The Crimson Diary

UNSEEN EYES

The dormitory room felt surprisingly homey once Chloe helped me unpack my bags. The heavy velvet curtains kept out the harsh afternoon sun, and the crackle of the small stone fireplace made the place feel warm and cozy instead of like a dark castle dungeon

.

Chloe had already run down to the cafeteria to grab us some evening snacks, leaving me alone in the room for the first time all day.

I sat on the edge of the soft mattress, pulled out my phone from my back pocket, and stared at the screen. Seeing my home wallpaper—a silly selfie of me and my mom making faces in our kitchen—made a sudden wave of homesickness hit my chest.

Taking a deep breath, I hit her contact and placed the phone to my ear.

It rang three times before her familiar, energetic voice filled the speaker. "Elena! Oh, thank goodness. How is the new school? Did you settle in okay?"

I couldn't help the small, genuine smile that spread across my face. "Hey, Mom. Yeah, I just finished getting my room set up. It’s... really big. The whole campus looks like an old historical castle."

"A castle!" Mom laughed, the sound of clinking dishes echoing in the background. "Look at you, my brilliant girl, living in a castle on a full scholarship! I knew all those late-night study sessions would pay off. Are your roommates nice?"

"Yeah, my roommate Chloe is super friendly," I said, leaning back against the pillows. "How are things at home? Is everything okay with you?"

"Oh, you know how this old house is," Mom sighed softly, though her tone remained cheerful. "The kitchen pipe started leaking again this afternoon, and the hallway light fixture completely gave out. But don't you worry about that! I called a local maintenance service an hour ago. They said they were sending two repairmen over to fix the plumbing and the lights."

"Alright, just make sure you don't overwork yourself," I said softly, a lump forming in my throat. "I miss you, Mom."

"I miss you too, sweetie. Call me tomorrow after your classes, okay? Study hard!"

"I will. Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, baby."

I hung up the phone and set it on the nightstand, letting out a long, quiet sigh.

Miles away, in the quiet residential neighborhood where Elena grew up, the sun was just beginning to set behind the trees.

Inside the small, cozy bungalow, Elena's mom placed her phone on the kitchen counter with a smile. She picked up a dish towel to wipe her hands, turning toward the hallway where the sink was still slowly dripping into a plastic bucket.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Heavy, deliberate knocks echoed from the front door.

"Coming!" she called out, setting the towel down and walking down the hallway.

She unlocked the latch and pulled the heavy wooden front door open.

Standing on the porch were two tall men. They both wore dark gray work jumpsuits with toolboxes in their hands, looking every bit like the maintenance crew she had ordered. But under their rolled-up sleeves, subtle leather straps were strapped tight against their forearms, and their boots were thick, heavy, tactical gear.

"Mrs. Gilbert?" the lead man asked. His voice was low, flat, and completely devoid of warmth. His gray eyes swept over the doorway, taking in every detail of the hallway behind her.

"Yes! Oh, you must be the repairmen for the kitchen leak," she said with a welcoming smile, stepping back to let them in. "Thank you for coming so fast. The sink is right this way in the kitchen."

"Thank you, ma'am," the second man said smoothly, stepping inside.

As the lead man walked toward the kitchen, his eyes didn't look at the dripping pipe. His gaze carefully scanned the coat rack near the door, the family photo frames on the wall, and the shoes lined up near the mat.

While the second man knelt under the sink, pretending to inspect the metal pipes with a flashlight, he quietly slid a small, silver compass-like device out from his tactical pocket.

The device was crafted from pure, refined silver—a Hunter’s blood-compass, designed to spin violently whenever a fresh vampire or newborn blood signature was near.

The needle stayed completely still.

The second man subtly shook his head at his partner. The lead man stepped down the hallway toward the bedrooms, glancing through Elena’s open door. The room was neat, the bed was made, and there wasn't a single trace of cold energy, fresh blood, or supernatural presence lingering in the air.

"Is everything alright back there?" Elena's mom called out from the living room.

"Yes, ma'am," the lead man replied, stepping back into the kitchen with a polite, stiff nod. "Just checking the main breaker line. Your daughter... does she live here with you?"

"Oh, Elena?" Mom smiled proudly. "No, she just left yesterday for her university scholarship program up north. It's just me here now."

The lead man exchanged a brief, tight glance with his partner.

"I see," the lead man said, setting his toolbox down. "Well, the pipe just needs a simple washer replacment. We'll have this fixed up for you in ten minutes."

"Oh, wonderful! Thank you so much," she said, turning back to the stove to finish making her tea, completely unaware of the danger that had just walked into her home.

Outside on the quiet street, parked under the shade of an oak tree, sat a dark SUV with tinted windows. Inside, a third man held a radio to his ear.

"Report," a voice rasped through the radio speaker.

"House is clean," the Hunter in the SUV replied into his mic, watching the house through binoculars. "No blood signature, no cold aura, no supernatural trace. The mother confirmed the girl left yesterday for school."

"So the Ravenwood rumor might be false?" the voice asked over the frequency.

"We can't be sure yet," the Hunter answered coldly, staring at a blurred photograph of Elena taken from a distance. "If she really was turned into a vampire, her blood signature would have left a mark in that house. Either she's completely human... or whoever turned her knows how to erase a bloodline trace."