Freshman Blood: Dhampir Dylan

Two - Freshman Blood

Two:

“I still don’t see why the wolves had to be put in their own dorms.”

I murmured, as momma and dad walk into the common area of the dorm. It was like any other dorm around the country—or so I was told. This was the only school I’d visited, since only the rich and the stupid traveled cross country these days. While my fam was on the rich end of the spectrum, I wasn’t stupid.

Everything just seemed to keep going t**s-up after the release of that human Corona virus, and the fecking Ragnarok—apocalypse—which happened directly after.

Everyone loves to blame the other side politically, but I think it was just every greedy asshole trying to carve out a piece of the former nation for themselves. The resulting near-police state has been a terrifying place to grow up as an immortal youth.

Even if the rovers and the zombies didn’t attack you outside the walled cities, the police were just as likely to stop you. The risks were as plentiful as the world was grim.

Me and my siblings would have liked to at least toured universities, like so many youths had, just a generation prior. However, our world was cruel, dark, and filled with those who would take from you without regard. (And people wonder why the f**k I’m so damn shutdown to the world around me!)

“Dad, what are you doing here?! So sus!”

Liv said, as she prowled down the steps. Her rich bronzed skin, and her flowing chestnut brown hair were prominently Native-America—like our furry mom. Her eyes were, however, blue, like mine, and dad’s. Liv was already almost six-foot-tall now, and she was only sixteen.

Mark had yellow eyes, like Aurelia. His Nordic framework was strange in contrast to his bronze Chitimacha heritage. He was five-five, a rather common height for a fifteen-year-old boy not yet fully grown. He was already handsome, and his features were exceptionally appealing to people of all genders. Mark, like me, was gay. Liv was the only heterosexual child born of our poly parentage. Of course, that doesn’t include Jaxie because she is really my niece.

“Sus, me?”

Dad asked, and my little sister narrowed her gaze upon our shared parent.

“Come to check up on me already? I mean, totes tiger father roaming the halls!”

Dad chuckled darkly and winked playfully at my sister.

“Don’t ye worry precious, I know yer capable of mauling, or eviscerating any comer.”

He said, and had this not been such a dystopian world, that statement spoken with such paternal pride, may have sounded utterly horror-show. Not that we have that many new shows since the fall of the old world.

“OMG, look at all these delicious male bodies!”

Mark said, taunting the glaring lycans who were giving him feral looks, as he pranced past them in what could only be described as his disco best. He was wearing white bellbottom jeans, and a tight violet half-buttoned short-sleeve dress shirt. His shoes were glossy black leather, and original antiques from the sixties or seventies. His eyes widened fractionally as he hit the bottom step and noticed our parents were in earshot.

“Livie, darling, you could have given a boy a heads up!”

Liv grinned a feral smile which somehow personified her more animatic nature. She was an apex, like our furry mom. As much as the tribe seemed mixed about having hybrids in the top of the pecking order, Olivia Wildriver was the clear successor to mother.

“Why, pray tell dear brother, would I spoil my fun?”

She asked, playing with our younger sibling like a cat might a mouse. Her predatory nature was not uncommon to us, but if anyone else dared to so much as look at us crossly, liv would rip their eyes out and feed them to the offender. (That all might sound overly dramatic and brutal, but one she’s a lycan apex, and two, this world is just a brutal place.)

My empathic abilities were usually dampened by my psychic shields. My siblings seemed to slip into those shields without being welcomed by me. I felt the deeper turmoil my little brother felt, as he pranced to us seemingly carefree. Judging by the leering looks the other young lycans gave my siblings, I could guess the source of his dark emotional cocktail.

“Dad, why can’t they stay in my dorm? As much as it kills me to ask that.”

I asked in a low tone leaning into my father, and he pressed his large hand to the small of my back.

“Sweetie, they have to show the others they belong. Aurelia would skin me alive if I tried to get them moved. It would only further serve to separate Liv and Mark from the tribe.”

I sighed and murmured, “Well mother should have known that riding a Viking p*****t would go over like a lead balloon in the lycan community.”

I mused darkly and my father burst out in a fit of laughter every bit as loud and obnoxious as my brother’s laughter. Mark might be gay, but he was all Olaf’s son, one hundred percent. That included his already noticeable physique from his physical training. Though, I believe Mark mostly gets toned, to look hot in his stranger tight clothing numbers.

“You think your brother dresses weird; you should see your father on trans night in the French Quarter.”

Momma said in a sassy tone, and dad huffed and gave her a terse look.

“I will have ye know, I look fecking spectacular in female attire!”

Olaf said, defending his drag tiara with his Viking pride.

“There are just too many things wrong with the info dump you just gave me, both of you!”

I exclaimed in an excited, but controlled pitch. I was not one to desire to be noticed or to cause attention. Hells, even now, with all these lycans staring at or around me, I was beginning to feel deeply unsettled. My fangs were burning inside my gums, longing to come out to play. It was a dhampir survival mechanism, I’d learned to control when or if I show fangs, when I was seven. Mainly, because humans will not hesitate to shoot immortal children if they see fangs.

Unlike the long-forgotten race wars of this continent, humans seemed like they were only beginning their hatred for my kind—my kind meaning immortals.

“Hey, let’s get you all to the opening ceremony. Your mom is one of the guest speakers.”

Hellen informed me, and my eyes widened like saucers.

“Mom, as in mom, mom?”

Hellen ruffled my hair, and I quickly snapped my hand up, pushing the hair back to the left side, keeping the close-buzzed right side on display. I wasn’t really an overly vain person, but I liked my hair as it was, without momma ruffling it.

“Son, you’re looking rather fabulous.”

Dad said, and it was a compliment. Despite his gruff hetero-normative look, my father was a rather broadminded individual. I guess that tends to happen when you shack up on the side of a lesbian poly situation and become their sperm donor.

Mark grinned at our father with a c**k-sure look which mirrored every bit our father’s expression.

“Daddy, please don’t fuel that queen’s ego!”

Liv pleaded in a rather sincere tone. Mark harrumphed at Liv and gave her a pointedly catty glance.

“Someone’s just in a mood because she hasn’t seen her boyfriend in a few weeks. I warned you that one was going to run at the first sign of apex!”

Mark said, only half-taunting Liv. I furrowed my brows and murmured, “Since when does Liv date?”

Hellen seemed to be wondering the same thing, and dad crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest.

“Well, next time you’re not going anywhere with anyone, unless you’re willing to present them before me first!”

Dad said, with a deadly gleam in his eyes. Hellen snorted, and so did Mark.

“Liv might die a virgin if that’s the case!”

He taunted, and Liv growled and swatted at him. Being a little brother came with the superpower of extra evasiveness. Especially when he knew the blows were coming. Mark loved to badger Liv, but he never raised a hand against our sister outside the training field.

Unlike most human kids, immortals train their young in the art of war. I had the distinctive privilege of being trained by all my moms, and my dad. Even my bio mom taught me a lot about using and controlling my abilities—most of which ran towards the psychic, and telekinetic spectrum.

Vampyrs didn’t usually have the types of active raw abilities I possess. My dhampir mixed heritage made me possess gifts which were more evolved human in origin. Evos are a new emerging species of human that are immortal and possess psychic gifting. My other major boon was I was completely immune to the slight limitations and discomfort of daylight that other vampyr experience. Though all vampyr are technically day walkers, only a few are immune to the harsher painful effects earth and Fairey’s suns have on our skin.

“Enough of this c***k you lot!”

Olaf snapped and looked from my sister to my brother chastening.

“Do ye wish me to report this ruckus to yer mum?”

(There was no question which mom dad was eluding. Aurelia Wildriver was the most powerful apex born. Therefore, none of us much enjoyed when our furry mom got involved in the punishment process.)

My siblings both went silent, and they had that still quality that lycans got when observing a threat. Even though both of them put on airs of being undisturbed, they didn’t challenge dad further.

“Olaf the paternal peacekeeper. This show never gets old for me.”

Momma joked aloud, and I grinned at her.

“Dylan, is that really what you’re wearing to the opening?!”

Liv asked me, giving my outfit the onceover. I was wearing an old Lynyrd Skynyrd tee-shirt I’d found in an abandoned storage unit just outside New Orleans. Rovers almost caught me and Liv that time, but we managed to give them the slip. Being born in the south does lend a gal to appreciate southern rock more than she might if she had been born and raised elsewhere. Besides, much of modern culture is caught in the past now, due in large part to the fractal nature of the world around us. While countries still exist, and big brother is still watching, we’re more or less isolated to regional gossip, and re-runs mostly. Most filming has been destroyed via the ravages of two decades fighting zombies out of our cities, and rover raids.

I kicked my steel toed boots against the flooring and looked at my dual chains wrapping around both sides of my waist. My mesh skinny jeans were made of woven jean material, with iron braiding. The material was designed by my bio mom, to help keep humans and immortals safer from zombie scratches or bites. Anne Devlin was independently wealthy now, without any need to dip into the Aubrey coffers momma Mavis left behind for us. She seems determined that one day long from now, she will hold on to Mavis’ assets, so she can give them back to her in full. My mom is weird like that. To her it is a way of proving her love for Mavis is stronger than any need for personal gain.

“What’s wrong with my look?”

I asked Liv in a hushed tone, but she heard me perfectly. She almost seemed to look at me in disapproval. Out of all the children born to my family, I was the shyest and most soft-spoken. Many seemed to think that meant I was weak and submissive. That would be a mistake to assume.

“It’d be nice if you could just look, girly for a change.”

Liv commented in a stern tone, and I narrowed my eyes at my little sister.

“Just focus on your own wardrobe malfunctions.”

I said, and she growled at me, “That was just once, ok, twice! I had just come back from a run in my wolf phase!”

Liv snapped at me, and I looked into her eyes, not giving her any ground. My sisters were both pretty, and extremely fashion-forward in their bold girlish looks. Whereas I was more comfortable in urban-warfare-type of clothing. My outward expression was something I devised both because I desired to be seen as non-binary-female, and to express my strength without needed to be outspoken.

My actions and expressions often held multiple meanings. It just appeared no one really ever seemed to get me. Like they saw me, and all they think is that I am the typical gay girl trying to look boyish or something. (Sigh.)

“Yeah, and the boys in our self-defense courses thank you for that show.”

I murmured, and Liv growled at me.

“Oye, girls, stop that! You two are sisters, do I need to remind ye that this place is full of other beings who will challenge you all?! You should be united with your blood kin! No one else will ever have your back like yer fecking family!”

Olaf said, chastising us both, and Mark strode up and smacked Liv on the ass. She turned and snapped at him and slapped him on the back of the head with a stunning speed.

“Come on fat bottomed girls, lets make this rockin’ world go round!”

He said like a complete bugger, quoting a Queen song.

“You’re lucky you didn’t try that with me. You’ve be drawing back a bloody nub.”

I told my little brother, and his eyes gleamed in anticipation. My father huffed and rolled his eyes.

“Hey, welcome to the show, Olaf this is your life!”

Hellen joked, and Liv sniggered at our father’s torment.

“It’s not this annoying when I do it. I’m much funnier!”

Olaf said, and Me, Liv, and Hellen, all gave him incredulous looks which bespoke our violent disagreement with his perception of reality.

“Let’s get you lot to yer opening ceremony, before I end up stuck amid another bloody battle. It’s like I was reborn as the ref in the UFC.”

Dad mused to himself, and momma chuckled dryly, and said, “Will teach you to start pulling out, huh?!”

She asked him rhetorically, and dad exclaimed, “I never pull out!”

Liv and I gaged and began to move towards the exit, now united in our mutual disgust of our father’s unapologetic perverted comments.

“You look pretty.”

I commented to my sister, and she actually did a full twirl as we exited the common area.

“You think so?!”

She struck a pose, and she looked like a Native-American super model. Her skirt was short, but modest enough to be appropriate for school. The jean material was sky-blue like her eyes, and the turquoise and dark blue button-down top, with a grey under shirt, matched keenly together. Her shoes were two-inch kitten-heeled leather boots which opened at the top of her feet. She was sexy, and still practical. Liv had Aurelia’s casual grace, and her obvious beauty. I knew I wasn’t ugly or anything, but I often felt rather plain compared to my little sister. Even some part of me still struggled with these feelings, even though my outward expression of self differed greatly from Liv.

“I think you’re both beautiful, and you’re both too young to pull a Jax!”

Dad said, as he walked out, clearly eavesdropping on our conversation.

“Go back under your pervy rock, dad.”

Liv snapped and dad looked almost like he had whiplash from her mood storm. Liv is an apex, and she’s a queen bee type of girl. She is accustomed to people following her orders. The lycanthropes of the local community and tribe don’t much care for her, but they have learned to listen to Liv.

***

We walked two miles in the late summer heat of Louisiana humid air. The university sat between the two walled cities, the New Tren Na Nogg, and New Orleans. Immortals were heavily monitored, and fiercely unwelcome in the human cities. A massive exodus of immortals around the country—hell around multiple countries—had populated New Tren Na Nogg. Our city was also referred to as the Silver City, because it is covered in a permafrost dome which gleams of white and silver magiks. Talia and all the royal darken fae had spent an entire month casting the cooperative spell works which created the massive nearly impenetrable dome.

The mortals threw a massive shitfit over construction of a magiks university. They demanded to have access and equal rights to the wisdom of such education. Their argument being that immortals have long since used their education systems—all my moms had a grand laugh at that.

Suffice it to say, threats were made, and Talia, and the entire council of ruling immortals agreed to build the school outside the Silver City, and to erect fortifications separate from those used to protect my home. Humans are enrolled, and I have passed many of them as I walk to the main auditorium.

The theme of the campus is silver and blue designs. We even have a unicorn mascot for our sports teams. The humans and immortals invented a power-suppression device which works like a magiks bracelet, which immortals use if they wish to compete in sports with mortals. Therefore, immortals and humans have enjoyed methods of cooperative sports activities.

Right now, the most popular sport in all of Louisiana is a relatively new sport called Hover Ball. It’s a lot like Lacrosse, with hoverboards, and even more aggressive contact. My school is already supposedly recruiting a Hover Ball team, as well as baseball, soccer, and football. As an active dhampir, I am excited to try out for the Tennis and Basketball teams personally. I might not like people much, but I love competitive sports. Besides, it’s very easy for a shy girl to tune people out if she’s focused on scoring points or returning a serve.

“There’s a lot more people than I imagined!”

Hellen said, and I looked up and my eyes widened as I took notice of the thousands of bodies up ahead. The crowd gathered, slowly entering the main hall of the massive Neo-Gothic school building seemed almost like a slow-moving stampede.

The massive spires, and the expansive castle-like buildings were like a modernized version of the ancient keeps and fortresses in the old world.

“So many…”

I murmured, and I grit my teeth, as I came into range of the massive throng of minds. Many thoughts, desires, and even a few dozen s****l fantasies all collided with my mind at once. I felt like I was swimming through oily water, as the thoughts hammered against me.

Part of me wanted to retreat, to just go back to my dorm room.

“OMG, told ya she wouldn’t even make it to the door!”

Liv exclaimed, looking at our brother. Mark looked slightly disapproving at Liv.

“That wasn’t supposed to be something we shared with her! You know this s**t is hard for Dylan! She’s got a lot more psychic problems than we do. Worst thing I have to deal with is the unwashed masses, and the smell of stinky ass.”

Mark exclaimed, and Olaf looked at Liv with a firm expression.

“I don’t ever want to hear you belittle your sister because she is empathic! It is brave of her to face the world head on as she does, even while feeling all the s**t ass emotions around her!”

Dad growled, his eyes swirling red with anger. Several humans looked on and their heart-pounding terror impacted my body in waves, added to the already hefty load of emotions I was experiencing.

Besides the many negative emotions, I was further thrown into confusion, as I felt what could only be s*x. I could conclude someone found a quite little place for a quickie before the opening ceremony.

“Whoa, that’s a weird look.”

Mark murmured, as he seemed to notice the way my features changed as I felt the pleasure.

“I smell s*x and low self-esteem.”

Dad murmured, I was surprised he caught the scent before Liv, but a thousand years of hunting in the wild had sharpened Olaf’s keen animal instincts, and all his senses.

“I never realized how strange that must be for you, Dylan. Now I actually pity you, living with Jaxie, and all. That girl will probably have a new boy in her every other period—and I mean class period.”

Liv purred, and I huffed and murmured, “Trust, little sister, Jaxie is a lot less obnoxious than a certain apex female.”

She grinned at me, her teeth flashed razor-sharp, and her fangs showed larger than normal vampyr canines. Hybrids were extremely savage and primal beings. They had two inner animals of sorts. The animal aspect of both the vampyr and the lycan species. That meant impulse control was harder for them, so my little sister was usually a major pain in my ass. Since she seemed to love to direct her full energy on bitching at me or nagging me.

“You probably want to just throw up your second shields.”

Hellen told me, and I bit my lip and nodded in agreement. It was hard to learn enough psychic control to be this close to thousands of bodies at once. When I don’t have a physical activity to occupy my mind, I could nearly go crazy trying to constantly process the massive amounts of information each mind is broadcasting to me.

“Not much choice, though I doubt that’s going to keep it all out.”

I told my momma, and she gave me a supportive smile. Dad reached out and gripped my shoulder and squeezed affectionately.

“Look, if it all gets to be too much, you can just use your dampener in class.”

Dad offered, and I huffed and murmured, “That strips a lot more than just my empathic powers, Dad. I’m not keen to expose my throat to this entire populace and limit my ability to defend myself in the process. There are rules about sporting events, and powerful non-violence agreement pacts in places where dampeners are used for competition. I am not willing to test my luck with the mercies of my fellow classmates.”

I explained to my father, and neither he nor momma were foolish-enough to disagree with me. Hells, even Liv was nodding in approval of my little tangent.

“We’re royals, it’s foolish to be exposed to commoners at all, yet we want an education like everyone else. If you need to use the dampener, come find me, and I will watch your fur.”

Liv said, her razor-sharp grin told me she meant murder of the worst verity for anyone who would cross any of her family. She might piss me off, but she is ferociously loyal to us at the end of the day.

“You kids should be relatively safe here. The Headmistress has taken extreme measures to ensure your wellbeing.”

Sanguinar blood mage guards and their seven-foot golems flanked the entrances to the building. Their determination and stoic emotions brushed over my mind in a soothing manner.

“Well, safe or not, learning more about our abilities is important for each of us. Especially while we’re young.”

I said, as we walked towards the ever-growing crowd of students, and some parents as well.