Beautiful Threat
1295 Words
Skylar Xylon
I wasn’t expecting to see him again.
Hell, I wasn’t expecting to want to.
But there he was.
In my goddamn school hallway.
Dressed in black jeans, boots, and a charcoal-gray sweater that clung to his arms like it was custom-made. No cloak. No drama.
My jaw may have dropped. Just a little.
He looked… normal.
But my heart wasn’t. It was racing like it remembered him before my brain did.
Word had clearly spread that the new guy looked like a Calvin Klein model
He had a flock of girls all around him, trying to introduce themselves or trying to get his attention but he seemed uninterested. He turned, eyes scanning the crowd of students—and landed on me.
And then—he smiled. That slow, crooked, I-know-you-remember-me kind of smile.
My breath caught.
Damn. He looked better in daylight.
He started walking toward me. And I? I froze like an i***t mid-step, one hand on my locker like I needed it to stay upright.
You,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
His eyes flicked to mine, amused. “Me. You look surprised,” he said, voice low and velvet-smooth.
“I—yeah—I mean, I didn’t think I’d see you again.”
God. That was lame. So lame.
“I wasn’t sure either,” he said simply. “But here I am.”
“You woke up this morning and thought ‘Hm, I’d love to suffer through Calculus and campus parking?
He laughed. And it was so unfair that he even laughed beautifully.
“I guess I did. But I don’t regret it. The view is better here” he said, giving me a heated gaze
Was he flirting with me?
I tilted my head. “You don’t have a bag. Or any kind of… modern accessory.”
“I have an ID,” he said, pulling out a student card from his back pocket.
I leaned in to look—and finally, finally—saw his name.
Julian Thorne.
Thorne. The name suited him.
“Julian,” I repeated, trying it out.
His eyes flicked to mine, like he liked how it sounded on my tongue.
“And you are…?”
“Skylar,” I said.
“A beautiful name,” he murmured. “For a beautiful girl.”
I flushed instantly. Damn it. I was nineteen. Not twelve. Why did he make me feel like this?
I tried to recover with sarcasm. “Well, thank you, Mr. Time Traveler.”
That got another smile. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
We started walking down the hall, and for the first time in forever, I didn’t care who stared. His presence was magnetic. People moved out of the way without him saying a word.
“Where’s your phone?” I asked eventually.
He looked confused for a second. “I’ve never owned one.”
I blinked. “You’ve never had a phone?”
He tilted his head. “Why would I need one?”
I snorted. “To text. Call. Get memes. Take pictures. Know what is trending.”
“I prefer letters,” he said. “Ink. Paper. Things that last.”
Was he joking?
Either way, I found it amusing.
I wish this day never ended and what was better, he took all the same classes as me. I got to look at him and fantasize about his lips and his eyes
We walked home together after classes, and it felt… right. Like we were syncing to the same rhythm. I made him laugh twice—actual laughs, not that polite smirk he gave other people.
I found myself leaning closer. Not because I had to.
Because I wanted to.
I found out he didn’t know what t****k was. Or how to use vending machines. He was either the best actor alive or… something else entirely.
“You’re telling me you’ve never had ramen noodles?”
“Are those the squiggly ones in a cup?”
“Yes!” I threw my hands up. “How are you alive?!”
“I prefer blood oranges.” His artic blue eyes flicked to my lips for a fraction of a second
“Okay, weird pause after the word blood.” I smiled, really enjoying his company even though I did most of the talking
“I just moved here because of my dad. He’s kind of stuck up but I love him. I don’t usually have friends but I’m so glad I met you. So… when did you even get here? Like, to Glen Valley?”
Julian was quiet for a second too long.
Then he replied “Not long ago.”
I nudged him playfully. “What, did you follow me or something?” I joked. “Why’d you choose Glen Valley?”
I wasn’t just curious. I enjoyed the sound of his voice and I wanted him to talk more.
“I came for a reason,” he said
I raised a brow. “Oh yeah? What reason?”
His voice dipped, almost too soft for me to hear.
“To end a bloodline.”
I held his gaze and I started laughing.
Full, uncontrollable laughter that made a few people turn.
“What’s funny?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.
“You. You are! I love the way you talk like you swallowed a 19th century poetry book and the way you say terrifying things with a straight face.”
“I wasn’t trying to terrify you.”
I grinned. “Which is what makes it worse. You’re not even trying. You’re just naturally creepy and charming at the same time. It’s incredible.”
He blinked, clearly not used to being called “incredible” for that particular combination.
“You’re not afraid of me,” he observed.
“Should I be?”
“Most would be.”
I shrugged. “I’m not most people.”
His mouth curved slightly. “No. You’re not.”
I was about to tell him I’d never laughed this much in my life when a car came screeching around the corner fast. Too fast
It Swerved. Brakes squealing. Tires skidding straight toward me.
I froze.
Julian didn’t.
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second, I was standing in the car’s path—and the next, I was in his arms, pressed to his chest on the other side of the street.
My ears rang. My heart pounded.
“How did you—” I stammered, looking at the street we’d just crossed.
He didn’t answer.
“Julian?” I whispered.
But he was looking at my knee.
I followed his gaze and realized I must’ve scraped it during the panic. Blood trickled down, staining my sock.
Shit.
I looked up to him and saw his eyes kind of darken. His breath hitched like he was… restraining something.
“Julian…?”
He snapped his gaze away.
I looked closer at his hand—there was blood on it.
His blood. A gash ran across his palm. Deep.
“Oh my God—you’re bleeding—” I tried to take out kerchief to give it to him
“No,” he said, and when I looked again…
It was gone.
Not bandaged.
Not scabbed.
Gone.
His skin was smooth and unmarred. What the hell? What did I see? Was it a trick of the light? My eyes playing up?
My breath caught. “I just saw—”
But he stepped back. “It was your blood. Skylar, I have to go.”
I bent down to inspect my wound
“Wait, Julian, how do I conta-” I raised my head up and he was gone
Like he’d never been there at all.
- Writer
