Okay... can I call you Caroline?
"Of course, Ethan. Make yourself at home," replied the director, still trying to regain her composure and the color in her face.
Okay, first thing. I uncrossed my arms, keeping a straight face, and pointed my finger directly at her with genuine doubt and without a shred of filter.
Why are you so young, yet you look between seventeen and eighteen years old?
Caroline blinked, surprised by the direct question. Before she could answer, I took a step to the side and gave the man next to me a completely crooked and suspicious look.
Is the guy next to me a pedophile or something?
Alaric gasped for air, visibly uncomfortable. His face went from neutral to a bright red in a matter of seconds. He nervously adjusted his jacket and stared at the ceiling for a moment, searching for patience where he didn't have any.
"Have you gone mad, boy?!" Alaric protested, his voice faltering slightly. "I'm a married man and a respectable educator!"
"I'm just asking, man," I said with a sly, teasing smile. "You bring me to a mansion in the middle of nowhere, the headmistress looks like she just graduated high school and she's married to you. If that's not weird, I don't know what is."
Caroline let out a muffled laugh, bringing her hand to her mouth to disguise the amusement while her husband stared at her with a "don't encourage the boy" look. She cleared her throat, becoming serious again, although her blue eyes still analyzed every detail of my face.
"Don't worry about Alaric's morals, Ethan," she said, placing her hands on the table. "I'm a vampire. We don't age. My physical appearance froze when I was turned, but I assure you I'm much older than I look… and perfectly capable of running this school."
I blinked twice. Vampire. The word sounded bizarre in my head, but after everything I had seen and felt up to that point, it was just another absurdity to add to the list.
I tightened the straps of my backpack on my shoulder, taking a step forward. The mockery on my face gave way to a much more intense look.
"Okay. Now let's get down to business," I said, looking Caroline straight in the eyes. "You said his name. You said my bastard father's name. What else do you know about Clark? Where the hell is that guy?"
Caroline's expression softened slightly, replacing the initial shock with a shadow of lamentation. She sighed deeply, crossing her fingers on the table.
"Unfortunately, Ethan… I don't know anything about his whereabouts, nor the reason for his disappearance," she admitted, her voice becoming softer. "Clark was a friend of mine. He was in my life for a very brief period here in Mystic Falls… but I can tell you that he left a great impression on me. He wasn't someone easy to forget."
Alaric, who was leaning against the shelf, let out a short, visibly uncomfortable laugh at his wife's comment, shaking his head and looking at the floor while clearing his throat.
I sensed the atmosphere immediately. I looked at Caroline, then at Alaric, understanding the weight of that "memory." The anger I already felt towards my father only intensified, burning hot in my chest.
"I understand…" I murmured, gritting my teeth. "That bastard hurt my mother, hurt me, and apparently went around causing havoc and messing up everyone's lives wherever he went… only to disappear in the end? He didn't have that right. When I find that guy, he's going to pay for all of this."
Caroline remained silent, gazing at me with a mixture of compassion and maturity. She pulled open a drawer in the desk, retrieved a brass key with a metal tag, and a brown envelope containing my schedule and a map of the campus.
"Your room is on the second floor of the west wing, number 204," she said, handing over the key. "Rest tonight, Ethan. We'll talk more about your routine tomorrow."
"You don't need a guide, old man," I warned before Alaric could move. I took the key from her hand, feeling her cold vampire skin against mine. "I know how to read numbers."
I threw my backpack over my shoulder, gave them both a wry nod, and left the room, slamming the heavy wooden door behind me.
As soon as the door closed, I leaned my shoulder against the stone wall for a few seconds. I took a deep breath. Using my keen hearing, I focused on the voices on the other side of the wood before stepping away.
"Caroline, are you really okay?" Alaric's voice came in low, still showing concern. "You looked like you'd seen a ghost the second he walked in."
"I was just really surprised, Alaric…" Caroline's voice sounded calm and thoughtful. "Ethan is the spitting image of Clark. The look, the posture… for a moment it caught me off guard. But it's all right. All of that happened more than fifteen years ago, it's in the past now. Our focus now is on taking care of these young people, guiding them through life and giving them the structure they need. Ethan needs that very much… just like that girl needs it too, even more so with the troubled life she has."
I blinked slowly, processing that last sentence.
That girl?
Who the hell was she? The way the principal spoke sounded as if there was someone there as troubled or broken inside as I was.
I gripped the key in my hand and started walking. It must have been past eight or nine at night. The hallways were silent and practically empty, with most of the students going to bed. Even though my metabolism didn't make me feel as hungry as normal people, my stomach gave a sign of life. I needed to eat something.
On my way to the west wing, I came across a tall young man walking leisurely down the hallway.
"Hey," I called, making him stop. "Do you know where the cafeteria is? It's my first day in this whole damn place and I'm completely lost."
"Oh, new guy?" he gave a friendly smile. "My name is Marvin. The cafeteria is down that main staircase, turn left at the end of the hallway with the paintings. You can't miss it."
"Thanks, Marvin," I murmured, resuming my walk.
I followed his instructions alone. The further I walked through those corridors adorned with countless old paintings and portraits from bygone eras, the more I realized how colossal that place was. It seemed like an endless stone labyrinth.
When I finally reached the cafeteria, there wasn't a soul around. Yellowish lights illuminated the wooden benches and tables. I went straight to the kitchen, opened the large stainless steel refrigerator, grabbed a piece of fruit, and left chewing as I went back upstairs to the second floor.
I stopped in front of the door to room 204. I knocked two, three times on the heavy wood. No sound came from inside.
"Looks like the room is all mine," I muttered to myself.
I turned the key in the lock and went inside. I was impressed as soon as I turned on the light. The space was enormous, looking much more like a luxurious suite than a simple school dormitory. It had a spacious bed, a dark wood wardrobe, a desk, and its own bathroom.
I threw my backpack in a corner, settled myself as best I could, and collapsed onto the bed, finally letting the day's exhaustion overcome me.
I slept like a rock.
The next day, I woke up to the first rays of sunlight streaming through the window. I got up, went to the en-suite bathroom, took a long shower to shake off the remaining laziness, and got ready, staring at my own reflection in the mirror. It was time to face whatever that new day and that crazy school had in store for me.