Eclipsed Secrets

Shadows of Eternity

The night fell heavy over the quiet town of Bremerton, Washington, the sky painted in hues of ink and charcoal, stars barely visible through the dark, dense clouds. Althea Ross moved through the shadows, her footsteps silent on the forest floor. Her movements were practiced, effortless, the result of over a century spent in this life, in this cursed eternity.She paused, inhaling deeply, savoring the stillness of the night. After all this time, the world of humans continued to intrigue her. Their lives were so fleeting, so fragile, and yet they moved through them with such a fierce, often reckless, determination. Watching them was like watching fire—captivating, untamed, and occasionally tragic.

But for Althea, that humanity had long since faded into the background, like an echo she could no longer hear. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt truly alive. Her days stretched into nights, and nights into days, an endless chain of time and solitude. No longer alive, but not truly dead either.

She often found herself in places like Bremerton, small towns nestled among trees and hidden by mist. Places where she could exist unnoticed, where the steady hum of a quiet life acted as camouflage. But tonight, she felt something different—a shift, faint yet undeniable. It was almost as if the air itself held its breath, waiting.

Althea brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ear, her sharp eyes scanning her surroundings, sensing a change she couldn't quite place. Maybe it was just her imagination, an idle mind playing tricks on her. But centuries of survival had taught her never to ignore a feeling, especially one as strong as this.

And she had every reason to be careful. Her history with other vampires was complicated. She had once traveled with a nomadic coven, a group as ruthless as they were bound by shared bloodlust and ambition. But her taste for that life had waned, and she left, choosing the quiet isolation she had come to crave over the constant struggle for power and dominance.This decision didn't win her many friends. Other vampires saw her as an anomaly, someone who didn't quite fit into the human world but had also turned her back on their own. The rumors spread quickly, stories about the vampire who could never be satisfied with either life or death, a creature too dangerous to be left alone, yet too elusive to be found.Tonight, though, she felt watched. As if a pair of eyes she couldn't see were locked onto her, tracking her every move.

She dismissed the sensation with a soft sigh, pushing forward toward the clearing where she'd planned to spend the next few hours watching the stars. She didn't need to, of course, but it was one of the few things that still gave her a sense of peace. In the absence of a heartbeat, she had to find beauty in the simple, unchanging patterns of the universe.Just as she reached the edge of the forest, her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp, tingling awareness—a feeling she hadn't experienced in years. Her skin prickled, her senses heightened. Somewhere nearby, hidden among the trees, was another vampire.

She didn't know how she could be so certain, only that she was. The instinct felt as natural as breathing once had. Part of her wanted to stay and confront this stranger, to find out who was bold enough to intrude on her quiet existence. But the larger part of her, the part that had learned to survive, knew that curiosity was a dangerous impulse.She turned, fading into the forest's depths, her steps as silent as ever. She could investigate later, if she chose. But something told her that this wasn't an ordinary encounter. The presence was as faint as a shadow, yet filled with a strange intensity. It was almost as if the darkness itself had come alive, reaching out to her.

And as she disappeared into the night, Althea couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was waiting for her just beyond the trees, beyond the life she'd built, and perhaps, beyond everything she'd tried to forget.

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A/N Hiii guys, this is my first time writing a fanfic, english is not my first language so there will be some mistakes sometimes. This story was created with me being bored one night and just starting to write. I would feel really greatful if you would leave a comment <3 so, have fun and stay safe