Second chance

The woman wore an all-black sleeveless dress, with her eyes hidden under oversized dark sunglasses. Even without looking at her, Celine knew that this was a woman who could get things done.

"M...Ms. Thena. What are you doing here?" Mr. Jackson stuttered. His eyes almost bulged out when he saw Ms. Thena walk in, guns blazing.

"Doctor. That's Doctor Thena, to you," Dr. Thena said, strutting like a supermodel on a catwalk. She commanded the room as if she owned it and ignored the uncomfortable Mr. Jackson.

Dr. Thena walked over to Celine's seat and sat on the armchair with her legs crossed, showing her stockings. Celine just looked at her and didn't move. She couldn't.

"Come. Sit," Dr. Thena said as she tapped on Celine's chair. Even with her sunglasses, it was clear that she was looking at Celine.

Celine gulped and slowly walked over to her chair. She sat down, still wary of the woman sitting on her chair's armrest. It was uncomfortable, but she knew that she couldn't disobey her.

Celine sat there, with her legs together and her arms hugging her waist. She was going to ignore Dr. Thena, but she could feel the hot glare coming off her.

She turned her head and saw Dr. Thena staring at her. From up this close, Celine could catch a glimpse of her eyes. It was clear and welcoming as if she was looking at Celine's very soul.

Dr. Thena opened her mouth to say something, but she quickly turned her head towards Mr. Jackson. She forgot there was still an animal in the room.

"What are you still doing here?" Dr. Thena said shamelessly. "Get out."

Mr. Jackson didn't know what to say. He pointed at the nameplate on his desk and the numerous diplomas hanging on his blue walls. "This is my office! You can't do this!"

Dr. Thena sighed, jumped out of the armrest, and walked over towards Mr. Jackson. Despite Mr. Jackson standing his ground, he stepped back as soon as Dr. Thena crossed over his desk.

"Are you going to get out, or do I have to remind you why I teach the higher years?" Dr. Thena had her hands on her side, still looking fabulous while threatening someone.

Mr. Jackson looked at Celine, embarrassed that a student like her would see him backing down against Dr. Thena. He puffed up his chest and flared his nostrils, looking like he was about to fight for his ground.

He opened his mouth, and after a moment, he said, "I forgot that I have class today. You-you, look over my office for now."

With his reddish ears, he strutted out of the room without even looking at Dr. Thena or Celine. He said he had a class, but he didn't bring any books with him. He didn't want a student to see him bowing down to Dr. Thena.

SLAM. With the door securely closed, it was only Dr. Thena and Celine in the room. Dr. Thena sat on the desk and faced Celine, taking her sunglasses down.

"Woah," Celine blurted out. She couldn't help herself as soon as she saw the bright blue eyes of Dr. Thena. It was as if she was looking at a deep ocean.

Dr. Thena chuckled and sat on the desk more comfortably, laying her hands down behind her. "So, getting back at hand. We'll forget about the dead girl, and I won't expel you."

"Thank you!" Celine heaved a sigh of relief. "You figured out that I didn't kill her, didn't you?" With Dr. Thena's title being a doctor, Celine guessed that she was the one who examined her body.

"No. I don't care if you killed her or not." Dr. Thena crossed her arms. "I just want this incident to disappear without a trace." Her eyes narrowed at Celine.

Celine almost flinched as she saw the glare. "I-I understand." She subconsciously kept her back straight and looked down at Dr. Thena's high heels.

"Good. You keep your mouth shut, and you'll keep on living in this university." Dr. Thena said with a strangely cold smile. It seemed like she meant a different meaning to her word 'living.'

Celine nodded her head repeatedly. If that's what it took to keep her dream, then she would do it. Just a few minutes earlier, she thought her life was over. And now, she was given a second chance with no repercussions.

However, she didn't feel good. Why is that, she questioned herself. Why didn't she feel good at escaping prison?

Then, it hit her. The dead girl. If Dr. Thena swept this whole incident under the rug, then it meant that the dead girl wouldn't be given justice.

She doesn't even know the dead girl's name! It felt disrespectful always calling her that, but that's what she would be referred to as long as her death would be kept a secret. The girl would be exactly like her dad.

"Hey…hey…hey!" Dr. Thena snapped her fingers in front of Celine's face to get her attention. "Nod if you understand. You won't tell this to anyone. You'll keep it in your heart till you drop dead."

Celine dug her fingernails in her palm as she struggled with her inner conflict. Keep quiet and continue her college life in this university, or seek justice for the girl while possibly sabotaging her whole life?

"I…I can't. I have to find that vampire and bring him to justice. He can't get away with murder!" Celine stood up despite her legs wobbling like jelly.

Dr. Thena's eyes widened at the unexpected intensity in the girl's eyes. She thought that Celine would jump at any chance at acquitting herself, but instead, she chose to rebel.

"Is that so?" Dr. Thena glared at her, but there was an imperceptible smile on her mouth. Celine held her breath and waited for her inevitable expulsion.

"Okay. Do it."

Dr. Thena's response caught Celine off guard. "W-what?" Celine uttered.

"Do it. Find the vampire and bring him to me." Dr. Thena didn't even seem fazed at all by Celine mentioning a vampire.

Celine didn't know if she should take Dr. Thena seriously. "Really?"

Dr. Thena nodded. "However, you cannot tell anyone about it. If I hear anything about vampires and a dead girl, then…." She didn't continue her words but just smiled at Celine. The threat was received.

Celine gulped. "So…you believe that there are vampires?"

"No. Your trauma believes that you saw a vampire, but it's a lie. However, you did see a person, and that person may be the one who killed Andrea Banks." Dr. Thena's expression didn't change as she flat out lied in front of Celine's face. Vampires did exist, but she won't admit that.

Celine looked down and thought back to that moment. The moment that changed her life, when the vampire almost killed her.

Dr. Thena's words may be a possibility, but Celine knew what she saw. Her memory of the vampire was vivid; his cologne, his cold touch, and his two sharp teeth sinking into her neck, which was still not fully healed.

"Okay. I promise I'll bring Andrea Banks' killer to justice!" Celine finally knew of the dead girl's name, which made her resolve even harder.

Dr. Thena smiled and nodded towards the door. "Good. Now get out."

Celine awkwardly got out of her chair and did a 90-degree bow towards Dr. Thena before she twisted the doorknob open and got out.

As the door slammed shut behind Celine, Dr. Thena waited inside the room for a few seconds. Then, her easygoing expression disappeared, and a serious one replaced it.

"Was it alright to do that, Thena?" A figure suddenly appeared behind Dr. Thena. He was an older gentleman wearing a butler's uniform with sparse white hair on top of his head.

"Maybe."

The butler moved in front of Dr. Thena without his legs moving, as if his black shoes were gliding across the tiled floor.

"You could have erased her memories. The implications of this could upset our years and years of foundation. All for a dull murder." His tone was like a father teaching his daughter.

Dr. Thena remained silent with a slight smile on her face. The scene of Celine standing up for herself replayed in her mind. It fascinated her.

"There is no record of a vampire that Miss Dacker described. I checked." His skill in information-gathering was second to none, and Dr. Thena knew that.

"Even you can't, Alfred." Dr. Thena took out a letter from behind her, even though her dress had no pockets. It looked like a simple white letter, but Alfred's eyes almost bulged out of surprise.

"Is that…"

"Yes, Alfred. It's a personal letter from an Old Family of Vampires. Very, very old." Dr. Thena opened the letter with no wax seal. "That girl is getting more and more interesting."

And on the letter, an inscription was written. [The girl is under the personal protection of the Dempsy family.]