Dhampir Academy

Blood on Her Hands

Alex woke to darkness—and a sharp coppery scent. She blinked, confusion clouding her mind. Then she saw it: a body sprawled at the foot of her bed. Blood stained her clothes, her hands.

She screamed.

Her door flew open—and there stood Annie, eyes wide. “What the hell?”

Alex stared at her. “What are you doing here?”

“My room’s next to yours. You missed defense class, so I came to check on you,” Annie said.

Alex’s heart pounded. “Are you going to tell the principal?”

Annie’s eyes narrowed. “Why would I do that?”

Alex shook her head, overwhelmed. “You hate me.”

Annie crossed her arms. “I hate your family. Big difference. Besides, why would you kill a mundane human?”

Alex’s voice trembled. “Mundane?”

“Human,” Annie clarified, stepping closer. “And this guy’s been marked.” She pointed at the half-moon symbol on the corpse’s forehead.

Alex’s stomach churned. “What does that mean?”

Annie shrugged. “A ritual sacrifice? Who knows. But someone’s setting you up. And trust me, the punishment here is brutal—think slow, painful, public execution.”

Alex stumbled to the bathroom and vomited.

Annie sighed. “We need to get rid of this body before anyone finds it.”

Just then, a knock rattled the door. “Alex?” Luna’s voice called. “Are you okay?”

Alex and Annie shared a tense look.

“Can we trust her?” Alex whispered.

Annie rolled her eyes. “You better hope so.”

Alex opened the door and yanked Luna inside. Luna’s eyes widened at the b****y scene.

“What the—Alex!”

Alex’s voice cracked. “I woke up like this. I swear I didn’t do it.”

Annie folded her arms. “We need to dump the body in the woods—fast.”

Luna’s eyes glinted with determination. “I can help. I’m stronger than I look.”

“You have powers too?” Alex asked.

“Guardian Dhampir,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “Super strength, remember?”

Alex nodded numbly.

They wrapped the body, and Luna hoisted it like it weighed nothing. Annie led the way.

As they slipped through the halls, Lucas emerged from the shadows. “Alex?”

Alex’s heart leapt. “Lucas—it’s not what you think—”

“Go,” he urged. With a flick of his hand, the blood vanished from the floor.

“Thank you,” Alex whispered.

Lucas smirked. “You owe me.”

They rushed into the woods. Annie whistled, and nightmarish creatures slithered from the darkness, devouring the corpse in seconds. Alex turned away, retching.

Annie wiped her hands. “Done. Let’s go.”

They hurried back to the dorm, hearts pounding. But as they reached Alex’s room, Madam Delcoix stood waiting—Lucas at her side.

“Alex Vladimir,” Delcoix said, voice cold. “We need to talk.”

Alex’s heart sank. Betrayal burned in her chest.

Lucas’s smirk told her everything she needed to know.