Chapter 49 SUGAR COATED RUBBISH
Lilian POV:
Jonah dragged his hands through his hair and hissed out in anger. Then he suddenly turned to me and asked, his hands on his waist.
“Lilian, what if… like what if you escape or something? I mean, I can come with—”
Mia immediately interrupted him, saying, “Jonah, I think you should read about those blood-sucking shits. They can literally smell their own species from afar. No offense here, Lilian, I’m just saying.” She said with a shrug.
I rolled my eyes at her tone but didn’t say anything. Mia had a way of making everything sound like a casual joke, even when she was talking about something that could get us all killed.
“And you need to see these elders. When I was once captured by them, I couldn’t even lie. They practically said most of the stuff I literally spat out with no mistake, and I can tell you without any doubt that they are hearing right now. The shit is insane.”
Jonah just stared ahead, his jaw tightening, then took his phone out and checked the time. “Seems like it’s time to go in.”
He tapped Mia and faced me while muttering, “Later, Lilian. And don’t you dare forget to call me if something goes wrong.”
I scoffed and waved my hands for him to be going already. He was such a bluff. Always acting tough, always trying to play the hero, but I could see the fear crawling behind his eyes no matter how hard he tried to hide it.
“Go before you’re late,” I said, forcing a smirk. “I don’t need you getting detention on my behalf.”
Mia smirked at me. “Try not to burn the school down while we’re gone.”
“No promises,” I muttered.
Since Mia and Jonah were already in class together, well, I kind of took my classes and subjects all together. That was why I was free now just a few subjects here and there. At the time, it had felt like a smart decision. Right now, it just felt like a punishment.
When they entered inside, I breathed out and looked around. The elders’ words came to me again, and I scoffed. There was no way I was going to take things into my own hands this time. Not after everything they’d said. Not after the way their eyes had pinned me like they already knew every bad thought I’d ever had.
I stood up and dusted my clothes when I heard the second-period bell ring. I knew Seraphine would be free now, so I decided to go to her office. She had a whole lot of explaining to do right now, and I wasn’t leaving without answers.
I walked to the end of the hall. Everywhere was quiet and empty; people were probably in class. Ugh, now I was really starting to hate why I took my classes early. The silence made everything louder my thoughts, my heartbeat, the faint echo of footsteps that weren’t even there.
By the time I got to Miss Vale’s office, my fingers were itching. I stood there and took a deep breath before I entered inside. She better be ready for my interrogation, because I wasn’t in the mood for her calm, collected bullshit today.
I knocked twice precisely, and I heard her mutter a small, “Come in.”
With a roll of my eyes, I twisted the doorknob and entered.
And there she was, sitting majestically like she owned the goddamned school.
She looked up from her desk, perfectly composed, perfectly calm, like she hadn’t just helped drag me into some secret vampire training nightmare. When she saw me, she smiled, her cheeks widening.
“Oh, Lilian, how are you?”
I just shrugged and sat in the nearest chair available in her office. She raised her brow at me, then breathed out and rubbed her face before she asked, “What’s… aha, I almost forgot. How was the night party with the elders?”
The way she said it—light, casual—made something twist in my chest.
I relaxed properly on the chair before I started talking. “Do you think Mia and Jonah would be okay when I leave?”
Her eyes studied me for a moment before she shrugged. “Of course, yes. That’s one of the preps for working for the elders.”
That didn’t reassure me the way she probably thought it would.
I nodded slowly and asked again, “What do you think they formed the society for?” Then I wiggled my hands in the air so she could understand what I meant. “You know, like this vampire training shit that they added me to.”
Seraphine rolled in her seat before she started, folding her hands together like she was about to give a lecture. “Well, for starters, with the news that the hunters are already out right now, it’s not good news at all. And if our kind is not trained to protect themselves, it would be disastrous. If you can remember vividly, I’ve already been attacked—”
I waved my hands in the air to indicate for her to go on. “Yeah… yeah, I remember.”
How could I forget? The blood, the panic, the way she’d still managed to stand tall like nothing scared her.
She nodded. “That’s the first reason. And the second reason is that most government officials are mostly on the run now with people’s embezzled funds and are living comfortably offshore. So it’s our work to find them and make them pay for what they did, by paying tenfold.”
I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. “So all this hype is technically to train us to kill people, ’cause that’s the only word I single-handedly picked out from all the words you’ve been spitting out here.”
Seraphine shot me a glare at the way I cussed. “Young lady, watch how you use your cuss words.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “You want me to sugarcoat it? Because that’s what it sounds like. Kill this, hunt that, protect our kind. No one bothered asking if I even wanted this.”
She sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Lilian, this isn’t about want. It’s about survival.”
“Survival for who?” I snapped. “Because last time I checked, my life was already complicated enough before elders and hunters decided to make me their next project.”
Her gaze softened just a little. “You’re stronger than you think.”
“That’s what everyone says right before shit hits the fan,” I muttered.
Silence settled between us, thick and uncomfortable. I stared at the floor, clenching my fists. Part of me wanted to scream, part of me wanted to run, and another part one, I hated feeling curious. Dangerous curiosity.
“I won’t lose Mia and Jonah because of this,” I said quietly.
“You won’t,” Seraphine replied firmly. “Not if you learn. Not if you listen.”
I stood up, smoothing my clothes. “Then you better start telling me everything. No more half-truths. No more secrets.”
She met my eyes, something unreadable flickering across her face. “Careful what you ask for, Lilian.”
I turned toward the door, my hand on the handle. “Trust me. I already know nothing about this is going to be easy.”
And I stepped out of her office.