Chapter One
1430 Words
Chapter One: “WTF Is This Place?”
It started with thunder and ended with me dragging my suitcase through a muddy forest road that looked like it hadn’t seen civilization since vampires had BlackBerry phones.
Welcome to Hollowmoor, population: creepy trees, fog, and probably a few things that would snack on me if I walked wrong.
“My entire life is a joke,” I muttered as another wheel of my suitcase got stuck in the sludge. “Not even a funny one. Just straight disrespect. Even the universe must not want me.”
Rain was falling heavily, soaking me to the brim. Great way to make a first impression, Aurora. I already looked like a sad, drowned rat with emotional baggage.
My biological parents went AWOL the moment I was born, leaving me at an orphanage with a little letter in pretty handwriting.
Yeah, I still had it. Probably because I was hoping, hey! Maybe they’ll come whisk me away. And it’s not that I was suffering with my adoptive parents or anything — nah.
Quite the opposite. They loved me like their own, and I loved them too. But some days ago, they mysteriously disappeared. Since I’m still seventeen, I was shipped off to my aunt’s place — my adoptive mom’s sister. She’s supposed to be my new guardian.
My mom never really talked about Aunt Morana. But some nights before they went missing, she said they were going undercover, that they’d be reported missing but I shouldn’t worry. She even gave me an address and instructions for the police. I thought she was joking, so I smiled and took everything.
Three days ago, I woke up and boom! They were gone. Yesterday, I reported it. And today… here I am. Headed to my aunt’s place.
The rain was still pounding as I trudged through the empty streets. Probably around 8 p.m. now. Empty, except for some snarls and howls in the distance. Oh, and the occasional sparks of light.
I walked past a church that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. Gothic windows, black ivy crawling up the walls, the kind that looked… alive. I half expected bats to come flying out when I stepped closer.
Spoiler: they did.
“Cool. Fantastic. Definitely not cursed.”
That one’s definitely abandoned.
I finally reached the address. I sighed and raised my torch higher.
The gate creaked open on its own — because of course it did — and I rolled my suitcase in, feet squelching in the mud. Every instinct in me screamed to run back to New York and pretend this whole “go live with your aunt” thing never happened. I could survive on my own until my parents came back.
But my phone had no service, no GPS, and I had no cash (well, except for the inheritance I’ll get from both my real and adoptive parents when I turn 18). Plus, my only family now lived here.
Correction: my only known family.
Because everything about my life up to this point had been one giant question mark.
Where did I come from?
Why did my adoptive parents vanish without a trace, claiming they were on a “mission”? Since when were they spies?
And why the hell did my reflection sometimes flicker in the mirror like it wasn’t really mine?
Yeah. I’m so mentally stable.
---
When the door opened, I half expected thunder and dramatic music. Instead, I got hit with a wall of lavender incense and judgment.
Standing in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes sharp enough to slice bone, was Morana Vale — my adoptive mother’s only sister, and apparently now, my legal guardian.
She looked like a rich witch who cursed people for fun: silver hair tied back into a severe bun, obsidian jewelry, black robes, and a vibe that said touch anything and die.
“Aurelia,” she said, voice cool and clipped. “You’re late.”
“I was dropped in the middle of the woods, but slay — let’s talk punctuality.”
Her left brow twitched. “Lose the sarcasm. It won’t help you here.”
And just like that, I was inside. No offer to help with my suitcase. No smile. Just turned and walked down the long hallway like I was supposed to follow. The place looked like a museum — ancient paintings, floating candles, whispering shadows (not kidding).
I followed, because what else was I going to do? Sleep outside with the banshees?
---
The house was massive. Like, twelve bedrooms, three libraries, and possibly a dungeon I wasn’t supposed to find massive.
Morana led me to a room on the second floor and opened the door with a flick of her wrist — and yep, the handle moved on its own. Definitely witchy.
“You’ll stay here,” she said. “Keep your voice down after dark. Don’t wander. And avoid the west wing.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all.”
She gave me a look. “You start school tomorrow. Uniform’s in the closet. Breakfast is at seven. Don’t be late.”
And with that, she was gone.
No hugs. No welcome. Not even a “here’s the Wi-Fi password.” Just… doom vibes. Lucky me!
---
The room was pretty, at least. Dark wine walls, silver curtains, a four-poster bed, and a desk with old books stacked neatly.
There was a mirror over the dresser, and when I looked into it...
My reflection blinked before I did.
I flinched back, heart slamming in my chest.
Nope. Nope. Totally fine. Probably just fatigue. Or stress. Or ghost possession.
I threw my hoodie off, locked the door, and faceplanted into the mattress.
Tomorrow, I’d go to Hollowmoor Academy — a school full of Lycans, witches, vampires, and who knew what else.
Tomorrow, I’d have to pretend I was normal.
Even though lately, I’d been hearing voices when I touched water.
Even though people sometimes… froze when I sang.
Even though something inside me was waking up — and I didn’t know how to stop it.
---
The Next Morning…
Breakfast was painfully awkward.
I sat across from Thorne and Isla, my cousins. Isla was fae-blooded — all glittery skin and mischievous grins. She smiled at me like she knew secrets I didn’t. Honestly, I think everyone knows secrets before me. Like I didn’t know anything existed until four days ago.
Thorne? Yeah, no smiles. Just smoldering stares and a tension I couldn’t place. His eyes were sharp, his vibe intense. We didn’t talk.
“Do they always act like this?” I whispered to Isla after five minutes of straight silence and fork clinks.
She leaned in, fake-whispering back, “Only when there’s a new prophecy girl in the house.”
I choked on my juice. “Excuse me?”
“Nothing!” she sang. “See you at school!”
---
Hollowmoor Academy was worse than expected.
The school sat on a hill like a gothic cathedral, all black stone and silver banners. Every student looked like they’d stepped off a fantasy Pinterest board — leather jackets, silver rings, too-hot-to-be-legal cheekbones. Definitely non-humans. Were humans even allowed in this school? I’d have to ask Isla later.
And then there was me. Still dripping with awkward, wearing a too-tight skirt and boots that squelched. Fantastic.
“New girl?” someone said behind me.
I turned — and nearly passed out.
He was 6’3 of black leather, smirking lips, and dark curls that fell over storm-gray eyes. His presence hit me like a cold wave. I couldn’t breathe.
“Cute boots,” he added, gaze lingering way too long. “You lost, Little Mermaid?”
“Excuse me?”
He stepped closer, and my heart stuttered.
“I’m Damien. Try not to stare too much — it makes my wolf twitch.”
Oh.
Hell.
No.
“You’re not that hot,” I snapped, stepping back.
“Bold words, songbird.”
Something in me shivered. His eyes flashed gold for a second — most likely his wolf.
“You don’t know what I am,” I said.
He grinned. “Not yet. But I’m dying to find out.”
---
And that’s when it hit me.
He wasn’t just hot.
He wasn’t just cocky.
He was dangerous.
How do I know? The smile. Who smiles like that? It was realm-shattering. Swoon-worthy. And for some reason…
My magic wanted him anyway.
Not that I had magic. But if I did, I’d magic him to love me.
- Writer
