Night Class

September 13th, 2019

Friday 1:25pm

A man with short and curly brown hair stands. His face is smooth with no evidence of aging in sight. His eyes glow a bright blue as he says, “Clear.”

Another man stands, his long icy blonde hair spilling over his shoulders. His height reminds me of Arlo’s in a way, standing tall with no slouch in his posture. He lifts a hand up while his blue eyes train on me. “Clear.”

Next, a woman with long black hair tied back into a beautiful braid stands to her feet. Her long red gown shimmers in the sunlight spilling through the windows. Each spot of gold design on her dress catches my eye with every movement. “Clear, my queen,” she says with a melody in her voice.

Finally, an older man, thinning grey hair and sad yellowing eyes, struggles to stand to his feet. No one helps him though as he huffs and leans on his cane for support. He oozes authority despite his frail and fragile demeanor.

“When… did we begin to overlook… breaking laws?” He rasps, his voice choppy. “Should we not… try these children as the adults… they have… intended to act as?”

The woman from before stands now and stares between him and Natalia. Her slanted eyes, glowing an orange color, narrow on the man finally as she says, “Surely you do not think these children had intended to break the law with malicious intentions. Rohan, they were merely-”

“Breaking the law,” Rohan once again rasps out. “Should we overlook these… misguided children? Would we not be expected… to overlook others? The fact stands; Peyton Whitmore drew and drank… the blood of a royal. His punishment should be far worse than… the one offered.”

“You don’t know him,” I grit out.

Everyone is quiet now. The royals seem to be holding their breath. This is it. This is my one and only chance to set things right between the royals and other social classes. No more using royalty as a means to get what we want and ignore those that are in need. Peyton deserves nothing that this old man is saying. I’ve had just about enough of people I care about being taken away from me, so Peyton is staying here at this academy.

“Excuse me-”

“You’re excused,” I say curtly, cutting Rohan off completely. “As I said, you don’t know Peyton. None of you know anything about my friends. Peyton did nothing wrong. He didn’t attack me, I offered my blood to him, practically poured it down his throat. And I would do that same thing for any of you.”

They all seem to grow uncomfortable now, but I continue. “Had it come down to it, I’d have given Arlo my blood, despite everything he did. No one, no matter if they’re a vampire, a human, or even a Lycan-” A few of them suck in a breath to keep from gasping. “No one deserves death as a punishment. At least, not if I can help it.”

The man with the long blonde hair and icy blue eyes stands to meet the other two. “And what of Ehren’s attempt on Arlo’s life? Should he be held responsible for nearly murdering a royal?”

Attempt? So, Arlo survived then. He really did look lifeless though while lying there on the floor. Maybe Ehren took pity on him, or he wasn’t aware that he hadn’t actually finished the job. Either way, I’m thankful something like that won’t be on his conscious.

“Who are you?” I ask him, no ill-intention in my tone at all, pure curiosity.

His eyes widen slightly before replying, “Nicodemus Bromley. I am Arlo’s grandfather.”

“Then you’re aware of what he’s done; murdering his own sister, your granddaughter.”

No one seems to be breathing now. The air in the room grows tense before he finally says quietly, “I am aware of his past actions, and they were dealt with within the family.”

“Not good enough,” I grit out. “Whatever your idea of punishment was, it wasn’t good enough. Sure, attempting to kill him probably wasn’t the smartest move, but Ehren had done what he needed to do. Had he not fought Arlo then all of us would’ve died. Arlo meant to kill me to get Natalia out of the way.”

“You speak so freely for a human child,” the man with curly brown hair and blue eyes says. “Are you not fearful of what our actions might be should you anger us?”

Natalia immediately jumps to my defense. “Esmond-”

“No.” Not a single skip in my heartbeat to be found. “No, I’m not afraid. Why would I be? I know that there is a battle bonded vampire just down the hall. In the same room as him? A cousin, and three friends, who would gladly help me take each and every one of you down.” I can’t help but smile now. “I may be human, but I’m learning that sometimes, being human is better. I have something that most of you seem to be lacking; morals.”

They all seem to be unsure of what to say now as they give one another guarded expressions. Finally, Nicodemus looks to my aunt. “And what of your opinion, my queen?”

Natalia’s hand grips my shoulder now, a comforting thumb caresses my exposed collarbone. “My niece is human, yes, this is true. However, she is one of the strongest children within these academy walls. Her perseverance and adaptation with these young vampires is precisely what we are hoping for. Equality is our goal, and cohabitation between humans and vampires are how we will reach it.”

“The question now stands; Will she adhere… to our way of living?” Rohan asks. “We must… protect our community… even from within.”

“What exactly do you expect of me?” I asked him.

His feeble hand waives around the empty air between us. “Only the bare… minimum. Should you need to… lie on our behalf, you do so. Respect our laws… and our customs.”

“Fine.” I sit back down in my seat and Natalia smiles as I say, “I’ll respect the rules and whatnot as best I can, but I can’t guarantee anything. There are still some things that I don’t agree with, but like I said, I’ll do my best.” They seem to nod in agreement, but I hold up my hand. “Only- Only if Peyton is able to keep coming to this school, and my friends are not held responsible for what happened this past week. Mostly everything we had done was my idea and everything involving Peyton was entirely my idea.”

“If you are hoping to have Peyton Whitmore pardoned, then you must be willing to bare the consequences,” the woman says.

“There must be another way, Mila.” Natalia rubs my back now as she rushes out, “It’s a bit extreme, is it not?”

“She would befall much danger should we lift it,” Nicodemus replies.

“Lift what?”

Natalia sighs as she forces me to face her. “The only way to show that Peyton had not broken a law is if the law was lifted, even if only temporarily.”

“And?”

“And that means, biting a royal would no longer be a crime,” Mila says quietly now, her melodic voice sounding a tad bit haunted now. “Anyone, if they craved it, would be able to drink from you should the thought cross their minds. At least until the crime sentencing has run its limit.”

“How long does that take, then?”

“For biting a royal, with no malice, is a year.”

Time seems to slow now. Do I really want to be at risk for a whole year of being a walking Slurpee for these vampires? If it’s the only way. Besides, Ehren would never let anyone get that close. I’d still have Rhea as my watcher and Peyton would protect me. Would it be enough though? It’s been proven that even with all of us together it’s still possible to hurt us.

“Do it,” I mumble. “Lift the law from me.”

“Then a decision has been made,” Natalia says with understandable reluctance.

The royals begin dismissing themselves from the room, all of them expect Natalia and Nicodemus. The two seem to be in a back and forth as I fidget in my chair. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to leave as well, or if they still need me for something. Natalia’s eyes glow golden as she seems to become more and more animated during their discussion. Nicodemus doesn’t seem as though he’s bothered much by my aunt’s heated stare.

Finally, the slicked back blonde walks away from my aunt as she paces on front her desk. Nicodemus stops just in front of me, casting a downward glance before smiling softly. The smile alone seems innocent, but he is still a Bromley.

“Forgive me if this seems unbecoming of a question, but would you think Booker would be open to discussing the events with me himself?”

To say I’m taken aback is an understatement. “I- He might. I’m sure it would take some convincing and building of trust on your part, but yeah. I think he would.”

“Excellent,” he purrs out. “I hope that you’ll find not all of us Bromley’s shared Arlo’s views. And I must admit that I had often wondered how we could extract revenge on Arlo’s acts against Adeline, but none seem to fit. I do believe that her son causing him the pain, it comes quite close to being perfect.”

His hand just barely taps my shoulder before walking out of the room. There seemed to be a lingering chill where his hand had been, almost as if he had left a permanent print there. The thought makes me shudder in brief disgust. As much as he seemed genuine, I want nothing to do with that family until Ehren has made a decision about them himself.

Shuffling causes me to look back towards my aunt and I notice her taking a seat across from me now. Her tired face turns towards me, and her glowing eyes dim from gold to brown. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of misery her life has been the last three days. She looks absolutely exhausted.

“There will be much to do now that the law will be lifted from you,” she says quietly. There’s a hint of sorrow in her tone. “Rhea will be busy guarding you now, and I am more than sure Peyton will be put through many trials as your battle-bond.” Her eyes meet mine. “Do you object to testing him and his abilities?”

I shake my head. “No, ma’am. If testing him is something that will help you and the rest of the council figure out our bond, then I’m all for it. I’m sure he would be too.”

“Very well.” Natalia leans back in her seat just a tad bit before blowing out a breath of air. “There is still the matter of Nicholas’ gift to assess. Had he shown signs previously that he could- Well, disintegrate things with his touch alone?”

“Not that I can remember,” I admit to her. “Not until the estate.”

“Right.” Her hands rest on her knees now as she gives me a look of uncertainty. “Isabella, dear. There is something very private I must ask you. Would you save me the trouble of asking Ehren and just tell me the truth yourself?”

I nod, although there is much fear settling in my lower stomach now.

“Had you and Ehren-” Natalia shakes her head once before sighing and taking a deep breath. “Are you and Ehren intimate in any way with one another?”

My cheeks burn now as her question echos in my mind. What does it matter to her what we have or haven’t done? I get she’s my guardian now, but there are some things that should remain private, and this is one of them.

“Um, well, we aren’t exactly- We haven’t-” My breath seems to catch in my throat and after a few seconds of coughing, I finally say, “Ehren and I aren’t intimate. I mean, I like him, but he doesn’t want to cause trouble for us.”

Natalia’s lips purse as she sits on the edge of her seat now. A thoughtful look crosses her face and her eyes briefly flash gold. “Alright, dear. I believe you. You’re dismissed.”

“But-”

“Enjoy some time alone with your friends,” Natalia says. “I’m sure they miss you and I need some time to sort out things with Nicholas’ mother before he’s initiated.”

“I-Initiated...”

“Into the royal guard program like the other children have been.” Natalia’s smile grows just a bit now. “He would make an excellent addition to the program.”

He would make an excellent addition to my collection.

I can’t help but grow angry at myself now for even thinking that Natalia would think something like that, but there it is. Maybe Ehren’s words had got to me somehow. Surely Natalia sees them as the children they are and not some jewels she can collect.

“O-Okay. Well, I’m gonna go ahead and catch up with the others.”

Natalia continues fiddling with papers at her desk while humming to herself as I slowly exit out of the double doors. Once they finally close, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Despite all the breathing I’d been doing, I still feel as though I’ve not been breathing right since I woke up. It’s as if the breath in my lungs isn’t mine and I’ve only been borrowing it all this time.

A collection of thundering footsteps draws closer and I glance up to see my friends rushing to greet me. Rhea goes to speak but I cut her off and motion for them to follow me down the hall. Whatever we’re about to discuss needs to be discussed in private rather than in front of my aunt’s door. There’s no telling what they all plan on saying and there’s no telling how much of it Natalia will be happy to hear.

Peyton ushers us into the auditorium before closing the doors behind us. Taking a quick look around the room, I noticed the high vaulted ceiling and flowing maroon curtains from the balconies overhead. Four rows of folding chairs built in like a movie theatre go from the top to the bottom of the room. You could fit the entire school in here, and I’m guessing that was the point in building it so big.

“Are you sure no one will hear us in here?” I asked Peyton.

The blonde smiles sheepishly before nodding. “Uh, yeah. I sort of, you know, come here for my exercise routines.”

“You exercise?”

Rhea bristles. “Moving on!”

Oh, he means that kind of exercise. I take a step back from the folding chairs and stand in the middle of the isle now. “Ew.”

Romans chuckles now before asking, “Did you hand out any heart attacks?”

“Nearly,” I laugh out. “Some of them were a bit shocked to hear my speak my mind, but it was worth it.” They give me collected looks of confusion and concern. “Peyton is staying here at the academy.”

Rhea releases a breath along with Peyton. Both twins look visibly relaxed now. Standing side by side now, they look so much alike. Both have that wavy blonde hair, those bright blue eyes, and even their noses have the same curve along the top. It’s refreshing to see that they both have dimples as well and the sight alone warms; seeing them smile while so close together.

A pang is sent through my own heart for Melanie. I miss her.

“How did you manage to fix it?” Rhea asks. There’s a hint of worry in her tone and I don’t blame her. “I doubt they did it out of the goodness of their hearts.”

“You’re right.” My hands fiddle with the sleeves of my sweater now. “In order for Peyton to get away with breaking the law, I had to agree for there to be no law to break.”

“What- What did you just say?” Peyton steps closer now. “No law to break- Did they take your royalty card away?”

“Izzy.” Rhea looks absolutely shattered now. “Tell me you’re still considered a royal.”

“I am,” I admit to them. “I just- I’m not protected from the biting law anymore. Anyone could bite me if they wanted to. My blood is no longer under the decree.”

“Surely they wouldn’t announce that though, right?” Vera asks.

“I doubt it,” Peyton says. “They wouldn’t risk gaining negative views from the queen. Blood status or not, Izzy is her niece. The Crux’s have always taken family into account more than anything. They’d protect her.”

They all collectively agree on the subject, but I can still see the concern in Rhea’s eyes. She’s a worry-wort when it comes to me and I shouldn’t like that, but I secretly do. It’s nice to have someone who cares so much about my well-being. I’ve only ever had Jackie for that and she’s no longer an option in my life.

“Have you-” Rhea looks away now before looking back at me. “-spoken to Ehren yet?”

My breath hitches. “N-No, not yet. I was hoping to talk to him soon though. Have any of you talked to him since I’ve been out?”

Romans shakes his head. “He refuses to speak with us. Tiene el corazón roto.”

“He’s fine,” Rhea assures me. “Just go look for him. I’m sure he’s missing you too.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Stepping out of the auditorium, I smack into someone’s chest. The surface is like stone against my face. Pulling back, I see a guy from one of our classes, my runes class. Marcus Conte. He and I rarely talk, and he keeps his distance from me. I think most of the teens have kept their distance from me and after speaking with the other royals, I don’t blame them one bit.

“Isabella, right?” His pale blue eyes have a hint of yellow around the iris. “I was told to give you this.”

He hands me an envelope with a red seal on the front. A large C with little flowers budding off it is in the middle of a giant oval shape. The letter feels light in my hands, but something about it seems heavier.

“It’s from my grandfather,” Marcus explains. “He says you impressed him today with your boldness. I’m not sure what you did, but I think you made an important contribution to his mental health.”

“I’m sorry?”

Marcus tips his head in confusion, causing little strands of curly brown hair to fall into his eyes. “You don’t keep up with royal news much, do you?”

“Not really,” I admit. “I don’t care much for the royal stuff. I just want to graduate.”

“Right.” He smiles at me now. His teeth are all perfect and white. Two small fangs are portuding past his lower lip. “I forget you that you’re new to all of this. Well, Grandfather has been attempting to cope with his extended living and he’s been slowly weening himself off blood. It’s what causing him to age terribly and become sick.”

His grandfather must have been Rohan then. I thought the yellowed eyes looked familiar. Rohan Conte must have decided to die just as all the other older vampires had. Starving himself must be terrifying, but it’s a decision that only he can make.

“Anyways, I just wanted to say thank you for impressing him,” Marcus says with a brighter smile. “He decided to stick around a little longer. Says there’s much more to see when it comes to the Crux line.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help, but I really hope there isn’t much more to see.”

The last thing I need is to be in the middle of some show down between the Crux’s and the Bromley’s. It’s nice to know though that some of the other royal bloodlines have children my age to talk to when I need it, and that their allies.

“I mean no offense when I say this, but your grandfather is quite a- well-”

“A bully?” Marcus laughs now. “He can push others around, but he means well. He says that he likes you and thinks you’re good for the royal family.”

“Good. I hope I can maybe turn some things around eventually.”

His lips turn up into a smirk. “You mean things involving the dhampirs and danags.”

“Yeah, I do.” Taking a risk, I ask him, “What’s your opinion on everything?”

“Pertaining to the laws or to the drama behind them?”

“Both.”

Marcus tilts his head from side to side, internally weighing his words. “I think that vampires are vampires. There shouldn’t be some silly word play to describe us or break us into groups. I do think that the council has a bit too much say in what our laws should be and that seems a bit unfair considering their all danags.”

Now that’s interesting to know. “There’s not a single dhampir on the council?”

“No, there’s not.” Marcus genuinely seems bothered by the fact. “Look, you have your reasons for wanting equality and I have my own. Why don’t we get together sometime and discuss things a bit more in depth?”

“That actually sounds like a good idea.” I can’t help but smile now. It feels nice to have someone else who wants the same things and is also in the same position as me to change them. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Isabella.” I don’t miss the way his eyes cast downwards towards my exposed arm. The yellow in them seem to glow brighter as they land on the bite mark there. “Do you want to talk about what happened when you and the royal guard were gone?”

“Um, no, not really. Look, it was nice talking to you, Marcus, but I should really get back to the infirmary.” I give him my best smile. “I’m not so sure I’m supposed to be up and walking around just yet.”

“Oh, well let me escort you then.” He holds his arm out and I stare at the crook in his elbow. The gesture is innocent, but I worry for a moment what Ehren would think if he was here.

“I’ve got it from here, Marcus.”

Both of us turn to see Ehren standing in the hallway. His chestnut hair is disheveled, and his blue eyes are pale in the hallway candlelight. Small shivers make their way down my arms and spine at hearing his voice again. I’ve missed him.

“Of course, Knox.” Marcus moves to the side now but stops just in front of me. He lifts one of my hands and places a soft kiss to the white knuckles. “I hope to see you very soon, Isabella.”

“Marcus, you can just call me Izzy.” My voice wavers as I feel the heat from Ehren’s gaze. “Really, I prefer it over Isabella.”

He gives me a gentle nod before replying, “Then please, call me Marc. All of my close friends do.” He finally drops my hand, walking away from us as he says, “I have to see Grandfather off. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”

Once Marcus is finally out of sight, I feel as though I can relax. I thought for sure a fight would break out any minute between him and Ehren. The dhampir was silently cold towards him. Ehren has a thing against all royals it seems.

“Are you okay?” Ehren asks me. His shirt is tight against his frame. The white material lets me see the veins in his upper arms even though they’re covered up. “Did Marcus say anything out of the way before I got here?”

“No, he didn’t.” My heart skips a beat when he gets closer, and I can finally see the green in his eyes. “He was a gentleman.”

Ehren seems to be searching my eyes for something and I want to give it to him. “We should get you back to the infirmary.”

He turns from me, and I feel my heart drop into my stomach. “Ehren, wait-”

“We’ll talk,” he promises me. His hands tentatively touch the side of my face, caressing it gently before dropping it back to his side. “Just not out here in the open, okay?”

I nod, but there’s a tight not knot in my stomach. Ehren saying not out in the open has a hidden meaning that I caught all-too easily. He doesn’t want anyone to see us or hear us. He must still think that us being together openly will cause problems, but I don’t care. I want to be with him. I’ve made up my mind, and it’s time he made up his too.