Page 70 of Blood Day: Part One

Down my throat.

Into my very being.

Except it wasn’t real.

As I stirred, I found myself staring at a white wall, not opulent furnishings and gemstones.

Just my cement prison. My room. My real life.

Did I dream it all?I wondered, sitting up to touch my neck. Smooth skin met my fingertips, causing me to frown.

Then I remembered Master Cedric’s blood and the healing properties that came with it.

My bag was on the chair, right where he’d left it.

Or had I put it there?

A glance at the clock told it was time to rise for the evening. A new day of classes would begin soon. I needed to shower, then have breakfast.

I rolled off my bed, noting that I still wore my clothes from yesterday. Which confirmed everything had been real, that Master Cedric had called that bite his final lesson.

He couldn’t have made his dismissal any clearer.

But part of me didn’t want to accept that. Part of me wanted to fight his decision. To prove him wrong. To make him reconsider.

My jaw clenched. Maybe that was exactly what I needed to do. What did I have to lose? He’d already taken away my taste of another life, leaving me with nothing once more.

Of course, he could kill me.

However, that risk applied to all the monsters at this school.

So what did I really have to lose?

I wanted another chance to play his game—whatever it meant—and try to win. It was probably rigged for me to fail, but at least I’d feel alive again. Even if for only a few brief moments, it would be worth it to escape this repetitive existence.

He’d shown me another side of the world, gifted me with pleasure and excitement, and I craved more. Another bite. Intense sensation.Rapture.

I would tell him what I wanted after class tonight by kneeling for him. And if he denied me, I’d do it again. And again. And again.

Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do, I thought as I walked over to my dresser to pull out a new outfit. However, a glint of something in my closet caught my attention, pulling me away from the drawer and toward the slightly ajar door.

Frowning, I pulled it open the rest of the way and found several cases of water stacked all the way up to the ceiling.

I blinked. There had to be hundreds of bottles in here. Was this a new way to deliver our rations? To test our ability to not overindulge in resources?

The few dress garments I owned were pushed to the side, and my shoes were now on the top shelf. Everything else was water. At least six months’ worth, by the looks of it, maybe more.

I took one from the plastic and twisted the cap to take a sip. This might be a test, too. Maybe it was poisoned, but I was too parched to deny the bottles before me. I’d skipped dinner last night, having fallen asleep beneath a wave of self-pity.

The water tasted normal. It was lukewarm, so not nearly as refreshing as the liquid Master Cedric had provided, but it satisfied my thirst. I finished half of it, then set it back in the case and waited to see if I felt any different.

I didn’t notice anything other than feeling slightly more hydrated than before.

All right. I shut the door and went to find clothes from my dresser, then took them with me to the communal bathrooms to shower. I waited for one of the others to mention the new water bottle distribution, but no one said a word.

That wasn’t abnormal—most of us didn’t talk.

But sometimes we would whisper about changes, and this seemed significant enough to discuss.