“Sure, what is it?” asked Natalie, who likely would have streamed to class if not for me.
“That day, when Duquette said that thing about a breach in the academy because she thought I was using my magic, you told her you knew it couldn’t have been anything I’d done because you saw me go to sleep before you.”
“Mm-hm,” Natalie smiled, as usual, looking too friendly to be a vampire.
“Only it’s not true.”
“So?”
“Why did you say it? What if she’d caught you out, you’d have been in trouble for no reason because of me?”
“We’re roomies. And you were so cool about what happened – to me – on that first night.”
“It can’t have been easy,” I replied, thinking of what Ulric had said. I’d recently found myself thinking about him more than I liked.
“It wasn’t. It’s not.”
“Were you turned by choice?” I asked, instantly regretting it. It was such a personal thing, akin to her asking me how I felt about having been abandoned by both my parents at birth.
“No,” replied Natalie after a long pause.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.” I adjusted my blazer and tugged at the skirt that I still hadn’t gotten used to. Witches wore long, swishy skirts. Sometimes pants and shorts, never these excuses for garments.
“It’s okay. It wasn’t something I chose but it was done with the best of intentions. One night, the guy I was dating, drank too much after a party and insisted he was fit to drive. He wasn’t but he still drove. The car crashed and he was almost unscathed, while I was grievously injured. I never would have made it if it wasn’t for a Novus named Arthur who witnessed the whole thing and helped in the only way he could, with only a few minutes left.”
“Oh, I’m very sorry,” I said, knowing the words would never be enough by a longshot.
“It’s fine. Him and his wife, became my new family and they’ve been way better than my birth parents ever were.”
“That’s good then.” We’d reached the class and as I’d suspected, the others had already streamed their way into the room, which was open. Even though we were early, as there was no professor, everyone else was seated and chattering, including Valenthia who looked up and mouthed ‘hi’ to us.
“Arthur, my dad, is the kindest, most helpful out of anyone I’ve known. He was turned by a born vampire, utterly against his will. He vowed he’d never do that to anyone else. He only turned my mom because she was ready to give up on her mortal life when she met him,” Natalie completed her story.
“I guess I’m learning something new everyday,” was all I could say.
“Not all vampires are callous bloodsuckers devoid of their feelings,” said Natalie answering exactly what I’d been thinking.
“Greetings, everyone!” said a man who’d inconspicuously walked up to the front. “I’m Professor Fabio Kragen, your Nutrition teacher. Welcome!” The professor had a wave of blond hair, so yellow, combed into a quiff that it was directly at odds with his pinkish toned complexion. “Most of you will be able to sense that I’m Sanguine. Any guesses how old I am?”
“Ancient?” answered a girl with a tight, dirty-blonde ponytail and smoky eyes, who was sitting next to Goth Girl.
“Marvelous! And what’s your name, young lady?” asked the professor, like she’d paid him some great compliment.
“Nyx,” said the girl. Goth Girl’s roommate was as ballsy as Goth Girl.
“Well, Nyx, you’re technically right. But look closely at my face, my hair, my vitality. I’m over four-hundred years young and yet, not to brag but I’ve been told I don’t look a day over thirty.” Nyx conceded, looking annoyed. “This is what I’m going to teach all of you. Now, some of it, you may feel, you already know from having lived as vampires either your whole life or part of it.” Kragen looked at me, as if to make an exception, like each professor and student I came across did. It was something I still couldn’t get used to. Being the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. “Let’s introduce ourselves first,” he said, going through his attendance register and calling out each name. After he was done, he put the book down and looked around the room. “How many of you have been walking around in daylight?” There was a show of hands and about half the class counted themselves in. “Why?” asked Kragen, like it was a bad habit or some sort of vice.
“Why not? We can. And mortals and other supes aren’t limited, so why should we be?” asked Nyx, smoothing her fair hair back.
“Others do it because it suits their constitution. It’s the same answer given every year. But ever since we came above ground, so to speak, the way our kind has begun to defy basic vampire nature is self-evident by the state of their health.” Kragen’s demeanour had progressed within a moment, from relaxed and jokey to agitated.
“But look at the principal and other prominent vampires like him. He never rests,” Riskel joined in.
“Don’t argue with me. Principal Nadasdy has no choice. He’s a public figurehead. Living how he does is in part a great sacrifice he makes for the good of our community,” Kragen paced across the front of the class. “And besides, vampires have neither power and nor strength until the sun goes down. We’re as weak as mortals. Which means, if we choose to go prowling about at the wrong time, we choose mortality. Never ever forget that.” There was silence as my classmates absorbed the gravity of his statement. “Let’s move on, what kind of blood have you been drinking so far?” he asked scanning the room.
“Obviously the top, quality stuff that’s imported from only the most…premium…donors,” said Goth Girl as Riskel, Nyx and a few others nodded along. Valenthia looked straight ahead, not joining in.
“And how many donors did your family source from? Do you have any idea?” asked Professor Kragen, a flicker alighting his already intense, cobalt eyes.
“Not more than ten,” said Goth Girl, flicking back her raven hair, proudly.
I had a sneaking suspicion what they were talking about was borderline, if not totally, illegal. The S.L.A. had banded with human security agencies to help outlaw people selling their blood for direct cash as with everything else precious, it had led to trafficking. Mortals and only mortals, were allowed either to make donations at their local blood bank, part of which would be used to fulfil the feeding needs of vampires or, to give their blood freely to a known vampire they were in some kind of a relationship with. Even this had led to major problems as there was a permanent shortage at the blood banks and there had been targeted protests by mortals in recent years about how there was never enough blood to save human lives, let alone to feed the insatiable appetite of the vampire population.
“Not bad,” said the professor, a little too impressed. “Anyone else?”
“As you know, blood is getting harder and harder to come by, legitimately,” said a guy, sitting across in the same row as me. I remembered his name was Darius.
“Indeed,” said Kragen.
“So, we’ve had to resort to drinking from cattle and other livestock.” He looked put out as there was a chorus of snickers and the rest of the vamps made snide remarks.
“That’s terrible!” said Kragen, tutting with pity.
“It was so much easier before we all declared ourselves to the mortals. We used to hunt our prey. Humans, witches, other supes, it didn’t matter. It was finders, keepers just like life intended,” said a guy whose name I couldn’t remember.
“That isn’t wrong, Moldark,” said Kragen, as the guy steepled his fingers and looked like the perfect cross between a typical brooding teenager and an executive planning a hostile takeover. He had distinct features and smoulderingly dark eyes that contrasted with his light brown hair that was styled into somewhat of a quiff. Like so many of his kind, he was undoubtedly attractive – another typical bad boy – if not for the tiny detail of his endless thirst.
“But?” asked Moldark, like he was talking to an employee, not a professor.
“I’v
e lived long enough to know that everything is cyclic. The law of nature is that the pendulum slowly but surely swings back. And anyway, now that you’re at St. Erzsebet’s, your blood worries are over for a while. You must have seen the blood bottles on campus? We get fresh deliveries each day and encourage you to take what you need. Afterall, it’s the quickest and easiest way to develop your strength.”
I counted each and every one of my lucky stars that I had not in fact seen any of the infamous blood bottles or boxes or whatever they were, as of yet. Moldark nodded with approval.
“I heard that the blood of other supernatural beings, especially witches, is the most…effective,” he said. My skin crawled.
“It’s true. And yes, witch blood is pure magic,” Kragen looked into the distance as if savouring his own memories of ill-gotten blood. “But then you must also know that the Supernatural Light Alliance and several of its mortal allies are watching us like hawks. Supernatural beings and certainly witches never give their blood willingly and nor are they allowed to. Which means any such blood is out of bounds. Human blood has to do and in some appalling cases, animal blood.” I felt woozy just hearing them talk. I couldn’t believe this conversation constituted vampire education.
“Katrina, Katrina Quartz isn’t it?” asked Professor Kragen. I was sure he knew who I was.
“Yes?” I asked.
“You’re lucky as sunlight probably won’t affect you,” he said and I was relieved. As someone who positively loved daylight, I didn’t know how I’d even have handled it if I had to lay low until sunset each day. I was already feeling turned around by the fact that classes happened only at night and everyone was meant to sleep during the day. My relief was short-lived. “As the Sanguine within awakens, the most important thing is you’ll need blood. Have you been having any cravings yet?”
“Not at all,” I said, as my stomach lurched.
“Most interesting. Your blood sample indicated that as you come into your being, you’ll have a very healthy appetite.”
“I’ll let you know when I do,” I mumbled, wanting to throw up.
“It also indicated that your witch blood is some of the best stuff around. A drop from anyone in your coven, would be as fortifying, as a thousand bags of mortal blood,” Kragen unconsciously licked his lips. “The strength and valour concealed within it, would be like nothing else.”
“Then I’m glad I’m no longer at the Circle of Quartz,” I said feeling repulsed by the professor, the class and myself. Natalie looked down at her hands, as a hint of the same feeling played across her face.
“Indeed,” replied Kragen. “I will recommend for you to start drinking, even if the need hasn’t yet made itself apparent.”
Chapter 10
“He was talking bullshit, you know?” said Natalie as we sat in the dinner hall. “It is fully possible to control those urges. I mean sure, I was tempted that day but I never would have succumbed.”
“I know,” I sighed, feeling like the abomination I was, “but witches don’t feel tempted to suck their fellow witches dry. Ever.” It was just a matter of time before things would begin to take a sinister turn.
I hadn’t managed to get a handle on my magic as a witch and now I was apparently close to yearning for all that made vampires dark and threatening. I’d done the math. I was a witch who couldn’t willfully summon magic and but I was also a vamp who’d soon start wanting blood. That made me nothing more than a dormant vampire.
Ever since Duquette had been onto me about the magic detected in our dorm room, I’d refrained from using the crystal to communicate with Safi so as not to be caught and put her in danger. Safi had tried a few times to send me messages but I’d told her we couldn’t meet again at the academy as she’d be discovered. I felt terrible as I’d also blocked her a few times, not knowing how to tell her again that our worlds really were growing more and more apart everyday. That and, I had no idea whether such communication would be picked up by whatever powers were at play within the academy.
“Here,” said Valenthia, coming to join us, carrying three of what looked like juice boxes. They weren’t.
“I can’t,” I protested, louder than I’d meant to.
“You have to, you heard what Kragen said. And, ask any vampire here, this really does contain everything we need, nutritionally.”
“Look, I know she’ll eventually have to but seeing as she can’t even stream yet, maybe her inner vampire isn’t like ours,” tried Natalie, seeing my horrified expression.
“And how will it awaken if she doesn’t feed it?” said Valenthia, opening her box and pricking the top with a straw before daintily putting it to her lips and taking a long sip. I was forced to look away.
“But she’s a witch too. And that too a crystal one. Maybe her other powers will awaken first and this part of her won’t?” persisted Natalie. I felt like I wasn’t even there. Watching the two of them bicker was like being back at the coven being caught between Safi and Quinn.
“Don’t let anyone else hear you say that,” said Valenthia, gesturing with a subtle eye movement, to the table of students nearest to us.
“I know, I’m just trying to consider how she must feel.”
“Guys, I’m right here,” I said, finally finding it too much.
“Exactly. Do you feel your other powers coming in yet?” asked Natalie.
“Not really. Nothing more than a few random spurts. I certainly don’t feel the other stuff,” I looked at my unopened carton of fresh blood, sitting on the table. I guess the only thing that might be even remotely related to being a Sanguine, is that I’ve been seeing well in the darkness.”
“That could be a witch thing too,” said Valenthia disappointedly.
“But we see excellently at night,” urged Natalie, “so it could be. All I was saying was, as someone who was turned, before I fully became accustomed to being the way I am, I couldn’t have imagined doing some of the things that vampires do. Of course, now I’d never have it any other way. I love my blood.” She drank up half her carton with an impish smile and I was grateful that neither of them had felt drawn to baring their fangs. I still looked away as they finished their drink and tried some lunch while looking down the entire time.
“Can I talk to you a moment?” said Ulric, coming up and standing behind me. Valenthia and Natalie glanced at each other and then focussed on Ulric.
“Sure,” I said, pleasantly surprised to see him.
“Alone?” he said as the other two continued to watch him, choosing not to take the hint.
“Okay.” I got up from the table and followed him outside the hall, to a few wolf-whistles by Lilith, Riskel and their gang. “Ignore them, it’s me they can’t stand,” I said.
“Already on it,” Ulric replied, this time unphased. We walked to the foyer but the school was a hive of activity even in the hallway. “Let’s go out into the courtyard,” suggested Ulric as we continued walking. It irritated me that I could hear my heart beating steadily. He clearly wanted something, it wasn’t like he’d come to ask me out on a date, which would probably have been forbidden anyway considering what blood snobs the vamps were. But then again, I wasn’t a full vamp to begin with or apparently much of one as yet anyway so?
I reigned myself in for pondering something so moot on every level. There was nothing between us. Even if I did have the teensiest, most microscopic crush on him. Which I didn’t. The courtyard was misty and humid yet the quality of the air was much more pleasant as it hit my nostrils and skin. The academy was cool but its atmosphere had a stillness that I assumed was staleness. Now I realized that even within its premises outside, there were the traces of aliveness from the rest of the city that pervaded.
“What is it?” I asked, watching the windows on the third floor that had been creepy upon my arrival at Bloodline Academy and were no less so now.
“It’s your witch friend with the curly hair, the one who came to see you off that day. Safi, right?”
“What abou
t her?” I asked, shaken away from caring about where we were or who might be listening. “What’s happened to her? Is she okay?”
“Yes. It’s just that I’ve seen her on Bourbon Street a couple of times.”
“What do you mean? Why?”
“She recognized me and followed me,” Ulric said, trying to keep his voice down.
“What’s she doing here? She wouldn’t follow you, she’s afraid, I mean, she’s had a bad experience with…werewolves,” I blurted. Now my heart wasn’t the only thing that was racing. My mind was too.
“I don’t know about any of that. But she wants to see you. Apparently, she’s been trying to get in touch with you and you aren’t replying to her messages, whatever that means.” Ulric’s eyes met mine. “I guess she’s just worried about you. I would be too.”
“Can you tell her I’m fine? Just tell her not to come near the academy, I don’t want her getting hurt,” I said, thinking of how we’d nearly been found once and how there were vamps within Bloodline Academy and on the streets of New Orleans who’d give anything for some witch blood. I focussed hard and sent out the same message I’d just asked Ulric to deliver but got nothing back.
“Do you think she’ll believe me?” asked Ulric. It was sweltering outside. I cautiously took off my blazer and thanks to the lack of covering with my short-sleeved shirt, Ulric got an eyeful of my blooming which glowed like the moon. I instantly hid my arm under part of my blazer. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I’m just curious.” I slowly pulled off the cloth again and let him take a look. He bent down to look closer. Hesitantly, he reached out his hand and his eyes met mine. I nodded and he trailed a finger across one of the swirls. His eyes glowed like a fire but I instantly sensed that it was because he connected with my inner magic. He pulled away, standing up straight again, looking embarrassed.
Magic Within: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Novel (Bloodline Academy Book 1) Page 9