AkumaQuil

He inches closer, a single finger roaming her heated skin. Breath mingling with breath. 

A loud bang vibrates through the room, so thunderous as if god himself was furious.

Slowly he looks up staring out the large glass windows to the backyard, 

"You have a visitor." His rasps calmly.

"Who?" Rose quickly fires, feigning ignorance. She knew well enough who it was. Her nightly visitor has arrived.

Surprising, He only visits when she is alone.

"One who comes out at night. Lurking in the shadows, in the darkness... just like its intensions."

He looks down still leaning on top her, once more pinning her with his intense gaze.

"Are you afraid?" His voice dead serious, eyes going back to look outside.

And Rose lied, "No." 

But is it a lie when her fear was never really rooting enough to make her run the other way but instead often getting mixed with exhilaration.

"You should be."  

He leaves her staring wide eyed on the sofa and goes to stand before the glass panes.

"It's not happy to see me here. I can see the raging pits of fire in it's gaze. Ready to burn me right where I stand." he chuckled, sounding most sinister, "It definitely wants to rip my innards out."

"You should take off your shirt." He suggests casually.

"Excuse me?"

"Let's see if it riles him up even more to shatter instead of just slamming the windows like a wuss." He rouses under his breath, his excited provocative tone not escaping Rose's attention. 

What the hell is he up to?

"This isn't funny." Rose sputters out, standing up from the couch.

"I'm not trying to be." He faces her again, sporting a deadpan face. 

"Whatever. You think I'm one of your stupid fan girls to take my shirt off just because you want to rile someone up? Besides, there's probably no one outside and you're only making it up to see my boobs like a pervert."

His eyes roams her from top to bottom, there was distaste evident in his gaze.

"When he comes at night and leaves a little something for you, maybe then you take off your clothes for him... like a slut." Rome stared into her eyes with nothing behind those icy orbs to show for a lack of meaning behind his words. Because he means every single thing he says to her.

"Get. Out. Now!" Rose boomed furiously. 

"Whatever, I was leaving anyway. This has become boring." He walks towards her front door.

"Wait. How do you know he comes at night and leaves something?" her eyes narrow.

"Because I've seen it before."

"You saw him? It is a real guy?" Rose wanted to confirm, for some reason she thought otherwise.

"I never said I saw him. I've only seen it happening to someone else." 

"Whom?" 

"You don't need to know." He closes off.

"Then at least tell me what happened to her? Can I meet this person?" 

"You can't." Refusing calmly he was almost out the door when Rose pleads against hope.

"Please."

"You can't because she disappeared." Those were the words that finally did it. Brought her racing heart and buzzing head to a sudden halt. "Never to be seen again." 

 "When he stops visiting, that's when you should be most afraid." His words rang like a siren in the silence of her mind as he left.

Now she felt true fear for the first time.

==

In the embrace of her ancestral town, Rose seeks refuge from the echoes of her past. 

Little does she know, her return to her roots will awaken dormant shadows, shattering ordinary her existence. 

For when the darkness falls over the town, from the pitch black rises a shadowy figure that haunt her nights. 

In the darkness he sweeps her off the ground in terrible fear and the allure of sinister intrigue.

And once the sun comes, a man with a god awful attitude, haunts her in the broad day light. Causing her to swell with pure disdain. 

With each passing night, it draws closer to Rose, casting a chilling spell that both terrifies and exhilarates her.

Thrust into a labyrinth of mysteries can she navigate the treacherous path laid before her, or will her nightly visitor consume her whole?

He Comes At Night

The rest of the class passed in the most mundane fashion—utterly, mind-numbingly boring. Happens when you can't put match one end with the other.

After a few more classes, Aria and Rose found themselves with a free period.

With no pressing obligations, they decided to hang out on the grassy field, where the campus's local football team was deep into their practice.

The rhythmic thud of a football hitting the ground, the occasional bursts of laughter, and the sharp calls of plays echoed through the open air.

Students lingered around, some watching, some merely enjoying the sun-soaked afternoon.

Girls on the other side of the field in their perky cheerleading outfits and pon pons, practicing with an extra flair to their moves when a jock passes by occasionally.

Rose's gaze lazily scanned the field until it landed on a familiar face among the players. Leo.

Not only was he a jock, but he also had the nerve to pull off the whole 'golden boy' look without even trying. Handsome, athletic, and annoyingly self-assured.

Her lips parted slightly before she caught herself. What the hell was wrong with her?

Since when did she start paying attention to guys who strutted around, acting like they could stake their claim on any girl just because they had the 'alpha male' gene?

She groaned internally, rolling her eyes at herself.

Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice Leo spotting them and making his way over until he was already standing in front of her.

"Hey," he greeted, flashing her a smile—though this time, it held a hint of hesitation.

Rose blinked up at him before replying with a casual, "Umm, hi?"

"Hi, Aria," he added, his confidence surging back as he turned his attention to her friend.

Aria grinned, responding with an easy "Hey."

Leo shifted back to Rose, rubbing the back of his neck—an endearing tell of a guy feeling a little nervous. "So, how was your first day?"

Rose tilted her head. "Oh, you know... eventful."

That was one way to put it. Compared to her first day of high school—which had mostly been spent trying to locate her impossibly tiny locker and deciphering a confusing schedule—this was practically a full-fledged saga.

Leo chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, I feel like I might've had something to do with some of those... events." His voice dropped slightly as he looked down before meeting her gaze again.

"Really? Can't imagine why you'd say that." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

He let out a soft laugh, and Aria, ever the romantic, practically had to hold herself back from swooning.

"Maybe because I completely botched my chances with the most beautiful girl on campus?" he teased, his lips quirking up.

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but Aria beat her to it.

"Easy there, cowboy," she drawled. "Flirting isn't gonna boost your chances. If anything, it's gonna sink them straight to the ground. She's not into overconfident, smooth-talking jocks who think charm is a personality."

Rose smirked, nodding in agreement.

Leo clutched his chest dramatically. "Ouch. That was a solid hit." He turned to Aria with a lopsided grin. "But, A—I'm not a wimpy teenager, and B—I don't play rugby, darling."

Rose raised an eyebrow. Not bad. The guy could hold his own against Aria's relentless wit. Impressive.

His attention returned to Rose, and the playful arrogance melted into something more genuine. His smile softened, a look of sincerity settling in his features.

"Jokes aside, I actually came over to apologize," he said. "About earlier today. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It wasn't my intention to make it seem like you needed someone to swoop in and save you. I just—" He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck again.

28. Apologies