The sun had already dipped below the horizon, leaving the school wrapped in that weird quiet that only came at night.
Cole and Avelyn were still nowhere to be found.
Zane sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it might give him answers if he looked long enough. His head wouldn't shut up. Every thought kept circling back to the same thing.
If he hadn't turned Lilian, would any of this be happening.
He clenched his jaw, the guilt twisting deep in his chest. Then his thoughts shifted, sharp and bitter, landing where they always did lately. His mother. If she hadn't dragged innocent people into this mess, none of them would be scrambling around the school like idiots right now.
They'd searched everything. Every hallway. Every classroom. Storage rooms. Stairwells. Even places students weren't supposed to be.
Nothing.
By the time they gave up, the sky was fully dark and everyone looked ready to collapse.
Mirabel was the first to give in. She dropped onto Zane's bed with a groan, face buried in his pillow.
"I swear," she muttered, muffled. "If I walk another hallway tonight, I'm actually gonna pass out."
Karl leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes tired. "It doesn't make sense. There's literally nowhere left. We've checked the entire building."
"Well, not the entire building," Mirabel said, lifting her head. "We didn't get into the infirmary properly. Or the private wing."
Zane looked up sharply.
"And maybe we should just report it," she added. "Like, actual authorities. They might think of something we're missing."
"No." Zane stood up instantly, the word coming out harsher than he meant. He took a breath. "Not yet. Tomorrow we keep searching. I'll figure out how to get a passkey to the private wing."
Karl nodded slowly. "That… actually makes sense."
"If we still find nothing tomorrow," Zane continued, voice steady now, "then we tell the higher ups. Not before."
"Fair enough," Karl said. "I'll head back to my room then."
Mirabel sat up immediately. "No. Stay."
Karl blinked. "What."
"We shouldn't split up," she said. "Not right now. And this room is big enough for all three of us."
Zane didn't argue. Honestly, he didn't want to be alone either.
Karl hesitated, then shrugged. "Okay. Yeah. That's fine."
There was a brief silence before Karl spoke again, quieter this time.
"What about Lilian."
Zane froze.
Mirabel frowned. "Yeah, I heard she got stung too."
The room felt smaller all of a sudden.
"She's…" Zane swallowed. "She's still unconscious."
It wasn't a lie. Just not the full truth. And that somehow felt worse.
Karl nodded slowly, not pushing it. But Zane could feel the weight of it pressing on him anyway. Cole was the only one who knew what he'd done. And Cole was missing.
The thought made his stomach twist.
"I need a shower," Zane said suddenly.
Before either of them could respond, he was already moving, heading straight for the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.
The sound of running water filled the room.
And for the first time that night, Zane let his head drop, hands gripping the sink as the guilt finally caught up to him.
Later that night, exhaustion won.
One by one, they crashed. No more theories. No more searching. Just sleep.
Morning came way too fast.
Zane woke up first, the weird heavy feeling still sitting in his chest. He didn't bother overthinking it. He got up, showered, dressed, and left his room. Karl and Mirabel did the same, heading back to their own rooms to get ready.
By the time the school bell rang, all three of them were already out, moving through the hallway and somehow meeting in the same spot without planning it.
Mirabel yawned, fixing her bag on her shoulder. "So… do we even attend classes or do we just keep pretending everything is normal."
Zane rubbed his face. "You two go to class. I'll figure out how to get the passkey to the private wing."
Karl nodded. "Okay. Don't do anything stupid."
"No promises," Zane muttered.
They were just about to split when a voice rang out behind them.
"Hey, Mira!"
Mirabel froze.
All three of them turned at the same time.
And there she was.
Avelyn.
Standing in the hallway like nothing had happened.
For a solid two seconds, nobody moved.
Then Mirabel gasped. "Vee!"
She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Avelyn, hugging her like she might disappear again.
"Where have you been," Mirabel demanded, pulling back. "Do you know we almost lost our minds."
Avelyn blinked, clearly overwhelmed. "Uh… I was resting. In one of the private wing rooms."
The trio finally noticed the man standing beside her.
A teacher.
Mr Collins.
"Lilian was acting strange," Avelyn continued. "So they asked Mr Collins and Cole to stay with me overnight."
"Morning, Mr Collins," Karl said slowly.
"Morning, fellas," Mr Collins replied cheerfully. "I was asked to keep an eye on the sick girl here. And this curly haired kid refused to leave her side."
The explanation sounded normal.
Too normal.
All three of them frowned but no one said anything.
"Well," Mr Collins said, clapping his hands together, "I should be off."
And just like that, he walked away.
Karl watched him go. "Yeah… he's weird."
"Where's Cole," Zane asked, already scanning the hallway.
"Oh," Avelyn said quickly. "He should be on his way. We got separated when we went to freshen up."
Zane nodded, still watching the corridor. "How are you feeling."
"Fine," she said. "I think."
She paused, then asked casually, "Have you seen Lilian."
Zane stiffened.
"She is at the infirmary " he said smoothly.
Avelyn studied his face for half a second.
Then nodded. "Oh. Okay. Maybe we all go visiting after class" and before anyone could give a response.
"Hey, blondie!"
They all turned.
"There he is," Avelyn said, pointing.
Cole jogged over, grinning. "You guys missed me or what."
"Seriously," Zane said, pushing his shoulder lightly. "You couldn't text. We were worried."
"My phone died," Cole replied easily. "And I didn't wanna leave her."
Mirabel frowned. "We just met Mr Collins. Dude gave me bad vibes."
Cole shrugged. "He's always like that."
Karl checked the time. "We're gonna be late. Let's go."
They all started walking toward class together.
And if anything felt off, nobody said it.
The friend group stayed solid.
Even if some things were already breaking underneath.
...hours earlier...
Unknown location.
Avelyn sat across from him, legs crossed, arms folded, staring at the floor like she was trying not to think too hard.
"So," Avalon said casually as he took a seat opposite her, leaning back. "You remember everything now."
"Yeah," she replied. Then added, dryly, "Still think you could've let the boy live though. He was… nice to me."
Avalon sighed. "Sorry, sis. I needed a vampire's heart. And getting a beating one was rare luck."
She scoffed. "Pathetic."
He raised a brow. "You're welcome."
"So what now," Avelyn asked. "Because I'm not just sitting here."
"They're forming an army," Avalon said, tone shifting. "They're looking for me. For my power. They don't even know you're alive."
Her head snapped up. "That's messed up. They ruin our lives and still won't leave us alone."
"They never do," Avalon replied. "I heard everything after infiltrating the school."
"You went back there?" she asked sharply.
"Disguised as a teacher," he said with a shrug. "Easy."
She shook her head. "If they get your power, that's it. Those bloodsuckers don't just steal power, they twist it."
"That's why I needed you back," Avalon said. "I can't do this without you."
"You should've thought of that before killing Cole," she shot back. "I can't stay missing. It'll raise questions."
"You can't go back like this," Avalon argued. "With your memories restored, you can't be compelled. You're not human anymore."
Avelyn smiled slowly.
"That's why you're coming with me."
He frowned. "What."
"You'll be Cole," she said simply. "You'll stay by my side. All the time."
"You want me to live as him," Avalon repeated.
"Yes, dumbhead," she snapped. "But how are you even going to pull that off. You don't know how he talks. Or thinks."
"I do," he said calmly.
She narrowed her eyes. "Explain."
"I can access his memories."
She stiffened. "How."
Avalon hesitated, then sighed. "I still have his heart. I can brew it into a potion. Once I take it, his memories transfer."
"And the catch," Avelyn said.
"You'll owe me," he replied. "I had other plans for that heart."
She smiled. "Worth it."
"We return tomorrow," she added immediately.
Avalon nodded. "Let's see what's happening at the school."
He walked over to a crystal ball, murmured a spell, and the image flickered to life. Students moved through hallways. Voices echoed faintly.
That was when they saw them.
Zane. Mirabel. Karl.
Searching.
"Well," Avalon muttered, watching closely. "Looks like they're worried."
Avelyn exhaled. "Then we stick to the plan."
"Teacher first," Avalon said. "Then Cole."
She nodded. "Let's go confuse some vampires."