Night Class

September 9th, 2019

Monday 6:50am

I had been excused by Natalia herself from my last two classes of the day thanks to the blood transfusion. Against Natalia’s wishes though, I had spent the entire three-day weekend studying in my room. The thought of being anywhere near the others right now has my skin feeling uncomfortably tight. Ehren has been clingy while still being his rude self. Vera has been busy with her thing, and it’s made trips to the treehouse difficult. Romans steers clear of me as if I have the plague now and Kieran has been dragged across the school by the little perky blonde, Mandy, every time I enter the same room as them. It’s just not worth the drama.

Now, I’m sitting up in the library just a few minutes before seven in the morning. I had woken up early, taken a jog, then showered to prepare myself for the already gloomy Monday. I had decided to get all my studying done this morning before Rhea could show up and shadow me all day long. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate her taking time out of her day to protect me, but she’s a bit overwhelming. Any small thing that happens and she flips out. I think she’s been hyper focusing on me ever since her little reunion gone wrong with the group. She has yet to talk about it with me and I guess I’ll just have to wait and give her time to understand it herself. Ehren is worse than her though. The guy would honestly give Rhea a run for her money as my watcher, constantly trying to dismiss her any given chance, but I always come to her rescue with a firm glare at the infuriating dhampir. Even though there are times when I just want to let the two of them fight it out and finally see who the better watcher is.

“There you are.”

I groan internally, knowing that the voice belongs to none other than Rhea Whitmore. “Good morning, Rhea.”

I can hear a beanbag slush as she takes a seat across from me. I don’t even bother looking up from my Runes textbook. I’m sure I’m about to receive a lecture of some sort from the mothering blonde. The book is snatched from my hands roughly, but I don’t bother complaining about it. I stared up at the annoyed danag expectantly.

“You can’t just wander around the academy. Hiding in your room all weekend is one thing but aimlessly roaming the halls is another,” Rhea grits out. “It isn’t safe for you.”

“Are you sure about that?” I asked her while crossing my arms. “Because everyone here in this academy knows who I am now, so I highly doubt they’d start something with me.”

“This may be true, but there are still some danag’s that are not very pleased with you being here.”

I know she’s telling the truth, don’t need superpowers for that one. Much like my cheery uncle Aldrich, there are other full-bloods that don’t seem to think humans amount to much. I have yet to have the pleasure to meet any fanatics like that, but I’m sure with time, I’ll get more than acquainted with a few. Until then, I just need to study and mind my own business. I’ve already got enough on my plate, what with attempting to save Natalia with my blood.

I finally look at Rhea and notice that she has a simple silver chain around her neck, but the pendant seems to be stashed beneath her top. I’ve slowly started to notice the same thing with the others. They all sport a silver chain with a hidden pendant under their clothing. Even at the feast, everyone’s pendant was long enough to stash in their dresses or their suits.

“Rhea?” She looks up at me as I ask, “What’s that necklace? I’ve noticed nearly all the students are wearing one.”

She looks as though she’s uncomfortable now, her hand gently touching the hidden object under her top. “We all, danag’s and dhampir’s alike, wear a vial around our necks.”

“A vial?”

Rhea nods while explaining, “It contains blood. Pure human blood. We are to only use it in dire cases, such as on our death beds, seconds from dying, or even when we’re starving and feel less like ourselves. You see, no matter our blood status, without drinking enough blood, we could possibly go into a frenzy, but no one here ever misses a feeding.”

“Isn’t it dangerous though for the danag’s to have real human blood by itself?”

She takes a deep breath before releasing it slowly. “It is, but a small vial won’t send us into too much of a frenzy. If anything, we choose to not drink human blood alone rather than it being enforced. Once a danag has mastered control, they can drink blood on their own, no problem, but until then it’s mixed blood.”

“Right.” I nod while glancing back at the Runes textbook. “Did they mention anything yet about classes changing around? Like, new students in different classes?”

Rhea seems irritated now as she huffs out, “Yes, they have. Most of the danag’s are not pleased, but to save you from a nettlesome fang party, the Queen has announced it was her decision alone.”

“I don’t get the big deal.” I stand to my feet now while placing my hands on my hips. “What’s with the blatant racism in this school? Don’t the danag’s understand that the dhampir’s are only born this way! They can’t control that their half human any more than I can control that I was born human into a vampire family!”

Rhea’s eyes soften now as she stands to meet me. “Not all of them see it that way.” She stops and stares at me now. “Us, not all of us understand that. I get it now, I do, but it will be hard to reset the minds of nearly two hundred teenagers, let alone an entire population of stubborn vampires older than this academy.”

Jackie’s words come back to my remembrance. How would a writer bring the two sides together through a main character? As much as I’ve always hated when author’s put themselves in the story, it looks as though I may have to step in and become that protagonist.

“I only need to start with the academy itself.” I smile at her before saying, “You don’t make a difference in the world by begging others to change. You change others by starting with the newest generation. The two hundred or so teenagers under this roof are the ones who will pave the way for vampire equality. We just have to get them to see the other side from a different perspective. Perhaps setting up a kind of buddy system for recreational day would help. Each danag would be paired with a dhampir.”

Rhea’s eyes shine as she admits, “I underestimated you, Izzy. You just might survive this academy after all.”

The whole group had decided to sit together for breakfast this morning. Ehren and Vera are both eating a small meal with me of croissants and jam while the others are drinking blood from golden chalices. No one says anything as Rhea takes a seat to my left with Romans on my right. Across from Rhea is a very grumpy Ehren and next to him is an exhausted Vera. I watch again as Vera lets out her fifth yawn of the morning before lightly buttering her second croissant.

“Did you not sleep much last night, V?” I asked her while reaching over to tap her gently.

Her eyes widen before glancing around the table at everyone staring at her now. She quickly waives a hand dismissively before saying, “No, no. I just had a bit of trouble staying asleep is all. Nothing some nice chamomile tea won’t solve tonight.”

I nod before going back to eating my breakfast. The only person not here right now is Kieran, but no one has commented on it, so I guess that’s fine. I do wish we could hang out more though, but with that clingy blonde of his it’s become nearly impossible. I’m still not even sure if they’re dating, sleeping around, or just friends. No clue. He and I have class together at four, but I’m not sure I can wait that long to see him. That blonde doesn’t share classes with me, or at least not that I know of, so she shouldn’t be a problem.

I hear shuffling near us and look up to find everyone staring over my shoulders. A deep part of me doesn’t want to look backwards, knowing by the look on Ehren’s face that it will be someone I don’t want to see. Slowly, I turn in my seat and meet a very frilly pink dress. Emmy stands behind me with a wide smile on her face, Tori shadowing her as always. The blonde has her hair in the usual pigtails with pink ribbons cascading down her backside.

“Hi Izzy!” Emmy’s hands reach out and cup both of my cheeks before leaning in and placing a soft and somewhat wet kiss on my nose. “We haven’t spoken much since last week. I was worried you’d forgotten about us being friends.”

“Emelia.”

Emmy and I both turn to stare at Ehren as he stands to his feet now. “You know better than to touch her.” He straightens his tie as he finally stands at his full height. “I firmly suggest finding your seat across the room.”

I can’t help but stare at him now. His hands are gripping his tie as he finishes adjusting it, veins prominent in each one. Those dull blue eyes are now gleaming with a hint of something I’ve never seen before, a type of silent hatred as he stares directly at Emmy now.

“S-She’s fine, Ehren.” I stand up now with my hands out to signal a truce. “It was just a kind gesture, nothing bad. Right, Emmy?”

“Of course not,” Emmy pouts out before she wraps her arms around me from behind now. “I was just happy to see you again, Izzy.”

I can feel her head pressed into my backside, her button nose softly digging into my spine. She shakes her little head, long pigtails whipping against each of my elbows as she does so. My heart melts at her words and actions. She really is just like a small child, always affectionate and sweet as can be.

“Emelia...”

The warning tone Ehren takes with her causes anger to course through me. She’s just a little kid who wants to hang out with me, missed me. There’s no reason to treat her so coldly.

“Back off, Ehren.” I place my own hands on Emmy’s now and rub her knuckles soothingly, hoping she’s not growing upset at his nasty behavior. “She’s just being sweet. There’s no reason to act like a jerk here.”

The glowing of his eyes now has me gripping her hands and pulling her back behind me. Ehren may seem intimidating to all our friends, but I’m a royal. He wouldn’t dare say or do anything against me. It’s against their stupid laws. Stupid laws that I’m thankful for right now.

I can feel Emmy’s lips moving against the back of my shirt. “Booker’s being mean to me, Izzy. I just missed you and I’m so terribly hungry too. Please, may I have just a drop of your blood? It would help me so much.”

Immediately, I spun to stare into her eyes, her arms still firmly wrapped around me. In the distance, I can hear people speaking but it’s muffled, as if everyone but her and I are under water.

“What?” I barely hear my own voice as my heart thumps in my own chest.

Those icy blue eyes glow with a pink hue around her iris’. “Just a little drop is all I need, Isabella. I’m so hungry and you smell so good. Please?”

The small tilt of her head and those nearly pinkened eyes shielded by thick lashes causes my heart to flip. I shouldn’t offer her blood, knowing what I know now. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I just offered her my wrist. She is thirsty and I don’t want her to grow hungrier just because I’m a little nervous about sharing my blood with her.

Slowly, I find myself lifting my arm upwards, leaning it in closer towards her face. My arms feel almost like they’re filled with lead, heavy and noncompliant. Just as my wrist touches her soft lips, her sweet face is swiped from my view and it’s as if someone has turned the volume up to the max level. Sounds come rushing in from all around me. People yelling, chairs scraping across the floor, and most of all- Rhea shouting at Ehren and Ehren shouting at Emmy now.

“Ehren! Put it away! Don’t hurt her- She can’t- Ehren!”

“Don’t you ever touch her again! Do you understand me, Emelia? You know not to use your-”

The ground feels unstable beneath my feet and the sounds become jilted. Nothing feels right around me anymore as I feel my legs slowly buckling. My eyes become heavy as I feel someone’s hands wrap around my upper arms, but the darkness consumes me as my legs flatten out against the cool tiled floor. The last thing in my vision was everyone scattering to move away from Ehren as he continued shouting at poor Emmy.

Warmth surrounds me as quiet humming echoes all around me. Slowly, I feel my eyelids pry apart, but quickly close them as a bright light burns them. After finally adjusting to the brightness of the room, I scan around the area near me and notice that I’m not exactly in my room. The room is similarly laid out to mine, but the duvet is navy blue, and the decorations are more boyish than mine are. Posters on the walls of different bands and on the desk is a framed photo of Ehren and Kieran standing near a giant tree with a random brunette woman in between them. The nightstand next to the bed holds my glasses, ready to be worn once more. I grip them and push them up on my nose where they belong.

“Ah, the little human is finally awake.”

My heart thunders in my chest as I start scrambling backwards, touching the wall roughly with a loud smack. Sitting on the top of the tall dresser near the door is a scarily handsome guy with blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His face has something familiar about it, but I can’t quite place it.

“W-Who are you?”

The guy chuckles as he swings his legs playfully out in front of him. He looks completely carefree, as if he isn’t creepily watching me sleep in some random room.

His eyes lock onto me and they give off a slight glow that makes me calm my own beating heart. “Peyton. Peyton Whitmore.”

So, that’s why he seems so familiar. This is the annoying brother that Rhea had mentioned once during class. He’s apparently on a different schedule than her and she’s perfectly fine with that. Their twins, but she acts as though she wants nothing to do with him, saying he’s anything but a sweetheart like he leads everyone to believe.

“You took quite a fall this morning,” he laughs out. “Everyone has been on edge since the assembly hosted by our very own Queen while you were taking your little power nap.” Those glowing eyes now narrow in on me. “Emmy is now being reprimanded for using her own persuasion on you and this is somewhat of a problem for me.”

“A problem for you-”

“You see,” Peyton cuts me off while hopping off the dresser and stalking towards me. “Emmy likes to push personal boundaries; see how far she can force someone to do her bidding. She was never actually going to drink your blood, but now everyone is convinced she was attempting to drink from the rare human princess.”

His knees plant themselves on the bed and it’s now that I realize that I’m trapped right here on the bed with him. He slowly crawls across the small bed, and I feel pinned by his bright blue orbs as they stare into my very soul. Two slightly muscular arms are placed on either side of my body as I grip the duvet up closer towards my face. My hands are shaking as he looks at one of my exposed legs and trails all the way up to my wide eyes. It takes everything in me to keep my heartrate even and not let it race like it’s begging to, not fully understanding the imminent danger that we’re in.

“Princess Isabella,” Peyton hums out. “Such a young and pretty human; fragile and easily susceptible to our vampiric charms. There’s no wonder Knox has become so infatuated with you. You very much resemble a jittery rabbit, terrified and oh so adorable.”

I bite down on my tongue to keep my hateful remarks to myself, reminding myself that this is an actual vampire in front of me. This isn’t one I’m familiar with. He’s not one of my friends and that makes him dangerous to me.

“You might find that there are some here at this academy who would jump at the opportunity to see you off. Not everyone is as thrilled to have you here as the half-bloods, Princess.”

“B-Back up.” I mentally scold myself for stuttering at a time like this, but I can’t help it.

He tilts his head to the side before clicking his tongue a couple times. “You’re pretty talented at keeping that little heart of yours steady. However, it’s time for the real test.”

“Test?”

His body vibrates as he hums in response. “To test just how susceptible you truly are to our powers. You should relax though, the process of this can be a bit exhilarating to some. Besides,” he says as he flashes a white smile my way, “Knox would never let me go too far with you.”

My mind reels now that he keeps mentioning Kieran, just like Romans did. What does Kieran have to do with any of this? Does he actually like me, and this blonde is just him playing hard to get or something? I’m still not sure about being with him or anything considering that I know little to nothing about him, about anyone here at this school. A bigger concern now is that Peyton keeps mentioning a test and how exhilarating it may be. I’m not so sure I want to be involved with this in any way, shape, or form, but I have a strange feeling that it’s going to happen whether I’m on board or not.

Heavy breaths catch in my lungs as Peyton leans in closer, his own breath fanning over my face. I can almost taste his natural scent, mint and expensive cologne. My eyes flutter as his lips come closer towards mine. His face becomes barely visible as my glasses begin to fog up from both of our hot breaths mixing.

“What do you feel, Isabella?” His voice sounds deep as it vibrates up my legs.

I feel as though my throat is closed, but somehow, I find the words to say. “I feel hot. I feel- My chest feels like it’s gonna explode.”

His chuckle causes heat to rush into my cheeks from my neck. “That’s a normal response. Now, I’m going to tell you to do something, and you should fight against it, unless you want to give in, then please do.”

Before I can ask him what he means, he leans closer, lips nearly touching mine. “Kiss me, Isabella.”

The air around us has become tense and stale. I feel as though I can no longer breathe with him directly in front of me, mostly because I keep sucking in lungsful of mint. The distinct burning in the back of my throat from his scent has me gulping for something, anything to quench the thirst. Against my better judgement, I find myself leaning forward to meet his lips. Just as the softest touch of his plump lips meets mine, something like a light switch flips inside of my brain. It’s as if my body has finally caught up to just how close we are to one another and finally lets my brain take back over.

“Stop!” I release the duvet and use both of my hands to shove the space-invading vampire off the bed.

Rolling off the bed, a thud can be heard as Peyton finally reaches the carpeted floor. I can hear him groaning from below as I take in deep breaths of fresh air, air that tastes nothing like mints and expensive cologne. It’s almost as if the smell had caused me to become overwhelmed and feel attracted to him even though he clearly looks nothing like what I’m naturally attracted to. I jump as two hands reach up and grab the edge of the bed. Peyton pulls himself up from the ground and rests his lefr cheek on the bed while taking a deep breath.

“That hurt.”

My eyes narrow on him as I hiss out, “You used some kind of mind control on me, didn’t you?”

Finally, he looks up and his eyes meet mine before nodding with a smirk. “I have a very attractive scent, well, sort of. When I use my gift, my scent changes to attract whoever is near. Anyone that breathes in my pheromones, they become entranced and will most likely do anything that I ask of them. It’s the same thing with Emmy and her saliva, only hers takes a while to really kick in because she’s so young and untrained.”

“S-Saliva?”

He nods while pulling himself up into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. “I’m assuming that before Emmy asked you for a drink of blood, she kissed you somewhere on your body.”

I think back to when we were in the dining hall and distinctly remember her kissing my nose. Ehren had been very upset and now I understand why- He knew what her power was and that she was using it on me. Instantly, guilt eats at my chest at how rude I was to him for defending me. He was just being a good friend and I yelled at him for it.

“Yeah,” I mutter. “She did. She kissed my nose.”

“She’s not a bad kid, Izzy.” I look up at him and he gives me a genuine smile. “Really, I mean it. She wouldn’t have drunk from you, honestly. She just likes to push the boundaries of her powers.”

“How old is she?” I asked him. “She seems so young.”

He chuckles before nodding while flattening out the sheets on the bed. “Emmy’s only thirteen. Her family’s pretty important in our society so they got their way and had her enrolled in the academy early. Normally, we don’t get to join until we’re at least fifteen, but Arlo insisted. She came from one of the fledgling schools in Britain and has been hard to watch since then.”

“Watch?” My hands finally release their death grip on the duvet. “Are you her watcher like Rhea is mine?”

“No, I’m her betrothed.”

The air becomes dense around us now as I try to fully process his words. “But she’s so much younger than-“

“Yes, I know. Trust me, I am not on board with this at all, but my family however is.” He runs a hand through his wavy blonde hair before looking to me now. “Rhea and I have been working our way out of our family’s good graces, slowly, so I’m sure the betrothal won’t last long. As you can see from my gift, I very much enjoy using it to the highest extent and being married isn’t exactly something I want interfering with that.”

So, he’s one of those guys, huh. Great. My first kiss was with some dirtbag who sleeps around. The door to the room cracks open and in comes a very ticked off Kieran. Seeing him now causes my heart to skip a beat and I know they both heard it by the way they stare at me now. Well, that’s embarrassing.

“Queen Natalia is requesting you, Peyton.”

Peyton looks at me with an almost pleading look and I groan internally. It’s almost as if I’m constantly getting these teenaged vampires out of trouble when it comes to my family. They could just learn to keep their hands and fangs to themselves.

“Kieran.” I sit up on my knees now. “Let me talk to her first before he goes.”

Kieran now gives me a look before asking, “Why?”

“Because I don’t want anything to happen to him or Emmy.”

Now, Kieran’s eyes soften a bit before looking towards Peyton. The two share a look that I’m sure means something, but I can’t quite place it. I’m not really sure I want to understand anything involving these two, let alone any of the vampires anymore.

“Alright, follow me.”

I scramble from the bed and realize that I’m still in my school uniform and it’s very crinkled. My tie is gone and so are my shoes. Rhea must’ve tried making me more comfortable. I’ve noticed that it’s almost as if she’s mothering me here lately. Fixing my clothes, my hair, and even setting out outfits for me when I wake up in the mornings. I’m not so sure that’s in her job description, but I’m not about to scold her for it. She could snap me in half if she wanted to.

Kieran’s hand once again brushes mine as we walk down the danag hallway. Across the way I can see my hallway, but there’s no one else in sight. The devastatingly handsome danag to my right is eerily quiet as we continue down the staircasing. I want to ask him questions or at least ask how his week has been, but it seems awkward now. Not only did my heart literally skip a beat at seeing him, but he looked almost terrified at the reaction. Maybe the girl from the feast really is someone he’s serious about and I look like a crazy human stalker/vampire groupie.

Suddenly, my back is met with cool brick as a panting Kieran stares down at the floor. Both of his arms are caging me against the wall -both of his muscled arms- as he takes deep breaths, seeming as if he’s losing a bit of control. The thought makes me check my heartrate, but it’s only barely increased in speed, nothing to cause him to vamp out on me.

“Kieran?” I test out.

The danag now stills at hearing my voice, as if he had completely forgotten who it was he has trapped against the bricked wall.

“Kieran.” I try again, only this time I gently touch his chest with one hand.

The vampire stills beneath my hand and a ripple runs through his body, like he’s shuddering at my touch. His hair is slightly damp, as if he’s just come from a shower, chocolate strands just barely cling to his sheened forehead. Finally, those glowing blue eyes meet mine and it’s as if the entire academy has faded away. Unlike Peyton and Emmy, there are no mind games, no tricks or gifts. There’s only me and Kieran. My eyes trail over his tense face, the ticking of his jaw lets me know that he’s still struggling with control right now and the trembling of those plump pink lips shows just how much he wants to let go.

“Are you okay?” I asked him quietly, not able to trust my voice any louder.

A quick shake of his head causes my heart to skip once more which in turn causes his eyes to glow brighter. So badly I want to reach out and touch his cheek bones, caress his locked jaw and make it loosen like his chest had.

“Don’t,” Kieran just barely grunts out.

I look down and notice one hand still on his chest and the other at my side. I hadn’t been reaching up to do it, so why would he be telling me not to? Those glowing eyes meet mine and I can see something behind them, something haunting almost. It’s as if Kieran is begging me to move away from him, but I have nowhere to go, nowhere to move without touching him more. The thought of touching him causes another wave of desire to rush through me. Slowly, I lift my hand from my side and gently cup his cheek. The vampire stills further but says nothing at the tentative touching. My thumb just barely brushes across those prominent cheekbones and it’s then that I realize that I need more. I need more than just soft touches or gentle-

“Don’t.” The one word sounds more like a plea than it does an order. “Please, don’t.”

I let my hands drop from their positions on his body and tuck myself tightly against the wall. Maybe I had overstepped a boundary or misread the situation. He is absolutely gorgeous and compared to his girlfriend I’m nothing. Of course, he wouldn’t want anything like that from me. This is just him struggling with control and I almost took advantage of that. I’m no better than Peyton or Emmy at this point.

Kieran growls from in front of me and I want to ask him what’s wrong, but before I can, his large hands grip either side of my face. Those lips I had been so entranced by are now crashing against my own. I can feel those same hands moving from my head to rest on my hips, squeezing as his lips press harder into mine. Slightly delayed, my hands finally meet his damp hair and tangle themselves in the barely three-inch locks. I can feel my back being pressed roughly against the bricks, scratching my delicate skin through the uniform, as his lips slowly move mine apart, letting something thick and wet tentatively caress my tongue. My knees buckle at the feel of his tongue on mine, but he easily holds me up with his hands as his hips press into mine.

This should’ve been my first kiss, not with creepy Peyton because of some mind control thing.

Abruptly, Kieran’s lips leave mine and he stares down at me with glowing eyes. “Peyton kissed you?”

Kieran’s eyes go wide as he stares down at me now, my heart barely beating in my chest at the realization that he just heard me without me talking out loud. He can hear what I say in my head. He can hear me right now. And something inside me recoils from him, realizing that somehow that seems worse than Peyton forcing me to kiss him with his gift.

“You-” Deep breath. My hand pushes against his chest now, gaining distance between us. “You can hear my- my thoughts?”

“Izzy-”

“You can hear my thoughts! How- How long-” My hands grip my now-tangled hair, tugging on the strands in frustration. “You’ve known this whole time and you didn’t say anything! You have a girlfriend, Kieran! You kissed me, knowing you’re with someone else and that I like you...”

His eyes meet mine again, glowing and guilty. “I- I like you too, Izzy. I can explain everything-” He grasps my hand.

“Don’t.” I jerk my hand back away from him. “Don’t touch me. I have to fix things with Emmy before I can even think about dealing with this. We’ll- I don’t know- Talk about this later.”

Without letting him get another word in, I walk as fast as I can to Natalia’s office. My hearts beating roughly in my chest, irregularly. Is this what heartbreak feels like?