Everything tonight happened so fast. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. My neck burned, the claws digging into my skin sent searing pain through my body. Breathing was difficult, and with each second, the grip tightened. Death was near.
His face was monstrous, inhuman. Shadows twisted around his black-veined features, his eyes like endless pits of darkness. I had never feared anyone before until now.
Back in Oxville, I was the one people feared. Students. Teachers. I did whatever I pleased and got away with it.
I was a nightmare. A tyrant. I terrorized my juniors, my classmates, even the bravest of them never dared to challenge me.
And now, here I was, helpless. The once-feared Terra Tunes, trembling in someone else's grasp.
I struggled, desperate to free myself, but his fingers were like iron around my throat. The more I fought, the weaker I felt.
A wicked smile stretched across his face. His voice was a low, venomous whisper.
"I've caught you now, you little spy."
Gasps echoed through the basketball court. Everyone had frozen in shock, their eyes locked on me.
Eska rose from her seat, her expression calm, too calm. I could see the fire in her eyes, the effort it took to keep herself from transforming in front of everyone. Her voice was steady but carried through the gym like a blade.
"Let her go."
Nemus turned to her, chuckling darkly.
"Tell me, Eska Vew, what are you going to do if I don't? Call the police?" He laughed again, slow and mocking.
Eska clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She exhaled sharply before speaking.
"You've got the wrong girl. She doesn't even know what you're talking about."
Nemus sneered. His grip on my throat eased just slightly as he turned his attention back to me.
"I never forget a scent," he murmured. "Perhaps things will be much simpler if I just turn her into one of us."
A fresh wave of terror crashed over me. No. No, no, no. The last thing I wanted was to become a bloodsucking demon.
Nemus tilted my head, exposing my neck. I felt his breath against my skin. The anticipation of his fangs sent me spiraling into panic.
I clenched my eyes shut and screamed, waiting for the inevitable pain.
But instead of his teeth, I felt his grip suddenly release. My body collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.
Dazed, I opened my eyes. Blood dripped from Nemus's hand, the same one that had been wrapped around my throat. And standing in front of me, fangs bared, was Jesse.
Jesse?
The guy who had hated me from day one. The guy who had never wasted an opportunity to make my life miserable.
And yet, he was the one who had just saved me.
He turned his head slightly, his glowing eyes catching mine. For a second, he seemed just as surprised as I was. But then his attention shifted back to Nemus.
"I think that's enough excitement for tonight," Jesse said, his voice distorted, deeper, unnatural.
Nemus wiped the blood from his palm and chuckled. "But come on, the party's just getting started."
"Hey, buddy," Zack called out, stepping beside Jesse. "I think it's time for you to leave."
Nemus smirked. "I'm not going anywhere." He lifted his hand, signaling his enforcers. Shadows moved as they spread out, surrounding the court.
Then, Pink's voice rang out, sharp and defiant.
"I won't let you turn Terra into your kind!"
Nemus turned toward her, amusement flashing across his face. "Pink Spencer," he cooed, his voice dripping with twisted delight. "I'll enjoy ripping you apart. Bit by bit."
"You'll have to go through us first," Summer snapped.
The cheerleaders stepped forward, forming a protective circle around Pink. Slowly, one by one, they began to transform into their original form; fangs, claws, inhuman eyes.
"Yeah!" a blonde guy from the crowd shouted. "We won't let you terrorize us again!"
"Get out of our school, Nemus!" a junior yelled. More voices joined in, growing louder, angrier.
Nemus's smirk vanished. His patience had run out. With a flick of his fingers, his enforcers lunged.
The fight erupted.
Chaos swallowed the gym. Claws slashed. Fangs sank into flesh. Students screamed, some ran, others ducked behind bleachers. Blood spattered the polished floor.
I tried to move, but pain kept me pinned. My throat still burned where his claws had been. Every breath was a struggle.
Then, amidst the chaos, I saw her.
Regina.
She moved through the mayhem like a phantom, her half-vampire, half-siren presence radiating silent danger.
She was coming for me.
Panic shot through me. I tried to crawl backward, but my limbs trembled too much to cooperate.
Regina was getting closer.
Then Eska.
She stepped in front of me, blocking Regina's path.
Regina hesitated.
A flicker of recognition passed between them. Then, slowly, Regina took a step back.
Eska knelt beside me. "Are you okay?"
I tried to answer, but the words wouldn't come.
And then,
A pulse of power swept through the gym.
A figure entered.
He was young, maybe mid-twenties, dressed in dark, old-fashioned clothing. In his left hand, he carried a staff—sleek, strange, humming with something ancient.
The second he raised it, everything stopped.
The air stilled. The chaos froze.
A dizzy spell washed over me. I fought to stay conscious. But the weight of everything; fear, pain, exhaustion dragged me down.
The last thing I saw before darkness took me was the stranger's piercing gaze.
Then, nothing.