Kimi's POV
A strange ache throbbed in my jaw, deep and insistent. I stumbled toward the mirror, searching for an answer — but my reflection wasn't there.
Instead, my mother's warm smile hovered behind me.
I reached up to touch the source of the discomfort. My fingers brushed over something sharp. Something unnatural.
"Just your fangs, sweetheart," she said, voice honey-smooth and far too cheerful.
I backed away, the word fangs echoing in my mind like thunder. Curling under the blankets, I buried the panic. School was tomorrow, and whatever I'd become — I'd have to face it.
The next morning, I woke to a strange clarity. The ache was gone, replaced by something like… energy. My limbs felt lighter. My vision sharper.
Downstairs, my mother was already waiting. She handed me a bottle of crimson liquid — the same hue as last night.
This time, I didn't gag. The taste slid over my tongue like silk and heat, and a terrible, undeniable part of me wanted more.
Then came the necklace — a ruby set in gold.
"This will protect you from the sun," she said simply.
I clasped it on, grabbed the blood bottle, and stepped into the light of a very changed world.
The schoolyard buzzed with its usual chaos, but nothing felt usual anymore. And then I saw her — the girl from before. The serpent tattoo peeked from under her collar.
Without a word, she took my hand. I followed — heart hammering — until she tugged me into a janitor's closet and shut the door behind us.
It was cramped, dark, warm from our bodies pressed close.
"What… what are you doing?" I whispered, suddenly breathless.
She didn't answer — not with words. Her hand rose to my cheek, fingers trailing along my skin like a question.
I should've pulled away.
I didn't.
Something about her — about this moment — felt like gravity, dragging me forward whether I wanted it or not.
Then her lips were on mine.
I froze for half a heartbeat. Then I kissed her back, instinctively reaching for her neck, clinging like it was the only thing keeping me tethered.
She pulled away, her breath brushing my lips. I stood motionless, dazed.
"What just happened?"
"Now," she said softly, her voice barely a breath, "will you listen to what I have to say?"
I nodded, stunned. "Yeah."
Her expression shifted — hunger, shame, need — all flickering through her eyes. "Can I… please drink some of that blood? I'm starving, and I don't want to feed on them."
No hesitation. I handed her the bottle. She drank deeply, crimson staining the corners of her lips.
Somewhere deep in me, a need stirred. I didn't think — I just leaned in and licked it clean.
She kissed me again, hard this time. Her arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me in tight. Her mouth found my neck, and when she kissed the skin just below my jaw, a shiver cracked through me.
A soft sound escaped my lips — a moan, raw and helpless.
"What a sweet sound, honey," she whispered, voice thick with heat.
Her hands explored with careful, teasing precision. Mine stayed resting against her neck, unsure, overwhelmed.
The school bell blared, a violent reminder of the world outside this stolen moment.
"What's your name?" I asked, breathless, my face flushed.
She smirked, cocky and playful. "Do I kiss that well?"
I blinked, then laughed — nervous and stunned. "You're the first person I've ever kissed. I'm Kimi."
Her smirk faltered into something softer. She leaned in, kissed my cheek, and whispered, "I'm Charlotte. See you after school."
And just like that, she vanished into the hall.
I stood alone, cheeks burning, and chugged the last of my bottle like it could steady my spinning thoughts.
The day crawled. Every second was thick with waiting. But hunger crept in — deeper, darker, sharper than before.
By last period, the smell of blood was everywhere. Beneath skin. Behind every heartbeat. I could hear it.
"May I please step out, ma'am?" I asked, my voice cracking, raw with urgency.
I barely made it to the bathroom before I saw them — my eyes in the mirror. Glowing red. Inhuman.
Then I heard it: soft sobbing. A girl in the corner stall.
No.
No.
Stop—
But my body moved on instinct. I crossed the tile like a shadow. She looked up, startled. "Are you—"
My fangs sank into her neck before I even realized. The taste — sweet, alive, real — filled me. My eyes fluttered shut. I drank until the voice inside me screamed enough.
Guilt slammed into me. I pulled away.
The girl was dazed, trembling.
I met her gaze — and compelled her. "You slipped. Hit your head. You're okay."
She nodded slowly, and I fled.
I didn't stop running until I was outside, my back against the brick wall, heart racing like it could escape my chest.
Whatever I had become… it wasn't done with me yet.