2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Wilder

If I had blood still pumping in my veins, I think I would feel it drain from my face as Bronwyn continues to stare at me.

Emotions play across her enchanting hazel eyes. First shock, then realization, then intrigue. Finally, she blinks and turns away. She reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, looks like she is about to say something, but instead snaps her mouth shut and scurries off up the stairs.

And leaves me standing there with a sense of dread pooling in my stomach.

She knows.

I don't know how or even just what, but that girl knows something, and it scares me to no end that she does.

"What was that?" Asimov, one of the people that I have loosely ascribed the title of friend, asks with a laugh. "She looked like she saw a ghost."

I force a smile as I turn to him, trying my best to mask my panic. Fortunately, I have a lot of practice doing that since it is what I do every time I am around my father. "I have heard that ghosts occasionally roam these halls."

As of now, Asimov does not know of my altered state, and I cannot allow him to catch on. Not until I decide what to do with him.

"Are you referring to the murdered students?" Gregos, another student from a prestigious family who I have been ordered to keep in the good graces of, asks with disdainful snort. "I thought that whole sordid affair was over now that the professor that killed them was stopped."

"How could the affair just be over? They didn't come back from the dead, Gregos," I reply stiffly. "Last I checked, they were still murdered and possibly tormented spirits."

Maybe they found their way to Skyhold, or maybe they still haunt these halls. I wonder what they think of me being here, would they recognize a fellow member of the undead?

Are they even aware enough to notice?

It's a sad state of affairs to even be undead, but I think it is even sadder to know that I'm not the only undead creature here. It is quite telling about the state of our world when the deceased are no longer allowed to rest in peace.

There's a lot of conjecture on just what a vampire is and what even causes this unique state. Some say a curse, some say a blessing, others say it's a disease. But all agree that a vampire is no longer quite a human. Monster. That is what they call vampires. That is what they would call me if they knew, and would they be necessarily wrong?

No, I think not.

So, while my soul was not ripped away from my body only to have it be resurrected like the common undead, I would say that the term still very much applies. After all, my soul was ripped away from my humanity.

Fortunately for me, vampires are largely misconceived, and up until this very moment, I have managed to move largely undiscovered despite my previous misgivings.

But I suppose that has all changed now because with just one look, Bronwyn figured me out. I'm certain of it, I saw the look in her eyes as she stared into mine.

She knows I'm a vampire. I don't know how. I don't know what I did wrong, but now I'm worried that in one day I have foiled all of my father's plans.

I swallow past my dry throat. I hope that I will grow accustomed to this thirst that can only be quenched by blood. It is nice not necessarily needing to eat or sleep, but I'm not sure if I would consider trading that with a dependence on blood as particularly an upgrade.

I ball my hand into a fist as I turn back to Gregos, painting a smile across my face. "But we are second years now. That no account Eel shouldn't take up another second of our time."

I have a more important task to focus my time on.

Gregos folds his arms. "I still think we should incinerate her belongings. That should give her the message that we don't want common stock in our school."

I reach up, running a hand through my hair. "Speaking of common stock, do you know which of the families will have students here this year? Are there any new first years we should befriend?"

Gregos's mouth twists and he seems to completely forget about Bronwyn the Eel as he considers my question. "I'm unsure yet; give me a day or so to actually get a feel of what is going on at this Academy. We were just on break, you know? You can't exactly expect me to bounce back so quickly. I'm still half inebriated from last night's celebrations."

I release a frustrated sigh. Gregos might think that I am only pretending to be this upset. He doesn't know how high the stakes are. "What's the point of even keeping you around for?" I grumble under my breath; although, it's loud enough for him to hear.

Gregos laughs clearly not reading me correctly, but then, what else is new? We have only ever been associates because of our fathers, not because of common interest or even because I can stand the man. Although, he would claim that we are the closest of friends.

"Lighten up Zubkov," Asimov says with a slap on my shoulder. "This is going to be our year, and nothing can stand in the way of that."

See I know that isn't going to be true because I know things that Asimov does not. This will be no one's year, at least no one living's. I have half the mind to tell him that, but I know that doing so would mean that I'd have to reveal my vampiric state and my new unholy mission. And I am unsure if I am willing to tell them just yet.

While I am at the liberty of choosing new vampire recruits at my discretion, I don't know if Gregos and Asimov would make the list. Not just because of how I fear they would use the power, but also because they are the closest things to friends that I have ever had despite my loathing of them, and I'm not entirely sure if I am quite ready to share my curse with someone who I would even remotely consider a friend.

None of that will matter though if Bronwyn the Eel can't keep her mouth shut.