. It was 2 a.m. The castle was dead silent; outside the windows, the moon's delicate glow illuminated vast expanses of flowering meadows, forests, and playgrounds. On the other side of the castle was a very old, medieval cemetery, where the moonlight didn't reach. Even the moon was afraid to walk there.
Everyone in the castle was asleep; the night was exceptionally peaceful. Suddenly, a wild scream rang out from somewhere below. A terrible, terrified shriek. Instantly, all the castle lights came on, and the students rushed to the ground floor, where the commotion was.
Ray stood amidst a crowd of sleepy students, her hand covering her mouth as she watched the teachers lift a screaming girl from the floor. The girl's head had been slashed open, and blood was pouring profusely across her snow-white, terrified face. Her eyes were filled with boundless fear.
Ray looked at her with no less fear, but also with compassion. She knew perfectly well what the injured girl was going through. She'd been through this hundreds of times, and yet it still terrified her.
After a moment, Ray felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned nervously, jumping slightly in fear.
"Oh... Nico..." she said after a moment, gasping for air.
"Easy, Ray...
" "I'm fed up with this castle and everything associated with it... It's always the same.
" "That's what happens when you lock a bunch of telekinetic teenagers in a medieval castle, right next to a cemetery. She'll get over it," Nicolas said sarcastically.
He put his arm around the girl and led her away from the crowd.
"What this time?" Ray asked as she and Nicolas climbed the stairs.
"She dreamed of her father trying to beat her with a mallet. The pain woke her up. Classic situation," the boy replied dryly.
"God...
" "She'll get used to it. She's new, she doesn't know how to react.
" "And that's why she reacts this way," Ray replied firmly, defending the girl.
"Ray... come on. Are we going upstairs or are you going to bed?
" "You know damn well I won't sleep now.
" Nico smiled at his companion, then they turned into a side corridor and climbed a ladder into the courtyard, where students were forbidden.
Nico whistled at the rules. When he arrived at school, he was polite and well-behaved, but life here had taught him that not everything was as others would have you believe.
Ray, on the other hand, was terrified by everything that happened in the castle. She had always been a timid little mouse. While Nicolas made her more open and cheerful, she never lost her common sense, which, according to Nick, prevented her from having fun. Ray, however, remembered her painful past all too well.
But now they weren't children, and yet Nick was still a spoiled brat.
"Remember how Zan dreamed of the ocean?" Nick asked, sitting in a dark, unlit corner on a wall and looking at the girl standing in the moonlight.
"Yeah... for a week he was afraid of a simple glass of water, let alone a shower.
" "And do you remember... Carrie?"
The girl looked reproachfully at Nicolas's almost invisible silhouette in the shadows
. "She dreamed he was murdering half the city, and when she woke up, half the students were dead. To this day, I thank God I agreed to sit here with you all night. Although I don't understand why you brought me here...
" "That little one will get used to it," Nick said.
"Like everyone else... you grow up much faster here... poor kids...
" "It's necessary; you know very well what telekinesis is. They need to understand that you don't break the toys of a friend who doesn't want to share, and you certainly don't throw them out of a tree." It's a disease for adults, she admits, but these children are alive too. It's good that nothing more serious happened.
"Nick... promise you'll always be there for me..." Ray whispered, a little frightened
. "I promise. After all, you're my... sister, aren't you?
" "A sister, but not related to you by a single gene." Ray replied, smiling.
"Besides TK.
" "Besides TK..." the girl repeated thoughtfully
. She stood with her back to Nicolas. She lifted her head and looked at the stars. In three days, she would be 16. She was exceptionally beautiful... like few others... Nicolas knew it perfectly well...
Nick looked at her with considerable fascination. He carefully observed every inch of her body with growing admiration. Ray was wearing a long, airy, delicate, and most importantly for Nick—a white nightgown. Completely unconsciously, he looked at his friend, who was becoming increasingly aroused by him. He was, after all, just a guy...
Ray had no idea what was going on in the boy's mind. Her mind was still occupied with the image of the injured girl.
"Maybe I should go to sleep..." she said, turning to face Nick.
She wasn't wearing any underwear. Completely unconsciously, she was tempting the boy more and more. Nick, sitting on the stone wall, thanked God for the faint moonlight, which didn't reach him anyway; instead, he could admire his friend's beautiful body.
"Nico... Nick, are you here?" the girl asked, slightly frightened.
"Yeah..." Nicolas replied, snapped out of his trance.
"God, for a moment I thought you'd left..."
"Nothing could be further from the truth... oh, that intuition of yours..." Nicolas said with a smile, emerging from the shadows. "So, how about... a cup of hot chocolate?" Hmm?
"The kitchen seems closed at this hour..."
"It's always open to us!"
Ray smiled.
Nicolas looked into her eyes. For a moment, he wanted to kiss her... but he refrained at the thought of the consequences that threatened them both. He was the teacher and she, the student. He didn't want to take any chances; their very friendship was already questionable.
They went down to the kitchen. It was very quiet; the castle had fallen back into sleep, though this time much less peaceful than before.
Nicolas and Ray sat at the small wooden kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate from large, yellow mugs belonging to the teachers.
Ray was telling Nicolas about her last dream, but Nick couldn't seem to listen to her today. He was thinking about Carrie. The poor girl had died seven years ago, right after she murdered half the school. Nicolas didn't feel sorry for her. She knew how to hold back. Nick and Carrie were excellent students, among the best. Nicolas couldn't understand why she'd caused such a massacre... she hadn't even fallen asleep...
Today, Nick was indifferent to her. Yes... today... but seven years ago, he'd been in love with her. They were a lovely couple, everyone told them so. Carrie was 16 then, two years younger than her then-boyfriend. Everyone seemed so young, even childish, but Nick knew perfectly well how fierce, crazy, and even wild she could be.
He remembered the night before Carrie's death very clearly. She'd come to his room, woken him with a kiss, and then taken him to the fourth-floor courtyard. They'd made love there for the last time. The next night, Carrie had jumped from the roof into the cemetery. Crosses had pierced her tiny body...
Today, Nick only wondered how he could have loved her so much back then. He had no idea she'd be capable of murdering half the school. But what was it really like? Carrie was angry. Very angry. She'd seen some girl making out with her boyfriend, and it was mainly her she'd wanted to hurt. She was insanely jealous of Nick, and worse still, terribly vindictive. This ruined half the castle and herself. In the morning, Carrie was found dead in the cemetery.
"Nico...
" "Hmm?" Ray woke him from his trance again.
"Is something wrong?
" "I was lost in thought...
" "Is it about Carrie?
" "Ray..." Let's not talk about it, please.
" "We probably should, because you knocked over the sugar bowl
." Nick glanced at the sugar spilled on the floor. He sighed and began cleaning it up.
"Nico...
" "Ray doesn't want to talk about it.
" Ray closed her mouth and stared at the yellow mug.
"You should go to sleep," Nicolas said after a moment.
The girl looked at him pleadingly, but obeyed. Without a word, she rose from the table and, head bowed, left the kitchen.
Nick stood at the kitchen door, watching Ray disappear into the darkness.
"Life is fucked..." He said to himself, then began washing the cups.
He was thinking again. This time about Ray, and this time more carefully.
* * *
"Nicolas!" Nick stopped instinctively at the sound of his name.
"Excuse me?" "Polite as always... well, you have to be able to form a good opinion."
The old school principal was walking towards him, a bit out of breath, looking concerned.
"Is something wrong?" Nick asked. "
No, nothing...
" "Are the kids off to school?
" "Yes... they're gone now.
" "So?
" "We have a new student. He's supposed to arrive in a few hours. I'd like you to pick him up.
" "I'm starting classes with the oldest group of girls in an hour...
" "It doesn't matter... we'll move their classes to another day, they won't mind." He smiled knowingly at Nick as he said this.
"Yeah... the girls could have classes with the young and handsome TK teacher even in the middle of the night, and they probably wouldn't even ask why so late."
"Nick... you're the nicest of the entire teaching staff, not that I have anything against the rest... but you know.
" "Yes, yes... I'll pick him up. But don't forget I have three other groups on my schedule.
" "I'll take care of that, and you take care of our new recruit. Just Nick... don't scare him too much..."
Niolas smiled.
"I'll try. What time is he supposed to be?
" "I know... around 10:00. You have two hours off. You said something recently about changing the girls' schedule...
Well, if Nick has two hours off, it's best if he does some volunteer work... all the principal.
" "I'll pay him back in an hour.
" "Excellent. And remember, be nice to him!
Yes, yes... a new recruit... how Nick loved that... Another victim to learn about life. Well, he was barely holding down his job anyway. Better to take on new recruits than look for a new job."
Nick returned to his room. It was dark inside, only narrow slivers of light persistently filtered through the drawn blinds. Nicolas liked the dark. Sometimes Ray felt it was the other way around—the dark favored Nick. Meanwhile, the young teacher could only get his brain working without excessive light.
He'd only recently become a teacher. Last year, he'd graduated with a degree in pedagogy so he could teach here at the institute. That was a condition. He'd stay at the school if he finished his degree in pedagogy. Well, he was determined to stay, partly because of Ray, so he finished his studies.
At the institute, his subject was adapting children to life in society with their condition. TK required many sacrifices and sacrifices, and that was Nick's job. He was supposed to prepare these children for a normal life.
Now he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Suddenly, a brief vision flashed through his mind. Too brief to identify. It happened often, but none lasted long enough to distinguish anything.
Nick sat up in bed. On the wall opposite the bed hung a large mirror. Nick didn't like it, but Ray adored it—women. Nicolas instinctively stared at the mirror's surface, which reflected his seated figure. And again, images flashed through his mind... this time clearer... one Nicolas managed to capture. It was very bright
... but not from the sun... not from the lightbulbs... but from the fire. From a powerful element. Screams, a multitude of overlapping, terrifying screams, and moreover... children's screams. Then Nick saw burning trees and vast expanses of meadows bathed in fire. A river of flames consuming everything in their path.
And in the fire, something was moving... in the bodies, maddened by fear, life still smoldered... the lives of children... the children of the institute.
Nick's body instantly covered with beads of sweat. "What a stupid feeling, huh?" he thought. He was worried about the kids. He wasn't entirely sure if what he saw meant anything, but he was scared as hell.
At that moment, the sound of a car engine drifted through the window. The expected student had arrived.
Nick left the room and ran down the stairs to the hall, then calmly walked out into the drive-thru.
A young couple stood by a black BMW with tinted windows. Nick approached them, trying to smile as naturally as possible.
"Welcome," Nick said briskly, offering the man his hand. He shook it hesitantly, smiling faintly.
"Where's our future graduate?" Nicolas asked
. The couple exchanged glances. Their expressions were bleak. Nick began to wonder if he'd dared to be so bold; he didn't want to discourage either his parents or his future student.
After a moment, the woman knocked gently on the dark window of the black BMW.
Nick looked at her with slight surprise, and she smiled faintly and said in a weak, whispery voice,
"He doesn't like the light... that's why this whole circus..."
The door of the black wagon began to slowly open.
First, small hands in black silk gloves appeared on the door. The gloves seemed simple, with delicate lace sewn here and there. The hands were shapely, with long, slender fingers, on which signet rings were visible beneath the silk.
Then a small foot, wearing a black high-heeled shoe, appeared on the trampled ground.
Then another foot...
After a moment, a head in a wide-brimmed black hat peeked out. Nick had the impression that the head had no face, but rather a shadow, or perhaps a piece of dark cloth obscuring the face. Nick suspected – a woman's face.
The small figure of a slender girl emerged from the car. She couldn't have been more than 15 years old, but Nick couldn't see her face anyway.
She staggered toward her parents and leaned on her father's arm, as if just standing there was painful.
She was dressed entirely in black. Not a single inch of her body was exposed to the sun's rays. A long dress, gloves, a hat, a blouse with long, flowing sleeves… Something didn't seem right…
After a moment, the girl leaned toward her father and whispered very quietly, almost inaudibly, into his ear: "Let's go inside… away from the sun." Nick caught the words. It sounded more like a command than a request. Nick's father looked at Nick pleadingly and voiced his daughter's request.
Nick led the family to the Institute. The director was already waiting for the guests in the hall. He ushered them into his office, warmly inviting them and praising the Institute.
Nick walked toward the faded armchairs lined up against the hall wall. In the corner stood a small round table, and three once-red—now pale pink—armchairs were pulled up against it. Despite everything, Nick liked them, or perhaps he simply had a strong fondness for them...? After all, he still remembered how they used to bring them here, how he would copy his friends' homework here, how he would sometimes spend entire days with Carrie here...
Now he sat back in one of the dented armchairs and waited. He closed his eyes and rested his head casually on the back of the chair. He immersed himself in memories. He hadn't had time for them before, but now... a brief moment was enough... the image of Carrie returned. Nick hadn't confessed to anyone, but lately, Carrie had been haunting his dreams more and more often, and he'd been thinking about her far too often.
Now he saw her dancing in the courtyard in a silk robe. Her long, blond hair fell over her face, the robe swirled around, Carrie laughing… and then Carrie fell into the cemetery… a lot of blood… old crosses protruding from her body…
Nick heard the door open. It was the old headmaster leading his family out of his office. Nick hurriedly walked over and stood in front of the girl. Again. She still hadn't taken off her hat. She still hadn't revealed her face. What was she hiding?
"He's our youngest, but also the best teacher…" the headmaster said, praising Nicolas.
"Mr. Headmaster…" Nick pleaded, feigning embarrassment.
"Oh, it's okay, it's okay… Ladies and gentlemen, please leave and Chanell can see her room. Of course, Nick will tell her everything," the headmaster said.
The parents looked at their daughter. She stood beside them, unmoved, like a pillar of salt. After a moment, her mother approached her, leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek. Her father did the same. Then, escorted by the principal, they left the building.
Nick glanced at the girl. She still stood stiffly.
"I'll take you to your room," he suggested, and, regardless of whether the girl followed him or not, he headed for the stairs leading to the upper floors.
She followed him. She hung back, as if closely observing Nick's every move. The teacher felt a little self-conscious, but the very thought of it shamed him. It was best to simply stop thinking about it.
They reached the second floor, which was generally called the women's floor or the feminist floor. The boys had called it that way since Nick's time. Why? Because this floor had rooms for girls only.
Nick led the girl into an empty room. She stood next to the door. She looked around the room. She went to the window and closed the curtains as tightly as she could. She moved a little away from the window and took off her hat.
Nick saw a pale, girlish face. Elongated, with slightly sunken cheeks. Her eyes were gray, as if devoid of dreams or hope. Long, raven-black curls fell over the girl's shoulders and back. She was pale, very pale. In the shadows, her skin was a deathly white, yet she was beautiful in her own way. She had smooth skin, almost perfect features.
She looked at the teacher. She smiled gently, without opening her mouth.
"My name is Chanell. I'm French. And I'm sixteen, not fifteen." She smiled again.
Nick was slightly shocked. How did she know what he thought of her...?
She took off her gloves and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked at Nick again.
"Will you tell me about the institute?"
The somewhat embarrassed boy sat down on a chair placed casually next to a small table set against the wall. He took a deep breath, smiled to himself, and said,
"Before I tell you anything, I need to know more about you."
"Do you have to... or do you want to?" Chanell asked flirtatiously
. "I probably have to. I'm a teacher and you're a student, I should know something about you, especially since I'll be the one learning how to cope with your illness in the real world.
" "I'm coping. I always have.
" "Well... if that were the case... we wouldn't be talking now. Why are you really here?
" "Is this an interrogation?" Chanell asked calmly, in a stony tone.
If there had been even a hint of sarcasm, a reproach, Nick would have felt much more confident, but there wasn't.
"No... it's not an interrogation... but it's hardly a secret. Tell me.
" "Should I confide in the teacher?"
"You can tell me."
Chanell looked at Nick, who was sitting there. She stared at a point in the dark corner of the room.
"I'm from France. I'm 16 years old. And contrary to appearances, I'm quite normal. My parents are wealthy. My mother is an architect and my father is a plastic surgeon. They're always busy, they don't even have time to have tea with me. This is the situation in every wealthy family. I have two brothers, both older. I've never been able to get along with them. They've always been like this...
" "Forgive me for asking... where were you born?"
Chanell looked at Nick in surprise. Then she smiled, just as gently and subtly since she arrived.
"You saw through me. Bravo. I was born in Transylvania, although that shouldn't matter so much... and probably the place of my birth shouldn't have had such a significant impact on all of this. My father went away on business with my mother; she was nine months pregnant. She gave birth there."
Nick looked at her, waiting for her to say what he wanted to hear, what he suspected. Chanell smiled again. This time wider, and the tips of her pointed fangs peeked out from beneath her upper lip.
"Yes, I'm a vampire. But I didn't come here to drink your blood. I'm here because I want to. Because I'm sick of my family and my home. My school and this damn sun. Are you going to kick me out? "
The question caught Nick off guard.
"Why would we do that? We're not racists, and we don't hate vampires, although I admit it both surprises and shocks me. This is the 21st century... I always thought vampires were...
" "A fairy tale, yes..." the girl interrupted him. "And yet, no." "Here I am. I came back to..." Chanell interrupted the quote. It probably ended badly.
"Do you want to control your illness?" Nick asked after a moment
. "I control it. I'm strong. I can handle myself. I just want the world to accept me. Is that too much?
" "If you don't start threatening the students with your teeth, then no.
" "Will you finally tell me about the rules? Because there are some, right?
" "Of course there are." First of all," Nick began, "you're not allowed to go outside the facility alone, and certainly not to the cemetery. Furthermore, we don't want any conflicts or late-night escapades on the boys' floor...
" "You can rest assured about that," Chanell interrupted.
"That's good... you're also not allowed to venture into the west wing. Simply put, no, that's it. When classes aren't on, the south wing is closed, and you're not allowed there either. Above the third floor... the same. In short, it's best if you stay on your floor or in the hall. Nighttime curfew is from 10 p.m., that's all for now. You'll find out the rest as you go. Classes start tomorrow, and I'll show you around the school.
" "Thanks a lot." There was sarcasm, and despite everything, Nick was glad he'd sensed it.
"Meals..."
"Don't bother, I'm on a diet anyway. Besides... I don't like light. Which means I don't plan on going out in the sun before dark.
" "That's manageable. Any other habits?
" "I like being alone. But if you can come with me, I won't mind. I don't want to get lost here...
" "I'll try not to get lost. Let me leave you alone... I have a few things to take care of. If you need anything... I live in 207.
" Chanell nodded, and Nick stood up and walked through the doorway just as a breathless Ray bumped into him.
"They told me you were here..." she gasped, concerned.
Chanell watched her closely, bit by bit. Ray laughed and chatted carelessly with the teacher. Chanell sensed something more than camaraderie here... and that worried her... very much, in fact... it would be harder than she expected. But she was strong, after all, and she wouldn't give up so easily.
Nick closed the door to her room, and Chanell was left alone with her thoughts. A lot was going on in her head. Oh, a lot.
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