Chapter Ten: Confrontation
581 Words
Jace woke up before sunrise.
Immediately, his hand flew to his side.
The wound.
The bleeding.
The strange injury that should've killed him.
Slowly, he pulled up his shirt.
Then froze.
Gone.
Completely gone.
Not even a scar remained.
His skin looked perfectly normal.
Jace let out a breath.
Relief flooded through him.
"Thank God."
The wound had healed.
Like it should have.
Like a wolf's wound always should.
Then why hadn't it healed last night?
The question lingered.
Annoying.
Unanswered.
A knock sounded at his door.
Jace immediately grabbed his shirt.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Cole stepped inside.
Jace quickly tossed the remaining bandages into a drawer before his brother could notice.
Cole's eyes narrowed immediately.
"You look better."
Jace shrugged.
"I am."
Cole studied him.
Thinking.
Watching.
Trying to figure something out.
Jace hated when he did that.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're doing the thing."
"What thing?"
"The creepy staring thing."
Cole smirked.
"Maybe."
Jace groaned.
"Leave."
Cole laughed.
Then headed toward the door.
Just before leaving, he paused.
"You going to school?"
"Obviously."
"Try not to get stabbed."
Jace threw a pillow at him.
Cole shut the door before it could hit.
---
School felt normal.
Almost.
Classes passed.
Teachers talked.
Students laughed.
Everything looked ordinary.
Yet Jace couldn't stop thinking.
About the fight.
About the bleeding.
About her.
By lunchtime, he was irritated enough to do something about it.
He found Elara sitting at her usual table.
Sydney sat beside her.
Talking animatedly.
Elara looked half interested.
Half exhausted.
Jace walked straight toward them.
Students immediately noticed.
Because whenever Jace Ryder approached someone...
drama followed.
The cafeteria slowly grew quieter.
Jace stopped beside their table.
Elara looked up.
Completely unfazed.
"What?"
Straight to business.
Typical.
Jace slid into the empty seat across from her.
"What the hell did you do?"
Sydney blinked.
"What?"
Elara looked around dramatically.
Then smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"You know..."
She gestured around the cafeteria.
"...ninety-five percent of the people here are human."
Jace's jaw tightened.
"I don't care."
"You should."
Sydney looked between them.
Utterly confused.
"Am I missing something?"
"Yes," Elara and Jace answered simultaneously.
Sydney blinked.
"Okay..."
Neither explained.
The silence stretched.
Then Sydney suddenly waved.
Aggressively.
"Hey, Jace!"
Jace didn't even look at her.
His eyes remained locked on Elara.
Sydney slowly lowered her hand.
"Wow."
Jace ignored her too.
Finally, he leaned forward.
His voice low.
"Meet me behind the school."
Elara raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"After next period."
"Why?"
"Just be there."
"Why?"
Jace looked seconds away from losing his mind.
Sydney was enjoying this.
Immensely.
Finally, Jace stood.
"I'm serious."
Then he walked away.
Without another word.
Sydney stared after him.
Then looked at Elara.
Then back at Jace.
Then back at Elara.
"What was that?"
Elara watched him disappear into the crowd.
"I have no idea."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
She truly didn't know what he wanted.
But she knew exactly what he'd ask about.
The wound.
The bleeding.
The impossible thing she'd witnessed.
Slowly, her smile faded.
Because once Jace was gone...
the same question returned.
The question she'd been avoiding since last night.
Why?
Why had he kept bleeding?
Wolves healed.
Everyone knew that.
It was one of the first things vampire hunters learned.
Yet somehow...
when he'd been near her...
the wound had gotten worse.
Not better.
Elara frowned.
Something wasn't adding up.
And for the first time since arriving in Blackwood...
the mystery bothering Jace Ryder...
was bothering her too.
- Writer
