𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 ⌜𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼 𝘅 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿⌟

10. 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 10. 𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗔 𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗦𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗚𝗢𝗥𝗘, 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗧

"𝗚-𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗨𝗦!"

"Daniel!"

When you jumped over the wall separating the highway from the harbor, you were met with a chaotic sight. Two boys were struggling to get back to their feet as a woman stumbled after them, screaming and shouting at them. From what you could tell, both boys were intoxicated, just by their delayed reactions and sluggish movements.

The brown-haired boy let out a startled yell as he fell back, the woman jumping onto him. You watched as he rushed to bring his hands to his neck, crying out in pain when the woman sunk her fangs into his wrist. The other boy rushed towards him, fumbling to pull her off.

"Danny!" He yelled, yanking back on her. "Danny, hold on!"

"EJ, watch out!" He yelled. The woman turned, knocking the boy back by several meters. He cried out as he hit the railing, then fell back over it, crashing into the water.

You cursed before dashing forward, knocking the woman off her feet. You tumbled away, rolling onto your feet before facing her. She bore her fangs at you, hissing like some kind of animal. You narrowed your eyes.

Getting to your feet, you pulled your dagger out from the sheath. The woman rushed at you, making you duck under her arm and jam the blade between her ribs. You ripped it out before slashing it across her neck. She stumbled back, making you spin and slam your boot against her jaw with so much force her jaw went flying off.

You flipped the blade around in your hand before slicing across her face, cutting her tongue from her mouth. At this point, she should have been dead. It usually didn't take much effort to kill vampires like this, but she seemed to be fighting against her death.

She grabbed onto your neck, making you grab onto her wrist. You ripped it away from her, but as you did, she caught onto the chain around your neck. Your eyes went wide as the sting from the chain of your pocket watch broke around your throat, clattering to the ground.

Now you were pissed.

A pained grunt passed over your lips as the woman dug her nails into your side, piercing your skin. You grabbed her hand with enough force that her wrist snapped, causing her to scream out in pain. You then stabbed her in the heart, twisting the blade around before ripping it from her chest.

Reaching up, you flicked her in the forehead, causing her teetering body to fall back, landing on the concrete ground. You looked over towards the river before remembering the second boy, making you curse under your breath. You jogged over to the edge before jumping over it, diving into the water.

The water was freezing, making your skin burn as you dove into it. You quickly searched through the water, spotting the boy's sinking body. You swam towards him, but as your hand reached out to him, you felt your eyes go wide.

His eyes were closed, dark brows laced together in discomfort. His ginger red hair floated around him, his freckled face darkened by the water. You looked at the scar running through his eyebrow.

"Elijah!" You cried, falling back as you were knocked away by the police officer.

"Y/n!" He yelled, thrashing around in the other's grip. "Run!"

"Eli, no!" You screamed, scrambling onto your feet as the officer tossed him over the edge, making him fall back into the water. You knew that he couldn't swim. He would drown!

"Hey, stop, dammit!" The round man yelled, narrowly missing you as you ran between his legs, jumping on the edge of the bridge before diving after him.

He snapped his eyes open at the second splash, his chocolate eyes falling onto you as you quickly swam towards him, extending your arm out. He grabbed your hand, making you pull him up before swimming to the surface. Both of you gasped out for air, and you looked up as the officers disappeared, muttering about how stupid you were.

"Th-Thanks, Y/n," Elijah shuttered, falling onto his knees as you pulled him onto the grass.

"You're welcome," You said, standing up as you twisted your shirt, wringing the water from it. "I know you can't swim, and I couldn't just let you die."

Elijah smiled. "You wouldn't break our pact, even if it meant it killed you, would you?"

You laughed. "No way! We sealed that with a spit pack, and you better not break it either!"

He playfully shoved your shoulder as he got to his feet. "No way! We'll be partners for life,"

"Damn right!"

You dropped the boy onto the ground, stumbling back as you panted, spitting water off to the side. The brown-haired boy exclaimed his name and ran towards him, dropping onto his knees beside him.

"W-Who are you?" The boy asked, watching as you began to walk away.

You glanced back over your shoulder, and his eyes widened at the vermillion hues. You turned back without saying another word, disappearing within the shadows.

...

"Vex, you're soaking wet!" Caroline exclaimed as soon as you entered the door. "What..."

Her words died out in her throat. You didn't look up at her as you shut the door with a soft click. You clutched your hands to your chest, your gaze onto the floor.

"Vex?" Echo said, placing a hand on your shoulder, their eyebrows pulling together. "What's the matter? What happened?"

You pushed past them, walking down the hall. As you passed by the kitchen, Buck reached out, stopping you from going any further. He grabbed your drenched hood and pulled it down, frowning at your quietness.

"Vex," He said sternly. "Look up."

You raised your gaze. He frowned deeply at the solemn look on your face. You turned your gaze back down, holding your hands to your chest tighter. Buck placed his hand on your wrist.

"What is it?" He asked.

It was funny, you thought. Not only did he resemble James physically, but he even acted like him. Ironic.

Slowly, you removed your hands from your chest, revealing the pieces of the broken pocket watch in your hands. Buck could see your hands trembling, and the depression in your eyes, and frowned deeply.

"What happened?" He asked.

"It broke in the fight," You muttered quietly.

"It's just a watch," Someone remarked, snorting at the look on your face. "Don't cry about it!"

"Shut up," Buck snapped, silencing them immediately. "Obviously, this means something to Vex. Here, let me see it. I might be able to fix it."

You stared at him for a moment before placing it in his hands. He brought it to the table, moving towards the counter to take a small tool kit from a drawer. You went to follow him, but Echo grabbed your shoulder, making you look back at them.

"Go change," They said. "You're soaked. Once you're in dry clothes, come back. Buck will fix it."

Your shoulders eased a little at their kind smile. You nodded, hesitating in the doorway before retreating down the hall, allowing Buck to work to fix your precious item.

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 10. 𝗘𝗡𝗗
𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: 24 𝗦𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗘𝗥 2021
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