The sun had set a long time ago as the clouds gathered to form an image I couldn't figure out. I drove home in dad's Toyota Camry, watching as the street's lights flash every minute I passed by them. I bobbed my head to the beat as "shake it off" by Taylor Swift blasted through my speaker.
It was my first time in the human world and gosh, it's a lot different from the Shadow world: a place where not only bloodsuckers live but other supernatural beings. My family came to this city just last week but I didn't go with them because I wasn't done with my mission, mastering how to control my fangs from coming out anytime I smell blood.
I'm different from other bloodsuckers. I haven't had my first blood or had my first bite. I'm just like a full mortal, I eat cheese and burgers and they are my best combo.
Two years ago, on my sixteenth birthday, my older brother Arden had his first kill and got bitten by a bloodsucker. He became a full-bloodsucker. I was terrified because he couldn't control it. Dhampirs become full bloodsuckers when they kill or get bitten by one and become a hybrid when being bitten by a werewolf or taste a witch's blood.' said the council. 'We don't kill, we protect those we love.' Dad added.
My thoughts wandered as I mindlessly looked out at the lights in the distance. I looked in my rearview mirror as a car suddenly passed mine at full speed, going at least 30 mph faster.
"Whoa, come on!" I yelled in the direction of the car riding in front of me. I opened the map dad had left for me before I left for the academy last week. It was complicated because I couldn't figure out how the human world works, so instead I turned on the GPS to direct me home. I know you all will be wondering how I got to know how to drive, well first, I took a few classes from dad and I'm not fully a bloodsucker so I can't do stuff like flying or shapeshifting, but I can hypnotise and the colour of my eyes glow anytime someone I'm bonded with is in trouble or when they want me to read to their minds.
I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel facing the opposite direction as the car stopped in front of a grey house. My chest pushed against my seat belt, throwing me back against the seat. I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door, stepping out into the warm night air. I shut the door and stood in front of the house.
"She found it," Mom said as she hugged me. "I'm glad you completed your training." She rubbed my back and I smiled. "Come on." She rubbed my arms and we walked towards the house and she led me to the porch.
She opened the door and we stepped into the house. The house was Elizabethan, with wooden panels along the corridors and ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The stairs lead down into a tall galleried room with a rug spread out over flagstones and a fireplace big enough. A long polished wooden table has been set for the whole family. it was beautiful.
"You will get used to it," Dad said as he came to hug me. I smiled as I leaned on him. "How was your training?" he added.
I opened my teeth and my fangs came out slowly but it was painful so I stopped. "Dad, I thought you wanted us to live a normal life."
"I do and now that you are here, why don't you join us for dinner? ...you must be very tired."
"You could have let me come pick you up, instead of coming yourself." Arden interrupted as he removed the sunglasses he was wearing. His eyes were red, I'm sure they haven't fed him blood since they entered the human world.
"Aww bro, you look scary, how are you coping without taking a sip of blood?" I teased him.
He opened his teeth and his fangs came out. He wanted to attack me with it but mom stopped him immediately. I would have turned into a full-bloodsucker, just like him in minutes if she hadn't.
"Enough... come Inez__ I will show you your room." She said excitedly, heading up the staircase. I walked behind her but stopped on the landing, a few steps up still looking around the house.
She opened the door, and I stepped into the room. The room had a rectangular silhouette with edges that had been smoothed so that it gave them that modern design look as well as making the walls look as single, one that encircles the room.
The colour of the walls is light blue; similarly, the colour of the wall is blue.
There were six light bulbs inserted inside the empty corresponding cavities, all of them rotated and focused at different points.
The floor was wooden and the colour was golden brown. The bed's longest side was sided by the right wall of my room, while the computer and peripherals were on the other side of the room. The writing desk was equipped with a lamp as well as a laptop. It was made of stainless steel while the legs are in powder-coated steel. The stool was silver-colored which goes well with the colour of the table and also that of the laptops. In the centre of the room, there was a red seating combination sofa; its legs were in nickel-plated steel.
"So, how is Arden coping?" I asked mom as we both sat on the sofa.
She sighed. "You saw the way he is; we are trying to make him eat normal food again." She stood up and turned to look at me. "School is tomorrow, how excited?" she asked.
"Is anyone ever? What do you think?" I replied with a question and gave a small smile.
"Come and join us when you are done." She left the room and closed the door behind her.
~~~
That night after dinner, I took a hot bath. I walked over to the dresser and dried my wet hair. I wore my blue robe and checked the time. It was eleven O'Clock. I walked over to the bed and the next thing I know, I fell into a heavy dreamy sleep.
It was 7:40 the next morning when I walked up the steps and found my way to the principal's office on my first day of senior year at Eulogia Academy. The truth is, I was nervous. I haven't had a proper conversation with a human before. I wanted to run back home, but at the same time, I had to pretend to be a normal human."Thanks for choosing Eulogia Academy. We are happy to have you here, Miss Sivan." The principal smiled at me across the desk. She was a bit tall and she was also wearing heels. She wore a black blazer, neatly pressed, and her hair was packed into a ponytail. She adjusted her glasses. "I'm principal Elise.""Thank you for having me here. I'm happy I will also get to study in this beautiful school just like the famous scholars." I swallowed hard.Principal Elise cupped her hands and put them under her chin. "Listen, if there is anything I can do to help you transition here, you let me know, okay?"I nodded and gave her a small smile.The hall was crowded as students st
The room was a huge, dark space. Artificial beams of light cut through the darkness, causing pools of white to collect on the black floor tiles. A vast screen surrounded by hundreds of smaller monitors dominated the opposite wall."I think it's a good idea for the Sivan family to mingle among humans." The head of the council said as he talked from the high table.A member got to their feet. "The Silas brothers won't even know they are here in the human world. We wipe off all their information from the internet.""Good choice." The head said, as he nodded. "What did the prophecy say about our chosen one?" he asked.After a brief period of silence, the second person in the chorus stood up. "Inez will try to change everything we have built; she will change the rules."The head takes a big gulp, clearing his throat in the process. "Continue," he commanded."She'll develop feelings for a human boy, which is against our policies. The human boy will also turn out to be a calamity for her, le
The bell for the first period rang, and we were having biology. Denise and I both walked into the lab."Okay, class, we will be talking about osmosis." Mr. Lovato said as he picked up the textbook from the table. Denise and I searched for a seat and ended up sitting next to the window. "Who can define osmosis?" he asked, staring at Chase. Chase ignored him, and one of Chase's football players raised his hand. "Okay, Larry, please define it for the class even if it's in your understanding."Larry stood up. "Osmosis is a process by which molecules of a solvent tend to pass through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.""Good. You can sit down. Who else can try?" he asked as he looked in my direction. "Hmm, your face is new.""This is her first time in your class," Denise replied, and Chase looked my way. I got to my feet but had no idea what to say because all I had learned at Shadow Academy was about blood.Everything was about control
When the bell rang, it was time to leave, but I didn't leave until 6:00 since I had to see the principal about how poor my math grades were. I will be walking home today since my dad went out in his car.I took a shortcut through the woods and began walking. The wood was peaceful.A few minutes later, I heard a scream. "Help me, someone help me." I ran towards where the sound was coming from. The scream got louder. I stopped when I saw a figure biting a woman's intestines and flesh.On instinct, I yelled. "Hey, get off of her," I said bravely as I threw a stone at it.When I saw his face, I was in shock. The monster finally stood up and growled. He was huge and he looked at me. I saw the blood and got tempted to feed, but I didn't want to be a monster. I'm not a monster. I remind myself. I started breathing fast as I moved back step by step, swallowing hard. I turned and started running. I ran without looking back to see if the beast was chasing after me or not."Mom," I screamed, as
I followed Chase back to my room as I shut my door behind me. We continued on with the equation, then I looked at him and our eyes met. I quickly looked back at my note, then he broke the silence. "So are you still going to go out with me tomorrow?"I looked up and smiled at him. "I knew you didn't come here for the homework."He smiled. He already knew he was already caught. "Oops, you got me.""I have never been on a date before," I said as I dropped my pen."Then say yes. We will have a great time.""I don't know about that. My parents won't let me, and besides, I'm different and not like you.""Different, how?" he asked as he gave a small smile.I jammed my lips together. "I don't do parties. My life is boring. I'm not even on social media." I said, instead. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that I was a Dhampir."It's just a movie. I like you, Inez. I know it sounds stupid, but I do like you, and it started the first time I saw you standing in the middle of the hall, in the cro
My parents came back home before midnight, and I told them about the police that came looking for them. Mom and dad didn't tell me what the council told them, instead they walked to their room immediately after my news. I looked at Arden and gave him a quick smile."I know that look." He said as he sat down on the kitchen stool."What look?" I asked as I poured cereal into a bowl."The look you give when you want me to tell you stuff.""So, tell me, what happened there?" I asked as I sat next to him."They said I shouldn't tell you anything, but you have to feed on blood in the next month or you will die." Arden spilled."Is that what the council said? I thought you all went there for the animal information." I said."We did and the beast you saw is called the wendigo. I think they are controlling it and the head also said that witches are trying to break the barrier and the barrier isn't strong anymore. You are the only one that can save us, so you can't die." Arden replied to me."I
I walked home immediately after the incident without even attending the rest of the classes. I told my mom what happened and showed her my hand. She removed the plaster and I was already healed. 'You've started your healing process - that's a good thing.' She said.I ran to my room and took a nice hot bath, and after hours of staying indoors, I decided to go see Chase at the cinema. I wore my black leader short skirt with my ankle boots, and then wore a white long sleeve round neck top. I used my room window as an exit and went through the woods.When I finally got to the cinema, I saw cars outside and could hear some boys talking. I noticed Larry's voice and saw Chase walking in with his hand around Jada's shoulder. Are they back together? That's the first question that comes to mind. I couldn't go to him. Instead, I headed back home and climbed onto my bed to sleep.Then I heard a knock on my door. I walked to open it and, to my surprise, it was Arden. I was shocked because Arden ha
"I want to know more about Wendigo." I changed the topic."Okay." He said. He took a big book out of the drawer and handed it over to me. " This is the book of supernaturals. You are the only one that can read it since you are chosen. You will know more about what you are looking for in it.""Thank you." I said as I stood up to leave the room."Remember Miss Sivan, the remaining ten days till the month ends. You decide if you want to live or die. It's your choice."The minute I got home, my phone buzzed, and it was from Chase. He asked why he didn't see me at his game. I ignored his message and entered my room. I heard someone knock on my window. I checked and it was Chase. He was here again.I closed my window and ignored him, but he kept calling my name. My parents must not know he was there or I'll get grounded. I opened my window and let him in."I called you five times yesterday...why didn't you pick up?" He asked."I was busy." The truth is, I went to see him at the movies and s