Chapter Text
The clock slowly ticks by, putting the world in slow-mo. Windows are wide open; every student looks either exhausted, zoning out, or passing notes and exchanging soft giggles to one another. A teacher—face now painted with frustration—drops her chalk, flopping onto the cushioned chair as her eyes were glued onto the clock.
It's last period, meaning everyone showed no interest in learning, the blinding sun consuming their brains into soil. The classroom is filled with everlasting conversations—making one person stand out in the spotlight.
Rei Lumière dazed out the window, fantasising about what he'd eat for dinner. Sure, it was unnatural for people like him to do normal human things; eating food, being a daywalker. But he'd eventually adapted to it, helping him blend in more to avoid suspicion amongst others. Yeah it made him disparate from other vampires—at least he had his friends to relate to. With them, it wasn't so lonely.
God damn it, he just remembered that he's grounded. For a painful one month. More like ten decades, he scoffs, slipping on his headphones.
He could be doing so much in that one month; going out with friends, arcades, skateboarding, and gaming cafes. His favourite hobbies, all disappearing just because he couldn't resist himself from sinking his fangs into an innocent person.
It's not Rei's fault—vampires used to feed on humans all the time. Now it's the 21st century, all we get is shitty animal blood. Don't get it wrong, it wasn't so bad, but human blood was what he found more tempting.
Just two weeks ago Rei was roaming the streets at 3AM, bloodshot eyes, erratic movement unsteady. The dimly lit alleys of Edinburgh blurred back a past him as the leftover medication he'd swiped from his older cousin made the world tilt and spin. He was desperate for a feeling—something raw, something real, something human.
Every shadowed figure tempted his hunger, each passerby fueling his satisfaction for hunger. His hands trembled, fangs ached, and before he could think, he had bitten someone—the metallic tang of warm blood filling his senses.
He shoved the trembling person into the alley, unaware of their screams which drowned out. Only when the adrenaline spiked he stumbled away, teleporting back into his room with the copper taste still lingering on his lips, collapsing onto the carpeted floor—corners of his mouth smeared with blood slowly drying up.
Rei didn't even bother cleaning up his mess, eyes fluttering closed before being interrupted with the door being thrown opened. It was his Mother, looking disappointed.
"Rei, get up." His eyes dart up lazily, yawning.
"What?" She just sighs, walking closer so that she could tower over him.
"You're grounded. You don't have to explain yourself, it's already obvious." She glares down at him, and he jumps up, the streak of blood across his face becoming more apparent now.
"Wait— What? For how long?" His face is painted in disbelief, groaning.
"A month. Don't give me that look, you should be getting punished like every teen does." Her brows knitted as she threatens, about to walk out the door.
"I'm not a child anymore. So stop making me out to be one." He follows behind, tone dropping more intensely as if he wasn't just out of it a few minutes ago. She opens her mouth to scold him, but sighs it off and disappears into thin air.
Staring off into the distance, Rei unconsciously pierces his fangs into his lip as an attempt to control his boiling frustration, slamming the door closed but not enough to create an echoing sound throughout the house. He falls onto his bed, glaring out the window.
"Rei." A voice cut through his saddened memory, blinking as he stares down at his clenched fists. He turns his head at the voice of his friend, the guy he knew ever since his first year at this school.
"Let's meet up later, I found an abandoned store." He adds, elbowing him and grinning widely. Rei just sighs, remembering his current situation.
"Man, I'm still 'grounded' or whatever. Never knew vampires could be grounded." His eyes roll, stabbing his mechanical pencil into the desk. His friend shoots his hand up to his mouth, eyebrows furrowing.
"Stop talking. You're going to get us killed." Is he being for real right now? Looking around, everyone is too emerged in their own worlds to be eavesdropping on the two. Rei swats his hand away, expression unserious.
"Dude, no one's listening. Dumbass." comments Rei, lifting an eyebrow. They both pause for a second, close-mouthed.
"Wait, on second thought. I'll find a way to sneak out." Was a stupid sentence to slip out of his mouth, knowing that his Mother would always check in on him now and then. This is going to be risky.
"Really? Fuck yeah! Meet at 10pm, okay? I'll text you the details." He boasts ecstatically, slapping him on the back in excitement before turning away. Yeowch.
He connects his headphones, scrolling through his Youtube feed. His favourite artist, Yves, had just dropped her new EP. His eyes light up at that, displaying a hint of red for a second before clicking on the first song, gazing back at the clock. It's about time, finally.
The bell blasts out it's usual agitating noise—everyone rushing out of the building as they push past one another, not caring about who ends up tripping onto the ground.
Rei slings his backpack onto one shoulder, being the last to leave as he scoots out of the room, rushing to reception as he grabs his skateboard.
He flashes a heart-warming smile to the office ladies he had always sucked up to, running out to be met with the tranquil air that graced his body. Relief washes over him as the EP blasts into his ears, walking home. He occasionally walks past people he knows—which was majority of his year group.
"Race you home!" He always yells, before stepping on the board and gliding home. 'Can't seem to find out, woke up in my freedom,' the song echoes in his ears, humming along.
He felt at ease. This part of the day gave him so much freedom—no one would get in his way and he'd exist peacefully without being reminded of who he was. The real part of life was just about taking risks and enjoying life anyway.
Beeeeeep.
He immediately looks up, finding the source of the noise that interrupted his thoughts. It's his mother's car. She parks infront of where he was gliding on, fairly tinted windows rolling down to reveal her black shades.
"Come on, let's get you home." He frowned at that. Why would she come unannounced? To avoid making a scene, he abides, shoving his board into the car as he slips in.
"What was that for? I always walk home." His eyebrows knitted, arms crossed while one leg is resting on the other. She stares through the rear-view mirror, expression monotone but daring.
"Considering that you're grounded, I should make it count more."
His head leans back, annoyed. "I always skate home! It's the only thing that gets me moving now." He looks to the side, feeling a wave of defeat.
"Fine. I'll only pick you up two times a week. Got it?" She searches the road, eyes focused.
"Huh. 'Kay, then." A faint smile appears at that alleviation.
An urgent buzz vibrates across Rei's bed. He's sprawled out—waiting until it was 5 minutes to 9. He sloppily grabs his phone, thumb grazing against the screen.
u coming? it's nearly time!!!
yea, be there in 5 :p
He shoots up from his relaxation, rummaging through his closet. For tonight, he picks out a zip-up hoodie adorned with subtle lace detail, pairing it with a band tee. In a second, he slips on a slightly baggy, dark-denim jeans that stayed true to his signature style.
Staring into the mirror, he scruffs his hair around—also checking out his appearance. Looking good as ever. He grabs his phone, being sure to throw heaps of clothing under the blanket to make it look like he was dead asleep. Rei holds onto his boots—making sure to slide them on while his feet are dangling outside the window.
It wasn't the first time Rei met up with him at these unusual places—it just sounded like he had no one else to do this with, so he only ever came along. For the last time, he looks at his room for a second, before shutting the window and sliding down the walls—attentive to make sure he wouldn't get caught.
10pm, he reads, using his superhuman abilities to shift him to his destination.
"Rei! Just on time, for once." He runs up and lets out a laugh, an arm slinging around Rei's shoulder while they walk inside.
"How come you've never came here?" This place looked as unusual as the others, it left a tingly feeling down his spine. He concentrates on his surroundings, feeling unsettled.
"I dunno. I used that rando-somethin' app. Y'know, I sent you it." He shrugs, eyes scanning the area.
"Man, this place is so 90s. Did we just time travel?" Rei is silent, focusing on the variety of ran down stores. All of a sudden, his eyes sparkle in awe.
"An arcade! Holy shit, come check this!" Rei rushes inside, gesturing for his friend to follow.
"Woah... There's a shit ton of games. I'm stealing these." He starts shoving large amounts of CDs into his bag, until stopping at a certain one.
"Rei. Look here." Rei scoots over, staring down at the game. It read, '1996: Wiskayok Plane Crash.' Silence fills the room as the two turn it over to scan the blurb.
Experience a plane crash! Survive the wilderness! Hunt down human meat!
Welcome to Yellowjackets—where getting stranded slowly drives you to insanity! The forest is alive, and so are your nightmares. Can you survive the madness? Play smart, trust no one, and keep in mind: the real horror isn't just what lurks out there, but what's truly inside of you. Customise your character with over a thousand of accessible items! We can't wait to finally meet you! (Each version sold separately).
What kind of sick, greedy fucker profits off an important situation like this?
"Is Wiskayok even a real place? Let me pull out google maps." His friend pipes up, searching it up.
"Damn it, no signal." He groans.
"I think you should take it. That's not really my thing." The CD slides over to Rei, eyes zooming into the picture. It was a soccer team—every single one dressed neatly in uniform. The photo looks too real to be fake... but there's never been any headlines about this.
Examining closer, there was a stoic adult figure, which was definitely the coach. He had on a yellow polo—grinning widely for the camera next to a short, curly-haired girl with clear glasses. It was the calm before the storm before he spotted a familiar figure standing next to them, heart-beat quickening.
Is that... him?
His eyes are wide open that you'd think that someone executed his entire family bloodline in-front of his eyes. But to him, finding his own face on a fictional video game about a plane crash petrified him.
In the picture, he stood calmly, not spiking up a smile. He looked as how he did around that time; his brown hair showcasing deep magenta and blue highlights, strikingly contrasting from the others. He took in the picture, not even knowing why he was there. Is it too late to sue and get the money? Confusingly checking the picture for the last time, he slots it into his backpack, biting his lip.
"You look like you've seen a ghost..." Rei shakes off his overthinking, walking up to him.
"No, just—let's keep looking." His voice slightly wobbling, forcing out a response. They walk off, Rei occasionally zoning in and out. It doesn't feel right to tell anyone about this, but he can't keep this bottled up forever. Did this mean he was in that fuckass game?
"We should split up and look around. You good with that?" His friend breaks the silence, tilting hid head to meet Rei's eyes. He looks back at him, shrugging.
"I don't see why not. We'll meet back here in 10." Rei shrugs, ruffling the guy's hair.
He melts into his touch, nodding and then in a second—charging off.
"See ya!" And again, Rei is left alone with his irritating mind, continuing to spiral over the disturbing image.
A sharp crack interrupts his wreck of a mind—and he whips his head around in an instant. That sound of glass... it was nearby. His sharpened senses as a vampire stole every detail: the faint echo bouncing off the roughened walls, a distinct smell of blood clashing with the metallic as it hung in the air.
He follows the sound like something was guiding him, pushing past the forgotten shelves until he finally meets the source of the sound. A tall mirror, it's surface fractured like spiderwebs. Rei carefully crouches closer, fingertips hovering over the shards before brushing towards it.
A sting shoots through, glass biting into his skin. Blood starts peeking out, dripping down as he brings it to his mouth, licking. It was strange how easily he cut himself, his fingers starting to feel frail and frigid.
The mirror begins to tremble, causing Rei to lose his balance as he wobbles back. A glint of freedom waves over him as he desperately attempts to vanish, his body giving up on him.
Nothing would work—even the despondent tries at dashing away only ever pushed him back to the wavering force. A hand rapidly appears, grabbing him closer. In panic of the moment, fumbles for his phone immediately, thumbs flailing over the screen. He starts firing off multiple messages to his friend—but the signal bar was nowhere to be seen.
dude help
THERES SOMETJING GRABBING ME
HOLTSHIT
um tjeres something
WHYS TJIS NOT SENIDNG ??????????????????????????
"Hello?" He yells, his eyes wide, voice bouncing off the walls.
Louder now, petrified. "Hey! Heelp me! Get over here!"
Something in the mirror moves. It was the hand, that had a steady grip on him, throwing him inside of the mirror impossibly fast. He lets out an urgent scream, his phone slipping from his grasp and hitting the floor with a sickening crack.
"Rei? Rei! I can't drift, I'm coming!" His friends voice, distant but clear enough to hear, came from somewhere across the abandoned building. He could hear the quickened screams of Rei—but it went quiet. Something weakened his inhumane abilities, weighing down his body. No matter what, his friend's footsteps pounded on the wood. "Hold on!"
A few seconds pass by—his friend skids past the dusty shelves. Upon his arrival, he spots no sign of Rei and immediately inspects the now cracked phone that lays unattended on the floor, unsent messages glowing onto the screen. He skims through it, letting out a choked gasp.
"Shit..." He mutters, scooping it up. "This is bad... What to do, what to do..." His throat tightens, glaring into the mirror. Without another thought, he bolts out the building in distress.