Chapter 1

“Stacey!” everyone gasped as they saw the swollen pink face of the Campus Bell.

She had just come out of the restroom with some friends when she felt a sudden itch on her face. The itch crawled down to her neck to her arm. She looked as if she had an allergic reaction. Which is hardly the case.

She doesn’t have any allergies. She knows because her parents were strict when it comes to health issues. So, she didn’t have the slightest idea what was happening. And the reaction of her schoolmates doesn’t help the situation.

“Stacey! What happened to you?” Lizzie and Amilia were just about to enter their class when the commotion caught their attention.

“I don’t know! Oh my gosh! Help me” her best friend quickly guides her to the Infirmary.

The crowd was noisy, astounded by the scene they witness. Everybody share their own opinions about the matter and everyone was silenced when Cole Edward appeared.

He was part of the school basketball team. With his height and looks he instantly became popular among the girls. But the only one who caught his attention was Stacey Willows. Which made them the perfect couple.

“Who did that?” his voice boomed in the hallway.

Lizzie, as jumpy as she is, flinched. She grabbed Amilia’s arm with a little force that made the latter turn to her. Lizzie smiled apologetically before turning again at the scene. Lizzie’s eye caught sight of Zephyr Rutherford’s weird physique.

He was standing but his back was bent. It’s as if there’s something heavy weighing his back down. What amplified his weirdness was the way he looked at Cole. His eyes were focusing on the latter like a black hole ready to swallow its prey.

“Amilia, come on. Let’s get inside” Lizzie whispered with a shaky tone.

Amilia obliged, sensing her friend’s discomfort. Something bothered her by the way her hands shook tiny prickles of her skin. But she didn’t question her. They quietly sat at their usual spot, third row near the window.

Lizzie quietly works on her assignment and Amilia just gave her the moment of peace she wanted. She was staring out the window when a figure of a man suddenly emerges from somewhere unseen. The air shifted when the man glanced around. Amilia can’t understand how the hell she knew that the air shifted when a wall and a window were separating her from the outside.

She followed the man’s movement. He went inside the Biology Department Building. No one seems to notice him except for Amilia which is questionable. He was wearing a suit that was usually seen in the business area.

“Okay, class! Let’s start” Amilia was brought back to reality when she heard her professor’s voice.

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“Amilia! I’ll get going first. My part-time starts early tonight. See you tomorrow” Lizzie waved goodbye to her with a smile.

Whatever bothered her before Physics soon disappeared after their Physical Education. Amilia looked down at her watch. She still had an hour before her work starts and the shop was just fifteen minutes away from the campus.

She decided to work on her assignments at the library. She passed the Biology Department Building and a memory of a man in a suit came back. The man’s face was unfamiliar and she didn’t see him leave the premises.

Amilia was so bothered but she can’t do anything to satisfy her curiosity. Whatever she saw earlier will just become a distant memory for her. She can’t go inside that building. Or more likely she won’t. Stepping foot on that building means death, for her. She will not ever go inside. So, she just let the matter off and continue to the library.

If she just knew that her decision would affect her life forever, she might even consider going in there. But she was oblivious. She entered the quiet library. Not the usual quiet you get but a weird quiet. No one was around, not a single soul was present.

Amilia scanned the place and shrugged. It was better this way, at least no one can distract her. She tapped her ID at the scanner before placing her bag at the nearest table. She starts by looking for a reference book. She went to the last row on the left side where the Statistics books were placed.

But what she saw made her frozen. Her mind refuses to believe what she was seeing. It was impossible. It was just a hallucination. But the scent and the feelings are real. She stepped back and back until the back of her thigh bumped at the corner of the table.

She was supposed to get used to this kind of scene. But this time it was different. It was more gruesome. The man from earlier snapped his head towards her. Their eyes met and what she saw made her shiver.

His eyes were an endless black hole. His face, no, he has no face. But there was something like a mouth. It was what sucked the life out of the poor librarian. It was horrifying. It moved towards her causing her to step back.

He inclined his head as if regarding her presence. She was shaking. Her knees were about to collapse. She was barely standing up. The only thing that was supporting her was the end of the table behind her.

He again moved forward. Amilia struggled to keep a good distance between them but failed. If she wanted to run away, she needed to move one step forward so she can circle the table but that also means one step toward him. She held her breath.

Then he snapped his head to the door. Something suddenly caught his attention. Amilia was thankful for the distraction. She eased herself behind him and put a few more distance between them. A meter was not enough.

From where she was standing, she can’t see the person who stole the creature’s attention. He staggered to get to where that person is. Something was drawing her near him. But he has no idea what was that.

The person reached his hand at the creature. A black air was being absorbed from the creature. Little by little the creature became small. Gradually he became just a speck of dust and Amilia finally got a good look at the person. He was otherworldly handsome.

His good looks couldn’t be seen in a normal person. The way his eyes bore at her can’t be done by a simple person. It was as if he can see her soul and strip her naked. He didn’t move nor was she. She doesn’t know what just happened and who is he. She had lost control of everything from the moment she stepped foot in the library.

“You! What did you do to my pet?” a man, the one Amilia saw earlier emerge from the window and shouted at the person at the door. The man at the door raised his hand, all the while still staring at Amilia.

“She can see us” it’s not a question. He said with finality.

Amilia flinched. With those words, she only confirmed her thoughts. They’re not normal people. Heck! They are not even human. Amilia prayed silently. She wished she was anywhere but. She wished she could just vanish in thin air.

“What? Who? That girl? Let me just finish her off then” the newly arrived guy flew in front of Amilia.

His hands aimed for her throat. Cold sweat and fear invaded her body making her numb from everything. She silently pleads for her dear life. She thought of her parents, friends, Lizzie, school, and life.

Her life would end, but she didn’t know that it would happen so fast. She tightly closed her eyes while whispering her last thoughts. She waited for something that would indicate the end of her life. But a minute passed nothing happened.

She slowly opens her eyes. A tall man was standing in front of her. Blocking her view of what was supposed to be her death. But someone just saved her. Or so she thought.