The Reluctant Cougar (Rise of the Alpha King's Heir)

Information and Misconceptions

Eileen breathed deeply as she walked into her room, trying to calm down and mentally prepare herself for any questions the students might ask that day. 

There were already a half-dozen young Vampires in the room, each sitting very far away from each other, except for--

"There's Ms. Grau!" Ginny told Edward excitedly. 

Edward nodded towards her, "Hey, Ms. Grau."

The other Vampire students watched her carefully, uncertainly. They reminded her of feral cats watching someone lay down a can of tuna, as if they weren't sure if the risk was worth the very tempting reward.

Moments later the bell rang.

Eileen leaned out the doorway, looking down the hall for stragglers, but the hall was empty.

She entered the room again, taking a quick head count: seventeen.

It was more than she'd expected.

"Hello, class. Welcome to our first unofficial day of Vampire Studies.  I know I've seen most of you at least once with the exception of our middle school students. To review, I'm Eileen Grau, and I'm a Fantasy Vampire that feeds on angst and longing. I am a contact feeder...and..."

Ginny looked at her with a mile-long blank stare. 

Eileen quickly lanced around, noting several others shared her look.

"By a show of hands, how many of you know what the three types of Vampires are?"

Edward and two others raised their hands.

"Oh...okay. I guess we'll start with Vampire basics."

Out of habit she flipped off the lights on her way to the marker board, sighing with relief as the stabbing, prickling sensation in her eyes and skin disappeared. 

To her amusement, her sigh of relief was echoed  by the students. It was followed a second later by bursts of shock. 

When she turned to look at her class, she saw they were looking at each other curiously.

They would definitely be starting with the fundamentals. 

"I'm sensitive to light," Eileen explained. "It sounds like many of you are as well. Photosensitivity is common among Vampires, but the severity differs from Vamp to Vamp.  Sunglasses, long-sleeved shirts, hats, and sunblock can be helpful if you have a severe sensitivity. Now, where was I--Oh, yes, there are three main types of Vampires: Blood, Fantasy, and Nightmare. Out of the three, Nightmare is the most common, and Blood is the least common. Your type will determine what you feed from and how. All of us can drink blood, for example, but most of us can feed on emotions instead."

She saw several students nodding, but a few still looked confused.

"With the exception of Blood Vampires, whose bodies require them to drink blood, most of us feed either through contact--that is physical touch--or through proximity--which is by being near the source of energy.  Our first order of business is for each of you to know what type of Vampire you are."

"And those of us that already know?" Edward asked in a tired monotone.

"You will have the task of helping others figure it out," she answered with a large smile.

Maybe too large. He shrank back.

She allowed the smile to fall and shrugged, "So, let's get to it."

Eileen worked with the students to move the desks to the side so they could sit together in a large circle.

"You're going to tap into your inner-Vamp," she told them. "Close your eyes and breathe with me for a few seconds. I want you to picture your body. Now, I want you to take your consciousness inside the body you pictured. As you drift in, you'll see something glowing in the darkness. Don't be afraid of it--it's a part of you. I want you to grab that power. For some of you, that's all you'll need to do. For others, it might help to envision that orb as a doorknob, and and when you pull, the door will open, allowing you to walk into your true self."