Vampire Bites and Wolf Blood || Wolfblood Fanfic

3: "In Dark Shadows"

Rhydian's ears pick up the pounding of the new girl's heartbeat when he gains closer. He keeps a safe distance, yet his ears catch every uneven beat in her chest as she continues down the hallway, her pace hasty.

'Something has her on edge,' he acknowledges, unsettled by her demeanor. His brows furrow as he wonders why she's so nervous.

'Maybe because of the murder? Or it's her first day?' his mind tries to explain her behavior, but he doesn't believe those excuses.

Something about her is off. It's as if she's hiding a secret, one that makes her nervous around others.

She pauses in the middle of the hall, halting all movement, causing Rhydian to freeze like a deer caught in headlights. His breath catches in his throat. He gulps, his mind racing, questioning her sudden action as he searches his mind for an escape plan.

Her head turns ever so slightly, but he can only see the tip of her nose since her hair drapes over the rest of her face like a curtain, shielding her face from his view.

She lets out a quiet breath, slumping her once tense shoulders. "Do you have a reason for following me?"

Her voice is soft, her tone curious with a hint of uneasiness laced in with her American accent. It makes Rhydian's spine tingle and his ears perk up with how quitely she speaks.

She's so timid, so gentle, with her tone, words, and body language. It's alluring yet unsettling to Rhydian how she seems to always hold a level of elegance to her, even when she's unnerved.

He takes in a shaky breath, grasping at any excuse he can find in his flustered mind. "You wouldn't know where the dorm homes are, would you?"

He didn't think this plan through at all, and it's very obvious. His excuse is subpar at most.

He grits his teeth, grinding them together, feeling as foolish as ever. 'Of course she wouldn't know!' his thoughts scream. 'She's a newbie too, you idiot!'

A breathy chuckle from the foreigner breaks him of his thoughts. He tilts his head, crinkling his brows as she laughs to herself quietly.

She spins around, fully facing him with a slight grin on her pink lips. Her eyes twinkle in an intriguing way. "I guess that makes us both lost."

He mentally facepalms at her sentence. His shoulders slump, a red blush creeping onto his cheeks. He should've followed Ella instead. At least she would know the location of the dorm homes.

But, Rhydian was sure this newbie knew where she was heading. Something about the way she walked makes him think she wasn't lost. She seemed to know exactly where she was heading, that, or she's just really good at looking confident when she's not.

"Figured," he mumbles under his breath, dropping his head in defeat. His eyes trail up to her face.

Her piercing blue eyes dig into his soul, scavenging for something deep within him, something he isn't sure of but doesn't what her to have. It's like she's trying to figure him out, but he turns his back to her before her eyes can dig up any information.

"I'll just go find Ella," Rhydian mumbles, hurrying down the hallway, attempting to escape from her gaze.

She blinks, snapping out of her trance. In one swift motion, she runs up behind him and grabs his shoulder, causing him to spin around in shock. Her hand recoils on instinct, an apologetic expression on her face.

He sucks in a shaky breath before he inwardly cringes at her overwhelming scent. It pisses him off not knowing why she smells the way she does. It's like a scientist on the verge of locating a new species, but it's only from a scent he discovers with his nose.

Her eyes gaze into his, worry and uncertainty swimming in her crystal orbs. "The school is having a New Moon Festivity tomorrow night."

Something in her eyes tells him she's worried, either about this college party or something else he isn't sure of yet. She takes in a small breath before continuing with a quiet voice.

"I won't be able to make it, but all of the students are invited if you want to go," she says, uncertainty in her timid tone.

And with that, she twirls around, hugging her midsection as she swiftly walks down the hall, leaving Rhydian frozen in the middle of the hallway, staring at her with confusion.

His breath hitches in his throat, his mind bringing up a compelling question; 'she couldn't be a Wolfblood, could she?'

He ponders the idea, then he shakes his head, taking one last glance at her before turning around. 'No, she smells nothing like a Wolfblood.'

He sighs, smiling to himself, sure that he's overreacting. 'Besides,' his mind chimes as he meanders down the hall. 'Wolfbloods only feel drained during a New Moon, so there wouldn't be much reason for her to get so worried.'

Rhydian has learned how to ignore the fatigue brought on by the Moonless nights, so he barely feels its effects anymore. But, he won't be attending any parties, at least, not until he's fully settled into his new surroundings.

As if to prove to himself that he has no concept of his new environment, he wanders down the hall that Ella went down and somehow ends up in the college library. He was hoping to find Ella or the dorm homes, but he's sure neither are in this area.

He blinks, retracing his steps in his mind, but is left utterly confused. With a soft sigh, he glances around the large room, admiring the wooden, dome ceiling and marble pillars.

The library has two levels, with a spiral staircase off to his left, connecting the bottom half with the top. It's quite a beautiful sight, seeing stacks and rows of multi-colored books of all shapes and sizes.

A book catches his attention. It's sitting all alone on a round, wooden table to his left. The black cover of the book draws him in, and he can't help but walk towards it in curiosity, perplexed by why it's misplaced.

As he gets closer, he inspects the cover. The edges have small, golden accents with rose buds in the center of each corner accent. A dark crimson symbol is engraved on the middle of the book, appearing like a sharp V with thorny rose vines wrapping around the sides of the V. It looks like a family crest of sorts, but Rhydian has never seen one remotely similar to this before, so he has no idea what family would own such an odd crest. Behind the V, two bright red eyes peer out from the black, inky background, looking like small animal eyes.

He hooks his finger behind the cover, flipping the book open in hopes of finding out more about the odd cover. He's greeted with an old poem titled "In Dark Shadows," dated from sometime in the 1800's, showing the old age of the worn book. Rhydian's eyes scan the poem, his brows furrowed in concentration.

When the moon hid with the sun,
And the star's light was all that shone,
Human creatures of mixed breed,
Bared their teeth so they could feed.

When the sun rose and gave light,
The human creatures hid in fright,
They hid away in wait for night,
In dark shadows,
Where red eyes shone bright.

He takes in a long, deep breath, pondering the meaning. This poem worries him, especially since it mentions "human creatures of mixed breed," which sounds eerily similar to Wolfbloods. He shakes his head, knowing that can't be right.

'Wolfbloods don't hide from sunlight and their eyes aren't red.' his mind whispers in an attempt to rationalize before jumping to conclusions.

With that thought, he assumes the connection to Wolfbloods must be a coincidence. Since his curiosity is still high, he flips the pages over, landing on the very last page, which is a picture of the author and a small amount of information below the author's photo.

The word "Transylvania" catches Rhydian's immediate attention. If the information is correct, that's where the author grew up and wrote the book. He chuckles, smirking, realizing what the poem was talking about.

With a slight shake of his head, he closes the book, choosing to leave it on the table as he walks out of the library.

'Vampires,' his mind chimes, the smirk growing on his face. 'About as believable as zombies.'