Lina couldn't stop thinking about Victor.
A hunter who wants to train me…Two vampires who want to protect me…And a mark that burns when danger is near…
She felt like her life was not hers anymore.
The next day at school, Lina felt different. She felt like everyone was looking at her, like everyone knew her secret. But of course, no one knew. For them, she was just the new girl.
But for the others… she was something else.
During lunch, Adrian and Lucas were both there. For the first time, they were not fighting. They both looked serious.
"This is not a game anymore," Adrian said.
Lucas nodded. "The hunter found her too fast."
Lina looked at both of them. "He said he wants to train me."
Adrian immediately said, "No."
Lucas said, "Maybe."
They looked at each other again, tension in their eyes.
"I'm still here," Lina said. "You can talk to me, not like I'm not in the room."
Adrian looked at her. "Hunters train people to fight vampires."
Lucas added, "But they also train special humans to control their power."
"I don't even know what my power is," Lina said.
Lucas looked at her wrist. "That mark is not decoration. It means you can do something… something important."
Adrian said quietly, "But training with a hunter is dangerous. Hunters hate vampires."
Lucas smiled a little. "He didn't try to kill us yesterday."
"He will, one day," Adrian replied.
Lina put her hands on the table. "Stop. I'm tired of this. Everyone is making decisions for me. Victor says I must go with him. Adrian says no. Lucas says maybe. But no one asked me what I want."
Lucas looked at her. "Okay. What do you want?"
Lina was silent for a moment.
"I want to understand what I am," she said. "I want this mark to stop burning. I want to stop being scared every night. I want to be strong enough so no one can control me."
Adrian looked at her with a soft expression. "Then I will protect you while you learn."
Lucas said, "And I will teach you how our world works."
Lina looked at both of them. "And Victor?"
At that moment, a voice behind them said:
"You will train with me."
They all turned.
Victor was standing there.
In the school cafeteria.
Like a normal person.
Lina stood up. "What are you doing here?!"
Victor smiled a little. "Relax. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to talk."
Adrian stood up too. "You shouldn't be here."
Victor looked at him. "And you shouldn't be near her. But here we are."
Lucas crossed his arms. "Say what you want and leave."
Victor looked at Lina. "You have three choices."
Lina felt her heart beating fast. "What choices?"
Victor raised one finger. "First choice: You stay here. You live like a normal human. But you will always be in danger, and one day, someone will kill you to take your power."
He raised a second finger. "Second choice: You stay with the vampires. They protect you. You become part of their world. Their wars become your wars."
Then he raised a third finger. "Third choice: You come with me. I train you. You learn how to fight, how to control your power, how to protect yourself. And then… no one can control you. Not vampires. Not werewolves. Not the Night Council."
The cafeteria was silent. Lina could hear her own heartbeat.
Adrian said quietly, "Training will be hard. Painful."
Lucas added, "But it will make you strong."
Victor said, "And it will make you free."
Lina looked at all of them.
"Do I have to choose now?" she asked.
Victor nodded. "Yes. Because the Night Council already knows about you. And they are coming."
"When?" Lina asked.
Victor replied:
"Soon."
Adrian looked worried. Lucas looked serious.
Lina looked at her wrist. The mark was burning again, slowly, like a warning.
She took a deep breath and said:
"I will train."
Adrian closed his eyes for a second. Lucas looked at her without smiling this time.
Victor nodded. "Good choice."
"But," Lina said quickly, "I'm not going alone."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Lina looked at Adrian and Lucas. "If I'm going to enter this world… I want to understand all of it. Not just the hunter side."
Lucas smiled a little. "I like this girl."
Adrian sighed. "This is going to be complicated."
Victor said, "Your training starts tomorrow night."
Lina felt scared… but also strong.
"For the first time," she said quietly, "I feel like I'm not running anymore."
Victor looked at her and said:
"Good. Because from now on… you fight."
That night, Lina wrote in her diary:
Dear Diary,Today I made a choice.I chose to stop being weak.I chose to understand what I am.I chose to fight.I'm still scared.But I think… this is the beginning of a new Lina.