The Crimson Diary

THE GOLDEN CAGE

I stood there froze in the middle of the living room, watching my mom disappear into the kitchen to get more biscuits and tea for our uninvited guests. My heart was hammering against my ribs like a wild drum, and my mind was so disorganised. As soon as the kitchen door swung shut and her footsteps faded, I lost my cool.

I stepped forward, grabbed Damon by the sleeve of his dark, expensive suit, and yanked him toward the dark hallway on the other side of the living room, near the stairs. I grabbed Lucian’s arm with my other hand and dragged him along too. I don't even know where I got the courage to drag two powerful vampires around, but I was so frustrated and terrified that my hands were shaking.

"What on earth are you two doing in my house?!" I whispered fiercely, keeping my voice as low as possible so my mom wouldn't hear me from the kitchen. "What is all this lie about a scholarship? I never applied for any Ravenwood Academy! And why are you sitting on my couch drinking tea with my mom like you're normal people?!"

Lucian just chuckled, adjusting his suit jacket where I had grabbed it. He leaned back against the wall with that same annoying, lazy smirk on his handsome face.

"Relax, little bird," Lucian murmured, his eyes glittering with amusement. "You should be thanking us. Your mom is practically crying tears of joy in there. We just made you a star student."

"I don't care about that!" I snapped softly, glaring at him before turning my eyes up to Damon. "Damon, tell me what is going on. You told me to go home in the woods last night and wash up. You said we will finish the conversation later! You didn't say you were going to invade my home and trick my mom!"

Damon didn't flinch. He just stood there towering over me in the dim light of the hallway, his cold, dark gaze fixed on my face. He took one step closer, closing the distance between us until I had to tilt my head back to look at him. His scent—that dark wine and oak smell—flooded my nose, making the back of my throat itch again.

"Listen to me carefully, Elena," Damon said, his deep voice dropping into a low, serious tone that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "We are not here to play games. Last night, when you bit me in the woods, your fresh blood signature flared out into the night. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I... I was hungry," I mumbled, my confidence slipping away as I remembered how greedily I drank from his neck. "I couldn't help it. Human food was making me throw up, and..."

"The Hunters in the area already picked up your scent in the woods last night," Damon interrupted smoothly, his dark eyes narrowing with intense seriousness. "They know a new, unstable vampire has been turned in this town. They are already scouring the perimeter for you."

My eyes widened in sheer horror as the words sank into my head. "Hunters...?"

"Yes, Hunters," Damon continued, his voice cold and firm. "If we leave you here in this normal human neighborhood with your mother, those monsters will track your blood straight to this house. They will burn this place to the ground just to wipe you out. Is that what you want for your mother?".

"No!" I gasped, my hand jumping to cover my mouth as a cold wave of fear washed over me. "No, please... don't hurt my mom."

"Then you are coming with us to Ravenwood Academy tonight," Damon said, looking straight into my eyes with absolute authority. "The academy is protected by ancient magic wards. It is the only place left where the Hunters cannot touch you, and the only place where you can learn how to control your new vampire body before you hurt someone."

"Beside," Lucian added, leaning in with a wink, "you don't really have a choice, little bird. Look at your hands. You're barely holding your fangs back right now. If you stay here another night, you might end up biting your own mother when she gets another cut."

I looked down at my trembling hands. He was right. The metallic smell of the cut on my mom's finger from yesterday was still fresh in my memory, and the burning in my throat was a constant reminder of what I was turning into. I was a danger to her.

Before I could say anything else, the kitchen door creaked open.

"Elena, sweetie! I found those shortbread cookies you like!" my mom called out, walking back into the living room with a fresh tray of snacks.

We quickly stepped out of the dark hallway back into the bright living room. I forced a big, fake smile onto my face, though my heart was breaking inside.

"Mom," I said, my voice cracking a little before I cleared my throat. "I... I think I should go. I should pack my bags and go with them to Ravenwood".

My mom's face lit up with so much pride and emotion. "Oh, sweetie! I knew you'd see what a golden opportunity this is! Let me help you pack your things right away!"

Thirty minutes later, my life was completely turned upside down.

I stood on the front porch with one heavy suitcase in my hand. My mom gave me a long, tight hug, crying happy tears on my shoulder while telling me how proud she was of me. I hugged her back as tightly as I could, swallowing the lump in my throat because I knew I couldn't tell her the dark truth. I couldn't tell her that her daughter was no longer human, or that I was being taken away by ancient vampires to hide from deadly killers.

"Be a good girl, okay? Call me as soon as you settle into your dorm!" my mom wiped her eyes, waving at us.

"I will, Mom. I love you," I whispered.

Damon took my suitcase effortlessly with one hand and opened the back door of a sleek, jet-black car that was parked in our driveway. I climbed into the backseat, and Damon sat right beside me, his large frame filling up the space. Lucian hopped into the driver's seat, started the engine, and pulled away from my house. I watched my mom standing under the porch light waving until our car turned the corner and she disappeared into the darkness.

The ride was long, quiet, and full of intense tension. Sitting so close to Damon in the tight backseat was making my head spin. Every time the car bumped, his shoulder brushed against mine, and that strange, warm pulse in my chest would beat violently, connecting my heartbeat straight to his. I didn't understand why my body was reacting to him like this, but I kept my head turned toward the window, watching the city lights slowly fade away into thick, dark fog and endless trees.

After driving deep into the dark woods for almost two hours, the car finally started slowing down.

I leaned closer to the glass, peering out into the foggy night. Up ahead, towering high above the trees, were massive, ancient iron gates lit by eerie blue fire. The gates had two giant gargoyles carved into the metal, and as our car approached, the gates creaked open all by themselves with a loud, heavy sound.

As Lucian drove the car through the gates, my breath caught in my throat.

The school was huge. It looked like an ancient, dark stone castle straight out of a horror movie, with gigantic spires reaching up into the cloudy night sky. The stone walls were covered in old vines, and long glass windows glowed with dim yellow light. There were wide courtyards with fountains, and everywhere I looked, there were students walking around under the moonlight.

But they didn't look like normal high school students. Some of them had glowing red eyes that flashed in the shadows, while others moved with unnatural, terrifying speed. On the far side of the courtyard, near the edge of the woods, a group of tall, broad-shouldered guys in leather jackets were standing around, laughing loudly with deep, gravelly voices.

Lucian glanced at me in the rearview mirror, a dangerous smirk playing on his lips as he slowed the car down near the main entrance.

"Adjusting here isn't going to be easy, little bird," Lucian said, nodding his head toward the group in leather jackets. "See those boys over there by the tree line? Those are the Werewolf alpha bloodlines. They can smell human blood from a mile away, and they hate vampires even more. Try not to let them smell your fear, or they'll eat you for breakfast."

My stomach dropped straight to my deets. Werewolves too?!

"Ignore him," Damon's deep, smooth voice cut through the air beside me. He reached over, his large hand wrapping around mine, sending a wave of electric heat through my fingers that instantly calmed my wild heart. His dark eyes locked onto mine in the shadows of the car. "You are under my protection now, Elena. No werewolf or vampire on this campus will dare to lay a finger on you." What am I feeling? Why am I feeling a strange warmth in my chest? Ugh,

I looked out the window again at the huge, ancient hallways visible through the tall castle doors. My hands were trembling, but as Damon held my hand tight, I realized there was no turning back now. I had just stepped right into the center of the supernatural world.

As I took a few steps forward into the towering, ancient lobby, a sudden, searing heat flared under my shirt collar. It didn't make me scream or fall to my knees, but it burned warm and heavy right over my chest, making me pause for a second to touch my neck. Through the fabric of my clothes, a soft crimson symbol began to glow, casting a faint red light across the marble floor beneath my deets. Lucian stopped dead in his tracks right beside me, his usual lazy smirk vanishing instantly as his eyes widened in pure shock. He stared at the glowing mark on my collar, then turned his head slowly to look at Damon with complete disbelief. "Damon..." Lucian whispered, his voice sounding so serious for the first time since I met him as he stepped back from us. "What did you do? That's the Patriarch's soul seal—she's your betrothed!"