vampire --part 7--

Darrius took her hand and slowly brought it to his lips. He looked down into her worried eyes; he knew it must be difficult for her to offer herself to him, even in this small way. He watched as she closed her eyes as if bracing for impact. He kissed her finger tips gently before putting her hand under the water. Darrius looked past her and saw Night standing in to door way, angry at their tender moment. He focused his attention back down, cleaning the cuts carefully. Aya stood still, watching his face and seeing only compassion and love. She blushed despite herself and stood patiently as he handled her hand with care.
“Night will escort you to school,” Darrius said, nodding to behind her as he turned off the water.

Aya turned and saw Night; his cheeks flushed deep red with annoyance. He walked out of the kitchen with Aya on his heels; she kept a distance between them until they reached the door. She stopped as Night opened the grand door and stood in a ray of crisp sunlight.
“Come on, we’re going to be late,” he said
“But… you said the sun would hurt…”Aya said quietly. Night nodded in consideration
“Wait here,” he said, disappearing out of the room and emerging with her jacket he had laid out and a brimmed hat, “There,” he said with a small smile
“Thank you Kohel.”

They walked out of the church and down the street, Aya staying close to his side. The came to the street where Aya lived, briefly stopping and looking at the house before turning and walking away; that was a life she was too ready to let go of. She realized, without really understanding, she had started a new life the night Darrius had walked into her room. She felt that was where she belonged….she snapped into reality, not realizing how long she had been silent until Night grabbed her hand and pulled her close to him, he sighed sadly and looked at her.
“Aya…I need to apologize for the other night in the alley,” he frowned as she looked away but he continued anyways, “My instincts got the better of me…but I want to protect you, not hurt you…I’ll never hurt you again as long as I live,” he smiled weakly as she looked up at him, he kept hold of her hand as they began walking again.

They reached the schoolyard as the bell rang. They walked hand in hand into the yard and into the school. Aya took off the hat as they walked through the halls. Night walked her to her first class and peered in through the door at Mr. White. He eyed the room for several minutes before leaning back against the locker in the hall, kissing her cheek.
“Make sure you’re in front of the school at 3:30 so we can walk back together,” he said. Aya nodded and walked inside with a small smile. He was her friend…he had a beast inside that she had never known but now she understood.

She sat in the back of the class as always but something was different today; it was as if she was seeing people for the first time. She could feel their emotions, see their purity. Some were blue, some red, some green and some black but she knew they all meant something. She could feel their sadness and their happiness, their joy and their failure. She looked towards the front of the class, watching Mr. White. His was a crimson red. Aya shivered as she looked through it at him- that man standing in front of the room was a killer. He turned around and stared deep into her eyes as if reading her thoughts of him. She dropped her gaze and looked down at her hands. They were dripping with blood; she hadn’t realized how tight she had her fists balled up, but her nails had cut the soft flesh of her palm. She watched in amazement as the skin wove itself back together, realizing the bite on her fingers was also gone. She allowed her mind to continue to wander for the rest of class, only focusing as the bell rang loudly.
“Aya,” Mr. White called
“Yes?”
“I would like to peak with you after class about your last assignment please.”

Aya nodded and left hurriedly, not wanting to be near him longer than necessary with that aura around him. The rest of the day followed strangely without incident. She found it interesting to walk the halls, looking and everyone’s feelings and souls. She liked the different colors and the quiet knowledge of knowing a piece of each person that had taunted her. But there were so many colours, a number of which she couldn’t understand. There were many reds and browns, even browns tinged with reds and pale yellows. She felt the knowledge that the reds were somehow murderous but the other colours…The bell rang again at 3:15 and Aya slowly made her way back to Mr. White’s room, knocking lightly before entering.  
“What did you want to speak to me about sir?”
“Oh, Aya, yes, come with me to my office please.”

He got up and gathered his papers, walking down the hall to his office. He walked over to a large bookcase and pulled a leather bound book off the shelf. The book case swung forward leading into another older looking room. He turned and smiled at her, ushering her in.
“It’s a little added bonus to having an office in such an old school. Most offices here have these actually,” he explained, the smile never leaving his face as he sat in a high back chair behind the desk. The glint in his eyes betrayed the friendliness of his voice. Hesitantly she walked in as he shuffled through the age stained pages on his desk, far too old to be any report she had handed in...
“Here it is,” he said with another smile in her direction as he pulled a page out of the stack. Aya leaned forward to look at the paper. It was cracking and stained parchment with a list of names, some with checkmarks, and some crossed off. He looked up at her, the smile never wavering. Before she could react he had reached up, his hands around her throat. He pulled her down smacking her head against the desk and everything went black.