Chapter 40 NEW GIRL IN TOWN
The neon sign outside the local restaurant shoned, casting a sickly green light over the cracked pavement. Raina pushed the glass door open, the bell chiming a weary sound as she scanned the booth at the far back.
She spotted Margo immediately, nursing a cup of black coffee and looking every bit as impatient as Raina had feared. Raina took a deep breath, her fingers instinctively brushing the small inhaler in her pocket, and walked over.
"Hey" Raina said, sliding into the vinyl seat across from her.
Margo didn't waste time with pleasantries. She leaned forward. "We don't have much time. Next week is the deadline, and you won’t like what happens next. I still see no reason why you asked me to return that gold earring"
"It’s important to her" Raina whispered, her voice tight.
"You selling it is important to you too," Margo countered, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Who cares?"
Raina looked down at the scratched tabletop, feeling the walls closing in. "Let's move forward. What can I do? How do I get that kind of money by next week?"
Margo leaned back, a cold, calculating look settling on her face. "I have a man I want to introduce you to. He’s filthy rich. Just have a one-night stand with him, and all your financial problems will be over"
Raina froze. She looked at Margo like she had suddenly grown a second head. "What the fck are you insinuating I do? Trade my dignity for money?"
"Stop acting like a saint you aren't! I’m sick of it already," Margo snapped, slamming her hand lightly on the table. "This is the only option left on the table that gets you that amount of cash in seven days"
"Find other options. I’m not a slut" Raina hissed, her face flushing with a mix of shame and rage.
"I’m not calling you a slut!"
"You just implied that when you said I should sleep with a man for money!" Raina’s voice rose, drawing a curious glance from a nearby diner.
"Okay, fine!" Margo threw her hands up in frustration. "Then ask your roommate for help. You told me yourself she’s from a rich family"
"I will try asking Liana then," Raina said. She gripped her inhaler tightly through the fabric of her pocket. "But that will mean explaining everything to her"
Margo shrugged, completely unfazed. "Which isn't bad," she said, checking her watch. "Liana has the cash, better to lose a little pride than to lose your life, Raina. Just get the money"
Margo stood up, tossing a few crumpled bills on the table for the coffee. She didn't look back as she headed for the door, leaving Raina alone in the sickly green light of the booth.
•••
BACK AT THE FRAT HOUSE
Anya stood in the middle of the dance floor, her chest heaving as she gripped her phone. She had just arrived on campus, the cold air of the woods still clinging to her skin. Her eyes darted around the room, scanning for Liana’s bright hair.
She checked her messages again.
I'm at the frat house in case you wanna come.
"Hey there, gorgeous..." A slurred voice cut through the music.
Anya turned to see a tall guy stumbling toward her, a half-empty bottle in his hand and a predatory glaze in his eyes. "You're new. I like new"
"I'm looking for my friend. Please, let me pass" Anya said, her voice trembling as she tried to step around him.
"Don't be like that," the guy groaned, stepping into her path. He reached out, his hand clamping firmly around her wrist. "Stay and have a drink. I don't take no for an answer"
"Let go of me!" Anya cried out. As his fingers tightened, a sudden, searing heat began to radiate from her core. It wasn't the heat of a room, it was the heat of a furnace.
For a split second, Anya’s vision flickered. Her pupils didn't just dilate... they ignited, glowing a fierce gold.
The moment her eyes changed, a spark jumped from her skin to his sleeve. In an instant, the boy’s entire body was engulfed in a roar of unnatural, blue-tinted flames. He didn't even have time to scream before the fire consumed the air around him.
The music didn't stop, but the screaming did.
"FIRE! HE'S ON FIRE!"
The frat house erupted into pure, unadulterated chaos. Students trampled over furniture, diving through windows and sprinting for the exits as the smell of ozone and burnt fabric filled the air.
Anya scrambled backward, her hands flying to her mouth. She watched in horror as the flames vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving nothing but a charred circle on the floor where the boy had stood. Her eyes faded back to their natural color, but the vibration in her blood remained.
The room was suddenly empty, save for the flickering party lights and the hum of the speakers.
"What just happened?" Anya whispered to the empty room, her hands shaking violently. "What did I do?"
Behind her, in the shadows of the hallway, a pair of boots clicked against the hardwood.
"You found your spark, i guess" a voice purred.
Anya spun around to see Alina standing there, leaning against a doorframe, looking entirely unbothered by the fact that a student had just spontaneously combusted.
"But you should really learn to control it" Alina added with a sharp smirk.
Anya’s knees buckled, but Alina caught her.
"What am I?" Anya choked out, her breath hitching in her throat. "First I see visions... and now this? I just burned a person alive!"
Alina stood her upright, her expression as calm as a still lake. "I don't know yet, Anya. Guess we are about to find out together"
Anya let her head fall on Alina’s shoulder, her body racking with tremors. "I just killed a student," she whispered into Alina’s leather jacket. "He’s gone. There’s nothing left of him"
Alina didn't pull away. Instead, she reached up and smoothed Anya’s hair, her voice chillingly matter-of-fact. "He was harassing you. He honestly kind of deserved it. Don't let the guilt eat you, sweetheart"
She tilted Anya’s head back so their eyes met. Alina’s gaze was dark and completely devoid of remorse. "I've killed lots of innocent people. If you're going to survive what's coming, you should probably get used to it"
Anya stared at her in horror, pulling back slightly. "Get used to it? Alina, he’s dead"
"And if you hadn't done that, he would have dragged you into a room you didn't want to be in," Alina snapped, her eyes flashing.
Anya didn't say anything.
"We need to go" Alina said, grabbing Anya’s hand, leading her to the back exit.
•••
AT A BAR
A lady walked into the bar majestically. Every head turned as she moved to the counter. She locked eyes with the bartender, her gaze intense.
"Give me a drink. For free" she said, her voice carrying a strange power. The bartender nodded numbly and handed her a glass. She gulped it down in one go.
"Now I need something else" she whispered. Before he could react, she lunged forward and bit him hard in the neck. The bartender screamed in horror as her fangs sank in.
A vampire.
The others in the bar were terrified, scrambling to the doors. She bit the bartender until he went limp, then turned her hunger toward the rest. She was fast, a blur of motion as she bit them all, one by one.
"That was... delicious" she said, licking the blood from her lips.
"Irina?" a voice called out from the doorway.
She smirked and turned toward the man. "Hello, Damian"