Chapter 63: Next time

“Did you hear about the new transfer student?” Jack asked, his voice low as he leaned on his locker.

Lyra raised a brow. “Please tell me this isn’t one of your crush stories again.”

Jack shook his head quickly. “No, I’m serious. She just came this morning. No record, no background, but somehow she’s already on the student list. Even the teachers don’t know where she came from.”

Damien, standing nearby, frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. The school never takes in someone without a record.”

Maya walked up with her tablet clutched to her chest. “I checked too. There’s no digital footprint for her. No ID, no history, nothing. It’s like she just appeared.”

Lyra closed her locker slowly. “Or someone made her appear.”

The hallway was crowded and loud, students rushing to class, laughing and chatting like nothing in the world was wrong. But to Damien and his friends, everything felt off. Every sound, every face—it all felt strange now that they knew the Doctors were still out there.

Jack whispered, “Maybe she’s one of them. You know… the hybrids.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Maya said, but her tone was uneasy. “Still, we should keep an eye on her.”

The bell rang. As they walked to class, the air shifted. The new girl walked in.

She was tall, with long dark hair that shimmered slightly under the light, and her eyes—an odd silver-blue—seemed to glow for a moment before returning to normal. She smiled at the teacher politely and said, “Hi, I’m Alina.”

The teacher nodded. “Welcome, Alina. You can take the seat beside Damien.”

Lyra’s eyes widened. “Of course,” she muttered under her breath.

Damien forced a small smile as Alina sat next to him. “Hi,” he said quietly.

She turned to him and smiled back. “Hi, Damien. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He froze. “You have?”

“Yes,” she said lightly, still smiling. “You’re quite… popular.”

Something about the way she said it made the hairs on his neck rise.

As the teacher started the lesson, Damien noticed Alina wasn’t writing anything. She just watched the teacher with a strange stillness. Her fingers tapped lightly on the desk, in a rhythm too precise, too calculated.

Maya sent him a text from across the room: She’s not human.

Damien didn’t reply, but his heart started beating faster.

When the bell rang, everyone got up. Alina turned to him again. “I hope we can be friends, Damien.”

“Yeah,” he said slowly, “sure.”

She smiled, then left the class.

Jack rushed over. “Dude, she gives me the creeps.”

Lyra crossed her arms. “She’s too perfect. Too calm. Even her scent is off.”

Maya joined them, whispering, “I ran a quick scan with the sensor app. Her body temperature is lower than normal—way too low. And her heartbeat’s irregular.”

Damien looked down the hallway where Alina disappeared. “Then she’s one of them.”

Jack frowned. “If she’s a hybrid, why come here?”

Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe she’s spying. Or maybe the Doctors sent her to finish what they started.”

Later that day, they met at Maya’s house. The lights were dim, and papers covered the table. Maya had the old ancient book open beside her laptop.

“There’s a pattern,” she said. “The Doctors have always tested their creations near schools or towns. They blend in. Study people. Then report back.”

“So she’s a test subject,” Jack said.

“Maybe more,” Maya replied. “If she’s the new model, she could be more dangerous than the Alpha Prime.”

Lyra sighed. “So what do we do? March up to her and ask if she’s a monster?”

Jack smirked a little. “That actually sounds like something you’d do.”

“Not funny,” Lyra snapped.

Damien rubbed his temples. “We can’t attack her without proof. We’ll watch her, follow her after school. If she’s hiding something, we’ll know.”

Maya nodded. “Good. But we have to be careful. If she’s working for the Doctors, she might not be alone.”

The next day, they waited after school. Damien and Lyra hid near the back exit while Maya tracked her phone signal.

“She’s leaving the building now,” Maya said quietly through the earpiece.

“Copy that,” Damien whispered.

They followed Alina from a distance. She didn’t take the main road. Instead, she walked toward the woods behind the school—the same woods where they fought the first Alpha.

Lyra frowned. “This can’t be good.”

They moved silently between the trees. Alina stopped near an old shed, looking around before opening the door and going inside.

Damien and Lyra crept closer. The door creaked slightly open, and they peeked inside.

The shed wasn’t empty. Inside, there were papers on the walls—photos of Damien, Maya, Lyra, and Jack. There were also strange blueprints and a metal box that pulsed with light.

Lyra’s voice was barely a whisper. “She’s been watching us.”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind them. “You shouldn’t be here.”

They spun around. Alina stood there, eyes glowing silver, her smile gone.

Damien stepped forward. “Who are you really?”

She tilted her head. “You already know.”

Lyra gripped her blade. “You’re one of them.”

“I’m not one of them,” she said calmly. “I’m their masterpiece.”

Her voice shifted slightly, echoing as if two people spoke at once. “The Doctors made me perfect—human mind, hybrid power, vampire speed, siren charm.” She smiled again. “And I was sent to finish their mission.”

Damien’s fists clenched. “You’ll have to go through us first.”

Alina smirked. “That’s exactly what I planned.”

Before they could react, she moved—too fast to see clearly—and slammed Damien against the tree. Lyra swung her blade, but Alina caught it midair and threw her aside like she weighed nothing.

Damien gasped, trying to push her off. Her eyes glowed brighter. “You were their mistake, Damien. I am their future.”

Suddenly, a burst of light filled the air. Alina screamed, covering her eyes. Maya had arrived, holding a small silver disk that emitted a blinding pulse.

“Get away from him!” Maya yelled.

Alina growled, her voice distorted. “You can’t stop what’s coming.”

Then she vanished—disappearing into thin air, leaving only the smell of burnt ozone behind.

Lyra helped Damien up. “You okay?”

He nodded weakly. “Yeah… but she’s not gone.”

Maya looked down at the ground where Alina had stood. A faint silver mark glowed on the dirt—a strange symbol, like a spiral with claws.

Jack walked closer. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Maya’s eyes widened. “It’s a message.”

“What does it say?” Damien asked.

Maya swallowed hard. “It says, They’re already here.”

Everyone went silent. The wind howled softly through the trees, carrying a chill that made Damien’s heart sink.

He looked up at the sky, his voice quiet but firm. “Then it’s not over.”