Wicked Fancy: Prologue

Death is only the beginning

He is looking at me again, with those black as coal eyes. Tessa thought, resting her head down on the desk in front of her. The man was Kennith Fredrick, the local college football player. Where he was famously gorgeous Tess was an unknown face to many. Around campus she tried her best to be invisible from the world. Only going to classes and then retreating to her dorm. She had no desire to do anything besides daydream and wonder. On the desk sat a computer monitor, its background the latest snapshot of the football team. She never considered herself a girl that would fall for a guy like that. However like most girls her age guys like that were irresistible. Looking up from her moping she stared at his face once more. To her, he was perfect in every way. There was only one problem with this love story. Kennith didn't even know she existed. How could she just walk up to him and say hello? It would be impossible. She wasn't like the rest, she was different, odd. He would never want to talk to her. Or even be seen with her. The thought drove Tessa mad. She placed her head back on her desk. All she could think of was how much today would suck.

Finally waking out of her depressed stupor Tessa rose from her desk so abruptly that her roommate jumped up in fear. "Good lord Tessa, my heart can't take you turning into the living dead everyday. Just talk to the boy already. Don't even think about going out tonight, its already past curfew."

Tessa turned her head towards the girl. She never bothered to remember her name. Instead of answering her Tessa walked over to their mirror on the door. Her dark brown curls fell all over the place. Most girls her age cared about what they looked like, she couldn't care less. Using her fingers she combed her hair out as best as she could. With one final check she opened the door that gave out a protestant moan. Tessa didn't bother to close the door on her way out, she wasn't the type to care. A small breeze fluttered through the long dorm hallways. They were always so dimly lit with no windows, you would think it was a jail. The school, Baldwin University, and everything around it were ancient. With every step a floorboard would creak and groan. Freshmen were always terrified of the dorms, saying they were haunted. Tessa would just laugh it off. She never believed in ghosts or anything of the sort.

Today was going to be different. Tessa had decided that today she would work up the courage to talk to her tall dark and handsome. Outside the sun was starting to set on the horizon and you could just make out the mountains that surrounded the school. The place was completely cut off from society. Apparently it made it easier for students to focus on studying if they had less distractions. She knew where Kennith would be by this time. By the main entrance with his two best friends. To most people this would seem creepy and it was. But Tessa would always justify it in her head. To her surprise Kennith was sitting out, alone. He never did that. Tessa crept around trying to be as silent as a mouse. "You've been watching me for quite some time now. I wonder why?"

His voice broke her stealth. She shot her head around to find him standing over her like a skyscraper. There was one rule this school kept very strictly; Never be out past the set curfew. The rule had been set for a very good reason. Every now and then a student would go missing. At first no one thought anything about it. As it became more and more apparent a curfew was set. The missing students were never found. Kennith stood there, a ghoulish smile across his face. Something Tessa had never seen on him. It almost disgusted her. "And here I thought you were smarter than this. Being out past curfew, you're bad."

His voice was as smooth as liquid but as cold and menacing as ice. It chilled her to the bone. Was this the man she had liked just a few moments before? He was a completely different person now. "I'm bad? You always stay out here with your friends. Don't kid me." Tessa shot back at him.

Kennith's smile faded into a frown, that didn't look much better. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "See you keep watching me like some creepy stalker its hard for me to keep doing what I do best. I had thought that you figured it out and were waiting for the right moment to convict me. But this, this is too funny. You had fallen for me. A poor helpless girl like you. And here I was worried for nothing."

He started to laugh, but it didn't sound anything remotely human. Tessa's heart began to race and her mind was blank. All she could think was: Run. Her legs did not obey they stood there solidly in place. The hand on her shoulder clamped down hard and she visibly flinched. Slowly her mind was starting to piece the story together. And it was even more terrifying than any nightmare. "Let. Go. Of. Me." She choked out. The grip only tightened.

He gazed right into her eyes with his own black holes . How could she ever think they were beautiful. "But if I do that, I can't do this."

In one movement he pulled out a nicely sized switchblade from his pocket. Tessa's eyes went wide in horror as she felt cold hard steal pierce her flesh. A flaming hot pain shot through her body and mind, but as she tried to scream the hand on her shoulder moved to cover her mouth. All that was heard was a pathetic whimper. Tessa felt her body slowly go limp. She watched as the very man she once loved pulled the knife from her side. Blood poured out of the wound like a river being set free from a dam. There was no pain, not anymore, just silence. Silence and the warm embrace of the dark. "So this is what its like to die. Where is my bright light? Today really did suck."

◘◘◘