by Lilly Wilder
I knew there was another reason why Arthur wanted me to cultivate a life in the outside world, although we didn’t talk about it. You see, the Slayer ability was passed down through the bloodlines, so the only way to truly kill a Slayer is to kill the last woman in her bloodline. Currently, that’s me. I have no sister and my aunt never had children. She died before she could have a family and I knew that, for the good of the world, I should have a daughter of my own to ensure that there was a warrior to take my place one day, but that was almost too much to ask.
Going out every night to kill vampires? Sure thing, I can do that, but having a family? That means falling in love, forming attachments, making myself vulnerable…I wasn’t sure about that. Physical pain could heal, but emotional pain, that was the one that really scarred.
It wasn’t as though I’d ever been taught how to be a parent either. My parents had died when I was very young, so young that I barely remember them now. Their faces are ghosts in my mind and their voices are just whispered echoes. I still have a scar on my stomach from the car crash. Sometimes it haunts my nightmares as well.
I was taken to an orphanage, being told that I had no family who wanted to claim me. I learned how to survive, how to fight for what I wanted, but no family ever wanted me. Maybe they sensed I was different. Maybe they saw something in my eyes but, whatever it was, they left me to rot in that place. I was unwanted and that was the most painful thing of all.
The nuns who ran the orphanage made sure I had a good education, but it didn’t seem like my prospects were going to be any good in the real world.
Then Arthur had come along. I’ll always remember that day. I was helping to teach one of the younger girls to read, and I had been filled with such pity, and even a little bit of envy. I’d seen so many kids come and go from the orphanage. There were only a few who were like me, and nobody could explain why, it was just one of those unfortunate things that happened. I knew that this other girl was going to be chosen and given a loving home, provided with love, care, support, and all the things that a kid should have, but I was never going to have that. My childhood had disappeared and it could never be claimed back. It was just gone, vanished, and I would always mourn the childhood I could have had.
But I was teaching her to read, and then, Sister Agatha came to me with a strange look on her face. She said there was someone I needed to meet. Arthur was standing there with his briefcase in hand, wearing his brown suit that was a little too tight for him. He smiled at me weakly.
“Elsa,” he said, “I have to speak with you. I knew your aunt.”
My first reaction had been one of anger.
“If I had an aunt then why didn’t she get me out of here?” I screamed.
Arthur went on to explain that she had a dangerous line of work and she didn’t want to put me in danger, but that she had died. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I learned I had an aunt who didn’t want anything to do with me, now I learned I’d just lost the last family I had. Arthur handed me a letter from her and told me to read it.
I couldn’t believe what I was reading. She talked about the bloodline and tried to explain her actions and why she had stayed away. She also talked about my parents and had a few trinkets of theirs. It was nice to read about her memories of them, and I still wear a pendant that was my mother’s even today. I looked at Arthur with disbelief when I read the part about the Slayers.
“You have to be kidding me,” I said.
Arthur glanced around and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
“It’s all real. You’re going to start to feel different soon. I know you don’t believe me, but when you do, come to this address.” He handed me a card with an address stamped on it. He left my aunt’s possessions with me and then he departed. I thought he was a kooky old man and I had no idea what had happened to my aunt, but it seemed she had lost her mind. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but later that night and through the next few days I did feel different. I felt stronger and faster, and I wasn’t sure what was happening. I was beginning to have dreams, as well, but they didn’t feel like my dreams, they were the dreams of other people from long ago, people I didn’t even know.
Eventually, I went to Arthur and he told me everything. The dreams turned out to be echoes of my ancestors, and he assured me they would calm as I became used to my new powers. I still wasn’t sure if this was all real, or if it was some kind of elaborate magic trick, but then he asked me if I would rather live in denial and go back to the orphanage, living an ordinary life, or take a chance, believe him, and become something greater than I ever could have imagined.
I chose the latter, obviously, and I didn’t regret my choice. My life was firmly divided into two parts and, at least, being a Slayer I knew I had my place in the world. But that wasn’t enough. I had to go out there and be something else as well. I pulled the covers tightly around me and welcomed the few hours of sleep I was going to get, because the interview for the academy beckoned and despite my show of bravado and nonchalance in front of Arthur, I was nervous.
Chapter Two
I was in a dark castle. Wings of bats fluttered behind me. I gasped, looking at the grey stone. I was on an altar, wearing a dark robe. It was so cold. The stone was hard. Shadows danced around the room. My skin was pale. Three figures emerged from the darkness and immediately, I knew them to be vampires. They smiled, showing their fangs. I gasped. My heart fluttered with terror and I tried to push myself away, tried to escape. I reached for my stake, but my arms wouldn’t move. My body wouldn’t do as I commanded.
This wasn’t a dream. This was a memory, an echo of one of my ancestors. I winced in terror as it was likely the time she died. The three vampires came closer. I knew I was going to have to feel their fangs sinking into my flesh. I tried to scream in terror. Why wasn’t the Slayer moving? Why wasn’t she struggling to flee? Why wasn’t she screaming?
The vampires were mere inches away. I knew the final moment was approaching so I braced myself. But then, to my shock, the vampires fell to their knees and bowed to me.
“Mistress,” they said, and then the dream faded…
*
“Did you sleep well?” Arthur asked when I came downstairs. The dawn sun was bright, twinkling against the morning dew that trickled down the windows. Birds chirped outside and on a morning like this it was difficult to believe that monsters existed in the world.
“Like a baby,” I said. “No nightmares at all,” I lied. I wasn’t yet sure what that dream meant. I was convinced that it was an echo of a memory, rather than a dream, because I had become adept at telling the two apart, but I was confused by the content. I’d never experienced anything where vampires bowed to me. It didn’t fit with anything, and I wasn’t ready to share it with Arthur just yet. I wanted to think on it myself first.
Some nights were good and some were bad. This one, I wasn’t even sure how to classify. It was just new.
The kitchen smelled like bacon and eggs. Arthur brought out a stacked plate.
“You’ll need your strength today. I don’t want you going into that interview on an empty stomach,” he said. I gulped down some orange juice and thanked him, before tucking heartily into my breakfast. Arthur was a man of many talents and cooking was but one string to his bow. Everything was perfect. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine, I’ll admit, now that it’s getting closer I am feeling a little nervous, but I’m sure I’ll be okay.”
“I’m sure you will too. Just remember to answer their questions honestly, although don’t be afraid to embellish a little. Present the best version of yourself to them and I’m sure you’ll be fine. In many ways, this interview is just a formality. I think they just want to meet you and ensure that you’re the type of person who will fit in at the academy.”
“I’ll be my normal charming self,” I flashed him a smile.
“Indeed,” Arthur replied.
“And what are you going
to do while I’m at the interview?” I asked.
“I requested some new tomes to be delivered and they just arrived at the library, so I think I shall peruse them.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about the dream, so I did venture to ask Arthur one question.
“Arthur, what would happen if a Slayer became a vampire?”
Arthur’s face paled. “That would be a very bad thing indeed, and it’s not something we like to think about.”
“Has it ever happened?”
“No, and it’s my job to ensure that it never will. Don’t think of such matters, it will only lead you down a dark path of doubt and fear.”
His answer troubled me, not just the content of it, but the way the words were rushed. Arthur was usually a placid man and it took a great deal to rouse passion within him, so there definitely seemed to be more to this. It was the first time that I really doubted him. There was so much I didn’t know about Arthur and the history of Slayers as a whole. Everything had I learned had been from Arthur, and I thought I should do some research of my own because I felt something from that dream, something dark and powerful, and it wasn’t as easy to dismiss as Arthur seemed to think.
Becoming a vampire had only been something I thought about in passing. I was confident in my abilities as a Slayer, but not to the point where I was reckless. Arthur had warned me that a Slayer’s greatest downfall was her own ego, and I had assumed he was talking from experience regarding what had happened with my aunt. I had asked him how she died, but it evidently caused him great pain. The two of them had been close for a long time and he wasn’t just her mentor; he was her friend. He said she had made a mistake that had cost her everything, and since he pushed me so hard to concentrate and be mindful of my surroundings, I could only assume that she had let her guard slip in battle and a vampire she fought was able to kill her.
So far, none of the vampires I had faced had been deadly or skilled. The ancient ones were the ones Slayers had to worry about. The only danger from the minions was their number, for as powerful as she was, she was just one warrior against an army.
However, for the time being, I had to push those worries aside and focus on my interview. After breakfast I got dressed and then Arthur was ready with the car to drive me to Angel Academy. I watched the world whiz by as we circled the city and made our way to the large academy that was situated in the woods. It was a private, prestigious place that offered students a varied education. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have been able to get in, but the Slayer organization had garnered a lot of favors over the years and one of them had been influence in the academy. It also helped that a sizeable donation had been made recently. I wasn’t a fan of how the world worked but it seemed logical to take advantage of it.
The road turned into an avenue that was lined with trees. Their leaves were lush and the trunks were wide and sturdy. They were so tall it seemed as though they were standing guard. The avenue was straight and it led up to black iron gates tipped with gold. A stone wall ran around the perimeter and a plaque had been nailed into the pillar. There was a buzzer next to the gate and a place to swipe a card. Since we didn’t have a card, Arthur pressed the buzzer and announced our arrival. The gates swung open slowly, creaking. The tires of the car crunched the gravel of the drive. It was straight and the lawn stretched out for acres.
The gravel drive led up to a fountain and the gravel path formed a circle around this centerpiece. I gazed in awe at the fountain. It was a grand design that stood about six feet tall by my estimation. Cherubs sat around the rim of the lowest bowl of the fountain, and in the middle an angel rose up high, its wings and arms spread out, and its neck was arched back as it gazed up to heaven. Cherubs clung to this angel, and around the angel were shells, harps and trumpets. Water trickled down over its wings and into the main fountain. It was a resplendent sight, and the pose was so dynamic, I almost expected the angel to ascend and soar through the sky.
The main building stood before us, tall, wide and imposing. The red bricks were bright and the sun gleamed on the wide windows, making it look as though they were winking as we drove up.
Arthur parked the car and opened the door for me. He checked that I had everything I needed and then he wished me luck.
“I’ll return in a few hours,” he said. I nodded and watched him depart. The car traveled back up the gravel path and receded into the distance. I turned, took a deep breath, and made my way up the stairs to the large doors. As I grew closer I heard the sounds of people moving around, and as I looked up, I wondered how many students came here. I wore a blouse and trousers, which were about the smartest things I owned, and I carried with me all the documents from the orphanage, which showed my test results and academic ability.
Arthur said this interview was merely a formality, but I wasn’t sure I believed him. I wasn’t even sure that I would fit in here, but he was convinced that it would be a good place for me, and I was willing to endure a few years of hardship if it meant I could have some better opportunities in life afterwards. I never wanted to be dependent on anyone and I never wanted to feel as helpless as I had done in the orphanage. I wanted control over my own life in case I was ever abandoned again.
My boots clacked over the marble floor as I entered. There was a pattern etched into the floor and there were paintings hung all around the oval lobby. There were doors at regular intervals, leading to different parts of the academy, and a staircase that rose to another level. The doors were open and more sound poured through, the sound of life, and yet I felt so distant from them while standing out here. There were portraits hanging on the walls, of academics who were held in high esteem. The biggest and most prominent was of William Angel, the founder of the academy.
I walked up to the reception desk and mentioned that I was there for an interview. She smiled at me, checked a book, and then had me sign in. She gave me a visitor’s badge and instructed me to wait for someone to call me. I perched on a wooden bench and took in more of my surroundings. It was such a pristine place; it seemed a world away from the orphanage in which I had grown up. I gazed at the portraits of all the academics and it seemed as though they were staring back at me. I wondered if any of them had ever known the truth about the world. This seemed to be a place that was untouched by evil, and it was easy to forget that out there, in the nearby city, undead monsters roamed freely.
In here, I was just a normal girl with everything to prove.
“Miss Carpenter? If you’d like to come this way,” a voice said. I looked up as my name was uttered and saw a prim lady opening a door for me. She wore a green shirt, and a pleasing smile. Perhaps it wouldn’t be as bad as I thought. She led me through a narrow corridor into a room where two other people were sitting. She gestured for me to take a seat, and then introduced herself and the others.
“I’m Mrs. Thorpe, this is Headmaster Griff and the Head of Academics Mr. Hanon.”
They nodded in turn. My gaze drifted to all three of them. The two men were slim and pale, with high cheekbones and grey eyes. The Headmaster, especially, seemed to glower and I only felt comforted by Mrs. Thorpe.
“Thank you for seeing me, it’s an honor to be here,” I said, trying to remember to be polite and respectful. I placed my file on the oak table but none of them seemed concerned with it. The walls were adorned with leather bound books and they each had a notebook in front of them, with a pen, although none of them had taken the pen in their fingers.
“I see that you have received no formal education,” Headmaster Griff said. I was taken aback by how harsh he was. It didn’t seem like an accommodating question and it took me a few moments to compose a response.
“While I didn’t attend a high school, I did receive an education from the nuns that ran the orphanage. As you see here,” I pushed the file a little nearer to him, although the Headmaster made no move to take it, “I have proven myself academically.”
“You were raised in an orphanage; that must have been ve
ry tough. Can you tell us a little bit about that?” Mrs. Thorpe asked.
“Well, I was there from a young age, as my parents died in a car crash. I learned to fend for myself. The nuns were incredible and took great care of me, and they taught me as much as they could. As I grew older I took on more responsibility, and helped them run the orphanage, and teach the younger children. I think this is a good example of my initiative and proof that I was able to grasp knowledge enough to teach it to others,” I replied, smiling proudly, as I thought I had given a very good answer.
“Why were you never adopted?” Headmaster Griff asked. My brow furrowed and my mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe he had asked me such a thing. Mrs. Thorpe seemed shocked, as well, but she didn’t say anything. Mr. Hanon was unmoved.
“I…it was just one of those things I suppose. I don’t think there is a single reason for it,” I said.
“Are you a troublemaker? We have no need for troublemakers here,” the headmaster asked.
“No, in fact, as I said, if you look in this file there are reports from the nuns and they have all given me glowing reports.”
“Why did you apply to Angel Academy?” Mr. Hanon asked. I was relieved to be given a respite from Headmaster Griff’s interrogation.
“I’d like to better myself and make up for some of the lack of formal education in my life so far. I am tenacious and determined, and I want to make something of my life. I want to look back and know that I gave myself every chance to succeed. I want to learn and discover my passions in life. I want to cultivate a good understanding of all the important areas of the world and leave it a better place than when I entered. I also want to show other people in my position that anything is possible, that even if you feel like you have nothing, as long as you have a determination to succeed you can achieve anything you want in life. There were times when I used to feel that life was hopeless.”
