Chapter 2

We are the lucky ones
We shine like a thousand suns
When all of the color runs together

I'll keep you company
In one glorious harmony
Waltzing with destiny forever

My mother used to sing me that song. It's the only thing I remember for her. It calms me down but right now not even the memory of that song can calm me down.

When you snap, you snap. There was a part of me that died the day that I found Milan with Raul. I guess literally I had only died just 30 minutes earlier but that death was nothing compared to how it felt seeing my best friend sleeping with the love of my life. You snap when something like that happens. You don't hear whatever stupid ass excuse is offered. You see red. Literally.

I'm not sure what happened.

I just remember Raul in a pool of blood. He's just laying there. Milan is on the floor. He's gasping for air. I'm not sure how it happened. I'm not sure if Milan put up much of a fight. All I remember is him gasping for air and Raul...well he's not breathing at all. He's just laying there in his own fucking blood and I wonder if he's dead.

Milan's voice is a low whisper when he says very softly, “Santos. You weren't...you weren't supposed to be awake yet.

It's no use. A part of me wants to snap his neck but I wonder what is the point. I don't feel bad. You would think I'd feel something. There is nothing that I feel except emptiness after I see that I've attacked them. I just feel empty.

The door opens and I walk out into the hallway. The strange hooded men are in the house.

Raul's adopted father comes out of his room.

“What's going on here---”

Before he can finish what he's saying one of the hooded men is on him. Fangs come out of his mouth and he jumps at Raul's adopted father pulling him into a room. I can see the blood coming out of his neck as it happens. It's really sickening but for some reason I'm not scared. For some reason I realize that I'm one of these people now. For some reason I have this strong desire to join him and help him drain the blood of the human.

“What's happened?” the other hooded man states.

“Killed my bestfriend,” I tell him, “My boyfriend might be dead too. Might consider him my ex boyfriend now.”

Emotion. Where was it? Right now I could feel none. Right now I was a cold bitch from hell. Was this part of becoming a vampire or was this something deeper? Had I really lost more of my humanity than I intended to tonight? I wasn't sure. The visitor questioning me keeps his eyes on me and motions to the other visitor. The other visitor walks into Raul's room. When he does I lean up against the wall. I look at the visitor who questioned me. He's handsome. He's no older than 21.

“You're cute. Like boys?” I ask him.

He ignores my question probably not amused by it. Truthfully I don't know where it came from. The Santos I was before would have been terrified by these strange men entering the house. Instead here I was trying my best to flirt with this guy. I had good reason too.

He's a brown skinned boy. I think he may be mixed but he does seem to have some latino in him but he's of the darker breed. I wonder if he's maybe Dominican or something like that. His hair is curly coming out of his hair like a curly afro. His lips are pink. I have to admit this guy is beautiful but hell I'm used to vampires being beautiful. The other guy who attacked Raul's father returns first. He's not as handsome as the one asking me the questions. He is mouth is covered in blood and I seeing the blood gives me an appetites.

I'm staring at the blood and the curly haired Dominican seems to notice.

“You don't know much about vampires do you?” he asks me, “Who sired you?”

“Who did what?”

“Who turned you. Into one of us?”

I point to the room.

Just at that moment the other visitor walks out of the room. He looks at me with a strange look.

“There is a vampire in there...with a human. Looks like they were in the middle of something,” the man states correctly, “Looks like they were interrupted. Aggressively.”

“Alive?”

“Barely.”

The Dominican gives me a stare. His eyes are looking hard at me, “Was there another vampire here? Who helped you attack your sire?”

I shrug, “I don't know what a sire is but only vampire here is that lying motherfucker in the room coughing up blood.”

“That's impossible,” the other man says looking at the Dominican, “He just turned we were just notified.”

The three of them stand together. They keep going on and when they notice me listening they start speaking another language. At first I think it's Spanish but then I realize I'm wrong. It's something different. It's a dead language. It's something much older. These people are speaking Latin. It has to be Latin. All the ums at the end of their sentences definitely seem to give it away. I'm watching curiously as these men are looking at me.

They seem more and more interested.

The questions don't seem to end. The Dominican looks over at me, “How long ago did you turn?”

“Does it matter?” I ask.

“We ask the questions here fledgling. How long ago did you turn?”

I have no fucking idea what a fledgling is but it sounds condescending. This Dominican boy definitely doesn't seem to be the nicest guy in the world but I have to admit that he's cute as hell. I cross my arms and look at the clock on the wall in the hallway..

“Exactly 35 minutes ago.”

The three men look at one another. More Latin. Something has spooked them and I'm not really sure what it is. I thought I should have been the one afraid. I'm the new one in this situation. Clearly that isn't the case though. The one guy who went into the room and saw Raul and Milan seems more afraid than the other two.

“What's your name?” the Dominican one asks me.

I think about giving him my full name but instead I just shorten it, “San.”

“Ok San. I'm going to need you to drink this...”

He hands me something. It's a plastic bottle. It's red. Blood. He's giving me blood. I look at it. I have this hunger for the stuff that I can't really understand.

“Eden,” I say, in between long sips, “Take me to Eden...”


=========================================================================

“Where's the third guy?”


One of the visitors is driving through Harlem in an old Lincoln. I'm sitting in back with the sexy Dominican boy. He looks over at me. His eyes are like the stars. They run deep. I have to admit the fact that he keeps looking at me in the way he is actually turns me on a lot. It's almost like he's trying to figure me out.

“He's cleaning up the mess you left behind,” he responds.

“What's he going to do with Milan?” I ask.

“If he's alive? He will be brought back to Eden and punished for leaving as well as turning you into a vampire without permission.”

“Why can't he leave Eden?” I ask, “You left didn't you?”

The Dominican smiles, “That's because of who I am.”

“Just who are you?”

“My name is Armando. I'm the head of the King's guard. King's Guard are allowed to leave the city.”

Armando. The name suits him. Armando with the curly hair and the dark skin. Now that he has taken off his hood I get a look at his body. He's covered in tattoos. He looks like a real badass. I'll have to give it to him. He looks like the type of motherfucker who'd fuck somebody's girlfriend and then beat their ass if they say anything about it. He definitely didn't seem like he put up with too much shit.

“You nervous Armando? You keep looking out the window.”

“Looking for Rogues.”

“What?”

Armando shakes his head, “You really don't know anything do you. Your maker is definitely going to have a lot to answer for. Rogues are followers of the demon goddess Lilith.”

“That doesn't sound good. Demon Goddess?”

He shakes his head, “Lilith is a night mare. Humans call her work the Blood Holocaust. Remember that?”

“That was because of a vampire?”

“Yes. It was because of Lilith. Her attempt to destroy humans. Luckily the King's Guard found a cure for the disease just in time. Lilith went into hiding since then. Her followers are still around though. They are dark vampires. The types that humans know about. They don't care about rules. They only live for the thirst. The ones who kill the humans after they drink their blood.”

“I just saw your guy drink someone's blood back at Raul's house.”

“It's different.”

I sigh, “Sure it is.”

“We don't kill. The King's Guard leave the city. We fight off Rogues. We make sure there aren't any loose vampires around like you.”

He looks over at me. The way he says it makes me think that I'm a mistake or something. Maybe I am. Milan didn't have any permission to make me. I don't get it. Why did Milan leave Eden? Why did he come turn me into a vampire. Maybe I should have given him a reason to explain? Truthfully I don't regret attacking him but I could have at least waited a second longer.

“What happens to me? Back in Eden I mean?” I ask.

For some reason I don't know if I'll like the answer to this.

“You'll be tested.”

“Tested how?”

“It's called the Tasting. It's done by the Old lady. She is one of the oldest vampires we have in Eden. She's going to smell your blood for potency. If it's potent you pass the test. She'll then taste it to see what blood type you have so that we know what class you are assigned to.”

“What if I don't pass?”

He looks over at me, “Then you die.”

I'm blindfolded after a while. I can tell he doesn't trust me. For some reason the entrance to Eden is something that Milan didn't even trust me with so I don't expect any less from these strangers...not even if I am a vampire now.

I know that we are in Eden once I feel the warm breeze. I know we are in the town once I hear the bustling feet. Even then they keep the blindfold on me. Luckily for me Armando is a strong guy. He guides me through the city making sure that I stay by his side the entire time. Armando smells good. He has this strangely familiar and comfortable smell of incense that is attached to him. It is masculine. It's the only scent that comforts me as we go through this. I have to admit that I'm getting more and more terrified. I don't know what this test is for. I don't get it.

“What's the point of the potency?”

“No questions now...”

“Please Armando. I'm nervous as fuck. I'm about to piss myself.”

“I guarantee that you won't. Vampires don't piss nearly as much as humans. It's just another thing that you'll need to learn,” Armando explains to me, “If you pass the test you'll have enough time to learn it.”

“I'm scared.”

He stops walking. I don't know why I admit something like this to Armando. I don't know if I should care.

“Potency measures the strength of the vampire,” he explains to me almost as though taking sympathy, “After seeing what you did to your sire...I'm sure potency isn't the problem.”

“You say that as though there is a problem,” I remark noticing the tone in his voice. We are walking again and I'm left with only desperate pleas of saying, “Armando...Armando?”

Armando doesn't answer me again. He keeps quiet.

Before long I find myself really scared. I am going to fail this test. I can feel it. Something isn't right with how nervous Armando is acting. I remember the concerned look of the King's Guard vampire back at Raul's house. He was worried about something. I was scared shitless. Something was very wrong and the way Armando wasn't answering let me know that something was very wrong.

I begin to hum my mother's lullaby at that moment.

We are the lucky ones.

We shine like a thousand suns

And all of the colors run---together...

Immediately a wave of comfort comes over me. Just at that moment Armando stops again. He listens to the song and just stops walking.

“Where'd you hear that?” he asks me.

“My mother used to sing it to me,” I explain it to him.

Armando grunts. I'm not sure what he means by the grunt but it's an odd thing for him to do. Regardless I realize that I am not being lead by Armando anymore. He takes off the blind fold and I look around. I'm in a building. The walls are hand carved and beautiful. Out of the window I can see the everlasting red sky. The building I'm in smells like pomegranate fruit. The hall is beautiful and big. There is no one there...at least I don't notice anyone at first.

Then from behind a huge chair in the middle of the room I see a little girl walk out. The girl had to be just 6 or 7. She is the cutest little thing honestly.

“I have a new vampire old lady,” Armando states.

“This is the old lady?” I ask.

“Don't let looks deceive you. She's older than you could imagine.”

The little girl or old lady or whatever looks at me up and down. She shakes her head at that moment and lets out an irrirated snort, “No more new ones. Open enrollment is over.”

Armando shakes his head, “What am I supposed to do with this one then?”

“Lock him up until next year. He can enroll then.”

Armando shakes his head, “What will the King say about this? Enrollment is already down. Only 6 people in Class O. Only 20 in Class B. We need as many as we can have.”

“I don't give a shit about what the King says. Tell him I said so,” the old lady responds, “Or do you think I'm like the rest of these fools bowing to the King's every whim. I helped raise that King goddam it.”

If I close my eyes I can imagine that this is really an old lady talking but the voice is that of a child. The look is even more like a child. She has that grumpiness to her even as a child though. Her forehead wrinkles at that moment as she looks onto me. I”m not sure what they are talking about but I'm having the time of my life just hearing them say it.

“Just this last one,” Armando states.

The Old lady seems interested, “What's it to you Armando? What's so special about this one?”

Armando grunts, “I just have a...feeling. Please Countess Roxy.”

The fact that he is calling her a Countess blows my mind. The old lady---young girl Countess Roxy finally seems to be giving in though. She walks over to me. I watch at as she takes a long finger nail and cuts me.

Armando and I watch closely as she sniffs the blood.

“His blood is potent.”

Armando looks over at me. It's the first time I see him smile. I let out a deep breath when I notice that this much be good news.

“Does this mean that I don't die.”

Armando laughs, “It means that you don't die today.”

“Hell I'll take that.”

“Shut up fledgling,” the young girl spits out at that moment before grabbing my hand and bringing it closer to her, “Let's have a taste and see which your blood type is and what class you belong in.”

“What's the point of class?” I ask, “What's the difference.”

“Shh...” Armando nudges me.

I try to shut up as Countess Roxy tastes my blood. The moment she sucks in my blood I feel a sensation fill up all over my body. There's no way to describe it without using sexual terms and I try to fight the feeling being that it's a young girl who is actually sucking my blood. The sensation runs throughout my body as Countess Roxy continues to suck my blood. Her eyes go wide and I realize that she's still sucking my blood.

“Is this...is this normal?” I ask.

I am beginning to feel pain at that moment. Countess Roxy's fangs are growing it seems like. Her fangs are sinking deeper and deeper into me! My heart is racing! Armando looks over at the Countess seeming confused. I try to pull my hand by the young girl's strength is so much. She keeps my hand there and sucks. No matter how hard I try to pull away this little girl's force is fucking STRONG! She is keeping me there!

I'm starting to panic as I am beginning to lose feeling in my arm.

“Countess!” Armando states.

Armando tries to push the Countess off but that's when the Countess flings her arm into Armando's chest. Within barely any resistance Armando's body flies towards the other side of the room as though it was nothing. The old lady is still biting into me. She's still tasting my blood. Her pupils have gone completely black at this moment. There is darkness all inside of her! She keeps drinking! She won't let me go.

“Please!” I'm begging her at that moment, “Please let me go.”

She ignores me. I watch as Armando races back. He's running fast. The countess seems so focused on me that she doesn't see Armando coming. Armando tosses himself in the air with such an aggression that I think he's going to take off into flight. Instead he tackles the little girl to the floor. The countess Roxy hits the floor hard and bounces up quickly. Her eyes are black for a moment. They are staring at me. Her fangs are dripping with blood and she goes into an aggressive stance.

“Countess Roxy...I need you to come back. Come back...” Armando is saying.

Just at that moment I see the Countess begin to calm down. Her pupils are returning to normal. She is breathing heavy. She seems to be snapping out of whatever trance she came out of.

When she returns to normal she looks over at Armando. There is a slight concern in her eyes. She is breathing heavy when she says, “There is a problem.”

I'm so confused.

“What's wrong with me? What kind of problem?”

“Bring him. We have to take him to the King.”

“The king is having a dinner to honor the new class.”

“Fuck the dinner. His blood is AB!”

I don't know what that means. I was pretty sure that my blood type was just A. I don't know what the fuck she's talking about my blood type is AB. I'm confused but the look in Armando's eyes when Countess Roxy tells him that is ridiculous. Something is definitely wrong here. Something is wrong and I know for sure now that I have a reason to be afraid. I have a reason to be worried.

The room we go to is crowded with people. I'm not talking 10 or 20. There has to be may be 60 people dressed in hoods. I remember who they are from when Milan brought me here earlier. They were the new students at the Vampire High.

The way that Countess Roxy opens the door is beyond dramatic. The little girl is strong. These doors are about 20 feet fucking tall. They clash into the wall when she swings them open. Armando has me behind her. He still has his arm on my shoulder as though I'm going to take off running from fear. A part of me wonders if I should honestly. I'm a little terrified.

The 60 students aren't the only ones who are in the room. I notice other people. They are guards. They are dressed like Armando is dressed. They all have black leather bondage looking pieces on. I can tell by guards by how they are posted up. They don't attempt to stop Countess Roxy or Armando as they storm into the room disturbing the little dinner that is going on. I realize that Armando is the head of the Guard so the respect must be there. Countess Roxy is clearly the respected as well by the way she marches through the room.

Armando pulls me close to him and whispers, “No matter what happens...don't speak. You are about to meet the Elders and the King himself.”

“Don't worry I didn't plan on saying anything,” I respond to him.

That was the truth as well. I am beyond intimidated as we I see all the tables. We have just barged into a very formal dinner. It looks very Ceremonial. There are tables set up across the hall where the students are sitting. There is food there and I honestly assumed that vampires didn't eat. I do notice what they are drinking though. The red blood is topped off in almost every glass in this place. The chairs are all squeaking as students are turning to see what the hell is going on with me.

As we walk to the front of the room it's not hard to tell which one is the king. It's the guy sitting in the throne. He's handsome as you would expect a king to be. His skin tone was mahogany. He had very long curly, curly hair that fell into a ponytail and then there is a the crown on his head. He's surrounded by other important looking people who are sitting at a table right below him. These people look like they piss gold or something. I mean they look rich and fucking important. I can't help but to look at all their faces. They definitely aren't students. They must be who Armando referred to as the “elders”. Truth is not one of them looked a day over 35.

Countess Roxy grabs me and throws me in front of the king. I literally feel my body smash into the tile. Laughter rolls out from the students around me. My face flushes with embarrassment as I look up from the floor at the important looking vampires.

“Dramatic aren't we?” a young looking man states from the pedestal table.

“Shut up Ceasarian. We have an issue,” Roxy responds.

“Now?” the boy asks, “We are having a ceremonial dinner.”

“I just performed the Tasting on this boy,” Roxy explains, “I couldn't stop myself.”

“Maybe you should watch your diet,” a woman at the table laughs, “You do have the body of a child Countess Roxy.”

Countess Roxy ignores the woman before turning to the king, “King Arie. This boy's blood is AB.”

Gasps fill the room. I don't know what makes me turn around to look at everyone at that moment. The students are staring at me. They are too nervous to even whisper amongst themselves. They are staring at me almost like I had Ebola or something. I'm not sure what the problem is.

That's when I see the boy with the silver eyes. The boy that looked like he is every single ethnicity mixed in one. He is staring at table not too far with others in gold. It's the smallest table. He's the boy from Class O. Our eyes connect at that moment and now I'm even more embarrassed. The sexiest guy in the world is staring at me and everyone is pretending something is desperately wrong with me. I'm flushed with embarrassment.

“Caesarian. Have the students clear the room please,” the King states.

Thank God for small miracles. I don't know if I can deal with many more of those stares. The room begins to clear right after the King orders it even without the man Caesarian doing it for him. The tables file out in single format. It doesn't take long before only guards, the elite table and the king are in the room with Roxy, Armando and I.

Countess Roxy is looking at the King with worried eyes, “Arie...King Arie. You know what we've heard about the AB blood.”

Caesarian returns. He crosses his arms, “I don't think it's necessary to cause panic over a blood type. At least not yet.”

Another voice interrupts, “When do we panic then? When the prophecy happens.”

“We should kill him,” another one of the Elders states.

They look at me. Their eyes are judging me. I don't know what it is that they are panicking about. What is it about my blood that is freaking them out in the way that they are? Why are they acting like there is something wrong with me.

King Arie maintains compusure, “I don't make decisions based off of prophecies. Is his blood potent enough to be in school Roxy?”

The Countess nods, “Yes. It is...”

“Fine. What is the boy's name?”

Armando answers, “San.”

“Santos,” I correct him.

Armando raises an eyebrow at me of interest at me. He's probably wondering why I lied to him about my name.

The king nods, “Put Santos in a class.”

“Which one?” Armando asks the king, “We don't have a class for AB blood type.”

King Arie looks over at me, “Put him in the hardest class. I want to see what an AB blood type is really capable of. Put him in Class O.”

My heart stops. Class O. That's the class with the beautiful boy with the silver eyes.

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