Hybrid

Chapter 7: Nikoli

A/N: Chapter 7...here it is. It's a bit short, but it's mainly to introduce Nikoli. You'll get to know him more next chapter though. Vote and/or comment! Thanks for reading! XOXO

--Viviane15

>>Image: what I imagine Nikoli to look like.<<

I am not, nor will I ever be, a morning person.

It didn't help that I was rushing around, showering in that damned human contraption that I somehow could no longer work. After a scalding hot shower, I was grumbling my way through the apartment as I stalked around, attempting to find clothes. Winter was coming and back home, it would have frosted. I had no clue what to wear here. I settled on a pair of jeans and a light gray long sleeved shirt. Was it glamorous? Hell no. But, I recalled miserably, I'll still look good. You know, being the pretty predator that I was.

It hurt a surprising amount knowing that no one could trust me. I was some blood thirsty beast incapable of emotion. That just wasn't true. While the old wives tales that these beings hard heard about Hybrids were based on some fact, others varied Hybrid by Hybrid. Then again, I nearly ate a vampire alive my first day. I face-palmed myself with with deep groan. Today was going to suck. I could feel it. I didn't want to have to face Arrow and his little band of followers but this campus wasn't exactly giant. I grabbed my back pack, preloaded with binders and notebooks and started off.

The campus was teeming with busy bodies, moving about, going to their classes. I pulled my schedule from my back pocket. History 2 in room 317 with a Mr. Dec. I struggled to remember which building was which--why didn't I pay attention? "You're looking a little lost there."

The voice was smooth, confident, but unfamiliar. Growling softly I turned to see a tall, handsome, pearly skinned vampire smirking at me. "And?" I asked warily. I wasn't looking for the type of rejection that I got from the rogues yesterday. Who knew if I could bounce back again.

"And," he drawled. "I want to help you. Unless your to stubborn?"

With half a mind to tell him to screw off, I instead gave him the tater ing scrap of paper. "History building? Room 317?"

"With me," he said with a grin. "Must be fate. C'mon. Don't want to be late on your first day, right?"

Ha. Because I made such great impressions already right? I may as well be tardy. After all I've come off as a blood thirsty, tasteless beast so far. Despite the lack of feeling for the temperature, the vampire wore a black pea coat which suggested it was getting chilly. Even here. At home we'd be keeping warm as possible--the wolves anyway. Even they weren't totally immune to the cold. Just vampires and Hyrbids, I guess.

"I guess," I said, heaving a sigh.

"I'm Nikoli, by the way. You must be Samantha?"

"They call me Sam," I said. "And it's...nice to meet you."

He smiled. "You as well. I'm sorry about the close-minded vampires around here. We're not all so ignorant."

I shook my head in a forgiving fashion. "It's understood," I said. "New things, especially unusual things, spark hostility. Not just in vampires and werewolves but humans too."

Nikoli chuckled. "Humans. What poor creatures they are. So blissfully unaware."

"They'd probably hunt us," I joked.

"Or lock us up and study us," agreed Nikoli with with a laugh. "That would be the human thing to do."

We trekked across the campus to a older building that was very lackluster. A dull red brick color with a cobblestone path. We made our way up a large staircase in the entrance but I couldn't help but admire huge painted murals. They depicted war scenes, with mighty wolves locked in a red tinted battle, or heroic vampires clad in sterling arm our riding on majestic steeds into battle. Then there were the Elders. The first vampires and werewolves who began our breed. "Whoa," I breathed.

The details were so particular, so life like, it was as if I was looking into the past itself. "Yes, they're very impressive but we are late already."

"Sorry." Jerking myself out of my astounded stupor, I followed him up to the second floor. I struggled to ignore the time line mural panted on the walls up here as I followed Nikoli down the hallway.

Doors lined the long corridor every ten or so feet, wooden and windowless so I had no idea if they were occupied or not. Down the hall Nikoli ushered me closer and opened the door. I followed him into very full classroom. I was relieved that Arrow nor his friends were in here. Then it dawned on me. This was a class full of vampires.

"You're late," a monotonous voice cued from the back of the room. I couldn't help the shudder that went through me. My werewolf instincts were wigging out and I took a deep breath, trying to call on the vampire in me.

"My apologies," said Nikoli. "Samantha was a bit lost."

The tall, thin, pale man glowered at the two of us with his cold blue eyes. "Sit," he finally ordered. "Do not let it happen again."

I swallowed hard, unable to shake the sense of insecurity this environment was causing. "Relax," breathed Nikoli as we took the old table in the far back. "You're a vampire too, you know."

I kept repeating this over and over in my head as Mr. Dec swept to the board. "Today we'll begin pre-New World History."

A collective groan rose from the vampires around me and despite the the situation a small smile quirked me. "Silence," Mr. Dec hissed. "I am not here to amuse you or to entertain you." He glared at the class with a hatred on a vampire could muster. "You're pupils here to be taught. And you will learn."

I gulped silently. Leave it to a vampire to make learning frightening.

After an hour of the most boring class I'd ever experienced, I was more than happy to get some fresh air.

Vampires had a peculiar smell to them. Appealing in a way and revolting in another.

It gave me a headache.

"So? Did you die of boredom?"

I looked at Nikoli, noting a few friends of his tagging along. Two handsome guys and one beautiful girl watched me warily. "Completely," I said smoothly. "Thanks for helping me."

He flashed me a white smile and I noticed his canines. "Anytime Samantha. We have a short break until your next class, but then we go on lunch. Would you like to come with us to the Coven House?"

"Coven House?" I echoed. "What's that?"

The girl swept forward boldly. She had straight, long black hair with big, pale blue eyes and blood red lips. "It's, like, the hangout."

"Do the wolves have a house?" I wondered aloud.

"Yes," a brown haired vampire in the back said. "It's cave. Down in the woods."

"Oh," I said, it all clicking. "The "waterfall" right?"

They snorted and I frowned, a bit perturbed I did not get the joke. "What?" I finally asked, voice lowering a bit in a growl.

"That's were the Rejects go," the girl said. "You know, the Rogues."

Her tone held so much disgust that if I didn't know any better, I'd think that these wolves were the very image of evil. "Arrow and his band of devoted anti-socials," cried the black haired vampire dramatically. "So very...pathetic."

My jaw clenched. "Shut up guys," Nikoli snapped. "Don't be dicks."

They fell silent as if his words held some sort of power. "I don't know if you know this but I'm in the Prince of the Eastern Coven," Nikoli said carefully. "Come and hang out with us at the Coven House. Please?"

"Have you ever had Vampire blood?" The girl asked, tone hushed.

I swallowed hard. Say no, say no, say no I chanted in my head but somehow I still said, "okay."