Chapter 18 Ch. 14
Chapter 14
The days leading up to the race had been weird for Ethan.
For starters, Zara had practically disappeared. Not in a dramatic missing-person type of way, but just vanished from his day-to-day. He saw her once, maybe twice, in the morning during class lineup. But that was it.
And the strangest part was that no one really seemed to notice.
Except him.
Okay, and maybe Noah, but Noah didn’t say much about it. He’d just shrugged and mumbled something about her "needing some time off" as if it was no big deal when he asked.
And maybe it wasn’t. Maybe she just needed time or space or whatever it was girls needed when they weren’t throwing your entire existence into chaos.
But Ethan noticed way more than he was suppose to. He noticed the empty seat, he noticed how quiet everything was without her always asking too many questions. And he noticed how it made him feel... off.
And then there were the rumors which were spreading way faster than he expected it too. He didn't even expect it to move as well since he had compelled Yvette to forget.
It started out kind of funny. One guy in chemistry asked if he glowed in the dark. A girl in art class told her friend he had "vampire cheekbones" and didn’t even bother to whisper it.
And then, it got weirder.
"Are you, like, a vampire prince or what?" some random junior asked him by the vending machine.
Ethan had stared at him for a full five seconds before replying, "Yeah. My mom’s a bat."
He compelled three people that week alone.
Three.
One girl had even followed him out of the locker room just to ask if she could interview him for a school project on myths. Like she was collecting data on unicorns and ancient blood-drinking boys.
It was getting exhausting.
Now it was race day.
The sun was too bright and the wind was too warm. The crowd was already screaming and throwing popcorn before the runners even got into position. Flags were waving in school colors, some students were blowing whistles just for the fun of it, and Ethan... well, Ethan was trying not to scream.
He was bouncing on the balls of his feet behind the start line, eyes scanning the crowd, trying to ignore the way his legs felt like overcooked noodles. Not because he was nervous—he didn’t get nervous but today was just not his day.
Santiago—his coach, and Zara’s dad—walked over with a clipboard in hand.
"You good?" he asked, eyes darting between Ethan and the scoreboard.
"Fine," Ethan said, rolling out his shoulders.
"Don’t break anything today. Just win. That’s all I need."
Ethan gave a small nod, but Santiago didn’t walk off immediately. His eyes were scanning the crowd.
"Where’s Zara?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "She always comes to races. She said she'll show up later."
Ethan looked away, pretending not to hear that.
Santiago frowned slightly but didn’t push. He gave Ethan a pat on the back and walked away, barking orders at the other runners like nothing was bothering him.
But Ethan knew it was.
He stepped forward, taking his place at the starting line. The other runners lined up beside him all stretching like their lives depended on this race.
The referee walked out, a tiny man in a blue tracksuit and whistle, holding a starting pistol in his right hand. He waved to the announcer. The crowd grew louder.
Ethan adjusted his stance, one foot forward, back foot planted.
The referee raised the pistol.
"On your marks!"
Ethan took in a breath.
"Set!"
The gun shot rang out loudly and he ran not even relying on his abilities, but in regular training.
His feet was pounding the track, arms pumping in rhythm, wind slicing past his ears. The world narrowed to the lane in front of him. He didn’t look left or right, didn’t think too hard about it.
One runner tried to catch up on his left—tall, probably fast—but Ethan didn’t slow. He leaned into the curve and widened the gap. By the time they hit the final stretch, he knew it was over.
He crossed the finish line alone.
Cheers exploded from the stands. People clapped, screamed, banged on the railings. One guy near the bleachers threw a bottle into the air and caught it. Another girl waved a sign that said “Ethan = W”.
He slowed to a jog, then a walk, chest rising and falling fast. Sweat clung to his forehead, but it felt good. It felt like something had actually gone right for once.
The second-place runner crossed a few seconds later, hands on his knees, breathing hard. He looked up and locked eyes with Ethan as they walked toward each other.
This was the part where they shook hands. Congratulated each other. Did the whole sportsmanship thing.
Ethan reached out his hand but he guy didn’t take it.
He just smirked. "If you weren’t a vampire, I’d have smoked you."
"What?"
The guy laughed, loud and smug. "Come on, man. You really think people aren’t talking about you? It’s all over. The whole vampire thing."
"You're jot even in my school. How would you even hear something like that?" Ethan asked.
"Dude, the internet exists. And teenagers. Don’t underestimate how fast gossip moves between schools. You think you're lowkey, but you’re not. You’ve got a whole aura."
"And don't you think you all are crazy? You guys actually believe vampires exist?"
The guy tilted his head. "They might not, but what’s with the Actovegin story? You know that stuff is banned in like every major league now, right? Not even creative."
Ethan frowned. "What story?"
"Oh please. Everyone’s saying that’s what you told the coach. Actovegin injections before training. Enhances oxygen absorption or whatever."
Ethan didn’t say anything.
"Here’s the deal. I don’t actually care what you are. But if you don’t hook me up with whatever you’re on, I’m contesting this win and requesting a blood test. You know they can do that now, right? Random drug testing. One call, and you’re peeing in a cup."
Ethan stared at him. "I’m not on anything."
"Sure. And I’m a fairy."
The guy clapped him on the shoulder and walked away like they were best friends.
Ethan stood there for a few more seconds, the cheers still echoing behind him, he felt himself being lifted on shoulders, he could hear his coach's voice but somehow, everything was muted. Like his head had been dunked underwater.
Someone had made up a story about him being in drugs, while others were hell bent on the fact that he was a vampire.
This wasn’t just a joke anymore.
Maybe he wound have to take his father's advice, bur if he did... What about the others? Compel hundreds or kill them all?