by Lilly Wilder
I blended into the shadows, moving stealthily, keeping watch, ever vigilant. I spotted a few women walking alone and I tracked them in case they caught the attention of a vampire. If I could narrow down the instances of a vampire attack, then Arthur and I might be able to triangulate the location of the lair. I had never taken on an ancient vampire before but I was itching to. Arthur wasn’t sure I was ready for that. He thought I needed more practice, but I knew I was ready. I could feel it in my blood.
*
A couple of hours passed; it had been a quiet night so far. No vampires had appeared and the only scream I’d heard had been the result of a stupid prank. I ended up drawing a dagger across the tip of my finger. A drop of blood bloomed and oozed out, trickling down until it splashed on the ground. I slunk back into the darkness and waited, letting my blood drip. It took a while but, eventually, I heard movement and the familiar hiss of a hungry vampire.
I emerged from the shadows, taking it by surprise. I thrust out my palm and hit it in the chest, before spinning around and kicking it in the head. It staggered back and I drew my stakes.
“Where’s your master?” I asked. The monster glared at me with its beady eyes. It lifted its claws and hissed once again. This was one of the more primal vampires. The hungrier they got, the more primal they got, and the recent vampires I’d been hunting had been totally savage. With more blood they became more human, but also more difficult to track. If I wanted answers, then I was going to have to find one of these more cultured vampires and make them talk. I wasn’t going to get anything out of this one, so as it came towards me, claws and fangs bared, I threw a dagger with all my might, hitting it straight in its withered old heart. It froze, paralyzed for a moment, and then it shuddered and turned to dust. It let out one last, agonizing hiss before it crumbled. I stepped into the pile of ash and picked up my stake, rubbing off the dust, and then I made my way back home.
*
When I returned home Arthur was sleeping. He didn’t always stay up to welcome me, trusting in my ability to return home safely. He had left a lamp on in the lounge, to offer me some illumination, as I hydrated and fed myself after a night of patrolling. The Slayer abilities inside me gave me more stamina, so I needed less sleep than the average person. I was used to staying up at night anyway, as I had been plagued with insomnia for most of my life. I was looking forward to my first day at the academy, but I was also worried about the vampire in our midst. It was taking longer to find clues to the ancient one’s whereabouts than I would have liked. As much as I enjoyed going out on patrol I didn’t want to spend my Slaying days taking out minions and weak vampires, because they would always come like a relentless tide. I needed to take out the main threat before it could do too much damage.
Since there was nothing I could do at that moment in time, I decided to head to bed and try to get some sleep before the big first day at the academy, but as I walked upstairs I passed the door to Arthur’s study. It was where he kept the majority of his books and was the font of all his wisdom. I thought there might be some kernel of information in there about my ancestors, and perhaps some clue about my mysterious dream. He didn’t like me going in there without his permission; Arthur was a very private man and he was often fussy about his possessions, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, I thought. I carefully opened the door, turning the handle gently. The hinges made a slight creak. I slipped into the opening and tiptoed across the floor, turning on a lamp. There were stacks of books all piled around in a haphazard manner and I shook my head at the mess. The room smelled of musty books, and on the desk was a plate with crumbs resting on it and a drop of jam, as red as blood.
I started flicking through the books, trying to find one that detailed my family tree, but as I was investigating the various piles he had left, I heard footsteps behind me. Arthur was standing in the doorway, wearing a loose robe.
“What are you doing in here?” he asked calmly, although there was a thread of tension underlying his calm tone.
“Sorry Arthur, I just came back from patrol and I wasn’t quite ready to sleep yet. I thought I’d just do some light reading before bed.”
“You know I don’t like you coming in here without my supervision. These books are rare and valuable. I can’t take the risk that you’ll damage them.”
“I would hope that you’d have more faith in me than that by now,” I sighed. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”
“What were you looking for anyway?”
“I just wanted to know more about my bloodline really. I thought that learning about the Slayers who came before me would help me learn about myself.”
Arthur held the door open and looked at me with a studied gaze. I dipped my head and appeared conciliatory, although his insistence of controlling what information was given to me was starting to become suspicious. He exhaled deeply and hung his head.
“Elsa, we have known each other for a few years now and in that time I have gotten to know you quite well, better than you might think. I know when you are not being entirely honest with me. What are you hiding from me?”
I stroked my chin and ran my hands through my hair. It seemed as though there was no point keeping a secret from him, and really he was probably the only one who could help me.
“I had a strange dream. One of the memories from a Slayer bled through, but it wasn’t like any that I had experienced before.”
“Was it your aunt?” he asked, and there was urgency to his tone.
I shook my head. “It was from a long time ago. I had pale skin and I was in a stone building. It was cold and it was nighttime. I was surrounded by three vampires, but they…they didn’t attack me. They bowed down to me, as though they were in thrall to me and I didn’t feel afraid at all. Whoever that Slayer was, she wasn’t in danger.”
Arthur had a thoughtful look on his face. “And you’re sure this was a memory echo and not a dream?”
“I’m sure. Do you know of any one of my ancestors who might have experienced something like this?”
“I’m afraid not, but if it was a long time ago it’s always possible that some records have gotten lost over time. It is a curious thing. I have never heard of vampires being in thrall to a Slayer before. For now I don’t think we should pay too much attention to this as it was a long time ago but, if it happens again, please let me know. I will consult the records just to check if there is any note of something like this happening. I suppose there have been tales of Slayers going errant through the years…”
“Errant? You mean like they ran away?”
“Precisely. Not everyone is suited to the task, unfortunately. The blessing that is passed down by blood doesn’t change someone’s ambitions, we can only hope that they have the character to take on the role of a Slayer.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Then other measures have to be taken. Now, get some rest and try not to think on this any longer.” He came further into the room and ushered me out, almost pushing me towards my own room. I was left feeling unsatisfied with his answers, but there was little I could do about it. It didn’t surprise me that some knowledge had slipped through the cracks and I found myself intrigued by the idea that some Slayers wouldn’t want to be Slayers. I suppose not everyone had been in the same situation as I had been; where they had had nothing to lose. I wondered what would have happened had I had a stable life with other ambitions. Being a Slayer could have ruined all that, although I liked to think that I had enough presence of mind to put the fate of the world above my own desires.
I slipped into bed and wished again that I had the opportunity to speak to my Aunt. I would have loved to know what it had been like for her when she found out she had been blessed as a Slayer. I wondered if she had taken to it as readily as I had. For me, there was really no choice. I would have done almost anything else rather than stay in that orphanage much longer. I wish I had the opportunity to talk to other Slayers, as well, and find o
ut how they had adjusted to the lifestyle. As much as I was grateful to Arthur for mentoring me and teaching me everything I needed to know, there was nothing that could compare to sharing knowledge with my peers. We were kept apart for our own safety, but I would have liked some leeway because I couldn’t talk about this with anyone else. It was one part of the academy I dreaded; the feeling that I was going to have to keep a part of myself hidden. No matter what happened, I was going to have to lie to other people. It was a lie performed in the name of the greater good, but a lie nonetheless.
I didn’t like thinking about what the organization would do to Slayer’s who didn’t take on the mantle. It wasn’t like we could give up the power by choice. The only way for us to lose the power was to die. I supposed that the organization would just keep hounding people until they eventually gave in and realized that being a Slayer was their destiny. They had to have some measures in place after all, because not all Slayers could be active at once. It was quite possible that a child could be given the power of a Slayer if something unfortunate happened to their mother. I’ve always been afraid of that. I know that any child of mine is going to be thrust into this life, and for the sake of the salvation of the world I have to have a child eventually, but is it really responsible for me to bring a child into the world knowing they’re going to have no choice but be turned into a weapon against evil?
I suddenly began to wonder if my mother had known the truth as well. It must have been a blessing for my Aunt to know that she didn’t have to have her own daughter because I existed. Maybe it was easier for her to not meet me so she didn’t have to face the fact that I was going to be condemned to this life. At least I had Arthur. I don’t know what I would have done without him.
Chapter Four
Upon my arrival at Angel Academy I hoped that I wouldn’t inadvertently anger any of the other students like I had the previous day.
I walked into the main lobby and signed in. Mrs. Thorpe was there to greet me and welcome me. She made sure I had the welcome pack and a map, as well as all the pertinent safety information, although she assured me that was only for a rare worst case scenario. She had marked my classrooms on the map and then sent me into the wild academy by myself. Thankfully there was no sign at all of the headmaster and I privately hoped I would never have to bother seeing him again in such close proximity.
My first lesson was in history, so I made my way to the west wing of the building and passed through some winding hallways. The windows were big and let the sunlight pour in, although they never reached the middle of the hallway, leaving a path of shadows straight down the middle. I kept to this path, occasionally stretching out my hand to let the sunlight play on the back of my palm. I flexed my fingers and it looked as though they were dancing. Paintings of various people and landscapes hung on the wall and there were a few students relaxing. None of them paid me much attention, aside from when I noticed Julia and her cronies waiting at the end of the hall. One of her friends nudged her. She looked around to see me, and her face fell into a thunderous scowl.
I groaned inwardly and braced myself for an intense encounter. I kept my head low and hugged the map to my chest, angling my path to try and avoid the small group, but Julia intercepted me.
“Oh look, it’s the new girl, what was your name again, Elsie?” Julia asked.
“Elsa,” I corrected.
“I think I prefer Elsie. It occurs to me that we never met properly yesterday. I’m Julia, this is Angelica, and this is Tommy and Aaron.” She gestured to her friends respectively. Julia’s dark hair had a purple streak in it and she wore a lace choker around her neck. Angelica was the opposite, blonde and shapely with full lips as though she had stepped out of a 50s pin up calendar. Aaron was a slim, tawny-haired boy, with darting eyes and a square jaw. Tommy was taller, broader, and as I looked closer I saw that he was wearing eyeliner. They positioned themselves so that they were surrounding me, making it more difficult for me to escape.
“We’d love to show you around,” Julia said. She moved quickly and went to grab the map from my hand, but my reflexes were quicker and I kept hold of the map. She tugged so hard though that the map ripped, and she looked annoyed that she hadn’t been able to get it all. She looked at the fragment she had taken and nodded.
“I see you’re a woman of culture,” she said, “Well, you won’t need this. It’s easy to find your way around here, and we’ll always be on hand to help. I like welcoming new students to the school, it’s always good to get an injection of fresh meat.” She stepped closer towards me, closing the distance between us. I could smell the light fragrance of her perfume. “I’m not going to forget what happened yesterday. You made a deadly mistake by humiliating me and I’m going to make this place hell for you. Do you understand? And nobody is going to do a damn thing about it because you’re nothing around here. Nobody even knows you.”
She lowered her voice, as she said that last sentence, and the words dripped with venom. She chuckled lightly after she finished speaking and my first instinct was to slam her against the wall and teach her that threatening me was a mistake she didn’t want to make twice. But Arthur had made it clear that I had to hide my true nature no matter what, and I’d already been told about the strict code of conduct here at Angel Academy. If I fought her I knew that it would reflect badly on me, and it wasn’t as though her friends would tell the truth about Julia’s behavior. As much as I hated it, I had to rein in my natural inclinations and try to just grin and bear this treatment.
“It won’t happen again,” I said.
“We’ll see,” Julia replied. She let the map fragment flutter to the floor. “Be seeing you! Oh, and have fun in Professor Shackleton’s class, he hates when his students are late.” she called out as she walked away, turning her back on me. Her cronies laughed as well and I realized I had just made four enemies.
I checked the time and cursed. I ran down the hallway, my footsteps hammering on the floor. Julia and her friends had already turned into another room. As I ran I twisted my head from left to right, looking for the room I needed. The numbers were on small gold plaques that shone when the light hit them, and as I passed them they began to blur into each other. I began to worry that I was never going to find this damned classroom, but when I quickly checked the map I was relieved to learn that I was only a turn of the corner away, and as I entered I flung the door open breathlessly, only to find an entire silent classroom staring at me.
*
“May I help you?” Professor Shackleton asked, arching a bushy eyebrow in my direction. He had been in the middle of explaining something when I entered, and now the other thirteen or so people in the class looked at me as well. The door closed behind me and I froze entirely. I looked at him dumbfounded, utterly embarrassed that I had to announce my arrival to the class in this way.
“I’m sorry, I’m new here. Elsa Carpenter. I just started. It took me a little while to find the room, and my map got a little torn.” I held up the torn map and shrugged apologetically.
“Welcome to Angel Academy,” he sighed wearily. “Hopefully you will learn plenty of useful things here, like how to look after your things. I’ll let you off this time, considering you’re new, but for future reference I do not tolerate people being late. If you are going to be late, then I would rather you don’t bother coming to my lesson at all. Now, take a seat. Hopefully this disruption won’t have derailed my entire lesson.”
He gestured to the tables that were laid out in a U-shape. All the other students had their notebooks out and were looking at the teacher eagerly. Professor Shackleton leaned against his desk. His arms were folded across his chest and he continued talking even though I hadn’t taken my seat yet. I scanned the faces of my classmate, they were all strangers save one; sitting at a corner was the boy from the library who had smiled to me. I felt a flush prickle my cheeks as I took a seat next to him. He gave a me comforting look as if to say ‘we’ve all been there’, although he d
ared not speak in case he would draw Professor Shackleton’s wrath.
*
Once I had settled in I found myself enjoying the lesson. Professor Shackleton didn’t hide any gruesome or grisly truths from the historical world and I learned plenty of interesting facts over the course of the lesson, and my appetite was whetted for more. Thankfully I didn’t make any other errors during class, and I even managed to contribute to a discussion, which I hoped would improve my standing in Professor Shackleton’s eyes. As we were packing up, the boy spoke to me.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much, he’s like that with all the new students. I’m Josh by the way.
“ Elsa,” I nodded.
“I saw you in the library yesterday, right?”
“Yeah, that was me. I just got accepted. Things move pretty quickly around here.”
“They don’t like to waste time,” Josh chuckled. “Have you got your dorm sorted out yet?”
“I’m not actually staying here. I live near the city.”
“Oh, okay. How are you finding the academy so far?” We gathered our belongings and left the group. Other people fell into conversation with each other and left in their social groups. I was glad that Josh had started a conversation with me as I didn’t want to feel like a lost little girl all over again.
“It’s big, and I think it’s going to take some getting used to, but I like the feel of it so far. I’m looking forward to learning and improving myself so we’ll see how it goes. I have already made an enemy though.”
“Oh really? That’s impressive. I’d love to know who, unless it’s me I mean, I don’t think I’ve done anything to piss you off so far but I’ve been known to be mistaken before.” He held his hands up and I found his easy humor pleasing.
