Page 3

Today, the air buzzed with something else entirely.

Whispers. Stolen glances. Fear.

Lunch at Auragon Academy was usually loud, chaotic, and filled with the usual chatter about tests, weekend plans, and school drama; and Y/N, Julia, and Aisha were about to find out why.

They had just sat down at their usual table in the cafeteria, trays in front of them, when Aisha frowned. "Everything is just so weird today."

Y/N hadn't noticed at first, but now that she looked around, she saw it too. Groups of human students huddled together, talking in hushed voices as some stole glances toward the far end of the cafeteria—where the vampires sat.

Their side was practically untouched, an invisible boundary drawn between them and the rest of the students, the human students.

No one dared to sit too close.

She could feel it—the same eerie sensation from before, that heavy weight pressing against her skin. But she refused to give them the satisfaction.

Instead, she focused on Julia, who had been fidgeting with her fork, eyes darting around the cafeteria. "You're acting weird Jul" Y/N muttered, stabbing at her food. "What's going on?"

she carefully leaned in, voice low. "You haven't heard?"

Y/N raised a brow. "Heard what?"

Julia exhaled, then looked around before lowering her voice. "People have been talking—a lot. About them."

Y/N stiffened. She didn't need to ask who them was.

"Some of the seniors from last year had a Diagon Prep exchange program before the merge. They actually met those guys before. And the stuff they're saying is—" She hesitated "..concerning."

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"

Julia and Aisha exchanged looks as they leaned in.

★

"You've clearly already met him in history" Julia muttered, glancing across the room.

"But I don't think you get who he actually is."

Y/N clenched her jaw.

Calixto sat at the far end of the cafeteria, lazily twirling a silver ring around his finger, completely unbothered by the humans whispering about him. His pale eyes flickered under the dim lights, like burning coals.

"He's the heir to the Antoniou bloodline, orginated in Europe—Greece specifically." Aisha's voice was grim. "One of the oldest and most powerful vampire families still alive. His family is directly descended from the first 'Elders' of the vampiric courts—royalty basically."

Y/N's stomach twisted.

"Great" she muttered. "so he's an asshole with a crown?"

Aisha didn't laugh. "No—worse. You see that ring?"

Y/N frowned, glancing back at him. "Yeah?"

"It's a signet. Only direct heirs wear those." Julia exhaled sharply. "So, it means if anything happens to his father, he becomes the next ruler of their bloodline. His family is responsible for at least half of the human slaughters in the last two centuries."

Y/N's blood ran cold.

Calixto must have sensed her looking because his lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk.

She looked away immediately.

★

"Next one—Silas Viktor—he's the one with the dark hair" Julia whispered. "the one who looks like he's above all."

Y/N didn't need to check—she already knew which one he was.

Silas Viktor was grinning.

It wasn't friendly. It wasn't warm. It was mocking. A lazy smirk that shouldn't have been as terrifying as it was.

"He's a Viktor," Aisha continued. "his dad's side of the family used to run half the underground operations in the vampire world. Smuggling, assassinations, illegal blood trade—you name it."

"Illegal blood trade—?"

"For back when humans lawed against them"

Y/N's stomach twisted. "And the school let him in?"

"I guess so.."Julia let out a short, humourless laugh. "But still, no one 'lets' a Viktor do anything. If he's here, it's because he wants to be; and that's what makes him dangerous."

Aisha nodded. "He doesn't talk much, but when he does—people listen. Some say he used to be an executioner for the vampire courts before coming here."

Y/N swallowed hard. "A 17 year old???"

"Well girl he's like 117 in human years.."

★

"He's the silver one with the ice-cold stare," Julia muttered. "You probably noticed how he really stares."

Y/N stole a glance at the third vampire.

"He's a Sanchez," Aisha said. "Their entire bloodline consists of doctors; they're responsible for the development of blood serums—synthetic human blood for vampires. Sounds good, right?"

Y/N hesitated. "...Yeah?"

Aisha's lips pressed into a thin line.

"They only started producing that after centuries of using humans as test subjects."

Y/N's stomach dropped.

"They don't just study blood, Y/N. They harvest it."

She tore her eyes away from Azul immediately.

★

"And then there's him," Julia muttered. "The black-haired one. The one who smiles."

That was the only introduction Y/N needed.

She knew exactly who they were talking about.

"He's the son of the Laine family" Aisha said, her tone hushed. "A family known for... experiments."

Y/N turned sharply. "What kind of experiments?"

"Just scientific experiments, "Julia's face darkened."On humans."

Y/N felt her heartbeat pick up.

"They like to push limits. Figure out what the human body can handle before breaking."

"They detest animal testing though. Ironic isn't it?" Aisha swallowed. "He doesn't kill like the others. Not with his hands. He breaks people mentally in different ways. And he probably enjoys it."

★

Now she knew exactly what kind of monsters she was dealing with.

She exhaled, steadying herself, trying to ignore the way her stomach churned but before she could say anything—before she could even react—a loud, violent crash from across the cafeteria.

She turned immediately—just in time to see a human student fly across the room; hitting the floor with a sickening thud.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Gasps filled the air.

Y/N's stomach lurched.

And at the centre of it all, standing with a bloodstained hand, was Calixto.

Silence fell over the cafeteria, a slow, agonising silence; as his golden eyes found hers.