Vampire Academy, Ch.5

“So, basically, your job is to keep the vampires in line during the night? And they don’t give you any time during the day to catch up on sleep?” James asked as we slowly made our way out of the school gates.

“Yep, that’s how they run things here. Normally they would give the guards shifts and everything, but seeing as I’m the only one here, I have to cover all the ground, which takes some time,” I replied.

“How are you still able to walk during the day?”

I laughed. “It’s not as bad as you might think. I have a few friends I still need to catch up with and talk to at the other dorms, and this gives me the chance to,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “Besides, I like it out at night. I mean no one’s around and the sky is lit with all the stars and the moon. . .”

“How come they haven’t gotten another guard?” James asked me.

“Well, you’d really have to ask the Chairman about that,” I said, running my hand through my black hair and letting it twist in the light wind. “I’ve asked him since I’ve started this and he hasn’t done anything about it yet.”

“Well, what if I become a guard? What would that be like?”

“Um, well, first of all, you’re actually chosen to be a guard, you can’t decide. And you also need a year of practice.” I glanced down the street, looking from one vendor to another. “Where do you wanna go?”

“But I have had practice!” James said, spreading his arms wide. “I’ve worked out every day of my life. Do you want to see how awesomely strong my abs are? Do you?!”

“No, no!! Hello, you’re in public here!!” I whispered fiercely to him.

“We can always go somewhere a little more private if you’d like,” he smiled, talking with a suggestive tone.

I rolled my eyes and couldn’t help but grinning. “How about no. And if you really, really want to become a guard, just talk to the Chairman. I’m sure he’ll let you down a little softer than I will.”

“Nah, I bet he won’t.”

“So, why’d you come to this school?” I asked as we walked down the street at an easy pace.

He shrugged. “Parents didn’t want me.”

“Ouch that’s cruel,” I said, not mentioning how our memories of our parents were close to the same.

“I don’t really mind. I mean, it makes you basically live on your own, but it’s kind of like collage as well. I don’t know, it just seems like something a mature person would do.”

“Your parents sent you out here because they didn’t think you were mature?” I asked, dumbfounded. Well at least his parents wanted something for him; they were already twice as good as mine had been.

He shrugged again. “I don’t really know, it seemed kinda like a real snap decision, like rushed or something. Whatever, I guess my family’s like that; always doing something . . . unexpected, I guess you could say. Ah, what a strange summer that was. . .” he trailed off.

“I have a question, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to of course,” I said hesitantly, wondering about his reaction.

“Sure, whatever it is.”

“Is your family unpredictable because they’re. . . Well, because they . . .” I stuttered, not being able to say the word in front of him.

“What, werewolves?” he asked with a small smile on his face. “No, I’m the only one, except for a few cousins and uncles, one or two aunts even, I think. Nah, they’re just weird like that.”

“Well, trust me, they are no where near as weird as my family was,” I said, buying a few small things for my room that I needed.

“Really? And what type of weird was your family?” he asked.

I just shrugged, reluctant to tell.

“Come on, I told you about mine; why can’t you tell me about yours?”

I decided to clip it. “Because there really isn’t much to tell. I mean I don’t remember much of them. It was just my mom and dad and I, but that’s all I really know. Anything I can seem to remember is all hazy.”

“Ah, I see. What happened to them for all your memories of them to only be in your early years?” James asked.

“They left,” I hedged again. Everything I had said so far was true; it just wasn’t the whole truth. I shrugged casually. “The Academy has really been my home, where the people I can trust are.”
“What, you didn’t trust your parents?” he asked.

“I was young and can’t remember any of it. I’m sure I trusted them, I just can’t remember it, that’s all.”

We walked down the street in the sun. I enjoyed the warmth on my skin, flipping my hair back and letting my eyes close as I tilted my head back. I hardy got out to the town, and always tried to enjoy as much of it as I could when I was here.

The collar of my shirt brushed my neck where one of my scars was and I pulled my head back up, opening my eyes slowly. No matter where or who I was now, I always carried my past, and they were just reminders of it. That irritated me.

I glanced over at James and realized that he was looking at me and probably had watched as I tilted my head back in the sun. I raised my eyebrow at him and he just smiled and shook his head.

“So, how often can I come out here?” he asked as he turned his head to look at a building we passed.

“Well, depends on whether you mean on your own time or while you’re at school?”

“Both, it doesn’t matter.”

“Students only really come here on the weekend or if they’re juniors or seniors and have no classes in the morning or afternoon. Underclassmen don’t really get that type of freedom, but it’s not like the upperclassmen get much free time. They usually spend it with friends or at their parents or cramming for finals or something like that. It’s like they have no interest in the town after two or three years.”

“Oh. So I guess I won’t be able to take you here much then,” he said with a small sigh.

“What?” I said, glancing over at him.

He looked up at me. “I can tell that you really like this place, and I think we could have some fun times in this place,” he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes at him. “You don’t have to take me here. I can get here all by myself on my own time; I could probably sneak over here during my night watch if I really wanted to.”

“But no one’s out here during the night, except for creepy stalker people,” he mumbled.

“It’s not like I would be able to get away with running over here. And I know how to defend myself.”

“Oh really?” he asked. He grabbed my arm and pulled it around my body, crossing it with my other arm. He pulled his and my arms around my body tight, standing close enough behind me that I could feel his body on my back.

He laughed. “Okay, now defend yourself.”

“Well, I could’ve stopped you if I had known you were going to do something like this.”

“Nope,” he shook his head smiling. “You need to count the element of surprise.”

“Okay, I could get out of this, but seeing as how you’re new and probably going to be one of my friends, I really had better not.”

He just laughed again. “Dawn, you’re really nothing that I would expect. And since you refuse to get out of this, you must walk around like this until you decide to get yourself out of it.”

I sighed. “Fine, but it’s just going to make you feel weird.”

“What, are you going to yell that I’m some person trying to kidnap you?” he asked with a smile in his voice.”

“No, I’m just going to be very difficult,” I said.

“Right, we’ll see how that works out for you,” he said, nudging my legs for me to walk forward.

“God, I have to say, you’re really different. I mean it; you aren’t like anyone that I’ve met in my life so far,” I said.

“Is this difference in a good way or a bad way?” he asked as he trailed behind me, his body still touching mine.

“A good way of course. I usually see differences as good ones, because even if you’re a total dick and rude, at least you aren’t trying so hard to fit in with the crowd and blend in with the wall.”

James frowned. “Well, I promise I won’t be rude to you ever, and if I am, please call me on it.”

“Would you keeping me from using my hands be rude?”

“No, I really don’t think that this counts,” he said with a smile.

“Damn. Well, I tried.”

“Yes, but you failed.”

“Anyway, what I mean by saying that you’re different is that you’re not afraid to do something that people don’t expect. I mean, who would expect that a nice gentleman would try and force a girl to defend herself?”

“And who would expect the girl to be practically asking for it?” he countered with another smile.

I frowned. “I didn’t know that I was asking for it. Hrm, I’ll have to watch that from now on.”

“Yes, especially with this ‘gentleman’,” he said putting emphasis on the last word.

“What, you don’t think you’re one?”

“No one’s ever put that word to my person.”

“Oh,” I said. I grabbed his hands and quickly slipped out of his grip while he still didn’t know what was going on. I turned to look at him, pulling his arms to the sides, making them cross his body.

“What?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, the element of surprise counts,” I repeated his words from a while ago.

“If I had been serious about getting you, you would be knocked out by now. You need to work on your timing, Dawn,” he said, grinning.

I laughed, letting go of his hands and letting mine swing at my sides. “Don’t be sore about it.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m not,” he said, coming up to my side and putting his arm on my shoulder. “Hrm, you’re the perfect height for my armrest.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

“So, when do we have to head back to the Academy?”

“Well, we should probably be getting back around now. That way I can get your schedule and show you to all your classes.”

“You don’t actually think that I’m going to go to my classes, do you?” he asked.

“I’m sure you will, and if you don’t then the prefects will get you, and you’re on your own after they get you in their jaws; you’ll be torn to shreds, and I’d rather not be a part of that,” I said with a smile.

“Hrm, on second thought, I really can’t wait to met all the people in my classes.”

I laughed at the sarcasm.

“So do you think we’ll have any together?” he asked me.

I shrugged. “Maybe, but I really don’t know. We have to get the schedule, you know, to check and see. Come on, let’s get back and find out.”