Encased within Darkness

Chapter 3

Maria bowed, "I am Oliver Baker, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"There's something I'm not getting isn't there?" Diederich questioned, glancing at Vincent with a raised eye.

"Nope, this is my underclassman. You two should be friends, he makes delicious sandwiches."

When Maria stood up she gently ran a finger across a hanging strand of her hair which was pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head. Currently standing in Vincent's dorm room, she was dressed in Weston's uniform. Due to Weston being an all boys school her true gender was meant to be a secret.

Diederich glanced at her again, leaning rather close to her face. "He looks like a girl," he commented, turning and giving Vincent a distrusting look. "You know it's forbidden for girls to be here at Weston. You could get expelled."

"Good thing he isn't a girl," Vincent responded with a shrug, turning and plopping down in his bed.

"Is there anything I can do?" Maria inquired.

"Yes, help Diederich with whatever," Vincent answered leasurely waving.

"So your pushing your duties on to your underclassman as well?" Diederich grumbled.

Vincent said nothing more and merely waved them off.

With a huff, Diederich turned and exited the room.

Maria glanced between the two before bowing and saying, "excuse me," and following after Diederich.

"What would you like for me to do?" She inquired, having difficulty keeping the same stride as Diederich.

"I don't know what he thinks he's doing, disregarding the rules of the school," He grumbled.

"He is not disregarding any rules. I am a boy," Maria responded.

"Don't lie! You're not fooling me!"

Diederich turned and grabbed hold of Maria's shoulders and stared directly at her face.

"There's no way you're a boy," he said, studying her fiercely.

Maria stared blankly at him and repeated, "You are mistaken, I am a boy."

Suddenly, a giggle from behind earned Diederich's attention.

Vincent stood holding his stomach and trying to stifle his laughter.
"I didn't know..." He said in between laughter, "I guess he's your type? Don't mind me, pretend I'm not here."

"Eh? W-what are you suggesting?!" Diederich questioned, his face turning red. Looking between Maria and Vincent his eyes widened and he immediately let go of her and stuttered, "I-it's not like that! Oliver is a girl and I'm sure of that."

Vincent raised an eye with a smug grin on his face while Maria said, "No, I am a boy."

Diederich looked between them, continuing to turn a deeper shade of red.

Vincent couldn't contain himself and burst into a fit of laughter.

"S-stop laughing!" Diederich ordered, running over and shaking Vincent.

Maria watched them and, despite herself, a small smile formed on her lips.

Amidst the two's banter, another student cleared their throat interrupting them.

"Hello Twining!" Vincent said with a smile, completely oblivious to the boy's look of disinterest.

"Excuse me," The boy said, moving past the two.

Maria stepped to the side to let the boy past, and she could smell the scent of his soul. The smell was sweet and almost intoxicating, a smell that made her stomach ache in desire.

Maria caught herself and bit the inside of her cheek as she realized the implication.

Devouring the soul of a human classmate of Vincent's was forbidden. She was only allowed to eat souls he had approved of and Maria did not want to go against his wishes.

But she knew she would have to feed again. The souls from the night before wasn't enough, she needed more.

Glancing up at Vincent Maria stiffened when he approached and smacked her shoulder rather hard.

"Oliver, we should give you the tour! There's so much to see you'll never be bored!"

"You're trying to skip out on your studies!" Diederich stated, crossing his arms.

"You must complete your studies," Maria said, glancing up at him.

"Eh? You two are ganging up on me?" Vincent questioned, glancing between the two with his eyes wide open.

"You never take your studies seriously. I can't believe you're a Prefect," Diederich commented, stepping closer.

With roughness, he grabbed Vincent's collar and pulled him after him while saying, "You're not escaping! Study for once!"

"Whaa! Oliver! Help~" Vincent called out playfully, his arms outstretched as if he honestly wanted Maria to help.

By the tone of his voice and the way that he winked at her, Maria knew that wasn't the case. However, she still followed after them.

From her position at the edge of the door frame, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of Vincent casually sleeping while Diederich grumbled with two sets of homework in front of him, clearly doing the studying on his own. "What a kind individual," She murmured, sighing in relief.

There weren't many people Vincent trusted, and the few he did trust he tended to tease. Maria was glad that she didn't have to worry about him being alone. From her previous experiences with humans, the ones who were alone tended to be miserable and she hated the thought of seeing Vincent that way.

Maria's wings spread, their white feathers covering her back. Once her wings expanded she immediately became invisible to the surrounding humans as if vanishing from sight. Her expression saddened for a moment, and she muttered a soft, "Forgive me Master," before she took off into the sky.