Chapter One
Victor

Victor loved science.

He loved physics, biology, and chemistry, and would normally pay rapt attention to any lecture concerning any of those topics. But today…today was different. Today that attention was directed to none other than Elsa van Helsing, the girl who sat only a few seats away from him in class, the girl who'd lived in the house next to him for years, the girl oblivious to Victor's stares. He quietly observed her scribbling down lecture notes in her notebook.

Why did he feel so strange? The science teacher's voice softened to a low murmur, and the world around him seemed to fade. He lifted a hand to his cheek; it was warmer than usual. The corners of his mouth were lifted into the tiniest of smiles. Weird. He remembered the time when girls had been repulsive, when even getting near one was completely out of the question. Funny how things had changed.

"Mr. Frankenstein?" A sharp voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked up to see the science teacher, Mrs. Holloway, staring at him expectantly. She was much less vocal than the gym teacher—who was also the students' former science instructor—but ten times colder and more intense.

The warmth in Victor's face disappeared. "Wha…?"

Mrs. Holloway raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to answer the question for us, Victor?" Her icy blue eyes seemed to penetrate his blank mind.

"Uh…but…I…I don't…" Sweat pricked at his palms as he scrambled to come up with an answer for a question he hadn't even heard. People were giving him strange looks. Victor, the smartest student in their science class, struggling to think up the answer?

"Hmmm. Not paying attention in class, are we, now?" Mrs. Holloway shook her head. The iciness of her eyes seemed to intensify. "Anyone else? Let's see…Toshiaki?"

Toshiaki straightened in his seat. Victor noticed that the intense boy seemed slightly happier nowadays. The same went for Nassor, Toshiaki's constant companion. It was odd, considering both of their reanimated pets had died not too long ago during the Dutch Day incident. "Cardiac conduction is the rate at which the heart conducts electrical impulses," he replied confidently.

The teacher nodded in satisfaction. "Yes. Very good, Toshiaki. Now, the heart…" Mrs. Holloway's voice once again faded into a mutter.

Victor frowned. He had known the answer. He was very passionate about biology, especially anatomy. His disappointment, however, dissolved as he saw Elsa turn and give him a smile, her dark eyes full of sympathy. Victor found it hard not to grin back.

The last twenty minutes of class flew by in a daze for Victor and eventually came to an abrupt end. "Tomorrow we'll be having a lab," Mrs. Holloway called after the exiting students, but Victor barely heard her. A twinge of excitement at the word "lab", but that was all.

He numbly made his way to his locker and fumbled with the combination. The numbers swirled through his head, making it hard to concentrate. Three…thirty-eight…what was the last number…?

Then he heard her voice.

"Hey, Victor," she murmured as she passed by. Victor spun around and saw that she was wearing a small smile that traveled to her normally solemn eyes and made them light up.

Why was his heart pounding so hard? He managed a soft "Oh…h-hey, Elsa" and quickly attempted to look casual by nonchalantly leaning his elbow against the lockers, but his arm slipped, and he landed with a humiliating bump on the linoleum floor. A few passing students stopped by to gawk or snicker.

Elsa was the only one to do something about it. "Are you okay?" she gasped, stooping to help him up.

Face burning, Victor took her proffered hand and picked himself up off the floor. He dusted his pants off with cold, damp hands. "Um, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, though he doubted it was true. He laughed. The sound was nervous and awkward, but Elsa giggled tentatively with him, to his relief. Spectators raised their eyebrows and walked off, whispering like conspirators. Neither Victor nor Elsa seemed to notice them.

Elsa paused for a moment, her eyes focused on her shoes. Then, with one last smile and a "See you later" thrown over her shoulder, she turned and made her way down the hall towards her own locker. A dazed Victor watched from where he stood as she twirled in her combination. The rectangular door swung open and concealed the thin girl from his view. He turned away, heart thudding, tiny beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. He couldn't remember a time when he had ever felt this way. What was this feeling?

That's when he realized.

He had a crush on Elsa van Helsing.