Chapter 1

• Aurora’s pov:
• My body temperature keeps increasing as the images blurs in front of me.
• The blood dripping from sharp fangs, the blue eyes staring intensely at me in the darkness - cold and piercing.
• Then the green eyes. Forest green, burning like embers. I flinch as a snarl rips through the silence and claws reach out, wrapping around my neck. My chest tightens. I can’t move. It's like my entire body is frozen.
• The images start flickering, shifting too fast for me to grasp.
• My body jerks up, drenched in cold sweat and I look around the room in fear, waiting for the creatures who keep showing up in dreams to jump on me in real life.
• I haven’t had one of these in a while. It’s probably because of the horror movie I watched last night.
• The first day of junior year should feel like any other. But it doesn’t.
• Maybe it’s the dream that woke me up in bad way, flashes of different eyes, a whisper I can’t make out. Or maybe it’s the fact that the Andersons are taking in an exchange student today, which means I won’t be the only one in this house anymore. Either way, something feels off.
• Picking up my phone from the bedside table, I check the time.
• “Shit! I forgot to set my alarm!” I scramble out of bed and quickly take my bath. I start putting on my clothes and packing my books for school. It’s even weird that Ava has not come to my school to wake me up.
• “Are you ready, sweetheart?” Ava, my foster mom, peeks into my room. She’s always smiling, always gentle, and I don’t think she and Henry expected to take in a teenager when they signed up for fostering.
• But they try. And that’s more than I can say for the others before them.
• “Yeah, just grabbing my bag.” I sling it over my shoulder and follow her downstairs, where Henry is reading the news on his tablet.
• “Where is the guest?” I asked them as I took my sit. I expected to already see him here considering today is the first day of school.
• “He’s arriving this afternoon,” Henry says. “Jon Drago. He is from Australia. I must say, the boy has a pretty impressive profile.”
• Henry has a small smile on his face which means that this Jon is definitely impressive.
• “Well, he will fit right into Clarence then.” Ava serves me some pancakes with a knowing look on her face and a slight frown.
• “What?” I furrow my brows in confusion.
• “Nothing. I just think you need to make friends and this might be an opportunity.” She shrugs.
• “I don’t even know the guy. And I have a lot of friends already.”
• “Pfft. As if. Anyways, six months is more than enough time to get to know each other.” My eyes widen at her statement.
• “What? Six months?”
• “Yes. That’s the duration for the exchange program.”
• Worry seeps into my mind as I start overthinking. I feel a hand on mine and I look up to see Ava smiling at me.
• “I’m sure you two will get along just fine.” I nod in response and continue eating.
• Doubt it. I’ve spent years bouncing from home to home, learning how to keep my distance. I have one friend, Cali, and that’s more than enough.
• After eating, I head out and thankfully, I’m able to meet up with the bus.
• ************
• At school, everything is the same.
• Clarence High is a mix of brick walls, flickering hallway lights, and students who either pretend I don’t exist or glance my way like I’m some stray puppy. I don’t care. It’s easier this way.
• “Morning, loser.” Cali slams her locker shut and loops her arm through mine. Her purple-streaked hair is tied into a messy bun, and she’s already got that wild energy that tells me she’s had at least two energy drinks.
• “Morning, psycho,” I reply.
• She grins. “Did you hear? New guy’s coming today. Apparently, he’s Australian and hot. That accent? Instant heartbreaker.”
• “And how is that my business, darling?” I ask her in a false British accent.
• “Whatever. I’m gonna taste out of that Australian juice.” I make a disgusted face at her.
• “Eww”
• Cali gasps dramatically. “No. But seriously, Aurora, how can you not be excited? This is a once-in-a-lifetime event. A hot guy in our school that isn’t related to half the town.”
• I snort, but before I can reply, the air shifts.
• It’s subtle at first, like the temperature just dropped a few degrees. Then, the scent hits me; earthy, fresh, something almost electric in the air. The hallway quiets, heads turning toward the entrance.
• And there he is.
• Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a fitted black t-shirt that does nothing to hide the lean muscle underneath. His dark hair is tousled, and his green eyes scan the hallway like he already owns the place.
• Jon Drago.
• My new housemate.
• His gaze locks onto mine, and for a second, it’s like I forget how to breathe. His expression shifts, something like shock, confusion, and then something deeper, something primal.
• Those eyes… Those green eyes… They look familiar.
• The hallway is its usual chaotic mess; students laughing, lockers slamming, the faint scent of cheap cafeteria food clinging to the air. But something shifts, thickens, like the atmosphere itself has changed.
• Then I see him.
• He’s standing near the front office, listening to one of the school administrators while casually scanning the hallway.
• The moment stretches, too long, too intense for a glance between strangers. His expression flickers, something like surprise, confusion before his lips press into a firm line.
• Then, without hesitation, he moves.
• I tense as he strides through the crowd, students instinctively parting for him like they feel something I don’t. I dart a glance at Cali, expecting her to say something, but she’s watching him approach with open curiosity.
• And then, he’s in front of me.
• Then, suddenly, he exhales and offers a lopsided smile. “Hey. You must be Aurora.”
• I blink. How does he know my name. “Uh… yeah?”
• He nods like that confirms something, then holds out his hand. “I’m Jon Drago. I just moved here from Australia. Don’t be creeped out, Ava sent me your picture… For easy recognition.”
• I hesitate, still thrown off by how intensely he’s watching me. But after a beat, I reach out, letting my hand slip into his.
• The moment our palms touch-
• A jolt.
• Not pain. Not quite a spark. But something. A strange, pulling sensation, deep and instinctive, like my body recognizes him before my mind does.
• Jon stiffens. His grip on my hand tightens just slightly.
• Then, before I can react, he leans in, just enough that only I can hear him.
• His breath is warm against my ear as he whispers,
• “Mate.”