I'mma what?

The sound of the door creaking cut through the empty hallway, sending shivers down my spine. I followed Eliot into the room and found myself gaping at the splendor of it all. The room was the same size as a regular classroom, but it lacked the usual coldness.

The pearly tiled floors were covered in a vibrant blue carpet and colourful decorations hung from the brick walls. Not just extra white boards, but squares of fun fabric and shelves lined with books. The whole room was divided into cubicles using wooden furniture. A combination of smartly placed bookshelves and desks created makeshift halls that went further back into the office.

Though I was itching to explore, Eliot motioned for me to walk to my right. There, a section of the room was decorated to look like a waiting room. There were two white couches facing each other and a wooden coffee table between them. A nearby shelf was stacked with books and magazines, and there was even a fish tank on one of the shelves. I briefly wondered if I was there to be punished or to have teeth cleaned.

"It feels like the dentist's office…" I whispered in awe.

"It's worse than the dentist." Eliot whispered back.

I wonder what the dentist is like for a vampire and their fangs—

My thoughts were cut short when I heard another door opening. This one was to the left and seemed to lead into a separate room. A plaque reading "Student Council President," basically introduced me to the new face. Exiting the room was a girl around my age. She had long blue hair that fell all the way to her waistline and sparkling blue eyes. I briefly suspected that she may have been elected president based solely on her good looks. She looked like she had walked right out of a magazine.

Eliot was standing so tensely that I wondered if he was threatened by her competing beauty.

"Good afternoon. Thank you both for coming so quickly." That pleasant face had an equally pleasant voice. She smiled politely, "My name is Saki Shiroyume. I'm the student council president at Crossing High School."

I could've guessed that, but I kept my witty remarks to myself.

Her eyes turned to me, "So this girl is Ophelia Malory? She's more ordinary than I had expected."

I knitted my lips together. It was getting very hard not to snap at her.

Saki moved some of her long hair behind her ears, with her delicate fingers brushing a jeweled barrette fastened into her hair. The sapphire embedded into the triangular gold shape was almost as bright as her eyes. Seeing the comparison now, I noticed something was… 'off' about Saki. She was beautiful and gentle on the surface, but her eyes were as cold and blank as those stones. It somehow made her feel dangerous.

"You didn't take long to approach her, Eliot." Saki continued, "Is she that interesting?"

Eliot's posture sharpened when he was addressed. "It isn't like that. This is all a misunderstanding."

"Is it now?" Saki cut him off, "And what am I misunderstanding? This human has learned our secret, has she not?"

I watched as he gripped his arm, gaze averted in a way that made his words seem weak. "She… Still thinks that this is all a joke."

The tension between them was almost suffocating. It was starting to make me fidget with nervous energy. And for some reason, it was this comment of his that broke my self control.

"No, I don't. Eliot is a really crappy liar." I blurted.

The way they both looked at me made me think this was the wrong time to be honest. Saki suddenly looked exhausted, as if she was now facing a ten mile hike she had not planned on making. Eliot exploded with useless energy, which included a brief flail of his arms as he stepped in front of me.

"She's lying!" He lied.

"For once, I'm not." I blurted again. I had not learned my lesson.

Eliot spun around to face me, his expression desperate. "Then please, go back to telling lies! This is the wrong time to become a good person, Ophelia!"

"Whatcha trying to imply there, buddy?" I countered, "We've barely known each other for an hour! How do you know I'm bad?"

"How do you know I'm a bad liar?" He whined, "Please, just take my lead!"

"Ahem."

I'm sure that the two of us could have argued for the next hour of our relationship. Saki cut that embarrassing display short by clearing her throat. We both turned our attention to her and fell silent. She allowed another ten seconds to pass before speaking up again.

"Eliot." Saki said calmly, "You know the policy better than anyone. A human who learns our secret must be disposed of. It's the safest course of action."

Her icy words hit me like bricks. I even felt myself doing a double take, like in the movies: The kind where you shake your head a bit and suddenly jolt like you've had coffee.

Eliot did not seem nearly as surprised by her word choice, but he was no less disturbed.

"This situation is different." He insisted quietly, "Please, let her go. She isn't a regular human. She's… uh."

We exchanged an uncomfortable stare.

I tried to communicate with my eyes that he needed to tell a real good lie and be convincing about it. If he could pull a lie that kept me from being 'disposed of,' I was ready to retract my 'crappy liar' comment. Who knows if he got my message. He certainly tried his hardest.

"She's my assistant." He said quickly, "You can't hurt her!"

"Y-Yeah!" I echoed with miserable confidence.

Then I did another double take. This time, in my head.

"Wait, I'mma what?"