On Saturday, the whole academy had the day off, and it was cloudy. So, of course, Caroline decided to have some personal free-time with Victoria.
Caroline wore a coral tank top, light blue shorts, and sandals. Her hair was down and curly and went down to her waist.
Victoria was wearing a black tank top and her blue ripped skinny jeans. She had her long, dark hair straightened down her back, and she was wearing her black Victorian heels (although she was still quite short).
"Aren't we just the perfect match." Caroline chuckled when she first saw Victoria. Victoria smiled in response.
"Dressing to impress you, dearie."
They walked along the beach of the gloomy lake and saw a few mermaids playing with the seagulls. The mermaids were actually quite beautiful, in Victoria's opinion, and all looked unique.
Their eyes were all shimmering pastel colors and their hairstyles all looked different compared to most. Their tails, however, were so brilliant and so beautiful, that Victoria wanted to be a mermaid for a day, instead of an unholy, hated creature.
She took off her shoes and socks, then rolled up her jeans, "What're you doing?" Caroline asked.
"I'm gonna say hello to them," Victoria answered.
"Oh, no, we can't do that. It's not allowed. They eat us. Like, they devour vampires. They're nice, but once you're in their zone, they just can't resist." Caroline explained.
She had a hint of sadness in her voice as if she too wanted to be a mermaid. Victoria sighed and picked up her shoes, but kept them off.
"I heard walking the beach barefoot is good for you." She said, trying to lighten the mood. Caroline looked at her and chuckled whilst shaking her head.
"You're girlier than I thought you were." Was all she said.
They waved goodbye to the mermaids, then had a race to the edge of the woods. Victoria won, of course
When they reached the edge of the woods, Victoria could see a girl with red hair sitting under a tree, reading. She decided, having been a bookworm herself, to zoom over and say hi.
"Hello."
The red-haired girl looked up from her novel. She had freckles and hazel eyes that looked a lot like crystals. She looked a little startled but gave a small smile anyway.
"Hi..." She responded shyly.
"What's your name?" Victoria asked as she joined her under the tree.
"Molly.." She answered.
So this is who Caroline was talking about earlier. Victoria thought.
"Nice to meet you, Molly. I'm Victoria. I started this week in the Night Class." She said, hoping she wasn't annoying the girl.
"Oh, cool." Molly answered quietly, "I'm a grade four Nephilim."
"That's cool. I'm grade seven. So, Molly, why are you alone?" Victoria asked. Caroline walked over slowly and awkwardly, trying not to disrupt.
"I don't have friends. Except for the ones in my books." She answered.
"Well, Molly, you have a friend now." She said with a smile. Victoria remembered how, not too long ago, she was just like Molly; she was shy, read all the time, and always sat alone. Until she met Zachary.
She wanted to do the same for Molly, even though she didn't know her that well.
Molly gave her a small smile and closed her book. Victoria stood up and offered her a hand.
She took it and stood with the two girls. Molly was slightly confused, though.
"You're not afraid of me?" She asked Victoria.
"Of course not." She responded kindly. Caroline finally worked up the courage to join the conversation.
"Hi, Molly." She said with a small wave. Molly waved back.
"Do we wanna go hang in the courtyard?" Caroline asked.
Victoria looked at Molly expectantly.
"Sure."
......
Why is it that this girl likes me so much? I mean, there's nothing special about me. I'm just...there. it's not like I'm anything, really. Of all the things I've done, all the pain I've caused, everything...Could this end badly? Molly thought to herself whilst she stared at the grand fountain that centered the main courtyard.
The fountain was a stone Griffin standing proudly on its hind legs, wings outward and ready for flight.
Its front arms fiercely in front of it, and its head up, roaring. Except, water came out of its mouth, rather than a roar.
The stone was a bit faded; the fountain was nearly as old as the school, but it had beautiful, green morning glory vines as well as leaves and flowers wrapping around it at the base.
Molly had always liked being near the fountain. She was so old that she knew it's story; who made it, why it was a Griffin, everything. It gave her a sense of peace, as if she should be there. As if it wanted her to be there.
"So...Molly?" Victoria asked, snapping Molly out of her nostalgic reverie.
"Hmm?" She answered, looking to her left where Victoria sat on a ledge.
"How long have you been going here?"
Molly looked again at the fountain, focusing on the stone, moss coming up through the cracks.
She started to think of the time that she first came, about thirty years prior.
"Um...about 30 years or so." She answered. The day that she came, in the mid of autumn, was the day that she knew her life would never be the same.
Fourteen years old forever wasn't exactly what she liked, but it was what she had and that's how it was.
They couldn't find her any willing supernatural foster parents to take her in, therefore Miss Appear (who had once been her guardian in London) talked to the Headmaster about Molly White.
The Escort came and helped her with her things. She hadn't had much, so it hadn't taken very long. He had brought her all the way up the tower, nervous and freezing (the castle was very cold that day) to the Headmaster's office.
That was the year she met her twin sister, Josephine. Before...the incident...
They were really close, roommates even, and both immortal. Josephine and Molly White were well-known throughout the school as peculiar. It was not common for supernatural twins to exist, let alone identical twins. Molly eventually asked Katrina Appear (Miss Appear) if she purposefully had the Headmaster accept her in the school because of Josephine.
She answered yes, and that was the best news she had ever received in her life.
After that, Molly wasn't sad anymore, because she had family. She had love. Not just any love- the love of a sister.
They had been separated at birth, and Josephine grew up in the Australian areas, eventually realizing that she couldn't age past fourteen. She traveled everywhere she could, and throughout backpacking in Eurpose, she came across Eclipse Academy and had been there for only one year before Molly came.
"So, that's cool. Why don't you just advance, and become a teacher? You certainly have the experience," Caroline wondered. Molly looked at Caroline, sitting on the ledge adjacent to Victoria.
"Well, because of my abilities. I can't teach anyone in the Day Class, and the Night Class is so different. So...I just can't teach it. I mean, I pass everything, and I'm a good student, but I just can't." She answered with a small shrug.
"Oh. Well, what if you transferred to Night Class? It'd be different, plus we'd see you more often." Victoria suggested.
Did she just say she wanted me to transfer just so she CAN SEE ME more? Molly thought.
"Well, I mean, I guess. Technically vampires don't have souls, so I'll talk to the Headmaster about it," Molly pondered on the idea, her liking for it increasing.
"Great!" Caroline clapped her hands together as she said that, "Anyway, I'm a bit hungry, do you want anything, Victoria? Molly?" She got up, dusted herself off and stood in front of them.
"Ummm..." Victoria started, "just the usual," she replied with a wink. Caroline gave a thumbs up then looked at Molly.
"Just some chocolate, please,"she answered. Molly reached in her pocket to give Caroline some money, but Caroline refused to take it.
"Don't worry about it." She said kindly.
Then she zoomed off towards the Blood Dorm.
"So," Victoria started in a chipper voice.
"So...?" Molly answered.
"Do you like anybody?" She asked. Molly looked a little surprised from the question, but then blushed as if she just thought of someone.
"Maybe..." She mumbled. Victoria raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, really? Who?" She inquired. Molly looked around in fear of anyone listening.
"His name is Zachary. He's a werewolf in the seventh year. I've known him for a long time, but I don't think he'd like me back," she lowered her eyes to the stone floor upon which she sat. Victoria smiled.
"I know him. Very well, actually. I can talk to him a bit and see. That is, if you really, really like him." Victoria said lightly.
Molly's face lit up, and excitement filled her chest. Then, her unfair reality set in, and she forced away her smile.
"I don't know. I mean, he's not gonna live forever, like me," she responded. Victoria pitied her, if she was being honest with herself. She wondered what it was like to see every family member, every friend, every crush you've ever had just out grow you. Literally. What it was like to see so many people grow old while you stay young forever?
"Well, someday you'll find someone you connect with; someone like no other person has before, and you'll be able to be with them." Victoria said. And as she spoke this, she could not keep her smile at bay. James always seemed to have that effect on her. He was her puzzle piece.
"Anyway, who do you like?" Molly asked curiously, with her head cocked to the side. She knew Victoria had thought of someone.
"Well, actually, I'm in love with someone. I have been for years. We're actually betrothed right now..." Her voice trailed off a bit. Should she tell Molly about James? Molly leaned closer.
"Wow. That's adorable, who is it?" She inquired.
"James Daniels-" Molly cut her off with a dramatic gasp.
"Holy crap, you lucky thing! He's so hot!" Victoria laughed along with her.
"He really is haha. I recently learned something interesting about supernatural romance. And it definitely applies here, I think."
"Oh, neat. What'd you learn?"
"He's my puzzle piece."
"Oh, of course! That's so amazing. I ship it so hard, oh lord!" The girls laughed and teased each other about their interests for a few minutes.
It was about five minutes later that Caroline had come back with a black water bottle for Victoria and two Hershey chocolate bars for Molly.
.....
By the time that curfew was about to come, the girls were all laughing together and having fun.
They had pulled pranks on a few other kids (especially Hannah), hiked, gossiped, and had, what seemed, to be the beginning of a good friendship; and the best part is that they were all immortal.