Page 12

until it wasn't.

Aisha was the first to wake up, bolting upright in bed as a distant alarm blared through the dormitory halls.

The red glow of the emergency lights cast an ominous sheen across their room, illuminating Julia as she groggily sat up and groaned, "What the hell—?!"

Y/N was the last to register what was happening, her mind still foggy from sleep. She barely had time to process before Cressida, always the calmest in the room, was already on her feet, slipping into her shirt. "We need to evacuate." she said simply, pulling open the curtains and peeking out.

From their window, the school grounds were a mess of students scrambling out of buildings, some in pyjamas, others hurriedly throwing on whatever they could.

Y/N rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes, shoving the blankets off her and grabbing a hoodie. "Are you serious?" she muttered, reaching for her own hoodie. "It's the middle of the night."

"Try telling that to the faculty," Aisha deadpanned, slipping on her shoes. "They're yelling in the halls."

As soon as they stepped outside, chaos unfolded in the dorm halls. Students ran in every direction, some half-dressed, others carrying their pillows like they were valuable possessions.

A fire alarm blared, red lights flashing.

"What in the actual hell is going on!" Julia grumbled, rubbing her temple.

The four girls looked at each other.

Then at the chaos in the hallway.

Then at each other again.

Y/N slowly turned to Cressida, eyes narrowing. "This was your people's doing, wasn't it?"

Cressida rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. That's insulting."

Sure enough, a sharp voice cut through the commotion.

"All students are to evacuate immediately! Follow the designated routes and assemble in the field!"

Julia, still halfway in her blanket, mumbled, "So much for beauty sleep."

★

With the four of them gathered, they pushed their way out of their room and into the hallway, which was already packed with other half-dressed, half-awake students. Some were panicked, others just as irritated as Y/N.

By the time they made it outside, the courtyard was swarming with students, both human and vampire alike. The night air was thick with tension, and the energy was unmistakable—something bad had happened.

The headmasters were already speaking with faculty members, their faces grave. Security guards lined the perimeter, preventing students from going back inside.

"Okay, this is officially scary.." Julia whispered.

Y/N shivered, glancing around. The vampires, as usual, looked completely unbothered. Even in the dead of night, their postures were relaxed, eyes gleaming under the courtyard lights. It was almost as if this was normal for them.

And then her eyes landed on him.

A vampire stood a few feet away, dressed in loose, grey sleep pants and a plain white shirt that fit way too well for someone who had just woken up.

His tousled black hair fell over his forehead, his sharp jawline more prominent under the dim lighting. He rubbed at his neck, looking half-bored, half-annoyed at being dragged out here, he was apart of 'their' group.

Adrainwas it?

Y/N immediately looked away, cursing herself for even noticing.

"Is now really the time to be checking out the undead?" Aisha muttered.

"I wasn't—"

"Cress!" Julia hushed them as Cressida suddenly appeared from the crowd.

Their vampire roommate was eerily composed, gliding through the gathered students with an air of effortless elegance as she walked back over to them, crossing her arms as her gaze weaved through the crowd.

But anyways, focusing on the present moment and the uneasy feeling about the situation; the headmasters finally addressed the crowd.

"We have reason to believe an intruder has breached the dormitory premises.

." Headmaster Lockwood announced, his deep voice carrying over the murmurs.

"For now, all students will remain outside while we conduct an investigation.

Faculty members will be conducting roll call to ensure everyone is accounted for. "

Y/N stiffened.

An intruder?

She exchanged uneasy looks with her friends.

"Do you think it was a human or vampire intruder?" Julia whispered.

Aisha frowned. "Or something worse?"

The murmurs among the students grew louder, whispers of theories and paranoia spreading fast. "Well, whoever it is, they're gonna regret breaking into a school full of vampires" Y/N muttered.

Someone—or something—had broken into the school.

Y/N immediately turned to Julia, whose face paled. "Wait. So we're not just doing a fire drill?"

Aisha swatted her arm. "No, idiot. This is real."

Cressida, standing beside them, crossed her arms. "We need to get into groups of five."

Before Y/N could ask what that meant, the headmistress' voice rang through the night air, firm and unwavering.

"To ensure safety, all groups must have at least two vampires."

Of course.

Y/N resisted the urge to groan. She should've expected this.

Cressida, ever efficient, pulled out her phone and typed something quickly before turning to them. "I called someone. We'll be fine."

"Called who?" Julia asked, confused.

Their answer came moments later in the form of a figure approaching through the crowd.

★

Tall. Slightly disheveled.

The hood of his black zip-up lazily thrown over his head, but his blonde hair was tousled over his forehead, obvious that he'd just woken up. His grey sweatpants hung low on his hips, and the collar of his shirt was stretched slightly, revealing just the faintest hint of collarbone.

He squinted his pale orbs as he looked down in an almost condescending way towards the three human girls shivering and practically clumped together from the chill.

Julia mumbled. "Dating. Confirmed."

Y/N's stomach twisted.

His gaze swept over them, his usual look of disdain present even when half-asleep. "You didn't say it was them.." he muttered to Cressida, rubbing the back of his neck. His voice was deeper, rougher—probably from sleep. "orher."

"I didn't think it mattered?" Cressida replied smoothly, shooting him a look.

Y/N exchanged glances with Aisha and Julia, who both had the same 'oh god' expression.

This was it. The confirmation they needed. They had to be dating.

Cressida calling him, the way he showed up so casually like this was a routine, the way he was dressed like he had just rolled out of bed—it all added up.

But as his eyes continued to linger over her figure, annoyance began to bubble up within her. Y/N narrowed her eyes. "Do you have a staring problem?"

Calixto exhaled sharply, turning his bored gaze onto her. "Do you always talk this much?"

"Only when I have to deal with idiots."

"Good, then I guess we'll be silent the whole night."

Y/N scowled, but before she could bite back, a faculty member handed their group a small lantern.

"You five are assigned to Zone C. You'll be doing a perimeter check in the South Woods—stay together and report anything unusual."

Y/N blinked. "Wait, hold on—"

But before she could protest, the faculty had handed them two flashlights and was already moving on to the next group.

The South Woods? Are they insane?

The South Woods were most commonly associated with the seemingly endless stream of strange encounters recounted by students.

These stories, ranging from fleeting glimpses of shadowy figures to whispers carried on the wind, painted a picture of something uncanny lurking just beyond the familiar trails.

Of course, one had to approach these tales with a healthy dose of skepticism. After all, these experiences and tales were usually shared by 'less-than-reliable' teenagers indulging in recreational activities in the woods might be a stretch.

However, at the sheer volume of these reports, "Better safe than sorry" became the unspoken motto, a justification for the slight unease that lingered whenever the South Woods were mentioned.

Julia let out a nervous laugh. "So, um, just to be clear, we're going into the creepy forest where an intruder might be?"

Aisha sighed. "Great. Sending students out to investigate must've been the best option."

Calixto, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered, already turning towards the tree line. "Try not to fall behind." he muttered, before leading the way.

And just like that, they had no choice but to follow.