Spellbound // Elmax Vampire AU

Red Flags And Long Nights

The incessant droning coming from the fluorescent lights that illuminate the campus library are what eventually pull Max out of her stress-induced nap at one of the many empty tables that occupy the space. As she slowly begins to regain her senses one by one she is hit by a wave of pain to both of her temples. Great. This again.

Max was currently in the middle of a particularly trying stretch of long days and even longer nights.

She brings her shaky hands up to rub her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the walk home to her apartment. Once her eyes unblur, she takes a look around, only to find that the library was a complete ghost town, save for the poor soul who is fighting to stay awake at the front desk. She looks at the analog clock on the wall beside her.

2:25am.

Fuck.

Haphazardly, she gathers her textbooks and various loose sheets of notes and shoves them into her backpack carelessly. After slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she rises to her feet and trudges towards the lobby.

As she passes by the front desk she waves to the attendant. "Goodnight."

Her voice must have pulled him out of his trance enough for him to give her a nod of acknowledgment, but nothing more than that. She pushes her way past the double doors when she is hit with the brisk evening air that has been commonplace in Salem for a few weeks now. It shouldn't shock her senses as much as it does, but her skin erupts in goosebumps at the sensation nonetheless.

The 24-hour library situated on her college campus was a blessing and a curse. More often than not, all of Max's freetime was spent there. Whether it was in between classes or her day off she always found herself gravitating to the library. Something about being in a public space rather than in her isolating apartment brought her comfort.

Frigid, piercing air floods into her lungs, making her a little bit breathless. The feeling is akin to how it felt when she smoked a cigarette for the first time a few years back, a satisfying burn that settled in her chest. Too bad the chilly air did not also bring along that light-headed feeling you get when you smoke.

Her legs were operating purely on muscle memory. The walk back to her apartment was like a dance, one she had performed time and time again. The winding roads of Salem that had once seemed so enchanting were reduced to nothing more than a means to an end.

Luckily, her apartment is only about a ten minute walk from the library, and considering what time of night it was, the roads were pretty quiet. Although, quiet roads aren't characteristic in Salem, considering its a college town and a weekend.

Max's headache still hasn't subsided, her temples throbbed in time with the heartbeat in her chest, making it hard to focus on any of her surroundings. In an attempt to take her mind off the pain in her skull, she observed the foliage on the many trees that lined her path. Considering it was early October, the leaves on the trees had already morphed from their usual lush green color to something more similar to burnt orange, but Max's days had been so occupied with school lately that she hadn't been able to truly acknowledge the change in seasons.

As she rounded the corner that led to the main area of town, she could feel the vibrations thrumming in her ears, coming from none other than Club Nocturne. She had never given the club much thought. She had just accepted that it wasn't her scene and moved on. Considering the library is the only place she has found true solace, a loud, crowded club didn't seem like the kind of place for her to even bother checking out.

Even though she was on the other side of the street, the closer she got to the club the more anxious she started to feel. A stirring pit was beginning to form in her stomach, an uncomfortable squeeze to her heart was slowly beginning to tighten. What is my problem? Max thought to herself. She tried her best just to focus on the sidewalk ahead of her, hoping and wishing away the feelings swelling up inside her.