AN: Big shout out to @ZesteN for reminding me to post this month. Because of her (I'm assuming gender simply because of the profile pic) I'm going to push for another upload before Halloween. *Wish me luck....*

As soon as the wizard leaves Verena's grasp, Robert moves. He tackles her into the empty bleachers behind them and the sound of metal giving way is awful.

Guaranteed damage.

I don't turn around for the wizard because something is telling me that he's being taken care of, my main concern at the moment is the now rabid Verena.

Robert wraps his arms tightly around her and starts trying to talk her down. Not that she's listening at all, it's like there's a fight going on inside that's translating to her physical movements.

Slowly I walk closer to them just in case she breaks Robert's hold. The chance is unlikely but I can still hear some students lingering and they have little to no chance in surviving Verena.

I'll definitely have to take a few days off afterward to recover but at least I can take her head on.

The closer I get, the more I hear and it's almost like she's having a conversation with herself in a language I'll never be able to guess.

Up close I can see Robert's struggle.

"She needs to be put down." I say aloud to anyone listening. There's no doubt in my mind that if she's not contained now, then all hell will break loose in this gym.

At the sound of my voice her solid black eyes lock with my own.

"And what are you going to do wolfless?"

Immediately the heel of my foot connects with her jaw, disconnecting it.

"That." I respond.

"Step back Bex." A familiar voice commands not too far behind me.

I do as she says and watch as Beth begins her spell. There was no doubt in my mind that she's skilled but watching her creates an awe in me- I didn't expect.

The words she says are unfamiliar but the power behind them is irrefutable, air density builds and then Beth seems to look Verena directly into the eyes.

"Sleep." Beth's voice is deeper than what her little frame should be able to produce.

Verena's jaw must've already healed because she fights the spell to give us some parting words.

"This world will bleed....."

Robert's already pale face seems to get paler and in a flash he drops Verena's limp body as if she were on fire. I'm not the only one about to question Robert's change in demeanor when the school principal pipes up.

"What just happened?" His voice booms throughout the entire gym and it honestly would've intimidated me had I been younger. He's also standing near the doors that we came through which is pretty far away.

The fae wasn't present during the assembly but I guess decided to show up after the danger has passed. I never met him face to face but that presence is unmistakable. His skin is a deep gray almost black color while his wings and hair shine with a florescent sea foam green. I'm told he's never been seen without a sharp three piece suit or a frown. Teachers catch hell but I couldn't imagine being in charge of an entire school.

Since he has no authority over the Student Counsel it wasn't really a requirement to meet him, so I haven't. I expected to cross paths with him at some point though, I guess now is better than never? 

I look around me to notice that mostly all the Student Counsel members are blocking the exits. The only student left is the wizard Verena threw and he's out cold. I'm not sure if he fainted or was put to sleep. Either way, he's in one piece resting safely in the arms of the boy wizard who looks like he can barely keep his eyes open.

I look over to Eric only to realize that he's broken whatever trance he was in and is now on his way up to where we are. His loud sound on the stairs only emphasizes the absolute quiet that surrounds us.

"Well, are any of you going to answer me?" The principal says louder, as if his voice didn't catch our attention the first time.

Looking around, no one seems to have an answer. I look to David, our designated ghostly mouth piece, but he looks at a loss for words.

"We're not exactly sure." Rose says as her bright pink wings flutter nervously.

The fae looks around at us all for more but he gets open and honest faces. The only person he can't glare at is Eric who doesn't bother to turn in that direction as he climbs the stairs.

I can see  a deep rage take over the principal but all he does is take a deep breath in and let it out.

"Take him to the infirmary. As for the rest of you, bring her to my office. Now."

It's almost like we collectively take a second to shrug our acceptance because everyone moves at once.

Eric finally reaches us and without a word picks up Verena like she weighs nothing, Robert takes a now tired looking Beth by the waist to steady her, and I search the immediate area to make sure nothing gets left behind. There's nothing I can do about the vampire sized dent in the wood so I toss the problem of it out of my mind.

No one says a word as we file out of the gym to the principal's office. I think he's given the students the rest of the day off too because we don't pass a soul on our way through the halls.

As we enter the chamber before his office, I slow down because there's no way everyone will fit inside. My steps slow to a snail pace before a firm hand pushes me to move faster.

I look up at Will in question but he says nothing.

Eric walks in first with Verena on his shoulder and the rest of us file in. No wonder Will pushed me in because this man's office has more than enough space for us.

It's about the size of two large classrooms put together. The floor is some dark wood, covered randomly with various rugs and every wall is a floor to ceiling bookcase filled to the brim. There are sturdy wooden chairs scattered around but in the middle of the room is a dark oak coffee table flanked by two large dark brown leather couches.

The principal ignores us and walks to his desk, if you can even call it that. To me it's just a table with a chair behind it but the right people can make anything work.

As he sits down, his hands clap together two times and the dimmed lights suddenly come alive. Another two claps and I suddenly feel the air shift and hold. Almost like we've been sealed into a tomb.

"Now no one can hear us." Just like that, the commanding principal relaxes into his chair and waits like he has all the time in the world. We all spread out through the room and Will grabs one of the chairs and sets it in the middle of the room. Once its down, Eric places Verena there and her head hangs over the back.

Seemingly out of no where, the female ghost floats up to her with silver chains and Beth helps  to secure them. I hiss under my breath at the silver but Verena doesn't even flinch at the sizzle of silver meeting skin. Moving quietly, I pick my spot over in the corner of the room that's closest to the door.

A little throat clearing happens as we all get settled. Now is the time for answers, no more diversions.

Some of us look to Robert for explanation. If not because he's Verena's friend then it's because he's a vampire as well.

"I've only....She...." Robert sounds shaken while his body looks like it can get through a war with ease.

"It's like a switch flipped or something." The female undead pipes in, if anything at least we're clear on that part but no one snaps on her. 

"And what did she mean about the world bleeding?" Kathy asks as she settles into one of the couches.

"When she was first reborn, Verena had a hard time- she was bent on vengeance. That mixed with the insanity of the awakening made it difficult to control her bloodlust. You all must understand that her first life was.... unpleasant, so in her narrow view everything deserved her wrath. She's only said that once and it was before she-" Robert's mouth snaps shut as he refuses to continue.

"It was before I bled every soul in hell and made sure the earth blazed as it should." Verena's voice is drowsy but the pride in it is clear.

Beth snaps her fingers and the leeches jaw snaps shut. No one wants to hear another word from her mouth.

I look at her now and notice that her posture is different. Hell, everything is different about this Verena. Her eyes are still black, her fangs are completely elongated, and she still fidgets even though the silver burns her with every movement. Older vampires never show their natures like this because they learn to control the urges to do so. Verena's certainly old enough to know better- I've seen control in her, so why is she now acting in such a way?

It's almost like... but that's not possible.

It's almost as if...

'Just say it.' His voice is like a cool balm to help the words slide together.

"It's almost as if she's regressed into her younger self." I don't notice that I've said this aloud until everyone looks at me.

"You think its regression?" Someone asks me.

"Look at her, that isn't the Verena we know, something's changed." I state with confidence.

Beth nods her head in agreement and Eric nods his head as well from his position closest to Verena's chair. Everyone else is hesitant to agree but eventually come to the same conclusion after watching her.

This definitely isn't the Verena we're used too. She may have been dangerous but at least she wasn't openly unhinged.

"So what happened to cause this and how do we reverse it?" David asks from up in the ceiling somewhere.

Verena hisses at him and tries to say something low in a deep tonal language. She shifts to get up but the silver keeps her seated. The sizzle of the silver has me flinching because I can practically feel her pain.

"If she's back to being a newborn, why don't we just have Rob reteach her?" Rose questions from the couch opposite Kathy. 

"You don't understand..." Robert sounds frustrated but his demeanor's coming back. I've never seen a vampire think so fast it halts conversation but that's what I think is happening to Robert which is why his responses are so slow.

He takes another second and shakes his head in anger. I don't think he even notices he's pacing before Beth steps in his path.

"Explain it to us then." She says softly as if to coax the words from his racing mind.

"It took decades for her. Several of them. To start from that again.... we didn't have the technology of today, so it wasn't hard to cover a massacre here or a destroyed building there.... no way I can rebuild it... even her master couldn't... no time!"

Beth doesn't think as she grabs Roberts face in between her hands and rests her cheek against his. The intimate pose makes me uncomfortable so i shift my eyes away from them.

"Take a deep breath. There you go. Take another. Now, what is it that took her several decades?" Beth's voice is calming.

"Vampires have these, sort of, walls in our minds that we build over time to stop the urges. Dying is a natural thing but coming back twists the balance to the unnatural. Newborns crave death, they just don't realize that they crave their own.

Verena was alike but different because she wanted the world to suffer like she had. The rebirth only amplified this, it's the reason why her maturity was slower. Her maker was far more patient than most which is the only reason why she's here today. Marco wandered a long time before he finally birthed an heir, and only he knows why he chose Verena.

But know his love for her is unparalleled, even as walking destruction.

Most of her reputation stems from her earliest time and even those stories pale to what she was truly like. I'll admit that they were a dark stain on me as well. Like her, I believed the world was mine to do with as I pleased.

We were a thing of nightmares as most newborns are but the stern hands of our makers is what shaped us.

The walls we built help to relearn our humanity and give us space to think clearly....." Roberts voice is smooth and for that I'm grateful.

It's truly terrifying when something has a vampire freaking out.

"So what you're saying is....?" Beth edges.

"Something broke her wall and let the monster out." Eric finishes for Robert and somehow there's no denying it.

AN: I hope this was good. Typos galore but y'all should be used to them by now. I'm off to celebrate because my other book is about to hit 1 million reads!