Night Class

August 15th, 2019

Thursday 4:05pm

Mr. Craft walks back and forth in front of the board at the front of the class. I shift uncomfortably in my seat under the stares I’m getting from a few of my classmates. The Danag’s are still not as accepting of me as the dhampir’s are, I guess. However, no one has mentioned anything to me directly, no one but Tori. The brunette seems to have something almost personal against me being in this school, but I’m not about to delve into it with her. I’ll stick to mine as long as she sticks to hers.

“Vampires. The word has been used to describe us for years-”

“Some of us,” Tori whispers in my direction.

Mr. Craft didn’t even notice, or if he had, he didn’t comment on it. “-but we are much more than a simple word. Our kind dates back all the way to the Mediterranean era. The very first of our kind, the one who started all of this that we are now, Aldus Crux.” The pull-screen behind him now shows an old painting of a man with dark hair and depressing brown eyes. “Aldus had made a name for himself, causing mischief over the years as an adventurer who often pushed the boundaries of what was comfortable for their, at the time, societal standards. Aldus had lived in Italy his entire life and at the ripe age of fifteen he set out to explore the world and what it had to offer.”

Mr. Craft stops mid-walk and without even looking in our direction says, “Whatever you and Miss Vernon are whispering about Mister Colmes, I assure you it can wait until after class is dismissed.”

I turn to look behind me and see that the two vampires are now silent, staring straight ahead with looks of annoyance on their faces. I can’t help but smirk a little at seeing Tori get in trouble, no matter how childish it may seem. The girl has been a thorn in my side since my first day. I’m entitled to live up her moments of downfall.

“During an adventure to Delphi, Greece, Aldus had been unfortunate enough to come into the wrathful side of a specific God. Now, we vampires today do not worship the Gods, but in Aldus’ time, we did. Aldus had sought out proof of the Gods and in doing so, destroyed a beloved monument dedicated to the God of the sun, Apollo. The God was furious with the mere mortal and decided to curse him- anytime the sun would touch Aldus’ skin, it would burn the man with extreme discomfort that could lead to death if not avoided.” Mr. Craft sighs while sitting on the edge of his own desk now, a leg crossed over the other as he runs a hand through his peppered black hair. “According to legend, Apollo’s sister, the Goddess Artemis, had felt sorry for the mortal and bestowed gifts upon him. Her first gift, long-lasting life, but not entirely immortal. Everything in this life has an expiration date, including us vampires. However, through this blessing we were able to receive the second. Hematophagy, or as others refer to it, blood-sucking. With the gift of drinking blood, we found a way to rejuvenate our bodies, thus containing the falseness of immortality. If one were to stay fed, avoid death by the usual means, one could in a sense become immortal.”

The thought of vampires being able to live forever does seem interesting and makes the idea of being one tempted, but there’s something about it. What would be the point in living forever? Eventually, you would grow tired of living the same thing every single day for the entirety of your life. Surely, immortality couldn’t be seen as a gift.

With a brush of confidence, I slowly raise my hand. “Mr. Craft?”

The man in the brown button-up and khaki slacks sits stiff now before nodding in my direction. “Miss Crux.”

I smile when realizing that he didn’t call me by my title. “Wouldn’t the idea of living forever eventually grow exhausting for a person? What I guess I’m trying to ask is-”

“Wouldn’t it be considered a curse after a while?” He finishes for me. I nod which causes him to give a brief smile. “Yes, it would seem so. Over the centuries, more and more older vampires have been opting out of the decision to partake in hematophagy. This of course, slowly kills them, but it is their choice whether they live or die at that point.”

“That seems...” I take in a deep breath. “Sad.”

“It is indeed sad. Many have passed at the hands of self-starvation and there will be many more, I’m sure. Our very own Aldus had opted out of drinking blood eventually when he lost his one true love, Celeste.” The screen now flashes a woman, dark brown hair and brown eyes that are lit with joy in the painting as she cradles a blue swaddled blanket. “Celeste was originally human as well, but after discovering the blood-lust he had for her, Aldus decided to change her into a vampire. Now, Celeste is the first recorded human-turned vampire in the entire history of our kind. She was indeed the one to start all of this alongside Aldus. She was also the very first of our kind to have birthed a full-blooded vampire. It is thanks to her that we were able to be here today. After turning Celeste and noticing her enhancements were as the same as his, Aldus then turned four of his fellow adventurers, creating the first five royal bloodlines.”

“Five?” I ask out loud. “I thought there was only one royal bloodline.”

Rhea nudges me from the seat beside mine. “There are five, but only one takes the throne.”

“Yes.” Mr. Craft then stands to his feet while using the remote to switch the slides until it shows a strange looking family tree. “Here are the original families of the royal bloodlines. Aldus Crux, Aurelio Conte, Broderick Bromley, Alessandro Nicoli, and Serafina Sartori. These five men and woman paved the way to the world we know now. Now, after turning his lover and friends, Aldus then realized that in doing so, he had given Artemis a reason to fear the growth of the new breeds population. She then took away his gift of turning humans into his kind, but it was too late. His friends had reproduced and created vampires as well, sowing the seeds of fate as we know it. Now, it’s impossible for us vampires to cause a human to transition into what we are.”

Mr. Craft then nods his head in our general direction while asking, “Something to question or add, Mister Dean?”

A boy from behind me somewhere, Levi Dean, then asks, “What about someone from the royal lines? If someone was to be born human in a royal line-”

“No,” Mr. Craft says, cutting him off completely. “It’s rather impossible.”

I can’t help myself. “Are you sure about that, Sir?” I can feel all eyes on me now. “I may have heard otherwise from a relative.”

His eyes are wide now before scanning the entire class before locking eyes with me once more. “I- Well, I-”

He seems at a loss for words, so to throw him a metaphorical bone, I shake my head while saying, “If I’m wrong or misunderstood him, then please do tell me. I don’t mind being corrected. You are my teacher after all.”

He looks to be almost relieved now at the statement. His shoulders roll as he chuckles out, “Well then, yes. You would be in fact mistaken, Miss Crux. No matter someone’s blood status, they cannot be turned into a vampire. You must be born.”

Mr. Craft continues on about Aldus Crux and the others, but my mind is stuck on the horrible questions running through my mind now. If I can’t be bitten and turned into a vampire, then what was Aldrich saying about me becoming one? How could I possibly become a vampire if I can’t be bitten or if I haven’t been born one already? Confusion eats at me, but it’s quickly replaced by something else, something I wasn’t planning on feeling at the moment. Relaxation. The feeling overtakes my entire body and forces me into this warped mindset. I’m not quite sure why the feeling bothers me, but it does. It confuses my body enough for me to steal a glance to my left. Rhea is looking at me, eyes glowing slightly before she quickly looks away. Her focus goes back to the lesson at hand, but I’ve already caught her. She’s the one making me feel this way. There’s no doubt in my mind now.

Mr. Craft dismisses us from the class and I find myself rushing now to gather my things and get out the door. Exiting the classroom, I can already feel Rhea on my heels, but I can’t help walking faster. The danag shouts my name, making me slow my pace. I can’t just run from her or hide from the possibility that these vampires might be able to do things like control my feelings. Even if they do have some type of superpower, I doubt they could just openly use them, especially on a royal family member. I hate it, but I’d use the royal card if I had to.

“Did you forget that I’m your watcher?” Rhea’s voice is clipped.

My head automatically shakes. “No, I just wanted to get away from that classroom.”

“You don’t like vampiric history?” Her brows knit together. “I really thought you would’ve enjoyed something like that, getting to know the creatures your stuck in a building with.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s one way to look at it, but there’s more to it than that. I feel overwhelmed at times with everything coming at me so fast. It feels as though every time I turn around, I’m learning something new about this strange world I’ve been thrown into without warning. It just does well for me to step back and take a breather, you know.”

“I guess that’s true.” She motions us forward towards Blending Cultures. “You have to remember though, not many of us vampires have had much experience with humans before. Sure, there are some vampires here in the school who are half human, but they’re still part vampire. For us, you humans are something we’ve learned to either avoid or feed on. Of course, not many dhampir’s think of humans as a go-to food source, but most danag’s do.”

I give her a raised brow at hearing her words. She quickly waives her hands. “Not me, of course. My family, however, is not as respecting of humans as I am. My brother follows their ideals at times, but I think he’s slowly coming around to my side.”

“Brother?”

She nods now begrudgingly. “Yeah, I have a twin. Peyton. We don’t exactly get along for the most part. He has a different schedule than I do, now that I’m your watcher, but I promise you that I’m fine with that. I couldn’t stand him at all so some distance between us will hopefully keep me from killing him in a fit of rage.”

I don’t think I ever wanted to kill Melanie growing up. Sure, there were a few moments when she was just starting to talk and walk that I wanted to drop-kick her, but never murder.

“I don’t think I can relate to that,” I admit to her.

Rhea smirks before asking, “No siblings growing up?”

“Actually, I had a sister.” The silence grows between us before I say quietly, “Melanie was her name. She was annoying at times, but I don’t think she ever got murder-worthy annoying though.”

This finally gets a smile on her face. “Sounds like I should’ve been blessed with a sister then, huh.”

She’s not wrong, although, I had often wondered what it would’ve been like to have a brother growing up. Melanie was someone I could tell my secrets to and complain to Dad about whenever needed. I wonder if a brother would’ve sat through and listened to all of that the way my sister had. Doubtful. There was no one like Melanie and I doubt there ever will be.

The wind feels colder than necessary as the lake grows closer into my vision. Romans had begged and pleaded with us to join him and Ehren at the lake for a night swim. Of course, I’m not partaking in any such activities, only because I would die from hypothermia. These vampires are apparently immune to such problems. Lucky them.

“Are you warm enough?” Rhea asks as she comes up to my right side.

Seeing her now reminds me about how she might have used some type of vampire to make me feel a completely different emotion earlier. A small part of me doesn’t exactly mind that she had, but then there’s the irrational part creeping up on me. I really don’t appreciate someone manipulating my thoughts or feelings. My body was obviously confused as a result, so it’s more than likely that the danag has something to do with it.

“Uh, yeah.” I want to ask, but I’m not sure how to without it coming off as an accusation. “Thanks for asking.”

“Of course.”

We finally manage to reach the edge of the lake just as the guys are stripping their shirts off. The sight before me is a glorious one. Romans, Ehren, and Kieran are currently tossing their school uniform tops to the damp grass below their feet. Kieran is something to just stare at. His muscles are tight and his skin is gleaming from the moonlight reflecting off the water’s surface. There’s something stirring just below my stomach, something hot that causes my heart to skip beats. Kieran jumps into the water to join Romans, leaving behind a very tense Ehren at the edge of the lake. He doesn’t seem as though he wants to jump in with the other two.

“Woohoo!” Vera comes running past us. “Let’s go!”

Something hits my face and I slowly pull it off. Vera’s school blouse and tie. I watch now as the dhampir, sporting only a bra and panties, jumps into the awaiting water. My eyes scan over Kieran as he back floats, not even noticing the half-naked girl in the lake with him. Romans, however, has this look in his eyes that makes even me blush. It’s obvious that the guy has feelings for the girl, but it doesn’t seem as though he’s about to make a move anytime soon. I wonder now whether or not there are any ongoing relationships in the school.

Rhea and I slowly sit down on the cool and damp grass. Silence envelops us as we listen to the faint splashing and from the guys and the giggles of Vera. This group seems so tight-knit, tighter than any friendship I’ve ever had. Well, maybe not the one Jackie and I share. The girl is insane and never takes no for an answer. I left her behind when I agreed to come here and now I’m very much regretting that choice. I don’t even think she knows yet about Dad and Mel. She was on vacation when it all happened, but I never thought once to pick up the phone and just talk to her like we would for hours on end. Thinking of her now makes me miss her more than anything, but she’s not here and she doesn’t need to be.

Maybe indulging in gossip is the best way to make new friends around here or discover secrets about current ones. “Hey, Rhea?”

The blonde only hums in response. I take this an invitation to ask my questions. “What’s the dating scene like here?”

Her eyes widen a bit as she stares me down now. “Why? Please don’t tell me you like anyone here.”

“No!” My hands fly up and start shaking as I try to keep my voice even and calm. “No, I promise it’s nothing like that. I- I just thought that maybe we could gossip a bit?” She gives me a look that seems like she has no clue what I’m talking about. “I just know that, at my old school, girls would like gossip and go on and on about cute boys and stuff. I just want to get closer to you guys. That’s all.”

Rhea finally seems to get it as her posture relaxes. “Oh. Well, to be completely honest with you, I barely know much about the school myself. I tend to avoid listening in on rumors and such.” My face must’ve fallen at hearing her words because she quickly adds in, “But we can try this out. Who all do you wanna know about?”

“What about you?”

She laughs immediately after the question leaves my mouth. “No, absolutely not. I’m more of the loner type myself, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the occasional fling with someone. My usual go-to is Levi, but we haven’t spoken or done anything with one another in nearly three months. There was a small rumor going around that him and Tori had been seeing one another, but I never put much stock into it.”

“Tori Vernon?”

She nods before saying, “She’s in our classes.”

“Yeah, I know she is.” My immediately drops at the mention of her. “Trust me, she makes her presence known.”

“So that’s why you don’t like vampiric history.” Rhea leans back on her elbows now. “It makes sense. But if I’m being totally honest with you, I think Tori only eggs on you because she’s jealous of you.”

“Tori? Jealous of me?”

“Uh, yeah.” Rhea sits up and stares at me now. “You’re a beautiful human princess who is the hot topic of everyone’s conversation now. She used to think of herself as a queen-bee, being Emelia Bromley’s watcher and all, but you coming into the school caused the attention to shift focus. I’m actually glad it did. Someone needed to deflate her ego.”

I don’t think deflating Tori’s ego was a smart idea actually. She’s been nothing but nasty towards me since I arrived and now it’s been confirmed that she has a reason for it. Fear creeps into my chest now at the thought of having some pyscho wanna-be queen-bee angry at me for stealing her metaphorical spot-light. This is just what I needed at a new school. A rival.

My eyes travel back over towards the others in the water. Romans is picking Vera up and tossing her so she can cannon ball back into the lake.

“What about Vera and Romans?” I ask Rhea.

She smiles to herself, seeming lost in her own thoughts before simply saying, “They aren’t dating.”

“They seem like they should be.”

“Tell them that.” Rhea looks almost sad as she says, “Vera is too hung up on her own personal issues to notice the way Nicolas looks at her. I always watched the group from afar, but it seems like I know more about what’s going on with them than they do. I want them to be happy, you know.”

“It was your bean-bag.” The words leave my lips before I can stop them.

Her eyes meet mine and they seem confused at first, but then something dark shadows them. “You went to the treehouse, then?” I say nothing as I stare at her now, my hand covering my mouth. “Yeah, that was my bean-bag all torn up. I had gotten into a fight with- It doesn’t matter. Just- I don’t hang out with them as much anymore.”

“If I offended-“

“You didn’t.” She cuts me off, but looks away from me despite her words. “I just didn’t think that they liked you that much. The treehouse is something special and the fact that they took you there means they must actually like you.”

“Do you feel like I’m replacing your spot with them?”

Rhea shakes her head, but you can just tell from the way her shoulders slack and the way her breath huffs out that she thinks exactly that. I stare out at the four vampires swimming in the lake before us. Do I feel like I’m replacing someone in their friend group? No, I don’t. It isn’t like they’ve been secretly assigning me some role to play as their new friend. I’m just here and they’re just there.

“I think that they miss you.” My words are careful as I try not to offend her more or make the situation worse. “And I don’t think that I’m being used as a replacement for you, because there’s no way I could ever do something like that.”

“Because you’re such a nice girl?” Rhea laughs, mostly to herself.

“No.” I gently place a hand on her elbow and she looks at me now. “Because no one could replace you, Rhea. I’ve only known you for barely a week, but I can already tell that you are irreplaceable. You’re smart, super smart actually, and you have this authority about you that makes me question saying or doing anything risky. You're Rhea Whitmore and I’m Izzy Crux. No one can be us but us.”

“You know-“ She stares out at the group of vampires as they continue swimming. “You’re right. I think I might talk with them tomorrow. See if we can’t fix things between us.” She seems nervous now as she asks, “Do you think you could put in an official request to have someone else watch you for a few hours tomorrow?”

“Done and done,” I tell her with a smile playing on my lips now. “Fix things up with them and then tell me all about it.”

I'm glad I could help her in some way. She's seemed so tense since I first met her and it would be nice to see her relax and be herself a lot more, especially around the group. The real question now is: Who should I request to be my watcher tomorrow?