It was hard to place what told me we were almost there.
I woke up that morning to a different vibe fluttering through me, a barely distinguishable charge prickling along my spine as sat up. It felt like we were going slower, the jarring motion I'd grown accustomed to less noticeable. Outside, what had been mostly free space during the trip was now crowded with trees. Oaks, firs, and maples reached for the morning sun as the train made its way through the forest, leaves creating a dappled effect on the ground.
That explained it.
It was strangely silent. Whenever I got up, I could normally hear the voices of the employees filtering through the cabin as they prepared for the new day before we got up. It gave me a strange comfort, picking up on what was supposed to be background activity because it reminded me that not everything on the train was magic. That there was still certain logic that couldn't be broken. It helped ground me to the real world outside. But today, I didn't hear the soft shuffle of feet as they moved from the employee car to their respective jobs. I didn't hear muffled complaints about washing dishes or stifled laughter about what they did after getting off last night. Not even a tired yawn.
I wasn't worried...yet. The train was moving smoothly along the tracks, a good sign the controls hadn't been messed with. This would be a prime time to do it, the trees thick enough to cause serious damage if the train veered the slightest off course. I knew we stopped in the darkest hours of the night to refuel at private locations but even then, there would be loads of security to make sure no one snuck on board that wasn't supposed to. The vampires would sniff them out before the intruders counted to ten, no hiding space good enough. Whatever was going on had to be part of the plan and the strange feeling I had.
Kali snored from her bed, shifting around slightly as she got more comfortable. We'd settled into a sort of acquaintanceship, doing our best to get along in the small space. Neither of us was extroverted, preferring to spend our time in our bubbles so it worked out well. The only time she seemed to perk up was at dinner when I got bombarded with questions about vampires, Kali wanting to get familiar enough with them to be somewhat comfortable. If only I knew half of what she wanted to know. It was still mostly a guessing game for me as well. All in all, she was still a bit odd but there was usually a reason behind her quirks and I was getting used to them.
Trying to slip out of bed without too much noise was a challenge considering Kali was a light sleeper. I could get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom only to have her pop up like a groundhog from its den, terrified someone was trying to attack us. The vamps on board would beat the crap out of anyone that tried, not that it stopped her freaking. They might be the ones she was worried about. I still got the crap scared out of me regardless, the scene reminiscent of a horror movie. My odds of being the first one to die were looking good.
Tiptoeing to where I'd left a change of clothes the night before, I grabbed the pile and headed for the bathroom for a shower. No one else would be fully awake for at least another hour, a time I liked to use to relax and center myself. I wasn't used to being around so many people, let alone none stop like this. Mom and Dad had both managed to agree that a private school education was the best thing for their children, preventing me from experiencing the overcrowded public school system. Dad had simply wanted a better quality of education and Mom... well Mom wanted what she always did. I had ended up going to an all-girls school, a decent explanation for my lack of grace around men. There wasn't much to tell, a sense of familiarity among us that could only be gained by knowing each other throughout our formative years. There was a sense of security in that but also drama because they had dirt on you from years back they weren't afraid to use it if prompted.
The few friendships I had formed were more for convenience than true bonding. Awkward like me, it was easier to hide together than face the popular girls and their holier than thou attitudes. Herd immunity I guess. Talking to them was also better than staring at the brick wall all lunch period. Once our diplomas were in our hands, they were off to do their own thing without so much as a goodbye. It didn't bother me. Most of me hoped they grew into themselves and found their place like I was trying to do.
It felt like the closer we got to Rigryce, the rowdier everyone became as it stopped being an almost fairytale and turned into a real, solid place. A place where the rest of our lives would be determined in one short year. College never appealed to me, mostly because I didn't know what I wanted to study. Why waste money when you were not even sure what you were spending it on would be of any use? An okay student, my grades were not the greatest but nothing to cringe over, it was embarrassing when I was called in for college advising only to have to tell my counselor I had nothing planned. No big dream, no end goal in mind.
Dad had encouraged me to take my time, find something that fired me up. He said the last thing I wanted to do was get stuck working somewhere I hated, no matter if the pay was good. He'd gone to school with the intentions of being a lawyer before changing his mind and moving on to a company that developed machines used in hospitals. Lawyers are being mass-produced, he told me. I wasn't needed there. I like knowing what I do now will make a difference in someone's life down the road. Mom had always implied that further education wasn't needed as long as you found a rich husband. A woman should be taken care of, treated like a queen. I tended to ignore that, the way she used people curdling my stomach. Weren't most parents supposed to encourage an interest in college anyways?
If things worked out the way I wanted, those sorts of questions would be laid to bed. I would go where my master went, do what was asked of me, getting any additional learning as I went along. We would be a unit, working to keep the other happy. There wouldn't be a doubt where I belonged. I wouldn't be alone anymore. The image reflected at me in the small bathroom mirror showed an ache deep in my eyes. A longing that had been there for I couldn't remember how long. The true face of a girl that just couldn't fit in, no matter how hard she tried. The urge to smash the glass, warp my perfect copy, was strong. Almost impossible to resist as an acidic taste coated my throat, hating the pathetic image I presented.
Shaking off my dark thoughts, I forced my eyes away and set about turning the shower on. Hot water and a few minutes of white noise would do me some good. Let my brain turn off and just exist at the moment.
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I was rubbing the excess water out of my hair, humming a song I'd heard on the radio before leaving when there was a violent jerking motion that had me grabbing onto the counter to keep from banging my head into the shower door. The roar of the train whistle followed not long after. Making sure the towel I had was wrapped uptight, I threw open the door to see what the hell just happened, ignoring the way it smacked against the wall. Kali was sitting up in bed, fumbling to put her glasses on. The commotion must have woken her up, her expression one of sleepy confusion.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" She asked, rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes as the covers got shoved back and she stumbled to her feet.
"No idea," was my only reply. I wanted to find out, my hand ready to slide open the door to peer out into the hallway when Kali's horrified gasp stopped me.
"Don't you want to put on something more appropriate?" Face red, her eyes slide down to where my breasts strained the front of the towel, showing off a good deal of cleavage.
Oh yeah.
Hurrying back to the bathroom and having the fastest-changing time of my life, I returned a minute later and worked my way out into the hall uninterrupted, hands busy trying to work my still-damp hair into a ponytail. Girls, most still in pajamas and half asleep, were crowding the small space or looking out their rooms to see what fuss was about.
"You coming?" I called back to Kali, keeping an eye out so my foot didn't get accidentally stepped on. The space was getting even smaller as more of the girls realized we had stopped and wanted to find out why. The low hum of chatter I'd grown accustomed to followed as questions got passed around like test answers.
"In a minute. Let me get changed first." She was gone before I could say anything. Shrugging my shoulders, I went on with my idea.
Shoving past bodies, ignoring the bitchy sounds of protest and pushes back, I worked my way to the front where the doors outside were. That would be the best place to find someone and get some answers. The employees could not have just vanished into thin air. And if something did go wrong, we wanted out of here as soon as possible. Kali could find me after she was done; it wasn't like I was traveling to the moon and back.
"I told Daddy a train was a bad idea." The high-pitched whine cut through the noise like a knife, no small feat considering how many of us there were. Looking in the direction it had come from, it wasn't a huge surprise to see Pearl in a fuzzy pink bathrobe, one of her groupies from the station next to her.
"I wanted to fly out but when we asked, they said they couldn't do that. If they made an exception for me then they would have to do it for everyone. What a load of horse shit! Just look at what happened to their precious little train!"
I'm fairly sure she stamped her foot for emphasis, her friend said something I didn't catch because I was already movingly on. She was even worse than I imagined and I could feel my brain ache just listening to the nasal screech. Her friend must have gone deaf to be able to tolerate it for so long though her face had more broken acceptance than anything. Pearl must have been harder to deal with than she thought. It was obvious that she was used to getting her way, a spoiled daddy's girl that had him wrapped around her little finger. Everything she wanted, she got with a bat of her eyes and a smile. No please needed. She would expect the same type of treatment at Rigryce, to be fawned over by the vampires. To be the envy of the rest of us.
It would have been funny if it wasn't so utterly ridiculous. The one thing about Rigryce was that while they liked for their students to have a decent background, it wasn't required because a vampire chose a pet based on connection. The bond amplified feelings and linked you together emotionally. Your personality had to appeal to them, something money could not buy. A little fact Pearl would have to accept if she wanted to get farther than the door. Some of the vampires going were possibly in their hundreds and didn't want to spend time dealing with a toddler's mentality.
Finding myself upfront, the doors outside were opened, letting in a cool morning breeze as men moved around. There was a pleasant hint of earthiness to it, from the woods or the mountains towering in the distance I couldn't tell. They hadn't been there last night, the sharp peaks stark against the cloudless sky as smoke drifted from the train's pipes. I would have remembered such a beautiful sight, never having seen anything like it. Now that trees weren't blocking my view, I could see that we had stopped next to a small platform, cars waiting in what I assumed to be a makeshift parking lot.
Compared to what I had been experiencing, this was a total U-turn. The platform was a slab of concrete in the middle of a clearing who knows where, large trees hiding it on all sides, with a rusty overhead that wouldn't do much good in the event of rain. An old bulb hung from a thin wire, uncertain if it wanted to go on. It lacked the indulgence and wealth I had come to associate with Rigryce and instead reeked of bare necessity.
Catching sight of familiar dark hair, I rushed forward and caught his suit sleeve before he could jump out. "What's going on?"
Surprise flashed across his face for only a second, getting replaced with that annoying, amused smirk. "Oh, hey there sweetheart. This is as far as the train can take you. You'll be finishing the rest of the trip by car." He nodded his chin at where they were waiting, tinted windows making it impossible to see the insides.
I wanted to snap at him for the unneeded endearment, uncomfortable with somebody I hardly knew using it, but there were more important matters to attend to. Besides, he was the type that would take any time of refusal as an encouragement to keep doing it. My gut told me his flirty nature, while real, masked something more dark and intense. I was learning to trust my instincts around vampires. Biting my tongue, I instead got a better look at our next ride.
Cars were far from my specialty but even I could tell these were nice, top-of-the-line models. Polished to a gleaming black, limousines might have been a better way to describe them as they extended past the length of a normal car. It made sense considering how many of us there were, each looking like they could manage ten people. That was more of what I was used to instead of the worn-down space around us.
"Why didn't you say anything?" The accusatory tone slipped past without conscious thought, my eyes narrowing when he gently tried to pry his arm loose.
"You still have your cellphones. Couldn't risk one of you revealing our location."
That got a frown, my mind drifting to my phone safely nestled in my purse. It was something that had always bothered me, even though I wanted it to contact River. "Why didn't you confiscate them as we got on board?"
"We have the train warded to keep the built-in trackers from working but past attempts have shown there are other ways of finding our location." With a swift motion, he broke free of my hold and jumped onto the ground with a solid thump. I should have known he could break free whenever he wanted, choosing to stay instead just to humor me. "It's easy to forget after a while just how clever humans can be."
He was older than I thought but at least I was right about him being turned. I'd heard that the longer a turned vampire lived, the more of their human past faded away until they couldn't- or chose not to relate to us anymore. I wanted to ask him several questions about what he meant, curious about his experiences and would have to if it wasn't clear he was in a rush.
"What do I do now?" I gripped the glossy metal side as I leaned forward to see him better, afraid to fall over. He might be able to make fancy moves like that without hurting himself but I didn't have his strength... or coordination.
"Sit tight and wait for them to call you. It'll take us some time to get everything set up." Stepping off to the side, I heard him call over his shoulder, "I enjoy our chats but I've got work to do!" A flourishing wave was the last thing I caught before he was fully out of sight, blending in with other workers getting ready to clear us out and turn the train around.
What the actual fuck?
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"I still can't believe they didn't warn us," Kali complained as we stood near the line of cars, waiting for further instruction. "Scaring us like that for nothing."
"Take it up with them." Kali wasn't thrilled with my curt tone but I wasn't in the mood to beat a dead horse. Her cheeks puffed out, her arms crossing in a sign of unhappiness. For all her maturity, she certainly had a childish side to match. She could pout all day long for all I cared. Why not hold her breath while she was at it? It was what it was and no amount of complaining would change it.
The school must have been closer to the mountains if the train couldn't reach it, the terrain too rough to build tracks on. That would make sense but I had the feeling they wanted to limit who had access to the campus as much as possible, thus the use of cars. Rigryce made damn sure they had every scenario covered and if something did happen that they didn't plan for, they made sure there wasn't a repeat.
Damp dirt melted into craggy rock the further we went, the trees thinning out and becoming less grand and green. I could see the dark outline of a paved road through the brush, making me wonder for about the millionth time where I was. My suspension about being up north was more or less confirmed thanks to the scenic backdrop but I didn't know how many states had forests and mountains. Geography had never been my strong suit.
The crunch of footsteps on the gravel path pulled me from my deep thoughts and I saw it was the same vampire I'd been seeing talking to several other men dressed as chauffeurs, hats and dark glasses included. The conversation seemed to be intense as he pointed a long finger into their chests, their heads nodding in understanding. Watching him, a new question bubbled to the surface.
Was he more important than he let on?
The drivers seemed to respect him, absorbing everything he said with unwavering devotion, their faces cool masks of professionalism. It almost felt like Mr. Vampire was part of the security detail from the way his shoulders were tense, aware of his surroundings even as he gave directions. There was no point in worrying, the simple fact being this was probably the last time I would see him. Being Turned eliminated him from any shot of having a pet, his weaker power unable to complete the bond. That's what I had been told, anyways. He'd go back to whatever he'd been doing before getting borrowed for the trip, forgetting the human girls he'd met. We weren't the first and certainly not the last.
The discussion wrapped up, he walked over to where we stood after politely being asked to exit the train. The staff needed time to clean it before heading, forcing us to spend some time outside on our feet. Pearl had plenty to say about that but after excessively whinging for ten minutes with no one rising to take the bait, she'd settled down to quiet fuming. There were soft sighs of relief as the only noise heard were the chirping of birds and the whispers of wind brushing through leaves.
"It'll only take you around two and a half hours to get to the school from here," He started. "It was nice meeting you all and I hope you find what you're looking for." He passed what might have been the most genuine smile I'd seen yet. There were murmurs of thanks, some girls shifting on their feet in embarrassment. "There's no order to the cars. Just pick one until they're all full."
Jerking his chin, the drivers made their way over from where they were waiting to their respective cars, and clumps of girls starting breaking away from the main group. Tapping Kali on the shoulder, I passed her my purse, saying "Find us a spot. I need to ask him something."
She had on what I was beginning to think of as her favorite expression- scrunched-up eyebrows over thin lips. I didn't give her a chance to say anything, rushing after the vampire before it was too late to stop him. "Hey, you!"
I know he heard me. His heightened hearing wouldn't have it any other way. But instead of stopping, the polite response, he kept going. Bastard.
"Will you stop? I just need like five minutes."
That did the trick. He pulled on the brakes so fast I found myself slamming into his hardback, the feeling almost identical to that of running full speed into a brick wall. My teeth rattled in their sockets. He shifted around, face impassive. "What is it? You're going to be late."
That blank look was intimidating but I forced myself past it. "I just... just... just wanted to say thank you. You have helped me out the past week and I'm sure you don't get that enough." I ruffled the end of my ponytail awkwardly, trying not to look him directly in the face and make an even bigger fool of myself.
"That's sweet of you. It's nothing really, though. I'm just doing what I'm told."
I looked up at him through the layer of my lashes, his eyes the same blank stare. "Well, just thought I would let you know. And I wanted to get your name." It had occurred to me since meeting him that I had been referring to him as the vampire. Not cool since I wouldn't appreciate being called the girl. Generic and downright lazy, truth be told. If we never did meet again, I wanted a name that matched his face. A name that was uniquely him.
"Benjii."
I grinned up at him, surprised he had offered it up without a fight. "What a great name. It was nice to meet you, Benjii. I hope this wasn't the last."
His face seemed to soften then, warm trickling back into his eyes. "You're adorable. I'll bet my fangs you don't get snatched up real quick." The sound of a car horn caught his attention, a last chance call to stragglers, and I felt the warmth of large hands at my back. "You better hurry up before they leave you behind."
Giving him one last grin, I ran as fast as I could to the car Kali's head was peeking out of, hand frantically waving to encourage me to move faster. Feeling the gravel dig into the bottom of my shoes, I skidded the last foot and thumped into the shiny side, leaving a small scratch. Oops. Yanking the door open, I toppled into Kali's lap as I finagled the door closed behind me.
I didn't recognize any of the other five girls crammed into the space with us, not that I cared anyway. Giving in to the demands of Kali's hands, I dropped onto the seat next to her, wiping away flyaway hairs from my mouth, a smile still firmly in place. She rubbed her thighs where I'd made my crash landing and given her bruises, reproach clear in her face. "What were you doing?"
"Oh, you know. Just had some last-minute business."
A/N: I know this was a slow chapter and not a lot happened. I meant for it to cover more but I was at 4,000 words before I knew it and wanted to give you guys something ♡ Next chapter should be more fun because we're going to Rigryce! Whoo! Hope to see ya'll on the flip side.