Sacrum - 8. Chapter 8: Eric Van Sant

8. ERIC VAN SANT

Fury fueled my steps as I stormed toward the headmistress' office. This had to end somehow. Maratoni was obviously unwilling to teach me and was thus putting the entire school at great risk. My gift was completely unmanageable, and I couldn’t live with myself if I accidentally hurt someone else.

I slammed my fist against the heavy oak door before it could be answered.

Trusting greeted me with a surprised but pleasant smile. "Dani, what a nice surprise."

“Hi,” I replied, suddenly getting nervous. She was a stunning woman, and her beauty seemed to leave me breathless almost every time.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked, making me remember my original mission.

“I just had an incident with Professor Maratoni and, well, he’s just completely unwilling to teach me. I don’t know what to do,” I blurted, steam practically rolling off my ears.

“Slow down. Tell me what happened,” she inquired.

“He came in with some man and I ended up accidentally... burning him,” I said. She raised her eyebrows.

“Okay. I will speak with Professor Maratoni about that. Perhaps he needs to teach you in a different setting.”

“That’s the whole problem. He’s not teaching me anything! I haven’t learned one thing since I’ve been here." I exploded. "How am I supposed to be ready when I turn 18, if nobody is willing to teach me? I think... I think he doesn’t want me to succeed." My voice trembled with a mix of anger and fear. Trusting's smile faltered, her face turning serious.

“Dani," she began, her voice firm, "that’s a big accusation. You can’t just throw words like that around. Professor Maratoni is dedicated to the success of each and every student at this school, just as I am. You must have faith in his methods, unconventional though they may seem.”

"Methods?" I scoffed. "He absolutely loathes me. And that woman that was here the other day. Someone needs to tell me what’s going on,” I demanded. Her gaze flickered with unease.

"What woman are you referring to?" she asked, a hint of a tremor in her voice.

“The woman from the American Protection League. I know she is looking into Vincent. How can you let them do that?” I spat, unable to contain my outrage.

Trusting's composure fractured for a moment. Her eyes darted nervously towards the door, a flicker of something akin to fear replacing her usual air of control.

“How do you know that, Dani?” she asked. When I met her gaze with defiant silence, she sighed, a sound laced with exasperation. “Look," she lowered her voice, "this is a wildly inappropriate conversation, but I can assure you that any student under this roof has my full protection. Any student at Baritone High School is safe. That includes Vincent."

Her voice hardened again. "However, we've discussed this before, Dani. I advised you that it would be best for you to stay away from him and anything to do with him. And I must insist that you obey my request. It’s imperative that people don’t see the two of you spending time together outside of classes.”

I bristled. “You can’t tell me who I can and can’t be friends with, that’s ridiculous,” I was getting bold, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I figured she’d get angry and start yelling at me like Maratoni. Instead, a deeper furrow etched itself between her brows, a worry I couldn't quite decipher clouding her eyes.

“Dani,” Trusting said, her voice barely a whisper as if worried somebody was listening. I could feel her fear from across the desk.

“Things are different for all of us now that Vinicius is gone. But especially for you. I’m telling you this as someone who cares about you. You’re not just a regular student. It’s November now, but at the end of June, you will become, for lack of a better word, State property. The last thing they want is their prodigy getting chummy with a Carandini. Don't you get it?"

I didn’t, not even a little bit. “But, if they want to avoid another monarchy, surely me becoming friends with him would be more helpful than me alienating him, right?” Trusting sighed.

“That’s not how they will see it, Dani. To the current powers that be, Vincent is... permanently stained. In their minds, he threatens the very idea of democracy with his very existence.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Surely they can’t think democracy is that fickle,” I replied more sarcastically than intended.

Trusting's face contorted with a plea. “They’re not worried about him being on our side, Dani. They're terrified of you joining him,” she whispered with a note of hysteria in her voice, and I sat in stunned silence. Trusting jumped up at the sudden ring of the telephone. “Please, think about my words. For your own safety. Now go,” she motioned. She snatched the receiver, her knuckles white as she pressed it to her ear.

I would have disregarded Trusting’s warning, but unfortunately Vincent was still nowhere to be found, so I made my way to Angelo’s room, where I also found Laura and Kyle.

Ignoring their surprised greetings, I launched into a tirade, spewing every detail of my disastrous encounter with Maratoni and Trusting.

My rant concluded, a tense silence smothered the room. Laura, her face etched with a grim determination unseen before, stalked over to the door and slammed it shut as if she was worried someone would barge in. The metallic click echoed in the sudden stillness. Angelo and Kyle exchanged a worried glance, but neither dared to speak.

“First of all, are you okay Dani, did the fire hurt you in any way?” Laura asked. She took my hand, her eyes scanning for any sign of injury.

“I’m fine. I just felt a bit faint, but it didn’t hurt me. Not the way it did him, at least,” I replied.

“It’s very worrisome that Maratoni hasn’t even started to teach you how to control it yet. I mean, what the hell is he waiting for?” She asked, speaking more to herself than to us. Her voice hitched, the facade of calmness crumbling. “What did you say the guy’s name was? The one you burned?”

"Ekhart," I muttered, the memory still raw. "Maratoni called him Ekhart."

“Ekhart as in Lawrence Ekhart?” Angelo asked. Laura's gasp echoed in the small room. Kyle just shook his head.

“What?”

“Did he have an annoying skinny mustache on his face?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Oh no, Dani,” Laura uttered.

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?”

“Remember," Laura began, her voice a low tremor, "when we discussed the Carandini loyalists, those aristocratic families that could still potentially harbor support for them?” I nodded curtly. “Lawrence Ekhart," she hissed, her words dripping with dread, "is one of them.”

A storm of emotions – anger, frustration, and a cold, creeping fear – washed over me. "Great," I snarled, the word laced with bitter sarcasm. "Just what I need. More complications."

“Something is beyond wrong, Dani,” Laura said. A welcome flicker of validation warmed me – at least someone believed my story. “I don’t like it one bit. And for Trusting to call you property of the State... that’s just, well it’s repulsive,” she said, and I had never seen her so angry. “You are your own being, not some robot to carry out State orders."

Her voice trembled, a dangerous edge replacing her usual calm. "Vinicius wouldn't have tolerated this for a second." A hollow ache settled in my stomach. With him gone, every day felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of vipers. Every corner held a new threat.

After a while we all trudged back to our rooms. I tossed and turned in bed, trying to figure out what Vinicius would have wanted me to do in this situation. Continue on in silence and see if Maratoni would teach me anything? Keep harassing the headmistress until she came up with a satisfactory solution? Find some other outside source of help? But who?

My mind raced, sifting through memories of my old school, trying to think of anyone who might have some answers. And then I remembered a name. Eric Van Sant—an old friend of Vinicius who would sometimes pop in during our lessons. If I could only find a way to reach him, maybe he could offer some word of advice. Feeling mentally tired from the day and from only drinking half of my daily blood cocktail, I fell asleep.

In my dream, I was once again on the edge of the forest watching the school burn with Vincent looking at me, his eyes glowing red. This time, he spoke.

"The time for neutrality is over, beautiful one," his voice dripped with a seductive venom. "Pick your side."

A fierce defiance surged within me. “God is my judge,” I heard myself reply. My voice sounded older and more mature.

“All vampires go to hell, Dani,” he replied with an amused smile. This time, I smiled back.

“Not if they’re reborn,” I said, and suddenly his smile vanished. There was a shift in his eyes. A new emotion. Was it... fear? I couldn’t tell because I woke up at that exact moment. I grabbed a notebook and started writing down everything I could remember from the dream. Somehow the information seemed significant.

Were my dreams just fragments of an over stressed mind going haywire, or were they trying to tell me something? One thing was certain: they foreshadowed a grim future for me and Vincent. A knot of dread tightened in my gut. I packed my backpack and left for classes. I had to find him and speak to him. But once again, he was nowhere to be found.

During lunch time, I went to the library to try to figure out how I could possibly get in touch with Eric Van Sant. I logged into one of the computers and began my search by typing in his name, but unfortunately none of the faces that popped up were a match.

With a shaky hand, I decided to change my strategy and search for Vinicius instead. It was a search I'd been avoiding, the emotional cost too high. Reading about his suicide would be another agonizing blow. But now, I had no choice. Eric was the lifeline I desperately needed, and the only way to find him might be through Vincent.

The blaring headline mocked me. “Vinicius Valentini, The Brilliant Scientist And Visionary Behind The Specials Program, Dies In Apparent Suicide,” the first one read. I clicked on the article, the words blurring before my eyes.

“The vampire behind countless innovations that helped enrich the world is gone. Although there was no history of depression that anyone close to Valentini was aware of, State officials report that he simply stopped taking Block D—the vitamin compound he invented himself, which allows vampires to withstand sunlight exposure for prolonged periods of time—and walked out into the morning sun. 'Vinicius was one the greatest, if not the greatest, innovators of our time – he changed our world forever,’ said Chief Counsel Gold, who has now been named as the new leader of the Specials program.”

I clicked out of the article. I couldn’t read any more, it was too painful.

I typed in Eric’s name next to Vinicius’, hoping to finally get a hit. I scrolled through pictures until I finally saw his familiar face. It was from some sort of work function. The picture took me to a website, where I learned that Eric Van Sant was also a scientist, and had assisted Vinicius with the Specials program.

Buried beneath a mountain of sterile text, a lifeline – a mailing address. Hope, a fragile ember, flickered in my chest.

I scribbled the address in my notebook. My fingers flew across the keyboard, composing a message laced with urgency and despair. This was my only shot.

“Dear Mr. Van Sant,

You probably don’t remember me, but I remember you as a good friend to my mentor, Vinicius. I was hoping we could speak. I have some questions I’d like to ask you. Please let me know how I can reach you.

Attached is my school mailing address. I hope to hear from you soon.”

I quickly printed out the note, purchased stamps from the vending machine, and put the envelope into the campus mailbox, hoping for a quick reply.

When I got back to my room, I was relieved to find Vincent on my bed.

“Where have you been?” I asked, closing the door behind me.

“Long story,” he replied, getting up to greet me. His lips curved into a infuriatingly charming smile.

“I missed you,” I said, before I could stop myself. He smiled, brushing his fingers against my cheek.

I wanted to stay like that forever, gazing into his brown eyes, but I had to tell him about everything that happened in his absence, starting with the threats Arani Deadnus made while speaking with Headmistress Trusting, and ending with me burning Ekhart in front of Maratoni, and the strange conversation I had with Trusting after. I left out the part about my dream, as it didn’t seem necessary to burden him with my imagination. I also decided to leave out the part about my search for Eric Van Sant. He listened to me patiently.

“Basically," I concluded, my voice hoarse, "you’re in danger."

He finally reacted, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eyes. “Really, from who?” He chuckled. I didn’t find the situation funny.

“This is serious Vincent. The American Protection League is watching you.” His face revealed no surprise or shock.

He squeezed my hand. “You don’t have to worry about me Dani,” he murmured. "But thank you for letting me know.”

“You... knew that already,” I stated, suddenly realizing that I wasn’t telling Vincent any new information. He offered a curt nod.

“They’ve been watching me for a very long time. It’s nothing to be concerned about.” His voice was flat, devoid of the usual amusement.

“But you didn’t hear the way she sounded. She was... cold and mean Vincent.”

A humorless scoff escaped his lips. “Trust me, Arani is much less scary than she looks and sounds. It’s all for show. The State is desperate to appear tough and in control. In reality, they are neither,” he mused.

My unease deepened. “I don’t know, Trusting seemed actually scared. And what about her saying I have to stay away from you? What if somebody tells on us?” Vincent's gaze turned calculating.

“You’re free to do as you wish. If you’ll feel safer away from me, I can’t stop you,” he said.

“I don’t want to be away from you,” I replied truthfully, and the corners of his mouth raised in a smile.

“Then there’s your answer.”

“What about Ekhart... do you know him?” I asked, worried that Vincent would provide me with no answers.

A flicker of something crossed his face. “Vaguely,” he replied, and I could tell he was holding back.

Frustration bubbled up. “He’s an odious man,” I stated, wanting to see his reaction.

“He’ll pay for what he did to you. Don’t worry,” he simply replied. I didn’t understand what he meant.

“I don’t even know what happened. Suddenly, his hand was burnt. Luciana, Altieri’s Special, already has the power to incinerate. So Maratoni is right, my gift is completely useless. Not only that, I still haven’t a clue on how to control it,” I grumbled. Suddenly Vincent closed the space between us and planted a long and deep kiss on my mouth, making my head woozy.

“What was that for?” I asked.

His only response was a sharp nod towards my desk. There, where my once-ordinary cactus sat, bloomed a single, vibrant pink flower. My gaze snapped back to Vincent, a spark of curiosity igniting in my chest.

“Your power isn’t to incinerate. Right now, you're nothing more than a wild conduit, Dani. You take in energy, and you process it in a physical way,” he explained, making me feel slightly insulted. “Once you have total control over your gift, you will be able to transform energy in any way you want, whether it’s positive or negative.” I tried to catch up with this new information, but still didn’t fully understand.

“So you’re saying because the Ekhart guy had such a dark aura, I ended up processing his energy and burning him? But because I like kissing you, I can… make a cactus bloom?” My gift still seemed like a useless enigma to me. Vincent smiled.

“Yes, you can think of it like that, for now.”

“Why are you telling me all this? Technically, if I ever learn how to control this, it'd be primarily to use against you or your backers." Vincent seemed to wince.

"You overlook a crucial detail, Dani. You're not a machine. No one dictates your choices. This gift is yours to wield as you see fit."

"The State might have a say," I countered. Misusing this talent wouldn't exactly endear me to Deadnus.

Vincent's expression turned grave. “For now,” he said simply. Before I could ask what he meant, his lips found their way back to mine, and I was lost in the trance of a dreamy kiss from my favorite enemy.