The Exiled Prince

My school isn't very big, it only has about three hundred students. Compared to the average public school, our seems more like a spec of dust. For some reason, at that moment in time, despite how short that hallway was in reality, it seemed to stretch on for infinity. The distance between both Charlotte and I and that boy looked insurmountable. Yet, in my stomach, I had a funny feeling. A feeling that he could bridge that insurmountable, infinite distance as though it were a simple task.

Manifesting the impossible—looking back at that time, I guess that's what all mages do. However, comparing him to the average mage might be unfitting.

Unlike me, Charlotte didn't seem even the slightest bit unnerved by the boy's sudden appearance. She glanced up at him before returning her attention to me. 

"Isn't that a boy in our grade? I think I've got art with him. Kinda creepy how he's just looking at us. His name was... Fang I think." 

"What does he want?", I asked. 

For a brief moment, he stood there. At the time, I hadn't a single clue what he could've been doing, but now I've gained that knowledge. 

He was observing us. 

Not in some normal way, he was in a state of deep contemplation. Weighing his options, reviewing all the information he knew, and finding the best solution. 

While he did that, I burned his image into my mind. Like a certain odd girl, he had colorful, striking hair. It was a soft, azure blue that caught the eye. They were paired well with the school's uniform, a blue collared shirt and dark blue pants. Dangling from his neck was a golden necklace. It had some sort of Chinese character on it, but I couldn't tell you what it meant. 

Actually, I don't think those pants were part of the school's dress code. As long as the principal doesn't catch you, I guess you can wear whatever.

Breaking his silence, the boy's voice echoed through the hall. "Your name's Charlotte, right?" 

"Hmm? Yeah."

"And you?" 

That's a bit surprising, I supposed that everyone in my grade would have at least heard of me. Still, such prime opportunities for a grandiose introduction aren't to be wasted.

"Hailing from the highest point of the ancient homeland of the gods-" 

"Veri. His name is Veri.", Charlotte interrupted. 

What's her problem? 

"Sorry for interrupting whatever you guys have got going on."

"We've got nothing going on!", Charlotte loudly exclaimed. It seemed as though she wasn't just responding to Fang, but shouting it out to the heavens.

I could tell that Fang was slightly put off by her over-the-top reaction, but he pressed forward. "I was watching from my classroom's window and noticed something. Veri, let me see what's on your neck."

Without thinking, I almost moved my hand away from my neck. Just as my fingers were about to unclasp my neck, I froze. Suddenly my mind was racing. Fang's request was simple, but the implications were terrifying. How did he see the bite marks from up in the classroom? Why would he be asking something like that? Is he suspicious about Cacophony? More than that, what exactly is the relationship between mages and vampires?

According to Cacophony, hundreds of years ago humanity and vampires fought a vicious battle. Throughout these hundreds of years, has their relationship gotten better? What's been passed down since then? Do I have something to fear if I showed him my neck right this instant?

My hand tightened over the spot on my neck where Cacophony had bitten me.

Charlotte's gaze darted between Fang and me, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Why do you want to see his neck?" she demanded, stepping slightly in front of me, her protective stance surprising. Even now, I don't understand why Charlotte seems to be so involved with me, but for now, I feel glad.

Fang took a step forward, his cold expression unreadable. "You're not involved in this, go back to class."

"Excuse me? How about you get out of our way? He's hurt and I've got to take him to the nurse. On top of that, he doesn't have to show you anything!"

There was a tense silence as the two stared each other down. It was then that every doubt in my mind was cleared regarding who the mage who made the barrier could be. Without a doubt, it was this boy. But is he a friend or foe? Which is it?

What makes the situation worse is the fact that I'm still not at 100%. 

 Fang sighed and took a step back, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Alright, fine. I won't press it. You guys have places to be and all."

Defeated, the boy stepped to the side and gave us room to pass. Without saying it, he gave us the green light to pass by. Charlotte still seemed to be a tad bit defensive. I mean, she had just gone full momma-bear mode.

'Hmph!" 

It was her aggressive and stern nature that made Charlotte choose to press forward. Turning back would only prove that she'd been intimidated by him and she couldn't accept a reality like that. In my current state, I had no choice but to let her drag me along.

As we walked past, he never stopped watching us. I could feel his powerful gaze bearing down on my neck, causing my grip around it to become even stronger.

"Reveal yourself, Swirling Dragon."

A flash of blue light blinded me for a moment, but soon I felt something knocking my hand away from my neck.

"So it is true. You've got vampire bite marks on your neck, meaning there's a vampire in this city. The fact that you were hiding the marks means you're likely hiding the vampire too." 

What exactly just happened? I was stunned for a second and went I checked my hand, there was a gash on the back of it. It looked as though I'd been slashed by a knife. After I looked at it, my brain registered the searing pain. 

Charlotte looked stunned as well, her attention split between my fresh wound and the threat standing in front of us.

She scowled, "You-! The hell do you think you're doing?!" 

"Sorry to drag you into this. This matter only concerns this fiend. Hiding a vampire is a serious crime." 

"Vampire?! Are you nuts or something?!", Charlotte stood up to confront the boy, but as he began to raise his hand, I realized what he was about to do.

Mustering all of my strength, I yanked on Charlotte's arm. 

Bang!

My breathing had become loud and rugged. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a deafening drum in the chaotic symphony of the hallway. As I looked at the floor tiles nearby, I saw the large newly formed hole. 

A hit like that could have killed her!

"I'm sorry, I really am. I've worked too hard for my life to fall apart here. Veri, Charlotte, the two of you are threats to my life here. I'll dispose of you two right here!"

Fang's presence had completely shifted. Unlike before his eyes flared with life and his tangible desperation showed itself in all its glory, serving as the bass to our symphony.

Behind him, two flowing blue circles appeared. Upon closer inspection, you could tell that whatever they were, they were alive. Swirling Dragons, that's what he called them. Eastern dragons? If they were, I'd understand why they were so serpent-like in appearance, but why were they so small? Straightened out, they may have been about a foot long each.

Damn it, this isn't the time to be curious! It's been confirmed, this guy is an enemy!

Before I could do anything more, Charlotte grabbed my arm and made a run for it. If she were by herself, she might have gotten away, but given the state of my body, there was no way for me to keep up with her. Attempting to save me only slowed her down.

Given our situation, it was amazing that we almost managed to get to the door at the end of the hallway. Without warning though, I felt another sharp pain. Looking down, my lower back had been struck. Luckily, the wound wasn't very deep, but I was bleeding.

Slamming through the door, we rushed forward. The sound of our footsteps echoed loudly, blending with the distant chatter of classrooms. Fang's footsteps followed closely behind, steady and unrelenting.

We burst into the main hallway, students milling about between classes. Fang was close, but I noticed something: he hesitated when we were among the other students. While he continued chasing us, he didn't attack. He didn't want to attract too much attention. This realization gave me a spark of hope. 

As we turned the corner, I knew we had a chance. 

"Stop for a second.", I muttered. 

The words that escaped from my mouth were weaker than I had expected. Lately, I've felt weaker than normal, combined with the mile run, my injuries, and the stress, I guess I wasn't doing so well. 

Following my command, Charlotte stopped, but the look in her eyes was frantic. 

"What? What happened, are you okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I've got an idea." 

Reaching my hand out toward the wall, I used the only card we had to play. The fire alarm.

Without hesitation, I pulled it, setting off the blaring siren. The students around us froze for a moment before panic set in, and they started moving towards the exits. Following them, students, teachers, and staff poured into the halls. 

Instantly, Charlotte understood what I was doing. "Let's get out of the school."

 We merged into the chaotic flow of students, using the crowd as cover. I glanced back and saw Fang, his face a mask of frustration as he struggled to keep track of us.

We managed to slip out of the building amidst the chaos, the fresh air hitting us like a wave. The sound of the fire alarm was muffled outside, and we paused for a moment to catch our breath.

"Where to now?" Charlotte asked, her eyes wide with fear and adrenaline.

With some hesitation, I responded, "My house. It's the safest place to be right now."

"Why? And what's going on?"

"Well, Fang wasn't too off base. There isn't just a vampire living at my place, she's the vampire empress. If we can get to my house, she can protect us."

"Veri, this isn't the time for your delusions or whatever weird fantasies you've got cooking up in that head of yours. This is serious, and I'm not messing around!"

"I'm not messing around this time. Look, I know I sound like the boy who cried wolf right now, but I'm not lying. Please, could you believe in my weird fantasies just this once?"

The look on Charlotte's face was one of pure conflict. She knew that staying there wasn't an option, but she also didn't believe a single word I was saying. As her heart pounded and her mind raced, she thought back to that time in the abandoned bathroom. Back then, that was when she started to believe that I could be a normal person. A person that she could potentially grow to trust. 

That memory, compounded by the adrenaline pulsing through her body, led to her next action.

Without uttering a word, she knelt down, gesturing for me to climb onto her back.

"Give me directions on the way."

We cut through the school's parking lot, heading towards the residential streets. The houses were familiar, a comforting sight in the midst of our frantic escape. As we rounded a corner, I glanced back and saw Fang emerging from the school grounds. He was determined, but the distance we'd gained was enough for now. Still, given the fact that he was a mage, I wasn't sure how quickly he'd be able to catch up.

"Faster," I urged, and Charlotte pushed herself harder. She already had quite an intense load to carry so I felt bad to ask for more, but I had no choice.

Normally, my walk to school takes me about forty minutes, but that includes the detour to the medical center. If we took the most direct route, it'd be about a thirty-minute walk. If we're talking distance, that's about 1.5 miles. 

Using an exercise app on my phone, I checked Charlotte's pace. She was running at about 9:20 minutes per mile. A remarkable pace everything considered. But she was slowing down. In a mere few minutes, she was at a 10:40 pace and it was dropping fast. 

What should we do? How do we get out of this situation?

We were coming up at a gas stop when I saw my answer. An unattended bike. Stealing isn't something I want to ever make a habit of... Damn it! 

I directed Charlotte towards it, but just as we were about to get on it, two blue blurs appeared, crashing through the bike and rendering it unusable. Turning back, Fang was running down the street.

"We've gotta go. There's only about a half mile left." 

As I said that, I looked closely at Charlotte. She wasn't in good shape. Her entire body was shaking and it looked as though she was about to collapse.

Still, as she gasped helplessly for air, she took a step forward and continued running. We got lucky. Traffic on the main road had been backed up for a while and after Charlotte crossed through the stopped cars, their engines roared and they began moving again. Stuck on the other side, Fang's pursuit had been temporarily halted.

We keep moving, not looking back again. My house was only a few blocks away, and each step brought us closer to safety.

Finally, we reached my street and I pointed toward my house. 

Charlotte didn't slow down until we were at the doorstep, where she practically collapsed. I fumbled for my keys, my hands shaking as I managed to unlock the door. We stumbled inside, slamming the door shut behind us. The house was quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos we'd just escaped.

"He's still coming," Charlotte panted. 

"We'll be fine.", During the entire way here, I'd wanted to ease Charlotte's fears with those words. It was only now that I could bring myself to say them. Only now as I gazed upon a majestic sight. Looking on at us with eyes filled with wonder, Cacophony, dawning her black and red dress, was grinning from ear to ear. Her sharp fangs showing clear as day.

"I see. So you've met them already? This is gonna be fun."

Still filled with worry, Charlotte looked up at me. I only had one answer to her silent plea.

"I told you, we've got a Vampire Empress on our side."