Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Birthday
Celeste POV
I slept through the entire day, waking up intermittently. The pain in my head was too much for me at first, but thankfully it has subsided. I force myself to get up and greet my grandparents. I don't want to worry them; they should be home any second.
After taking a shower, I put on sweatpants and style my hair for later. As I gaze into my eyes, I notice they have returned to their original color. I must have been tired last night. Suddenly, I hear the door open. I assume it is them.
I sprint down to greet them. With her green eyes and black hair, my grandma looks exactly like me. As I approach, I hug her. “Hi, Grandma!”
She gives me a squeeze, “Hi Dear, Happy Birthday!” I give her a kiss on the cheek,
“Thank you!” I turn to my grandpa and give him a hug as well,
“I can’t believe my granddaughter is 21.”
I smile at him, “I know, neither can I.”
I follow them into the living room. She looks up at me, “Oliver should be here any minute now, shouldn’t you be getting ready?”
I glance at the clock on the wall. “Oh my gosh you’re right! Tell me when he arrives.” I sprint back upstairs.
My closet is full of clothes, and I struggle to determine what to wear. Eventually, I decide on a white dress. The dress flatters my figure, it’s strapless that falls above my knees, I like how it hugs my body but not too tight.
As I take one last look at myself, my long black hair dangles down my back and I apply makeup to make my eyes stand out even more. I smile, feeling satisfied. The doorbell rings, oh yeah, Oliver. I grab a pair of my most flattering heels and hurry to put them on. I walk downstairs to meet Oliver.
He is standing in the doorway talking away to my grandparents, but they all have grim expressions on their faces.
"Hey Oliver," I say as I approach them. They turn to face me. He mutters something as his cheeks flush red.
My grandmother reaches out to hold my hands as she looks at me. “Oh Celeste, you look so beautiful, I can't believe you're 21.” Tears pool in her eyes,
“Oh, grandma!” I pull her into a hug and pat her on the back. "Don't worry, like I told Oliver," I tell her, pulling back and looking at her. “I'm just 21 years old. How can I change overnight?” I laugh and they all look at each other. I see Oliver playing with his fingers while my grandparents look away. I wonder what is wrong with them.
"Let's go, Oliver! Having fun is the best way to celebrate my birthday!” I pick up my purse. Grabbing Oliver's arm, while looking up at him and leading him to the door.
We hurry out the door and get into his car.
We reach the club. Loud music is playing, and the room is full. All of this is new to me, and my eyes are wide at the scene in front of me. People are dancing, making out, and having a good time.
Oliver grabs one of my hands and leads me to a table. A smile crosses his face, "I'll grab us a drink, sit tight."
I nod, "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."
When he left, I took the opportunity to take in the scene in front of me.
An attractive guy with blue eyes stands out in the corner. When he notices that I am looking at him, a smile spreads across his face. As I turn my head, I smile awkwardly. I am uncomfortable around guys, handsome guys specifically. Oliver is the exception of course. To sneak a peek, I turn to see the man again, but he was already gone. The man was really stunning.
There is someone behind me, I'm sure it is Oliver. So, I turn around and look behind me. I see the guy with blue eyes!
As he leans into my ear, he asks, “What is your name?”
I smile, “Celeste."
He smiles and whispers in my ear, "Nice to meet you, Celeste, I'm Daniel." He looks even better up close. He was tall, with a gorgeous face. His blond hair was slick back neatly. He reminds me of a runway model with his gaze and his lean body. My gaze wanders to find Oliver, even though this man was gorgeous, I'm getting a strange vibe from him. From a distance, he looked nice. However, now...
Daniel sits down next to me and asks, “Do you mind if I purchase a drink for you?”
I shake my head, “My friend is bringing me a drink. Thank you nonetheless.” He smiles and I notice that some of his teeth are incredibly pointed. That's so strange. I've never seen anyone with teeth like that before.
He moves closer to me, "Well, that's a shame. If it won't be too much trouble, I would be glad to keep you company while your friend is away." I want to tell him, no, but fortunately, I see Oliver approaching. Taking a seat at the table, Oliver looks at Daniel.
“Celeste, is this man bothering you?” His face was cold and icy when he spoke.
“No Oliver, it's okay. He just offered to buy me a drink." I grab Oliver and push him away from Daniel. Daniel smiles at me as I wave. "Let's go dancing, Oliver. Ignore him."
Oliver sighs, "All right, we can come back to our drinks."
Fortunately, Daniel is gone when we return to our table after dancing. As Oliver enjoys his drinks, I wonder why he has been acting so strange lately. I frown at him, and he gives me a weak smile.
"No matter what happens Celeste, I hope we can remain close like we are now. I know you will always see me as a brother, and I do not want that to change."
I exhale, "As I told you earlier, no changes will come, especially between us." I reach out and squeeze his hand.
He grins, "I know. I'm just not able to help myself. Anyways, here's to another year older!" He shouts as I raise my glass.
After a few hours of drinking and dancing. Oliver has been dozing off at the table even though we didn't drink very much.
I nudge his arm, he smiles, "I am not drunk. I am a bit tipsy." His speech is slurred. I place his arm around my shoulder as I grab his keys from his pocket. I think we should end it here. As we walk to the car, I shove him into the backseat. After murmuring something, he falls asleep. The only one who should be drunk like that is me.
I climb into the driver's seat, start the car, and the passenger door opens suddenly. A groan escaped my lips as I guessed Oliver had gotten out and was moving to the front. Looking over, I see no Oliver. My stomach turns. Daniel is there.
“What are you doing here Daniel?"
He laughs, "I've been feeling hungry, you seem appetizing." I squirm in my seat. In the blink of an eye, Daniel hits me in the face, and I see stars and lose consciousness.
* * *
Slowly, I opened my eyes. Where am I? What the hell happened to me? As I look around, it appears to be a hotel room. I see Oliver lying on the bed across the way. Panic sets in. I try to speak, but my throat is so dry. In another room, I hear a door opening. As I try to get up, I fall. I feel dizzy and nauseous. Suddenly, the door to the room opens and I stand up again but collapse to the ground.
Daniel smiles at me when I look up. "What's going on?" I ask. "Why am I here?” I squeak out.
Daniel reaches for me, throws me on the bed as if I were a rag doll. He climbs on top of me.
When I hit the bed, I let out a scream.
Laughing, he tilts his head and says, "You can see me, I hide my presence between humans when I pick my prey. However, you and your friend over there can see me." He runs his finger across my neck. "I tried your friend's blood over there and it was sweet and addictive; more so than an average human's."
His teeth start growing in his mouth as he opens it, and I try to shove him off, but he is too strong for me. "The fight is pointless; you will not escape." He chuckles, "I suppose you are like your friend, a being that wields magic."
What? What does he mean by magic? This guy must be a serial killer who likes human blood.
He tilts my neck to the side, and I squirm to fight him as much as I can.
In a flash, I feel pain in my neck, painful teeth, and cold lips. Is he consuming my blood? Tears well up in my eyes.
Suddenly he leaps up and spits, "Your blood is disgusting." He glares at me, "You're not human. You're not a witch. What are you?”
"Please let us go," I cry.
Taking me by the throat and choking me, he says "I'm taking your friend." He throws me against the wall across the room. I collapse to the ground.
Oliver is picked up by Daniel. “NO! Put him down!” I yell as I struggle to stand.
I limp towards Daniel, “Leave Oliver alone you b*stard!” I am shaking and weak, I can't fight. I must save Oliver.
Daniel drops Oliver on the ground and walks toward me, "I was going to let you live, but now you are annoying me.".
I jump backward when he reaches for me. "Your eyes, they're getting darker now," he says as he looks at me.
Moving closer, "What are you?" he asks. “Only wolves have eyes like yours that change colors and glow.” He smiles, “That's why your blood tastes bad. You're a wolf!”
Clearly, this guy is insane! Wolves? “You’re insane!” I shout at him. Using whatever strength I have left, I grab a table lamp and strike Daniel with it, sprinting to the door.
"You b*tch." He grabs me and pulls me back, and throws me to the ground. "You're going to die, you shouldn't have tried anything," he grabs my neck. "You can't even shift." He chokes me as I claw and kick at him. I notice that Oliver is not on the ground anymore. Oliver shows up out of nowhere and tackles Daniel to the ground.
He looks up at me, “Run Celeste, get out of here!’’
I shake my head, “No, Oliver, I can’t leave you.”
He smiles at me, “I’ll be fine. Now go! Get help. Now!” I stumble away.
Coughing still, I struggle to catch my breath. I run for the door.
I stop.
No. I can't abandon Oliver like that.
My lips curl into a growl. I have no idea where the urge comes from, but I must save Oliver.
I go back into the room I just left.
Oliver stands in front of the window. Daniel stands feet away, keeping his distance from Oliver.
I catch Oliver's eye as he glances at me.
"Celeste! Why the hell did you come back here?” He was beyond angry.
“I couldn’t leave you behind, Oliver.” I shudder.
It takes Oliver no time to react when Daniel appears in front of him, grabs him by the throat, and lunges out the window.
Glass fragments flew everywhere.
Screaming was all I could do. “Oliver NO!!!" I rush to the window, and both are missing. There was no sign of them.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone