(Southern Region- Princestown)
(St. Octavia's Academy- Classroom 1-A)
"Lily Brooks please stand up and read the first paragraph for the class," a stern middle-aged woman wearing a plain white shirt ordered.
A young woman with enchanting pale skin, sharp angular facial features and a cute button nose slowly got up from her chair.
She was wearing a plain black military uniform with golden threads embedded in the cuffs and the upper arms.
There were twenty other students in the classroom and all eyes were on the beautiful young woman who nervously began to speak.
"Vampires are a hierarchical based society where the higher order vampires rule the various clans and families," Lily hesitantly spoke as she tried her best to prevent her voice from cracking.
"It is a weakness that has been exploited many times in the past."
"Vampires are inherently lustful for power and will not hesitate to sell out their political rivals if it means taking over their territories."
"Over the course of history, hunters have allied themselves multiple times with various vampire clans, but these alliances must always be treated with caution."
"Well done... make sure to pay attention to class next time," Professor Nadir sternly warned before turning her gaze to another student.
Lily let out a heavy sigh and turned to look out of the window.
Three months had passed since she had woken up in the hospital and her life had completely changed.
Her sister was dead.
She was now a vampire hunter in training.
Her sister was dead.
She was moving on and trying to make new friends.
Her sister was dead.
Lily closed her eyes and a familiar image appeared in her mind. She saw her sister desperately pushing her out of the moving car while a vampire lunged at her from behind.
Every time she saw this memory... she wanted to change it.
She wanted to be brave and stand side by side with her sister to fight against the monster.
Instead... she fled like a coward.
And now her sister was dead... and it was all her fault.
The rest of the lecture passed in a daze as Lily half-heartedly wrote down some notes and pretended to listen to what Professor Nadir had to say.
When the bell finally rung, she could feel nothing except a sense of relief.
The professor walked out of the classroom and the students finally had a chance to talk among themselves.
"So, Lily... do you want to go to the cafeteria with me?" a cheerful girl with pimples on her face approached Lily's desk.
"Sure Katie! Let me just grab my bag," Lily smiled and tried to fake an enthusiastic attitude towards the only girl willing to befriend her.
The students of Octavia Academy were all born from the upper class of society.
This was a private vampire hunting school where one needed both connections and talent to enter.
Lily had one but lacked the other.
It was common knowledge among the other students that she had no family left.
At least she was only being isolated.
Having suffered physical abuse from her father... Lily could handle students being mean and ignoring her.
Honestly... she appreciated the quiet.
Katie linked her arms around Lily's arms and then led her towards the cafeteria that was located on the other side of the campus.
Octavia Academy was enormous with several three-story buildings for teaching, a gym, a training field, an arena, and student dorms located at the back of a nearby forest.
"That bitch Sarah kept boasting because apparently her family has given her a hunter technique to study," Katie gossiped casually as they walked on a well trodden footpath.
"Oh? What type of hunting technique is it?" Lily asked curiously as she listened to her friend complain about the other rich students.
"I'm not sure... something to do with storing sunlight in the you-know-where region," Katie wiggled her eyebrows as a mocking sneer flashed across her face.
Lily smiled thinly and did not add to the conversation. She knew exactly why Katie wanted to be her friend.
She wanted to associate with someone who was lower than her on the social ladder so that she could feel good about herself.
Humans really were strange creatures.
They derived pleasure from not just being better than others but by associating with those worse off than themselves.
The pair of girls walked for several more minutes with Katie doing most of the talking while Lily nodded politely and added in an occasional word.
Finally, they arrived at the cafeteria, and it was not a moment too soon as Lily's stomach softly grumbled.
The cafeteria was a wide-open space with hundreds of long tables and wooden chairs with soft comfortable cushions resting on them.
There were several 'stalls' lining up the walls of the cafeteria but of course calling them 'stalls' really wasn't the right word to use.
They were more akin to miniature fine-dining restaurants with high quality grade AAA meat, fresh vegetables, expensive wines, and delicious seafood.
The rich students would complain about the quality of the meals provided but honestly Lily thought that it all tasted pretty good.
She could eat without paying any money since the Hunter Association was covering her academy tuition and expenses.
Katie ran over to secure a seat while Lily walked up to one of the stalls and placed an order for two bento boxes.
She got a chicken, beef, and broccoli box for herself and picked up a seafood special for her friend.
"Thank you," Lily politely spoke to the chef cooking the food. He smiled at the polite student and gave her some extra chicken breasts.
Lily picked up both of the boxes and waved goodbye to the chef before walking over to her friend.
Katie grabbed the bento box from her hand without saying thanks and Lily slowly lowered her head.
Her expression was covered by the curly hair that fell over her face.
It was fortunate that Katie did not see the expressionless husk that briefly surfaced on her usually cheerful friend's face.
"Lily did you see the forums? Holy shit! Look at the new transfer student!" Katie excited spoke as she shoved her cellphone in Lily's direction.
The young woman glanced at the screen and saw a post of the forum that already had hundreds of replies underneath.
Anonymous 0124: [My God! The transfer student is so hot!]
Anonymous 0567: [Does anyone know what family he is from? Clearly, he conducts himself like someone belonging to the upper caste.]
Anonymous 7984: [Oh please... he's probably another welfare kid like that student from class 1-A... what's her name again? Lily something...]
Anonymous 0124: [Don't be jealous! There is no way that someone so handsome is poor... I refuse to believe it]
Lily's fingers curled up into a tight fist as she read the comment about her being a 'welfare kid' but controlled her emotions.
Take a deep breath and relax...
Lily gently inhaled and exhaled as she read the original post.
There was a picture of a very handsome student whose beauty could only be described as otherworldly.
He had a lean physique with muscles clearly visible beneath the white silk shirt that he wore. His light brown eyes sparkled with mischief, and he smiled at the camera with a teasing smirk.
He had short cropped blonde hair and his facial features resembled that of a Greek God since he was so overwhelmingly handsome.
"So, what do you think?" Katie excitedly asked as she pulled back her phone.
"He looks like a model I guess," Lily replied as she tried her best to fake interest in the attractive boy.
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