Chapter Fifteen
Looking out at the school gym full of excited children was a little unnerving. Most of them were giving Raven big toothy grins, complete with fangs. The sight of small children with fangs was strange, to say the least. Then again, she’d spent plenty of time around wolf cubs who were likely more dangerous than vampire children. It didn’t take her long to notice not all the grins were of the fanged variety.
“The school has both vampire and human children?” she asked quietly.
Eloise nodded. “Yes, for the last five years. When I started the program, there were some issues. The integration process took time, but I believe it’s important for the children to get along. I want them to grow up to be friends. This is the first step in creating a more peaceful community.”
“Don’t they have trouble with biting?” Raven asked.
“It’s pretty rare,” Eloise explained. “Younger children are fed bagged blood, so they don’t associate biting with feeding. When they reach their teens, we start to discuss feeding responsibly. At our high school, all students are required to take a class on Sex Ed at the same time as feeding safety and etiquette. Having humans attend might sound strange, but it really helps them decide if they want to donate on a more intimate level when they’re adults. It can also help them in relationships later in life. A lot of humans choose not to donate intimately, but they offer blood when in a committed relationship with a vampire. I don’t teach in those grade levels, but I helped with the planning.”
“Why teach it with Sex Ed?” Raven asked.
Eloise blushed. “Feeding can be a very sexual experience. We want both vampires and humans to understand the ramifications of this and act responsibly.”
Raven nodded her understanding. “Yes, it can be quite sexual,” she agreed without thinking.
Eloise gave her a knowing smile. “So, things are going well with my son?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that,” Raven said quickly. “It was just during the blood bond.”
Eloise laughed and put a hand on her arm. “I know there’s nothing going on with you and Connor, yet. Although, I do think you’d make beautiful babies together.”
Raven’s mouth dropped open, but before she could think of anything to say, Eloise continued. “The classes are all here now, so we can begin. Are you ready?”
Raven closed her mouth and took a deep breath. “I guess so.”
Eloise walked to the podium, and the students quieted down. Raven wondered if they were always this well-behaved. “Good morning. I’m excited to introduce a very special guest to you. She has not only agreed to talk to us today, she has also agreed to volunteer in your classes throughout the year, so you’ll all get a chance to meet her personally. Now, I would like to present to you, Raven. Raven is a wood nymph.”
The gym erupted in clapping and cheers as the students bounced on the floor.
Raven gazed out at the eager little faces and smiled. “Good morning, and thank you for making me feel welcome here. I’m excited about getting to know all of you. I want to start by telling you a little about what it means to be a wood nymph, and then I understand each class has a question to ask me.”
“That’s right,” Eloise answered. “Every class gets to ask one question today.”
“I’ll try to answer them all. First, I’d like to show you some of what I can do, and to do that, we’re going to head outside.”
The instructors all lined up their classes so they could follow Raven out to the newly planted saplings lining the front of the school. Raven slipped out of her shoes and sighed at the feel of the dirt beneath her feet. She couldn’t resist the urge to wiggle her toes. She walked among the saplings, touching them each lovingly as she let her power flow into them. She heard the awes of the children as the leaves became thicker, and two of them grew a couple inches. Wildflowers sprang up from the ground. It was a good thing Connor had taken her to the woods recently or Raven wouldn’t have had the power to do something like this.
“How did you do that?” asked a girl with freckles and red hair. She couldn’t have been older than six. Her fangs hung over her bottom lip as she grinned at Raven.
Raven smiled down at the little girl. “I’m connected to nature, and it responds to me. I can make things grow, cause animals to heal faster, and understand the animals of the woods to some extent.” She looked up at the rest of the students. “Like vampires, I don’t age. Wood nymphs originally came from Europe, but many of us moved to this land in the early nineteenth century. Back in those days, there were many humans who still believed in the spirits of nature. We had great freedom to roam the land unharmed. Times changed, and for many years there were very few humans who believed in wood nymphs. During those years, we became accustomed to living away from humans. That’s why so few of us are seen today.”
Raven spoke for another ten minutes.
“Now, I’m going to read off the questions each class decided on,” Eloise explained. “First, what do you eat?”
“I eat human food. When I lived in the woods, I mostly ate fruits and vegetables. We didn’t usually kill for meat. I don’t need the nutrients from it, but I enjoy it.”
“Next, what kind of clothes do wood nymphs wear?” Eloise asked.
Raven smiled, knowing this would shock the students and teachers. “When I live with humans or vampires, I dress like I am now.” She pointed to her jeans, red sweater, and bare feet. “Among other wood nymphs, I don’t wear any clothes.”
There were a lot of giggles and some shocked looks from teachers. One student shouted out. “Don’t you get cold?”
Raven shook her head and smiled. “I don’t get cold or hot.”
“Next question,” Eloise said, obviously trying not to laugh at the children’s shocked expressions. “Do wood nymphs go to school like us?”
“No, we don’t,” Raven replied. “Our elders teach us how to control the elements of nature and other matters related to our survival, but we don’t have formal schools.” She didn’t want to explain how much of their education had to do with sex. “I didn’t learn to read or write until I came to live with humans. In the woods, we don’t have books because there’s no need for those things. Our lives are simpler.”
Thankfully, it was a small school with only seven classes because Raven began to feel like someone was watching her. She looked around and spotted Ian glaring at her from the play structure. Dressed in head to toe black, she assumed he was trying to look intimidating, which made her wish they’d gone back into the gym after her demonstration. One corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk when he caught her eye, and he gave her a mocking salute.
After assuring the children she would visit again, she excused herself and walked across the schoolyard toward Ian. It was probably a mistake. He was obviously angry, and he seemed to hate her. She was also unarmed. Still, she wanted to know why he was there.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
He laughed, but that laugh held no humor. He smiled, but his face held no joy. “I came to learn more about our wood nymph. You’re the most fascinating thing to happen in years.”
“Why do you hate me?” she asked and was satisfied to see the surprise cross his face.
“I don’t hate you, nymph,” he replied with a sneer. “I hate the humans you defend. I hate your stupidity in thinking they’re worth more than the blood in their veins. I hate that you think they’re the poor victims in this world.”
Raven sighed. “And you hate Connor for protecting them from you?”
“Connor is a fool!” he snapped. “Have you seen his back?”
Yes, she had seen his back. It was badly scarred, and she suspected it had been from severe beatings. She nodded.
“Did he tell you how he got those scars?” he asked, leaning down to whisper against her neck like a lover.
She shook her head, not sure she wanted to know.
“Leave her alone, Ian,” Eloise stated in a firm voice.
Ian loo
ked up at Eloise and smiled. “Why are you defending her? You know what humans are capable of. You saw what they did first hand.”
“I still consider myself human,” Eloise said. “It doesn’t matter what disease I contracted or what a group of people decided. I was born human and I remain human. There is good and bad in all of us. There are plenty of good humans. I think most of the ones who believe we’re their enemies only do so out of ignorance.”
“You’re a fool!” Ian snapped.
“Do not ever insult my mother again,” Connor practically growled. Fang limped up beside Connor, growling low in his throat.
“It wasn’t an insult,” Ian ground out. “It was the truth. You’re all fools, and I won’t allow any more deaths to come from your stupidity.”
With that Ian turned on his heel and stormed off.
Raven took Eloise’s shaky hand. “Are you okay?”
Eloise nodded. “I don’t like thinking about the past, but Ian seems determined to bring it up every chance he gets.”
“He won’t be around the school again,” Connor assured her.
“Connor,” Eloise began, “you can’t ban him from the school. Coming here reminds him of Sarah.”
“Who’s Sarah?” Raven asked.
“His daughter,” Connor responded without meeting her eyes. “Humans took his wife and daughter nearly ten years ago. They returned Sarah’s body as a warning. Ian hasn’t been the same since it happened.”
Raven gasped. “How awful! No wonder he has so much hatred for humans.”
“Don’t pity him too much,” Connor told her. “He’s become a danger to us all since then. He refuses to move past it, and he’s become cruel and filled with the need for revenge. Unfortunately, he can’t see that not all humans are bad. He’s been banned from feeding on donors because he’s needlessly cruel. He’s fighting me for power because he wants to destroy all your human settlements.”
That last statement left Raven feeling even more uneasy. If Ian gained power, her friends would be in greater danger. Connor would, as well. She hated to admit it, but she really didn’t want Connor to die. That realization was something she didn’t want to explore. Luckily, Connor picked that moment to be an ass, saving her from the warm fuzzies.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he shouted. “I’d think by this point you’d have figured out Ian is dangerous. Yet, you still march your little ass over and confront him. Do you have a fucking death wish?”
“Connor,” Eloise interrupted, “you’re at a school.”
He nodded and leaned down to hug his mother. “We’ll leave. Sorry about my language.”
She looked concerned, and Raven tried to give her a reassuring smile. It was hard when she was so angry.
Connor grabbed Raven’s arm and started to walk quickly out of the schoolyard and down the street. Poor Fang was struggling to keep up with them. Raven was in no mood for Connor’s attitude. She pretended to stumble, which threw him off balance. When he reached out with his other hand to steady her, she slammed her fist into his diaphragm, causing him to gasp for breath.
“What the hell is your problem?” she snarled as he tried to reach out for her again. She dropped and swept her leg around to knock his legs out from under him. He went down, but when she tried to move back, he quickly rolled to catch her legs and knock her off balance. She expected to hit the sidewalk, but he pulled her down on top of him and then rolled on top of her. She knew she’d lost. He was much heavier, and she wasn’t willing to seriously injure him, so she had no options.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he asked with more amusement than annoyance.
“I don’t like being yelled at and manhandled,” she snapped.
Fang, the traitor, gave them a dismissive yawn.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a sigh. “I know I’m being an asshole, but I panicked when I saw you with Ian. You need to understand he’s really dangerous.”
“I get it,” she huffed. “I’m not as much of an idiot as you seem to think. I wasn’t going to wander off to some secluded location with him. I just wanted to know why he was there.”
“He could have easily taken you away from there,” Connor insisted, standing and reaching out a hand.
“I’m not completely helpless,” she insisted, refusing his outstretched hand.
“Yet, I just took you down with very little effort,” he pointed out.
“Only because I wasn’t willing to seriously hurt you. Had I been willing to break bones, I could have done more damage. I didn’t become a leader among the humans because of my ability to make the crops grow.”
A thoughtful look passed over his face. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the weapon you were carrying.”
“So, just like that we’re done fighting?” she asked in disbelief.
“I won,” he replied. “The fight is over.”
She snorted. “Just keep believing that.”
He ignored her. “I’ve never seen anything like those. Do the humans use them?”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to reveal much about what the humans were using as weapons, but she figured he had a good idea after confiscating her friend’s weapons, so it wouldn’t hurt to talk about hers. “No, they don’t use those. I’ve taught a couple people on my team but most prefer other weapons. I’m the only one who always carries them. There is one other person who carries them most of the time. My father taught me how to use them years ago. They’re called eskrima sticks or yantok. They work best for me because of my speed. We altered them some over the years. Originally, they were made from rattan. That stuff is really durable but impossible to find now. We had to start using hard wood which is heavier, so it doesn’t maneuver as well, and it splinters. That’s probably the reason so few people use them. Originally, they didn’t have the pointed ends, but I added those so I could use them as stakes. Because of my size, I prefer ones around two feet long. My father’s were a little longer but not much.”
“They’re impressive,” he said. “I’d like to see you use them. Do you think you could do a demonstration without being tempted to put one into my heart?”
She snorted. “I’ll think about it, but it definitely won’t be today.”
She stalked off with Fang by her side.
“Raven!” Connor called out.
She stopped but didn’t turn around. “What?” she snapped.
“Did you have shoes when you left the house?” he asked, and she heard the laughter in his voice.
“Damn!” she muttered and hurried back to the school to collect her shoes.
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