Chapter 316

Tessa’s POV

“I have to admit, Mr. Evergreen. This is quite unusual, even for someone under great standings like Ruby,” Headmaster Williams said as we walked into the meeting hall. It was weird being at the vampire academy, but I felt safe being with Joseph, knowing that he would protect me if something bad were to happen.

He kept a protective arm around my shoulders, and I was rushed from the entrance and into this room. Apparently, this room was used a long time ago for visitations, but since the last incident occurred, they had to shut down all visitation rights regardless of how well-behaved the new vampires were. Now, they use this building for board meetings, and it is off-limits for students.

Joseph pulled some strings and managed to get a visitation with Ruby; being a well-respected Elder and professor around this school, Headmaster Williams surprisingly agreed to the request.

“We appreciate your time, Headmaster,” Joseph told him with sincerity. “As I said, I certainly owe you a favor.”

The headmaster looked him over carefully and then nodded.

“Yes, you certainly do,” he agreed.

The headmaster was an older gentleman with grey hair and a thin profile. He was tall; way taller than me and only a bit taller than Joseph. I could tell he’s been around for a very long time.

Within a few minutes, I heard the door opening and I turned to see a woman standing before us. She looked pleasant and she smiled at the headmaster, and he went outside the room to speak with her. I looked up at Joseph whose eyes were fixed on the closed door. A few moments later, Headmaster William walked into the room.

She stepped aside and Ruby walked into the room, looking terrified and confused at the same time. But as soon as she saw me, her eyes widened, and a large smile spread across her face.

“Tessa?” She gasped.

“Hey,” I said lamely.

Ruby wasted no time in running towards me and jumping into my arms. I could see that everyone else was on edge and as soon as we made contact, I felt Ruby’s body tense. She inhaled deeply before taking a reluctant step away from me. I could see that her eyes were no longer the pale blue that used to be, but deep charcoal black.

I stared at her in shock as she got herself together. She blinked a few times and I saw her eyes gradually shift back to their normal color.

“Amazing,” Headmaster Williams whispered in wonder.

“Sorry,” she murmured, shaking her head. “I forgot how strong your scent is. I’m okay though, I promise.” She gave me a small smile.

“You don’t have to apologize, Ruby,” I assured her, returning her smile. “I trust you wholeheartedly.”

“I tried to kill you once, remember?” She reminded me, raising her brows.

“You had just woken up and you were confused,” I reminded her in return.

She shrugged.

“Still,” she murmured.

“How about we sit down at the table,” Joseph suggested.

“I’ll stay over here in case you need me,” Headmaster Williams. “But I doubt there will be any problems with Ruby.”

Ruby smiled at the compliment and followed us over to the table across the room. We sat across from one another while Joseph sat beside me.

“It’s so good to see you, Tess,” Ruby breathed. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I told her honestly. “Did Joseph tell you that you might not have to stay the full 4 years? You might get out sooner.”

“Actually, my dorm advisor mentioned I might only have to stay here for 2 years,” she told me, much to my surprise. I wasn’t expecting her to graduate from this school that soon. Maybe 3 years, but 2? That’s amazing. I couldn’t hold back the smile that formed on my lips as I stared at my best friend. “Oh, that reminds me,” she said, peaking up at Joseph. “As you know, Lucy is my roommate. She doesn’t have anywhere to go. Would she be able to move to your mountain village?”

Joseph nodded without hesitation.

“Of course,” he answered. “I was already assuming she would. I’ll make sure Bernard knows we are getting a new member.”

Ruby smiled at him pleasantly.

“Thank you,” she replied before glancing at me. “Lucy is kind of like my best friend here. She’s amazing. You’ll love her.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I said. “So, how are things with you? Have things been okay here?”

She nodded; something flashed in her eyes for a moment, and I knew there was something she wasn’t saying out loud. It made me curious and a bit worried.

“I enjoy it here more than I thought I would,” she admitted. “I like the professors and some of the other vampires are pretty nice. At least the ones in my section are. I stay clear of those in other sections.” She shuddered as if the thought of them bothered her greatly.

Her eyes shifted downward as she stared at her hands; something was wrong.

“Did you have any more visions?” Joseph asked her suddenly. I looked at Joseph, surprised, and I could see the seriousness of his expression as he stared at her.

I saw Ruby’s face fall even more and now she was biting on her lower lip.

“Ruby?” I asked, staring back at her. “What is it? What did you see?”

She lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“I had a vision this evening,” she told me, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m not really sure how to tell you and I’m so sorry, Tessa…”

“What is it?” I asked again, suddenly extremely nervous. She took a deep breath before answering. “Penny is a vampire…”

My heart fell deep into my stomach; of course, we already suspected such, but now our suspicions were confirmed.

“Eevee…” Joseph whispered, more to himself than to us.

Ruby looked at him surprised.

“She mentioned in the vision that Rick doesn’t even know her real name,” Ruby told him.

I gasped.

“My father??” I asked her, my voice rising. “He was in your vision?”

Her face paled and she nodded her head once.

“Yes,” she said hoarsely. “I’m so sorry… but she killed him. After she killed a horse… she turned on your father and killed him next.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head and staring at Joseph with wide and frightened eyes. “Why would she do that?”

“How did she kill him?” Joseph asked her calmly.

“She drank his blood,” Ruby said, shaking her head as tears pooled in her eyes. “It was awful. I thought at first she was a new vampire and she was waking up for the first time. But after she spoke to him, I realized that wasn’t the case. I think she was using some kind of elixir to keep her bloodlust away… I don’t understand why she still has strong blood lust at all if she’s a mature vampire… it doesn’t make sense. Doesn’t it go away?”

Joseph sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

“Rogue vampires tend to have strong blood lust because they are powerless without their tribe. However, if you never actually learn to manage bloodlust, it doesn’t just go away. It’ll stick with you until you learn proper management. The elixir wasn’t a cure for a bloodlust, more like a band-aid.”

“Kind of like smokers; smoking e-cigarettes doesn’t cure your smoking addiction. You are still addicted to the nicotine,” Ruby said, meeting Joseph’s eyes who nodded in agreement.

“Yes,” he answered. “There’s something inside of the elixir that keeps the bloodlust under control, but it’s just as bad if not worse. Once you go without it…you’ll go through a withdrawal period. No amount of blood will truly satisfy you. You’ll go on a killing spree. That’s why elixirs like that are dangerous and forbidden.”

Tears sprang from my eyes.

“Are you saying that Penny has been taking this elixir and is going to be going through some withdrawal period?” I asked, my voice coming out raspy.

“The elixir is illegal in this part of the world; those who sell it would get into huge trouble,” Joseph further explained. “I don’t know how she would get her hands on something like that, especially for this long.”

We all fell silent before Ruby spoke.

“She mentioned not being able to get anymore because they won’t sell it to her.” This drew our attention to her. “She was freaking out because the person who was able to get it for her was dead and the ones selling it won’t sell it to her directly. She said she needed more blood and that the horse wasn’t enough. Your father tried to plead with her and have her see reason. He said that she doesn’t want to do this and that he knows her better than anyone. She told him he doesn’t even know her real name and then lunged at him.”

I flinched at her words.

“Wait… whoever has been giving her the elixir is dead and the ones selling it won’t sell it to her personally?” Joseph asked, his brows furrowed together. “Which means this person has special and maybe even personal connections with those who created the potion.”

“You mean witches?” I asked, peeking up at him.

He nodded.

“It’s the only thing I can think of,” he admitted.

“Wait… the person is dead…” I whispered, my eyes growing large as reality sunk in. “It had to have been Lucias. He was the one who gave Penny the elixir.”

“Which also means, they truly were working together.”