Vampire Shifter Academy, page 4
“Kept what from me?” Eva shuffled in her chair.
“It was already prearranged that you would attend Ridgeview Academy,” he said simply.
“If what you’re saying is true, then why wasn’t I told this?” she snapped, biting her tongue, realizing that she was talking to someone in authority, and no matter what, she was taught better than to talk back.
“We advised your parents that it would be best to keep this from you until it was time for you to switch schools.”
“Why?” she wondered again. “What difference would it make, when I’ve never even heard of this school?”
“That, my dear, is exactly the reason.”
“I don’t understand…”
“Ridgeview Academy has been in existence for almost 500 years, during which we have educated numerous young people, such as yourself, with a background which was sometimes unknown even to them. Now, if we want to keep educating these people, we need secrecy, and we have managed to uphold it successfully so far.”
It took a few seconds for all of this to sink in. Secret school. Unknown background.
“What unknown background are you talking about here?” she finally asked, realizing that instead of answering all of her questions, this answer only raised even more.
“Maybe we should leave this for some other time,” he suddenly suggested. “It’s been quite a journey for you so far, and this might only make it more difficult for you.”
“You said you would answer all my questions, right?” she replied, adamant to get the answers she came for. She wasn’t going to let him get away with this.
“That is true.”
“Then answer my question,” she hissed. “Please.”
He looked at her, as if trying to figure out if she was strong enough to handle the truth. The look in her eyes convinced him she was, that she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“The reason why your grandparents weren’t told about Ridgeview Academy was simple,” he started. “All of our students are, in one way or another, connected to vampires.”
“Vampires?” she repeated, suppressing a bout of laughter.
She expected many explanations, even silly and stupid ones, but this one took the cake.
“Yes, vampires,” he confirmed, with full sincerity.
“You expect me to buy that?” she shook her head in disbelief.
“I have no reason to lie to you,” his voice kept that annoyingly soothing tone.
“Unless you kidnapped me and want to ask my grandparents for ransom money.”
“You know your grandparents,” he told her. “You also know the financial state of your parents. You were well off, but you were by no means wealthy. Now, that your parents died, you do inherit some money, but that happens once you turn twenty-one. Your grandparents own their farm and a few animals, which help them make a living. So, tell me honestly, are you really the ideal kidnap victim?”
Eva swallowed heavily, trying to endure the pressured gaze Principal Rannulf was sending her way. She didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. If someone wanted to kidnap a kid for ransom, she definitely wasn’t that kid.
“I would be happy to continue my story now, if you promise not to interrupt me, until I am done.”
A part of her was upset with him, that he had the audacity to talk to her so calmly, about her own life and how it all was changing right before her eyes. But, at the same time, his voice was so soothing. She hated being overpowered by mere words.
“Okay,” she hissed, crossing her arms, like an upset child.
“Your father, Roman Miles, was one of us,” he continued, “a vampire. Your mother knew this, but they decided to keep it from her parents.”
“Did my mom become a vampire, too?” she asked, still not sure whether or not she could believe this story, but at least, she was willing to listen to it all.
“You promised not to interrupt,” he shook his head. “But, no. She gave him her permission to make her into one, but he didn’t want to. Still, he loved your mother, and you are the result of their love. Now, you probably want to ask me if you are a vampire, but no. You are not. You are something in between. You are less than a vampire, but more than a human. A Halfling, if that makes any sense,” he added almost silently. “Tradition dictates that all vampires and Halflings need to attend Ridgeview Academy for at least two years, during which they would be introduced to the nature of their being, if they haven’t been introduced already. Your parents both knew this, and they had contacted me earlier, to arrange everything. Unfortunately, the accident happened, and your grandparents couldn’t have known that these arrangements had been made for you prior to this. So, we needed to get you here, but without them knowing.”
“So, where do they think I am?” Eva wondered.
“Your dad’s sister has already contacted them, with all the necessary papers about you being in her custody, and your parents arranging this around the time you were born. The date and seal will prove this,” he explained.
“Then, why did they think I would be staying with them?”
“Your aunt had… unplanned business to take care of, so she couldn’t arrive or contact them earlier. But, rest assured, they will get all the paperwork and you are, of course, free to call them whenever you want to. They just can’t visit you. You get to visit them at the end of every school year, like all the other students.”
“But, wait a minute…”
Suddenly, Eva remembered something, and her heart burned with hope.
“If my dad was a vampire, then…” she couldn’t even finish what she wanted to say.
If she was wrong, she would be heartbroken, now that her hopes were up once more. She found it difficult to even voice her question.
“He may have survived the crash?” he said it aloud, instead of her. “I am very sorry to disappoint you, but the car exploded with both of them still in it. They were reduced to ashes. Not even a vampire can survive that.”
She lowered her gaze. She felt almost as if she was going through the whole thing again, being told that her parents would never come back home. It hurt like nothing before, and she doubted whether the pain would ever go away.
“So, what happens now?” Eva asked, feeling tears coming on, so she wanted to end this conversation and hide in her room for the time being.
“Well, this is your school now. We are your family, even if you don’t see us as such yet. I have made sure to put you in the same room as someone in a similar situation, so you might feel better surrounded by people who understand your plight. If you wish to call your grandparents, you are free to do so right now.”
He took out a cell phone from his desk drawer and offered it to her, without any further say.
“Talk for as long as you’d like.”
She eyed the phone, then him again. She wanted nothing more than to talk to them, but she was afraid that just hearing her grandma’s voice would reduce her to tears. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare, in her soft, comfy bed, run to the kitchen and hug them both. But, she knew that was impossible.
Quickly and without thinking, she took the phone and dialed the number. She eyed Principal Rannulf, but he obviously had no intention of leaving his office, nor did he offer her to go out and have some privacy during her call. It rang a few times before grandma finally picked up.
“Yes?”
Eva smiled just at hearing her voice.
“Grandma?” she whispered, right into the receiver.
“Eva?” her grandma was shocked to hear her. “Where are you, sweetheart? What’s happening?”
“Everything is okay, grandma,” Eva tried to reassure her, even though she herself wasn’t sure of anything anymore. “I’m with Auntie Hilda. I mean, I was with her, but I’m at the new school already.”
“New school?” her grandma wondered, “I thought you’d be staying with us, but then I wake up, Hilda is here and you’re gone. I am so worried about you, sweetheart.”
“Don’t be, grandma, everything is okay,” Eva repeated. “Auntie explained everything.”
“Yes, she told us about the arrangement. I’m just wondering how no one informed us earlier…”
“I guess no one expects these things, grandma.”
“My clever child,” she sighed heavily, and Eva felt that same heaviness of heart.
The voice of her grandmother was as loving as usual. Eva knew that if she talked to her any longer, she would start crying, and that would worry her even more.
“Listen, grandma, I just called quickly to tell you I’m fine and not to worry about anything. I have to unpack and stuff, so I’ll call you some other day, okay?”
“Can I reach you on this number?” grandma asked.
Eva glanced at Principal Rannulf, because she sensed that he could hear the whole conversation. He just shook his head.
“No, grandma, this is the public number. Everyone is using it. If you need anything, just call auntie.”
“Well, alright then…”
Eva could tell that grandma didn’t really like this idea, but there was nothing she could do.
“I love you, grandma. Tell grandpa the same. I miss you so much,” Eva bit her lip, to prevent herself from crying.
“Love you, too, sweetheart. Call when you can, okay?”
“I will, bye…”
Eva hung up before her grandmother could say anything else. She felt like a monster hand was squeezing her heart harder and harder, and it was about to burst. She had to calm down.
“Are you alright?” principal Rannulf asked, taking the phone from her.
“I’ll be okay,” she replied.
“We’ll make sure of that,” he smiled.
“Thank you,” she managed to muster. “May I be excused now? I would like to go back to my room and prepare for my classes tomorrow.”
“Of course,” he nodded quickly, “and remember, we are all here for whatever you need.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
She was already by the door, waving weakly, then closing the door behind her. Once again, she was in the long, dark corridor, illuminated only by candle light. She wanted to scream, to shout, to cry her heart out. But, this wasn’t the place for that. Nowhere in this school was there a place for that, so she swallowed her pain. She had to be strong. She had to make her parents proud.
Chapter 5
The following morning, Bella’s alarm clock woke them both up at six am. Eva still felt very tired, overwhelmed even, by all the new knowledge that came crashing down on her like an avalanche. Principal Rannulf did explain many of the questions she had, but there were still things which didn’t seem to make sense. One of those things was Principal Rannulf himself. Why was he the one she saw in her grandparents’ room? Did he make sure himself that all students arrived safely? Was everything he told her the truth, or was there something else?
She had a gut feeling that there was more to his story, but she knew he wouldn’t have told her, even if she did ask. She needed to find out on her own. She decided to remain here, and make as little trouble as possible, at the same time, trying to figure out whether the story she was served was the whole truth.
“You awake?”
Eva heard the still sleepy voice of her roommate. She peeped from underneath the covers and saw, to her annoyance, that it was still dark outside. She snorted.
“What the Hell?” Eva frowned. “It’s freaking August. Why is it so dark?”
“It’s always dark here at this time,” Bella shrugged her shoulders, already sitting on the edge of her bed, with her legs firmly planted on the floor. “No matter what the season is.”
“That’s weird…”
“You’ll see there are lots of weirder things here than it being dark at six am,” Bella laughed.
Eva wondered what she meant by that. But, Bella wasn’t in the mood for any more morning chit chat. She’d already grabbed her towel and gone to their shared bathroom, closing the door behind her. Eva heard the shower a few seconds later. Her first thought was to snoop around the room. After all, Principal Rannulf said that he put her in the same room as someone in a similar situation as her. Maybe some snooping might offer an answer or two about things Bella wasn’t in the mood to talk about right now.
But, then, Eva changed her mind. Snooping behind someone’s back was never the right way. She immediately imagined how she herself would feel if she found out that Bella went through her stuff the moment she got in the bathroom and left her alone. It wasn’t who she was. She would have to find out what she needed to know the old fashioned way.
While she was waiting for Bella to finish in the bathroom, she went to her wardrobe and saw her uniform, hanging neatly on one of the hangers, as if she herself had put it there. Her shoes were down in the corner, shiny and ready for her first day. Eva grabbed them, then slammed the door shut.
Bella walked out at that moment, wrapped up in a towel.
“Was there someone at the door?” she asked.
“No,” Eva shook her head.
“I thought I heard the door close, actually slam shut.”
“That was me,” Eva admitted.
“Still upset, huh?”
“A little.”
“Did yesterday’s talk with the principal help?” Bella inquired.
“A little,” Eva repeated.
“It was the same with me,” Bella revealed. “I mean, he seemed to have an answer for every question I had, and it really did make sense when I thought about it. But…”
“You had a gut feeling?” Eva jumped in.
“Exactly,” Bella nodded. “Still do.”
“So, the same thing happened to you, as well?” Eva finally asked what was on her mind since the moment they woke up.
“Similar, I guess. I wasn’t as disoriented as you, when you arrived. I heard that they either bring us here conscious or unconscious. I was lucky to be brought conscious. You, I guess, weren’t that lucky.”
“No,” Eva told her. “I had no idea. It all looked like a nightmare, they broke into my grandparents’ place and drugged them, then drugged me too, and I woke up here, without the slightest idea what was going on.”
“Oh, shit,” Bella’s eyes widened in shock. “That sounds rough. I had no idea it was that bad for you.”
“Trust me, it was.”
“My parents explained it to me at one point, that I had to attend this school. Of course, I didn’t get it, why I had to switch schools all of a sudden, when all my friends were there, but then they dropped the vampire bomb on me, so I couldn’t really say no.”
“So, you’re a vampire?” Eva asked, instinctively wanting to take a step back, but she didn’t want Bella to think that she was afraid of her.
“Yes, but not what they consider a pure blood,” Bella explained. “My mom is a vampire, she bit my dad, and then they had me and my sister. She’s three years younger, so she should be coming here a bit later, too.”
“Then, you’re not really like me.”
“You’re a Halfling?”
“My dad is… well, was a vampire,” Eva paused, feeling that same hand squeeze around her heart, not allowing her to breathe properly, “he didn’t bite my mom. I don’t know if he didn’t want to, or she didn’t want him to, but there. They had me. Then, they died in a car crash. I guess, no one told grandma and grandpa about this school, so we all thought I’d be staying with them. Needless to say, we were all wrong, and now, I’m here.”
“Could be worse,” Bella shrugged her shoulders.
“How?”
“You could have lived your entire life not knowing who you really are.”
Eva thought about it for a second. Bella was right. Even though this was a shock and she was still processing everything, Eva was glad that she’d found out about all this. It explained so many things. She’d always felt a little different, ever since she was little. She could sense things others couldn’t. She could almost understand what an animal wanted, just by looking at it. It was a weird feeling, which she’d always tried to shake off, but it would never really go away, always lingering somewhere in the background. Eva just thought it was some weird inner, gut feeling, but now, she knew it was more. It was what made her so special.
