Mavamwol

Chapter Six: A CloseTruth

I ran through the hallway, nearly slipping as my heartbeat pounded like thunder in my ears. My vision shook, the edges fading in and out, and my grey eyes burned with a strange, unbearable hunger. A craving. A pull.

Something thick… something red…

Something I didn’t want to name.

I stumbled toward the girls’ restroom, hoping to hide, hoping to breathe—but the moment I sensed someone nearby, everything inside me twisted.

A boy stood alone at his locker, flipping through his books, completely unaware of the storm raging behind him. The instant I caught the faint rhythm of his pulse—quiet, steady, human—something inside me recoiled. A part of me wanted to move closer, but another part of me was horrified by that urge.

What was wrong with me?

Why did I feel drawn to something I shouldn’t?

My fingers trembled. My chest tightened. The hallway spun—

And then a hand grabbed me.

Not rough.

Not painful.

But firm enough that I couldn’t pull away.

Before I could fight it, I was pulled sharply into the solid warmth of someone’s chest. The coldness of his skin hit me instantly, sharp and familiar. I looked up, breathless, and met the eyes of the one person whose presence made everything inside me react.

Valois.

His blue contacts glimmered—but beneath them, a striking red glow pulsed through, faint but unmistakable.

A warning.

A truth.

A mirror to the chaos in my own veins.

“You need to control it,” he whispered, voice low and edged with something dangerous. Not anger. Not fear.

Authority.

My vision was still blurry, but his silhouette remained crisp—cold skin pressed lightly against mine, a grounding force that kept me from spiraling. His breath brushed softly against my forehead, steady and calm, as if he’d done this before. As if he knew exactly what was happening to me.

I couldn’t look away.

Neither could he.

For a moment, the world narrowed to just us—his hands holding me steady, our eyes locked, the hallway silent except for the frantic rush of my breathing. Slowly, painfully slowly, the burning craving inside me began to fade. The hunger loosened its claws. My heart steadied.

And Valois…

he watched every second of it.

Like he was making sure I wouldn’t break.

When the last of the dizziness slipped away, he gave me a faint smile—small, almost secret. Then he stepped back, breaking the strange, magnetic pull between us.

The hallway felt colder without him.

Without a word, Valois turned and walked away, his footsteps silent and controlled. He didn’t look back. He didn’t explain.

He just left me standing there—breathless, confused, and shaken.

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady myself.

I leaned against the bathroom sink, splashing cold water over my face, hoping it would wash away the memory of Valois’ hands gripping my arms… the red glow in his eyes… the way my own hunger died the moment he touched me. But no amount of water could erase that feeling burning in my veins.

Nothing made sense.

Not the craving.

Not the sudden dizziness.

Not the way my heartbeat tangled with something I didn’t understand.

And certainly not Valois.

The bell rang, loud and sharp, echoing through the halls like a reminder that I had to pretend everything was normal. Students poured out of classrooms, chatting, laughing, shoving books into bags, completely unaware of the storm inside me. Not a single person reacted to my strange hair, my strange eyes, or the fact that I nearly collapsed earlier.

It was… weird.

Almost like they didn’t see me properly.

Like something blurred their judgment.

Like they were hypnotized.

I walked through the halls slowly, scanning every face. No glances lingered too long. No whispers trailed behind me. No stares burned into my back.

Nothing.

As if I wasn’t different at all.

As if something—or someone—had made my presence feel… normal to them.

But I refused to believe that was coincidence. Not after what I felt today. Not after Valois pulled me away from attacking some innocent boy. Not after he stared into my eyes like he recognized something inside me.

Something I still didn’t understand.

Carl was already waiting for me by the school gate, leaning against the black SUV like some model from a magazine. His gold eyes flicked toward me the second I stepped outside, scanning every inch of my face. He pushed off the car with a sigh.

“You look pale,” he said quietly. “Did anything… happen today?”

My stomach twisted.

His voice sounded too knowing.

Too gentle, but also too controlled.

Just like Valois.

I swallowed hard. “I’m fine.”

He raised a brow, unconvinced.

“Meredith,” he murmured, leaning down slightly so his eyes were level with mine. “If something is happening, you can tell me. I’ll protect you. I promised that.”

The words should’ve comforted me…

but instead, they sent a shiver racing down my spine.

The same chill I felt from Valois.

The same cold that crawled through my chest earlier.

I slid into the car without answering. Carl closed the door slowly, like he was waiting for me to say something, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. My mind was too tangled.

The ride home felt endless. The car hummed softly, but my thoughts were loud. I kept replaying everything—Valois’ red eyes, the electric hit of his cold skin, the craving that almost took over me, the way the students didn’t seem to notice anything strange about me.

Nothing added up.

And Carl…

Carl might know more than he was telling me.

He was too calm.

Too prepared.

Too protective.

As if he understood exactly what I was going through.