Victoria moved closer, trying to focus in on their conversation.
"Come on, you look tough enough," the one who must have been their leader spoke. While much taller than everyone else, the boy did not look very tough. He was more of the tall and lanky variety. "Try hitting me. This is Defense and Retaliation Class, after all."
"I don't want to. Please, leave me alone."
"Or what? Are you going to kill me and go to jail like your dad?"
"I'm nothing like my father." The boy replied with a bit more violence creeping into his voice.
Victoria didn't know what the penalty for in-school violence was, but she would be sad to see a victim get the boot in the first week for something that wasn't his fault. Not to mention, she hated bullies. Grabbing a blade from the wall, she smiled. It was like getting back an arm. It was something vital to her survival.
Pointing it at the bully with an assassin's precision, she said, "He doesn't seem to want to fight you, but I will."
The bully sneered at her. "I know you're kind of new here, your highness," he said giving a sarcastic bow. "But there's an order to the way things work here. You should just mind your own business."
"I guess I could, but I don't really want to." She slashed the sword, tearing his shirt, but not touching his skin. He screeched and jumped away from her. "I don't care for your antiquated ideals. Leave him alone or else you and I are going to have a problem."
Grumbling, the group left to go and punch each other rather than other people.
"So, how's making friends going?" Alex asked in a teasing voice that actually just made her bones grind.
Victoria just shrugged. "I don't like bullies."
"Thank you," the boy said walking over to her. Behind a head of shaggy black hair, Victoria saw golden eyes looking at her with gratitude. "I'm afraid I'm not very confrontational."
"I'm not what you would call social, but there is one language I have learned to speak very well: violence."
"It seems to come in handy for you. I'm Adrian Tradat, by the way."
Victoria nodded. "I'm Victoria."
"I think everyone here knows who you are. I never thought someone like you would ever talk to someone like me."
"And what kind of a person are you, exactly?"
"Someone who was born and raised on the other side of the Wolvstaire River."
Victoria fought a cringe. That was considered the poor district. Every night there was a struggle to survive. It was then that Victoria took in Adrian's tired eyes and hungry cheeks. His whole life must have been a fight for survival.
"It's not where we're born that matters, but how we live."
Victoria liked Adrian's company and decided to stick with him as well as Raduta during class. During their time there, they familiarized themselves with various weapons and decided which ones they wanted to train with. Raduta was still stuck on those pretty blades. Adrian decided to go for the bow and arrow.
"You know," Victoria said as they packed up to leave. "I'm sure pretty blades kill just as well as ugly ones."
"I'm sure they do," Raduta replied. "But I live for the aesthetic. If the blade that no doubt does me in at the end isn't devastatingly beautiful, then I refuse to die."
"You certainly have a morbidly wicked sense of humor about you."
"Am I not a vampire?"
Victoria noticed that Adrian had begun to walk in a different direction and stopped him. It was time to be brave.
"Uh…" she began. He raised two thick eyebrows at her waiting for her to finish. "Would you like to eat lunch with my… friends and I."
She had momentarily gotten stuck on the word 'friends.' It had been a long time since she had made a new friend and wasn't entirely sure what standard protocol was. She figured 'friends' was the best way to describe them in that moment, even if Alex was on some pretty thin ice.
Adrian nodded his head. "Sure."
Ω
Together, they all walked into the lunchroom with Raduta happily leading their little pack. She and Adrian seemed to get along the best. Apparently, they were both Spirit Wielders— those whose magical abilities were based on the magic that comes from the spirit world. And it was them who plopped down amongst a group of vampires whose abilities were of the same nature.
Blair frowned when she noticed this and shook her head. "I'm not doing that," she told them, and went off in search of her fellow Mind Wielders.
"Blair is right," Albert said. He had been waiting for Victoria to get out of class so they could go to lunch together. She wondered where it was he was thinking she would eat. "Raduta and Adrian are of the same nature. It only makes sense that they would associate with each other. Come on. We should go join Blair."
"I understand why you would, but why should I? You two are both Mind Wielders. I don't have natural power over anything."
"What's going on?" Raduta asked from where she was sitting. "Where did Blair go?"
"Do vampires really only hang out with other vampires who are made of the same nature?" Alex asked.
Albert nodded. "For the most part, yes. The lines become a bit blurred between family members and those who have been friends since before they even had their abilities, like Victoria and me. Other than that, all of my closest friends are Telepaths, Telekinetics, and other Illusionists. And now," he motioned to where Blair had disappeared to. "It seems that I can now add Technopath to that list."
Alex scrunched up his face. "That's dumb."
Albert rolled his eyes at him. "Maybe that's what you think, but it's the way vampires live."
"Fine, have it your way then." Alex grabbed Victoria's wrist pulling her down across from where Raduta and Adrian sat. "But we're sitting right here." Everyone along the bench seemed to stare at them. Alex merely ignored them and began piling food onto his plate. When Victoria just sat there, feeling too uncomfortable to move, Alex grabbed a glass of blood and pushed it over to her. "That's disgusting, but you need to eat."
Seeing how he had been beaten, Albert frowned and slowly sat down on the other side of her.
"See," Raduta exclaimed. "This isn't strange at all." However, looking at both Albert and Victoria, you could see how unnerved the two were by the whole ordeal. Adrian just chuckled, clearly amused by the bickering between the three, and continued to sip on his own glass of blood.
CHAPTER SIX
The Difficulties of Integration
After the first night of classes, the rest seemed to blend together. Students began to create their own daily habits, and Victoria was among them. For whatever reason, the people she had met during her first week of school seemed to have stuck with her. Apparently, she must have been doing something right when it came to social interactions for this to happen. Whatever it was, she was grateful to have these new people in her life. It was something she hadn't known in a long time and she woke up every evening afraid she would say the wrong thing and end up alone again. In her past, it seemed everyone had left eventually. Even her own parents couldn't bear to be in the same room with her for very long. It was why she was so surprised that these new people not only wanted to spend time with her, but also get to know her. Soon, all five of them had become more comfortable around each other. Victoria thought that it felt something like Fate, but then she remembered that, in the grand scheme of things, she was nothing. There was no reason for Fate to bother with someone as trivial as her.
Victoria cast a wary look at Alex who sat beside her, his golden face lighting up at a joke someone told. Blair had advised her against trusting him, and by all standards, it made sense. Alex was an outsider. Her parents were on friendly terms with his father, but that wasn't enough to earn her unwavering trust. He had once said that he hated vampires, and he hadn't clarified any changing feelings since then. So why was it that he was always so happy when it was only just the five of them.
While eating her dinner, Victoria became vaguely aware of the topic of conversation turning to the subject of families. This was a topic sh
e wasn't too entirely keen on discussing, but she did enjoy learning about how a normal familial dynamic worked.
"Three younger sisters?" Albert asked Raduta. Ever since the two had met, Albert acted on any moment that he could talk to her. Raduta was a pretty girl, and Victoria knew all too well how Albert was a slave to beauty.
"Yes," she laughed. "I almost feel bad for my dad. Our house is completely filled with women. Even our dogs are girls." Albert's usually terrifying face lit up with more laughter. "What about you, Victoria?" Raduta asked. All of them but Raduta immediately stiffened. "Are you an only child? I've never heard any mention of you having any siblings."
"Uh…" Albert spoke up. "Maybe we should… Victoria, you don't have to…"
Raduta looked at him with confusion and Victoria suddenly felt that familiar weight on her chest. "No… actually, I'm a twin."
"Wow! Identical?"
"No, fraternal. He was my brother. We were practically opposites. While I look a lot like my father, he favored my blond mother." Raduta seemed to grow uneasy at her use of the past tense when speaking of him. "Antonius passed away when we were just kids."
Victoria looked across the table at Albert who looked just as sorrowful as herself. All three of them had practically been inseparable when they were younger. But those days were far behind them.
"He was a real riot, though," Albert added lightening the mood. "He was the cause of my favorite part of my appearance." Albert gestured to his golden right eye, the opposite to his left eye, which was a sapphire blue. "My eyes are naturally blue, but Antonius caught me with a fishing hook one day and yanked it right out." Raduta grimaced. "When it grew back, it was gold."
Victoria smiled at the memory. "I thought your mother was going to kill us. Albert made it even worse since his temporary eye-patch made him keep running into things."
They all laughed together, and she realized how strange the whole situation was. It was almost like she could have a normal teenage life with her friends.
But her life would never be normal, she remembered, not so long as she would be queen someday.
Her laughter quickly died out.
She looked over at Alex who was observing she and Albert in a stunned silence. It was almost as if he found it odd that once upon a time, they were just innocent children; that they would have run through the woods and gone fishing and played pretend. Or maybe he was just surprised by the small bit of humanity showed by Albert in that moment.
Ω
It was on a Saturday evening in September that Victoria and her friends decided to go on a trip around the city. Both Raduta and Adrian dearly wanted to explore, and Victoria agreed as she was the only one amongst them qualified to show them around.
"Stransura?" Alex asked when Victoria had mentioned it.
"The celebration of the autumnal equinox," Albert explained. "Sangera's carnaval, if you will. A time to indulge and celebrate the harvest."
"Oh, we have a harvest festival back in Piatra."
"I doubt it's anything compared to this." Alex frowned at Albert's haughtiness.
"It's not just a harvest," Victoria continued stopping the millionth fight that was about to begin between the two. "It's a week full of feasts, parades, and parties. On the day of the equinox, a city-wide masquerade ball is held. It is for that reason," she said as she approached a shop advertising for Stransura. "That we need costumes and masks."
Alex was hesitant. "I don't know if I'm really a costume and mask kind of guy."
"That doesn't matter here. When it comes to Sangera's holidays of the seasons, everyone participates."
"It's true," Adrian piped up. "Even in Marrowwood we celebrate. Not nearly on the scale that Batara does, but we usually have a feast and dance for everyone in the village. To not celebrate is practically treason."
Victoria looked back at Alex with her arms crossed in defiance. "See, you have to."
Alex sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just don't dress me up in something stupid." He thought for a moment. "Likely whatever the opposite of what Albert's wearing."
"Excuse me," Albert complained, but she ignored him.
"It's a deal."
An orange glow was cast across their faces as they entered into the little city shop. A heavy smell of sage and pumpkins pricked at Victoria's nose.
"Your majesty." A woman in Gothic attire eagerly bowed to her. Victoria was surprised. She didn't realize that people would be recognizing her in public. "I am most honored by your presence. Anything you and your company wish to purchase today will be free. Consider it a gift to the future Queen of Sangera."
"Thank you," Victoria replied. "But that's not necessary."
"Ack," she batted her hands at her as if she were literally shooting her opinion down. "In my store, you and your friends never have to pay." She bowed again and quickly walked away before Victoria could argue.
Albert slithered up to her and smiled. "Looks like being royalty has its perks"
"Oh, and you're so hurting for money." She resisted the urge to frown as Albert's words reminded her of what Alex had once said to Charlize about watching her.
He laughed. "Hardly. However, as much as I enjoy spending money, getting things for free is just as fun." He looked over at the others. "Right?"
Adrian just shrugged and went off with Raduta to look through the costumes with Albert trailing close behind and chattering in their ears.
She looked over at Alex who had stayed behind. "Unsure of what to buy, now are we?"
"Consider me the student for the evening."
She trailed over to a rack of costumes for men and was met with elaborate suits, vests, and capes, as well as Alex's frown.
"I'm suddenly regretting this decision."
"Come on. Have a little fun."
Alex picked up a mask of a golden lion and held it up to his face. "Better?"
Victoria picked up the one nearest to her, a black dragon, and held it up in similar fashion. "Better."
Ω
Throughout the whole night, the five of them walked all around Batara weaving in and out of the shops that littered the city. Autumn was now fully on its way and leaves of reds and oranges and yellows were now scattered upon the rain-slicked streets. As they wandered, Victoria took a deep breath, relishing how free she felt in the moment.
Before the evening ended, they all decided to stop at a restaurant, it's neon blue sign advertising it as The Starlighter. After walking through the midnight blue front doors, they found themselves in a hallway that was black and white checkerboard on the floor, walls, and ceiling.
"Welcome," a man dressed all in black said from the back of the hallway. Behind him, the sway of music met Victoria's ears. The man bowed to her. "Your majesty." It seemed that everyone was indeed beginning to recognize her after her experience with the woman at the first shop and now the restaurant host.
The inside of the restaurant was bathed in soft yellow light and dipped down in gradually descending half-circle levels to a stage at the other end of the room. On each of the levels, tables and diners were scattered about, some wearing casual clothing similar to themselves, while others wore extravagant outfits like suits and gowns. Clearly, there was no desired dress code. On the stage at the other end of the room, a band played a sweet and tranquil melody that sounded like the stars on a midnight wind. Above them, the ceiling glittered like the Milky Way.
"Beautiful," Raduta breathed.
The five of them were seated at a circular booth made of dark wood and blue velvet. At the center of the table glowed an orb of blue light. The entire atmosphere was warm and inviting.
"How can I attend to you this evening?" A waitress asked walking up to them. When she recognized who was among them, she lightly declined her head. "Your majesty," she addressed Victoria and then, "My lord," she dipped her head at Albert.
"I'll have a moonshine," Victoria told the waitress. Raduta's head snapped towards her.
"I'll have the same," Albert added. Raduta continu
ed to look wholly confused.
The other three decided to get the same thing. When the waitress left, Raduta looked to Victoria. "What exactly is moonshine, here? If it's the same as in the mortal world, I think I'll change my mind."
Victoria cocked her head at her. "I'm not sure what it is in the mortal lands, but here it's just a sparkling blueberry drink."
Raduta sighed along with Alex. "Thank the creator for that. I was worried that I had just ordered some weird blood concoction."
When the drinks arrived, Raduta, Adrian, and Alex marveled at it.
"I see now why it's called moonshine," Raduta said. The drink was a glittering blue that looked like it had been crafted from the light of the moon itself. Blue and silver crystals sparkled in the tall glasses and silver and blue petals were garnished on top.
"Yep," Victoria replied. "It's a sparkling blueberry drink, but the shine comes from the flowers that grow in the Blue Forest." Victoria motioned to where Albert sat. "That's the forest that grows all around Padora."
"That's where you're from, right?" she asked Albert. He nodded. "Lovely."
"Quite lovely," Alex agreed. She looked up to see him looking at her.
"Vampires aren't quite the hardened monsters the rest of the world makes us out to be, huh?" She asked him.
He just smiled and shook his head before taking another sip from his moonshine.
Ω
The dark black sky was turning a light shade of grayish-blue, which meant it was time for the vampires to return indoors. The five of them walked along the edge of the city streets that separated roaring Batara from the nearby woods.
"What's up that way?" Raduta asked, her platinum blond hair illuminated under the light of a streetlamp. She gestured to a long cobblestone road that led up into the forest. "Is it some kind of farm?"
Victoria nodded. "Yes, but it's actually much more. That road leads up to the house of the oldest man and woman in Sangera."
The Hunger of Wolves Page 4
