Nadja stood alone in an empty room aboard the Elisabetha and practiced using the Vikla power. Or rather, she tried. For some reason, she could not get it to work. After a few uneventful minutes, she gave up and went to find Lars.
"Hey, Lars?"
Nadja asked. Lars came over to her.
"I've been practicing, but I am still finding the Vikla power difficult to use. Think you could help me?"
He nodded and the two of them returned to the empty room. Nadja flung her knife down of the floor and tried to lift it without success, it didn't move at all. That was weird, she usually managed to make it wiggle on the floor even when she failed to lift it, but not this time.
"Here, let me show you again."
Lars lifted his hand, but nothing happened. He looked down at her and Nadja met his eyes.
"Something's wrong, it's not working.. I can't use the Vikla power either."
After the disastrous attempt at using the Vikla power, Lars proceeded to teach Nadja to block her mind from others trying to read it. She found this much easier than moving objects without touching them, for she had practically done it already. Rather than concentrating on specific memories she wanted to show, she had to concentrate on nothing and push that forth in her mind instead. Though far from the same, it didn't feel that different to Nadja.
Nadja sat down in her usual seat beside Malcolm for their next lesson. The newcomer walked towards where Nadja, Malcolm and the Dracas clan sat, but Inger told her no. She opted to sit down next to Alisa, who smiled at her.
"A question for the class," Conte Claudio said, starting the lesson. "Bloodborn and Shadow vampires. What is the real difference between us and them?"
Joanne de Pyras raised her hand. "Bloodborns are born vampires."
Tammo von Vamalia raised his hand. "We have a mum and dad, while shadows just have a maker. They were humans once and then made vampire."
Luciano of Nosferas raised his hand. "All bloodborn vampires stem directly from Lord Dracula."
"Well, if a Bloodborn loses, say, a finger," Lars raised his hand to show a finger missing. "it stays off. With a shadow, it's back the next night."
Nadja stared at him, wondering how he lost his finger.
"Anything else?"
"The real question is, sir, what is more fun? Picking a Bloodborn or a Shadow?"
Malcolm asked, which made a couple of them chuckle.
"A Bloodborn."
Lars said.
"Obviously."
Nadja added. Again, laughter ensued.
"Malcolm of Vyrad, Lars of Dracas and Nadja of Belov" Conte Claudio began.
"It's Nadja ot Belov, actually." Nadja corrected him.
He gave her a hard look.
"Do you have anything useful to add?"
The three looked at each other and Malcolm spoke.
"Bloodborns can get pregnant, shadows are not allowed. We have special powers that shadows don't."
"Like?" The Elder prompted him.
"We can compel, after we turn eighteen." He replied.
"Furthermore, each clan has their own ruby giving them powers." Nadja said.
"In other words," Malcolm continued, "we are stronger, faster and more powerful in every conceivable way."
"We are their masters and they're our slaves." Lars added.
"Our shadows." The Elder corrected.
"Well, they have to do as we say, don't they?"
Nadja agreed with Lars.
"Isn't that what they're there for?"
These questions were ignored.
"Ivy of Lycana, you have to pay attention."
Laughter followed these words, but Conte Claudio shut it down immediately. Nadja didn't understand what the deal was with that new girl. She just appeared and is now learning about the clan powers, without having contributed to the blood bonding, whatever that meant, with her clan ruby? And as if that wasn't enough, she wasn't even bothering to pay attention?
"If you want to learn something. Let's continue."
Later that night, Nadja was awoken by a knock on her coffin. She opened it to find Lars standing outside.
"You told me to give you a heads up next time I snuck off the ship. This is that."
Excitement washed over Nadja.
"Alright."
The two of them crept along, trailing behind Alisa.
"Where is she going?" Nadja asked.
"No idea, but let's find out."
They followed her as she got an umbrella and Nadja realised that she intended to leave she ship. What in the world would Alisa be doing off the ship at daytime? Lars got an umbrella too, but Nadja didn't need one. They followed a couple meters behind Alisa as she walked off the ship and into the town. Alisa walked along as many dark alleyways as she could, so she could avoid people. Thus, her trailers did the same. They were trying to walk as inconspicuously as possible. Finally, Alisa seemed to have reached her destination. Lars and Nadja watched her through the window of what looked to be a library. When Alisa spoke to the librarian, they opened the door slowly and snuck inside. The two of them watched Alisa from behind a bookshelf while she looked through some books. After a few moments, a boy came in and walked over to Alisa.
"Hi. We've met. Don Juan."
"Yes, of course. The rooftop reader."
What was going on? Why was Alisa talking to a human? Nadja looked over at Lars.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
"Makes two of us."
"Guess it's meant to be."
Nadja looked at Lars, who stood beside her. His head rested against the bookshelf behind him and he looked disappointed.
"I'm disappointed too. Sneaking off the ship to be with a human?"
Lars didn't reply. Alisa and the human left together, closely followed by Lars and Nadja. The human and Alisa talked as they walked. They talked about the book, which didn't interest Nadja as much as it did Lars. She was more interested in this human and how it knew Alisa, not to mention why they were were going together. If Nadja were to be that close to a human, it would be for biting.
"Do you want to have a bite?" The human asked Alisa.
Nadja had to do a double take before the human clarified. He had meant food. They picked up the pace so Lars and Nadja had to run slightly to see where they were going.
Alisa and her human sat down at a restaurant. It was still unbeknownst to them that they were followed and watched by Lars and Nadja. Then, quite suddenly, Lars got up and left in a hurry.
"I'll stay on their tail then. Keep in touch."
Nadja was pretty sure Lars had heard her, but she couldn't be sure because he did not reply. She kept watching Alisa and the human as they ordered their food and talked while they waited. Though Nadja heard every word, she only paid enough attention to notice whether they said anything of interest, the idle chit chat was filtered out. The food arrived and Alisa had difficulties eating her spaghetti, which Nadja understood fully. Why would a vampire need to learn to use a fork? The boy taught Alisa how to do it, after which it went much better for her. A yell sounded from inside and a server came running out towards the cross species lovers. The server grabbed Alisa's book as she ran past and turned to hiss at her before she disappeared. Nadja ran out from her hiding place and after the server. She didn't know why the server had taken Alisa's book, but she knew what she had seen. The server was a vampire and not one Nadja recognised. This vampire was not from the Elisabetha.