Chapter 4 A Vampire in the Academy

LOUISA

I stood dumbstruck and short of breath as I stood at the door, replaying what I had seen.

Vampires were vulnerable to silver and that was the only thing that could kill them in any form. I had worn that bracelet since middle school but I never knew I would ever catch a vampire with it.

What shocked me was that this wasn't just any kind of vampire, this was my school guide, the school president.

I gasped and shook my head, drowning in despair. He was standing beside his chair, rubbing his burned palm as he glared at the bracelet. The sheer hatred in his eyes made sickening feelings sprout in my belly.

I forced a gulp down my throat and gripped my fist tightly while my limbs shook. If anyone had walked up to me and pointed out that the boy I had been following around all morning was a fucking vampire, I would not have believed it.

I bit my lips, trying to calm the rage and fear burning in my chest as I forced my feet into the bustling classroom. I dragged my feet towards my desk, my eyes looking at everything in the classroom aside from his face.

My heart was racing with each step I took closer to my desk and my palms were clammy and stiff with fear. I couldn't imagine the nightmare that would befall me while sitting down beside him. What if he suddenly bites me—

“Is this yours?”

I jumped back and my heart jumped up to my throat when I heard his voice right beside me.

I took a deep breath, swung my head in his direction while battling with the fear bubbling in me.

He was staring sharply at me, his eyes dark and piercing but the anger and hatred I found in those eyes some minutes ago were gone.

My eyes travelled down to the bracelet lying on his desk and my heart gave a wild skip. The bracelet suddenly felt repulsive and evil. I was afraid that touching it would likely harm me even though that was quite absurd.

“Isn’t it yours?” his voice came up again and I raised my head.

“Ah! Yes, it is!” I exclaimed and chuckled, forcing my mood to shift to an oblivious joyful mood. I reached for the bracelet and grabbed it from his desk, forcing a grin while nursing the fear pouring in me.

“Forgive me, I think it fell off my wrist, I've been searching everywhere for it—” my words stopped when he sighed and walked away.

The grin on my face fell and my chest tightened in horror as I watched him leave the class.

I sat down and stared at the bracelet in my palm, my heart racing.

What would I do? How do I expose him? No, how do I destroy him?

I looked at the door as the teacher walked in with a ruler in hand and a large smile on his face.

What if he wasn't the only vampire in the school? What if there are more?

My head turned in the direction of my other seat partner and my chest tightened.

What if he were one of them?

I swallowed hard and bit my lips, gripping my shaking hands as the teacher’s words floated in the air.

All through the class, I fought between collapsing in fear of his presence and searching for a solution to wipe out his existence.

“And that will be my last words to you all for today!” My senses slowly returned as the teacher’s loud voice echoed over the classroom. The class was in grumbles, and the faces of everyone, aside from mine and my other seat partners, were crumpled up in anger.

The shrill sound of the bell pierced the air and everyone jerked up while the grumbling got louder. I sat still, staring at the entire class in confusion. No one seemed to mind me as they left the classroom but a lot of people did mind Sebastian and my other lousy partner.

The vampire would pay them no attention, but my other suspect would laugh and share brief kisses with the girls who hovered around him.

At some point, he would look at me with a mocking smirk on his face.

Within me, I hoped he would turn out to be a vampire so I would have a valid reason to hate him and get rid of him.

“You are not going for lunch?” someone spoke beside me and I looked up.

The boy who had told me where to sit earlier was the one standing before me. One of his hands was pushing his spectacles up and the other hand was holding a bunch of books.

I wasn't in the mood for lunch and friendship. If vampires were in town then it meant we would be moving again when my parents got rid of them. I had to study more about vampires in the library than building a friendship that would certainly not last.

I looked at him again, ready to decline his proposal.

“I…” I trailed when I noticed that Sebastian was gone.

“Is everyone going to be at the cafeteria?” I suddenly asked, pushing back my previous decision as an idea broke in.

His eyes narrowed and he hesitantly nodded. “It’s school rules.”

“So even Sebastian must be at the cafeteria, right?” I asked.

The smile on his face dropped and I watched his eyes dim.

“Uhm… of course. Everyone must be there,” he answered, even more hesitant now.

I stood up and packed my books, a smile spreading across my face. I had studied all about the vampires but I had never come across any book that talked about the ones that are humans. We were never taught that some vampires didn't melt in the sun. Sebastian was a more powerful vampire. A vampire that had lived as a human all his life while killing them.

I needed to study him closely if I wanted to find the best way to kill him. I would study his movements, what he eats, and how he moves under the sun. I would study everything about him.

“I’m Ken,” the boy's voice tore me out of my thoughts as we walked down the corridor.

“Louisa,” I replied, forcing a smile to convince him that I had been listening to his talks all along.

“The cafeteria is just a corridor away,” he said as he pointed towards another corridor winding into the left side of the hallway.

“Okay,” I muttered.

We headed into the corridor and with just a few steps ahead, the noise coming from the entrance of the cafeteria filled my ears.

“It’s not this noisy inside,” my companion muttered, chuckling in embarrassment.

“It’s surprising to find it this way to be honest,” I blurted.

“Well,” he shrugged. “ It always happens whenever the school president visits the cafeteria.”

My head swung towards him and my eyes dimmed in confusion.

“Who?”

I grabbed my hand and pulled myself through the tough crowd outside and into the large hall.

“There. That's the school president,” he said as he nudged me in a direction.

My eyes followed his movement and the smile on my face dropped when my eyes fell on the school’s president. His eyes also shifted in my direction and our gaze locked.

My breath hitched and I felt my belly drop when I recognized those cold, hor

rifying eyes.

“That's him. Almighty Vlad Sebastian,” Ken whispered and my heart dropped.