Chapter 13-Precious gifts

Chapter 13: 13-Precious gifts

Zolani hurriedly glanced toward the bathroom. The water was still running, she sighed. Then her eyes drifted toward the walls and the ceiling. Only after several seconds did she settle down.

Her voice dropped into a whisper. "Don’t say those words out loud."

Maisa looked confused. "Why?" She couldn’t help but ask.

"Vampires hear far better than humans." Zolani answered just as quietly. "If someone is close enough... they’ll hear every conversation."

Maisa’s face paled. She lost her brightness at the horrors of getting popular.

"Your dorms aren’t soundproof. They aren’t specially enchanted like other dorms, so be careful." Zolani shook her head. "If you ever need to discuss something dangerous... find somewhere protected first."

She looked directly into Maisa’s eyes. "Secrets spread faster than disease in this academy. And some secrets..." Her voice became grave. "...get vampires killed."

Maisa slowly nodded. "I understand. I’ll keep that in mind."

"Good."

Zolani reached into her satchel again. "This is the last gift I prepared for you."

She produced several neatly organized notebooks. The books were well kept and looked like they had been handled with care by their owner. "These are my class notes."

Maisa stared blankly at her. She didn’t understand the initiative or why Zolani took it for her.

"They’re from the lessons you’ve missed. Since you enrolled late, most classes have already gone far into the curriculum. You don’t have to fall behind. Just read them, copy them in your book, and then you can return them to me."

Maisa accepted them carefully. She could barely believe this was real. "Why are you helping me?"

The question escaped before she realized it. Zolani hesitated to answer. Lumi had warned her not to interfere and had told her the consequences of being kind to

Her hand unconsciously drifted toward the hidden mark beneath her uniform. "Because..." She smiled gently. "... everyone deserves at least one person wishing them well."

Maisa felt her heart squeeze painfully. Before either of them could say more, the bathroom water stopped.

Zolani immediately stepped backwards. "I should go," she excused herself.

She moved toward the door before pausing. Turning back, she smiled once more. "I’ll be rooting for you. If anyone gives you trouble..."She hesitated. "Or if you need anything... you can come find me."

Before Maisa could respond, Zolani quietly slipped out the door. Moments later, the bathroom opened, and steam drifted into the room.

Sapphire emerged while drying her damp hair. She immediately noticed the basket. "Where did you get that blood bag?"

Maisa looked down. "A friend brought it," Maisa quickly answered. In her heart, she had already started to think of Zolani as her friend.

Sapphire frowned. "A friend?"

Maisa nodded. "Is something wrong?" She asked, worried.

Sapphire pointed toward the blood pouch. "Redbloods aren’t allowed to take blood bags out of the blood archives."

Maisa blinked. "What?"

"They’re only allowed to feed inside the blood archives but not to take blood bags out," she said. In her mind, she started wondering who Maisa’s friend was. The whole school was already buzzing that Maisa had a big shot backer, and now Sapphire began to think so, too. "You drink there, and then you leave without carrying blood away. It’s one of the many privileges denied to us."

Maisa stared at the pouch again. "I didn’t know..."

Sapphire looked toward the basket, and then her eyes drifted toward the bouquet. She froze completely. "No way."

Maisa looked up, startled. "What?"

Without speaking, Sapphire slowly pointed toward the elegant ruby-colored pearls decorating the bouquet.

"Those..."

Maisa looked down. "The pearls?" She asked. Again, she had no clue what the big deal was about the pearls.

"Do you know what those are?" Sapphire asked.

She slowly shook her head, and Sapphire swallowed. "They’re council ruby-pearls, and they’re reserved exclusively for the student council."

Maisa’s heartbeat skipped. "What?" She couldn’t understand why Zolani would give her something that expensive.

"Princess Varitreya set a rule that ordered that only council members could use them on school grounds. They’re like..." Sapphire searched for the right comparison. "...a royal seal."

Her eyes widened further as she looked into the basket. Then she spotted another symbol engraved beneath the lid. Her breathing stopped.

"Even the gift set..."

Maisa felt dread growing. "What about it?" Her voice had dropped a lot of notches. She had a feeling that she was going to be surprised by whatever her roommate said next.

"Only privileged students can afford products from this brand. They’re sold in the academy’s luxury mall and they cost more than an ordinary student’s monthly allowance."

Maisa looked down at everything in disbelief. Zolani had spent so much on someone she’d met only hours ago?

Sapphire grabbed both of Maisa’s shoulders. "Listen to me," her voice became deadly serious. "Do not." She emphasized every word. "...walk outside carrying those flowers."

Maisa blinked. "Why?"

"Because every student in this academy dreams of receiving recognition from the student council," she let known. Her grip tightened. "If they see you holding that bouquet... they’ll assume someone important favors you."

Maisa’s face slowly lost its colour. "And then?"

Sapphire looked at her with genuine worry. "They won’t just admire you... they’ll envy you... and they’ll hate you."

Her eyes drifted back toward the roses. "You could be bullied..." She hesitated before finishing. "...to death. Won’t be the first time."

The room became deathly silent. Maisa slowly looked down at the bouquet in her hands. Only minutes ago, it had felt like the first kindness she’d received since becoming a vampire.

Now, it suddenly looked like the beginning of another nightmare. She carefully set the flowers inside her wardrobe before closing the doors.

"Thank you for telling me."

Sapphire nodded. "I’d rather hurt your feelings now...than attend your funeral later."

Maisa managed a weak smile before picking up the blood pouch. She took one careful bite and warm blood flooded across her tongue.

The burning hunger immediately eased. It wasn’t enough to satisfy her completely, but it was enough to think clearly again.

She took a quick shower and changed into her dark red academy uniform, smoothing the blazer over trembling hands before adjusting the neatly tied ribbon at her collar.

Standing before the mirror, she barely recognized herself. She looked every bit like a student of Veris Academy, not a vampire hunter’s daughter or a frightened human.

Taking one deep breath, Maisa picked up Zolani’s borrowed notes and her satchel and prepared herself for her very first class.

She had no idea that somewhere else in the academy, another vampire was preparing for her arrival, too. And unlike Zolani, they weren’t bringing flowers and gifts.

"Let’s have a good first day and stay out of the way. Be a wallflower," she chanted a reminder.