Vampire Academy
Episode Two
Cairo's POV
When I awoke, my alarm clock read 7:23. Nala was still sleeping. She had stayed at the boys' dorms a lot later than usual, but that's to be expected; she and Alec barely had any alone time together. It was still over an hour and a half before classes started, so I decided to let her sleep a little while longer. I undressed and put my dirty clothes into the hamper then stepped into one of the adjacent bathrooms. Every dorm had not one, but two bathrooms, one for each roommate. These damn rich people. After I got out of the shower, it was 7:48. I dried my hair, which had become wavy, then put on a pair of black skinny jeans, a white sleeveless shirt with a blue rose on the bottom left side, a black collar, a dark blue hoodie, and a pair of black and blue converse. Yeah, black and blue are my favorite colors. I decided to leave my hair down, then put on some mascara and a little bit of lipgloss, but nothing too noticeable. It was now 8:02, so it was time to wake up Nala. She groggily got up and went into her bathroom. I grabbed my bookbag, cellphone and ipod and went off to get breakfast.
The cafeteria was bustling with the regular morning activities, with everyone sitting with their own clicks. Even vampire high schools had a social food chain. The jocks sat at the jock table, the nerds at the nerd table, and the popluar vamps at the popular table. I sat at my own table, a loner. Nala usually skipped breakfast, but when she didn't, she always forced me to sit with her at the popular table, something I detested. I sat and ate in silence, ignoring the conversations around me. When I finished I still had some time lrft and pulled out my sketch book. Even as a human, I had unusual abilities. If I concentrated hard enough, I could make any scene I drew actually happen, but only small things like making someone trip or finding $5. The headmaster said it was what I'd carry over with me if I was ever turned and it would become stronger as well. I was too absorbed in my current project, a mother holding her child, to notice the conversation hushed to mere whispers. A shadow came over my sketchbook. I hated being interrupted and asked in an irritated voice, "May I help...you?" My voice faltered as I looked up and saw the one and only Seth Rie. He smiled at me and asked, "Yes, I was wondering if I could sit here?" I was stunned. The Seth Rie wanted to sit at my table with me. "Uh, s-sure. Okay, i-if you want. I don't mind," I stuttered in reply. He sat down next to me with his tray of food, but didn't eat. Instead, he turned to me. By this point, I was aware of the stares and constant murmers. I was a normally resrved person and hated the spotlight, so I became very uncomfortable and concious of myself. Seth must have noticed because he leaned in a little and said only loud enough for me to hear, "Don't worry about them." Then a bit louder, "So, what are you working on, Cairo?" I struggled to put together coherent words. I didn't dare to speak, because I was sure I would sound like an idiot and make a complete fool of myself, so I just showed him my sketchbook. He took it from me and examined it. He seemed surprised at my artistic ability. "Wow, you're really good." I blushed terribly. I rarely received compliments. I didn't trust myself to speak yet, so I merely nodded in acknoweldgement. The warning bell for classes rang and he handed back my sketchbook. "Well, that's the bell. It was nice sitting with you." We stood up and as I was about to leave he said, "Hey, maybe you could sit with us at lunch." I was going to object, but he had already left for his first period. Seth looked over his shoulder and yelled, "Great, so I'll see you at lunch!" I stood there for a while, trying to make sense of what happened. Did Seth Rie just sit with me, then offer to let me sit with him at lunch? Life couldn't get any wierder.
I walked to class in a daze and took my regular seat in the back. Everyone kept staring at me. This morning's incident was probably still fresh in their minds. My first few periods went by quickly. Luckily, I didn't have Nala to ask me constant questions about Seth in any of my morning classes. Lunch arrived, and I made my way down to the cafeteria. I grabbed my food and tried to make my escape to the saanctuary that was my table before anyone could notice. Unfortunately, Seth did and called me over. I begrudgingly trudged to the center table, where the popular vamps sat. I guess this is what they mean by people who like being the center of attention. I plopped down next to Seth and looked around the table. Alec was there and so was Nala, but they were too busy being all lovey dovey to notice me, as always. Next to them was a red headed girl with emerald green eyes and a brunette boy with blonde highlights and stormy blue eyes. They all watched me, as if they expected me to do some sort of trick. I got fed up with the stares and said politely, "Hi, I'm Cairo." The brunette boy replied, "Yeah, we know who you are. Lover Boy here won't stop talking about you." I blushed and tried to hide my face with my hair. "So, Cairo, I heard you and Seth sat together this morning," the red head sneered at me. "Yeah, so?" I responded, trying to make my voice sound indifferent. "So, does that mean you two are together? I mean, come on. All of a sudden he sits with you then invites you to our table. Of course, people are gonna talk," she pried. Seth didn't seem to like where she was going with this and told her, "That's enough, Vidia. No, were not dating. I was just trying to be nice. She's one of Nala's friends after all." Vidia?! Seth's ex-girlfriend? "A little too friendly if you ask me," I heard her mutter under her breath. Was she jealous of me? "If you two aren't going out, that means she's free game, right Alec?" the brunette hinted as he winked at me. Fair game? What was I, some kind of trinket? Seth glared at him and he backed off slightly. What was that all about? Not liking the hostile environment, I excused myself from the table and left without touching my food. The halls were mostly empty. The stuents were at lunch. I ended up spending the rest of the period at the library.
Seth's POV
I glared at Matt when he he said Cairo was free game. He knew she was mine. She was my soul mate, the one destined for me. I knew it the moment I saw her. That's why I broke up with Vidia. I may have liked her, but she wasn't my bonded mate, Cairo was. But blood bonds could only be formed between a human and a vampire. I didn't care if she was human or not, but everyone else would, especially Vidia. She would try to feed off of my mate if she knew. I had to protect Cairo at all costs, so I hadd to play along with this secret of hers. I wonder if she even knew we were all vampires. I'm going to wait to ask her until Nala's with Alec tonight, then, I'll tell her about our blood bond. Hopefully she'll accept me. Even if she doesn't, I'll still stay with her. No other man will ever be right for her, good enough for her. I'll just have to wait for her until she loved me as much as I love her. Then maybe some day, I could change her and we could be together with out having to worry about her safety.
