Empire of Vampires ✔️

Chapter Eight

'Andrew!' Marie yelled, barging uninvited into his room.

Andrew yanked the sheets off his bed and threw it over the dragon while James yelled at her to get out.

'I'm not here to spy on your stupid dragon, I'm here to take Andrew to see coach,' she huffed, 'To get him assigned to a house.'

'That's not your job,' James pointed out, raising a suspicious brow, 'Where's Evan?'

'Well Evan's not doing his job so it hath fallen unto me,' Marie proclaimed, 'Come along now Andrew, I have a PLAN.'

'What plan?' Andrew inquired worriedly. It was always concerning when Marie claimed to have a plan.

'I'll tell you on the way,' she said brightly, yanking him out the door before he could protest. James unhelpfully slammed the door shut before he could argue.

'Okay so,' Marie started, pulling him down the corridor, 'I see the way you wake up late and run to class everyday, and you're FAST!'

'Wha- I don't wake up late everyday! I even usually have time to stop at the cafeteria. Neither you OR James ever eat there,' he chided, 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and you shouldn't miss it.'

'Of course we eat breakfast,' Marie scoffed.

'I don't see you eat ANY meal-

'Well, what do you think we survive on? Starlight? You don't see us because we wake up early so that there's plenty of time to feed- I mean eat!' she quickly amended, surreptitiously gaging his reaction.

'Well uh- I guess it's true that James has already left the dorm by the time I get up,' Andrew admitted.

'AHA-

'Anyway,' Andrew quickly interrupted, 'I really can't run that fast- maybe just when I'm stressed out.'

'What do you fear most in the world?'

'Um, the vast, empty nothingness after death?'

'Lame! I meant something more along the lines of spiders or lions or something.'

'Those don't exist anymore,' Andrew pointed out, 'I think they would be cool though.'

'Whatever, they're not cool if they're chasing you. Just imagine a hoard of people-eating spiders, as big as lions, with razor-sharp teeth- chasing you! That should stress you out enough to run fast.'

'I suppose so...' Andrew replied without much conviction.

'Don't just guess! Know!' She slapped him on the back in camaraderie and he tried not to wince.

Marie threw open the door to coach's office, completely forgetting about the older woman's temper.

'Who DARES march in here without invitation,' Coach bellowed through her megaphone.

Andrew nearly jumped out of his skin and even Marie paled a little and shrank before the angry woman.

'I uh- sorry Coach, I forgot to knock. It won't happen again,' she apologized with some contrition, 'Andrew here doesn't have a house yet, and I was hoping he could be put in Cheetah's?'

Coach swiveled around once on her chair and stood up. She strode in front of the two imposters and glared down at them from her towering height of six feet and two inches.

'So you two BRATS,' she started, 'barge into my office, without so much as an "Excuse me, Coach," or a mere "Good morning," and then you DEMAND to be assigned to the HOUSE OF YOUR CHOICE?'