Sinclaire Academy

Prologue

Prologue

Lahat siguro tayo nakaramdam na ng kaba, lalo na kapag transfer student ka. Mas lalong nakakakaba kung transfer student ka sa Sinclaire Academy. Why? Ito lang naman ang pinakasosyal na school sa Hangrove.

Malayang namamalagi ang vampires sa Hangrove; sila kasi ang nagpaunlad at nagpayaman sa lugar na 'to. Hindi maipagkakailang mas angat ang species nila, not only because of number but because of their power. Our world has a ranking system called the Pyramid and vampires were at the top spot. Vampires have been above everyone else ever since the Pyramid was established. Kahit na mas angat sila, may mga batas pa rin kaming sinusunod. They have their own law to keep the humans safe.

I haven't put much thought into the coexistence of humans and vampires before. Ngayon lang nang lumipat kami rito.

I always knew vampires were around; I just never encountered one. Unlike Hangrove, maliit lang ang population ng vampires sa Eraie. There was only a two percent chance to encounter a vampire in our small province.

I've lived in Eraie my whole life kaya hindi ko inaasahang sa isang iglap lang, mag-aalsabalutan kami at lilipat sa Hangrove.

Three days after settling in, my mother dropped the news na rito ako mag-aaral. I was shocked to say the least. Inisip ko rin naman na rito ako mag-aaral, maybe in a human school in a connected town—a public one. But my mother had different ideas. Yes, ibang level 'tong Sinclaire Academy. Nagtataka pa nga ako kung saan nakuha ni mama ang pera pampa-enroll sa akin dito at pang-tution pa. Ang pera na lang kasi ng papa ko ang inaasahan namin.

I was reluctant to agree dahil hindi naman talaga ako handa pero wala rin naman akong magagawa. Ayos na raw ang lahat kaya wala akong dapat problemahin sabi ni mama. She went through all the enrollment process for me. I felt bad after realizing that tapos tatanggihan ko pa ang gusto niya. After everything that's happened to us, all I wanted for her was to be happy.

So now, I, Adrianna Walter, am the "New Girl" or more likely "New Meat" in Sinclaire Academy.

Isang co-ed school for humans and vampires.

Kinagat ko ang labi ko at in-adjust ang malaking bag na nakasukbit sa balikat ko. Kanina pa ako nakatayo rito sa main lobby at wala akong makitang makatutulong sa paghahanap ng dorm. Sa kasamaang palad, kailangan kong mag-stay sa dorm dito. Required daw tumira ang students dito tuwing weekdays kahit na malapit ang bahay namin. The handbook said it was for the students' safety.

Kanina ko pa talaga gustong mag-facepalm at maglupasay. Namumugto pa yung mata ko dahil umiyak ako nang magpaalam ako kay mama kanina. Bakit naman kasi iniwan niya ako agad? Hindi man lang niya ako tinulungan na maghanap ng dorm. From this point on, she expected that I can handle everything on my own. I can't.

I just hoped na hindi masama ang ugali ng mga estudyante rito kundi uuwi talaga ako nang wala sa oras. Kaso baka sipain din ako ni mama pabalik and tell me that I have to 'suck it up'. Sayang ang tuition na binayad na namin. Maybe she'll add in the long lecture of "Money doesn't come from trees" and—

"Are you Adrianna Walter?"

Napatalon ako nang marinig ko ang isang boses na galing sa likod ko. Hinarap ko ang matandang babaeng may dala-dalang clip board na mukhang hinihintay ang sagot ko.

Tumango ako bilang sagot. She gave off a vibe that I was not used to. Sa pagdating ko rito, hindi ako nag-attempt na lumabas to catch even a glimpse of their kind. This will be the first. She was the first.

Suminghap ako nang ngumiti sya. She showed off two sharp and pointy fangs then she said, "Welcome to Sinclaire Academy."