Lethal Beauty

III - His Mate

After an hour of nap, he woke up with a start. Although his body was craving for more sleep, he couldn't do it anymore. It was most likely because of the fact that this wasn't his home and the unfamiliarity was giving him nostalgia.

He arrived at this place at six in the morning, fell asleep at seven, and woke up at eight. It was indeed a quick nap. Yawning and hearing his stomach grumbling, he recalled Raviel saying that the canteen was open from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m. He might as well treat himself with some food, that should help him go back to sleep later until the freshman orientation party.

After changing into more decent clothes, he dragged himself outside and visited the canteen. Strange that he couldn't see a single student around. The place was eerily silent and he started to imagine all the vampires still sleeping in their coffins somewhere. Nevertheless, he was thankful that he didn't need to deal with them until the orientation ceremony and used the privilege of being alone to his advantage.

"You must be the human student."

Abel looked up to see a tall, petite woman standing behind the food stall. She wore a white polo shirt with a tie and apron instead of a vest, similar to those elegant waiters and barmaids in hotels. Just like Raviel, her crimson eyes were a dead giveaway that she was a vampire even if she wasn't baring her fangs. Her skin too was deathly white but nevertheless, she was as beautiful as the rest.

"Yes, that's me." Abel smiled politely, "I'm hungry. Do you have any food for me?"

She was bemused of the question but she did explain to him the selection. "All the foods here are edible for someone like you. But if you're looking for anything specific, we can have a chef prepare it for you. So, what would you like?"

"Hmm...I'm looking for something light. A soup maybe?"

"Well, we have a butternut squash soup that is soothing and flavorful. I can add a scoop of jasmine rice to make it a meal."

"That's sounds delicious. Okay, I'll take it!"

She finds him interesting and smiles. "My name is Eliza. What's your name, new blood?"

"Abel. Nice to meet you, Eliza."

"Nice to meet you too, Abel. I'll bring your food. You can sit anywhere you like."

Eager and hungry, he sat near the stall and looked around the rather spacious refectory area that was presently devoid of people. Eliza came back with his meal shortly, complete with a glass of sparkling water and an orange juice.

"If you don't like sparkling water, I can change it for you," she told him.

"No, that's okay. Can I ask you a question?"

"Certainly."

"Where is everyone?"

Her eyes twinkled at his inquiry. "Students don't normally visit this place this early. Classes in Saint Constantine start at noon until midnight."

Abel narrowed his gaze. "Are you sure you guys are just not avoiding the sun?"

She laughed. "Vampires are naturally lazy in the morning and much more active at night."

"Why is that?"

Eliza stared at him straight. "Well...exciting things happen at night than in the morning, don't you agree?"

He almost choked on his orange juice. "Too true..."

"Have you checked your class schedule?"

"Not yet. Raviel said he would send it to me later on. Classes don't start until next week anyway and we'll have a freshman orientation party tonight."