Vampire Kisses (gxg)

Chapter 2

Languages arts passed in a blur. It was going over the weekend's assigned reading of The Scarlet Letter. Most of it was her teacher somewhat desperately tring to explain the plot in the fifty minutes of allotted class time.

Penelope knew what was happening. But, that was only because she was using an online reading service where the left half of the screen was the original text, and the right a more modern rendition.

Even so, she found the book profoundly dry and boring. The most she connected to it was thinking about how alike her academy was to the Puritan society. Women were shamed and men were given no blame, everyone was expected to be the same.

But by the time she left class, even that single bit of interest had drained away and she was eager to move on. She went down the hall, but not too far, to religious studies.

Penelope knew that at most catholic academies, religious studies was just a cover for a Christian studies class. But at Valley of Death, they actually went over other religions. Granted, those religions were millennia old, and nowadays no one believed in them, but it was better than nonstop ranting about the Bible.

She entered the class and was greeted by the teacher, Mr Baker. He was a taller man, and youthful, with black, slicked-back hair and grey eyes. He had only started teaching there a few years ago. She knew that some girls had eyes for him, but Penelope wouldn't be shocked if he was gay.

She greeted the teacher back and sat down at her desk. The desks were wooden rectangles and fit two people. They were all pressed together, so that they formed a square. There were only four squares, all close to the center of the room, leaving plenty of empty space.

The walls were covered by bookshelves full of classics, perhaps even more classics than the library. The places that weren't covered by bookshelves had large paintings of historical settings and blueprints for structures like the Parthenon. Two of the corners had beanbags for students to sit in.

Overhead, fairy lights provided a warm glow in the absence of the normal classroom lights. A slight blue light trickled in from the window, where trees dripped with the rain that still fell from a cloudy sky.

On the whiteboard was the meme of the day, likely stolen from Reddit. Today's was one about Cain and Able. There were also a few alligator clips below a sign declaring, "NO NAME WORK".

In front of the whiteboard was the lecture stand, and on the other side, the intricately carved wooden desk that every classroom had, passed down in the school through the ages.

Penelope turned in her work in, onto a tray on the teacher's desk, alongside the other students. She went back to her seat at the back of the room, just behind the door, and sat down.

She was about to go back on her phone, when she spotted someone walk past her. She didn't know how, as she wasn't looking too hard, but even just the blur of her shape wasn't like anyone else she knew to be in the class.

Penelope looked at the girl, who went to the front of the room and painstakingly drew out a chair from a table. She looked around, wondering if she was stealing anyone's seat, and then tentatively sat down.

Definitely someone new, Penelope thought to herself. The newcomer wore the standard uniform, with no variations. Her book bag was red, something that would likely look stylish with the red tie that all wore. She had dark, straight hair, and from what she could see of her neck she had very, very pale skin. Penelope couldn't see her face though.

The bell rang, and Mr Baker took a moment to tease a student who was the entire way down the hallway about having to run to make it in. The student, fortunately, was able to make it in before the ten seconds were up, and he took a seat next to Penelope.