Shadows Before the Rise

^

"Aurora seems to be absent today," Isaac said aloud, glancing at the group.

Everyone turned toward Peter, including Mateo, who stayed quiet.

"She's around...probably just busy," Peter muttered, pushing food around his plate.

Mateo stared at his own untouched meal before rising abruptly.

"Mat!" Jennifer called after him, but he was already out the café doors, leaving them puzzled.

"Seems the lovebirds had a fight," Raymond smirked.

"Shut it, Ray," Melanie snapped with a glare.

—

Mateo moved through the school grounds, scanning for Aurora. He tried to focus on her heartbeat, her scent...anything...but nothing reached his vampire senses. She wasn't in any classroom either. Then he turned toward the library.

There, tucked away in the quietest corner, he found her—fast asleep, her arms wrapped around a book. Her hair fell across her face, her chest rising and falling with slow, peaceful breaths.

He smiled. His sweet girl looked like an angel—so calm and untouched by the world's cruelty. Gently, he slid the book from her grip.

Her eyes fluttered open, meeting his.

"Mat," she whispered, voice soft with surprise.

This corner of the library was always quiet...isolated. Only them... here. Just the two of them.

"I didn't mean to wake you," he said gently.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting upright.

"I came to find you."

She hesitated before speaking. "I'm sorry about yesterday, Mat."

Mateo shook his head. Suddenly, he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a slow embrace, his arm circling her waist.

"I should be the one apologizing," he whispered. "I promise to tell you anything you want to know."

She shivered slightly as his hand brushed her hair behind her ear. His touch was cold...soothing and strange.

"I know what happened, Mat," she spoke.

Mateo frowned. Aurora then shared her dream, her conversation with his mother—the witch...and everything she saw.

"My mother... was a witch?" he muttered, stunned. "She knew her death?"

He'd grown up believing she was ordinary, just like any other human. But now, to hear she was powerful ...and gone by choice...left him shaken.

"She loved you, Mat," Aurora said gently.

He lowered his gaze. "Orson told me to bury him after he turned me. His body is beneath the grounds of Morsvil High."

Her eyes widened.

"We can't awaken him now," Mateo added. "The Rise and Shine party is in a few days, and there will be too many eyes."

Aurora nodded. She was the one organizing the event, after all.

"I should visit Constance," Mateo stated. He was hesitant about bringing Aurora near... with vampires still lurking. No one knew if the original vampires had died that day—after the chaos, they'd all vanished, leaving Orson and Hilda lifeless on the ground.

More rogue vampires were being created. Vampire hunters had shown up, and someone was still fueling the bloodline.

"Get some food," he said softly. "Try not to worry."

They left the library together, Mateo slipping out of the school gates as Aurora headed toward the cafeteria.

—

Inside, Aurora noticed whispers circulating like wind. Something had happened.

She took a tray and sat at an empty table. Penelope approached, smiling nervously.

"Can I sit, Miss?" the girl asked.

Aurora nodded.

"What's going on, Penny?" she asked gently.

"A girl was found unconscious in her dorm. They rushed her to the clinic... people say she's dead."

Aurora's chest tightened. 'Was it a vampire?'she thought...

"What happened to her?"she questioned the girl who seemed agitated

"I don't know. The school seems normal, apart from the scheming students," Penny answered with a sharp glare at a nearby group.

Aurora thought for a moment. "You live in the dorms, right?"

Penelope nodded.

"Do you ever notice anything strange about the school?"

"Not really. Just the usual gossip, drama... and people acting like they run the world."

Aurora tried to stay calm. She kept eating, but her mind spun with fear. Something was happening again...and she had to be ready.

—

That evening, Aurora sat in her room, working on her laptop. She was reviewing details for the Rise and Shine party and drafting ideas to send to Mrs. Janet.

A sudden chill swept through the room...despite the windows being tightly shut.

"Mateo," she whispered, eyes darting to the corner.

There he stood—gloomy and pale, wind brushing through his dark hair. He walked over and sat on her bed, taking her hands into his cold ones.

"You have to be extra careful now, Aurora," he said, his voice low and urgent.

Her heart skipped. "Why? What's going on?"

He squeezed her hands tightly, as if letting go would make her disappear.

"The vampires are still alive," he said. "And worse...something bigger is coming. Orson needs to be awaken. He's the only one who can stop what's brewing before there's another massacre."

Aurora's lips parted in shock. Her dream—the war, the death...flashed in her mind. She thought of Mateo, of her cousins, her students. She didn't want to lose any of them.

"But... you're a vampire. Can't you stop them?"

"I'm not enough. None of us are. Orson is the only one strong enough to end this."

"But he's dangerous," she whispered. "He's my grandfather... but he's the devil."

Mateo nodded slowly. "He's not what the stories make him seem. He was loved once. He protected his loved once. You need to trust me, Aurora."

Mateo never thought of the day he would be willing to awaken that devil...

She lowered her gaze, heart pounding.

"When will you do it?" she asked finally.

"Piper is already preparing. We'll perform the ritual during the Rise and Shine party."

Aurora blinked. "That's in a week."

Mateo's eyes met hers. "We have seven days to prepare. After that... everything changes."