Alice the Slayer
Wonderland Guardian Academy Book 3
Pauline Creeden
Contents
Foreword
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
About the Author
Also by Pauline Creeden
Chronicles of Steele: Raven
Salt
One Thousand Tears
Sanctuary
Finding Felicity
Alice the Vampire Slayer © 2018 Pauline Creeden
Edited by Cassie Hess Dean
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Alice the Vampire Slayer
My name is Alice, and I'm a vampire slayer...
At least I should be, but there's been a treaty with the vampires that has been in place before I was even born. So instead, I'm useless. So useless, my parents won't return my calls or messages. Nothing in my world moves me. Even though they train me for the job I'm supposed to carry out as slayer, what's the use? I'm in a constant state of boredom. Until I see my silver-white haired geometry teacher sneaking around campus... after talking about slayers.
I'm curious...
To a fault. So, I follow him to a place I'd never seen before, and the sights are confusing, impossible, and totally mad. Then on top of it, I smell vampires for the first time in my life. And I start to wonder if I should give in to my slayer instincts, or if doing so will break the treaty and start a war.
Chapter 1
I often feel useless. Some people call it boredom, others might call it depression. That useless feeling that starts at the surface and then slowly sinks down into my gut until my stomach aches. I've known others who get bored and play video games. Or get depressed and then go to bed. But when I feel useless, I shrink down into myself and run away.
Literally, I shrink.
It's one of the few superpowers I have, and the reason that my family is full of such great spies. It's also the reason we are the slayers of vampires. Which is the cause of my boredom.
Emptiness, because a peace accord was written with the vampires before my birth, and now I have nothing to do. I feel as if my life has no purpose. I continue to train at Wonderland Guardian Academy, and they teach me how to use my magic and hone my senses so that if ever needed, I could help with a vampire situation. But when will that ever happen?
Twenty years of peace with the vampires made my mother and father both empty and lazy with boredom. Now they don’t even take the time to return my messages. I haven’t seen them for years. I blame them, but also the treaty that made them obsolete.
And made me feel as useless as a spare tire on a tank.
I had every intention of behaving at school, but then I began my downward spiral of feeling useless. Maybe it would have helped if I had parents who gave two cents about where I was or what I did. Maybe it would help if when I called, they actually answered the phone or at least tried to. Maybe it would have made a difference if someone remembered my sixteenth birthday. My jaw clicked as I clenched it. I was sick of sitting around and mulling over nothing. I needed to do something different—I just needed to figure out what to do.
Mr. Tokki had drawn the interest of several girls in my geometry class. He was hot, sure. Asian, but dyed his hair a slivery-white like a K-pop boy band member. He was alright, not quite all that you’d think he was, the way the other girls fawned over him. I sat in geometry class watching him go over Pythagorean theorem, drawing different kinds of triangles on my notes... some of which ended up as stakes in a vampire's heart. I couldn't help but obsess over sharp objects like that. I was a born killer, even if I was as useless as a house cat. I yawned and wondered what kind of magic Tokki had.
Most of the staff were normal-looking, but unless they taught a specialized class in a specific magical subject, no one could tell what their special powers might be.
The bell rang, and I blinked the tears of boredom from my eyes. Mary Weather sat in the desk in front of me and spun around, setting her notebook on top of mine.
"Hey. I was drawing on that."
She lifted her notebook and peered down at my artwork. "You're sick, you know that. If you weren't a slayer, I'd think you were ready to start a bout of school violence. Good thing you don't go to public school."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."
Mary was Fae. She and her two sisters had one of the same abilities I had—the shrinking thing. It made me wonder if slayers like me were related to the Fae. "Are you busy tonight? I hear some of the girls want to order a pizza and chill out and stream Supernatural reruns."
"Meh." I shrugged and kept drawing.
"It might be good for you to hang out with someone and you know... make a friend."
I shrugged again. "Meh."
"Seriously, Alice. You're pretty. You could be popular if you tried even a little bit. Instead, most of the girls are afraid to talk to you, and the boys..."
I glanced up at her.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. That glare right there. Resting Witch Face."
That made me chuckle. "Whatever. You're not afraid to talk to me."
"That's because I understand that you're just honest. You don't try to hide how you feel and you don't try to pretend you're something you're not. You know it's written all over you that you're upset about something today. It's almost like there's a black cloud following you wherever you go."
I swallowed and kept my head down. The backs of my eyes stung. At least someone noticed. That really meant something. In my heart, I was happy to have a friend like Mary. I really needed to treat her better. I sighed and closed my notebook. "Pizza you say? Are you going?"
A broad smile formed on her face. "Yes and yes!"
"What time are we talking about?"
"It's three right now. We're planning on meeting up in the common area in the girls’ dorm at six."
"How long do you think this thing is going to last?"
She frowned and shrugged. "Everyone's supposed to come in their pajamas and we're going to sleep in the common area together."
"Ugh. That really sounds like too much work."
She blinked several times and shook her head. "You don't have to stay for the whole time. That's optional. You can come for just an hour or two. Be there at six. It will be cool. I promise."
I sighed again, but I did just say that I should try to treat Mary better, didn't I? "Okay. Six it is. In pajamas. How much money should I bring for the pizza?"
"Everyone is bringing $5 and a bag of chips or candy, or any other junk food you might have that you're willing to share. If you don't have anything, let me know and I'll bring two of something."
I smiled at her enthusiasm. "I have something. No sweat."
/> "Great." She stood and swung her backpack over her shoulder. "You want me to swing by your room at, like, 5:50, so we can go together."
"Sounds good." I appreciated that she was making an effort to accommodate me, but also got the feeling she wanted to make sure I didn't back out.
She headed for the door, practically skipping. The classroom had already emptied out and I was alone. I blew out a slow breath as I stood and peered toward the front of the room. Just outside the window, in the courtyard, I saw Mr. Tokki and Ms. Hontas speaking to each other in quick tones and swinging their hands in rapid movements. Their inflections told me they weren't speaking in English. Curious.
Now another of the few powers I had as a slayer was the ability to understand any language I heard or read. I couldn't speak or write it, but I could understand them perfectly. I guessed it had something to do with the fact that so many vampires came from Eastern Europe, where they apparently originated, and the area was a nexus of different languages. Most people didn't know that slayers had this talent, and it wasn't one that I often shared with others.
Slowly I made my way to the window sill and sat on it, facing away from the window. I leaned and pressed the back of my head against the glass. And then I listened as the afternoon sun beat against my skin.
Ms. Hontas spoke quickly, "Regina is behind this, I know she is. That place makes my skin crawl. She can't be allowed to continue. It's time to talk to the White Queen."
"You're jumping to conclusions. We don't yet have evidence yet that it's a true attack. Until we do, no one is going to talk to the White Queen about the situation." Mr. Tokki answered.
I glanced behind me. This really was a deep conversation to be having in the middle of the day in the courtyard of our school, even if they were speaking in a Asian language—Japanese? I wasn't really the best at recognizing which language was which in countries that were close together. I knew it wasn't Chinese, though as it's much more easily recognizable.
"Regardless, I believe it needs to be investigated. We should call in a slayer."
My hand slid on the window sill, and I bumped my head against the frame around the window. "Ouch." I hissed.
Shoot! I continued to slide down below the window, hoping that I wouldn't be seen. My heart raced in my chest, and my ears rang as I strained them, trying to hear more of the conversation. But I couldn't hear anything. After another minute, I scooted forward, out of the light of the window and then stood slowly, hoping not to draw attention to myself. Then I nonchalantly peered back toward the window. No one stood in the courtyard. Ugh! They had to have heard me and left when I made the noise.
Of all the stupid, idiotic things! I cursed my own klutziness. When I took any martial arts, I was as graceful as a cobra in battle, but I could trip on air while walking on a flat surface. It was almost a super power in itself. With a frown, I gathered my things and threw them into my backpack. Whatever was going on with the two Asian teachers at the school, I'd need to find out. I knew that I heard the one word that made my heart race when they said it. Slayer.
Chapter 2
Pajamas... yeah. I didn't have any. I hoped that a tank top and sweatpants would suffice as I pulled open the door after hearing Mary's knock.
"Surprise!" she yelled, and gestured toward her two sisters, Sage and Petunia as the three of them made their way into my dorm room with their cheerful, sing-song voices. "My sisters wanted to come and help escort you to the party, too. Are you ready?"
I lifted an eyebrow at their pajamas. Sage wore blue; Petunia, pink; and Mary, purple. Otherwise they were matching with big round buttons and striped patterns of the same color, darker or lighter versions. None of them had ever been in my room before—no one had ever been in my room before, that I could remember—and they took this opportunity to peruse it. Petunia gazed at the things that sat upon my dresser with her hands clasped together behind her back as though keeping them clasped like that was the only way she'd keep from touching anything.
Sage didn't have a problem with touching stuff. She was picking up the stuffed animals on the chair beside my bed and examining each one and then looking at me. "What's this one's name?"
I blinked at her. "Jamie."
She nodded and set the stuffed bear down before picking up a black panther. "This one?"
I frowned at her. Was she planning on asking about all of them?
"What kind of snack food are you bringing?" Mary said as she sat down on the corner of my bed and watched her sisters.
I opened the top drawer of my dresser and pulled out a bag of candy and then tossed it toward Mary. "I've got this."
She caught the bag and then flipped it over. "Peanut butter cups?"
"Yeah." I lifted a brow at her higher pitched tone of voice. "They're my favorite. Is that good enough?"
She blinked at me and stood. "Better than good. They are great. Everyone loves anything having to do with chocolate. Are you sure you want to share these with everyone?"
I shrugged. "Sure."
"Excellent!" Sage yelled, her arms wrapped around my black panther, Xiumin. Then she dropped him back in the chair. "Let's get going. I'm starved."
The three sisters barged back out of my room as quickly as they'd come in. No one had said a word about the fact I was in a tank-top and sweats instead of pajamas, so I imagined it was good enough. I grabbed the bag of chocolate that I was bringing and stuffed a five dollar bill in my pocket along with the lanyard with my dorm room key on it. Then I shut out the light and followed the sisters out into the hallway.
I ended up staying longer than the hour or so I was planning. The pizza was good, the girls were giggly, and the guys on the show really were as hot as everyone said. But the show itself was far too predictable... perfect though for just chilling, when you didn't want something too emotional or requiring too much thought. But when the girls began to pull out make up and talking about doing makeovers, a few eyes shot my direction.
Resting witch face, um, it wasn't just resting this time. I glared at them enough to make them look away and choose another victim for their primping. Regardless, that was my cue to leave. I yawned and stood, looking toward Mary and her sisters. "I'm out. It's been fun everyone."
"You should come again!" one of the girls said cheerfully.
"Wish you could stay," another chimed in.
I had to admit, the whole thing wasn't as bad as I had thought it was going to be. It almost felt like I was having a pizza party for myself since it was my birthday, and the peanut butter cups definitely added to the party feel.
"I'll try to stay longer next time," I answered.
That was enough for most of them and they nodded and said their goodbyes. Mary stood and hugged me. My body stiffened, and I patted her on the shoulder. It wasn't just a pat of affection. I was trying to tap out of the hug. Not sure if she got the hint or not, though, since her hands remained on my arms as she pulled away. "I'm glad you came and hung out with us tonight. It really was fun."
I nodded, taking a step back to slip from her grip. "Thanks for inviting me."
It was true that she often invited me to things like this and I usually opted out. For some reason, today, I was more open to this kind of adventure. Maybe it was because it was my birthday and I wanted to do something different. And maybe I really would be up to doing it again some time. I shrugged and waved and started down the hallway of the dorm to head back to my room. The full moon outside caught my attention and I stopped on the landing on the stairs to peer out the huge picture window. The stars were washed out because the moon was so huge and bright. It shone on everything below with silvery light. It lighted upon Mr. Tokki's hair and made it virtually glow.
Mr. Tokki?
He didn't live on campus and should have gone home for the day, hours ago. I pressed against the glass and watched him as he shuffled through the campus, lifting his arm and looking at his watch. Out of habit, I did the same, looking down at my fitness tracker. It was nearly eleven p.m. on a
Friday night. This was highly unusual.
"Curious," I whispered to myself.
I knew that curiosity killed the cat and all that, but I couldn't help myself. I dashed down the last three flights of stairs and busted out into the silvery moonlight. It wouldn't take me long to catch up with the geometry teacher, since I was already in sweats and sneakers. The night air chilled my bare arms, though, and made gooseflesh rise on my skin. I clenched my teeth as I ran up the hill where I'd seen Mr. Tokki go.
His little white hatchback was parked on the street, and I caught sight of him just as he rounded the chain link fence to get to his car. He went around to the trunk and lifted it, peering around.
I ducked behind a tree before he turned my direction. Then he began loading the box he was carrying into the back of the car.
"Curious."
When he turned the other direction, I rushed toward his car, commanding my body to fold in on itself and shrink, but not too quickly as I still needed to cover ground. My clothes were especially made by the guardians to grow or shrink with me, by command of my magic. By the time I reached the chain link fence, I could just fit through one of the diamonds. I knew by now that he couldn't see me as I moved almost next to him, jumping up, grabbing hold of his bumper, and pulling myself into the hatchback just before he clicked it shut.
My breath came out in steady pants as I leaned against the box he'd placed in the trunk, thanking providence that I hadn't needed to shrink any more than I had in order to get the job done. I'd say I was only a little bigger than a Barbie, but not quite tall enough to see what was in the box. I grew just a little bit more in order to reach the lip of the cardboard and pull myself up and over to the top of the stiff side. I sat on top of the lip for just a moment and peer over the back seat of the hatchback to watch Mr. Tokki start the car and head down the road away from the school.
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