AT NOON

2024

Hera sat bolt upright and found herself somewhere completely unfamiliar. Everything was bathed in blue from the walls to the tiles of the floor-Where she lay, chained to a spot.

The coldness of the floor crept into her skin and she cursed as she tried vigorously to shake the chains off her hands and legs.

"It's no use. Just quit it", Zayn muttered from the other end of the room and her green eyes widened as soon as she spotted him.

" what are you doing here? Chained up?", she muttered once she recovered from her shock and he chuckled.

"I don't know. I could ask you the same thing", he uttered.

She rolled her eyes at his reply as she racked her head for any memories of how she got here, but she didn't recall any.

" Who the heck is keeping us hostage?", she uttered in fury while Zayn just gazed at her thoughtfully.

After 7yrs of being apart. He only got to see her on TV screens and at campaigns. Sometimes, he wondered how she was coping with that ruthless uncle of hers but, these were things he couldn't ever muster out loud.

"He cared for her. In what way or what manner? He didn't know yet.

Here she was, in any other thing but her serious-looking campaign clothes. She was in a simple black top and jeans and she looked less scary, more human, and in fact, very beautiful.

" stop staring at me and think of ways to get us out of here", she muttered, getting uneasy that her life might actually be hanging on a thin line.

Zayn cast her a side smile before uttering, "why? The villains seem more interested in you than me. If they could kill you for me. I'll be more than thrilled"

Hera eyed him, feeling annoyed again. "Right, as useless as always. I'm not surprised. People like you don't tend to grow up"

"Watch your words, miss. I also don't tend to forgive", zayn uttered casting her an icy glare which she just rolled her eyes at.

" right, I'm so scared. You might kill me the next minute. Oh wait- your fist are tied up", she mocked and zayn gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"You know, we are in more trouble than you think and that's because I'm not behind this", zayn uttered a moment later and Hera turned to gaze at him suspiciously.

" right, because you can't pull this off", she muttered in a scuff and zayn frowned, getting rather annoyed.

"Cut the crap, I'm serious, Knights", he muttered in a deep husky voice and this time, he knew he wasn't joking.

" you are serious. How come you are so calm?", she asked on the verge of a panic attack.

"I'm not calm. I just don't fear death", he muttered seriously and hera just stared at him with wide eyes before muttering

" holy s**t! I've been kidnapped"

***

1918

Amaya Roosevelt was stunned to see a body lying lifeless in front of the vamp Academy in Cloud-Storm city.

She was just about to go on her regular early morning walks when she stumbled upon this.

She has seen this before and she was hoping that it wasn't what she was thinking.

She frowned, clicking her feet slowly on the cold outside floors as she approached the body. She crunched, stretching her hands forward to it, and just before her fingers touched the hairs of his skin, his eyes shut open, his canine teeth thirsting for what has kept her breathing until today and she sighed.

"Another newly turned vamp. What exactly was Orpheus planning?", she thoughts as she eyed the twenty-one-year-old man who has more too many black curls covering his face.

His eyes darkened, his skin slowly turning pale and she gave in. She held him, putting his arms on her shoulders, and in a blink of an eye, she was inside the highly protected blood bank in the academy.

She removed a few for him and threw them his way. His teeth tore it like a voracious lion and within seconds he finished them all.

She eyed him, " you're really hungry, uh?", she muttered as she threw some more to him.

He drank it up and his skin gradually began to turn back into its original color. His breathing returned to its normal pace again and she sighed, scanning him carefully.

The atmosphere was filled with a very knowing silence and he could fully guess what was on her mind.

"Who turned you?", she muttered, folding her arms around herself.

***

Celeste Trodek, the newly turned vamp looked between Amaya and Louis Calisle(one of the most powerful vampires in the academy) who were conversing about his fate as though, he wasn't standing life in front of them.

Lord Luther and Silas were out and the only person she could then report the issue to was his personal assistant, Louis calisle. Amaya was literally the only female vamp who held such a high position in the academy. She was trusted to keep the school and the people safe so even though she knew she was going to regret knocking on Louis' door, she still did it anyway.

"We should just kill him already", Louis muttered as he scanned the golden watch on his wrist, and celeste's eyes froze open.

" but I don't think it's necessary considering-", Amaya began but Louis cut her abruptly.

"Considering what?", Louis growled with a clenched jaw and Amaya blinked in a bit of surprise.

" you know-", Louis paused, creaking his feet closer to Amaya and she pouted, placing her hands on her waist.

"You've started again. At least, we should wait for Luther and Silas to return before we go forth with ending his life. In the end, he is innocent", Amaya reminded and Louis ground his teeth passing her icy glare.

" Once he was turned by the traitor Orpheus, he is anything but innocent", Louis uttered in anger and she sighed.

"Don't you think you are mixing personal issues with business", Amaya replied and he gave her a stare that could melt her on her spot, if possible.

"I believe I'm trusted enough to make decisions for the academy, since my last promotion", Louis reminded and Amaya rolled her eyeballs.

"A promotion Luther shut his eyes to give you just so you wouldn't lose face in front of everyone. Though, now. I wish he didn't. You don't seem to honor it", she replied and he yawned.

" yet, I'm the only one our dare vamp lord cannot defeat", he boasted.

"That's because you age almost the same and I'm pretty sure that's a lie", she retorted.

" i... I don't want to die. I swear I'm not a spy", celeste interrupted, licking his under lips and Louis looked over to him with raised eyebrows before diverting his gaze to Amaya.

"On a second taught, let's go find Orpheus-, he paused turning to celeste.

" And you are tagging along"