Ethan: The Vampire At My School

Something Feels Off

Ava's POV

The next morning came like any other.

Soft sunlight slipped through the curtains, and the trees outside my window moved gently with the morning breeze. Everything looked peaceful, but I hadn't had a peaceful night at all.

I had barely slept.

My mind kept going back to yesterday.

The ride home.

Ethan.

The way he avoided the sunlight.

The way he somehow knew it was going to rain.

And that strange silence in the car.

I turned over in my bed and groaned.

"Why am I even thinking about this?"

I finally got out of bed and got ready for school.

By the time I arrived, Steph and Riley were already waiting for me.

The moment I walked toward them, Riley looked at me.

"Girl, are you sure you're okay?"

I frowned.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You barely talked during the whole ride here," Steph added.

"Hmm... I've just been tired."

Riley looked me up and down.

"Yeah, it's obvious. You look like you didn't sleep last night."

I quickly looked away.

"I slept."

"Sure."

"I did!"

Riley smiled.

"Alright, let's pretend Miss Lover Girl here isn't thinking about her crush Ethan."

I almost choked.

"He's not my crush!"

Steph laughed.

"Nobody said anything."

"You were both thinking it."

Riley shrugged.

"Because it's true."

"It's not!"

They both laughed as we headed inside.

Later that day, the three of us were outside during our free period.

There was a small open area behind one of the school buildings where students usually sat between classes. There were a few benches and tables scattered around, and groups of students were sitting everywhere, talking, eating, or just enjoying the weather.

The sun wasn't too strong, which made it perfect.

We sat together, enjoying the breeze while I sipped my drink.

At least, I was supposed to be enjoying it.

My attention had drifted somewhere else.

I stared across the school grounds.

Steph noticed.

She waved her hand in front of my face.

"Hello?"

I blinked.

"Huh?"

"Who are you looking at?"

She followed my gaze.

The moment she saw who it was, she sighed.

"Oh, please. Ava, just move on."

I looked at her.

"What are you talking about?"

She pointed slightly.

"Ethan."

I looked back.

There he was.

Sitting alone in a shaded area.

Of course.

There was barely any sunlight reaching him.

Riley looked over too.

"Ava, you're seriously obsessed with this guy."

"I'm not!"

"You are," Riley added.

"I am not."

I grabbed my drink and took a long sip, pretending I couldn't care less.

Then I noticed something.

The sun had shifted.

A small patch of sunlight slowly moved across the ground until it reached the area where Ethan was sitting.

The moment it got close to him, he stood up and moved farther into the shade.

I stared.

Again?

I tapped Steph's arm.

"Did you guys see that?"

"See what?" they both asked.

"Ethan."

They looked at me.

"What about him?"

"He just moved."

Riley stared at me for a second.

Then she stood up.

She took two steps to the side.

"Look, Ava. I just moved."

Steph burst out laughing.

"Exactly!"

I rolled my eyes.

"You guys don't get it."

Riley sat back down.

"What are we supposed to get?"

"The sun moved toward him and he moved away."

Steph looked at Ethan, then back at me.

"So?"

"So... that's weird."

Riley shrugged.

"Maybe he doesn't like the sun."

"Who doesn't like the sun?"

"People who like the shade?"

I stared at her.

"You know what? Forget it."

I stood up.

"I'm going to the ladies' room."

Steph looked at me.

"Why?"

I picked up my drink from the table.

"Because I drank liquid."

I held the bottle up dramatically.

"See?"

Riley burst out laughing.

"Alright, girl."

I shook my head and walked away.

I had barely made it around the corner when I heard music.

I slowed down.

It was coming from one of the rooms nearby.

I looked through the slightly open door.

Someone was inside.

I leaned closer.

It was a guy.

He was practicing something—I couldn't quite tell what at first.

I watched for a few seconds before realizing he was playing the piano.

He was actually really good.

I stood there listening until he finished.

Then I clapped.

He turned around quickly.

"You're really good."

He smiled.

"Thank you."

I stepped into the doorway.

"I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You didn't."

He closed the piano cover and looked at me.

"I'm Roman."

"Ava."

"Ava," he repeated with a small smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

He picked up his bag.

"I'll see you around, Ava."

"Yeah. See you around, Roman."

I stepped back into the hallway.

As I walked away, I glanced toward the room one more time.

Roman was already leaving through the other door.

I smiled slightly.

At least I'd met someone else who seemed normal.

I continued toward the ladies' room, completely forgetting for a moment about the strange boy sitting in the shade.

Or at least, I tried to.

Ava's POV

School was finally over.

I packed my things and met up with Steph and Riley before we headed toward the art room.

We wanted to check on Riley because she had stayed behind for something.

"She better not still be in there," Steph said as we walked down the hallway.

"Knowing Riley, she probably is," I laughed.

When we got closer to the art room, we saw her walking out.

"I knew we'd find you here," I said.

Steph looked through the open doorway.

"And Jordan too," she added.

Riley immediately looked at her.

"Don't start."

I looked inside.

Jordan was still in the room, packing up his things.

Steph grinned.

"Riley..."

"You're joking," Riley said, walking straight between us like she didn't care about Jordan at all.

I laughed as we followed her.

The three of us started heading downstairs.

We were halfway down the stairs when something caught my attention.

I looked back.

The door to the Mystic Art Room was open.

I froze.

Someone had just stepped out.

I couldn't see the person's face properly, but I knew that walk.

That dark hair.

That quiet way of moving.

My heart skipped.

Ethan.

I stared for a second.

The person disappeared down the hallway.

"Girls, I'll meet you guys downstairs."

Steph stopped.

"What's wrong, Ava?"

"My ring."

"What about your ring?"

"I think it fell up there."

Before either of them could say anything, I turned around and rushed back upstairs.

I wasn't really looking for my ring.

Not completely.

I wanted to see who had just left that room.

I reached the hallway.

Nothing.

The Mystic Art Room door was still slightly open.

I looked inside.

Empty.

I stepped closer and looked around.

Nobody.

"Come on..."

I checked the hallway again.

Still nothing.

I knew what I had seen.

I looked back toward the Mystic Art Room.

There was nobody there.

"Okay, Ava."

I took a breath.

"I'm not imagining things."

I hurried back downstairs.

Steph and Riley were waiting for me on the other side of the hallway.

Steph looked relieved.

"Found it?"

I held up my hand.

"Found it."

"Thank goodness," Riley said.

Steph looked at me suspiciously.

"You took forever just to find a ring."

I shrugged.

"It rolled somewhere."

She stared at me for a second.

"Okay..."

I smiled.

"Let's just go."

We continued toward the exit, but I couldn't stop myself from glancing back one last time.

The Mystic Art Room door was closed now.

I looked away.

Maybe I really had seen him.

Maybe I hadn't.

But one thing was certain.

I wasn't going to stop wondering about it.