Mystic Academy

by Scarlett Haven

  I grab the blood from Cayson, drinking it embarrassingly fast. In my mind, blood isn’t as gross as I thought it was at first. I wonder if being a vampire is changing that mindset.

  As soon as I’m finished, I’m surprised by how much better I feel. My eyes aren’t as heavy, my legs aren’t as achy, and my mind feels clear. I have no idea how I didn’t notice that before, but that’s way better than any caffeinated beverage I’ve ever had.

  I go through the clothes Cayson got me and pick out my outfit for the day.

  “I really like this dress.” Cayson points at the red dress hanging in the walk-in closet.

  I can’t believe he talked me into getting that dress.

  It is pretty, but I don’t know when I’ll ever get to wear it. It’s definitely not school appropriate. Though, I’ve got to be honest, vampire school doesn’t exactly have a dress code.

  “I’m not wearing that to school today.”

  “I’ll give you an excuse to wear it soon.” He winks at me, smacks me on the butt, and leaves the closet.

  Just like that, I want to completely skip school and just hang out with my mate today.

  “I like that idea,” he says from the other room.

  But I can’t skip school. I need to learn all I can and graduate, then I will spend every waking moment with my sexy mate.

  If I were going to school in Colorado, I’d probably wear jeans and a hoodie, but it’s a lot warmer here than it is there. Instead, I put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that has the name of some surf shop on it. I also grab some flip flops, which I only got to wear in the summer months in Colorado.

  When I walk out of the closet, I notice Cayson has now changed clothes. He’s wearing something a little nicer. I’ve only seen him wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but he’s wearing dress pants with a dress shirt. The dress shirt sleeves are rolled up, making it look more casual.

  My mate is hot.

  How did I get so lucky?

  “You’re very dressed up,” I comment.

  “I have to meet with my brother. He’s in town.” Cayson frowns. “I’ll be back later, but you might get out of school before I get back.”

  “I’ll be fine.” I walk over to him and stand on the tips of my toes to give him a kiss.

  Cayson puts his arms around me and smiles. “I should probably let you make friends anyway. If I’m here, I will want you all to myself.”

  “I’m okay with you keeping me all to yourself.”

  My mate has turned me into a sex-crazed girl and I’m not even upset about it. In fact, I like it.

  “What ever happened to Asa, by the way?” I ask.

  “He’s still in town. He’s just not staying at the school.” Cayson shrugs. “He’s an elitist, and Mystic Academy doesn’t really like elitists coming by, even though he is on the side of turned vampires.”

  I nod. “He’s your friend?”

  “He’s been my best friend for over one hundred years now.”

  Wow.

  I want that kind of friendship.

  I’ve never had a friendship that has lasted very long. And in high school, Cassie scared away anybody who tried to make friends with me.

  “Is it really that big of a deal that I’m turned?” I ask.

  “Screw what anybody else thinks.” He says it so simply.

  I’ve never been one to really care what others think. But this is my new world and I want to fit in. I want people to like me simply because I’ve never been ‘liked’ before.

  “I’ll be honest. Some people aren’t going to like that you’re turned,” Cayson explains. “Some people won’t care because you were turned by me, part of the first family, which essentially makes you an elitist. But some people are going to think that you’re beneath them. You’re not. Those people have a sick mindset. I’m hoping to change that horrible way of thinking soon. It’s what Asa and I have been working so hard for.”

  My heart warms at the thought of my mate working hard to make sure nobody feels left out.

  I don’t think I could’ve picked a better mate.

  “Is that why you’re allowed at Mystic Academy?” I ask. “Because even though you’re an elitist, you’re technically a turned vampire.”

  He shakes his head. “I’m allowed because I’m Cayson Ingram. Don’t get me wrong, Riley. The turned vampires are just as bad at the elitists.”

  That’s sad.

  “I’d like to help,” I offer.

  He grins. “Just you being here helps.”

  “I’m glad I can help, but I definitely want to do more,” I say. “I know I just got here, but this is my world now too. I want to help fight for what is right.”

  “And so you will.” He kisses the top of my head and I lean into his embrace.

  Cayson Ingram is mine and I am his.

  It doesn’t get any better than this.

  7:45 pm

  Out for blood.

  Cayson walks me to class, gives me a quick kiss on the lips, and then disappears down the hallway. I’m sad I won’t be seeing him until after school is over, but maybe this will be good. Maybe I need to spend some time getting to know my classmates. But not Ashley—she can choke on blood.

  Uh, that was rude. I’m sure Ashley is a nice girl. She just…

  No, you know what, she’s rude. And I can think so in my own head.

  When I walk into the classroom, it’s nearly full already. Everybody stops talking all at once and turns to look at me. For a second, I think maybe I forgot to put on shorts, but after a quick glance down I see that I am fully dressed.

  Do I have something on my face?

  I try to subtly wipe at my mouth.

  “Congratulations.” Abi bounces up to me, followed by Hannah.

  I dart a glance between the two. “Congratulations?”

  “On being mated.” Hannah grins. “How was it?”

  Abi elbows Hannah. “You can’t just ask somebody how sex was.” She turns to me. “Please excuse Hannah’s bad manners. I keep trying to train her, but she never learns.”

  Hannah rolls her eyes.

  “Wait.” I hold up a hand. “How do you know that Cayson and I completed the mate bond.”

  “Uh, we can smell it.” Abi raises an eyebrow. “Duh.”

  They can smell it?

  I lift my shirt to my nose and sniff. It smells like… like a new shirt.

  “She doesn’t mean we can smell the sex on you.” Hannah giggles. “We can smell your soap. Clearly you showered. I just mean that you now carry Cayson’s scent. It’s like… a deterrent to other vampires. They know that you belong to somebody else, so they will leave you alone.”

  My mouth falls open. “Seriously?”

  She nods.

  “If it makes you feel any better, Cayson carries your scent too,” Abi adds. “It goes both ways.”

  That does make me feel better, but I wonder why Cayson didn’t tell me. He knows I’m new to this. But then again, maybe he just didn’t think about it. He’s been a vampire for so long, a lot of this is probably so normal to him that he wouldn’t think to tell me.

  I don’t know why, but I feel this sense of pride that Cayson smells like me. It’s like I’m telling the world he’s mine—it’s a good feeling.

  “Come sit with us.” Hannah motions me to follow her. “We saved you a seat.”

  I follow Abi and Hannah to the back of the room and sit beside Hannah.

  I like Abi and Hannah. They seem a little immature, but I think we could get along and really become friends.

  The door opens, and I watch as Ashley walks through. She stiffens as she smells the air and her dark eyes dart to mine. I swear her dark blue eyes turn black when she’s looking at me and I’m wondering if that’s a vampire thing—if our eyes grow darker when we’re mad. It’s not the first time I’ve seen it.

  Ashley glares at me as she makes her way to her desk. Thankfully she doesn’t come toward me. She sits down on the opposite side of the room and faces forward. She’
s probably contemplating all the ways she wants to murder me.

  “Yikes,” Hannah whispers. “That girl is out for blood.”

  I laugh at the irony of a vampire being ‘out for blood.’ I look away from Ashley toward Hannah.

  “Should I be concerned?” I ask.

  “Nah. She’s all bark and no bite.” Abi rolls her eyes. “Everybody knows she’s lusted over Cayson since she arrived. I guess her father is close with Cayson’s older brother and she was probably hoping to be Cayson’s mate, but everybody knows it doesn’t work like that. You can’t choose your mate. Fate chooses.”

  “I’m glad fate chooses,” Hannah says. “Fate is much better at choosing than us.”

  “Amen to that.” Abi laughs.

  I’m glad fate chose me for Cayson. Honestly, I can’t blame Ashley for being jealous. I’d be jealous too. Cayson is perfect, and I would think that even if he weren’t mine.

  I know it’s true because even before I knew Cayson was mine, I wanted him. When I first woke up and laid eyes on him, I just knew… but then again, maybe that’s a fate thing.

  I thought he hated me. He kind of acted like he did. Now I know he was just upset that he changed me—well, at first. He was disappointed in himself that he did it without asking me. I guess he thought I would be mad at him, but that’s not the case at all. I’m glad everything happened the way it did—it couldn’t have been more perfect.

  “I’m glad you’re Cayson’s mate. You seem like a good fit for him,” Hannah adds, almost as an afterthought.

  She’s right though.

  Cayson and I are perfect together.

  I guess fate really does get it right.

  12:30 am

  For real this time.

  When class is over, I’m a little sad knowing that Cayson isn’t waiting for me outside to walk me to our room. I hope that whatever he’s doing doesn’t take too long because I already miss him, which makes me feel really pathetic.

  “Is the boy toy waiting outside the door for you today again?” Hannah asks, a joking grin on her face.

  “No. He had to go do something, but he’ll be back later.”

  “Bummer,” Abi says.

  “We might hit up one of the vampire clubs in town if you wanna come with us.” Hannah stuffs her books into her bag.

  I shake my head. “Clubs aren’t really my thing.”

  “It’s okay.” She shrugs. “Abi and I just go to scope on guys.”

  Abi giggles. “I scope, Hannah gets hit on.”

  Hannah rolls her blue eyes. “Whatever. The guys totally dig the whole Snow White thing you have going on.”

  Ha.

  I didn’t even think of that before, but Abi does look a little bit like Snow White. She has the dark eyes and the black hair that is cut into a bob. She’s even wearing bright red lipstick today. She looks like a total babe.

  Abi just shrugs, like she doesn’t get it. “Well, you have the Barbie thing going on, which guys like more than Snow White.”

  Hannah wrinkles her nose.

  “What about Riley?” Abi taps her chin. “Who does she look like?”

  I don’t look like any Disney princess, so they’re out of luck.

  “Belle with blue eyes?” Hannah suggests.

  “No.” Abi shakes her head. “Oh… maybe like Ariel and Prince Eric’s daughter.”

  “No.” Hannah purses her lips, then shrugs. “She just looks unique.”

  I grin at that.

  I mean… sure, I’d love to look like a Disney princess, but unique is better.

  “Have fun at the vampire club tonight,” I say.

  “Oh, we will.” Hannah smirks. “See you later, Riley.”

  “Bye.” I wave at them and leave the classroom. My heart sinks when I get out into the hallway and Cayson isn’t there. I mean, I knew he wouldn’t be, but part of me still hoped he’d make it back early.

  I am glad that Ashley is nowhere to be seen. She left class the second it was over and I’m just relieved she didn’t stick around to bully me. Though, I think Cayson’s threat yesterday scared her into being nice.

  Well… not nice, but at least not being a bully anymore.

  I make my way up to my room, thinking how weird it is being without Cayson. I’ve already gotten so used to having him around. When I think about it, he’s probably busy a lot. I shouldn’t be too dependent on him.

  Maybe I should have stayed downstairs longer. Maybe I should’ve tried talking to the other girls in class.

  Then again, Ms. Nancy, my old nurse, always told me that she isn’t friends with anybody she knew from high school. She told me every single friend she still has she made in college or now that she’s working. She doesn’t keep up with anybody from high school anymore.

  High school is weird because you’re forced to make bonds with people you might not have a lot in common with. But in college, you can explore and find friends you share interests with.

  When I get to my room it’s already unlocked. We probably should’ve locked it before we left, but I don’t think anybody will mess with our stuff here.

  I toss my bag onto the floor, shutting the door behind me. What should I do now? There’s no homework to complete. I suppose I could watch TV, but I don’t even know what I would watch; I’ve never been big on TV. I also don’t have a cellphone, so I can’t mindlessly scroll through social media. Even if I could, I can’t exactly have social media now that I’m dead. If somebody from my old life saw me, that would be really bad.

  I make my way into the bathroom to brush my teeth. As a vampire, I don’t have the same hygienic needs as I did when I was human, but I still like to brush my teeth three times a day out of habit.

  I look at my teeth as I brush them. They don’t really look that much different—just whiter. I figured they would be sharper. In movies, vampires always have fangs, but my teeth just look like human teeth.

  When I bend down to rinse, I hear something move behind me. Thinking it’s Cayson, I rush through rinsing and shut off the sink. As I go to stand up, my eyes meet somebody else’s in the mirror. Eyes that definitely don’t belong to Cayson.

  “Ashley.” I tilt my head to the side, looking at her through the mirror. “What are you doing here?”

  That’s when I notice the wooden stake in her hand. My heart races in terror and I try to turn around to fight her, but she pushes she stake into my back hard. I feel a blinding pain burst through my body and the edges of my vision go white. I fall onto my knees, trying to hold myself up with the counter. The stake is pulled out of my skin and I feel an instantly relief—almost like my body is healing itself. But a few seconds later, she pushes the stake harder into the same spot. This time I can’t hold myself up and I fall onto the ground.

  My stomach aches and I vomit onto the bathroom floor.

  There’s so much blood everywhere.

  This is it—I’m about to die. For real this time.

  Ashley removes the stake one more time and I breathe a deep breath one last time before she pushes the stake in again. She shoves it in farther this time and my vision goes completely black.

  I always thought death would be like it is in the movies—like a montage of all the happy times in your life. I thought it would be peaceful, maybe even pleasant. But the movies lied. It’s anything but peaceful. Dying freaking hurts. And the montage? There is no reliving the happy moments. Though, there is one happy thought at the forefront of my mind—Cayson. At least I got to know him even if it was for such a short time.

  Every time I feel relief, I am sucked back under by the pain and the anguish. I just want the pain to be over.

  Finally… after what feels like forever… the pain comes to an end and I am able to enjoy the peace and tranquility that comes with being dead.

  1:10 am

  Perfect for you.

  Everything is too bright, and my ears are ringing, but I feel so warm and comfortable. I sigh, scooting closer to the warmth.

  Being for real d
ead isn’t so bad. I can even smell Cayson, which is nice. He smells good—like sandalwood and the ocean. Like… home.

  I think Cayson is what I will miss the most about living.

  “Riley.”

  I hear the words over the ringing sound in my ears and I try to open my eyes to see who is calling my name, but they feel like they were super glued shut. I feel something in my mouth—some kind of liquid.

  It’s blood.

  I swallow it greedily while more is poured into my mouth.

  Finally, I am able to open my eyes. First, I look at the white ceiling, blinking a few times.

  What the heck?

  I realize now that I am being cradled in somebody’s arms. My eyes meet a pair of green eyes.

  “Cayson…” I try to say his name, but it catches in my throat.

  “Drink more.” He pours more blood into my mouth and I drink it as quickly as he can pour.

  When that bag is empty, I reach up my hand to his face. My arm is heavy—it feels like it weighs one hundred pounds, but I have to touch him. When I do, I notice my hand is cover in blood. So is my arm.

  “What happened?” I whisper.

  That’s when I notice the blood under Cayson’s eyes. He’s been crying.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, trying to wipe the blood away, but I just make it worse.

  “You need to drink more.” He moves his arm to grab something and puts a straw up to my lips. I suck down a third bag of blood. Each swallow gives me more energy and clarity. The fog in my head starts to lift as I remember what happened.

  Cayson pulls the empty bag away from my lips.

  “Ashley…” My voice trails off as I say her name.

  “I know.” He pulls me closer. “Don’t worry about her.”

  Cayson pulls me fully into his arms, pressing my face against his shoulder, and he stands up, carrying me out of the bathroom. Part of me wants to look and see how much blood is in the room. I know I lost a lot of blood. A dangerous amount.

  How am I not dead?

  Cayson walks us out of the room and into a room across the hallway. He doesn’t stop until we enter another bathroom. With our clothes still on, he carries me into the shower and starts to wash the blood off of us.