(Downtown Svetyland. The werewolves territory.)
•T–––M–––V–––P–––L•
Vampires hated the sun—everyone knew that. But Damien wasn't like most vampires. He loved the sun. It was one of the few things he admired about the earth. The way that great yellow orb hung in the sky, bathing everything in warmth. Still, he could never enjoy it without his daylight ring.
Adjusting the ring on his finger, Damien scanned his surroundings as he shut the car door. He straightened his suit and began walking toward the location the Master had instructed him to visit. The streets were quiet, which suited him just fine. He wasn't fond of werewolves, not in the slightest, and there were reasons for his hatred that he kept to himself.
As he continued walking, the scent of a nearby werewolf hit him. Reflexively, he turned his head and found himself face-to-face with a woman. A werewolf, no doubt. She smiled at him as she jogged over, her auburn hair bouncing with each step, her blue eyes sparkling with recognition.
"It's you again," she said, her pink skirt twirling around her legs. "I didn't expect to see you here."
Damien didn't know what she was talking about, so he ignored her and kept walking, focused on his destination.
"Wait! Why are you walking away?" she called, keeping pace with him. "You look great in a suit."
He kept his silence. He had no business with werewolves.
"And what are you doing in our territory again?" She asked with a smirk, oblivious to the fact that Damien wasn't interested in talking with her. "You know if my father was home, you wouldn't have as much freedom to walk as you do right now."
Still, Damien didn't reply as he continued to walk. As far as he knew, he didn't know the girl that was trying to talk with him, nor did he know her father. And he couldn't begin to comprehend why she was talking to him like they were friends — which he knew they weren't because he could never keep a werewolf as a friend.
He despised them more than his brother did.
Abhorred, not despised.
"Why aren't you answering me?" she asked, moving in front of him and walking backward to face him. "Or do you just not remember me?"
He stopped walking, and so did she.
"You?" He pointed at her, his face expressionless.
The girl smiled, her blue eyes lighting up as she clapped her hands together. "So you do remember me."
Damien shook his head and adjusted the collar of his shirt. "I don't know you and I don't want to."
"But we met yesterday night," her expression faltered as she stared at him. "I'm Tessa, the Alpha's daughter. Don't you remember?"
Damien already understood what was happening and why the girl, named Tessa apparently, was talking to him like she knew him. "That wasn't me."
"You're lying! It was you," Tessa crossed her arms across her chest.
"It wasn't me," Damien deadpanned.
"Then who was it?" she argued. "I saw you. You were with the Master Vampire. And looks cannot deceive me, unless you suddenly have a shadow clone, which I doubt you do."
"I've told you already. It wasn't me."
The girl scowled, shook her head, then left in annoyance, while Damien rolled his eyes before he continued his walk to where the Master had sent him to.
•T–––M–––V–––P–––L•
Summer was supposed to be the season of fun and parties, but in Svetyland, the mayor had made summer school mandatory. The students of Svetyland High sat in the classroom, their faces glazed over with boredom as an older teacher droned on in front of them.
"And that's it for today's lesson—" the teacher said, only to be cut off by the ringing bell.
The students quickly rushed out of the classroom. Among them was Ethan, who hadn't been able to focus all day. His mind was consumed with worry for his sister, Elizabeth, and her friend, Freya. They hadn't come home after the party the night before, and neither of them had answered their phones.
"Ethan!" He stopped walking and turned to see who had called him. It was Theophilus, one of his closest friends. He was also the assistant captain of the lacrosse team. "Hey, man, how's it going?"
"Fine," Ethan answered curtly. He wasn't in the mood for small talk.
He and Theophilus walked together until they were outside the school building.
"Something's up, isn't it?" Theophilus asked, concern evident on his face. "Or are you just sick of summer school already?"
"No, it's not that," Ethan sighed. Theo was someone he trusted, someone he could confide in. "It's just that…"
"Yeah, I'm listening. What happened?"
"Elizabeth and Freya. They went to a party last night, and no one's heard from them since."
"Well, have you tried calling their lines?" Theo asked, clearly showing concern towards Ethan. He cared for both Elizabeth and Freya like they were his own sisters.
"That was the first thing we did," Ethan replied, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Their phones are both off."
"Maybe you should try going over to Freya's place," Theo suggested and Ethan smiled at the thought, wondering why he hadn't thought of that earlier. "You know, they could both be wasted and decide to crash at Freya's place instead of heading home."
"Thanks bro," Ethan pulled Theo in for a quick hug. "You really are smart."
"You didn't need to tell me I'm smart," Theo teased, clapping Ethan on the back.
•T–––M–––V–––P–––L•
Freya's house wasn't far away from Svetyland high school. It took just a few minutes before Ethan and Theo could reach there after running by foot. Without wasting time, Ethan knocked on the door with Theo breathing heavily at his back — fatigued from the race they did, however, Ethan on the other hand looked more agile than ever.
When no one answered, Ethan knocked again, his anxiety growing.
Just as he raised his hand to knock a third time, he heard a familiar voice from inside. "Who's there?"
Relief flooded through Ethan. He knew if Freya was home, then definitely Elizabeth would be with her. "Freya, it's me, Ethan!"
"Oh," with that the door fell open, showing a disheveled Freya behind. She was dressed in only a spaghetti top — which showed the outlines of her nipples, and a denim short. "How are you doing, Ethan?"
Ethan smiled and pulled her in for a hug. He had never been happier to see Freya than he was at that moment. He really thought something bad could have happened to her alongside his sister.
Freya awkwardly patted his back. "Um, okay…" When Ethan released her, she waved at Theo, who had been watching silently. "Theo, you're here too."
"Ethan was worried sick," Theo explained
"Why?" Freya chuckled as she invited them in. "What's up with you guys?"
Neither Ethan or Theo said anything until they were both seated at the dining area in the house. Freya served them two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, before settling on a chair next to Ethan on the dining table.
"Is Elizabeth still sleeping?" Ethan asked as he took a sip of his drink.
"Huh?"
"Your best friend, Elizabeth," Ethan rephrased, placing the glass cup gently on the pad on the dining table. "She's here right?"
"No, she isn't—"
"What do you mean she isn't?" Ethan yelled, scared to his wits. "You both went out for a party yesterday night and—"
"Yes we both went for a party," Freya interjected Ethan's statement, clearly confused with what he was asking. "But Elizabeth left before I did, she even told a friend of mine to tell me she left already."
"That isn't possible," Countered Ethan as he stood abruptly from the dining table.
"Wait, so you're trying to say that Elizabeth isn't home?" Freya asked as she stared at Ethan.
"Yes, she isn't home and she isn't picking up her calls."
"Oh my God."
Amidst all the tension in the room, Theo just sat gently, sipping his orange juice as he watched both Ethan and Freya with an impassive expression.
To Be Continued. . .