Flames and Starlight

39🌘

Peter

I laid there in my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Ever since Ellie died, I hadn't been able to sleep a wink. I kept remembering her last words to me, how happy she was to finally see me and we didn't even get a chance to get to know each other.

Despite me not wanting to have anything to do with them at first, I got to know Eason, and found out he was a nice guy, and Ellie seemed like she was a wonderful woman. They would never replace my parents, but I wished I'd have the chance to get to know her and know more about them and their marriage. I cursed myself for not going to see her sooner, for being so selfish and stubborn.

She'd been gone for three days. For three days, I hadn't been able to sleep. I kept thinking about her, Eason, my parents, Lydia, Corny, Nicole, Kendrick, Tessa, Carson, all of the hybrids who lived here. I thought of Tessa and Carson, how they were killed and didn't have a chance to see this place. I thought of my parents, how I was never going to see them again, hear their voices, talk to them, be with them. They wouldn't see me graduate or get married or have children. I thought of Lydia and Corny, who risked so much to help us and brought us here. I thought of Kendrick and Nicole, who'd gone through so much that they were afraid to accept help from those who only wanted what was best for them. 

My thoughts were spinning in circles and I couldn't make them stop. I couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened.

A huge weight was pressing down on my chest, making it almost impossible to breathe. The grief and anxiety I was feeling about everything that had taken place in the short amount of time were overwhelming and I didn't know how I was ever going to get through it.

I closed my eyes as a tear trickled down my cheek. It felt like I was losing everything.

"Peter, wake up!"

I nearly fell out of my bed at the voice right next to my ear. A hand reached out and clamped over my mouth, preventing me from shouting out. I smacked the hand away from me and leaped to my feet.

Nicole was standing there, her clothes rumpled and messed up, her hair a rat's nest, her eyes wild and unhinged.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, stunned.

She reached out and roughly grabbed my arms, her fingernails digging into my skin. "We need to get out of here! He's coming to get us!"

I shook her hands off of me. "Who?"

She gripped my arms again. "Caius!"

"He can't get to us. We have -"

"The so-called protection wards they have guarding us don't mean shit! They're feeding us lies to trick us into believing we're safe and they're using us to protect their own asses."

She gripped my arms even harder, her fingernails drawing thin droplets of blood from my skin.

I shoved her away from me. "Nicole, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I heard them! They said they're going to sacrifice one of us so Caius will stay away! But you never make a deal with Caius, ever! You basically sign your own death warrant if you make a deal with him!"

"Deal? What deal? You're not making any sense."

Her eyes narrowed, nearly becoming slits, making her expression grow creepy and almost unrecognizable, definitely not the same person I met at Lydia and Corny's ranch. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Nicole, please stop and calm down. What did you hear?"

She made a snort of disgust and turned on her heels.

I rushed after her as she flung my door open and ran through my house with her vampire speed.

"Nicole, stop!" I shouted after her, but she didn't pause, didn't look back once.

She was a blur of movement as she ran down the steps and through the front door. I ran after her and tripped on the top step. I tumbled down the steps, cursing as I hit every step on the way down.

I landed hard on my back on the bottom, pain jarring my spine. I grunted and laid there for a long moment, trying to catch my breath.

A scream sliced through the air outside. I leaped to my feet, ignoring the pain that wouldn't stop radiating through me.

I ran out the door and saw Nicole being restrained by the other hybrids several blocks away. She kicked and screamed as they wrenched her arms behind her back and tried to drag her away.

Corny ran up to them and lifted her legs, starting to carry her away. She thrashed and screamed even louder, yelling unintelligible things.

A sinking feeling formed in my gut as I watched them carry her away. I thought of the unhinged look in her eyes when she woke me up, warning me about Caius coming here. What the hell made her think that and cause her to unglue like this?

Eason came up beside me, staring at Nicole in disbelief. "What's going on? How did she get out?"

"I have no idea," I said, still watching as they carried Nicole away. "I was trying to sleep and suddenly she was in my room, talking about how Caius was coming here and someone here was going to sacrifice one of us to him so he won't kill us all. She said the protection spells we have are useless and it's not going to stop Caius from coming here."

His eyebrows nearly shot up to his hairline. "Why would she say such a thing?"

"I have no idea. I was trying to get her to talk to me but she was freaking out big time. I couldn't get her to tell me what was going on and what she saw or heard. I think something's happening to her mentally."

He grunted. "We're going to get her the help she needs. She's obviously going through something."

"Where's Kendrick at?"

"Still in his cell. He kept trying to escape when we weren't looking. Lately, he's been doing better but we're still keeping an eye on him just in case he tries anything."

We watched as the other hybrids continued to carry Nicole away, struggling to restrain her.

Her words echoed over and over in my head, the sinking feeling of dread continuing to sink deeper and deeper. Something deep inside of me told me that something very, very bad was going to happen soon.

EDITED: 8/28/21