ADRIA’S POV.
As he passed me by, my world stopped. It felt like everything stood stuck in place, or maybe I was just the one who got stuck in my head.
Lucien passed me by? All along, I’d been scared to think about what would happen if I met Lucien because I already knew we weren’t meant to be, but I had still been going on in hopes that I was probably kidding myself, that Lucien would be overjoyed to see me, and would tell me it didn’t matter if our kind were enemies.
And that was why my heart broke afresh when he walked past me at that moment. It was what I had known. I had only been trying to deny it, but at the moment, I could no longer deny it. Lucien and I were probably over.
I took in deep breaths as it felt like I’d burst into flames right there. The voices around me felt like distant echoes, and the girls following him seemed to me to be devils, it felt like they were laughing at me. I knew they were not, but it still felt that way.
I closed my eyes, and took in more deep breaths, trying to get the truth to sink in.
Why had my mother done this to me? Why hadn’t she kept my powers locked no matter what? Why did she do nothing about it when she saw me surrendering to my monster and getting worse daily?
Even with my eyes closed, tears filled my eyes and when I opened them, they dropped quickly.
No one paid any heed to me, so I was able to leave the place without anyone noticing the tears on my face.
Outside the building, I took in deep breaths and wiped my tears. I hadn’t even confirmed if my words would change his mind, yet I was crying.
I sniffed, and decided to talk to Lucien.
I went to my next class feeling slightly better. Lucien loved me, so I was very sure he’d change his mind.
That was what carried me all through class, but the next time I saw Lucien, his expression was so cold that I couldn’t bring myself to go to him. So, I told myself that I needed to give him time and that the next day would be a perfect time to approach him.
But, the next day came. The next day after that day came. In fact, a few days passed, and I had been unable to talk to Lucien. He had walked past me in every hallway, ensured I wasn’t able to take class assignments to him, and whenever I knocked on his door at his house, he never replied.
Maybe he wasn’t home because all the lights were always off, and the curtains down, I didn’t know, or perhaps he was home and did all that deliberately, I didn’t know.
Then finally, I mustered the courage to go to see him. I took the assignments from Nash, the class president, who he had asked to take the assignments to him. Nash needed to go to the restroom, so I seized the opportunity.
My heart was heavy as my steps took me closer to his office and when I got there, I took in deep breaths, as my heart rate was already increasing.
He probably knew. Yes, he most likely knew I was standing out there. He’d have heard my footsteps and then taken in my scent.
I knocked, and he replied. “Come in.”
I pushed the door open, but he didn’t look up. He was on his feet, arranging some papers into a file.
“Nash had to go to the restroom, so I…”
“Drop them.” He replied curtly, picked up the file, and began to walk away.
“Lucien…” I called, but he simply walked out the door, and closed it.
Tears instantly pricked my eyes and I turned away, thinking it was quite unbelievable.
How could I have called his name and he left just like that?
~
I didn’t stop there just like that. Every time I saw Lucien, I tried to talk to him, but he treated me worse than he’d treat a random student. His replies were no more than two sentences, and occasionally, he wouldn’t even reply.
He ignored me totally and every time I saw him, it felt like needles pricking my heart. It made me feel tired all of a sudden, and want to lean against the person next to me.
I guess I was emotionally tired, and all the tiredness had worked its way to my body.
There were nights I cried, and nights when I sat on his front porch, not waiting for him, but simply sitting there, thinking of what he was probably doing within. I’d also look at Monica’s house, and although I felt sorry that she had to die just like that, I couldn’t help wondering why she had to do all those things.
If she’d never bitten my neck, then I’d never have had to know what I truly was. My powers would still be locked by my mother’s powers, and I’d still have been with Lucien. I looked up to the sky, and wondered if she was up there and happy that Lucien and I had fallen apart, or if she was even there at all.
And on one of those nights, I sat on Lucien’s porch for over an hour, before heading into the forest. I just wanted to walk and be able to cry without people staring at me.
I wasn’t even scared. If any wild animal found me, I wanted them to take me. Maybe when Lucien saw my dead body, then he’d feel guilty, and would cry over me.
Deeper into the forest I went, and finally, my legs got tired, so I began to pick up stones and throw them on a large rock which was taller than me and was bathed in moonlight.
My stones bounced off it hard, and I threw them with all the anger, and pain I felt within me, and after doing that several times, I bent to pick another batch of stones to throw on the rock, only for a shadow to cover me. I shook, feeling a little fear race up to my chest, and took my time in turning to look at what had made the shadow, and to my surprise, it was a guy.
He had black hair, and his silvery gray eyes shone brightly. What could I say? He was handsome, but that wasn’t what made me stop.
It was the fact that I could feel a tug in my soul that made me stop. I straightened, and felt the connection instantly. I felt it, and knew he was just like me.
He was a vampire.