Brianna

I marched into the bathroom with my newfound friend hot on my heel. The minute the door slammed, closing off the calmed chaos in the hall, I felt better. I was never the person to hold a grudge. It poisoned one's heart and caused wrinkles. And, for a girl who lived forever, I had other things to worry about including beauty. 

I rested my bag on the marbled tiles on the sink before checking if the six cubicles were empty. Miss Rambler stood near the pink-colored wall at the door. Her wild auburn curls complemented the room's decor.

A soft pink was dashed on the cubicle doors. The white of the toilet seats and the tiles, the lime green of the sanitary bins, the silver of the towel rack, and the hand dryer, were the other colors threw in the mix. 

My gosh, who the hell created this mess? 

I swiveled and walked to the rectangular mirror positioned above the three ceramic tabletop sinks. 

Forget what I said, I never want to meet the idiot who came up with this design. 

My attention was brought back to the task at hand. In my bag sat a fresh suit of clothes. It was as if I knew something bad was going to happen. These garments were the first that entered my bag last night. Thank God, I had not removed them. 

I pulled out the black blouse with the matching colored bra and handed it to the human. "Could you hold this for me?" 

She collected the garments, then returned to her previous spot. 

"What's your name?" I hooked my fingers at the end of the wet blouse I wore and pulled it over my head. 

"Summer." 

"Hmmm." For a second, I almost laughed. Her hair reminded me of autumn, not summer. My fingers grazed the front of my bra. It too felt damp. "Well, my name is Brianna."

For the first time since I laid eyes on Summer, she smiled. "I know. Everyone knows who you are. A person would have to live under a rock not to."

I glanced at the girl in the mirror. 

It could be possible everyone knew me. My parents were in the High Council and leaders for the vampire community in Redwood. "Right, but I have no clue who you are."

Her cheeks grew a light shade of red. "Oh, well, ah, my last name is King. If that helps." 

A whole minute passed by before the name rang a bell. "As in the King family?"

The King's have been the longest residing human family in Redwood. Their brilliance had contributed to the ongoing development of our communities. To be apart of the King family was an honor to itself. 

"Yes," she confirmed with widened eyes when she realized my next move. 

The wet brazier left my skin, exposing my chest. 

I neglected her expression and continued my task. After decades of living in dorms, minor looks from others of the same gender became the norm. "I'm sorry if I make you feel uncomfortable."

Her cheeks grew redder. Her eyes roamed everywhere except my chest. "It's okay. I...ah... you're...hmmm." 

I stretched out my palm with a reassuring smile. She placed the dry bra in my hand and went back to studying the walls. I wrapped the bra around my upper body, hooked it in place, and pulled the straps on my shoulders. 

"So, how come a girl with your name is getting bullied?" 

 "Well, that's simple. I'm human. Unlike the High Council, the Young Council—"

"Young Council?" 

She bounced where she stood. "Yeah, a group of elites at our school who handles the affairs of the student body." 

I bobbed my head. "Oh." I could recall Brian mentioning something like that. If I could remember, he said he was apart of the group.

"Right. So the elites don't allow humans to join the council. Therefore, we are stuck at the bottom of the chain, no matter what our last names are." 

Well, that sucked. 

The High Council allowed a human advocate on the board. Thus, every human matter was heard. It prevented chaos, and everyone felt satisfied and equal. I would not have thought Redwood Institution would be different. Twenty-five percent of the school's population was made up of humans. So, why didn't they have a voice? And, why hadn't the High Council noticed, and addressed this injustice?

"I know what you might be thinking: humans are weak. Yes, we are, and we are easier to be bullied, but we do have worth." 

A smile graced my lips at her words, her sudden burst of confidence. "I agree."

Her eyes snapped to mine, happiness twinkled in them. "Thanks."

"No need to thank me. I did not agree for your benefit, but speaking the truth."

She responded with a curt nod.

"So, how much do you know about me?" 

She wiggled her nose and scrunched up her face. "I don't know a lot, but I do know you are a Siphoner-vampire." She hesitated for a short while before continuing, "Everyone knows you are next in line to take the seat in the High Council along with your Sired, Brian, this summer." She paused again. When she spoke her voice was lower than before. "Rumor has it, you were expelled from witch school last semester because you used an ancient, forbidden spell on the Headmistress' daughter."

Those rumors were indeed true. I knew I should not have been surprised the whole town knew. News flew fast here. 

"But, I"m not judging you or anything. There are always two sides to a story, and I know you wouldn't have done something without a cause." 

This girl was smart. She knew how to use her words. 

"Hmmm," was my response as I stretched for my blouse.

She handed it over and went on, "Everyone says you're like a rebel. You do the opposite of what everyone else wants. But, I think you're pretty cool. You don't care about the feud in our town or what anyone thinks; you do what's right. You're like the modern-day hero. My hero."

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree, and her smile was as bright as the sun. 

Yep, she was good. 

I never viewed myself as a hero. If anything, I was more like a villain. 

A thunderous clap circled the room. Summer jumped. Her sharp scream scared the clap away. 

The intruder covered his ears and barked, "Out!"

Summer scrambled out of the room without as much as a goodbye. 

Ugh! 

"Darn, that girl has a pair of lungs. For a second there, I could have sworn she was a banshee."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you think that was necessary? I did call her in here."

He scrunched up his nose. His eyes trailed after her. "I don't like her. She smells funny."

With caution, I pulled the blouse over my head. "Yeah, you say that about all humans." 

His shoulders bounced. "It's not like it's not the truth."

My arms went into the holes of the garment. "Right, for a guy who once was a human, you sure hate them. Plus, her scent is a breath of fresh air from all the disgusting witches' and warlocks'."

We both knew Brian never hated humans as to how he acted. Though he avoided and mocked them, his past could not be forgotten. He once was human. Okay, it was two centuries ago, but the fact remained, he was one. Nothing could change that. Besides, I thought I knew why he acted the way he did. To not kill humans, he hated them instead; turning his mind from them. It was a weird way of life, but at least they were not on his food chain. 

Brian snuck up behind me, helping me pull the material on my body. "I thought the plan was for us to ride to school together?"