Page 1 of A Touch of Darkness

From the moment I saw her name on the university’s roster, something called me to her. How can mere letters on paper ignite such a fire in my soul? I'll never know—and it seems, after nearly two centuries of walking this earth, I may never find out.

I waited impatiently for the first day of the new school year. I needed to see her with my own eyes to be sure, to truly know my intuition hadn’t failed me again. I refrained from searching her name online, though I nearly gave in to that temptation more times than I care to admit. I've never been good at controlling myself. But I needed to know I still had some semblance of humanity to cling to, to remind me of what I once was—and what I’ll never be again. My intuition was always sharp when I was human—even sharper than it is now, though my peers wouldn't believe that. Yes, I possess other, more desirable abilities now. But my human intuition? It's one of the things I miss most, even after all this time.

When the day finally arrived, I was practically bursting at the seams, waiting like a starving man for even the smallest glimpse of her. And then, it was over. The wait that felt like years but was only weeks was finally behind me. I felt her deep inside my bones, down to the very darkened pit of my soul, the moment she stepped foot onto campus. I didn't need to see her to feel her—to know she was there.

Something else tells me she's arrived—a divine, undying thread, tying us together.

Like the sensation that swept through me when seeing her name on the roster, something inside of me awakens. I can almost smell her, though I don’t know her scent yet. A wave of broken, irreparable nostalgia crashes over me, as if a memory is just beyond my reach—slipping in slow motion from my fingers, dripping like the last few drops of blood from a drained enemy.

I can almost feel it, almost see it. A moment on the verge of clarity—her scent, her laughter, her touch. But then, it vanishes, leaving everything dull once more. All her vibrant colors drain from behind my eyelids, and life is again nothing more than a black-and-white horror film that won’t stop replaying...

Until I glance out the window of my third-story classroom, where I teach ancient relic studies. There she is, her being pulling at mine as though our destinies have always been intertwined, as though she is here for me and me alone.

She steps out of a vehicle, her long, dark hair billowing in the country wind. A sense of familiarity rolls through the air like distant, angry thunder, and I instinctively clutch my chest, a strange, rippling sensation spreading through my core like wildfire.

I don’t need to know anything more about this woman. She is the one my heart has been yearning for, for centuries. The only one capable of consuming my soul within hers. Of taming the very monster she turned me into.

She, alone, is the one I've thought of every second of every minute of every single day of this cursed life.

I don't know how it's possible, but she's here. She’s home.

My lover. My nightmare.

I can't wait to taste what's mine.

The monstrous castle sprawls before me, an absolutely breathtaking sight that seems to consume everything resting in its shadow. I’ve never, in my nineteen years, seen anything more enchanting or captivating. My eyes roam over the massive university perched on the steep hill, its silhouette looming in the distance like a forgotten, antiquated fortress. I can’t help but wonder about the ghosts that might linger within its walls. Nothing this old and beautiful can exist without bearing the weight of damaged souls, surely.

Towering spires and impeccable stone arches give the illusion that they are piercing the sky, challenging the heavens above. Ivy crawls up and down the ancient stone walls, wrapping and entangling them in a green embrace that seems somehow comforting. Gothic arches, intricate and weathered by centuries of storms, cast long, dramatic shadows over the cobblestone courtyard. Scattered leaves swirl about in the crisp, autumn wind, and deserted tables rest throughout the patio area, likethe entire place is vacant, nothing more than a timeworn, abandoned building. I would’ve thought others would be milling about, nervously making their trek to their new home as well, but I’ve yet to see anyone else—other than my sister, Lara.

I’ve never seen a gargoyle in real life; at least, not until this very moment. Perched high atop the castle, their stone faces are frozen in an enigmatic, eternal watchfulness, their unblinking eyes following every movement below, despite their immovable forms.

If memory serves me right, these were probably put in place as some kind of distraction to guard the school. At least something will be watching over us, warding off potential evil spirits. Even if it is in the form of strange-looking cement creatures and nothing more than silly lore.

I breathe in the fresh air as we walk, noting how different and clean it feels in comparison to the dirty city air I’m used to. Things are already changing, already so different. Almost unrecognizable.

Maybe I will like it here.

“Sylv, holy shit,” Lara says, her voice breathless as we begin our ascent toward our new home away from home. I nod, still unable to form coherent words, too lost in the unbelievable scene before me. “How are we lucky enough to attend this university for the next four years, sis? We’re about to live in a whole-ass castle!” She practically squeals, squeezing my hand with the one not occupied by her suitcase as we drag our bags up the steep, seemingly endless hill.

“We’re probably two of the most unlucky people in the world,” I say with a nervous chuckle, briefly thinking of our parents before shoving those memories as far back into the recesses of my mind as humanly possible. Today should be a happy day. It’sgoingto be a happy day, and I refuse to let my brain ruin it. “I agree, though,” I add. “This place has someInstagram-worthy spots, and we haven’t even made it inside yet. We’re about to make all those bitches back in Chicago who are attending community collegesojealous.” She giggles at that, and I grin, thinking about how the girls who made our lives hell for the past few years will never leave our hometown.

We’re here on academic scholarships, which is a bonus for us since it’s not like we have parents to help front the cost, although they did leave behind a decent sum of money for us. The prestigious school is expensive, but it was worth it to us to be here. In this place that holds so many memories for our parents. It’s the only way we can feel close to them now.

I glance up at the school to gauge how much farther we’ll be rolling these bulky bags, and that’s when I see him—a man in one of the windows. Up on the third story of the building. The moment our eyes meet, a deeply unsettling feeling washes over me, a sudden onset of intense heaviness, like someone is steadily, slowly tightening their grip around my throat. It’s suffocating, relentless. There’s something else. Something just beyond reach, a familiarity I can’t place. Something earthshattering, soul crushing…yet a sense of rightness that feels so incredibly unwarranted in comparison. I freeze, needing a moment to find my equilibrium that seems to have all but vanished. When I look up again, he’s gone. I didn’t get a good look at him—after all, we’re still a ways from the top of the hill—but the eerie, lingering sensation cloaks me, leaving an unnerving chill in its wake.

What was that? And why did it feel like life and death were warring against each other—wrapping around my entire body—the very second I saw him?

“You okay? You literally look like you just saw a ghost,” Lara says, her voice tinged with concern as she glances at me. I try to shrug it off, but the disturbing sensation is still clawing at my chest, leaving me off-kilter.

“Sylvie,” she presses, her tone soft but insistent.

I shake my head as we near the massive double doors of the entrance, forcing my legs to continue forward.

“I’m okay. It was weird. I saw a man in one of the windows and?—”

Lara stops abruptly, spinning to face me with wide eyes. “You saw a man in a window and acted like you had no breath in your lungs? Please tell me he was hot. Like…Jensen Ackles inSupernaturalhot. Remember when Mom used to binge that show nonstop, and we’d get so sick of it? All we wanted was to watch our dumb reality dating shows. Jensen was the only good thing about that show.”

Her words hit me, warmth spreading through my body at the thought of our mother and her guilty pleasure TV show. We look at each other, somber smiles stretched across our faces as the memory settles between us. I nod. “How could I forget? Mom’sSupernaturalobsession was on another level.”

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