Chapter 1: Mystic

"Elora, wake up!"

My face went red in vexation. I hate it when someone interrupts and pulls me from my drifting sleep. I used to sleep more than eight hours during our semester break, but now I can't even feel that I rested. My eyelids were heavy, preventing me from opening my eyes. My body wouldn't even move and get up, as if being pulled downward by some sort of force field. I groaned and buried my face on the pillow as I heard another loud knock on the door and the ear-splitting voice of my aunt.

"Elora! Get up or you'll be late to school!" The door kept banging because of the strength she's ascribing to it. I wished that I could mantle her mouth with tape to shut her off. "Elora! Are you going to school or what?" I slowly opened my eyes as my gaze settled on the direction of the door in my room. "Coming!" I shouted back as I got myself out of my cozy bed.

"Good, be quick!" I rolled my eyes at her sharp voice. Of course, I love my aunt, but still, she's annoying most of the time. I would easily get vexed by her. I heaved a sigh before grabbing the blanket and folding it. After a few minutes, I walked towards the bathroom door, opened it, and lit the entire room by switching on the lights. I took off my clothes and entered the shower room.

The cold drops of water adjoined my bare skin. Holding a bar of soap in my hands, I ran it along and against the surfaces of my body. I closed my eyes as I recalled my dream last night. In these past few days, strange dreams have frequently appeared in my mind like a movie. Blood. Fangs. Ruby-like eyes. Hunter. Those were the things that I often dreamed about. But what's even more strange is that I dreamed about a guy this time. He was no ordinary man. His peculiarity as well as his mystic complexion made him somewhat odd. His satiny and husky voice were very soothing to my ears. In addition to his utterance, his menacing eyes and perilous beaming grin seemed to entrance me.

I would never forget how he locked his thin lips with mine in my dream. His bewitching and radiant ruby-like eyes were competently capable of making my fervor go haywire as those pair of red eyes stared into mine.

I was pulled from my train of thoughts when I heard my aunt's voice calling me again. I didn't respond because I was too lazy to bicker with her, and furthermore, I didn't want to start the day by arguing about some fatuous matter with my aunt. Just thinking of the quarrels we had just because of trivial arguments made me almost roll my eyes. I evanesced the thoughts that had been aggravating in my mind earlier and focused on my bathe.

After a few minutes, I was done bathing. I got out of the bathroom and walked towards my cabinet. I got myself a pair of denim jeans, a black shirt, and white sneakers. I put them one by one in a hasty way. I also combed my hair and grabbed my bag before walking out of my room. I quickened my footsteps as I walked through the corridor when I heard my aunt's voice again downstairs.

Our paths crossed when I reached the stairs. I guess she was about to come here again, seeing that I'm not responding to her calls. Her gaze fell on my outfit. I averted my gaze and mentally rolled my eyes because I knew what was on her mind.

"Really, Elora? Why can't you be like your cousin? Don't let your beauty fade into vapidity." She said this as she scrutinized me. She's always like this. forcing me to dress up beautifully to fetch the attention of numerous guys, but I always decline.

I'm not into fashion, and I've told her that a thousand times already. Moreover, I hate spotlights. I desire nothing more than tranquility, and thus I always dress myself simply. "Oh, come on, auntie. You know that I hate trends." I drearily emphasized, and with that, I walked past her without even throwing a second glance. I felt her walking behind me based on the footsteps that I could hear. I'm not mad. It's just that my stomach was now searing in hunger for me to bicker with her.

I directly walked into the dining room as the felicitous scent of breakfast lingered in my nose. When I got there, I saw my cousin, Bree Hadleigh, eating at the dining table. She was indeed beautiful, according to Aunt Greta, and she's obviously the opposite of me. She's a socialite and a party girl, while me... I just shrugged. Didn't even care at all.

She probably sensed my arrival, so she raised her head to meet my gaze. She smirked. "Good morning, my frosty cousin." She said it in a teasing tone, but I was not in the mood to even throw my rebuttal, so I went to a vacant seat and got my plate filled with rice, eggs, and bacon without saying a word. Aunt Greta also joined us for breakfast. As I ate my meal, I glanced at my wrist watch. When I saw that I had only twenty minutes left, it was a hint for me to quicken my movements.

I nearly choked as I drank the whole glass of water. I sighed. I hope that I won't get hiccups today, because I hate having them during class. "Oh, what's the rush? You're going to school already?" Bree asked. There's a slight amusement in her tone.

Bree never cared about her grades anyway, so it's okay for her to be late. Besides, she already told us that she's planning to enter the entertainment industry, which will give her lifelong luxury, bliss, and gaiety. I don't even know why Aunt Greta didn't object to her daughter's mindset. But in regards to what she said, there's a hundred possibilities, no doubt about that.

Instead of answering her questions, I just nodded. I, too, nodded at Aunt Greta, indicating that I was going out for school. She smiled and motioned with her hands for me to depart. I ran and left the house. When I reached the sidewalk, I stood there, waiting for the public bus to arrive.

My dark, wavy hair was blown by the cold breeze, causing it to go haywire. The sun's rays directly cast through me, and they illuminated my fair skin, glowing like porcelain under the sunlight. There were no other people in our residence since it was Monday, and they probably got off from work or school.

Just then, I felt someone else's presence. I don't know when my senses got so enhanced that even the oblivious sound of someone's breathing caught my ears. I turned my gaze in that direction. I automatically blinked. Who's that?

A tall figure can be seen. He was leaning against the trunk of the tree nearby with his gaze straight forward. With a lighter in his hand, he lit up a cigarette and stuffed it into his mouth. Smoke roamed through the air, slightly enveloping his exquisite face as he breathed. But I was suddenly taken aback. He's familiar.

I gasped when our gazes met. This time, I was even more certain that I had already seen him before. The way he smiled was just too familiar for me to notice. His dark and menacing aura built a dread all over me. Everything about him was just too true to even tell me this was just a mere coincidence.

If it is, then it is too much of a coincidence. I subconsciously took a few steps back as a flicker of a ruby-like light beamed in his piercing blue eyes. From sea-blue to a radiant and bloody red. My lips parted, and my eyes widened. H-he was.....

"If you're planning to kill yourself, then I'm not going to do it for you, woman! So, please get out of my fucking way!" I was pulled back to reality when I heard the loud beeping and hysterical shout of a man riding in his car.

I roamed my eyes, and that's when I realized that I was in the middle of the road. My gaze settled on the man in the car. Seeing his birse flared up, it'd be better if I left him alone in peace. Therefore, I walked across the road and went back to the sidewalk. I heard him curse before driving away. I sighed. I don't know how I got there. I was too focused on the man on the tree—speaking of him, wait, where is he?

He was nowhere to be seen. My brows raised as I shrugged. Maybe he went off somewhere, or maybe I was being delusional. I laughed at myself, for I knew that I was hallucinating because of the dream. I hailed a public bus when I spotted one. Damn it! I had only ten minutes, and I basically knew that I was doomed.