Spell for the day.
  
Murrieta Animata.

Brings an inanimate object to life.

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**Ingrid's POV **

I try avoiding Lili and Em the whole day. For the first time in forever, I go to the library to have my lunch away from everyone. I was scared of what I was and didn't want anyone to see me. Especially not Lilia and Emily.

I go to the locker to get my books for the next class, but I see my locker was blocked. Like literally blocked by a group of girls who by the looks of it were fangirling someone.

Urgh, not the new guy, again!!

I push my way through the mob of girls and somehow manage to make it to my locker. I see girls literally throwing themselves on him. Wait isn't he the guy at our outhouse.

I see him looking at me and wink while flirting with another girl. Eww. Gross.

I look at him carefully and see that his hair was messy and he actually looked good. It was hard to make out his features in the dark the other day but he looks relatively good. I see him staring at me and his expression morph from a smile to a shock. I turn away and catch my reflection in the side mirror of the locker and see my eyes turning a pale red.

Fuck! I need to do something about them. I take out the spare glasses from my bag and put them on, hoping not to attract too much attention. Given, this newcomer has all the attention I'm guessing no one would have noticed it. I slowly sneak out to the football field and sit near the benches.

Yeah, I didn't feel like attending class and I guess it was a bad decision given I see Kevin and his team practicing football. I try to avoid contact with him and turn around to walk away but karma had other plans for me.

"Ingrid, is that you?" Kevin asks following me.

"Kevin, go away. Please. I don't want to create a ruckus now."

"Ingrid I'm sorry for what happened that day. I swear it wasn't me. Maybe I was too drunk and I texted you and also I wasn't the one who kissed that girl, she came out of nowhere and threw herself at me."

"Like hell, I believe you. You liar."  I could feel all the anger rising inside me and literally feel it around me.

"Baby, I promise it wasn't me. Just give me a chance," he says, grabbing on to my arm and looking at me with those puppy eyes.

Oh damn those eyes. And then I remember the names his friends called me. The power I felt within me yesterday was surging. I felt the grip I have on me slowly slipping away. Oh no!

"Kevin, I need to go," I say, forcefully pulling my hand out of his grip and running away from him. I make my way to the girl's washroom and wash my face to calm myself.

I look at my reflection in the mirror and see how pale my face was and the black circles under my eyes. This was so not me. Urgh, I wish things would just be easier to deal with.

I hear the bell ring signaling the end of the day and I brisk walk to get away from the school when I  see  Em and Lili waiting for me in the parking lot. I was hoping to avoid them until I got home.

"Ingrid Swan, where were you the whole day," Lili yells. 

Woah, full names. She is definitely mad at me.

"I was in the school" I answer in a duh tone.

"Yeah as if," Em scowls.

"Iddy get in the car. We have a lot to talk" Lili says and I was in no mood to argue.

I was dragging my feet to the car when I spot a familiar car in the lot.

"Guys look, that car!!"

"Which one?"

"The one at Mrs potts Place," I say pointing to the shiny, brand new Volvo sitting a few spots away from us.

"Maybe we can find out whose is it today. " Em says, forgetting all about me.

"Yeah hopefully," Lili says a little curious.

We stay hiding low in the car and I feel, rather than see someone making their way towards us. We were waiting for almost an hour or so.

I slowly peep up the tinted glasses to see him. This guy again!!

"This guy!" Lilia and I say at the same time.

"Who is he?"

"He lives in our outhouse."

"He is Mrs potts nephew,"  we say together again.

"Okay, don't say things together. It's freaking me out. And how do you know he is Mrs. Potts, nephew?" Em asks turning to Lili.

"He looks like that guy from the ball."

"Okay, so he is the same person??" Em asks, definitely confused.

"So Mrs potts was hiding her nephew from us?" She asks again. 

"Why was he in your outhouse?" She says, continuing her monologue.

"Guys, there is no one in the parking lot. Let's go somewhere else and talk" Lili says sounding a bit scared.

We decide to go to Coco's bar and grill and not home as he could be there. We reach this place in less than 15 minutes.

Luckily, this place wasn't yet crowded so we take the farthest seat possible by the window. The dim lighting of this place with the window right beside us in this booth, seems perfect. 

"Okay so this guy is Mrs. Potts nephew and she has kept him hidden and he is also the guy you saw in the forest?" Em asks, in a low whisper. 

The waiter arrives and we all order our usual thick shakes and fries. 

"Could be. Not sure tho. I mean his face was covered in blood so I couldn't make it out but the car for sure is the same." I say, answering her question.  

"So, Lili are you sure it's the same guy?" 

"Weren't you out with him yesterday? Didn't you figure it was him?" I ask Lili. The waiter comes back with our drinks and I smile politely at her. 

"Yes, it's the same guy. I remember his eyes and no, it was dark last night but the eyes looked familiar and hence I was looking for a way to come home quickly, but he insisted on coming home but I told him to go back." Lilia says, taking a sip of her drink.

"And he just like that left?" I ask, sounding doubtful and suspicious about his action. 

"He insisted a lot, it seemed weird tho," she says. She seems to be more interested in her thick shake than in this conversation. 

Beep, beep! We hear a sound come from one of the phones.

Em takes out her phone and sighs!

"What is it?" I ask. 

"Mom wants me at the hospital. There is a bit of a situation there and she needs a change of clothes, she might end up staying there for the night." She says, sighing. 

"Hospital? What could happen there?" I ask. 

All possible situations run in my mind and maybe I am overthinking. Her mother is the sheriff and her being there, would mean something is wrong. 

"No clue. There are a lot of weird things going on in Oakdale."

"Let's go check what it is. I have a feeling it's related to this guy." Lili speaks up.

And for the first time, I wasn't up for it. I was scared someone might spot my red eyes. But then an idea pops into my idea. I readily agree with this little trip to the hospital.

"Yeah, let's go," I say getting up and taking my sunglasses along with me. We pay the bill by the counter and leave.  Of course, Lili gets her drink along with her. 

We first stop by Em's place and she grabs whatever is it that her mom asked and we head on to the hospital. I see the sun setting in the distance and the cool breeze blows past us. 

Looks like it is going to rain.

We drive to the hospital and be careful to keep the car parked a few blocks away, lest anyone sees it.

"Guys you go in from the main entrance and I'll go from the back," I say.

"Okay call us if you see my mom," Em says.

We part our ways, and I wait until I see them walk into the hospital. 

I walk a few blocks and spot the Sunglasses shop and go inside. They are all kinds of Shades, sunglasses, and frames on display. 

"What do you want ?" comes an annoying and cringy voice from behind me.

I turn around and spot a man in his late fifties with a balding head sitting by the counter. 

"I just need colored contact lenses," I say, in a low voice to not garner attention. 

"These lenses seem to be in trend these days. Everyone is asking for them," he goes on with his rant.

"Blue color please," I say. 

He looks up at me and keenly observes me. 

"You already have blue color eyes, why do you need the same color lenses again?"He asks.

"It's not for me," I say, hoping he buys this. 

"Here it's $10 and in blue," he says, handing over a package. 

"Thanks," I say, quickly paying the bill in my hurry to get out. 

I keep them tucked in my pocket and go back to the hospital in search of Em's mother.

I reach the hospital entrance when my phone suddenly rings.

"Yes?" I answer in a hushed tone.

"We found her. Come to the first floor, right-wing near the blood donation office."

"Coming," I say, running off to the first floor.

I accidentally bump into someone on the way.

"Sorry," I say looking up.

"Oh, so we meet again." Mrs potts nephew answers.

"You?" Fuck what's he doing here.

"Yeah," he says maintaining eye contact.  I twitch under his glare and he irks me a lot. Oh god, no my eyes.

"I gotta get going. Sorry again" I say running off. This guy just keeps appearing everywhere.

I run-up to the first floor and spot them at a distance hiding behind a door safely covered by the indoor plants.

"Where are they?"

"Shzz they are inside." they signal me to keep quiet.

"How is this possible" a voice asks.

"Like half the  blood supply vanishes in just a day?" Another voice, the mayor's voice questions.

What the actual fuck? Half the blood supply just disappeared.

"Yes, and the huntings also looked like they were done for the blood, not the flesh." another voice says.  I quickly recognize it at Ems' mothers' voice.

Oh shit, yeah. The flesh remained intact. Someone has been hunting and stealing for BLOOD!!

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys, how did you like this chapter.

Please, please, please let me know what do you think of it. It would help me a lot in knowing how can I improve it.

Hit the star and drop a comment.

Until the next update

Lots of love
           ~Vaishnavi.