The Last Human (Vampires Rule # 1) (12 page)

Victor’s
pitiless cold gaze fastens to mine, and many unspoken emotions
swirl in the depths of the darkness of his pupils; hate, loathing,
desire for my blood. According to what Fruz tells me, just over a
century ago, a brutal fight took place between Lexus and Victor,
with Lexus dismantling and leaving Victor for dead. The story goes
that Victor had apparently begged for mercy, and after some
consideration, Lexus had granted it, sparing him.

I have my
own legacy with Victor. When I was first introduced to the Vampires
it was Victor who had voiced his protest in earnest. I still
remember his biting words:
‘He’s food, not
a toy!
’ Lexus had silenced him with a glare, before
announcing that whoever disagrees with his decision in adopting me
as his son should step forward and announce a challenge for the
leadership. No one did. Not even Victor. He had just looked on in
disgust and shook his head.

I stare back at
him, unflinching, feeling reassured with Elis’s and Maxwell’s
presence.

The ends of
Victor’s mouth quirk up in a sneer. “Such boldness,” he whispers,
more to himself than to me.

“
Is there
something in particular we can help you with?” Maxwell asks, his
voice cold and indifferent, and the tone surprises me. Victor is a
very powerful and influential Vampire in the city. I know many fear
him. But Artico Destroyers have their own power and influence, and
it seems they are not intimidated easily by another’s
reputation.

Victor slowly
rips his gaze away from mine and looks up at Maxwell. “Maxwell,” he
says. “How is your health old friend?”

Old friend?

I look between
them. Victor’s smirks, displaying his fangs. Maxwell’s face remains
neutral, his hard jaw relaxed.

“
I’m
fine,” Maxwell replies, those two words conveying contempt and
disgust.

Victor
chuckles, low and light, and runs his fingers through his
moustache. “Good to hear,” he says, though his tone suggests
otherwise.

Victor’s gaze
switches to Elis, “Elis.” He says it like it is a disgusting word,
an unspoken curse. Elis’s face remains unreadable, and he doesn’t
return the greeting. But again, I’m surprised at Victor’s tone and
Elis’s calm attitude in the face of an insult.

“
When
will Lexus bless us again with his presence?” Victor says with a
raised black eyebrow, his hooked nose seeming to appear more
predominant with the subtle movement. I must have displayed the
surprise on my face, because Victor’s eyes flick back to me, and a
smirk forms across his lips. “Do you know Jake?”

I deflect his
question by glancing away, like I have better things to do than
talk to him.

“
Jake has
school to attend if you don’t mind,” Maxwell says, raising his
voice an octave.

Several heads
turn in our direction, suddenly interested by the sharpness of
Maxwell’s tone.

“
Of
course,” Victor says, stretching the words out like an elastic
band. “Ah, here comes my son.”

I look on in
disgust as Davilon ambles towards us, a confident aura about him.
He pauses next to his father and gives me a look laced with
aversion, before turning to his father and saying, “Did you call me
father?”

“
Let’s
go.” Maxwell taps my arm and the three of us walk away from the
Lakeshore family. I hear Davilon laughing behind us as we enter the
school building.

“
Creeps,”
Maxwell mutters under his breath, closing the door behind him with
a thud, and almost breaking it in two as a crack appears through
the centre.

I’m surprised
at his attitude towards Victor, because Artico Guards and
Destroyers tend to be neutral on offering opinions on people. Even
so, it seems Maxwell and Victor have some sort of history behind
them, and judging by their interactions, it is definitely not a
friendly one.

“
You know
him?” I ask, as we head towards career class. An Artico Guard from
the border will be here to talk to us about pursuing a career as a
border Guard. Not that I can ever be one with my weak prowess, and
I have no interest either, but it is compulsory to
attend.

“
You
could say that,” Maxwell replies, his voice brisk and suggesting
the matter is not open for discussion. Something definitely has
happened between them, or, he could have a dislike for Victor
because of the past rift Victor harboured against Lexus.

Elis, who
hadn’t spoken at all, says, “Kruse will be delivering the
lecture.”

“
You mean
career?”

Elis nods, his
blue eyes laced with amusement. “He is an interesting
character.”

“
How?” I
ask, and stop at the door of the classroom. From what I have heard
and read, Kruse is a celebrated Artico Destroyer. He is commander
of the borders too and has a hell of a reputation. He is like a
celebrity amongst the common folk.

“
You’ll
see,” Elis says, gesturing me inside.

Half the class
is full as we enter. I slip into my seat at the back. Students
steal glances at me, and their eyes flicker to my hat. I pretend
nothing is amiss and try to relax. Elis and Maxwell take the usual
positions behind my chair, leaning against the wall.

The head
teacher - Mr Macmillan - is standing at front of the room. He is
wearing an ancient two piece suit and one of those old fashioned
button up shirts. The top of his bald head shines under the dim
lights littered across the ceiling. He stands motionless. The only
part of his body that is moving are his eyes, and the sharp and
brutal stare stops conversations around the room in their tracks,
and the whole class gradually falls into complete silence.

Other Vampires
saunter in and quickly glide to their seats when they see the head
teacher standing at the front. Fruz and Nathan enter together. I
ignore their stares as they slip into the chairs either side of me.
They will probably ask me about the other day. I play several
responses in my mind to the most likely questions they will table.
Nathan’s would be simple, while Fruz would want all the tiny
details.

“
As you
were informed, an Artico Guard was scheduled to arrive and deliver
a discourse regarding a profession as a border Guard.” Mr
Macmillan’s sharp dagger like voice has the class’s full attention.
“Unfortunately, the individual in question was unable to attend. So
in his place, Kruse, Artico Destroyer, War hero”- he says those two
words with utter reverence -“Commander of the border guards,
Lexus’s trusted inner Council member, will be assuming his place
instead.” He pauses just as the door opens, and a tall Vampire with
hazel eyes and long black hair flowing down to his elbows, enters,
ducking his head under the door frame as he does.

In two strides
he’s standing next to Mr Macmillan, who looks out of place beside
Kruse’s unnatural height. Kruse is at least seven foot tall, and
his head hovers just below the ceiling. He is wearing the Destroyer
uniform, and a small smile lightens his dark skinned face.

Mr Macmillan
nods to Kruse, before leaving the room at Vampire speed. He’s a
blur of clothes and flesh, and the door shuts softly behind
him.

“
Good
evening,” Kruse says. His voice is deep like Maxwell’s but has the
trace of a different foreign accent. “As Mr Macmillan mentioned, I
will be overseeing this lecture instead of my
colleague.”

Excitement
seems to bubble in the air due to this unexpected famous guest.
Fruz is eagerly listening, his cookie brown eyes fixed on Kruse.
Nathan is leaning on his desk, and his face displays eagerness.
Davilon is sitting with his small group of friends on the other
side of the room, looking Kruse up and down. Kruse has everyone’s
full attention, including mine, and I sit up straighter in my
chair, pushing my worries away for now.

Kruse waves one
long arm in my direction, and for a second I think he is waving at
me, but then he says, “Elis, Maxwell.” He nods at each of them in
turn, a respective gesture on his part. Vampires shift in their
chairs as they glance at Elis and Maxwell, and then back at
Kruse.

“
Very
kind of you to notice us,” Elis says. I look back to see his lips
pulling up in a half smirk.

Kruse sighs,
blowing out his round cheeks, and then looks around the class with
raised eyebrows. “Ignore them,” he says with a dismissive wave of
his hand. “They are just amateurs.” He smiles, wiggling his
eyebrows, and his hazel eyes sparkle with mischief.

The Vampires in
the class grin at one another, and turn back to see Elis’s and
Maxwell’s response. I find myself grinning too, and I twist in my
chair.

“
Says the
guy who has failed to win a duel against me in the last few
centuries,” Elis says with a grin.

There are
several ‘Oooh’s’ from the class as they join in on the light
hearted banter. I grin and shake my head, and turn my eyes back to
the front.

Kruse clears
his throat and flashes Elis an uneasy look. “Anyway,” he says,
clapping his hands together and turning his attention back to the
rest of us. “Let’s proceed with the main event.”

The class
listens in silence as Kruse explains the requirements for becoming
a border guard; perceptiveness, alertness, quick decision making,
rational thinking in dire situations. He goes on to describe that
it can be enjoyable at times, but you must always be prepared for
anything. He says they are looking for strong headed people, those
who can handle intense and difficult situations with ease and
calm.

“
Any
questions?” he asks, pausing the lecture. His alert hazel eyes scan
over the class.

A girl, several
rows in front of me, puts her hand up. I think her name is Tracey
or Samantha.

Kruse gestures
at her with his hand. “Name?”

“
Margaret,” the girl replies with a bright smile.

Kruse nods at
her.

“
I was
wondering, how do the border guards patrol during the day? Is it
true that they have shelters across the borders?”

Kruse licks his
lips and straightens to his full height. “Yes, you have been
informed correctly. They take turns patrolling during the day. But
as you can guess, there aren’t any threats during the light hours.
But you never know, and must always be prepared for the worse or
highly impossible scenario. The shelters provide them with an
undisturbed view of the surroundings, while at the same time
protecting them from the burning sun.”

Several of the
Vampires in the class whisper to each other. I look to the right,
just as Davilon raises his hand. Kruse points to him.

Davilon clears
his throat as if to get the class’s full attention. Once satisfied
that every-one is looking his way, he says, “I heard there was a
border breach, is that true?”

It is as if he
has pulled the trigger on a rocket launcher. All friendly amusement
slips from Kruse’s face like a light switch going off. “Not to my
knowledge,” he says, his voice is hard and tight.

Davilon shrugs,
his broad shoulders rising and falling. “Just a rumour I heard,” he
says.

Kruse ignores
him and turns back to the rest of us. “Any more questions?” he
says, though the tone he uses seems to convey that he has no
further interest in answering anymore.

Vampires around
the class exchange questioning glances. I try to act as if I’m in
deep thought and stare at the far wall, but Davilon’s words have
stumped me too. It is pretty obvious how he knows – Victor. I try
not to steal a glance at Elis and Maxwell, but I know they won’t be
happy about this new leak.

Kruse continues
the lecture, describing other qualities they need in border guards
and how the day actually plans out. He summarises the pay and
benefits that come with the position and the occasional bonus. He
stops, says it was a pleasure for him to come in and that he has
thoroughly enjoyed it. It is only then, that I, and the others
realize it is almost break time. The lesson has flown by.

The shrill of a
bell, finally does bring the lesson to a close. Kruse ambles behind
the front desk, immersed in his own thoughts. Students begin to
leave, some glide up to Kruse and ask for his autograph. He
scribbles it down and flashes them a bright smile.

I take my time
stuffing my books into my backpack and watch Davilon and his
cronies walk out laughing at some private joke. I realize Nathan
and Fruz are waiting for me. “I’ll catch up with you guys at
lunch,” I tell them. “I’ll fill you in on what happened then.”

Nathan nods,
and scratches one of his thick sideburns. “Good to know you’re
okay.” He places a strong hand on my shoulder and squeezes. He
casts an uneasy glance at Elis and Maxwell, before saying, “Come on
Fruz.”

Fruz gets up
too, a paper in his hand. His eyes flicker to Kruse as though he is
considering if he should get an autograph too, but he shakes his
head, thinking better of it. “Catch you later then,” he says,
turning to me. Both of them exit the class, leaving me, Elis,
Maxwell, and Kruse alone.

I get up with a sigh,
flinging my backpack over my shoulder. I notice Kruse’s lips
moving, but when I look at him, he is occupied with shuffling some
papers on the desk, leaving me thinking I imagined it. I glance at
Elis and Maxwell who walk up behind me with unreadable faces. They
must be concerned that Davilon knew about the border breach, but
worse of all, does Davilon and Victor know that Zack is a
human?