Laced in Black (chp.4)

As always a creepy old castle like Lunar Academy would be located at the hills where no mortals would brave enough to take a hike, surrounded with heavy thick bushes and little did everyone knew there was a spot for the dead hidden just beside the castle’s compound, outside the tall brick walls. An abandoned graveyard where no one has paid a visit after for so long and if you think it was creepy enough for the eyes of the human, think again as it give shivers to the immortals too.

“I didn’t know there is a graveyard here.” Aurora said to herself. Dressed in a crop top and navy blue skinny jeans, Aurora sneaked inside the 7 feet tall bushes to find a spot to hide from her date, Cam as they were playfully chasing each other.

The graveyard looked as if it was being abandoned for centuries, the soils were dry and dusty while the grass covered seemed to have badly wilted. It was dark as no source of lights were being emitted anywhere near but in her vision, the graveyard was rather small and there were iron wrought gates guarded that land of the dead. Although, the graveyard was unlikely to the typical ones, it may be small and creepy but to Aurora, it was quite unique and beautiful as she saw a small round gazebo completed with 4 supporting thick posts and glass dome for the roof built right at the centre. “Wow!”

Leaving Cam in his hide and seek game, Aurora took a few steps ahead to approach the main gate of the graveyard, she was thrilled over her new discovery and with zero sense of fear, she felt an exploration was the right action to do. The gate was closed, tied with chains and it was locked for anyone to enter. The sound of owls hooting under the dark sky was dancing in melody into her ears as she was facing the place that terrified most of the living creature but Aurora wouldn’t give a damn on how scary the scene was because daring would be her middle name.

“Darn it, it’s locked!” Aurora tried to open it even though it was impossible for her bare hand to release the chains, shaking the gate so hard like a thief trying to escape from a robbery. All of the sudden, a few sparks of light appeared in the thin air, close to the gazebo. Little did she knew, she was interrupting someone who sat behind one of the structured pillars. Her eyesight moved as her body change its position for a better view and a shadowy figured human was all she could see with her naked eye. The little fireworks were that particular shadow’s creation and slowly spark after spark, the show was over as it was being put off. It got Aurora to wonder who might be casting magic in this kind of place, moreover near to a vampire’s ground. She was lost in her thoughts for a while until she heard someone was calling out her name.
“Aurora, Aurora! Quit playing, where the hell are you? I’m going back now, it’s almost dawn! You better show yourself up or I’ll just leave you here! Do you hear me?” A familiar guy voice to her ears has given a sign for them to leave.

“Cam! I almost forgot about him! But wait!” As Aurora turned to set her eyes back to the gazebo, the shadowy figured she saw seconds ago was no longer there and an empty yet quiet graveyard was all to be seen.

“Aurora!” A last shout by Cam was a clear message to Aurora that he was being serious on leaving the place to get them both in time to the academy.

“Wait, I’m right here!” Aurora made an exit through the same tall bushes she got in, trying to catch Cam before he actually leaves, she too wanted to leave but the image of that shadow and flickering sparks of light would never seem to leave her mind.

The door entry of the west wing part of the castle was opened wide as Yu stood in front, looks as if someone was sensing his presence there. Yu walked inside to fill the empty waiting longue but it wasn’t that empty when he saw Bill was sitting on the single armchair while sipping red liquor through his glass wine flute.

“So, what now?” Yu raised one of his eyebrows to question the prince.
“A simple request for you to follow, I want you to stay here from now onwards.” The arrogant Bill sounded humble upon his desperate wish.

“What is it in for me?”

“You may want to keep your eyes open in this academy, he’s near.” Bill warned the vampire hunter for there will be no more playing and it’s about time for them to work together.“There is an underground cabin at the backyard garden, you can pack your stuff and throw it there. No one will know your staying.”

“Well, now I know.” Hiding under a black cloak, he walked straight to approach them and the guy revealed his glowing beauty of a face by taking off his hood. “Why would you even want this traitor to be here?” Strify snapped and let out a short giggle as he thought Bill was making a joke.

“ Start packing.” Bill ignored Strify and ordered Yu before he left the waiting lounge, making his way to the master bedroom.

“What?” Strify was in disbelief of what he heard was actually a serious case. He gave a piercing stare at Yu
showing how he hated Yu to be near him or to be in his so called territory. “Get lost!” Strify shooed Yu away from the west wing.

“Fine with me.” Yu shrugged and turned away to leave.

The morning sun breaks in and the sky turned from dark to bright, for the young vampires in the academy, it would be the precise time where they should get ready for their learning lessons alike to the typical normal students in other school. That morning, the fountain in the courtyard was the place of where the most wanted vampires in the academy lounging around on account of waiting for their leader to lead them in the day.

“My head hurts.” One of the famous 6 was moaning in pain under his dandy hat.

“What’s up with you, William?” A little guy dressed a plain black shirt attired with a white tie started to question.

“Don’t tell me the hero of yesterday has lost his strength.” The big guy Lane added.

“What? Hero? What on Earth are you lads saying?” William laughed and kept his head still to ease the headache he was having.

“Did you knock your head or something?” Lane was being curious.

“Maybe that’s why your head hurts.” This time Nathaniel tried to solve the puzzle.

“No, I did not. Well as far as I know.”

“Say, you don’t remember a single thing that happened last night?” A handsome voice of the white blonde Strify was heard as he butted in.

“Somehow, no.” William replied.

“Now, that’s strange.” Kiro couldn’t help but to wonder, on the other hand,something was playing in Strify’s mind as he might have the answer to the unexplained event.

Before he could figure everything out, his process of thinking has been shut off as Bill came to pat his back with his ring fingered hand. “Stop spacing out, Strify! We have a long day ahead.” In his usual serious tone, Bill walked his way from his spot and so the rest followed him.

Down the corridor, the Valentine sisters were taking their own sweet time, walking on their booties while strutting in style. As always the others would surely be eyeing on each one of them but somehow, in that breezy morning, the stare given are more deadly and it was shot to Annika, making it look as though the eldest Valentine sister has committed a crime.

“Okay, why is everyone staring at me like that?” Annika spoke as she started to notice.

“Hello sis? Didn’t you hear? You’re like the most talk about girl in this academy, now!” Amorette spilled the story.

“Wait, I don’t get it.”

“Say, an invitation to the west wing is usually limited and those who are chosen would be an instant star!” Aurora added while she was googling some facts on her blackberry since earlier that morning.

“Okay, so I’m not the only one, right? Besides, I’m not even one of those chosen ones.”

“Well yeah but no one knows the real story, like duh.” Amorette continued.

“So?”

“So, obviously people around would have in mind that you invited yourself in instead of getting an actual invitation from the boys.”

“You mean people thought that I broke in to the west wing?”

“Exactly!”

“Oh that can’t be good.”

“That’s not all, some people may think of that way but a few others, well this will give you the perfect reason of their deadly stares. You’re an addition to the numbers of the boys’ invitation.”

“Oh no!”

“Oh yes, as about now, you’re the prince’s one and only pleasure victim.”

“Well they should know the real story!”

“But aren’t you proud to be rumoured with that gorgeous prince?”

“Such an arrogant person like that, what’s there to be proud of?”

While, Annika was too concentrating on her talk with Amorette and Aurora, she didn’t realize that she wasn’t really looking of where she was walking until her heels got stuck in a little hole on the rocky pavements and it made her slipped, falling onto someone that managed to catch her before she meets the ground. Looking to that particular person, it immediately struck Annika that she wished she could take back of what she just said. He was taller than Annika but as dashing as he could be, he would still have that arrogant face that tells all he’s powerful enough to rule their bloodsucking world which is actually true considering the fact that his bloodline is the highest in the level of hierarchy.

“Watch it, lady.” Strify threw his sayings right after Bill released Annika from his grabbed.

“I’m sorry.” An apology was given by Annika.

“Annika! Hey!” The bubbly little Kiro greeted Annika with his sweetest smile.

“Care to greet your damsel in distress, William? I thought you’re the gentleman one.” Lane reminded the gentleman William.

With a confused and innocent looking face, surely William was denying that he actually knows Annika when his mind couldn’t even recall his encounter with her. “I don’t..”

“Time stops for no one, move.” Bill cuts in, stopping everyone to speak as he ordered all of them to just walk rather than staying and at the same time, wasting their time with a meaningless conversation. Although, before Bill made his move, he stole a moment to give Annika an unusual inviting stare.

~*~