Night Class

August 20th, 2019

Tuesday 6:45pm

“You really are a clueless human, aren’t you?”

I slowly turn my head to make eye contact with Rhea as she sits on my dresser with her legs crossed over one another at the knee. Her black uniform skirt riding up to reveal a little too much thigh for it to be something that I would be comfortable with. Her white button up is perfectly steamed and pressed, but her maroon tie is just tad bit crooked.

“I’m not clueless,” I argue. “How was I supposed to know that the beaker would break and cause me to nearly bleed out in a classroom filled with vampires?”

Rhea’s eyes narrow on me before sliding off the dresser and stalking towards me. Normally I would scramble to the farthest corner of my bed, but now I only sit there while flipping through the Vampire History book with disinterest. I’ve grown accustomed to the vampires around school threatening my life or backing me into corners. I’ve learned that the best way to avoid future confrontations with them is to act as though it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. When it comes to my friends, it doesn’t bother me, but there are some that do seem threatening in a deathly type of way.

Rhea grips my tie and pulls me so that I’m facing her, nose to nose. “Listen here, Princess. You need to be more careful. I don’t care how lax you’ve become to this school. I don’t care how much a death wish you may have. It’s my job to protect you. So, the next time you feel the need to tempt an entire room full of danag’s with your blood? Don’t.”

She lets my tie go, rather roughly, and makes her way for my bedroom door. I look down at my bandaged hand as the door opens and slams shut. She’s been full of anger and something else ever since that day she took off from being my watcher. I can only assume things didn’t go over well with the rest of the group. No matter her reasons for snapping at me lately, she’s right. I’ve grown almost dangerously comfortable with how the vampires act around here, maybe even forgetting that they very much could kill me at any given moment if they so desired.

I need to speak with Natalia about switching classes. It’s the only reasonable thing to do at this point. I should’ve never even been put in the night classes. Not only is it dangerous for me, but it’s also equally just as dangerous for the danag’s. They could have some serious psychological damage if they were to hurt me on accident and not to mention there would probably be some legal repercussions as well.

A buzzing sound coming from my desk nearly has me jumping from the bed in fear. The unfamiliar sound is my phone receiving an incoming call. I hadn’t used the thing in so long that I guess I completely forgot that it still works. No one should be calling me though, no one that I know of anyways.

Glancing down at the screen I see a picture of my dyed-purple haired friend with thick black glasses staring back at me. Her profile picture has been the same since freshman year and I know she has box red hair thanks to her newfound love of the bright color.

Pressing the green button, I place the cold metal against my face. “Hello?”

“Isabella Rose Crux! Where have you been?” Her voice is shrill on the other end of the line, causing me to flinch. “I got a text from Erica that says you left LA for some backwoods school in the middle of nowhere.”

My mind reels now at hearing the new information. “How did she find out about that?”

“That’s your biggest concern right now?” Jackie’s voice dips to a dangerous octave now. “You left your best friend behind for some random school in the woods and you’re worried about how gossip girl got your info?”

“I know, I know.” I sigh before tossing myself onto the bed and groaning in frustration. “I should’ve told you, but everything happened so fast and I knew you were on vacation with your cousins. I didn’t want to bother you with everything.”

“You’re never a bother, Iz.” She pauses on the other end of the line before sighing out, “Ugh, I can’t stay mad at you. How are you feeling, girl?”

Her question hits me hard. No one has bothered to ask me how I feel since Dad and Melanie’s death. Not one person has thought for a second that I might need someone to vent to. Jackie never fails to earn her best friend title.

“I’ve been coping, I guess. I can’t help but overthink the different scenarios of how it all could’ve ended better, but each one is worse than the other.”

“There’s nothing you could have done, babe,” she says with a waver in her voice. “I promise you that you have nothing to feel guilty over, if you do.”

The chuckle that escapes my lips turns into a well-needed sobbing session. Jackie only listens quietly, silently being there for me in the way a best friend is supposed to. After a few minutes, I finally feel a great deal of the weight lift from my chest. It’s as if the slate has been wiped clean, my emotions factory reset.

“Thanks, Jackie.” My hand tightens around the phone as I let out a shaky breath. “I needed to hear from you.”

“Anytime.” She then goes straight into a playful tone. “So, tell me what the new school is like. How’s your aunt? Still aloof and rich?”

Insert eye roll here. “Yeah, she still wears suits and diamond earrings, Jack. But the school is fine for the most part. The kids here are kind of out there though.”

“Tell me everything.”

I shake my head at her overly curious nature. “Nothing to tell, really. They just have such strange ways of doing things. They all have these really weird diet restrictions and they have day and night classes along with two days out of the week, that aren’t the weekend, dedicated to no school work.”

“I think you just described heaven to me,” Jackie breathes out.

“Oh, just wait.” I can’t help but laugh, knowing she’s about to freak out. “There isn’t a single ugly student on campus.”

“Shut up.”

“No, really. They all look like super models or TV stars.” I run a hand across my stomach now, my finger grazing the bare skin just as Ehren’s had that day in the woods. “There is a very decent selection of guys. Actually, it’s basically open season here.”

“Please,” Jackie begins begging on the other end, “Please send me an invite, a recommendation, anything so that I can get me even the smallest piece of that action.”

The thought of Jackie being here surrounded by all of these vampires causes my blood to momentarily run cold. The ones that don’t want me here can’t hurt me because of my social status and who my aunt is, but Jackie... She’d be fair game to all of them should they decide to remove her from the school, permanently, and I don’t mean another transfer.

“Uh, yeah.” I let out a nervous laugh. “I don’t think you’d like the amount of snob that comes with this package. It’s not worth it in the slightest, not to mention they seem to have a wedge in between two different social classes here. The day and night classes seem to despise one another, but they shouldn’t.”

“Well, you’ve always wanted be a writer. Make this into a story board scenario. What would the author do in this situation to bring two completely opposite sides together and get them to get along?”

She’s right. I’ve been seeing this as some new transfer student, but I should be looking at this as a chance to fix the rift between them.

“Thanks, Jack.” I smile to myself, missing her already before saying our goodbyes. “I’ll call you whenever everything calms down a bit more. I love you.”

“And I love you, babe.”

I roughly knock on one of the double doors to Natalia’s office. The woman spends her every waking moment behind these doors, organizing and whatnot. I never fully understood just how busy she could’ve been when I first arrived here, but after watching her for almost an hour the other day, I was exhausted for her. The poor Queen seems to never be able to catch a break when it comes to either the academy or political issues surrounding said academy. Not to mention Romans and I have been roughing up her schedule with our random pranks when given the chance.

“Enter.” I hear Natalia’s voice from behind the bold blackened doors.

I grip the curved golden handles and push the doors open. The first thing I notice is Natalia sitting behind her desk. Her long brown hair is in an up do like usual, but unlike the other times I’ve seen her, she’s not wearing a fancy ball gown type of dress. Instead, she wears a beige three-piece suit, perfectly tailored to her slim physique. She looks like a real businesswoman rather than a Queen to vampires. She glances up from her paperwork and quickly puts the folders down on top of the mahogany desk.

“Isabella,” she says while standing to her feet. “What a delight. What can I do for you, dear?”

I don’t even bother correcting her anymore about my name at this point. “I was actually hoping to talk to you about my classes.”

She looks to the two scary men on either side of her, the ones who tried to drag Romans off before. She nods her head and the two men slowly exit the room, not even glancing back at us as they do so. I refrain from staring after them as the doors slowly close behind me.

“Please,” Natalia says as she motions towards the chairs in front of her desk. “Take a seat, dear.”

The chair is soft beneath me, plush like the desk chair in my room. Smooth purple fabric rubs against my bare calves as I cross my leg over the other, attempting to seem more lady-like in front of Natalia. Since learning she’s a literal Queen, I’ve been trying to seem more respectful around her. I’m still not sure on how royalty works, but I’ll be darned if I do something to upset the Queen of all vampires. Well, to not upset her enough that she’ll send me to the gallows or snap my neck herself.

“Is there an issue with your classes?” Natalia asks while sitting in the chair next to me. “A professor or student not treating you like you had requested they do? Is this about the incident from chemistry?”

“N-No,” I stutter out, nervous now. “It’s just that- Well, I was hoping to be transferred into day class.”

Her eyes soften as she stares into mine now. “Isabella, dear. That would not be possible.”

“Why not?” I hate how much of child I sound like, but I can’t help it.

Her brown eyes stare into my own for a few seconds before finally breaking away. “We are attempting to integrate vampires with humankind here at this academy. We are only just learning the young ones, fledglings, on how to act in human society, but hopefully after a while we will be able to start mixing human students in with our own, creating a co-ed school.”

I nod but before I can ask any questions she says, “If we were to pull the only human student out of her class of full-bloods and place her into a class of half-bloods, what type of message would that send?”

I get it now. “That the full-bloods are too dangerous for humans to be around.”

“Precisely.” Natalia stands to her feet now and paces the small area near us. “As much as I would love to make you more comfortable, I am afraid I must decline your request. I do hope you can forgive me.”

“Of course,” I quickly say before looking out of the bay window behind her desk. “I just wish there was a way to feel more comfortable around all of them, you know.”

Natalia now sits behind her desk with a look that shows she’s thinking. Her eyes light up in a way that resembles a child learning how to walk for the first time. She must have thought up a good idea, but I can’t tell if it will be involving me or not so I’d rather not get involved, just in case.

“What if we were to pull half-bloods and place them in night class with you instead?”

I give her a steady look, unsure of how to even respond to that. Instead, I nod while asking, “You can do that?”

She gives me a look, almost as if I have grown another head and I quickly nod to myself. “Of course, you can. You are literally the Queen.”

Natalia laughs quietly to herself before asking, “Are there any students in particular that you wouldn’t mind being in classes with you?”

My mind immediately shoots to Ehren and his friends that have slowly grown to become my own friends. But would they appreciate being placed in a whole new class schedule just because I’m terrified of the danag’s eating me? Romans would, for sure. Anything to continue breaking the norm, that’s what amps him up the most. Vera wouldn’t mind much considering she just wants to be around all of us every minute of the day. Ehren though, I’m not so sure he’d be too fond of the change. He would be able to see his brother more though and that’s something for him to be happy about. I think.

“Isabella?”

I look up to see Natalia still staring at me, waiting patiently to be told what to do. I quickly stammer out, “Um, maybe a few people, but I’m not so sure they would like the move.”

“Of course,” Natalia says while pursuing her lips. “Tell me their names and I will ask them if they would like to move, if not, then we will leave them be.”

“O-Okay.” I take a deep breath before saying, “Vera Remington, Nicolas Romans, and Ehren Knox.”

Natalia looks surprised now as she asks, “You’ve become acquainted well with these individuals?”

“Yes ma’am.” I nod and begin to relax while thinking of my friends. “They’ve become close to me. I feel comfortable around them.”

She only nods before typing away on her small laptop that sits on the farthest corner of her desk. I’m sure she’s either looking them up or emailing someone about them.

Her typing stops before she glances at me through hooded eyes. “Isabella, dear?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Are you getting along well with Ehren Knox?” She asks before continuing typing.

Her question throws me for a loop, but I nod anyways. “Uh, yes. He’s been a big help in settling in, him and his brother, Kieran.”

She stares at me now, lips pursed once more before giving a simple nod. “Excellent. Ehren and Kieran are brilliant children. It would be fortunate should you three get along nicely.”

I’m not sure how to respond, so I sit quietly and let her work for a bit, not wanting to disturb her.

Natalia then sighs for a moment before looking at me with a seriousness in her eyes. “Isabella, dear. This newfound friendship you have developed with Nicolas Romans- I just want you to be aware of his history.”

“You mean about how his dad was a hunter.”

Natalia looks surprised now. “I hadn’t realized he was willing to share that information with you. Yes, he’s the product of a troubled relationship and he tends to use that as an excuse to misbehave around the academy.”

“You don’t really know him though.” My throat tightens now at the thought of offending one of the only family members I have left, but Romans... “He only acts the way he does because he thinks it’s expected of him. Maybe if you and the others in the court wouldn’t treat him like he’s a delinquent he wouldn’t act like one.”

Natalia’s eyes are wide before they slowly go back to normal, her lips pursing as she taps her pen on the desk. “Perhaps you’re right. We do tend to be harder on him than with the others. Are these your words or are they from Nicolas directly?”

“Um, well, he might’ve mentioned it the day we pranked the speakers.”

“Ah, yes.” Natalia smiles briefly. “He has a remarkable playlist.”

Her eyes meet mine and it’s then that I realize that my aunt might not be such a hard person after all. She obviously cares for Romans and the others if she’s asking about them. Dad would always say he was harder on me than Mel because he wanted the best for me. Maybe Natalia feels the same way with her students, she keeps them on a tight-rope because she cares and wants the best for them. It’s like the students are her own children.

It’s not until she begins writing on some parchment laid across her desk that I realize I had another name I want to add to the list.

“Aunt Natalia?” I question her. She looks at me with raised brows and I ask her, “Would it be possible to also have Giles moved to night class as well? I know he’s your son and I barely know him, but he’s family and it would make me feel less-”

“Isabella.” Natalia’s sharp tone has me growing nervous now, worried I may have overstepped a boundary or possibly offended her in some way. “Have you not seen Giles in any of your classes so far?”

My head reels now, doing my best to think back on all the classes I’ve had since I’ve been here, but nothing comes to mind. “No ma’am.”

She sighs now and leans back in her high-backed chair. “Giles is already in night class, dear.” She calls out, “Viktor!”

The tall man, the one who grabbed Romans before enters the room and stands with his hand’s clasps behind his back. He still looks terrifying, but he has a sort of handsome side to him- one reserved for older guys though. Aunt Natalia wastes no time in ordering the guy around.

“Locate my son and have him brought to me, immediately.”

The man, Viktor, nods before exiting the room calmly. I feel nervous now for Giles. The poor guy will probably be in a lot of trouble now for skipping classes. I had honestly thought he was just in day class and that’s why I never seen him in classes. Maybe he’ll forgive me for being so stupid or maybe he’ll stab me and leave me for the danag’s.

“I’m sorry if I caused trouble for you or Giles,” I tell Natalia with a small voice.

My aunt’s eyes soften as she says, “You have not caused any trouble, dear. Giles has a knack for disappearing when he should be in classes. He has a girlfriend in day class that he frequently abandon’s his studies for.”

“Oh.” I think it over for a moment before asking, “Does it bother you that she’s in day class, a dhampir?”

Natalia looks taken aback now before shaking her head. “No, not at all. I am pleased he has found someone to call his own, but that makes no excuse to forget about his marks in school. I have never cared much for things like ‘Purity’ in the bloodlines. And I have been raising Giles just the same.”

“What about Aldrich?” I immediately slap my hand over my mouth as embarrassment floods through me.

“Yes, what about Aldrich?” Natalia asks while placing her folder down, her eyes narrowing on me slightly.

I take in a deep breath before saying, “Well, I met Aldrich at the feast, while we were dancing, and he, well- He wasn’t as accepting of me being a human as you are.”

“He told you that you would be better off becoming a vampire, yes?”

I nod.

Natalia looks torn now. “My brother has always wanted a pure-blood family, never once respecting my decision to love someone of my choosing rather than marrying a distant relative. I have always wanted to break the social boundaries, even as a fledgling, but Aldrich-”

Natalia’s face holds an expression bordering pity. “Aldrich never did take to humanity the way most of us vampires do. He can be a bit dramatic at times over the sensitive subject.” She stares at me now with guarded eyes. “Promise me you will not be tempted to become one of us.”

“N-No thank you,” I stutter out. “No offense, but I like being an averagely normal human.”

I don’t even bother asking her about how it’d be possible. According to Mr. Craft, there’s no way possible for a human to become a vampire. The royals must know something that the others don’t. I’m not even sure that I want to know what they know.

Her eyes brighten significantly before she returns to her paperwork. I notice that no one has shown up yet with Giles and I really don’t want to be rude and just excuse myself, but the silence is growing thick and awkward between us. She works on her papers and I can only fold my hands, staring at the carpet. I could attempt small-talk, but I don’t know much about my aunt. She never visited much as a kid and I’m sure that has to do with the whole, being Queen thing, so we never really talked before now.

“Aunt Natalia?” She only hums in response so I take my chance. “Are you going to die because of the blood disease? I know you had said you were working on a cure, but- Well, I guess I’m just worried is all.”

I hear papers being shuffled around before she clears her throat. “That is something I was hoping to discuss with you, Isabella.”

My eyes shoot up to stare into hers as she says, “Your blood could easily heal me, over time of course, so I was greatly hoping you wouldn’t mind helping us with the cure.”

Immediately, my mind goes into the worst scenarios possible. Being cut open and hung upside down while I bleed out into a bathtub while Natalia soaks in my young, virgin blood.

“What?” Is the only word I can breathe out.

Her chuckle makes me look back into her nearly glowing eyes. “Whatever it is you are thinking of to make your heart race so, I can assure you that it is nothing more than a simple blood transfusion. Quite a few of them actually.”

“S-So, you aren’t going to string me up, slice me open, and bathe in my blood?”

Now, Natalia throws her head back in a joyous laugh. The sound eases my nerves, realizing just how silly I sound when it’s said out loud like that.

“No, dear. I assure you nothing barbaric will be taking place.” She rises from her seat and holds my hands, pulling me to my feet. “We would only need to take some of your blood, a little at a time, and transfer it to me. I wouldn’t even need to drink from you. We find biting others without permission very much as a type of assault. Permission is everything for us vampires. Well, now it is. Things were a bit different before this past century. I do need to warn you, however, that once you have willing offered your blood to a vampire, there are dire consequences.”

I can hear my own gulp. “Like what?”

“Letting a vampire bite you, take your blood through somewhere as simple as the arm, leg, wrist- it is all very... safe.” Her eyes meet mine with a level of seriousness. “However, letting one bite your neck would lead to the consequences. Much like the lycan’s, vampires can stake claim on others. Neck biting is a type of ritual for us.”

“So, if you bit my neck then I’d be like your blood slave in a way?” The confusion for vampire culture is bound to eat me alive eventually, maybe even literally.

Her lips purse before shaking her head. “No, dear. Biting for us vampires- We normally feed from the wrist, but offering a neck vein to us is much like a marriage proposal in a way. Intimate. Therefore, many vampires will settle with drinking blood from the wrist of a human rather than simply going for the neck. Should one of us stake a claim on blood, it is done so by drinking from the neck vein. That’s the vein that signifies a ritualistic aspect that none of the fledglings are taught to use much anymore, but there are some your age that know of this information. Do you understand now?”

“Drinking neck blood is taboo.” I state.

Natalia chuckles while patting my leg. “Excellent observation. Now, I must ask you, are you comfortable with donating your blood to me?”

“Of course.” I grip her hands that rest on my knees. “You and Giles are the only family I have left. I’d do anything to help keep you healthy.”

Her eyes are kind as she gives me a small squeeze. “Thank you, Isabella dear.”

The double doors open to reveal the man from before, Viktor, and a scowling Giles being held up by the back of his collared shirt. It’s slightly amusing to see my cousin being dangled in the air carelessly by this huge man. Natalia, however, finds it anything but amusing.

“Brandon Giles Crux!” Natalia stands to her feet now and makes her way towards the two. “Have you absolutely lost your mind? Spoofing from classes to meet up with Laurel, no doubt. Viktor, dear, do let him down. I am very disappointed in you, child.”

“Mother, it was only for a couple weeks. I even kept up with my homework,” Giles whines.

I step up closer to them and place a hand on Natalia’s arm. “Aunt Natalia? Could we maybe add Laurel to the list? Maybe Giles would start attending classes more that way.”

Giles gives us both a confused look before Natalia finally sighs loudly. “Very well. Giles, inform Laurel that she may be getting a transfer request for night class.”

“What?” Giles looks both excited and nervous now. “Would that be smart? Moving dhampir’s into the same classes as danag’s?”

“It is something that Isabella and I have already discussed. Now, there is the matter of the blood transfusion.” She then turns to face me with a small smile. “Isabella.”

The double doors to the medical room close just behind me. Standing in the middle of the barely candle-lit hallway, I grip my inner elbow and rub softly at the needle mark just underneath the white bandage barely hanging on by surgical tape. A part of me feels better now knowing that Natalia is on the road to recovery, but another part is worried about what happens to me after she’s cured. It’s obvious now to see the true reason I was brought here- to be a human blood bank for a dying queen. And when she’s healthy and is no longer in need of me? Yikes. I shake my head aggressively, attempting to rid myself of the negative thoughts. There’s no way Natalia would do something like that, use me then feed me to the others. Right?

Down the hall, another door closes and out comes a very distraught Giles. Instantly, my heart flips sourly. I really hope I didn’t get him into too much trouble. The mother and son already seemed the on the edge of an argumentative breakout when I first got here and now this. One would start to wonder if I’m just a bad omen for families.

“Giles.” I barely say it above a talking volume, knowing he can hear me from down the hall. “Sorry, if I got you in trouble with your mom.”

I can see him shaking his head as he makes his way closer to me. “You didn’t. We argue often.”

“Sounds fun.”

He laughs now. “Not really.”

“So, it’s not exactly fang-tastic?”

We make eye contact now and he slowly smiles at me. “I knew it would catch on sooner or later.”

Shaking my head, I let out a laugh myself. “No, it most definitely has not caught on. I just wanted to see you perk up a bit.”

“And I thank you for it.” He stares off down the hallway. “I should probably let Laurel know that she’ll be switching into my classes.”

“Sorry about that. I really did think that it would just help-”

He holds a hand up to stop me from my rant that was beginning to take off. “It’s fine, really. Deep down I really want her in my class, I do, but the other danag’s aren’t as accepting as my mother and I are when it comes to the dhampir’s.”

“And your cousin,” I say with a smile. “Your cousin is accepting of them too.”

“Both it would seem.” Giles wiggles his eyebrows and I can’t help but scowl now. “Knox one and Knox two. Who shall be the lucky winner of your bleeding heart?”

“Giles,” I whine out. “Don’t joke like that, especially not out in the open where anyone can hear.”

“I only jest, dear cousin. If we’re being honest, I’m actually glad you haven’t tried anything with either brother. So, by all means, keep denying your attraction for them, otherwise my barely beating heart couldn’t stand it.”

He only gives me another smile before walking off down the hallway. He really does seem sure that at least one of the brothers might ruin me. At this point I don’t even think I could get one to look my way, let alone get close enough to cause problems. Even if one would look my way, there’s no doubt in my mind which one would make my heart race the fastest. And it’s the one that would kill me for that racing heart. I had thought teenage crushes were bad in my old school, here there just plain deadly.