You Again

The Elthon hillside was a popular tourist spot in our town. It was essentially a large rock encircled by a small valley. Lilies and lavenders grew abundantly, and in summer, the entire area bloomed with color while the sweet scent of flowers filled the air. I'd been here only a handful of times, mostly during my parents' happier days. I also remembered coming here once with Carter—back when things were simpler. At fifteen, I could never have imagined my dad would vanish from my life, or that Carter and I would grow apart. Yet here we were.

"You remember this place, right?" Carter asked, his gaze fixed on the horizon. His expression was calm, but something about his tone unsettled me.

"Of course. Everyone in town knows this place," I replied. "We came here together once, too."

"Yeah," he said softly. "This was actually where I fell in love with you."

"Really?" I chuckled. "That’s hard to believe."

"I’m serious, Kerry. We were eight. You were standing over there, admiring the lilies. The sunlight made you glow—it was like you weren’t even real. I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen."

"You never told me that," I said, trying to process his words.

"How could I? We were kids. I thought it was just a silly crush that’d go away. And I didn’t want to ruin our friendship." He sighed. "Ironically, I ended up doing just that anyway."

"It’s not your fault," I reassured him. "Things happen for a reason. But hey, we’re here now, aren’t we?"

Hearing Carter’s confession stirred strange emotions. He’d been my childhood friend, someone I once saw as an older brother. There was even a time I asked my mom to adopt him. She laughed it off, saying he had his own family. Back then, I had longed for a sibling. Now, with Silas in my life, things felt so complicated. Guilt weighed on me, knowing Silas’s feelings were likely deeper than I wanted to acknowledge.

"Kerry," Carter said, pulling me from my thoughts. "What’s on your mind?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Did you want to say something?"

"Yeah. I wanted to let you know—I haven’t always been like this," he said, his voice hesitant. "I mean, I used to be human."

I blinked, startled by the admission.

"Do you remember how you were so scared of vampires and creatures of the dark? You’d have nightmares, and I’d read you fairy tales to help you sleep. I knew how much vampires terrified you, so when I turned, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I was terrified you’d abandon me."

"You thought leaving me was better?" I asked gently. "I understand, Carter. You don’t have to apologize."

Relief flickered across his face. "The thing is," he continued, "I wasn’t turned by accident. It was an organization. They didn’t just turn me—they turned my whole family."

Before he could explain further, a loud crash echoed from the nearby forest. My heart jumped, the sound too alarming to ignore. Carter tensed beside me.

"What was that?" he muttered. "We should check it out. Someone might be hurt."

Reluctantly, I followed him, though fear churned in my gut. We moved cautiously through the brush. Just as we neared the source of the noise, something darted in front of me, causing me to stumble back with a scream. Carter caught me protectively.

"Didn’t expect to see you guys here," a familiar voice said.

"Matt?" I gasped, recognizing him. My relief was short-lived; he was covered in blood. His usually confident stance faltered as he stumbled toward me.

"Oh my god, Matt, what happened? Are you okay?" I asked, catching him before he fell. His body trembled under my grip.

"Don’t ask so many questions at once," he muttered weakly. "It’s hard to focus."

Carter crouched beside us, his face grave. "He’s losing too much blood. Kerry, call 911."

"I don’t have any service!" I panicked. "I’ll run toward the road and try to get a signal."

"Don’t go too far," Carter warned. "We don’t know what’s out there."

Carter was right, Matt was in such a horrible state that it was like he had gotten in a fight with someone. But who could beat someone up so brutally? There was no time to ask questions, I took my phone and ran towards the direction of the road. I had no idea why the service suddenly went away, but I was hoping I could get at least one bar.

"Come on, please just give me one bar " I held onto my phone like it was my lifeline. Never before had I felt so desperate, I was afraid of what might happen if we didn't take Matt to the hospital. This was not how I expected my first date to turn out. "Just one bar."

Suddenly, the air grew heavy, and a chilling presence made my skin crawl. I spun around, my breath hitching when I saw a figure emerge from the shadows. His bloodied clothes and vibrant red hair were unmistakable.

"Well, well," he drawled. "If it isn’t Silas’s darling little sister."

"Deric," I whispered, the name tumbling from my lips like a curse. The last time I’d seen him, he’d harassed me while I was looking for Silas. Now, here he was again, and his presence sent icy dread down my spine.

"Miss me, princess?" he smirked