ℍ𝕌ℝ𝕋𝕊 𝕊𝕆 𝔾𝕆𝕆𝔻 - ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴋᴀᴇʟꜱᴏɴꜱ

² 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫

JJ FELT...WEIRD.

It wasn't the usual kind of exhaustion she got when she cast a difficult spell or used too much magic at once. This was different. It was as if someone had drained every drop of magic from her system, leaving her hollow. The familiar hum of energy that usually pulsed through her veins was just...gone. She couldn't feel the presences of supernatural beings, wasn't aching to heal herself. Instead, she just felt...human. Ordinary, in a way she had never known. And she hated it.

The first question that came to mind was how, but that seemed less important than why.

When she regained consciousness, the first thing she noticed was the throbbing pain in her head, as if someone had taken a hammer to her skull. Her eyes stayed shut for a moment as she tried to get her bearings, but it was no use; everything hurt. Her hands were tied, and her ankles were bound together with rough rope that dug into her skin. Every muscle ached, and it took a moment for her to remember what had happened: the masquerade, the parking lot, that masked creep lunging out of nowhere. . .

Focus, she told herself, breathing through the pain. She didn't know where she was or who had taken her, but she knew she had to get out.

Footsteps echoed nearby, and JJ braced herself, feigning unconsciousness. She held her breath as she felt herself being lifted, someone's arms wrapping around her, none too gently. Whoever this was didn't care much for her comfort, handling her like a sack of potatoes as they carried her across what sounded like creaking floorboards. Then, with a rough shove, she was dumped onto something lumpy and uncomfortable—an old couch, judging by the way the springs poked into her back. The footsteps retreated, and the room fell silent once more.

After a moment, JJ dared to open her eyes, wincing as her vision swam. She blinked, trying to clear the fog, and looked around. Peeling paint, broken windows, cobwebs in the corners—she was in some kind of run-down house, abandoned for who knows how long. The place reeked of mold and dust.

Slowly, she twisted her ankles, trying to loosen the ropes binding them, but her hands were still tied. She must have looked ridiculous, squirming and tugging like some kind of half-hearted escape artist. But she was stubborn. She'd chew her way through the ropes if she had to.

After she removed the ropes from her ankles but before she could get her hands free, the door opened again, and her captor stepped into the room. This time, he wasn't alone. He carried a barely conscious Elena in his arms, her wrists and ankles bound just like JJ's. Elena's face was pale, her shirt stained with blood from the injuries she'd sustained earlier.

"Elena!" JJ blurted, her voice cracking.

Elena stirred at the sound, blinking groggily as the man set her down on the couch beside JJ. He began to untie her ropes, his movements brisk and uncaring. JJ's heart pounded, and she forced herself to stay calm, to take in every detail of this man. Tall, with dark eyes that held an unsettling coldness, and a smug expression that made her skin crawl. She couldn't sense if he was a vampire, but she suspected he was—he'd lifted both of them with ease, handling them like they weighed nothing.

Elena's voice was shaky but defiant. "What...what do you want?" Her eyes darted to JJ, widening in concern as she took in her friend's tied hands and the grim state of the room. "Why'd you take us?"

The man gave her an amused look, then simply shushed her, dismissing her questions with a wave of his hand.

JJ clenched her teeth, anger bubbling up through the fear. "She needs a doctor, okay? She's hurt. You can't just—"