Bound by Blood

Chapter 10- beyond the surface

JIMIN POV:

When my name is called and my eyes catch onto the students that are in the same group, I can't help the resigned sigh that slips out of my mouth.

Two of them are blatantly human, their wide panicked eyes, and fidgeting limbs attest to that- as they rise from the front half of the classroom and ever so slowly trail after the third.

But the third is...I can't tell. But when she steps closer, a strong wave of scent comes crashing into me. It's the smell of a nest, the ridiculously large sweater the girl is drowning in is coated with overlapping scents- it's typical nest behaviour, she must be a new nestling, bond not fully settled. It explains why her nestmate has a desire to dress her in their clothing. There's also something starkly familiar about the scent- and it only takes a moment for me to place the scent as the Im coven's. They have two new nestlings? My eyebrows slightly raise at that- it's a wonder she's in lesson and not being swarmed by her nestmates, I know too well how protective a coven gets when the bond is freshly settling, instincts going haywire.

I note that she's the one to sit closest to me, still a seat away but close, nevertheless. Close enough to make a point, far enough that her instincts aren't unsettled by being close to a different coven's vampire. It's a small show of solidarity and support, and the thought warms me perhaps more than it should.

There's a stilted silence, thick and heavy, making me uncomfortable as the humans eye me with side glances, furtive looks as though I can't spot the second their body shifts.

But it's the nestling who breaks the silence.

Her voice surprisingly firm and strong despite the soft quality to it.

Her question brings the two humans some sort of strength and courage to speak, voices slightly hesitant- eyes hopeful as they look towards the nestling for some sort of affirmation, a warm respond to their thoughts.

The irritable sound of a pen being fidgeted with and the clacking of fingernails against the table stop, pause.

Huh, the human girl wants to do court history. Doesn't she know that court history is nothing but filled to the brim about manipulation of vampires, the social hierarchy structured in such a way that pushes vampires to the bottom- unable to progress further than being attendants to the nobility. Of courtesans, magicians...entertainers, the word is sour as it sits in my head. As if the existence of vampires was nothing but a novelty, something turned into a gaudy spectacle.

The anger begins to simmer inside me at the ignorance in the human girl's voice. Sanmi likes court history? Says a lot about her.

But then the nestling...(Y/N) speaks again. Carefully hedging between the two of them and me as she dismisses the idea.

When Daniel speaks, (Y/N)'s face lights up in excitement, a natural smile curling her lips, eyes eager and sparkling as she notes down the idea, beautiful cursive onto the lined page.

But the mention of war treaties brings forward the knowledge of how vampires were pushed to sacrifice more, how after the war- the slight camaraderie between soldiers vanished as if it had never existed.

The conversation with Joon hyung not so long ago as I sat there with a history book open on my lap comes floating to the surface. The sorrow in his features, lined with experience, memories that clearly haunted him still comes to plague my mind.

Humans don't know the truth, don't know half of how devastating the consequences of their actions are.

"Great idea! And then we can talk about how even though the vampires were a major factor in ending the wars, after it all ended- humans went back to shunning their existence. Feigning ignorance." I bite out, words bubbling out with corrosive anger, hurt.