《Blood and Blessings》 1 - The Battle of Blood and Blessings Chapter 1 - The Battle of Blood and Blessings ¡°Ah¡­ finally¡­¡± Finally, After three years of suffering and isolation. I can finally see the moon, the oh-so-beautiful red moon. It''s one o''clock in the morning, and here I am¡­ walking down the street in this desolate neighborhood in the outskirts of Paris, with blood on my clothes and under my fingernails. ¡°Is this what it means to be free?¡± I ask myself, as I follow the old Parisian streetlights, not knowing where they will take me. After a couple of minutes of walking, I stop to look at the dark sky and take a moment to appreciate my newfound freedom, also making me remember the days I didn''t know what freedom was. I didn¡¯t remember who my parents were, nor did I remember who I was. The earliest memory I have is from around three years ago, when I was twelve years old, I think. I woke up in a cold, somber room, with only a bed and a desk in it, the desk was decorated with a dim light and some old books. I was confused, and scared. I felt as if I had just been born, although I knew that wasn¡¯t that wasn¡¯t the case. My body was too developed, my muscle memory was too advanced, and I could perfectly read the title of the books on the desk. I had lost my memories. Before I even had the chance to investigate the room, the man who would soon ruin my life opened the door and let himself in. ¡°Good morning, Blanche! Did you sleep well?¡± The nasal voice said. ¡®Blanche? Is that my name?¡¯ I thought. The slender, grey-haired man, who was wearing a white lab coat and cinder goggles, approached me. Intimidated by the creepy-looking man approaching me, I crawled further away from him and asked, ¡°W-who are you?¡± The man suddenly stopped approaching me and put his hand behind his head. His expression looked puzzled, as if he was thinking something among the lines of, ¡®oops, I forgot about that.¡¯ ¡°I am Benedict Aubert, dear Blanche. And I am a scientist- no researcher, or was it lab rat?¡± The man scratched his head with both of his hands out of frustration, ¡°Aargh, whatever. I¡¯m Benedict, and I do experiments.¡± The man continued. ¡°You do¡­ experiments?¡± I asked the man. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. I do experiments, so I''m an experimenter!¡± The man answered. ¡®What is he going to do to me? How did I get here? Why do I not remember anything prior to today? Who am I?¡¯ My mind raced. ¡°Blanche, did you know? Here in France, many believe vampires to have gone extinct during a war about 200 years ago in the late 17th century.¡± Benedict said. Why did he suddenly start talking about vampires, or about a war that happened about 200 years ago? ¡°Vampires have always been less numerous than humans, however their power and their unfathomable life spans made up for their small numbers. But one day, near the end of the 17th century, newborn humans began to receive a plethora of powerful abilities, which they eventually started referring to as "blessings," was this a message from God to humanity, telling them to fight back? Nobody knows... but humanity knew that with those blessings, and their numbers, they could finally overpower the vampires, resulting in a war won by humanity. This historical event is known as ''The Battle of Blood and Blessings''. Benedict explained, as he took a scalpel out of the front pocket of his lab coat and proceeded to fidget with it. His story caught my attention and made me curious about, ¡°Blessings?¡± I asked. As if he was waiting for me to ask that, he quickly responded, ¡°Everyone in this world has been gifted a blessing, a blessing is a unique ability you receive when you''re born. Some people have useful blessings, such as enhanced physical strength, superspeed, or even telepathy. While others... have rather useless blessings, such as the ability to grow hair 10% more quickly than the average person. You however, you don¡¯t have a blessing,¡± He explained. ¡°I-I don¡¯t have a blessings?¡± I answered, with Benedict once again predicting what I was going to say, he quickly answered me once more, ¡°Correct, you¡¯re blessing-less, do you know why that is?¡± He responded. Without anything coming to mind. I said, ¡°No,¡± to give Benedict the opportunity to tell me. He suddenly got an evil smile on his face, ¡°Well, dear Blanche. That is because you¡¯re a vampire,¡± he told me. Me? A vampire? ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won''t tell anybody about your existence, you''re mine after all," he said, turning his evil smile to a devilish one. I¡¯m his? What is this guy talking about? ¡°MUAHAHAHAH,¡± he started laughing hysterically, ¡°everyone kept calling me crazy, telling me to stop worrying about vampires. BUT HERE YOU ARE! A VAMPIRE, ALIVE AND WELL!¡± He said, before continuing his hysterical laughter. Am I going to die? This man, he¡¯s bad news! I have to get out of here! ¡°I''m sure that more vampires will appear, and they¡¯ll start another war when they do!¡± Benedict told himself, looking frightened of his own imagination. ¡°You''re going to help me learn everything there is to know about vampires, so I can find a way to kill every last one of them. So that this time, they''ll be gone forever!" He continued with a scary voice, as he moved the scalpel he kept fidgeting with towards my throat. After a moment of intense eye contact, he pulled the scalped away again and returned it to his lab coat¡¯s pocket. "I''m going to let you rest for today, tomorrow we''ll start experimenting," He said, as he left me in the cold room, all alone. For the next three years, he used me as his lab rat for his twisted experiments. Testing how much pain I could take, what I was resistant to, he even tested my IQ to see if vampires were smart enough to strategize against humanity. (which we obviously were). If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Some days he fed me normal food, on other days he made me drink blood, he noticed that blood helped me heal my wounds and get rid of fatigue. So he then decided to see if I was reliant on food and/or blood, so he proceeded to not feed me anything for next 7 months, until my body finally gave out and I entered a critical condition. He found out vampires have to drink a minimum of 50 centiliters of blood at least once every 12 months in order to stay alive. The reason why 7 months was my limit was because of the bad living conditions Benedict put me in. The older I became, the more brutal his experiments got, like ripping off my nails to see how long they took to grow back, breaking my arm to see how long it took to fix and stabbing my thigh to see how long it took to heal. During the times I wasn''t being experimented on, I would either sleep or read books, books were the one and only light to my life, allowing me to feel like I was in another world. There was this one book book called ''Henosis'' from Jean Lenoir, the book was about a weak protagonist who had to overcome various hurdles, as he progressively got stronger and became one of the king''s royal knights, this was the book that motivated me to change my life.
¡°Hey kiddo, are you alright?¡± An old voice says, disturbing my deep thoughts. Huh, who¡¯s there? Oh it''s one of the neighbors, Damn. Those fucking neighbors. They were all aware of it, They all heard me cry for help all the time, I¡¯m sure they did! But... they probably only saw me as a minor inconvenience that disturbed their quiet neighborhood. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m feeling better than ever,¡± I answer the old man. I truly am feeling better than ever; because this is the first time in three years , maybe even fifteen years, that I''ve got a taste of freedom. ¡°What are you doing outside at this hour?¡± the elderly neighbor asks. I can¡¯t let him find out what happened, because that¡¯ll be the end of my newfound freedom¡­ I quickly make up a lie, ¡°I- I just needed some fresh air, so I decided to take a short walk.¡± ¡°Ooh, I see. Would you mind if I join you?¡± the old man asks, no- he¡¯s not asking, ''I¡¯m gonna make sure you actually go back home,'' is what he meant. ¡°N-no not at all, please do!¡± Tsk¡­ why are people already trying to rob me of my freedom. ¡°There''s a place I''d like to go before I go back home, the moon looks beautiful tonight so I¡¯d like to look at it a from a better place, Is that okay for you?" I ask. ¡°Ho-ho, the moon really does look beautiful tonight. Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± he answers, after he turns his gaze to the moon, which is hidden behind a tree. After a bit of walking and some pretentious small talk with the old man, we arrive at a more isolated area, an area with a perfect view on the full moon, an area where no one will find us. ¡°I¡¯m sorry old man, but I really can¡¯t have you take away my freedom just yet,¡± I tell the old man, as I look upon the moon. ¡°What do you mea-¡° ¡°I just killed Benedict, I finally killed that crazy son of a bitch, he''s finally dead!¡± I interrupt him, as I turn my gaze to the old man. The mans expression turns to that of a terrified child, "Y-your eyes... They''re red!" He stutters. ¡°Do you have any fucking idea what I''ve been through because of him?¡± I say, as I leap towards him and insert my already bloody nails in his left eye. "AA-AAAAH!" The man agonizingly screams. "For be it my eyes, or be it your blood. Red will be the last color you''ll ever see," I say, before I push my finger even deeper inside of his eye, so deep so that I can feel his brains. ¡°Y-you demon¡­¡° The old man let out with his final breath. ¡°Me? A demon? If anything, you guys are the demons! Allowing a child to get tortured, day after day¡­ for three years! Calling me a demon just because I¡¯m different from you guys, how is that fair¡­¡± I lament to my now dead neighbor, under the oh-so-beautiful red moon, with my hand covered in his blood. ¡°Blood¡­¡± Benedict often made me drink blood to test what effects it''d have on me, but I¡¯ve never sucked blood directly from a human before¡­ ¡°N-no, I mustn¡¯t, this isn''t like me!¡± I tell myself. I have to hide the body before anybody finds it and calls the police. ¡°There, I¡¯ll hide it in that bush,¡± I lift up the man¡¯s corpse and drag him towards the bush I just spotted. ¡°This should give me some time to leave this neighborhood before the body gets found.¡± Just as I¡¯m about to walk away from the place where I just murdered a man, I hear a voice behind me ¡°Hey you! Yes you, are you a vampire?¡± Crap! Did he see me kill the old man? What do I do? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not your enemy,¡± the voice says, after seeing me panic. I turn around and see a face I¡¯ve never seen before, an above-average looking man, a really tall man with platinum blonde hair stands before me. ¡°W-who are you?¡± I ask the stranger. ¡°Like I said, not your enemy,¡± The stranger answers. He doesn¡¯t look scared despite just having witnessed me murder a man. Just who is this man? ¡°But damn¡­ Vampires really do exist, I knew it!¡± The man adds, with glittering eyes looking like those of a kid who just got a new toy to play with. ¡°W-what makes you think I''m a vampire?¡± I attempt to bullshit my way out. ¡°I just saw you pierce someone''s eye with your finger, and the way you looked at that blood¡­ It¡¯s obvious, you¡¯re a vampire!¡± The man says as he points to his left eye, imitating the old man I just brutally murdered. I don¡¯t want people to find out about my true nature, what¡¯ll happen if the world finds out about me? Will I be experimented on again? Or will I just be killed this time? It¡¯s too risky¡­ This man, he¡¯s a problem. I have to kill him! ¡°Woah there calm down kid. I know what you¡¯re thinking but killing me won''t do you any good. Also, I¡¯m not your enemy, remember?¡± The man continues, as he uses his hands to express himself, gesturing me to calm down. ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± I ask. He doesn¡¯t even know me, what is he thinking, talking about not being my enemy? ¡°Hmm¡­ say, do you like reading?¡± He asks me. Huh? Reading? Does he not realize the situation he¡¯s in? I¡¯m about to kill him and he¡¯s asking me if I like to read? ¡°Aah, come on just answer me.¡± The man adds after noticing my frustration. ¡°I- I do.¡± It''s embarrassing, talking about this with the person I¡¯m trying to intimidate¡­ ¡°Then you must have heard of Jean Lenoir, right?¡± He asks, in an annoyingly proud tone. Jean Lenoir? That famous author? ¡°I have, what about him?¡± Of course I know Jean Lenoir, he is the reason I was able to keep my sanity for the last three years! ¡°Ha-ha! Nice to meet you! What¡¯s that? Oh you want my autograph? Sure, no problem! Did you bring a pen?¡± He boasts proudly, placing his hands on his hips and lifting his chin up. "Heh?" I let out. He''s the same Jean Lenoir that kept me sane? This guy? B-but, he''s so annoying! ¡°Are you really Jean Lenoir?¡± I ask, not believing my eyes. ¡°Correct!¡± He answers with a smirk on his face. ¡°¡­¡± I can¡¯t tell him, that¡¯s¡­ too embarrassing! ¡°You see... I¡¯m actually working on a new book¡­¡± Jean switches topics, as he repeatedly taps the tips of his two index fingers together. ¡°So?¡± I respond, why is did he start acting shy so suddenly though? It¡¯s making me feel uncomfortable¡­ ¡°And you see... it¡¯s actually about vampires,¡± he answers, while still tapping the tips of his index fingers together. ¡°GOD, JUST GET TO THE POINT ALEADY!¡± I let out as I finally lose patience. ¡°If you don¡¯t have a place to stay, come live with me! All I need in return is for you to teach me more about vampires!¡± Jean offers, as he finally stops the awkward finger-tapping. ¡°You''re asking me, to come live with you?¡± Is this guy serious? He¡¯s offering a vampire to live with him? Did he forget that I was trying to kill him just a few minutes ago? ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t have anywhere else you can go, right?¡± Jean says. ¡°I- uh... No, how did you know?¡± I regrettably admit. ¡°Well, you killed whoever you were living with, right? Meaning you can¡¯t go back there now,¡± He explains. ¡°You heard that?¡± ¡°Hehe¡± Jean smirks. ¡°I know I can¡¯t go back there, not like I''d want to do that anyway.¡± I say, softly. ¡°Well, then you should accept my offer and come live with me, I have enough money to cover for someone living with me, all I need you to do Is teach me about vampires so I can write the best vampire-themed book ever!¡± Jean explains ambitiously, while coming closer to me. ¡°So whaddya say?¡± He adds playfully, As he puts his hand on my shoulder. "Will I be able to live a normal life, living with you?" I ask. Because that''s all I want, to live a normal life. Just that is more than enough for me. "A normal life? No chance. But I can guarantee you It''ll be fun!" Jean promises. It''ll be fun? It''s either that or having nowhere to go, so the answer is obvious. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that offer then, I guess.¡± I answer, knowing I have nothing left to lose. "Then from now on, I will be your guardian!" Jean says excitingly. I look at him as I can finally relax and drop my guard. "Oh- your eyes changed colors! So dark grey is the color your eyes really are hmm," he adds, already trying to learn more about me. 2 - A new life Chapter 2 - A new life ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot these past ten months, Blanche!¡± Jean says, with a beer in his hand and an unlit cigarette in his mouth, as he takes a break from writing his book. ¡°I did not change, I just see things differently now. And it¡¯s quite liberating.¡± That¡¯s right, living with Jean has greatly changed the way I look at things. I used to feel like being a vampire is a curse, but helping Jean with his book made me learn to appreciate myself more. I still wouldn''t say I''m truly happy, nor that I¡¯m satisfied being a vampire, but it''s a lot less painful and lonely now than it was before Jean took me in a year ago. "Look at you using such fancy words; you definitely have changed. Hahaha!¡± He chuckles. He¡¯s still annoying though. Sometimes I feel like I¡¯m his personal butler, the way he keeps asking me to bring him a beer, or to do chores for him. I can¡¯t complain though, he¡¯s letting me live here for free so helping him is the least I can do. ¡°Oh by the way, you¡¯ve helped me a lot since you moved in with me, but I¡¯m in a bit of a slump right now,¡± Jean adds, as he¡¯s putting his beer on the table and grabs a pen and starts fidgeting with it. Does he not need me anymore? ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask. ¡°You see, I feel like you¡¯ve taught me everything you know about vampires already.¡± Jean says with a serious voice, as he looks at me with a cold gaze. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± He¡¯s planning to kick me out?! If he does, I¡¯ll just have to accept it and go my own way again, staying here without being of help to Jean would just be me overstaying my welcome. "So for that reason, I enrolled you at the Royal Academy of Paris, RAP in short!" Jean says, as he pulls out an envelope with a stamp saying ¡®RAP¡¯ on it. ¡°HUH?¡± You want me, to go to school? But I''ve never been around more than ten people at the same time in my entire life, it''s too big of a change! Furthermore the Royal Academy of Paris? Isn''t that the most prestigious school in the country? My eyes widen out of disbelief, ¡°A-are you serious?¡± I ask. "Yes, I¡¯m dead serious. I''ve already learned everything I needed to know about vampires as a species; now it''s time for me to learn about a vampire''s behavior. Do they fall in love, stress about tests, make friends, become jealous, engage in fights, and so on? This are all things I need to know in order to improve the quality of my book. So I decided that school was the best place for a sixteen year old to experience all of these feelings, that¡¯s why I enrolled you!¡± Jean clarifies, as he starts writing in his notepad, I can¡¯t read what it is though. Well, at least he isn¡¯t kicking me out, for now, ¡°But how did you even get me enrolled in the most prestigious school in the country? Don¡¯t you have to meet like a shit ton of requirements to even be considered a worthy student there?¡± I heard that the Royal Academy of Paris handpicks their students; nobles, geniuses, children from the most important businesses In the country, these are the only people seen as worthy of that school. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Hehe¡­ Did you forget who you¡¯re talking to perhaps?¡± Jean grins, looking like he¡¯s showering himself with compliments. So he got me enrolled through his connections huh. I can¡¯t really tell him I don¡¯t want to go now, can I¡­ ¡°But I''ve never attended a school before, don''t you think you''re asking too much of me?¡± I try to explain myself, but it obviously didn¡¯t matter to Jean, ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t worry about that, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jean answers confidently. ¡°How can you be so sure of that?¡± I answer. Did he forget that I¡¯m a vampire? There¡¯s no way I can fit in at a place like that. ¡°Tsk¡­ Haven''t you noticed? For the past year, I have forced you to read nothing but books which have taught you all you need to know to enroll at that school. You''re probably even more educated than the majority of the students there now.¡± He shrugs, as he points at the bookshelf next to the couch, as if telling he¡¯s telling me it was obvious. That explains why I could only ever informational books in his bookshelves though. Does that imply that ever since he took me in, he intended to enroll me into that school? Did Jean put this much trust in me ever since the day he met me? ¡°So you don''t intend to kick me out?¡± I gently sighed out from relief. ¡°Kick you out? Why would I do something like that? Didn¡¯t I tell you, I¡¯m your guardian now, I not just going to abandon you like that,¡± Jean responds, with a hint of frustration. ¡°Also, you provide way to much value to my book to even consider something like that,¡± he continues, and begins to cringe shortly after, realizing what he had. Upon observing the cringing Jean who is attempting to shift his attention back to his book. I came to the realization that I was foolish to think he would consider kicking me out. Because after taking me in, he took incredible care of me. And even though he often annoys me, always reeks of cigarettes, and drinks nonstop, Jean still has my undying gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Jean¡± I sigh, to show my gratitude. ¡°Hm?¡± He hums, as he¡¯s reading the book he just managed to get his attention back onto. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing.¡± I answer, too embarrassed to repeat that. ¡°Oh by the way school starts tomorrow, and I already got your uniform,¡± Jean tells me. Tomorrow? I¡¯m not even getting any time to prepare? ¡°You and Jacques can ride the bus to school together, so be careful not to oversleep,¡± he mentions. ¡°Jacques goes to the Royal Academy of Paris too?¡± Jacques Rousseau, he lives in the apartment next door, he¡¯s a year older than me but we get along pretty well, he¡¯s really tall and athletic, and I¡¯m proud to call him my second friend! Huh? Who¡¯s my first friend, you ask? Hehehe, It''s this little guy right here, Jean¡¯s cat! His name is Eros, Jean gave him that name in honor of the main character of his first successful book. Isn¡¯t he the cutest little furball you¡¯ve ever seen? I mean, back to Jacques! I must admit though, I''m pretty relieved that we''ll be going to the same school. I''m sure it¡¯ll help me feel less anxious to go to school if I go with Jacques. ¡°He doesn¡¯t just go to the Royal Academy of Paris, he¡¯s an honor student there!¡± Jean answers, shifting away his attention from the book he was reading once again. ¡°Woah, that must mean he¡¯s really smart, right?¡± ¡°Hmm, well I guess you could say that. Though the real reason of him being an honor student is his blessing, he has the perfect photographic memory blessing.¡± Jean equivocates. ¡°Perfect photographic memory?¡± I repeat. ¡°His blessing allows him to see things in his mind just as clearly as if he¡¯s looking at a photograph, resulting in him never forgetting anything he sees. Making tests, sport tactics and cooking recipes extremely easy for him to remember.¡± He explains, as he grabs his beer again and takes a sip. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s really impressive!¡± I react, in awe of my cool friend, who apparently is a honor student. ¡°By the way, what blessing do you have?¡± I ask out of curiosity, I¡¯ve been living with him for almost a year now and he never mentioned his blessing, could it be something really cool, like flying or telepathy? ¡°Me? I have the multitasking blessing! I can engage in up to five different thinking processes at once while maintaining a high level of intellectual performance with little to no distraction.¡± Jean proudly admits. That¡¯s¡­ A lot less exciting than I expected, but wait, ¡°Then how come you¡¯re struggling so much with keeping your attention on that book?¡± His expression suddenly turns really proud, ¡°Oh, that. That¡¯s because I¡¯m drunk!¡± He says, hiccupping through every word. Did he just become drunk out of nowhere? He was able to hold a normal conversation with me until now.I decided to act like I never asked, but I couldn¡¯t mask the disappointment on my face. ¡°Hey why are you making that face! You don¡¯t like my blessing?¡± Jean slurs his words Ah- he noticed. But damn, having a blessing must be nice, I suppose It can really come in handy in people¡¯s daily lives¡­ I wonder if I¡¯ll be able to fit in at school. 3 - The Royal Academy of Paris Chapter 3 - The Royal Academy of Paris It¡¯s morning, today¡¯s my first day at school¡­ EVER. I''m flooded by emotions I''ve never felt before: joy, curiosity, pride, but also anxiety. Will I be okay today? Should I fake being sick? No, starting on the second day of school would make me stand out even more. ¡°Gaaahh¡± What do I do Huh, what¡¯s that? A note? ¡°Good luck on your first day of school! I can sort of imagine how you''re feeling, but don''t worry, Jacques told me he''d come pick you up around 7:45.¡± ¡°I left some soup in the kitchen for you to eat before you head off to school. Unfortunately, I have a meeting with my editor today, but I should still be home before you.¡± ¡°You''ll probably be a little early at school because of the bus, take advantage of that time by getting familiar with your school.¡± ¡°Oh, and your uniform is on your desk.¡± ¡°Sincerely,¡± ¡°World''s greatest author, Jean Lenoir!¡± Jean¡­ pfsht! He called himself world¡¯s greatest author! Haha! ¡°Thank you Jean, seriously.¡± This uniform is actually pretty stylish now that I see it up close. I- I look good! It¡¯s 7:40 now so I should still have some time to eat the soup Jean left me. *Thud. Thud. Thud* Ah- that must be Jacques, he¡¯s early¡­ Whatever, I wasn¡¯t that hungry anyways. ¡°Coming!¡± I shout as I run to the door. ¡°Good morning Blanche, are you ready for your first day at school?¡± Jacques says. ¡°Mornin¡¯ Jacques!¡± ¡°You look much less nervous than I thought you¡¯d be¡± He laughs. ¡°Haha, yeah. Thanks to the self-proclaimed best author in the world.¡± I answer, with a smile. ¡°Well, we don¡¯t want to be late on our first day so let¡¯s get going.¡± Jacques continues. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Bye-bye Eros, Blanche is going to school now, see you later!¡± ¡°Meow!¡± Thanks to Jean''s letter and Jacques picking me up, I''m feeling a lot more at ease about my first day at school. I lock the door after me and follow Jacques down the stairs. "Is this your first time taking the bus?¡± Jacques wants to know. ¡°No, I''ve taken the bus a few times with Jean before, but those times were typically during school hours, so the buses were always empty.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Oh. well, we''ll be lucky if there are any seats left for us today; most students ride the bus to school, so it''s usually very crowded in there," he emphasizes. Students hmm, I wonder what my class mates will be like. I wont be in the same class as Jacques since he¡¯s a year older than me, but I can¡¯t just rely on him all the time. I¡¯ll make sure to make some friends in my class! ¡°Oh by the way, we won''t be able to have lunch together today because we have lunch period at different times since I''m in a higher grade than you, Jacques adds. ¡°How come our lunch times are different?" " I inquire of him. ¡°Well, that''s because our school has 1500 students and the cafeteria only has room for 500 students, so each grade gets lunch at a different time," he explains. ¡°That makes sense, I kinda wanted to eat lunch together though¡­¡± ¡°Don''t worry, you''re a great guy, so I''m sure you''ll find some friends to have lunch with soon enough," he reassures me. Jacques behaves just like an older brother, it¡¯s kind of funny. ¡°Here¡¯s the bus stop, the bus should be here any minute now.¡±- Jacques adds. After waiting for a couple of minutes the bus finally arrived. ¡°You weren¡¯t lying when you said the buses get really packed¡­¡± ¡°hehe,¡± Jacques chuckles. After 15 minutes of standing in the bus, we finally arrive at school. ¡°Talk about an uncomfortable bus ride.¡± I sigh. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it soon.¡± Jacques says, as he reaches for my shoulder. ¡°I have to go that way now; will you be alright on your own from here on? " He continues. ¡®Y-you don¡¯t have to worry about me! Worry about yourself, honor student!¡± I respond anxiously. ¡°Haha, sounds like you¡¯ll be fine. Let¡¯s meet here again after school so we can go home together.¡± Jacques says as he walks off. ¡°A-alright, see you later Jacques.¡± I¡¯m on my own now, in front of this tall and intimidating school gate. ¡°Here goes nothing¡­¡± I say under my breath. Compared to everything I¡¯ve been through, I doubt this¡¯ll be that bad. Little did I know, this was just as bad, but in a completely different way. ¡°Chlo¨¦ let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Alain do you think we¡¯ll be in the same class?¡± ¡°hahahaha!¡± ¡°And this one boy, he-¡° ¡°Did you hear that new song?¡± ¡°Fuck yeah! I never thought I¡¯d get accepted in the Royal academy of Paris!¡± So. Much. Noise. I completely underestimated how many people there¡¯d be here¡­ Ah that¡¯s right, Jean told me to get familiar with the place, I¡¯ll start by doing that. As I¡¯m looking around, I notice all of the buildings, classes, and students... students? That¡¯s it! I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s nervous, now that I¡¯m looking around I notice all these other nervous students. That makes me feel a lot better, somehow¡­ A loud bell rings, followed by an even louder voice ¡°TO ALL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS, PLEASE GATHER IN THE AUDITIORIUM.¡± ¡°That must be Mr. Audius! He has the volume blessing, giving him the ability to speak really loud!¡± I overhear a student talking to his friend. I can''t think of any other scenarios where you''d want to be able to talk so loud, the volume blessing hmm. He sure as hell found a good use for his blessing. Well, on my way to the auditorium I guess. I enter the gymnasium through the large door to find myself in a huge room filled with students, with a stage in the center where all of the teachers are standing. ¡°Welcome, young but blessed students, to the Royal Academy of Paris! Starting today, every single person in this room now has the privilege of calling themselves a student of the Royal Academy of Paris, and for that you deserve an applause!¡± The sound of people clapping suddenly cover the entire room. Looking around, I remember how elite this school is; every student standing here has been hand-picked as the best of the best, whereas I got in through Jean''s connections. do I really belong here? The man continued his speech after everyone stopped clapping. ¡°As some of you may already know, I am Gregoire Vigrass, the headmaster of the Royal Academy of Paris.¡± "Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in your lives! You will no longer be treated like children; instead, you will be given the respect you deserve as the city of Paris''s most elite youngsters! ¡°As you all now, everyone receives a blessing the day that they¡¯re born, some received really useful ones, while others¡­ didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°But today, only the truly blessed stand here!¡± ¡°Every teacher in this school has proven themselves worthy of teaching the Royal Academy.¡± ¡°And together, we will do everything we can to ensure that by the time you graduate, you will all be capable of leading this nation! ¡± "And you too, must do everything you can to realize your full potential!¡± ¡°Knowledge, research, strength, will, and the power of your blessings. Use whatever you must to become one of the few elites to graduate from this school!¡± The sound of people clapping suddenly covered the entire room once more. I''m curious, what really is my full potential? I don''t have a blessing, and I''m a vampire. Just how much potential does a vampire even have? ¡°I will now call your names so you may step forward to come and collect your name card; on your name card, you''ll also see which class you''re in, so don''t lose it!" The headmaster went on. After about 15 minutes of calling students forward, he finally calls my name. ¡°Blanche Lenoir¡± Lenoir? Did Jean¡­ It¡¯s like I¡¯m his little brother now, hehe. I hurry towards the stage to collect my name card. "We have high expectations of you, mister Lenoir," Headmaster Vigrass states. ¡°Y-yes!¡± ah- I stutter I walk off the stage and quickly check my name card. ¡°Hmm, class 1C.¡± I let out. Director Vigrass continues to call students forward for about another 10 minutes after I collected my name card. What do you have in store for me, Class 1C? 4 - Class 1-C Chapter 4 - Class 1-C A small black sign reading 1-C, this is my classroom! I walk into the classroom and quickly realize that a lot of people are already seated; I''m not late, right? The classroom has 4 rows of three-person desks in 3 sections where the outer two are angled inward. That guy, with the dark hair, about the same length as mine. He seems most the composed out of everyone here. He¡¯s sitting alone as well so I guess I¡¯ll go sit next to him. ¡°Excuse me, can I sit here?¡± I ask. ¡°Go ahead.¡± He answers, as he places his chin in his hand. ¡°Thank you.¡± I say as I sit down, ¡°I¡¯m Blanche by the way.¡± He looks at me but quickly turns his gaze towards the door again. A lady dressed in expensive and stylish attire suddenly enters the classroom. I- is that a raven sitting on her shoulder? I''m not imagining things, am I? ¡°Wow she¡¯s so hot!¡±, ¡°That¡¯s Miss Caroline, apparently she can talk to birds!¡± I hear the students in the back whisper. ¡°Good morning class, I am Mrs. Caroline, and I¡¯ll be your homeroom teacher for the next three years.¡± Mrs. Caroline hmm¡­ She looks quite young, 26? 27 maybe? ¡°Since it¡¯s the first day of school, we¡¯ll focus on getting to know each other better today,¡± Mrs. Caroline adds. ¡°Excuse me miss.¡± A boy on the other side of the classroom says. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± Mrs. Caroline responds, whilst fixing her gaze on the boy. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude, but how will getting to know one another help us achieve our full potential? Isn''t it better to just concentrate on ourselves?¡± The boy asks, as if he was looking down on us. "Would you prefer that we all focus on ourselves?" Mrs. Caroline comments. "I believe that would make more sense, yes." Argues the boy. "You may leave the classroom then." She answers. ¡°But-¡° "No buts. If you don''t care about getting to know your classmates, you might as well go home today. I''ll see you tomorrow, Antoine Laurent." She says, ordering the boy to leave the classroom. Damn, Mrs. Caroline actually handled that situation really well. And I¡¯m pretty sure that guy never introduced himself, yet she still knew his name. Does she already know everything there is to know about us? ¡°Now, I have a question for you guys: why do you think I kicked Antoine out?¡± She inquires solemnly. The classroom fell silent all of a sudden, everyone seems to be afraid to say anything because they don''t want to get kicked out as well if they say something wrong. "No one? Then, how about you? Why do you think I removed Antoine from the classroom?" Mrs. Caroline asks, pointing her finger at me. Why? Because he asked a stupid question, no? No, that not why. He didn''t want to get to know his classmates, that''s why she kicked him out! "Because he didn''t want to interact with his classmates?" I respond. "Yes, but why is that a problem?" " She adds to her earlier query. Why is his lack of interest in getting to know us a problem? Hmm¡­ I recall Jean telling me something about not being able to be successful without connections, when I asked him about how he got me into this school. ¡°Because, the people you know and surround yourself with play a great part in your success.¡± I answer confidently. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Well said, Blanche. "You clearly have a way with words, much like Mr. Lenoir," she replies, smiling. "Is she referring to Jean Lenoir?" THE Jean Lenoir?", "I believe so, but why did she bring up Mr. Lenoir so suddenly?", "Could he be related to him in any way?" I hear some students discussing in the back of the classroom. It''s not like there''s an issue with people knowing I''m related to Jean; I just hope it doesn''t cast a negative light on me. It''s just as I suspected though, Mrs. Caroline already knows everything she needs to know about us. ¡°The people you know and surround yourself with play a great part in your success.¡± Mrs. Caroline quotes me. "That''s why we''re focusing on getting to know each other today; you''re the future of this country, so it''s important that you all get along. Make sure you all help each other with studying, growing, staying motivated, and, of course, making the most of your school lives," she goes on to say. ¡°But for starters, let¡¯s start by introducing ourselves!¡±
So far, every student here is either the son or daughter of a noble family, or they were the best student in their previous schools. Hell, sometimes even both. Mrs. Caroline said we weren''t compelled to reveal our blessings, but most of them did, and almost all of them have really valuable blessings. The more students there are introducing themselves, the more insecure I get. ¡°Pierre D¡¯ath?¡± Mrs. Caroline calls out. ¡°Here.¡± The composed boy sitting next to me answers. So his name is Pierre D¡¯ath¡­ He slowly stands up, and introduces himself. ¡°My name is Pierre D¡¯ath, I¡¯m 16 years old and my hobbies are¡­ Listening to music and writing. My dream is to become the ruler of Paris, and I wish to keep my blessing a secret.¡± That¡¯s one hell of a dream¡­ also, he¡¯s a lot more nonchalant than he looks. ¡°That¡¯s a rather ambitious dream you have, I hope your ambition doesn¡¯t turn into greed, Pierre D¡¯ath.¡± Mrs. Caroline says. ¡°Anyways, L¨¦a Valentine, you¡¯re next.¡± She continues. ¡°Yes.¡± The girl sitting in front of me says, as she stands up to speak. ¡°My name is L¨¦a Valentine, I¡¯m 16 years old and my hobbies are reading romance books and shopping. My dream is to become a detective, and I too, wish to keep my blessing a secret.¡± She says. They both didn¡¯t want to reveal their blessings, could it be that they have really powerful blessings? Or maybe their blessings are useless and are too ashamed to reveal them? I wonder if Mrs. Caroline knows what their blessings are. ¡°Okay, thank you L¨¦a. You¡¯re up now, Blanche Lenoir.¡± While the other students were introducing themselves, I was busy preparing what to say for my introduction, I hope I make a good impression on my classmates. "My name is Blanche Lenoir, and I''m delighted to meet you all. I''m 16 years old and I enjoy reading in my spare time. I also occasionally assist Jean with his novels. My dream is to become a well-known author like Jean. And I must apologize, but I also prefer to keep my blessing a secret." Good, I didn''t stutter and I sounded fairly credible. I''m not interested in becoming an author, but as a representative of the Lenoir family, I thought it was appropriate to make them believe I am. And as for me being a vampire without a blessing, it''s clear that I wish to keep my "blessing" a secret. ¡°Woah, he really is related to Jean Lenoir, do you think they¡¯re brothers?¡± A girl in the back of the class whispers to a classmate. ¡°I think they are! We should ask him for his brothers autograph after class!¡± Her friend responds. I¡¯m already being used for Jean¡­ ¡°Great, thanks Blanche. Emile Monet, you¡¯re next.¡± Mrs. Caroline says. There are still 7 more introductions to go, how will I ever be able to remember everyone¡¯s names? Let¡¯s see... I remember Antoine, the boy who got kicked out for asking a dumb question. Next to me we have Pierre, the guy composed but nonchalant guy with a way too ambitious dream. In front of me sits L¨¦a, she wanted to become a detective, and she¡¯s cute. Then we have Emile, the boy who did his introduction after me. Then there¡¯s¡­ Then there issss¡­ Geh- I don¡¯t remember the anybody else¡¯s name. I hope they won¡¯t hate me for not remembering. "Now that everyone has introduced themselves, let me take you on a tour around the school." Mrs. Caroline says as she puts on her coat and proceeds to the door. "Now, remember to keep your voices down in the halls so you don''t bother your upperclassmen." She continues. Mrs. Caroline opens the door and walks down the hall, followed by all 23 of us. If I counted correctly, there are 13 boys, counting Antoine. And 11 girls in our class, so our class seems fairly balanced. Walking through the hall, looking at the countless amount of classrooms, I realize just how many students there are in this school. ¡°Here¡¯s the gymnasium.¡± ¡°Here are the toilets.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the teacher¡¯s room, if you ever have any urgent questions you need to ask one of the teachers, this is where you¡¯ll find us.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the library.¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the music room.¡± We''re only halfway into the tour, and I''m absolutely overwhelmed. And it''s not just because of the number of rooms; it''s the size and prestige of each room in this school; even the toilets look luxurious! We finally head outdoors after about 25 minutes; I can''t believe it took 45 minutes just to tour the main building... ¡°Here are the sports fields and the running track. And there are horse stalls.¡± Mrs. Caroline continues her tour. "Here are several picnic tables for you to use on hot days." "And here you see the battle arena; you may only come here to train your blessing under the supervision of a teacher." "At the end of the year, we also host the Royal Tournament." The Royal Tournament? So, a fighting tournament? That''s an unusual thing to organize for a school. "Mrs. Caroline!" One of the students raises her hand. Oh I remember her, that¡¯s Lilly! ¡°Yes, Lilith?¡± Mrs. Caroline answers. Ah yes, Lilith¡­ That¡¯s what I meant. ¡°Are there any other tournaments we can compete in? Like sports or quizzes, or horse riding?¡± Lilith asks. "You can compete in a variety of tournaments, but only the royal tournament is mandatory." Mrs. Caroline elaborates. ¡°Oh, okay thank you.¡± Lilith gently says. A loud bell suddenly rings. "Now then, let''s head to the cafeteria; sounds like it¡¯s lunchtime!" 5 - Friends Chapter 5 - Friends I already saw the cafeteria during the tour, but the size of this room still doesn¡¯t cease to amaze me Every first-year class now has their lunchtime, and each class has a table dedicated specifically for them today. I''m on the far left side of the table, with Pierre in front of me and Emile beside me. ¡°Emile, you mentioned your blessing was Size Manipulation, right?¡± Pierre says, to start a conversation. ¡°That¡¯s right, would you like to see it in action?¡± Emile answers. ¡°Yes!¡± I say before thinking, joining the conversation. Emile reaches for his bag and proceeds to open it. When I glanced inside, it was entirely dark, almost as if there was a tiny black hole hiding inside. Emile digs into his bag and pulls out a miniature bicycle. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a small bicycle!¡± I say excitingly. ¡°Haha, I know right.¡± He answers as he puts the small bicycle on the ground. Suddenly, the small bicycle grew to the size of an actual bicycle, drawing all eyes at our table to the growing bicycle. ¡°Woah!¡± I gasp. "Isn''t that cool? I could make it even bigger, but I don''t think the teachers would be pleased." Emile replies as he shrinks the bicycle again and puts it away in his bag. ¡°That¡¯s pretty neat.¡± Pierre admits. ¡°By the way, why didn¡¯t you reveal your blessing during your introduction?¡± Pierre adds, as he fixes his gaze on me. Huh? Could he be onto me? Maybe he somehow discovered I don¡¯t have a blessing through his blessing? He didn¡¯t want to tell us what his blessing was after all, so the possibilities are endless. ¡°I could ask you the same¡± L¨¦a comes in, who sits next to Emile. But¡­ you kept your blessing a secret as well¡­ ¡°Huh? You¡¯re L¨¦a Valentine right? That¡¯s funny, coming from you.¡± Pierre coldly responds. Don''t go picking a fight on the first day, dude! ¡°Tsk¡± L¨¦a clicks her tongue. ¡°I''m sure we all have our reasons, so let''s all be nice, okay?" I try to lighten the mood. ¡°Tsk.¡± They both click their tongues and look away. Huh? Did I offend them? Should I have just kept out of it? After a brief pause, they both look at me and burst out laughing. ¡°heh?¡± I let out, as I scratch my head. Did I say something funny? Why did they suddenly start laughing? ¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m sorry you just looked so confused I thought it was funny.¡± Pierre says. "Hahaha, don''t worry, we''re not mad." L¨¦a keeps going, wiping away her tears of laughter. Pfsht, what¡¯s with them, I got really worried there for a moment¡­ I also start laughing. ¡°Am I the only one that doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on?¡± Emile awkwardly says. Resulting in the three of us laughing even lauder. ¡°Sorry Emile, we don¡¯t really get it either.¡± I answer while still laughing. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re enjoying yourselves, but you should tone it down¡± Emile says, with an embarrassed look on his face. I look around and notice that everybody in the cafeteria is looking at us, where we really laughing that loud? The three of us cover our mouths with our hands, trying to keep in our laugher. I think the three of us will be really good friends! I don''t think I''ve ever laughed so hard in my life." I say while wiping the tears from my eyes. ¡°Really? Are you actually depressed or what?¡± L¨¦a answers in a jokingly way. ¡°Ahww, you¡¯re so gloomy, Blanchey!¡± Pierre adds to the joke. ¡°I¡¯m not gloomy! And my name is Blanche!¡± I let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t worry we¡¯re just joking, Blanchey!¡± Pierre states. Is this Blanchey thing going to turn into an inside joke now? ¡°Tsk¡± I click my tongue. The two of them start laughing again. ¡°You¡¯re really cute when you¡¯re angry, Blanchey!¡± L¨¦a says. I guess they¡¯re gonna keep calling me Blanchey. Aaargh, Whatever. ¡°You guys deserve ugly nicknames too!¡± I say. ¡°Ah- how dare you call the nickname I gave you ugly!¡± Pierre says, and starts pouting. "Pierre, please don''t make that face ever again; it''s disturbing." L¨¦a says, with a disapproving expression on her face. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
After having a good time having lunch with my new classmates, lunchtime was finally over. ¡°Back to the classroom!¡± Pierre says with sarcastic excitement, as he grabs his bag and stands up. ¡°Yup, let¡¯s go.¡± Emile answers, while also grabbing his bag. The whole class walks back to our classroom together. This may seem like a strange thing to say, but I''m feeling very ''normal'' right now. I''m just a student having fun with my classmates! I never imagined I''d be able to live a life like this, and I''ll never be able to thank Jean enough. One year ago, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to dream of having a life like this, I¡¯m really, really happy I fought back against Benedict! His experiments kept getting more brutal everyday, but if I hadn¡¯t killed him that day, who knows what his brutality would¡¯ve made him do to me? That crazy, old bastard¡­ he wanted to pull out my teeth to see if they¡¯d grow back, that was my limit, I finally decided to put an end to it. Ahh- I remember that day like it was yesterday, that pitch black, cold room I spent 3 years of my life in, knowing nothing about my own life prior to that. He came into the room with a pair of tongs in his hands. ¡°Your teeth¡­ I need them.¡± Benedict said. And for the first time of my life, I was scared enough to turn my fear into violence. He always had two bodyguards with him in case I ever fought back. But that day, I very clearly remember thinking ¡°it¡¯s do or die now.¡± I leapt towards one of his bodyguard and slit his throat with my nails. He had absolutely no time to react so he died immediately. I remember seeing Benedict¡¯s face after that, it¡¯s like he knew this would happen one day, yet he still looked surprised. He quickly ran out of the room and left me with the second, much bigger bodyguard, who pulled out a pistol and shot me in my shoulder twice, dislocating it. So I jumped on his back, with my legs around his neck, and snapped it. I slowly walked towards Benedict after that, the knees of his frail body went weak and he fell on the ground. I asked him ¡°Why? Why did you dedicate these past three years of your life to experimenting on me?¡± ¡°Because I was enjoying it! Seeing a once superior being like you being reduced to nothing but a tool! Seeing that gave me a reason to stay alive!" He answered me, were those the final words he chose before his death? ¡°Do you know anything about my past? Where did you find me? Who are my parents? ANSWER ME!" ¡°Just kill me, demon. Find all of that shit out yourself.¡± He said, so I decided to kill him with the pistol lying next to his bodyguards corpse, leaving no evidence of me being a vampire in the world. ¡°¡­¡± Just how much longer will I be able to hide my identity for? Maybe I should make up a blessing, because I don''t think I''ll be able to keep my ''blessing'' hidden forever. What kind of blessing could I use to convince people I really have a blessing? What do vampires have that could be considered a blessing? I can turn my nails into lethal weapons? No¡­ that doesn¡¯t sound very¡­ blessing-like. Hmmm, maybe I¡¯ll ask Jean when I get home. That reminds me¡­ I haven''t drank blood in over ten months; if I recall correctly, I need to drink at least 50 centiliters of blood every year to survive. My deadline¡­ it¡¯s nearing.
For the rest of the day, I was completely out of it. All I kept thinking of was about having to drink 50 centiliters of blood in less than 2 months. Should I just ask Jean if he could give me a small amount of blood everyday until I get enough? No, he¡¯s already done so much for me I can¡¯t ask him to give me his blood now¡­ Could I ask Pierre, or maybe L¨¦a? No, I don¡¯t trust them enough for that yet. What would happen if they spread word of me being a vampire? I have to take matters into my own hands. ¡°Blanche, you alright?¡± Jacques asked. I was so lost in thought that I forgot I¡¯m on the bus back home. ¡°Y-yea, I was just thinking about some things.¡± ¡°How was your first day at school? Did you get along with your classmates?¡± Jacques asks. ¡°It went well, somebody already got kicked out of class for asking a stupid question, but our teacher is very nice though! We had a tour around the school which completely overwhelmed me. And then during lunchtime, I even made some friends!¡± After lunchbreak, I was completely out of it though¡­ thinking about having to drink someone¡¯s blood soon. ¡°That¡¯s great! I told you you¡¯d be able to make friends.¡± As if he were a proud older brother, Jacques responds with a proud smile on his face. ¡°What about you though? How did your first day back in school go?¡± "My day? We simply attended our regular classes; nothing special happened. We second-years aren''t exactly new to the school, you know. However, I do have one new teacher who is very strict. Jacques reflects on his day. ¡°Our stop is next up; time really flew by today!¡± He continues. Jacques and I step out of the bus and make our way home, it¡¯s only a 5 minute walk to our apartment. ¡°I wonder if Jean¡¯s home already.¡± I say. ¡°He went out? That¡¯s unusual¡­¡± Jacques answers. ¡°Hmm, yea he went to meet his editor.¡± ¡°Oooh, I thought his editor usually came to your place though?¡± Jacques questions. He¡¯s right, his editor usually comes to meet Jean at our place. Something doesn¡¯t feel right. Worried about Jean, I start walking at a faster pace until I arrive at our apartment. I quickly run up the stairs while breathing heavily. After finally reaching the top floor, I rest my hands on my knees and gasp for air. I immediately notice that there are no lights on when I open the door to our loft. ¡°Jean?¡± I yell. Jean, are you home?!¡± I yell for him once more as I turn on the lights. A man suddenly leaps out from behind the couch and yells: ¡°Supri- Argh!¡° As I interrupt him by punching him in the face out of reflex¡­ ¡°A-are you alright sir?¡­¡± I didn¡¯t kill him did I? ¡°Wait¡­ JEAN?¡± The man who jumped from behind the sofa¡­ was Jean. ¡°JEAN? JEAN ANSWER ME!¡± I repeatedly slap his cheek while shouting in worry. ¡°¡­sur¡­prise.¡± With a bloody nose, Jean lets out as he stands up. ¡°Jean¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± I say, feeling bad about what I did. "Hehe... I guess that''s what I get for surprising a vampire." Jean responds jokingly, scratching the back of his neck. I run towards the bathroom and grab a towel. ¡°Here, use this to wipe the blood from your face.¡± I say as I hand Jean the towel. I suddenly hear footsteps coming up the stairs, that must be Jacques. ¡°W-what happened here?¡± He asks, with a confused expression. ¡°I¡­ beat the shit out of Jean.¡± I regrettably answer, using words I learned from Jean. ¡°Excuse me? You did what?¡± He asks in disbelief. ¡°It was an accident, I swear!¡± ¡°I guess I surprised Blanche a little to hard, ha-ha.¡± Jean comes in, putting away the bloody towel. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jacques reacts, at loss for words. ¡°Anyway, Blanche, congratulations on your first day of school!¡± Jean celebrates. I take a look around the room and notice all of the party decorations. Did Jean do all of this for me? ¡°Didn¡¯t you go meet your editor?¡± I let out softly. ¡°Huh? I did, I offered to meet her today because I had to go shopping anyways, for you.¡± Jean says, as he gets a big cake out of the fridge. Tears begin to form; I''ve never felt this emotion before, I''m so happy that I want to cry. I sniff the tears away, trying not to cry. "Thank you..." I say, in a sobby voice. ¡°Jacques, this is for you too, to celebrate going back to school! Let¡¯s get drunk, eat cake and have fun all night!¡± Jean cheers. ¡°Thank you very much, Jean. But I must pass on the alcohol, and so will Blanche. We¡¯re underage, after all. Also we have to go to school tomorrow so no having fun all night!¡± Jacques explains his frustration. Jacques is much more mature than Jean, and seeing him get mad at Jean never ceases to amuse me. All three of us had a great time eating cake together. ¡°It¡¯s pretty late and Jean drank himself to sleep, so I should get going.¡± Jacques says, as he gets up from the dinner table. ¡°Yeah, I had a lot of fun today, thank you for that!¡± I respond, as I get up as well. ¡°So did I! I¡¯ll pick you up around the same time tomorrow, okay?¡± He promises. ¡°Okay, see you tomorrow!¡± I say, following Jacques to the door. ¡°Yep, bye bye!¡± Jacques says. I shut the door and look around the flat, thinking of all the memories I made today. ¡°now, I guess I¡¯ll clean up the place¡­¡± I softly say, to not wake Jean up. After putting the plates in the dishwasher and cleaning the table, I look at Jean who passed himself out because of the alcohol. ¡°I have to protect this new life of mine, no matter what.¡± I mutter under my breath, as I wrap a blanket around Jean. Those 50 centiliters of blood¡­ I¡¯ll make sure I drink it before my deadline without involving anyone I care about. That¡¯s all I can do if I want to continue living this normal life. 6 - Blood Chapter 6 - Blood I¡¯m all alone, inside this old castle hidden in the lonely woods. Sitting on a cold, hard chair that¡¯s facing the window, looking at the the oh-so-beautiful fire burning the trees, and listening to the people who started it. ¡°DIE!¡± ¡°DEATH TO ALL VAMPIRES!¡± ¡°COME OUT SO WE CAN KILL YOU, VAMPIRE!¡± ¡°STOP HIDING AND SHOW YOURSELF YOU MONSTER!¡± The voices of the people interrupting my classical music are becoming louder and louder, whilst the fire gets brighter and brighter. Do they hate me so much that they¡¯re willing to sacrifice themselves along with me? Is this how it ends? Are they not aware? I hate myself more than any of them could ever hate me. I guess to find out how broken I am from inside, I need to break through something more materialistic than my mind. I pierce through the window as if I¡¯m meant to shatter it with my shattered soul. The exact moment the shards of glass embedded into me was not painful, but the moment after that was. The moment I hit the ground, and I found myself still alive. ¡°Am I cursed?¡± I ask, while lying on the ground, with shards of glass stuck in my back, surrounded by people with torches and blades in their hands. I look at the night¡¯s starless sky and scream at it as if it¡¯ll answer me. ¡°Mother, father! Why? Why couldn¡¯t I be born to be blessed?¡± ¡°Blanche, wake up!¡± I hear a familiar voice say. I open my watery eyes and see Jean leaning in above me. ¡°Was that¡­ a dream?¡± I softly say. ¡°Are you alright? You were saying some weird things in your sleep.¡± Jean says, with a concerned expression on his face. ¡°What time is it?¡± I ask, to avoid Jean¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s 7 in the morning, you still have some time before Jacques comes to pick you up.¡± He answers. What kind of dream was that? It felt way too realistic¡­ ¡°I made petit d¨¦jeuner*, are you hungry?¡± Jean adds. ¡°Mhm¡± I nod. Maybe that dream was an effect of not having had blood for so long. I can¡¯t risk waiting 2 more months for blood, what would happen if I suddenly become bloodthirsty in school? I have to get this problem solved as soon as possible. I get out of bed and join Jean at the dinner table, he prepared for me a cup of hot chocolate milk, and a croissant with a sauce cup with jam in it. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to ask you yesterday, but how was your first day of school?¡± Jean asks, with a mouth full of bread. ¡°It was alright, the school seems really big and intimidating, and there are a lot of people around me, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll fit in eventually.¡± I say, before taking another sip of my hot chocolate milk. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about fitting in, Blanche. You were born to stand out!¡± He says. ¡°Ooh, that was a good line, I should use it for my novel!¡± He continues proudly, before I got the change to say anything. ¡°¡­¡± My face turns to disappointment for taking him serious. After finishing the petit d¨¦jeuner, I quickly put on my uniform and wait for Jacques to come. After a safe travel to school, I finally arrive in my classroom. ¡°Good morning class, my name is Mr. Sebastien, and I¡¯m your history teacher. The first 40 minutes of history class went slowly, and was pretty boring. Mr. Sebastian talks with a monotone voice, but also in an elegant way. His class is still boring though. But, suddenly Mr. Sebastien starts talking about something much more interesting. ¡°Do any of you know, what historical event took place on January 5th in 1675?¡± 1675? That¡¯s about 200 years ago, right? Could he be referring to the Battle of Blood and Blessings? I raise my hand. ¡°Blanche Lenoir? You may answer.¡± ¡°Was is the Battle of Blood and Blessings?¡± I answer hesitantly. ¡°Correct, you are very knowledgeable. Mr. Lenoir.¡± Mr. Sebastien says. Mr. Lenoir? Did me answering correctly make him respect me more? ¡°So about the Battle of Blood and Blessings,..¡± He continues. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°This was a very important war for mankind, and also the start of our blessings.¡± Mr. Sebastien continued to tell the class the story behind the Battle of Blood and Blessings. ¡°Ever since the day this city was built, the citizens of Paris lived in fear of vampires. They were cruel, bloodthirsty creatures who would rape women and kill men just for fun-¡± Huh? What¡¯s this guy talking about? That¡¯s can¡¯t be true, right? Benedict is the biggest vampire-hater I know, but he also always stayed loyal to facts, yet this guy is telling a completely different story than Benedict¡­ ¡°- Not only that, but they would steal our appearances and hide among us, resulting in mankind being unable to trust their peers.¡± Mr. Sebastien continues. Ooh! An ability to steal appearances, that sounds great! I MEAN; WE DON¡¯T HAVE THAT KIND OF ABILITY! Tsk, this teacher is getting on my nerves¡­ How much longer until next class? ¡°This bastard, he¡¯s lying¡­¡± I hear L¨¦a whisper to herself. Did I just hear that correctly? How does L¨¦a know he¡¯s lying? Every other student seems to believe him. Could L¨¦a also be a vampire? Or could she maybe be connected to vampires in any way? That would explain why she¡¯s also trying to hide her blessing. I can¡¯t just ask her though, can I? I mean if she¡¯s not a vampire she might get suspicious of me for asking. I¡¯ll just give it some time, I still have two years to get to know her better after all. Mr. Sebastien went on telling the story of the Battle of Blood and Blessings, putting vampires in a really negative light. ¡°And that¡¯s why, the church has decided to label vampires as demons.¡± Mr. Sebastian said, to end his story. W-we¡¯re considered demons? That¡¯s rough¡­ The more I learn about this world, the more scared I get about it finding out what I am. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, all we did was get introduction classes of each subject. I sure hope school becomes a little more interesting soon. I told Jacques to go home without me because ¡®I wanted to visit the school¡¯s library today¡¯. But today, I actually wanted to go to the center of Paris. So I got on a different bus, taking me to the center of the city. it was only a 5 minute bus ride since The Royal Academy of Paris is just outside the center of Paris. ¡°Whoa, so this is what Paris really looks like¡­¡± I say to myself. The vibe here is so different than it is at home, we live near the outskirts of Paris because Jean doesn¡¯t like crowded places, so there isn¡¯t much to see at home. But this, this is beautiful! Today, for the first time in my life, I set foot in the heart of Paris. T-this must be Jardin des Tuileries*! This is a where the main character of a novel I read went on a date! Actually being here in real life is so cool! And there¡¯s the Notre-Dame de Paris*, where the main character first met the antagonist! ¡°Whaaa, Paris rocks!¡± I yell in excitement. Multiple eyes around me turn to me. That¡¯s right, this place is even more packed than school. Hmm, there¡¯s a bakery right there! And I¡¯m always craving some croissants! I enter the bakery and ask the lady working there for a croissant. ¡°You¡¯re such a handsome young man.¡± The lady says, as she turns her gaze to my uniform. ¡°And you go to the Royal Academy of Paris? You have a really bright future ahead of you, I¡¯m sure all the ladies love you!¡± She adds, while putting the croissant I asked for in a bag and handing it to me. ¡°That¡¯ll be five French Francs, please.¡± I hand her a 5 Franc coin and take the bag with the croissant in it. ¡°T- thank you very much.¡¯ ¡°Be safe on your way back home, peasants will do anything to get their hands on that uniform you¡¯re wearing.¡± The lady says, as I leave her bakery. They¡¯d do anything to get their hands on my uniform? I decided to walk around and explore the city a bit, until I arrived at a nice and quiet place where I could eat my croissant in ^peace. This is such a pretty place, I wonder why there¡¯s no one here¡­ Whatever, works for me. I sit on a bench facing the Seine, a river in the heart of Paris, and eat my croissant. It was already getting dark, but this place is filled with streetlights so it feels like it never really gets dark here. I suddenly hear the leaves on the ground rustle, someone¡¯s approaching me. ¡°Hey there, shouldn¡¯t ye be in school? Hehehe¡± A creepy voice, not hiding it¡¯s ill intentions says. I look behind me and see a tall, but skinny middle aged man approaching me. ¡°Excuse me?¡± I say, while still sitting on the bench, with my head turned towards the man. ¡°Let¡¯s not make this any harder than it should be, just come with me and I¡¯ll let ye go once y¡¯er mommy or y¡¯er daddy hands me money...¡± He answers, with a smug expression revealing his greed. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t have parents, you see.¡± Or at least I think I don¡¯t¡­ ¡°aww, poor you. Would you like me to be y¡¯er new daddy? I¡¯ll take good care of ye, hehehe¡± Dude, that¡¯s just creepy¡­ Also what¡¯s with your accent, it¡¯s gross. I stand up and face the man, this is perfect. Having the blood come to me makes things much easier. ¡°Oi, ye sure you wanna fight? don¡¯t you know who y¡¯er up against?¡± The man tries to intimidate me. ¡°A peasant who came to Paris to kidnap kids for money?¡± Seriously, who does this guy think he is? ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill ye, you fucking brat.¡± He says, as he pulls out a knife. ¡°As a member of the Lenoir family, I advise you to broaden your vocabulary.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still gonna act like y¡¯er all that huh? You don¡¯t even have a weapon, y¡¯er no match for my fast-dash blessing!¡± The man says, hesitating to make the first move. ¡°A weapon? I don¡¯t need one of those, because I am the weapon. I¡¯m a vampire, after all.¡± I reveal, as I get ready to counter-attack the creepy man who¡¯s preparing to attack me ¡°Heh, a vampire you say¡­ Those went extinct many years ago, you can¡¯t fool me.¡± He says. The man uses his blessing to boost himself forward and swings his knife at me. I use my hand to block his attack, resulting in my palm being impaled by his knife. ¡°Y-you used your hand¡­ to block my knife, are you crazy?¡± The man, who¡¯s now right in my face says, with his eyes widening out of disbelief. ¡°After you give me your blood, it¡¯ll be healed in only a matter of seconds, so I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so crazy about it.¡± I say, and before realizing it, I developed an evil smirk on my face. My eyes turn red as my bloodlust is starting to take over. ¡°Your eyes¡­ Y-you really are a vampire, a demon!¡± The man says, fearing his life. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± I say, as I bring my other hand towards his throat, gently touching it with my nail. ¡°M-M-MONSTER!¡± The man cries out. I lean in towards the mans neck, and insert my teeth in it. Finally sucking the much needed blood out of him. ¡°W-w-was that all you wanted? T-then please, let me go now, I swear I won¡¯t tell anyone about you!¡± He says, as he falls to his knees. Huh? He¡¯s still alive? I thought drinking all of that blood would surely be lethal. ¡°Mm-mm-mm. I can¡¯t let you get away alive, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Just you wait! My boss should be on his way, I swear he¡¯ll aven-¡° Oh, he died. Without leaving me any time to heal my injured hand, a bullet pierces my thigh. ¡°Are you his boss? You should introduce yourself before shooting someone in the leg, y¡¯know.¡± I say, as I reach for cover behind the bench. ¡°Foul demon! I, Damian Dampier, swear I will kill you!¡± The muscular, bald man says, revealing himself coming from an alley. That¡¯s a rather late introduction¡­ I have to be careful though, I don¡¯t know what his blessing is. Damian quickly approaches me, with a rifle with a bayonet in his hands. He fires three shots, all hitting the bench I¡¯m taking cover behind, as he continues to close to distance the between us. I run towards the next bench, trying to widen the distance again as he shoots 5 more shots my way, with one of them hitting my thigh once again. ¡°Tsk, he¡¯s leaving me no time to heal my wounds.¡± Wait, rifles like that only have 8 bullet slots, right? Then this is my chance. I leave my cover and quickly leap towards Damian, grabbing his arm and dislocating his shoulder. ¡°A pale skin and red eyes, You truly are a vampire. How frightening,¡± Damian says, as if admitting defeat. I stab his heart with my hand, ¡°I¡¯m no monster, but tonight...I¡¯ll make an exception,¡± I say, as Damian takes his last breath. 7 - Dreams Chapter 7 - Dreams After yesterday¡¯s incident, I dumped both of thieves corpses in the Seine. I¡¯m sure their bodies will be found eventually, but there¡¯s no evidence of me being the killer, so I¡¯m not too worried about that. But I had a pretty hard time explaining everything that happened yesterday to Jean, and he got mad at me for my reckless behavior. We then had a long conversation about me, my blessing, and my bloodlust. Apparently, when I get bloodthirsty I cease to be myself, so Jean will be providing me with a small amount of blood every month, to prevent history from repeating itself. We also spoke about the fake blessing I wanted, to help me convince people that I do indeed have a blessing. And he came up with the ¡®heightened senses¡¯ blessing for me, since vampires naturally have better hearing, smell and vision than humans. This should help me fit in and live a normal life, I¡¯m also really glad that I don¡¯t have to kill people anymore, I may not feel any sorrow killing people while I¡¯m in ¡®bloodthirsty mode¡¯, but still, knowing what I did makes me feel really bad, even if the people I killed were thieves. Speaking of thieves, I wonder why Damian didn¡¯t use his blessing yesterday, or maybe he was but I didn¡¯t realize it? Aaargh whatever, I¡¯d rather not think about yesterday too much, because starting today, I am a normal 16 year old student again. No more killing, no more hiding my blessing, and also no more fear of people finding out what I really am! I¡¯m currently in the school library, researching the Battle of Blood and Blessings. Listening to Mr. Sebastien yesterday made me curious, was that just his version of the story or is that how everyone views that war? Unfortunately, it¡¯s the latter. Every book I found regarding that topic all came to the same conclusion, ¡°vampires are ruthless murderers, and poor humanity had to put an end to them,¡± and even though I wasn¡¯t there during that time, I have a hard time believing it. Because look at me, except for when I¡¯m in bloodthirsty mode, I don¡¯t get any violent urges, so what made those vampires so different? So I also did research on other countries¡¯ pasts, but I found nothing vampire-related. However, I did find countless of information on wars started by humans, against humans. Just who really is the demon here? I¡¯ll just leave all this behind me for now though, because what I yearn to know the most right now is what caused my memories from before I lived as Benedict¡¯s lab rat in his lair for three long to just disappear, or were they erased? The possibilities are endless, but I won¡¯t give up, because this is something much too important for me to overlook. I want my memories back, I want to know who my parents are, and maybe other loved ones I forgot about. Regaining my memories might even give me more information about vampires and the Battle of Blood and Blessings. ¡°Blanche!¡± I snap out of my deep thought and return to reality, where I¡¯m sitting next to L¨¦a, reading a book I recommended her. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°Stop ignoring me you airhead! I asked you to recommend me another book, I really liked this one,¡± she says, waving the book she just finished reading around. ¡°Oh. Sorry, I didn¡¯t get much sleep last night.¡± I spent all night talking to Jean after all. ¡°Jeez, sleep is important you know.¡± She says, while pouting. ¡°That face is a lot cuter when you do it, hahaha,¡± I say, referring to Pierre¡¯s disturbing face he makes when he pouts The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Her face suddenly turns red and she bonks the book she was still waving around in her hand on my head. ¡°Ouch! What was that for?¡± I moan, as I caress my head. ¡°Hmph,¡± she scorns, turning her head away from me, like a child not getting what it wants. An awkward silence commences, ¡°I had something important to do last night, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t get much sleep,¡± I say, putting an end to the awkward silence. ¡°What could possibly be more important than sleep?¡± L¨¦a answers, reengaging in the conversation. ¡®Well, I needed to drink someone¡¯s blood so I went to the city and did just that, killing 2 thieves in the process,¡¯ is what I¡¯d like to say. But, ¡°Well, I had to attend a party with Jean to celebrate the launch of his new book,¡± Is what I end up saying. L¨¦a¡¯s awkward posture suddenly turns more into a more engaging one, ¡°Oh that sounds fun! Did you meet any other famous authors there?¡± She asks, leaning forward out of curiosity. Overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, I resort to lying so I don¡¯t disappoint her, ¡°Y-yea, kind of! I didn¡¯t really get the chance to talk to any of them since they all came for Jean, but yea I¡¯ve met them, hehehe.¡± I answer, now being the awkward one in the conversation. Her expression saddens, ¡°It must be nice being a member of the Lenoir family,¡± she says, almost regrettably. I don¡¯t know if this is appropriate of me to ask, but here goes nothing, ¡°You¡¯re from the Valentine family, right? What does your family do?¡± I ask L¨¦a hesitantly. ¡°Huh, you don¡¯t know the Valentine family?¡± Her mouth slightly dropped, as if she¡¯s never met anyone that doesn¡¯t know the Valentine family before. ¡°Ah, no. Sorry I¡¯m not that well-informed.¡± I spent three years living disconnected from the world and one year helping Jean with his book, of course I don¡¯t know your family! ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, it actually kinda makes me happy meeting somebody who befriended me despite not knowing my background.¡± She answers, as her saddened expression turns to a sweet smile. ¡°I come from a family of journalists and my father is the head of the journalism institution, everything you see in the newspaper or hear on the radio are pretty much all decided by my family, we decide the fate of every business¡¯ and politician¡¯s reputation in France.¡± L¨¦a explains. So basically, her father is in charge of all the new articles in France? That must mean every important person in this country sucks up to her father, so he can make sure they have a positive reputation. I can already imagine all the parents telling their children to suck up to L¨¦a, so the reputation of their family¡¯s next generation won¡¯t be put at risk. ¡°Being a journalist sounds pretty cool though, they seem to have a lot of power in society,¡± I say. ¡°That¡¯s until you learn the truth about it. Journalism, it¡¯s all lies. Whenever a family or business goes through a crisis or a scandal, they reach out to us, and hand us a large amount of money, telling us to cover it up,¡± L¨¦a says. ¡°I don¡¯t want to grow up to be a liar. I want to become a detective, so I can expose every bit of injustice these rich families keep getting away with!¡± She adds, while she¡¯s fidgeting with the corners of the paper from the book she hit me with earlier. L¨¦a must have her own personal problem as well, I guess. ¡°Then do it, become a detective!¡± I say, trying to motivate L¨¦a to chase her dream, just like I''m chasing mine. ¡°Fuck yeah I will!¡± She says, relieving her frustration. ¡°Oh by the way, you mentioned you want to become an author during your introduction, right?¡± She adds. A writer, huh. I know I said that during my introduction because I felt it was appropriate as a member of the Lenoir family, but becoming a writer actually sounds kind of nice. It¡¯s a nice profession to have for someone trying to live a normal life. ¡°Yeah, I did,¡± I say confidently, with a smile on my face. ¡°Are you already writing anything?¡± She asks. ¡°No, for now I¡¯m just helping Jean with his book, learning along the way,¡± I tell her. ¡°Well, when you do decide to write something, I want to be the first person to read it, okay?¡± L¨¦a says, returning the motivation to me, adding another dream on my list; to become an author! ¡°Deal!¡± ¡°Now, are you finally going to recommend me another book?¡± L¨¦a asks, as she rests her chin on her palm, and uses her other hand to tap her finger on the table, symbolizing a clock ticking. A book I can recommend her? I know just the one! ¡°You should try reading ¡®Henosis¡¯, It¡¯s one of Jean¡¯s earlier books. It¡¯s a story about a weak protagonist who has to overcome various hurdles to stronger, in order to achieve his dream of becoming one of the king''s royal knights. This is the book that motivated me to chase my dreams, I think you¡¯ll love it!¡± I explain. Looking back at it, this book is what started it all for me, killing Benedict to finally earn freedom, moving in with Jean, becoming a student in the Royal Academy of Paris, making my first couple of friends, and hopefully much more to come. ¡°That sounds like a really nice book, I¡¯ll let you know what I think of it after I finish reading it,¡± L¨¦a says. Today, I feel like I learned to understand both myself and L¨¦a a little bit better.