Academy of Vampires (Fireblood Academy Book 1)

by Nexus Jones

  “But you’ve always been terrible at casting spells.” She said with a skeptical tone and look

  “I’ve been practicing.”

  “So tell me about what you plan on doing once she gets back from home. I know that Melinda won’t be happy.”

  I let out a sigh.

  “If she tries to pull anything, I’ll have some more curses ready for her.” I said

  Although I would love nothing more than to curse her again. Maybe next time I’ll turn her into a frog. Maybe next, I’ll push her into another dimension. Or maybe I’ll turn her hair into worms.

  All of that is so tempting to think about, but it would be absolutely terrible in practice.

  I can’t get in the habit of using magic to settle scores with people. It could easily backfire.

  I heard a sound coming from the door, and I looked behind me to see a letter slid under it.

  I picked it up and read it.

  Attention, Mira:

  The disciplinary committee would like to see you immediately.

  Sincerely,

  Max Wittock.

  “Oh, fuck.” I mumbled to myself.

  Max Wittock isn’t someone that you want to hear from. The disciplinary committee sucks. Big time. And they will likely punish me with so much severity.

  “Shit.” Izzy said.

  I turned around, and I could see that she was already looking over my shoulder at the letter.

  She could sense that I was worried and inside I was in a total state of panic.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll give you a slap on the wrist.” She said

  “I’m already skating on thin ice, here.” I responded

  “Yeah, but they are getting much better about how they treat the students.” She said, trying to reassure me.

  That was a lie. This place has always operated like a prison. A beautiful prison, but a prison nonetheless.

  There are even rumors of those going to the disciplinary committee not ever returning.

  “I’ll walk you there.” She said in a soft tone to me.

  I took a deep breath and nodded my head, accepting her offer.

  Without a word, she followed me out of the room and across campus.

  I was still on the receiving end of stares from other students, gossiping about me.

  “You’re gonna get what’s coming to you.” A female student, a friend of Melinda, said to me as I walked past her.

  I gave her the middle finger as I continued my trek towards the administrative office.

  She was angry. Good.

  This has to be the work of Melinda. It just has to. Or maybe, they’re finally coming after me because I’m not playing by their rules, that I’ve decided that I want to be my own vampire and not just go by what the Academy wants?

  Let me not get too ahead of myself.

  We stop in front of the administrative building, large and imposing, looking like a rectangular, stone structure from hell.

  Izzy pulls me in for a hug and grabs me tight.

  “No matter what happens, I’m always going to be here for you.” She said

  “Same here.” I said

  I felt so grateful to have her by my side. Inside, I was a nervous wreck, but it was so nice to have a dependable friend to hold me up. Even if figuratively.

  I pulled away from her, although I wanted that embrace to last forever. But I made sure to draw it out as long as I could, because I wasn’t sure if it was going to be my last chance to hug her.

  I inhale deeply and walk up the concrete stairs and pull open the wooden door with a dragon’s head for a doorknob. The interior opens up to a courtroom like setting with darkened lighting, red walls, beige drapes, bookcases lining the walls, and a singular rectangular table sitting before a panel of three judges.

  “Please be seated.” The center judge said.

  The lighting was dim, so I had to squint my eyes to see who it was. Max, of course.

  The other two sitting beside him were Fiona Mellencamp and Blaise Dragonfire.

  I sit in the cold wooden seat, feeling small. I try to look in their faces confidently, trying to project an image of innocence.

  “I’m sure you’re aware why you’re here.” Blaise said.

  “I have an idea…” I said, not wanting to even bring it up.

  “You allegedly used a curse on Melinda.” Fiona said, her silver hair still managing to shimmer in the dark light.

  “Key word being allegedly.” I said, putting my best lawyer impersonation I could from binge-watching Law & Order.

  “Very funny, Ms. Parker. But this Is serious business.” Blaise said, his orange eyes contrasting with his dark brown skin.

  I could feel the tension in the room start to ramp up. They were not happy with me. Not at all.

  And these were three of some of the most powerful students in the entire university. Both metaphorically and literally. All three of them were hyper-powered vampires, with abilities that far surpassing most vampires, even adult ones.

  “Melinda is in a very high level of distress.” Max said, “And she’s wondering if she even wants to come back to the school.”

  As if that’s a bad thing?

  “We have key eye witnesses that you are the one that threw the curse on her, causing her skin to become deformed.” Max continued, “Is this true?”

  My heart started to pound, as I tried to figure out the best course of action. Should I lie? No, there’s too many eye witnesses. There’s no way I would get away with it. I have to tell the truth. Maybe they’ll go easy on me if I’m up front.

  “First, I would like to say that yes, I did it.”

  “Are you aware of the consequences of using forbidden forms of blood magic on school grounds?” Blaise asked

  I took a deep breath.

  “Of course, I’m aware.”

  “And if you are aware of the potential consequences, why shouldn’t we give you the heaviest sentence possible?” he continued.

  I gulped. My hands started to tremble and beads of sweat dripped down my forehead. I balled up my fists as I decided to defend myself once and for all.

  “Because she deserved it.” I said in a moment of brutal honesty.

  They were all taken aback by my comment and surprised. I think I even heard a gasp emerge from one of them.

  Blaise was about to speak before Max held up his hand to silence him.

  “Please continue.” Max said

  I cleared my throat and tried to talk assertively.

  “Melinda is a mean, evil, cruel person. She treats people with absolutely no respect and expects others to bend to her will just because she’s wealthy and comes from a famous vampire family. Look, I know what I did wasn’t right. But someone needed to humble her. It was for the good of the entire academy.”

  Max raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m impressed by your candor, Ms. Parker.” He said, “But unfortunately, we must apply the rules to everyone the same.”

  Max looked at Blaise who nodded his head and then Fiona who did the same.

  It seems as if they already made up their mind on their course of action before I even got here.

  “We have decided that your punishment will be ten years in the pit of demons.”

  My jaw fell on the ground and so did my heart.

  The pit of demons?

  I didn’t even know that was real. I thought it was just a story I heard from around school.

  A dark place in the trenches of hell where souls are tortured for eternity by wicked demons?

  I couldn’t last ten second there, let alone ten years?

  It was rumored they sent Zander Black there after he got caught having sex in the enchanted forest, but that was only a rumor.

  Normally, this is the part where I’d get on the ground and start begging for a lighter sentence, with tears coming down my eyes.

  But this wasn’t a normal situation. I grew angry. My muscles tightened, nostrils flared, hair started floating in mid-
air.

  I could feel a power surge grow inside me, waiting to explode.

  The members of the committee watched in silence, faces unmoved. They’re more powerful than me, and they know it. If I were to try to attack them, they’d have me ripped to shreds in an instant.

  Trying to fight the council- three of the most powerful juvenile vampires in the world- would truly be a fool’s errand. But my body’s natural instincts have been taken over by another force that I cannot control.

  Attack. Attack. Attack. My mind goes into the offensive mode, encouraging me to lunge at them.

  The doors of the building open from behind me.

  “Wait!” I hear a strong, sexy voice that belongs to Paul, of course.

  He’s tailed by both George and Austin.

  “This is a private hearing.” Fiona says in a cool tone.

  Austin walks right to the front of the panel, pushing his finger in Max’s chest.

  “Look here, you overpowered freaks, you’re going to let this girl go.”

  Max swatted his hand away. He looked irritated by his presence.

  “I hope you have a good reason for bringing your friends here, Mr. Longfang.”

  “We aren’t going to let you sentence Mira to death.” He said

  “We weren’t going to. Only ten years in the pit of demons.”

  “Same fucking thing.” He retorted.

  Austin marched up, “You must let her go, immediately. You know who we are.” He said

  They were flaunting their authority and privilege. Of course, none of them were as powerful as the committee if they were to get into a fight. But they were definitely from families that could ruin their reputations and future if they were to get on the wrong sides of them.

  “I’m well aware of who you are.” Max said

  “My father built this building. He built half this school.” George responded, “So you will follow what I say….or else.”

  Max certainly wasn’t pleased with his behavior. I could tell from his face that he was angered. He looked him up and down, before finally relenting.

  “Fine, but if any other student is punished because of Ms. Parker’s actions, then it’s your and your friends’ responsibility.” He said in a stoic manner.

  George leaned out with a satisfied look on his face. He knew what he wanted, and he just got it. He then turned his head to me with a raised eyebrow.

  I felt grateful for his actions so much that I forgot that I couldn’t stand him. I gave him a silent nod, acknowledging what he did for me. But I didn’t want to lead him on to thinking anything else.

  I rose up from the table and turned away, walking out the door. I was still trembling, coming down from what was almost a surely disastrous situation.

  The trio caught up with me as I started walking towards my dorm.

  “Aren’t you going to thank me?” George said in his smug tone.

  I took a deep breath. I hated that I was having to do this, and for him of all people. But it was surely deserved.

  “Thank you.” I forced out of my mouth.

  “Hey, it was my idea to storm the disciplinary hall and confront them.” Paul said

  “But it was my idea to use my parent’s name to threaten them.” George said

  “You two fight like a couple of kids.” Austin said, acting like the only sane person out of the three.

  The sun was pretty much down at this point, and it was shifting to the night. The sky smelled of the crispness of fall, and the leaves had changed to a beautiful brown color. They crunched underneath my feet as I took more steps forward.

  This campus had been so beautiful, that I forgot that there was so much ugliness that happened here. So much ugliness in the students and the way they treated me. Contributing to my depression and plunging me into the depths of unhappiness.

  And so I shut them all out. I shut them out and decided to enclose myself and my emotions into a cocoon of comfort.

  These three guys….

  They aren’t my friends. Why would they do this for me?

  “Why did you all try to help me?” I asked

  “Because we wanted to.” Paul said

  “But I’m the reason that Melinda had to flee school. Isn’t she your best friend?” I asked

  “Yeah, but we kind of like you better.” George said I blushed, looking away and trying to hide it.

  Like me? These three guys? It’s hard for me to imagine that they’d want to hang out with me.

  Each of them has enough net worth to buy the entire continent. However, they’re spending their time trying to woo me? It’s so hard for me to believe that they actually want to…date me?

  No way.

  There’s no way on Earth.

  “Melinda is popular and pretty. Why on Earth would you like me than you would her?”

  “Do you think we’re that shallow? We care about personality, too.”

  My eyebrows jumped in the air at Paul’s statement. I wanted to cackle. Ever since I’ve met these guys, they’ve seemed like the stereotype of what a entitled rich person is.

  “To be completely honest, yes I thought you were shallow.” I said, “Ever since I met you, you guys always went for the prettiest girls and the most popular ones. And I’m obviously….not that.” I said in embarrassment.

  It’s always hard for me to confront my insecurities and feelings of inferiority when it comes to my looks and how I feel about myself. Confidence has never been my strong suit.

  I remember when I was in middle school, everyone made Valentine’s Day cards for each other. Everyone got a few cards, but I gone none. The teacher felt so bad for me, that she made me a card so I wouldn’t feel left out. I know it’s just a stupid middle school activity, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt.

  So no, I’ve never been the center of attention for guys. I’m not necessarily ugly, but I’m not the prettiest. I’m not the best dressed or the coolest.

  My insecurities lurk over my shoulder, but I do the best to keep them buried and out of plain view.

  “Well, we’ve dated all those girls before. They’re boring. We want to try something new.” George said

  “Wouldn’t it ruin your reputations to be seen with someone as unpopular as me?”

  “We run this school. If you were seen with us, we’d be the ones making you popular. You wouldn’t ruin our popularity.” George said

  “Guys, relax. We don’t need to pressure her into anything.” George said

  We stopped in front of my dorm, the lights completely on and buzzing with activity. I turned to each of them to give them a hug and thank them for what they did for me. It’s weird for me to even admit that, because only a few days ago, I would’ve sworn these guys were an enemy.

  “See you later.” I said to them.

  “The same to you.” Paul said.

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Seven

  I thought the next morning would bring me much more joy. But I was wrong.

  I had managed to escape the clutches of the school’s draconian disciplinary squad. But I had to face the toughest challenge of them all. The true final boss.

  Melinda.

  My face dropped as she arrived back on campus, looking back to her old self.

  Well…almost.

  She managed to reverse the curse, but she definitely had a spell cast on her face to make it even prettier. She was already really pretty, but I guess the short time frame in which she wasn’t took a toll on her self esteem.

  As soon as those cafeteria doors opened to reveal her, everyone stopped in their tracks. They all stared at her, in awe of her transformation back.

  She was even wearing a new purple ribbon in her hair. Purple signifying royalty.

  But although she was back and fully repaired physically, her nasty attitude still remained.

  She wasn’t happy. A large scowl was across her face, and she was breathing heavy. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she was marching around the cafeteria, her ey
es searching.

  Searching for me of course.

  She gave me a double-take, as she marched right up to me, her fists balled up. As soon as she was within a two-foot radius, I made sure to warn her not to try anything silly.

  “I suggest you be careful about your next action unless you want to experience another curse.” I said, sipping some blood from my chalice.

  “You have a lot one nerve returning here after what you did. I’m surprised they even let you return.”

  “I have my ways.” I said, smiling and thinking of the trio of hotties that came to my rescue.

  “You were supposed to be sentenced and banished by now! I can’t believe the disciplinary committee is so incompetent.”

  “Things don’t always turn out how you want.” I said, giving her a smug look.

  She was getting even angrier. She thought that she had won the war by trying to get the committee to expel me, but it obviously didn’t work. She didn’t account for the possibility for her closest allies betraying her and undermining her plans.

  Her face becomes even redder, and I can tell that she has some evil plan cooking inside her head right now. Her brain working overtime to figure out how to get back at me.

  “You must leave. If you don’t then I will make sure that your life is a living nightmare. If you thought the last time I sought revenge against you was bad, you have absolutely no idea what you’re in for now.”

  I scoffed.

  “Oh please, I’m not afraid of you. While you might have your friends, I have some of my own.”

  “What, that loser Isadora? I’lll make mincemeat of her, too.” She said

  “Not just her. I have other friends, and they are much more important than you can imagine. Now, I suggest you get out of my face before I decide to throw another curse in it. And this time…it won’t have an antidote.” I said, looking at her with daggers in my eyes.

  A lump formed in her throat as she backed up from my table. Her fists were still balled, and I could tell that she was still angry. But Melinda is a vengeful psychopath, but not stupid.

  There’s no way on Earth that she would run the risk of getting another curse thrown at her. Especially now that she knows that I am willing to actually do it.