Academy of Vampires (Fireblood Academy Book 1)

by Nexus Jones

Walking across campus and into the dining hall, I was weaved between students already there to find a table to sit at. I already put Isadora through enough and decided that maybe it was time to branch out a bit. I wanted to give her poor, sweet soul a break. She’s put up with enough of my craziness.

  I scanned the room, looking for a place to sit. My eyes locked upon a student I recognized from around campus but didn’t really have a relationship with. She had long, brown hair with tan skin and . There was a certain cool about her demeanor that made me want to sit next to her. I couldn’t remember her name, but it was at the tip of my tongue.

  “Hi.” I said, walking up to her.

  “Oh, hey. Mira, is it? Pleasure seeing you here. Wait, you have purple eyes?” she asked

  I placed my hand behind my neck in awkward embarrassment.

  “Well that’s kind of a long, weird story.” I said

  “Please sit, I’d love to hear it.”

  Phew. I didn’t have to do that awkward thing where you ask to sit with someone, and they usually say yes but they don’t actually mean it. I felt relieved.

  I took her up on her offer and sat down in the chair, sliding my body on the cold, wooden seat.

  “Thanks a lot, Charlotte.” I said.

  I think her name is Charlotte. Isn’t it? I’m not sure. But she looks like her name would be Charlotte. It’s such a pleasant name that rolls of the tongue and sounds pretty sophisticated.

  “I’m McKenzie.” She said

  Ah fuck, I really butchered it. I felt embarrassed and tried to laugh it off.

  “Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry. I knew that. You just look like this girl from back home I know. Her name was also Charlotte.” I said, lying completely.

  “

  The smell of oatmeal, biscuits, gravy, eggs, and bacon filled my nostrils. I was certainly hungry, so I made sure to scoop them in my plate. However, I didn’t want to look weird to my new acquaintance, so I was careful about eating like a normal person.

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” I said, giving her a warm smile, “I just kind of ran into this guy in the forest who said I have some secret powers, so he claimed to unlock them for me. Crazy story, I know.”

  She looked pretty surprised at the story and her mouth was slightly agape.

  “Wow, that’s really intense. And that made your eyes turn purple? I’ve seen vampires with red eyes, but never purple.”

  She was right. In my short couple years as a vampire, I never saw anyone with eyes like this. Usually, eye color can signify a certain kind of power.

  Red-eyed vampires are typically the ones that have the ability to transform into bats, teleport, shape-shift, and read minds. However, they also are by far the most blood thirsty, and they need to feed a lot more to replenish their energy levels that fuel their powers. Becoming a red-eyed vampire is considered the highest state a vampire can possibly be at.

  Some vampires are lucky and are born with special powers. Like, for instance, I know vampires that have orange eyes and can project energy beams and manipulate the energy around them. Those kinds of powers can only come through genetics.

  Most noble vampire families have some sort of special traits running through their veins.

  But most of us commoners are stuck with the “normal” vampire genes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s just kind of…well…boring. I could never fly, teleport, see into the future, control minds, or any of the other super cool stuff that the most gifted vampires can do.

  Everything about my life has been pretty boring. I’m essentially just like a human except I feed on blood and get burned by holy water.

  Not much upside to being a vampire if you’re like me. I’m pretty much all the worst parts about being a human with the annoying side-effects that come along with being a creature of the night.

  “So what powers do you think you have?”

  “I’m not sure. But I certainly feel different.” I said

  She looked like she had something on her mind, but she did not want to say it. Feeling bold, I decided to push her on it.

  “Do you have something so say?” I asked

  “Oh…no It’s not a big deal.” She replied.

  She looked down at her food again, using her fork to play with it. Her eyes were in a gaze, deep in thought.

  Is she thinking about me? What is she thinking? There’s definitely something going on in her head.

  I could tell that she was holding it back, that she didn’t want to actually address it, so I decided to push again.

  “If you have something to say, just blurt it out.” I said strongly.

  She looked uncomfortable, but after a few seconds of introspection, she finally decided to come out with her thoughts.

  “So…I wanted to apologize to you about what happened the other day. No one deserves to get beaten up.”

  My eyebrows raised in surprise. She knew about it? How? Wait, did they tell everyone?

  “They told people?” I asked in astonishment.

  “Melinda told everyone. She had been plotting against you from the moment that you arrived back.”

  I was taken aback.

  “How do you know this?” I asked

  She chuckled uncomfortably.

  “Melinda is a friend of mine. Well, kind of. We aren’t on the best of terms. I don’t really want to say why. But we’re still in the same social circle of friends and gossip gets around, as you know.”

  She was right. Gossip does get around at this school. And Melinda has never been one to be subtle. She’s well known for saying exactly what she wants, regardless of the consequences or implications. Planning far ahead has never been her strong suit.

  “You and her still share the same friend network…those girls that tag along with her nearly everywhere she goes? Hmm…” I said, deep in thought.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, picking up on my intrigue.

  “I just have something really interesting that I just thought about. A plan, if you will…” I smiled mischievously

  “Revenge, you’re thinking?” she asked

  Smart girl. She picked up on that fast. She’d be a good ally to have in the fight against Melinda and her evil army of hot vampires.

  There’s no reason why I should have to do this alone. Isadora is nice, but she doesn’t have the social and friend network necessary to get back at the evilness that I would call Melinda.

  I need someone that I can trust to help penetrate that inner circle and cause discord and mayhem.

  “You’re right. How smart you are.” I said, trying to flatter her and soften her up.

  I turned my back to look at Melinda’s table. She was sitting with the other elite vampires, all of which were chatting and whispering. Probably about some meaningless gossip that was trashy and pointless. Each and every one of them made me completely angry.

  Don’t get me wrong, the guys are completely hot but, they need to be taught a lesson. They need to be cut down to size and be put in a position that makes them feel weak, needy, and alone.

  Because that’s what they’ve done to me. That’s what they’ve done to so many that attended this school.

  They think they run this place because of who their families are. Because of their last name and their bloodline. And they think they can treat people anyway they want with impunity.

  Ah, the entitlement.

  “Hey, aren’t you in Advanced Dark Magic?” I asked McKenzie.

  “Yeah, why do you ask.” She said, putting down her cup of blood.

  I shot her a look, which she was able to decipher quite quickly.

  I wanted to unleash some gnarly dark magic on Melinda and her trio of douchebags and I was going to need McKenzie’s help in making it happen.

  “You want me to….oh no. We can’t.”

  “We must.” I said, trying to convince her.

  “That’s against the rules.”

  “Just think of what Melinda did to you. I’m not sure what it was, b
ut I know it hurt you. I know it makes you upset.”

  She looked down at her food with a dejected expression. I could tell that my words were cutting deep with her, getting to the core of her emotions. There were some pent up feelings that she had suppressed for quite a while, that were beginning to come to light.

  She looked conflicted. But I knew in this moment that through appealing to her base emotions of rage and resentment that I could sway her to my side.

  “I don’t want to get in trouble.” She said

  “But aren’t you so angry.” I said, “I know Melinda has made you feel pain. She made me feel pain, too. I know how difficult that can be. Don’t you want her to feel a fraction of what she’s made us feel.”

  She looked back up at me, her mouth agape. She was still wrestling with the idea of turning against her former friend and using dark magic to do it.

  And for good reason. Dark Magic should only be used for defensive purposes, and if one actually chooses to use it for any other reason, they could face severe consequences.

  “You’re…..you’re right.” She said, a tear falling down her cheek.

  “Yes…Yes…” I said, “Just think about how much fun it will be to make her suffer. Think about how much happier you will be. Think of the emotional release of finally getting revenge. The school will be better off with a more humble Melinda.” I said with a smile.

  She looked around for a few seconds in internal contemplation, wrestling with the actual morality. But then she looked up at me and nodded.

  “You’re right.” She said, “Melinda needs to be knocked down a peg or two. But I don’t want to get expelled.”

  I reached across the table and clasped her forearm in an attempt to comfort her.

  “Trust me. You won’t have anything to worry about.”

  For some reason, I felt confident about this. And I felt more confident than usual.

  It was as if I weren’t even talking at this moment, but there was someone else pushing me to say these things. I felt more bold, more aggressive in my approach.

  Normally, I wouldn’t be plotting revenge against a sworn rival and trying to utilize a stranger’s skillsets to make it happen. But this was a different case.

  “What exactly do you need from me.”

  I smiled.

  Thanks McKenzie.

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Five

  “A dash of dragon spice should do it.” McKenzie said, pouring a bit of the grey powder from the can into the frothing brown solution.

  Her magic boiled over the brim of the black iron cauldron. Normally, dark magic gives off a pretty strong odor, but McKenzie was knowledgeable enough to cast a deodorizing spell in the basement so no one could sense what we were doing.

  The basement of the school is a pretty cool place. There’s all kind of forbidden equipment down here that we aren’t allowed to use, and this area is off limits, but it’s a rule that’s not strictly enforced.

  I mean, if they caught me down here, I’m sure I’d get a tough talking to by my dorm prefect. But it’s not like they’d kick me out or anything. At worst, it would probably be a detention. And although detentions aren’t fun, they’re really a slap on the wrist compared to the more draconian forms of discipline that take place here.

  The basement was pretty dimly lit, with tiny creatures scurrying in the distance. There weren’t many, but I could sense there were a couple. Kind of like rats, but they’re magical and native to this place.

  The basement leads to dungeons in the depths of the underground, places were students are explicitly told we will face the harshest punishment if we dare try to explore. So of course, I’d never go down there. But even if I wanted to, they’re guarded by some pretty tough magic to get around.

  “Can you hand me the celestial sauce?” she asked gesturing to a vial of glowing blue liquid with sparkling diamond bits floating inside

  “Sure.” I said, handing it to her.

  She took the vial from my hand and poured about a drop into the liquid, turning it a bright blue.

  “That should do the trick.”

  “Powerful stuff.” I said covering my face.

  The liquid shined even brighter and let out a strong odor that smelled similar to bleach.

  “We’re done.” She said with a satisfied look on his face.

  “Now that you’re done, can you tell me exactly what you’re making.”

  “It’s a Serpent Curse.” She said, impressed with herself.

  “I’m going to need an explanation of what that is.”

  “It’s a curse that will turn skin in serpent skin.” She said

  I lifted an eyebrow, both intrigued and creeped out by the thought of turning someone’s skin into that of a serpent.

  But, I won’t lie. I do find it quite fitting and appropriate that her skin would match that of a snake.

  Much like a snake, she’s duplicitous, manipulative, and sneaky. She has a killer instinct and should not be trusted.

  “How does it work? Does she have to drink it?”

  “No, this potion doesn’t have to be consumed. All you have to do is get it on her body.”

  She poured the potion from the cauldron into a small metal canister. She affixed a plastic lid on top, removed her gloves and handed it over to me.

  “Be careful. You don’t want to get any of this stuff on your skin.”

  “Does it have an antidote?”

  “All you need is concentrated fairy dust to get rid of the effects.” She said

  Fairy dust certainly isn’t easy to get around here. One would have to go into the market into town in order to attain some, and it certainly isn’t something that someone can get on the typical student budget. But, as we all know, Melinda isn’t the typical student. If anyone could afford fairy dust, it would be her.

  Secretly, I wish there was a more potent kind of potion that we could use. Something with permanent effects that would really make her pay the cost for what she did to me.

  But, I suppose I shouldn’t get carried away. Giving her a permanent curse would probably land me in deeper trouble than I’m willing to get into. And, I don’t need to really make her life hell. I just need to scare her a bit.

  I placed the potion in a compartment of my backpack, making sure the lid was firmly enough attached so that it wouldn’t spill out and cause a massive mess.

  “That bitch has no idea what’s coming for her.” I said.

  I wanted to let out an evil laugh, but that would be a little too cartoonish, like a villain.

  “I hope she really feels the pain that she put on others.” McKenzie said to me.

  We were doing a good thing. We were doing the right thing. We were doing the thing that would benefit the school.

  Everyone needs to see that Melinda is just a person like the rest of us, and that she needs to be knocked down a peg or two. Seeing her finally crash to the ground in humiliation would be the sweetest pleasure.

  McKenzie and I climbed out of the basement, being careful so that we weren’t seen and then walked down the halls joining the rest of the students. We blended in naturally, although I got some stares from students.

  They were still gossiping and whispering about the fight between me, Austin, and George.

  “Why didn’t you just leave?” someone rudely said

  “Oh, you’ll see.” I said, turning my head to respond.

  And, oh he will.

  I was feeling so much more emboldened, much more empowered than I ever have before. And I have to say, I do believe it has a lot to do with Roxas’s magical touch or whatever it was.

  I certainly do feel like something has been unlocked inside of me, even though I’m not sure exactly what it was.

  I feel more confidence and bravado. I walk with much more swagger than I did before. With my head held high and my shoulders back.

  The blood pumped through my veins and it was like I was on top of the world. There was an adrenaline that coursed through m
e as if I were on Mount Everest. There’s nothing or no one that could stop me at this point.

  I walk up to my locker and change out my books from supernatural biology to magical history of the United States.

  I have an exam coming up in that class, and I think I’ll do better in it than the past one. I only got a C+ on that exam, but I’ve been studying harder, and my memory has rapidly improved.

  Maybe it’s the new powers?

  I’m not sure, but I have some confidence goin in that I will do just fine.

  I feel a tap on my shoulder, and spin around. I hope it’s that bitch Melinda so I can douse this potion on her.

  Oh, it’s Isadora.

  “Whoa, what’s with the eyes?” she asked

  She hadn’t seen them since they transitioned overnight. So I guess that would be a surprise for anyone.

  She seemed in awe of their beauty. And I was, too. But I was more interested in the potential power that they welded.

  “Well, you know that weird guy that I ran into yesterday. I think, this is his work. Strangely colored eyes are a sign of power, you know.”

  “But, which-”

  “I don’t know which powers.” I said, cutting her off.

  I wasn’t trying to be rude, but I knew exactly where she was going with that question ,and I didn’t feel like having to listen through it.

  “Haven’t seen you all day. How are you?”

  “Oh…” I say kind of disappointed to see her, “I’m doing fine.” I say, sliding the backpack on my back carefully as to not cause the potion to spill.

  “You haven’t had any trouble today have you?” she said in a lowered tone as to not arouse the attention of everyone around her.

  “You don’t have to act so secretive about it. Everyone knows what happened. I got my ass kicked.” I said shrugging my shoulders, “But to answer your question, I haven’t even talked to any of those assholes today.”

  “That’s good.” She said, nodding her head, “Just stay away from them and you should be fine. I’m so glad you decided to stay.”

  “Isadora….I don’t plan on staying away from them.” I said with a cocked eyebrow and a wicked grin.

  She could sense that I had plotted something, and her expression changed to one of worry.