To Bride Of Lucifer

Chapter One: Same Dream, Different Day

Ava's eyes snapped open.

Her heart pounded against her chest as she stared at the white ceiling above. She wasn't sure where she was-just that her body felt frozen. Someone was holding her hand.

She turned her head slowly. A stranger sat beside her. Pale. Still. His face gave nothing away. His eyes didn't blink. They were just... watching her.

Ava tried to speak, but her mouth wouldn't move. No sound came out.

He raised a hand and touched her face gently-too gently, like he had done it before. His fingers were cold. His lips moved, but no sound reached her ears.

Then, without warning, he leaned forward-toward her neck.

Her breath caught.

Before he could get any closer, he disappeared. And suddenly, she was running.

Ava didn't know where the hallway came from or why her legs moved on their own, but her bare feet slapped the floor in panic. Something was chasing her. She looked back.

A boy. Tall. Black wings spread behind him. Silent but fast. His burning eyes locked on hers.

She stumbled.

Fell.

Her hands scraped against the cold floor, but she forced herself up. Her lungs burned. Blood dripped from her chin.

She touched her mouth.

Why am I bleeding?

The boy landed in front of her. That same face-beautiful and terrifying all at once. His voice was sharp and full of rage.

"If I can't have you, Goora... no one will."

Then-just like that-she woke up.

Ava gasped and slapped her alarm clock off the nightstand.

7:00 AM.

She lay there for a moment, blinking at the ceiling of her real bedroom. Her heart still thundered.

"Same nightmare," she mumbled.

That made it four times this week.

She grabbed her phone from under the pillow. The screen was full of notifications-mostly from Alex.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYY.

18 baby!! Can you believe it??

You better not oversleep.

I'm outside so hurry up.

Ava smiled, despite everything.

Dragging herself out of bed, she stood in front of the mirror over her dresser. She looked like herself, but... not quite. Her curls were a mess. Her eyes looked tired. Her skin was pale.

"Who the hell is Goora?" she whispered.

She wasn't even sure it was a real name. Could've just been a weird dream thing. But it stuck with her. That boy's voice still echoed in her head.

Shaking it off, she showered, pulled on high-waisted jeans and a black crop hoodie, slipped her silver chain around her neck, and headed outside.

Sure enough, Alex was parked out front in her white sports car, sunglasses on, music low, window rolled down.

"You alive in there?" Alex called out.

Ava slid into the passenger seat, tossing her bag into the back. "Barely."

"You look like you fought a ghost in your sleep." Alex raised an eyebrow. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not far off," Ava muttered.

Alex turned the music up a notch. "Well, whatever it was, today is not the day to be weird. It's your birthday, Ava. Which means: no sad faces, no spacey stares, no moody inner monologues."

Ava chuckled. "I'm not moody."

"You are the definition of moody. You could star in one of those dramatic indie films where no one smiles."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay."

"So? What's the plan? Are we celebrating? Movie night? Party? Sneaking off to the beach?"

Ava hesitated. "I mean, I kinda thought about... maybe sleeping with James."

Alex turned her head so fast the car swerved a little.

"You're joking."

"Nope."

Alex stared. "You? Little Miss 'Let's Talk About Our Feelings' is thinking about-wow. Is this a birthday thing, or are you having a sudden teenage crisis?"

Ava grinned. "Maybe both?"

Alex laughed. "Girl, I support you, but are you sure you're ready? Or is this just one of those 'everyone else is doing it' moments?"

Ava shrugged. "I don't know. I like him. It just... feels like it might be time."

"Just make sure it's because you want to. Not because Clara's running her mouth again."

"Speaking of Clara..." Ava muttered as they pulled into the school parking lot.

Bellwood High wasn't exactly Ava's favorite place. The halls smelled like a mix of floor cleaner and cafeteria pizza, and there was a social ladder no one admitted existed-but everyone followed.

She barely stepped out of the car before Clara showed up at her locker.

"Well, well," Clara said, arms crossed, fake smile on. "Birthday girl. Big 18. So... finally gonna lose that thing of yours?"

Ava blinked. "My... sanity?"

Clara snorted. "You know what I mean."

Ava didn't respond.

Alex stepped in fast. "Back off, Clara."

Clara rolled her eyes and strutted off, her usual backup girls trailing her like she was some kind of royalty.

"You okay?" Alex asked once she was gone.

"Yeah," Ava said. "She's just a jerk."

Alex linked arms with her. "Ignore her. She's jealous because her personality's a pancake."

Ava snorted. But something still felt off.

As they rounded the corner into the main hallway, Ava froze.

There was someone new.

A guy stood by the main office, dressed in a black jacket and dark jeans, backpack slung over one shoulder. He looked up-right at her. His eyes locked with hers, and for a second, everything around her stopped.

Her chest tightened.

He smiled.

Ava couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

Alex leaned in. "Damn. He's new, right? I haven't seen him before."

"I haven't either," Ava whispered.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said slowly, "I just got this weird..."

"What?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

The bell rang and students shuffled into class. Ava tried to focus, but her mind kept drifting. Her sketchbook was open, but she was barely drawing-just doodling in the margins.

She could not stop thinking about him.

The way he looked at her. Like he already knew her.

The classroom door opened.

The teacher walked in, clapping her hands. "Alright, people, heads up-we've got a new student joining us today. Be nice."

Ava looked up.

It was him.