Ravens' Blood Academy 1: A Vampire Historia Paranormal Fantasy

by Scarlette D'Noire

  Ezzie and the other girls went into a large shed and brought out poles and a large canvas cloth. They handed the stuff off to Jacob and he set up the poles in place around the perimeter of the picnic tables. Bran helped him stretch the canvas above the tables, securing two of the sides when dark rain clouds threatened the tranquility of the early evening sky.

  Large raindrops pelted them as they ran to the main building for cover. I scrambled toward the shed with Kala, but prissy Purina slammed the door shut. She must’ve wedged her foot or something again the door as it wouldn’t open. I banged on the window, yelling for them to let us inside, but she wouldn’t let us in the building. Gabby and Lucinda laughed and mocked us, saying we could melt like the wicked witch for all they cared. As soon as the rain started, I’d thought we were destined to get drenched, but the clouds moved away giving us a reprieve.

  Ezzie opened the door to the shed. “Oh I didn’t know you were out here.”

  Anger bubbled up and spewed out of my mouth. “You didn’t hear the three stooges tell us we couldn’t come in?” I shook my head incredulously and searched her face.

  She pointed to her earbuds dangling around her neck. “No, sorry.” She giggled nervously.

  The innocent smile on her face indicated she wasn’t lying, but I learned from my aunt that even hyena’s laugh and sometimes people smile in your face and stab you in the back.

  “No harm,” I said. “I’m hardly wet.”

  Jacob and Bran peered out the door of the motel, then headed toward the picnic tables to finish setting up the covering. Serena, Lucinda, and Gabby came out of the shed. I smirked at their disappointment since I wasn’t drenched to the bone. They made it halfway over by Roar, Lonan and Raban, and I rolled my eyes at Serena’s brazen attempts to flirt with Roar again.

  A loud thunder filled the air, and we collectively looked up at the sky. A heavy downpour emptied onto the trees behind the picnic tables. The guys sprinted toward the motel again in an attempt to outrun the storm cloud. Serena and the girls headed toward the shed where Kala, Ezzie, and I had safely ducked inside. I stood in the doorway waiting for them, I wouldn’t be meanspirited and lock them out. I glanced over at Arian, he lingered under the tree watching everyone’s discomfort. He moved his hand to the left as if he were swiping something invisible in the air. The girls made it halfway to the shed when the rain cloud shifted directions over their heads.

  The wind picked up swirling leaves and branches on the ground. Buckets of rain fell outside the shed door, and I slammed it shut and peered out the window. The girls changed directions running toward the motel, but the rain cloud appeared to follow, drenching them without mercy. I pressed my face against the window and studied Arian. He waved his hand back and forth through the air then upward, and the rain seemed to scatter in every direction and dissipate. Say what? I must need my vitamins or something.

  Fritz called from the motel doorway for all of us to come inside until the rain passed. Kala ran ahead, but I lingered behind and once the area lay empty, I made me way over to Arian.

  “Am I losing my mind, or did you move those rain clouds? I saw you making gestures and they moved. How did you do that?” I asked dumbfounded.

  “Elemental, my dear Watson.” He squinted his eyes as if peering into my soul.

  I let out a loud giggle. “The saying is, ‘Elementary, my dear Watson.’”

  “Is it?” Arian asked, raising his eyebrows in question.

  “Ummm, yeah. I’m pretty sure it is…” We stood in awkward silence for a moment.

  “Have I answered your inquiries, my little night stalker?”

  “What?” I laughed. “It’s hardly night yet.”

  “Ahhh, but you admit you’re stalking me?” He raised his hands in mock fear. “Please, don’t rip my throat out.” He feigned terror, making his eyes wide. His gaze darted around in an overtly exaggerated manner, as if he were looking for a way out. He held his fingers up in the shape of a cross. “Back, back,” he demanded then laughed. “Surely there are more fitting victims for you? Like Blabby...maybe?” He tilted his head and arched his eyebrows, looking for agreement.

  I puffed my cheeks out stifling a giggle at his nickname for Gabby. “How fitting for Ms. Bigmouth,” I agreed.

  His face grew serious as he gazed into my eyes. “What they pulled in class was uncalled for and shity.” He frowned. “Don’t let them take you down,” he warned. “They do it every semester, and someone needs to stop them.”

  “I won’t,” I promised. In truth, my insides felt like a jellyfish as adrenaline from their hurtful comments floated through my system, but I feigned confidence and plastered on a fake smile. “I’m not scared of them.”

  “Good, because my money is on you, Ms. Nightstalker,” he teased.

  I’m glad he thinks I can beat them. Now, if only I believe it.

  “Bonfire’s cancelled,” Jacob said, greeting us at the door. “Too much rain tonight.”

  The Daga brothers were tossing something between the three of them as Kala jumped and bobbed trying to fetch it from their hands.

  “What’s going on over there?” I asked.

  “The unusual.” Jacob’s monotone voice sounded as if he were bored with it all. “They're always messing with Kala. She’s used to it.” He shrugged. “My vote is pizza if we're not going to BBQ tonight.”

  “My vote is for anything with a lot of dishes for Blabby and her friends to wash,” Arian said.

  “You’re so bad,” I teased. “I love it.” I slapped his arm lightly. “Where’s Roar?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

  Jacob shrugged. “Outside, I guess.” He stared off as though deep in thought. “Yeah, I think he went with Deb to move her motorcycle in the barn and clean up the stuff we took out for the bonfire.”

  “Shouldn’t you guys go help him?” I gazed around the room, Kala seemed to have had enough of the teasing from the Daga brothers, as her face portrayed anger. “Kala could use some back up,” I said, pointing in her direction. “Why don’t you guys go help Roar, so we can get dinner quicker,” I suggested.

  “And you’ll annihilate the Daga clan,” Arian teased.

  “I’ll give it my best shot,” I promised.

  Arian reached his hand out to shake mine. “Deal.”

  I slid my hand into his, prepared to give him a firm handshake, but he turned my hand over and quickly kissed the back of it.

  “At your service.” His moss colored eyes bored into mine, but his gaze didn’t linger. He looked downward, as if the king of one-liners hid a shy demeanor.

  “Make goo-goo eyes later. I’m starving.” Jacob yanked the sleeve of Arian’s duster. “Come on, let's get this over with. Help me convince Deb to get pizza,” Jacob begged.

  Goo-goo eyes?

  “Don’t let your imagination run away with you, Jacob,” I snapped but secretly wondered if Arian had indeed been flirting with me.

  “Give it back!” Kala whined.

  I turned my attention to Kala and her three tormentors. “Leave her alone,” I demanded as I barged up on the four of them. “You good Kala?”

  “Raban won’t give me my hair bow back.” She lunged upward, trying to snatch it from his hands.

  Give it back to her. Right now,” I insisted.

  “Or what?” Bran cut me off.

  “We’re only playing.” Lonan lowered his eyes as if he felt a twinge of guilt for tormenting Kala. “Just give it to her,” he told his brother.

  I yanked the bow from Raban’s hands. “You seem to be the smartest one in the bunch,” I said to Lonan. “Why don’t you lead by example and act like a gentleman?” I softened my voice. “Be honorable.”

  “You want to school us on how to do the noble thing?” Raban glared at me. “Lessons in honor and nobility, by Professor Adora Amb—”

  “Enough.” Lonan cut him off.

  “What did you call me? My name is Adora Jackson. Not whatever insult you were going to hurl. And are you attempting to moc
k me for the painting in the barn?” My breathing increased as every cell of my body felt ready to fight.

  “No, no. Of course, he’s not,” Lonan said, grasping my arm lightly. “Our family founded RBA. He simply meant we understand the code of honor here better than anyone.”

  Bran chimed in. “We've known Kala a long time. She’s sad, so we teased her a bit to get her mind off—”

  “Off your painting,” Raban said. “No one’s insulting you, Adora. Maybe you should take your own advice and lead by example, and act like a lady,”

  Kala groaned. “It’s fine.”

  I took a deep breath and had to admit I might have jumped the gun on these guys. It was Lucinda, Gabby, and Serena who made fun of me and implied my slave status, not the Daga brothers.

  “I apologize for getting testy with you guys,” I offered. “None of you said anything derogatory to me.” I rubbed my forehead. “I’m just a little on edge from Gabby and all her crap,” I whispered to Kala.

  She clasped my hand. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Maybe we can all sit together at dinner, and y’all can get to know Adora a little better,” Kala suggested, nodding her head.

  “We could start over,” I offered.

  “We’ll have to take a rain check.” Lonan glanced at his brothers and turned his palms upward, prodding them to agree. “We have to get back to the academy.”

  Bran’s eyelids crinkled slightly at the edges and seemed a little softer, but his gaze penetrated straight through me. “We’ll see you at school next week.”

  “Wait. This isn’t the school?” I looked around the barren room, and relief twisted through me.

  “Hardly,” Raban scoffed. His inflection and attitude made me doubt he’d accepted my apology.

  “How’s she supposed to know? Silly,” Kala chided. “You guys can’t hang out this week with us?” She pursed her lips into a pout.

  “Uncle Korbin needs us to help get everything ready on campus.” Lonan glanced around. “We should get going.”

  Hottie Professor guy…hmmmm.

  Raban yanked the hair bow out of my hand. “I’ll take that,” he goaded, tossing it to Kala. “Remember, you catch a lot more flies with honey than you do vinegar… Miss Jackson.” He turned on his heels and headed down the hall, not waiting for my reply.

  I stepped outside to get some fresh air and clear my mind. I’d made an ass of myself with the guys from the founding family of the school. Great! But the way they treated Kala irked me. Not that I was any type of expert on love or relationships, but I certainly knew enough from television shows and books to know women should be treated with respect. I made a mental note to talk with Kala at a quieter time.

  I walked around the side of the porch to see if Roar and Arian were almost done cleaning up when I saw someone open a hidden hatch in the ground and peer around. I ducked my head backwards, so they wouldn’t see me and waited a few minutes before sneaking over to the area.

  Carefully, I tiptoed over around the treeline to see someone disappear into the hatch. What are they doing? I turned to go back to the motel, but curiosity won over and I changed course, creeping toward the underground entrance.

  I lifted the heavy lid as quietly as possible and dipped my head inside. Pure blackness didn’t afford me the ability to see anything, but my cell phone flashlight would solve that problem. Determination to see where they were going outweighed my fear as I snuck down the stairs to an underground tunnel, mindful to leave the hatch open for a fast retreat.

  Maybe, one of the kids went to sneak a smoke or something, or they have a secret hideout. The air hung musty and stale, and I stifled a cough. My nose itched uncontrollably from the dank air, but I pushed forward, willing myself not to sneeze. Low sounds guided my way, since I couldn’t shine my flashlight straight in front of me for fear that whoever it was would see it. I thought it best to wait a few paces and let them get farther ahead of me.

  Pins and needles pricked at my arms and legs as adrenaline rushed through my body, urging me to flee. I took a few shallow breaths to try and calm my racing heart. A gnawing need to take off and run propelled me closer. Muffled sounds faded out, so I thought it safe to continue following behind. I came to an intersection, where the tunnel split off into two new paths. Great. Which way? I hung back for a moment to try and hear which direction the sounds were coming from: the left tunnel or right one.

  In true Adora form I dropped my phone, face down blocking out most of my light. Crouching, I groped around the damp ground, until my hand hit the tip of a...boot. A nervous scream erupted from me as I scrambled to find my phone. “Get away from me,” I yelled giving myself away. Heavy footsteps faded in my ears as if they were running away from me. Thank God!

  I grabbed my phone and directed the light down the tunnel, swinging my arms from side to side down the two paths in front of me, but didn’t see anything. Fight or flight kicked in, and I whirled around on my heels to run back to the entrance.

  A flock of some sort of birds squawked behind me, and I instinctively ducked my head and picked up my pace, but they tangled their claws in my hair. My knees buckled as I slapped at my head to free myself from their attack. Then I lurched forward, and face planted in the musty dirt.

  “Leave me alone,” I screamed with all the authority and courage I could. To my relief the birds retreated and flew away from me.

  After a few labored breaths, I managed to get on my feet and run for freedom, heading for the hatch door. I scurried up the stairs and back to safety slamming the opening shut. Gathering all of my strength, I bolted to the porch of the motel and dusted myself off. A rustle in the trees caught my attention. Three ravens flew through the branches as if they were trying to stay hidden.

  My gaze darted around the area to see if the mysterious person, I encountered in the tunnel, lay in wait. A cold chill passed through me, and I thought it best not to try my luck anymore tonight.

  But I planned on finding out what was hidden in those tunnels and who was lurking inside.

  Sneaking into the motel, I hoped to get cleaned up before the other kids saw me covered in dirt and questioned me.

  Once safely inside, I twisted the lock on the door and crept down the hallway to the dorm rooms. To my relief, the dorm was quiet and dark when I twisted the handle. The dim light in the bathroom afforded a path to my salvation. Get cleaned up and get out before anyone sees you. I tiptoed inside, thinking I was alone. To my utter horror, three figures huddled by my bed.

  Swallowing hard, I flipped the light switch. “What are you doing?” A sigh of relief washed through me, competing with my anger. “Why are you by my bed in the dark,” I fumed. “Go over by your own beds,” I demanded.

  “We’re not staying here.” Serena wagged her finger around the room. “In this dusty motel,” she added for effect.

  Gabby and Lucinda chimed in. “As if,’ they said in unison.

  “Then why are the three of you in here? By my things?” I yanked my bag toward me, desperate for the much-needed energy my vitamins would offer.

  “Why are you so dirty,” Gabby asked.

  “She was working in the fields,” Lucinda suggested, and they all broke out in evil laughter.

  Images of simultaneously punching all three in the face ran through my mind, but I thought better of attacking them since I was outnumbered.

  “Shut up,” was my great come back as I tugged my bag open and fished around for my pills.

  “You don’t give the orders around here,” Lucinda said, edging toward me.

  Gabby and Serena circled around behind me, until my only retreat was to plop on my bed. My hand fell to the bag, resting on top Aunt Marea’s book. I quickly snatched it out. “Get away from me or I’ll put a spell on you,” I threatened and let out a howl as their eyes widened.

  “You have your own grimoire.” Lucinda narrowed her eyes to get a better look.

  “Give me that.” Serena lunged toward me and firmly grasped the
edges of my book. She withdrew her hands quickly and let out a yelp.

  “It shocked me!” She shook her hands feverishly then rubbed her thumbs over her fingertips. “Get the book.” She glared at Gabby.

  “Try it,” I challenged them. “And next time, I’ll make it electrocute you,” I fibbed.

  “This isn’t over.” Serena backed away from me with Lucinda and Gabby following suit.

  I had no idea how the book shocked Serena, but if she had half a brain, she’d realize it probably happened from the friction of the carpet under her feet.

  “Get out of here and leave me alone,” I warned. “Or I’ll put a spell on the three of you, turning you into toads.”

  “Right.” Serena rolled her eyes. “One good spell deserves another,” she said. “Remember that, Ah-bore-ah.”

  What the hell does that mean. Once the prissy witches left my room, I fumbled around, looking for my pills, but couldn’t find them. I grabbed a clean set of clothing and figured I’d find them after I cleaned up for dinner.

  After a much-needed shower, I twisted my hair into a knot and secured it on the top of my head with a ball cap. My horizon wobbled then dimmed as hunger pains hit me like a punch in the belly. I have to find my pills. After dumping everything onto my bed, a nervous energy coiled through me, threatening a panic attack. The bottle of pills to regulate my low sugar attacks was still missing after searching for several minutes. Maybe I misplaced it earlier. I folded my legs on my knees and searched under the bed. Hmmm, the last time I saw it was with Roar. Maybe he knows what happened. My jaw throbbed, shooting a dull ache up the side of my head as I clenched my teeth shut.