chapter one: introduction to our crazy boarding school
Grace stood tall and proud yet quiet and still over the edge of the small cove, her long dark brown hair flew in the soft breeze like mist, the salty air and crashing waves were the seas voice links came around the corner of the short little shop next to the cove "hey Grace, don't forget we have patrol tonight" and he started to walk back then did a flip off a small ledge after slipping on a stick, links leaped up and looked around quickly "im fine!" links yelled out to grace who starred puzzling at him. links is always pretty straight forward with Grace, he thinks he's jinxed. links turned 16 last month, he isn't very talkative, he only talks openly to Grace and his father hitatski but especially Grace. he's still bright funny person but sometimes he remembers what happened to his family. links has short blonde hair and dark blue eyes, they say a persons eyes are the window to their soul but links eyes, links eyes said he was sad.
-links and i go to the same school, it more of a boarding school, i still think this school holds secrets and mystery's.
The school was decided into individual sections, to the north beach were the class B girls dorms, to the southern cliff face were the class B boys dorms, to the far west was the city and to the eastern forest there were the class A boys dorms and further north was class A girls dorms. Smack in the middle of all this was principle hitatski's office, south west was the classrooms and finally south east was the rose gardens. overall it was a fine school. Class A, they are all supernatural beings, people the high council respect but do not trust. United here in this very school to prove their not dangerous, the high council has this extremely confidential from the rest of the world, even class B.
principle hitatski had told Grace and links all about this knowing they would eventually find out and made them vow to protect this secret. Hitatski had given me a pair of sai with two jewels of protection engraved in the handles to protect myself or restrain A class did anything reckless even though they all sighned a big, long form when they got here. since links and i are the only 'others' that know we did all we could to keep the peace, that meant taking night watches and making sure class A and B never crossed paths. After two years here i have met some of the A class but most of them spoke a different language or silently looked at me like i was something to eat, though on a rare occasion one might give a polite hello. This school is hitatski's idea of making peace with different species, he built this place three years ago.
I don't mind being in a school of scary, different people though, after all the principal is my father. links and i are close, we have been together for so long, we share a special bond. links is like a brother but we're not blood related, he was taken in as an orphan when his family was killed in a blood bath one, that indecent entwined our lives forever. Most of the mysterious A class is made up of vampires, angels, demons, necko's, morphs, half bloods and so on.
Chapter two: It's a new day
The strong evening orange filled the sky, pink and purple sheeted the clouds, at that time Grace was in her dorm preparing for the patrol.
Grace slipped on her patrol uniform and boots, broke out the sai's and strapped them to her thighs and proudly raised the 'brave' badge on her left arm. Grace stopped for a minute and looked out her window to watch the sun setting over the ocean, links was watching it too just by the beach waiting for her. By the time she was all ready the night had layed out a blanket of stars over the sky, the moment she stepped outside the chilly air swallowed her up. After the usual patrol they went back to principle hitatski's office, they sat down on the small wooden chairs which always sat in his office.
-hitatski took links in as an orphan 6 years ago, i was hitataki's real daughter but reiku, he remembered every scream, every tear, every drop of blood that fell. he doesn't want to remember his past, its so painful for him, suffering the loss of his twin brother and parents.
hitatski finally came over from studying some note and said "The two classes of A and B are never to meet, the secrets we have tried so hard to keep from class B is held by a delicate balance, you are the guardians of this" he continued slower "and that's all, bye" we bolted out, our footsteps were like clashing stones. Reiku swung over to me and swept me off my feet "what are you doing!" i chuckled my arms waving in the air wildly, "kidnapping you" he said laughing too, he was carrying me to the garden, the garden was my special place that i could be myself. he started to run downhill and fell, we tumbled rolling over each other and came to a stop on our sides facing each other, we broke out in laughter again, we rolled our heads to face the stars "look, the stars are really bright tonight, I've never seen them like this before" he playfully flirted. the rose garden was a bit of a maze, my favorite part was the huge white marble and rose quartz structures.
- a while later he realized Grace was resting her head on him with one arm reaching up to his shoulder "hmm a little too trusting" he whispered (sudden change of attitude) "helooo, wake up sleeping beauty" he said mockingly. she didn't get up and just moaned, he went suspiciously silent so she opened her eyes, he was sitting on her lap with his hands together representing an 'evil' plan was coming up "i'm warning you" he whispered under his small evil chuckle. she groaned "your bluffing " and closed her eyes, in her last sight he was grinning. he picked her up and threw her high in the air "wholly crap!" she screamed, he caught her perfectly and whispered closely "i told you so." "your so strong, do something else!" she yelled in sarcastic excitement he dazzles her with his toothy grin and took a run up at Grace and leaped magnificently over her head, "mmm, your predictable" she protested against him, "predict this!" he yelled with a tone and quickly grabbed her shoulder and lent in really close, leaning so much they fell over, he landed on her awquardly, he was almost definitely jinxed or really clumsy "ahh, sorry!" he shot, "wha, wha what the hell!?"
At that very awquard moment the girls from the dorm came over with a flash light out of nowhere, links froze like a statue "you just cant stay away!" Grace's rival merry though there was nothing very merry about her. she has always been jealous of Grace. Links and Hazel scattered in different directions maniacally, then they silently and quickly disappeared into the night like ninjas.
-we met up later and walked to the girls dorms with our arms over each others shoulders laughing about what h happened.
"good night" links said and spun me around to the dorm door "now go, before you get in trouble, even the we aren't aloud to stay up this late" he ran quietly back to his dorm, i just stood there for a while and starred at the slab of concrete lit up by the small yellow light at the door for a while. the next day went like sand through my fingers,
it wasn't a patrol night but i wanted to go to the garden anyway, i looked out my window again and the beach was empty, that was my Que to sneak out like i did almost every other night. but sometimes, rarely i watch links asleep but one time he had a nightmare about his past and woke up screaming a little i think he woke up and saw me but didn't believe it.
the tall white stone wall around the gardens was like a protective barrier from her cluttering thoughts, it was so quiet here too. If i stay out long enough i might see a class A student again.
chapter three: strange vs stranger
Grace watched the big open sky as planes flew by, their red blinking lights shone brightly through the darkness like the many stars.
Gazing at the stars she didn't notice someone else was there, she saw a figure moving in the darkness, Grace jumped out of her socks when she heard someone talk but A low gentle voice spoke to her
"you shouldn't be here at this time, you ought to go back to your dorm" he stepped out of the darkness showing his school uniform; class A, his blue eyes scanned her face and his lips parted, he was silent for a minute,
"allow me to take you back to your dorm this is A class time" he suddenly demanded. he waltzed off through the garden, his longish black hair and beige scarf well suited him. He wasn't like the others from class A, he was polite and kind, rare.
"well are you going back to your dorm?"
"no"
"why not?"
"i like it here and i'm not leaving, who are you by the way?"
"I'm knight, the boys dorm president now that i am 17. who are you and what makes you so speacal you can stay out here"
"sorry i'm Grace, hitatski's daughter"
"oh, so you know?" he said slyly
"yeah i know everything about class A"
"your not scarred?" he slowly leaned in really close
"no, of course not" she tried to hold a steady breath
"ha, don't worry, it's not like i'm going to eat you"
Grace shuddered horrifyingly
"oh sorry did i scare you? maybe i should go, well maybe i'll see ya some other time then" he winked at her.
-he walked silently into the darkness and out of sight.
I pulled a shiney silver music player out of my pocket and put it down on the bench then walked over to pick up a glowing red stone, it was weird, it pulsed! i was curious but whatever it was it was bad. my music player was nowhere to be seen "eh? oh well" i tried to whistle a tune but nothing came out, this always happens. There was a rustle in the trees, a boy jumped out and landed swiftly on his feet holding my music. "this yours? sorry" he said cheerfully smiling. he showed me a smile then flew over to me, "you called?" he questioned "what do you mean?" i questioned back. he grinned wider this time "you mean you don't know yet?", he placed her hand on my head and ruffled my hair. "ahh, i see, i'll see you again soon then" he said then disappeared off into the garden, "what the hell?" i said then picked up my music player and headed back to my dorm. BAM! i hit a rock like object and fell flat on my back, my ears rang and my legs tingled.
"what the.. sorry!" she looked over her belly and saw a boy with ears, a necko, it was that boy from just a minute ago. "you! what?"
his tail twitched and his ears flicked, his bright eyes starred into hers "sooner than i thought, but i really have to go" he was surprised, he jumped magnificently and gracefully over the very high wall.
i leaped to my feet and ran back to the dorm.
that was weird, oh well sleep at last!
i went crashing down onto the floor of my room and slept there, it must have been 5 o'clock.
links crashed down the door 'slam!' rudely waking me up.
"hey whats the big idea!"
"it's one o'clock in the afternoon! you missed class!" he was furious with me.
i sat up but suddenly didn't have the strength to do anything and fell back down hopelessly glaring at the ceiling.
"Grace? Grace!" he shook me violently "wake up whats wrong"
he screamed "hitatski, help!"
Chapter four: like any other day?
the red candle i had beside my bed was dim reveling the dirt-colored carpet and no more. I awoke from my trance feeling weak but replenished, i heard the door creaking open, "whose there!" i yelled. thinking i was in danger i slid my hand to a sai beside my bed and wielded it to the intruder. he shuddered and defended himself, i took a mighty swing of the blade but he then grabbed my hand whilst holding the blade centremetres from his hidden face. i slashed it across his cheek as he whipped his face away.
faster than lightning he knocked it from my hands and held me by the wrists, the single candle i had in the room flickered out i could no longer see anything at all. he told me he was just here to see me but i knew it was a lie. he broke out the door running but i ran out into the dark hallway after him, i jumped onto his back and knocked him over, he overturned me and had me pinned down, i kicked him and struggled trying to get free, he said "ouch that hurt stop it grace".
At that moment the other girls came over and turned the light on... "really! really?!" merry yelled, it was links, and a weird moment considering the position we were in, i was outreached over the floor like a throw-rug being pinned down by links in the hallway of the girls dorms. he blushed obseenly, he was telling the truth! he was staring at me, his long blonde hair was dangling over me, the small cut through his cheek was like a leaking tap onto my cloths, i felt his warm breath on my face, i could even hear his pounding heartbeat, now we were gazing into each others sparkling eyes. Suddenly i remembered the other girls were there thinking quickly i said "this isn't what it looks like" and quickly pushed him off me, grabbed his arm and ran. mixed feelings were created from this collusion, the girls were following us.
"woo ouh" i heard from all the girls in synthony. he looked at me and smiled, I wondered what he was thinking but not for long... he obviously thought this was funny, and it was!
he jumped up, grabbed my hand again and started running, I was helplessly dragged along and away with him. he was in such a hurry that he picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder still running away from the girls, he dropped me and picked me up again because he was so damn clumsy! we ditched them and hid in the garden. he knelt down and slid me off his shoulder neatly. "hah, quick getaway'' I chuckled but i was so dizzy, the world was blurred as I fell back ito links's open arms, his green eyes widened and my long dark hair was plopped over his arm. i had used the last of regained energy running, i wasn't well but something was wrong with me, i could feel it in my stomach. I wake up and im still in the garden with links, my head is laying in his lap, I look up and he's asleep. I could barely open my eyes I was motionless and i felt so helpless and weak. I was cold even though i had his arms warped around me, I took a deep breath and curled up to him then tried to sleep again, the cold and darkness of night had swallowed up the world revealing little. it was going to be a long night. A couple of minutes later I wake up, he's snoring and so I throw a stick at his head and hid under my blue checkered hoodie . He says "i know that was you" i bring me sly green eyes out from under the hood followed by a cheeky little grin, he laughs and brings me closer to him, i now know he really trusts me. i wanted to say something
"hey reiku"
"yeah"
"how long has it been? when we were with each other all the time, incomparable, we used to go everywhere together."
"ya well things change whether you like it or not. but, some things never..."
he choked up "i will always love you because, i am a part of you, you are a part of me that will never change" i couldn't help but to cry too, maybe more because it was true.
I close my eyes again...
(daylight)
suddenly i take notice of my surroundings, i am no longer in the arms of links, i am not in the garden, i am in my room on my bed, I have his coat, he must have snuck me back here last night.
the next day we were called to the office by hitatski again an the middle of class, on my way there i saw the necko boy wandering around the grounds, lately everyone had seemed a bit shaken up, even class A was restless, it was in the air. hitatski told us "something is wrong it has everyone shook up, you have to find out what it is." "yeah, it's this 6th sense thing" links shared out. there was an eerey silence in the room that lingered for the next couple of minutes "well off you go then, oh and..." hitatski threw a cheesey grin towards us "i heard you two have been, hook'en up lately" links smacked him across the face, "ohh, you didn't have to do that i was just kidding i know that it's not true" hitatski paused "is it?" links pulled up his fist again "ahh, no links" i yelled links was charging for him "stop!" i pushed him back head on, he completely ignored me, "no come on that's not true, you should know better than that, let alone to get links angry!" i manged to drag him away and back to my class were he would stay for the day. through the whole stupid day he looked up at the ceiling sometimes i would like to know what was going on in his head.
Chapter five: a night to remember
the next night i sneak out to the garden past Curfue to find the strange necko boy again, i waited for hours but i didn't find him. Instead links found me, he was surprised and covered his arm up from my sight "oh, hey why are you..." he paused, I saw blood dripping from his arm and starred in shock, he realized i saw "i have to go, now"
i whispered "what happened" the coat flew off and drooped to the ground rustling the brown leaves below us, i turned away so he didn't see the pain on my face.
links eyes suddenly looked deathly, links breathed intenlsy. I turned around and links was on the ground, he looked like he was in great pain, i placed my hand on his shoulder and said "links, links are you okay?" He looked up at me, helplessly drawn by his newly found instincts, links was a vampire, the cold, hard truth had hit me like a brick. The deep bloody bite marks now clearly showed on his arm, he was only bitten recently. He forcefully held my arm out to bite it, "grace...i'm...so...sorry" fangs pierced my skin and pain surged through my arm, it was a strange feeling. I had, a flashback of all the good times we've ever had, the time we fell off the fishing boat and swam back to shore together, it was like a scene from a movie when he walked onto the beach carrying me, when we used to live up in the snowy mountain cascades with hitatski for two years, that was after they killed his family, we were always friends but now, now we're so close "Ahh, links stop!" i yelled and squirmed out of his grip. i saw the neco boy in the distance standing on the wall, the big moon behind him. knight crawled out of the bushes behind links and dragged him away into the shadows. I looked back to the wall, he gave me this 'look" then vanished without a trace but his shadow over the moonlight burned like a picture into the back of my mind. later that night when i was bandaging up my arm pebbles were thrown at my window 'tap, tap, tap' i opened the creaky window and about two meters down there was that boy, he half yelled "stand back" and leaped up off a tree and through my window.
my eyes flicked between the ground and him trying to figure out what they just saw, he didn't have a tail or ears now "hello?" he whispered I immedietly retaliated "wow!, who?, when?, what?" "let me explain, i'm Nitro, im obviously a necko, im in class B, i came to you because..." he stopped, Nitro looked closer,
"what are you doing?" i whispered,
"nothing, don't move" he said. he creeped closer until he was as close as he could get then brushed against my cheek warmly, I didn't move like he asked me, Nitro smiled and pulled away, he now had ears and a tail "well, look down" i slowly looked down and there was a tail on my lap, i felt furry ears on my head.
"Ahh! i'm a nocko?!"
"yup"
"why did you...?"
"your ears and tail only show when your excited, under stress or a full moon."
"that's a lot to take in... but why did you?..."
"your cute, and it worked didn't it, your ears and tail showed"
"what?"
the lights in the hallway turned on and footsteps echoed.
"well grace i'll see 'ya tomorrow about links" he winked and jumped out.
"links" i sighed.
it was only what seemed like a couple of minutes later i had to get up and go to class, i moaned and objected until i was late, i wasn't concentrating. i thought to myself, links was really a vampire? i was a necko!?
links, he's been through so much in his past and now this?
you don't have hope, you have nothing.