Blood Doll

Chapter Two

At the train station, Lola lingered in the back of the crowd evading direct eye contact with every person she encountered. She feared her intentions would be quickly discovered and she had to assure she was safe. She fidgeted with the straps of her bag and kept shuffling her feet.

When the people began to board, Lola managed to sneak down the train line to the caboose where she navigated up the stairs and into the empty cart. She examined each knook and cranny, trying to find a place to stow away when the door swung open. Ms. Arwood appeared, her face flushed rose.

"Oii vey, Lola. You could have just asked for me to go with you."

Lola felt the embarrassment entrap her body and mind. Crap, she had made it throughout the Cape Nox without a care in the world and hadn't bothered to make sure she wasn't followed. How stupid. What made the situation worse was when Derias Pastras stepped around the corned to stand behind Ms. Arwood.

Derias was one of the most popular students at Superno. He was handsome, tall, and slim. His hair was as dark as the night skies and his brown eyes glimmered with amber specks that Lola felt she could hypnotized by. Most importantly, Derias was a lunatis elf who carried the wolf gene. His species were powerful and known in the supernatural world. Some even expressed that the lunatis ruled the world, from behind closed doors that is.

"Val, I'll see her to Vine Village. You have an academy to help run," Derias said.

Val? Lola inquired inwardly. Why was he so relaxed around her? Ms. Arwood just nodded. "Very well then, Derias. Here," she directed a thick envelope at Lola along with two train passes. "

Lola tentatively reached out and took the envelope and passes. Val gave her a final smile before disappearing out the door to the platform. Derias closed the door. "It'll only be a days ride, might as well get comfortable. Valerie already set up food deliveries and the next cart over as the loo."

She was baffled and wasn't quite sure what to say. Confusion was another emotion that flashed across her face. She felt the cart lurch forward. Derias managed to hold his footing, but Lola stumbled forward and tripped over her own feet.

Lola felt his arms twine around her waist to prevent her from smacking into the door. "Sorry," she mumbled as he lifted her easily to stand.

"Sit down before you hurt yourself," he retorted. He sounded annoyed.

She didn't argue and found a seat on the bench next to the window. She placed the envelope and passes in her bag and set it aside. Her eyes wandered to Derias and unable to stop the words, Lola asked, "What are you doing here?"

Derias had settled opposite of her and was resting his head against the window pane relaxing until Lola disrupted his thoughts. He opened his eyes and corrected his posture to sit up straight. How could he explain this?

Be honest, he thought. "Well, you know my name: Derias Pastras. You know what I am. What you don't know is that I am from the Guard. I was sent to Superno Academy when Cordelia reached out and asked for protection. Valerie, um, Ms. Arwood was also found living in the area and given a place at the school.

You're a blood doll, Lola. You couldn't fully expect to just walk around without protection." He paused contemplating his next words carefully. "Aisline is a gardenia witch." Lola nearly interrupted to ask what exactly that was, but Derias continued without missing a beat.

"A gardenia witch is someone who possesses magical attributes. Their specialty is light magic. Aisline has placed a protection charm on you that will silent your aura around supernaturals. As in, you will look human. The Guard is made up of warriors, from different backgrounds and species, all to protect you. We haven't had to use it in-"