Mysterious dream city

Nora stirred awake, her body heavy with exhaustion, as if a storm raged in her mind. With a groan, she propped herself up on her elbows, blinking against the harsh glare of the morning light that streamed through her window. Her head throbbed painfully, a reminder of the previous night's whirlwind of emotions and events. As she flexed her fingers, she felt something cool resting in her palm, and curiosity compelled her to open it. The stone was a mesmerizing sea blue, adorned with a blackish-silver cross that appeared to shimmer in the light. The chain it hung from looked both polished and luxurious, igniting a flash of memory from the night before that sent a shiver down her spine.

Nora's heart raced as she instinctively touched the right side of her neck, where she felt two small, tender lumps under her skin—the telltale signs of a bite. A wave of panic surged through her as she pressed her lips together, a gasp escaping as the events of the previous evening came crashing back. The vivid memory of Jordan’s intense gaze and the thrill of their encounter left her both exhilarated and terrified.

She dashed to the mirror, gathering her hair to one side to inspect the bite mark. As she leaned closer, she noticed that it resembled a scar, a permanent reminder of something she could barely understand. “How could this be?” she whispered, biting her lip nervously as confusion clouded her thoughts.

A sudden knock on the door broke her reverie, followed by Sasha's cheerful voice. “Nora, can I come in?” Without a second thought, Nora rushed to the door, flinging it open and pulling Sasha into the room with urgency. “Sasha, I need you to see this and tell me what it is!” Her voice was laced with a mix of excitement and concern.

“Okay,” Sasha replied, baffled by Nora’s panicked tone. Just as Nora prepared to turn her head for Sasha to get a clearer view, her aunt barged in, her demeanour brisk and commanding. “Sasha, I told you to inform Nora to get ready; you're both going to be late! Hurry!” Without waiting for a response, she whisked Sasha away, leaving Nora alone once again.

Nora groaned in frustration, her hands tangling in her hair. “What in the world is happening to me?” she pondered aloud, her heart still racing.

At the breakfast table, the atmosphere was hurried and chaotic. Nora struggled to get a word in as her aunt barked orders, while Sasha was embroiled in a light-hearted argument with her younger brother. Their uncle trailed behind, making Nora sit in the front seat of the car as they drove to school, the sound of voices mixing with the hum of the engine creating a chaotic symphony.

Upon reaching the school, the two girls parted ways, Sasha heading to class while Nora accompanied her uncle to the principal’s office. The room felt strangely daunting, containing only a handful of students and the intimidating figure of the principal. She was a tall, plump woman with an aura of authority and beautiful, smooth black skin that seemed to radiate confidence.

“What are your names?” she inquired with a professional smile.

“I'm Alejandro Sanchez,” declared a striking Mexican boy, his charm undeniable.

“Nora Freeman,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper, and “Charles Cahil,” came the next introduction, resonant and assured.

“Nice to meet you all. I'm Mrs. Monic Kumar, your principal, and today I’m here to reveal the secrets of this country.” Nora’s heart raced at the mention of secrets as a shiver of anxiety trickled down her spine.

“There are three types of citizenship here: by birth, marriage, and relation,” she explained. “You, Nora, are a citizen by birth.” Nora felt a jolt of disbelief at this revelation, her mind spinning.

“Me? A citizen?”

Alejandro chimed in, “I’m here by marriage. My mom just wed a citizen.” The two boys nodded in acknowledgement, their expressions shifting to one of intrigue. “And I’m here by relation,” Charles revealed. “I found out I had a dad from this country.”

Mrs. Kumar continued, “What I’m about to tell you may sound unbelievable, but it’s true: this land is owned and ruled by Vampires.”

The room fell silent, Nora’s pulse quickening as a wave of realization washed over her. She instinctively placed her hand over the bite mark where Jordan had marked her, the implications of her situation slowly dawning on her.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Alejandro questioned skeptically. Charles burst into laughter, shaking his head. “My old man told me about this stuff last night,” he retorted, still chuckling under his breath.

“Send Brian, Anna, and Julia to me,” Mrs Kumar commanded into the phone, and as if summoned, three striking figures entered the office. Each one seemed otherworldly, their presence almost ethereal, as if they had stepped out of a legend.

“This is Brian; he’s a werewolf,” Mrs Kumar introduced, and with a mischievous grin, Brian raised two fingers in a casual salute. “And this is Anna, a vampire, and Julia, a witch.”

Charles scoffed, disbelief plastered across his face. “You expect us to believe that?”

Mrs Kumar simply smiled. “Show them,” she urged.

Without warning, Brian transformed right before their eyes, morphing into a majestic wolf with shimmering grey fur. Nora clutched her chest, eyes wide as wonder and fear collided within her. Julia waved her hand, and suddenly, Charles floated a few inches off the ground, his eyes widening in shock. Anna pierced her fang into Alejandro’s hand, but she didn’t drink from it; she licked the wound, and it healed completely without leaving a scar. Alejandro was too shocked to say anything. Charles kept screaming while Julia slowly placed him back in his seat. Brian morphed back to his human form; he was completely naked, and his clothes were torn. Nora’s face turned red, she looked away. Brian chuckled when he saw that. He chuckled. “How cute.” He said in a low voice.

“Make sure to put some pants!” “Yes Mrs. K.” they left the classroom. The three of them were dumbfounded. “Do you still think that is a joke?” the three of them shook their head.

Nora raised her hand. “Yes.” Monic looked at her. “Are Vampires allowed to drink from humans?” “That is a good question,” Charles said as he glanced at the Principal. “A vampire can only drink from a human if the human willing agrees to it.” “What if the human doesn’t agree and the vampire forcefully takes it from him, what is the punishment given to the vampire?” Alejandro asked. “If a vampire is caught forcefully takes blood from humans or compels them into it. The Vampire would be defanged.” Nora immediately thought of finding that bastard and making him get defanged.

“Except if the vampire is a royal, noble, or a knight.” The principal informed them, and she turned on the TV screen behind them and the picture of the necklace she had with her. “This picture is the crest of this country only the royals own it.” Nora’s eyes almost popped out of its socket. ‘The man that was in her room last night is a royal.” Nora thought to herself. The next picture is a sea blue card with a cross in the centre. “This is owned by the nobles, and the red card with a cross in the centre is owned by the knights. These people mostly have someone they drink blood from but during an emergency, they can take blood from humans with or without your permission.

Nora was sad she thought that at least she could get him punished. After the whole briefing, they heard the bell ringing. “Looks like it is time for lunch.” Alejandro jumped out of his seat. Nora suddenly grabbed the arm that Anna bit and there was no mark in his hand.

“What are you doing?” Alejandro asked, Charles stood beside Alejandro. “Is this the hand she bit?” “Yes, why?” he asked. “There is no scar.” She looked confused. “I was as shocked as you when I saw it,” Alejandro replied. “Don’t you guys watch vampire movies?” Charles asked. “I have watched it before,” Alejandro answered. “The only vampire movie I watched is Twilight.” Said Nora. “I watched a vampire movie. In that movie, it says that the vampire spit can heal injuries,” Alejandro informed them.

“Ewww! That’s disgusting.” Nora scrunched her face. Then she remembered that before she completely lost consciousness, the man licked her neck. Nora shivered and her face turned red.

“Are you ok?” Charles asked. “Your face is red,” Alejandro added. Nora ran out of the room to find Sasha. She met up with Sasha on the way. She was holding hands with a handsome young man with brown golden hair. His eyes were the greenest eyes she had ever seen. “Hi, my name is Hunter.” Nora stepped back. “Baby, why are you bowing to her?” Hunter blinked his eyes before standing straight. Hunter looked confused when he saw her and he had the urge to bow his head to her.

His thin pink lips pulled into a smile and his eyes crinkled. “I was just playing.” He laughed louder. Sasha laughed and rolled her eyes. “Stop your nonsense, let’s go eat.” She dragged Nora and Hunter with her. As soon as they entered the school cafeteria, the entire place went quiet; almost everyone was staring at her. Nora felt uncomfortable.

They went to get their lunch. The lunch lady gave the best of everything to Nora. “Looks like Nora has become the lunch lady’s favourite. Nora just smiled as they took their seats.

The people kept looking at her, and Nora couldn’t even swallow her food.

“Why are they looking at me?” Nora asked Sasha.

“I guess it is because there is something about you,” Hunter said, and Nora and Sasha looked at each other and then at him.

At that moment, Nora understood that the world she had known was about to change forever.