Serenity's Blood

Sweat poured down my face as I landed yet another punch on my opponent. The force of my punch sent him staggering. Michael Castile was hard to beat, but I was top of my class. Michael lunged for me, despite my height, 6'2'', I was able to dodge him by ducking underneath him. Too late, Michael realized he had missed me, sending him crashing into the mat. As swiftly as I had dodged him, I was on top of him pinning him down by his arms. A whistle sounded somewhere, signifying the end of our spar.

Helping Michael up I realized something. His usual playful banter was gone. After class I found him in the dorm lounge sitting reading a piece of paper in his lap.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concern in my voice. He handed the letter to me. It had been written in black ink and I could barely make out the signature. It read:

Dear Michael,

You won't believe who your father and I just found outside the schools gates. Mason Ashford, ALIVE and well. He will soon be starting up classes again because he never got to finish his guardian training. Please make him feel comfortable because it's been 20 years since you-know-what, and please keep this to yourself.

Love,

Mom

"Who's Mason Ashford and what happened to him?" I asked sitting next to him on the couch.

"Mason Ashford is an old friend of my dad's. He died 20 years ago in a Strigoi attack in Spokane, Washington," Michael answered, not meeting my eyes.

"Wait…died? Then how can he be 'alive and well' as your mother stated?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows in thought.

"Serenity, I honestly I don't know…,"Michael said, trailing off, lost in thought I think," He's in the infirmary if you want to see him."

"Okay, but only if you feel up to it Mickey," I said tauntingly. I saw a little bit of his playfulness return.

"Serenity, do you know who you're talking to?" he said, grinning," I am Michael Castile, a badass dhampir. I up for anything."

"If you say so," I shrugged. We headed in the direction of the infirmary. When we made it Michael led me to one of the rooms on the far end of the infirmary. It wasn't much to look at, filtered lighting, plain white walls, but the person who lay inside the room certainly was. He had bright orange hair, freckles dotted his cheeks, he was tall and slim, about my height if had to guess.

"So who are you?" he asked, curiosity written all over his face.

"I am Serenity Starkov and my companion here is Michael Castile," I stated, studying him further.

"Wait Castile? As in like Eddie Castile?" asked the boy.

"Yeah, he's my dad," said Michael, speaking up for the first time since we had entered the room.

"So that makes it about twenty years since my death, right?" Mason asked, running a hand through his hair.

"No, it's been exactly twenty years since Spokane," said a new voice, turning around I saw guardian Rosemarie Hathaway.

"G-guardian Hathaway, what are you doing here?" stuttered Michael.

"I might ask you the same question, hm?" retorted guardian Hathaway, then looking past us towards a sweet smile spreading across her features, as she told Mason," Glad your awake. If you're up to it, maybe you'd like a tour of the school. It's changed since…since Spokane." Sadness filling her voice on the word 'Spokane'. Turning to me, she ordered," Starkov, if Mason feels up to it, take him on a tour around the school. Here's his schedule." After handing me Mason's schedule, she turned back to Mason," Nice seeing you again Mase." Then slipped out, with Michael in tow. My attention though seemed reluctant to leave Mason. His eyes were bright blue, full of life and the same type of playfulness I saw in Michael's eyes, but there was sadness behind them too. A deep grief that I understood. Seeing how my mother was Strigoi. She was turned while pregnant, unbeknownst to her or the Strigoi who turned her. And so I was born about nine months after my mother, Elena Starkov, had been turned or "awakened" as the Strigoi called it.

Guardian Hathaway killed my mother in Spokane, Washington. So I knew all about the attack, except for the fact that, Mason Ashford, the boy in front of me, had died in it.

"So…um would you like to tour the school?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah, but one question first," said Mason.

"Shoot," I said looking him in the eyes. They were a beautiful blue, they kind-of sparkled even in the dim lighting.

"Who's the top student in the novice classes, all of them?" he asked, looking at me. Looking back down at my feet, I told him,"I am." It barely came out a whisper, but because of our enhanced our hearing, I knew he heard me.

"Well you now have some competition. Because even though I've been dead for 20 years, I remember being a badass novice." He said in a way that reminded me of Michael, and despite myself, I laughed.

"We'll see about that," I said, still smiling," Would you like to go on your tour now, your highness?" I made a low bow. This time he laughed. It was a sweet, light-hearted laugh that made my heart skip a beat.