School for Vampires

by Quinn Conlan

  “Down here?” I ask.

  “Yeh. Only I didn’t know that at the time. Suddenly I was alone. I escaped from the orphanage. Lived on the streets. I looked for Paul everywhere. I tried to find these vampires. I used to walk down alleyways in the middle of the night, hoping to get caught. I didn’t care. I had nothing, I just wanted Paul.

  “I started hanging out with criminals and rough heads. Kept asking them about vampires. Most had no idea. A few looked away. One kid had no poker face. I cornered him and made him spill the beans. He didn’t know much, but he knew where they hung out. The factory. So I went there. Kept trying to find a vampire. I never saw one. I was never attacked. Weird huh? Then, on my 16th birthday, they came for me. I think I saw the guy who turned me in the stand on Backers day.

  “So they brought me down here, and oh man I was so excited. I was finally gonna see Paul again. But then the math didn’t add up. He was done with high school and he’s back up there, doing his apprenticeship. I have no idea if he knows where I am. But he’s all I’ve got. This leather jacket was his. It’s the only sign that he ever even existed.”

  I am so touched Jason has told me this story. Things make so much more sense. I look down at him on the sofa, so lost and alone. He shivers. He looks so feeble. I hug him. I don’t know what I’m feeling, but I know I need to hug him. He puts his hand on the back of my head and gently strokes my hair. I can smell his old leather jacket. My heart swells. My cheek brushes up against his. They say vampires can’t feel warmth. They’re wrong.

  Suddenly, I think of Garret. He’s hurting enough already. I can’t do this. Not now. I pull away and flee to the safety of the bathroom. I don’t look at Jason’s face as I go. I run the bath, take off my clothes, and disappear under the water for a long time.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  When the school week resumes, it’s clear that Jason is still too sick to move. I decide to hide him in his men’s club and let him rest. The stroke of luck is that the Dorms and the school are still disorganized after recent events. Our House is yet to find a replacement Prefect, mainly because no one wants that poisoned chalice. The Dispensary hasn’t even been repaired. I figure all of this will work in Jason’s favor as he recuperates.

  As for the teachers at school, if any of them ask where Jason is, I’m going to say he got in trouble and is in Mr Foggarty’s office. It’s plausible and I pray it will hold. If needs be, I’ll drop the Gunther reference, despite having no idea who or what he is.

  The strange thing about the teachers though, is that they don’t ask. In fact, they hardly look at us. They just get on with the lessons and we spend most of our classes with our heads in the textbook, or copying down notes from the board. Even in Lily’s class, I notice she avoids making eye contact. I was hoping for another one of our clandestine storeroom chats. I could use some sympathetic ears right now. Plus, I know Lily has a ton of information she’s keeping from me. But when class ends, she’s out the door before the students. It’s very strange to see Lily so scared.

  At free time, I’m happy for a bit of r & r on the edge of the oval. I’ve hardly seen Kit since the Ball. Abner is still by her side and I’m glad she’s got someone. She plows me with questions. About Garret. About the rumors that Jason deliberately stuck himself with a blood dart just to get high. I deflect, and bluff and lie when I need to. I have to be honest about Garret, and so I tell her we broke up. Kit’s devastated for me and when I tell her, I realize it’s the first time I’ve put words to it. And that it’s actually the truth. We broke up. He dumped me. I don’t tell her the reason why. It’s too complicated right now. I opt for a joke instead, telling her that Crystal came between us. We look across the oval at the girl in question. It would seem she too has heard the news, because she’s currently deep in conversation with Garret. I think back to when he told me what constitutes deep conversation for Crystal, and I smile.

  I look at Garret. A couple of times, as he stands there trying to make sense of what Crystal’s saying, he glances in my direction. When he sees me staring, he quickly looks away. I want so badly to talk to him. To try and sort things out. But I know it’s best to give him some space right now.

  It’s hard to concentrate on schoolwork. It suddenly feels ridiculous to me, now that I know what it’s for. To please. For a place in the draft. To be used like chips in a poker game.

  In Fables, Miss Montgomery continues teaching us about the early years. Despite all the bloodshed and uncertainty, they sound pretty idyllic to me, compared to what I’ve been lumped with. At least you could go where you pleased, and make your own way in life. At least you weren’t bought and sold like a slave. At the end of class, Miss Montgomery asks me to stay back for a moment. I assume it’s about last term’s stellar results, which I’m suddenly not so thrilled about. When we’re alone in the classroom, she sits on the edge of her desk and pauses. She seems reflective, which isn’t usually a word I’d lob her way. She even offers me a brief look of concern. “How are you holding up?” she asks. She means it.

  “I’ve been better,” I say. “How bout you?” She looks ever so slightly shocked at this question. I wonder if no one’s asked her that in a very long time.

  “I…I was rather fond of Kate, I must admit. She so loved Fables.” I’ve never heard her speak in such a tone. She even begins to tear up. When she realizes, she quickly dabs her eyes with a handkerchief and regroups. I’m glad I got a glimpse of this other side to her. “Blake,” she says, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to give you.” She puts her hand in her pocket and takes out a gold ring. She holds it up. “This belonged to Kate. It was salvaged before the cremation. Kate and I would talk from time to time. About history. About…other things. She spoke of you Blake. She was very fond of you. She thought you two shared much in common.” I’m touched by Miss Montgomery’s words. I didn’t realize she and Kate were close. “Blake, I want you to have this ring. I know Kate would want that too.” She hands it to me. “Please don’t protest. Just take it and remember her.” I take the ring and hold it up for a moment. It’s plain gold on the outside, but the inside is intricately engraved all the way round with flames. It’s beautiful. I put it on my finger. A tear falls down my cheek. Miss Montgomery leans in closer and whispers, “keep going Blake. It will not be your fate. Just keep learning.” She wipes the tear from my face and stands up, letting me know this precious shared moment is over. I thank her and leave the classroom.

  On the way home from school, I hold my hand up many times and stare at the ring. It’s something to remember Kate by. We hurtle past the spot on the tracks where she lay. Another tear falls across my cheek. And then, I feel the biggest burst of anger I’ve yet experienced down here. Putting it all together, thinking about that vile vampire Tobias Fricket, and the life he snatched away. The system he controls. The love he destroys. I clench my fists. I’m so mad right now, I feel like I could take on the entire Romanian army singlehanded.

  The train pulls in and I run to see Jason. He’s tucked into my makeshift bed under the hangers in his boy’s club. He’s fast asleep. I creep back out of the room and that’s when I see it. A box. Over on the dresser. Wrapped in a big, bright red ribbon. I go to it. The card on the outside bears my name. I lift the lid and look down at a single blood dart, fully loaded and tied up with a bow. There is a note beside it. It reads: “His and hers. Love and kisses, your future employer.”

  The fury from the train returns to me, and I hurl the box across the room. The blood dart smashes against the powder room door and dead blood splatters onto the wood. Suddenly, I know I have to act. I change from my school uniform into the same black outfit I wore to the factory. I open a drawer and grab the handkerchief Tobias gave me. I go to the Dispensary, count out 10 Glints and put them in my pocket. I run down the tunnel towards the Commons, and then head for the Yids. A few kids stop and stare when I arrive, but no one gets in my way. Not now. I find Carter in the bathroom, topless, clipping his chest hair. I fling his sweater a
t him, grab him by the arm and tell him to come with me. He doesn’t protest. He doesn’t dare.

  I lead us back into the train tunnel. I don’t care who sees. I stop at the first candle, take it from its groove and pass it to Carter. I then dig out the 10 pills and hand them to him. “You’re taking me back up top,” I say. It’s not a question.

  “Blake, don’t you think that’s a little…risky?” he tries.

  “I’m not asking Carter. Just take me.” He doesn’t bother protesting again.

  “Well alright then. I can see someone’s on a mission. Where to this time?”

  “You’re gonna take me to Tobias Fricket’s headquarters.” Carter’s face drops. I realize what I’m asking. I can tell he wants to protest some more. He even glances back down the tunnel, contemplating making a run for it. I lean in and grab him by the sweater with both hands. So he knows I mean business. “Take me there Carter. Right now. I’ll only need an hour. You can wait below the manhole and if I’m not back in time, you can leave. I know what I’m asking, and I know the risks, but I’m going.” I take out Tobias’ handkerchief and press it against Carter’s chest. “Charon Tower. And don’t even bother pretending you don’t know the way. You know these tunnels even better than the rats.” I let him go. He stares at me for a moment, taking it all in. He looks at the red handkerchief. Then he smiles that familiar Carter smile.

  “It’s a door this time. Not a manhole. And follow me.”

  He leads me back into the dark rabbit warren. There are many more twists and turns than last time. We don’t talk. Occasionally, he hums some stupid song to himself, but he knows I’m not looking for a chat.

  When I’ve lost all sense of direction, he takes me down one last, narrow tunnel and up a ladder built into the wall. We climb onto a small concrete platform. Carter looks at me. “This is it Blake. You just go out this door and turn left, head down the street for two blocks and then left again. You’ll see the building as soon as you turn the corner. Blake, I have to ask one more time, are you sure…”

  “I’m sure Carter. Wait for me.”

  “One hour, ok?”

  “Got it.”

  Carter passes me the candle. He takes a small, loose brick from the wall next to the door and retrieves a key. He unlocks the door. I peer out and see that the street looks clear. I take one last look at Carter and see the concern on his face. “Relax. You can use the time to do some manscaping,” I say. As I leave and shut the door behind me, I hear his desperate attempts to explain.

  “I do that for long distance running. It makes me more aerodynamic…”

  I’m back above ground. This is becoming a habit. I’m in a much more built up area than last time. There are tall buildings all around me. I start heading down the street, sticking as close as I can to the edge of the buildings. I get to the end of the first block and look both ways. When I think it’s safe, I dart across the street and keep walking. At one point, I have to duck into an alleyway and crouch down behind a dumpster, as a couple walk past on a late night stroll. I can smell that they’re humans. I feel a pang of hunger all of a sudden, and I realize this must be what awaits me when I graduate. The hunger passes and I return to the street. At the end of the second block, I peer left around the corner. Immediately I can see a tall, impressive-looking building, and somehow I know it’s Tobias’ headquarters. I can feel the presence of a great many vampires inside.

  The street looks clear so I turn the corner and slink along in the shadows til I’m one building shy of my destination. I decide tonight is not the night for thinking. If I stay still too long, my mind will start bombarding me with all the things that are likely to go wrong, and all the reasons I should turn around and head back to the Underground. I tell my brain to take the night off, and I keep moving.

  As I approach the headquarters, I realize there is another vampire heading for the front door. She’s coming from the other side and she’s dressed to the nines. I don’t bolt. I relax my muscles as best I can, and casually walk towards the entrance. With any luck, she’ll think I’m there for the same reason as her.

  It’s hard to relax when you’re terrified. I can smell the strength in this woman. She’s busy fumbling in her purse for something, but it doesn’t take long for her to smell me. She stops fumbling and looks at me. I’m no actor, but I try to appear like I’ve been coming here for years. She stares me up and down. It’s like looking at a super-charged, future version of Crystal. She’s not impressed. I offer up a smile. She says nothing, and just continues taking me in. Suddenly, her handbag drops to the ground. In under a second, her fangs descend and she pins me to the wall. She hisses furiously. I guess I shouldn’t have smiled.

  Her strength is incredible. I can’t move, and she’s still only using one hand. She stares at my face. She leans in close and smells me.

  “Lost?” she asks. She tilts my head away from my shoulders. The angle’s spot on. As she moves in for the kill, a voice stops her dead in her tracks.

  “Found.” It’s a man’s voice. We both turn to look. It’s Tobias. He’s dressed in a dapper, black three piece suit, and he’s smiling from ear to ear. “Release her Olympia.” She complies immediately. I cough and rub my throat.

  “Sir, she’s not one of us,” says Olympia, with her head tilted down. Tobias casually approaches. He puts his hand on Olympia’s shoulder, all the while staring at me.

  “No. But she will be.” He steps towards me and extends his hand. The palm is facing down. I look at it and screw up my face in irritation and disgust. I stand up straight. He smiles and takes his hand away. “I’ve been expecting you Blake.” I notice Olympia look surprised upon hearing my name. She yet again looks me up and down in disapproval.

  “She’s what all the fuss is about?”

  “She is indeed,” says Tobias. Still, he has not taken his eyes off me.

  “Well what’s she doing up here? It’s way too soon…”

  “Ssshh. Olympia. You’re showing your ignorance. We’ve talked about this.” She looks crestfallen. He returns his hand to her shoulder. “Why don’t you let your leader and your future leader have some privacy? Go inside and enjoy yourself.” She’s clearly incensed at the future leader line. I see Tobias’ hand tighten on her shoulder. It does the trick. She smiles.

  “Enjoying myself is what I do best,” she says, before retrieving her handbag and strutting inside. Tobias looks at me again.

  “I apologise. Good help is hard to find.”

  So. Here I am, standing face to face with the source of all my anger and sorrow. I can’t say I had much of a plan when I stormed my way here. I just felt overwhelmingly compelled to see him. He stares at me, and I know he’s sensing what I’m thinking.

  “You know what they say about best laid plans anyway. Nothing wrong with throwing caution to the night wind every once in a while,” he says. I decide to not waste any time with fake pleasantries.

  “You didn’t have to do it you know? Kate could so easily have been spared.”

  “Oh come come Miss Randell. That’s not an appropriate conversation for the squalid city street. I suggest you save your words til they have the backdrop they deserve.” He’s inviting me inside. I doubt I have much choice. I remain gripped by the desire to talk with him about what he did. I compose myself and give him as confident a look as I can muster.

  “Lead the way.” He smiles wickedly.

  “I always do.”

  Tobias leads me through the front doors of Charon Tower. Immediately, we enter a large reception hall. It looks like the lobby of an up market hotel. Vampires lounge on expensive sofas, drinking and chatting. Every pair of eyes stops and turns in our direction. At first, I assume they’re trained on their fearless leader. “Guess again,” he says, with a wink. He leads me through the lobby. I’ve been plunged into a world of danger. I’m not amongst friends. I try not to make eye contact. My run-in with Olympia outside tells me I’m no match for anyone in here.

  Tobias takes me to a bay of el
evators. We ride in silence to the 15th floor. The doors open, and we step into a world of sheer vampire decadence. Loud music swamps my ears. As I move into the room, it looks like a giant nightclub, crossed with a casino, crossed with a strip club, crossed with the vampire equivalent of a smorgasbord. My nose leads me immediately to a line of terrified humans, standing in giant glass boxes, travelling along a conveyor belt that snakes through the room. It leaves a sushi train for dead. I stare into their faces. I can smell their fear. It electrifies me. Vampires size up the offerings. I watch as a plump, middle-aged lady is selected by a young male vampire. The glass box rises towards the roof, and the terrified woman begs for mercy. If only she knew this electrifies us further. The vampire picks her up with ease, drapes her over his shoulder and carts her off to his table to dine.

  Tobias looks at me. “Hungry?” he asks. Seeing these terrified humans has made me starving. I shake my head. “Suit yourself,” he says. He leads me through the room. Vampires dance all around. They gamble. They dine. They gorge on their own decadence. Some stop and stare, plenty don’t even notice.

  Tobias leads me to a bar. “At least let me buy you one drink?” he asks. He doesn’t wait for a reply. The bar tender immediately puts down two cocktail glasses filled with a dark red liquid. My nose tells me it’s human blood. He hands me a glass and takes up his own. “A toast. To new beginnings.” He clinks my glass. “Down the hatch,” he says. I stare at the liquid. I don’t want any part of his world, yet I’m utterly compelled to drink. Something purely instinctive takes over me. I take a sip. My very first taste of human blood. It hits me like a bullet train. It’s like taking 10 Glints at once. I down the entire glass. It travels through me like lightning. My insides are on fire and I suddenly feel invincible. Tobias watches intently. “Your first time, how marvelous. I’ll have a certificate made up.” I feel a strong urge for more. I lick my lips. I tip the glass up to get the dregs. Tobias laughs. “I’ve created a monster,” he says. “One day my dear child, you’ll have all the blood you can handle. And then some.” He takes the glass from my hand, returns it to the counter and leads me further into his lair.