Page 18

Y/N barely registered the bustling noise of the cafeteria as she walked in, her mind still replaying the eerie words from the book. Werewolves. The word alone sent a chill down her spine.

Even now, as she walked absentmindedly through the bustling corridors, her fingers tingled with the memory of the torn page.

The way Silas had practically snatched the book from her hands. He knew something. And the fact that he wouldn't even smirk or gloat about it meant it was serious.

She shook her head. No. She needed a break from all this supernatural bullshit. Right now, she needed food.

Her tray clattered onto the table as she plopped down beside Julia, who barely glanced up from her phone. Across from them, Aisha was dutifully eating her sandwich, looking unimpressed with whatever Julia was scrolling through.

"You look dead" Julia remarked, not even looking up.

Y/N huffed, propping her elbow on the table. "Thanks. Just what I needed to hear."

"You do look pale." Aisha added, finally glancing up. "You didn't let one of them bite you, did you?!"

"No!" Y/N stabbed at her food. "I had the misfortune of spending an entire period with Silas. That alone drains years off my life."

Julia snorted. "He's not that bad."

Y/N shot her a look. "You. Don't have double period english with himHe literally took a book out of my hands like I was a child."

That piqued Aisha's interest. "Wait, why?"

Y/N hesitated. She wanted to tell them about The Lockwood Bloodline, but something held her back. If Silas reacted that strongly, there was something about that book that wasn't just old school history. Maybe something even bigger than that.

"Just..him being annoying as usual."

Before they could question her further, she stood. "Gonna grab a drink.." she mumbled, leaving her tray behind.

She weaved through the cafeteria absentmindedly, the mystery of the book still weighing on her. She barely noticed where she was going until—

THUMP.

Y/N crashed into something—someone—sending a large stack of papers flying into the air like a blizzard of white.

"Oh shit.." a voice huffed.

Y/N winced, immediately crouching down to grab the scattered papers. "Crap, my bad—"

The person in front of her stumbled slightly but caught himself. He let out a breathy chuckle. "Damn, I knew I was carrying too much."

★

As she glanced up she noticed the familiar brown hair and clean cut of maturity; and was met with a crooked smile. Y/N blinked up at him, realising exactly who she had just collided with.

Marcus Ford.

That one senior who had stood up to Azul and the others in the cafeteria. The one who had helped her escape the party when things got out of control. The one who had always just been that one senior.

If you get what I mean.

"You're—!"

Marcus shot her a knowing smile as he knelt down to pick up the rest of the papers. "Yeah.. I remember you?"

Y/N crouched beside him, quickly stacking up the ones closest to her. "Sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was going."

As they gathered the last of the papers, she glanced at the writing. Charts, handwritten notes, something about research proposals—

"You always carry this much paperwork?" she asked, handing him the last few pages.

Marcus let out a dramatic sigh. "Unfortunately, yeah. Student council business. We're organising this month's debate event, and guess who got stuck with all the paperwork?"

Y/N grinned. "Lemme guess—you?"

He placed a hand over his heart. "Tragic, I know."

She found herself chuckling. "Sounds rough."

"Yeah, yeah," Marcus said, waving a hand before tucking the stack under his arm. "You heading back to lunch?"

Y/N shrugged. "I was, but now I'm reconsidering social interaction altogether."

He laughed. "Fair enough."

Something about Marcus was easygoing. His presence wasn't overwhelming, and he didn't stare at her like she was a walking mystery the way the vampires did. It was normal—refreshingly normal.

"Hey," Marcus said suddenly, tilting his head. "You good?"

Y/N blinked. "Huh?"

"You look kinda... spaced out."

Oh. Right. The book. The werewolves. The way Silas looked at her like she had stepped somewhere she shouldn't have.

Y/N forced a smile. "Just tired. You know how it is."

"Clearly" he teased, before glancing at her with a curious tilt of his head. "But seriously, you alright?"

Y/N hesitated.

She barely knew Marcus, but there was something about him that made her feel at ease.

Maybe it was the fact that he was one of the few people who had ever openly opposed the four vampires. Maybe it was because he had helped her when he didn't have to.

Or maybe she was just desperate for someone normal.

"I was in the library." she admitted, standing and brushing off the dust from her knees.

Marcus stood too, arms full of papers once again. "That's not usually an activity that leaves people looking haunted." He smiled raising an eyebrow.

Y/N forced a laugh. "Yeah, well. I found something weird. Some old book about the Lockwood bloodline. Then Silas—"

Marcus' expression darkened in an instant.

Y/N paused. "What?"

He pressed his lips into a thin line, glancing around as if checking for eavesdroppers. Then, in a quieter voice, he said, "That book shouldn't be in the student section."

Y/N frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's restricted." Marcus muttered. "I've seen it before. Some of the upper faculty keep records of the old Auragon Institute. Those type of books are usually locked away. No student should've been able to get their hands on it.."

A cold prickle crept up Y/N's spine.

That didn't make sense. She had found it just sitting there.

Had someone left it for her? Or worse—had it appeared on its own?

Marcus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Listen, Y/N. I don't know how much you already know about them—"

Y/N stiffened. "Them?"

Marcus met her eyes. And this time, there was no teasing in his voice. No casual ease.

"The four?"

★

She swallowed.

"You're playing a dangerous game, looking into that stuff," he said, his voice low. "You should leave it alone."

Y/N clenched her fists. "You sound just like Silas."

Marcus' expression hardened. "Silas is part of the problem." he huffed shuffling the papers in his arm. "Just—the vampires in general, like—I'm all in for this integration thing but there's are boundaries that both sides must keep."

Y/N didn't know what to say to that.

After a moment, Marcus exhaled sharply and adjusted the papers in his arms. "Look, I've gotta go. But.." He hesitated. Then, after a beat, he pulled a single sheet from the stack and pressed it into her hand.

It was a flyer.

"STUDENT COUNCIL MEETING – OPEN TO ALL. TONIGHT, 7PM. LIbrARY HALL."

Y/N glanced up. "What's this for?"

Marcus studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering, gauging her reaction. "Come," he finally said, a note of invitation and perhaps even persuasion in his voice.

"I think you'd be a good voice for the student body. Also.. I have to hand out 6 more of these before Prez kills me haha.."

Y/N raised an eyebrow as she looked up from the flyer, "How would you know that? We've met twice, and accidentally both times if I must add."

He glanced at her then, and a small, almost hesitant smile radiated from his lips, a delicate bloom of pleasure. "Well I'd say i have a good feeling about you..Uh—?"

"Y/N L/N."

"Y/N.. I guess I'll see you tonight—or not. Just—consider it alright? bring friends if you want."

Y/N just stared at the flyer for a moment.

OPEN TO ALL? Vampire and Human student body.. I can guess who's gonna wanna be there.

"Well then, I'll see you around, L/N." He shot her a wink before strolling off, paperwork still barely held together.

She stood there for a second, watching him go.

Weirdly enough, talking to him made her feel lighter. But the moment the conversation ended, the weight of the book, of the missing page, of whatever the hell Silas was trying to hide, came rushing back.

And one thought lingered in her mind.

She needed to know more about The Lockwood Bloodline.

And more importantly—What exactly was Silas trying to protect her from?