Bam! Bam! Bam!
Zero and I shot the target over and over again. Yuki stood there with gauze around her neck as worrying over Zero as I joined in on the target practice. I flung my knives as he shot it with bullets. Then he stopped and looked at Yuki.
"How long are you going to stand there?" Zero asked the distressed brunette.
"I'm worried about you, I want to know if you're really okay," Yuki explained.
Zero reloaded the gun, the safety clicked, "It's not easy being my nurse maid, is it?"
I laughed and Yuki got frustrated, "Come on Zero! Are you okay!"
I stopped throwing. Zero fired at the human-shaped target. He shot all along the paper, causing it to split in two.
"Guess you're fine," I commented.
"Yuki, take the gauze off your neck, it's too obvious," Zero commanded. The girl reached up to touch the bandage.
"No!" Yuki argued, "If I use a bandaid, people like Aido will just off, it off." I felt were Kaname had bit me days ago. My fast healing had the wound gone by the second day. Yuki, a normal human, had a harder time healing. "And if someone actually saw it?"
"Like Kaname Kuran? You'd prefer him to drink your blood rather than me, I can tell, you're blood had a taste to it."
"Ew, please no talking about sucking my foster-sister's blood," I requested, "Y'all nasty."
"Stop, that's sick!" Yuki went for the door, "It's like you're peaking inside my head and I hate it!"
She ran away, leaving Zero and I alone. Zero loaded a vampire bullet and shot the target.
"Annabel, I know someone drank from you. I saw the marks, and it was enough to make you miss school."
I sat on the counter and spun one of my knives, "Nah, I just don't handle blood loss very well. I'm better with the meds, though."
He took another shot, "You still let one of the monsters eat you."
I winced, "Bad verb, besides they had permission. It was all for scientific purposes anyways."
"How did Kaname like it."
The blade stopped between my fingers, "That's a don't tell Yuki thing, Zero. Kaname and I have a professional relationship, strictly business."
He raised an eyebrow, "Drinking your blood is business?"
"How is it any different from you and Yuki?" I put my blade back into it's strap, "Besides, I'm a vampire anyways. That's a normality between vamps. It's not like I'm sleeping with him."
"You said it, not me," Zero commented. I flipped him off and walked away without looking back. What a fucking jerk.
I remember the first time I met Zero:
"Yuki, Annabel, I have someone you need to meet." Kaien Cross called out from the door. A young boy stood beside him. His long white hair covered his eyes and a large tan coat covered his body. "His name is Zero Kiryu, take care of him. His family was killed by a bad vampire."
I could sense what he was turning into. The blood of a pureblood had corrupted him, he was turning into something I could never be. I hated him for that. I couldn't understand why he hated vampires, the only people to have hurt me was humans.
His family was killed by someone like me, like my family, like Kaname. He hated us for it. And I hated humans for what they did to my family. For the torture they made us indore, until my family shattered into glass like porcelain dolls.
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Kaien understood vampires and promoted unity between them, just like when he told us about the night class.
"I'm going to establish a night class at our school."
"You mean like an evening class for the seniors?" Yuki asked serving tea.
"No, it won't be for high school students or university students. The classes will run at night and most of their studies will be high level research and they won't receive grades, either. You see, these are nocturnal students who live much longer lives. We can't treat them like us, every student in the night class will be a vampire."
I sat there in silence by the window. If Emme had grown up, would she have gone there? If I was a full vampire, would I have been part of this experimental night class?
Zero stood up, he was furious, "What are you trying to do keeping those things in the school?"
"The goal is to promote peaceful coexistence between vampires and humans. And to educate young vampires, so they become a politically moderate force," Kaname spoke from the doorway. He was older know, he looked almost identical to how he looked now. "That's his plan."
"Kaname Kuran," Zero muttered.
"Kaname!" Yuki cried while going in for a hug. I stayed by my place by the window.
"That's absurd!" Zero cried, "There is no way vampires want to peacefully coexist with humans. Their history is stained with innocent blood."
"It is our goal to change that," Keian Cross explained, "I understand what you feel, Zero, I too loss someone because of them."
"Then why!"
"There is no reason to worry, Kaname has agreed to join the night class. This will ensure that the other vampires behave."
I stared at Kaname. People listen to us like that? Kaname saw me staring and smiled, "How are you, Annabel?"
I turned away and hid my smile in my sleeve.
Then I learned not to trust anyone; not humans nor vampires.

"Those are the teachers dorms, aren't they not being used?" Yuki asked.
Zero stopped, his arms loaded with school supplies, "They're being used by students who are waiting for the test applications to come back. It's being used by vampires, so don't stay here."
I looked at Yuki as she walked off in search of Kanane, but I followed Zero instead. When the night darkened I went back to the dorm. I found Yuki asleep on the step and a vampire was coming her way.Shy, I hid in the curtains. He didn't notice me, but creeped in front of Yuki. He bent towards her, he wasn't going to bit her, was he?
"Someone must have failed to remember the night class rules," Kaname spoke. The vampire bowed, "I remember them now, I'm sorry."
He walked away as Kaname walked towards my sleeping sister. He placed a blanket over her and bent towards her, fangs bared. I gasped and he sat up straight. "You're both too trusting, Annabel."
I stepped out of the soft curtain, "I should be here, shouldn't I Kaname? I'm a vampire, after all." Kaname's eyes glew red, "It's much safer for you to be with the humans."
"Humans took my family," I glared at him. "They're not safe."
Kaname's angry eyes glared at me. A part of me became scared, but I held my ground.
"Trust me, halfling," Kaname whispered venomously. His fangs bared, "It's better to stay with the humans, for now."
And then I grew dizzy. The world spun around me, the dark colors mixed together. Kaname was holding Yuki, and I fell onto the hard linoleum.
I was in bed with Yuki when I came to.
"These are Kaname's sheets," Yuki commented before sniffing the fabric. I could smell his scent the moment I opened my eyes.
"Ruka..." a voice spoke. Yuki's eyes lit up, "Kaname."

I watched her stumble out of the bed and open the door the voice came from. I could smell vampire blood. Yuki stumbled backwards, before turning around and running out of the house. The expression on her was priceless. The hurt shown was agonizing. I could practically hear her heart break. I looked down at the sheets I held. I gripped them angrily and ripped them. I got out of the bed, my black hair swinging behind me, opened the window, and jumped.
It was clear: the vampire society would never accept me.
After patrol, I waited on the balcony. I had classes with Kaname in the morning and I couldn't understand why he was doing this. Why was I doing this if vampires would never accept me? Kaname had a plan, but I always felt like I was in the dark to so much.
"Long night, love?" I didn't move as Aido approached me. "Ooh, silent game?" I leaned against the stone balcony rail and stared up at the night sky.
"You're a very mysterious person, Annabel Cross. You're blood is strange: one moment human, then the next something else. And you and Kaname, are you together?"
I laughed, "Heavens no."
Aido stood next to me, "You smell of him, even your blood smells like his."
I looked at him. Under the moonlight, he was breathtaking. His eyes practically simmered under the beams. My head jerked to the side, "You are a curious vampire, aren't you."

"I have a long life," Aido smirked and gestured to the wildlife, "I might as well solve the world's problems."

"How noble of you," I chuckled. How full of himself was this boy? I trailed my palm across the balcolny's white stonewall.

"Do you remember a time before here?" Aido asked suddenly. I looked over at him in puzzlement. What did he mean by 'before here.' Aido looked away, thinking of better words, "As in, before the academy. Before Headmaster Cross. Yuki doesn't recall a life before, perhaps the case is different for you?"

I nodded, "I don't just have this accent for giggles."

Aido rolled his eyes, "You don't have to be sarcastic with everything, Cross. I was just wondering why you are here so frequently."

"Ah," I gave him a sarcastic smile, "the real question has erupted." I turned away from the night view and leaned against the banister. "I'm here on professional business."

"The smell of your blood makes me doubt that," He replied swiftly. My smile fell.

"I have an iron deficiency, Aido, Kaname is doing some minor research upon the subject. The headmaster knows."

Aido shook his head, "Yet legitimate human doctors exist to unravel that lie."

I glared at the boy in silence. "Maybe this is just one of those unsolvable mysteries."

With that, I leaned back and let gravity take me before rolling onto my knees, modeling a perfect fall.

I'd be so dope at parkour.

Word count: 1726

Thanks for reading.

Ever yours,

hlwing