Chapter 3: A Vampire's Daily

Lucy sat in class, fiddling with her pencil, trying to pay attention to the first stages of transformation. She knew she should be listening, but instead, her mind was drifting off to thoughts of Celeste and their previous conversations.

“And that’s the most important part, to make sure we never take human life,” the professor called out, snatching Lucy’s attention. She panicked for a moment, realizing she had missed one of the most important points.

She looked to her left at the pale boy beside her. He looked almost too eager to learn all the rules and regulations of becoming a ‘proper’ vampire. Lucy still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that this was her new reality. She had hated college the first time, and this second time around wasn’t shaping up to be much better.

“Be prepared. Next class, we’ll be practicing all this out on actual volunteer humans,” the professor added as the bell rang, letting everyone file out into the hall. Lucy folded her empty notebook and shoved it back into her bag before walking out of the room herself.

“Hey, how did it go today?” Veronika asked, standing outside in the hall. She instantly linked arms with Lucy as they walked out into the dimly lit courtyard. The moon was actually shining brighter than their pale overhead lights.

“I had kind of a hard time paying attention. Now, I’m a bit panicked about the next class. We are going to be practicing on real humans, and you know, trying not to murder them….” The thought of drinking from a live human made Lucy’s mouth water, and her new fangs started to emerge, but it also made her stomach turn and her lingering human emotions start to panic.

“Luce, I know it’s a big change, but you’ve got to pay attention if you want to get out of here! Plus, like you said, if you fail a test, someone dies.”

“Has that ever happened?” Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, imagining an empty pit in the back of the school filled with dead bodies that had been sucked dry.

“I’m sure occasionally, but the professors keep a close eye on you when you’re learning. The whole point of this,” Veronika explained guestering around the campus, “is to learn to feed without killing. To learn to be a real vampire, not those nonsense monster vampires you read about in books.”

“Like the guy who bit me….”

“Yes, exactly.”

Lucy shuttered for a moment and closed her eyes. She could still feel traces of his blood and his venom swirling inside of her like a cancer. She looked around at all the other young fledglings learning to be ‘proper vampires’ and tried to force herself to see a difference between them and the monster that made her, that was in her.

“Maybe if we tried socializing?” Veronika offered.

“Socializing?”

“Yeah, you know, talking to other people, being friends with other vampires. Anyone you like or think is cute?” Veronika led them over to a bench to sit and sip on their fresh blood bags. Lucy turned her eyes away from Veronika immediately. “Ooh, there is! Who is it?”

Lucy’s eyes fluttered as she looked anywhere but Veronika’s face.

“I don’t know. I don’t think I’m even supposed to like her… either way, it’s just a little crush. Nothing to make a huge deal about.”

Before Veronika could respond, in what Lucy assumed would be a full objection, Celeste walked through the courtyard, carrying an unsteady amount of books.

Without thinking Lucy was on her feet and catching the leaning tower before it toppled over into the moist grass.

“Oh, thank you, Lucy. I suppose I over estimated how much I could carry at once, it’s a little awkward to try to keep them from falling and see where I’m going.” Celeste shifted and adjusted the position of the books to see in front of her better.

“No problem, I’m happy to help.” Lucy looked back at Veronika who was staring at her sort of dumbfounded. “I’ll be right back!” Lucy shouted to her roommate.

Lucy knew Veronika would have a lot of questions - questions she didn’t want to answer - when she returned. But for now, she was next to Celeste, smelling her soft fragrance of rose petals and blood.

“How were your classes tonight? Are you doing any better since starting our private lessons?” Celeste asked in a low tone.

“Well, I’m still having a bit of trouble concentrating, but the nightmares have certainly lessened.”

“That is an improvement. Why, so you think, you’re having trouble concentrating? Are you still resistant to learning about the life of a vampire because of your introduction? Are you still worried about what you might become?”

Lucy pouted her lips. The last few days, her distractions had been purely thoughts of Celeste. However, listening to Celeste list off her fears brought up a new wave of panic that she had done a good job of burying.

“In one of my next classes, we are going to start biting humans… I’m not sure I feel ready for that.”

Celeste stopped in the hallway, causing Lucy to stumble in her abrupt attempt to stay beside Celeste.

“Lucy, you’ve been in this world for a month now. As distressing as it can be, this is an essential part of being a vampire. There’s no way around this.”

“I know, I know. It’s just, the only time I ever did anything so … violent was like second grade when I kicked Johnny Quinn in the shins because he spread a rumor that we kissed.”

Celeste chuckled a bit as she started walking towards her office again.

“I think you’re looking at this all wrong. Drinking is not a violent act.” Celeste fumbled a little with the key in her hand to open her office door and immediately dropped the pile of books on her desk.

“What do you mean?” Lucy questioned adding the books she was carrying to the stack. She took her normal seat across from Celeste’s large desk. Celeste’s pinstriped dress hung from her body as if it was an extension of her skin. Yet, she paused and straightened it out anyway before taking her seat.

“It’s more of a sensual connection. You bond with your human. It’s not painful for them either. In fact, the venom we surcease creates a very pleasurable sensation for them. If we didn’t practice and learn to stop, they would let us drink until they had no more blood to give.”

“Yeah, see that’s the part I’m worried about,” Lucy shot out, twirling the edges of her hair between her fingers. Celeste offered a weak smile.

“When you were human, you had to eat regularly, but your body provided you with signals of when to stop and when you were full, did it not?” Lucy nodded, scrunching her eyebrows. “It will do the same now. The key is opening that connection with your body, listening to the messages it sends, and realizing when you’ve had enough.”

Celeste parted her lips just a little, enough for Lucy to see the edges of her fangs dripping with just a little bit of venom.