Chapter 16

VALERIA The next morning, I wake up determined. Suddenly, I have this new purpose that would keep me going in this school. I think about Mom as I dress up for breakfast, promising her that I will keep myself safe as I make sense of everything in this school. Especially what’s going on with Celeste. “Oh, hey.” I turn around and see that Eden just exited the shower fully dressed. She’s smiling at me awkwardly. It’s obvious that she doesn’t really want to talk to me, and I honestly feel the same especially with how quickly she jumped to conclusions. I give her a polite nod, about to finish up and leave, but then she stops me with a tap on the shoulder. I turn around. “What?” She winces. “I just want to apologize about everything. I heard what happened to your mom, but it’s not because of Stefano, it’s because I have connections with the other Mages who rescue people, and your mother happened to be one of the most notable—” “I understand,” I cut her off. “No worries, I’m not mad.” “Right.” She smiles but then her face falls. “Um, also, I know that you went out last night. I didn’t report you or anything.” “That’s great,” I say blandly. “Thank you for that.” “You’re welcome,” Eden beams, opening her mouth to say more, but I just leave the dorms and head to the Main Hall for breakfast. It’s Saturday, which means that we have no classes and the whole day is just waiting to be spent on other things. I take a lot of food in my plate, finding a lone seat in the corner and digging in as I think about where I should start in my investigation. However, just as I’m about to take my first bite, I see a group of three girls entering the hall. The shine of blonde hair catches my attention, and I look up, only to meet eye to eye with Celeste. She holds my gaze for a couple of seconds, but then she just looks away, smiling at the ones who are already occupying the table she’s approaching. She says something I can’t make out, and instantly, the people sitting there just vacate the place no problem. And as she sits down, she looks at me again, giving me a soft smile. For some reason, she looks more beautiful than I’ve ever seen her. Everything about her is already so immaculate, but now it’s almost godlike. Does this have something to do with the blood? I look away, focusing on my meal, which I have to admit is less appetizing now. I just finish what I can eat and head outside, bumping into Auric. “Hey, Val,” he says as a greeting. “Are you alright?” “Don’t call me that,” I spit out at him, remembering his words from last night. “Also, move out of my way.” “What?” he splutters like he doesn’t remember anything, so I just push past him and leave. I need to find the library. There must be something in there that I can use to find out more about vampires, because at this point, I’m pretty sure they would not teach that in class. Using the map I saw by the staircase, I navigate my way to the library, which is at the very top of the building. The place is massive. It occupies the whole floor, with a skylight and countless rows of shelves filled with leather-bound books. There are artworks on the walls, which make my heart clench in longing and admiration. As though it can’t get any better, it’s also empty. I look at the labels on the shelves, wondering where to start. But suddenly, a woman’s face appears at the other side of the shelf, making me scream. “I’m sorry!” she says immediately, going around the shelf to stand in front of me. She puts her hand on my shoulder. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I nod, taking her in. She’s maybe in her thirties, with curly brown hair and cat-eye glasses as red as her lipstick. She’s wearing overalls over a brightly-colored sweater, and she smells like paper. On her chest is a tag that contains the words, “Calista Sullivan, Librarian.” “I didn’t mean to barge in,” I blurt out as soon as I see her label. “I saw that the doors were opened so I thought...” “That’s alright,” she says sweetly. “I’m Miss Sullivan, the librarian. You can come here whenever you want… between seven in the morning and nine in the evening, of course.” She looks at me from head to toe. “I assume you’re the new senior? We don’t get a lot of new seniors here, that’s why it’s easy to deduce.” I give her a quick shy smile, waiting for her to go, but she just stares at me expectantly, so I just ask, “Do you have books about vampires?” “Well, yes,” she says, motioning vaguely at the shelves by the door. “That entire shelf is dedicated to vampires. What do you want to know?” I shift my weight from one foot to another. Should I tell her? I mean, it won’t sound suspicious if I act normal, and she knows that I’m new so I have an excuse. “Just… what are they. I want to know more.” “Ah.” She makes a move to go to the shelf, but then she just motions me to sit. “Well, I can tell you all about it, if you don’t mind.” Miss Sullivan takes a seat and gestures at me to sit in front of her. I feel pretty awkward, but I figure, who better to ask than the librarian who probably knows all about it? I sit in front of her, watching as she takes off her glasses and looks at me. “There are many iterations of the creature, but most of those things are fiction.” She stares into the distance. “The ones that are waiting outside the gates of the Society are born as vampires, immortal creatures who have a supernaturally beautiful human form and a highly dangerous bat form. They cannot turn humans or any other creatures into vampires. Their venom only kills, and the potency of their venom depends on how strong they are. They feed at night, which means that they are stronger at night.” I take a deep breath, remembering my encounter with the vampires and Celeste. “Is it possible for them to blend in with other creatures?” She nods, her eyes wide. “Oh, yes. In fact, it is nearly impossible to tell them apart from other supernaturals, apart from the otherworldly beauty that allows them to compel others. Make them bend to their wills.” My mind flashes back to Celeste talking to the group in the table earlier. How she managed to make them leave without any effort. Also how she spread rumors about me that nearly everyone believed. Everyone was just ready to take her word for it. “You see, we all need that to blend in with the human society,” Miss Sullivan says. “It is only in the last few centuries that we as a Society decided to leave them out. Their bloodlust is insatiable. Yes, they could make do with animal blood, but human blood is their usual supplement. Even better if it’s the blood of a fellow supernatural. They have become so uncontrollable that we decided to wage war on them. They were just dangerous to have around. They lost, of course, but ever since, they have not stopped trying to come back. There have been multiple failed attempts.” Failed attempts. They have tried before. Who’s to say they’re not trying again at this very moment? Who’s to say that they didn’t send someone who made a name for herself in this school, to infiltrate it? I swallow hard. “Have you heard of any attempts lately?” “No, because the school and the Society are secure.” Miss Sullivan smiles at me reassuringly. “Our school has a good system designed to keep them locked out, that’s why you just see them outside. No one has infiltrated—” “That’s not true.” I jump to my feet, my heart pounding. “Celeste is a vampire. I know it!” Silence rings inside the library. I realize my mistake too late when I see that Miss Sullivan’s whole demeanor changes from sweet to surprised to offended. “Did you say Celeste? Celeste Andrich? You’re accusing her of being a vampire?” I want to retract what I said, but I stand my ground. “Yes. I have proof.” Her eyes narrow as she gets to her feet too. “Very well. You better come with me.”