Third Person POV
Rachel walked the narrow hallway of the academic center as the sun began to set on Sunday night.
Blood had stained her lip, and she used her thumb to wipe the remainder of it off before leaving the
building and returning to her dorm.
She felt the darkness within her wiggle with delight as the blood it just consumed filled and
strengthened it. Rachel didnât understand her sudden craving for blood; as a bear, they didnât drink or
desire blood. But the sudden urge was too much for her to ignore and she would stop at nothing to
satisfy the craving.
The warm pool of blood from her victim made the darkness inside her excited. Once she started, she
couldnât find the willpower to stop. Not until the heart of the victim had stopped beating and she
stopped struggling against Rachelâs hold.
She had died and Rachel buried her deep in the basement of the academic center; somewhere nobody
goes.
As she rounded the corner and pushed open the doors, a girl ran into her coming from the opposite
direction, making Rachelâs head spin and the darkness swirl around her in fury.
âOH! Sorry, Rachel. I didnât see you there,â the girl, Rachel recognized as Mckenzi in her bearâshifting
class, said.
Rachel glared at the girl and as soon as the girl looked into Rachelâs eyes, her smile immediately
dropped. Rachelâs eyes were dark and becoming inhuman; Rachel couldnât help the anger she felt
despite her desperate efforts to keep her cool.
The girl gasped but tried her best to hold her composure. Though her body trembled, and she took a
step back the girl said in a low tone, âIâll see you later.â
She turned on her heel and began to run in the opposite direction. Rachel hissed an animalist and
snakeâlike sound. She was about to run after the girl and have her for a lateânight lunch, but she soon
got a terrible migraine that made her stop in her tracks. She leaned against the building, panting for
breath, trying to regain her rattled brain.
What the hell was going on?
that swirled around her was in agony.
curfew and Rachel needed to get back to her dorm before she innable. She couldnât be caught out here
right now, but she was in ech pain to move. Her limps were listening to her anymore.
lt like her insides were being electrocuted and the more pain she felt, angrier the darkness that
consumed her felt.
Rachel, she heard a low tone in her head; the voice sounded like her own, but she knew they werenât
her thoughts.
It hurtsâ¦â Rachel said out loud through her teeth.
âI know it does and itâs going to continue hurting unless you do exactly what I say,â the voice said in
return. âDo you understand what I am saying?â
âIâll do anythingâ¦â Rachel cried. âJust make it stop.â
âWhere are you right now?â The voice asked, urgently.
âOutside the academic center,â Rachel answered, she was sliding to the ground and pressing her legs
to her chest as tears ran down her narrow features and her body jolted and trembled in agony.
She could visibly see the darkness leaving her body through her features and the feeling was terrible. It
once had a hold around her brain, and she felt the grip loosening; she screamed in pain as it attempted
to dig its claws into the soft section of her brain and hold on for dear life.
âListen to me, Rachel, the voice ordered. âYou need to get back to your dorm and look for a moonstone
bracelet. Do you understand me?â
âA moonstone bracelet?â Rachel asked through gritted teeth and tearâfilled eyes. âI donât have one.â
âYour roommate, Ella, does,â the voice told her. âFind it. The pain will stop once you have it.â
âI donât know if I canâ¦â Rachel cried.
âYou must!â The voice growled furiously.
Rachel pulled herself to her feet; a wave of dizziness hit her, and she feared sheâd fall over. She
swallowed the large lump in her throat before making her way across campus, trying to act as normal
as possible. She finally made it back to her dorm where a bunch of others were hanging out in the
dorm lounge. Some girls were watching television and others were playing video games and chuckling
with one another. None
ing much attention to Rachel, extr
wwed the inside of her cheek, wincing as pain coursed through But she made no movement to lunch
over and scream like she She was thankful the girls couldnât see the darkness leaving ods like Rachel
could see it.
she got back to her dorm, she was pleased to see that Becca was in room and Alex was sleeping on
the couch. His phone rested over his and heavy snores left his nose, making Rachel roll her eyes,
She disliked this guard; she found him arrogant and annoying. She didnât just feel that way because of
the darkness that consumed her, she felt this way long before that. She snuck into Ellaâs bedroom she
kept the light off, just in case. Which was fine because she could see fine in the dark; especially since
she was consumed by this darkness. It heightened her senses and made her more capable; and
stronger.
She knew this bracelet that the voice spoke of; she saw Ella wearing it all the time. The idea of Ella not
wearing it currently seemed ridiculous, but she had to check anyway.
Ellaâs wooden and beautifully engraved jewelry box sat on her dresser across the room. Another wave
of pain coursed through her, making her grip the bed and gasp out in short and quick breaths.
âDid you find it?â The voice asked urgently.
âNot yetâ¦â Rachel said in a horse whisper.
âYou are running out of time; hurry!â
Rachel wasnât sure what would happen once time ran out, but she certainly did not want to find out.
She went toward the jewelry box and opened it. Ella had a bunch of fancy jewelry, many pearls and
gemstones along with many chains of different lengths and colors.
As she rummaged her fingers traced along something that instantly soothed some of the pain she felt
and calmed the darkness down. She sighed in relief as she pulled out the moonstone bracelet, smiling
as the darkness slithered its way through her mind and wrapped around her brain once again.
The agonizing pain eased.
Then, the door of the bedroom swung open, and the light turned on, making Rachel freeze.
13441
nor Azul He Liked it
asked as I went into my room.
stood over my jewelry box, the one my mother had given me Fleft for college, and my motherâs jewelry
lay scattered across my
furrowed my brows together, very confused, and extremely tired. What are you doing in here?â I asked,
narrowing my eyes at her.
âI was looking for something,â she said, giving me an innocent smile. âI thought maybe you had it, but I
guess not.â
âWhy would I have something of yours?â I asked, looking at her pointedly.
âIâm not saying you stole it. I thought maybe you found it and thought it was yours,â she said, forcing an
awkward laugh. âI didnât mean to intrude. I did knock first, but you werenât here.â
She quickly placed my jewelry back into the box before turning to face
1. me.
âIâm really sorry,â she said again.
âDid you check with Becca?â I asked, yawning as I made my way to my bed. I didnât mind her being in
my room, I was just a little thrown off and I feel a bit invaded. But I was too tired to think about it right
now.
âI will check with her right now,â Rachel said as she made her way out of my room. âIâll see you
tomorrow.â
She shut the door behind her without saying another word. I furrowed my brows together as I stared at
the closed door. I had a weird feeling that she wasnât telling me something, but I just wanted to sleep.
I sat up in bed and stripped off my clothing before grabbing my pajamas. that lay on my dresser. I went
to take off my bracelets and frowned when I realized I had forgotten to put them. I usually wore my
motherâs moonstone bracelet which she told me is good for protection. I shrugged it off; I must have left
it in my jewelry box.
I went toward my bed and lay down. I sighed, feeling my entire body. relaxing and sleep creeping
around the corner.
It didnât take long for sleep to completely consume me and my mind Irifted off into a peaceful darkened
state.