Chapter 13: The Signs

GRACE’S POV

I’m doing fine in my intern while bouncing in my studies too. Well, I’ll be honest I’m actually exhausted from all of this. I haven’t had any sleep yet, I look like a zombie, my eye bags could be mistaken as a black eye, yes, it is really worse. And guess what time is it, it is already noon and I haven’t had any rest. Oh well, here’s me still doing some school work, I need it to be ready tomorrow. While I’m saying this my eyes are like windows with loose screws. I think I need matches just like Mr. Bean. The coffee is not doing any magic at all, I feel sleepier. Not only that my red days are here. Seriously, just when I need strength cause I have a lot to do and my blood doesn’t want to cooperate! I feel like dying!

And on top of that, I’m worried about Penelope we didn’t have that much time to hang out anymore because of our work, but at least I and Yuri still makes time for us. We rarely see each other and when we see though, she seems different and odd. She won’t stop talking about this Claude guy. She said they are already in a relationship, within just a few weeks?! Reallyyyy, come ooonn. Well, I can’t say that, cause I never had a relationship so I don’t really know how this goes, but what I know is this is wrong, that guy seethes some playboy vibes.

He’s been giving me all the red flags.

She never got a chance to do other things any more than just to make herself perfect for Claude. She looks like she’s in a spell scoffs what does she even saw in that jerk. We just hope she’ll return to her old self.

Eating in the cafeteria I and Yuri wait for Penelope. And when we saw her we were shocked. She looked like she’s worse than me. She’s getting little thin and black bags on her eyes, all in all, she looks awful, and what’s off about this too, is she’s smiling ear to ear. She wears a pink cottony sundress and some yellow tie up heels.

Sitting down beside me and Yuri are still shocked. As she starts to eat I heard Yuri whispered “HOLY SHIT!” and I can’t agree more. What happened to her?

While eating she saw us still looking at her, and as she realized it she asked “What? What’s wrong?” I was the first one to talk “Are you okay? Are you sick?” “What?! NO! I’m completely fine. I actually felt really good.” “Why?” both Yuri and I said in unison. “Oh, well, Claude’s finally taking me to an outdoor date maybe he wanted to ask me to be his girlfriend nowwwwww” she squealed.

“You’ve been doing all this lovee dovee, and yet you don’t have a label?” I exclaimed, “Penelope that is messed up!” I kind of whisper shouted as we are still in the cafeteria.

“I know that Grace, but don’t you see on what position he is in, he’s popular so he will not do something like that immediately without thinking as you know how media works.” She reasoned.

Exactly my point, that guy is popular and a target of media she’s going to be dragged into a nightmare. I just sighed there’s no point in talking some sense about this girl.

“Does she love you?” Yuri asked in a low tone of voice. I forget about him so he’s there listening to what was happening. And when he uses that voice I know he's serious, so I just kept quiet.

“Well I guess, he does, and he will not do all those things to me if he doesn’t love me,” Penelope said in a dreamy voice. What happened to you?

“Then, that’s settled, if you think he loves you, okay.”

What?! Am I hearing in right Yuri agreeing on Penelope’s situation with this I was about to scream to the both of them when Yuri holds my wrist and signaled me with his head to not do it? I don’t get it, why? Then he pointed at Penelope who’s eating a lot and seems happy. This is the happiest I’ve seen her. I guess maybe I should just step back and let her handle this. I’m just worried, she really doesn’t look good. She eats a lot yet it seems that her body is getting thinner.

As I was staring at Penelope, I felt a tap on my leg; I moved to my right to see Yuri getting closer and whispered to me “Just let her be for now. I have something on my mind.”

I wonder what plan he is talking or thinking about and I hope it isn’t one of those fail plans we did in the past years.

Yes, Yuri did a lot of these planning things or crazy stuff, and guess what it never ended well that’s why I’m hesitant about this too. The last time we did we needed to run away quickly because we didn’t know we were trespassing an old house, which is said to be haunted, just for his “experiences” he wanted to feel or to happen.

Gladly we escaped and the police never saw us. That’s one of my memories where I know I feel alive. Smiling at those memories, but my smile turned into a frown when I looked at Penelope again. We really hope she comes back to her senses.

As we stare more at Penelope we saw that her nails are also turning bluish violet. Her lips are so pale you’ll think she’s going to pass out. She looks like she’s getting older. She looks like she’s an evil stepmother in fairytales.

This is really weird; just what the hell that Claude did to my best friend. If I knew what’s behind this I’m going to kill him.

What they didn’t know is that Claude has been playing with Penelope and as we know now Claude has some powers vampire don’t have. He can make his victim miserable without the victim noticing anything wrong in his/her body. Claude’s saliva somehow has the ability to make his victim feel nothing when he bites and the consequences of this are bad. The victim becomes much closer and desperate for the vampire’s touch because it felt like “heaven”. They do say “bad boys bring heaven to you” but this bad boy is worse than any bad boy.

Shaking my head in disappointment I hear both of them are talking. Finishing our lunch we all got up and walked out with a Penelope whose tail is wagging vigorously. Her mood is really up and happy yet her eyes showed sadness and tiredness. Her body looks like it’s going to fall any second.

And when Grace was about to through the trashes on her tray she feels like she’s being watched. She looked around the cafeteria if she would spot that someone who's looking at her. Not finding any she just turned around and followed her friends.

What Grace doesn’t know is that someone’s really looking right through her. Admiring how her hair bounce as she moves along, her soft skin and how her gummy smile can be so cute, and those beautiful brown eyes with long lashes, the man wants to just drown in them, but he knows he can’t right now.

Wearing a green cape that hides his body somehow, while he's behind the tree outside the cafeteria. No one notices the man, as all are busy in their own little conversations. Seeing the love of his life this close makes his heart beat faster. He knows that what he’s doing is wrong because the Moon Goddess is the one who chooses who’s going to be their mate. He disregarded that and he let himself fall for Grace. For them doing this even though your mate is still not known, is considered an unforgivable sin, and a punishment come with it.

Well what can he do, he decided to listen to his heart, or is it what it really was?

Remembering the memories he had with her, the days where they are always together. He remembers it like it was just yesterday. The way they promised to never leave each other and to be lovers when they grew up, but something happened and they were separated. With that, he promised her that he will find her, and that’s what he’s doing now.

Staring at her again for one last time before going back home, you can see the longing in his, the love he wants to show her, yet under that is a very dangerous creature too. He watches her go with her friends until he can no longer see her back. He’ll find a perfect time for his love to be with him again.

“Just wait; we’ll be together again, Grace. I’ll make sure of it.”