The Young and Gifted

4. fitting in

When Hope pulled away, Landon flinched, wincing slightly under his breath. On his palm was a thread of blood oozing out his finger. Hope had a ring, one that was fused from werewolf silver teeth, a gift from her father given to Freya in the moments of chaos. They were real canines and when she shook his hand, she wasn't careful.

Wasn't careful at all because all the vampires on the block could smell it. And like a flock of flies, they all flitted to him, Kaleb being the first one reaching for Landon. Hope's eyes widened as his fangs pulled out and she grabbed his shoulder, throwing a mean punch his way. Kaleb hissed viscously and attempted to deliver the punch back but she fluidly dodged it and flipped him on the ground by his arm. Thanks to Uncle Finn, she knew her way around her physical abilities too.

Raf was beside her in seconds, pushing back all the other vampires catching up. Landon's face was a mask of raw fear and they could all sense it.

Hope jerked her hand in the air. "Volant," she said and the first line of them was pushed back.

"Kaura," Raf bellowed as he snapped the necks of the hissing and hungry vampires who were growling visciously.

"Fine," she huffed with annoyance and whispered, "Dolorem inferunt subsisto." The second row of vampires all screamed in pain, their legs breaking and head ringing with agonizing pain. But it still wasn't enough.

MG and Kaleb were amongst the ones who recovered and were openly targeting Landon with eyes of blind hunger. There was a clear pathway to the human and with their speed, it would be too quick for Hope to see—

Another blur emerged before them and the vampires halted, taking in Mason's form as he held a stopping finger up. His eyes himself were crackling with veins and hunger but he was trying hard to fight, it was obvious. "Hold it in," he ordered. A couple tried but only snarls erupted and most were preparing to strike again. "Breathe, let the scent fly over you. Think of birds, feathery wings gliding over you head, up and away. Far, far into the distance. Think of the scent of flowers, dancing past your nostrils and melting into the wind." The technique itself was flawed but it was doing its slow magic.

"Get him out of here," Penelope demanded urgently and Hope grabbed Landon, making a run towards the school.

Meanwhile, Lizzie remained where she was, admiring her fresh new manicures. "This is why we don't violate the regulations and meddle with the wrong side of the line."

*

By the time they reached campus, the teachers had already taken care of Landon and Hope was told to return to her dorm. After all that happened in one day, her first day, she didn't protest and tried to find her way to her room.

As she wandered down the hall, she happened to bump into a shadowy figure and Mason's face emerged. "My bad."

"Oh hey, you're the one that literally opened up the blood bag," he mused.

"Don't make me feel worse than I already do," Hope sighed, shaking her head. "I should say sorry to Landon tomorrow morning."

"It's his fault for being human."

"I don't think that's something you can control," she scoffed.

"What I mean is that it's his fault for being human in a non-human school." Fair point. Hope shrugged and decided not to respond. Instead, she lost herself in her head, trying to determine where her room could be until he said, "We don't fit in here."

"What?"

"For Landon, it's fine, he has Raf to help him. But you and I, we got nobody."

"I have Kaura—"

He snorted, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his hair. "You don't have Kaura. I know you guys are supposed to be some sort of family or something but she doesn't like you."

"I don't know what you're talking about. We literally spent an hour catching up about our families."

"I walked by her room before we went out into town. She hates you. Quote, why can't she just stay with her cursed family and leave me alone? It's the least she could do after what her family did to mine," Mason shrugged carelessly.

Hope swallowed and tried to convince herself that she shouldn't believe a thing he was saying. But a part of her was distracted by the fact that Kaura didn't consider them family. Her and mine, not our. She took a deep breath and swallowed deeply. So much for having someone. "I guess you're right. Wanna go outside and talk about how well we don't fit in?"

Mason grinned. "Thank god you asked."

~

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