VAMPIRE’s QUEEN

Red Glowing Eyes

Days went by pretty quickly, and before I knew it, today was the day of the annual competition at our college.

I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness buzzing through me. I had done a lot of things in my life, but performing on stage in front of everyone was new territory for me. And to top it off, I was supposed to kiss my friend in front of the entire college. Right now, I was standing in the changing room, adjusting the Juliet costume I was wearing.

The dress was an elegant, flowing gown, with lace at the sleeves and a deep red velvet fabric that hugged my waist before flaring out. I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to calm my racing heart. I was a confident person, but this was different. Kissing my friend in front of everyone felt like the weirdest thing ever.

"Eve, are you ready?" Matthew's voice called from outside the door.

"Yeah, I'm ready. You can come in," I yelled back, trying to sound calm. As he stepped inside, I couldn't help but notice how charming he looked in his Romeo outfit.

The classic attire suited him well, making him look almost like he'd stepped out of a different era. His shirt was white with puffed sleeves, tucked into dark trousers, and he had a small sword hanging at his side. His hair was tousled just perfectly, adding a certain boyish charm to his look. Matthew's eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Wow, Eve," he said with a grin, "you look... stunning. Like, seriously, I've never seen you like this before." I felt my cheeks warm up at his compliment.

“Thanks, Matthew. You look pretty great yourself. Romeo suits you." He took a step closer, his grin widening.

“Oh, really? Maybe it's because I've found my Juliet," he teased, giving me a playful wink. I laughed, rolling my eyes.

“Stop it, Matthew. We're just doing this for fun, remember?"

"Fun or not, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," he said with a light chuckle.

“Especially that kiss at the end." His voice dropped to a teasing whisper as he added,

"I hope you won't hold back, Juliet." I swatted his arm playfully.

“That's enough, Matthew!" I said, laughing.

"Let's just get through this without any disasters, okay?"

“You're right," he said with a mock sigh.

“But seriously, you've got nothing to worry about. You're going to be amazing out there." Just then, a girl poked her head into the room, announcing,

"You guys are next!" I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves.

“Okay, we can do it, Eve," Matthew said, his tone more serious.

“Just enjoy it. And remember, we're doing this for fun. No matter what happens, don't get upset."

"Okay, fine, Mister Pep Talk," I replied with a smile, feeling a bit more relaxed.

“Now, let's go." We walked towards the backstage area together, my heart racing with every step.

The sounds of the crowd filled the auditorium, and I could feel the energy buzzing around us. The host's voice boomed through the speakers,

“Now, I would like to call Evelyn Roy and Matthew Smith to perform the play of Romeo and Juliet. So, a big round of applause for them!".

The audience erupted in applause. and as we stepped onto the stage, the bright lights hit my eyes. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the brightness, and took in the sight of the stage set.

The backdrop was a beautiful painted scene of Verona, with a balcony and a garden full of roses. Matthew took my hand, and we moved into our starting positions. My heart was pounding, but I reminded myself of what he had said, just enjoy it. The play began, and Matthew launched into his first line as Romeo, speaking with a dramatic flair.

"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." I took a deep breath and replied in my best Juliet voice,

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

The crowd seemed to be enjoying the performance;

I could hear their cheers and applause after each line. I focused on the words on the story, letting myself sink into the role of Juliet. Matthew was doing an incredible job, his expression sincere, and his voice full of emotion. We went through the scenes, our chemistry on stage surprisingly natural.

We exchanged our lines, our movements synchronized, as if we had rehearsed a hundred times. I could hear the crowd clapping and cheering, their energy pushing me to give my best.

Then, finally, we reached the end, the scene everyone was waiting for. The moment of the kiss.

Matthew stepped closer, his face inches from mine.

His eyes locked onto mine, and I could see a mix of nerves and excitement in them. The audience seemed to hold their breath. He leaned in slowly, his lips brushing against mine in a soft, lingering kiss. For a moment, time seemed to stop, and all I could hear was the thundering applause and cheering from the crowd.

The kiss was brief but felt much longer with the noise surrounding us. As we pulled back, I felt a mix of relief and something else, something I couldn't quite place. The crowd was roaring with applause, whistling and shouting in excitement.

Matthew took my hand, and we both bowed to the audience, smiles plastered on our faces.

But as I glanced up, something caught my eye. I noticed a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness, almost like they were watching me. My breath hitched for a moment, and I blinked, trying to focus, but the eyes were gone.

"What was that?" I whispered to myself, feeling a shiver run down my spine.

But I shook it off, convincing myself it was just a trick of the light or my nerves playing with me. I let Matthew guide me off the stage and toward the backstage area, trying to forget the strange vision.

As we reached backstage, Hailey, Jason, and Amelia were waiting for us, their faces beaming with excitement.

“Guys, bravo! You did so well!" Hailey exclaimed, rushing over to hug me tightly.

"I was holding my breath the whole time!".

“Yeah, you guys killed it!" Jason added, clapping Matthew on the back.

“That was some real Romeo and Juliet stuff out there." Amelia gave me a playful grin.

"And that kiss! Whew, girl, you had everyone in the audience swooning!" I laughed, trying to push away the strange feeling from earlier.

“Thanks, guys. I'm just glad it's over and that I didn't trip over my dress or anything!" Matthew smiled beside me.

"You were perfect, Eve. Couldn't have asked for a

better Juliet."

"Thanks, Matthew," I replied, giving him a quick hug. "You were pretty good yourself." We all laughed and chatted, the adrenaline still buzzing in our veins.

I could feel the tension from before melting away, replaced by a warm, happy feeling. It had gone better than I expected, and I couldn't help but feel proud of what we had accomplished.

But in the back of my mind, I couldn't shake off the image of those red eyes in the crowd. What was that? And why did it feel like they were watching me? I decided to brush it off for now and just enjoy the moment with my friends. Whatever it was, it could wait. Right now, I was just happy to be here, surrounded by the people I cared about.

As the day went on, the results were announced, and we ended up getting third place in the competition. I was actually happy about it. It wasn't first place, but we had a great time, and that was all that mattered.

“Guys, let's go celebrate!" Jason suggested, his excitement clear on his face.

"Yeah, we should definitely go," Amelia chimed in.

"Today was so much fun. You guvs got third place, and our team got second!" I smiled, feeling the excitement in the air.

"Okay, just wait for me here," I said, glancing at my friends. “I need to grab my clothes from my locker so I can change." They nodded, and I turned to head out of the auditorium, making my way toward the east wing.

The hallway was eerily quiet, more so than usual.

Because of the competition, classes had been cancelled, and the whole place felt strangely empty.

My footsteps echoed lightly as I walked, a soft tapping against the tiled floor. As I entered the east wing, I felt a slight chill run down my spine. The silence was unsettling, but I shook it off. My locker was near the storage room, and I made my way there, focusing on the task at hand. I reached my locker, twisting the combination lock and pulling it open. The door creaked slightly as I opened it, and I could see my change of clothes neatly folded inside.

Just as I was about to reach for my clothes, something happened so fast that I didn't even have time to react. A strong hand grabbed my arm and yanked me backwards with such force that my phone slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor. My heart jumped into my throat as I was dragged into the dark storage room, the door slamming shut behind me. My mind raced, trying to process what was happening. The room was pitch black, and I could barely see a thing. Before I could scream or struggle, I felt myself being pushed back against the cold wall. Two strong hands pinned me there, one on either side of my shoulders, trapping me in place. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

I tried to twist away, but the grip was too tight, and there was no space to move. "Let me go!" I shouted, trying to sound braver than I felt. But my voice came out shaky, betraying the fear coursing through me. I strained to see who had grabbed me, but the room was so dark that I could only make out a shadowy figure standing close, their face inches from mine. My heart pounded louder in my ears, a rapid thudding that made it hard to think.

And then, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw the face of the person who had pulled me into the room. My eyes widened in shock.

"You!!!!" I gasped, my voice barely a whisper.