Chapter 1, The Academy Vampire

As the rays of the morning sun burst through the clouds of yesterday, beginning high school student, Thomas Haley, felt as if his summer should've lasted longer than it did. Like a lot of people, Thomas was never excited for high school to start but the least he could do was be a little enthusiastic about it. Although he awoke earlier than he had expected, it was nice to stand quietly at the half full bus stop and wait for his ride. His mom and dad both left for work extremely early and they trusted him enough that he could get to school without their help. He was sixteen; of course he could do it! Time always passed slowly in the early morning. He wondered about is parents, and how they always left early. He wondered if he'd be the only outsider in school and, to his surprise, he even wondered if he'd get a girlfriend. Assuming that he could find a girlfriend that wouldn't be freaked out that he isn't with the in crowd. Thomas had been set into stereotype mode again, he was assuming things. Like usual. How can he be so banal inside his own head? Sometimes Tom was wrong about his own actions. His friends did always tell him that his mind worked faster than his body.

He'd never been in a fight though, and his mom would freak if she even heard of him taking an interest in wrestling. But all towns have their form of harassment. It's not like there's a single town in the Universe where the whole place is juvenile-delinquent free. But what would half of the American population give to live in a place like that? There were distant sounds of rubber screeching to a halt at the curb where the bus stop was placed. The doors opened and Thomas climbed into the yellow monster. To Tom's surprise, there were no other people or students on the bus. Tom shivered slightly as he took his seat and also at the tunnel that the bus had driven into.

...

This tunnel must've been seriously long because it felt for hours that he was nowhere, endlessly riding darkness on wheels. But after a while, Thomas could finally see light at the end of the tunnel. He sighed and hefted his bag onto his shoulders. As the bus emerged on the other side, Thomas glanced at his side out of either of the windows. Outside there were empty trees, dead ones, or at least they looked that way. A cold shiver went down Tom's back and he quickened his pace toward the front of the vehicle. When he got to the bus driver, he turned toward him.

"Um excuse me" he asked quickly, "w-where um...are we exactly?" After Tom's question, he handed the man the last few bits of change he had, dropping it into his palm. Shuffling the coins, the man pointed out the front bus window. There was a large, probably three leveled by the looks of it, building in the distance.

"You came here for the high school right? It's over there."

"Thanks-wait a minute, how did you know that?" The man chuckled and the coins slipped from his hands and into a small box next to the foot of his chair.

"Every kid around your age that's gotten on this bus was heading for the academy. I just assumed it. Now get movin' kid, I got places I need to be. Oh, before you leave..." Tom stopped at mid-step down and out the door, he turned and saw the man facing out the bus window, an eerie but amused glint in his eyes.

"Most people who see this place never live to tell, save for, if ya' live here that is!" Before Tom could react the bus driver zoomed around and into the tunnel fading into the tunnels shadows. The air around him felt gloomy; gray clouds hung overhead giving the sky a more...ghostly pallor.

Why did this place have to look so haunted? Tom, as best as he could, walked forward, his toes clenched tightly. For the first time in his life, he was afraid to go to school. But for this high school...he should be.

...

As soon as Tom arrived at the Academy's entrance, he thought back to his entire walk here. He heard howling and could've sworn he saw red eyes watching him. Oh, and bats wouldn't stop spiraling over his head in a repetitive circle!

"Perfect" Tom mumbled in a hopeless tone, "My first day and already I've turned nuts." But then he sighed deeply, almost forgetting his dormant frustration, "it's just...why do I have this, all of a sudden, ominous feeling in my stomach?"

"Look out!"

"Wha-"Tom's stomach was punctured by the feeling of a notebook jabbing several inches into his ribs. He doubled over hissing in pain.

"Oh gosh, oh my, I am, so sorry. Are you alright?" When Tom craned his neck to a front view, he saw probably the most flawless and elegant face staring at him with worried eyes. The daze melted from his expression and he dusted his shirt, scrambling to his feet.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, what about you? Sorry for, ya know tripping on you like that." The girl waved her hands hastily,

"Oh, no it's ok; I probably should've...looked where I was going. Oh, I'm Carol by the way. What's your s?" Thomas was almost mesmerized; Carol was beautiful...no, she was beyond beautiful. She was perfect.

Probably in every way physically possible.

"Um...hello, you still here?" Tom's small, internal voices shook him awake and his eyes resumed their fix position on the girl's deep, emerald eyes. He held a hand up and blinked his eyes a couple times before looking back at her.

"Uh yeah I'm just...tired; the ride here must've rocked me to sleep." Carol resisted the urge to utter even the smallest laugh, but Tom saw her giggle.

"What's so funny?" Carol's hand slipped from her lips and the crooked line that was her laughing smile still remained. She glanced briefly down at the ground and shook her head, almost in an apologetic manner, but different.

"Nothing it's...oh!" Carol's face popped with a look of surprise.

"What?" Tom asked back almost immediately. Carol's hands clasped over her mouth as if she was about to throw up. Thomas cautiously approached Carol, bending his head down.

"Carol, are you okay?" Carol shook her head and she took giant steps away from Tom.

"Tom I..." before Thomas could ask Carol was so close to him her chest was practically touching his. Her breath ran down his neck and then, Tom felt something warm and slick run up his neck, slowly.

"Carol...what're you doing?" Tom struggled for more words but Carol had such a tight grip with her right hand on his waist and her left on his right, middle section that Thomas could barely breathe. Carol's mouth opened slowly and she licked Tom's neck one more time. Then, she bit down into his flesh, poking small holes, blood oozing from the open incision. Tom's breath slowed; he could hear Carol and how she was swallowing. Tom's first thought was, "swallowing what?" But then he realized she was swallowing something that flowed abundantly through his neck.

Carol was drinking his blood!

...

Thomas gasped, his spine was stiff and his neck was jerked back tightly. Carol continued gulping down mouthfuls of the delectable crimson fluid. Thomas could feel his life rush out of him. The world around him spun. Then, the pain seemed to slip from him and Carol drew away from his neck, licking the excess from her lower lip. Thomas's hand moved slowly to the side in which she'd bit and hissed; the pain was excruciating. Thomas felt as if he could barely stand. His knees started to buckle, but he willed himself to remain on his feet. What did she just do? Carol had actually drunk his blood, swallowed it, for real! Thomas had to have been dreaming...no, it wasn't a dream. It felt too real to be a figment of his imagination. When Thomas's eyes searched in front of him, he saw Carol. Her hand was cupped over her mouth as if she were about to hurl.

"Carol..." Thomas whispered in sheer horror. "What did you, do?" Carol gathered the strength left inside her to look up at him. She whirled around so her back was to him and dropped her head sadly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered desolately.

"Thomas I...I'm a...vampire."

Thomas could only stare as if the world had gone wrong.