A Feast For The Vampires

XXIV

“Okay.”

The morning preparations were slow and dragged, everyone suffering from the aftermath of a scorching night. Kimi simply sat in silence and watched his roommates move around the bedroom, tossing things here and there, arranging their corners. He was sat against the headboard, its relief carvings jutting into his humped back. Their voices were muffled by the ringing in his ears, his folded arms pressing deeper into his raised knees.

Aurum’s words from the previous night still swam through his mind. He could sense an urge in Aurum’s words. He could sense a feeling of encouragement in his words. Kimi gripped the material of his loose trousers in his hand and clenched his jaw. He squinted, his mind getting turned over in confusing.

How does one face the one fear that gave them confidence?

*

“Elder brother you hate us!” Homer said in a whiny voice as he slid into the chair that was beside his brother’s, his pale blue eyes wide.

Illiad heaved a sigh and put another spoon of custard in Silver’s awaiting mouth. “I have a responsibility.”

Homer scoffed and cocked a brow, the corners of his lips raised in amusement. “A responsibility to spoonfeed your baby boy?”

Raja choked on his food and coughed it out onto his plate.

Rin, who was sat silently beside him, shook his head and sighed, “you always have the tendency of giving people badluck.”

Homer stuck out his tongue at him and started picking at a single berry that he held in his hand.

They were all sat in a table in the cafeteria that was filled with chatting students, their voices mixing with the groaning of tables and chairs as they were noisily slid across the floor.

Raja picked up the plate he was eating from and asked, “why the hell do they fucking eat in this?” He held it up and scrunched his face at it’s unusual bowl-like shape and muddy colour.

“It’s called a calabash. It’s what these people use as—basically—kitchenwares,” Rin answered. “Haven’t you noticed that they are traditional?”

Homer rolled his eyes. “Noticed that the second they handed me that bracelet.” He folded his arms on the table and placed his head on it. He turned his head to the side and his eyes slightly widened at the sight of Dae-yang and Jianbing arguing in a corner. “Who hurt Missy over there?”

“What?” Raja asked and followed Homer’s gaze, a spoon in his mouth. He raised a brow at the sight.

Wanting to listen in, Homer strained his hearing and paid attention to their conversation. And he smirked lightly at what they were saying.

“...maybe we could set things straight. I know that I might’ve been wrong, but just please understand me,” Dae-yang said softly, her doe eyes heavy.

Jiangbing pushed up her glasses with a single finger and hissed, “how d-do I understand you? Y-You... who was... who was k-kissing a boy.”

“I...” Dae-yang fidgeted with her fingers and averted her gaze. She quietly, almost inaudible, said, “I... I was trying to confirm something that day. I promise you that it wasn’t a—”

Jianbing scoffed. “As I th-thought.” She raised her hands and placed her hands together and sharply said, “p-please stay away f-from me. It’s f-for your own good.” She turned around and rushed out of the noisy cafeteria, her clenched fists by her side.