If there was a way to disappear from the world, she'd already bought the ticket and left.
Elara tightened her hoodie, trying to make herself invisible in the back alley of the convenience store. Her backpack was half-zipped, the torn strap slung across her shoulder like a battle scar. She hadn't eaten since yesterday — not because she was dieting, but because she couldn't afford anything that wasn't instant noodles.
"Great," she muttered. "This is what rock bottom looks like."
A low whistle sliced through the silence behind her. She froze.
Not again.
Elara turned slowly, expecting some thug or one of those men who kept chasing her since her family disappeared. But no — this wasn't some creep with a knife.
It was a guy.
A freaking gorgeous one.
Tall. Dark hair that curled slightly at the ends. Eyes like midnight, unreadable and cold. He wore all black — boots, jacket, shirt — and somehow, the shadows liked him. They clung to him like loyal pets.
"Elara Vance," he said her name like a sentence.
Her heart dropped. "Who the hell are you?"
He smiled, but there was no warmth. "I've waited a long time for this moment."
The air thickened. Her feet wanted to run, but her curiosity rooted her in place.
"You one of them?" she asked. "The people looking for me?"
His head tilted, amused. "Not quite."
Elara took a cautious step back. "I don't have anything you want."
"Oh," he said, voice low, almost a purr. "You have everything I want. You're the last of them, after all."
"Of who?"
"The Vance family," he said like it burned his tongue. "Your blood is soaked in sins you don't even know about."
"What—?"
"They killed my mother," he cut her off. "Your father. Your uncles. They burned her alive."
Elara felt the world tilt. "My dad's dead. They're all dead."
"I know," he said, and for the first time, there was emotion in his voice. "That's the only reason you're still breathing."
She swallowed. "So… what now? You gonna kill me too?"
He walked toward her slowly, every step echoing like thunder in her chest. "I was going to. For years, I planned this moment."
Elara's back hit the wall. She didn't blink. "Then do it."
He stopped right in front of her. Too close. Way too close. He leaned in, his lips inches from her ear.
"I changed my mind."
She didn't dare move.
"Why?" she whispered.
He looked at her — really looked at her — and something in his expression flickered. Like a war inside himself.
"Because," he said softly, "you look like her."
Elara blinked. "Your mom?"
"No," he said, pulling back, eyes darker than night. "Like the girl I used to be. Lonely. Angry. Lost."
And with that, he turned around and disappeared into the shadows.
Leaving Elara breathless, confused… and terrified.
Because whoever he was, he didn't feel human.
And somehow, she knew — this was just the beginning.