C1

The moon hung low over the deserted high school, casting long, eerie shadows across the grounds. The night was still, but an undercurrent of tension buzzed in the air. On the rooftop of the gym, a young man with an easy smile guided his nervous date, a Catholic schoolgirl, to a secluded spot."Perfect place for stargazing, right?" he said, his voice a soothing purr.The girl glanced around, her eyes wide and wary. "Are you sure it's safe up here? I thought I heard something."He laughed softly, brushing off her fears with a dismissive wave. "It's just us and the stars."As he leaned in to kiss her, her expression changed in an instant. Her eyes turned cold and hungry, her skin took on a deathly pallor, and sharp fangs gleamed under the moonlight. He gasped, but it was too late. She lunged, her fangs sinking into his neck. The night was suddenly filled with the sound of his muffled screams.Across town, Brooke Sanders jolted awake, her heart pounding. Her dreams had been a chaotic mix of graveyards, monsters, and rivers of blood. Shaking off the remnants of her nightmare, she heard her mother’s voice calling from downstairs.“Brooke! It’s time to get up. First day at your new school!”Brooke groaned and swung her legs out of bed. “Here we go again,” she muttered, dragging herself to get ready.The morning sun bathed Sunnydale High in a warm glow as students milled about, catching up after the summer break. Ethan Harris wove through the crowd on his skateboard, barely avoiding collisions. His eyes were caught by a new girl stepping out of a car, and in his distraction, he crashed straight into a guardrail.Lila Green, walking nearby, rushed over to help him up. “You okay, Ethan?”He grinned sheepishly, rubbing his head. “Yeah, just thought I’d try a new way to stop.”Lila followed his gaze to the new girl. “Who’s that?”“No idea, but I’m going to find out.”Inside, Brooke was being introduced to Principal Lawson. He gave her a welcoming smile, only to falter when he saw her file. Tearing up her old school records, he hastily taped them back together when he read about her burning down the gym at her last school.“We believe in a clean slate here at Sunnydale High,” he said, though his eyes betrayed his doubt.Brooke nodded, eager to leave his office. As she stepped out, she collided with another student, spilling her bag’s contents all over the floor. Ethan, seeing an opportunity, hurried over to help her pick up her things.“Thanks,” Brooke said, gathering her belongings. She hurried off, not noticing she had left a wooden stake behind. Ethan picked it up, puzzled.“Oh, hey! You forgot your… stake?” he called after her, but she was already gone.Navigating the social maze of high school, Brooke found herself befriended by Veronica Chase, the epitome of popularity. Veronica’s sweetness turned sour when they ran into Lila at the water fountain.“Brooke, you don’t want to hang out with her,” Veronica sneered, her eyes filled with disdain for Lila.Brooke felt a pang of sympathy but stayed silent. Later, she wandered into the school library, a place of solitude. She was greeted by Mr. Grayson, the librarian, who seemed to be expecting her. He pulled out a massive tome labeled Vampyr.“You’re the Slayer,” he stated, his voice calm but insistent.Brooke stepped back, shaking her head. “You’ve got the wrong girl.”In the girls’ locker room, two students whispered about Brooke’s reputation. One opened her locker, and a lifeless body tumbled out, hitting the floor with a thud. It was the young man from the rooftop, his neck marked by unmistakable bite marks.News spread quickly, and Brooke heard it from Veronica. She found Brooke chatting with Lila in the courtyard, and her surprise turned to curiosity. Brooke’s slayer instincts kicked in, and she burst into the cordoned-off locker room, breaking the door in her urgency. Her eyes fell on the bite marks on the dead boy’s neck.Determined, Brooke returned to the library to confront Mr. Grayson. “I’m done with slaying,” she insisted. “I just want a normal life.”Mr. Grayson sighed, his expression one of weary patience. “You are the Slayer, Brooke. Sunnydale sits on a convergence of mystical energies. It’s a magnet for the supernatural. You can’t escape your destiny.”Brooke’s eyes flashed with frustration. “And what about my life? My friends?”She stormed out, not noticing Ethan hiding behind the stacks, having overheard everything.That evening, Brooke accepted Veronica’s invitation to the Bronze, a club on the fringes of town. As she walked, a shadowy figure followed her. In a dark alley, she turned the tables, swinging down from an overhead bar to kick her pursuer to the ground.The man, adjusting his leather jacket, introduced himself. “We have a common goal: to kill vampires.” He tossed her a small box. “Be ready for the Harvest.” Inside was a silver cross.At the Bronze, Brooke tried to coax Lila out of her shell, encouraging her to seize the moment. But her attention was drawn to Mr. Grayson, lurking on the upper deck. She hurried up to confront him.“This place is a perfect hunting ground for vampires,” Mr. Grayson insisted.Brooke scanned the crowd. “There’s one,” she said, spotting a vampire in outdated fashion. Before she could act, he moved, revealing his date: Lila.Brooke dashed after them, but outside she only found Veronica. Inside, James approached a girl—Daphne—from the opening scene, unaware of the danger.Under the town, the Patriarch emerged from a pit of blood, discussing the Harvest with his servant Marcus. They needed food, and the young were perfect.As the vampire led Lila to a cemetery, Brooke and Ethan followed. Brooke’s urgency convinced Ethan of the reality of vampires.In the crypt, Brooke confronted the vampires. She quickly dispatched the '80s vamp, saving Lila and Ethan, but Marcus’s strength overwhelmed her. He threw her into a stone coffin and leaped in after her, fangs bared