Unbound: The Call of Power

Chapter 02

"Maya! It is nice to finally meet you", Dean Chinh gave her a firm handshake, as he led her to the sofas away from his work desk. The secretary came in and set down two cups of tea before excusing herself. His office was huge, and the furniture was all made from wood, fancy ones, as far as Maya could tell.

The whole office had a cozy feeling to it.

"Please have some tea and make yourself at home. You've travelled a long way", he gave her a warm smile. Dean Chinh was a pleasant looking man, with handsome Asian features and salt and pepper hair. He was tall and lean and had an aura of warmth and compassion.

Yet Maya couldn't help but feel the power that he quietly exuded. He was a powerful vampire and Maya knew he was no force to be reckoned with. She had heard the stories from her parents.

If the stories and rumours were true, then Dean Chinh was the perfect being to oversee protecting powerful artifacts.

As Maya surreptitiously studied him while sipping her tea, she could feel him studying her as well. No sense in dragging it out, she told herself as she set her cup back down and smiled at him.

"Thank you, for allowing me the opportunity to work here. ISAN is prestigious, and it's an honour".

Dean Chinh chuckled as he waved away her gratitude.

"We always welcome members into our family. So Maya, tell me more about yourself. What is it that you really want?" He looked her right in the eye, his warm manner turning intense.

Maya could feel the sudden change in the atmosphere and held his gaze for a beat, watching his eyes. She was almost convinced the colours of his eyes were changing.

"Well, what I really want is to be employed; and as for telling you more about myself, I would think you know more about me than even I do at this point. You know, the extensive background checks? Countless interviews? I mean, that process pretty much covered all aspects of my life."

Maya shrugged lightly, a small smile on her face. 

She figured being honest was the way to go.

His eyes betrayed his surprise ever so slightly, before he gave out a hearty laugh. The mood was lightened once more.

"Well, I wouldn't expect anything lesser from a Matthews. You seem to be just as sassy, and I am pretty sure you were just being polite".

Maya eyes widened - she had not thought about being polite, as much as giving an honest answer. She about to apologise when he waved her apology away this time.

"Not at all, I like my staff to have some spine and be up front about what they are thinking. In any case, Maya, I am glad to have you here. I expect some interesting things from you."

Maya looked at him surprise. What the hell does that mean, she wondered. It was beginning to seem like keeping a low profile might be a tough task ahead.

"Anyway, I know you applied for a teaching position; but here at ISAN, we like to ensure that our staff are truly ready for the tasks at hand. We look for long term commitments and loyalty, while we invest in them to make them the best they can be."

He looked at down at Maya's file, then back up at her before continuing.

"Therefore, you will begin as a trainee next week with one of our senior teachers here. You will be under his wing, and he will guide you to learn the ropes. You may be required to work with our SN students, and you need to be equipped with all the information and skill sets that you need. Of course, you will be paid the amount we agreed upon contractually".

Maya forced herself to maintain a neutral expression. This was not what she was expecting at all.

She nodded, and just when she thought it could not get any worse,

"You are also expected to attend combat training every Friday afternoons with the other human and SN staff. We like all our staff to be trained in self - defense, including our humans. And who knows, maybe you might make some friends here. Life on campus can be lonely, and we encourage staff interaction. Humans and SNs are all equal here". Dean Chinh seemed almost joyous at the idea as he looked at her.

Maya groaned inwardly.  More interactions with people.

What thirty-year-old wanted to be making friends?

Maya forced out a smile, while fervently praying for the ground to swallow her whole.

"Well if it's all good with you, I shall stop hogging your time. Charlotte will give you all your schedules and she will arrange for your mentor to be contacting you. I hope you settle in well, Maya."

Maya shook his hand once more, and she excused herself out of the office, clutching her file tightly.

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Dean Chinh watched as she left, the smile slowly leaving his face. His brows furrowed, he pensively made his way back to his table, hands clasped behind his back. The interaction had been quick, but it was enough to make him feel unsettled.

She is human, they had told him. She had been adopted when she was five by the Matthews couple, the Alpha and Luna of their own werewolf pack and she was identified as being human. Yet as human as she was, she had not fallen for his glamour.

He recalled how he had turned his glamour on as he asked her what she really wanted, and how she had held his gaze before replying, completely unfazed.

Glamour always worked on humans, and if it hadn't worked, then the human was not entirely human at all.

He had also noticed how she carefully guarded her expression when he had mentioned friends and staff interactions. Most of his staff, humans and SNs alike, had looked forward to meeting people. They were grateful for a community to belong to.

A human, raised in a pack, had no desire seemingly to want to find a sense of belonging?

She had seemed friendly enough, and he hadn't detected any maliciousness off her, but there was something about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Dean Chinh heaved out a sigh, frustrated, as he reached for his phone.

He needed to know what it was.

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Maya collapsed against the lift walls, as the door closed behind her. She knew Dean Chinh had caught on to the fact that she hadn’t fallen for the glamour. She ran her fingers about the bracelet on her right wrist, trying to fight the wave of anxiety that was slowly rising. Having her emotions run amok was no good for anyone. Her mother’s warning rang in her head.

“You are never to take this binding off, Maya”.

She remembered her mother had looked stern and worried at the same time.

“If this bind gets removed…” her mother trailed off as she grabbed her into a tight hug.

“I cannot lose you Maya,” she had whispered before letting go of her.

Maya walked over to where Charlotte was waiting for her. I will just have to keep my head down, and be the wallflower of the school, Maya decided as she got ready to be oriented into the school.

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The next few hours passed by in blur as Charlotte brought her around to the different parts of the school, explaining the purpose of each building. The school itself had 11 main clusters, out of which were four school clusters, each with about three to four buildings within themselves. All the buildings were built around the Library which was located right in the centre of the entire school. It was said to be the oldest building. There was an equally grand looking building next to Library. Charlotte had pointed it out to be the Auditorium which housed two performance theatres and four huge ballrooms for events.

The whole school was an intricate network of walkways and little roads, all connecting one building to the next. Maya felt like she was in a small town. The different buildings even had their own cafeterias and mini convenience stores. There was even a Medical Centre with actual doctors and nurses to treat anyone who has fallen ill or for immediate attention in emergencies.

“People really don’t have to travel out huh,” Maya remarked, taking in the sights around her.

“We want to ensure that our staff and students are well taken care off. When they travel out of school, we want them to have a leisurely time to unwind and not worry about basic things”, Charlotte said, as she continued walking.

Maya looked down at the map she was holding. “Even with this map, I am going to get lost”, she muttered under her breath as she hurried to catch up with Charlotte. Just then, a small bus driving past caught her eye. The bus had a number and a route displayed at the front.

“There’s even a bus route?”

Charlotte gave Maya an amused smile as she pointed out the legends in the map.

“Yes, these are bus stops located around the school. Each bus stop has the different route maps for the different bus numbers. You can use them to travel around the school as well,” Charlotte pointed to the staff pass Maya had around her neck.

“That works as transportation card as well, and you just have to use it to tap on to board on the bus”.

Maya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The school even had its own transportation system. How big was this damn school?

Just then, they turned around the corner as they reached the staff living quarters. The student hostels and staff quarters were located at the farthest end of the school, along with the sports complex. Maya looked up at the four forty storey buildings, placed such that they were all facing each other. The staff quarters looked like condominiums. Right in middle of the buildings was a pool along with lounge areas. Maya could only stare at the sheer grandeur of it all.

“Your card is your key to enter the quarters as well as your room. No one else will be able to enter, except for those living here. Your card has been configured to allow entry to you,” Charlotte motioned for her to tap her card on the keypad by the gate.

“If you choose to drive,” Charlotte continued as they made their way in, “you can register your vehicle with us, and we will configure parking credits into your pass as well. Carparks are on the basement levels”.

Maya looked at the distance between the cluster she was set to report to and the apartments on the map. Yeah, looks like driving might not be a bad idea. Thank god for the bus routes, Maya thought.

“I will let you know if I intend to do so”.

“Alright, so here we are. This is Building A. You are on the 20th storey, apartment number 17”, Charlotte swept her arms out as the lift doors opened.

The hallway was carpeted and spacious, the lights bright. There were about twenty apartments on the level – the lift was in the middle with ten apartments on either side. Charlotte walked Maya to the door.

“The numbers for building maintenance, school administration as well emergency numbers can all be found by the door once you enter. There is also a phone beside the numbers which you can use to contact us as well as any other staff living within this building”.

Charlotte paused, as she looked over at Maya.

“You can scan your pass on the card scanner above the keypad. Your luggage and bags have already been brought in. I will leave you here now, Maya. Welcome to ISAN, and I truly hope you do have memorable stay with us”.

She smiled at Maya, before turning on her heels and promptly making her way to the lift. Maya watched her retreating, trying to process all the information that had been fed to her the past 3 hours.

It feels like I am checking into some sort of long-term hotel, Maya thought, she scanned her staff pass. Who knew a tiny card would be more powerful than all the SNs here?

Maya chuckled at her own joke as she walked into her apartment.

She let out a low whistle as she checked out the spacious work of art spread out before her. The main living area had a TV console fully fitted with speakers and a PlayStation. Further in was a dining table for four, and the end of the living area were glass sliding leading out the balcony. The balcony was overlooking the pool area and from where she stood, she could see the balconies of the other staff apartments.

There were two doors, on the left and right side of the room. The left door led to the bedroom, fully furnished with a queen-sized bed as well and a bedside table. Another door within the bedroom led to the bath and toilets. Her luggage and bags had been left in the corner of the room.

The right door led to the kitchen and small pantry area. Off to the side was a washing machine with dryer and racks for drying.

As Maya took it all in, she found herself walking back to the bedroom. The weight of the day was slowly weighing down on her.

I wonder if I can do this, was the last thought she had as she crashed on the bed. She was asleep even before her head hit the pillow.