The room is a huge, dark space. Artificial beams of light cut through the darkness, causing pools of white to collect on the black floor tiles. A vast screen surrounded by hundreds of smaller monitors dominates the opposite wall.
"I think it's a good idea for the Sivan family to mingle among the humans." The head of the council says as he talks from the high table.
One of the members stands up. "The Silas brothers won't even know they are here in the human world. We wipe off all their information from the internet."
"Good choice." The head says as he nods. "What did the prophecy say about our chosen one?" he asks.
The chorus goes quiet for a few seconds, then the second member stands up. "Inez will try to change everything we have built; she will change the rules."
The head swallows hard. "Continue," he commands.
"She will fall in love with a human boy, which is against our rules. He will also become a calamity, and he will make her end up doing wrong things and making unwise decisions." The second member adds as she sits down.
The head of the region sighed. "I shall pay a visit to Sivan's home." He stands up and he goes out of sight.
~~~
"Mom, I'm home," I say as I walk in. My parents are seated apart from each other. Arden is sitting next to an unfamiliar face. They all fix their gaze on me as I move forward a bit.
"Sit." My Dad commands as I drop my bag. An unfamiliar man walks up to me, and I can feel his aura. He wore a black floor-length garment. He looks older, more like 50 to 60 years old. He looks powerful too. He places his thumbs on my forehead as I move far away from him so quickly. He is so strong that I couldn't control myself but distance myself from him.
"Your fangs came out today, didn't they?" The son of a bitch read my mind. I didn't permit him, but he did.
"First of all, who are you?" I ask as I stand up. "Mom, Dad, who is this man?" I focus on them with anger.
Mom says immediately, "He is your uncle." "Don't be scared, he just has something to say."
"Uncle? I thought you said everyone hates us because I was assigned the chosen one. I heard you say that."
"Not Sivan's family, and besides, he is the head of the council." Mom replied.
I looked at him. "I have homework and I have to submit it tomorrow. I'm pretty busy, so please let's get straight to the point."
"That rude Inez, shut up." Dad shakes his head. "Just sit down and let him examine you, and you have to permit him."
"Why do I need to do that? He clearly got through without my permission."
"You have to grant him your permission so he can see everything and see if the prophecy is true." Arden cuts in.
"Prophecy? Mom..." I fix my gaze on her.
She is about to speak when the unfamiliar uncle holds his hand up and stops her. She stayed quiet as he sat down. "There is a prophecy about you and if it comes to pass, then you will ruin us all, so you have to let me get through that mind of yours."
"Okay, you can read me," I say, really scared.
"As the chosen one, you have a lot of lives in your hands, and trust me, you don't want to destroy them." He says as he places his hand on my head once again and chants a spell. Was he a witch too? I had no idea. He finally opened his eyes. "That boy," he adds.
"A boy?" I ask. At first, my mind didn't go to Chase Parker, but then he said again. "I saw him hold a ball on the field along with some other boys."
"Chase Parker?" I ask.
"Is that his name?" The man says as he removes his hand.
"Yes, I didn't talk to him, I haven't."
"Then don't; it's best that way. You'd save a lot of lives if you didn't talk to him."
I look at the man in confusion. "How will talking to a guy ruin their lives?" I ask.
"He is different from our kind; he can never be the one for you."
"I don't know what you are trying to do, but I won't talk to him." I walk towards the stairs. "I have homework to do." I walk to my room.
~~~
I sit on my bed and place my head on the pillow. Then my phone buzzed. It was a message from an unknown number. 'Hey love, this is Denise. Got your number from the class group chat.' I saved her number immediately and replied to her. She called me and told me to meet her at Jada's place. They are organizing an after-party for Chase's win. The thought of that name makes me remember what that old man said, so I decline and tell her that I have homework to do. I checked the time and it's 6 pm. Maybe a little stroll will make me feel better. I stand up and change into another outfit, then walk out of the house.
Denise sent me the address even after I told her I wouldn't go. I keep on strolling and yes, I end up at Jada's gate and find myself staring at it. I want to enter, but then I hesitate. No, I can't. What if I see that Chase guy? I thought. But then, at the same time, I want to see him. I was so drawn to him earlier in school. I felt the sparks. I know it all starts with the sparks, but after today I won't talk to him. I promise.
"Hey, boo." I hear someone say as I scream and jump.
"Geez, you scared me."
"I know." She starts laughing.
"You look drunk. Are you?" I ask.
"I'm not." She replies as she places her hand over my shoulder.
"I never told you I was outside; how did you know?" I ask.
"Well, I saw you through that camera." She points at the CCTV camera that was hung on the fence.
"How many people saw that with you?" I ask.
"I don't know, only me, I guess."
Immediately after she finishes her sentences, my phone buzzes. It's mom. I look at her again and sigh.
"No, don't tell me you are going to disappear like this afternoon." She pulls up a sad face.
"I'm not disappearing, I need to go back home. Mom needs me. I'm sorry, but I will make it up to you tomorrow. I promise." I say as I leave again.The room is a huge, dark space. Artificial beams of light cut through the darkness, causing pools of white to collect on the black floor tiles. A vast screen surrounded by hundreds of smaller monitors dominates the opposite wall.
"I think it's a good idea for the Sivan family to mingle among the humans." The head of the council says as he talks from the high table.
One of the members stands up. "The Silas brothers won't even know they are here in the human world. We wipe off all their information from the internet."
"Good choice." The head says as he nods. "What did the prophecy say about our chosen one?" he asks.
The chorus goes quiet for a few seconds, then the second member stands up. "Inez will try to change everything we have built; she will change the rules."
The head swallows hard. "Continue," he commands.
"She will fall in love with a human boy, which is against our rules. He will also become a calamity, and he will make her end up doing wrong things and making unwise decisions." The second member adds as she sits down.
The head of the region sighed. "I shall pay a visit to Sivan's home." He stands up and he goes out of sight.
~~~
"Mom, I'm home," I say as I walk in. My parents are seated apart from each other. Arden is sitting next to an unfamiliar face. They all fix their gaze on me as I move forward a bit.
"Sit." My Dad commands as I drop my bag. An unfamiliar man walks up to me, and I can feel his aura. He wore a black floor-length garment. He looks older, more like 50 to 60 years old. He looks powerful too. He places his thumbs on my forehead as I move far away from him so quickly. He is so strong that I couldn't control myself but distance myself from him.
"Your fangs came out today, didn't they?" The son of a bitch read my mind. I didn't permit him, but he did.
"First of all, who are you?" I ask as I stand up. "Mom, Dad, who is this man?" I focus on them with anger.
Mom says immediately, "He is your uncle." "Don't be scared, he just has something to say."
"Uncle? I thought you said everyone hates us because I was assigned the chosen one. I heard you say that."
"Not Sivan's family, and besides, he is the head of the council." Mom replied.
I looked at him. "I have homework and I have to submit it tomorrow. I'm pretty busy, so please let's get straight to the point."
"That rude Inez, shut up." Dad shakes his head. "Just sit down and let him examine you, and you have to permit him."
"Why do I need to do that? He clearly got through without my permission."
"You have to grant him your permission so he can see everything and see if the prophecy is true." Arden cuts in.
"Prophecy? Mom..." I fix my gaze on her.
She is about to speak when the unfamiliar uncle holds his hand up and stops her. She stayed quiet as he sat down. "There is a prophecy about you and if it comes to pass, then you will ruin us all, so you have to let me get through that mind of yours."
"Okay, you can read me," I say, really scared.
"As the chosen one, you have a lot of lives in your hands, and trust me, you don't want to destroy them." He says as he places his hand on my head once again and chants a spell. Was he a witch too? I had no idea. He finally opened his eyes. "That boy," he adds.
"A boy?" I ask. At first, my mind didn't go to Chase Parker, but then he said again. "I saw him hold a ball on the field along with some other boys."
"Chase Parker?" I ask.
"Is that his name?" The man says as he removes his hand.
"Yes, I didn't talk to him, I haven't."
"Then don't; it's best that way. You'd save a lot of lives if you didn't talk to him."
I look at the man in confusion. "How will talking to a guy ruin their lives?" I ask.
"He is different from our kind; he can never be the one for you."
"I don't know what you are trying to do, but I won't talk to him." I walk towards the stairs. "I have homework to do." I walk to my room.
~~~
I sit on my bed and place my head on the pillow. Then my phone buzzed. It was a message from an unknown number. 'Hey love, this is Denise. Got your number from the class group chat.' I saved her number immediately and replied to her. She called me and told me to meet her at Jada's place. They are organizing an after-party for Chase's win. The thought of that name makes me remember what that old man said, so I decline and tell her that I have homework to do. I checked the time and it's 6 pm. Maybe a little stroll will make me feel better. I stand up and change into another outfit, then walk out of the house.
Denise sent me the address even after I told her I wouldn't go. I keep on strolling and yes, I end up at Jada's gate and find myself staring at it. I want to enter, but then I hesitate. No, I can't. What if I see that Chase guy? I thought. But then, at the same time, I want to see him. I was so drawn to him earlier in school. I felt the sparks. I know it all starts with the sparks, but after today I won't talk to him. I promise.
"Hey, boo." I hear someone say as I scream and jump.
"Geez, you scared me."
"I know." She starts laughing.
"You look drunk. Are you?" I ask.
"I'm not." She replies as she places her hand over my shoulder.
"I never told you I was outside; how did you know?" I ask.
"Well, I saw you through that camera." She points at the CCTV camera that was hung on the fence.
"How many people saw that with you?" I ask.
"I don't know, only me, I guess."
Immediately after she finishes her sentences, my phone buzzes. It's mom. I look at her again and sigh.
"No, don't tell me you are going to disappear like this afternoon." She pulls up a sad face.
"I'm not disappearing, I need to go back home. Mom needs me. I'm sorry, but I will make it up to you tomorrow. I promise." I say as I leave again.
The bell for the first period rings, and we are having biology. I and Denise both walk into the lab.
"Okay, class, we will be talking about osmosis." Mr. Lovato says as he picks up the textbook from the table. Denise and I search for a seat and end up sitting next to the window. "Who can define osmosis?" he asks as he stares at Chase. Chase ignores that one of Chase's football members raises his hand. "Okay, Larry, please define it for the class even if it's in your understanding."
Larry stands up. "Osmosis is a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one."
"Good. You can sit down. Who else can try?" he asks as he looks in my direction. "Hmm, your face is new."
"This is her first time in your class," Denise replies, as Chase looks my way. I stood up and didn't know what to say because all that I learned in Shadow Academy was blood. Everything was about controlling fangs, not trying to turn into a monster by feeding on a bloodsucker or trying to defend ourselves when we are in trouble. So yes, I don't know what osmosis is.
"Go on, Miss..."
"Inez." I completed it as I stood still on my feet.
"So, what do you understand by the word osmosis?" he asks again.
I swallowed hard. "Osmo..." I open my mouth to talk but now interrupt.
"Osmosis is the tendency of a fluid, usually water, to pass through a semipermeable membrane into a solution where the solvent concentration is higher, thus equalizing the concentrations of materials on either side of the membrane," Chase says and sits down.
"Thank you, Mr. Parker." He checks his watch, then drops the textbook. "So, we will be having a test."
"Urghhh." All the students murmur, then Mr. Lovato drums the ruler on the table to silence the class.
"We will be having it in the next class, and it will be a group of six. Five people in a group, so select yourselves."
Everyone goes to meet their friends. Chase didn't bother standing up, and Jada was too proud to look for a group, so she and her best friend stayed on one side. I and Denise were also by the window. The only human I got attached to was Denise. She's never been near my house before, and I have never told her about the history of my life. Who would wanna open their mouth and say; I'm a Dhampir and I might end up becoming a bloodsucker soon? Who would want to hear that and not call me a freak?
"What are you kids doing? Mingle already and let me share my questions." Mr. Lovato says as he looks at Jada and Maddie.
"No more groups available, Mr. Lovato," Jada says as she looks at herself in the mirror, then jams her lips together.
"Oh, the situation is already solved." Mr. Lovato said.
"How?" Denise asks.
"One, two, three..." He counts the remaining one of us. He gasps in surprise. "You are all five now, and that means you are all in the same group."
"I'm the captain," Jada says immediately. Denise looks at her.
"You can't be the captain, all you do is look in the mirror and check yourself out."
"Are you done?" Jada asks as she picks up her bag.
"I guess so," Denise replied.
"Good."
"Okay guys, it's gonna be more of an experiment so group one question will be; Experiment to demonstrate the osmosis by using a sheet of cellophane or goat bladder." Mr. Lovato shares the questions with the groups and finally gets to my group. He says we are to demonstrate the phenomenon of exosmosis and endosmosis.
The bell finally rings and the student walks out of the lab.
~~~
Over the next couple of days, I noticed Chase hanging around and staring at me while I was hanging with Denise.
I open my locker, then he stands in front of me with his hand on top of my locker.
"You are Inez." He says this with one hand in his pocket.
"Yeah," I say nervously.
"Good, I just want to clear that up. Anyways, I'm Chase."
"I know, umm, hi." I give a small laugh. "Thanks for the save at Mr. Lovato's class."
Everybody is staring at us, even Jada.
"You are welcome...Hey, I have a ticket to see a movie."
"Really?" I say as I take my note out.
"You are interested?"
I swallowed. "You are asking me on a date?"
"Well, my brother had a ticket and he can't go." He blinks, then continues. "Anyway, it's this Friday. Can I pick you up?"
I couldn't talk for a few minutes. I don't know whether to say yes or no, but who wouldn't want to go out with Chase Parker? I'm a Dhampir, remember? I can't get close to him or I'll ruin lots of lives. I can't be with him either. It's against the law to fall in love with humans, especially if it's Chase Parker.
"What?" he asks calmly. "I know you feel it too, whenever I look at you. You can't hide it. It's too late." I still keep my gaze on him as he talks. "I will see you." He adds.
"Hey," Denise says as she walks towards us. "I'm Denise." She introduces me. He looks at her and then back at me.
"Hi, I know who you are," Chase replied as I cleared my throat. "I will see you guys later." He says as he leaves my locker.
"Bye," I said, still nervous.
Denise walks closer to me. "Oh my gosh." She chuckles.
"What?" I ask.
"The hottest guy just talked to you without you seeking attention."
"No, no, he just had a question about Abraham Lincoln." I shut my locker.
"Abraham Lincoln? Seriously?"
"Yeah," I reply, trying not to laugh.
"You both aren't even offering history."
"I know, but it's true," I say.
"Okay." She says as she rolls her eyes. We walked down the hall together. "He better be nice to you or I'll break him." She adds. I give a small laugh as I place my hair behind my ear. "You know, there are two types of girls in this world. Those who have boyfriends in high school could be you and girls like me who are waiting for college."
"I don't want to have a high school boyfriend," I reply.
"I know, but you can't reject him if he approaches you."
"Well I can, it's my choice besides he is not for me."
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