"I've never met a Vampire before today." Jed said as they walked down the stone hallways. He wondered how they didn't get lost, and wondered how he would find his way out again. Maybe that was the point of putting his room this far into the palace.
"And what are your first impressions?" Lailah asked him. She looked bored. He was taller than her by a good foot and a half, but in no way did she seem small to him.
"I can safely say my welcome wasn't 100% welcoming, but I do appreciate you taking my side."
"Well, you came at a convenient time for me. I had gone to see my father myself early today about the same matter you now discuss."
"Well then, you're welcome."
Her face was still neutral, but she did raise her eyebrow at him again. Holy hell she was gorgeous. Shit. This visit was either going to be really good or go south. And not in the way he might want.
"How did this concern come up with you?"
"I'm what humans might call Clairvoyant? I think that's the word. I have dreams about the future, and usually they are small things like an orange falling off a tree at a specific time or my father oversleeping, but they always come true."
"And you had a dream the the Hybrid population was growing?"
"I had a dream that the Hybrids were going to come here and destroy everything I love. And then move onto other Sectors."
"Are there others like you? That can tell the future?"
"You make it sound so dramatic. And no, it's rare. I'm the first one in centuries."
"Did you mean what you said earlier, that you would train me with your army?"
"You ask alot of questions. Yes I did, but first I need to train you alone. My army is made up of Vampires and you are a human, so unless you fancy being eaten alive, then you need to be able to keep up."
"A human keep up with Vampires?"
"With my training, I'm sure you will be fine. Have you done any other training before?"
"I trained with my own army in the Human Sector, however I think all that training will be slightly irrelevant here."
"Well, you're not wrong." She said with a smirk. At last they had reached his room. "This room will be yours for the foreseeable future. Do you have any family that will come looking for you that we need to take care of?"
"No one will come looking for me." Jed said looking away from her. She raised an eyebrow at him before, moving on.
"My room is just down this hall and up the stairs at the top of the tower. If you need me desperately, I will be there until sunrise. Then we begin training. I'll spare you on pleasantries, we do things a little differently here, but there are three rules you must follow, so listen carefully. Are you following?" Jed swallowed loudly and nodded. "Rule number one, time works based on the sun. You are to wake up and start your day at sunrise, and your curfew is when I say it is. You do not leave the palace after sunset. Understood?" Jed nodded again. "Rule number two. Be nice to the servants. Circumstance put them here, they do not deserve your abuse. Treat them kindly and they will do the same." Jed nodded and smiled at that.
"And rule number three?" Jed asked.
"Rule number three. Do not provoke a Vampire. While our laws state we must protect Humans, that does not mean all Vampire necessarily like Humans. Stay out of their way, and they will stay out of yours. They will stare at you though, get used to it. Is that all understood?" Jed nodded one last time. "Good. Now go into your room and stay there until morning when I come to get you. And get some sleep, I train hard."
"Okay" She turned to walk down the hall. "Goodnight, Lailah." She didn't not turn back. Jed could not wait until morning.
~
Lailah entered her room and the first thing she saw was Nat sitting on her bed. Her bed was station in the middle of the room, and although she was royalty, he room was minimalistic. She had plain purple sheets and a black duna cover, black curtains and a singular dresser to the left of the window. On the dresser were pictures of her and Nat, Lailah and her mother, and Lailah with some of the village children. Her father would have scoffed at her sentiment, but he had never been in her room, nor had anyone else other than her mother and Nat.
"I wondered how long you were going to talk to the Human." Nat said. She was reading a book, mostly for dramatic effect, knowing Nat.
"I was preparing him for tomorrow. There is a lot he needs to learn."
"And these are things you must teach him?"
"Oh why are you teasing Nat."
"Can you not admit he is quite the looker."
"He is quite the mortal as well." There was a silence at that.
"There is an easy fix for that."
"Don't even start. I am not turning him into a Vampire unless he is dying."
"Alright, alright, but I saw the way he was looking at you."
"Nat, you weren't even in the room. Plus, have you seen me? Everyone looks at my like that."
"That's what you wanted you to think." They laughed and Lailah flopped onto her bed beside her best friend.
"How are things in the tower guard."
"Boring as ever. I wish you would put me on better missions other than keeping an eye on the boys."
"What can I say, they are lookers as well."
"Ha, ha, ha" Nat said sarcastically, and pushed Lailah off the bed. Her reflexes kicked in and she landed on her feet. She put her hands on the bed and leaned over.
"I am not going to put my best friend on missions that could get her killed. Who else am I going have these deep conversations with."
"You should have more faith that I won't get myself killed."
"I trust you, I don't trust anyone else."
"I don't know if that's such a good thing anymore." There was a silence. Lailah was the one to break it.
"I am training Jed tomorrow, privately, you will do well not to stalk us."
"Oooooh Jed is it? First name basis. Am I to still not tease?" Lailah returned this with a stern look. "Okay, okay, okay, have it your way. But seriously, could you at least consider putting me on a more, you know, hands on mission? The boys in the tower may be cute but they can hold a conversation about as well as a rock."
"If I promise to think about it, will you stop pestering me?"
"Yes"
"Okay then."
"Are you staying here tonight?"
"Duh."
"I love you."
"I know you do." With that Lailah quickly went to her small bathroom off to the right of her window, changed out of her tunic and into something more comfortable and came back into the room. By this point, Nat has assembled the pull out bed attached to the wall opposite Lailah's bed. She was one out of two people she really truly loved.
"Goodnight, Nat." She said. But Nat was already asleep.
