Chapter 3: One Step Closer (by: Frostie)

"Now, what do you remember about vampires from your previous studies?" Gabriel addressed his class.

"That they're pale and have pointy teeth," droned a boy from the back, the smart aleck of the group. His name was Brad Thompson. As if on cue, the entire class started chuckling.

Gabe sighed in frustration. In order to mask his annoyance, he smiled. "You're brilliant, Brad. A true intellectual if I've ever seen one. But try to take it further than that. Anyone can add to the discussion." Silence. The entire class just slouched in their chairs and stared straight at him, eyes glazed over. Gabe walked over to the sliding hunter green window curtains and pulled them back with one swift motion. The entire class groaned and blocked out the harsh morning sun as it penetrated the previously darkened room. "Think. What does light have to do with vampires?"

"They shy away from it?" a meek girl named Beth from the front row offered.

Excited, Gabriel fell into his groove of teaching. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. "Exactly. As you did just now." He sat on an empty desk in the front row. "Anyone know why vampires shrink away from the light?" More silence. "Anyone?"

"Because they're scared of it?"

"Yes, actually, that's the general principle. Vampires enjoy the dark because humans generally fear the dark. It's a little known fact that they actually gain more energy from our fear of them than actual blood."

"But why do they suck blood then, if they live off of fear?"

"The whole blood-sucking concept is just a way for them to endorse fear in humans, when really they don't suck blood at all. A common misconception that most everyone makes."

"What explains the two little holes in the necks of the victims then?" Brad asked again in the same smart-alecky voice. "Decoration?"

Gabe smiled. "Yes, actually. Decoration. They usually don't kill their victims, just incapacitate them for a while when they put two small holes in the neck using a miniscule spear. It really doesn't harm the victim at all, but since they can't remember anything, they say that the vampire sucked their blood because that would be the most obvious explanation—mainly because they've been know to 'suck blood' for centuries."

"Are you saying what my mom has taught me about vampires these last sixteen years isn't true?"

"Yes, I believe I am. I actually shadowed one once back in England. He was quite wary of me at first, but after a while we became friends and I realized that he was simply lonely." The class looked even more confused than they had when he had started the hour.

"Are you telling me we actually have to become friends with them?"

"OK, OK, maybe that was a bad example, so let me explain in a different way and maybe you'll understand the concept better." He stood up from his desk and paced the front of the room. "What I'm trying to tell you is that just recently we have been researching vampires and have learned that if approached properly, they are quite harmless; what they really need is someone who won't discern them just because of what they are.

"As many of you know, Lord Voldemort's power is getting stronger, and it is growing exponentially, even overseas. He will take everyone that will come to his side: banshees, werewolves, vampires, hags…the creepier the better. If we don't accept the vampires, they will turn from a neutral status and become one of the Dark Lord's followers. Sure, vampires have been scaring witches and wizards for ages, but they would scare every witch and wizard, no matter which side they were on. Our job is to prevent them from sinking into the trap Voldemort has set for them."

The class in front of him was silent. They stared at him, most in horror, others in disbelief or anguish. Somehow he knew he had gotten through to them. "Homework is…"

"Let me guess. We have to befriend a vampire and bring it as a buddy to school tomorrow?" Brad Thompson butted in again. The entire class laughed, Gabe included. It was a serious topic, but the comic relief helped. Brad was smiling—not in the smirk he had worn at the beginning of class, but a genuine smile.

"That's a good idea, but no. Your task for Friday is to research the history of vampires and their centuries of exile. Find a unique viewpoint and write about their casting out from society. One roll of parchment should be sufficient enough." The class groaned slightly. The bell rang and everyone shuffled out of the room. "Have a good day, all of you," Gabe called out.

When the room had emptied, he smiled, realizing that he was one step—however small that step may be—closer to his ultimate goal.