dawn eclipse: a blood oath

1. the first encounter

belle's pov

"we haven't had a new student in a while. your name?" the lady asks as we walk through the cold corridor of the academy.

"it's belle," i say, keeping it short.

i'm an adult now. i'm not the young belle anymore.

"right, belle. welcome to oxylume academy. in deference to our founder's spirit, as you can see, our academy operates as a night school. classes start at 9 pm. it might be confusing at first, but you'll get used to it soon," she explains.

"okay," i nod, understated.

she continues, "there weren’t any rooms available in the new dormitory, so you’ve been assigned to a room in the old one. it might be a bit messy since no one’s been using it."

"that’s fine," i reply, looking down.

"the school rules say you cannot exit the campus after sunset. however, you should stay inside for your own safety regardless of the rules."

her face turns serious. "there was a murder nearby recently. rumors say it was done by a vampire. since our school is well-known for its strict entrance system, i’m sure you won’t run into any vampires within the school grounds. still, it might be dangerous outside of school."

i hear footsteps, and i stop as a figure suddenly blocks my path. i look up to see a tall, handsome man with striking eyes, black hair, and a cross earring dangling from his right ear.

why is he standing in my way?

"oh... sorry," he says, stepping aside and walking away.

i glance back for one last look at him before continuing to follow the lady until we reach my room.

"this will be your room, belle. it’s in the far corner, away from the other rooms. sorry about that. we’ll get you a new room as soon as there’s a vacancy," she says apologetically.

i shrug politely. "no, it’s fine. i like it here. thank you."

"all right, then. settle in and get some rest." she smiles, and i nod before she walks away.

i open the door and close it softly, leaning against it. holy cow. messy is an understatement. the room looks like it was hit by a tornado.

there’s a dumbbell on the floor, shirts scattered everywhere, piles of books, headphones, and... a rugby ball?

this is my room? i can’t believe it.

"this is great! woohoo!!" i jump in excitement. "i’m finally in my room! phew, i hope she didn’t notice how excited i was!"

i’m so, so happy! this is the best high school in dawnridge, and it’s known for its strict policy against vampires!

so... i’ll never be mistaken for one. people always thought i was a vampire because of my strange ability. thanks to that, i had to move over and over again.

i start cleaning my room like a whirlwind. a dirty room in a corner is no big deal! i just have to clean it up! seriously, this stupid ability has done me no good—

"belle! you came to save me. no matter what people say about you, i trust you. someone with such a kind heart as you can't be a vampire."

well... it did one good thing, i guess. but now i’ll never, ever be able to see such trust in anyone’s eyes again.

frustrated, i lift the heavy bed easily with one hand and begin moving it. then... the door creaks open.

a figure steps inside. the guy from earlier in the corridor. he’s standing right in front of me.

he slowly closes the door and lets out an awkward laugh. "oh... uh... i left my book here."

panicked, i throw the bed aside without thinking.

"w-wait, hold on! it’s not what you think! i know you might not believe me after seeing that! no one believes me, but i... i really am... not a vampire!"

ugh, i’m done for. i worked so hard to get into this school.

he pauses, looking at me calmly before smiling. "i know. you’re not a vampire. i trust you."

i stare at him, startled, as he steps closer.

"vampires can’t enter this school. our academy is really strict about verifying that. plus, i can tell just by how upset you look right now."

his words make me so happy. finally...

"thank you for believing me! i’m sure not everyone feels the same, but i really, really, really don’t wanna be mistaken for a vampire."

"and... there isn’t anyone else in this world who hates them more than i do."