Chapter 3

That question made Natashia wince, looking to Tucker for help, who wrapped a reassuring arm around her waist. She cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable, then said, “I had a sorcerer put a strong enough spell on you so that you wouldn’t have the characteristics of a vampire. I had him focus mostly on you not having a blood thirst or sharpened canines, and that was possible as long as you were given pills that he provided. The sun allergy was something he couldn’t hide completely, seeing as how it’s deadly to vampires, but he was able to diminish the effects you would feel. You won’t burst into flames, at least not the moment you step into the sunlight, but if you’re in the sun for an extended period of time, your cells will soak in the light radiation, all the way to your bones, at which point… You will burn like dry timber. Sunscreen helps only the tiniest bit, so vampires need strong spells to be able to be in the sun for long periods of time without experiencing death. There are sorcerers as well as other beings who have been able to find ways for us vampires to join them in the sunlight.”

The confusion whirling around in her mind fought to overwhelm her, mixing up the words her mother was saying to her along with flinging emotions around, and Jayde tried to process the information being flung at her. Spells? Sorcerers? Pills? That made Jayde remember the medicine her supposed doctor and mom had said she needed. How long had she been taking them?

Tucker took that moment to speak into the void of silence between them. “We brought you here to learn more about yourself and others in a safe, controlled environment. You’ll learn about your vampire characteristics as well as the ins and outs of the world that’s been hidden from you. Once the effects of the pills and the spell wear off, you’ll have to learn how to control your blood thirst.” He paused, letting the information soak into her brain. “You’ll have the same classes here as you did at the other school in Ashland, just with some different lessons. Seeing Lace, I’m sure your main professor will be him and he will be your mentor here.”

Jayde’s brain was tired from trying to keep up with the things being thrown at her. The hardest thing for her was that she really hadn’t believed in any of the stories about werewolves, fairies, or vampires. None of the tall tales, fairy tales, whatever. But now, she was in the middle of one, being told she was a vampire just as her mother is and apparently her step-father is a freaking fairy. The information made her wonder whether the glasses of wine her mom had a couple nights a week were truly wine or something a little more gross. Then Jayde thought about her ten-year-old brother and wondered if that made him some kind of fairy-vampire hybrid. Did Alyx know what he was?

Before Jayde had a chance to throw more questions out, Mr. King walked back to them, Mr. Crea following behind. Mr. King’s face seemed set in stone now, looking very stern and set in his ways. Mr. Crea, on the other hand, was looking like he didn’t have a single care in the world. She turned toward them, eyes narrowing as she searched for any signs of what species they were.

Seeing nothing obvious, she blurted, “What are you two?”

Mr. Crea smiled, stepping forward with his hand stretched out to her. “Currently, Miss. Vaninee, I’m the only other vampire in residence at Kushim Uruk Academy.”

Jayde couldn’t help but tense and she ignored his offered hand. Her hand just wouldn’t raise to shake his. “Ah, nice to meet you.”

Mr. King just completely ignored the question, looking straight at Natashia. “Jaydelynn will be well cared for, as you know. The school is now providing laptops for the students, so she’ll be able to easily contact you via social media as well as with her cell phone. I hope you were able to clear everything up.”

No, Jayde thought as her mother nodded to him. Natashia turned to look at Jayde, her eyes worried. She was actually struggling not to grab Jayde up and hold her tightly. There was still too much to tell her, not enough time, and her daughter was too stubborn to let herself be held when she was upset. In that regard, Jaydelynn was exactly like her father.

A new thought crossed Jayde’s mind, and her eyes flashed with uncertainty as she wrapped her arms around herself. “Will I have… fangs? Will I have to start drinking blood?”

The sudden questioning took Natashia by surprise, but she recovered quickly. She nodded, smiling with her mouth open so that Jayde could watch as the two canines lengthened slightly. They became about three fourths of an inch long, tipped with the slightest rounded point that was there even when they weren’t elongated. Jayde was reminded of the candy canes that had been turned into sharp points when she was younger. The process took the candy cane through a stage where the cane had just a bit of a point, but it wasn’t obviously sharp.

Would hers really become…like that?

Jayde let herself do a quick examination of them then looked away. She pulled her earbuds out of her hoodie pocket and put them back in her eyes, although she left her music off. She quickly grabbed the smaller suitcase, rolling it over to the bigger one, then rolled both off towards the porch, one in her left hand and the other in her right, the large duffel bag balanced on it. Jayde refused to look back as she pulled the suitcases up and over the porch steps. She didn’t look back when she precariously got the door open to push one suitcase through before she hurried through with the other.

She needed to be left alone to think about and research the information that had been rapidly stuffed inside her head. But she still felt like crap when she heard the car start and drive away without her telling her mom goodbye.