Vampire Assassin: Love and Lies

Damian tried to shake off the unease as he joined Emma and Oliver at their usual spot on the field. Emma, ever the chatterbox, started rambling about how the school's reputation had attracted some seriously weird people over the years. Oliver, on the other hand, was too absorbed in his spellbook to notice Damian's distracted state.

"Are you even listening to me?" Emma asked, crossing her arms.

"Not really," Damian admitted, his gaze fixed on the school building where the men in suits had disappeared earlier.

Emma sighed. "You're impossible. Anyway, I heard the competition's coming up soon. You planning to sign up?"

"Do I have a choice?" Damian replied, his tone flat.

"Not really," Emma said, grinning. "But hey, it's a chance to show off your skills. Plus, Nadia will be there. Maybe she'll finally stop pretending you don't exist."

At the mention of Nadia, Damian's lips tightened. He didn't care for her games, but her connection to Cassius—and now possibly the men in suits—made her impossible to ignore.

---

The next few days passed with an undercurrent of tension, and Damian found himself distracted more than once. Zoe kept pushing him to train harder, but his mind kept wandering back to the men in suits. There was something about them that didn't sit right with him.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Damian found himself sitting on the edge of the training grounds, watching the other students. Emma was practicing her spells again, this time with a group of younger witches who seemed to idolize her. Oliver was nearby, completely lost in a blueprint of what looked like a complicated gadget.

"You're brooding again," Zoe said, plopping down beside him.

"I don't brood," Damian replied automatically.

"Sure, and I'm the picture of school spirit," Zoe shot back with a smirk. "What's on your mind?"

Damian hesitated. He hadn't told anyone about the men in suits or his suspicions about Silent Blades. But Zoe had a knack for seeing through him, and lying would only make her more curious.

"Just thinking about... things," he said finally. "And the people watching."

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "You mean the suits? Yeah, they're creepy. Heard they're staying for the whole term."

That was news to Damian, and it didn't sit well with him. "Why?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're bored. Or maybe they're here for you," Zoe said, her tone teasing but her eyes sharp.

Damian didn't respond. He didn't need to.

---

The following days were a blur of normal school life, but Damian couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. The atmosphere at school had changed, the students seemed more on edge, and even Emma had stopped her usual chatter to focus on whatever had been bothering her lately.

Then, one day, as they were walking between classes, a voice blared over the loudspeakers.

"All students are to report to the main hall immediately for an important announcement."

The cheerful buzz of the school suddenly quieted. Damian exchanged a glance with Emma and Oliver, who looked just as confused as he felt.

"What now?" Oliver muttered, clutching his spellbook like a lifeline.

"Guess we're about to find out," Damian said, his tone grim.

As they joined the growing crowd heading toward the hall, Damian couldn't shake the feeling that this announcement was not small. After all, it was the first major announcement he had heard since he joined Aether High. 🤔🔥