by Lilly Wilder
The heavy iron gate opened up and Mina walked inside following her guide, whose name she didn’t know. Amazingly, the thick fog dispersed and she could see the buildings inside the campus clearly now, the tennis court, the carefully arranged paths, the flower beds and even the small lake right in the middle, with a few ancient looking trees around it. It looked like something created out of a fairy tale. Only, its residents weren’t nearly as well mannered and innocent.
“I was told you were to stay in Dorm Two,” Mina heard the man address her.
He led her all the way to her room and she was surprised when he didn’t enter it. He remained at the threshold, offering her the backpack.
“The Headmaster wanted to welcome you himself,” he continued, “as he does with all our students but he has been prevented in doing so. He is on a trip to the human world and shall be back in about a month, perhaps even longer, after All Hallow’s Eve, depending on his obligations. He shall arrange a welcome meeting then. But, don’t worry. You shall be duly informed.”
“That’s fine,” Mina shrugged her shoulders, letting her backpack drop down to the ground with a loud thumping sound.
“Classes start tomorrow, at 7:00 am sharp. We have taken the liberty of putting all of your books in your locker. Your timetable is on your desk, with the list of classrooms and their locations in the school building.”
He offered her a key, but remained standing at the doorway. Mina frowned, then walked over to him and took the key from his hand.
“Thank you,” she replied, though there was no gratitude audible in her voice.
“Good night, Miss Wing.”
“Good night,” she replied, then closed the door behind him.
She took a deep, soundless breath. Looking around the room, she was happy to see that, at least, the accommodation was kept top notch. She’d arrived in a carriage, but at least the bed was proper and not something filled with straw, like from the Dark Ages, as she was starting to fear. There were two beds but the other one wasn’t occupied. There were also two wardrobes but one was empty. Two desks, two of everything. She figured students usually had a roommate, she just didn’t get one, because she arrived late, as the school year had already started three weeks ago. She’d have to catch up but she didn’t mind. She’d do anything to keep a low profile and try to find out as much as she could about Dante and her brother, before she actually met him.
Rumors were that Dante was the Headmaster here. Mina never found out if that was true or not. She never needed to know. She was happy enough killing his messengers and getting rid of killer vampires, one by one, making the world a better place but, now, everything was important. Anything could be crucial. Anything could mean the difference between life and death. That was why she needed to be ready when facing Dante. She couldn’t just appear before him now, having no ace up her sleeve.
She wondered if Dante really didn’t know she was here. She’d arrived safe and sound but that could mean nothing. He could just be playing. She could wake up, tied up to the bed, her wrists leaking precious fluid into his wooden pots.
The wind howled outside, as if it had a mind of its own, telling her to beware. She made sure the window was locked from the inside, then drew the curtains but the sound remained. It was in the room. It was in her mind.
She took a quick shower and quickly went over her curriculum for the current week. The moment her head touched the pillow, she was fast asleep.
Chapter 5
Mina opened her eyes, and realized that she was feeling well rested. That was a bad sign. That meant that she had surely overslept. She grabbed her phone, and realized to her horror, that it was 6:45 am. She only had fifteen minutes to get ready and get to class.
“Shit, shit, shit!”
Mina jumped out of bed and started stripping on the way to the bathroom, leaving items of clothes on the floor like a trail of breadcrumbs. She brushed her teeth quickly, then rushed over to the wardrobe. A sigh of relief escaped her chest upon seeing her school uniform hanging neatly inside, ironed and pressed. It looked pristine.
She got dressed in less than a minute, grabbed her backpack and rushed outside. The hallway to her dorm was empty. Everyone was already in the school building. She ran over there as quickly as she could. Upon reaching the entrance, she found a map on the wall and tried to remember which class she was supposed to have first.
“English Lit!” she shouted to herself, as a few other students, probably feeling as lost as she was, circled around her, in an effort to find the right classroom.
“You going to English Lit?”
Mina suddenly heard a voice behind her and wondered how, lately, everyone seemed to start talking to her when she was turned around.
“Yeah?” she replied, hopeful that someone else was going and was as late as she was, so at least, they could share the punishment.
“Come on, it’s this way!”
The girl gestured at her to follow her and Mina did as she was instructed, running after the girl down the already empty hallway. The girl turned left, then right, then up a small flight of stairs, then a swift right and the classroom was the last one on the right.
“I never would have been able to find it on my own,” Mina admitted and the girl laughed.
“I know,” the girl replied. “Took me three weeks to learn the route. I’m Reeba, by the way.”
“Lucy,” Mina smiled, trying to sound sincere.
The name was still new and she had to make a conscious effort every time someone asked her for her name, otherwise her cover could be blown before she even got to Dante.
“Now, let’s get in before Mrs. Whittmer comes and sees we’re late.”
Mina rushed in after Reeba and tried to find an empty seat, preferably somewhere in the back. Unfortunately, all of the safe ones in the back were already taken, so Mina just sat down wherever she could. She could almost feel the piercing gazes all around her but she tried not to pay attention to them. Of course, it was a given that everybody would stare at the new kid, for whatever reason. It could be the clothes, the hair, or just the way someone walks. It’s never anything logical, though. She just didn’t want to give them any additional reasons to keep staring at her once this initial curiosity had passed, so she just slumped down into the seat and remained quiet.
A few moments later, a woman waltzed into the classroom on heels much higher than Mina expected from a teacher here in the middle of nowhere. She was wearing just a little too much makeup, especially taking into account her age. Again, Mina was unable to pinpoint her age, even roughly, because she seemed old, but the gleam in her eyes, the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, revealed a woman of much younger age. Then, Mina remembered where she was. Of course all these people were much older than they seemed.
“Alright then, settle down everybody!” she voiced herself, not overly loud, but loud enough for everyone to be able to hear her.
It took a while for everyone to do as they were told and Mina could only hope that she wouldn’t have to do the usual new kid introduction. Being in the line of work she was, Kellam took it upon himself to home school her, though Mina knew of the usual school experience, because she started going to school as a young child. Only once they were left all alone, did Kellam take over full custody of her and make sure she was doing well, both physically as well as psychologically ever since. He managed to make everything interesting. With him, every subject was an adventure just waiting to be discovered, he knew exactly how to create that connection between a student and the subject matter. Mina had always thought, if he wasn’t a vampire slayer, he definitely would have been a teacher and an awesome one.
The very thought of him brought tears to her eyes. For the last two weeks, she’d been immersed in planning for this trip, so she hadn’t even had time to sit down and be sad about everything that had happened. Not that it would do much good anyway. At least, that was what Kellam always used to say. It was better to use
that energy to try and come up with a solution, than sit down, throw in the towel and just cry. Crying had no purpose.
So, Mina bit down on her lower lip, in a futile effort to displace the feeling of discomfort and pain, and gazed forward, waiting to hear what Mrs. Whittmer would say next.
“I see we have a new face here,” she spoke, addressing Mina, who just nodded, feeling helpless. “Why don’t you stand up, dear, and tell us a little about yourself.”
Mina sighed heavily and gazes, like arrows, flew her way. Despite this, she stood up, defiantly.
“My name is Lucy Wing. As Mrs. Whittmer already said, I’m new here. I basically arrived yesterday evening and was almost late because of that.”
A little chuckle of laughter spread throughout the classroom.
“Well, I had no idea!” Mrs. Whittmer suddenly interjected. “I shall have to have a talk with Mr. Colt. He should have left you to rest today. That was quite a journey you undertook.”
Mina smiled weakly. She knew these people were enemies, all of them. At the same time, it felt nice to hear someone say those words and offer some understanding and compassion.
“Thank you,” she replied, “but I’m alright. I need to catch up with the rest of the class, so I don’t mind starting right away.”
“Now, that’s the spirit!” Mrs. Whittmer clapped her hands joyfully. “I love seeing such enthusiasm in students!”
Mina kept on smiling a little awkwardly, until she was gestured by Mrs. Whittmer to sit down and then everyone was instructed to open their books to page 17, as they were about to discuss the Byronic hero in Romantic literature of the 18th century.
Mina wasn’t really listening, even though she loved the subject. It was something that they shared with their mother. They used to spend evenings together, cuddled up on the sofa and their mother would read them the classics. Moby Dick. Madame Bovary. Gulliver’s Travels. The Mysteries of Udolpho. She and her brother knew them all but when they were forced to flee their home, their sanctuary, they had to leave their books behind.
Suddenly, Mina was shaken from her thoughts by the school bell. She rubbed her eyes. She felt drowsy, as if she had fallen asleep during class. She waited until most of the other students were already out and then she made a dash for the door as if her life depended on it. Sometimes, she actually felt like it really did. A second later and she realized that she had left her pen on the table, so she turned around, and bumped into someone who was just behind her.
“Sorry…”
She bent down to pick up the notebook that had fallen out of someone’s hand. The notebook was filled with sketches and drawings, some more, some less detailed, but all very good. Whoever did it had some major talent, that much was obvious.
“Did you draw these?” she asked, giving it back to the guy, whom she recognized was sitting to her right during class.
“Yeah,” he raked his fingers through his hair as he replied, with a coy smile on his face.
He was tall and lean, much taller than Mina. She had to look up at him to be able to see his eyes. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt and Doc Martens boots. If she could imagine a textbook vampire from the modern times, he would be it. Strong, protruding jawbone, glowing smile, sharp canines, skin that hadn’t seen the sun in ages. Mina knew that nowadays, vampires had evolved and they weren’t as affected by sunlight anymore. There were pills or creams which could sort that out easily. Sometimes, she wished she lived back in the old days, when vampires were much more easily killed. Things used to be so simple back then, unlike now.
“You like them?” he asked, seeing she had gotten lost in her thoughts.
“They’re awesome,” she nodded. “You’re really talented.”
“Thanks,” he grinned. “I’m Hendrik.”
“Lucy.”
“Like in the novel? But your surname isn’t Westenra?” he asked.
“Yeah, my mom was really into Dracula,” she laughed at the irony of the situation, but also at the fact that he totally didn’t and wouldn’t get it, until it was too late.
She had chosen her name exactly with the novel, Dracula, in mind. Seeing her real name was Mina and Mina would eventually be Dracula’s downfall in the book but Lucy died in the end, she felt it was only appropriate to have Lucy as a fleeting character who was only a means to a climactic end.
“Yeah, those are tough shoes to fill,” he nodded, still grinning, not realizing how deep in thought she was during this entire conversation.
“Luckily, he’s already dead,” she concluded.
“Or is he?” he wondered aloud. “You can never really tell, you know, until there’s a body and even if there is a body, it could be someone else’s. Or that body could be in such a deep coma that it’s barely possible to feel a pulse and you just go on and pronounce a still living person dead.”
“You know, I never really thought of it like that,” she smiled back.
She had to admit, he knew some interesting stuff. He’d probably be a fun guy to have a coffee and a casual chat with if the circumstances were different.
“Am I interrupting anything?” Reeba peeped through the door.
“No, no,” Mina shook her head. “I was just heading out. Keep drawing, Hendrik.”
“Only if you’ll be my muse,” he winked at her.
“I guess we could arrange that,” Mina raised her eyebrows and walked out of the classroom like a queen.
“Do you know who that is?” Reeba squealed right into her ear, as they were walking down the busy hallway, towards their lockers.
“Not really but I have a feeling you’re gonna tell me,” Mina smiled.
“Hendrik Zane is like the ultimate heartthrob around here.”
“He’s not bad,” Mina shrugged her shoulders, “but I’m not interested. I have other stuff to attend to.”
“Other stuff?” Reeba shook her jokingly by the elbow. “What’s more important than those eyes, than those lips, than those arms? Seriously, tell me.”
“I need to focus on school right now.”
Mina opened her locker, hiding Reeba from plain view. She wasn’t looking for a sidekick or anything of the sort and she definitely wasn’t looking to get involved with a vampire, while she was searching for her lost brother, who was probably kidnapped by someone here. Why were things always so complicated?
“Who says you can’t focus on school and enjoy some Hendrik candy on the side?”
Despite what she was telling herself, Mina liked Reeba. She seemed funny. A nice girl who wanted to help someone out but she couldn’t get close to anyone. It was too dangerous.
“Listen, that’s all fine and dandy but I gotta head to my next class.”
“What do you have?” Reeba rushed after her. “Is it chemistry?”
“Mhm,” Mina nodded, walking without even looking at her.
“Great! We can go there together!”
Whether she wanted her there or not, Reeba wouldn’t leave her side. She sat next to her during chemistry class and then during every subsequent class that week that they shared together. Somehow, fate would have it that their lockers were next to each other and Mina knew she wouldn’t be able to shake her off that easily.
Then, she started thinking, maybe having someone by her side wouldn’t be so bad. Might come in handy if worse comes to worst. She didn’t know what to expect. So, maybe, just maybe, she could have a friend in this place full of enemies, at least until it was time to lay her cards on the table and reveal her true identity. What would happen later… well, she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.
Chapter 6
After biology class was finished, Mina knew that Reeba wanted to hang out but she just wasn’t up for it. She wanted to snoop a little around their botanical garden and see what kind of plants they had. Actually, she wanted to see what she could use in case she needed to fight any of these vampires, who outnumbered her about a million to one. She never had such bad odds
before, so she knew that she needed any help she could get.
She had dinner at the cafeteria. It was some of the worst foods she’d ever tried but she couldn’t complain. She needed sustenance and couldn’t be picky about either food or drink. She waited a little longer, until she was sure that most of the students were out of the main building and either back in their dorm rooms or just out in the main yard. She hoped no one would be as keen as she was to go to the botanical garden after school hours.
The botanical garden was located in the far west part of the main building. There was no key, it was constantly kept open and Mina was grateful for this little favor. At least she didn’t have to break in there to find out what she needed to know. She went in and, immediately, became impressed by the size of the garden and the number of plant species it contained. It was all arranged neatly, carefully, with little clusters of similar looking flowers and herbs growing cozily next to each other. Big plants with huge leaves hung from the ceiling, ivy hung to the walls, climbing all the way up to the window sill and a few benches were scattered around the place, allowing visitors to enjoy the view while resting.
