The bullies lay sprawled on the ground, their groans filling the air like the mournful cries of a wounded pack, except for the one trembling from the start. He was on his knees, his legs having given way beneath the weight of his fear. Felix stepped toward his thrown suitcase, dusting it off with unruffled precision. He flipped it over his shoulder and clutched tight with his right hand on its handle. His gaze turned toward the horizon-to the sun that was now muted and fatigued, heading for the world's edge.
"I need to get home before Mom scolds me," he muttered to himself rather than to the others. Without a second glance at the groaning bullies, he turned and left, his shadow trailing behind him like some quiet witness to the chaos he'd subdued.
He walked down the road, his head hung low, staring at the ground as if something invisible lay on the ground. The soft hum of passing vehicles and the rustling of leaves accompanied his lonely footsteps. Then, a voice he knew well broke through the haze of his thoughts.
He lifted his head, and there she was: the president of the school, Rose, standing by the curb with her phone pressed to her ear, the evening light catching her crimson hair and casting it in a fiery halo, otherworldly.
"It seems they're stirring trouble again," she said, her voice steady, though tinged with irritation. "Hmm… alright." She resumed her call, completely oblivious to Felix watching her from afar, his eyes alight with appreciation, as a moth drawn to flame.
Just then, the shrill shriek of tires cut through the air and yanked Felix from his reverie. A modified Toyota car screeched out from a sharp corner, its hood glinting precariously with a condensed carbon-metal attachment that looked more like a weapon than a decoration. The car was going well over the speed limit, veering out of its lane onto his side, spitting gravel and smoke from its tires.
Felix's heart was racing as he realized the car's erratic trajectory was now changing course to bear down on Rose, who was still deep in her conversation and hadn't even noticed the danger. His body moved instinctively without a second thought. He darted forward in a blur of motion, pushing her out of the car's path.
Time appeared to stand still as the echo of the impact reverberated down the street. Felix collided with the car's hood, his upper body slamming against the metal while his waist caught on the sharp, modified edge. The car careered into a bus shelter-the sickening crunch of metal and glass, the wet splatter of blood.
"Boom!" The sound reverberated in Rose's ears as she was driven out of confusion. She turned, and her eyes riveted on a horrific sight-Felix lying croaked on the crumpled hood, bleeding from his mouth as if from a crimson river. His lifeless body slipped to the ground as gravity claimed him.
Rose's eyes shot to the driver of the car, but before she could get a good look, the car backed up with a squeal of tires and took off down the maze of streets.
Felix!" she whispered, her shaking voice rushing to his side. Kneeling beside him, her hands hovered a moment before lifting his head onto her lap. His blood seeped onto her black suit, its warmth spreading like an accusation.
Memories crashed over her like relentless waves, each one slicing deeper than the last.
"You are a shame to the Leif family. It's better you marry into another royal line and let your child redeem what you could not." "Hey, sis, I heard this is your last chance to add another member to your vampire household. If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to resurrect anyone."
Each echo was a new ache, an unseen dagger twisted within her chest. Her crimson eyes flickered between Felix's face-that was fast turning gray-and the blood pooling from beneath him-as her mind went into turmoil.
"You don't need to carry this around," Felix rasped, his voice weak but firm. "Honestly, I'm not even sure if I am sorry for what I did. But there's something I wanted to say…" He coughed, his lips staining with blood as he worked up a faint, brief smile. "Rose… I think I had a crush on you."
Her eyes went wide, shock and something else she couldn't quite place freezing her in place. In that moment, Rose saw something in Felix she'd never seen in anyone before-genuine care, untethered by manipulation or expectation. Everyone she'd ever known, even her own family, had always sought to use her. But here was Felix, his confession raw and unguarded, his final words a gift rather than a demand.
Within, two warring thoughts were battling violently: should she use her last chance, her last ability to transform another into a vampire, or let the course of destiny take its path? Her mind offered no clarity, only the deafening chaos of indecision.
She chose to gamble on that flicker of hope. She lowered her head, opening her mouth and showing her fangs. Her canines extended, glowing with that eerie crimson energy pulsating with the rhythm of her unspoken resolve.
She sank her fangs deep into his neck, and warm blood filled her mouth while the energy inside her surged, flowing into Felix in a tide of crimson. His eyes, so blurred and shutting with a languid slowness, now closed when her power enveloped him.
Two weeks later, in the sterile precincts of one of the three best hospitals in town-the Leif Hospital, a colossus of modernity and tradition-the air in Ward 24 was heavy with anticipation. The rhythmic beeping of the ECG machine whispered softly, a steady metronome marking time with the mystery of Felix's protracted sleep. His body lay still on the crisp white sheets, a tableau of quiet resilience.
The attending physician, in his white coat, began to fill out the daily observation chart. Every stroke of his pen was thoughtfully made, putting onto paper the enigma Felix had become. Then, suddenly, a sound, a small, fragmented voice, broke the monotony. Faint, yet unmistakable, the stillness of the air had been cut like ripples across a silent lake.
"Doc… what's going on? I think I should be dead by now," Felix muttered in a fragile, yet questioning voice.
The doctor stood still in his motion, his heart skipping a beat as he stared at Felix. For one moment, his face was incredulous, until the movement of the young man's lips dispelled it. He went hurrying to the bed and scanned Felix's face as if his eyes were searching to confirm whether it was true or not.
The doctor reached out tentatively, his fingers brushing against Felix's skin; it was warm, not the clammy lifeless warmth he had expected, but vivid, almost luminous, as if life itself now coursed through him with renewed vigor.
He tore the stethoscope off his neck and jammed the earpieces in, hastening as if such would make him hear more any sooner, placing the chest piece on Felix's smooth unscarred chest. What he heard made no sense. It was there; a heartbeat strong, regular-but it pulsed at double the rate than any human heartbeat should.
Doctor, please tell me what's going on," Felix begged, his voice much steadier now but still laced with confusion. He sat up and the sheet slipped down, showing his upper body.
The doctor's eyes widened at the sight. Felix's torso, which had once been a mess of cuts and abrasions, was now as smooth as polished marble-even radiant in the sterile hospital light-as if he had shed his old skin and emerged fresh, reborn.
"For now, there's little to tell you other than…," he started off, the hitch in his voice filled with an amazed tone, "your heartbeat-that is a wonder that I have never seen."
He retreated a step, clutching the clipboard for dear life as he reached for the door. Turning back to face Felix, he held a gaze with curiosity and a touch of apprehension.
"Take your time," he said finally, his voice softer now, almost reverent. "I'll be back shortly."
With that, the doctor exited, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click. Inside the room, the beeping of the ECG machine resumed its steady rhythm, but Felix sat still, his thoughts racing. The air around him seemed charged, as though the world itself held its breath, waiting for what would come next.