Chapter 6

I sighed heavily when my head finally hit my pillow. It was just the first day of school and I was already over it and ready to bolt out of here at any given chance.

It was certain literature was going to be least favorite course and that was saying something. I rolled over in my bed and pulled my knees up to offer myself comfort.

My stomach grumbled, reminding of just how empty it was, I had to go find the dining area because I at this rate I was going to starve to death.

There was a knock on my door, and I sat upright as it opened. A girl walked in, eyeing the place like it was hell before looking at me.

“Miss Corie wants to see you now” she said, an air of arrogance around her.

“Who’s that?” I asked, hoping I was not in trouble.

“You’ll see” she said, “I’m taking you there now” she added, when I just remained sited. I almost groaned out loud that I was hungry and not in the mood to see anyone.

With defeat I swung my legs over the bed and stood up “Lead the way.”

By the time we were halfway across the school grounds I was ready to slip into unconsciousness. My head began to ache and the distance we were walking made matters worse. Food and rest seemed like a luxury I could not afford at the moment.

We finally reached the administrative building and I sighed in relief. The office we entered was the last in the dark hallway and the girl that brought me left immediately.

I stood there staring at the door, not sure what I would find on the other side or why this Corie wanted to see me.

“Are you just going to stand there child? Come in” a deep but calm voice said from inside.

I pushed the door slowly open and stepped in carefully. The room was a large one and only boasted of sofas, a glass table and chair off to the side and a shelf that was anything but empty.

It had one large window that let the sun shine in, the shadow it cast in the room taking over at the point where a pair of legs sat.

“Elizabeth” she called out. She was seated on the couch, her back to me and a glass of wine in hand “Have a sit.”

I was pretty sure she could feel the anxiety rolling off me as I sat at the other end of the couch. My knees pressed together with my hands resting on my thighs.

For a minute none of us spoke. I tapped my feet on the ground and even attempted to count the many books that were carefully lined up in the shelf.

“You’re nothing like her” the woman finally said. She turned to me, so her face was visible to me.

She looked nothing like I imagined with her hair pulled to a tight bun and a bright red lipstick running across her lips.

“Like whom?” I asked.

She shook her head and laughed a little “Welcome to my school Elizabeth and I apologize on behalf of the others for treating you poorly since you came here” she said, her eyes genuine as she patted my shoulder.

Okay, I definitely was not expecting that “Thank you ma’am” I said, and she waved me off.

“Oh please I’m not that old, call me Corie” she said, and I nodded, “Would you like anything to eat or drink?”

“Yes” I answered, I was hungry as hell and I was going to take anything she was offering me, surely it would be better than having to go to the cafeteria where everyone would be judging me with their eyes.

Someone knocked softly on the door before opening it. A young girl who couldn’t be more than two years my senior rolled in a tray of wine and cake. She placed it all on the table that was in front of us and bowed to Corie who nodded before she left. That wasn’t weird at all.

“Help yourself my dear, you must be starving” Corie said and pushed the table a little closer to me.

I would’ve been concerned about my table manners if I wasn’t so hungry, and the cake just wasn’t as sweet.

Corie chuckled and picked up the bottle of wine and opened it, she poured me a glass before pouring one for herself.

“There’s just a little alcohol in it if you don’t mind” Corie said before picking up her glass and I did the same so we could cheer.

“I don’t mind at all” I said but that was a lie. Alcohol wasn’t something that I could handle no matter what but still I downed the glass and went in for another slice of cake. By the time I was done eating my stomach was heavy and had me wishing I had slowed down on the cake.

I slumped further into the chair as Corie kept sipping her wine “Thank you for all of this, I really appreciate” I told her.

She smiled, her eyes creasing a little at the corners “No, I should be the one thanking you for spending your evening with me” she said. She reached over and squeezed my knee before pulling away.

“You’ve still not told me why I’m…” a loud scream cut off whatever words I was going to say. I saw Corie frown when the scream came again, this time even louder and it seemed like it was coming from below us.

I looked at her to see if she heard the scream, her wine was still in her hand, and she was sipping from it.

“What was that? Did you hear it?” I asked, my voice too low that I wasn’t even sure she heard me. There was another scream, followed a whimper. Something was wrong.

“What is happening?” I asked her, casting a worried glance to her now relaxed form. She watched me briefly before she took my hand in hers, my palm facing upwards.

She traced her index finger in a motion of never-ending circles and mumbled a few words under her breath. Her face was one of calmness, her expression not even betraying the fear she felt—if she felt any.

I wanted to ask her what she was doing to me, but my body suddenly became very heavy, and I couldn’t see her anymore, her image distorting into a warped burning fire. That was all that I saw before I blacked out.

When my eyes open again I was lying in my bed, and it felt like someone dropped a dozen bricks on my head. Even opening my eyes was a complete struggle because of how heavy they felt.

I tried to remember how I got here but nothing came to me. I sat up on the bed and looked out the window, it was already as dark as it could get. I must’ve slept off when I got back from class. I was about to go back to sleep when I heard voices outside my window.

Slowly so I wouldn’t make any noise I got back up and left my room, keeping to the shadows so I wouldn’t be seen.

There was no one by my window when I got outside but I could still hear voices, so I followed it. I was across the courtyard when I realized I could be walking into potential danger and not know it.

Throwing caution in the air I kept going, stopping by a building when I saw people draped in black cloaks and standing in a circle.

It turned out the people I was following were two girls and when they stepped into the circle their face became illuminated. I could easily tell they were students even though I personally didn’t know them.

They both stood in the circle as the cloaked people standing around them started humming something that carried on to my ear like bees buzzing. With time it got louder, and I wondered how no one else could hear them.

I didn’t know what they were doing but it was easy to tell that it was something forbidden, dark, and evil.

They kept chanting, their voices becoming a tad higher, and it wasn’t long before I felt something push me towards them. I turned but there was no one behind me and something was still tugging me towards them.

I grabbed the edge of the wall and held on as it tugged harder, already knowing my hands were going to bruise from my tight grip.

They finally stopped chanting and whichever force that was holding me set me free and I almost stumbled forward. I bent down, my hands on my knees and put all my focus on controlling my breathing.

When I felt steady enough I went back to watching despite knowing that I should probably get out of there.

One of them moved forward toward the first girl who I could see was visibly shaking and in the blink of an eye, bit into her neck. That was when I heard the familiar screaming, triggering my brain and making me recall my afternoon with Corie.

Right! I remember now. How the hell did I even get back to my dorm? Something was not adding up. The cloaked figure sucked harder on her neck, and I could see her begin to shrink, her skin turning into a pale pastel color.

I needed to help them, but I didn’t stand a chance with this many people, it was seven against me at the very least and it was already late into the night, no one would be awake.

I had to tell someone about this first thing the next morning but how? No one was going to believe that I found people biting into a student’s neck in the middle of the night and they’ll ask what I was doing outside by that time.

My heart pounded harder as the others came onto the girl, each drinking blood from her neck as her arms lay limp at her side. I could easily see their fangs that were out and ready to pierce into the next available skin.

I had no idea what these people were and where they came from. It then struck me that they had to be in this very academy because the walls that surrounded this school where so high and mighty that no stranger could have easy access to it.

This meant they were a part of us so reporting this incident was not a smart move but first I had to get out of there.

I took a step back and managed to stumble over an empty can that I didn’t know was lying around on the floor and the sound of it echoed deep into the night. The people stopped what they were doing and turned towards my direction.

Knowing they were going to find me if I didn’t move that moment, I turned and ran as fast as my legs could carry me back to my dorm room. I didn’t stop until I was way under the protection of my blanket.

I laid still in my bed and shut my eyes as tight as possible so anyone passing my window wouldn’t hear a single movement from my room.

It wasn’t until a good twenty minutes later or longer than that I think that I opened eyes and it was already morning.

The events that happened started to swirl in my head again and I put my palm over my mouth in horror of what happened. The girls weren’t people I knew so I couldn’t walk up to them and ask what the hell was that.

I put a finger under my eyes as it was beginning to hurt, and I wished my father was here to hear all of these my crazy stories about blood drinking humans.