As I laid in my bed staring at the mark on my hand, I couldn't help but go back to the night of my kiss with Sylas.
At first, when I thought about the kids being the cause of all these strange things happening I found it hard to believe but now, now I wondered if it really might be the cause of this and there was only one possible way to get answers.
Apart from class, the only place I've ever seen Sylas before was at the library, so that's where I headed to first. I thought of asking Dave for help but then decided against it.
I got to the library and looked around but there was no sign of him. Just as I was about to give up the mark started to tingle again as if sensing something.
I turned around and there he was with his unearthly beauty and silver eyes. My find went back to the research I did about Fae and I couldn't help but wonder if they truly did exist. I could have sworn I saw him glance at my wrist but it was so fast that it made me feel like I was imagining it.
"Jade, is it?" he said.
Hearing his voice shocked me because I had barely heard him talk. His voice was a dark, low rasp like a shadow creeping through the silence, carrying a cold promise that made the air around him feel heavier.
"I couldn't help but notice that it looked like you were looking for something or someone".
How did he see me and I didn't see him? I cleared my throat not sure of how to start the conversation.
"I was actually looking for you". He raised an eyebrow and I couldn't help but notice how elegantly he did it.
"And why is that?" he said moving over to the wall and leaning on it with a slight smile on his face.
I rolled up my sleeve to reveal the mark and showed it to him. "Do you have anything to do with this?". His eyes moved over to the mark then back to me giving away absolutely no emotion.
"Why would you think I would have something to do with it?".
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain but don't see me as a crazy person". I took a deep breath, let's get this over with.
"Remember the night of the dare at Dave's party?" when he nodded, I continued "The next day after we kissed, this showed up" I said raising my hand up "and ever since that day it has stuck to me like a glove and I'm sick of it. Everyone says it will fade out over time but that was a week ago and nothing changed". Sylas stood straight and walked over to me.
"And you think the kiss has something to do with it?" When he put it like that he made me look even crazier. "Look, strange things have been happening ever since I've got this mark and I don't know why, I just need an answer".
"Well, you're out of luck because I have nothing to do with it. If it disturbs you so much then just cut off the arm, if not deal with it". And just like that, I was at another dead end.
As Sylas began to walk away I couldn't help but blurt out "Are you a Fae?" My eyes widened and I slammed my mouth shut. Sylas stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder, silver eyes glowing in the light, those never failed to amaze me.
Something flashed through them, an emotion I couldn't quite place before he burst out laughing. "You really are something, aren't you?" and with that he was gone.
I just stood there staring into nothing for a while before I finally headed back to my dorm.
It was past seven and was already dark outside when I was heading back to my dorm. I was lost in thoughts about what to do next when I heard some rustling in the bushes nearby.
I froze, my senses on high alert. It wasn't the wind, it was too rhythmic—too deliberate.
I glanced toward the bushes, my heart rate quickening. The night had grown colder, the darkness settling in around me like a thick blanket. I strained my ears, listening for any sign of movement. Another rustle. This time closer.
My instincts screamed at me to turn around and leave, but curiosity anchored me to the spot.
Then, out of the shadows, a figure emerged.
It wasn't a person—not exactly. Tall, cloaked in a dark, shifting form, its presence felt wrong, like it didn't belong to this world. For a moment, it stood perfectly still, watching me with eyes that glowed faintly, the same eerie silver I had seen in Sylas's.
I should've run, but something kept me rooted in place. The mark on my wrist burned, a sharp, hot sting that seemed to pulse in time with my racing heartbeat.
"I can sense your unease little human" The voice was soft, mocking, but held a dangerous undertone. It wasn't Sylas, but the tone… it sounded like it came from the same world. The same place.
Before I could answer—or even move—the figure lunged forward, closing the distance between us in the blink of an eye. I stumbled back, heart hammering, as it stopped just short of me, its breath cold and jagged.
"Do you know what you've done?" it hissed. I scrambled backwards. There was no one around, not at this time of the night.
The creature earged closer to me, eyes glowing in the darkness "You must die, you must die" it kept repeating over and over again.
I tried to move, scream but I was held in place by an invisible force. It revealed its knife and just as I thought I was about to meet my end, the mark burned and tingled.
The creature froze in place and looked behind me and then it growled, actually growled as it backed away, back to where it came from.
The invisible force that was holding me down seemed to vanish with it and I stood up and turned around quickly to meet the pair of eyes I was all too familiar with.
"I guess I have no choice now," Sylas murmured, his voice darker than before. He ran a hand through his jet-black hair, clearly frustrated, but there was a hint of something more—regret? "I have to tell you the truth. You're in deeper than you realize, Jade."