As I lay there, unable to sleep, I found myself recalling about my childhood. My father had taught me to imagine myself in different places when I find hard to sleep.
So I exited social media and closed my eyes, I transported myself to the serene beach where Mr. Darkwood had captured his photograph. A smile adorned his face, and it felt as though his smile was just for me.
A smile formed on my lips as I thought. "Is this truly a bad thing to do?".
Approaching him as he emerged from the sea, the sunlight illuminated his figure, making him shine. As I drew closer, he wrapped his arms around me.
Just the thought of this encounter sent shivers down my spine. What would happen if this fantasy became a reality?
I could actually feel his lips on mine, with a slow motion, I opened my eyes, only to find him standing before me.
My breath caught in my throat, and I desperately held onto him.
He smiled at me and kissed me once more, but this time, the kiss transformed from gentle and sweet to intense.
At first pleasurable, it soon turned sour as he bit my lip.
In pain, I moaned and pushed him away, realizing that he was not Mr. Darkwood, but the same man from my dream.
"How dare he kiss you?" His eyes were red with rage. "You belong to me!" he growled, forcefully pulling me closer.
Feeling suffocated in his overpowering embrace, I mustered the strength to push him away. "Get off me!" I exclaimed.
Yet, he clung onto me even tighter. "You are mine and mine alone. I will not allow anyone else to lay a kiss upon you!" he declared, forcefully kissing me once more.
Helpless, at first I pushed against his chest, which turned out to be fruitless, then I summoned the courage within me and dug my claws into his flesh, causing him to scream in pain as he retreated.
However, instead of anger, he laughed. "See? That's why I am so madly in love with you! You are just like me!" he exclaimed with a smile.
"I am nothing like you!" I trembled, panting heavily.
"Aren't you?" He opened his shirt and showed it to me, now bearing the exact same claw marks that I had on my thigh, and I mean identical.
"No, no, no!" I shut my eyes tightly. "This cannot be real! It's just a dream!" I pinched myself, feeling the pain, but the dream continued.
"Do you remember, Everly? Our first encounter? Do you recall how desperately you wanted me? And that night when you witnessed that boy being torn apart! You didn't shed a tear since then. Because you didn't feel the pain!" He continued speaking as I interrupted him.
"No! I was terrified, you're lying!" I argued.
"I never said you weren't terrified. You were terrified, which is why I am here, to protect you from those monsters who were after you that night! To shelter you under my wing!" He whispered, bringing his mouth close to my ear.
"The darkness within you is just as real as it is within me. Can't you see the connection between us, Everly? We even share the same marks now!" He smiled at me, his breath warm playing with the pores of my skin.
Besides my desire to give in, Ipushed myself away from him and collided with something, perhaps a wall.
Even though I had now awakened and my friends surrounded me, I kept repeating the same sentence over and over again.
"It's not true, I am not like you!"
But then Christine grabbed hold of me and shook me so hardly that I finally snapped out of it.
As I woke up, I noticed that I had still been pinching my arm, and I had squeezed it so tightly that it had turned blue.
"What is happening to you?" Willow gasped, covering her mouth when she saw the blood on my thigh.
"I think..." I struggled to catch my breath, my back pressed against the wall of my room as I remained on the floor. "I think there's something I need to tell you," I managed to say, my voice shaking.
After composing myself, I removed my trousers in front of them, revealing the marks on my body.
"Oh my goodness! Are these from that day?" Christine asked, concern evident in her voice, she was asking about the wolf attack.
"No, these marks are from long before that," I replied, biting my lip to hold back tears. I cleaned my wound and wiped away my tears.
"Can we discuss this after school?" I requested, hoping for their support.
"Of course!" Willow embraced me, offering comfort.
"Just remember, no matter what, we'll be here for you," Christine reassured me, rubbing my shoulder.
As we arrived at school, we were met with a surprising sight - police officers outside the building.
"What's happening here?" I hurriedly made my way through the crowd and spotted Vincent standing with the police, his hands cuffed.
I ran toward Vincent, panic in my voice. "Where are you taking him?" I yelled, desperate for answers.
"Please, Ms. Fernandez, you should stay aside," Sheriff Newton advised, leading Vincent away.
We rushed to our classroom, where our principal, Mr. Alexander Harvey, entered with a heavy heart. "Good morning, class. I regret to inform you that an unfortunate incident has occurred, shaking our entire school community," he began.
"Mr. Harry Aiden was found brutally murdered in his backyard. As a result, the court has ordered the school to remain closed for at least a week. This is for the safety of our students, and there will be a strict lockdown in the town until the murderer is caught," he announced, causing the classroom to erupt in chatter.
"I know, I know! And my intention was not to cause panic, but rather to inform you for your own safety and to advise you to stay secure in your homes." His voice cutting through the noise, silencing everyone.
"But if the murderer is still on the loose, why was Vincent arrested?" I rose up from my chair.