The last vampire

CHAPTER 2 — CHAPTER 2 — AMERICANS ACADEMIC

CHAPTER 2 — AMERICANS ACADEMIC [LONG VERSION]

Americans Academic looked like it was built to keep things in, not out.

It was all grey stone, with tiny windows and a bell tower that had no bell. The gate was iron and it was cold to the touch even in the heat. Over the front door, carved in stone, were the words: KNOWLEDGE IS PROTECTION.

Deandre was sent to Grade 12B.

The moment he walked in, the entire class went quiet. Not because he was new. Because they FELT something.

Karnice was the first to move. A boy, same age, big, with a loud laugh that didn't reach his eyes. He pulled out the chair next to him.

"Bro, sit here. I'm Karnice. You're the Mill Road kid, right? Everyone says that house is haunted."

Karnice became his best friend instantly. But Deandre noticed Karnice never ate, and his fingernails were black underneath, and sometimes when he got angry, his teeth looked too sharp. Karnice's secret — he is a hybrid, but he doesn't know it yet.

At the back of the class, Marina stared at him. She was strange and beautiful, with white hair even though she was young. She didn't blink. She is a supernatural girl who knows more about Midnight Town than she admits. When their eyes met, she mouthed one word: RUN.

Next to her, Nathan, a normal human boy, was writing frantically in a book. He is the human who will get involved in the strange events. His book was titled: WEIRD THINGS IN MIDNIGHT TOWN - LOG. Entry #47: New kid. Lights flickered when he entered. Temperature dropped 4 degrees.

Palesa, a witch whose family protected an ancient magical secret, sat drawing protection symbols. When Deandre walked past, her symbols started smoking. She gasped and wiped them out.

Shania, a human girl who begins noticing strange things, whispered, "Don't you feel it? This school is always cold."

Beni, another human student who will accidentally discover something he shouldn't, was staring at Deandre's wrist mark.

Then the teacher walked in.

Melville.

He was over 7 feet tall, thin, dressed in a black suit that looked old. His skin was like marble. His eyes were completely black. A powerful supernatural being with connections to the old vampire clans.

"Class," he said, and his voice made the windows vibrate. "We have a new student. Deandre. From Midnight Town's oldest house."

Melville walked up to Deandre's desk. He leaned down and smelled the air near Deandre's neck. The whole class pretended not to see.

"Interesting," Melville whispered so only Deandre could hear. "You smell... extinct."

First break, Deandre went to the bathroom to breathe. In the mirror, his eyes — which had always been brown — flashed red for half a second.

Outside the school fence, a man was watching him.

Riyaaz. A hunter who has been investigating supernatural activity. He wore a long coat full of weapons, his face scarred. He didn't hide. He wanted Deandre to see him. He held up a photo — a photo of Deandre's grandfather from 1923. He looked exactly the same.

Mikuso and Owen, two other hunters, were with him. Mikuso is the hunter who doesn't trust the other hunters. Owen is the hunter who has been searching for the last vampire for 20 years. Owen pointed at Deandre and said something to Riyaaz. Riyaaz shook his head: Not yet. He hasn't turned.

After school, Karnice walked Deandre home through the short path through the woods.

"Dude, you need to know something about this town," Karnice said, his voice low. "My grandma told me — Midnight Town is a prison. Long ago, they trapped all the monsters here so they wouldn't spread. Vampires, witches, hunters, hybrids, spirits... they all live here because they can't leave. The town doesn't let them."

"That's crazy," Deandre said, but his mark was burning.

"Is it?" Karnice stopped. In the trees, something large moved, but there was no animal sound. "There are shadow creatures in there. And shapeshifters like Tino — you will meet him, his powers are difficult to control. And Aisha, the witch who understands the spirit world, she says the dead are waking up."

Suddenly, Karnice grabbed Deandre's arm. His eyes turned bright gold.

"Deandre, whatever you are — when it happens, don't come find me."

That night, Deandre's third night, he dreamed of blood.

He was standing in a huge hall made of black stone. Around a table sat ancient vampires, all dead, all staring at him. At the head of the table, a man with Deandre's face but older, wearing a crown of bone, said: "Welcome home, last son."

Deandre woke up screaming. His bedsheets were soaked in blood. But he had no wounds.

Downstairs, the basement door — which had always been locked — was wide open, with a light on inside.

And from inside, his grandfather's voice, crying in pain, said: "He turned early. God help us, he turned early."