The Vampire Nightmare

Chapter 2

I didn't sleep again that night.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the man with crimson eyes standing in the moonlit courtyard, looking at me as though we'd been separated for a lifetime.

By the time my alarm rang at seven, I was already dressed.

I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"You need coffee," I muttered.

My reflection didn't argue.

Downstairs, the smell of pancakes and fresh coffee filled the kitchen.

Grandma was already humming softly while setting plates on the table.

"Morning, sleepyhead."

"I didn't sleep."

"I guessed."

She placed a plate in front of me before studying my face.

"You look exhausted."

"I feel exhausted."

I forced a smile, hoping she'd stop worrying.

Instead, she reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

"Whatever those dreams are, they won't last forever."

I wanted to believe her.

"I hope you're right."

-------

By the time I arrived at Raven Hollow University, the campus was buzzing with students rushing to their morning classes.

The familiar noise usually comforted me.

Today, it didn't.

Something felt...

Off.

I couldn't explain it.

The air seemed colder than usual.

Students kept glancing over their shoulders as though they sensed it too.

"Aria!"

I turned to see Lily waving enthusiastically.

She hurried over, her curly brown hair bouncing with every step.

"There you are!" she laughed.

"I was starting to think you'd skipped class."

"I almost did."

She studied my face.

"You look awful."

"Thanks."

"I mean it in the nicest way possible."

I laughed despite myself.

"I had another nightmare."

"The castle one?"

"Yeah."

"And the hot vampire?"

I rolled my eyes.

"He's not hot."

She folded her arms.

"The way you describe him says otherwise."

"I've never called him hot."

"You don't have to."

She grinned.

"Your face does all the talking."

Heat crept into my cheeks.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

She linked her arm through mine as we walked toward the Humanities Building.

"You know, maybe your dreams actually mean something."

"I doubt they're predicting my future."

"You never know."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

Before I could answer, a strange chill swept across the campus.

The laughter around us faded.

Students slowed to a stop.

Almost everyone looked toward the front gates.

A black car had just pulled onto campus.

It wasn't flashy.

It wasn't loud.

Yet something about it drew every eye.

The engine fell silent.

The driver's door opened.

A tall man stepped out.

He wore a long black coat despite the warm weather.

Dark hair brushed his forehead.

His posture was calm and confident.

Then he looked up.

Straight at me.

My breath caught.

Crimson eyes.

Exactly like the ones from my dreams.

No.

It couldn't be.

This had to be another nightmare.

The world around me seemed to disappear.

I couldn't hear Lily talking anymore.

I couldn't hear the students.

There was only him.

His expression softened with something that looked almost like relief.

As though he had finally found something precious.

He started walking toward me.

One step.

Then another.

Every instinct told me to run.

But my feet refused to move.

When he stopped a few feet away, he spoke in a voice I had heard a thousand times in my dreams.

"Aria."

My name sounded different when he said it.

Gentle.

Heartbroken.

Familiar.

I swallowed hard.

"Do... do I know you?"

A faint smile touched his lips.

"You don't remember."

Before I could ask what he meant, a cold breeze swept through the campus.

The temperature dropped so suddenly that students wrapped their arms around themselves.

The stranger's expression changed instantly.

His crimson eyes narrowed as he looked past me.

His voice became sharp.

"Get down!"

I barely had time to react.

A deafening explosion shattered the university entrance.

Students screamed.

Glass rained across the courtyard.

And from the cloud of smoke...

A man with eyes as black as midnight stepped onto the campus, smiling as though he had been waiting for this moment.