The Rebirth

Chapter 13

Sylvie could smell her lesson before she entered her classroom in the Finishing School. It wafted in the gentle breeze passing through the building and tantalised her senses. She felt her fangs retract in excitement.

The large blackboard which dominated the room read ‘Food’ in a bright white chalk. Sylvie took up a seat behind one of the laid tables. On her desk sat a large plate, cutlery and a blue tinted goblet. She picked up the goblet; it was light with a flowery design blown into the glass. She pulled it to her lips imagining it to be full of crimson liquid.

Anxious to act normal, Sylvie tried reclining back but the spindles of the chair dug into her back. Soon she was joined by Tevan, who was sporting a beige waistcoat and wide linen trousers, Davina, who had pulled her thick hair into a tight ponytail at the nape of her neck and a vampire Sylvie didn’t recognise. He was small and round with circular glasses. He shuffled rather than walked over to the seat next to Sylvie.

“May I?” He asked in a squeaky voice. Sylvie noticed his clothes were at least two sizes too small, as were his tatty brown sandals.

 “Of course,” she said, “I’m Sylvie.”

“Fred,” the little vampire said. “Pleased to meet you very much. I haven’t met with many people yet see.” Sylvie stifled a little laugh and simply nodded. She didn’t want to seem rude for laughing at Fred, but his whole persona was a little bizarre. The other two vampires ignored him.

“Well you’ve met one more person now,” Sylvie told him, giving him a winning smile. There was something sad about Fred, more than his general appearance, but she just couldn’t place it.

 “Yes, I have haven’t I, so good,” Fred said, he jiggled his shoulders up and down as he spoke. “Oh jolly good, food.”

At that moment Henry walked in carrying a large metal tray on his shoulder as if he had been a waiter for years. He spun the giant circle as he placed it on his desk. There was a lid sitting firmly on top but Sylvie didn’t need to see what was underneath it, she could smell it.

“Good evening class,” Henry started, beaming at the newborns before him. He was wearing very tight fitting jeans and a white unbuttoned shirt. His hair gleamed and his eyes shone. Sylvie tried to avert her eyes. “No twins this evening?”

Nobody answered because most of them didn’t know, but Sylvie did. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and played with her hands, hoping no one would notice. Unluckily for Sylvie her teacher had been watching, at first because of her beauty but now because of her discomfort.

“Well, let us begin,” he said grandly, “pass this jug around, fill up your goblets. Tonight you will learn about how we dine on the Island. It’s pretty simple.

“The first rule, the most important rule, is to never drink a vampire’s blood, it is toxic to us. It will kill you. A droplet in a fight will come to no harm. A gulp of it could haunt you forever. So please never drink vampire blood and if you do be sure to get help before it’s too late. Now let us move on.”

Faces had dropped around the room, but no one questioned it. Sylvie guessed that their parents had warned them away from it but hadn’t told them of the consequences. She had seen the consequences. Henry continued.

“We drink blood, it’s organically sourced from willing stock on the mainland. It is then shipped over on our boats. But blood isn’t free and we must all pay for our share.”

“How do you do it?” Fred interrupted, pouring himself a glass full of thick red syrup. Henry smiled at his newest pupil.

“We pay taxes each month to the Council. It is then delivered to each house, restaurant, bar and hotel by the Feeders. Their name is quite literal; they deliver us our blood essentially feeding us.” Henry shrugged and took a swig from his own glass.