When He comes while she's only 16 years old
1276 Words
-- F o u r Y e a r s L a t e r --
"Morning, Mom," I greeted, stepping into the kitchen where she sat at the dining table, the morning newspaper in her left hand and a cup of steaming coffee in the other.
She tore her gaze from the paper and met my eyes with a smile.
"Morning, sweetie," she replied, taking a sip of her coffee before returning her attention to the news. "Ready for today?" she asked without looking up again.
I poured myself a glass of milk, grabbed a banana, and took the seat across from her.
"Yeah," I muttered, then drank.
She lowered the paper and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Hey, this is your first day at a new high school. Why so gloomy?"
I just shrugged and kept chewing. My appetite had been gone for days, and the banana tasted like cardboard.
With a sigh, she stood up, giving me a quick once-over.
"Tell me when you’re ready so I can take you to school," she said, walking out of the kitchen.
We had moved to Philadelphia a week after the accident—after that night.
I never told anyone what really happened. Not even Mom. I convinced myself it had been a dream, a horrible nightmare that left real wounds. When my mother asked why the neighbors found me unconscious in the street covered in blood, I told her I was hit by a speeding car.
She believed it. And maybe I wished it were true.
What made it stranger was that my classmates, the ones from Mika’s party, were found unconscious inside her house. They had lash wounds across their backs, like someone had punished them. None of them remembered anything—not the game, not the ritual, not me kneeling inside a chalk-drawn symbol with a glass of blood in my hands.
Only I remembered everything.
And I knew it wasn’t a dream.
He was behind it.
But why me?
***
"Luna, I am Lucifer, and I am here to claim what is mine and take it with me when the time is right."
"I’ll come again when you are ready."
"When you are eighteen, you will be mine. Don’t you dare lose your innocence to another man. I will be watching, my love. You are mine."
"Do not try to run, dearest Luna. You cannot hide from me. I will follow you wherever you may go."
"You are mine."
***
His words echoed in my head constantly. And I hated it.
I was sixteen tomorrow.
That meant two years left.
But you're not in Canada anymore, I tried to reassure myself. You're in Philadelphia. Safe.
He’s Lucifer, another voice reminded me. You really think he can’t find you?
I sighed.
"You ready?" Mom’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She stood in the doorway holding her car keys.
I nodded, shoved my dishes into the sink, and grabbed my bag.
"Yeah."
New school.
New life.
Still no friends.
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Later That Day
What is it with high school gym uniforms?
My day had gone surprisingly well—until gym class. That’s when everything went sideways.
Apparently, our uniform consisted of tight V-neck shirts and short shorts. Puberty had been... generous to me. And the moment I stepped out of the locker room, it was like every guy in class morphed into a caveman.
Whistles. Stares. A few murmured, "Damn."
God, I wanted to disappear.
"Hey, Luna," one of the jocks called.
I rolled my eyes.
"Enough!" Mr. Bradley, our gym teacher, shouted as he entered, holding a clipboard. He started calling names before ordering us to run fifteen laps around the field.
I started jogging along with everyone else, trying to ignore the lingering stares. But halfway through the second lap, I felt it—that intense gaze. Not the immature curiosity of teenage boys. No, this was deeper. Darker.
I turned my head.
Nathan Kent. Golden boy. Captain of the basketball team. Dreamy blue eyes. That smile.
He was staring directly at me.
And when he realized I caught him, he smiled.
I felt my cheeks heat up and, despite myself, I returned the smile. Briefly.
"Do not think of him, Luna."
I froze.
My heart thudded.
No.
It couldn’t be.
I hadn’t heard his voice in years.
I turned and ran faster, putting distance between myself and Nathan.
Oh God... oh God...
Then the burning started.
Right on my neck—the exact spot where he had bitten me four years ago. The searing pain made me gasp. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the grass.
"Mckingsley! Who said you could stop?" Mr. Bradley shouted.
But I was already gone, falling into darkness.
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It was warm.
Fingers brushed my cheek, featherlight.
Then lips—hot and hungry—pressed against mine.
A moan escaped before I could stop it.
Then I heard his voice.
"That’s it, Luna. Give your body to me."
My eyes flew open.
"Lucifer," I whispered.
He was there.
Tall, pale, breathtaking. Raven-black hair. Crimson eyes that glowed like embers. A sharp jawline. A cruel, captivating beauty.
"We meet at last, my darling."
I looked around. This wasn’t school.
The air was heavy with jasmine and smoke. Shadows danced on stone walls. And I... I was no longer wearing my gym clothes.
I gasped.
A black nightgown clung to my body, sheer and short. Too revealing.
"Where am I?" I demanded, trying to pull away. His hand gripped my waist tighter.
"A special place," he said softly. "One I chose for after you become mine."
I stiffened.
"But... I’m not eighteen yet."
His eyes gleamed.
"Seeing the way that boy looked at you," he said darkly, "I think I’ll change my plans. Two years early won’t hurt."
My breath caught.
"No," I whispered.
I tried to push him away, but it was like fighting stone. He didn’t budge.
His hand cupped my face, forcing me to look into his burning eyes.
"You belong to me."
Then he kissed me.
Rough. Demanding.
My mind screamed no, but my body...
Oh God.
His lips were warm, and when his hands moved to touch me—my waist, my breast—my breath hitched. It felt good. Too good.
"Make sure I am always the only one who touches you like this," he growled into my ear.
Stop. Fight. Resist.
But then he kissed the mark on my neck.
I heard my name.
"Luna..."
"Wake up, Luna..."
***
I blinked.
My mother’s worried face swam into view, along with Mr. Bradley and the school nurse.
"Thank God, you’re awake," Mom whispered.
I blinked again, trying to adjust to the harsh light of the nurse’s office.
"What happened?" I asked, trying to sit up.
Mom helped me, her hands trembling.
"You fainted," Mr. Bradley said, guilt in his voice. "During the third lap. I might’ve pushed you too hard. Sorry."
So... it wasn’t real?
The kiss. The nightgown. Him.
"Luna?" Mom asked. "Are you okay?"
I nodded quickly.
"Thank you, Mr. Bradley. I’m sorry... for fainting," I said with a weak smile.
He waved it off. "Just glad you're alright."
The nurse fussed over me, but I wasn’t listening.
My mind was far away.
Back in that room. Back in his arms.
Was it just a dream?
Or a warning?
Mom drove us home in silence. I stared out the window, biting my lip.
The burning sensation on my neck had faded, but I could still feel his hands.
His lips.
His voice.
"You are mine."
I shivered.
Oh God... what’s happening to me?
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- Writer
