Amelia's interrogation went through smoothly. The department kept her dress, though they wouldn't find anything on it, except Jane's sweat.
Amelia, however, couldn't speak a full sentence afterward. According to her, the Department of Order — the department, for short — was an independent entity established to ensure the safety of the vampires' society. They were the equivalent of the human world's police, only far more powerful.
Feared by many, obedient to almost none.That was the recap.
"Really? The man assigned to me was pretty nice. But he does look scary."
"That was Marvin Rivane. I heard he's very old. He was already here when the school was first founded." Amelia's voice turned to a whisper as she lifted a hand to magically block their words from escaping this room.
✦✧✦✧
The week passed quietly. Sunday was filled with the smell of aging paper and the familiar scent of the blanket brought from home. She read until the words started to blur and the book slipped off the bed.
When Monday came, Jane forced herself to wake up early. It was her official first day at school, her first one without all the twists and turns, and she had no intention of repeating the cafeteria scene.
This academy was a "mutual ground" between vampires and humans. Vampires learned how to coexist with humans, while humans could step one foot in the elite of elites through studying here.
To prevent stupid conflicts or accidental provocations, a coded system of pins was established.
Normal students wore glass pins. Their families weren't necessarily rich; some were admitted through exceptional records.
Students who chose to be vampires' "companions" wore red pins. They received better care and, most importantly, the chance to become a vampire. Belonging to their vampire — one or many — meant the only ones allowed to "bully" them were their own masters.
"Nearly half of the school is vampire." Jane tried to ease her goosebumps. "And we are like... second from the bottom."
Unfortunately, she couldn't switch her pin to the glass one. Upgrade meant well, downgrade was another story.
"Yeah...more for you to choose from,"
Jane laughed when she saw Amelia's expression. It was hard to stay mad at Amelia for long. Her fate had been determined the moment she stepped through the gates. Whoever assigned her the wrong pin was the one to blame.
Amelia did what she thought was best, which was introducing Jane to a vampire known for being a "picky eater" …
Okay, she might need more consideration.
"That's for the humans," Amelia continued.
"The vampires have three kinds of pins. The star is the lowest, the lightning's the middle — like Ryan." She quickly glanced at Jane, only to receive a blank face.
"And the last one — the highest, the most powerful in this school — is the meteor." Amelia leaned closer with each word until she was so near Jane could smell a sweet scent coming from her hair.
"The diamond with a... half moon thing above it?"
The walk with Carl Alden had given Jane enough time to memorize that pin. She thought it was a diamond with a sparkling effect.
"Yes, yes, that one!" Amelia said, then suddenly looked at Jane. "Wait — how do you know? Have you met one?"
"The president has it. I saw him on stage," Jane's eyes flicked sideways.
She quickly changed the subject to a question that had been circling in her head.
"What is the material for my pin, Amelia? I thought it was a gemstone, but it doesn't have the same reflection as yours."
Amelia hesitated. Her mouth opened, then shut again, while her eyelashes couldn't stop trembling. That pause alone confirmed Jane's worst guess.
"Yeah... that's blood. Your blood. But only because you haven't found a master yet."
The weight of the necklace had never been heavier. She didn't need to look down to remember she'd been walking around like a mobile piece of meat with a for sale sign.
"Wouldn't that be disgusting. I mean...the smell?" Jane tried her best not to mention the sick idea behind this.
"They mix something in for preservation. It's changed every year."
Amelia quickly replied this time: "And don't worry, you will find a master soon."
Jane flipped the pin in her palm. Lying on the back was a tiny hole and a small rectangular outline.
No way she would wear this thing around school.
She knew she had the tools for this "project": a needle, a little red paint, and a few drops of water.
Jane carefully opened the pin, gripping it between her thumb and forefinger. Her breath caught in her chest. One wrong move and she could end up with blood on her hands.
Two-day-old blood.
Ryan, the dead vampire, had said they didn't need pins to hunt anyway. So who would care if she replaced it with paint?
Apparently, no one.
There were all kinds of people residing in one class: humans, companions, third-rank vampires, and... this girl.
Her hair was black and her eyes were the color of peridot, shining their lights on Jane. The girl's lips slightly curved, exuding a charm that Jane didn't know how to react to.
There was something familiar about this girl. Could it be from their same hair colour?
Jane replied with a friendly smile, her eyes swept across the girl's chest. Lightning pin.
Breaking the eye contact, Jane sat down at her seat.
Each area included two wooden desks set up neatly side by side. The gap between them could only fit a piece of paper, but Jane didn't mind. This desk was bigger than any desk she'd had at school.
Her deskmate was sleeping, burying his head in folded arms, leaving a white ball of hair floating on top.
Getting used to the abnormal schedule must have taken time for a few. Even her roommate, who had been at the academy for a year, still slept until noon.
Speaking of Amelia, there she was. Jane could see her golden hair among the other students. Their eyes met for a brief moment and parted ways for obvious reasons.
Walking at the front of the group was James — Ryan's friend, the one who had reported her.
How unfortunate. Or was this academy that deprived of classrooms?
He walked past her to the end of the same row — a fleeting interaction not worth remembering.
Then the teacher entered. His appearance exuded a sense of knowledge and time, fitting with what she was about to study next.
"History. The only subject that repeats itself because no one survives long enough to learn from it," he began. "Today, we'll study the same mistake every king and conqueror has made — underestimating their opponent."
Listening to the teacher reminded Jane of what she'd expected from the school: a better education.
The way he spoke, the sudden turn in his tone, kept her concentrated throughout the lesson. To be fair, this was also a better schedule for Jane to actually learn anything.
When the class reached Napoleon's misjudgment, something hit her back. She ignored it.
Then another. And another. The objects flying toward her kept getting heavier and more deliberate.
Jane glanced down. Beneath her seat was a collection of random projectiles: small balls of paper, bigger balls of paper, erasers,... nothing loud enough to draw attention.
She didn't need to turn around to know who it was. But she did anyway.
Her eyes met James's — smug and defiant. His desk had turned into an armory for the next throw.
Amelia was sitting nearby. Her head was shaking, begging Jane not to respond.
Amelia should have begged him, not her, but Jane did turn anyway. She pulled her attention back to the board, but her mind had already drifted away.
A vague image of something straight and tubular flashed in her mind, along with her body's desire to respond.
Jane curled her fingers around the edge of the wooden chair. She couldn't dodge. If she did, the person in front would be the victim, and the game would only be more interesting for him.
Woosh—
A narrow object sliced through the air, aiming straight at her head. Jane tilted to the right, her eyes flinching from a few loose strands of hair.
Metal and cold. She got it right, both in her head and in her hand.
With a slight spin, the sharp tip pierced through her skin, deepening the black ink with a shade of red.
Jane pressed it tighter. A thin stream of blood ran from her palm to her wrist, becoming a victory in the eyes of those sitting behind.
"Cover it."
A voice came from her side. Her deskmate seemed tired, like anyone would when their sleep was interrupted.
"Thanks." Jane accepted the wet towel packet.
"Ouch..." Her face twisted like she had bitten a tangerine. Now that the adrenaline was gone, all the pain gathered in her palm.
"Squeeze it in. There's ethanol."
He pulled her hand toward him and wrapped the towel around the wound. With a tight knot, the blood stopped seeping through, and so did the smell of it.
This foolish girl had nearly turned herself into a meal. He couldn't smell the difference in her blood, but they certainly could.
He stared at her quietly.
Black hair, black eyes — against a pale, sickly complexion. She would fit in well with the rest of the vampires, but lacked the healthy appeal of a good meal.
There was something strange about her he couldn't quite figure out, something that woke him up.
And this annoying vampire.
"Teacher, she didn't give me back my pen."
Jane turned toward the voice. Really?
"Sorry, I was about to return it. It rolled into my hand," Jane smiled.
The teacher clearly knew what was going on. Jane saw how his eyes had moved toward their row and paused briefly on James earlier. But he didn't help then, and he wouldn't help now.
"Don't bother me with such a small problem," the teacher said simply.
The class fell back into rhythm. The lecture continued, and Jane could finally study without having to constantly guard herself.
One person, however, had not moved on.
James stared at the fountain pen. It had been cleaned before returning. But when he tilted the metal at the right angle, the wiped smear became visible under the lights. The smell of iron and ethanol lingered in the air, saliva building in his mouth.
James shook his head and looked up toward the source of the smell. His eyes became calculative as his grip tightened around the pen.
✦✧✦✧
Getting back to the dorm wasn't easy. Jane let out a long sigh as a heavy hand clamped onto her shoulder.
"Let me go!" she demanded.
First, the childish throwing in class — now this?
"Where is Ryan? What did you do to him?"
His followers closed in until they reached the center of the classroom. Vampires and humans pressed together, forming a barricade that made escape impossible.
"I don't know."
Jane looked at him like he was an idiot. Blocking her way in the middle of a crowded classroom. Putting her into a public interrogation. What made him think she would say anything useful?
"You don't know? He followed you into the woods and never came back, and you say you don't know?"
Followed. How swiftly the situation had turned from Ryan chasing her to her somehow luring him in.
"Yeah, I don't know. What do you expect me to say?" Jane's voice turned louder, drawing the attention of the remaining students. "That I, a human girl, managed to do something to a vampire? Can't you see how stupid that sounds?"
The whole class went silent. Students who hadn't left the room gathered together from afar, while the rest watched her as if she were a dead object.
Jane could feel the shift in the air. Her hands were sweating and her feet went stone-cold, but not once did she show a single shred of remorse.
She knew she'd said something she shouldn't have. Jane knew it. Her mouth would lead to her death one day.
Ding Dong—
The bell cut through the moment.
Curfew had begun. And she couldn't waste any more time standing here.
"The Department let me go," Jane said, taking a big gulp. "Even if you don't trust me, you should trust them."
If this had been another time, she might even act like she was about to cry to look more convincing. But today, all Jane could do was hold her breath together.
James didn't answer. He stood there with his jaw clenched and his fists tight. For one second, Jane had thought those punches would land on her face.
But instead, he turned to the rest of the class.
"From now on, she's on our blacklist. If you help her, talk to her, or even stand near her—consider us your enemy!"