School for Vampires

by Quinn Conlan

  As for me, right here in the midst of suddenly being the lead in a giant school play, all I can really think about is that I’ve had my first ever kiss. I’m so glad it’s been with Garret. He seems pretty glad himself. Then we both realize we’re tired of all the attention. He touches my arm affectionately and we part ways. As I stride back across the oval, away from the cool brigade and towards my dear, sweet friends, I feel like I’m returning as a new woman.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Time marches on. Even for vampires. It takes another week or so, but I start to find my rhythm down below the world. Having a guy by my side helps. It makes me stronger. I decide early on not to talk to Garret about some of the heavier stuff, like the fake letter from home and the near death experience in the Square. Partly because there’s so much I don’t know about those events, and partly because Garret says so little about his own life. He never speaks about his turning, or where he’s from. And, for once, I have no intention of pushing him.

  I take something approaching an interest in football. I get a crash course in the rules. I even find myself cheering wildly when Garret’s side scores a touchdown. Watch your back, Crystal.

  Garret shows a matching interest in badminton. Not that he can make sense of the misfit rules. I try to explain them to him, but they’re somewhat of a mystery to me too. They evolve rapidly. We put Garret in the umpire’s chair one Saturday, during football halftime, but the subtle nuances of the game are lost on him. He’s stripped of his whistle and given his marching orders. He doesn’t protest.

  The term starts to fly by. I get good at keeping my head down and eyes peeled. The phony letters from home continue to arrive every third Sunday or so. It becomes a ridiculous, hilarious charade. I hang onto Lily’s promise that she will tell me if she hears any actual news about my dad, and enjoy the letters for the sheer comedy value.

  They are stowed away in the rapidly bulging sock under the dresser, along with my first present from Garret. He gives me a silver bracelet for our one-month anniversary. As soon as I see it, I know he has traded a Glint for it.

  On the study front, it feels as if everything is racing towards Backers Day. It’s the biggest event on the school calendar. The way it works is, in the days leading up to the main event, there are a series of exams. The results are tabled and presented to us on Backers Day. We find out when the Backers do. Most of us already have our stomachs in knots.

  On the day itself, we also put on various demonstrations for the Backers. It’s a chance for us to show them what we’ve learned in the physical subjects. By the end of the semester, it’s a minor miracle, but I’ve somehow learned how to throw a stake properly. Most of the class has cottoned on. There are also newly-acquired skills in wielding blood darts, doing dive rolls, high kicks and elbow blocks. They’re pretty basic moves, but we’re budding little vampire ninjas nonetheless.

  In Lily’s class, we learn how to do strange things to candles. Weeks of meditating start to pay off, and I can make the candle wobble from side to side. A few kids learn how to make the flame go out with their thoughts. One kid even learns how to make the candle levitate. The Backers should be impressed.

  Against all the odds, Ms Rolston manages to walk us through our first Vampyrric sonnet. We are to perform it on Backers Day. The language never once loses its garbled harshness, but I’m still pretty chuffed that I’ve conquered a whole sonnet.

  Study sessions become a nightly affair. Kids start to cram on the train, bringing their own candle to light the textbooks and trying to shield the flame as we hurtle along the tracks. Saturday nights start to lose their social sheen, as we all bunker down in practice exams and pneumonic routines.

  It gives me less and less time to see Garret. Houses are firmly forbidden from mixing, outside of the Commons. I end up sticking to my own bedroom, bunkered down with the other Juniors and a mountain of textbooks.

  Jason is forced to abandon his men’s club on account of one of his wingmen smoking a joint in there. He must have traded a Glint for it, and then forgotten there’s no ventilation in our burrow. The smell of weed just hovered in the air, and every time one of the boys opened the door, it would waft down the tunnel towards the Mess. Eventually, it reached Kate’s nostrils and she was forced to put the kid on probation and shut down the men’s club.

  From the worried looks on the Senior’s faces, Backer Day is an arduous affair. I start to find the whole thing ridiculous. We’re basically putting on a show for a bunch of rich jerks from up top. But each time this anger unfurls in me, I do my best to roll it back up, remembering the advice of Kate and Lily.

  Speaking of Kate, by the final week of the semester, I’m done with the frostiness. I miss her. I miss the excitement of wondering where our friendship will take us. Even though she’s neck deep in exam preparation, I decide to break the ice.

  During a much needed and self-imposed study break one night, I head down to the Mess. The Seniors are spread out across the floor, buried in textbooks. I can’t see Kate in their midst, so I head to the Dispensary. She’s in there, hunched over the table, hurriedly doing a pill stock take.

  At first, I don’t speak. I don’t want to mess with the pill count. I stand there in silence for quite a while, til I’m almost embarrassed enough to throw it in and head back to my room. Without looking up, Kate says drily, “what do you want Blake?” At least she knows I’m there.

  “Kate, I’m sorry to interrupt you.”

  “It’s alright. Do you need something? The boys haven’t started toking again have they?”

  “No, they just kneel down in front of the men’s club door and inhale through the gap.” Kate can’t help but smile. She stops the pill counting and looks at me. “I miss you Kate,” I say. They’re bold words, but they’re true words. I watch her expression. She stares at me, taking me in. I’m no match for her on several fronts, including powers of perception. But I can’t take the frostiness between us for one more night.

  “Yeh,” she finally says. “Me too.” I’m flooded with relief. Kate gets up and walks over to the grill. Again we’re going to have a heart to heart either side of wire mesh. It’s like a prisoner bonding with a softhearted prison guard.

  “I’m sorry Blake. I really am. I never meant to pull away. I just…” She struggles to go much further, and I think I know why.

  “Things got a bit confusing,” I say, hoping to help her along. “I mean, it all happened so fast, but I just felt like we connected strongly. And then you were off with Jason, and it seemed like what we had was dead in the water.” Again, I’m quietly impressed with my honesty. I hope she will be too. She did bristle a little at the mention of Jason, but it’s time we had this chat. Kate doesn’t speak for quite a while. She’s chewing on my words. I stand there nervously hoping my honesty will pay off. Finally, her face softens.

  “I guess you’re right. I did pull away and I’m sorry for that.” Hooray for honesty. “But I don’t think you understand why I did it Blake. After you told me about Jason meeting Gunther, I was very concerned for him. I know what that encounter can be like. I knew he needed help. What I didn’t know was that I’d develop feelings for him. Pretty strong feelings, actually.

  “He seemed to be into me too. Except, after a week or two, I realized that any feelings Jason had for me couldn’t hold a candle to the ones he had for someone else.” Kate looks straight at me. I’m suddenly uncomfortable. I want her to say it, but I also absolutely don’t. “Blake, Jason is in love with you.”

  She said it.

  There were a couple of times during the semester when I felt like it might be true. I even wondered at times if I had feelings for him. It’s still a complete shock to hear Kate’s words.

  “It was hard for me Blake. I liked him a lot. I tried to hold onto him. I thought maybe he’d come around. I was glad when you hooked up with Garret. In fact, I was overjoyed. But even that day, when you two kissed on the oval, I saw how much it hurt Jason. And that hurt me.”

 
If nothing else, Kate’s words help explain things. They explain her coldness towards me. They explain Jason’s stares. They explain my own, barely glimpsed suspicions.

  I don’t know what to do with this information. It throws me. A part of me, a little portion of my heart, skipped a beat when I heard the words. I can’t deny it. But the rest of me doesn’t want it to be true, because I’m with Garret. And I’m very happy being with him.

  I think back to the rumor mill. “But I heard you two were spotted making out in Jason’s club?” I say. “Surely he wouldn’t kiss you if he didn’t want to be with you?”

  “Actually, it was that kiss that confirmed it for me Blake. His heart just wasn’t in it. Either that, or he was seriously stoned.” We both smile. Despite the fresh can of worms I’ve just been dropped into, this chat has brought Kate and I back together.

  “So what are you going to do?” I ask. “Will you break it off with him?”

  “You haven’t heard? We broke up last week.”

  “Oh Kate, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s ok. It’s for the best. I don’t want to keep trying with someone whose heart burns for someone else.” I feel so glad that we’ve cleared the air. Kate must feel the same, because she steps out of the Dispensary and embraces me warmly. I don’t want to end our chat on the topic of doomed love, so I ask her how the Backers Day preparations are going.

  “Ask me when it’s over,” she says. Kate is a star of the school. She’s the most capable girl I’ve met. The Backers must be lining up. A lot of what goes on is still a mystery to me, but I ask her if she has a preference for who selects her. “Yeh I do,” she says. “I’ve met them all, over the past two years. It’s pretty grubby and cut throat up top, but they’re not all bad. One Backer is actually quite lovely, but he doesn’t make selections every year. There’s one Backer to avoid like the plague, so I’m hoping to dodge him.”

  “It all sounds so complicated,” I say. Kate nods.

  “It’s a nightmare Blake. But what can you do?” I want to push her for more information, now that we’re back on speaking terms. But I know it’s not the time. Kate must sense my burning desire. “I remember our chat earlier in the term, Blake. I meant what I said. Come find me this time next week, we’ll go somewhere quiet, and I’ll tell you all about the fiendish ways of the fully-fledged vampire!” We both laugh.

  I let Kate get back to the pill counting and I head for the Junior quarters. As soon as I return, I see Jason sitting on a sofa. We make eye contact. I suddenly feel awkward around him. And awkward for him. I quickly decide it’s best if I put that little beat-skipping piece of my heart in the freezer. I look away.

  *

  As the terror of Backers Day swells, so too does the excitement over what immediately follows it. The Backers Day Ball. The yin to the Backers Day yang. It’s a chance for everyone to unwind and shake off the academic blues. It’s a bright light at the end of a dark day.

  It’s also a chance to dress up. I find a nice little gem in my drawer. It’s an elegant, cream-colored dress that seems to fit nicely. I do some forward planning, taking it out well in advance of the Ball, and hanging it from a tree root so it can de-crease.

  The problem with my improvised ironing is that, three days before the Ball, a sodden clump of dirt decides to drop down from the ceiling onto the front of the dress. By the time I realize, it’s caked on good and has no plans of going anywhere. I’m devastated. The only back up I have is the light blue dress I wore to a couple of Saturday night socials. But the Ball is the big leagues, and I’m crestfallen.

  Kate saves the day. Without even hearing about the dress disaster, she comes into my room that same night, armed with a certain shimmery silver dress that I’d pawed at earlier in the term. When she hands it to me, I practically hug the life out of her. It looks even more beautiful than I’d remembered.

  As Kate turns to go, she sees Jason. He’s hardly said a word to anyone this past week. They share an awkward stare before Kate hurriedly leaves. I wonder to myself if Jason has found someone to go to the Ball with? Most kids have paired up, myself and Garret included. I’d hate for Jason to be the only student flying solo.

  I think better than to ask him about his plans. We need to keep our distance. I distract myself by fawning over my exquisite new dress. The mud-splattered cream monstrosity can stay up there with the tree roots, for all I care. I’ve got my perfect dress, and it’s going to be a perfect night.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Exams commence on the Wednesday of the final week. Fables is the first cab off the rank, and it’s my best shot at a decent mark. We’ve covered the first 300 action-packed years of the vampires. Most of it seems to revolve around a constant, bloody tussle between the Romanian monarchy and Lucian’s ever-expanding army of the newly turned. The exam consists of a barrage of multiple-choice questions, plus a handful of mini essays. I ace it. As uptight and officious as Miss Montgomery is, a part of me has warmed to her over the term. I smile, thinking about how thrilled she will be with my results.

  Vampology, on the other hand, is no ace in the hole. I doubt Mr Morrison will mind, since I still don’t think he knows who I am. The exam is brutal. I wrack my poor brain, trying to remember what happens to what chemical under what conditions. I fair a little better than I feared I would, but I know it won’t be a great result.

  The only other written exam is Vampirricals. In the lead up, I managed to sneak in a few tutorial sessions with Kit. I’ll never forget the look on her face when she saw my solution to one of the problems she’d set for me. She just stared at me in silent mortification. Then she went and found Abner. The two of them worked hard to beat some mathematical sense into me.

  It helped. I trudge through the exam and manage to do ok. There’s lots of stuff on angles, of course. There are pictures of tilted coffins, and a curly question about the survival chances of an unfortunate vampire with 60% holy water burns to his body.

  When these three beasts are behind me, only the physical exams and a sonnet recitation remain. The night before Backers day is one of the strangest in a long time. The Dorms are filled with students practicing rapid movement, mid-air hovers, and blood dart throws. Garbled lines of poetry echo through the tunnels. Candles levitate. High kicks are measured. Forward rolls are scrutinized. It’s a hell of a show.

  As we brave the train tunnel the following night, everyone is silent. I can’t decide if I’m more nervous about the presentations, or meeting the Backers. When we arrive at the Square, it’s as if the whole vampire community knows it’s Backers Day. Things are quiet. There are no hoots or wolf whistles. Vampires look at us with something approaching sympathy. It’s a welcome change, but a sobering one. It stokes my nerves.

  Every time I’ve entered the Square over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself looking around for Vincent. He’s never very far from my thoughts, although I rarely see him. Tonight, he appears. He walks in close to our tight, nervous huddle, and looks straight at me. Suddenly, I’m rushed back to the night he saved my life. I remember the sound of his voice, and the swiftness of his actions. I remember his smell. I remember how strong and proud his body felt, as I clung to it in the tunnel. If we weren’t packed in so tight right now, I’d probably swoon. He smiles at me and keeps walking. It calms my nerves.

  We make our way inside the school and head down the familiar central corridor. No one speaks. We disperse at our lockers and prepare for our grand entrance onto the oval. I can already hear the echoing chatter of our guests.

  In these final moments, I mingle with my friends. Kit and I hug and remind each other that it’s no big deal, and that there’s a wild night waiting for us on the other side. Abner sniffs and tells me to remember to pronounce ‘drzuhl’ correctly in the third stanza of the Vampyrric sonnet. Always thoughtful. Crystal offers me a good luck greasie from afar. Garret and I haven’t left each other’s side. He’s as nervous as me, although he hides it better. Maybe all that football has accustomed
him to the limelight. I get a brief moment with Kate, and I hug her and wish her well. “You’re going to shine out there,” I say. She looks a little concerned, but determined. Jason is nowhere to be seen, but I hope he goes well. I have no idea how he’s performed in the written exams, or even what his physical strengths are. He’s kept his cards pretty close to his chest this term.

  Suddenly, a horn blows. It strikes a different note to the usual one. It’s louder. More somber. Everyone stiffens and falls silent once more. Miss Montgomery rushes down the row of lockers, instructing us all to congregate in the gym. We follow our orders, and then line up at the entrance to the oval with Seniors in front and Juniors at the tail end. Miss Montgomery opens the doors and ushers us out. She smiles at me as I pass, and it surprises me. I smile back. Garret and I let go of each other’s hands and, to the sound of applause, we are all herded onto a large wooden stage at one end of the oval.

  The first thing I notice is that it’s brighter out here than it’s ever been. I look around and realize there must be double the amount of candles as usual. The grass has been freshly clipped. Spread out across the oval are various little stages, a running track, a 10 meter diving board, and a long row of vampire dummies. Facing directly opposite us is a huge, portable seating stand. It’s filled with a vast array of vampires.

  I scan the rows of seats. It’s clear that little groups exist in different parts of the stand. I count seven groups in total. One group consists of the teachers, who have dressed up for the occasion. This must be a big day for them too. How we perform says a lot about them.

  I suspect that one of the groups is made up of Council members. I remember seeing headshots of the Council Rulers and the New York Division Chief in the vampire starter pack. A few of those faces pop out at me now. I’m fairly sure I know who the Division Chief is. He’s an elderly man in a grey suit. He looks entirely undistinguished. In fact, he looks out of it. The Rulers seem more on the ball, and are chatting animatedly as they look around.