(Southern Region- Princestown)
(St. Octavia's Academy- Training Grounds)
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three arrows flew one after another at a target placed over five hundred metres away. Despite the vast distance every single arrow struck the training dummy right in its center.
A beautiful girl with piercing green eyes lowered her bow with a slight frown on her face. She had a lean but muscular build and was wearing a simple black tracksuit.
"Well done," a gentle male voice came from the side.
Lily turned in the direction of the sound and saw a handsome young man with long black hair that was tied in a ponytail.
His face was rugged and masculine which contrasted with his soft doe eyes.
"Thank you senior," Lily replied politely as she nocked another arrow on her bowstrings.
"Please... call me Ian..." the handsome man replied with a gentle smile across his face. He stepped closer and Lily could feel his warm breath on her shoulder.
She tried her best to ignore the distraction and fired another arrow this time at a target eight hundred metres away.
Her piercing green eyes briefly flashed golden, but the colour change was too quick for anyone to notice.
The arrow was engulfed in blinding white flames and like a heat seeking missile it automatically shifted directions mid air until it pierced the center of the target.
"What an impressive technique," Ian warmly spoke as he clapped his hands together.
Lily smiled thinly and hid the growing irritation that she felt bubbling up inside her chest. Recently her days in the academy had not been peaceful.
For some reason she kept having encounters with the gentle student council president from third year called Ian and the new transfer student whose name was Finley.
They were both attractive men but... Lily had no time for romance.
She only had one objective.
To kill ever single vampire.
She would never forgive them for what they did to her elder sister.
"Next weekend will be the first hunting event for first years... don't tell anyone but I will be one of the supervisors," Ian slyly spoke and winked flirtishly.
"If you want, I can make things a bit easier for you..."
"No thank you... I wouldn't want you to risk your good standing in the academy," Lily shot down his 'kind' offer.
Mary would never forgive her if she cheated. For some reason her big sister used to drill in her head that it was better to fail than to cheat.
Thinking of those memories and the times that they had spent together made Lily's stomach churn.
She wanted to throw up.
She felt as though she was barely holding on and just wanted to scream and cry all at the same time.
It had been over five months since she had lost her precious sister and yet the emotional void in her heart had not been filled.
Instead, it had become a gaping wound that ached every time she recalled her memories.
"Lily, are you worried about me?" Ian excitedly spoke. If he was a dog, then his tail would have been wagging furiously behind him.
"Don't worry my family will take care of any complications if I get caught..."
Ancient vampire hunting families and clans.
The academy said that all students would be treated equally regardless of their background but that was a lie.
Lily did not doubt that Ian would be able to escape punishment, but she did not have a significant background to protect herself.
Yes, she had talent, but the hunter's association was waiting for her talent to bloom whatever that meant.
She was afforded no extra privileges...
A fact that the other students of the academy made crystal clear with their mocking sneers and unkind words.
Ian continued to talk for a further ten minutes while Lily just nodded or added in an occasional word to the conversation.
She wanted to leave as soon as possible but could not anger the son of one of the most powerful vampire hunter clans.
Finally, she subtly checked her watch and barely managed to persuade Ian not to walk her back to the female dormitory.
She didn't need more gossip.
"Goodbye Lily!" Ian cheerfully waved as she left the training field.
Lily was quietly relieved that there was no one else here because Ian's loud voice echoed through the field.
She wandered through the well paved path outside the training field and headed towards her apartment.
It was late in the night and the full moon was shining brightly in the night sky. Lily felt a cold breeze brush against her face as her footsteps quickened.
There was a shadowy figure standing beneath the shade of the tree directly in front of her.
Lily's footsteps slowed down as the figure stepped out of the shadows and revealed herself.
"Katie?" Lily asked with a confused expression on her face.
"I saw you..." her friend hissed angrily as she held up her phone.
There were pictures on the screen of a handsome young man with short blonde hair standing right next to her.
They were so close that it looked as though they were about to kiss.
"The new transfer student... he is mine! I TOLD YOU I LIKE HIM!" Katie angrily yelled as she approached Lily and grabbed her by the collar.
"Finley is the most handsome boy in the school... how could he possibly be attracted to someone like you?"
"Katie... let go of me," Lily warned darkly as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.
"I didn't want him to kiss me and when he tried to... I pulled away."
"And it's not just him!" Katie angrily continued as if Lily's words were falling on deaf ears.
"Senior Ian... he likes you as well! Why?"
"I. Don't. Know," Lily spat out with barely contained fury in her voice.
"I didn't ask for them to give me so much trouble. I don't care about boys or romance or whatever bullshit you are talking about."
"I just want to graduate and that's it."
She grabbed Katie's hand and threw it off her body. Katie seemed shocked by her violent movements as if she could not believe that Lily fought back.
"You... you..." Katie stammered and opened her mouth to say something, but Lily simply stormed past her frozen body.
Fuck... there went her only friend in this shitty place.
Well... Katie could hardly be considered as a friend. Lily knew that the girl had only befriended her to feel good in comparison.
Lily let out a heavy sigh and stared upwards at the stars for a moment. She did not miss her home but...
She missed the one person who had always stood by her side.
The young woman walked for several minutes with nothing but the wind keeping her company until two large buildings appeared in the distance.
The one on the right was for male first year students while the one on the left was for the female first year students.
Lily approached the familiar glass doors and swiped her access card against the scanner. The doors swung open to reveal a luxurious interior lobby.
There was a butler standing patiently by the door and his job was to escort the students to their dorms and take care of their needs.
However, he stood still and acted as if he didn't see Lily as she entered the building.
The young woman scowled darkly but decided that she had done enough arguing for the night.
She approached the elevator and tapped the button for the second floor. She had been assigned a standard room that was around the size of a tiny one bedroom apartment.
The rich or well-connected students paid extra to upgrade their accommodations to the penthouse suites on the higher floors.
Ding!
The elevator doors swung open, and Lily walked over to a door at the end of a long winding corridor.
She felt a wave of exhaustion hit her body all at once and she stumbled slightly as her hand reached out for the doorknob.
Lily fumbled around in her pockets for a few seconds before pulling out a silver key which she then pressed into the lock.
The doorknob slowly turned, and the interior of her apartment was revealed. It was incredibly minimal.
A single bed, a small television and a few chairs were scattered about.
One would think that she had just moved in rather than been living here for a couple of months.
Still... this was the one place where Lily felt as though she could finally relax and unwind. She closed the door behind her and then locked it.
Buzz! Buzz!
A vibrating sound echoed through the apartment and Lily headed towards the noise. Her phone was on the kitchen counter and vibrating softly.
She turned on the screen and saw several messages from both Ian and Finley both inquiring if she had any plans for the weekend.
Ian's messages were polite and respectful while Finley's were decidedly less so. His messages were more akin to orders.
Finley: [Hey Gorgeous... movies tomorrow? I'll pick you up]
Finley: [Why aren't you replying? Don't be such a...]
Finley: [You aren't with that loser, are you? Lily you can do better than that asshole...]
Some girls may find his bad boy attitude attractive, but Lily simply found it irritating. She moved her fingers to reply but then decided to turn off the phone.
Not tonight.
She couldn't deal with them tonight.
Lily opened one of the shelves below the counter and pulled out an unopened box of cereal. She just wanted a peaceful night curled up in her bed with a good book.
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