Chapter 12 MONSTERS ARE ALWAYS MONSTER TO ME !.
LILIAN POV
It’s funny how normal life keeps going after you kill someone.
Classes don’t stop, your alarms still ring. The world doesn’t care about your nightmares.
It just keeps spinning, like nothing ever happened, no news of a missing person, nothing.
A week had passed since the alley. Since i killed a man. Since Seraphine’s voice slithered through the dark promising she’d come to me instead.
I told myself it was fine, that I was fine but fine was a lie I was starting to wear like perfume and it's getting addictive.
Monday mornings always sucked, but this one felt heavier than usual. I dragged myself through the school gates with my backpack half-zipped and my hood low over my face. The air smelled like wet grass and cheap deodorant, the kind that sticks to teenage insecurities.
The hunger had dulled, at least. It wasn’t screaming in my veins anymore, it's more like a quiet, patient whisper. But sometimes, when I passed too close to someone, I could hear their pulse thrum like a steady invitation.
I shoved the thought down before it could come into reality, I don't need that right now.
“Someone’s looking less zombie today,” Jonah’s voice came from behind me, light and teasing. He fell into step beside me, juggling a cup of vending machine coffee like it was sacred.
“Wow,” I said dryly, “thank you for the compliment, Doctor Doom. So glad my face meets your morning standards.”
He grinned, brushing hair out of his eyes. “No, but seriously you look good lately healthier. Kind of… fresh unlike last week, when you looked like a reanimated corpse.”
I laughed a short, brittle sound. “Guess the corpse finally found skincare.”
“Or blood,” my brain muttered before I could stop it.
“What?” Jonah blinked.
“Nothing,” I said quickly, forcing a grin. “I said uh bread carbs ... you know the secret to life.”
Smooth, Lilian that was real smooth.
Before Jonah could respond, Mia came bouncing up from behind, her ponytail swinging like it had its own rhythm. “Guys, guys, guess what!”
“No, please,” I groaned. “It’s too early for your sunshine energy.”
She ignored me, beaming like a caffeinated golden retriever. “We have a new literature teacher! She’s starting today!”
Jonah blinked. “Didn’t we just get a new one like two months ago?”
“That’s what I said!” Mia huffed, waving her arms. “Apparently, Mr. Peters left midterm because of some emergency but get this the new teacher’s supposed to be, like, young and super smart. Rumor says she’s from abroad.”
I rolled my eyes. “Because that’s totally what our boring, end-of-year senior brains needs more change.”
“You’re just mad because you suck at reading assignments,” Jonah said, smirking.
“I don’t suck, I just have a selective attention span.”
Mia giggled. “Selective as in, ‘never reads anything past the first paragraph.’”
“Exactly.” I flashed a grin, though it felt forced. “I’m consistent in my flaws.”
We reached the lockers, and I leaned against mine while they chatted about the teacher rumors. For a moment, it almost felt normal like my life hadn’t gone off the rails.
But the moment Jonah laughed, I caught a flicker of red under his collar the vein pulsing at his throat and my stomach twisted.
Stop..... Don’t look..... Don’t listen.
I slammed my locker door shut. “Can we talk about something not involving school or blood, I mean uh, books?”
Mia frowned at my slip. “You okay?”
“Fine,” I said too fast, grabbing my bag. “Just hungry.”
Classes dragged on like usual teachers talked, Pens clicked, the clock mocked us all by being unnecessarily slow.
By lunch, the world felt normal enough that I almost forgot to hate myself.
We gathered at our usual table in the cafeteria, the one by the window that creaked every time someone leaned on it. Mia had a tray stacked with fries and soda, Jonah with his eternal sandwich, and me… with a single plate of sliced beef.
Mia raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? You’re turning into a rabbit.”
I smirked. “Protein-focused diet. I’m evolving.”
Jonah grinned. “Into what, exactly?”
If only they knew, I poked the meat with my fork, pretending it was about health when in reality, it was the only thing that didn’t taste like ash lately.
Even then, the flavor was off and too bland. I craved something warmer, richer and very much alive.
Mia chuckled. “You’re weird, Lil.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I work hard at it.”
She laughed and nearly choked on her fries. “You’re impossible.”
I shrugged, smiling faintly. “At least I’m consistent.”
When the lunch bell rang, I packed my tray and followed them toward the literature room.
Our school was ancient cracked tiles, flickering lights, walls that looked like they’d seen generations of teen despair. The hall smelled like chalk and students cheap perfume.
Mia was still talking about the new teacher. “I heard she’s strict. But she has this calm, elegant vibe. Kind of gothic, actually.”
Jonah groaned. “Great another poetry freak.”
“Maybe she’s nice,” Mia offered.
I snorted. “Yeah, because every mysterious new teacher in stories is so nice.”
They laughed, but the sound bounced strangely in the empty hall. My nerves prickled, though I didn’t know why. Something about today felt… off.
We entered the literature classroom together.
The place was quiet, sun filtering through half-closed blinds, dust swirling in golden air. The teacher’s desk was empty, no books or papers Just silence.
Jonah dropped into his seat, stretching. “Guess she’s late, I already like her.”
Mia giggled and took the seat beside him. I sat near the window, drumming my fingers against the desk. My reflection in the glass looked pale ghostlike but manageable.
I muttered, “Maybe she bailed too.”
Then I heard Click.... Click... Click... The sound of heels on our school tiles.
Faint at first, then clearer very slow, deliberate, echoing down the hall.
My pulse stuttered i knew that rhythm even in my nightmare I could remember it.
No.... No, God... it couldn’t be.
The door creaked open, for a moment, the light shifted a silhouette framed in gold and shadow. The air seemed to thicken, as if the room itself was holding its breath, speaking of the devil.
And then she stepped in on black heels her usual long coat , am starting to think she owns a collection of those... with her pale skin and hair tied in a sleek twist that caught the sunlight like silver thread. Her lips curved, the faintest hint of a smirk playing at the edges.
My breath hitched in my throat and my stomach turned to ice.
of course it was Seraphine who else !.
Her eyes swept the room, calm and unreadable, until they landed on me.
A flicker of recognition passed between us, sharp as a knife under my ribs.
She smiled soft, almost kind like she was enjoying this. “Good afternoon, class,” she said, her voice smooth as silk. “I’m Miss Vale. Your new literature instructor.”
The room murmured with surprise. Mia whispered, “She’s so elegant.”
Jonah added, “Yeah, kinda intimidating though.”
I didn’t move, I couldn’t. My fingers dug into the edge of my desk.
When Seraphine’s gaze lingered on me a heartbeat longer than necessary, I felt the world tilt. My lungs forgot how to work.
And then I muttered it before I could stop myself low, almost a whisper:
“No… you blood-sucking monster.”
Mia turned toward me, confused. “What did you say?”
I forced a laugh, shaking my head. “Nothing... Just uh .... she looks strict.”
But inside, panic clawed at my ribs, Seraphine’s lips twitched not quite a smile, not quite mockery.
As if she’d heard me, she always did.
The class went on like normal or it pretended to. She talked about symbolism, about how words could bleed meaning if used right. I stared at her hands, the way they moved when she spoke, graceful and still somehow predatory.
Every student hung on her voice, every student except me, a monster is always a monster to me.