Chapter Three:
The boy was standing directly in front of me. His abdominal muscles were clearly defined and tense, a towel carelessly wrapped around his waist, and his wet hair dripped over his shoulders and chest. For a moment I froze in place, my mind completely shut down. I looked at him longer than I should have; his body was stunning and alluring, and I drifted into my imagination, as if I had forgotten the reason I was here in the first place.
He raised an eyebrow when he noticed my staring.
He stepped toward me slowly, one step after another, until he trapped me against the door, placing his hands on both sides. I lifted my gaze to him, my eyes widening.
It was him.
The same boy who had gotten out of the car.
He said in a cold, arrogant voice, "Are you a stalker or a spy?"
I swallowed, my heart pounding violently. "No… I'm here… this is my room, I think."
He looked at me for a few seconds, then suddenly stepped back and sighed. "Fine. So you're my roommate."
My roommate? That's impossible!
"What's your name?"
"I'm… Iris."
He nodded. "And I'm Kevin Halkos. Be calm and don't bother me."
Then he turned around and entered one of the rooms, closing the door behind him, leaving me standing in the living room like a new piece of furniture that didn't know where it had been placed.
How could my roommate be a male? Is this normal here? Or have I entered an extra chapter of a never-ending nightmare?
Finally, I looked around carefully. The place wasn't an ordinary room; it was more like a small luxurious apartment. Two separate bedrooms, a fully equipped small kitchen, a shared bathroom, and a living room with a huge sofa and a large television mounted on the wall.
I moved toward the sofa and sat down cautiously, then grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. Channels appeared one after another, but their names were unfamiliar. The anchors and guests looked strange; some had features that were too sharp, others had unnatural skin. Even the way they spoke was different.
I whispered to myself, "Is it possible that I swapped places with that girl? She went to my world… and I was summoned here?"
The idea sounded insane, but it was the only logical explanation in the middle of all this madness.
I stood up and headed toward the other room, next to Kevin's room. I opened the door slowly… it was neatly arranged: the bed was made, the desk was clean, as if its owner had left only minutes ago.
I walked toward the wardrobe and opened it. It was full of elegant clothes: dark dresses, long coats, and pieces that looked expensive. One particular outfit caught my attention: a white shirt, a black tie, a purple skirt with black lines, and a matching coat.
I stared at it silently. "Is this the academy uniform?"
I closed the wardrobe and headed to the desk. There was a phone on it. I grabbed it immediately and opened it without hesitation. It unlocked easily, with no password.
I began browsing through it and found many applications with strange names, their accounts almost empty, so I went into the photo gallery.
And I froze.
The gallery was full of pictures of me.
But… I had never taken them.
Pictures of me smiling at the camera, pictures of me in places I don't recognize, with unknown people. Even the videos I was speaking in my own voice, laughing in my own way, but I don't remember any of them.
I slowly ran my finger across the screen, trying to comprehend it. There was no trace of my grandfather, nor of Mark, nor of Maysan. No one I knew. They were all new people.
I opened an app called "My Happy Diary." At the top, I found a message titled: "To my dear Iris."
My hand trembled as I tapped on it.
"My dear Iris,
I hope you are well. I know that you are scared and lost right now, but I wanted to tell you that you will get used to this from now on. I am Carla Parkjo, the owner of the place you have taken. I am from a noble and wealthy vampire family. I received a strict upbringing from a young age as a noble, and I had to be more refined and mature than others. My life was ordinary; I did not receive special attention, nor was I ostracized. I was simply a noble person who hated her quiet life.
And one day, while I was performing one of my spells, my reflection in the mirror was reversed and transformed into your image. From that day on, I began watching you and spying on you from inside the mirror. Honestly, it was wonderful to watch you and see how much special attention you received from everyone the attention I once lost and longed for, which I found in your private life.
So I decided, at any cost, to prey on you and obtain a chance to change our worlds. After many experiments and spells, I succeeded in creating one and made you transfer to my world.
From now on, you will be in my place. Remember that you are now a vampire, but temporarily. In the morning, you are an ordinary human, and in the evening, you become a vampire. Be careful not to be exposed.
Tomorrow will be the first day at Warster Kailey Academy. I wish you a better life.
The end."
I finished reading and remained staring at the screen.
I felt intense anger rising inside me. I don't know if I was angry because my life had been stolen from me, or because what was coming might be far worse.
"Prey on you?" I muttered bitterly. "As if I were prey in a forest."
I had no choice but to accept this act temporarily, or find a way back to my world. But how? I knew no spells, and there were no magical mirrors within my reach. I looked at the mirror, and it reflected my image differently, as if I had become part of this world.
I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I wished all of this were a foolish dream, and that I would wake up in my old room, hear my grandfather knocking on the door, and see Mark again.
I fell asleep after a long day filled with surprises.
I woke up early in the morning. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Everything was the same.
The same room. It wasn't a dream or a nightmare it was a reality I had to live from now on.
I sighed, feeling the urge to cry and explode at the same time. I got up immediately and walked toward the window. I opened it, and sunlight slipped inside, falling across my face and hands.
I waited for a burning sensation… for pain… for anything.
But nothing happened.
I wasn't affected.
I remembered last night's message my partial transformation. Human in the morning, vampire in the evening.
"Great," I muttered bitterly.
I left my room and headed toward Kevin's room. I hesitated for a moment before entering, then opened the door without permission.
The room was completely dark, the curtains tightly drawn. I moved cautiously toward his bed.
He was lying on his back, his hands clasped over his chest, completely motionless. He looked like a corpse in an invisible coffin. I studied him for a few seconds. His face was calm, his features sharp even in sleep. If this was what vampires looked like while sleeping, I didn't want to see what they looked like when they woke up hungry.
I left quietly and closed the door.
I stood in the living area, thinking. If vampires were like this… then what about those with green skin? And those with horns? How many kinds lived here?
No answer.
I decided to leave the apartment or what was called a room. I walked down the corridor with cautious steps, looking around, trying to memorize the details. The walls were decorated with old paintings, the lighting was dim, and the floor was glossy.
There was no one awake. The place was almost empty. Even when I stepped outside into the courtyard, it was deserted except for a cool breeze passing between the trees.
I moved toward a small garden filled with flowers. I bent down to examine one of them and, without thinking, tried to pluck one of the beautiful red roses. Its thorn suddenly pricked me.
"Ah!"
A small drop of blood appeared on my finger. I tried to stop the bleeding with my other hand. And at that moment, I noticed a long shadow stretching across the ground behind me.
I froze.
I didn't turn around immediately, but I felt the presence of a tall person standing directly behind me. My breathing slowed, my hand still raised. I closed my eyes for a moment, as if bracing myself for what was about to happen.