by Nexus Jones
“It was exactly what I told you it was. Nothing more. But you couldn’t handle it, so you just collapsed on the ground and then walked home after.”
“I don’t remember walking home after.”
“Sometimes you forget things with that potion. It’s natural.”
He had that smug look on his face, which made me even angrier, because I couldn’t tell whether or not he was just bullshitting me. I wish I could tell, but I honestly could not at all.
I placed a hand on my hip and tried to look even more intimidating, which probably made him laugh in his own head.
“I don’t trust or believe you.” I said
“Yeah, you’ve said that to me like a million times.” he leaned in closer to me, “But we both know you’re still going to do what I want.”
I blushed and took steps backwards. What the hell is he talking about?
He said it in such a seductive tone that it implied that he was gesturing towards...intimacy? Right here and right now? Absolutely not.
“Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about but-”
“Cut the crap.” he said, crossing his arms underneath his bulging pecs and tilting his head down towards me, “We both see the way you look at me. We both see the way you thirst over me when I’m not looking. It’s obvious.”
“How dare you?” I say, pretending to be offended.
I take a step backwards and point my bony index finger at him in rage.
“I am not attracted to you at all!” I said, trying to sound as convincing as I could.
I’m sure that I didn’t sound it at all. I’m not good at convincing people at...anything really. If I have to act my way through something, it’s likely to be a disaster, and that’s certainly what’s happening right now.
“We both know that’s a lie.”
A lump formed in my throat as I felt the heat of his body radiating on me. His broad shoulders and arms with bulging muscles. His waist was tapered, and I wanted to lift his shirt so badly and feel over his body.
He was wearing his school uniform, but school was the last thing that I was thinking about right now.
Focus girl, focus.
“Tell me about the plans you have with Melinda.” I demanded.
“What would you like to know?” he said in a dismissive manner, “Would you like to know if she wants me to bully you? Yes. Would you like to know if the events last night were part of that plan? Kind of.”
My eyes narrowed. I knew she was in on this.
“What do you mean kind of?” I asked in an inquisitorial manner
“She wanted me to give you a potion that would turn your skin into green scales. I decided on a different potion. One that would give you what you wanted….but with a few side effects.” he said, lifting an eyebrow in the most mischievous way possible.
My eyebrows furrowed. Side effects? I demanded to know more now. There’s no way that I could just allow myself to be effectively poisoned by this asshole and be schemed against by an evil harpie like Melinda.
“What side effects are you talking about? I demand to know immediately.”
He was unmoved. He still had that unbothered look on his face, which flustered me.
“You’ll find out soon enough, sweetheart.” he said, “But anyways. My food is getting cold and school starts soon. See you around.”
He walked past me and back up the stairs to the dining hall. I wanted to chase after him. I wanted to tackle him and demand more answers to the questions that had been rattling in my brain. But there’s no way a little girl like me could boss around a man that size.
After a few minutes, the bell rung and the school day commenced.
I found myself sitting in the Shadow Physics class that I despise along with my new nemesis. Paul acted like I wasn’t even there, which drove me insane. I knew that he was thinking of me. There’s no way he couldn’t be after the confrontation that just went down in the hallway.
“Ms. Parker are you paying attention?” Mr. Moonblood asked
I shook myself out of my daze and looked right at him.
“Yes. Mr. Moonblood.”
“Well, good then.” he said, “Since you certainly weren’t staring Paul, please tell me the velocity of a moonbat hurled at a soulstar at 74 Kelvos during the night?”
Something clicked in my head. You know those movies where the genius starts seeing a bunch of equations in his eyes and his brain starts working out the solution to the problem? That’s exactly what I was doing right now.
My brain just started to piece together everything, and it started to make sense. It was like a firework went off in my mind, and my brain explode in an orgasm of information.
“Seventy-three.” I said
Mr. Moonblood’s eyes jumped in surprise.
“Well...that’s correct.” he said.
I could feel my skin tingling in excitement. My mind was blown by what just happened. I looked right up at Paul, and he smiled at me smugly.
That bastard. His potion...worked?
After the bell rang and class was dismissed, I caught up to him in the hallway.
“Hey, I’m sorry for doubting you earlier. You were right.” I said
“Do you trust me now?” he asked
“Well...not really but-”
“Oh look, if it isn’t Moonblood Academy’s resident loser!” Melinda said, weaving between a few people and walking towards us, “What are you even doing here?” she asked
“I’m minding my own business, and leaving yours alone.” I said, putting my hand up to her face.
She walked in between me and him, looking me in the eyes while folding her arms.
“How did that potion go?” she asked
I had a surprised look on my face, as my eyes darted up to Paul. What just happened? What did she do?
I grabbed Melinda’s arms tightly, and she looked completely startled. I pulled her in close, and felt an indescribable rage brewing inside me.
My nose snarled and my eyebrows furrowed.
“What did you give me?” I asked
People around us were looking. I could tell that they were whispering about us and gossiping, but I didn’t care. I needed to get to the bottom of this.
Did she poison me? Did she curse me?
“Oh, I just gave you a Moon Vex, you silly little cunt.”
A Moon Vex? How dare she?
I threw her against the ground, her entire body making a loud smacking sound. She looked up at me in total shock. She wasn’t expecting this. She wasn’t expecting for someone to give her a taste of her own medicine. For someone to treat her the way she treated others. She thought that she’d be able to just run all over me because she has money and a powerful family.
Not today bitch.
I looked at her with rage in my eyes. She looked back up at me, stunned. But her expression quickly turned to one of satisfaction. She knew that she just got the best of me, even though she got thrown on the ground.
Paul immediately helped her off the ground. She gave him a hug.
“Thanks for all your hard work, Paulie-poo.” She said, looking at him seductively, before grabbing his hand and walking down the hallway. She looked back at me in a taunting manner.
As I calmed down, I noticed that a group of students had formed around us. They were in complete shock. I wanted to scream at them. To tell them to get away from me and to leave me alone.
But instead, I ran away. I ran through the crowd and outside the school. I didn’t know what I was running to, but I just needed to get out of there. I needed to be anywhere, but that school.
The blood in my veins were pumping at a massively fast rate, and my pupils were dilated.
The smell of the forest gave me new energy. The leaves crunched beneath my boots, as I ran as quickly as I could.
“Hey Mira!” I heard a voice say from my left.
I look over, and I look over to see both George and Austin walking towards me. Oh shit, what on Earth do they want?
Do I remember my defensive hexes yet? Ah fuck, no I don’t.
“What are you doing out here?” I asked.
“We knew exactly where you’d be at.” George said.
I backed up as much as I could, until my back was firmly planted against a brick academic school building. I wish that I could move more, but I was totally boxed in. They continued to walk towards me, and I could feel myself growing more and more anxious.
“Back up. Back up.” I said firmly
“We both know that’s not going to happen. Besides, we are about to have some fun.” Austin said.
I have to get out of here. But there’s no way out. My eyes dart around looking for a way to evade.
There’s a small gap in between them. I make a run for it.
My body darts between them, and I run as fast as I can. I drop my backpack to help with that effort.
I make it about ten feet before, I feel a massive weight push me forward onto the ground. My entire body smacks against the hard, concrete surface. The side of my head hits the ground with utter force, causing a ringing sound in my ear.
“Please, stop!” I cry in agony as they pummel my face into the ground. I can feel tears stream down my face, and blood on my tongue as they continue to hit and pound me with the might of their fists.
Fighting has never been my strong suit. When I was a young girl, I would sometimes get into fights with others at the playground. I would talk a tough game, but when it came to physical altercation I was a total wimp.
I remember when I was seven, a girl in my second-grade class called me a loser and would throw things at me when my back was turned from her. I remember once she threw a water bottle at me, so I smacked her. She then proceeded to punch me in the face, knocking me off my game and then besting me in a fist fight.
That’s why the altercation that occured with Melinda surprised me so much. I was terrified not only because of her status, but also because I don’t really know how to fight. If she really wanted to hit me, she probably could have.
And now, I find myself with my face on the ground, two men much larger and stronger than me, totally bulverizing my face into the concrete.
After a few minutes, this nightmare finally ends. I drag my body up from the ground. Tears streaming down my face and I’m sure I have a chipped tooth, as I can feel the edges of it between my tongue.
“Do yourself a favor and leave. We can make this much worse.” George said
“But...why?” I asked, tears coming down my face and voice trembling
“Because we run this school. And we won’t tolerate disrespect from a nobody like you. You aren’t related to anyone important. You only became a vampire by getting bit. You have no bloodline.”
He was right. I had no bloodline. My entire existence as a vampire is by mistake, by luck. By being bitten by a vampire gone rogue. And here I am, sitting in a pool of my own blood, beaten by people who will never accept me into their society as one of their own.
Snap.
The memories flood back into my head. They wash over me, like they are a movie playing in my head. All of the torment, torture abuse.
The time they pushed me down the stairs. The time they poured paint over my head. The time they photoshopped my head over a naked body and sent it around the school. All of that they did to me. All because I didn’t come from a pureblood vampire family.
My head still rings as I force myself up on my legs. Everything around me looks blurry. Those two had just left, so I didn’t have to worry about getting hit...for the time being at least.
I limp away from the school building, a mild pain in one of my legs that seems like I pulled something.
But I can’t go back. I have to leave.
I don’t care what the consequences are. But, I’m done with the Vampire Academy. It’s not a place where people like me can ever be accepted.
No matter how hard I try.
Somehow, I manage to run. I run past my dormitory, and through the forest. I try my best to not trip over anything, tree roots and plants wrapped around the forest floor.
The birds flock furiously in the air, becoming scared by my presence. The scent of the earth fills my nostrils and the sunlight dopples through the leaves, creating a beautiful effect on the ground.
Although the forest seems so majestically beautiful and tranquil, my vibe right now was anything but. I was a total mess.
I felt the same way now that I did when I left this place for the first time. The memories finally went through my head again.
The bullying pushed me to the edge. An edge that I never wanted to feel again. It made me snap.
I packed my bags and ran for the exit as quickly as I could, hitching a ride on the nearest bus away from this supernatural hellhole.
I didn’t care about the consequences. I didn’t care if I made the headmaster upset. I didn’t care if I wound up angering the Vampire Police in the process.
Because this was about me. It was about doing what I had to do to ensure my safety and my state of mind.
Never again would I ever allow myself to be put in a position where I am the victim. Where I feel helpless and weak.
And so, I did what’s forbidden. I ran away from Vampire Academy before graduation.
The last few vampires that did that were never heard from again. And so it was such a surprise that the headmaster allowed me to live or didn’t report me to the authorities to send me to prison.
I continue trekking through the forest, my head still dull with pain and swatting against the mosquitoes buzzing around me.
“What am I doing?” I said in exasperation
The choice was made in total desperation and impulse. There’s no way that The Academy will let me get away with escape….again.
They’ll have my head on a pike for sure. Or they’ll torture me with holy water.
Dropping my back against a tree, I slide down to the ground to the ground. Tears erupt from my eyes, as I can no longer hold them back. I cover my face in shame.
Tears from the bullying. Tears from the pain. Tears from the parents I left behind. Tears from knowing I’ll never be accepted as a vampire, but will never get to live a normal human life.
“It doesn’t have to be this way.” I strong male voice said from in front of me.
I look up to see a tall, handsome man with pale skin and white hair. He has shimmering green eyes, and the most delicate features you could imagine. He’s wearing an entirely-white uniform. Slacks, button-down shirt, and even a cape.
There was a very strong magical aura about him that sent a chill down my spine and overwhelmed my senses.
My eyes widened, and I felt my body tense. I jerked back upon seeing him, because he caught me by surprise.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, pardon me. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Roxas, and I’m a member of the Order of the Fang. We have been watching you.”
I lifted an eyebrow, confused.
“What the hell is the Order of the Fang?” I asked
“I cannot go too far into detail, but we are a secret organization that has been keeping an eye on you for quite a while. And I was sent here to unlock your powers.”
I was confused again. I got up on my feet and took some steps towards him.
“Unlock what powers? I was never gifted with any special powers.” I said
He chuckled.
“Oh, that’s what you think.” he said, pressing his index finger on my forehead.
My body shook and I started to feel dizzy. Everything around me felt like it was shaking. My insides were rumbling.
“What did you do to me?” I said, jumping back.
“You’ll thank me later. Now, don’t run away from the academy. They need you. And you need them more than you know. That’s all I can tell you for now.” he said in his sultry tone.
He waved at me, and his body seemingly disintegrated into thin air. I rubbed my eyes, making sure what I saw wasn’t a mirage.
/>
Picking up my backback, I decided to return back to the academy.
“Let’s give it one more try.” I said to myself
I’m not sure who that stranger was, or what the hell his organization is. But, he sounded really serious about the need for me to return to the Academy.
“I can’t let them take me out this way.” I grumbled
I wasn’t just going to let those goonies bully me into submission and into nothingness. I had to
I immediately felt different. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was….but I could tell that I wasn’t the same person that I was a few minutes ago. I had changed.
My body felt more energetic. There was a new swagger to me.
I’m not sure exactly what happened. However, one thing is for certain.
There’s no way I would ever let them treat me like that again.
Chapter Four
Chapter Four
I spent all night tossing and turning in my bed. Shaking, sweating. I woke up, and my blouse was drenched in sweat. Walking to the mirror affixed to my wall, I can see my eyes glowing…purple? What was going on here?
The rumbling inside me did not go away. It was like there was an earthquake happening at the core of my body, making me convulse on the inside of my body. There was something getting ready to erupt from me, but I didn’t know what it was.
The sun came over the precipice of the sky, gliding up into the air and signaling the beginning of the day.
Isadora hadn’t gotten up yet from bed, and I made sure not to freak out loudly as to not wake her up. Last night, I we had a long conversation about the fight that went down and I didn’t want to worry her any more than she already was.
My heartbeat continues to pulse rapidly, and I brush the hair from the front of my face as I struggle to piece together what’s happening.
“We’ll figure it out.” I grumbled to myself quietly.
But I didn’t have time to just sit around, contemplating about it. I quickly walked to the bathroom to take a quick shower, washing the sweat off my body, put on my uniform, brushed my teeth, and fixed my hair before leaving my room.
“I wonder what people are going to say about my eyes.” I wondered.