A growl scratched Mathew's nerves into ribbons and Mathew dropped, holding onto the shelf, his limbs shivering. Mathew's memories ripped him out of the closet. It was night all around him. He could feel the rain soaking through his clothes. His heart slammed against his chest. It was getting hard to breathe, feeling like he could drown if the rain continued to pour this hard.
"Mathew," a voice called from the darkness. Mathew didn't know who it was. Just another stranger. Another monster was trying to hurt him. A tear slipped down Mathew's cheek. He was so tired of being in pain. Tired of getting pricked and prodded. He could still smell the blood and bile immediately shot up his throat, hitting the ceiling of his mouth.
"Mathew? Are you in there? The voice asked and Mathew rushed, stumbling and colliding with a wall. Throwing his arms over his head, Mathew shut his eyes tight, trembling hard enough to split his bones apart.
"I'm coming in," they warned and slammed into the door once and it rolled like thunder into the room and sucked the air out of Mathew's lungs. Another boom and the lock to the closet split asunder and Mathew forced his eyes open, getting blinded by the light outside.
Standing there, in all his glory, Jace was breathing hard, searching the room for others and behind him. The world crashed around Mathew, forcing him to rebuild it.
Jace let out a relieved breath. He stepped from the door into the closet and Mathew couldn't help it. He flinched and Jace stopped in his tracks. Slowly, he raised his hands, showing nothing was in his sleeves. He wasn't hiding anything. "I'm going to walk inside," Jace warned, but waited for a beat before stepping closer.
"Are you hurt?" Jace asked, kneeling in front of him, his eyes searching for the answers before Mathew could.
"No," Mathew managed, through his pencil thin windpipe. Rationally, Mathew knew he wasn't in danger. He knew that the vampires that kidnapped him weren't here. No one was here to hurt him. It was just a stupid prank by a stupid guy... but his anxiety wasn't as rational. The hair on his neck was still standing, feeling like there was someone behind him, staring daggers through him.
"I'm fine," Mathew got out, dropping his head between his shoulders as the adrenaline came down and left his body weak.
"Can I touch you?" Jace asked.
Mathew snapped his head up. Jace's palms were still open. No weapons to be found. He offered his helping hand out and Mathew sighed, taking it. Easily, Jace hoisted Mathew to his feet, but Mathew's legs buckled and Jace reached down to catch him, tangling his arm around Mathew's waist. Mathew bumped into Jace's chest, surrounded by his arms and the breeze of his breath. This man had to have a heater where his heart should be sitting.
"Come on, let's get you back to the dorm," Jace said and didn't ask this time, stringing Mathew's arms over his shoulder, draping Mathew over his back before hiking his legs up. Mathew yelped, hanging on so he wouldn't topple over.
"Whoa, you don't—" Mathew tried to object, but Jace was already walking back into the library. A minor commotion had stirred, and panic shot through Mathew. He dropped his head into his hands, trying to hide inside the crook of Jace's neck.
"Put me down," Mathew begged.
Jace just adjusted Mathew's position better. "I'll be fast."
Mathew groaned, hearing the whispering and the chatter. Standing out the most, one girl said, "Isn't that Jace Wright? I didn't know he had friends."
"Are they friends?" Someone rebutted and Mathew's hot blush prickled his skin. Jace did just as he promised and carried Mathew back to his dorm. He dropped him off on the bed and Mathew huffed. "You didn't—"
"You want water or something?" Jace asked, almost annoyed, like his friendliness hit the end of its limit and he couldn't function anymore. "Do you have..." Thinking of the right words twisted his face into a grimace. "Take medication or something?"
"No, I'm fine. I just... it was stupid." Mathew motioned him away. "Go do whatever you were doing before you made a scene."
"I made a scene?" Jace pointed to himself, his eyes almost popping out his skull. "That's what you took from that?"
"Yes. I told you, I could walk."
"I don't know what you think happened, but it's not my fault."
"So, it's mine?"
"One of us trusted Grant Mahoney, and the other has self-preservation." Jace chuckled at the absurdity, and Mathew took to his feet. No one's ever disliked Mathew and now, Mathew couldn't say he's never disliked someone so immediately either.
"I didn't ask for your help," Mathew reminded this smug guy. "The next time you see me, and you think I need you, assume I don't. If I'm walking down the sidewalk, you should cross the road. I don't want to see you outside this room or in class."
Crossing his arms, Jace was still smirking, like he thought this was cute. Jace had a punchable face that would never take Mathew seriously.
"Got it?" Mathew stood his ground.
"Got it." Jace dropped his arms and left the room, slamming the door behind him. Mathew flinched at the noise and sighed, belly flopping onto the bed. Overwhelmed and over it, Mathew used the last of us nerves to punch his pillow into submission. Sighing, Mathew turned onto his back and looked at his phone.
Out of habit, Mathew checked his phone. He wanted to see his siblings, but Elijah's name was a close second.
Elijah: Are you here? I can't find you.
Mathew typed up an excuse and promised to hang out with him later. Elijah seemed to understand, and even though he was relieved, Mathew's throat was dry. Glancing at the door, Mathew slid off his bed and crawled to the mini-fridge. He put in the numbers and took out his blood supply. It was nowhere near the height of luxury, but it coated his mouth and throat and filled his belly in only the way food could do it.
The door swung open and in a blink of an eye, Mathew stuffed his blood pack underneath his covers. "Gosh! You scared me."
"I live here," Jace said like he didn't understand, stormed to his desk, grabbed his wallet, and stormed back out. Nervously, Mathew picked up the corner of his bedspread and watched the packet spill onto the sheets. Mathew sighed, took out his phone, and first searched for a tutorial to teach him and how to do his laundry. Then, he looked up how to get blood out of bed sheets.
***
"Matty!" Elijah called from the grass. The field was as giant as advertised, with a path around the entire oval of dying grass. Tons of students sat around or inside the field, but a bigger group was setting up fake goals for a soccer game. Elijah waved to Mathew, but Grant ran over from the field to Elijah first, grabbing his hand and pulling him into a kiss. Mathew steeled his expression to avoid giving away his disgust. Elijah could do better. Anybody would be better. The tree they sat underneath would be a better love interest.
"Wish me luck," Grant said.
"Break a leg," Elijah replied, pulling out a goofy grin from Grant before he ran away, pulling off his shirt, and running onto the field. Mathew's eyes followed him as he barreled into a couple of other guys. Stepping out of the group hug, Jace was there. Jace was always there. Walking backwards, Jace shook his head at the other guys, mouthing off at them, talking out of the side of his mouth.
The clothes Jace wore day to day were to protect everyone else. His shoulders were so broad, and when he pulled his arms up to stretch, all his muscles and pecs stretched too. Mathew's eyes stumbled down his abs to the v line, slipping into his sweatpants.
Jace's eyes flickered towards him, and Mathew snapped his head instantly, praying that man didn't notice. Elijah did. "Makes you hate him more, right?"
Sighing, Mathew joined Elijah on the grass. "I'm sick of him. What's going on with you and Grant?"
With a one shoulder shrug, Elijah acted coy. "Nothing." Elijah pursed his lips and shook his head from side to side, thinking it over and correcting himself. "Sometimes we're something. It depends on the day and if he'll buy me food."
Mathew laughed a little and glanced back at the field just as the game started. Together, Mathew and Elijah only half studied, but mostly talked the whole time about life, the boys on the field, and a party coming up. Mathew did his best to steer the conversation towards the school, but obviously talking about a party was more interesting.
At least bringing up his run in with Grant kept Elijah's attention. Mathew didn't mention the library incident, but he asked about the lake. "How full of it is he?"
"Not at all, actually," Grant said to Mathew's surprise. "It's called Misfortune Lake by students. Bad luck follows anyone who tries to swim in it. The staff let the rumors spiral. Keeps dumbasses from jumping in and making a mess all the time."
Mathew hummed thoughtfully. "What about the woods? You said they were important."
Leaning in close, Elijah whispered, "That's where the ghosts live. Anyone who dies in Black Hawthorne tries to escape, but they end up getting lost in the woods. They say you can hear students begging for help during the witching hour."
"Spooky," Mathew said, unable to be scared by an obvious folktale. Mathew knew actual ghosts, and they were less tortured and more bored. "How do you know all of this?"
"I'm part of the Black Hawthorne Historical Society." Elijah wiggled his shoulders, boasting over it. "It's an exclusive club, but I'm sure you can get an invite—"
Rolling pretty fast, the soccer ball only stopped, hitting and bouncing off Mathew's foot. Running over, Cain smiled when they locked eyes and the butterflies in Mathew's stomach flapped in excitement. Cain was all smiles and sparkly green eyes. He combed his hair back, slightly sweaty, and out of breath. His face was flushed, and Mathew quickly stood up to hand him the ball.
"Hey, you," Cain said.
"Hi," Mathew said like a flirting pro. He glanced at Elijah, who seemed happy to see Cain, too.
"Cain," Elijah said. "Tell Matty to come to your party."
"Matty?" Cain echoed.
"Yeah, that's me."
"That's you." Cain cocked his head, looking Mathew up and down again. "Yeah, you should definitely come. Meet new people. Learn more about the people you've already met."
Barging over, Jace reached around Cain and swiped the ball out of Mathew's hands. Unamused, Jace's scowl was a gift for everyone this time. "Are we playing or not?"
"If you wanna lose that bad, Wright, just tell me," Cain gave Jace's energy right back and yet, it was with the most charming smile Mathew had ever seen. "Then I won't have to embarrass you in front of all these people."
"You're just a big mouth, Cain." Jace rolled his eyes, dropped the ball, and kicked it to his team. He ran back onto the field and Cain stepped back, still looking at Mathew.
"Say you'll be there."
"I'll be there," Mathew agreed, and that ignited the biggest grin on Cain's face. Cain joined back in on the game, standing in position. He used the end of his shirt to wipe off his sweat, and Mathew couldn't help himself but cock his head and get a better look. His brows raised, pleasantly surprised that he could give Jace a run for his money.
"You can sit back down, Matty," Elijah said.
"Oh," Mathew said and dropped to Elijah's side, combing his hair back and trying not to look at anyone else. Ever since that day in the library, Mathew's eyes were drawn to Jace, constantly seeking him out, despite being the one who told Jace to stay away from him. But Jace didn't look at him. Someone else, the last person he wanted, Grant glanced at him and winked. Cain punched his arm, and the guys were laughing and roughhousing.
"Do you know what you remind me of?" Elijah asked. Mathew turned to him, leaning back on his hands. "A shiny new toy."
"My brother says I'm a Venus flytrap," Mathew said, remembering the first time Anthony called him that. Anthony said Mathew was beautiful, but deadly. That was too true to be funny.
Elijah chuckled. "You're going to need that bite."
Mathew's stomach rolled. It is less about him biting others, but people biting him. Ironic that Mathew didn't want to hurt anybody and had the potential to hurt everyone the most. Without thinking, Mathew glanced up and met Jace's eyes again. They pinned Mathew down with a vengeance with a scowl that could reduce him to ash worse than the pure sun. Maybe Jace was the most dangerous person here.