The Blood Rite

Chapter Twenty One

Ruby woke to Emelia pounding on her door. The vampire seemed to have recovered from her shock as when Ruby opened the door, there was a cold glare waiting for her. After alerting Ruby that she only had two hours before her first class started and handing her a piece of paper, Emelia whirled and left.

The paper turned out to be her schedule. Instead of the normal white printer paper, it was a piece of coffee stained cardstock with crimson edges. In black letters it revealed that physical training was her very first class.

She would have groaned, would have thrown the schedule across the room. She'd already graduated from high school, dropped out of college and died. It was ridiculous that she was now forced to follow a schedule and be a student once more. But she was too empty to do anything except set the paper down on her coffee table and start a bath.

Ruby soaked for a few minutes in the poppy scented bubbles. After, she scrubbed herself clean, dried off, and got dressed. She wore the blood-red athletic leggings, black workout top, and tennis shoes maids had hung with other workout clothes. Pulling her hair up into a tight ponytail and zipping up a black jacket, Ruby left towards the cafeteria.

When she entered and sat beside Jeremy, she found that Halle wasn't there yet.

"What's your schedule?" Katrina asked, a bright smile on her face. From the forced extent of her grin, Ruby knew she must look misreable.

She handed the paper over wordlessly and both vampires scanned it, "Oh, you have Physical combat with me," Jeremy said.

"And Power training with me," Kat added, chin high.

Ruby tried to smile and failed. "How difficult are they?"

"Not at all."

Kat scoffed, "Don't listen to him. Combat training was horrible for me. Even as a vampire I was horribly out of shape and uncoordinated. But Power training is fairly easy."

Jeremy shook his head, "Are you athletic, Ruby?"

She tried not to notice how he'd used the word are, as if she hadn't died. As if she wasn't anything but who she had been before. Sitting straighter she said, "Yeah, kind of."

"Then you should do fine."

"Combat and athleticsm are not the same," Kat said, igniting a playful banter between the two of them.

Ruby tried to listen and laugh, but she found her eyes straying to the doors. It wasn't until Halle strode in that she realized how much she'd cowered in on herself, something she never used to do. The girl's eyes met hers and simultaneously, they both sighed.

She hadn't realized that the two vampires had finished their teasing, nor how closely Kat was watching them when the vampire asked, "Have you two been together long?"

Halle, who'd been leaning down to take her seat, froze and her eyes went wide, "What?"

Kat motioned between them, "You two. How long have you been together?"

Ruby's brows rose, then for the first time that morning she cracked a smile, "We aren't dating."

Now it was Kat's turn to be shocked, "Oh, well you two seem really close, so I thought- nevermind. I'm sorry to have assumed."

"It's okay," Halle said. Her eyes fell to the table as she added, "My girlfriend is dead."

Ruby looked at her then, smiling crashing through the floor, "Sadie was your girlfriend?"

She nodded, "Well, kind of. We weren't official and we dated other people, but we loved each other," she shook her head sharply then, "I don't know what we were. We were still trying to figure it out. All I know is that if I could do things differently, she'd be mine."

The girl's eyes went distant, her expression falling. The mood at the table shifted. Ruby grabbed her hand. She spoke to Kat to take the attention off of Halle, "We met the night we were turned. But we are all each other has."

"Reminents of your old life," Jeremy said.

Ruby tried not to cringe at how horrible it sounded but Halle squeezed her hand as if in assurance, "Yes. Exactly like that."

They ate their breakfast to Kat and Jeremy explaining the different classes they had. Halle didn't have Combat until before lunch. She wore the red, faux leather mini- dress that Ruby had given her. It was sleeveless with a femine curve to the neckline, hugging the girl's figure skintight.

Jeremy walked with Ruby towards their training, preparing her for what was to come, "Don't be intimidated. Miss Jeanie acts cold and is tough but it is because she cares for our safety. And Viviene. . .well she's nice."

Ruby nodded, watching as a blush raced across his tan cheeks.

Combat training was in the acres of land behind the mansion, surrounded by trees and coated with fog. The morning was grey with the threat of rain. Ruby breathed it in, the pre-storm scent that sent refreshing flutters through her.

The instructors, Miss Jeanie and Viviene stood side by side, watching a large group of vampires moving through stretches when Jeremy and Ruby approached. "Jeremy," Viviene said with a big, stunning smile on her face, "you've finally decided to show up?"

He grinned and though Ruby hadn't known him for long, she could see the nervous tilt to it. And she understood why. Viviene had long hair so red it was nearly purple with beautiful chocolate eyes and dimples in her porcelain cheeks. "Appologies but Mr. Wuthers required me."

Viviene chuckled and waved him on. With a small wave to Ruby, he jogged off to join the stretching. Both instructors turned towards her then. Viviene gave her a kind look, "Hey, you must be new."

"I am. I'm Ruby."

"Viviene, but you can call me Vi or Vivi. Whichever you prefer, and this," she said, turning towards the woman beside her, "Jeanie Bennet but she prefers to be called Miss Jeanie."

Ruby nodded. Offering her hand to them both she said, "It's nice to meet you."

Miss Jeanie sniffed. She had a sharp nose which she looked down at Ruby with piercing blue eyes and a blonde bob, "You'll miss stretches if you don't hurry. I expect you to perform at full potiental, Ruby. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Go."

Ruby bit back her reply and nodded, jogging away to where Jeremy stood. She followed the best she could as they went through stretches, then again as they began jogging around the field. It had been easy to assume that, with her new vampire strength, that running would be easier for her. And it was to some degree. However, the instructors created the warm ups to push vampire limits. By the end Ruby's chest was hot and she was breathing hard. Though, when she went to wipe her forehead, there was no sweat.

At least she had that going for her.

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Wow, I kind of wish I was a vampire now!

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