by E. C. Fisher
The Hunter’s Blade
An Alexander Van Helsing-Maximillian Story
E.C. Fisher
Copyright © 2021 by E.C. Fisher
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover designed by MiblArt
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
To Be Continued…
Thank you
Chapter One
Mr. Helman stood in front of the class and cleared his throat to get their attention. He waited for the room to go silent, “Attention class, today we have a new student joining us. She comes from overseas.” The door opened and in walked a raven-haired beauty, her skin as white as porcelain. She emitted a glow; it radiated around her. “Please go ahead and introduce yourself to the class.” He gestured to everybody.
Her long straight hair was as black as night and draped down to her hips. She stood at five feet, six inches tall; her skin so porcelain white it glowed. The school uniform, a maroon jacket and a white shirt with a crimson neck ribbon, with a skirt made with dark-hued colors and a plaid pattern, and white ankle socks with black Mary Jane shoes.
“My name is Validina Dracula.” The other students in the class started snickering when they heard her last name. Mr. Helman got the class under control and instructed her to go on with her introduction.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I look forward to meeting and making new friends here.” She went on as if nothing happened.
She bowed a little while she spoke and as she lifted back up she found the gaze of one of the students on her and held it for a short time. A young man with blond hair and blue eyes stared at her openly. He wasn’t gawking at her in the slightest, but the moment their eyes met he fixated on her. Time seemed to stop for a brief moment, but alas, it swiftly passed when she straightened up.
Mr. Helman cleared his throat, “Miss Dracula, your seat will be in the back of the third row, please.”
Validina nodded before moving down the row. She kept her russet eyes forward and didn’t look around at the snickering students.
She thought to herself, Again, in another school greeting people I’ve no interest in being friends with. What’s the point if I’m simply going to be whisked away at a moment’s notice by father?
Her inner voice responded in a snarky tone, Really Validina! Is that how you honestly feel?
How else is there to feel? I’ve never been anywhere long enough to make a ‘genuine’ friend and the thought of just going without a word is too much to take. I would rather not go through something like that.
What about that youngster? He was looking pretty hard at you earlier. I felt something at that moment.
I did, but I am uncertain of how to feel about it. Looking at him now I feel threatened by him for some reason. Every fiber of my being is shouting at me to run away, that he is dangerous to me specifically. It’s really hard for me to control the impulse to attack him.
You need to get control of yourself. He’s sensing your power. Fight it!
The young man flinched in his seat as she passed him, and he jumped from his chair to stand in the middle of class. Why did it feel like she wanted to eat me? His name is Alexander “Alex” Johnson. Eighteen, five feet and eight inches tall, with blond hair, and light blue eyes. He’s not a star athlete or a computer genius. Alex is far from ugly, but not your A-list actor either; just your average run of the mill everyday teenager.
“Mr. Johnson, did you have a question?”
The Johnson family adopted him when he was two years old. The father, Mark Johnson, is a prosperous physician in neuroscience. His spouse, Peggy, is a stay-at-home mother of two identical twin boys named James and Jacob. The Johnson’s didn’t believe they could have children hence why they first adopted. However, less than a year after the adoption went through, they had their boys. When the chance arose for them to send Alex away, they did.
Livingston Private Academy, situated in upstate New York, is the boarding school where the elites of society send their children to learn the ways of the world. He entered through a scholarship his father obtained through his many connections.
“No, sir. I’m sorry to have disturbed the class. Please continue with your lecture.” Alex glanced at her as she seated, but the sensation he felt disappeared. He waved the thought aside as something unexplained.
Alex happened to be the little guppy in the big pond in school. An awkward and shy young man who doesn’t have friends and keeps mostly to himself. He is a trustworthy and honest individual which a few of the students take advantage of due to their influential and wealthy status.
He lost himself in thought as he glanced over to his neighbor without reason. He occasionally found himself in a daze, his mind drawn elsewhere as if being dragged in various directions. It has been happening a lot more recently, but he hasn’t been able to come up with an explanation for it.
“Mr. Johnson,” Mr. Helman said. “Mr. Johnson!” He shouted louder to catch his attention.
“Yes sir, Mr. Helman,” he replied, getting dragged back to reality. The students erupted into a round of snickers at his misfortune. Mr. Helman let it carry for a moment before calming them down.
The hostility and insults he received daily here by the “rich” kids could be considered torture.
“Do I have your attention now, Mr. Johnson?” He stared at him from in front of the classroom.
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well, then. Now please answer my question,” he added.
“I’m sorry sir, what was your question?” His response prompted some giggles from the students around him.
“I asked you to figure out the equation on the board,” he gestured to the blackboard behind him.
Geometry was his least favorite of all mathematics. The problem on the board displayed the radius and diameter of a circle and called for the observer to identify the circumference.
“I do not know the answer, sir.” Who cares about circles and squares and their dimensions or areas or whatever else there is to know?
“I see. Well then, perhaps you should pay attention.” He called on another student to solve the question.
Geometry is Alex’s last class for the day and the school bell is about to ring. However, his problems only grow from there.
The star of the football team was Malcolm Wolfrik. He stands at five feet ten inches, with his medium-length brown hair and brown eyes. He’s a major muscle head. More brawn, less brain. An all-around jackass. He made it his life’s mission to torment Alex every chance he got and if he misses a day, he doubled it up the next time.
Their lockers have been next to each other ever since he enrolled at Livingston Academy. Lucky him.
“If it isn’t my best friend in the whole world, Alex. How have you been doing lately buddy?” Malcolm approached the lockers. He was surrounded by some of the football team and of course, a few of the cheerleaders as well.
“You know we’re not friends Malcolm. Can you just let it go today?” He already knew the answer.
“Come on, old buddy old pal, I’m just having some fun with you. No reason to act cold toward me.” Malcolm leaned against my locker stopping him from opening it.
“If I wan
ted to act cold toward you, Malcolm, I wouldn’t be having this conversation.” Alex struggled to push past him to get to his locker.
“Hey, guys check this out, it’s like an ant struggling to move a rock.” He chuckled at his joke as Alex tried to push him away.
“Just so you know, ants can lift about twenty times their weight, so if I were indeed the ant, you would’ve moved already. But you wouldn’t understand that, now would you? Too much muscle taking up space inside that brawny head of yours.” Alex realized his mistake as everybody around them grew sober.
“Are you calling me fat, nerd?” Malcolm stared down at him then over to his buddies behind him for verification. They just nodded in agreement. “I’ll have you know I have three percent body fat. I know that because the coach just tested us this morning.” He smashed his fist into the locker to reinforce his point.
“I’m not calling you fat. I’m saying you’ve got muscle for brains. And just for the record-” Alex didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence as a massive fist collided with his face.
He found himself in the nurse’s waiting area at school. The headache and pain he felt were typical, but the gentle touch of someone’s hand on his was not. Sitting next to him asleep was Validina. He was startled and somewhat embarrassed to have been seen like this by her. His sudden movements had stirred her.
“You’re finally up?” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
“Is that something you should be asking me after falling asleep yourself? What time is it anyhow?” Alex struggled to redirect the spotlight from him.
“Sorry for watching over you.” She glanced at her wristwatch, “It’s after seven.” She looked up and found herself face-to-face with him.
“Is there something on my face?” Alex asked as she stared at him.
“Yeah, a huge black eye and dried blood. Who was that guy anyway? I saw him punch you, but nothing before that.”
“His name’s Malcolm, Malcolm Wolfrik. He’s our school’s top running back and a grade-A asshole. Well, largely to me he is anyway.” Alex touched his face to feel the cool gel pack covering the bruise around his eye.
“Here, let me change the gel pack for you. The nurse left some supplies out since you were still out cold, and I was here. She asked me to change it when you woke up.” Validina disappeared from the waiting area and headed into the nurse’s office.
“Why did you stay with me? I mean I’m thankful, but you don’t even know me,” I said, as I brought myself up to a sitting position to observe her through the door. The light from the nurse’s office cast her in the shadows.
“No one else seemed to care that you were lying there bleeding, so I ran to grab the nurse and helped carry you here. Since I went that far, I figured staying a little while to make certain you were alright was fine as well.” She entered the waiting area carrying a box with alcohol, gauze, medical tape, and another one of those blue crush packs, “or was I mistaken?” She sat back down setting the box on the table nearby.
“No, not at all. I guess I'm not used to people caring that much about me. As you saw no one cared to even call a teacher or the nurse.” Alex sat up trying to hide his embarrassment.
“No worries. Anyway, turn this way so I can clean you up before we leave. Do you think you need another one of these cold packs to help with the swelling?”
He turned to face her as she gingerly patted a cloth around his swollen nose. She turned the cloth over and splashed some alcohol on it.
He braced himself against the stinging pain of the cloth as she cleaned his swollen nose. To prevent showing her any more weakness, he bit back the pain and put on a brave face. Alex didn’t want to show her any more weakness. He felt a strange feeling as she cared for him. He gazed at her and noticed that she radiated as splendidly in the night as she did earlier in the day.
“Why do you keep looking at me?” She lowered the cloth waiting for his answer.
“I’m sorry—was I staring,” He stumbled with his words as her voice brought him out of the trance.
“Yes, you were,” She moved to grab the box and take out some of the gauze and medical tape.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve never met anyone like you before. You seem to have this mystical glow about you that is just—captivating.” The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I’m sorry, that must sound weird coming from someone you just met.” A cold chill spread across his skin in response to her beauty.
“Well, it is weird, but I’m sure any girl would be happy to hear such compliments about themselves.” Her cheeks gave a slight blush. A moment of awkward silence followed as they didn’t know what else to say.
Validina collected the loose materials and placed them in the box. Alex shifted over to the other side of the couch. The boy’s uniform for Livingston is a red blazer, a white shirt with a red necktie, and khaki pants with a black belt, black socks, and black Oxford shoes. His tie had been loosened and the top buttons of his shirt had been undone. He buttoned his shirt and fixed his tie but realized his pendant was missing. He searched around the couch flipping over the cushions as he thought it might have fallen off and slipped between them.
“Are you missing something?” She had noticed his frantic searching.
“Yes, my pendant. It’s silver with a big M and V merged. It’s a family heirloom. The only thing I have of my parents.” He searched fervently under the couch.
“Is this it?” She unfolded the cloth she used to wipe his blood away.
“Yes. Thank God, you found it. Can you hand it to me?” He outstretched his hand across the table.
She picked up the pendant from the towel and handed it over to Alex. “It must be very important to you.” She placed it in his hand.
“Yes. I don’t know my parents. They died when I was very young. I’m adopted and the family that raised me sent me here on a scholarship. They’re not bad people, it’s just that they finally have the family they wanted, and I don’t fit into their family plans anymore.” He placed the pendant back around his neck.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I lost my mother when I was young. Due to my father’s work, we move around a lot, so I don’t have a lot of opportunities to make friends. I’m not sure if this place will become a permanent home or not.” She tilted her head down as her eyes grew somber.
Alex felt her sadness and the urge to see her smile swelled up inside him. “Way to gloom it up. How about this? Sounds like we both could use a friend, I can be yours?” He tried not to sound too excited at the notion.
“I don’t know when I may leave again. Are you okay with that?” She looked up at him.
They locked eyes and for the second time that day time slowed down to a crawl. The pair were stuck in a moment in time that neither dared to break.
Validina broke away from it first and found Alexander still staring; his eyes glossed over. “Do you hear me, Alexander?” She gave him a slight nudge.
“Oh, yes, of course, I’m okay with that. And you can call me Alex, we’re friends now, right?” Alex smiled as her nudge brought him back to reality.
“Okay Alex, you can call me Vali.”
“Well, I think we should be heading back. Do you live in the dorms as well?” He got up from the couch and grabbed his blazer off the back of the chair.
“No. I live with my father. It’s not far from here, so I can walk by myself.” She exited the waiting area to put the box back into the nurse’s office.
“How can you expect me to let a girl walk alone this late at night by herself? No, I won’t have it. As your new friend, I’m obligated to escort you home.”
Vali exited the office and locked the door behind her. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother and you’re hurt. You shouldn’t be walking too much—you could have a concussion as well. He did hit you pretty hard.” The moonlight surrounded her body and made her glow even more radiant. Alex swallowed hard as he found her indescribable; it was as if she reflected the moonlight off herself. “
You're staring again, Alex.” She crossed the beam of the light and into the darkness of the room.
“I’m sorry. I promise to try not to do that in the future.” He rubbed at the back of his head in embarrassment.
“You don’t have to go that far. It’s just embarrassing to be stared at. How would you feel if it happened to you?” She moved along the shadows toward the door.
If it was you staring at me, I would be okay with it, he thought. A slight smile ran across his lips. Vali waited for him outside as he came back down to Earth.
“Did you forget anything?” He glanced back at her before closing the door.
“Nope! I’ve got everything right here.” She held up her academy bag. She was holding a dark brown messenger bag with two front buckles. Alex realized that he had forgotten his bag.
“Shit! Where’s my bag? I don’t remember seeing it in the nurse’s office.” He panicked as he tried the door. It was locked.
“Don’t worry so much. Here.” She had his bag in her other hand.
“You had it this whole time? Did you enjoy watching me freak out?” Alex grabbed his bag from her hand. His cheeks were blushed.
“Just a bit.” She giggled and covered her mouth to hide her wily smile.
It was the first time Alex saw a true smile on her face. He was captivated by it and her laugh sounded like a sweet melody.
“You’re staring again. How can you break your promise in such a short amount of time?” She stopped laughing and frowned at him.
“I promise not to do it again.” He tried to laugh it off. “Come on Vali, we should get going, it’s getting late.” Alex turned and walked down the hall.
Vali followed a few steps behind him, just enough so he could sense her presence. Alex felt something stir deep inside him. This is it, the beginning of my love story, he thought.