Blood Moon
Page 37
Jenna and I exchanged mischievous smiles.
“We’re just getting started. But I think we might be,” I said.
“Alert the guards,” Jenna agreed cheerfully.
My eyes widened. “There are guards?” I’d need to know that the next time I snuck off campus. I thought about the Huntsmen currently lurking on the edges of school property.
“Figure of speech,” she said. “But actually, yeah. Sometimes.”
“We’re not really supposed to be off campus without written permission anyway,” Tyson said apologetically.
I wondered if the Drakes could ask Hart to write me a note. Speaking of which, “Does Hart ever come here?” I asked.
“He came to an assembly last year just after he was promoted,” Jenna said, sounding disgruntled. “I missed it.”
“He’s hot,” I told her. “Don’t skip next time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
A small crowd of students clustered at one of the windows. Jenna and I stood on chairs to peek over their heads.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Looks like more agents are arriving,” Jenna replied. “They’re staying here during the Blood Moon.”
“That’s a lot of cargo pants,” I said drily, as I considered making “The Truth about Vampires” flyers to post all over campus.
Tyson cleared his throat. “Uh … I should be tutoring you …”
“Okay,” I agreed, pulling a chocolate bar out of my bag. “Tutor away.”
“Well, the Helios-Ra is named after two sun gods, Helios from Greek mythology and Ra from Egyptian mythology. The League was officially formed in 892 C.E. by Alric Skallagrim.”
“C.E.?” I asked. “What’s that?”
“It means Common Era. It’s the archaeologist’s version of a.d. And before Alric, hunters had their own tribal traditions, some of which were solidified and spread about by the armies of Rome. But they never all officially worked together until Alric.”
“Let me guess, there was a big bad?”
“Several actually. How did you know?”
“There’s always a big bad. Didn’t you ever watch Buffy?”
“Even so, the original tenet of the League was to hunt the undead.”
“They’re not really undead,” I interrupted. “You guys know that, right? I mean, the Hel-Blar are, and most of the others, but not the families of the Raktapa Council. Not entirely anyway. I mean, they get sick and die. Sort of. But not really. It’s complicated.”
“It’s never been complicated to the Helios-Ra,” Jenna said. “Vampire is as vampire does.”
“That’s specie-ist,” I grumbled, frustrated. “Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to me?”
“Vampires drink human blood,” Jenna pointed out. “And I kinda need mine.”
“They don’t have to drink enough to kill you. Just to live. Survive. Whatever.” I frowned. “Don’t be so greedy.”
“Don’t be so eager to give my blood away.”
“Would you donate blood at a blood drive?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, there you go!” I declared triumphantly.
“But that’s different.”
“Why?”
She frowned at Tyson. He frowned back at her. Then they both frowned at me.
“I don’t know,” she said finally. “It just is.”
“We know times are changing,” Tyson added, looking interested enough in the quandary that he forgot to be hand-shakingly shy. Instead he sounded as if he was quoting a professor in his head. “We have treaties with some vampire tribes. And we also have several more departments, at the academy and at the college. And in the League at large as well. Things like Tech and Supernatural Studies.”
“What about Vampire Relations?” I asked. Especially with the local newspapers now reporting on the increase in missing persons. Apparently the last time something like this happened was in the eighties. “We need that. I could totally do that.”
“Making out with your hot boyfriend doesn’t count toward your grade,” Jenna teased.
I shook my head. “I knew this place was all wrong.”
“Did Bellwood go through the rules with you?” Tyson asked.
“Probably,” I admitted. “But she talked a lot. And she’s surprisingly intimidating.”
Jenna just snorted.
“The basic rules are pretty self-explanatory,” I recited. “Don’t leave campus after hours, don’t tell outsiders about the school or the League, don’t get caught or tell secrets, and don’t fraternize with vampires. Which is a stupid rule, by the way.”
Tyson looked at Jenna helplessly. When she didn’t offer any advice, he just handed me a printout. “Here’s the homework.”
I groaned. “Homework? Really? On top of all my other classwork?”
“Bellwood gave me a list of essays and papers you have to do to prove you’re catching up.”
I lay my head on the table despondently. “Shouldn’t I be learning how to kill things?”
Jenna checked her watch. “Come on, there’s a kickboxing match in the gym in ten minutes. Afterward, I’ll teach you how to fall down.”
“I know how to fall down, thanks.”
“We’re just getting started. But I think we might be,” I said.
“Alert the guards,” Jenna agreed cheerfully.
My eyes widened. “There are guards?” I’d need to know that the next time I snuck off campus. I thought about the Huntsmen currently lurking on the edges of school property.
“Figure of speech,” she said. “But actually, yeah. Sometimes.”
“We’re not really supposed to be off campus without written permission anyway,” Tyson said apologetically.
I wondered if the Drakes could ask Hart to write me a note. Speaking of which, “Does Hart ever come here?” I asked.
“He came to an assembly last year just after he was promoted,” Jenna said, sounding disgruntled. “I missed it.”
“He’s hot,” I told her. “Don’t skip next time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
A small crowd of students clustered at one of the windows. Jenna and I stood on chairs to peek over their heads.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Looks like more agents are arriving,” Jenna replied. “They’re staying here during the Blood Moon.”
“That’s a lot of cargo pants,” I said drily, as I considered making “The Truth about Vampires” flyers to post all over campus.
Tyson cleared his throat. “Uh … I should be tutoring you …”
“Okay,” I agreed, pulling a chocolate bar out of my bag. “Tutor away.”
“Well, the Helios-Ra is named after two sun gods, Helios from Greek mythology and Ra from Egyptian mythology. The League was officially formed in 892 C.E. by Alric Skallagrim.”
“C.E.?” I asked. “What’s that?”
“It means Common Era. It’s the archaeologist’s version of a.d. And before Alric, hunters had their own tribal traditions, some of which were solidified and spread about by the armies of Rome. But they never all officially worked together until Alric.”
“Let me guess, there was a big bad?”
“Several actually. How did you know?”
“There’s always a big bad. Didn’t you ever watch Buffy?”
“Even so, the original tenet of the League was to hunt the undead.”
“They’re not really undead,” I interrupted. “You guys know that, right? I mean, the Hel-Blar are, and most of the others, but not the families of the Raktapa Council. Not entirely anyway. I mean, they get sick and die. Sort of. But not really. It’s complicated.”
“It’s never been complicated to the Helios-Ra,” Jenna said. “Vampire is as vampire does.”
“That’s specie-ist,” I grumbled, frustrated. “Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to me?”
“Vampires drink human blood,” Jenna pointed out. “And I kinda need mine.”
“They don’t have to drink enough to kill you. Just to live. Survive. Whatever.” I frowned. “Don’t be so greedy.”
“Don’t be so eager to give my blood away.”
“Would you donate blood at a blood drive?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, there you go!” I declared triumphantly.
“But that’s different.”
“Why?”
She frowned at Tyson. He frowned back at her. Then they both frowned at me.
“I don’t know,” she said finally. “It just is.”
“We know times are changing,” Tyson added, looking interested enough in the quandary that he forgot to be hand-shakingly shy. Instead he sounded as if he was quoting a professor in his head. “We have treaties with some vampire tribes. And we also have several more departments, at the academy and at the college. And in the League at large as well. Things like Tech and Supernatural Studies.”
“What about Vampire Relations?” I asked. Especially with the local newspapers now reporting on the increase in missing persons. Apparently the last time something like this happened was in the eighties. “We need that. I could totally do that.”
“Making out with your hot boyfriend doesn’t count toward your grade,” Jenna teased.
I shook my head. “I knew this place was all wrong.”
“Did Bellwood go through the rules with you?” Tyson asked.
“Probably,” I admitted. “But she talked a lot. And she’s surprisingly intimidating.”
Jenna just snorted.
“The basic rules are pretty self-explanatory,” I recited. “Don’t leave campus after hours, don’t tell outsiders about the school or the League, don’t get caught or tell secrets, and don’t fraternize with vampires. Which is a stupid rule, by the way.”
Tyson looked at Jenna helplessly. When she didn’t offer any advice, he just handed me a printout. “Here’s the homework.”
I groaned. “Homework? Really? On top of all my other classwork?”
“Bellwood gave me a list of essays and papers you have to do to prove you’re catching up.”
I lay my head on the table despondently. “Shouldn’t I be learning how to kill things?”
Jenna checked her watch. “Come on, there’s a kickboxing match in the gym in ten minutes. Afterward, I’ll teach you how to fall down.”
“I know how to fall down, thanks.”
