Chapter 3 - Shadowy monster

~ MELANIE’S POV ~

For a few seconds, I was speechless. Why was he hugging me so dearly and calling me Isabella?

But then again, I needed to shove him off before Vanessa or Quincy caught us and started spreading rumors that I was hooking up with another guy.

I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the relationship I had built with Bryan.

I put my hands against his chest to push him away, but when my eyes met his eyes… they were sad, almost like he was about to cry.

Do I look like someone he knows?

“Isabella,” he muttered.

“Umm… look, I think you’re mistaking me for someone else,” I stammered. “I’m not Isabella.”

“You are,” he insisted softly. “You just can’t remember.”

“I have a photographic memory,” I countered. “I always remember anyone I’ve met, even if it was just once. That’s how I know, for a fact, that we’ve never met before.”

“I’m certain it’s you,” he whispered, his voice trembling as those sad eyes traced every inch of my face. “I could never forget what you look like.”

“Melanie!” Bryan called my name before I could ask him what he meant.

“Bryan,” I breathed, turning toward him as he and Jasper walked up to us.

Bryan’s eyes immediately narrowed at the stranger standing entirely too close to me. “Who is he?”

“Raven?” Jasper chimed in immediately.

Bryan and I both turned to Jasper in surprise.

“You know him?” I asked.

“Yeah. He’s my… brother,” Jasper stammered, recovering quickly.

“Wow. You never mentioned you had a younger brother,” Bryan said, eyeing the mysterious guy up and down.

“Younger what?” Jasper squeaked out. He shot a look at Raven, whose eyes hadn’t strayed from my face for a single second.

Jasper cleared his throat laughing as he threw an arm over Raven’s shoulder. “Right. Yeah. My younger brother. Right, Raven?”

Raven slowly turned his head to glare at Jasper, coldly jerking his shoulder to knock Jasper’s arm off him. Without a word, his gaze snapped right back to me.

“I thought I was your best friend,” Bryan chimed in, wrapping his hand around my waist and pulling me against his side. “Why am I just finding out you have a brother?”

“Sorry about that, man,” Jasper chuckled. “He’s just… not the type who likes people talking about him.”

“Is he a student here? A freshman?” Bryan pressed.

Jasper let out a loud snort. “A freshman? Him?” He pointed at Raven but instantly dropped his hand the moment Raven flashed him a deadly look.

Jasper swallowed hard, clearing his throat again. “I mean… no. Of course he’s not a freshman. He doesn’t even go to Horizon University.”

“Oh, I see,” Bryan nodded, satisfied. He tightened his grip on my waist softly. “What were you two talking about, babe?”

“Nothing,” I replied quickly, giving Raven a brief glance before looking back up at my boyfriend. “He just mistook me for someone else… but I already cleared it up.”

I gently squeezed Bryan’s hand. “Are you and the team done talking to the coach?”

“Yeah,” Bryan smiled. “Want me to take you home?”

I grinned and nodded.

“See you at school tomorrow, Jasper,” Bryan said.

“You too, man,” Jasper waved.

Bryan held the door open, and I slid into the passenger seat. As he pulled out of the parking lot, my eyes drifted to the side mirror.

Raven was still staring straight at the car as we drove away.

A strange, cold shiver ran down my spine. There was something wrong about him… something chilling that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

“You okay?” Bryan asked, shooting me a quick glance from the driver’s seat.

“Yeah… of course,” I smiled, shaking the feeling off. “You were amazing out there today. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, babe,” he said softly, reaching across the center console to squeeze my hand before pressing a tender kiss to my knuckles.

The rest of the drive passed in comfortable silence until Bryan pulled up to the curb outside my house.

“Thanks for the ride, Bryan.”

“Anytime. I’ll come pick you up for classes tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be waiting,” I said. I leaned over to kiss his cheek and unbuckled my seatbelt, but before I could open the door, Bryan gently caught my wrist.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, turning back to him.

He looked at me, brushing his thumb over my palm.

“Aren’t you seriously considering my offer? We grew up together, Mel. My parents adore you. You know they’d love it if you just moved in with us.”

“We’ve talked about this a thousand times, Bryan. I’m fine living here. This is my parents’ house. I grew up with so many memories here… I can’t just abandon it and let it rot.”

Bryan let out a sigh but nodded respectfully. “I know. I’m sorry for bringing it up again. I just… I hate the idea of you living all alone in this big house.”

I smiled softly, reaching out to cup his cheek. “Bryan Dawson, I’ll be fine. I’m a lot stronger than you think.”

He smirked slightly. “What are you? Wonder Woman?”

“Maybe,” I winked.

He laughed. “I love you, Mel.”

“I love you more,” I whispered, pressing one last kiss to his lips before stepping out of his car.

I waved as he backed out of the driveway. After his taillights disappeared around the corner, I unlocked the front door and stepped inside the quiet, empty house.

I walked down the hallway, stopping right in front of the large framed portrait hanging on the living room wall. It was a picture of me, my mother, and my father—smiling brightly from a time when my world was still whole.

I was only twelve years old when they were ripped away from me.

The Dawsons had been angels, taking me in when I had nowhere else to go. But the moment I turned eighteen, I moved back into my family home. I couldn’t let their memory fade.

“Mom… Dad…” I whispered.

Ten long years had passed since that horrific night, but the pain in my chest was still as raw as the day it happened.

The nightmare was burned into my brain forever. I remembered every detail. I remembered the shadowy monster that attacked them.

I knew who killed my parents.

It was a vampire.

When I begged the police to listen, no one believed a traumatized twelve-year-old girl. They claimed my parents died from a wild animal attack or venomous bites, insisting vampires were nothing more than silly stories.

But I knew the truth.

Vampires are real. They walked among us, hiding in plain sight, pretending to be human.

And I won’t stop until I find the vampire who murdered my parents.

My phone rang in my backpack snapping me out of my thoughts. I pulled it out to see the caller was Hopper. He was the leader of the Dark Knights—a secret group dedicated to hunting down vampires and witches.

And I was one of his best hunters.

“Hopper,” I answered, my tone turning sharp and icy.

“Are you free tonight, Melanie?” Hopper’s rough voice rasped through the speaker. “We just got a solid lead on a vampire nest operating near the edge of the woods.”

I stared up at the portrait of my mother and father, my jaw tightening as cold hatred flooded my veins.

“You can always count me in, Hopper,” I replied. “I’m on my way.”