The autumn wind blew dry leaves across the cracked asphalt of Saint Jude Academy, a prestigious private school where pedigree was measured by the price of one’s blazer. Dominic and Selena were twin seniors who fit into none of the school’s social circles. Born on the stroke of midnight on Halloween, they moved through the halls like quiet shadows, clad in frayed collars and secondhand shoes.
Because of their modest appearance, they were frequent targets for the school’s elite, particularly a trio of varsity athletes led by a boy named Julian. Julian took pleasure in nicknaming the twins the “pauper prodigies,” scoffing at their packed, homemade lunches and faded backpacks. What Julian and the rest of the student body did not know, however, was that Dominic and Selena were the sole heirs to the Vance Corporation—a massive, multi-billion-dollar global logistics conglomerate. Their parents believed in humble upbringing, forcing the twins to live on a strict allowance and earn their keep so they would understand the value of honest labor before inheriting the empire.
It was Friday, October 31st, the day of the annual Saint Jude Halloween Campus Festival. The courtyard was draped in orange lights, fake cobwebs, and loud pop music. Students roamed in elaborate, expensive costumes. Dominic and Selena wore simple, hand-sewn black cloaks.
At precisely twelve noon, as the church tower across the street began to chime its mid-day bell, a sharp, searing heat pulsed through the twins’ veins. It was their eighteenth birthday, an age their late grandmother had always warned them would bring the “family awakening.”
Dominic gasped, dropping his punch cup. His vision narrowed, colors shifting into stark shades of blue and gray. Beside him, Selena clutched her head as her senses amplified exponentially—she could suddenly hear the faint rustle of a mouse inside the courtyard walls and smell the exact vintage of the teacher’s hidden coffee flask fifty yards away.
Panic seized them. They darted away from the noisy crowd, ducking into the dark, labyrinthine basement beneath the old science building. The moment the basement heavy oak door shut behind them, the transformation took hold.
Dominic’s bones popped and reshaped with frightening speed. His limbs shortened, his spine lengthened, and thick gray-and-black fur erupted across his skin, turning him into a massive, muscular wild hound with piercing golden eyes. Selena’s transformation was silent and fluid; her frame contracted into a sleek, dark-furred panther-like wildcat, complete with razor-sharp claws and emerald eyes that glowed in the dim cellar light.
They stared at each other in shock. Dominic let out a low, guttural huff, while Selena arched her back, her tail twitching in annoyance. Through an instinctual mental link, they realized the truth: the ancient family bloodline carried a curse—or a gift—triggered on their eighteenth Halloween. From that moment onward, every Friday night at sunset, their human forms would shed away, leaving them as midnight predators until the first light of dawn.
That night, while the campus Halloween party raged above, the wild dog and the sleek cat roamed the locked corridors of the school. When Julian and his friends slipped into the administrative wing to vandalize the trophy cases, they were met not by helpless outcast students, but by two terrifying shadowy beasts pacing the hallway. Dominic growled, a deep sound that vibrated through the floorboards, while Selena leaped effortlessly onto the top of a locker bank, staring down with cold green eyes. The bullies fled in absolute terror, leaving their spray cans behind and never mentioning the incident to anyone.
Years passed, and the mystery of the Halloween beasts of Saint Jude Academy faded into school legend.
The twins graduated and finally stepped into the reality of their heritage. Upon turning twenty-one, the Vance estate was unlocked, revealing their true status to a stunned alumni network. Dominic took over as the Chief Executive Officer of Vance Logistics, managing global supply chains and fleet shipping, while Selena assumed the role of President of Vance Technologies, overseeing cutting-edge automation and AI systems. Together, they turned their family’s wealth into an unshakeable global powerhouse.
Despite their vast fortunes, executive suites, and tailored Italian suits, the Friday night ritual never vanished. Every single Friday evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the corporate corner offices of the Vance Tower were locked from the inside.
It was a rainy Friday night in late October, years after their graduation. The glass tower of Vance Corporation was quiet, save for the hum of the central heating and the distant patter of rain against the sixty-story windows.
Arthur, a veteran nightshift security guard, stepped out of the elevator on the executive floor for his usual midnight roving. He adjusted his flashlight and walked down the carpeted hallway toward the corner offices. The floor was reserved exclusively for the Vance twins, and strict orders were always given that no cleaning crew or staff were to enter after 6:00 PM on Fridays.
Arthur clicked his heavy flashlight on, sweeping the beam across the polished marble foyer leading to Dominic Vance’s main office. As the beam swung across the pristine floor, something unusual caught his eye.
Right in front of the double mahogany doors of the CEO’s office, stamped clearly in dried mud and water on the white marble, were a series of tracks. Arthur leaned down, frowning as he traced the beam over the prints.
They weren’t shoe prints. They were massive, wide paw prints—unmistakably those of a giant, wild dog.
Beside them, leading up to the top frame of the door, were lighter, three-pronged scratches, as if a large wild feline had perched above the entry before dropping down.
Arthur took a quiet breath, his heart hammering against his chest. He looked at the heavy office door, noticing the faint sound of a low, rhythmic breathing coming from inside, accompanied by the quiet, soft purr of a massive cat. Remembering his high pay check and the strict rule never to open that door on Friday nights, Arthur slowly backed away, turned off his flashlight, and continued his walk down the quiet hallway into the night.
May part 2 ba nito?