The Mixes

Elyria Veylock always felt the moon watched her a little too closely. Most nights, its silver light comforted her. But on this night, it felt like a warning. The wind whipped her dark hair into her face as she stood on the rooftop, staring down at the lights of Hollowbrook City. The human world buzzed below, unaware of the monster standing above it. Monster. She hated the word. But sometimes… It fits. Her pulse thudded faster than it should have — too fast for a vampire, too slow for a human, too wild for a witch. Her fangs ached beneath her gums. Her fingertips tingled with spellfire she desperately tried to control. “Focus,” she whispered, clenching her hands. Her aunt’s voice echoed in her mind: Your power is split. You must choose which side you feed. Easier said than done. Tonight was her sixteenth birthday, and with it came the Awakening — the moment when hybrids gained access to memories older than themselves. Elyria wasn’t ready. The first flash hit her without warning. A crying baby. A second cry, echoing it. Two cradles. Two moons of the same night. Selene. A name she didn’t know she knew. Elyria stumbled backward, clutching her head as images poured in: flames, shadows, a figure tearing a small child from a woman’s arms. A twin. Her twin. The truth slammed into her chest. She wasn’t alone. She’d never been alone. Someone had taken her sister. When her vision cleared, she wasn’t on the rooftop anymore. She was in an alley, surrounded by glowing red eyes. Vampires. One stepped forward, sniffing the air. “A hybrid,” he murmured. “Half blood, half spell.” Elyria’s heartbeat thundered. He smiled. “The one they’ve been hunting.” And that was the moment her journey began.