MASTER SEBASTIAN

Chapter 2

The manicured lawns and large brick buildings indicated we'd arrived college. Char met up with her boyfriend, Matt. A tall, gangly boy in his early twenties--the same age as us. I could say Matt was the polar opposite of Char. He seemed to be ever anxious, stuttering, or picking imaginary lint off his cashmere sweaters.

He was the calm to Char's crazy and I thought they complimented each other perfectly.

He and Char quickly started up the front steps of the building, chattering as they went while I rushed to keep up with them. The hallways were scant, the department buildings near empty. Yet another sign of the Invasion.

We took our seats on the fourth row. The air had grown so humid a trickle of sweat slid down my back. I took off the jacket I'd thrown on as an afterthought, draping it behind the chair. More students came in, the chattering going up a notch.

Matt bent forward to smile at me. "Sup, Elle?"

I smiled back. "I'm g..."

My reply was lost amidst the sudden increase of voices in the hall. I turned to see what had caused the noise and paled.

Striding into the room were eight vampire males. On their pale, emotionless faces were looks of boredom and disdain. They took their seats at the back of the class.

They shouldn't be here. The HVC (Human-Vampire Consul) had assured us, and I quote, 'In areas where education, recreation, and events particular to human development and unity are concerned, the vampires are to abstain from frequenting'.

But then there was also another clause that stated; 'In the event that they frequent enlisted areas, they are to be welcomed in order to further peace and unity between our factions.'

The government was a joke.

Their seal meant nothing but a flimsy--and embarrassing--representation of humankind. A face the vampires merely marked down as an entity existing to carry out their rigid orders.

Just then a stout man I recognized as our humanities lecturer came in. His blue eyes scanned the apprehensive faces in the hall and briefly settled on the vampires at the back. He swallowed, focusing on us once more. "Buckle up, students. Today we'll be having a very important guest from the Board."

While the students murmured, he turned and went away.

Leaning back in my chair, I let the murmuring in the room fade into a buzz at the back of my mind. The tension in the hall was palpable. Cupped whispers and glances stole to the back, to where the vampires sat.

I turned too and my gaze connected with the ones of a stout vampire. His lips peeled back, revealing lengthening fangs. A shiver skittered down my spine and I turned away.

Folding my arms, I settled deeper into my seat, looking at the wide expanse of the lecture hall. I didn't want to take up political science, but it was either that or get sent off to one of the 'special schools' owned by the vampires

When humans turned sixteen, they forcefully got enrolled into those schools--unless they were ready to take up a course that led to a position the vampires deemed important (malleable) enough--which in this case was politics and business administration.

And if students dared fail, or gave anything second to excellence, they got sent off to those schools. There, people were trained to serve (slave) in their many Houses. But I had decided against that, and here I was, studying to get into the very organization I detested: the HVC.