Black Swan

TheBeginninig

Hours drifted by slowly and suffocating. Selene’s phone screen lit up nightly with unanswered calls and unread texts to Zara. That morning, hope tangled with dread as she made her way to the Temptation nightclub parking lot, eyes scanning the empty rows. Zara’s battered gray car still wasn’t there. No messages. No social media updates. Nothing. It was like she had vanished.

Back at home, Selene paced the creaky hardwood floor of her small living room. The clock ticked mockingly loud on the wall, and every second, without word from Zara, chipped away at her sanity. Malik lounged on her couch, sipping from a chipped mug of coffee, brows drawn tight as he watched her wear a trench onto the floor.

“I still haven’t heard from her,” Selene muttered, tapping out yet another message. Her fingers trembled over the keyboard. Where are you, Z? Please call me.

Malik looked up. “She’s grown, Sel. Maybe she just had her phone turned off. You know how Zara is, she probably ran off with some guy from the club.”

Selene stopped, her eyes narrowing. “That guy gave me a weird vibe. And she’d usually let me know if she made it home or not.”

Malik sighed and rubbed his face. “I’m not saying don’t worry. I just think she might’ve got too turnt, and forgot to call you. She’ll be aight.”

Selene bit the inside of her cheek, staring down at her phone. Almost ready to cuss Malik out for being careless. Zara wasn’t the type to ghost people, especially not her. She had never even turned her phone off when she was angry, let alone vanished. Something was wrong. Deeply wrong.

Malik seemed to sense the shift in her mood. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Look, Zara’s strong. She’ll reach out when she’s ready. I promise.”

Selene didn’t believe him.

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Later that day, Malik returned to his high-rise apartment, a sleek and modern place that felt like a bachelor pad. The lights dimmed as he stepped inside, finding Heather curled up on the couch in an oversized shirt, watching reruns of some reality TV drama. The glow from the TV flickered across her blank expression.

“Hey,” he said, dropping his keys on the counter. “You okay?”

She didn’t answer, just kept her eyes on the screen.

He stepped into the living room, standing awkwardly for a moment. “Heather? What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting distant.”

Finally, she looked up, her face hard. “You really want to ask me that now? After the way you’ve been disappearing every night?”

Malik frowned. “I’ve been helping Selene. Her friend, Zara, is missing.”

Heather rolled her eyes. “Oh, Selene. Of course. You always have time for Selene.”

“Are we really doing this again?”

She turned off the TV and stood, arms crossed. “Yes, we are. You always drop everything for her, Malik. I’m your girlfriend. I live here. And yet somehow, she always comes first.”

“It’s not like that. She’s my sister. And her best friend is missing. I can’t just ignore that.”

Heather stepped closer, her voice lower now, tinged with something more vulnerable. “Then what am I supposed to be, Malik? A placeholder? A distraction until she doesn’t need you anymore?”

He shook his head, he was both disgusted and surprised by her jealous behavior. “You’re being childish.”

Her hand reached out, and slapped him across the cheek,“Don’t you f*****g call me that!”

Malik had grasped his now stinging cheek, stunned at the contact. Heather had gotten angry and jealous a lot throughout their relationship, but never to this degree. “So you gonna put your hands on me, now?” he asked. Heather looked at him, scared of what he’d do now as she stepped back. “Huh?” she then flinched at the anger in his voice.

“Baby...” she started, but Malik walked away. He stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Heather stood in the quiet aftermath, trembling, unsure if she was angrier at him or at herself.

Back at her place, Selene sat on the edge of her bed, clutching her phone like a lifeline. She opened her photos, scrolling back to images of her and Zara. Zara at the mall, mid-laugh. Zara sticking her tongue out at the camera. Zara asleep on Selene’s couch, makeup smudged, looking peaceful.

She wiped a tear from her cheek. Something wasn’t right.

Downstairs, the wind howled outside. Selene glanced at the window. A shadow moved just past her porch light. Her breath caught. She crept toward the window, peering through the curtains.

Nothing. Just the wind brushing past the trees.

She turned back to her phone, only to find a new message.

Zara: Wasn’t able to call. Got busy.

Her heart stopped. Her fingers trembled as she typed back.

Selene: Are you okay?

A few minutes passed, then another text came in...

Zara: Can’t talk. Don’t call.

Just when she thought everything was okay, Selene had another horrible feeling. She called Malik.

“Hello?” he answered instantly.

“Hey, I got a message from Zara.”

His silence was sharp.

“She good?” he asked, with an edge to his voice.

Selene sighed before answering, “She sounded weird, she was saying s**t like ‘don’t call me, I’ve been busy,’ it just didn’t sound like her, Malik.”

Malik didn’t answer for a moment, he looked towards the shut bedroom door, and then to his bags that were packed. He had already made the decision to stay at Selene’s for a few days until things cooled off between him and Heather. “I’m coming over,” he said finally. “Don’t open the door for anyone.”

She hung up, panic pooling in her stomach.

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In the Harrison Estate, deep within its catacombs, Liam smirked as he watched Zara tear into the flesh of a young blonde woman who had been Liam’s personal paid feeder. Zara was now pale, her lips a faint purple, eyes fluttering upward at the taste of fresh blood on her tongue. Her human heart had been silent now. The transformation was complete as she filled her belly with blood.

“There she is,” he purred. “You’re doing good, darling.”

Zara blinked slowly, her gaze unfocused. The thirst quenched the burning in her throat. She opened her mouth, revealing new fangs.

Liam leaned in, holding up her phone, “Your little friend has been blowing up your phone,” he tossed it to her, “Keep her off our trail.” Zara caught the phone, then sent a short text to Selene, doing as her maker said. He then plunged his own fangs into the feeder, as she moaned in pain and pleasure.

This was only just the beginning.