Awakened

Chapter 5

“Do we have a plan?” asked Mel as we all gathered in our room and in dark clothes nonetheless. And I was looking for something which would preferably act as stake. For I well was assured from all the books that metals except silver did not work on vampires and only apple wood stakes worked.

“Does anyone know about any apple wood tree that we have close by?” I asked and they all turned to look at me in fear.

“Why the f**k on earth would you even ask that El?” asked Mel as Freddie shared her same dark look and I said,” It is always better to be prepared than sorry. I sure as hell do not own any silver which is going to help me so, apple wood it is.”

“Apple wood is used for making stakes to kill vampires, you know that right?” asked Andrea, as she was grinning from ear to ear and I immediately took a liking to this girl. She was blood thirsty and when in hunt it was surely going to work for us.

“I know that. We don’t have a lot of time in our hands. Come on, tell me, do we have silver or apple wood stakes?” I asked and I was impatient this time.

“Armoury,” said Mel in a dry tone. She was not liking this even the slightest bit and I knew that but she could not run away because it involved the only person who was her family, Bellamy.

“We gotta raid the armoury for a stake and a knife or a sharp weapon each. Preferably silver. Andrea will take the stakes and not touch silver,” I said and then she looked at me and a thought passed between us. Even though the Awakening had not happened, I knew that she was going to be a vampire. She knew it in her heart as well.

“And what do we do?” asked Freddie as Mel looked at me with the same question as well.

“Freddie is the lookout and Mel is going to be the distraction in case anyone turns up and I and Andrea are going to raid it as fast as we can. And I am sure that you guys know a way out of the Academy except the front gate so that we can go and come back unnoticed?” I asked and all of them nodded. This was turning good, they were better prepared that I thought.

“And Mel do you know where is this cemetery where we are going to search Bell?” I asked and she pulled out a small blue ball hanging from a chain from her pocket and said,” I can do a scrying spell for that on a map.”

“I have got maps,” said Andrea as she looked at me and I sighed.

“Alright. We are gonna divide and conquer this one. Freddie is with me as lookout and distraction while we raid armoury and you both do the scrying spell here,” I said as Freddie dashed out along with me.

Once we were on the fourth floor which was a place that no one arrived usually I looked at the corridor and the first sense I got was that the power was humming through the walls and the floors. There was some kind of magic at work here and I sincerely hope that I was not going to get fried by that. I looked at Freddie to check if he felt something of the sort but he did not. Only I could sense the immense power that was in the stones. There was only one door in this corridor which was not covered with dust and I had a feeling that this was going to be the armoury and as usual it was locked. But it was plain lock, not any problem at all. I pulled the pin from my hair and then put it inside the tumbler and then turned it around inside and after a while I heard the click. Freddie was standing at the only entrance to the corridor as lookout.

The room was filled with weapons from top to bottom. It was a beautiful sight along with metal knights and warrior suits kept for show. There were shields, swords, armours and what not. And then my eyes finally rested on the stakes. I quickly ran up to them and pulled four of them and put it inside my backpack. And then I search for the row of silver knives. I sincerely hoped that this scrying spell or whatever Melanie was working with was going to work.

And then I heard it. It was a music, beautiful and strange music which enraptured me. But I was in a room filled with goddamn weapons, so where was the music coming from? It was so soothing and beckoning but right now I needed to focus on my priorities and shook my head and the music stopped abruptly.

This was next level kind of spooky.

But I did not have the time to think about that and then I finally found the silver knives. I took a serrated dagger about the length of my fore-arm and two other short knives in case it did not work. And the serrated dagger went in my boot. Once done I came out of the room and locked the door behind me and wiped the door-lamb of any prints.

As soon as we were done both me and Freddie ran back in to our room and found that Mel and Andrea both were sitting with a glum look and that confirmed my suspicions.

“Let’s go. We don’t have a moment to waste,” I said as everyone nodded and we started moving out. Since it was still not the term yet the protection was slightly lax for the older students. So four students walking at night before dinner was not going to raise so many brows.

Now what I did not know at that point of time was we were being watched by Bitchy Barbie who was going to tattle after checking out what we did. If I knew that then I would have dealt with her accordingly. She did not even know that we were going to save Bellamy and what was the reason for us sneaking out.

There was a gate behind the Academy which opened in the cemetery which was supposed to be haunted. And no one dared to even come here, no one. There was no soul in sight nearby and I started walking through the row of tombstones with all three of them close to my feet. The cemetery where Bellamy was supposed to be was the one where no one stepped and it was not blessed by the church grounds. We almost ran as fast as possible and I felt that I needed to work on my cardio.

Moss and ivy growing all over the back of the great slab of grey granite, engraving almost worn away by centuries of rain, once sharp edged letters now rounded and so shallow as to be barely readable, standing as a testimony to the life of someone long forgotten, in the shadow of a great Yew tree. And there she was.

But it was not what we wanted to see. We saw Bellamy sprawled on the top of a grave and a man at her neck and before I could warn anyone of the sight before us Melanie screamed. And that alerted the vampire. There were a few books and scrolls lying in tatters around this duo and I knew that we had lost the element of surprise because of Melanie’s foolishness and fear. The scent of blood permeated the air like a thick coppery blanket and I almost gaged. I stood before the vampire and looked at him while he hissed at me showing his fangs.

“Let her go. And you will live,” I said with as much courage I could muster and the vampire looked at me and laughed. The sound of his laughter sent chills down my spine. He did not even care that there was a girl dying near his feet while he licked his lips.

“And pray tell me, why I would do that? She is my blood w***e. I have an agreement right here stating that,” said the vampire as he produced a scroll from his pocket and Andy tried to stab him from behind with one of the stakes as he swirled around and caught hold of her and then grinned at her.

“Tsk tsk little girl. Did no one tell you not to attack someone from behind?” and as I could see Freddie and Melanie slipping close by me I pulled out the dagger from my boots and before he could sink his fangs in her neck I threw the dagger with as much force I had and it hit him in the rib cage. As he hissed and dropped Andrea and turned his attention to me. At the same moment Freddie stuck a knife in his back and he screamed and in a moment he had his grip on his neck and I was scared that he was gonna snap Freddie’s neck and I just acted.

“Andyyyyyyy….” I screamed as I threw a stake near her and she immediately stabbed him in his abdomen with the stake slowing him a little. And Melanie was the next one to stab him in the heart and then say in a cold voice,” No one messes, and I repeat no one messes with my sister. And as for your contract, it ends with you.”

And then she pushed the stake a bit further and it certainly connected with his heart as he went up in flames and his screams were worse than even the Banshees. Andrea was checking Bellamy who was still unconscious and she had lost a lot of blood.

Melanie sat beside her sister and the anger and rage was palpable on her face. It was understandable, that in order to gain knowledge agreeing to become the blood w***e of a vampire which would mean that she was going to pay the price her entire life even if she wanted to or not.

“We need to get her to the infirmary, now,” said Andrea as we all nodded. Melanie did not speak a way back as I and Freddie carried her towards the gate where we found that Taylor was standing along with a man whom I had never seen before.

And I felt that my heart stopped.

For me he was more beautiful than the winter sun above pristine snow; he was warmer than spring sunshine on soft new grass; more mesmerizing than the fall leaves. Yet for me what he truly are is an eternal summer, for every day with him would be perfect blue skies with love in the air. My reverie broke at his voice.

“Take her to the infirmary immediately and then all of you come to the Headmaster’s office. NOW,” he said in a voice which radiated quiet power. And the tendons of his neck were close to snapping as I could see Taylor smirking from behind him. I wanted to scratch her face with my nails and scar her forever at that precise moment.

It did not take long for us to understand that we were in deep trouble and none of us had our back-up stories ready at all. And then I just said that I was going to do the talking and they should follow my suit no matter what. We dusted off our shoes so that any ash was not clinging to them and then we all went to the Headmaster’s office.

The term had not even begun and I was already in trouble.