Crimson & Ivory

The First Sign

The classroom was silent.

Mr. Adrian stood at the front of the room, his eyes moving across the students before finally settling on one particular desk.

“This place is not for sleeping, Kai.”

Every student immediately turned toward the sleepy figure sitting near the window.

Kai slowly lifted his head.

The teacher’s voice had dragged him out of a surprisingly comfortable sleep, and the first thing he felt was irritation.

He clenched his teeth and let out a slow breath before sitting upright. He rubbed his tired eyes and looked toward Mr. Adrian.

“What...?”

His voice carried obvious annoyance.

Mr. Adrian raised an eyebrow.

“Do you have something to say about disturbing the class?”

Kai leaned back slightly in his chair.

“I don’t think I need to explain myself, sir.”

A few students exchanged nervous glances.

Mr. Adrian’s expression hardened.

“Watch your language, Mr. Kai.”

Kai’s lips curled into a faint smirk.

“If I don’t...?”

The classroom fell even quieter.

Mr. Adrian didn’t hesitate.

“Then go out of my class.”

For a moment, Kai simply stared at him.

The reaction was strange.

Far too strange.

Kai narrowed his eyes, studying the teacher as if trying to figure out what had just happened.

Then, without arguing, he reached for his bag resting on the chair beside him.

He stood and walked toward the door.

Just before leaving, Kai stopped.

He glanced back at Mr. Adrian, a faint smile appearing on his face.

“I like it, dear sir.”

Then he stepped outside without turning back.

Mr. Adrian watched him leave.

The door closed quietly behind Kai.

For a moment, Mr. Adrian simply stood there.

Then he exhaled and turned back toward the class.

While Kai and Mr. Adrian had been arguing, the entire class had become distracted.

Everyone had been watching them.

Everyone except the student sitting at the last bench of the first row.

He seemed completely uninterested in the argument unfolding behind him.

His attention remained fixed on the sheet of paper in front of him as he desperately tried to write something down.

But his hand wouldn’t stop trembling.

Lucien tightened his grip around the pen.

His fingers shook violently.

He caught his trembling hand with his other one, trying to force it still.

It didn’t help.

His hand continued to tremble, refusing to obey him.

“Oh, come on,” he muttered under his breath.

Frustration crept into his voice.

Mr. Adrian noticed him.

His expression immediately changed.

“Lucien?”

The teacher’s voice carried a hint of concern.

Lucien slowly lifted his head and met Mr. Adrian’s gaze.

“Yes, sir.”

Even his voice trembled.

The moment he heard himself, Lucien realized how badly his body was reacting.

“Lucien, are you okay?”

There was genuine concern in Mr. Adrian’s voice now.

Lucien didn’t answer.

His breathing had become uneven, each breath shorter and more difficult than the last.

He placed both hands firmly on the desk in front of him, gripping its edge as though it were the only thing keeping him steady.

Yet he remained seated.

Silent.

Trying desperately to regain control of himself.

“Sir...”

Lucien finally spoke.

“I need to go out. I need medical help.”

Lucien pushed himself to his feet.

Before Mr. Adrian could respond, Lucien hurried toward the door. His movements were unsteady, almost desperate.

He reached the handle, pulled the door open, and stepped out of the classroom without waiting for permission.

“Lucien—”

Mr. Adrian barely had time to react.

He stared at the open doorway for a moment before turning toward another student.

“Lian,” he ordered, his voice firm. “Go. Watch where he went. Follow Lucien.”

Lian immediately stood from his seat.

“Yes, sir.”

He quickly moved out of the classroom behind Lucien.

For a few seconds, the classroom remained completely silent.

Then the whispers began.

“What happened to Lucien?”

“Was he sick?”

“Did you see his hands?”

“He looked like he could barely breathe...”

The students exchanged uneasy glances, their attention shifting between the doorway Lucien had disappeared through and Mr. Adrian standing at the front of the room.

Only moments ago, the entire class had been focused on Kai and Mr. Adrian’s argument.

Now, no one seemed to care about it anymore.

The atmosphere in the classroom had completely changed.

The argument was forgotten.

Lucien’s sudden condition had become the only thing anyone could talk about.

Lucien stumbled out of the classroom and immediately broke into a run.

He headed toward the back of the building, moving faster with every step.

His condition was getting worse.

Then worse again.

Until it became almost unbearable.

“No... not now.”

The words escaped him in a barely audible whisper.

His breathing grew heavier.

His fingers curled tightly at his sides as he tried to keep control of himself.

No way... not at a time like this.

He stopped for a moment and pressed a hand against the wall.

His eyes began to turn red.

A strange sensation spread through his body, crawling beneath his skin.

His entire body tensed as he struggled against something he could no longer easily control.

“No...”

His voice shook.

“No... no...”

Then he shouted.

“NO!”

His voice echoed through the empty corridor.

A few steps ahead, Kai had been walking down the hallway.

He immediately stopped.

Slowly, he turned around.

His eyes landed on Lucien.

For a brief moment, their gazes met.

Kai barely had time to react.

Lucien suddenly rushed toward him.

Before Kai could understand what was happening, Lucien grabbed him by the neck and shoved him backward.

Kai’s back slammed against the wall.

“What the—”

Lucien didn’t answer.

He was breathing heavily, his face dangerously close to Kai’s.

Then Kai saw his eyes.

Red.

Lucien leaned toward him.

Closer.

And closer.

His lips hovered near Kai’s neck.

Kai froze.

Lucien’s fangs were dangerously close to his skin.

For one terrifying second, it seemed as though Lucien was going to bite him.

Then—

Lucien stopped.

His entire body trembled.

He clenched his teeth and pulled himself back, fighting whatever hunger had taken control of him.

He stared at Kai, his red eyes filled with something Kai couldn’t understand.

Hunger.

Fear.

And restraint.

For the first time, Kai realized that whatever Lucien was fighting...

it wasn’t something human.

“Are you okay?”

Kai’s eyes widened as he stared at Lucien.

He had never seen anyone in such a condition before.

Kai instinctively reached for Lucien’s arm, wanting to help, but Lucien immediately knocked his hand away.

“Don’t.”

He stumbled backward, putting several steps between them.

Kai frowned and took a step toward him.

“Wait—”

Lucien raised one trembling hand, stopping him.

“Stay away from me.”

His voice was broken by his uncontrolled breathing. Every word came between uneven breaths.

Kai stared at him in confusion.

“You need help,” he said softly.

“No, I don’t.”

Lucien’s voice suddenly became sharper.

“I don’t need it. Stay away from me, you miserable human.”

The anger in his voice caught Kai off guard.

Before Kai could respond, Lucien turned around and hurried down the corridor.

Kai remained where he was, staring after him.

“Miserable human?”

His eyebrows pulled together.

“Isn’t he a human too?”

He shook his head irritably.

“What is wrong with him?”

With an annoyed expression, Kai finally turned away and continued walking toward the medical room.

He had no idea that the strange encounter in the hallway had left him with more questions than answers.