The wind howled through the trees as the blood moon reached its apex, casting a crimson hue across the town of Blackthorn. The town lay still, as if the very earth was holding its breath, waiting for something. The creatures of the night stirred in the shadows, yet the unsuspecting townsfolk went about their lives as if nothing were amiss. They couldn't know that the ancient powers buried beneath the town's cobblestone streets were stirring, awakening after centuries of slumber.
Two teenagers, unaware of the destiny awaiting them, were about to step into the heart of those ancient secrets. Each carrying a legacy they didn't understand, they moved through their lives, unaware that the blood coursing through their veins had already begun to stir.
---
Luke's POV
Luke Harper's eyes scanned the familiar horizon as he drove toward Blackthorn College, a place he had heard about for years but never truly thought would be part of his own future. He had always thought he would stay in Blackthorn, like everyone else. He was a product of the town, after all. His family had lived in this place for generations. But now, after his high school graduation, it was time for something new.
Yet as he drove, there was a strange unease in the air that he couldn't shake. The blood moon was rising, its crimson glow casting long, eerie shadows that danced over the empty streets. There was something ominous about it, as though it were calling to him, pulling at something deep inside of him.
He shook his head, trying to focus on the road ahead. "Stop being paranoid," he muttered to himself. "It's just the moon. People get weird around it." But the nagging feeling wouldn't leave. The air itself seemed heavy, laden with a presence he couldn't describe. He tried to laugh it off—college nerves, maybe, or just the anxiety of leaving home. It was a big step, after all.
Luke glanced at the rearview mirror, half-expecting to see something in the mist behind him. But there was nothing. Just the same empty streets and the rising fog that clung to the road like a veil. The town of Blackthorn was quiet, as it always was, a sleepy little place tucked away in the valley. Or so it seemed.
He turned onto the main road that led into the college, his pulse quickening as the old, towering buildings came into view. Blackthorn College had been around for centuries. The ivy-clad stone walls seemed to whisper with the weight of history. There was an old-world charm to the place, but Luke couldn't shake the feeling that it was more than just a prestigious school. It felt... haunted, as though the land itself carried the weight of a thousand untold stories.
Pulling into the parking lot, Luke killed the engine and sat for a moment, staring up at the grand architecture. The blood moon hung high above, casting its reddish light over everything, and for the first time, Luke realized that the town, and perhaps even this place, had never truly felt like home.
He shook off the feeling and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. This was a new beginning. He was supposed to feel excited. This was his chance to break free.
As he walked toward the main entrance, his steps quickened, his heartbeat racing. His senses felt heightened, as though every sound, every movement, was amplified. There was a tingling at the back of his neck, a sense that someone—or something—was watching him. He turned around, his eyes scanning the fog-covered streets behind him. But again, there was nothing. Just the silent, oppressive weight of the town.
He took a deep breath and walked through the large wooden doors of Blackthorn College, stepping into a world that felt both familiar and strange.
---
Isla's POV
Isla Morgan stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the strap of her bag and staring at her reflection. The same auburn hair, the same pale skin, the same sharp green eyes that had often been the subject of strange glances in town. She wasn't sure if it was just her natural reticence or something deeper, but she had always felt like she didn't belong in Blackthorn. It was a town shrouded in secrets, its dark forests and winding streets hiding more than anyone would admit. But for Isla, it was more than that. It was as though the town itself was made for people who didn't question it. People who fit into its mold. And Isla... Isla never fit.
The blood moon had risen high above the town, its unsettling red glow casting strange shadows across the town's streets. Isla had always been sensitive to the pull of the moon, to the way it made her feel more alive, more aware of herself. But tonight, as the moon hung in the sky, she felt something deeper, something far more powerful than she had ever experienced before.
She had always known she was different—her family had always known—but no one had ever spoken about it. Her mother had kept quiet about her lineage, her father often distant and lost in his own thoughts. But Isla felt it, the strange connection to something ancient, something far older than she was.
Her phone buzzed, snapping her from her thoughts. It was a message from her best friend, Leah. "First day of college! Are you ready?"
Isla stared at the message, her fingers hesitating over the screen before replying with a simple, "Yeah, I guess so."
The truth was, Isla wasn't sure she was ready. She wasn't sure she would ever be ready for whatever Blackthorn held in store for her. She had always felt the town's history weighing down on her, like a shadow she couldn't escape. But this was the start of something new. She was going to college. She could carve out a new life for herself, away from the watchful eyes of her family, away from the expectations that had followed her since birth.
But something about the blood moon made her doubt that she could ever truly escape the past.
---
Luke's POV
As Luke made his way through the halls of Blackthorn College, he couldn't shake the unease that clung to him. It wasn't just the unfamiliarity of the campus or the newness of his surroundings. There was something else—something in the air. He felt as though the walls were watching him, as if they held secrets that had been buried for centuries.
His footsteps echoed through the long corridors, and every so often, his gaze would drift to the portraits hanging on the walls—old, faded images of men and women with eyes that seemed to follow him wherever he went. He didn't know why, but the eyes of the figures in those paintings unsettled him. It was as though they knew something he didn't.
Luke sat down in the lecture hall, the heavy wooden seats creaking beneath him. His thoughts were far from the lecture at hand. Instead, his mind was fixated on the strange pull he had felt earlier, the way his senses had been heightened, as if the very world around him was charged with something unseen. He tried to focus on the professor's words, but his thoughts kept wandering back to the blood moon, its ominous light casting shadows over everything in Blackthorn.
When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Luke quickly gathered his things and walked out into the hall. The uneasy feeling still hadn't left him, but he couldn't pinpoint why. He glanced at the clock. It was nearly dusk. The blood moon would rise again soon.
He turned and left the building, stepping out into the cooling air. As he made his way across the quad, his gaze caught sight of a figure—a girl walking slowly toward him. She had auburn hair that shimmered in the fading light, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. Luke's heart skipped a beat.
Isla.
She didn't smile, didn't say anything, just walked past him as though she hadn't noticed him at all. But something in the air shifted. It was as though a veil had been lifted, and for just a moment, Luke felt a strange connection to her, as though they were tied to each other in ways neither could understand.
He shook his head, his thoughts clouding. It was ridiculous. He had never even spoken to her before. Why was he thinking like this?
---
As the day came to an end and the night settled over Blackthorn, the blood moon hung high in the sky, casting a crimson glow over the town. In the darkness, two souls unknowingly walked toward their shared fate. The hidden blood that ran through their veins would soon awaken, binding them to the ancient forces that had shaped Blackthorn for centuries.
And Blackthorn, a town steeped in blood, secrets, and forgotten history, would soon reveal its true nature.