Chapter four
𝟒 | 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟
ఌ

I found myself outside with Vicky and James, who were smoking on the school steps, it was 3 pm so it was okay for us to be out.

Simply taking in the view. I sat apart from them, engrossed in my chapter book, focusing on the words on the pages instead of the smoke wafting around.

James called out to me, asking about the book I was engrossed in. "What are you reading over there?" he inquired.

"Twilight, by Stephenie Meyers," I responded, raising my book slightly to show the cover.

"I never liked to read, I just can't get into it, just staring at words just hurts my eyes and head," Vicky said

"Same here," James replied.

"It's all about imagining."

"Sounds boring." Vicky exhaled her smoke.

"I have a question though,"

"what's your question?" James asked

"Why don't they come out in the daytime, does it hurt them or something?"

"No, but I did hear that they can but choose not to, it's more risky for them to get caught and seen by others, their fucking vampires for all I know,"

"All they want to do is just kill and feed." James said

"Exactly, and this is why I despise those weirdos." Vickey agreed

"Can't they hear us?"

"I'm sure they can, they just know better than to not fuck with us." James joked and laughed along with Vicky.

"This is so unbelievable! So You're telling me that my mom sent me to a boarding school full of vampires and she didn't know!?" My voice filled with disbelief.

James responded with a slight correction and chuckle, "Well.. it happens to the best of us."

"If you ask me I think your mother is a vampire." Vicky joked.

James laughed at her joke but I stayed silent, glaring at the both of them. Not finding any of it funny.

Vicky and James both stopped laughing immediately as they noticed my glares.

time seemed to fly by as Vicky glanced down at her watch before announcing, "It's 4:05pm" we should be having lunch and heading back to class." James rose to his feet, brushing off the cigarette ash from his jeans in a casual manner.

"Come on, Kaia," Vicky said, her tone gentle yet firm.
I remained resolute in my decision, replying, "I'm going to stay out here for a little bit, I'm not hungry."

There was a brief moment of stillness as Vicky and James exchanged glances, their expressions showing slight confusion at my refusal.
"Kaia, come on," Vicky repeated, her voice tinged with an underlying tone of insistence.

"It's only 4, I'll be okay— I want to continue reading."

"Fine." She said walking up the steps with James.

I remained in my quiet solitude, engrossing myself in the pages of my book. I couldn't help but look up at the large school across from ours every now and then, though. The sight of the dead trees in front of it sent chills down my spine, adding to the eerie scene.

My gaze wandered to the windows of the demon school, stopping on a particular window that had caught my attention before. It stood out from the others, and I couldn't help but keep staring at it. As I looked, the curtain in the window moved slightly, as if someone had just passed by.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the screams of the living class students in the distance. They were just playing around, but the noise was enough to break my concentration.

My focus returned to the book in my hands as the students started to head back inside. Before disappearing into the school, one of them whispered something to her friend and they both glanced in my direction. The girl finally spoke up, "You know it's 4:50pm." Her words jolted me out of my thoughts, and I realized the time.

"Oh Yeah— of course." I said getting up. 

I stood there with my book in my hand, waiting patiently for the other students to file up the stairs and disappear into the school. I wanted to be the last one to go in, giving myself a bit more time just in case. Deep down, I still harbored a lingering doubt about the existence of vampires, and part of me desperately longed for proof.

I was fully aware of how foolish I was being, staying out here when I should have been safely indoors. My gaze shifted back to the dark, imposing school building, landing once again on the window I had been fixated on earlier. Just then, a black figure emerged and began to move away, sending a shiver down my spine.

Okay maybe I should go inside.

As I closed my book and prepared to head indoors, the sound of a stick breaking broke the silence. It was close enough to make me pause and listen intently. Nervously, I closed my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. When I finally turned around, I found someone standing right in front of me.

A man with brunette hair and a woman with black hair were standing in front of me, both wearing long-sleeved shirts. The woman's red shirt clung to her figure, accentuating her cleavage, and her lips were painted a vibrant shade of red. They stayed deathly silent, staring at me without a word.

I attempted to break the awkward silence, "You guys must be students from the living class." I said in relief.

The man tilted his head slightly and smirked at the woman before turning his gaze back to me.

My eyes widened, "oh so you guys are real, good to know— now that I got my proof." I muttered to myself

Acting on instinct, I quickly swung my book, catching the man across the cheek with a hard smack. His head moved with the impact, but strangely, there was no sign of pain on his face.

His face contorted in anger, and before I could react to run, I felt a sudden sharp tug on my curly hair. The force of it pulled me backwards, sending pain shooting through my scalp.

The woman's voice cut through my panic, "I don't recall giving you permission to touch my boyfriend," she said, her tone a mix of annoyance and warning. She pushed me hard, sending me sprawling to the ground. I scrambled backward, desperately trying to get away from her, until my back collided with the rough bark of a nearby tree.

The brunette male, his face contorted with anger and bloody veiny eyes, advanced towards me. With his fangs bared, he moved his hands towards my throat, wrapping them around it and starting to squeeze, cutting off most of my air supply.

"Is this real enough for you?" He said

Despite the pressure on my throat and the struggle to breathe, I met the male's gaze directly, responding to his anger with a defiant reply. "If you're asking me, then—yes," I managed to croak out.

Summoning what little strength and bravado I had left, I aimed a strong kick between his legs, hoping to throw him off balance.

The male grunted in pain as he hit the ground, his anger momentarily halted by the force of my kick. I seized the opportunity to break free and attempted to flee, but the woman was faster than I anticipated. She moved with blinding speed, closing the distance between us in an instant and gripping my shirt firmly, lifting me off the ground.

"Stop playing with our food and just feed on her already." The woman said to the male.

It was obvious that she was losing her patience.

The male, having recovered from my earlier kick, was quick to act. In a flash, he was at my side, grabbing me roughly and dragging me back to the same tree. The situation had quickly gone from bad to worse, leaving me feeling utterly helpless against their combined strength.

"Feed on her? — I'm gonna kill her." He stated

"I don't care what you do, just hurry up and get it over with before—

The male had his fangs bared, poised to sink them into my exposed neck. But just when I thought it was over, a sudden interruption saved me.

"Enough."

The male froze for a second and then finally dropped me on the ground. placing his hands behind his back, bowing down to another male.

The mysterious figure spoke with authority, commanding the attention of the others. Although I couldn't see his face, shrouded as it was by a long black hooded cape, his imposing presence was undeniable.

The male and the woman both dropped their heads, their bodies bowing slightly in a show of submission. It was clear that they feared this person, their fear evident in their body language.

I remained sitting, my back still pressed against the rough bark of the tree. The scrapes and shallow gashes on my face stung from where I had been thrown to the ground, and a trickle of blood made its way down the side of my face. I tried to catch my breath, my heart still racing from the adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins.

The woman tried to speak but the man silenced her instantly.

The tall, black-hooded man approached the brunette-haired boy, his face betraying no emotion  before he delivered a hard slap across his cheek. The force of it was so hard that the boy seemed to feel the pain, his head snapping back from the impact.

He clicked his tongue,
"Killing on school grounds? How stupid can you be." 

"I told him not to—

"Victoria."

"Yes— sir?"

"Shut up for me, eh?" 

The hooded black cape man approached me now, his gaze meeting mine. Despite my best efforts, fear was etched across my face, and I instinctively raised my fist, preparing for a fight.

But then he pushed my hand down, the strength he exerted was unlike anything I had ever encountered before.

"Save your strength."

The man turned away from me, facing the others once more. With a firm but commanding tone, he instructed them. "Compel her," he said. "Clean her up and heal her wounds so she can go back to class." There was no room for argument in his words, and the others obeyed without question, their hesitation earlier fully gone.

The man abruptly grabbed me, holding me up and forcing me to meet his intense gaze. With a commanding tone, he spoke, "You won't remember this. You went back inside before 5 and went to sleep. You never came out here and met us."

"Do I look fucking stupid to you?" I spat in his face.

Victoria stared, "I don't think the compulsion worked, you did something wrong like always." She sighed with annoyance.

"No, I did it right Victoria."

The man in the black hooded cape moved with incredible speed, practically blipping from one location to the next. He flashed toward us, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself suddenly in his grasp. Looking up, I met his gaze, his intense eyes staring straight into mine.

"Interesting." he says

Victoria and the boy stared at each other wondering what's going to happen next.

"Rico I want you to put her in my office, And make sure she can't get out."  he demands.

"What's going to happen to her." Victoria asked

"Who cares." Rico said smirking at Victoria.