Shadow Embraced (Haven Academy Book 1) [Completed]

Chapter 5

I'm being held captive by freaks who believe in monsters.

"Let me out," I scream, banging on the door. I don't know how long I've been here, but my voice is hoarse. I drop to my knees and give the wood one final hit. "I just want to go home."

The door opens and I fall forward. Looking up, I see Elysium standing over me.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go back there."

"I'm not a vampire. Vampires don't exist." I push myself to my feet.

"Look at what you did to your friend, and that was before the change happened." She turned her attention to the door and it slammed shut.

"What are you?" I take a step backwards, colliding with the hard wooden surface of the back wall. "Are you a... a... one of them too?" I can't even say vampire. It sounds too ridiculous.

She shakes her head. "My race has been known by many names, but today we are called witches. And, you've met Dr Powers. You don't want to get her werewolf side angry."

"No. I'm not going to believe you. I don't believe in monsters." I hold my hands behind my back to stop them from trembling. Whether I believe what she says, I still have no clue what she's going to do with me.

"You'd better start believing." She grabs my arm and pulls me closer to her. "You'll soon be seeing plenty of them, and if you can't convince them you are one of them they will kill you."

I struggle to pull away from her, but her grip tightens. "I thought you said I was one of them."

"No, I just said your father was. To them, Dhampirs are dangerous and unstable. Things that need to be eliminated."

"Well, don't make me go there."

"Where would you go then?" she says. "Back home where you will hurt or even kill someone who trusts you? In the Non-world you are dangerous and won't be able to control your thirst. We've already seen your instincts. How would you be able to function around humans?"

I remain silent. The image of what I'd done to Alex fills my mind. What if I can't control myself and next time I end up killing her? That's if she will speak to me again.

"Are you ready to go?"

I nod, feeling defeated. Even if I wasn't one of these creatures, I still could not trust myself to return home.

I follow her through the forest, batting tree branches out of my face as we walk. "Where are we going?" I ask after a few moments of silence.

"You're going to a secure facility that aims to keep potentially dangerous individuals, like yourself, out of trouble."

"Like a prison?"

"No, no, no." She shakes her head. "It is more like a refinement school which will train and rehabilitate you to function in society."

"Then, can I return home?" I kick a stone at my feet.

Elysium remains silent, not slowing her pace.

"When will I be able to return home?" I turn my attention to her and kick another rock out of my way.

She shakes her head. "That is unknown. You might never be able to function in the Non-society again. The desire to feed might be too overwhelming."

"That's not fair. How do you know I would hurt them?"

"Do you think you're the first Dhampir? There is a reason they're considered dangerous."

I shut my mouth, not sure how to respond.

"This is the best place for you at the moment."

"How long have I been here?" Being kept in a dark hut with all the weird crap happening hasn't been helpful in keeping time.

"Five days."

"Aren't my parents worried about me? Wouldn't they be trying to find me?" I ask, panic filling my voice. It isn't fair on them. "Please, I need to get word to them to let them know I'm safe and okay."

"Everything's been taken care of. You don't need to worry about them."

I remain silent and focus on where I'm going. I don't want to know what she's done. As long as they're safe, then maybe it's best I don't know.

We come to an open field and the tall gothic building comes into view. Stopping at the mammoth dark brick gate, she presses a button on the side and waits.

A few moments of silence follow before a voice rings from the speaker. "Who's there?"

"Elysium. I have a new resident."

A click sounds and the gate starts to swing open.

"Well, this is where I must leave you," Elysium says.

"Aren't you coming with me?" I ask, refusing to move.

She shakes her head. "I have to collect another." She places a soft hand on my shoulder before giving me a push. "Remember, Scar, some secrets are crucial to be kept."

I turn back and watch my last chance at freedom disappear with the gate swinging shut. She's no longer visible. I stare at the ground as I make my way down the path towards the front door.

The light of the morning sun settles upon my skin. Lousy ball of fire, I'm not bursting into flames, but the damn thing's giving me one hell of a headache. I rush toward the archway to get out of the heat.

Calming myself as much as possible, I turn my attention to the door. It's made out of dark, polished wood. An intricately carved rose pattern winds its way along the frame. I grasp the claw-shaped knocker and give it three loud bangs.

The silence within is broken by the soft shuffling of footsteps approaching. A moment later, the heavy door opens with a creak. A woman moves her gaze up my body; her sparkling green eyes remind me of a cat.

She pulls out a clipboard and scans the sheet of paper attached. "You must be Scarlet Devena. Follow me." She pulls me into a darkened hall. Despite her height only coming up to my chest, there is a fierce authority around her.

The inside is vastly different from the outside. I expected filthy cobweb-filled corners, candlelit passageways, moth-eaten curtains billowing in a howling midnight breeze - yeah, yeah; I know it's not midnight - and featureless walls of marble and stone. Instead, the floors are covered with lush carpets the colour of ripe plums. The walls, made of the same dark stone as the exterior, are strung with lines of cloth banners.

We leave the main building through a door at the rear of the structure. The sudden shift in lighting blinds me for a few seconds. As soon as my sight returns, I dart my gaze around the room. The layout makes me think of those camps on TV with open fields for various sports and activities framed by a collection of cabins - or in this case, houses. What a comfortable prison.

The woman leads me down the path toward one of the buildings - an immense wooden manor with black trims around the windows and doors. It looks daunting, standing in the field as it is. The edge of the forest winds its way around behind the house.

Opening the door, I stand there and peer into the darkened room inside. I'm not sure I can do this. How can I pretend to be one of these creatures when I just found out they exist? I don't have any say as she grabs my arm and yanks me in.

A narrow entranceway opens to reveal a grand staircase that leads both up and down. Golden plates hang above each of the various doors, engraved with finely crafted script.

"This is one of our dormitories," she says as she shuffles her way up the stairs. "This will be your home while you are here."

She stops in front of a door and gives it a firm knock. The carving has two names on it: Rayne Ritzer and mine.

A girl answers the door. Her sleepy brown eyes fail to hide her curiosity as she looks me up and down. I feel like a midget in comparison to her.

She leans against the door; a brief spark of annoyance flickers in her eyes. From the looks of it, she was sound asleep a moment ago and doesn't like being disturbed. She flicks her long brown hair over her shoulder. Her black nightie clings to her shapely body. It makes her cream-coloured skin look like porcelain. Despite her sleep-muddled state, she could pass for a model.

"Ah, Miss Ritzer," the woman says. "I have your new roommate."