Noah
I learned early that humans trusted confidence more than truth.
If you said something like you believed it , if you didn't hesitate, didn't fidget, didn't explain too much , they accepted it. They filled in the blanks themselves. Humans were generous that way.
That generosity had kept me alive for nearly two centuries.
The town sign welcomed us with chipped white paint and a crooked smile:
WELCOME TO BLACKWOOD
Founded 1798
Old towns always pretended they were harmless.
I watched it blur past the car window as Elias drove, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually near the radio. He looked exactly like what he was meant to look like , an unremarkable middle-aged man moving for work, dragging his nephew along for the inconvenience.
Another lie.
Blackwood sat in a bowl of trees and fog, the kind of place where secrets didn't echo , they sank. Where history layered itself quietly, year after year, until no one remembered where the rot had started.
I didn't like it.
That usually meant we were exactly where we needed to be.
"You're thinking too loudly," Elias said without looking at me.
"I'm not thinking at all," I replied.
He smiled faintly. "That's worse."
We pulled into the school parking lot just as the first bell rang. Students spilled across cracked pavement in clusters of sound and color , laughter, shouting, the sharp metallic slam of car doors.
The sun was already high.
I stepped out of the car and let it hit my skin.
Nothing.
No pain. No burn. No reaction at all.
I'd never gotten used to that part.
"Remember," Elias said as he straightened his jacket, slipping easily into his human role. "You're here to blend in. Not disappear."
I scoffed quietly. "Those are the same thing."
"They are not," he said. "Disappear, and people look for you. Blend in, and they forget you exist."
He paused, studying my face.
"And whatever you do," he added calmly, "don't draw attention."
I didn't answer.
Because attention wasn't something you always chose.
Blackwood High School looked exactly like every other one I'd attended over the years. Brick walls darkened by age, windows clouded with dust and fingerprints, banners advertising sports teams and dances that would be forgotten by next semester.
The hallways smelled like disinfectant and adolescent anxiety.
The principal shook my hand too firmly and talked too much. Elias nodded along, offering well-timed smiles and fabricated anecdotes about adjusting after the move. I let my eyes drift, mapping exits, counting people, noting cameras.
Old habits.
When the bell rang again, sharp and invasive, my muscles tensed before I could stop myself.
Elias noticed.
He always did.
"You're fine," he murmured as we stood. "You always are."
Another lie.
The classroom fell quiet when I entered.
It wasn't dramatic. Just a subtle thinning of sound, like air being pulled from a room. Conversations tapered off. A few heads turned.
I felt it immediately , attention brushing against me, light but persistent.
The teacher smiled politely. "Class, this is Noah Vale. He'll be joining us."
I stepped forward.
"My name is Noah Vale," I said evenly. "I just moved here."
Lie number one.
A few people clapped. Someone whispered. Someone else snorted.
I took the empty seat near the window, where the sunlight poured in freely, and stared out at the trees.
I could feel the sun warming my skin.
I could also feel someone watching me.
I didn't look right away.
I waited until the weight of it sharpened.
Then I turned my head.
She sat two rows over, chin resting on her hand, eyes narrowed slightly , not curious, not impressed. Evaluating.
She looked… awake.
Most people drifted through life half-asleep, their senses dulled by routine and comfort. This girl wasn't like that. She paid attention.
That was a problem.
When the teacher began the lesson, I stopped looking at her.
She didn't stop looking at me.
Iris
I didn't notice the new boy at first.
That might sound strange, considering how everyone else reacted, but it's the truth. Blackwood High loved novelty. New haircuts. New drama. New faces to dissect and label.
I was halfway through rewriting my to-do list when the room went oddly quiet.
That's when I looked up.
He stood near the front of the class, hands relaxed at his sides, posture easy in a way that didn't match the situation. Most transfer students looked nervous, or fake-confident.
He looked… bored.
"My name is Noah Vale. I just moved here."
His voice was calm. Not shy. Not cocky.
Just controlled.
Something about that tugged at my attention.
I waited for the usual tells. The nervous smile. The shifting weight. The glance toward the teacher for reassurance.
None came.
When he sat down, he didn't look around like he was trying to memorize faces or assess social hierarchies. He didn't check his phone. Didn't fidget.
He stared out the window like the classroom wasn't real.
Okay. Weird.
The sun hit him full in the face.
He didn't squint.
That was when my curiosity woke up.
Not alarm , just interest. A small itch at the back of my mind that said that doesn't add up.
People reacted to sunlight. Everyone did. Even if they didn't burn, they blinked. Adjusted. Complained.
Noah Vale didn't react at all.
I watched him for the rest of the class, subtle enough that no one noticed. When the teacher asked a question, he answered correctly without hesitation. When someone dropped a pen behind him, he didn't jump , but his attention flicked back instantly, sharp and precise.
Like he'd been expecting it.
When the bell rang, students surged toward the door, eager and loud.
Noah stayed seated.
Watching.
That sealed it.
I stepped into his path in the hallway before I could overthink it.
"Nice introduction," I said lightly. "Very convincing."
He stopped.
Up close, his eyes were darker than I expected. Not in a dramatic way , just… deep. Like they'd seen more than they should have.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"You just moved here," I said. "From where?"
He didn't hesitate. "New Hampshire."
Too smooth.
"Why Blackwood?"
"My uncle's job."
"What does he do?"
He smiled faintly. "A little of everything."
That smile didn't reach his eyes.
I shrugged. "Huh."
He shifted his backpack on his shoulder. "Are you always this interrogative?"
"Only when something feels off."
"And I feel off to you?"
I tilted my head. "You don't blink enough."
That earned a real reaction , a flicker of surprise he buried almost instantly.
Interesting.
He stepped around me. "I'm late for class."
I watched him walk away, a strange sense of satisfaction curling in my chest.
I didn't know what his deal was.
But I was going to find out.
Noah
By lunch, my nerves were stretched thin.
The cafeteria was chaos , too loud, too bright, too many heartbeats pounding out of rhythm. Elias had warned me. Feeding hours were always dangerous, even when you didn't feed.
I took an empty seat near the windows and unwrapped the lunch I had no intention of eating.
I felt her before I saw her.
"Mind if I sit?"
I looked up.
Iris Monroe.
I hadn't asked her name. I hadn't needed to.
"You already are," I said.
She grinned and dropped into the seat across from me, entirely too comfortable for someone sitting near a stranger.
"You don't eat much," she observed.
"I eat," I replied.
"Then you're very selective."
I ignored that.
She studied me openly, like I was a puzzle she wasn't sure she liked.
"So," she said. "What's your story?"
"I don't have one."
"Everyone has one."
I met her gaze. "Some are better left untold."
Her eyes lit up , not with fear, but interest.
Oh no.
Before I could say anything else, a sharp cry cut through the cafeteria.
Someone had dropped a tray.
Blood streaked across white tile.
The scent hit me like a memory I didn't want.
I stood too quickly.
Iris noticed.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
I forced my voice steady. "Fine."
Lie number two.
I left the cafeteria without looking back.
That night, Elias watched me carefully.
"She's curious," he said.
"I know."
"Curiosity leads to questions."
"I know."
"And questions lead to answers."
I met his gaze. "Not if I lie well enough."
Elias's expression didn't soften.
"Just remember," he said quietly. "Every lie has a cost."
Outside, the town of Blackwood slept peacefully.
And I wondered how long that peace would last.
🩸 END OF CHAPTER ONE 🩸