The Vampire's Dark Professor

Mina could not escape the eerie feeling that she was being watched. It was a rainy summer evening in London, and the click of her worn, old boots echoed against the brick walls of the narrow alleyway. I must have taken a wrong turn, she thought to herself. Alarm quickly started to set in as her pulse quickened in her ears. She hastened her footsteps as she tried to navigate her way back to the main road. Her grip tightened on her umbrella as she glanced around nervously. A motion out of the corner of her eye made her freeze on the spot. The smell of garbage and rotting food scraps hit her nose as she paused beside a dumpster. Mina emitted a loud scream as a large rat scurried across her path. She jumped back, clutching at her chest to still her pounding heart. The rat paid her no mind as it scampered toward the dumpster, where it picked up a piece of food in its paws to nibble on. She let out a small laugh in relief, shaking her head at the silliness of her situation. She was being watched by a sewer rat. The danger had passed – or so she believed. Mina had spent her entire savings on a train ticket to London for the day, where she had hoped to encounter some excitement and escape from her dull - and rather sad - life in Jaywick. Her day had been consumed with touring the free museums and reading books in the public library. It had been her idea of the perfect day, but a part of her longed for something more. After turning eighteen earlier this year, Mina had recently graduated from secondary school with top marks. However, the path before her was unclear. Her father was an alcoholic with no income, and her mother worked two part-time jobs as a maid and a grocery clerk just to get by. They didn’t have the money to send her to university. But she knew that staying in Jaywick, the poorest community in the United Kingdom, sentenced her to a life of poverty, just like her parents. She looked down at a large puddle of rainwater in front of her. Her jeans were faded with age, and the mothball hole in her sweater indicated her inability to afford new clothes. Mina gazed bitterly upon her reflection: her thick, long auburn hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail, and her fair, freckled complexion gave her a ghostly appearance in the dim light of the alleyway. Her bright, topaz eyes shone through narrow, gaunt features. A low grumble echoed quietly in her stomach. Perhaps it was a mistake to come here, she thought with bitter disappointment. She had no money left to afford a meal, and she threw the rat an envious glance. “Lucky little bastard,” she muttered under her breath. What had she expected to happen here in London? It wasn’t as though her prospects would suddenly improve after a weekend away. Life was not like it was in her books; a dark, handsome stranger wouldn’t just come and whisk her away to a better life. Things like that didn’t happen for people like her. A small sound from behind pulled her quickly from her thoughts. She glanced around the alleyway, searching for the source of the noise. The sewer rat had paused, standing up on its hind legs with its nose in the air. With a sniff, it turned around and darted into a small c***k in the brick wall nearby. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck, and she let out a loud scream that went unheard in the abandoned alleyway. As the world around her spun and faded into black, she could feel cold hands wrap around her arms as she fell toward the earth. *** Nineteen-year-old Noah Edwards ran his fingers through his unkempt, strawberry blond hair, gazing around his bedroom with a sigh. His steely blue eyes scanned the clothes, spell books, and toiletries scattered across the floor around his open trunk. “Wow, mate, you really have a mess on your hands,” said a voice behind him. “Thanks, Darius,” muttered Noah. “Very helpful commentary, as always.” “Are you sure you want to return to Castle Gealach this year?” Darius asked with raised eyebrows. “You could always come to university with me instead.” Noah laughed. Darius gave him a wide grin as he waited for a reply. Darius was very tall, almost six inches taller than Noah, and had black cropped hair and a dark brown complexion. His deep brown eyes twinkled brightly as his smile reached his eyes.  “Thanks, but I’m not looking to become a healer like you and your dad. I’m apprenticing to be a Seeker, like my mum.” “Well, in that case,” Darius started, “you better get this rubbish packed. I doubt Cassandra would take too kindly to you being late to the welcome back banquet. Are you sure you want to repeat your fifth year?” “Yeah, I’m sure,” Noah replied. “That was the deal. I get to apprentice under Cassandra if I go back and finish the school year, which we both missed, might I remind you.” “Very well,” Darius said in resignation. “If I can’t convince you, the least I can do is help. At the very least, make sure you actually go out on a date or two this year, would you?” “No promises,” Noah laughed, crossing over to the dresser under the Tudor-style lattice window. He opened the top drawer and began to pull out his shirts, tossing some into a pile on the floor, and the rest back into the drawer. “Oh, by the way,” Darius said, his tone turning serious. He took a seat on Noah’s bed. “I should probably give you fair warning, but Naima hasn’t shut up about you all summer. I reckon she fancies you.” “Oh?” was all Noah managed in response. “Don’t tell me you’re actually interested in my sister?” Darius replied in surprise. “No way!” Noah said quickly. “Don’t worry; she’s like a little sister to me, too.” “Good,” Darius sighed in relief. “You had me worried there for a moment. Just let her down easy, won’t you?” “Sure,” Noah replied, tossing another shirt on the floor next to his trunk. “Say, what’s this?” Darius said, picking up a postcard on the nightstand. “Ah, it’s from Daisy! How is she?” “She’s doing well. Her and Hunter are in New Orleans right now. They’ve been in a different country every week, it seems like.” “Looks like they’ve been partying quite a bit,” Darius murmured, flipping through the pile of postcards. “Amsterdam, Ibiza, Mykonos, Monte Carlo…interesting choice of destinations.” “Yeah, but I’m glad she’s having fun. She deserves it.” Noah smiled to himself as he thought of his twin sister having such lively adventures with her husband. Although he and Hunter Armstrong never got along, their relationship had markedly improved since teaming up to defeat the evil Wizard Osiris just six weeks prior. Now that Daisy and Hunter were free to live out their lives from beneath Osiris’ control, they were certainly enjoying it to the fullest on their extended honeymoon. “So, Daisy is living it up,” Darius interrupted, “but you’re going back for another year of unnecessary schooling? It seems rather unfair, don’t you agree?” “Not at all,” Noah murmured, studying a shirt for a moment before tossing it back into the drawer. “I’m making a step toward my career as a Seeker.” “But why become a Seeker if Osiris is already dead?” “Because there are still other evil Witches, Wizards, Werewolves, and Vampires out there besides Osiris, obviously.” Noah rolled his eyes over his shoulder at Darius. “My mum didn’t just hunt down Osiris when she was alive.” “Yeah, sure, but why not take a year off first and go party with Daisy?” Darius asked. “Are you asking that because you want to go party with my sister?” Noah asked, turning to face Darius with an exasperated look. “I gave up ever winning your sister’s heart,” Darius said, feigning heartbreak as he clutched his chest. His wide grin made Noah laugh. “Besides,” Darius continued, “I’m playing the field now that I’m going to university, which is what I hope you will do if you’re going to suffer through another year of redundant schooling at Castle Gealach. Promise me you’ll at least try to have fun, will you?” “No promises,” Noah grinned. “Why are you so serious?!” Darius groaned, throwing himself back on the bed. “One day, a girl is going to cross your path that you’re absolutely crazy about, and I hope to God you have the balls to ask her out.” Noah pulled out a long piece of smooth oak from his back pocket. It was a magic wand, which he waived across the room with a flick of his wrist. The items that lay scattered about lifted slowly into the air and packed themselves neatly into the open trunk. “I guess we’ll see about that,” he muttered in reply.