"You're quiet today."
Nora barely glanced up from her notebook as she spoke. She was seated at their usual spot in the library, tapping her pen against the wooden table in a slow, rhythmic beat. Across from her, Jaytee sat with his arms crossed, his gaze was fixed on the floor like he was somewhere else entirely.
"Just thinking," he muttered.
"About?" she pressed, lowering her head.
"Nothing important."
Nora scoffed. Liar.
Jaytee had always been distant, but lately, there was something off. The way he moved, the tension in his body, like he was holding something back. But if he wasn't going to talk, she wasn't going to force him.
"Fine. But we need to start our project." She flipped open her notes. "Gothic literature… Dracula, Frankenstein, Poe. You know the topic, right?"
He blinked, focusing on her for the first time since they sat down.
"Yeah. Something like that."
Something in his expression shifted, though, when his eyes settled on her. It was different and mild, almost soft. The way his lips parted slightly, the way his pupils darkened just too much. But Nora caught it.
"What?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Jaytee shook his head, dragging a hand down his face like he was taking off something from his face. "Nothing."
"No, you were staring at me."
He exhaled, leaning back. "I was thinking about something."
"Which is…?"
A long pause. Then, his voice came quiet, softer than she had ever heard it.
"I wanted to apologize."
Nora blinked. "For what?"
"For before. For, snapping at you." He hesitated. "I shouldn't have."
She stared at him for a moment. Jaytee was unreadable most of the time, but right now, he looked… conflicted. His shoulders were tense, his fingers tapping against the edge of the table like he was stopping himself from doing something else.
"It's fine," she said, giving a faint smile "You had a bad day."
Jaytee's jaw clenched. If only she knew how bad.
There was a silence between them, the silence was not quite uncomfortable but, it was heavy. Nora was about to turn back to their notes when he spoke again.
"Let me make it up to you."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He met her gaze. "Go out with me. Just once."
Nora blinked, caught completely off guard. Jaytee? Asking her out?.... the weird guy?
For a second, she almost laughed, but then she realized he was serious.
"You're joking."
"I'm not." His voice was steady and strong. More like he truly meant it.
Her mind raced. Jaytee had never shown this kind of interest before. He was always the brooding, distant one. And yet, here he was, asking her out like it was the most natural thing in the world.
A part of her wanted to say no, to question what had changed. But another part, the one that had always been drawn to the mystery of him, was curious.
"Alright," she said finally. "One date."
A ghost of a smile ran across his lips. "Tomorrow night."
"Fine."
She went back to her notes, but she could still feel his gaze on her.
And for the first time, it wasn't just unsettling.
It was something else entirely, and she liked it.
Emma was not one to let things go. Especially not when they were this interesting.
Ever since she overheard Jaytee and Adel's conversation, she had been unable to shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong. And if Nora wasn't going to care, then fine, Emma would figure it out herself.
Sitting in front of her laptop in her bedroom, she pulled up the school's student records, her fingers flying across the keys. She didn't expect to find anything obvious, but something told her Jaytee wasn't as normal as he pretended to be.
"Come on, come on," she murmured to herself, scrolling through the files.
But then, there was something weird.
Jaytee's records only went back three years.
No middle school, no transfer papers, and no record of where he came from. Just… three years ago, he appeared out of nowhere.
"What the hell?"
Emma clicked on his file, but it was nearly empty. Birth certificate? Missing. Medical records? Also missing. Family history? Missing.
It was like someone had wiped his past clean.
She leaned back in her chair, heart pounding.
Jaytee wasn't just hiding something.
He was someone else entirely.
Jaytee gripped the edge of his desk, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. The hunger was unbearable.
The last bottle of animal blood in his fridge was gone, and the remaining reserves he had left in 0his system were burning away, leaving nothing but raw thirst. His control, the one thing he had prided himself on for centuries, was slipping like sand through his fingers.
His vision was becoming blurry, yet his senses sharpened unnaturally. Every little sound around him became recognized, the soft scratching of pens against paper, the shuffling of feet in the hallway, and the movement of clothes as students moved about. But worse than all of it… there scent.
The scent of Human blood.
There were warm, rich, pulsing-through veins that were just beneath fragile layers of skin.
He squeezed his fists tightly, his nails were nearly breaking his own flesh as he forced himself to remain still. He had spent centuries mastering this control. He had survived longer than any of them could imagine.
Just then, the door went open.
And Nora walked in.
Jaytee went rigid, his head snapping toward her the second she stepped into the classroom. His heightened senses locked onto her instantly, her presence suffocating and irresistible all at once.
Her scent hit him like a wave.
Sweet. Warm. Alive.
And worse than all of that. He could hear her heartbeat.
Steady. Rhythmic.
It was calling to him.
"Hey," Nora greeted, holding her bag. "I hope you did some research because I'm not about to fail this project because of you."
Jaytee didn't answer. He couldn't. His throat was dry, burning like fire.
She frowned. "Jaytee?"
His breathing was shallow, forced. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to look away.
"I…." His voice came out strained. "I need a minute."
Nora tilted her head, confused. "Are you okay?"
No. No, he was not okay.
She was too close. The scent of her blood was around him like a vice, sinking deep into his already cracking control. He could hear every movement of her body, the shift of her weight, the soft sound of her breath, the way her pulse quickened just slightly in curiosity.
She was asking too many questions. Staying too close.
"You don't look okay." She leaned in slightly, studying his face. "You look… pale."
He squeezed his eyes shut. He had to get out of here.
"I just need air," he muttered, pushing himself up from his seat. His body felt stiff, his muscles locked in place as he fought against every instinct screaming at him to just taste.
Nora reached for his arm before he could leave.
"Wait, are you sick or something? You're acting weird."
Her fingers barely brushed his skin, but it was enough.
Jaytee stood instantly, shaking his arm away like she had burned him. His breath hitched, and for the briefest moment, his vision flickered.
He saw her differently.
Not as Nora. But as a prey.
A slow inhale. A heartbeat. A pulse.
"I have to go," he muttered, moving past her quickly before he could do something he would regret.
"Wait….what about our date?" she called after him.
Jaytee hesitated in the doorway, his fingers tightening against the frame.
Their date. A distraction. A mistake.
He turned his head slightly but didn't meet her gaze.
"I'll see you tonight," he said lowly before slipping out the door.