Shadowless hunt: Bound by their desire

The day that never happened

I woked up groggily with a splitting headache felt like somebody hit my head several times with a hammer. Opening my eyes the sunlight made me squint my eyes and suddenly I stood up with a jump.

Yesterday…….what happened yesterday?

I tried to recall yesterday-the flickering lights but the memory seemed hazy like a distant dream,far-away.

“Why does it seemed I forgot something……important….?”

The air in my room felt suffocated,like something or someone was watching me and felt a chilling goosebump.

I hurriedly stood up and glanced at the mirror and for a split of the second my reflection moved a beat before me…. I paused then concluded it was a trick of the light then went to wash up for school.

When I got to school I didn’t know what I was expecting but everything was eerily calm….student laughed and chatted as if the shadow,the chaos none of it had happened.

Derek was leaning against my locker with his signature smirk but there was an edge today, it seemed forced.

I froze midstep, across my locker, Aeron stood there watching me intently and I felt a magnetic pull toward him….like I was hypnotized I started walking towards Aeron till I felt someone grab me and pulled me towards his chest, I looked up and saw Derek scowling at me.

“What?. We’ve not officially broken up and you want to make a fool out of me already ?” he snarled jolting me back to my sense.

At the same time Aeron grabbed his hand away from my wrist.

“What do you think you’re doing”Derek hissed,voice low,dangerous.

Aeron didn’t flinch. Not a muscle. He simply tilted his eyes slightly, eyes unblinking.

“Her. You stay away” he said ,calm but dangerous.

Derek’s face went pale but his pride was stronger, he leaned closer to me, invading my space.

“She’s mine”he said while facing Aeron squarely.

Aeron grabbed him and slammed him against the wall with one hand……murmurs erupted from the hallways…..two of the most sought out men were fighting for the freak.

My heart twisted this transported me back to the day everyone discovered I don’t have a shadow…the pointing and everything, I felt like screaming out my lungs luckily for me the bell rang at that moment.

My heart twisted. I hated being caught between them, hated the power struggle over me like I didn’t have a voice of my own, I freed myself from derek’s arms and walked towards my next class feeling two dangerous eyes on my back.

During class, Derek sat closer than usual looking as if he’s showing off that they’re together, if it was before I would have basked in his attention but now I only felt queasy like I was doing something wrong by being with Derek.

Everytime Derek hands touches me, Aeron's hand twitched,almost like he’s holding back his anger and I was genuinely afraid on behalf of Derek not because I loved him but i know at the back of my mind what Aeron is capable of and how dangerous his aura screamed, Although I hated Derek doesn’t mean I wanted him dead.

I felt the tension coiled around me like a tight snake,the classroom felt smaller, Aeron watched me like a predator marking his prey,there was something intense about the way he looked at me.....Like he wanted to fuse himself with me. I wondered what changed, yes he looked possessive of me before but this.....this was downright scary.

After that class ended I freed myself from Derek’s clinging arms and walked towards the track field and ran. Running was one of her favorite sports it made her feel free and luckily she was good at it. The field was the one place sgs could be herself without judging.

After running to my heart’s content I walked toward the locker room downstairs. Very few people came down here and it was better for me that way, less judging stares.

I fumbled with the locker lock, heart still pounding from practice. The room smelled of sweat and metal, but suddenly it felt heavier — charged, alive.

A presence slipped in behind me, calm, confident, impossible to ignore. My chest tightened, pulse jumping, heart racing.

He stepped closer, just enough for me to feel the heat of his body, yet far from threatening. His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine.

“You shouldn’t still be with him,” he said, low, steady. “After everything that happened, he’s a coward that left you to die with an unknown man and creature.”

My stomach twisted from the memory. “I… I can’t just” Then wondered who he was to tell me what to do and why I bothered explaining.

He tilted his head, studying me like he could read every thought. “No. You will end it. Or… I will make sure he never hurts you or anyone again.” His voice low and threatening.

My pulse spiked. “What do you mean?” I demanded, trying to sound braver than I felt.

He leaned slightly closer, voice dropping smooth and dangerous. “If you don’t leave him behind, I’ll take care of him myself. Do you understand?”

My hands tightened on the locker edge. “…Who… who are you to tell me what to do?” I mentally palmed my face, I had intended for that to come out as strong and unyielding instead I stammered

A faint smirk curved his lips. “I’m the one who would keeps you safe. That’s all you need to know.”

My chest burned. “Safe? You don’t even know me! You can’t just…”

“Can’t just what?” he interrupted, calm, measured,leaving room for no negotiation. “Protecting you isn’t a suggestion. It’s a warning.”

My body reacted before my brain could. Heat pooled in my stomach, my knees wobbled slightly. Stomach fluttering. I wanted to step back, to reclaim control, but the pull of him was magnetic.

He stepped closer, letting a light brush of his fingers trail across mine on the locker handle, subtle, accidental seeming, but it sent a shiver straight down my spine.

“You always… react like this,” he murmured, voice low, teasing.

My pulse spiked, and her hands tightened on the locker edge. A flutter ran through my stomach. I tried to pull back, to straighten myself, but my body refused to obey me.

“You shouldn’t… tell me what to do,” I said, voice tight, trying to mask the chaos I felt inside. “Who are you to decide anything for me?”

He smirked faintly, unreadable. “Good. Confusion suits you.”

Then he walked away like he didn’t just turn my whole world upside down

Immediately the bell rang snapping me out of my thoughts then i hurriedly packed my things heading to the next class.

I felt a malicious gaze and looked up only to see Derek staring at me with venom then caught Aeron's smirk and it clicked, to derek it looked like I came out of the locker room with Aeron and I was pretty sure I looked flushed.

That bastard...he did it on purpose.

Immediately classes ended, I ran towards the bathroom, to get some air from Aeron and Derek gaze.

Shadows stretched unnaturally against the wall. My reflection starred at me back in the mirror and suddenly I seemed to see something that isn’t me look back at me in the reflection.

Something sinister,dangerous, I tumbled back in fear and blinked the eyes were gone like it was all in my head.

Terrified,I ran out of the bathroom only to collide into Derek arms and Aeron was there,still watching me before I could even protest Aeron dragged me into his arms and his look dared Derek to touch me then he released a huge wave of killing intent spread throughout the hallways.

I’m taking back all the thoughts of me wanting attention….their attention was suffocating me, seeing different thing wasn’t making it better and I just wanted to disappear into thin air.

The three of them froze in the hallway. Aeron calm,lethal presence. Derrick jealous fire. My heart hammering between them.

The shadow in the mirror rippled again and for the briefest second, I saw a figure standing there, who wasn’t aeron or Derrick. Two eyes. Watching me.

Horrified, I watched the figure mouth shaped and what came out from its mouth made me freeze.

"Mine"it said with so much conviction that scared the hell out of me.

And worst part I knew deep down,somewhere at the deepest corner of my mind that it was true.

My breath caught, that day that never happened……had already begun.