The Scent of Fear

The first thing Eliot felt was warmth.

Then pressure.

Then... something soft on his cheek.

He groggily opened his eyes and realized he was buried against Selena's chest, her arms curled around him like a sleepy snake. Her long hair was draped over his head, and her breath tickled his ear with every exhale.

Oh no.

Not again.

He tried to pull away gently, but her grip tightened reflexively.

"Five more minutes…" she murmured, half-asleep, voice husky.

"I-I need to shower," he whispered, face burning.

She blinked one eye open lazily, then smiled the kind of smile that could end nations.

"Wanna do it together?" she teased, clearly more awake than she let on.

Eliot's brain short-circuited. "What?! N-No!"

She laughed, stretching like a cat. "Relax, I'm kidding. You're way too shy. It's adorable."

Eliot stumbled out of bed, tripping over his own pants in his rush to escape.

Selena took her time. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him with the faintest smirk as he darted out the door.

Despite the strange start, school was normal.

Too normal.

Eliot couldn't stop glancing around, half-expecting to see the mystery girl from yesterday—the one with hollow eyes and trembling hands—but she was nowhere in sight.

"She's not here," he said to Selena between classes.

Selena leaned back against a locker, sipping a strawberry drink pouch with casual disinterest. "She's avoiding us. Smart."

"You don't think… she's skipping?"

Selena shook her head. "Nope. She's here. Just hiding."

Eliot looked confused. "How can you be sure?"

Selena pulled something from her bag and dangled it in front of his face: a tiny silver hairclip, ordinary at first glance.

"I gave her this yesterday," she said. "Told her it would help with the nightmares.

It's actually a tracker."

Eliot blinked. "You carry around magical trackers disguised as hair clips?"

"I carry around a lot of things," she said, smiling with just enough mystery to make his stomach flip. "Gotta keep my pets in check."

"…I'm not a pet."

"Didn't say you were."

The sun dipped low as the last bell rang. Students poured out of classrooms, flooding the gates like ants freed from a box.

Selena and Eliot lingered by the back exit, eyes on their phones. A blinking red dot moved slowly across a small map.

"She's heading toward the industrial area behind town," Selena muttered.

Eliot adjusted his bag nervously. "Why would she go there?"

Selena's eyes narrowed. "Because she's not walking alone."

A shadow passed across her face. Her tone dropped.

"Something's leading her."

They followed on foot. The streets grew quieter with each block, giving way to warehouses and rusted fences. The air smelled like oil and something else, something sour and metallic.

Finally, they saw her.

The girl from before.

She stood in the middle of an abandoned lot, swaying slightly, as if in a trance.

Selena raised her hand, stopping Eliot. "Wait."

Eliot peeked from behind her shoulder. "Is she okay?"

"No."

The girl's head twitched unnaturally, as though responding to a sound no one else could hear. Her eyes rolled back, white as snow.

Then something crawled out of her shadow.

It was long. Too long. And its limbs bent the wrong way, like broken twigs stitched together.

"Monster," Selena growled. "A real one."

Eliot took a step back. "Wh-What do we do?!"

Selena stepped forward, her aura darkening like a drop of ink in water.

"We kill it."

The second that twisted creature slithered from the girl's shadow, she was already moving an elegant blur of speed and fury. Her heel slammed into the pavement, cracking it, and she launched herself at the monster, hand glowing with that violet shimmer Eliot had only seen once before.

But the monster reacted.

It let out a shrill screech like tearing metal, and the ground around it burst open. From the cracks, minions poured out: hunched, twitching things with gaping mouths and sunken eyes. They swarmed toward Selena in a flurry of limbs and shrieks.

"Tch—cheap trick," she spat, pivoting midair and swinging a glowing arc that tore through the first wave of them.

Eliot stood frozen. The girl, the one they'd followed, was collapsed on the ground now, eyes fluttering as though she was trapped in a nightmare. The main creature hovered over her like a grotesque shadow, its attention fully on Selena… until one of the minions broke off from the fight.

And ran straight at Eliot.

His breath caught in his throat. His legs wouldn't move.

It was too fast.

The thing lunged.

Thump-thump.

His heart exploded with fear, but something else surged with it. A spark, no, a pull deep in his chest, like someone had lit a fuse that reached his bones.

The minion's claws slashed for his face but stopped midair.

There was a sudden, invisible barrier, like glass, between him and the creature. And then his hands began to glow with the same faint, violet energy as Selena's.

"What the hell?" he whispered, staring at his palms.

The minion growled, undeterred, and struck again.

This time, Eliot dodged barely. His body moved on instinct, sharper than before. Quicker. His foot lashed out, and he kicked the thing back.

Two more charged at him.

He panicked. Swung.

The violet energy surged, bursting from his hands like a shockwave and knocking them flat.

He was breathing hard, trembling, but he was alive. And he wasn't helpless anymore.

Across the lot, Selena had carved through the rest of the minions with brutal grace. Her clothes were torn at the sleeves, her hair wild, and her eyes glowing with a dark light. She hurled a final strike straight into the original monster's chest, the impact causing an explosion of shadowy smoke.

When the dust cleared, the creature was gone.

So were the minions.

Selena walked toward him, brushing soot off her arms.

"You alright?"

"I… I think so," Eliot said, still catching his breath.

"You… took care of it?"

"Obviously."

They turned toward the girl. She was unconscious but breathing normally now, her expression peaceful. Whatever had been possessing her was gone.

"Come on," Selena said, lifting the girl effortlessly.

"Lets take her home."

The walk back was quiet at first. The streets were empty, painted gold by the dying sun.

Then Eliot broke the silence.

"Am I a vampire?"

Selena snorted so hard she nearly dropped the girl.

"What?! No! What kind of logic is that?"

"I don't know!" Eliot huffed.

"My hands glowed like yours. And I kicked a monster halfway across a parking lot!"

Selena shook her head, still laughing. "You're not a vampire, dummy."

"Then what was that?!"

Selena glanced at him, then looked forward. "You're my familiar."

"…Huh?"

"You share a bond with me," she said. "It's like… magically tethered. I made it when I gave you that first drop of my blood. That's why I can sense you, why I can protect you. And now, apparently, you're starting to draw from it."

Eliot blinked. "So I… borrowed your powers?"

"Not exactly. It's more like… the bond opened a gate. A tiny one. Some of my power flowed through it when you were in danger."

Eliot's stomach twisted. "So does that mean I'm gonna become like you?"

Selena was silent for a beat. "I guess so."

By the time they reached the girl's house and dropped her off quietly, slipping away before her parents could notice, it was late. The moon was rising. Their street was quiet.

Back at their house, the normal rhythm returned.

Eliot showered alone, thank god, and heated up some leftover noodles. Selena sipped from a sleek, matte black bottle that she kept in a drawer Eliot was now very afraid to open.

Later, they ended up in the same bed again.

Eliot lay stiffly on one side, trying not to move.

"Relax," Selena said, curling under the covers.

"The deal was two days, remember?"

"I didn't think you'd take it seriously," he muttered.

She smiled in the dark. "I take promises seriously."

There was a pause.

Then Eliot whispered, "Selena?"

"Yeah?"

"…Thanks. For today."

She didn't answer right away. Then:

"You're welcome. But next time… don't freeze up."

"I didn't!"

"You did."

"...Fine. Maybe a little."

She laughed softly, rolling onto her side.

"Goodnight, familiar."

"Goodnight."