Ravenrook Chronicles: The Mysterious Student

Chapter 6

Tim took a step back and tumbled, tripping over his own feet, to the ground; sitting on the cold crypt floor. Henry's claim was impossible. Henry Thomas Ravenrook should have been dead for a hundred-and-twenty-three years.

"I don't understand, Harry."

" Come on Timmy, I am pale, sensitive to sunlight, and have come back from death. I

know we covered this in class."

Tim sat in silence. His face was expressionless and his jaw hung slack. He knew the answer, Henry was undead. His lifelike nature and quick healing pointed to him being a vampire. Tim couldn't come to terms with it. If Henry was a vampire, did that mean all the monster's from the story books were real? If so, the world had just become far more dangerous than he had ever imagined. His mind immediately jumped to the terrifying yokai of Japan or the werewolves he'd heard of from Ireland and Scandinavia. Were they real too? The obvious answer was yes, right?

At this point Henry had fallen to his knees beside Tim and was holding him. Tim was aware of the sensation of Henry's arms embracing him, but he felt as though it wasn't happening to him. As if he was a different person in this situation. His heartbeat began to quicken and his breathing became sharp. Until he heard Henry sobbing quietly into his shoulder, the sound startled him from his trance. As he started to become acutely aware of Henry and how he must have been feeling. Suddenly the world around him became warm again as he returned to his senses. Henry was on the floor holding him, weeping into his shoulder.

"I knew it," Henry whimpered to himself over and over.

"Vampire," Tim whispered into his friend's ear.

Henry abruptly looked up and met Tim's gaze again. His face was a mess with tears and his blue eyes shone in the candlelight. Tim looked down at the sobbing Henry with a warm smile. It all was starting to make sense to him. The odd circumstances of Henry's healing that night, as well as the secrecy with which the headmaster administered the mysterious dark liquid, which Tim now assumed was a vial of human blood. Maybe the attack was perpetrated by a vampire hunter after Henry. He felt the lingering doubt ease as he finally understood such a crucial part of his friend.

"So much makes sense now, Harry."

Henry was still in a state of disbelief as he looked at Tim as his expression changed from one of shock to understanding and belief.

"I have a few questions to be sure but they can wait," Tim said smiling, "Let's get

some tea in the library and I'll pick your brain a little further."

Tim rose and pulled a catatonic Henry into the library of the townhouse, which he had noticed when he entered; before setting off to find the kitchens. It didn't take long until he stumbled into an old kitchen. It was covered in cobwebs and a heavy layer of dust. Tim surmised that Henry had probably been staying at the academy for a long while. There were no servants employed at this house. Tim later found out that Henry did not trust anyone to stay here, nor did he want anyone to. He hated staying in this house, it reminded him of the past and all he lost. The pantry was bare and the only tea he could find was an ancient tin of loose leaf tea from the 1890's. It was in the very back of the mostly empty pantry. Tim decided to give it up as a bad job and instead ordered from a nearby cafe.

He returned to find Henry sitting by the fireplace, in the process of lighting a fire. He seemed to have recovered from his shock.

"We'll have a fire soon, Timmy. How's the hunt for tea?"

"You're out so I ordered some."

"Perfect."

Soon there was a knock at the door and the tea and cake from the cafe had been delivered. Tim bought two slices of black forest cake and a ceylon blend tea. They were as ambrosia and nectar after the ordeal of the last hour and a half. Henry was his usual playful self again as he chatted with Tim, answering questions about many different topics relating to the Others, as Henry called them. Fiends, fairies and other mythological creatures referred to themselves as Others.

Henry explained that before 1730, the monsters that go bump in the night, would do just that. By 1730, all human and Other leaders sat down in their respective countries and decided on governance policies to integrate Others into human society. These Other's would be presided over by a governmental department and function as normal. Eventually the International Other Secrecy Commission (IOSC) came into play and Others were assimilated completely into human society. The IOSC decided, after the persecution of witches, devils and anything else that humans thought important enough to warn future generations about that Others should remain a secret until a more enlightened time came about. It was in the best interest of both humans and Others. The Ravenrook Academy was started by The Crown to teach selected humans about Others and recruit them into the organisation.

Finally, Henry explained the attack on the academy. Apparently, there has been an uproar in the fiendish community. Demons were trying to revolt against the IOSC and take humans as cattle. So far the revolts have been unsuccessful in most places, especially Britain. Henry being a high ranking Crown member and head of a training facility, they wanted to send a message. Taking out Henry was advantageous, it showed that the demons could get anyone they wanted to, anyone in opposition to their cause for Other superiority. Henry's facility was secret and well guarded. Due to the events of that night, Henry had received authorisation to break secrecy that morning, hence him telling Tim his secret.

"Timmy, I want you to join me at HQ tomorrow and be inducted into the order."

"I haven't finished training yet, Harry"

"I cleared it with HQ today, looking at your results so far, they have given you

clearance for clerical work. I knew from the moment our eyes met that you were special."

"I-I'm not ready. This is a little rushed. I just learned of the existence of the Others

and I'm meant to join an organisation that enforces laws that I don't understand. Harry it's-"

"You won't be in the field, you'll be working with me. I need someone that I can trust,

there is someone on the inside leaking sensitive information about the academy to the demons, I know I can trust you. Will you be my shield?"

Tim pondered for a long second before he accepted Henry's offer. The next day, they went to the Crown HQ in a black van marked with a crowned skull. Tim officially became an assistant to Henry and would be stationed at the academy. He quickly found out Henry's true role in the workings of The Crown