Chapter 315

Third Person POV (Ruby).

Ruby usually knew when she was having a vision the moment she opened her eyes. The more visions she had, the more obvious it became. They were like standing in the center of a TV, watching as events unfold before her eyes and she’s unable to do anything about them during the moment.

She’s never stagnant in her visions; she’s learned in her second vision that she’s able to move around easily and explore the area a bit before she wakes up. She’s able to ask questions and get as much information as she can during the time she’s allowed.

Each vision is a different length, so she needs to use the time wisely.

When Ruby opened her eyes during this particular vision, she was standing in front of a familiar barn. She knows that wherever she appears first in her vision is the area she needs to be. Whatever she was meant to see was inside of that barn, she was sure of it.

“Penny?”

The sound of Tessa’s father, Rick, was heard as he walked down the steps of the rancher he had built for his late wife when they found out they were having a baby. Ruby had only been to this farm once with Tessa and she absolutely loved it.

She turned to see Rick walking in this direction and for some reason, Ruby felt uneasy. She knew that nobody in these visions could see or hear her, so she wasn’t worried he’d spot her standing outside of the barn. But she feared that whatever was inside of the barn wasn’t good.

“Are you in the barn, Pen?” Rick asked, his voice coming closer with each step he took.

Ruby turned back toward the barn doors and took a deep breath; this vision wouldn’t end until she saw what she needed to see. She didn’t need to open the barn door; she was basically a ghost and could walk through objects.

She stepped forward and soon, she was inside the barn. Her vision had never prepared her for the horror she was about to see and when she saw it, her entire body felt frozen. Ruby thought she was going to throw up at the sight of Penny, kneeling over a horse and drinking its blood.

The horse had already died from blood loss; Penny was covered head to toe in the blood and her body was trembling as if it wasn’t enough.

There was blood everywhere.

Ruby covered her mouth with her hands to stifle a sob.

What did this mean for Penny? Was she a vampire? Had she been changed into a vampire since Ruby had last seen her and now, she was waking up for the first time? Ruby remembered what it was like to wake up as a new vampire. That hunger and pain that came with it was unbearable. It made Ruby lose her mind and all she could think about was blood and getting more of it.

She didn’t care who she hurt to get that blood; she just needed it.

Maybe that’s what was happening with Penny too.

That was the only explanation she could think of.

Ruby nearly squealed at the sound of the barn door opening and panic set in. Oh no! Tessa’s father!

As he stepped into the barn, Penny’s head whipped around to look at him. Her eyes were piercing red and her lip was curled up in a snarl. Rick had completely frozen when he saw what was happening and his eyes grew large.

“Penny?” He whispered, his voice coming out raspy and confused. “What…” he tried to say, but his words failed him completely.

“I need blood,” she croaked, her hands trembling. “I need more…”

“I don’t understand…” Rick said, taking an unsteady step away from her. “How…? Why…?”

“He died,” she whispered, unsteadily standing to her feet as if she couldn’t hold up the weight of her body any longer. “He used to give me an elixir to help me with this blood lust… to keep me sane. But he’s gone. They won’t give me anymore without him…”

“Penny…”

“It’s been so long, Rick,” she said, interrupting his words. “It’s been so long since I’ve had a taste. So long since I’ve been on my own… I need more blood…”

Her eyes began to glow even brighter.

Ruby could see the terror on Rick’s face, and she knew this wasn’t going to end well. She also knew there was nothing she could do about it right now. If Joseph was right and she really was the Prophet of Saving Grace, that meant she could prevent this from happening.

She could still save Tessa’s father.

She had to save him.

Ruby watched as Rick turned and started to run, but she also knew it was no use. Penny was too fast for him and slammed the door shut before he could even reach it.

“Penny, please! You don’t want to do this. You love me… I love you… you’re my wife!” Rick pleaded.

Penny smiled and it gave Ruby a chilling feeling down her spine.

“You don’t know me, Rick,” she said, her voice emotionless as she stepped toward the man she used to call her husband. “You don’t even know my real name.”

“What—” he began to ask, but it was too late.

Penny grabbed him and sank her teeth deep into his neck, cutting off his voice. He was too stunned, he didn’t even scream.

Ruby covered her mouth, stifling a sob as she watched the life drain from Rick’s eyes. She needed more information, but she knew the dream would end soon.

“When is this going to happen?” Ruby asked the question out loud and just as she did, she noticed a light turning on back at the Rancher from the barn window.

Prying her eyes away from the scene in front of her, Ruby willed her legs to start moving. She ran as fast as she could out of the barn, trying to drown out the sounds of Penny slurping every last bit of blood out of Rick’s body.

She ran up the porch steps of the Rancher and ran into the house. She paused in the kitchen, looking around and trying to find anything that indicated the date. From the clock on the stove, it read: 10:00 pm. But there was no date.

She could feel her surroundings growing hazy, she knew the vision was coming to an end. As soon as Rick takes his last breath, Ruby will be jolted awake.

Her eyes found a newspaper on the table, and she went towards it quickly. Her entire body felt paralyzed when she read the date.

“A week from now?” She whispered, her voice barely coming out audibly.

Soon, Ruby’s world went black, and her eyes flew open. She quickly sat up in the familiar bed in her dorm and her eyes scanned the area. She sat in bed with a racing heart, and she was relieved to see Lucy sitting on her own bed, watching her warily.

“What did you see?” Lucy asked her, her legs tucked under her, and her arms wrapped around her body.

Evidence of their girl’s night was all over their dorm room, from the wine and sugary treats to the girly magazines and the paused movie on their shared TV across the room. She had a vision right in the middle of their girl’s night and Ruby felt embarrassed once again.

“My best friend, father,” Ruby whispered. “He’s going to die…”

Before Lucy could respond, there was a knock on their door. Lucy was the one to answer it, revealing their dorm adviser who peeked at them with a fond smile on her face.

“Ruby, can you come with me? I have a surprise for you.”

Ruby’s brows raised but she didn’t argue. She quickly got out of bed, glad that she was still dressed from earlier, and looked at Lucy with an apologetic smile.

“We will talk later,” she told her, giving her a wave before following the dorm adviser out of the room. “What’s this all about?” Ruby finally asked once they were out of the dormitory building.

“You’ll see,” she answered with a bright smile.

They traveled around the campus until they reached an old building that Ruby had never been inside before. She didn’t even think anything went on in this building; she never bothered to ask what this building was for either but when she stepped in, she was surprised to see that it looked like a typical meeting hall.

“Here she is,” the advisor said to a man Ruby immediately recognized as the headmaster of the school; he was the Elder in charge. Ruby only met him a couple of times and she immediately grew nervous.

“Am I in trouble?” Ruby asked, her heart pounding against her ribcage.

“Of course, not,” the headmaster said, smiling at her.

He nodded at the adviser who said goodbye to Ruby before leaving the building, leaving her alone with the headmaster.

“Actually, it’s quite the opposite,” the headmaster told her, much to her confusion. “Come with me.”

He turned and started to walk down a long, dimly lit, hallway until he reached a set of doors. Ruby was hesitant before following him into the room, but as soon as she did, her entire body froze.

Her mouth fell open.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.