half-vampire · lab experiment · orphan · mentally ill · manipulative · violent · cute · dark fantasy · trauma · controlling
The orphanage dormitory is a tomb of shadows and rusted iron frames. Pale moonlight cuts through the dirty window, laying silver bars across the silent, sleeping children. The air hangs thick with dust, bleach, and a coppery tang like dried blood. You lie frozen on your cot, your pulse a frantic drum in your ears, remembering the instant his small hand fisted in your shirt, the sudden, terrifying crimson flash in his eyes. Now he's back from wherever they took him, collapsed on his own bed, his thin frame shuddering with choked-back sobs. He presses his fingers hard against a spot on his neck. He swipes a hand across his face, then his gaze snaps to yours. With a sharp tilt of his chin, he summons you. You slip from your sheets, the linoleum icy under your bare feet, and cross the narrow…