"The Shadow's Secret: Who Is the Real Killer?"

Professor Luther entered the classroom, his expression grim. He cleared his throat before announcing, "Today's exam has been canceled. The school will be closed for the rest of the day due to a serious incident."

A murmur of confusion spread through the room. Then, he dropped the news that left us all frozen in shock.

"Three students were found dead in one of the school's storage rooms—two vampires and one werewolf. Until the investigation is concluded, you are all to return home. We will notify you when classes resume."

A heavy silence settled over the class, followed by gasps of disbelief. Sure, fights broke out at school occasionally, but murder? That was unheard of.

As we stepped outside, the air was thick with tension. Police cars lined the front of the school, their flashing lights reflecting off the worried faces of students. A group of grieving families stood nearby, their sobs filled with sorrow and barely contained rage. Some exchanged hateful glares, suspicion already taking root between the vampire and werewolf factions.

Luke and I climbed into the car, both of us still trying to process what had happened.

"Do you think it was just a fight that got out of control?" I asked, my voice uncertain.

Luke frowned, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "No. It doesn't add up. How could a single werewolf kill two vampires? If that happened, he should have survived—his wolf would have helped him heal. And if the two vampires had killed the werewolf, at least one of them should have lived. Something else is at play here."

I considered his words, a shiver running down my spine. He was right. A werewolf's natural healing abilities would have kept him alive long enough to call for help. If the vampires were strong enough to overpower him, one should have made it out. But all three were dead.

"Do you think someone set them up?" I asked slowly.

Luke turned to me, his expression darkening. "That's the most logical explanation. Someone must have manipulated them into fighting, let them exhaust themselves, and then finished them off. But why? And more importantly—who?"

A pit formed in my stomach. The families were already turning against each other, blaming one another for the deaths. But what if the real killer was watching from the shadows, amused by the chaos they had created?

"I saw their bodies," I murmured. "They weren't just killed—they were mutilated. Their blood had dried by the time they were found. Whoever did this wasn't just looking to kill… they wanted to send a message."

Luke didn't reply, but I could see in his clenched jaw that he was thinking the same thing.

When we arrived home, I let out a long breath and collapsed onto the couch, hoping to find some sense of normalcy. But Luke, frowning, disappeared into the house. Moments later, he returned.

"Dad's not here," he said. "And the food isn't ready either."

I sat up, a bad feeling creeping into my chest. "That's strange. He's always home at this time."

"I called him," Luke continued. "He said there was a problem he needed to handle. He told us not to worry and that he'd be home late."

I exchanged a glance with Luke, unease settling between us. Today had already been full of unexpected twists—was this just another coincidence, or was something bigger happening?

I nodded to him, and we headed to the kitchen to prepare some food. It took us about an hour to finish, and once we were done, Luke sat down at the kitchen table to eat. I, on the other hand, turned to leave, feeling no appetite after what I had witnessed that morning.

"Where are you going?" Luke's voice caught me off guard, but I quickly replied, "Upstairs. I need to rest for a bit."

"But you're not going to eat?"

"No, I don't feel like eating right now."

"But..."

I cut him off before he could continue, "Not now, Luke. I just need some sleep."

He studied me for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, go rest."

I climbed the stairs, my mind still lingering on the mysterious boy from my dream. Who was he? And where was that forest? I collapsed onto my bed, trying to recall his features, but they remained blurry. Strangely, I hadn't felt afraid—even though I was in an unfamiliar forest with a complete stranger. Why did the place feel so familiar?

Frustrated, I groaned and buried my face into a pillow. The weight of exhaustion pulled me under, and before I knew it, darkness took over.

A knock at the door jolted me awake. Blinking groggily, I sat up in bed. "Come in," I called, already knowing who it was. My father always knocked before entering. Luke, on the other hand, had no sense of boundaries and would barge in unannounced.

The door creaked open, and my father stepped inside. His face was drawn, preoccupied with something heavy on his mind.

A sudden realization hit me—did he already know about what had happened at school? Of course, he did! The school administration must have contacted him. How foolish of me to even wonder.

Wanting to lighten the mood, I forced a small smile and asked, "Hey, Dad. When did you get back?"

He stepped closer, gently stroking my hair with a tired smile. "A while ago," he said. "When I asked Luke about you, he told me he had checked on you and found you asleep. So I decided to wake you up myself. It's dinner time, and you haven't eaten yet. Get up, change your clothes, and come downstairs—we'll wait for you so we can eat together."

I smiled softly and replied, "Okay, I won't be long."

As my father left the room, I glanced outside and realized that night had already fallen. I grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed to the bathroom to change, remembering why I always did this—Luke never bothered knocking before entering my room.

Once I was ready, I made my way downstairs, finding them both waiting for me. I took my seat and began eating, but my gaze kept shifting between my father and Luke. There was a strange tension in the air, a heavy silence that felt unnatural, almost suspicious.

Clearing my throat to get their attention, I finally asked, "Dad, where were you this morning? And why were you late?"

My father paused his meal, his eyes locking with mine. After a moment, he answered, "I went to the school after receiving a call from someone in the administration. They told me what had happened and mentioned that the school would be closed for a few days. I went there to get to the bottom of it."

"But isn't it strange?" I asked, my voice tinged with confusion. "This is the first time something like this has happened. Luke and I talked, and we think someone set them up to get killed."

My father glanced briefly at Luke, who remained silent, before turning his gaze back to me. "Lara, there's something we need to discuss. You're not a little girl anymore. It's time you understood what's really going on."

I stared at him, surprised. "What do you mean, Dad? What happened?"

He took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious. "A long time ago, there was a cold war brewing between all the supernatural races. No one understood why, until one of the alpha wolves was killed, and his body vanished. But that event revealed something to us—who's behind these attacks and who's been manipulating things from the shadows."

His words caught my attention completely. I turned my focus to Luke, who had been staring at me all this time. His gaze was intense, making me listen even more carefully to my father's next words. "There's a girl behind all of this, someone we know nothing about. And because of her, you have to leave."

I frowned, confused. "Leave? What do you mean?"

He sighed. "She has the ability to take the form of someone dear to us, someone we trust, and use that to lure us into eliminating certain individuals. And she has been targeting the children of the leaders of every clan or kingdom, or those in positions of authority. That's why we've decided it's safer for you to go out of the country, to another school. Your flight is tomorrow."

"What?!" The word escaped me, and I felt the room closing in around me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. There were only a few days left until exams, and now he was telling me I had to leave—leave the only place I knew, the place I didn't want to leave, ever.

A heavy feeling settled in my chest, a mix of worry and fear. I looked at Luke for answers, but his face showed no signs of surprise. Did he know about this all along? My heart sank as I turned to him, standing up. "Did you know about this before?" I demanded.

He didn't respond, his gaze dropping to the floor. A bitter smile twisted on my lips as I muttered, "Good night," before quickly retreating to my room. My fear and anxiety morphed into anger. Since when did we have secrets? I paced the room, frustration building. Why hadn't they told me sooner? We could have figured this out together—or at least I would have been prepared. But now, suddenly, the flight was tomorrow, as if I were nothing more than a puppet!

Do they think I'm weak, incapable of defending myself? I'm strong enough to handle this on my own. I don't need their decisions for me.

A knock on the door broke my thoughts. I sighed angrily. I didn't want to talk to anyone, so I remained silent. My father's voice reached me through the wood. "I know you're angry with me, but believe me, everything I'm doing comes from my fear for you. You are my treasure, and I can't afford to neglect your safety."

He paused, then added, "I know you think Luke knew about this, but in reality, I told him when I got home. He surprised me by knowing more than I expected."

I didn't respond. There was a long silence before he spoke again. "Alright, I'll head to the office. When you're ready to talk, come down."