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Greg lived and worked in the back of an abandoned dive bar called ‘One For The Birds.’ From the front it looked like it was long ago closed down but from the back, Greg’s customer base was booming.
He was a Slayer himself, but much too old to and unfit to continue his work as an active Slayer so he turned his skillset into a career instead. His shop was decked in the latest weaponry of his own invention, which was genius in Blue’s opinion. Greg was a master inventor, but his one fatal flaw was his alcoholism. He loved a good drink or ten, and that was why he relagated himself to a run down shop in the back of an old building these days.
She knocked at the back door five times swiftly and then another sixth knock precisely three seconds after. She waited until the stomping of footsteps approached from the other side. The door swung open and Greg poked his head out, fiery red hair hung around his pale face in curly waves that hadn’t seen a comb in years. He was a plump man in his late sixties and he was kind to her.
“Blue Jay!” He bellowed as he swept her into a hug. Greg was a touchy guy. Not in a creepy way, but in an ‘I don't have any friends’ sort of way.
Shrugging out of his embrace, she waved a hand in front of her face and screwed up her nose. “Starting early I smell?”
“Ah, fooey, you know they say ‘It's five o’clock somewhere’ right?” He waved her off and stumbled back into his dimly lit shop.
Red heat lamps filled the ceilings and caused the room to feel stifling and humid. She could feel the sweat already starting to bead on the back of her neck. Greg had several work stations situated around the dark room, each one holding a different sort of weapon or item. Today though, she wasn't there for a new pair of pants or the latest utility jacket, she was here for her stakes.
“I had to drop by a little early this time, I hope that's okay.” She told him as he led her to the back.
He just grunted as he shuffled things out of the way. He was unsteady, as per usual and it made Blue roll her eyes. How this man was able to function long enough to craft these fine works of art was a mystery to her.
“Got some crazy news, apparently I’ve been invited to attend Arcane this year.”
Greg stopped short and whirled around on her, fast enough to make her pull up, surprised.
“Impossible, the Graves were exiled. There's no way the Conclave would change their minds like that.” He stated as if it were fact.
She held her hands up in a ‘what do I know?’ manner. “You're preaching to the choir Greggy, but I got the letter…two years late, but it was addressed to me.”
He frowned at her as he studied her face. For some reason it made her feel uneasy, as if he were trying to memorize her features for the last time.
“Something's fishy here, Blue Jay. I don’t trust it.” He grumbled as he turned back around and led her to a table along the back wall.
“I said the same thing, but Harlow’s got tunnel vision. She thinks this might be our ticket back into society, but it just seems so random. We’ve been out of their hair for ten years. Why now?”
“That's the question now isn’t it.” He mumbled.
All thoughts of Arcane were momentarily pushed aside as Blue stared at the glorious weaponry before her. There, on the long metal table were her custom ordered silver stakes. They had cost her two months worth of pay at her job at the coffee shop but they had been worth it and then some.
“Oh Greggy! They’re beautiful! Look at that shine…” She reached out and grabbed one, caressing in between her fingers.
Greg shook his head with an amused smirk. “I swear, you stare at weapons the same way other girls look at a pair of high heel shoes.”
She winked at her old friend. “If you ever catch me drooling over high heels, then you know I’ve finally lost it and have permission to put me out of my misery.” She teased.
She studied the long, sleek weapon in her hands and marveled at its craftsmanship. The tip was sharper than a stake would normally be, and it was thinner too. There was a leather grip on the ends, perfectly fitted to mold to her fingers. No longer would her stakes be slipping through her grip as she wrestled a bloodsucker to the ground. They were one hundred percent silver instead of just tipped at the ends and they gleamed under the red heat lamps.
“I take it you like em?” Greg asked with a teasing note to his voice.
“I freakin love them. Worth every penny.” She took the stakes and shoved them into the holsters at her hips before covering them up with the bottom of her leather jacket. They fit perfectly, their thinner girth allowed for much easier concealment.
She had paid in advance the month before so there was no need to settle up. A part of her felt sad as he walked her back to the front door. She had become used to the big man's presence in her life, almost as a sort of weird uncle type figure. She had no idea when she would seem him again, or if she ever would.
“Ah, don’t go gettin all sentimental on me now Blue Jay, my mascara might just run.” He teased as he pulled her in for a quick hug.
“Oh shut it you old geezer, I’ll be back before you know it.”
Greg pulled back and placed his hands on her shoulders. His face became serious as he ducked down and looked into her eyes, his were suddenly the most sober she’d ever seen them.
“You be careful at Arcane, you hear me? I don’t know what they’re playin at, but watch your back. Those Slayers are not your friends.” He warned her.
She nodded solemnly. “You got it. I'll be careful. Just don’t keel over from alcohol poisoning while I’m gone okay?” She tried to lighten the mood.
It seemed to work because soon he was shoving her back out the door with a single salute goodbye.
Three
It wasn't a matter of finding the place that was the problem. It was the picking up her feet and walking through the gates that seemed to give Blue the most trouble.
They were black, tall and made of iron. The tips of them were fashioned into spikes but were capped in pure silver. It all looked very threatening and imposing, but she knew that she was the most dangerous thing around. At least she hoped so. She could feel eyes on her and instinctively knew she was being watched closely.
Tall dark trees surrounded the massive academy, hiding it away from the rest of the world as if it were its own private city, and it might as well be. Arcane Academy was a society all its own with strange rules and private ways of doing things. Slayers weren't known for their welcoming natures, so it didn't surprise her that nobody was there to greet newcomers at the gates.
The gates were wide open, given that it was orientation day. She could see people in the distance, milling around in the courtyards filled with overgrown tree roots and moss covered marble bench tables. The path she needed to walk was long, narrow and bumpy with cobblestone rocks instead of paved asphalt— because Arcane Academy just had to look as creepy as it could possibly get. It was like they were trying to replicate Dracula's castle. Which was ironic.
Blue went through the motions as she got in line for her dormitory assignment. She knew her way around, remembering every detail from when she had tagged along with her sister. Back then, the Graves family did everything together, including escorting their eldest daughter to orientation. Blue remembered running around the campus with her friend Jewel, one of her father's team members daughters.
Every Slayer is supposed to be a part of a tactical team. Most of those teams are assigned to you at some point during your schooling at Arcane and will remain your team until retirement. Jewels father, Henry had been second in command of her mother and fathers Slayer team and the two young girls had always fantasized about being one themselves someday. Of course, it was only a dream. One that slipped from her grasp the moment her parents had turned on their own people.
Shaking out of her morbid train of thought, Blue held her head up high and refused to cower beneath the intense stares she was receiving from her fellow classmates. She could feel all eyes on her as sh
e gathered her paperwork from the reception table. The lady at the table had stared at her for a solid three minutes before forcibly gathering Blues necessary documents and pretending she was a normal student.
“Vamp lover…” Someone hissed from behind her. She turned but there was nobody there. She kept walking.
“Bloodsucker…Murderer” Another snapped. She ignored it. More taunts were flung at her as she continued down one of the schools many corridors.
People gave Blue a wide berth as she walked, not wanting their skin to come in contact with a Graves. It was ridiculous the way they treated her, as if she were some sort of leper. They acted like she was the one who personally killed all those Slayers, nevermind the fact that she had been just seven years old. They didn’t care. They thought only the thoughts their parents told them too. In their minds, the Graves were monsters, no better than the Vamps themselves.
✽✽✽
Her dorm was number 313, third floor up at the end of a long corridor. Luck seemed to be on her side upon finding out she only had one roommate.
Remembering Harlow's stay at Arcane, Blue knew that most of the students bunked with four to a room so having only one was a blessing. Pushing open the arched wooden door, she was greeted with a surprisingly pleasant space. The walls were a neutral grey and the floors were made of the same glossy stone as the rest of the castle/ school. The room was huge, complete with it's own private bathroom set off to the side, and two queen sized beds on opposing sides.
She took the one on the left, it was nothing but black sheets and a dark grey comforter. The other bed was covered in shades of purple, but obscured by all sorts of open books and papers. Whoever her roommate was, they were sort of messy.
She unpacked her meager belongings, stuffing her clothing into the small chest of drawers beside her bed and attempted to hide her weapons around the room. A dagger beneath the mattress, under the pillow and her stakes hidden within her boots on the floor.
The door squeaked open.
"So you're her then, huh?" Came a soothing, soft voice from the doorway.
Blue turned to the girl, silently preparing herself for the inevitable dislike she had felt wafting from the other students like a stench.
"I'm me, if that's what you're asking." She held her hands out to her sides with a shrug.
The girl shook her head, red curls bouncing and Blue could tell she was fighting a smirk.
"I don't really see what the big deal is anyways, you don't look very evil to me."
"Is that what they're saying? Wow. They really have gotten creative haven't they." She huffed.
"I'm Ronnie." The girl stuck out an olive toned hand as she stepped into the room further. "I guess we're going to be roommates for the next two years."
They shook hands hesitantly. "Blue Graves."
"I know." Said Ronnie.
"How did you know who I was?"
Ronnie just smirked as she plopped herself down on her messy bed.
"Pitch black hair to your butt, the whitest skin I’ve ever seen and creepy ice blue eyes? You don't exactly blend in."
Blue scoffed. "My eyes aren't creepy."
"Uh, yeah they are. They look like lenses, are you sure you don't have a disease or something?" Ronnie asked with a squint.
Blue knew the girl was fucking with her. But the truth was, she did know she was a freak. Her eyes had been a constant source of teasing as she grew up. The color was just a little too pale to be overlooked. Their blue happened to be the exact color of the sky at its brightest moment of the day, hence the reason her dear old dad had named her 'Blue.'
Before she could respond, there was a commotion coming from the hallway. It sounded like people were yelling. The girls looked at each other for a moment before running out into the corridor only to be met with a horde or students running towards the arched windows in the hallway. The windows overlooked the courtyards she had traversed earlier in the day and to the forest beyond, but it was hard to make anything out when everyone was squished up against the walls in a giant glob.
“C’mon, we can see better from the bedroom window.” Ronnie whispered, tugging Blues hand.
The girls rushed into the bedroom, not closing the door behind them. Their window was small, but just wide enough for both of them to stand comfortably. The courtyard below was a rush of activity and Blue hadn’t even noticed that it was already getting really dark. Tall, antique looking lamp posts dotted the grounds below them, lighting up the campus with its flickering flames because apparently floodlights were not as fashionable.
“Can you see anything?” Ronnie asked, craning her neck to the side.
“Are those instructors? It looks like they’re surrounding something...I can’t make it out.”
Six figures surrounded something on the ground, in between the spaces their bodies made Blue could tell that it looked like a person, but who? It was anyone's guess. Suddenly, a frenzy of movement made both girls jump as the instructors spread out into an attack formation. It was familiar to Blue, as it was one of the first lessons her father had ever taught his daughters. Three went to one side, two to the other and one circled around behind, each drew a shining silver stake from somewhere on their person.
Shuffling sounds from behind the girls made them startle. Simultaneously, they swung around, each brandishing a dagger pulled from somewhere hidden. It was a bad idea to sneak up on a Slayer.
“Whoa there! I just wanted to get a better look and your door was open!” Said a boy with soft looking brown hair and kind green eyes. He was thin but tall and humor sparkled in his eyes.
“Dude, I almost stabbed you in the neck! You know better than that! Ugh, get over here we’re missing it.” Groaned Ronnie as the three of them ran back to the window.
“Holy shit! It's a Vamp!” They yelled in unison.
Down below, the instructors squared off with what appeared to be a young girl with scraggly honey blonde hair. Her skin was gaunt and her eyes looked sunken in even from a distance. She was crouched to the ground and looked to be snarling and swiping at the Slayers surrounding her.
“Is that a student?” Blue asked.
Ronnie was quiet. Blue turned her head towards her roommate, only to see that the girls face had gone pale as snow.
“It's Savannah Crow…she's a senior this year. I don't understand, I just saw her this morning.” She whispered.
Looking to the boy, he looked a little green.
“Does this happen here often?”
They shook their heads ‘no.’
“Never, I can't remember the last time a bloodsucker even stepped foot on this campus.” Said…
“Who are you anyways?” Blue asked him.
The boy smiled at her, but it was laced with sadness and the lingering shock of seeing their classmate as a Vamp.
“David, I’m a junior. And you're Blue Graves aren’t you.” It was a statement and not a question. He already knew the answer.
“Is this going to happen every time I meet someone new?” She asked.
He shrugged. “Probably.”
“Guys! Shut up and watch!” Ronnie chastised.
The girl had leapt at one of the instructors, a woman with short blonde hair laced with grey. The woman fell to the ground and Savannah pounced, tackling her hard only to shriek a moment later, loud enough to hear through the closed window. It was a horrible sound. It seemed like only seconds had passed before Savannah exploded into a cloud of dust.
Shrieks and screams of agony and heartbreak rang through the halls. It was chaos outside her door. Ronnie cried next to her with her face buried in her hands while David grabbed at his hair, backing up until he sat in a heap on Blues bed.
“Tell me that didn't just happen!” Ronnie sobbed.
“She's just...gone! Savannahs dead! What the fuck is going on?!” David yelled. His eyes were wild, unseeing as panic took over. Blue didn’t know who to comfort, or if she should even try.
“We need to find out what happen
ed, lets go ask around.” She said as she gathered a few weapons and holstered her stakes. If Vampires were roaming the campus, she wasn’t about to become easy prey.
David and Ronnie wiped their faces and stood up, pacing until Blue was ready to go. They left the room in search of answers, only to find more questions.
Students whipped by her, going in and out of rooms, running down the hallways and flinging themselves down the stairs. Everywhere she looked, people seemed to be arming themselves. She was catching nasty looks from those who passed her. They made it to the bottom level where most of the action was taking place. Students huddled together in tight groups of four or five.
It looked like everyone was on edge, just waiting for another attack. Instinctively, Blue knew that this had not been a normal attack though. It was one of their own. Someone who had been human just that morning. ‘I didn’t sign up for this shit…’ She thought bitterly. Not even a full day on the campus of her dreams and already there was trouble.
“There she is…” Came a whisper from somewhere in the room.
“I’m telling you, it's her fault.” Came another.
“Vamp lover…”
“Neck biter…”
The words hurdled though the room and she knew that they had meant for her to hear everything. Blue spun around, facing the entirety of the room with her head held high. These children didn’t scare her. Their immature, misplaced judgement meant nothing. She’d seen too much not to let it roll right off.
“You people aren’t very creative, you know that right?” She raised her voice so that everyone could hear her clearly.
“Why don’t you run along back to your nest?” Came a girls voice from the crowd that was now gathering.
She knew that voice. She’d know it anywhere, no matter how many years had passed. A head of thick brown hair bobbed forward until a beautiful girl stood before her, arms crossed and a scowl marrying her perfect face. Jewel Hobbs. Ex best friend. Former partner in crime. Bane of her current existence.
Blue Blooded: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Arcane Academy Slayers: Book 1 ) Page 2