But there was a lot more to it than that. All our senses were heightened. That meant supersonic hearing, which was sometimes cool, but most of the time just really annoying. I mean, I could hear a pin drop from a house three miles away… so, yeah. Make of that what you will.
I could smell fresh blood from even more miles away. Maybe cool if you were a shark, but when you’re a vampire who is not supposed to feed on humans… less cool. Still, I was learning to control the urge.
And that heightened sense of smell was not reserved just for blood. Nope, everything smelled stronger – skunks, dumpsters, dirty gym socks… Trust me, this was not always a good thing.
We could move incredibly fast. I suppose that was a perk, although I’d never been one to care much about my athletic prowess. Still, being quick had its benefits and I would learn more about this in the coming months.
These were just a few of the changes that happen after The Turn. But there was so much more to it. There were physical changes and personality changes and lifestyle changes that had to occur if you wanted to transition to a vampire.
Some of the movies and other vampire media I had seen in my life glamorized the whole thing. Like, you were bitten by a sexy vampire and then you turned into a sexy vampire and you lived forever enjoying vamp sex until the end of time.
Nope. That’s not how it works. That’s not how any of this works.
Maybe that worked for those vampires, but they didn’t have their own government commit total genocide against them. They didn’t have the stigma of the vampire gene being looked at as the plague of the generation.
This was worse than pitchforks and torches of generations past; this was a full-on assault by the government. And they had the money, the power, and the resources to eradicate an entire sect of people. The only way to avoid it was to not get caught being a vampire.
And that is why they wanted us to come here to the Vampire Academy. We had to learn to follow the rules or we could be a danger to ourselves, and to others.
A vampire running around in the post-war world acting like a vampire was going to get killed, and possibly get everyone connected to them killed as well. We couldn’t let instinct guide us. We had to follow a higher calling – one that would keep us safe.
So, Vampire Academy was the place to go to learn two things:
1. How to be a vampire
2. How to avoid getting caught as a vampire
We would first learn how to survive The Turn. After we made it through that tough part, we would learn how we were supposed to feed, we’d learn about the different vampire “powers” or abilities we would develop, and we’d also learn how to blend into society in a natural way.
And this brought us to the cardinal rules – the basic tenants of being a vampire. Never get caught being a vampire. Not getting caught meant following the rules.
The most important rule: We don’t turn humans.
And this brings us full circle back to how I got myself in this predicament in the first place. I was standing in the front halls with Hera on my first day of Vampire Academy, talking about the one who had bitten me and put me in this position.
Hera had demanded to know who had bitten me and when I told her the story, as best as I could remember, she told me that whoever had done this would be severely punished. Although she didn’t say those words exactly, I had a feeling she might be the one doling out that punishment.
“That’s rule number two, consent,” she said, her eyes wide and angry looking. “A vampire never, ever bites without consent. And we never turn humans. That’s rule number one.”
“Okay well, whoever Mr. Knight really is, I don’t think he gives a crap about your rules. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“What if I gave consent?” My mind went back to my lost time. And I remembered how focused he had been on asking my consent from the beginning. He was adamant about it.
“Even if you gave consent to being bitten, we’re not allowed to turn humans. Either way, he broke the cardinal rule.”
“What will happen to him if they find him?” I didn’t know why I felt concern for the being who had essentially destroyed my human life forever and turned me into a blood-sucking, immortal beast, but I was feeling it none-the-less.
“Oh, they’ll kill him,” Hera said without flinching. “Now, let’s go get your schedule.”
She sure knew how to change tracks quickly. But I had learned that doing as you’re told here is a good way to keep out of trouble. If I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, I needed to stay far away from trouble.
Chapter 6
Hera is the one who had met me that day on the sidewalk, near my home. The day The Turn had started for me, and I was given the choice. Since I chose to come to the Academy, she hadn’t had to destroy me, which was good because I kind of liked being alive.
So, here we were on my first day of school, and Hera was showing me around and getting me settled into what was going to be my new home for quite some time. I was told that some vampires spend years here before they graduate. I wasn’t so sure how I felt about that, but I wasn’t being given a choice so for now, I was just going to roll with it.
Despite her cold first impression, she was pretty cool. Her had been a bit of a mentor/tour guide for me since I had gotten here at Mystic River Vampire Academy, and she was helping me adjust.
Rumor had it, she’d been here a very long time. She was one of the first and helped build this school for others like me. She was tough, but knowledgeable, and hot as hell. I know it’s superficial to comment on looks, but with Hera, it’s kind of hard not to. If a goddess and an angel had a baby, it would look like Hera.
“Why have a rule like that anyway?” I asked, curious about this rule banning us from turning others.
“We are trying to control the vampire population.” She stated flatly, as if I was foolish for even asking such a thing.
“But why? How are we any better than those brutes who murdered all those vampires back in the war? If we’re trying to protect our kind, then how does population control fit in?”
“We are immortal, Carmilla. There are already enough of us and we could live literally forever. If the earth became overrun with vampires, we’d have no one left to feed on, and that could quickly turn to a problem.”
“Well, it still sounds like bullshit to me,” I huffed.
“It might be ‘bullshit’ to you, but those are the rules. And if you don’t follow the rules here…”
“I know, I know,” I interrupted. “You get put down. Yeah, I think I’ve been threatened with that enough as it is. How could I forget?”
“It’s not a threat,” Hera’s low drawl was threatening, but also super sexy to me. “It’s a warning. Follow the rules and play nice, and you’ll have centuries of fun ahead of you.” She turned, looking me straight in the eyes as she said it, never blinking.
“And if I don’t?”
“Well,” she said, licking her lips. “Then I get to put my pretty little stake right through your pretty little heart.” She thumped me in the chest as she said it, but I didn’t flinch. I wasn’t going to let her intimidate me. Also, I kind of liked her touching me, if we’re being honest.
My heart sped up a bit faster every time she touched me, and it wasn’t just out of fear. In fact, I didn’t think that was from fear at all…
“Enough questions,” she said, turning ahead of me again. “We need to get you sorted. Come on.”
And with that, I followed her down the hallway, off to get my schedule and learn about my classes, and what would be expected of me here.
And that was how I started at Mystic River Vampire Academy.
***
Hera took me into the main office where I met the people (vampires) in charge of this school. I was given a schedule that told me when and where I was supposed to report to specific classes. Honestly, it all seemed pretty normal. If I didn’t know better, I would think I had just enrolled in some kind of college.
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I don’t know what I was expecting – weird blood-sucking parties? Vampire orgies? I guess you never know what to expect when you get dropped with a bomb like the one that had been laid on me over the past 48 hours. But now that I was here, it seemed like any old school, with a few exceptions.
Age and grade level didn’t matter here. This wasn’t that kind of school. We were placed based on when we started The Turn, how much we already knew about vampires, and how much of a danger we posed for ourselves and others.
Until I passed – or died trying – I’d be living here on campus. I wasn’t even allowed to leave until I “earned the right”, according to Hera. Of course, I didn’t much care for being put on lockdown like some grounded teenager, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.
It would seem my life of freedom and partying was behind me. At least, if these vampires had anything to say about it, they were. But I’d find a workaround. As I said, rules weren’t really my thing. Too constricting… and I wasn’t looking to get tied down (unless it was in the bedroom).
Part of my orientation also meant being shown to my room and around the common areas of the campus. Hera took me there after I had gotten my schedule. She may not have acted too pleased about it, but I was in no position to complain about having her as my sexy tour guide, even if she was a bit rough around the edges. I liked ‘em feisty.
She showed me the community areas first, before walking me across a most beautiful courtyard fully of greenery and then into another set of buildings. This one would be the one that housed my room; the place I would now be calling home for however long it took to graduate this place.
She took me up to the second floor and then opened the door to a room about six doors down from the elevators.
“This is my room?” I asked in awe, looking around the huge bedroom suite.
“Well, it ain’t the Ritz,” she said.
“No, but it’s pretty damn fancy,” I laughed. I was fairly sure I’d never even stayed in a place as cool as this, much less been able to call it home.
“Okay, well, do whatever you need to get settled in,” she huffed. “Classes start for you tomorrow.”
“Yes, of course. I’m on it.” Before Hera left, she paused for a moment, giving me a look I couldn’t quite read. Was that amusement? Then she just grunted and left down the hallway, back the way we had come.
I closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. The room smelled like flowers, although I couldn’t quite make out what type. Roses maybe?
Before I could even move from my place at the front door, someone moved in the back of the room and startled me.
“Who are you?” I said, dropping my bag to the floor.
“Propanga. I’m your roommate.” The figure stepped out of the shadows and into my view. She was tall, slender, cute face, with a short black bob haircut.
“Hera didn’t mention I had a roommate,” I said.
“Hera leaves out a lot of details,” she said with a laugh. “Want me to show you around?”
“Um, sure,” I said, thinking that there couldn’t be that much to show in a bedroom, right? But I didn’t want to be rude to someone I was going to have to share a room with for well… I didn’t know how long.
“Follow me,” she said with a smile and a little wave of her hand. “It’s Carmilla, right?”
“Yes,” I wondered how she knew my name already, but I suppose they mut have told her she was getting a roomie.
“So, this part is where you will sleep,” she said, pointing around the large bedroom suite we were standing in. “And over here is my side.”
I followed her around the corner that she had seemed to pop out of before and realized there was another bedroom on the other side, just as big. A small half-wall separated the two sides, so that we were basically in one room, but it felt like two. And the entire suite was big enough that it didn’t even feel like sharing a room.
I had to admit, this was bigger and nicer than the place I had been staying with my roomies.
“And over here is the kitchen,” she said moving further back past her bedroom area into a section I couldn’t see well because the lights were out. My eyes adjusted in the dark (way better than they ever did before I started turning into a vampire) and I was able to make out the space she was pointing to.
“Wait? We have our own kitchen?” Disbelief must have been written all over my face.
“Well, it’s a kitchenette, but yes.” She had such a big, sweet smile. She seemed so innocent and girl-next-door-ish, I almost forgot for a second that she was a vampire, too. I know that was prejudiced of me, but my mind had an idea of what vampires were and it wasn’t sweet little Propanga.
After the mini tour of this amazing place, it was time to get some rest. I didn’t know how much sleep vampires needed – if any – but my human body was exhausted right now. The Turn takes a lot out of you.
“Thanks, Propanga, and nice to meet you.” I tried to keep my manners, even if I was living in a completely surreal situation.
“Oh, of course! You’re welcome. After you get some rest, tomorrow I can show you around or catch you up on any things you need to know,” she offered with a smile.
“Thank you, that’s very sweet. Let’s catch up tomorrow.”
With that, she went back to her side of the room and me to mine, and I tried to get comfortable in this place I had never slept before. It felt odd, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to call this new place “home”, but for now, it was a damn fine place to stay until I went through whatever education Hera’s bosses thought I needed to be back on my own again.
I drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the day, unsure of what tomorrow would bring, and more than just a little overwhelmed. I didn’t even remember falling asleep. But sometime, not long after my tired head hit the pillow, I must have drifted off.
Chapter 7
The next morning, I woke early, pulled out my schedule and tried to remember what Hera had said I was supposed to do. There was so much to remember and to take in, it could feel overwhelming for sure.
“Hey, Carmilla! Happy first day. Wanna walk to class together?” Propanga asked from around the divider wall to her side. I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me.
“Yes, actually,” I replied. “That sounds good.”
“Look, it’s normal to feel nervous,” she said, tucking a piece of her short blond hair behind her ear. “Everyone does when they first come here. I mean, hello? Vampires! It’s intimidating.”
“Who said I’m nervous?” I replied, but I was certain my face gave me away. I was hella nervous! I mean, a school for vampires? I didn’t even know what to expect. Not to mention the fact that I had not chosen this for myself. It was come here, or “be destroyed” so… it didn’t exactly feel like a choice.
“Right, of course.” Propanga just smiled, flipped her short blond hair over her shoulder and picked up her backpack which seemed to be full of books. I had not been given any books yet; just a small, thin agenda. Hera hadn’t been very forthcoming about what would happen on my first day.
I had not been a fan of school the first go round, so I wasn’t expecting to get exciting about going back to school, even if it was a vampire school. Propanga was the closest thing I had to a friend so far, and I had come here with little more than the clothes on my back. This was sure to be interesting…
As soon as I was ready, Propanga and I left our room together. In the hallways, we passed some other females, of varying ages and backgrounds. Some of them walked in groups of two or more and they seemed to know each other already. Others walked alone, looking a bit lost and confused.
“First day for everyone,” Propanga said as we left our room and walked down the hall to the main campus. “This should be fun!”
“Yeah, a real hoot,” I mumbled under my breath.
We walked across the courtyard that Hera had brought me through last night, but everything looked different in the morning sun. I could
smell the river close by, too, even though I couldn’t see it from where we were. Many rows of tall, old trees surrounded the property, enclosing us in the middle.
As we came upon the main part of the building, I noticed again how big the doors were. What I hadn’t seen last night in the dark was all the intricate details of the carvings around the main doors. They looked like a bunch of little cherubs with different expressions on their faces. Some of them almost seemed to be… screaming. It was incredibly unique, if not also a little bit creepy.
“So, we’ve got different first periods but if you want to meet up later for lunch, we can eat together,” Propanga said as we stepped into the main foyer.
“Um yeah, sure. Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll see you at lunch,” I nodded to my new roomie, secretly wondering what vampires actually ate for lunch. Did they set up a big blood buffet for us or something?
I waved to my new friend and then found my way down the hall to my first class. With no idea what to expect, I tried to just keep an open mind about all of this.
Chapter 8
First period was Introduction to Vampirism. If I’m being honest, I was not at all prepared for what this class was going to teach me, even on day one. I was sure I would know most of what was going to be said in this class, but I was in for a big surprise. One of the first things that caught my attention, however, was the diversity of the class. I stopped just inside the doorway and looked around the entire room before choosing my own seat.
There were about fifteen of us in here and a couple looked around my age, one looked definitely younger than me, and most everyone else looked older than me. Some looked in their later 20s, and most in their 30s, but there were also a couple of people who had to be 40s or 50s.
In the back was a man who might be even older than that. His hair was thinning and all grey and he had more wrinkles around his eyes than anyone else in the room.
I knew that vampire academy was going to be different than any other school I had ever been to, but I don’t think I ever really took time to think about how different it would be or the fact that this would not be like a school full of minors.
Bloodlust: Mystic River Vampire Academy (Year Two) Page 3
