Chapter 19:
"Cassandra Kraven huh?" Vincent Oswald frowned as he skimmed through the application. "She doesn't seem to have anything out of the ordinary. But still, I have no knowledge of who her family is…"
"It is strange." Ruka Souen noted. "And the fact that she is enrolling this late in the year. Did they mention what her qualifications are?"
"According to her transcripts, she qualifies for the same year as our children. From the age profile, she is almost as old as Ms. Emi Aidou."
"Emi is already the youngest in her year." Ruka stated. "To think there would be one even younger now makes me wonder why she didn't apply to Cross Academy at an earlier date."
"Should we schedule an interview?" Vincent asked, putting his hands together. "Perhaps we can find out more about this girl besides the usual interview goals. I may be paranoid, but for a transfer student to come just after the recent invasion incident? I cannot help but feel suspicious."
"Do what you must Vincent." Ruka nodded. "I will inform her Majesty and Grandmaster Ren about this newest development, alongside Chairman Cross."
Vincent nodded, looking through the documents again. "I shall contact her for the necessary arrangements. It seems the girl has no qualms about travelling, so we will be able to meet her in person. We can get more interesting answers that way."
"Ever the people person hmm?" Ruka chuckled.
"Eyes can be the window to the soul, among other things." Vincent said. "I just find it much better to see newly enrolled students personally. Such methods allow a chance for them to give an impression. Besides, we all believe that any who wish to study at this prestigious place be given the fair opportunity, did we not?"
"Of course." Ruka nodded. "Since you are already here, I leave that matter to you then?"
"Very good." Vincent replied.
Chairman Cross frowned as he read the message from Ruka Souen, scrutinising through the documents provided for Cassandra Kraven. Looking through copies of the same documents was Lionel Ford and another man.
"So who in the world is this Cassandra Kraven?" Ford asked as he flipped through the papers. "Kidomaru, any ideas?"
The other man now turned with a thoughtful expression. It had been a month since Ford caught him sneaking around the school, when the vampire queen had been visiting. He knew it was only a matter of time before he would be found by the staff or the vampire students who were enrolled here. Thankfully though, he had considered how to fit in the minute he was discovered, his mind reaching back to the conversation a month earlier.
"PE huh?" Ford frowned as he lit a cigar. "Care to explain why Kidomaru?"
"The circle is growing concerned." Kidomaru had said. "Marcus and Zen have doubts about the security in this place."
"Meaning they don't like how the vampires have come here in force?" Kirihara Cross said. "I understand the position of the Association. There is a delicate balance of control between the Monarchy and the Association regarding this school. However, do remember that both parties have agreed to allow the staff here to run the school, with me being the nominated Chairman. It is somewhat concerning that within a single year, the Association has sent more people to serve as new teachers than the Monarchy." At this he glanced at Ford, who could only shrug in response.
"Complain as you like Kirihara, but the Association president still has greater voice in such matters than you." Kidomaru said.
"I know." Kirirhara Cross nodded. "But honestly, you people back there need to, as the young say, chill out for a bit."
"Well, if it makes you happy, Yumika is more worried with how the Kitsuke boy will react." Kidomaru stated. "She believes that with James Ridley and his mysterious benefactor being more active, the boy will go on a rampage soon enough. So my main task is also to make sure he doesn't go off the rails in revenge."
"Is that so?" Ford frowned. "There is some truth to that comment. That kid can be a big pain in the ass with all his hostility toward those creatures."
"Just like Ms. Shiba's mother to have a level head in all this." Kirihara responded with relief. "At least she has an idea of the bigger picture that we ought to be focussing on." At these words, Ford and Kidomaru could only look away from his strained stare.
"But fine." The Chairman replied. "You can stay. I am not objecting to added security on campus. But please Kidomaru, be civil here." And such was the arrangement. Thankfully, Kidomaru himself had a soft spot for the Day class children and was welcomed affectionately by most of the first years, with his creative PE games being wildly accepted by the student body and staff.
"No." Kidomaru said, resuming the discussion now being held regarding the new student. "I have met with many of the European vampires, and while I am positive she is from that region, I have absolutely no idea who she is. Have we been able to reach via her given family contact?"
"Ms Ruka Souen is doing that now." Kirihara replied. "But seeing as she hasn't called us, it doesn't appear there are any problems."
"Still, it is quite a strange coincidence." Ford said. "After we suffer an attack here that causes both the vampire monarchy and the Hunter Association to become more edgy about this place, then this student shows up? Normally, people think of this as just a normal application, but I smell something fishy. It's like that attack was meant to pave the way for this girl to come here."
"Now that you mention it that could be true." Kidomaru nodded in agreement. "Should we at least keep an eye on her?"
"Let the Night class do it." The chairman replied. "I have every faith in Akira Kuran's ability to manage his fellows. Confer our suspicions over, but tell him that there should not be overly-zealous actions. We do not want to spook this girl after all, especially when our claims still aren't concrete. For all we know, we are just being paranoid again." The chairman now eyed the two teachers who were with him, giving them strange looks.
"Whatever." Ford grumbled, obviously getting the hint. "As long as she doesn't do anything strange that is fine by me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class that needs preparing."
"As do I." Kidomaru nodded.
"Very well." Chairman Cross nodded. "Let the vampires settle their ends first. I will make the final decision based on their recommendations."
Vincent Oswald sat solemnly in the room he had booked. Upon contacting the new student's N.O.K., it was arranged that Ms Kraven would come down personally. Although he himself was apprehensive about it, the young vampire did not seem to mind. If he had to make a guess, the girl wanted to escape from her home, wherever it was.
He fingered the documents that lay on the table, going over the questions he had intended to ask during the course of the session. He glanced at the clock, which read as a quarter to 2pm. The interview would begin soon. Best be ready for it. Vincent thought to himself.
Soon enough, he heard the footsteps. He stood up, ready to greet the new student the minute she entered the door. The door then opened, and the first one in was a peculiarly dressed woman. He recognised the black clothes lined with the white laced apron. By all accounts she was, no, she is a maid. This one had to be Beatrice, he reasoned. The application did come with a message that the girl would be accompanied by a family maid.
"Right this way Milady." Beatrice bowed as soon as the door was fully open. Immediately, the vampire stepped in, and Vincent froze.
She was stunningly beautiful. Her silver hair travelled to her waist, though some of it was braided into a bun behind her head. Her skin was alabaster white, almost like marble. She wore a beautiful violet dress with a criss-cross pattern that stretched from her bust to her mid-section. Her white shrug covered her arms and neck, though leaving her armpits slightly exposed. The outfit seemed to perfectly complement her eyes, which also appeared to be violet.
But something else struck Vincent. There was a strange aura about her, one that seemed to propagate an unnatural power. A single look was all he needed. Vincent maintained his composure well enough despite the answer his mind had reached.
The girl is a Pureblood.
"Good evening Ms. Kraven." Vincent greeted, bowing slightly. "Forgive me, but I wasn't aware of your standing amongst our kind."
"Oh no!" Cassandra waved her hand. "It should be my fault. We did not adequately inform the school of my identity. Unfortunately, my family felt it would cause too much of a commotion should my status get out. Nonetheless, I do thank you for such a kind greeting."
"You honour me with those words." Vincent replied, gesturing to the empty chair in front of him. "Please have a seat."
Cassandra gracefully sank into the wooden chair, her hands folding neatly on her lap. The maid Beatrice appeared to have taken this time to close the door, standing at attention.
"Now, may I explain what this interview entails?" Vincent asked.
"Please do." Cassandra said with a smile.
Night was falling. The Day class students were now starting to file out of the main building and head to the Sun dorm. Of course, this also entailed the usual hustle and bustle of getting a look at the Night class that was just about to take their place in the school halls, which also entailed the efforts of the school Prefects.
"Hey!" Anju yelled. "Off the walls!" At once, the two girls shrieked and attempted to scramble up faster.
"Down. Now. Otherwise, detention." Came a fierce voice. The two students now looked to see Ichigo glaring at them from below. Slowly, the two students consigned defeat and climbed back down.
"Does he really have to keep that up?" Misaki frowned as the two girls scampered away into the crowd.
"What else is he supposed to do?" Anju asked, receiving a knowing nod from Misaki.
"Well if you two are done with gawking at the finesse of our resident a-hole, GET BACK TO IT!" Came Isabelle Dunois, which caused Anju and Misaki to cry out and run back to their posts.
The gates of the Moon dorm finally opened, and Anju now covered her ears amidst the piercing screams of Day class students. She watched as Henry Oswald was surrounded by his adoring fans, doing his best to flirt with every one of them.
"Ladies please, one at a time now." Henry smiled as they presented him with flowers and gifts.
"And somehow you haven't gotten that special somebody." Ganju frowned.
"I like my life the way it is thank you very much." Henry smirked as he juggled with more gifts and even more human girls.
"Do you now?" Ganju replied as he directed his attention to a huge number of girls who were swooning over his mere appearance. He waved back in greeting as Gabriella now walked over and hugged his hand tightly.
"To each his own, as they say." Emi chuckled as she marched up to them from behind, giving rise to gasps and cries of adoration. She waved back while giving a pearly white smile. Thuds sounded amidst the keening wails. Anju turned and saw how a few guys had seemingly been incapacitated with just that small a greeting.
"And as usual, the humans are the ones getting completely out of it." Isabelle groaned as she went over and hauled them to their feet, but not before slapping them awake first.
"And as usual Senior Dunois is as violent as ever with her methods." Misaki whispered to Anju the minute she was out of earshot. Anju giggled in reply to her friend's comment.
"Goodness! Quite the gathering we have here, isn't it?" Came a strange voice. Despite it not being raised, it carried over the keening squeals that reverberated throughout the air. All now turned to look at the source of the voice, and in an instant they found it, gasps erupted from both humans and vampires alike.
Anju now faced the vampire girl who stood atop the wall surrounding the Moon dorm, her dress and silver hair swaying gently in the slight breeze. She regarded the entire spectacle with a sort of bemused curiosity with beautiful violet eyes.
When did she get up there? Anju thought to herself. Deciding to get her down, she walked towards the girl, only for Shinji to block her.
"You're the new girl who applied." Shinji stated. "Cassandra Kraven, right?"
The girl curtsied, her balance perfect upon the stony wall. "A pleasure to meet all of you. I had just concluded with the interview, but Mr. Oswald said that as they process it, I can take up residence in this place." She now looked upward, scanning the entire landscape from her perch. "This place is amazing! I've never seen sunlight like this at all! I'm so glad I got to be here!"
"I'm quite glad you like it up there." Isabelle frowned. "But there are rules to be followed here, and those similar rules don't allow for you to stand on walls."
"Just a little longer!" Cassandra giggled, not taking Isabelle seriously at all. "Fifteen more minutes!"
"NO WAY IN HELL!" Isabelle yelled. "Seriously, did you not hear a word I just said?"
"Stand down ruffian!" Came another voice. Everyone now turned to see a maid followed by Mr. du Coteau, both of whom were dragging large bags.
Anju blinked as everyone gasped in shock. Did the maid just address Isabelle as a ruffian? She dared a glance at Isabelle, who now had a twitch in her eye.
"R-Ruffian?" Isabelle stammered. "Me?"
"Who else?" The maid replied vehemently. "How dare you speak to Lady Cassandra like that!"
"Well I'm a prefect here!" Isabelle growled, showing the white armband. "And as such, I have to enforce the rules of this-"
"Ms. Dunois, please stop." The vampire teacher now stated. "We do not want to be rude to a potential new student."
"The heck?" Isabelle replied as Ichigo emerged from the crowd, freezing the minute he saw Cassandra.
Mr. du Coteau now cleared his throat. "I suppose there is some explanation to be had. How shall I begin?"
"Do not trouble yourself Mr. du Coteau. Allow me." Everyone now directed their attention to the gate, where Akira was just walking out with Lin Hua behind him. Akira now shot a glance at Cassandra, who returned it with an especially surprised look of her own.
"Oh my…" Cassandra breathed, her hand rising to her lips in surprise. "I didn't know there was another like me here…"
"It is a pleasure to meet you Cassandra Kraven." Akira said. "I am the head prefect of the Night class that you have applied into. My name is Akira Kuran."
"Kuran?" Cassandra blinked in surprise as she now stepped off the wall. "As in the Pureblood prince Kuran?" At once, Beatrice gaped, her hand dropping the luggage bag as she bowed before Akira.
"Please ask your maid to stand." Akira sighed. "It could make things awkward like this."
"Ah. Of course, if that is your desire." Cassandra now turned to the maid. "Beatrice, please stand." At those words, the maid got to her feet.
"To not bow before Lord Akira…" Came Sean Fernando of the Night class as he regarded her. "It only means…"
Akira now held up a hand to quiet him. Straightening his clothes, he walked up to and bowed slightly before Cassandra. "As head prefect of the Night class, I formally welcome you to our humble abode Ms. Cassandra Kraven. I apologise if the first impression of the Day class prefects may not have been the most ideal, but please be assured that they mean for only your safety and well-being."
"Well, it isn't right for anyone to expect to know everything about me on the first day." Cassandra smiled. "Though I will admit such treatment was a little stunning at the very least."
"There must be lots of things you aren't used to." Akira nodded. "After all, I have never heard of the family name Kraven, even from my friend Henry. And without Mr. Vincent's message, I could never have known that you were a Pureblood vampire."
The Day students gasped as they stared at Cassandra, who only looked back at Akira with bemusement. "Well, I suppose it would be impossible to hide my status from you, though wouldn't it be a risk letting the students know? After all, our identities are a carefully guarded thing."
"There is little about our social structure the human students are not familiar with." Akira replied. "Thus, they are aware of what entails a Pureblood vampire."
"Hahaha, interesting." Cassandra giggled. "Well, it seems I'll need to be learning more about this place if I am to stay."
"And we'll do our best to accommodate you." Akira said. "I apologise that I cannot, but as you can see, class is about to start for us."
"But of course. Beatrice, we'd best hurry or we'll block the road." Once she had addressed the maid, Cassandra made her way to the Moon dorm. However, just as it seemed things had been sorted out nicely, Ichigo's hand lunged out and quickly grabbed her shoulder.
"You…" Ichigo growled under his breath, ignoring the shocked looks from everyone who had gathered. "Who are you?"
"How rude…" Cassandra grumbled. "My name is Cassandra Kraven. Wasn't that established?"
"Unhand her you brute!" Ichigo now felt his hand get torn away by the maid, who appeared to be much stronger than she looked. "How dare you defile Lady Cassandra with such barbaric actions!"
"Beatrice, please stop. It's getting embarrassing…" Cassandra said curtly.
"Apologies milady." Beatrice bowed, but still shot a glare at Ichigo.
"Answer my question dammit…" Ichigo growled. "Who are you and where did you come from?" But Cassandra paid him no heed, motioning for Beatrice to bring the luggage in.
"Get back here you!" Ichigo now made another lunge at the silver-haired girl, once more shocking the entire crowd. Suddenly, he felt a slight pressure on his neck. A flash lit up his vision and before he knew it, his body had gone slack, his own momentum now sending him face first to the floor.
"Aaaand problem solved." Misaki said curtly as she withdrew the ring. Hauling Ichigo off the floor, she bowed to the vampire. "Sorry about this numbskull. He never knows when to stop his idiocy."
"We're really sorry about it!" Anju apologised as well, bowing deeply.
Cassandra watched in amusement as the two girls carried the boy away. Seemingly having enough for now, the crowd dissipated, with the rest of the Night class now heading to the main building. Mr. du Coteau now walked up and bowed. "I apologise for him. Such actions are not tolerated by our school, I assure you. I will be reporting this incident to the Chairman and he will deem the necessary reprimand if that pleases you Lady Cassandra."
"Do what you must." Beatrice nodded. "As of now, Lady Cassandra is tired and I'm sure she would like to rest."
"If that is what she wills." Mr. du Coteau nodded.
Within the half hour, Cassandra had now settled into her guest room. With nothing to do, she wandered the halls, taking in every inch of her surroundings.
"Milady, you must be thirsty." Cassandra turned to see Beatrice holding a cup filled with a strange red liquid.
"Thank you Beatrice." Cassandra said as she took the drink and gulped it down, the blood tablet solution sating her appetite.
"The nerve of these human students!" Beatrice angrily commented. "Have they no respect?"
"The girls were human. The boy was formerly human…" Cassandra said.
Beatrice gasped in shock. "He was like us?" The shock then gave way to fury as Beatrice realised what it meant. "How dare he! Milady, I feel that you were too lenient with him! Such insolence should be punished!"
"I doubt the rules of the school would condone such actions. Mr. Oswald was quite insistent on how the Night class cannot harm those of the Day class" Cassandra folded her arms as she glanced at the setting sun. "Purebloods may not have as much freedom of authority here as we think."
"No wonder your grandfather sent you here." Beatrice said. "Perhaps he means for you to change the system of this school? It certainly seems to be producing the corruption he has cautioned you about."
"Who knows?" Cassandra frowned. "For now, let us just wait and be patient. I'm sure we'll figure things out eventually."
"As you say, Milady."
Chairman Cross buried his face in his hands as he heard the report from Eugene du. Coteau. Ford shook his head as Kidomaru groaned.
"Seriously, is that apprentice of mine an idiot?!" Ford growled as he stamped on the floor.
"Well, if we think about it, he already had to deal with one Pureblood on campus." Kidomaru said. "And now this female Pureblood shows up. I think we should have thought about his aggression control for such an event."
"I'll deal with him soon enough." Chairman Cross said. "Prefect or no, victim or not, he had no right to act the way he did. Perhaps a probation for a few days would be enough. And send my apologies to Lady Cassandra. As a Pureblood, I doubt she found such an experience enjoyable."
"Will do." The vampire teacher replied. "I suppose you have considered her application?"
Chairman Cross leaned back in his chair. "There doesn't seem to be any reason to refuse her. This school was meant to help maintain the peace between human and vampires. Unless there is any reason, we shall not reject any individual who comes here wishing to learn."
"You sure about that?" Ford frowned. "I worry about a power struggle between the two of them. Kuran has maintained his place among the Night class for a while now. This Cassandra Kraven could attempt to upset his standing. Plus, let's not forget our earlier suspicions."
"I shall report on that end sir." du. Coteau replied. "Though you must understand, if such a clash were to occur, I doubt even the prefects will be sufficient. We may need the intervention of the Queen in this regard."
"Ai has a way of knowing such events." The Chairman replied. "I'm sure if things are getting out of hand, she will step in without a word. For now, let us facilitate the enrolment of Ms. Kraven. As we do, I strongly stress caution to all."
Anju yawned as she turned in for the night. It was quite a shock to see another Pureblood, though it could not compare to the shock of Ichigo's reaction. He is sure to get a suspension for such a fiasco.
"He is quite a rough guy huh?" Anju turned to see the girl from her dreams standing by her door.
"Always, especially with Purebloods." Anju nodded, before shock took over. "Wait a minute! What are you doing here? How did you get here? How are you talking like this?"
"I dunno." The girl replied. "I just wanted to talk and so, here I am."
"God, this is getting weirder and weirder!" Anju moaned. "First my dreams and now this? I am definitely getting delusional!"
"Do you want this to be a dream?" The girl replied. "Maybe I should have started with that…"
"You think?" Anju growled as she lay down on her bed. "At first I thought the world was crazy enough with all I have had to deal with. Now it seems that crazy is coming to me…"
"Well, I think you ought to take this differently." The girl replied. "Besides that classroom scare, I'm sure I got his hands down. I'll only come out like this when it's just you, alright?"
"Still doesn't make it any easier knowing I'm talking to someone who appeared in my dreams." Anju deadpanned. "I don't even know what to call you. Saying 'You' or 'Hey' just doesn't make for a good conversation."
"Good point." The girl replied. "What do you want to call me?"
Anju mulled it over. The girl appeared in her dreams right? So…
"What if I just call you Yume for now?" Anju asked. "I mean, you said your name was a secret. So till you think it isn't, I'll just call you that. How about it?"
"Yume huh?" The girl replied. "Yeah, okay. That's fine by me."
"Great." Anju said. "Now, I've got sleep to catch up on. Busy day tomorrow I'm sure."
Anju now turned off the light and pulled the blanket over. Before she closed her eyes, the dream girl-Yume-entered her vision again.
"That girl, Cassandra." Yume said. "There is something strange about her."
"Strange how?" Anju asked.
"I don't know." Yume frowned. "But I don't like it."
Author's Note:
Figuring this chapter out took longer than expected.
Just an update, I will soon be returning to University studies, so expect for times of long hiatus between uploads as I settle back into studies.
As always, read and comment.
Jdbl00d