There was about 25 children and a drama teacher. A lot of the kids were girls I soon noticed. There were a few boys too but I suppose boys didn't really like drama, they probably went for stuff like tech or sport. I snapped out of my little world when the teacher walked up to me. He was a large man, not fat but looked big boned. His dark hair had shades of grey in but he didn't look old, his eyes were dark but looked happy. His skin olive toned but not tanned, like he was part Greek or somewhere close to there about.
"Hello?" He asked, his voice already sounded interesting. I looked him in the eye but didn't let him see my hair.
"Hi, I'm Essence Dracula. I'm new here and this was one of my option choices." I told him. He smiled.
"My name is Mr O'Hannlon, I will be your drama teacher. We are just starting on a new topic today, Romeo and Juliet, so you are lucky you came when you did. Take your shoes and bag off, put them in the corner and then sit on the floor please." I did as he told me, sitting away from the other kids. I didn't listen to what the teacher was saying, but instead thought of my new found family. Vampire. So that was why I was so pale, why the school nurse at every school I went to thought I was ill. It wasn't the only thing that sounded weird. The fact that I had been youngest of three before all this and only remembered snippets was strange too. I smiled a little at the thought of having someone to take care of me, a sibling. I thought back to the way Ingrid had put her hand on my shoulder, almost protective. I felt warm inside to think that she of all people would care. I remembered what she was like in Stockley and shuddered. I wasn't there on the night of the hunt ball in my family's old castle but from the way Chloe had been when she saw me after that and the way Vlad and the Count had upped and moved was strange. Ingrid had stayed, then there was the fire. That horrible fire. It had taken months to repair the damage and no one knew whether Ingrid had lived or died. She had never paid much attention to me in school and we had never been the best of friends but I was glad she never perished in the fire. I looked at the kids around me and sighed. They didn't know how lucky they were. I looked round as a girl with short dark hair, slanted brown eyes and tanned skin sat next to me.
"Hi, I'm Shiralee-Mae. What's your name?" She asked. She sounded like she was from here. My heart ached and I wished I was back in Transylvania. I forced a smile.
"Essence." I said. I really didn't want to talk to this girl. She looked like trouble.
"I like your necklace. Who has the other one?" My hand flew up to my friendship necklace. It was a mood necklace in the shape of a crescent moon and star with 'friends' written above it.
"My friend Chloe. She lives in Stockley." I told her.
"You don't sound like you're from Stockley." She frowned.
"Lived in Transylvania for ten years, Stockley for three and I moved here this morning. I got moved." I said.
"Oh. I live in care. It is difficult moving from place to place like that. But you moved with your family so you wouldn't know." Oh, I wouldn't know? Well…
"Actually-" I started but she cut me off.
"Don't pretend you do 'cause moving from family to family is so difficult you wouldn't imagine. I-" It was my turn to cut her off.
"I do know actually. I'm in care myself. Just not with a family." I told her. She sighed angrily and stormed over to a boy with shaggy brown hair. I saw her muttering something to him and he looked round. His eyes were dark brown and he was slightly tanned himself. Honestly! Where do these people get their tan from? Is no one just pink anymore? I paid them no attention as the teacher told us we would be coming up with a sword fighting sequence where one of us dies. We were split into partners and given sticks to practise with. I was paired with a nice looking boy. He wasn't tanned, which I was slightly relieved about. I was getting annoyed that most other people had tans and I was pale. The boy had short black hair, kind brown eyes and a sweet red smile. He was the tinniest bit shorter than me and had a slight limp. I held out my hand to him and smiled.
"Essence Dracula." I said. He smiled back.
"Austin Headley." He told me. I tilted my head. Austin… it suited him. I let go of his hand and held up my swordy stick.
"Who wants to die via pretend sword but really a stick?" I asked him in the most casual manner I could. He laughed. It was a nice sound, soft, welcoming and genuine.
"You wanna die?" He was offering?
"Clash five times, I stab, you parry, I sweep over head, you sweep under, I jump, land then you stab me and I die. Now let's go." I already planned all of this out. We practised, every time I died I shouted:
"Again!" and over and over until it was perfect. The lesson ended to soon for my liking. I got my shoes and bag on and looked to the door. Erin was stood there with Vlad over her shoulder. I saw their hands were linked again and smiled. My brother seemed to really like her and her him. I skipped over to them with a grin and my hood up and said:
"So? How was first lesson?" Vlad and Erin smiled and we walked to our next lessons.