Maybe you are an angel, maybe you are a temptation
Maybe you are an angel, maybe you are a temptation
He was climbing like a pro, even with that heavy backpack. She wondered if she’d be able to keep up.
“You’re kidding me, right?” she said, without moving.
“I beg your pardon, but there is no other way up the mountain, where we need to
go.”
He sounded apologetic and almost sad. There was a quality about his voice that
assured her he’d always been someone’s servant, never the master. She was pissed because the journey wasn’t finished already, as she’d had more than enough but even she couldn’t be upset with someone who sounded so genuinely penitent as this guy. As a result, instead of giving him a smartass come back, she just sighed heavily and started following him up the path.
After a while, Mina had no idea how long they’d been walking. They passed up beaten and unbeaten paths, went through small woods and over babbling brooks, where Mina almost slipped and fell in the water. She’d already lost track of time. She was too exhausted to care any longer. All she wanted was to take a nice relaxing shower and hit the sack.
When she finally thought she couldn’t take it anymore, the anticipated view of a mansion opened up before them. Heavily surrounded by thick fog, it was old and grand, more majestic than anything Mina had imagined. It was surrounded by a heavy, iron gate which reached up almost to the skies. She wondered how come something this big wasn’t seen from any of the villages below. Apparently, being a vampire came with a few perks. She was sure that there was an ancient magic about this place, which had made it invisible to the villagers below them for centuries. There was no other explanation.
The heavy iron gate opened up and Mina walked inside following her guide, whose name she didn’t know. Amazingly, the thick fog dispersed and she could see the buildings inside the campus clearly now, the tennis court, the carefully arranged paths, the flower beds and even the small lake right in the middle, with a few ancient looking trees around it. It looked like something created out of a fairy tale. Only, its residents weren’t nearly as well mannered and innocent.
“I was told you were to stay in Dorm Two,” Mina heard the man address her.
He led her all the way to her room and she was surprised when he didn’t enter it. He remained at the threshold, offering her the backpack.
“The Headmaster wanted to welcome you himself,” he continued, “as he does with all our students but he has been prevented in doing so. He is on a trip to the human world and shall be back in about a month, perhaps even longer, after All Hallow’s Eve, depending on his obligations. He shall arrange a welcome meeting then. But, don’t worry. You shall be duly informed.”
“That’s fine,” Mina shrugged her shoulders, letting her backpack drop down to the ground with a loud thumping sound.
“Classes start tomorrow, at 7:00 am sharp. We have taken the liberty of putting all of your books in your locker. Your timetable is on your desk, with the list of classrooms and their locations in the school building.”
He offered her a key, but remained standing at the doorway. Mina frowned, then walked over to him and took the key from his hand.
“Thank you,” she replied, though there was no gratitude audible in her voice.
“Good night, Miss Wing.”
“Good night,” she replied, then closed the door behind him.
She took a deep, soundless breath. Looking around the room, she was happy to see
that, at least, the accommodation was kept top notch. She’d arrived in a carriage, but at least the bed was proper and not something filled with straw, like from the Dark Ages, as she was starting to fear. There were two beds but the other one wasn’t occupied. There were also two wardrobes but one was empty. Two desks, two of everything. She figured students usually had a roommate, she just didn’t get one, because she arrived late, as the school year had already started three weeks ago. She’d have to catch up but she didn’t mind. She’d do anything to keep a low profile and try to find out as much as she could about Dante and her brother, before she actually met him.
Rumors were that Dante was the Headmaster here. Mina never found out if that was true or not. She never needed to know. She was happy enough killing his messengers and getting rid of killer vampires, one by one, making the world a better place but, now, everything was important. Anything could be crucial. Anything could mean the difference between life and death. That was why she needed to be ready when facing Dante. She couldn’t just appear before him now, having no ace up her sleeve.
She wondered if Dante really didn’t know she was here. She’d arrived safe and sound but that could mean nothing. He could just be playing. She could wake up, tied up to the bed, her wrists leaking precious fluid into his wooden pots.
The wind howled outside, as if it had a mind of its own, telling her to beware. She made sure the window was locked from the inside, then drew the curtains but the sound remained. It was in the room. It was in her mind.
She took a quick shower and quickly went over her curriculum for the current week.
The moment her head touched the pillow, she was fast asleep.
Chapter 5
Mina opened her eyes, and realized that she was feeling well rested. That was a bad sign. That meant that she had surely overslept. She grabbed her phone, and realized to her horror, that it was 6:45 am. She only had fifteen minutes to get ready and get to class.
“Shit, shit, shit!”
Mina jumped out of bed and started stripping on the way to the bathroom, leaving items of clothes on the floor like a trail of breadcrumbs. She brushed her teeth quickly, then rushed over to the wardrobe. A sigh of relief escaped her chest upon seeing her school uniform hanging neatly inside, ironed and pressed. It looked pristine.
She got dressed in less than a minute, grabbed her backpack and rushed outside. The hallway to her dorm was empty. Everyone was already in the school building. She ran over there as quickly as she could. Upon reaching the entrance, she found a map on the wall and tried to remember which class she was supposed to have first.
“English Lit!” she shouted to herself, as a few other students, probably feeling as lost as she was, circled around her, in an effort to find the right classroom.
“You going to English Lit?”
Mina suddenly heard a voice behind her and wondered how, lately, everyone seemed to start talking to her when she was turned around.
“Yeah?” she replied, hopeful that someone else was going and was as late as she was,
so at least, they could share the punishment.
“Come on, it’s this way!”
The girl gestured at her to follow her and Mina did as she was instructed, running after the girl down the already empty hallway. The girl turned left, then right, then up a small flight of stairs, then a swift right and the classroom was the last one on the right.
“I never would have been able to find it on my own,” Mina admitted and the girl laughed.