Forsaken Right

Reed Richards: "Knowledge isn't a contest. It's a horizon, one that expands the closer you get. The real challenge isn't just understanding the universe but knowing how to use that understanding to make it better!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mystic Falls Library. Not exactly where I wanted to spend my night, but it beat staring at the ceiling, trying to outrun the discrepancies of my mind. And on the plus side, the place was practically deserted. Just me and the smell of old books.

I ran my fingers along the dusty spines, stopping when one caught my eye. Legends of the South. Might as well start somewhere. I pulled it down and flipped through the pages, skimming for anything that sounded useful. Ghost stories, witches, curses, typical small-town nonsense. But then I hit a passage about shadows that moved too fast to see, striking before their victims could scream. Cursed, restless, never aging.

Bingo., or so I thought. My fingers blurred as I flipped through book after book, the world around me moving at a snail's pace. Speed had its perks. I could read entire volumes in seconds and absorb the knowledge in less time than it took others to blink. It should've been easy.

The first book crumbled at my touch, pages disintegrating into a puff of dust. Useless. I tossed it aside, letting it hang mid-air for a moment before moving on to the next. A thick tome bound in cracked leather. Old runes. Promising.

I flipped through it, eyes racing over lines of text that twisted and turned, shapes morphing into words faster than I could fully comprehend them. Just as I thought I was getting somewhere, the text bled off the page, ink dissolving into meaningless blobs. Another dead end.

"Dammit."

I shoved the book back onto the shelf hard enough to make the others rattle. A few toppled over, frozen in their descent as I moved on. I skimmed through half a dozen more, words flashing before my eyes: Alchemy, sorcery, incantations, Truth or Legend, nothing of fucking note. I needed answers; It's like an itch I can't scratch.

I closed the book and let out a breath. I wasn't getting anything here.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to push down the headache building behind them. It was getting worse. The visions, or whatever you wanted to call them. They were bleeding into my reality more often. I kept seeing other versions of myself, living lives that weren't mine. And it sucked. I needed to figure out how to control it, or at least how to point it at something worthwhile. I could learn more about this place and others. Specifically vampires. Whatever the fuck was hiding in Mystic Falls.

I was about to pack up when I felt it. That prickling sensation on the back of my neck. Someone was watching me.

I looked up and saw her. Standing at the end of the aisle, half hidden behind a bookshelf, she had long dark hair, a mixed complexion, and eyes that were a little too sharp. She was holding a book to her chest, her fingers curling around the cover. She stared at me for a second before she turned and walked away, disappearing behind the shelves.

Weird.

I stood up, curiosity getting the better of me. I walked to where she'd been, glancing down the row of books. Empty. I frowned. I would've heard her leave.

I moved faster, rounding the corner just in time to catch a glimpse of her turning down another aisle. Oh,, she was quick.. It didn't make sense; scratch that, it might. She shouldn't have been able to move that quietly.

I followed, trying to keep my steps light. If she was sneaking around, she'd hear me coming. But no matter how fast I moved, she stayed ahead of me, always just out of sight. Every time I turned a corner, she was gone, like she'd melted into the shadows.

By the time I made it to the end of the row, I was alone. No sign of her. I looked around, half expecting her to jump out from behind a shelf, but there was nothing. Just books and shadows.

No matter I got the face, it was just a matter of time.

I sat back down and tried to focus, but my head was still spinning with possibility's. I couldn't get her out of my mind. That look she gave me. She most likely knew something.

I packed up my stuff and left the library, stepping out into the cool night air. The streets were empty and quiet. I looked around, half expecting to see her standing under a streetlight, watching me. Thoughtful but not realistic.

I took a deep breath and started walking. One thing was for sure I needed to keep my guard up. This town was getting weirder by the day.

Next day (Vicki Pov)

I wasn't supposed to be thinking about him. Hell, I wasn't even supposed to remember that night in the woods. But I did. Every detail played in my head like a bad movie on repeat.

Cyrus Black. New guy. Quiet. Kept to himself. I'd barely noticed him before that night, but now he was all I could think about. The way he looked standing over that body, calm as anything, like it was no big deal. Like he did that sort of thing all the time.

He told me to forget. Even threatened me. And maybe I should've been scared, but I wasn't. I should've been running in the other direction, but instead, I was... curious. Drawn to him for reasons I couldn't explain. It was stupid. Reckless. But when have I ever been good at making smart choices?

I tried to listen, to push him out of my head, but it didn't work. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him again. The way he moved, fast and impossible, like he wasn't bound by the same rules as the rest of us.

So, I asked around. I tried to be casual about it, but subtlety isn't exactly my strong suit. Not that it mattered, no one knew much. Just the usual gossip about the new kid. No friends, no family of note or that anyone had met. He didn't play sports, didn't go to parties, well except from that night and he didn't flirt or joke around like the other guys. He just showed up, did his time, and left.

Half the girls thought he was hot even with that burn mark, the other half thought he was an antisocial freak. Me? I didn't know what to think.

I found him at lunch, sitting outside by himself, reading a book. A history book. I wouldn't peg him for a history buff. But besides that he looked... normal, I guess. Just a guy with messy hair, hunched over a table, lost in his own world. He even looked kind of relaxed, occasionally leaning back in his chair like he had all the time in the world.

I hesitated, nerves twisting my stomach. Why was I even doing this? He made it clear he didn't want me around. But I couldn't leave it alone. I couldn't leave him alone.

I walked over before I could talk myself out of it, stopping at the edge of the table. "Didn't peg you for a nerd."

He didn't look up right away. Just let out this long, slow sigh, like I was the last person he wanted to see. Then his eyes flicked up, dark and cold. "What do you want, Vicki?"

I ignored the chill that ran down my spine at the way he said my name, like he was already tired of me. I forced a smile, playing it casual. "You're new. People are curious. Figured I'd see what all the fuss was about."

He rolled his eyes, finally shutting his book. "People need to get a life."

I laughed, but it came out too quick, too loud. I could feel my hands getting clammy, and I hated it. I pulled out the chair across from him before I could back out and sat down. His face didn't change, but I saw his shoulders tense, just a little.

"I thought I told you to stay away," he said, his voice low and steady.

He had. He told me to forget, to pretend like nothing happened. But I couldn't. I leaned back, crossing my arms. "Yeah, well... I don't take orders well."

His eyes narrowed, studying me, like he was trying to figure out what made me tick. It was unsettling, the way he looked at me, so calm and detached. "Clearly."

I looked away, tapping my fingers on the table, trying to ignore the nerves twisting my stomach. "Look, about that night... What happened?"

His expression didn't change, but his eyes went cold. He knew exactly what I was talking about. "You were high, wandered off, got lost their was an animal. And I found you. End of story."

I shook my head before he even finished. "No. That's not it. I remember... him. And you. You did something... I don't know what, but it was... weird."

His jaw tightened. "You were hallucinating."

"I wasn't," I insisted, leaning in. "I know what I saw."

He glanced around, his eyes scanning the courtyard like he was checking for eavesdroppers. When his gaze came back to me, it was sharp, a warning. "You're not making this a thing, Vicki. Drop it."

I should have. I should have listened and walked away. But I couldn't. "You moved... too fast. Like, faster than any human could. And he was just... on the ground. Like he never even touched me."

His lips pressed into a thin smile. "You were scared. Your mind filled in the blanks. It's called shock. It messes with your head."

"I wasn't imagining it," I argued, my voice coming out sharper than I meant. "You did something. Something no one else could."

"This conversation is over." He grabbed his book and turned to leave.

I stood up, my heart pounding. "Why won't you just admit the truth?"

He stopped, his back to me, For a second, I thought he was going to say something. But then he shook his head, not even looking back as he walked away.

I watched him go, my hands shaking. I should've listened. Should've left him alone.

But I couldn't. I couldn't stop thinking about him, about that night, about what he was hiding. Cyrus Black wasn't normal. And I was going to find out why.

-------------------------------------------------------

PowerStones!!!!!!!!!!

Tip- Use context clues within reading, you may find something unexpected or connective.