MoonLove: a mythological story

Back to university

Good byes were said fast, after all, it was just a see you later; with that Lilith ran back to the campus without thinking on the risks she was taking by returning in such a hurry. The only thing she could think about was picking her schedule and discovering who this Vanessa teacher was.

She arrived on the last ten minutes before secretary was closed, panting and trying to breath normally she reached to the man helping students.

-          Good evening, could you please help me with my schedule? – Lilith said in a rush as if she was a aping from a storm – please, I know I am on a deadline, but please help me; I was outside the campus these last days and I lost track of time.

The man behind the desk looked at her and seeing the desperation in her eyes, as if it was a matter of life and death, decided to help her even if he was about to turn off all the equipment.

-          Miss, please breath, I will help you with your subjects, but please,  next time try to make it with a little more time and not in the last minute,  literally.

Lilith relieved all the tension in her body to the point she was about to cry of happiness and thankfulness to the person in front of her. For a moment, she completely forgot about everything. She was just relieved.

-          Your last name miss... – asked the man.

-          Oh, sorry. It is Schneider. S – C – H – N – E – I – D – E – R.

-          Oh, a foreign name, thank you for the spelling I would have missed the writing without a doubt. – said the man while laughing, just before come ting – this year there are a lot of weird last names.

Lilith went curious about that comment so she asked:

-          Really? Some last names like?

-          Like yours for example. There is a new student with a last name similar to “darling” which I cannot even pronounce and even the new aesthetics teacher! Her name is Vanessa D. Venom! What kind of last name is that!

At the moment Lilith heard the name of the new teacher a cold shiver went down her spine, that name made her want to run away and never return, she knew she might have been exaggerating but something in that woman gave her a terrible feeling. She was there for no good at all.

-          Whe... where is that teacher from? – Lilith asked with a terrible feeling inside if her, it could not be what she was thinking.

-          Honestly, I am not sure at all; but something I can indeed guarantee is that this woman is not from here. It is obvious once you meet her. Are you taking all the subjects from your level?

-          Yes, of course.

-          Perfect! Then your schedule has been assigned, on a few moments you should receive and e – mail with the rest of details such as teachers and class numbers.

-          Thank you so much! You saved my life!

-          No need at all young lady, it is my job.

With that and a smile the man dismissed her politely so he could finally leave the campus.

Lilith felt so relaxed and cheerful that she did not notice the fact that it was already dawn and darkness was covering everything by the second. She was walking slowly to her dorm when she heard a statement from above her head.

TODAY IS THE LAST DAWN OF THESE HOLIDAY, AND THE LAST NIGHT BEFORE CLASSES BEGIN, SO DEAREST STUDENTS MAKE THE MOST OUT IF THESE RESTING HOURS!

That brought Lilith back to reality, she looked up to the sky and saw night was almost complete but there was something that caught her eye more than night itself.  The was no moon on that navy blue cover.

Curious about the fact Lilith walked faster to her room and she did not stop until she was safely locked inside her room with her curtains closed. Once there she decided to check on her moon calendar. According to it there was no new moon until the next 5 days, so why is that the sky was covered only with stars? Lilith was about to begin making assumptions when a weird vibration in her pocket made her jump to the ceiling. It was her phone; the e – mail with her schedule and the details had arrived.

Lilith spent the rest of the night making a plan to change classes, planning the times to eat between classes and trying to take of the feeling of danger she had completely over her. Her tactics did not work so good, so she just had two hours in of sleep, fortunately for her, classes began at 10h00 on Monday so she could rest a little bit more. She woke up at 8h30 and followed her normal routine including make up and breakfast, eve if she went way lighter on her style because she had new teachers and she prefer not to be judged before being known by her potential. Especially for that Vanessa teacher.

Her morning went pretty normal, class after class, hour after hour until lunch time. She had completely forgotten about Joseph, the guy who has been treating her as a prize and possession of him even if she had not real idea of who he was. But there he was, in the table I the corner where most people would not even try to look. And he was looking at her.

Lilith noticed the weird feeling of being seen constantly until she found the source of that gaze, once she saw who it belonged to, she took her food and ran away from the place. She did not know why her intuition told her to leave instead of staying but she would not stay to find out.

After that particular scene, her afternoon went pretty much as her morning: normal, until she reached her last class. At 17h00 she has her most feared class “composition and aesthetics”. She went inside the class with a terrible feeling of anxiety and nervousness, and it was just justified once she saw the inside of the room. The class was still empty except for one person, Joseph Shephard.

-          Well, well, who do we have here? – said Joseph with an evil laugh down his words – oh, look, it is the b***h who does not know how to obey!

Lilith was about to reply when the rest of the classmates began to enter, so she just dedicated him a killing gaze and took her sit. It was about 17h15 when a beautiful woman entered. Lilith froze in her place, that woman, those eyes, that ice cold way of moving, she knew who she was just before listening to her voice. Vanessa Venom was the moon, her mother.

Lilith had never seen her in a human form, but her imagination could have never created the creature in front of her. Vanessa was a beautiful woman in her mid thirties, her skin as pale a death, her eyes made of frozen silver and her hair black raven as if gifted by the bird’s feathers. She had been careful on not getting a similar appearance to her, but her dark style gave her up a little, because even if extremely elegant and formal, it was obviously a dark Corp goth style, but even with those characteristics her classmates could not make the connection but it was obvious Joseph had and smiled at her with a scary predatory smile. She could not reply before her new teacher spoke.

-          Good afternoon students, as you already know I am your teacher of composition and aesthetics. My name is Vanessa D. Venom, designer and your teacher. – she turned around and wrote her name on the blackboard even if the projection marked her name there, contact info, email and phone number. – there projected you have my contact data but I only reply to e – mails with request with at least 48 hours in advance. Calls, messages I never answer nor check unless for some reason I have said otherwise. Understood.

Everyone nodded, because no one dared speaking to her commanding voice.

-          Very well, now rules on my class, no one can be late except for me, which I normally never are, no one puts a foot inside this class after me, everything must be done the way I say, to the deadline I give; if you are late that means you have no grade on that work. No cell phones nor music devices and to finish, do not disrespect me in any way, I am your teacher not your friend nor a charity; you can bet your life will be a complete hellish crusade if you forget my warning. Understood!

Everyone was afraid to say something to that beautiful but scarily creepy woman, so everyone just nodded and tried to breath the fear away. Everyone except for Joseph, who smiled as if his face was going to part in two; and Lilith, who was still shocked to understand the reality or to react accordingly. Vanessa was about to check on the assistance when a very handsome man arrived to her class.

-          Good afternoon, excuse me being late but I got lost, I am new to the campus...

-          And you are? – Vanessa asked with hatred in her voice.

-          My name is Jared... is this the class of the architect Venom?

-          Oh, my little stupid boy, who do you think you are talking to?

-          Sorry, Arq. Venom. excuse my lateness and inability or recognising you.

-          Just shut up and go in.

Going back to the important issue. Assistance.  Say “here” and nothing else. I want no fuss at all.

Everyone went dead silent even if they had no been talking before.

-          Adams... Alvarez... Andersson... Ball... Berg...

Everyone was silent. Shocked at the speed she was mentioning the names.

-          Really? Ok, first five missing...

-          What?! No Arq. Venom!  I am here! – said Adams.

-          Well, you did not answer on time, so missing.

-          But...

-          Shut up, I was clear on my instructions, if you do not answer you are late. Understood!

-          Yes, but...

-          Dear me, these humans are like stones stupid!

Everyone went silent and offended but said nothing and paid more attention to that weird teacher.

-          Björk... no... Dalgaard...

-          Here – said Jared as soon as she finished his last name.

-          Check... – the list went by and almost no one was able to answer on time. - Johns... no... – it kept going – Rice Alice... no... Rice Marie...

-          Here!

-          Check... – she kept going – Schneider...

-          Here!

-          Interesting, check... Shepard... oh, hello dear! – she greeted him as if they were old friends.

With that all the presentations went until  the end of the list.

-          Pay attention, and I hope you are not as useless as you proved to be.

And the official class began.

Those 2 hours of class were the longest and most terrible of the day and of all the time they had had in that college. Venom was a b***h who knew a lot of her subject, but she was intolerant, inflexible and completely extreme. That semester was going to be a long long one.

But there was also a surprise for her, Jared was there in college with her and he was in the same unbearable class she was in. With her mother. She was walking back to her room lost in her thoughts when a warm reassuring hand took hers and brought her back into reality.

-          My beloved Lady, I know you are confused about what just happened inside the classroom, me being here without notice...

-          Jared! Oh dear, Jared. I was not dreaming, you are really here! – she just looked at him in the eyes and threw herself at him and hugged him tightly – I cannot believe you are actually here.

Jared felt Lilith’s emotions and could not avoid joy filling every single part of his soul. It was a amazing way of being received by the love of his life; he returned the hug with the same strength and kissed Lilith in the forehead. It was being a lovely even if bizarre evening. But without they noticing, it was about to get even weirder.

-          Well, well... – said a shattered glass voice behind them – the little w***e has not learnt to respect her owner.

Joseph. He had to break that lovely moment.

-          So, what is your excuse for this complete disrespectful attitude – said Joseph with his acidic smile while walking towards Lilith.

Jared opened his mouth to speak on her behalf but Lilith was faster and even if he was her beloved she could defend herself, she had done before and she would again even if Jared’s gesture was very sweet. She let him go and faced Joseph.

-          I can see that little w***e, I am still waiting for your excuse on this disrespectful behaviour, can’t you see I am busy?! You can beg for attention another time.

Joseph’s smile disappeared and his face turned red in raging fury. It was a terrifying sight but Lilith could only laugh at the scene.

-          Ok, once you are finished with this childish scene you might be able to think properly with your brain and not your ego.

-          You little b***h have...

-          A wonderful attitude? Thanks i***t, I know; now just turn around and leave, you are not ruining my night.

Joseph reached to take Lilith’s arm so he could make her pay about her terrible behaviour but when he reached it, it was not hers but a cold, incredibly dead pale arm. He looked up and a pair of reddish – black eyes looked back at him. He lost his voice as if it had been stolen. After some minutes where the time seemed to have stop he spoke in a whisper.

-          O... Odette...

-          Excuse me? I know no person with that name. Now if you do not mind, let go of my arm and let me reach my friends to who you have been so rude.

-          Odette... – Joseph was not able to say anything else, he was too surprised.

-          Oh dear Lord, you are indeed an i***t!... - she shook her arm away and freed it herself – Lilith is completely right about you.

With that she walked towards Lilith and Jared hooked her arm with hers and took them both away before Joseph’s shock faded. If that happened, that moment could easily be their last.

Lilith was so surprised at that unknown girl intervention that she could not react immediately. She looked to her left to find Jared smiling at her confusion but still, he nodded to reassure her about trusting that girl.

They walked towards the dorms but did not stop there. They kept walking until their figures got lost between the trees of the forest, which surrounded that side of the campus.