Vampire University

Chapter 5

After my unsettling conversation with Tyron, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. His words gnawed at me, twisting every thought I had about Tristan and the entire reason I was here. It wasn’t just about the vampires anymore—it was about me. I had to figure out why I had been brought to Vampire University, but I didn’t know where to start.

The days passed in a strange blur, each one filled with new lessons and new challenges. My friends and I had fallen into a routine of sorts, navigating the school and trying to blend in as much as possible. Maya, Lily, and Jake were the only pieces of normalcy I had left, but even they were starting to feel distant.

Especially Jake.

At first, I didn’t think much of it. Jake had always been the quiet one, a little more reserved compared to Maya and Lily, who were loud and full of energy. But recently, something had changed. He wasn’t just quiet anymore—he was distracted. He would drift off during conversations, his eyes distant, and there were times I’d catch him staring at nothing, his face drawn with worry.

I started noticing it more and more.

We were sitting together in the main hall for lunch when I caught him doing it again—his eyes glazed over, his tray of food untouched. Maya and Lily were talking about their plans for the weekend, but Jake wasn’t paying attention. He just stared ahead, his mind clearly somewhere else.

“Jake?” I asked softly, leaning closer to him. “You okay?”

He blinked, as if snapping out of a trance, and turned to look at me. For a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes—something dark, something troubled. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by his usual easygoing smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, brushing it off. “Just tired. You know how it is, all this vampire stuff is getting to me.”

I forced a smile, but something about his tone felt off. “You sure? You’ve seemed a little… distracted lately.”

Jake shrugged, poking at his food with his fork. “It’s nothing. Just thinking about some stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?” Maya asked, jumping into the conversation. She raised an eyebrow, clearly curious. “Is it girl trouble? Do you have a secret crush on a vampire? Come on, spill!”

Jake laughed, but it was forced. “No, nothing like that. Just adjusting, I guess.”

Maya and Lily didn’t press him further, quickly moving on to talk about their upcoming classes, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Jake wasn’t telling the truth. Something was bothering him, and he didn’t want to talk about it.

The rest of lunch passed uneventfully, but I kept stealing glances at Jake. Every time I looked, he seemed more distant, more troubled. I had known Jake for years, and this wasn’t like him at all. He was always the laid-back one, the guy who could laugh off anything. But now… now he seemed like he was carrying some heavy weight on his shoulders.

Later that day, after classes, I decided to confront him. I found him in the library, sitting in one of the back corners, staring at an old, dusty book. His fingers traced the pages, but his eyes weren’t really reading. He was somewhere else again, lost in thought.

“Jake,” I said, sitting down across from him. “We need to talk.”

He looked up, startled, and quickly closed the book, almost as if he didn’t want me to see what he was reading. “Oh, hey, Devi. What’s up?”

I leaned forward, my eyes searching his face. “What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting weird lately. Distant.”

Jake hesitated, his jaw tightening for a brief second before he relaxed. “I told you, I’m fine. Just adjusting to all this.”

“No,” I said firmly. “This isn’t about adjusting. Something’s bothering you, and you’re not telling us. You’re not telling me. I can see it, Jake. You’ve been acting off for days now. What’s going on?”

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. For a moment, I thought he was going to brush me off again, but then his expression changed. He looked tired—really tired—and there was something almost haunted in his eyes.

“I… I didn’t want to worry you guys,” he said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. “But I’ve been having these weird dreams.”

“Dreams?” I frowned, leaning in closer. “What kind of dreams?”

“They’re… I don’t know how to explain it,” Jake said, his voice low and tense. “At first, I thought they were just nightmares, but they’ve been getting worse. Every night, I see the same thing. This dark place, shadows everywhere, and these voices… calling out to me.”

A chill ran down my spine. “Voices?”

Jake nodded, his hands trembling slightly as he spoke. “Yeah. They keep saying my name, telling me to find them. It’s like they’re pulling me toward something, and it feels so real. Like I’m supposed to go somewhere, but I don’t know where. And the worst part is… I think it’s connected to this place.”

I stared at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “Connected? How?”

Jake shook his head, looking frustrated. “I don’t know. But every time I wake up, I have this feeling, like something’s wrong. Like I’m supposed to be doing something, but I don’t know what. And it’s getting harder to ignore.”

I swallowed, my mind racing. Could his dreams really be connected to Vampire University? Was there something calling out to him, something dangerous?

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” I asked, feeling a knot of worry tighten in my chest.

Jake looked down, guilt flashing across his face. “I didn’t want to freak you guys out. We’ve already got enough to deal with, and I thought maybe it was just stress, you know? But now… I don’t know anymore. Something’s not right, Devi. I can feel it.”

I leaned back, processing everything. Jake’s behavior made sense now—his distance, his distraction. But it didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, it made me even more worried. What if these dreams weren’t just dreams? What if there really was something pulling Jake into something dangerous?

“Have you told anyone else about this?” I asked.

Jake shook his head. “No. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. But… you’re the first person I’ve told.”

I bit my lip, my mind racing. “Maybe we should tell Tristan. He might know what’s going on. Or the dean—”

“No,” Jake interrupted, his voice firm. “I don’t want to involve them. Not yet. I need to figure this out on my own first. I need to know what these dreams mean.”

I frowned. “Jake, this could be dangerous. If it’s connected to the vampires—”

“I know,” he said quietly. “But I can handle it. I just… need more time.”

I wasn’t convinced. Something about this felt wrong, and I didn’t like the idea of Jake dealing with it alone. But he was stubborn, and I knew he wouldn’t listen to me if I tried to push him too hard.

“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “But if it gets worse, or if something happens, you have to promise me you’ll tell someone. We can’t keep secrets in this place, Jake. It’s too dangerous.”

Jake smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I promise.”

I nodded, though I wasn’t sure if I believed him.

As I left the library, my mind was still buzzing with questions. Jake’s dreams, Tyron’s cryptic warnings, Tristan’s secrets—it all felt like pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t quite put together. Something was happening, something big, and I was afraid we were all being pulled into it without even realizing it.

And now, Jake was caught in the middle of it too.

I had to figure out what was going on, before it was too late.