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But deep down, he knew that was easier said than done. Danny lay still, trying to will himself to sleep, but his mind was restless. His new vampiric senses heightened everything—the ticking of the clock, the soft rustle of Tucker shifting in his bed, Sam’s quiet breathing. It all felt overwhelming, but not as overwhelming as the new hunger gnawing at him. The feeding helped, but it never fully went away. As his eyes finally started to close, a familiar presence brushed against his mind, cool and commanding. **"How was your weekend, little phantom?"** Alexander's voice echoed telepathically in Danny’s head, smooth as silk, yet with an edge of curiosity that made Danny uneasy. Danny tensed under the covers, his eyes snapping open. He knew this would happen, the connection they shared ever since Alex turned him. But it still sent a chill down his spine, knowing the vampire could just invade his thoughts like this. **"It was… fine,"** Danny replied mentally, trying to keep his tone casual. He didn’t want to give Alex the satisfaction of knowing how much this new life was eating at him. There was a pause, and then Alex’s voice returned, almost amused. **"Fine? And yet, you sound so troubled. Your friends… they trust you, don't they? They let you feed. Such loyalty… though I wonder how long they'll be able to keep you satisfied."** Danny clenched his fists under the blankets. Alex always knew how to hit the sore spots, reminding him of the constant hunger and the danger he posed to Sam and Tucker. He didn’t want to admit how much it scared him that he might lose control one day. **"They trust me. That’s all that matters."** Danny forced the thought through the connection, determined not to show any cracks in his resolve. Alex’s laugh was soft, almost a purr in Danny’s mind. **"For now, perhaps. But you’re changing, Danny. The more you feed, the more the hunger will grow. Your little friends may not be enough soon. But don't worry… I'll be there when you need me. When you're ready to embrace what you are."** Danny’s jaw tightened. He wanted to scream back at Alex, to push him out of his mind, but he knew better. Alex was far too powerful for that. Instead, he focused on controlling his breathing, blocking out the vampire’s voice as best he could. After a long silence, Alex finally withdrew from his mind, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts once again. He could still feel the lingering presence, like a shadow just out of sight, watching him. He hated it. Hated the constant reminder that he was no longer fully in control of his own life, that Alex was always lurking, waiting for him to slip. Turning over in bed, Danny squeezed his eyes shut, willing the exhaustion to take over. He didn’t want to think about it anymore—not Alex, not the hunger, not the weight of everything that was pressing down on him. But even as sleep finally claimed him, the worry remained, lurking in the back of his mind like a dark cloud. How long could he keep this up? How long before he lost control and hurt the people he cared about? Tomorrow they’d head home, and the next day, school would start again. Everything would go back to normal—or at least, that’s what he had to believe. He wasn’t ready to face the alternative. Not yet. Monday morning came too quickly for Danny, and by the time he walked into school, the weight of the weekend's events pressed down on him like a vice. At first, he thought he could handle it. The feeding from Sam and Tucker had left him more in control than he expected, but as the day wore on, that sense of control started to slip. The noise of the hallway felt louder than usual—conversations blurred together, laughter echoed sharply in his ears, and most troubling of all, the rhythmic thrum of pulses surrounded him, like the beating of countless drums. Every student, every teacher—he could feel the blood rushing through their veins. It was all he could focus on. Danny clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he walked down the crowded hallway. **You’ve got this. Just keep it cool.** He repeated the mantra over and over, desperate to ground himself. But the hunger was building again, and it was harder to push it down this time. And then he saw him. Alexander stood casually at the end of the hallway, leaning against the lockers like he owned the place. His eyes locked onto Danny's, a small, knowing smile playing at his lips. To everyone else, Alex was just another face in the crowd, but to Danny, he was a constant reminder of everything he was fighting against. Danny’s heart rate spiked, a cold anger rising inside him. **Of course he’d be here. Watching. Waiting for me to slip.** He tried to ignore Alex, pushing past a group of students and heading for his locker, but the vampire’s presence seemed to cling to him like a shadow. Every time Danny glanced over his shoulder, Alex was still there, watching with that infuriatingly calm expression. **"You're doing so well, little phantom,"** Alex’s voice purred in Danny’s mind, oozing with condescension. **"But for how long?"** Danny gritted his teeth, slamming his locker door shut harder than he meant to. The few students nearby shot him curious glances, but he didn’t care. His hands shook, the hunger clawing at the edges of his mind. He needed to stay calm. He needed to focus. But Alex was right. The cracks in the mental dam he had built were growing bigger, and each passing moment surrounded by the warm, pulsing bodies of his classmates only made it worse. The urge to feed, to give in to the primal part of him, was getting harder to resist. The bell rang, signaling the start of the next class, but Danny barely registered it. All he could hear was the rushing sound of blood, the scent of human flesh overwhelming his senses. He stumbled toward the classroom, doing everything he could to keep his breathing steady. The rest of the day felt like torture. Every time a student passed him in the hallway, the scent of their blood sent a wave of hunger crashing over him. His teachers’ voices were drowned out by the steady pounding of their hearts. Even sitting in class was a challenge—he couldn’t focus, couldn’t block out the sensory overload. Alex’s presence didn’t help. Though the vampire didn’t follow him into the classrooms, Danny could feel him lurking just out of sight, watching. Waiting. Always there, like a predator waiting for its prey to stumble. By lunchtime, Danny was on edge, his control fraying dangerously. He sat with Sam and Tucker, trying to act normal, but his hands shook as he gripped his water bottle, and his eyes kept darting around the cafeteria, searching for Alex’s familiar figure. “Danny, you okay?” Sam asked quietly, her eyes filled with concern. She could see the strain on his face, the way he was barely holding it together. Danny nodded, but the gesture was unconvincing. “Yeah, just… just tired.” Tucker leaned in, lowering his voice. “You don’t look so good, man. Maybe we should bail on the rest of the day, head back to the hotel?” Danny considered it for a second, but then he shook his head. He couldn’t run. Not now. Not with Alex watching his every move. “I’m fine,” he muttered, though his voice wavered slightly. “I just need to make it through today.” Sam and Tucker exchanged worried glances, but they didn’t push him. They knew he was struggling, but they also knew how stubborn he could be. As the day dragged on, Danny’s grip on his humanity slipped further. By the time the final bell rang, signaling the end of school, his entire body was tense with barely restrained hunger and rage. And Alex’s voice echoed in his mind one final time, soft but filled with cruel amusement: **"Soon, Danny. Very soon."** Danny clenched his fists and stormed out of the building, desperate to escape the suffocating walls of the school—and the predator that continued to watch him from the shadows.