. ¡°Daddy gave me candy for finally losing my teeth! Though Cleo says since I yanked them out when they weren¡¯t ready they¡¯ll grow big and look like a donkey¡¯s.¡± Vanessa pouted, then continued chattering away. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna look like a donkey!¡± Willow shook her head, opening the door and letting Vanessa walk inside before her. A chill shot down her spine. She paused, feeling eyes watching her. She turned, eyes scanning the cul-de-sac for someone. All she saw was one of her neighbors walking away from the cul-de-sac, her ponytail swaying in the wind. She eyed the treeline, seeing vague movement amongst the trees but shrugged it off. Probably some horny teenagers fooling around. There was nothing to be scared of, after all. ¡°Willow Beatrice Crescent, GET IN HERE!¡± A voice called from the warmth of her house, and as she entered, she locked the door behind her. Cleo came storming down the hallway, her brown eyes wide. ¡°You mean to tell me you got a boyfriend before I did?¡± Cleo cocked her hip, crossing her arms. Willow rolled her eyes, dropping her and Red¡¯s book bags by the door. She ruffled Cleo¡¯s hair, making sure she messed it up. ¡°You¡¯re welcome for the croissants!¡± She called as she entered the living room, seeing her mom curled up on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. Willow looked most like her mom, in her honest opinion. She got her brown hair from her, as well as her tan skin. The only differing trait they had was Willow inherited her father¡¯s green eyes. She was broken out of her musings when Cleo yelled out again, boisterous as ever, ¡°I am grateful but still angry!¡± She laughed, rolling her eyes and walked over to give her mom a hug, murmuring a greeting. ¡°You¡¯ve got a boyfriend, huh?¡± Her mother asked, giving her a small squeeze. Willow groaned, and pulled away, dramatically looking away. ¡°No! AND RED, YOU PINKIE PROMISED!¡± Willow shouted, aiming a glare at the kitchen. Red had her back turned, but she knew that Red was aware of the unfiltered hatred aimed at her back. Red shrugged, turning around to hold her hands up in defense. ¡°Technically, I told them before I pinkie promised. So I haven¡¯t broken any promises.¡± She opened her mouth to retort, but ultimately decided to close it. Fair play. ¡°Mommy? What¡¯s a boyfriend?¡± Vanessa asked, while pulling out her pigtails and shaking her hair out. ¡°Something you¡¯re too young for and so is Willow.¡± Her mother said, grabbing a brush and running it through her sister¡¯s hair. Willow heard a small giggle from the doorway, and because her mother was also a werewolf, she heard it too. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re excluded, Cleo.¡± a small groan responded in kind, and Cleo trudged out of the doorway, a croissant in her hand. ¡°Why not?!¡± She whined, stomping her foot as she flopped onto the couch. Willow sat down next to Cleo, leaning against the armrest while staring at her sister¡¯s face curiously. ¡°When¡¯d you get the lines, Cleo?¡± She asked, studying the black triangles that peeked under Cleos¡¯ mouth, two on each side, as well as the ones that peeked out under her eyes. Cleo stared at her with a look of disbelief on her face. Red¡¯s clattering in the kitchen went quiet, and her mother stopped brushing Vanessa¡¯s hair. ¡°You seriously don¡¯t remember?¡± Cleo snapped, crossing her arms and averting her brown eyes. Willow looked around the room, trying to realize what she did wrong. Red had that look on her face, the one where everytime Willow forgot something she¡¯d look guilty. She frowned, glancing at her mother. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She murmured, curling into herself, staring at the black lines that curled down from her sister¡¯s chin and curled behind her neck. She needed to remember. Cleo sighed, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ve had them for two years, Willow.¡± Cleo whispered, before taking a bite of the croissant angrily. She looked down, picking at her fingernail. ¡°Sorry.¡± She muttered, avoiding her sister¡¯s stare. Red came over, soft steps as she tapped Willow on the shoulder. ¡°Maybe you should go shower and you can sleep, yea? You¡¯re probably tired.¡± Red suggested, gesturing for Willow to get up and follow her. She did, ignoring Cleo¡¯s stare and her mother¡¯s concerned frown. Vanessa vaguely knew what was going on, but not as much as Cleo or her mother. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why she can¡¯t just...remember!¡± She heard Cleo¡¯s harsh whisper as she walked upstairs, and she bit her lip to muffle her sigh. Red opened Willow¡¯s bedroom door, ushering her inside. She flopped down onto her bed, staring at the ceiling as Red walked over to her mirror and added a new sticky note. She glanced over, frowning at the growing list of neon sticky note reminders. I should be getting better. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, you know.¡± Red mumbled, turning around and facing Willow. She had taken her long red hair out of its bun, and it now tumbled down to her waist in subtle waves. ¡°I don¡¯t even remember why I¡¯m like this.¡± She whispered, now sitting up as she stared at her carpet like it would give her answers. She knew it wouldn¡¯t, but hey, maybe an omniscient being could come out of the ground and explain all of her mistakes to her. ¡°You¡¯ll remember tomorrow morning. You get worse when you¡¯re tired.¡± Red explained, walking forward and giving her a small hug. She paused, thinking for a moment and looked back over to Willow. ¡°Do you remember why I live with you guys?¡± She asked, watching Willow carefully. She bit her lip, racking her brain. Why is she here? She shook her head, and Red sighed, almost disappointedly. Red bumped her shoulder against Willow¡¯s, and stared out the window across from them, staring at the trees and the crystals above them. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised that it¡¯s hard for you to remember, but it was a short while after your accident.¡± Red started, and let out a small chuckle. Willow scrunched her brows together, waiting for her to continue. ¡°I had come home, from school or whatever, and found my parents talking with this...man.¡± Red took a breath, taking Willow¡¯s hand and squeezing slightly. Oh. This is a sad story. She nodded, letting Red know she was listening. ¡°He was...terrifying. He saw me, and then announced he was leaving. Then he did.¡± Red swallowed, blinking her eyes and staring at the ceiling. ¡°But then he came back. Broke into the house, killed my parents while I had been sitting up on the roof, unaware of what was happening until I heard my mom scream. I found him, cutting up his own face to hide his identity.¡± She held back a sob, biting her lip. Willow felt a pang of familiarity, knowing she¡¯s heard this before but not remembering the details. ¡°He saw me, grinned, and told me his name was ¡®No-Face¡¯. He then left the house, and I was left there, with my parents mutilated bodies around me.¡± Red whispered, so quietly even Willow had trouble hearing her. ¡°Your father found me, decided to take me in. That''s how I¡¯m here.¡± Red rubbed at her eyes, wiping away any tears that might have run down her face. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry...That¡¯s horrible.¡± Willow muttered, opening her arms to offer Red a hug. Red smiled and leaned into her arms, sniffling slightly. ¡°You say that everytime I tell you this story.¡± Red chuckled, hugging her back gently. Willow hummed slightly, processing. ¡°How often do you tell me this?¡± Willow murmured, peering at Red. She tilted her head, pulling away as she thought it over. ¡°Maybe every two weeks? Not really sure.¡± She explained, glancing back out the window. Jesus. She laid back down, staring at the ceiling again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She said, wistfully wondering if she¡¯d be able to remember anything in the future. Red gave her a sympathetic smile, and flicked her knee. ¡°Don¡¯t be. You¡¯re getting better. You should sleep.¡± Red got up, waving and left, closing the door behind her. She huffed, rolling over onto her side. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she was going to ignore it...except. It might be important. She begrudgingly pulled her phone out, hissing quietly at the sudden bright light. Unknown Number > I rly hope u gave me the right number. She furrowed her brows, trying to remember who she gave her number to. Another text arrived, answering her question. Unknown Number > It¡¯s vladimir btw Oh. Yea. Right. She frowned, debating whether to respond. Vladimir decided to beat her to it, though. Her phone rang, and she jumped, dropping her phone onto her bed in surprise. She picked it up, realized Vladimir was calling her. Oh SHIT he was calling her! She answered, and hoped her voice didn¡¯t give away how nervous she was. ¡°Hello?¡± She greeted, albeit sounding very hesitant and shy. He laughed, bright and clear on the other side of the phone. ¡°Hey you. Did you forget read receipts were a thing?¡± he drawled, some rustling coming from his side of the call. She froze, cursing herself inwardly. ¡°Nope.¡± She totally did, but she wasn¡¯t going to tell him that. He hummed, almost like he was debating whether or not she was lying. ¡°Hm. okay, whatever you say, doll.¡± He sighed, and continued talking. ¡°Admittedly, I wasn¡¯t gonna text you until tomorrow, but I was also worried about coming off...flippant, I guess?¡± She barely stifled her bark of a laugh, and sat up. ¡°You clearly don¡¯t know the definition of the word flippant.¡± He groaned in such a way she could practically hear the eye roll. ¡°And you clearly don¡¯t realize the amount of dedication I have for you, considering I just ate.¡± She frowned, wondering why that was so important. ¡°What?¡± She asked, putting him on speaker. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail, letting her hair fall as she brushed it out. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how bad it is for vampires to talk to their...crushes, I guess, after feeding?¡± He rumbled, rustling once again coming from the phone speaker. She turned, looking at the phone as though he could see her. ¡°No?¡± She changed her clothes, pulling on sweatpants and an old T-shirt. He laughed again, and she plopped back down onto her bed, carrying her phone with her as she plugged it onto the charger. ¡°Blood gets us...excited, Willow. Do you get it?¡± She was silent, trying to think through his words. He groaned again, this time exasperatedly. ¡°We get horny.¡± Her eyes widened at his blunt explanation, and she was trying to process his words. ¡°Wait so you¡¯re¡­?¡± She murmured, feeling her cheeks warm. He laughed, probably hearing the tone in her voice. ¡°Yea. You want proof?¡± He chuckled out, and she wheezed. Not from laughter, from him embarrassing her to the point where her lungs quit working. She pressed the hang up button. Unknown Number > Awww so mean! Unknown number has sent an attachment. She flipped her phone over, not wanting to see what he probably sent. When she took a deep breath, and had thought up a few small dick jokes to retaliate with, she saw an image of...is that the troll face meme? User > God. How old are you, twelve? Unknown Number > Nah, last i checked im the same age as u. She rolled her eyes, and turned off her phone, rolling over to go to bed. She ignored the three buzzes that followed, as she slipped into the comfortable embrace of sleep. She woke up to the sound of tapping at her window. She sat up, blinking blearily. The tapping continued, little rhythmic taps against the window. She slid out of bed, padding over to her window a peering out. What the fuck? She stared outside, seeing the man standing in the tree line, watching her. Chills flooded down her spine, alarm bells ringing in her brain but not recognizing why she should be worried. Remember. Remember. Who is he? Why is he scary? She flinched as he rose a hand, and waved at her. He had red...no. Blood. Blood was covering his hands and forearms, shimmering in the light as he waved at her slowly. She took in his appearance, trying to remember. Who are you? Her instincts screamed for her to move, but she was trying to commit every detail to memory. Curly black hair, pale skin, a smooth white mask that covered the top half of his face. His jaw was lined with vertical scars, like he had run a knife up and down his face. Oh. I know him. Who is he? Adrenaline was coursing through her veins as she stared at him, taking in the scars that lined his skin as well. He angled his neck slightly in the light, and she didn¡¯t miss the thick scar that ran across his neck horizontally, over his pulse point. Remember. Remember. Killer. Who is he? She froze, realization pouring over her. No-Face. She screamed, loud and clear, watching him run off into the woods. Blood Lust. Blood. Blood. Blood. Runs its course through our veins, Trickles down our slit wrists.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Blood. Blood. Blood. The epitome of life, Death, Arousal. Thieves coat their hands in lambs blood, Hiding their scent from the huntsman. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Everything¡¯s wrong. I want to start over.