❝ 𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ❞ ʲᵃˢᵖᵉʳ ʰᵃˡᵉ ( EN )

☇ 𝟯𝟬

The next morning, Theodora made her way to school, her mind still clouded by recent events. The sky was overcast, typical for Forks, and a light drizzle fell, making the air cool and damp. Every raindrop splattering on the ground seemed to amplify the heavy atmosphere pressing down on her shoulders. The school, with its brick walls and fogged-up windows, looked even darker than usual, as if the building itself sensed the imminent danger.

A shadow stretches, heavier, more oppressive.

Students rushed to get inside, eager to escape the rain, while Theodora veered away from the crowd, finding refuge near the edge of the forest that bordered the school. This dense forest, with its tall trees standing like silent sentinels, exuded a strange sense of calm. She hoped a moment of solitude would help settle her thoughts, but every rustle of leaves, every snap of a branch kept her on edge, like a silent warning.

The air turns icy, each breath becomes a threat.

She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cold, watching the thin layer of mist twisting around the trees, creating an almost mystical atmosphere. The cool air bit at her skin, making her more aware of each heartbeat, quickening as anxiety rose. But as she stood there, lost in thought, a chilling sensation washed over her. It was as if the air itself had suddenly changed, becoming denser, more suffocating.

An invisible grip that crushes the breath.

Before she could react, a hand with a terrifying coldness seized her wrist. The touch was so sudden, so brutal, that Theodora felt her heart skip a beat. She barely had time to gasp before she was yanked backward, her feet nearly leaving the ground from the sheer force of the grip. Her back hit the rough bark of a tree, the impact knocking the breath out of her.

The cold seeps in, tearing everything in its path.

In an instant, she found herself face-to-face with Maria. The vampire's olive-toned skin contrasted starkly with her eyes, blazing red like embers, and a cruel smile stretched across her lips, revealing brilliantly white teeth. Her gaze pierced Theodora, freezing her in place like a trapped animal.

The fire in her eyes burns hotter than the pain.

"Ah, little human," Maria murmured, her icy breath brushing Theodora's skin. Every word she spoke seemed to charge the air with a latent threat. "Finally alone. You've been a thorn in my side for far too long."

The trap closes, with no way out.

Panic seized Theodora. Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it thundering in her ears, each beat hammering against her chest with painful intensity. "What do you want?" she stammered, trying to pull her wrist free from Maria's grip, to no avail. The vampire's hold was inhuman, like a cold steel vice.

Invisible chains tighten further, without mercy.

"You, of course," Maria replied, her smile widening to reveal more of her fangs. "But most of all, I want to see Jasper suffer. And for that, you're perfect."

The poison of words seeps in, slowly.

A cold laugh echoed in her ears, a sound that seemed to slip under her skin, amplifying the terror that paralyzed her. When she glanced up, she saw another woman with pale skin and dark eyes standing next to Maria. "Meet my loyal ally, Estrella," Maria said in an almost cheerful tone, as if introducing a friend at a party. "She has a very... special gift."

The weight of fate crushes all hope.

Terror froze Theodora's blood. She tried to fight, her body instinctively struggling against the grip that held her, but Maria pinned her against the tree, leaving her with no escape. The cold of Maria's hands seeped into Theodora's skin, chilling her to the bone. Before she could react, a searing pain ripped through her skull, as if burning needles were being driven into her head. The sensation was so intense that it took her breath away, and she screamed, her cry shattering the silence of the forest and echoing off the trees. The sound was so piercing that crows perched above took flight, their harsh calls blending with her pain in a sinister chorus.