Empire of Vampires ✔️

Chapter Thirty-Four

Marie quickly shoved Danyel hard, back into the dorm and out of sight. He stumbled, tripping and falling against the back of the door. Evan walked over and peered at him through the slit of the open doorway.

'Hullo! Who's this then?'

'It's a new student!' Andrew quickly interrupted, 'His name's Danyel.'

'Has Marie here already started pummeling you, mate?' Evan joked as he reached down and helped Danyel to his feet, 'You've got to be careful with her, she has about the strength of a hundred horses.'

'She is certainly... a strong lady-

'He means girl! Haha.' She shot him a warning look to play along with their charade.

'So, Danyel, where are you from?' Jesse asked politely as they walked down the hallway.

'Everywhere and nowhere,' he replied dramatically.

Jesse paused awkwardly and Evan cut in with a friendly smile, 'Well, welcome to here! I'm the student rep so I'm supposed to show you around. No one told me we were expecting a new student though...?'

'No they told ME because... he's my cousin!' Marie exclaimed, getting on her toes to sling an arm around Danyel and show everyone how similar they looked.

They couldn't look more different; her with a round face and pointy chin and him with slanting brows and angular features. Her blue eyes sparkled brightly against his dark lifeless ones and his long hair was as pale as frost against her jet-black chopped locks— an unnaturally dark shade with it being dyed from blonde.

'Oh okay! That makes sense, hah- I was wondering why you were shoving some new kid to the floor like a bully.' Evan laughed.

'No no, he is my cousin so I am allowed to shove.'

'Anyway, Jesse and I were just on our way to the student lounge, we'll come with you to show Danyel around.'

'NO! I mean, you go ahead! He's already seen it and we're taking him upstairs now.'

'What is this place where students lounge?' Danyel inquired, ignoring Marie's glares. Evan grinned and dragged them in the direction of the lounge, paying no heed to Marie's protests.

They all traipsed down the hallway and Danyel loped gleefully at her side, trying to converse to her stocky demeanor.

Andrew walked up in front between Evan and Jesse. 'You don't have to accompany us around the whole school,' he said, trying unsuccessfully to dissuade them, 'It'll take ages- this school is huge!'

'No we have nothing better to do,' Evan insisted. Jesse nodded in agreement much to Andrew's disappointment.

Upon entering the lounge, Andrew realized that the large transparent tv was set to mirror mode. He rushed to turn it on before the twins could enter the room and show everyone that they had no reflections.

It was ironically playing an olden day vampyre movie. James smirked at the sparkly vampyres driving around in their speedy four wheeled vehicles, as he settled himself on a beanbag and Andrew plopped down beside him.

Danyel ignored the movie and immediately made a beeline for the foosball table, marveling at the little figurines and spinning them around.

'You wanna play?' Evan asked, 'We can play in teams with you and Marie against Jesse and I.'

He hesitated but Marie excitedly dragged him onto her side of the table, explaining that they just had to spin the figures to kick the ball into the goal. She loved played foosball but James was too fast, and Andrew knew she cheated using her super speed.

There were eight rods running through the table with 4 handles on each side, Marie immediately picked the offensive two and put Danyel to guard the goal. Jesse stood on the goal opposite her with Evan on the offensive, opposite Danyel.

The vampyre and eternal started cheating straight away and without hesitation. They used their speed and quicker reflexes to stay neck to neck with Evan and Jesse who had the indisputable skill which came with hours of practice and experience.

Marie and Evan were barely allowing the ball to get near either of the goals; neither team had scored yet and the two goalkeepers were idling at their posts. The offensive players, on the other hand, were completely focused on the game; spinning and twisting like they were playing for their lives. 

Marie's eyes were narrowed as she furiously tried to block him; she wasn't very skilled and she was finding it difficult to keep up, even with her unfair advantage. Her competitive streak wouldn't allow her to just give up and lose, however, and she was trying to think of a way to evilly distract him and then score. 

Danyel noticed her struggle and left his goal handles to start twisting Evan's rods from his side of the table. The human was so lost in his focus that he didn't even notice at first. He was putting all his strength into twisting and wondering why it was spinning in the opposite direction.

It slipped from his hand as Danyel turned it hard and hit the ball fast into Jesse's goal. Jesse was unprepared for it and the ball whizzed straight past him, crashing into the metal box. 

'Why'd you hit it into your own goal,' Jesse asked, bewildered.

'I.. I didn't, it just spun by its-

He spied Danyel's hands, still resting on the rods that were supposed to be used by his team.

'You cheated!' Evan's hand went to his chest in shock as he pointed an accusing finger. 'You spun MY rods!'

'But they're on my side of the table,' Danyel said innocently.

'Wha- no the, the handles are on my side!'

'But we can still twist them using the opposite side of the handle,' Danyel suggested sweetly.

Marie immediately sided with him after realizing what he'd done, 'Yeah! Danyel was only using the rods on OUR side,' 

It was pure genius. How had she not thought of it before?

'I didn't try to use your rods,' Jesse argued.

'That sounds like a YOU problem,' she replied smugly as Danyel smirked at them and threw an arm around her in victory.

The humans were speechless in the face of this undeniable reasoning. 

They tried to contradict it but to no avail; they had to meekly accept their defeat in good sportsmanship as the victors congratulated each other in an exaggerated display of self-admiration. 

'I suppose you two had better practice harder,' Marie said, extremely pleased with herself and Danyel, 'In fact, you had better spend the rest of the day here while we finish showing Danyel around.'

Andrew and James joined them as they sailed out of the room on a cloud of victory.

'That was a close one,' Andrew said as he eyed Danyel and rudely added, 'Now we can get rid of him.'

Danyel gave him an offended stare and opened his mouth to object.

'You can come back this weekend,' Marie cut in, consoling him sweetly. She was in quite a good mood with him after his kind cooperation at foosball cheating.

'We'll meet you outside the school gates and take the train down to the crater,' she promised, 'We have two days to check the shipments once we get there.'

'I'll be eagerly awaiting your arrival my la- I mean, Marie,' he smiled charmingly, unbending from his position to kiss her hand and instead grasping it for a moment before letting go.

Andrew rolled his eyes impatiently as Danyel politely bid them all farewell and left the campus. 

He reminded James they still had to finish their chemistry homework for tomorrow's class and they made their way back to the dorm, with Marie trailing behind hoping to steal some answers.