Chapter Text
Every creature needs rest. Even vampires.
Nonetheless, I find myself strolling through the corridors of Nevermore Academy. My steps are graceful and silent, one of the perks of being what I am. I find myself in the Hall of Alumni. Portraits of Nevermore’s best and brightest, my father among them. His thick black hair, slicked back. His pale, ageless skin decorated in silks which carried the weight of what he is.
Footsteps alert me as I pull myself into the darkness where the candle sconces can't find me. Nearly camouflage in the dark, I hold my breath, never needing to breathe again. The footsteps draw near. Something upbeat and exciting to them.
Then he passes.
Isaac Night.
A smirk plastered on his face as he practically waltzed past. Knowing I shouldn't, I follow. Every step I take is quieter than a mouse.
No one wandered the halls at this hour; that's why I felt comfortable here. It was forbidden, yet here he was.
Stories were told about him. The genius who fixed his own failing heart. What a privilege it is to be a DaVinci.
He hums a little to a song that sounds familiar, although I can't place it. His tone, somber.
I stride outside, the cold autumn air hitting my face, and into Iago tower. This place has been condemned. Unallowed to enter since my father attended, yet here he was.
Up the creaky metal stairs, I climb, making no sound. Then, finding a shadow, I creep and hide within. He sits at a desk made from wood and carved with engravings, small doodles. His fingers open the sketchbook left on the desk, and he flips through, finding a blank page. The noises of pencil to paper go for hours into the night. Not once do I consider leaving before he does. The shadows dance along his fair skin. As he takes time with every detail on the page, I take time studying his every nuance. The way he straightens his posture after realizing the uncomfortable position he's in, but inevitably ends back up in it. How his curled hair falls to his face, which he swiftly places back, only for it to fall minutes later. The little hums he makes and the sound of his breathing when something comes together in his mind. I listen to his ticking heart, a reminder of how fast mine’s beating.
…
“You're looking dead tired,” Morticia looks at me point-blank. We stand in the Nevermore courtyard, as I pull the sunglasses from my head to my eyes. The sunlight irritates them, and I was willing to endure it; however, after her comment, I decide to hide them.
“No sleep,” I reply dryly. Gomez, beside her as usual, smiles as a familiar face strides over.
“Amigo, Isaac. I don't suppose you've seen my brother today?” He asks.
I had no idea Isaac and Gomez were close.
They stop to converse as Morticia and I walk to class. My eyes glued to him, she quickly notices.
“Have you met Isaac?” she asks, her words always well thought before said.
I break contact with him to look at her. I hesitate to answer.
“I had a strange dream last night. Iago tower,” she states.
“What about it?”
“I will never be one to judge love, Lenore.”
“Lo- what,” I exclaim. It was one night of observing. Before my mouth bursts out with the information, I catch myself. Morticia is a psychic. She often knows more about people than they know about themselves. Either that or she saw me sneak after him. “Are you sure it was a dream?”
She doesn't respond; Gomez saves her just in time.
“Mi corazón,” they pull into a kiss. I look away, slightly uncomfortable. My eyes wander for Isaac, yet he's gone.
Needing to get away from their constant need for touch, I walk to class.
Music is always first on my roster. I've played piano since I was a little girl, and my father wouldn't let me stop now.
Not that I didn't enjoy it. It was one of my only escapes. Composing music was, truthfully, enlightening and beautiful. That gift wasn't mine, though. I could play as much as I wanted, but when it came to making music, I couldn't.
Mr. Blackwell enters, pages of music in hand, as he passes them to everyone. A new piece he wants us to learn. When he arrives at my station, he gently places the sheet before me.
“I'd like you to showcase your talent at this year's Rave'n ball. I've already set the details with the principal. This is the piece I'd like you to learn and perform.”
I read it over and hum it to myself. It's a Bauhaus song. I suppose it is fitting for the students who attend Nevermore. The song has been converted to accommodate a piano. I'll have many weeks to prepare, so I'm not worried.
…
Lunch time arrives, and Julia joins my side in the cafeteria. There are few vampires at Nevermore due to our lifestyle; therefore, Julia and I clicked immediately. Vampires were strict with our traditions, like protecting wealth for generations, except we protected immortality.
There were two ways to become a vampire. To be born or bitten. Only a born vampire could turn another, and it wasn't done often. Turning someone was reserved for specific occasions.
Love and power.
I, however, was born of two vampire parents. I will age like a human until 25, when my body is fully developed, then I freeze, forever stuck in the body I was given.
Turned vampires have a remarkable thirst for blood, whereas born vampires could control it much more easily. Just like everyone else, I'm able to eat food. The only thing to separate me from them is the need for blood to sustain my body. Once a week, all the vampires would gather to drink a blood bag. Drinking from the vein was forbidden. It was considered intimate and wrong. Never have I tasted blood from the warm body. Only from the cold fridge.
It never enticed me either.
“Have you heard the Rave'n dance theme? Larissa has been working hard all week to plan.” Julia sits beside me.
I shake my head.
“Rose's and Thornes.”
“I'm sure Morticia will have fun with this one,” I remark. When we weren't in our Nevermore uniforms, she wore all black with tinges of blood red. It became her trademark.
“You seem gloomy,” Julia opens her bag of carrots, and on her finger, a family heirloom sits. Her family crest. I had one around my neck. Also, a ring, though I hated showing it. It stayed tucked in my shirt, attached to a silver chain.
Many incorrect beliefs about vampires, yet we never tried to correct them. It was our safety net from normies. Let them believe their lies.
“Just tired,” I reply. Larissa approaches and sits across from us.
She clears her throat, “ I need your help convincing the others from sneaking out tonight.”
“The others?” I ask.
“Gomez and Isaac have the bright idea to sneak off the academy grounds and into Jericho. Morticia is going along with the plan because Gomez is. They’re going to get expelled,” Larissa says carefully, not to alert others. One word sticks out. ‘Isaac.’
“Why Jericho?” Julia chimes in.
“Some normie school dance,” she replies. “That’s not important.”
I interrupt, “We should go.”
Larissa eyes me like I just said something outrageous. Perhaps I did. Sneaking off to Jericho wasn’t exactly something I’ve thought about before. The halls at midnight were one thing, but completely leaving was something else.
“It could be fun,” I suggest. Morticia and Gomez sit, their bodies in constant touch. I could sense Larissa’s disdain.
“You’re going to Jericho tonight?” I ask.
“Isaac heard about a dance, he wants to check it out,” Gomez answers.
“Count me in.”
Everyone at the table shoots me a look of surprise.
“You were right, my love.”
Morticia gives a slight smirk to him.
…
“You need to spill right now,” Julia says as we walk to our dorm.
“About?” I question.
“Sneaking out. Your father will kill you,” she pauses. “Or put garlic in your food when you visit.”
I snicker, “My father's allergy is much worse than mine. I doubt he’ll go anywhere near it.”
We open our room door and enter, “You know what I mean.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to share why I want to go.”
Her eyebrows scrunch, and her arms cross.
“Fine. I’ll figure it out when we go tonight.”
I focus on her face. She’s determined. She’ll be relentless until she figures it out, yet I’m not ready to tell her, so I’ll wait.
…
Midnight strikes. In a black long coat, I wait with Julia outside the gates of Nevermore. I had to climb a fence to get here, almost falling on the way down. Julia caught me, barely.
Shuffling comes from the other side of the Nevermore gates.
“I’ll catch you, Tish,” Gomez quickly stands and looks up to Morticia, about to jump.
She does, and Gomez catches her, both falling to the ground before they start kissing.
“You guys could have just used the gate,” a familiar voice calls, beckoning my eyes to follow. Isaac raises a gloved hand, and the gate unlocks, then opens.
“Are you going to tell us what we’re doing going to a normie party?” Julia raises an eyebrow at Isaac.
“My sister thinks I don’t know she’ll be there. I’m merely going to make sure she's okay and to possibly taunt her,” he smirks before closing and locking the gate behind him.