They were walking down a long corridor and Mina felt like they were going deeper underground. The path was narrow, almost enough for two people to walk together side by side. However, she was always one step behind Hendrik, who didn’t really turn around to see if she was following him or not. She wondered if he could hear her footsteps.

  The light of the candles flickered as they passed them. She tried to imagine how dark it would get here without all those candles. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever seen such darkness. She didn’t want to. Total darkness was, to her, a world without her brother. He’d always been her light. He knew how to make the worst days sunny again. And, here she was, following this guy, like a stupid girl in love. She knew how wrong this was and, yet, she was unable to turn back. Her heart was following him, obediently, like a little puppy, and a part of her was happy that her brother wasn’t here to see this.

  Suddenly, she stopped. He took a few more steps before he realized that and then he turned to her.

  “Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” she said, not really knowing why.

  In essence, she wanted to be here. This was a small clique and she might be able to infiltrate it easily. This could give her access to more places around the school and, most importantly, new info. Plus, the fact that Hendrik was drop dead gorgeous didn’t hurt either but that was the last thing she wanted to focus on right now.

  “Why the change of heart?” he asked, and she couldn’t tell if he was indifferently curious or he really wanted her here.

  “I don’t know…” she told him the only reply she knew of.

  He got close to her. He stopped just as the tips of his shoes touched the tips of her closed sandals, which all of the girls were forced to wear. She was still wearing his hoodie, only now, she felt like a mouse and wanted to hide her entire self inside.

  “Are you scared?” he asked, as if he was daring her to do something.

  “No, I…” she replied, not moving back.

  Usually, she’d know exactly what to say. She’d have the strength to push him away from her for being such a cocky ass, but somehow, she couldn’t do that with Hendrik. She could imagine herself pushing Raphael away easily but not Hendrik.

  So, she allowed him to remain close to her, their breaths merging in the air that surrounded them. There was no one around. For the first time, she heard a faint sound of music but it wasn’t very loud. Amazing what good acoustics these places had.

  “Yes?” he kept prodding, as if he knew there was something she wanted to tell him but couldn’t. At least, not yet.

  “What if they don’t like me?” she asked and only when she heard the question out loud, did she realize how ridiculous it was.

  Who the hell cared whether they liked her or not? She was there with Hendrik and she wanted to be there, despite what she was so desperately trying to convince herself of. Her heart knew what it wanted and it wouldn’t accept no for an answer.

  “I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t like you,” he whispered, then his hand lay gently on her cheek, caressing it softly.

  This was the moment she’d anticipated ever since she’d laid eyes on him. She wanted to gaze into those eyes, she wanted to feel his arms around her, like someone whose only desire in life was to love and nothing else. She had only read about those passionate romances and even though she gave it a try a few times, she realized that conventional romance just wasn’t for her. She wanted something else, something that many people didn’t understand. Usually, what they don’t understand, they condemn, so it was easier just to lock her heart away and expect never to find true love, the way she understood it to be.

  Mina was polyamorous – she’d finally came to that conclusion one day. That was also the same day that she broke up with her current boyfriend, as it wasn’t fair to him. He was old fashioned, too old fashioned to understand that someone wanted several partners, and was able to love and cherish each and every one of them equally. Mina didn’t want to explain herself too much. She felt like she wouldn’t need to explain herself when she met the right one, or better yet, the right ones.

  So, Hendrik was now standing right in front of her. She wanted nothing more than him to press his lips against hers and to feel his beating heart with her open palms, as she rested her hands against his chiseled chest but, it wouldn’t stop there. It never did. She might like him too much or it could be the other way around. Usually, guys liked her more than she liked them, hence that unwillingness to share, so to say. She herself never saw it as sharing. Or perhaps, it was sharing love, of which she had more than enough to go around.

  “You’re getting better,” she suddenly told him, thinking of a way to make the situation less charged with sexual energy. She just needed to joke a little.

  “At what?”

  She caught him. He was surprised. He wasn’t expecting that. She could see it on his face.

  “Giving compliments,” she explained.

  As soon as he heard that, he started laughing. She joined in.

  “Seriously…” he chuckled. “Come on, let’s go. The others are waiting.”

  He turned around and pulled her by the hand, his palm in hers, as if it was the most natural thing in the world and, somehow, it was. She intertwined her fingers with his and followed behind. When they finally reached the end of what seemed to be an endless corridor, it opened up into a big room, circular in shape. There were a few couches scattered around the place and there were people already sitting there, cheerfully chatting to one another. In the right corner, two huge speakers were placed around a miniature DJ set. A guy was already spinning records. Mina liked the sound of it.

  As she looked around, she realized that no one was really looking at them, even though they’d just entered. The atmosphere was pleasant and casual, and Mina wasn’t feeling like she was forced to be here. She didn’t even feel like the odd one out.

  Hendrik was still holding her hand and she was grateful for that small act of affection. A group of unknown people were usually enemies to her. These people, essentially were exactly that: enemies and, yet, this guy holding her hand was not. He was everything her enemies usually were, without that one main trait and that was wanting her dead. He wanted something else from her and her blood always rushed to her cheeks whenever she contemplated that possibility.

  They approached the people sitting on one of the couches and Hendrik introduced her to them. There were three guys and four girls. Their names sounded almost made up but Hendrik explained later that they were all related by blood, belonging to a very old, aristocratic vampire family. Mina knew a few of those. They usually favored earthly riches, amassing wealth, which combined with their longevity was more than enough for a life well led. They usually weren’t interested in something as barbaric as killing or any other criminal acts, as they considered those beneath them.

  Mina smiled and realized that she actually wanted them to like her. More importantly, she wanted Hendrik to like her and never let go of her hand. Another guy came and offered them a drink.

  “It’s the same shit as the ones they’ve got in the cafeteria but at least the place is better,” Hendrik said, accepting a can of some energy drink.

  Mina did the same. The cans popped open almost at the same time and Mina quickly put her lips to hers, so that the foam wouldn’t seep through.

  “I like it,” Mina nodded, looking around.

  A few people were dancing now, it was as if there was a shift in action. Everyone started doing something else and they were having as much fun as before. Mina felt like she was at a friend’s house when their parents weren’t home. She liked the feeling. It was something normal teenagers did, something she didn’t have much experience with.

  She half expected him to make a move. She even caught herself being overly flirty with him a few times but it seemed like he wasn’t getting the hint. They spent a few hours talking and despite the fact that nothing romantic happened between them, she realized that she’d had a lot of fun with him.

  “So, what… we can be just friends…” she thought to herself, as she cozied up in bed, and went to sleep, with occasional images of what just happened popping up, before she finally fell asleep.

  Chapter 12

  All Hallow’s Eve was just around the corner and there was no sign of the Headmaster. Mina had hoped that he’d return by now but, at the same time, she was happy that he wasn’t there yet. She didn’t feel ready. Dante was notorious in vampire slayer circles. He was dangerous and unpredictable. This was the only thing she knew, because not many had survived a meeting with him and lived to tell about it. But, she was sure that Emile was right. If Dante was really the Headmaster of Zeadore Academy, then he knew what happened to her brother, because he was most certainly responsible for what had happened. That thought alone gave her the necessary strength to face him at any given point.

  That was exactly why she concocted a plan. She’d go to the secretary just to enquire whether he was back. She could take a look around at the same time, maybe get some info from the secretary herself. It was a simple plan, so she hoped nothing would go wrong.

  After school, on Friday, Mina headed towards the main building. She had no idea if she needed to schedule anything or not. After all, even if the Headmaster was back, she’d need to get out of actually meeting him. She could make something up, lie, bend the truth a little. All she wanted was info.

  She strolled over to the main building, rehearsing her speech inside her mind. On the way there, she almost had to elbow her way in the opposite direction, as students were generally headed back to the dorms, most of which were situated in the same part of the campus. Mina had arranged to meet up with Reeba later on and take a walk, maybe grab a late coffee from the cafeteria or one of the machines. Either way, the coffee tasted bad, but it gave one an excuse to hold something liquid and warm in one’s hand, while chatting. It was a habit one couldn’t break easily.

  Stopping before an old, worn down part of this ancient building, Mina knew this to be the entrance. The main offices were situated here, the Headmaster’s office and the school psychologist. The teacher’s lounge was in the other part of the building, where the students went to class every day, but the teachers had one lounge here as well. Mina guessed this one was for those precious moments of solitude, where the students wouldn’t bug them as much.

  Mina climbed a few steps, then stopped before the left side wall, which held a large metal poster, with the location of each room and office in the building. She found the Headmaster’s office easily and figured his secretary must have a desk right in front of his office or somewhere very close to it.

  She entered the building and, immediately, felt the temperature get colder. She shivered, then rubbed her upper arms, trying to make herself warmer. She found herself in a big, seemingly endless hallway. Its tiled flooring was time-worn. The paintings on the walls hung in chafed, wooden frames which could have used a bit of a touch up. However, old as they were, they still possessed some vintage, antiquated charm which had always appealed to Mina. In the middle, there was a winding staircase. There was no sign of any possible elevator, even though Mina preferred to climb stairs. Once, she got stuck in an elevator and it took them over three hours to get her out. She wasn’t scared, really but it was still unpleasant and, worst of all, she had no food or drink on her.

  She grabbed the handrails confidently, going over her speech one last time in her mind, thinking what would be the right note of polite and inquisitive but not overly pushy. She’d have to start, and then see. She climbed one step at a time, until eventually, the third and final floor opened up before her. There was a small desk to the right of the heavy doors with golden door knobs in the shape of a wolf’s head. The doors were closed tight. The desk next to it was small and neatly arranged but it managed to accommodate the woman who was sitting at it easily.

  Mina kept walking towards her and the woman lifted her gaze the moment she heard someone approaching. Her eyes watched Mina closely from behind a pair of V-shaped glasses, inspecting her closely.

  “Hello,” Mina greeted her politely, as she stopped right before the desk.

  “Hi, there,” the lady replied.

  Right there, on the desk, turned to her, Mina could see a plaque with the lady’s name. Mirna Watson.

  “I hope I’m in the right place,” Mina continued as sweetly as she could.

  “How may I help you, dear?” Miss Watson replied.

  She was a pretty-ish woman in her thirties, that was at least what her appearance showed. Her eyes were overly drawn out with black eyeliner, trying to make them look bigger, which was only more painfully obvious from behind her glasses. She was wearing a short sleeved blouse with pink flamingos and there was a barely visible pink hair clip in her hair, which was half up and half down, with a few loose strands of hair around her ears.

  “I’m here to enquire about the Headmaster,” she started, clearing her throat a little, “you see, I arrived here less than a month ago and there are a few things I’d like to ask him. I understand that every new student who arrives like this, in the middle of the school year, is to meet the Headmaster and, you see, I’ve heard so many things about him, I’m just so eager to meet him in person.”

  Mina hoped her little speech did the trick. It was supposed to leave the impression of an overly eager student, a little clumsy, a little curious, who just wanted to meet the Headmaster. Miss Watson eyed her sweetly and the right corner of her lip danced a little.

  “I have the right information, don’t I?” Mina added, for effect and it worked.

  “You do, Miss…”

  “Wing, Lucy,” Mina gave her alias.

  “Ah, Miss Wing,” Miss Watson’s face changed a little, but Mina couldn’t quite put her finger on the reason why.

  It sounded as if Miss Watson had already heard her name before. Now, it was up to Mina to figure out whether this meant something or not.

  “Yes?” she chose to say.

  “Miss Wing, you were informed correctly,” she continued, “you will be scheduled a meeting with the Headmaster but that’s only when he returns.”

  “You mean, he’s not back yet?” Mina asked.

  “I’m afraid not.”

  “Do you know when he’ll be back?” Mina asked again.

  Apparently, this wasn’t the kind of question students usually asked. That was the impression Mina read from Miss Watson’s face this time.

  “I’m afraid not, Miss Wing,” she replied, a little sternly.

  “I’m sorry,” Mina immediately wanted to fix the impression, “I know it’s probably not the kind of information you give out to students but I’m just so excited to meet him. My parents have told me so much about him, I feel like I already know him.”

  This softened Miss Watson a little. Maybe she had a family of her own or had someone she herself was admiring. Whatever the reason, Miss Watson smiled. Mina knew she did it.

  “I know what it’s like to be ….” she paused, in search of an appropriate word, “eager to see someone.”

  She suddenly pulled back a little in her chair, as if she was metaphorically pulling herself out of this conversation, in which she almost revealed one of her secrets.

  “He should be back the first week of November, I think. That’s what he told us last time but, of course, it always depends on his obligations. He is the kind of man who always does his best, you know.”

  “Oh, I know,” Mina nodded, trying to give the impression that she really did know everything about this man. “My dad always said, he could count on him no matter what.”

  “Then, your dad was a lucky man,” Miss Watson said, with a deep, melancholy feeling in her voice.

  “So, should I come the first week of November then?”

  “No, dear, you shall be notified when you should come. He is busy, you know. We can’t just have you students barging in here, as if this was a market.”

  “I know, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright, dear. It takes some time to get used to this place. Trust me, I know.”

  There was a tone which revealed to Mina that Miss Watson wanted to be more than just a secretary to the Headmaster, but her hopes and desires weren’t reciprocated.

  “Have you been here long?” Mina asked curiously.

  “Longer than I can remember,” she sighed the sigh of a broken heart.

  “Were you here before the Headmaster came?”

  “No,” Miss Watson shook her head, “we came here together. I mean, we were hired at the same time,” she was quick to correct herself but her blushing didn’t escape Mina’s watchful eye.

  “Did you know him before that?”

 

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