Chapter 57
The next morning felt off from the second I woke up.
The air in my room was heavy, like the night had held its breath and hadn’t let go. I barely slept — every creak in the house made me jump, every shadow felt like it was stretching just a little too far.
By the time I got to school, I was exhausted. But seeing Chloe — standing by her locker, talking to people, smiling like she hadn’t just died — made my stomach twist.
She looked perfect. Too perfect.
Her skin glowed in that porcelain, untouchable way, and her hair shimmered under the hall lights like a shampoo commercial. She was laughing at something Jessica said, her hand brushing her neck — the same place Bella’s bite had been.
No marks. No scars. No proof.
Vanessa caught up to me, a frown carved deep between her brows. “She’s glowing again,” she muttered. “That’s not a hospital glow-up. That’s… something else.”
“I know,” I said. “But what can we even do? Ask her if she’s, what,really undead?”
Vanessa shot me a look. “You joke too much when you’re scared.”
She wasn’t wrong.
⸻
By lunchtime, Chloe had officially become the big school miracle.
People were whispering, staring, posting about her comeback like it was a fairy tale.
I just knew it wasn’t normal.
Vanessa and I sat at our usual corner table, both pretending to eat. I couldn’t taste anything anyway — just the tang of unease in my mouth.
When Chloe entered the cafeteria, it was like watching light walk into the room. Everyone turned. She smiled, waved, even joked with the lunch lady. She was radiant — alive in every possible way.
Except for her eyes.
There was something behind them now. A stillness. Like her soul hadn’t come all the way back.
“Should she even be here? I am seriously worried about her” I whispered.
Vanessa’s fork clinked against her plate. “Doctors said she’s fine. But if you ask me…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Her energy feels wrong. Like she’s borrowing life instead of living it.”
That hit me like a chill.
Across the room, Chloe met my gaze. For a second, her smile froze — too wide, too tense. Her pupils dilated until her irises vanished, leaving a flash of crimson. My heart stuttered.
\-------------------
It happened during gym class.
One second, Chloe was running laps; the next, she crumpled mid-stride, her body hitting the ground with a sound I’ll never forget. Screams erupted. Coach yelled for everyone to step back.
Vanessa and I ran to her before anyone could stop us.
“Chloe! Chloe, can you hear me?” I shouted, kneeling beside her. Her skin was icy. Her pulse fluttered like a trapped bird.
The nurse came rushing in, pushing us aside. “Give her space!” she ordered, already checking Chloe’s vitals.
Vanessa grabbed my arm. “Something’s wrong with her blood,” she whispered. “Look.”
And I saw it. When the nurse pricked Chloe’s finger for a quick glucose test, the droplet that appeared wasn’t red — it was dark, almost black, with a metallic sheen under the fluorescent light.
The nurse froze for half a heartbeat before pretending she hadn’t noticed. “We’ll need to take her to the nurse’s office,” she said briskly. “Elizabeth, Vanessa — back to class.”
But we didn’t move. We couldn’t.
As they wheeled Chloe out, Vanessa murmured, “That’s not human blood, Liz. It’s like it’s… alive.”
My throat went dry. “Alive?”
She nodded. “It pulsed. I felt it. Like it knew.”
I didn’t say anything. I just watched as they took our best friend away, knowing that whatever she was now — it wasn’t the girl we’d grown up with.
⸻
The day dragged on like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. I barely heard the teachers. I kept seeing Chloe collapse, the black shimmer of her blood.
When the final bell rang, I didn’t wait for Vanessa. I just wanted to get home, lock my door, and pretend for a few hours that everything was fine.
But pretending never lasted long in this town.
⸻
That night, I couldn’t sleep again. The moonlight spilled across my floor, cold and silver. The silence was too loud.
Then I heard it — a soft tapping.
At first, I thought it was the wind. Then it came again.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
My heart thudded. Slowly, I turned toward the window.
And froze.
Chloe was standing outside.
Her hair was tangled, her hospital gown clinging to her like damp paper, her skin pale as frost. But it was her eyes that rooted me to the spot — they glowed faintly red under the moonlight, like embers that refused to die.
“Chloe?” I whispered, rushing to open the window.
She looked up, smiling weakly. “Hey, Liz.” Her voice trembled. “Can I come in?”
I hesitated — something about that question felt… wrong.
“Chloe, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be resting.”
She climbed in before I could stop her, moving faster than she should have been able to. She stood in my room, barefoot, shaking slightly.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” she whispered. “Everything feels… strange. Too loud. Too bright.”
I swallowed. “You collapsed today. We saw your blood. It wasn’t—”
“Normal?” she finished, a bitter laugh escaping her. “Yeah, I figured. I can hear it, Liz. In my veins. It’s like it’s not mine anymore.”
She clutched her head, gasping. “And I’m so hungry.”
I froze. “Hungry?”
“For… something I can’t name.” Her gaze flicked toward me, and suddenly I knew.
She wasn’t looking at me — she was looking through me. At my neck.
“Chloe,” I said quietly, stepping back. “You need to rest. I’ll call Vanessa—”
“Don’t,” she snapped, voice low, almost a growl. Then, softer, “Please don’t.”
Her breathing quickened. She was trembling now, fighting something invisible. “It hurts, Liz. Everything hurts.”
And before I could react, she was right in front of me — too close, too fast. Her hand gripped my wrist, her nails digging into my skin. Her eyes blazed red again.
“Your heart,” she whispered. “It’s so loud.”
“Chloe, stop,” I said, terrified.
She leaned in closer — her breath cold, her fangs flashing for the first time in the moonlight.
Then she gasped and stumbled back, clutching her chest. “No—no, I can’t—”
Her voice broke. She looked horrified at herself, like she was realizing what she’d almost done.
“Liz,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
And then — she was gone. One blur of motion, and the window banged open with a rush of wind.
I stood there frozen, the night air biting against my skin.
Outside, the streets were silent again. No sign of her.
Just the echo of her apology, and the faint metallic scent of blood in the air.
That was the moment I finally understood.
Chloe hadn’t come back the same.