Bloodbound

Chapter 1

Jaci Hargrove sat at the back of her history class, her gaze fixed on the window. The gray sky outside cast a dull light over the school grounds. The day dragged on, each period blending together. It was just another day

As the bell rang, sand the period ended, Jaci packed her books with a sense of relief without breaking from her train of thoughts. Life seemed to have lost all meaning since he passed and she couldn't stop blaming herself. The other students made their usual noise as they left the classroom, but Jaci barely noticed. Her mind was preoccupied with the visit she planned to make later that evening. She stopped eating and lost some weight in the last week.

The hallways were packed with students ready to leave. Jaci maneuvered through the crowd, her focus distant. As she rounded a corner, she collided with someone, nearly dropping her books.

"Sorry," Jaci muttered, looking up briefly. She saw a tall boy with a composed, detached demeanor. His gaze was cold, and his expression remained impassive.

'Who's he? I've never seen him here before.'

Jaci was a people watcher. She would watch people go by and observe them while life passed her by. Her anxiety was getting worse, everything was slowly losing its meaning to her. She was already in a bad state of mind before he passed and it's only gotten worse since then.

He just nodded with a plain expression. He gave her a brief, look before continuing down the hallway with a brisk pace.

Jaci watched him go, feeling a fleeting spark of curiosity but quickly turned her attention back to her own thoughts. She moved on to her next class, her mind still preoccupied.

———————————————————————————

The rest of the school day felt like a blur. Jaci struggled to concentrate, her thoughts drifting back to the boy she had encountered. His distant demeanor intrigued her, though she didn't have the energy to dwell on it or maybe it was the fact no ones ever seen him before.

By the end of the day, Jaci was ready to leave. As she exited the building, she saw the boy from earlier standing by the school gate, still with that same distant expression, lost in thought.

Jaci felt a brief bout of curiosity but didn't talk to him.

She scoffed, silently thinking 'Me? Talk to him? What a joke.'

She silently remembered her motto "I'm not a People person" and "People aren't my thing" as she left the school grounds, her mind filled with unanswered questions and painful memories.

After school instead of going home, Jaci wandered through the Cemetery in a pathetic attempt to avoid going to a house that could never be home. The full moon cast an eerie light over the gravestones, and the air was crisp. Jaci's heart ached as she walked through the cemetery's overgrown paths.

She paused beside an ancient tombstone, tracing the weathered inscription. Her thoughts were consumed by memories she had so desperately tried to fight. The cemetery was both soothing and unsettling, providing an odd sense of comfort.

Suddenly, she heard the crunch of gravel behind her. Turning, she saw the same boy from school emerging from the shadows. His tall frame was silhouetted against the moonlight, his expression as cold and distant as before.

Jaci's breath caught as she looked back quickly, her anxiety getting the best of her, but she remained focused on the tombstone. "You," she said, surprised. "I didn't expect to see you here."

He looked at her with an impassive gaze. "I didn't expect to see you either. I came here to think. It's quiet."

Jaci nodded, feeling a faint connection despite his cold demeanor. "I see." She could tell he understood or at least she thought.

He gave a brief nod, his eyes scanning the shadows. "It's quiet, but not particularly comforting. Dont let me interrupt you. I'll be on my way"

Jaci was about to ask more when he glanced at his watch. "I should be going. It's getting late."

"Wait," Jaci said, her curiosity piqued. "By the way, wh—"

"As much as I'd love to, I have places to be" he interrupted smoothly with a small smile, turning away.

He stood briskly and headed towards the cemetery's exit. Jaci watched him leave, her mind racing with unanswered questions. The cemetery seemed to close in around her, heightening her sense of unease.

She was getting dizzy. Her head was spinning. She was about to throw up. She soothed herself 'I havent eating anything anyway.' She thought and scoffed a little at the thought. 'Good for me I guess.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the gate he stopped for a little while. He knew she wasn't looking anymore.

He bit his lip. As he fought his emotions.

"Jesse, Its Jesse, Ariadne. And I can't believe you forgot me." He says under his breath

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As she turned back to the tombstone, a sudden chill swept through the air. Her breath fogged up in the cold night, and she glanced around, sensing something amiss. The silence of the cemetery grew heavier, the shadows darker. It felt like there was someone or something moving around fast. It was like they were fast enough to create winds as the cemetery instantly grew colder and windier.

"Stop being so paranoid" she muttered to herself under her breath.

A rustling sound came from the nearby underbrush. Jaci's heart raced as she strained to see through the darkness. The rustling grew louder, closer, and her anxiety spiked.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, the ground beneath her trembled slightly, and a low, almost imperceptible growl echoed through the night. Jaci's blood ran cold as she peered into the darkness.

A shadow moved quickly across her field of vision, and then, as quickly as it began, the sound ceased. The cemetery was once again eerily quiet, but the sense of foreboding had intensified. Jaci took a step back, her pulse pounding.

What was the hell was that? There's someone else here and it's not that mysterious boy

Before she could gather her thoughts, she heard footsteps approaching. She spun around, her heart in her throat, only to find the cemetery empty except for the whisper of the wind.

The pages of the past seemed to flutter and she was trying her hardest ot keep them closed, whispering secrets she couldn't quite understand and bringing memories she had buried with sand . Jaci was left alone with her thoughts, the night closing in around her, leaving her with a chilling sense that she wasn't alone anymore and not in the way she wanted.

———————————————————————————

MYSTERY PERSONS POV

She ran her hand through her hair and grabbed her things and left. It's late.

"I can't wait to hear what dumb lecture they give me this time" she said

I let myself smile a little, almost. I can't believe she's really back. But my smile fades quickly and I find myself thinking

'I can't believe she forgot. She didnt even recognize me. After all the promises.' I scoffed at the thought of everything she said to me.

I watched her leaning on the corner of a memorial building.