Bloodbound

Chapter 2

Jaci's P.O.V.

My thoughts were a tangled mess while I walked home from the cemetery. The encounter with mystery boy left me with more questions than answers. My mind relived the brief interaction, analyzing every word, every glance. Why had he been there? And why did he seem so familiar, yet so distant? Was it just Deja vu

The house was quiet when I got home. The silence was heavy, the kind that made my heart ache. I didn't go to my room, I didn't want to face the memories I'd been t trying so desperately to avoid, and instead I went to the kitchen, not like I was going to eat anything.

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The next morning, I woke up feeling tired. The events of the previous day enveloped my thoughts, it made it hard to focus. I worked out, cleaned up, did my routine, I even ate breakfast before I headed to school, hoping for a distraction. As I walked through the school gates, I couldn't help but glance around, half-expecting to see mystery boy.

Classes were a blur again. My mind wandered, drifting back to the cemetery. During lunch, I sat with the normal crew, trying to appear engaged in their conversation. I pushed my food around, trying to awaken my appetite but it wasn't working. At all.

Isabelle, Evelyn, Damien, Xavier, and Julian, talked about weekend plans, but I could only half-listen. I trusted them enough to hang out, but not enough to share my problems. They didn't know the depth of my issues, and I prefer to keep it that way. I didn't want to trouble them with my dumb problems anyway. But Julian could always see through me

He held my hand gently and I rested my head on his shoulder. "I know it hurts but I'm here for you." He whispered in my ear.

I gave him a weak smile

And he squeezed my hand gently.

By the end of the day, I was ready to escape. I decided to take a different route home, hoping the change of scenery would clear my mind. I wandered aimlessly, my feet carried me toward the outskirts of town. Before I knew it, I was back at the cemetery.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the graves. The air was colder here, and I felt a strange sense of calm as I walked among the tombstones. I found myself at the same spot where I'd  seen mystery boy last night.

As I stood there, lost in thought, I heard footsteps approaching breaking me from my subconscious state. My heart skipped a beat as I snapped my neck round, half-expecting to see mystery boy. Instead, I saw a girl about my age, with dark hair and an oddly determined look in my eyes.

"Hey," the girl said, her voice breaking the silence. "You good?"

Jaci nodded, though she wasn't sure if it was true. "Yeah, just here. Existing." I said with my usual fake smile mask. It was pretty undetectable.

She glanced at me. "I'm Daphne. I come here sometimes to clear my head."

"Jaci," I replied, with a small smile. I stretched my hand out.

She shook me and nodded, her gaze drifting over the tombstones. "This place has a way of making you feel small, doesn't it? Like all your problems are just... tiny compared to what's out here."

I nodded again, feeling a strange connection to this girl she had just met. We stood in silence for a while, the weight of our unspoken thoughts hanging in the air. "Personally I'd say it makes me wish I were here." She said jokingly with a small smile.

'My ability to smile through anything and mask my emotions is definitely better than any superhero.' I often told myself. I tend to enjoy my own company.

Eventually, Daphne broke the silence. "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm around. It's nice to have someone who understands."

I watched as Daphne walked away, her mind still buzzing with questions. I stayed a little longer, hoping for some clarity, but it didn't come. As the sun begun to set below the horizon, I finally decided to head home.

The following days passed in a haze. I went through the motions of school, my thoughts constantly returning to the cemetery and the mysterious encounters she had there. I saw Daphne a few more times, but we never talked much. It was awkward but I didn't say anything cause I could tell she felt a sense of loss and longing. Something I felt before but Joe the only thing I can feel is pain. Everything hurts.

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As time passed I started going to the cemetery more often

One evening, as I was walking home from school, I was bored and tired and took a detour to the cemetery again. It was becoming a habit, a place where she could escape from the weight of my grief. As I approached the entrance, I saw a figure standing by the gate.

It was mystery boy.

He looked up as she approached, his expression as cold and distant as before. "You again," he said, his voice was plain but a little bit warmer now.

"Hello to you to." She said teasingly

He glanced at her plainly with a slight welcoming air.

I got curious. "So you come here a lot?"

He shrugged. "It's quiet."

I nodded, feeling the weight of his words. In the almost silent graveyard. His voice was so quiet but so loud. "Yeah, it is. I'm Jaci by the way."

"Jesse."

I stretched my hand forward and we shook.

In my head I was thinking - 'No shit Sherlock. Cuz dead people are meant to be screaming and throwing parties. Or maybe we could have a disco ball on peoples graves.'- I masked my thoughts with an innocent smile.

We stood in silence for a moment, neither of us willing to break the tension. Mystery boy spoke again. "Well. I have places to be and I'm guessing you'll be here again tomorrow. Looks like I'm going to be sharing this place."

'Sharing this place? What's he mean by that. He just got here.'

Jaci watched him go, her mind swirling with unanswered questions. I wanted to know more about him, about why he seemed so distant. But I knew that those answers would have to wait.

As I walked through the cemetery, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. The shadows seemed to move around me, and the air felt colder. I tried to ignore it, focusing on the path in front of me.

Out of nowhere, I heard a rustling sound behind me. Her heart raced as I snapped my neck round, but there was nothing there. The cemetery was silent, the only sounds were of me breathing and trees.

I walked trying to maintain my pace and fight the urge to run, my mind was already racing and I was doing everything I could to avoid racing with it. I didn't know what was happening, but I knew one thing for certain: my life was about to change in ways I couldn't begin to imagine.

As I reached the entrance, I glanced back one last time. The shadows seemed to close in around me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine. Something was coming, something that would challenge everything I knew or at least thought I knew. Or even worse "Someone".

And I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.

I scoffed "Ugh people"