3. MISS YOU

Right away I knew that me and headmaster would be butting heads after this because I had myself set on figuring out more about me and my family even if it meant meddling a little.

I found out quickly enough that the halls were all silent and eerie without people in it as I made my way through the Day class's campus and onto my own. I actually had gotten lost while listening intently to the classes going on for the Day class through the doors. I was curious; the only teachings I received were from Toga when he would also teach me academics too along with the art of vampire slaying which seemed so messed up now, because I was a vampire.

I was so lost…

"You there!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the stern voice. "Uh…yeah?" I answered meekly and turned to see the shadow come into view; It was a girl with coal black hair past her shoulders and angled eyebrows that expressed determination.

"What are you doing here?" she was walking near me quickly;

Clank, clank, clank…

"Um…" my throat swelled on me, blocking the words I was trying so desperately to say not to come.

She stopped in front of me, hand on her hip. "Name?"

"Huh? Oh, Kiryu." I fumbled.

She raised an eyebrow. "Kiryu? I don't recall there being any here…"

"I'm new, so,"

"Oh!" her expression lightened. "Okay, you're the new girl Kiryu from the Night class. Hi, I'm Shuka, a disciplinary committee member." she gave me a wide grin and her hand.

I hesitantly took it, being not the most social child. "Hi."

"Shall I show you to your dorm?" she offered.

"Uh, no, it's alright. I can find my way…" I was unsure about where I was going but I don't want to cause her too much trouble on the first meet.

"It's no trouble, this way." she tugged my sleeve as she turned back around, leading me out into the courtyard that was sunlit. She led me swiftly down another terrace hall covered in wisteria and then into another and another then up some stairs…we eventually came to a tall wooden door with a rose and vines knocker, above, read the number 24 in gold.

"Here you are."

"Thanks." I glanced at the slip of paper the headmaster sent with me, it read; 24. I was about to ask how she knew my dorm number but Shuka was already walking away back down the way we had come. I shrugged it off and, using the gold rose knocker, knocked on the door. A young lady answered with the same furrowed brow Shuka had when I first met her, but she was beyond beautiful; her blue eyes glistened with deep distrust and her pale complexion was framed perfectly by her fairish hair that curved down in flawless waves before her waist and had highlights of blond mixed with the chestnut brown underneath.

"Yes? May I help you?" her voice sounded like revered water pouring over smooth rocks in a steady stream.

"I hope so. I might be mistaken, but, headmaster gave me my dorm number and it happened to be this one. Is he right?" it all came out so fast.

She smiled as if she was repressing a malicious joke. "It would help if I knew your name."

"Oh, um, Kiryu. Mizuki Kiryu."

"Hmph, makes sense. Come on in, Kiryu." she let me inside. The room was lit with lavender and the incense that was lit by the window also exuded the scent of lavender too. Everything was purple. "I figured purple was a fairly mutual color, I hope you like it." I heard her shut the door.

"Yeah, I like purple." I admitted, still gazing around in awe at the expensive looking chess set, the sheer curtains flapping in the strong breeze that were also purple, the beautiful tapestries that hung around the borders of the walls and the magenta carpeting beneath my feet. I loved it all, it was better than home.

"Make yourself at home. Want some tea?" she paused in the empty doorway into another room.

"You have a kitchen in here?" I asked, excited.

"No, just a pathetic microwave." she shrugged. "Want some or not?"

"Sure, I'll take some."

While I heard her prepare the tea quietly, I occupied my time by gazing out of the window, sitting in the window-seat beneath it and setting my clothes aside. I guess I'd have to make this place my new home. I sighed. Could I do it?

"Here." she handed me a warm mug that felt good in my cold hands then she took a seat on the sofa across from me, crossing her long, lanky, legs elegantly, wearing purple jeans that were tight to her.

"I take it you like the color purple too…?" I hinted for a name.

"Yes. My name is Isio Jima." her gaze was on her tea as she inhaled the steam. I decided to look into my cup; the liquid was…a rusty red with two dissolving tablets at the bottom.

"What--are you trying to drug me or something?!" I was more frightened than outraged.

"What do you mean?" she seemed disturbed out of her serenity.

"M--my drink is drugged! It's red--"

She cracked up in a chime of harmonized laughter, setting down her drink so that she could hold her stomach while laughing.

"What the hell is so funny?" I stood up, now enraged.

"You're…" she continued laughing some more. "You don't know anything do you?"

My teeth gritted together and my fists clenched tight as my brow furrowed, I could feel my muscles tense inside slowly until it was too tight…I heard a shattering sound behind me as if glass was being shattered by a great force and I heard them hit the floor in chatters. Isio's laughter halted immediately.

"What the?" she was as baffled as I was as I loosened myself and craned my head to look back at the mess of glass at my feet. "What happened?" she asked. I lifted my feet and stepped aside, searching for an object like a stone that could have done that but to no avail.

"Are you hurt?"

I couldn't answer, I was a bit speechless. "I…" nothing more came out. "Um," my voice broke. "I'll clean it up, sorry." I bent down immediately and began to pick shards up.

"Hold on, I'll get you a bag." she left and came abruptly back quickly, handing the paper bag to me. I lifted the shards into my palms and then into the sack, handful after handful, trying to comprehend how or what did that when I felt something sharp dig into my skin, and then a sting as I spotted the bead of blood spill over on my thumb, now running down slowly making its way to my wrist.

"Oh, are you okay?" Isio hovered over me, her voice too kind to infuriate me like her ridiculed laugh did.

"Um, I'm fine. I'll just wash it out afterwards--"

"Tsk, tsk." she grabbed my wrist firmly in her small-boned hands that I wouldn't have expected to be so unyielding. "I'll make it all better for you." she moved her face toward it more, then opened her mouth, revealing fangs. I cringed, but all I felt was her soft tongue against my skin, it pinched a little bit but it all went away within a moment. Then she moved back away from me again, releasing my wrist.

"Thanks." sarcasm hung there but I meant my thank-you. I glanced down at the small wound that was no longer there nor exuding blood.

"I'm a vampire, but I'm not sure that you are." her voice carried skepticism in it which didn't really offend me; she had a right to question.

"Well, I am; I know that I'm a vampire now. Why do you wonder otherwise?" I picked up the last two shards and placed them in the bag, setting the bag in the frilly trash can beside me.

"You've never heard of blood tablets, have you?"

"No."

"Then you drink from humans?"

"No." my voice had edge to it.

"Then what exactly are you then?"

I gave her an even stare, inhaled deeply then spoke, "somehow I had been suppressing my true nature without conscious knowing. I had no idea what I was until I learned what my parents were, then I put two and two together to come up with this." I gestured to myself.

Her eyebrow knitted together. "That's quite the tragic story--"

"Are you making fun of me?" I stood defiantly as she stood too but with a sympathetic look.

"No, I'm not making fun of you, I'm saying that that's sad. Gosh." it stayed awkwardly quiet for a while until I said,

"I'm really sorry for the window." my head bowed.

"Stop apologizing, you act like you did it." her voice was light, as if with humor then faded once she saw something in my expression change. "Did you break the window?"

I looked the other way, letting my silver hair form a sheer curtain between us.

"How did you do it?" I deciphered excitement from her tone so I gazed up out of puzzlement. She neared me, then asked again, "how did you break the window?"

"I--I don't know." it was the truth, I had no idea, I didn't even know if I was the one who had done it.

"Hmm." she stared at her feet out of disappointment.

"I'm sorry--"

"No, it's fine," she sat back down on the sofa facing me. "I'm not mad or anything."

"Oh."

"So you don't know about blood tablets at all?"

I shook my head.

She sighed, exhaling through a small opening in her mouth. "Well," she swallowed, shifting her eyes out the window then back to me, "Vampires like us take them with water or other liquid to replace fresh blood that we're supposed to have because headmaster forbids us to drink from humans while under his watchful eye. He's very protective and patriotic with what he does."

"Really?" I took it all in.

"He's your grandfather, right?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh? Well…no." I wasn't really sure now…

"Oh."

"So tell me about classes." I was desperate for a change of topic to entice me for a while longer.

"Classes? Ours start at twilight, when the Day class's day ends, I must warn you though, humans are very bold and uncouth creatures so stick close to me when we leave to go to classes tonight."

"What do you mean? What do they do?"

"I'll explain it later." she seemed a bit hesitant. "Anyway, we receive regular classes like advanced algebra and Shakespearean literature and so on, no 'learn the magical arts of becoming a vampire' classes or--you get the picture, right?"

"Yeah." I answered quickly, taking a seat next to her on the plush white sofa.

"So…there's not much else except rules which are hard to obey but easy to remember," she smiled. "You can't leave campus at all, no biting humans, no leaving into the Day class's turf during the day nor at night, we are allowed to sleep during the day then we learn at night and…we have to take the blood tablets and nothing else, they're not as satisfying as the real thing but they help the hunger. Did headmaster give you a package full?"

"Um, I'm not sure…" I picked up my clothes and boots from the window-seat that was still rained upon with small shards then sat back down again beside Isio, unfolding the clothes, setting aside the boots and books. I eventually spotted a small cherry-wooden box that could fit in the palm of my hand with symbols of roses and their vines all along the lid. "Is this it?" I jingled the box, hearing the small tablets move inside;

Tick, tick, tac.

"Yup. That's the box." she lightly took the box from my hand and slid open the lid, revealing them all; there had the be at least 100 of them. "What you do when you're hungry is take two at the most and put them in your drink, you can even heat it up if you want like I tried to do for you earlier when you thought I had slipped poison into your tea." she giggled.

"Heh," I laughed uncomfortably. "Anything else crucial that I should know?"

"Not much. If I think of anything else, I can always tell you since we're roommates now."

"True." I tried to suppress a yawn but failed. "I'm tired." I admitted.

"Too late now, the sun's setting so we'll be leaving soon." she gazed out the window. "You should get dressed just so that we'll be ready."

"Okay." I stood, picked up my pile of clothes and boots, leaving the tablets and books then made my way toward the bathroom when Isio yelled back to me,

"When we get back, I'll introduce you to your new room."

"Alright!" I answered back with excitement then shut the door.

Isio led me very slowly and cautiously down the stairs and toward the main entrance, keeping me behind her like protecting a child even though she couldn't hide me behind herself for I was much taller than she--than most girls actually. We managed to slip in toward the back of the crowd, keeping silent as she kept up her blank stare but I couldn't hold back my obvious infatuation with my new surroundings. I had begun to study a few people around me now with all different hair colors of blond, red, brown, black, a similar color of my own and whites but on young people around my age. The only thing that spoiled my good mood was the fact that I was being forced to wear a skirt as a uniform.

I felt someone finger a strand of my hair so I turned to them to see a young man about my age that was taller than me with light chestnut hair dangling in his staring, taunting, dusty eyes. His finger slipped its grip, letting the stand fall back into place. I felt my cheeks flush as he smiled softly. "Welcome, Mizuki."

Just then, before my mouth could open, the doors swung wide to reveal loud screaming noises to my ears, I almost covered them.

"This way," Isio pulled me close to her side, so close that our arms were brushing and we pushed our way more toward the middle.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking back to try to find the boy who had approached me and who had already known my name. I was suddenly engulfed in the crowd of other strange vampires that didn't bother to glance my way at all and consumed by the sound of screams, it all rang in my ears. Someone accidentally pushed me away from Isio and to the outskirts where I could finally witness who the yelling voices were; all the Day class girls.

"Hey! Hey!"

"Aaa!" another screamed.

"Hey, look! It's a new girl!" one pointed to me, then everyone else turned to look at me too. Not good.

"Back up! Back it up, people. Go back to your dorms!" I heard a screeching whistle and Shuka come onto the scene. She winked at me once she had everything under control once more as Isio grabbed my arm and pulled me onward. I also saw another slim yet built figure step out to give Shuka a hand, I had never seen him before; he had very blond hair that was pure golden and strung in his face, I couldn't make out his eye color but they were very deep and mysterious, he didn't wear his uniform jacket, only the long sleeved, button up blouse underneath it too. I could basically consider him attractive, I guess.

His narrowed eyes suddenly slid my way before he completely disappeared as I went down the shadowy hallway. Who was he? The question repeated in my head many of times.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" I heard a young man say and smile with no humor while he stretched his arms up over his head.

"Just regular standards." another one with spiked reddish hair answered back in a nonchalant tone.

I turned back to Isio who was taming her beautiful hair with her fingers. "What was that all about?" I caught my breath.

"Oh, that? Routine. All the Day class girls swarm to see or get pictures of the Night class. Only some of us enjoy that havoc." she gave a dismissive gaze toward the boy who had stretched his arms above his head and smiled like he liked it all.

"Why do they do that? Do they do that every day?" I was astonished before I even got the answer.

"Yes. Every single day and they never get tired of it."

"I feel so sorry for the Disciplinary committee." I admitted, thinking about how much I would hate to have Shuka's task.

"I guess." some of the class split in different directions to go to their different classes, but the only thing that was on my mind was; who was that boy helping Shuka?