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to lift the weight of the night before.

The girls moved like corpses through the halls—hollow-eyed, stiff spined, and so utterly drained that even the sharp scent of coffee or the shrill bell signalling the start of class couldn't break through the haze wrapped tightly around them.

In homeroom, they sat together as always, but the quiet between them wasn't comfortable anymore. It was heavy, and suffocating.

As if the classroom air had been pulled from the room and replaced with something colder, more sterile, like a hospital ward after a failed resuscitation.The teacher's voice was a low hum in the distance, an indistinct drone that none of them could focus on, though Aisha made a noble attempt by holding her pen upright, only for it to slowly slip from her grip, landing with a soft clatter on her desk.

Julia, barely able to keep her head from falling to her arms, gave up entirely halfway through the lesson, scribbling something meaningless in the corner of her workbook as her eyelids fluttered.

Y/N sat between them, unmoving, her spine ramrod straight, but her eyes kept drifting—not to the whiteboard, not to the textbook, but toward the corners of the room.

Sleep hadn't found them last night—not truly.

It hovered above their beds like a ghost, too afraid to settle on skin still trembling from fear. So the girls sat in homeroom now, limbs draped over desks and faces pale with exhaustion, barely listening as the teacher droned on about something. It didn't matter what. Nothing really did.

Y/N sat in her seat—where the side of her chair brushed against Azul's. The boys occupied the row scattered around the classroom, a subtle yet unshakable reminder of their lingering presence.

Silas leaned into his chair with the practiced boredom of someone who saw this as a mere pitstop in his day. Adrian, however, who usually skipped homeroom entirely, had actually shown up today.

That was new.

Julia nudged Y/N with the edge of her boot under the desk. "You okay..?"

Y/N nodded, but it was a hollow motion. The events of the night before—the flash of a creature's teeth, the cold grip of Silas's warning—refused to uncoil from her thoughts.

★

As the girls made their way from homeroom to their next classes—Aisha and Julia heading toward History while Y/N was to be left alone, destined for English—with the girls on either side of her, she felt it—saw it.

Around them, the mood was fractured.

Conversations were hushed and clipped. Groups huddled tighter. And though nothing had officially been said, the division was obvious. Vampires on one side. Humans on the other. A line drawn not in chalk, but in blood.

As stark and obvious as a red stain on white cloth.Vampires gathered near windows, huddled in small groups by lockers, keeping their distance from humans as if the mere act of brushing past a mortal classmate might leave them tainted.

The humans, meanwhile, were even more divided—some looking terrified, others too bold, whispering louder, throwing narrowed glares like accusations that didn't need proof.

"No one's saying anything? The vampires I mean.." Aisha mumbled, glancing around.

"No one can," Y/N replied, barely above a whisper. "If they admit something's happening, they'd have to explain why the humans are the only ones disappearing."

"But where the hell is Cress then?" Julia mumbled in a dazed state, knuckles white as she clutched her books. "Are we next..?"

As they turned the corner, Y/N slowed her steps.

The entrance to the English hallway loomed ahead, and she could already see the dark silhouette waiting beside the classroom door.He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the stone wall like he'd been carved there.

His gaze caught hers instantly, as if he'd been waiting for that exact moment.

Y/N felt that same strange chill she'd felt last night, like something was coiling tighter inside him, like his stillness was just a mask for something far more violent underneath.She turned to her friends. "I'll see you guys at lunch."

The words hung over her even as she turned into the hallway leading to the library, where she and Silas were expected to finish the remainder of their project. The thought of sitting next to him again, alone, in that quiet corner of the library, made her chest tighten.

She told herself it was just tension. Just nerves.But there was something else growing now, sprouting roots somewhere deeper.

"Text us if he does anything weird..?" Julia whispered.

"He always does something weird.." Aisha muttered.Y/N didn't respond.

She just approached Silas, who didn't speak until she was standing beside him. "Library." he said.She followed him down the hall.

★

Silas didn't say a word as she approached. He only turned and began walking, expecting her to follow, and of course she did.

Down the twisting halls, past locked doors and stained portraits that had begun to feel more like witnesses than decoration, they walked side by side but not together, until they reached the double doors of the library.

Inside, the air was too still.

The librarian gave them her usual distracted wave, uninterested in anything but her crossword puzzle, and the two of them slipped past rows of empty desks to the far table in the corner—half-lit by stained glass and hidden by tall shelves that muffled even the sound of breathing.

Y/N sat down, the chair cold beneath her. Silas followed a moment later, pulling a worn textbook from his bag and placing it between them like a peace offering—or a barrier.

The quiet stretched.

She typed a few lines on her laptop. Deleted them. Tried again.

"You didn't sleep."

She didn't respond.

"I stayed outside your dorm," he said, almost casually. "All night."

Her head snapped toward him.

"You what?"

"I wasn't about to let you do something reckless again." he replied, not even looking up.

"That's not normal.." she said, her voice rigid and tired.

Silas finally turned his gaze on her, and the air seemed to thicken.

"Neither is sneaking into the woods while students are vanishing" he said.

"I don't care if you think it's obsessive.

I care that I can still hear your heartbeat from across the room. "

She opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"I know you.." he continued, his tone quiet but unyielding. "I know what scares you. I know what comforts you. I know what you dream about—when you flinch in your sleep. I know you."

Her voice cracked. "..You sound insane."

He leaned closer, shadows catching beneath his eyes. "Maybe. But you're still sitting here. Alive."

And then he reached for her hand—fingers curling just over her knuckles, not fully grasping, not yet, but enough to send a tremor through her chest. "You don't have to be afraid of me." he whispered as his eyes bore into hers.

"What the fuck.." She just uttered in response.

★

The gymnasium buzzed with the low thrum of idle chatter and squeaking soles, the air heavy with the sharp tang of disinfectant and adolescent adrenaline.

Boys in loose jerseys sauntered across the polished floor, tossing balls lazily between them, while girls pulled their ponytails tighter, stretching out limbs stiff from sleeplessness.

The overhead lights cast an artificial sheen across the court, bright enough to hurt the eyes after a night like last. Julia found Y/N by the benches and bumped her shoulder lightly. "You're on my team, girl" she said, her voice too chipper to be real. "Come on, we'll crush them.. I pray."

Y/N managed a weak smile, but her attention snagged elsewhere—when the gym doors creaking open across the room. "Adrian..?"

Dressed in black like the rest of the class, but unlike the rest, his uniform clung to a frame that moved like it had been built for more than human games.

No one had mentioned he was joining their class—no announcements, no transfer notices.

Just him, appearing without explanation.

Walking like the ground barely tethered him.

Watching like he already knew what was about to happen.

Whispers picked up around her. Someone said he'd transferred. Others said it was temporary. No one had answers. And yet, none of that mattered as he crossed the court with purposeful ease. His eyes skimmed the room—and landed on her.

He lightly jogged over with a smile warmer than his usual gloomy demeanour "Hey Y/N."

Y/N blinked, her pulse kicking up uncomfortably in her neck. "Um, hey Adrian—" before she could ask how, when and why, her slightly competitive best friend had snatched her away to 'warm-up'

Silas, standing just to her right, had gone still.

As Adrian stood there, Silas stepped forward before anyone else could speak, his frame blocking the other male's view of Y/N, slightly in a gesture too subtle for most to notice—but unmistakably territorial. His tone was casual, but laced with an undercurrent of something darker.

"You're not in this class."

Adrian shrugged, expression unreadable. "I am now."

"This is my time with her," Silas said, the words low, barely audible under the buzz of warm-ups. "Find another lesson to crash."

Adrian's gaze flicked to Silas, then past him—to Y/N. "Didn't realise you were taking attendance now."

Silas' scowl deepened "Don't you already have chemistry with her?

", Adrian snickered under his breath, slowly folding his arms as he looked down from his height "In fact—I do.

. In and out of lesson. If you get my flow, Silas.

" Tension simmered between them—quiet, but coiled.

Not loud enough to draw attention. But it settled between the three of them like a storm cloud, heavy and humming with static.

Coach didn't seem to care who was new. He clapped his hands, barked out teams, and blew the whistle to begin.

They played dodgeball.

Or rather—they played something that resembled dodgeball, if you ignored the way Silas moved like a blur through the court, calculating and sleek, or the way Adrian lunged with a force that should've been impossible for someone who hadn't warmed up.

While the vampires glided like dancers on air, Adrian didn't glide—he struck.

There was power in the way he lunged for the ball—shoulders coiling like springs, movement sharp and reactive, as though his body answered to instincts older than the game itself.

The vampires were fast, unnaturally so, but Adrian wasn't just fast.

He was feral in his precision, honed in a way that made even the most agile flinch when he turned their way.

★

One by one, players were eliminated. Balls slammed into torsos and legs with dull thuds, but it was Adrian who caught every throw with brutal grace, like he could read the trajectory before the ball even left the thrower's hand.

"The hell?" Julia muttered beside Y/N, eyes wide. "He's—he's not half bear, right?"

Y/N didn't respond. She couldn't. Her gaze was locked on Adrian, who had just ducked a throw that would've knocked anyone else to the floor. He didn't even look winded. His breathing was slow, controlled. Calculated.

She glanced at Silas across the court—he'd noticed too. His expression wasn't confused like Julia's. It was sharp. Knowing. And underneath that.. irritation. As though he'd just been reminded that Adrian wasn't just a wildcard—he was a threat.

And then it happened.

A ball flew from the far corner of the court, faster than any of the others. Y/N barely saw it until it collided with her ribs. Pain bloomed instantly—sharp and breath-stealing—as the impact knocked her off balance. Her back hit the court wall with a crack loud enough to silence the game.

Gasps rippled through the gym.

"Y/N!" Julia shouted, already moving. But she wasn't the first to reach her.

Adrian appeared in her periphery like he'd been summoned.

One moment he was across the court, the next he was crouched beside her, one hand catching her elbow before she could slump to the floor. His other hand pressed gently to her lower back, steadying her with alarming tenderness. "Y/N—!"

His face hovered close—too close—and the usual veil of disinterest in his eyes had lifted. What stared out at her now was wild and unfiltered. "You alright?" Julia called again as she finally reached her, crouching down and uncertain now.

But Adrian didn't turn. His attention had fixed elsewhere—on the boy who had thrown the ball.

Y/N followed his gaze and spotted the culprit, a human boy from another class, already paling under Adrian's stare. "You." Adrian said quietly, tone calm but razor-edged. "You've got five seconds to walk away."

The boy blinked. "It was just a—"

Adrian straightened slowly, his presence suddenly towering. "One."

The boy flinched, stumbling backward. "Alright! I—I didn't mean to—"

"Two."

He turned and bolted.

Adrian didn't bother counting further. Instead, he looked back to Y/N, his expression softening, just slightly. "Come with me."

"I'm fine.." she said, breathless. "It was just a hit—agh!" she winced at the sharp pain which hit her as she tried to get up, the grip on his arm tightening for comfort.

"No" he cut her off, voice low and absolute. "You're not."

There was no room for argument. His hand lingered at her back, firm and grounding, guiding her out of the gym with a protective focus that made heads turn. Even Silas watched them leave, jaw tight, eyes unreadable.

? ★ ?

The infirmary was empty, save for the distant hum of lights and the faint rustle of the blinds swaying in a breeze from the open window. Adrian didn't call for the nurse. Didn't say a word as he helped her onto the cot, his movements careful but efficient.

He stood over her for a long moment, arms crossed, jaw tense. Watching.

"You didn't need to do that," she said at last, her voice breaking the silence.

"You were hurt."

"It was a dodgeball game," she muttered, trying to laugh—but it came out hollow. "People get hit all the time."

His eyes didn't soften. "Not you."

Y/N frowned. "Huh? That doesn't make any sense—"

"He shouldn't have touched you."

"You act like I'm glass."

"I act like you matter."

The room felt suddenly smaller. She sat up slowly. "You're mad..?"

"I'm not."

"Then what are you?"

His gaze didn't waver. "Worried."

That made her pause. Something about the way he said it—the blunt honesty, the stillness in his voice—left no room for denial. He stepped closer then, not hurriedly, but with that same restrained intensity he'd shown in the game.

The kind that felt leashed, barely held back. "You didn't see the way he threw that ball," Adrian murmured. "That wasn't a mistake. That was aimed."

Her breath caught. "You really think he was trying to hurt me?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I don't care. Because he did."

Silence stretched between them, long and taut. He reached out then, slowly, like he was testing something fragile. His fingers brushed a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear. His touch lingered, knuckles grazing her cheek in a way that made her chest ache.

"I don't know what's going on here," Adrian said, voice quieter now, "but if something happens to you again—if anyone touches you like that again—I'll handle it."

Her heart thudded unevenly.

"You sound like you mean that."

His eyes met hers—unflinching. "I do."

And that wasn't just a sweet moment.

It was a promise.