Dhampirica

III

"CONGRATULATIONS, YVANNA. THAT WAS quite an impressive show back there."

"Thank you," Yvanna replied, glancing up to see Jonathon's large frame leaning against the doorframe of her dorm room. In his hand were several red envelopes. She held her breath. It had been less than four hours since the trial had ended. Though Yvanna and Paige had not managed to become the last ones standing, they had survived until the 72-hour timer ran out, along with three other pairs. Since then, she had been waiting patiently in her room for news. "Is that...?"

He held up the envelopes. "Offers from noble families? Yes. Unfortunately, none of these are for you."

She stood up abruptly, her body protesting at the sudden movement after the injuries she had sustained. "Why not?" she asked, her voice coming out sharper than she had intended.

Jonathon gave her a look as if to say, 'Watch your tone'. Aloud he said, "I'm afraid that conversation will have to wait. You have a phone call," he digressed, leaving the room. "Meet me in my office when you're done."

As Yvanna made her way to the Academy's reception room, she could not help but wonder where she had gone wrong. It didn't make the slightest bit of sense. She thought she had done well. Was it perhaps because she didn't eliminate the other remaining contestants? No, she thought to herself. That can't be it. Jonathon had a number of envelopes in his hand, which could only mean that offers had come in — and many of them, too. So, why hadn't she gotten any?

She approached the reception desk, her face twisted into a deep frown. "Phone call for Yvanna," she said to the receptionist.

The vampire tilted her head towards the room behind her. "Go ahead."

For most people, calls were made and received through their watches, which were connected to miniature hearing chips pierced onto their ears at a young age. But while at Crossgrave Academy, communication with the outside world was limited. There was no particular restraint on talking with outsiders; just that most students at Crossgrave didn't have anyone to talk to. Dhampiri were rare creatures with no specific place in the world. They weren't quite vampires — who lived fruitful lives in society; and they weren't quite humans — who lived laborious lives in the colonies. Anytime a dhampir or dhampirica was born, they were relinquished to Crossgrave Academy to be raised and trained to be minders one day, in return for a sizeable sum of money. As such, there was only a single phone in the school.

Wireless phones were known to be outdated and rare, but this was even rarer. It was a particularly antiquated device, wired and connected to the wall like one of those designs from the late 20th century. Yvanna hadn't ever seen anything so old, perhaps except for Jonathon, who she was certain was just as old — if not older. She supposed she could attribute this odd installation to him.

Taking a deep breath, Yvanna picked up the phone. "Hello?" she answered.

A woman's voice sounded from the other end of the line. There was no politeness to her tone, no kind greeting or expressions of goodwill. It was always like this, and so she had come to expect it. "I hear you completed your examination today."

"... I did."

"Did you do well?"

It was a tricky question when Yvanna herself did not even know the answer. Had she done well? Her earlier conversation with Jonathon left her ill at ease, but if she thought about it objectively, she knew her performance could not have been much better. Though none of those envelopes had been addressed to her, that did not mean she did not receive any offers at all. She would just have to wait and see what became of her upcoming meeting with Jonathon.