Page 11

her legs still burning from the last round of drills. She practically collapsed onto the bench across from Julia, who looked just as drained.

"I think my just life flash before my eyes." Julia groaned, dramatically laying her head on the table. "And it was just me suffering in PE class on repeat."

Y/N shoved a fry into her mouth. "Same, but mine had a bonus—Silas being an insufferable prick the entire time."

Julia lifted her head slightly. "That explains the frown lines."

Y/N scowled, stabbing at her food with more force than necessary, rubbing her face subconsciously. "First he's some untouchable academic god, then next he's out here running like he's training for the vampire olympics. He's impossible. "

Julia snorted. "I mean, he's literally a vampire. They kind of have an unfair advantage."

"Exactly!" Y/N huffed. "He doesn't even try to hide how easy it is for him."

"Cocky much?" Julia snickered.

"Right? He just—ugh—exists, perfectly composed and I admit it pisses me off."

Julia smirked. "You know, for someone who claims to hate him, you sure notice a lot about him."

Y/N shot her a glare. "I notice him because he's annoying."

"Mhmm." Julia wiggled her eyebrows before glancing around. "Where's Aisha? She was supposed to meet us here."

★

"I swear to God, if we have to run laps again, I'm transferring to an all-girls school" Julia groaned, shoving a forkful of pasta into her mouth.

"Please, as if your parents would let you transfer just because you don't want to exercise."

Before Y/N could argue, the cafeteria doors burst open, and a wave of students shuffled in—them.

The vampires.

Their presence was immediate, commanding attention without effort. They didn't even have to be loud, their group simply existed and sucked all the energy out of the room.

At the center of it all was Calixto, looking as regal as ever, flanked by Azul, Adrian, and, of course, Silas. They walked in like they owned the place, like they were gliding instead of walking.

Behind them, a girl followed.

Cressida.

Y/N narrowed her eyes.

"They're together, right?" Julia whispered.

"They could be.." Y/N muttered. "I don't know... I mean, they do look close, but something about them doesn't scream 'couple' to me."

"You're only saying that because you're trying to be rational. And at this school, rationality doesn't exist." Julia whispered dramatically.

Y/N wasn't sure why she cared. She actually hated his guts. But she watched as Cressida sat beside Calixto, smirking about something he said, before sashaying off.

★

Y/N frowned, scanning the cafeteria. The usual tables were packed, a clear divide between the human students and the vampires. It was becoming a norm now, the unspoken rule that humans sat on one side while the vampires occupied the other.

Her gaze landed on a familiar figure sitting at a table near the windows—Aisha. But she wasn't alone. Cressida was with her.

Y/N blinked. The elegant vampiress, the girls shared a dorm with, was sitting with Aisha? That was new.

"Do you see what I'm seeing?" Julia whispered, following her gaze.

Y/N nodded slowly. "Why is she talking to Aisha? She barely acknowledges us in the dorm."

"The question is why is Aisha talking to her?" Julia added, eyes narrowing. "She hates the vampires, even more than us! She looks fine though?"

Y/N couldn't deny it—Aisha didn't look tense or uncomfortable. In fact, she seemed to be engaged in the conversation, nodding along to whatever Cressida was saying.

"Should we go over there?" Julia asked hesitantly.

Y/N hesitated. Part of her wanted to, but another part of her—one that still didn't fully trust any of the vampires—was wary.

Before she could decide, a shadow loomed over the table.

"Taking an interest in our kind, are we?"

Y/N sighed heavily before even looking up. She already knew who it was.

He stood beside their table, hands in his pockets, exuding that lazy, unimpressed energy he always seemed to carry. His blonde hair was neatly styled, his pale gold eyes scanning them with amusement.

Julia tensed beside Y/N. "What do you want?"

Calixto huffed, shifting his weight onto one foot. "Relax, I'm just curious. Humans don't usually get along with us. Yet, there's your little friend—" he gestured toward Aisha and Cressida, "—laughing with one of ours. Interesting, isn't it?"

Y/N crossed her arms. "So what? Maybe not all vampires are complete assholes."

He chuckled. "Bold words, considering your track record with us."

Julia nudged Y/N under the table, a silent warning to not provoke him.

Calixto tilted his head, eyes flicking toward Cressida and Aisha again. "Still, I can't help but wonder... why her?"

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

He leaned slightly closer, voice lowering. "Cressida doesn't talk to just anyone."

Y/N stiffened at his words. "What do you know about Cressida?"

"We're pretty close." he shrugged "Stay curious, L/N." he murmured before turning and walking away, disappearing into the crowd of vampires at their usual table.

Julia let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "Okay. That was weird."

Y/N nodded, her mind racing. Calixto was right about one thing—Cressida wasn't the type to randomly befriend humans. It just wasn't the usual species often associated within her normal possy of vampires.

★

By the time the girls returned to their dorm, Y/N still couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Calixto's words kept replaying in her mind.

"Cressida doesn't talk to just anyone."

What did that mean? And why was Aisha suddenly so friendly with her?

Julia flopped onto her bed dramatically. "Alright, spill."

Aisha sighed, kicking off her shoes before sitting cross-legged on her own bed. "Spill what?"

"Oh, don't play dumb." Y/N crossed her arms, leaning against the desk. "Why were you and Cressida talking like besties? Last I checked, you couldn't stand vampires."

Aisha hesitated for a moment before shrugging. "She's... not that bad." she shrugged, untying her hijab and setting it neatly on her nightstand. "She just sat down and started a conversation. She was actually nice."

Julia and Y/N exchanged a look.

"Define nice?" Y/N said skeptically.

Aisha hesitated. "I mean, she didn't act superior or cold like the rest of them? She asked about my interests, even about my religion. And she listened; like actually listened. She's not that bad."

Julia sat up. "Not that bad? Aisha. You glare at every vampire that breathes near you. What changed?"

Aisha sighed. "Okay, listen. She sat next to me at lunch, alright? I didn't ask for it, but she started talking, and surprisingly... she wasn't condescending or rude. She actually listened to what I had to say. She even agreed that some of the new school rules are stupid."

"Wait, so you chose to keep talking to her?" Y/N raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And she actually has interesting things to say." Aisha frowned. "Look, I still don't trust vampires in general, but she's alright."

Julia laughed, while Y/N stared at Aisha, still unconvinced. "It's just weird. Like, Calixto literally came up to us to say Cressida doesn't talk to just anyone. That's got to mean something, right?"

Aisha's expression darkened slightly. "Calixto? What did he say?"

"Nothing that makes sense," Julia scoffed. "He was just being all mysterious and creepy, as usual."

Aisha bit her lip. "Well, maybe it's because of their relationship?"

Y/N blinked. "Relationship?"

Aisha nodded. "They're close, right? Everyone says they are. I mean, Calixto's always looking out for her."

Julia gasped, eyes widening. "Oh my god—what if they're dating?"

Aisha looked thoughtful. "It would make sense. I mean, Calixto's one of the most popular vampires in this school, and Cressida's just as well-known."

"But she never clings to him like the other vampire girls do," Y/N pointed out.

"Maybe cause she knows she already has him!" Julia grinned.

★

Just then, the sound of the bathroom door unlocking caught their attention.

A faint mist of steam drifted into the room as Cressida stepped out, her long dark hair damp from the shower.

She wore an oversized Diagon Prep sweatshirt and a pair of loose shorts, looking far more casual than she ever did in public.

For a moment, none of the girls said anything. Then, Julia, ever the social butterfly, smiled slightly. "Nice shower?"

Cressida blinked, as if surprised to be addressed so casually. "It was fine."

She walked over to her side of the dorm, grabbing a brush from her desk and running it through her hair. There was a strange tension in the room—like the three humans weren't sure how to act around her now that they'd spent all lunch speculating about her.

Aisha cleared her throat. "Um thanks for sitting with me today."

Cressida turned to her, expression unreadable. Then, to their surprise, she gave a small smile. "It was nice. You're not as annoying as I expected."

Julia snorted. "That's a compliment coming from her."

Cressida's lips twitched in amusement. "It is."

Y/N watched the interaction closely. Cressida didn't have the same cold, untouchable aura right now. If anything, she seemed relaxed. Almost normal.

Cressida glanced at her through the mirror. "I don't usually waste time on meaningless interactions, but you're.." She paused, then shrugged. "You are different from most humans here."

Aisha looked unsure if she should take that as a compliment or not.

Julia, however, grinned. "So, does that mean you like us now?"

Cressida turned, her expression unreadable. "I never said I disliked you."

"Is that basically vampire for 'I like you'?" Julia whispered to Y/N, who snorted.

Cressida sighed, rolling her eyes. "You humans are exhausting."

For the first time since school started, she didn't feel like they were just human students forced to share a space with a vampire.

Cressida rolled her eyes. "Goodnight." She grabbed her blanket and flopped onto her bed, officially done with the conversation.

Julia giggled. "I like her."

Aisha smiled slightly. "Yeah. She's not so bad."

Y/N leaned back against the wall, staring at Cressida's sleeping figure.

Yeah. Maybe she wasn't so bad.

Maybe, just maybe, vampires weren't all the same after all. Or they just weren't all as bad as everyone assumed.