Augusts were the typical vampires. The ones everybody thought of when vampires came up in conversations. They weren’t bestial. They couldn’t trick people into thinking things were different from reality. They didn’t have the insane insight that some strain called Mekhet possessed. Augusts were nothing more than long-lived parasites on humanity.
Of course, they didn’t view themselves as such. Something snapped in their brains when turned. Whatever their station in life had been, once risen as a vampire, Augusts invariably believed that they were the greatest things to walk the Earth.
Hence the name ‘August.’
It made Eva wonder if the other strains had something obviously wrong with them. Did something snap in Serena’s brain when she turned? Something that made her somewhat obsessed with Zoe and Wayne?
Eva hadn’t asked.
But she figured she should admonish Arachne just in case someone had heard her.
“Besides, even if he is an entitled prick, that really isn’t enough to warrant such an extreme reaction. He is still a student anyway. Not an enemy.”
Eva couldn’t be sure how far his mania would drive him. It was entirely possible that he might get violent if Eva denied him her blood. Everything would be much easier on her if her other stalkers would get a clue and start fighting the vampire for her.
The two girls with eyes implanted in their chests were far from subtle. While it was conceivable that the vampire was merely walking in the same direction that Eva was going, the nuns were stopping at corners, peeking around, sneaking up to junctions or classrooms, and watching.
They weren’t even watching the vampire.
In fact, Eva was relatively certain that they actually bumped into the vampire, excused themselves, and both went their separate ways without noticing. Eva could not fathom how that was possible. To the best of her knowledge, the two hadn’t connected to their Source since arriving. Something that, according to Nel, would have informed them immediately if they were looking at a vampire.
But couldn’t they look at the darkened windows and at least assume that some vampire was running around? Granted, they hadn’t been in the school before the windows were darkened. They might not have noticed the change as Eva had.
With a sigh, Eva considered continuing to ignore both, but she had business to take care of. Some of it was business out in the Infinite Courtyard. She didn’t want either the vampire or the aspiring nuns following her around out there.
Turning down the next corner, Eva walked into the first empty classroom. One of the rooms used for standard elemental magic. Fire magic, judging by the scorch marks around the room. Oddly enough, not a room Eva had been inside before. With all the many rooms around the main academy building and the low number of teachers, it wasn’t surprising that there were a few older classrooms around.
She stayed outside just long enough to usher Arachne inside. They closed the door just in time for the vampire to round the corner.
Such a simple maneuver would never be able to juke the vampire. Especially not when Eva’s blood smelled so different compared to the rest of the students.
But he didn’t enter the room. He did pause at the door. Only for as long as it took to glance over his shoulder at the two ‘sneaky’ nuns coming up the hallway. With ever so slightly narrowed eyes, he continued down the hallway. He didn’t so much as glance through the window on the door.
The nuns were quite the opposite. Both seemed to panic upon finding the hallway deserted save for the vampire and a few other students. Splitting up, one on each side of the hall, they went and peeked through each window.
Right up until one pair of eyes edged over the door window to Eva’s room.
The blue eyes disappeared almost instantly, but not before widening to the size of dinner plates.
Eva just sighed again, taking a seat on one of the tables in the room as the girl called her companion over.
From there, they entered into what looked like a fairly heated argument. Eva saw her own name cross their lips more than once. She wasn’t the best at reading lips through her blood sight, but her own name was familiar enough. The two nun trainees obviously knew who she was.
They took so long discussing what to do just outside the door that Eva was about to stand up and drag them into the room. Unless their plan was to sit around outside all day wondering just what her dastardly evil plans were, they probably had something to say.
Before she could, the two girls
And they entered… tactically.
The door flung open. One marched in, sweeping her gaze past Eva to check the corners of the room, especially the one behind the door. The second followed right on the heels of the first, though she kept her glowing eyes on Eva.
Arachne, Eva noted, shifted her posture upon seeing the flames burning out from the girls’ eyes. A bit more aggressive of a posture, readying herself to attack them.
