Cursed Fate

7- Kids

The next day, I wake up to Cyla shaking me. I growl at her, pulling my covers over my head. I am aware I didn’t cover myself before I fell asleep yesterday. Olivia and Cyla must have done so before they went to bed.

“Come on, Naiya!” Cyla says. “We’ll be late”

“I’m not going” I grumble, turning around.

Having to face another day while feeling as sick as yesterday and also having to face my bastard of a mate is not something I want to do.

So, I decided to just stay in bed.

“The headmaster will have your head if you’re a no show today after what happened yesterday” Olivia says.

“I don’t care” I tell them. “I’m not going!”

Suddenly, I feel my covers being pulled from over me suddenly. I growl at them while sitting up in bed, getting absolutely pissed.

“Let’s go, Naiya” Cyla says, completely ignoring my threatening look while she and Olivia collect their things for the classes we will have today.

“You’ll be late” Olivia says in a melodic tone, as if mocking me.

“Fine, fine. I’m going” I grumble and get up from my bed, passing a hand through my hair in an attempt to soften it up.

My eyes fall upon our new roommate as she looks at me with an unsure look. For a moment there, I had forgotten about her.

“Hey” It’s all I can say.

“Hi…” She says back.

It’s weird how we can look so alike and be so different at the same time.

I notice she is already in her new uniform, making her look even more like me. The only difference is her uniform is part grey instead of part red.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” She asks me as the other two head to the door.

“No, it’s ok” I tell her. “Go ahead with them. You still don’t know your way around”

She softly nods at me and is about to leave through the door, before turning back around to face me.

“Don’t be too harsh on Soren” She tells me. “He is a good person and has been waiting a long time to meet you. Please, give him a chance…”

I look at her for a moment before answering. “I’ll think about it”

She nods and smiles softly at me. Then Cyla comes back and checks one of the drawers. She throws me a bag of blood. I catch it before it can break on the floor.

“I figure you won’t have time for breakfast like this” She says. “Also”

She throws me an apple, that I manage to grab with my other hand. “I had that laying around. I hope it will be enough before lunch”

I growl at her menacingly. They all leave through the door before I can start shouting at them.

“s**t…” I mumble, looking at the apple and knowing I can’t go around the fact that I have to eat it.

It’s either that or risking jumping my mate again and get dragged back to the Headmaster’s office and eat a full meal.

Hell no.

With a sudden breath, I take a large bite from the juicy apple and a gulp from the delicious blood right next.

After finishing my meal, I get myself ready as quick as possible and head out through the door. I can hear the bells of the Academy ringing in the distance, so I run full speed not wanting to get any later.

Fortunately, our first class today is Languages, with Lady Nadine. She is my favorite teacher and I know she will be soft on me if I get there late.

“Kiki! You goin’ too fast!” A childish voice grabs my attention as I run and I stop to turn around and look at whoever is following me at the tunnels.

To my surprise, a little pup jumps on me and starts licking my face up to bottom.

“Ack! Kiki! Stop!” I say as I try not to laugh.

Little Kiki is one of the only born werewolves at the Academy. She is daughter to our Nature Science teacher, Miss Flora, and she can turn to a wolf pup when her adrenaline allows her to.

Now that she has managed to catch up to me, she turns back into a little girl with light brown hair and big brown eyes.

“Naiya!” She shouts and hugs me in full glee.

I chuckle, holding her back. Sometimes, in our free time, Cyla and I help to take care of these little kids. They are the youngest in the Academy and have a class all for themselves.

Speaking of them, there they are.

Shaoran, the only shapeshifter and little brother to one of my classmates, runs to me as a guinea pig. When he reaches me, he turns back and hugs me also.

Liam and Emily, siblings and both mermaids, are riding atop two of the school’s guard dogs, Meg and Bruce, who are both large Dobermans.

“Yeehaw!” Liam says as he reaches me and makes a pose, trying to look like a hero. “I am here to rescue you ma’am”

He is the oldest of their class, being only seven.

“Lescue you” Emily repeats, still having trouble with her r’s. She is only 3, anyway.

Willy, the only witch and only son to the wife of our Headmaster, comes next, riding atop of Heka, who barks at me joyfully.

“Naiya!” Willy greets me also, with a big smile. His wavy brown hair and green eyes will be the end of many girls’ hearts when he grows up. But for now, he is only five.

“Hey, you guys” I greet them, petting their heads one by one, while still holding Shaoran and Kiki, who are both still 4. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in class right now?”

“We were racing!” Liam says.

“Lacin’!” Emily repeats.

“Racing? How did you even manage to get a hold of the dogs?” I ask them.

“Lots and lots of treats!” Willy says, picking out two handfuls of dog treats from his pockets. The dogs immediately start wagging their tails.

“Ok, that explains it” I say. “But where is your teacher? She must be worried sick”

As if on cue, I can hear someone running towards us in the distance. I can distinctly smell a mermaid and a werewolf coming our way.

It’s Lady Giselle, the kids’ teacher and also our Geography teacher once a week, and Maximus, the Groundkeeper.

“Oh oh…” Kiki says. The kids lower their heads, knowing they are in trouble.

Maximus reaches us in wolf form and I give him an innocent smile, matching the kids’, when he turns back to human and looks at us worriedly.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Yes…” The kids echo.

“Good” Lady Giselle says in her slight French accent. She is a middle-aged mermaid with bright pink hair. “Because when I am done scolding you, you will not be”

“We were very worried, children. You should not leave us without any warning like that” Maximus says. He is an old werewolf. Not that he has been a werewolf for a long time, but rather he was turned when he was already old.

Headmaster Estevan offered him a job as the Groundkeeper when he was having problems controlling his instincts. Sometimes he comes to watch some of the classes. He’s like everyone’s grandpa and everyone likes him as such.

“Sorry…” The kids echo, looking down.

“Don’t be mad at them, Lady Giselle” I say, still holding Kiki and Shaoran. “They were just having a little fun and it’s not like any of them got hurt”

“It’s good none of them got hurt! Oh dear, Mrs. Cameron would have my head if anything happened” Lady Giselle seems to be in distress.

“Well, nothing bad happened” Maximus says. “But you better have learned that you mustn’t leave without warning us like that”

“Yeah, they’ve learned their lesson, haven’t you, guys?” I say to the kids.

They all look at me wide eyed. I place Kiki and Shaoran on the ground.

“You won’t do that ever again, will you?” I say and wink at them.

They smile and vehemently swear they will be good from now on.

Lady Giselle sighs in relief. “Let’s just get back to the classroom” She gathers the kids (and the dogs) and starts going back to the Academy through the tunnels.

Maximus turns to me before going after them.

“Thank you, Naiya” He says. “You’re a good kid”

I can only manage a half smile as he says this.

Good kid.

If only you knew the terrible things I have done.

Of course, all that is in the past as it happened before I even became a vampire, but there are things that will torment me for the rest of eternity.

Suddenly remembering what I have to face today, I sigh looking at the ground.

My senses are a little dull because of the apple but not as much as yesterday. I hope it will be enough.

Trying to find my determination, I continue my walk towards the classroom, no longer worried about running. I am far from late anyway.

However, to my surprise, the class hasn’t even started when I get there. The teacher is nowhere in sight and people aren’t even properly seated at their desks yet.

I approach Olivia and Cyla, noticing Anastacia is now inevitably part of our group. Fortunately, her werewolf friend is nowhere in sight. Maybe he had the good sense to skip classes.

“What’s going on?” I ask them as soon as they can hear me.

“Lady Nadine is late” Olivia says. “It seems she has been up until late doing something conspicuous”

“It’s nothing like that, Vi!” Cyla counteracts. “We were told she was at the Infirmary before, but she will be here soon to give her class”

“What happened to her?” I ask.

“No one knows” Olivia says. “That is why I hold on to my theory”

I frown at this. Lady Nadine is a vampire like me. Not much can be done to get her sick or injured. I wonder what happened.

“Hey, Naiya!” A sudden irritating voice calls my attention. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

Ethan, the werewolf brute from our class pack is daring to mock me.

“He’s not my boyfriend, jackass” I say, clearly showing him my fist. “And if you dare say that again I’ll make sure to remind you why you can’t mess with me”

He growls at me and I growl back. The only thing that stops us from getting into a full-on fight is Noah’s touch on his shoulder and Cyla’s pull on my arm.

“Where is he, anyway?” Cyla quietly asks Anastacia when the pack goes back to their regular chit chat. “Is he skipping class?”

“I don’t think so…” Anastacia says. “I suppose he is still getting used to the new schedule”

“Right, you guys came from Russia, right?” Olivia says. “That’s practically on the other side of the planet”

“Why did you two even come here anyway?” I ask her.

“That’s… a long story…” She says.

“Right, past related” I say and she silently nods.

I can see Cyla is about to inquire further when that same intense scent hits me. In a great effort, I hold my breath.

Soon enough, I see him. He reaches the door of the classroom, panting as if he has run all the way from the dorms to here, which he probably did.

When his breathing finally calms down, he looks up and our eyes lock.

I swear it takes everything I have to keep myself stranded on the spot I am in.