ONE: BLINK OF DARKNESS

It was the end of summer and the beginning of the second semester. A fresh start.

Caveroop High School, my new school in the small, oddly town named Caveroop. It was the only school that accepted me, so I didn't have much of a choice.

Standing at the entrance, I took in the sight before me. The school was massive, its architecture slightly old-fashioned, giving it a strange, eerie charm. I adjusted my black jeans, pulled down my blue T-shirt, and shifted my grip on my luggage. My blue sneakers crunched against the gravel as I exhaled slowly.

New town.

New school.

No familiar faces.

How bad could this get?

At least my past had no way of haunting me here.

It felt like I was on a different planet, and honestly, what better place to start over than somewhere no one knew my name?

I put on my headphones and walked into the building, the rhythm of my music drowning out the chatter around me. Lost in the beat, I barely noticed the hallway crowding with students until I crashed into someone.

The impact sent me stumbling back, my luggage falling to the floor.

"Hey, you okay?"

I looked up and met the gaze of a guy around my age. Average height, broad shoulders, fair complexion. His well-fitted T-shirt outlined the contours of his chest, and his deep dimples flashed as he smiled. But what stood out most were his blue eyes, peeking through tousled brown hair.

I quickly bent down, gathering my scattered belongings before he could. Sliding my headphones around my neck, I forced a smile.

"I'll be fine."

He studied me for a moment, then asked, "New here?"

"Yeah."

"Then you better head to the hall. Orientation's starting. It's long and boring," he said with a smirk. "Unless… you wanna escape with me. I can give you the unofficial campus tour instead."

He grinned, his dimple deepening.

I hesitated. His offer was tempting, but skipping my very first school event wasn't exactly the best way to start fresh.

"Erm... thanks, but I should probably attend the orientation," I replied with a polite smile.

His eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Huh. Most people would jump at the chance to ditch it. But you…" He smirked. "You seem interesting."

Oh no.

That was exactly how my nightmare began in Oxville. I wasn't going to let it happen again.

"I hope not."

I stepped past him, but he reached out, gently stopping me.

"Leaving so soon? Come on, at least tell me your name."

I sighed. "Terra. Terra Tunes."

"Double T, huh?" He chuckled. "Mind if I call you that?"

I scoffed. "Call me whatever you want." And with that, I headed toward the hall.

The hall was packed, the murmur of students filling the air. I swallowed hard and took a seat beside a girl who immediately caught my attention, she looked… different.

She had golden eyes. Actual golden eyes.

She stared at me for a moment before the principal took the stage, launching into a long, dull speech. By the time it was over, I had already regretted my decision to stay.

Afterward, we all headed to our dorms. Walking through the girls' hostel, I checked the names on the doors until I found mine:

Terra Tunes

And below it, another name:

Pink Spencer

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. My new roommate was already there, lounging on her bed. She had striking pink hair matching the completely pink side of the room. Even her luggage was pink. I was sensing a serious theme here.

"Howdy, roomie!" she greeted, waving gleefully.

"You're Pink?" I asked.

She nodded enthusiastically. "And you must be Terra! Nice to meet you!" She extended a hand, shaking mine with a firm grip.

I dropped my bag on the bed and sat down, testing the mattress. Surprisingly soft.

"New here?" she asked, already digging into my suitcase to help unpack. "Lucky you, I'll teach you everything you need to know."

She giggled as we spent the rest of the day organizing my side of the room. Afterward, she treated us to fries and milkshakes, and we spent the evening talking, getting to know each other.

Pink was popular. That much was clear. And something told me I wasn't going to be able to shake her off easily.

The next morning, I got ready for class.

"Nerd alert!" Pink teased, spotting me in my usual casual outfit.

I rolled my eyes. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Well, no," she said, stepping out of the bathroom wrapped in a pink towel. "But if you want to be the center of attention, you've got a lot to learn."

"What if I don't want to be?"

She laughed, loud enough for the whole dorm to hear.

"Nonsense! Every girl wants to be admired. It's in our nature," she said, drying her hair. "Lucky for you, you've got me."

She rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out an outfit.

"Here, wear this."

I glanced at the clothes and hesitated. "I'm fine with what I have."

She pouted. "Oh, Terra, if you're going to be seen with me, you have to look good."

After some internal debate, I gave in and put them on.

Pink clapped, admiring our reflection in the mirror. "Now we look good."

As we strolled down the hallway, heads turned. Pink walked like she owned the place, and somehow, I got dragged along for the ride.

Halfway to class, a beautiful girl in a yellow crop top and baggy black trousers approached us. She and Pink exchanged excited hugs.

"There you are!" the girl squealed.

Pink beamed. "Terra, meet my best friend; Clarissa Broadway. Clary, meet my new roommate!"

Clary grinned. "Nice to meet you, Terra!"

"You too."

Another girl joined us, draping an arm over Pink and Clary's shoulders. She had short, dark blue hair, heavy makeup, and a sharp, almost mischievous smirk.

"Eska," Pink introduced.

Eska looked me up and down before giving a lazy nod. "The new kid, huh?"

We all shook hands before heading to class together.

Math class was dull, and I tried to focus, but Clary kept popping bubblegum in my face.

Then, a tap on my shoulder.

I turned around.

A familiar face, it was the guy I met yesterday.

Damn. He was in my class?

"Hey, DT," he greeted with a grin.

Clary raised an eyebrow. "DT?"

"Yeah," He said. "Double T. She's got two Ts in her name."

Clary scoffed. "Seriously? You're already giving her a nickname?"

He smiled, "the name's Zack by the way"

I sighed. This was going to be a long semester.

After class, I headed to the cafeteria.

Pink, Eska, and Clary were already there. I sat between them, placing my food down.

"So, how was class?" Pink asked, sipping her milkshake.

I just nodded, already shoveling noodles into my mouth.

Clary smirked. "Someone's hungry."

Then she added, "Did you know Zack and Terra already met?"

Eska smirked. "Not surprised, He's a people person."

Clary nodded.

Pink leaned closer, her voice dropping to an excited whisper. "And he has a super cute brother who plays basketball. You'll love him!"

I nearly choked.

Pink grinned. "Oh, you're definitely meeting him after school."

And just like that, I realized—so much for laying low.

The school bell rang, signaling dismissal, and before I could protest, Pink had already latched onto my wrist, dragging me toward the basketball court. Clary and Eska followed close behind, exchanging amused glances at my lack of enthusiasm.

When we arrived, my eyes landed on a tall, undeniably attractive guy dominating the court. He had short, tousled brown curls, piercing blue eyes, and a build that screamed athleticism.

He wore red basketball shorts and a matching singlet, his muscles flexing effortlessly as he maneuvered the ball. His movements were fluid, precise, every attempt to steal the ball from him ended in failure. It was almost unfair how easy he made it look.

Pink sighed dreamily beside me. "Isn't he just perfect?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yep. I've seen enough. Can we go now?"

Clary looked at me like I had personally offended her. "How can you not be fascinated by this?"

Before I could reply, a sharp whistle cut through the court. An older man, most likely their coach called the team together. He spoke for a moment, probably giving them instructions or dismissing practice, and then the players began dispersing.

The guy in red, Jesse, I assumed, caught sight of us. His lips curled into a confident smirk as he sauntered over, a basketball casually spinning on his fingertips.

"Hello, ladies."

Pink and Clary practically melted. "Hey, Jesse," they cooed in unison, waving at him.

Jesse turned his attention to me, his blue eyes scanning me with mild curiosity. "New here?"

I nodded, offering nothing more.

He smirked again before picking up the ball and walking away without another word.

"I think he's a jerk," I whispered to Eska, who stood beside me with her arms crossed.

"Tell me about it," she muttered before turning to leave.

Before we could make our escape, Pink bolted after Jesse. "Hey! We're having a welcome-back party at Clary's place tonight. You're coming, right?"

Jesse barely glanced over his shoulder. "I'll try."

With that, he disappeared into the locker room.

I turned to Pink, raising an eyebrow. "A party?"

Clary nodded enthusiastically. "That's right."

Great. Just great. A party? Because that's exactly what I needed.

"One thing you need to know about popularity," Pink said as we left the court, "is to never miss a party."

I groaned under my breath. "Who said I want to be popular?"

But she was already walking ahead, leaving me to drag my reluctant feet behind them.

That night, Clary's house was buzzing with energy. The moment we stepped in, the crowd practically swarmed us. People I had never seen before clamored for pictures, acting like we were some kind of celebrities.

Pink leaned in and whispered, "Second rule of popularity, know how to make an entrance."

I sighed.

After maneuvering through the chaos, Clary introduced me to two girls trailing behind her. "Hey, Terra, I want you to meet my sisters, Resa and Annie." She gestured to the girls who looked like a younger version of herself. "And this is her best friend, Alexa Michael."

We exchanged quick pleasantries before they disappeared into the crowd.

Shortly after, Zack and Jesse arrived.

"Thought you wouldn't make it," Pink said, handing Jesse a glass of wine.

He took it without much interest. "I'll be at the balcony if you need me." Then he disappeared into the crowd.

Zack, on the other hand, was brimming with energy. "Hey, DT! Hope you brought your dancing shoes, because I'm in the mood for an all-night dance battle."

I scoffed. "I'm not much of a dancer."

Eska chuckled. "That's too bad."

The others wasted no time heading to the dance floor, leaving me behind. I hovered by the wine table, watching them for a while before the boredom became unbearable.

I decided to explore.

Clary's house was massive, ornately decorated with expensive furniture and artwork that looked too valuable to be in a house full of reckless teenagers. As I wandered down the hallway of rooms, I suddenly heard something.

Moans.

I rolled my eyes. What did I expect from a teenage party?

I was about to ignore it and walk away, but the sound grew louder. Louder than it should have.

Something was off.

Curiosity or maybe stupidity got the best of me. I approached the door and, with hesitant fingers, nudged it open just enough to peek inside.

And that's when I saw it.

A man, no, a thing was bent over a girl, his lips pressed against her neck. His eyes were pitch-black, veins spidering down from his temples. The girl in his grasp was deathly still, her skin pale and dry as if life itself was being drained from her. Her once-bright eyes had turned a horrifying shade of red.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my body locking up with terror.

Then,

I accidentally pushed the door open.

The hinges creaked, and the monster's head snapped up.

For a split second, our eyes met.

My blood turned to ice.

Before I could scream, a hand clamped over my mouth from behind, and strong arms yanked me backward.