Wizard Blood, Vampire Magic

Game

                Tomorrow came too quickly for my liking.  I woke up five times in the middle of the night, thinking I heard the scratching noises again, but whenever I went to see where they were, nothing was out there.  By six in the morning I had decided sleep wasn’t worth the headache and took a shower in my adjoining water closet, but it took so long for the water to warm up.  Around seven I picked out some slacks and a long sweater, this one thin and more like a t-shirt or pajama top than anything else.  I stared at myself in the mirror and decided it was alright to go out looking as I was.

                The morning air was crisp and a little cold feeling, but the walk was pleasant and quiet.  This time when I entered the dining hall, no one looked up at me.  It felt nice and I picked a bagel, a hardboiled egg, and some fruit to eat.  I sat alone, quite a few tables empty this morning, and began my meal, wondering vaguely what the game was that Marius had spoken of.  It was almost lecherous sounding.

                “Good morning, pet.”

                I looked up and frowned.  Marius stood next to my table with a tiny little smile on his face, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he examined me.  I frowned, about to say something, when he walked to his normal table.  As soon as he was gone, I felt numerous pairs of eyes on me.  This was going to be a thing, I realized, if I didn’t make it clear he had to stay far away from me.

                Behind Marius, Ian glared at me and Elle followed after him.  I sighed, rubbing at my temple.  This… why did I have to live in the same dorm as these people?

                After breakfast I wandered around the campus.  I saw where the spring, autumn, and winter dorms were and noted that they weren’t anything special.  I visited the library and admired the dusty old books, peered into empty classrooms, and wandered over the lush field behind the castle itself.  Sometimes I’d stop and pause, thinking about how beautiful it was, and how said I was that I only knew this because my father was gone.  Remembering him made a pang shoot through my heart and I sat down under a tree, trying to keep myself together before any tears could fall.  In the shade and away from everyone else, it wouldn’t matter what I was doing.  Nothing mattered anymore, I realized, now that I had nowhere to stay, no goals in life, and no aspirations.

                The tears started slowly, but quickly built and fell down my cheeks in steady streams.  I sniffled and rubbed at them, but more raced to replace their smudged brethren.  After a while I stopped crying so much and just stared blankly out at the forest I was forbidden from entering when the grass rustled next to me.

                “We meet again, pet.”

                I glanced up at Marius and then looked away, annoyed.  I mumbled loud enough for him to hear, “I’m not your pet.”

                He looked alarmed and dropped down next to me, leaning back against the tree and looking up at the leaves.  I peered over at him and saw that he didn’t look too pleased, nor did he appear arrogant or full of himself.  Slowly he began to speak.

                “I heard from your mother that you are staying with us because your father passed away and you have nowhere to go.  I am sorry for your loss.  I know your mother spends all her time here, so you must never see her.  I have no parents and can understand the empty feeling that feels like it is going to swallow you if you think about it too long.”

                I stared for a long moment at the raven haired, golden eyed boy.  We held each other’s gazes as he tilted his head down, staring seriously at me.  After a moment I said softly, “Thank you, Marius.”

                He showed me a smile and leaned forward.  Before I could pull back he pressed his lips to my forehead, whispering something in a language I couldn’t identify.  He leaned away from me and smiled, tracing a nail down my reddening jawline.

                “Anything for you, Christine.”

                He stood and took a few steps away from me, then turned and smiled.  “Tomorrow, let us play the game.  You should look pretty for it, I do not like to chase mediocre prey.”

                Marius left me alone with my thoughts, and boy did I have a lot!  And for some reason, I felt kind of comforted from his words and actions.  Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all…