After Eden [Book #1 of The Fall Trilogy]

Nine ☾ ☽ Into the Darkness

"Down, down into the darkness of the grave, gently they go." - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Nine ☾ ☽ Into the Darkness

I was hungry.

I should of seen it coming. For crying out loud, I hadn't eaten in the two days I've been at this academy, and now it was the third, and I was positive I wasn't going to make it. Not to mention, I managed to only get exactly two hours of sleep last night. After Miss Sage had dismissed us back to our dorms accompanied by a drawn out lecture about how a boy and a girl should not lock themselves in the Restricted room in the library at night, I had stayed up all night restless.

I tossed and turned, grateful that my roommate, Ronan, was once again not present and doing whatever he did during the night. He was an incubus, so I had a few guesses. That was besides the point. Before Juno and I had to unfortunately go our separate ways, she had hastily informed me that today would probably not go too well. Apparently, word travels fast around this academy, and the fact that the Supernatural Council had stopped by to visit me personally, gossip had spread like wild fire, and now every student at St. Peter's now knew they were taking classes with a vampire.

And currently here I sat, bright and early, in my History and Origins class, anxiously watching the clock count down to the beginning of first period while a girl stared me down, not even bothering to be discreet. It was the same girl who had defended me against my abuser during my first experience in this class, and now I was sure she was going to jump across the aisle and rip my throat out with her teeth. She sat in the desk directly horizontal to mine, leaning over into my personal space as her desk scraped closer inch by inch. The floral scent of her perfume swamped my nose, and I uncomfortably inclined backwards, my eyes watering at the overwhelming smell.

No one was around to witness my impending murder, and I guess this is what I deserved for arriving so early.

I could now feel the girl's minty breath fanning across my face, and I supposed I should of told her to back off, but I was quite sure that would result in my decapitation. I remained sitting forward, but I allowed my eyes to wander in my peripheral vision, locking onto the girl's cat-slit, green eyes. She held my stare.

"H-Hello, how are-"

"Shut up."

"Wait, what-"

"I said 'shut up', vamp," she gritted through sparkling white teeth.

The rational side of my brain screamed at me to follow the girl's order, but the part of my brain that didn't like being talked to like that took control. I snapped my head towards the girl, her face mere inches away from mine. I pushed all thoughts of my appetite away and focused on keeping my growing frustration under control.

"Do you have a problem?" I asked, trying my best to be polite.

She flashed me a fake smile. "I don't, but you're about to have one. Get ready for a new shadow, vamp."

I'll have a shadow on Camden, watching his every move and reporting back daily to the Council. The Supernatural Council's words rung clear in my head, and I groaned at the prospect of losing all my freedom.

"I don't know why you're upset, bloodsucker," she mocked. "It's not like one mishap will get you hanged from the nearest tree."

I ran my hands through my hair, head beginning to pound the more I listened to the girl's threats.

"Listen, I don't even know your name, but why don't-"

"Kiara," she deadpanned.

"Kiara," I repeated. "Why don't we try to be at least friends if you are going to be hanging around me basically twenty-four-seven, huh?"