Monsters

Challenge

One more hour, Asher told himself, looking at the slowly ticking clock in the front of the room. Sixty minutes. Two half hours. Fifteen minutes four times. Ten minutes six times--no, that sounds worse. Four blocks of fifteen minutes.

He could do that.

Then the intercom kicked on, "Attention. All senior Vampire students need to report to the practice field. I repeat, all senior Vampire students need to report to the practice field. Thank you."

"Well," Mrs. Cougar said, brows furrowed. "I wonder what I'm--"

Mr. Wesleyan, the principal, knocked on the door, "I'll take over for a while. You've got a new Vamp, Eileen. He starts tomorrow, and he wants to establish rank today."

Mrs. Cougar frowned but motioned for Asher, Fallon, and the others to leave. Asher watched as the other Vampires frowned despondently, not wanting to leave their desk mates; Asher didn't have one.

Fallon threw his arm around him, "Come on, Asher. You're getting school-sanctioned class-skipping. Teenagers live for times such as these."

"Yeah, I guess," Asher agreed, walking with Fallon to the practice field.

The senior Vamps, eight in total, gathered on the field, looking uncertainly at Mrs. Cougar.

"Well, I guess you should warm up," she said.

Asher and Fallon started shedding their shoes and stretching.

One of the weaker Vamps asked, "Do we know what kind he is?"

"He or she," Mrs. Cougar responded. "And no, I don't know anything more than you. Usually I'm on the transfer committee, but nobody said--"

"He came with a recommendation," an old voice rasped.

Asher felt himself pale, and he spun around, "Aunt Lucinda?!"

"Hey there, kiddo," she smiled, her glamour making her appear absolutely ancient. She even limped for added affect.

"Do we have a new foster kid?" he wondered.

She shook her head, eyes twinkling, "Not exactly..."

About that time a large form exited the school building, clad in tightly-fitting jeans, a tank top, and a ball cap.

No.

Asher's heart sank. No way. It couldn't be--

"Is that Bram?" Fallon whispered.

Crap. It must be.

"This is my nephew Bram Blood Ludia, son of Sorcha," Lucinda announced.

There were murmurs around, some about him being the son of Sorcha but others wondering about fighting a Blood Vampire; Bloods were ironically rare among Vampires.

"Lady Lucinda," Mrs. Cougar gave a slight bow. "I can see why I was bypassed for this transfer."

Lucinda shrugged, "No need to be all weird, Eileen. It's still just me."

Mrs. Cougar's lips twitched in amusement, but she kept her face otherwise cool and expressionless.

Bram stopped in front of the cluster of Vampires, and Asher knew his eyes were searching for him. Like a coward he stepped slightly behind Fallon.

"You good, Bram?" Lucinda asked.

He nodded, fists clenched. "Yup."

Asher's heart pounded. He'd forgotten how deep Bram's voice was.