19. Adelaide

19

ADELAIDE

I watch the guys leave, my heart heavy with fear and something else that feels too much like anticipation. As soon as they're gone, I slump against the wall, the adrenaline fading and leaving me weak and shaky. The alarm continues to blare, its shrill cry a constant reminder of the chaos unfolding around us.

"What the hell is going on?" I mutter, running a hand through my blood-matted hair. The metallic scent of my blood still lingers in the air, a grim reminder of how close I came to... to what? Dying? Giving in to Crimson Shadow?

It's all so unclear, it's beyond ridiculous at this point.

I push myself off the wall and stumble upstairs to the bathroom, desperate to wash away the blood and clear my head. As I catch sight of my reflection in the mirror and strip off, knowing I need to be quick to be present for the headcount, I barely recognise myself. Pale, blood-smeared, with a wild look in my eyes that definitely wasn't there before I came here and turned into a fucking vampire.

You seriously couldn't make this shit up.

As I jump in the shower, I feel her stirring in the back of my mind. Crimson Shadow, the ancient vampire whose consciousness is intertwined with mine. She's quiet now, but I can sense her presence, like a predator waiting to pounce.

"Not now," I growl. "I won't let you win."

But even as I say the words, I feel a flicker of doubt. She came so close to taking control, to ending it all. And part of me... part of me almost welcomes it. The thought sends a chill down to my soul. Would it be so bad to let her take over? It would stop the constant push and pull, the ache in my head and my heart.

The alarm suddenly cuts off, leaving a deafening silence in its wake.

"Those aren't my thoughts!" I do what Corvus did and smash my fist into the shower tile.

All I do is hurt my hand. Not so great for this powerful, whatever the fuck vampire I am.

Turning off the shower with tears in my eyes, I wrap a towel around myself and hurry downstairs, throwing what is left of my clean clothes on to wait for whoever is doing the headcount.

My eyes go to the shattered window. How am I going to explain this? The cool night air drifts in, carrying with it the scent of magick and fear.

Orby hovers near me, his surface swirling with patterns I can't quite decipher. "What do you know about all this?" I ask it, not really expecting an answer. To my surprise, it bobs in the air, almost as if nodding, before zooming to the window.

I follow it, peering out into the darkness. At first, I see nothing unusual. Then, movement catches my eye. Shadows, deeper than the night itself, are moving across the grounds. They flow like water, seeping into every crack and crevice of MistHallow.

"What the hell?" I breathe, pressing closer to the window. As I watch, one of the shadows solidifies, taking on a vaguely humanoid shape. It turns, and for a moment, I swear I see glowing red eyes staring directly at me.

I stumble back, my heart racing. "Orby, what are those things?"

The orb pulses rapidly, his light dimming and brightening in a pattern that seems almost frantic. I wish, not for the first time, that I could understand what he's trying to tell me.

The shadow creature lifts off the ground and floats up towards me, those glowing red eyes fixing on me. For a moment, we're locked in a silent standoff. Then, faster than I can blink, it surges towards me.

"Shit, shit, shit," I mutter, frantically looking around for something, anything I can use as a weapon.

My eyes fall on the knife, still stained with my blood. I hesitate for a split second before snatching it up. It feels wrong in my hand, a reminder of my moment of weakness, but it's better than nothing.

The window shudders when the creature slams into it from the other side but can't get in. "The wards," I breathe out. "The guys are connected to me. They can get in. You fucking can't." But I back away anyway, knife held out in front of me.

The creature hovers, feeling for a way in.

"Come in, my pet."

I blink . Did I just say that? Yes, I did!

"Fuck!"

The wards splinter and the shadow creature pours into the room like living darkness.

To my surprise, I can feel a connection to it, a delicate strand of dark energy.

I reach out, knowing that whatever this thing is, it belongs to Crimson.

The creature lets out an unearthly shriek as its form begins to unravel. Orby zooms around the beast, his light pulsing rapidly. He drifts in and out of the shadow, tearing it apart until there is nothing left but me and the dancing orb of light.

I breathe out heavily, the reality of the situation crashes back over me. MistHallow is under attack. These things are taking over. Students are disappearing. That's why the staff want to do a head count.

I stare at Orby, my mind struggling to process what I've just witnessed. The orb that's been my constant companion since arriving at MistHallow has fought off one of these shadow creatures. Not just fought it off but tore it apart.

"Orby?" I whisper, reaching out a shaky hand towards the pulsing light. "What are you?"

The orb begins to change. His surface ripples and shifts, the light coalescing into a more defined shape. I watch, transfixed, as the orb transforms before my eyes.

In a matter of seconds, where the orb once floated, there now hovers a tiny, pixie-like creature. He's no bigger than my hand, with delicate, translucent wings that shimmer in the dim light. His features are sharp and angular, distinctly male, with eyes that glow with the same inner light as the orb.

"Holy shit," I breathe, taking an involuntary step back. "You're... you're alive?"

The pixie-like creature grins, revealing tiny, pointed teeth. He opens his mouth as if to speak, but before any sound can come out, a loud knock at my door makes us both jump.

"Miss Black? Are you in there?" a stern voice calls out. "We're conducting a headcount. Please open the door."

I turn back to the pixie, a thousand questions on the tip of my tongue, but he's already darting towards the broken window. "Wait!" I call out, but it's too late. He zips out into the night, leaving me alone and more confused than ever.

Another knock, more insistent this time. "Miss Black?"

"Coming!" I call out, my mind reeling. I take a deep breath, trying to compose myself, before opening the door.

Professor Thornridge stands in the hallway, her usually immaculate appearance slightly dishevelled. Her eyes widen as she takes in the state of my room - the broken window, the overturned furniture, the knife still clutched in my hand.

"Miss Black," she says, her voice a mixture of concern and suspicion. "What happened here?"

"There was an attack," I say, deciding a partial truth is better than an outright lie. "One of those shadow things. It tried to get in."

Professor Thornridge's eyes narrow. "And the window?"

"It smashed straight through it," I lie, not wanting to throw Corvus under the magick school bus.

"You saw one? It broke through the wards?" Her concern is genuine, and it scares me a bit. I let that fucking thing in. Well, she did. "Well, I'm glad you're alright, Miss Black. Please stay in your room for now. We're trying to account for all students and assess this situation."

I nod, relief washing over me that she's not pressing for more details. "Of course, Professor. Is... is everyone okay?"

A shadow passes over her face. "We're still determining the extent of this attack. For now, just stay here and stay safe. We'll provide more information as soon as we can." She throws her hand out, and her magick fixes the window in a flash.

With that, she turns and heads down the stairs, leaving me standing in my doorway, feeling more alone and confused than ever.

I close the door and lean against it, my mind racing. What the hell is going on? Shadow creatures attacking, students disappearing, Orby turning into a pixie... and let's not fucking forget the constant, nagging presence of Crimson Shadow in the back of my mind.

You are seriously annoying. Do you know how long I've waited to see my pets again?

"FUCK OFF!" I roar. "Get the fuck out of my head, cuntface!"

I'm going to squash that fucking bug of yours when I get out of here.

I stand still, a grim smile on my lips. "Well, you know what, sweetie. You aren't getting out of here. If you have to stay in there for the rest of eternity, I will never let you out and you can try to kill me, you can force me away from the guys, you can do whatever the fuck you want, you are not getting out."

Ooh, so bold. I love it. You and I could be such good friends if you'd just let the darkness consume you.

"You mean you ?"

I don't intend to consume you, Addy, dear. You aren't paying attention. Go to page fifty of the book.

"What?"

I dislike repeating myself .

I pick up the ancient book we found in the hidden library that was lying on the bed. Its secrets seem to mock me now, promising answers but delivering only more questions. I reach for it, my fingers tracing the worn leather of its cover.

Flicking over to page fifty. I glare at the page. I can't read it now. "What is it? I can't understand."

Crimson giggles. It says, in short, that we will share the vessel, Addy. Light and Dark. Légère and Black. We are sisters, you and I. Born of the same sire, different mothers. Mine so dark you can't see her in the dead of night. Yours so white, her light is blinding.

The world stands still, and I blink as I take that in. "What?"