Blood

Chapter One: The forest

I stood in the heart of the forest, surrounded by towering trees that seemed to stretch up to the sky. The moon cast an eerie glow over the landscape, making the shadows dance across the ground. I had no idea how I got there or where "there" was. The forest was unfamiliar, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as I looked around.

The air was crisp and clean, filled with the scent of pine and damp earth. I breathed deeply, trying to take in every detail of my surroundings. The only sound was the distant hooting of an owl and the rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze.

As I walked through the forest, the trees seemed to close in around me. I felt a sense of unease growing in the pit of my stomach. Suddenly, a branch snapped behind me. I spun around, my heart racing.

That's when I saw it. A monster descending from the sky. Its wingspan was massive, casting a dark shadow over the forest floor. It landed with a growl, its eyes fixed on me. I tried to run, but my feet felt heavy, as if rooted to the spot.

The monster began to circle around me, its eyes never leaving mine. I tried to defend myself, but my arms felt weak and useless. Panic set in as the monster closed in on me.

I tried to remember how I got there, but my mind was a blank. All I knew was that I had to get away from the monster. I turned and ran, my feet pounding against the earth.

But the monster was faster. It gained on me with ease, its roar growing louder as it closed in. I stumbled, my foot catching on a hidden root, and fell hard to the ground.

As I looked up, the monster loomed over me, its jaws open wide. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

But it never came. Instead, a loud beeping noise filled the air. I opened my eyes to find myself in my bedroom, my alarm blaring in my ear.

I sat up in bed, gasping for breath. It was just a dream, I told myself. But my heart still raced, and my sheets were drenched with sweat.

I threw off the covers and got out of bed, trying to shake off the lingering fear. As I got ready for school, my parents asked about my night. I hesitated, wanting to tell them about the dream, but something held me back. It wasn't important, I told myself. Just a stupid dream.

"Good morning, Ethan," my mom said, smiling. "How was your night?"

"It was fine," I replied, trying to sound casual.

My dad nodded. "Good. Have a great day at school, okay?"

I nodded and headed out the door with Ava, my elder sister. We walked to school in silence, Ava lost in her own thoughts.

As we entered our classroom, our teacher, Mrs. Johnson, greeted us with a smile. "Good morning, class. Today, we have a new student joining us. Please welcome Emily."

My eyes met Emily's as she walked into the room, and I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body. I quickly looked away, trying to play it cool.

Mrs. Johnson continued, "Emily, why don't you take a seat and get settled? We'll get started on today's lesson in a minute."

Emily smiled and took a seat, her eyes scanning the room. I tried to focus on Mrs. Johnson, but my gaze kept drifting back to Emily.

At lunchtime, I found myself sitting alone at a table in the cafeteria. Ava had gone off to meet with her friends, leaving me to my own devices. That's when Emily walked up to me, a smile on her face.

"Hi," she said, taking a seat across from me. "I'm Emily. We didn't really get a chance to talk this morning. I noticed you're in my history class."

"Yeah, I'm Ethan," I replied, trying to sound casual. "I saw you walk in this morning. Welcome to our school."

"Thanks," Emily said, unwrapping her sandwich. "I'm still trying to get used to the layout. It's a lot bigger than my old school."

"Definitely," I agreed. "I got lost for weeks when I first started here. But you'll get the hang of it. What made you move here?"

"My dad got a new job," Emily explained. "He's a scientist, and he's working on some project at the university. I'm not really sure what it's about, but it's supposed to be a big deal."

"That's cool," I said, intrigued. "I've always been interested in science. What kind of science does your dad do?"

"He's a biologist," Emily replied. "He's always studying plants and animals. I'm more into music myself, but I think it's really cool what he does."

"Music?" I asked, my ears perking up. "What kind of music do you like?"

"All kinds," Emily said, laughing. "I play guitar, and I love listening to indie rock and folk music. How about you?"

"I'm a big fan of rock music," I said, grinning. "I play a little guitar too, but I'm not very good."

As we finished our conversation, Emily stood up to leave. "It was great talking to you, Ethan. Maybe I'll see you around?"

I nodded, watching as she walked away. I couldn't help but stare, my eyes fixed on her retreating back.

Ava appeared out of nowhere, snapping me out of my trance. "Ethan, what are you doing?" she hissed. "You can't get too close to a human, especially a female."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't worry, Ava. I've got it under control."

But Ava's expression told me she wasn't convinced. "Ethan, we've talked about this. We can't afford to draw attention to ourselves. You know the risks."

"I know, Ava," I said, sighing. "But I'm not going to hurt anyone. I just want to make some friends."

Ava shook her head. "What about the friends you already have?"
"One more won't hurt." I chuckled before standing up to leave her at my table.