by Lilly Wilder
“Th...thanks…”
She felt a little tongue tied around him. His smile was disarming and his gaze… she could get lost in it and never return to reality. She wouldn’t even mind if that happened. Not in a million years did she think that she’d meet so many cute guys in one place and especially in a place like this one, where she so painfully didn’t belong. Yet, she didn’t feel like it. She was fitting in just fine. She was getting the school experience she’d always secretly wanted, with all those high school crushes that went along with it.
Now, there were three of them. Hendrik. Thorne. Renwick. Obviously, Raphael liked her, but his behavior was just too off putting. She could never see herself with someone like him. But, these other guys, they were something else. All special in their own way, all with that wicked gleam in their eyes, which she knew meant both trouble and pleasure. She’d always wanted that, secretly yearning for a romantic adventure of a lifetime.
She finally managed to pull Hendrik’s sweatshirt on and she realized that she was swimming in it. The sleeves went over her hands and the bottom part rested almost at her knees. It resembled a baggy dress more than a sweatshirt. She didn’t mind, though. It was warm and cozy, and it smelled like him. It was a mixture of graphite and the woods. Maybe he’d been drawing there. She could totally imagine him doing that.
“Looks good,” he suddenly said, his words snapping her back to reality.
His gaze went all over her body, like a UV light, checking out if she was carrying something illegal.
“It’s warm, that’s all I need,” she replied.
“Geez, accept a darn compliment when you get one,” he told her, laughing.
“Oh, that’s what it was?” the corner of her lip danced, but she didn’t want to smile. Not yet.
“So that’s how you wanna play this?” he asked, his hands resting on his hips.
He looked gorgeous, like something out of those old comic books. A dark hero who rose out of the ashes, to wreak havoc on those who wronged him. She swallowed heavily, already imagining herself in his strong arms, tracing the lines of his tattoos with the tips of her fingers, after a night of rough love in the sheets of his bed. The very thought awakened a deep, slumbering heat she rarely felt.
“I’ve heard better,” she teased him.
“Maybe you’ll get something better by the end of the night, if you’re a good girl,” he winked at her and she could swear that the earth moved a little.
“I don’t have a tendency to be very good, honestly,” she replied, realizing that they’d reached a small hillock.
It wasn’t hidden at all. It was even decorated with large rocks all around it, signaling exactly where the entry was. There was a manmade door, with a small slot on the level of one’s eyes. Mina figured that the slot would open to see who was knocking and then, they would decide whether or not to let them in.
Hendrik passed by her, then knocked on the door rhythmically. The knocking was quite complicated and Mina doubted she could remember it. A second later, the little slot was opened. A pair of brown eyes peered through, gazing at Hendrik first, then at Mina.
“She’s with me,” Hendrik said importantly.
“Is she…” the voice asked, but Hendrik didn’t let him finish what he wanted to say.
“Yes,” he quickly interrupted.
The slot closed with a loud slashing noise, as if someone waved a saber against the wind, slitting the air. The noise reminded her of the last time she and Kellam had to fight vampires. The only weapons they had at their disposal were some unused old sabers from an old war and, at first, she was skeptical but her own weapon was taken away from her and she had to improvise. She was surprised how handy that saber was eventually.
The door opened with a screech and Mina felt as if the two of them were in one of those old black and white, horror movies and they were now entering a haunted house. Even the inside of the Bunker strengthened that impression. It was all makeshift. There were candles hanging from the sides of the walls, illuminating their path, which was made of dirt and gravel.
Hendrik shook hands with the doorman, who, Mina saw, was just another student. He looked so menacing behind the little slot, like a demon guard, watching the door to the Underworld, but now, he was just one of them. There was nothing mysterious or demonic about him.
Without saying a word, Hendrik continued walking. Mina rushed after him. She was curious about the doorman’s question about her but she didn’t ask. Who did he think she was? Did Hendrik mention her already? Maybe they all had to pre-approve a possible newcomer before he or she appeared. It sounded a bit too much but people sometimes liked that shit. It made them feel more important.
They were walking down a long corridor and Mina felt like they were going deeper underground. The path was narrow, almost enough for two people to walk together side by side. However, she was always one step behind Hendrik, who didn’t really turn around to see if she was following him or not. She wondered if he could hear her footsteps.
The light of the candles flickered as they passed them. She tried to imagine how dark it would get here without all those candles. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever seen such darkness. She didn’t want to. Total darkness was, to her, a world without her brother. He’d always been her light. He knew how to make the worst days sunny again. And, here she was, following this guy, like a stupid girl in love. She knew how wrong this was and, yet, she was unable to turn back. Her heart was following him, obediently, like a little puppy, and a part of her was happy that her brother wasn’t here to see this.
Suddenly, she stopped. He took a few more steps before he realized that and then he turned to her.
“Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she said, not really knowing why.
In essence, she wanted to be here. This was a small clique and she might be able to infiltrate it easily. This could give her access to more places around the school and, most importantly, new info. Plus, the fact that Hendrik was drop dead gorgeous didn’t hurt either but that was the last thing she wanted to focus on right now.
“Why the change of heart?” he asked, and she couldn’t tell if he was indifferently curious or he really wanted her here.
“I don’t know…” she told him the only reply she knew of.
He got close to her. He stopped just as the tips of his shoes touched the tips of her closed sandals, which all of the girls were forced to wear. She was still wearing his hoodie, only now, she felt like a mouse and wanted to hide her entire self inside.
“Are you scared?” he asked, as if he was daring her to do something.
“No, I…” she replied, not moving back.
Usually, she’d know exactly what to say. She’d have the strength to push him away from her for being such a cocky ass, but somehow, she couldn’t do that with Hendrik. She could imagine herself pushing Raphael away easily but not Hendrik.
So, she allowed him to remain close to her, their breaths merging in the air that surrounded them. There was no one around. For the first time, she heard a faint sound of music but it wasn’t very loud. Amazing what good acoustics these places had.
“Yes?” he kept prodding, as if he knew there was something she wanted to tell him but couldn’t. At least, not yet.
“What if they don’t like me?” she asked and only when she heard the question out loud, did she realize how ridiculous it was.
Who the hell cared whether they liked her or not? She was there with Hendrik and she wanted to be there, despite what she was so desperately trying to convince herself of. Her heart knew what it wanted and it wouldn’t accept no for an answer.
“I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t like you,” he whispered, then his hand lay gently on her cheek, caressing it softly.
This was the moment she’d anticipated ever since she’d laid eyes on him. She wanted to gaze into those eyes, she wanted to feel his arms around her, like someone whose only desire in life was to love and noth
ing else. She had only read about those passionate romances and even though she gave it a try a few times, she realized that conventional romance just wasn’t for her. She wanted something else, something that many people didn’t understand. Usually, what they don’t understand, they condemn, so it was easier just to lock her heart away and expect never to find true love, the way she understood it to be.
Mina was polyamorous – she’d finally came to that conclusion one day. That was also the same day that she broke up with her current boyfriend, as it wasn’t fair to him. He was old fashioned, too old fashioned to understand that someone wanted several partners, and was able to love and cherish each and every one of them equally. Mina didn’t want to explain herself too much. She felt like she wouldn’t need to explain herself when she met the right one, or better yet, the right ones.
So, Hendrik was now standing right in front of her. She wanted nothing more than him to press his lips against hers and to feel his beating heart with her open palms, as she rested her hands against his chiseled chest but, it wouldn’t stop there. It never did. She might like him too much or it could be the other way around. Usually, guys liked her more than she liked them, hence that unwillingness to share, so to say. She herself never saw it as sharing. Or perhaps, it was sharing love, of which she had more than enough to go around.
“You’re getting better,” she suddenly told him, thinking of a way to make the situation less charged with sexual energy. She just needed to joke a little.
“At what?”
She caught him. He was surprised. He wasn’t expecting that. She could see it on his face.
“Giving compliments,” she explained.
As soon as he heard that, he started laughing. She joined in.
“Seriously…” he chuckled. “Come on, let’s go. The others are waiting.”
He turned around and pulled her by the hand, his palm in hers, as if it was the most natural thing in the world and, somehow, it was. She intertwined her fingers with his and followed behind. When they finally reached the end of what seemed to be an endless corridor, it opened up into a big room, circular in shape. There were a few couches scattered around the place and there were people already sitting there, cheerfully chatting to one another. In the right corner, two huge speakers were placed around a miniature DJ set. A guy was already spinning records. Mina liked the sound of it.
As she looked around, she realized that no one was really looking at them, even though they’d just entered. The atmosphere was pleasant and casual, and Mina wasn’t feeling like she was forced to be here. She didn’t even feel like the odd one out.
Hendrik was still holding her hand and she was grateful for that small act of affection. A group of unknown people were usually enemies to her. These people, essentially were exactly that: enemies and, yet, this guy holding her hand was not. He was everything her enemies usually were, without that one main trait and that was wanting her dead. He wanted something else from her and her blood always rushed to her cheeks whenever she contemplated that possibility.
They approached the people sitting on one of the couches and Hendrik introduced her to them. There were three guys and four girls. Their names sounded almost made up but Hendrik explained later that they were all related by blood, belonging to a very old, aristocratic vampire family. Mina knew a few of those. They usually favored earthly riches, amassing wealth, which combined with their longevity was more than enough for a life well led. They usually weren’t interested in something as barbaric as killing or any other criminal acts, as they considered those beneath them.
Mina smiled and realized that she actually wanted them to like her. More importantly, she wanted Hendrik to like her and never let go of her hand. Another guy came and offered them a drink.
“It’s the same shit as the ones they’ve got in the cafeteria but at least the place is better,” Hendrik said, accepting a can of some energy drink.
Mina did the same. The cans popped open almost at the same time and Mina quickly put her lips to hers, so that the foam wouldn’t seep through.
“I like it,” Mina nodded, looking around.
A few people were dancing now, it was as if there was a shift in action. Everyone started doing something else and they were having as much fun as before. Mina felt like she was at a friend’s house when their parents weren’t home. She liked the feeling. It was something normal teenagers did, something she didn’t have much experience with.
She half expected him to make a move. She even caught herself being overly flirty with him a few times but it seemed like he wasn’t getting the hint. They spent a few hours talking and despite the fact that nothing romantic happened between them, she realized that she’d had a lot of fun with him.
“So, what… we can be just friends…” she thought to herself, as she cozied up in bed, and went to sleep, with occasional images of what just happened popping up, before she finally fell asleep.
Chapter 12
All Hallow’s Eve was just around the corner and there was no sign of the Headmaster. Mina had hoped that he’d return by now but, at the same time, she was happy that he wasn’t there yet. She didn’t feel ready. Dante was notorious in vampire slayer circles. He was dangerous and unpredictable. This was the only thing she knew, because not many had survived a meeting with him and lived to tell about it. But, she was sure that Emile was right. If Dante was really the Headmaster of Zeadore Academy, then he knew what happened to her brother, because he was most certainly responsible for what had happened. That thought alone gave her the necessary strength to face him at any given point.
That was exactly why she concocted a plan. She’d go to the secretary just to enquire whether he was back. She could take a look around at the same time, maybe get some info from the secretary herself. It was a simple plan, so she hoped nothing would go wrong.
After school, on Friday, Mina headed towards the main building. She had no idea if she needed to schedule anything or not. After all, even if the Headmaster was back, she’d need to get out of actually meeting him. She could make something up, lie, bend the truth a little. All she wanted was info.
She strolled over to the main building, rehearsing her speech inside her mind. On the way there, she almost had to elbow her way in the opposite direction, as students were generally headed back to the dorms, most of which were situated in the same part of the campus. Mina had arranged to meet up with Reeba later on and take a walk, maybe grab a late coffee from the cafeteria or one of the machines. Either way, the coffee tasted bad, but it gave one an excuse to hold something liquid and warm in one’s hand, while chatting. It was a habit one couldn’t break easily.
Stopping before an old, worn down part of this ancient building, Mina knew this to be the entrance. The main offices were situated here, the Headmaster’s office and the school psychologist. The teacher’s lounge was in the other part of the building, where the students went to class every day, but the teachers had one lounge here as well. Mina guessed this one was for those precious moments of solitude, where the students wouldn’t bug them as much.
Mina climbed a few steps, then stopped before the left side wall, which held a large metal poster, with the location of each room and office in the building. She found the Headmaster’s office easily and figured his secretary must have a desk right in front of his office or somewhere very close to it.
She entered the building and, immediately, felt the temperature get colder. She shivered, then rubbed her upper arms, trying to make herself warmer. She found herself in a big, seemingly endless hallway. Its tiled flooring was time-worn. The paintings on the walls hung in chafed, wooden frames which could have used a bit of a touch up. However, old as they were, they still possessed some vintage, antiquated charm which had always appealed to Mina. In the middle, there was a winding staircase. There was no sign of any possible elevator, even though Mina preferred to climb stairs. Once, she got stuck in an elevator and it took them over three hours to get her out. S
he wasn’t scared, really but it was still unpleasant and, worst of all, she had no food or drink on her.
She grabbed the handrails confidently, going over her speech one last time in her mind, thinking what would be the right note of polite and inquisitive but not overly pushy. She’d have to start, and then see. She climbed one step at a time, until eventually, the third and final floor opened up before her. There was a small desk to the right of the heavy doors with golden door knobs in the shape of a wolf’s head. The doors were closed tight. The desk next to it was small and neatly arranged but it managed to accommodate the woman who was sitting at it easily.
Mina kept walking towards her and the woman lifted her gaze the moment she heard someone approaching. Her eyes watched Mina closely from behind a pair of V-shaped glasses, inspecting her closely.
“Hello,” Mina greeted her politely, as she stopped right before the desk.