by Nisa Ryan
I narrowed my eyes as I read the note. Beneath it was another involving Zane and something about how when the serum was used on someone who was already a monster or undead, the effects were drastically different.
I didn’t know he’d go insane. This is not what I expected at all... it could still be very useful, however; this could be fun.
Waving Agent Giralt over to my side, I gave him orders to collect all the student’s files and notes to review later, these were especially important. A spark of anger set my hair to writhing through the air like a flame on a matchstick; this was unacceptable.
The Professor should never have been allowed to go so far. No, this is far from over, I thought and narrowed my eyes. It looks like I’ll be hanging around here just a bit longer.
∞ ∞ ∞
I had just finished my daily dinner brains with Marybeth and Alicia when Zane came waltzing by, “How’s my favorite zombie today?” he asked, hanging over my shoulders and pretending to bite my neck.
“Eew, gross, Zane. Back off,” I laughed and turned around, slapping at him with my hands to scare him away. He was mostly back to normal, but whatever that serum was, it had left a few permanent side-effects. For one thing, his eyes always held a glow of crimson behind them, making him look scarier than he was, and his ears were permanently tufted with fur - like he was stuck between transformations. I didn’t mind it, I actually enjoyed tugging at them, and it made him cute in a puppy sort of way. Were we dating? No, not at all. I liked Zane but not in that way.
I don’t think I ever did really, I mean he was cute but more like a brother type cute. But we had become good friends. After the quarantine, he’d been allowed to return to the school, but only if he was always accompanied, so I volunteered to be his handler more or less. Alicia, on the other hand, made me question all the things I thought I was looking for in a relationship. She was the fire to my ice.
The beautiful hag grinned at me from across the table over her half-eaten dinner, “What are you up to tonight?” she asked casually. Ever since the ordeal, she’d been much kinder, even nice to me. Her friends, now that they weren’t bound solely to Alicia, had drifted off to make other friends, and though they still spoke with her, they didn’t feel like it was a requirement anymore, and they didn’t tease me either, so that was a plus.
I smiled back, “Actually, I have a meeting with Marybeth and Ms. Walker, but I can catch you in the lounge after that?” I said.
Alicia rolled her eyes as she rests her chin in one hand, she traced her finger over the wooden surface of our table with one finger, “So, you and Marybeth hand out a lot lately. Any particular reason why?” she asked slowly, flicking her eyes up at me her hair billowed across her shoulders, she’d started to wear it short like mine, and her cheeks blushed grey beneath her porcelain skin.
I reached out and gripped her hand, squeezing it within my own, “Not at all. It’s for the student Presidency; she thinks I have a good chance of winning considering all that I’ve done, ya’ know?” I said with a warm smile, “You’re the only hag for me, right?” I smiled wider, lifting her hand to my lips and nibbling on her knuckles just enough to make her giggle.
“Hey, don’t do that,” she stifled her laughter and pulled her hand quickly away, tucking them both beneath the table, “You know I can’t resist when you do that, and everyone can see us,” she said as she quickly surveyed the cafeteria. I grinned; she was so shy it was cute. “No one cares, I’ll see you later okay?” I said as I lifted my tray and waved a little goodbye.
Ms. Walker and Marybeth were already waiting for me; Ms. Walker stood in her usual place behind her desk as Marybeth purveyed the large book collection as the equine lady’s disposal. As I closed the door behind me, they both looked up and smiled,
“Ah, there’s our future student president and agent,” Marybeth said. Ms. Walker nodded her approval as we both took a seat.
Marybeth placed a file on the desk between us, sliding it across the slick surface to me. Ms. Walker’s cat, Salem, stood and with his skeletal claws clicking across the surface of the desk as he settled down and curled up in front of her. Stroking the bones along his spine, she narrowed her eyes,
“Ms. Peters, the Professor, has been located. He is in Transylvania, she said. I looked at her with wide eyes, I had to keep myself from leaping to my feet as I flipped through the file. She continued, “We believe his target is the Dracula family, and they are requesting that you both temporarily transfer to the Undead Academy in Romania to track him down and arrest him,” she said.
Marybeth and I exchanged glances. I’d need to let my family know what was going on, but how? I couldn’t exactly tell them I was working as a junior intern with the Monstrous Investigation Bureau. And Alicia, what was I supposed to tell her. I had no idea how long we would be gone for.
Ms. Walker tapped her fingers across the desk, drawing my attention back to her, “You both need to pack up right away, your flight is in three days, I hope that is an adequate amount of time?” she said. I nodded. I’ll make do.
“You can count on us, Ms. Walker,” I grinned, much to her chagrin. Marybeth gave me a wry look and rolled her eyes. I know my humor sucked, but hey, it made her smile.
Ms. Walker continued to stroke Salem as she spoke, “There is only thing you need to be aware of Ms. Peters, Ms. Salamander,” she said, nodding to each of us in turn, “The Romanian branch in Transylvania is an inclusive institution. One of the first of its kind. You’ll be learning alongside both monsters and humans,” she said with a wink, “We must be able to prove to the humans that we mean them no harm and want to continue to coexist peacefully. Please, be on your best behavior,” she said. I couldn’t help but think that was directed at me.
Epilogue
The Professor stood at his desk and grinned. Even though the MIB had managed to confiscate his Hex Hollow location, he had four other labs to work from and, thanks to the power of the internet, he wasn’t worried about lost files. And as for the serum? He still had plenty of vats filled with the green and black noxious goo he needed to continue his work. In the green vat, ZBY2395 was cooking up, and in the black vat was the Professor’s new and more powerful creation, ZBY2395-1. It had a lot of potential to raise a lot of havoc.
“Professor? Are you down here?” a soft voice echoed through the brick and stone chamber he’d claim as his own. Castle Dracul was old and musty, and it offered few comforts. The Professor ended up having to rig his satellite access for his computers and arrange for cable to bring net along with wi-fi which was actually quite excellent, the Count had been so busy fooling around with his new toys – a cell phone, laptop, and TV with all the movies he could ever want to watch – that he didn’t even pay attention to what the Professor did in the dungeon turned laboratory.
The Professor turned to greet his young guest, Lydia Dracula, the Count’s youngest daughter, crept down the stairs, a candle in her hand to light her way, and into the lab. She observed the canisters with curiosity.
“Over here, dearest, I’m preparing another experiment,” the Professor called, rubbing his hands together for warmth. Despite the fireplace blazing in the corner, it was still chilly; he hated the damned cold. The young girl grinned and ran to him, her black hair like a raven’s wings spread behind her. Lifting her into the air, he hugged her briefly. She was nine and adorable, and insanely curious. He set her down and knelt in front of her, “Why are you still awake, Lydia. It’s nearly 9:30 am?” he asked gently.
Lydia grinned, “I know, but I heard you were working, so I came to see. Is there anything I can help with?” she asked.
The Professor nodded his head, “Yes, actually. There is,” he turned and grabbed a syringe filled with black ooze and, tapping out the bubbles, turned to the dark-haired girl. “This should only sting a little.”
THE END
(for now)
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for reading Undead Academy 1.
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About the Authors
Nisa Ryan is an avid reader and writer of PNR and Asian inspired fantasy-romance. This is her first humorous/horror short story, and she hopes to continue writing many more.
Harumi Giru is a fourteen-year-old High school student who loves anime (especially My Hero Academia). This is her first short story, and she hopes you love reading about Britta as much as she enjoyed helping bring her to life.