Chapter 6 #2
I hadn’t felt when Jullia got out of bed or heard when Asher came in. Since Jullia had helped me hang up a blackout curtain over my window the only light is from Jullia’s window on her side of the room or her lamps.
When I woke up it had been dark, but I’m sure I hadn’t slept for all night and day. Until the door opens and in walks my roommate and her sister.
“Oh! You’re up, I’m sorry did we wake you?”
Stretching out my body I groan at the feeling and then roll over to sit at the edge of the bed. I’m still wearing my school skirt and stockings.
“Why is it so dark?” I ask. My voice groggy and still heavy with sleep.
My eyes start to get used to the dark until Jullia turns on one of her warm toned lamps.
It illuminates the room enough as Hanna inches in.
On the ceiling over Jullia’s window is a twin sheet blocking out the light. “What time is it?”
Jullia turns on another lamp that has me blinking and rubbing my eyes to adjust to the light as she throws a bunch of bags onto her bed. Hanna also has a couple bags and sets them down beside the foot of Jullia’s bed.
“About two in the afternoon, are you hungry?” Jullia asks.
Rubbing my eyes, I stand up and tense every muscle to keep from swaying. I need some water. Water and food and a shower. Jullia pulls out boxes and walks over to me. It looks like some kind of ToGo container and when she opens it the aroma of miso, chicken, rice, and vegetables fills the room.
My stomach actually growls. Sat in their little compartments is a bowl of soup with noodles and chicken, a section of fried rice, and a whole section of steamed vegetables.
Jullia also holds up a spoon and fork in her other hand and gives me a sheepish smile. “You always ask for extra veggies so I figured I’d get you some, but you also need carbs and protein, and you had said earlier you loved noodles so here.”
My stomach grumbles again and I catch Hanna giving me a perplexing look.
“You really do need normal food. . . “
Jullia glances back at her sister but doesn’t say anything as she places the steaming food on my desk.
“Eat,” she orders. “I know you need it and then I need you to have a bag of blood because you haven’t drank any since Monday. Then we’re going to set up a projector and watch romcoms and eat trash all night.”
Hanna pulls out a little camcorder looking device and sets it on Jullia’s desk. I’m still standing by my bed watching the both of them. Jullia ends up giving me a stern look and gestures towards the food cooling on my desk.
Despite the fact that I’m sure Jullia paid for this with her own money, and I can’t pay her back right now, I sit and eat.
Nana would give me the same look and stern talking to.
Reminding me that while a lot of people are manipulative and selfish, there are still a lot who do kindnesses out of the goodness of their heart.
I pull out my chair and sit. Grabbing the spoon to stir the noodle soup that smells amazing. I doubt Jullia will make me pay her back for the meal, but I’ll do it anyways. Or I’ll repay her back with something else.
Jullia watches me take the first bite before she turns to start fussing with her movie night props. It doesn’t sound like a bad plan, though I wonder how comfortable Hanna would be here. She’s gotten more relaxed around me, though she still seems very wary.
Shrugging it off I start downing the rest of the food. The soup is perfectly flavored and the chicken is juicy. Plus, the rice, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower – I've always had a love for vegetables.
When I’m finished I pack it all up and set it at the corner of my desk to throw away later.
Jullia and Hanna already have our movie night set up.
A projector positioned in the blank space over the door with microwave popcorn and other snacks ready.
They’ve also set up drinks and few wine bottles without any labels.
“Oh, that’s Hanna’s friends special blend,” Jullia explains. “He makes all kinds of spirits, though these ones are sweeter and he uses the faeries method so you don’t taste the alcohol.”
Hanna makes a face at her sisters. “Way to just blurt that all out, Jules.”
“Oh please, half the staff goes to him too. You said so yourself.”
The sisters roll their eyes at each other but there’s no malicious intent with their actions. I’m guessing it’s just a sibling thing.
Hanna turns to me with a hesitant expression.
“I’m sorry. . . about my actions before.
Jullia is a lot more welcoming than I am, but we’ve been told our whole lives that you can’t trust vampires.
We’re not exactly taught a lot about them except that they were once human and even after finding control they always have a bloodlust.”
That is very mature of her. Most people would have just pretended like it never happened and moved on.
I nod. “Growing up I wasn’t taught much about them either.
There is a woman at the brothel who did tell me a bit about them though.
We all called her Nana, she basically said the same thing, so I don’t fault you for it.
Though if I did have bloodlust I would say shoving your bloody hand in my face was stupid.
Newly turned vampires are faster and stronger than even old vampyr, so Asher wouldn’t have been able to stop me before I ripped out your neck. ”
Her face goes slightly pale and I wave it off.
“That’s just some other facts. But I don’t have bloodlust and would need to be drained of a lot of blood or starved for a very long time to initiate it.”
Jullia hums and then asks, “So then why do you not have bloodlust? Why also can you eat food and sleep? That still confuses me.”
I shrug. I could tell them the truth. I can’t say I necessarily trust either of them, not that it matters that much anyways, but I’m sure if word got out the Mage Board would spin it to make it seem like I played them to get a free education. Syngenia is not cheap.
Even if they didn’t listen to me about my case and shut down everything before I could get a word out. But it would probably be best not to risk that.
“The Mage Board was just as confused, but it saved me from being burned alive. I just need both regular food and blood to survive.”
They both give me curious gazes. Their minds working on trying to figure out why I’m different to other vampires. Hopefully it’ll just be that I’m different, not that I’m not a vampire. Or any other reasons.
Jullia throws a thick blanket on the floor between our beds. Then she lays down a few more blankets and pillows. Hanna unfolds her own blankets she must have brought. I’m honestly a little surprised she’s not out partying.
“No parties tonight?” I ask. Jullia winces and Hanna side eyes her.
“Yes,” Hanna almost grits. A bit softer she says to me, “Last night was the first night all the society houses threw their parties. The society houses are big here. Practically everyone wants a chance to join one of the houses and being in one of the houses is golden.”
“Are you in a house?” I ask. I think Jullia mentioned Asher was in one but I wasn’t fully paying attention. I remember him calling the demon house president though.
Hanna shakes her head. “I was in Wood House my first and second year, but I left this year because the president was going to start making us do blood oaths. You made a simple one to Asher, but most people can’t make them because they don’t have the power or runic magic for it, and they’re special.
It’s not like blood sharing, Thorne had been right when he told you that in the infirmary, but you do still share blood and that in itself is a special thing. ”
She quirks a brow at me and even Jullia is glancing at me as she fluffs a pillow that’s already been fluffed.
“What’s with the frown?” Hanna asks me. I right my face to neutral and shrug. “Don’t try to dismiss it, blood sharing in any form is like a sacred right it’s – “
“Not that important,” I interrupt.
“Yes it – “
“No,” I snap. Silencing Hanna and making Jullia freeze. I close my eyes and try to take a breath. I also pull my nails out of my palms, not realizing I had been slowly embedding them. “It’s not that important,” I slowly repeat. Much quieter though more strained.
When I open my eyes I catch Jullia staring at my arms. She looks sad again and stands up straight to look me in the face.
“Mavyn. . . “
I release a breath through my nose and let my shoulders drop. Trying to release all the strain in my body.
“It’s just something I don’t like talking about. Okay?”
Both of them nod. And before either of them can say something someone knocks on the door. Hanna goes over to unlock and open the door. Jullia gives me a sympathetic look, one I appreciate but one I wish she didn’t have to give me.
We both turn to see who’s at the door and it feels like a slow motion movie as Hanna opens the door all the way and Asher comes stumbling in.
Stumbling, because his face looks like it was bashed in, there are cuts along his jaw and neck, he has an arm wrapped around his middle, and his other one looks odd.
Like his shoulder and elbow are not right.
Jullia screams and Asher winces as Hanna grabs his side to help him. I stay rooted to where I am because his blood is flooding the room with that earthy and electric scent. I’m not close to a bloodlust and even if I was I would still have some semblance of control, but it’s not just his blood.
Jullia seems to snap out of it because she rushes to his other side and helps him to her bed where he falls and groans. So much blood, too much blood. His and another’s mixed in.
“What happened?” Jullia sobs. Her cries echoing in the small space as her hands skim over his body. “Who did this to you!?”
Hanna glances as me as I slowly approach. She worries her bottom lip between her teeth as I come to stand behind Jullia. Asher is still groaning in between trying to console his girlfriend. I doubt he’s accomplishing what he thinks he is.