The house in Broken Falls was quiet.
Too quiet.
Mayson Winchester stood in the middle of the living room with his hands in his pockets, staring slowly around the place his family had bought for him. The house wasn't small by any normal standard. Two floors, dark wooden floors, a wide staircase, and windows that looked out over a quiet suburban street. Trees lined the sidewalks outside, their leaves moving gently in the late afternoon wind.
It looked like the kind of place a normal family would live.
Except only one person lived here.
Him.
He walked toward the kitchen, opening cabinets one by one. Plates. Cups. Silverware. Everything neatly organized like someone had expected him to actually cook something.
Mayson snorted quietly.
"Yeah… that's not happening."
The refrigerator opened with a low hum.
Empty.
Of course.
He closed it again and leaned against the counter, glancing toward the window. A few houses sat across the street. One had a basketball hoop in the driveway. Another had a dog barking at a passing car.
Humans.
All of them.
Living their quiet little lives.
Completely unaware that a sixteen-year-old vampire who had wiped out entire groups of hunters was now living a few houses away.
The thought made him grin.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
A single message.
Mom:
We'll send supplies soon. Don't starve yourself.
Mayson typed back quickly.
Mayson:
I'll survive.
Three dots appeared for a moment before another message came through.
Mom:
Try not to kill anyone.
He stared at the message.
Then laughed out loud.
Mayson:
No promises.
He tossed the phone onto the counter and walked toward the living room again.
Boxes sat near the couch. Most of them were books. Heavy ones too. Ancient history, mythology, strange supernatural lore, and some absolutely ridiculous novels that he liked reading just for fun.
He opened one box and pulled out a thick book, flipping through the pages casually.
His eyes moved faster than most humans could follow.
Page after page.
Words burned into memory instantly.
Then he stopped on one section and chuckled quietly.
"Humans really believed this nonsense?"
He dropped onto the couch and kept reading.
Ten minutes later he burst out laughing.
A loud, sudden laugh that echoed through the empty house.
He slapped his hand against his leg.
"That makes no sense!"
The laughter continued for another moment before he leaned back against the couch cushions, still smiling.
Living alone might not be so bad.
Later that evening the town of Broken Falls came alive.
Streetlights flickered on.
Cars passed through quiet roads.
Restaurants filled with people finishing their dinners.
And Mayson walked down the sidewalk toward the center of town with his hands in his pockets.
He had changed into something more normal looking. Dark jeans. A plain black hoodie. Sneakers.
Nothing that screamed ancient supernatural predator.
Just another teenager walking through town.
The air smelled different here.
Cleaner.
But underneath it all his senses picked up the important things.
Heartbeats.
Hundreds of them.
Humans talking, laughing, living.
His throat tightened slightly.
Hunger.
He hadn't fed since before leaving the vampire territories.
But he pushed the feeling down.
Control.
He had it.
Mostly.
A small coffee shop near the corner caught his attention.
Warm lights glowed through the windows. People sat inside drinking coffee and talking.
Mayson tilted his head.
Coffee smelled terrible to vampires.
But humans loved it.
He stepped inside anyway.
A bell above the door chimed softly.
A few people glanced up when he entered.
Some girls sitting near the window immediately started whispering to each other.
Mayson noticed.
He ignored them.
The woman behind the counter looked up with a friendly smile.
"Hey there. What can I get you?"
He stared at the menu board.
Coffee.
Espresso.
Latte.
None of it meant much to him.
"Uh… hot chocolate?" he said finally.
The woman laughed.
"Good choice."
While she prepared the drink, Mayson glanced around the shop.
Small tables.
Bookshelves along the walls.
A comfortable place.
His eyes moved toward a girl sitting at one of the corner tables.
She looked about his age.
Brown hair tied loosely behind her head.
A book open in front of her.
She didn't seem interested in the whispers happening around the shop about the new guy who had just walked in.
Instead she kept reading.
Mayson watched her for a moment.
Then looked away.
The woman behind the counter slid the drink toward him.
"That'll be three dollars."
He handed her the money.
"Thanks."
"You're new around here, aren't you?"
"Just moved in."
"Well welcome to Broken Falls."
He nodded slightly and took the drink, sitting down at one of the tables.
The hot chocolate sat untouched in front of him.
He mostly just watched people.
Observed.
Learned.
Humans were fascinating.
Fragile.
Carefree.
Completely unaware of the monsters that existed in the world.
He picked up the cup and took a small sip.
His face twisted slightly.
"Yeah… still terrible."
Someone nearby laughed quietly.
He glanced over.
The girl from the corner table was looking at him now.
She had heard him.
Mayson raised an eyebrow.
She smirked faintly before going back to her book.
Interesting.
The next morning Broken Falls High School buzzed with noise.
Hallways filled with students moving between lockers and classrooms.
Rumors spread quickly in places like this.
And today there was a new one.
"Did you hear about the new guy?"
"I heard he moved here yesterday."
"My cousin saw him at the coffee shop."
"Apparently he's really tall."
"No way he's hotter than Jake."
"Just wait until you see him."
Mayson walked through the front doors just as the first bell rang.
Instantly dozens of eyes turned toward him.
Whispers followed.
He could hear every word.
Every heartbeat.
Every nervous laugh.
It was almost overwhelming.
But he kept walking calmly down the hallway.
Lockers slammed.
Students moved aside without even realizing they were doing it.
Some girls openly stared.
One even waved.
He gave a small polite nod.
Nothing more.
Then he reached the classroom door.
Inside, students were already taking their seats.
The teacher glanced up as Mayson entered.
"You must be our new student."
He nodded.
"Mayson Winchester."
The teacher smiled slightly.
"Welcome. Go ahead and take that empty seat."
Mayson walked toward the desk.
And froze for half a second.
The girl from the coffee shop sat in the desk beside it.
She looked up at him.
Recognition flashed across her face.
"You're the hot chocolate guy," she said quietly.
Mayson blinked.
Then smirked.
"Unfortunately, yes."
She laughed softly.
"Still hate it?"
"Absolutely."
The teacher cleared his throat at the front of the room.
"Alright everyone, let's get started."
Mayson leaned back in his chair.
Broken Falls might actually be interesting after all.