Canaan Club - 11. Chapter 11

It was another half-hour later when the commencement finally ended, and people were back out in the front parking lot as friends and family wished their children goodbye and good luck. There were tearful and bittersweet farewells all around.

Luckily, Beau and Toby weren’t that dramatic.

“I’m sure you guys don’t need me to say it, but you guys will do just fine here,” Beau said as they, along with Joe, reached the Alicorn.

Rafe rolled his eyes, smirking at him. “Don’t jinx it, old man.”

Beau reached over and ruffled his hair. “That’s more of your thing, imp. Keep an eye on this one for me, cherub.”

Andre saluted with an amused grin as he watched the blond swat at the lycan. “That’s my job.”

“How about a hug?” Toby came over and enveloped the two boys in his arms without giving them a second, crushing them both to him. “I feel like a mom dropping her babies off at preschool. You, too, Joe. Bring it in.”

Joe blinked in surprise before shrugging and inserting himself into the group hug. Beau was last to join, his large frame and long arms covering all of them like a bird wrapping its wings over its hatchlings. Rafe thought he would squirm in discomfort, especially with an audience around them. However, the fact that the two people who felt like parents to him were now heading out into a world where the Coat could catch them at any moment made him want to clutch tighter and never let them go.

“You guys will be alright?” Rafe muttered to Toby when they separated.

Toby just placed a hand on top of his head and smiled, warm and reassuring. “We’ve handled it once before, and we’ll handle it again. Don’t worry about a thing but those grades.”

Rafe swallowed on a nod. He hated crying with a passion, but there were times when he came close – after he left the Coat, to be specific.

Right now, this was one of those towns.

He resisted the urge to say something. To grab them and keep them from leaving. Threaten them to stay. To destroy the ship.

But he just stood there and watched as they climbed aboard. Hot air billowed in his face as the ship hovered higher into the sky.

“Bye!” Andre waved cheerfully.

All too soon, they were gone. And Rafe only looked away when the Alicorn became a speck in the blue, morning sky.

“Looks like we’re on our own now, bros,” Joe tapped their shoulders in solidarity.

Come on, Rafe! Don’t lose that bone in your back now. You knew this was coming, the Hermes superhuman berated himself. He couldn’t rely on them forever.

“Hey, look,” Andre hissed, snapping Rafe out of his brooding. “It’s that boy from the diner, Rafe. Bones, right?”

Their sights went to where the omé indicated with his head to find a familiar noirette first-year in his white shirt, jeans, and sandals marching across from them and toward the direction of the Adam Society, where the first three years’ dorms were located. Bones avoided the crowds of people as he weaved through them, keeping what seemed to be an ever-present scowl on his face even as he ignored his surroundings.

“Yeah?” Rafe scoffed. “Little ungrateful ass. What about him?”

You’ve met him?” asked Joe. “Is he cool?”

“Yeah and no. Remember that big fight we told you about? Asshole nearly got clobbered in the mix of it before Dre snatched him out of the way. But all he whined about was fucking whiplash.”

“What’s that in his hands?” Andre pointed out, still watching him it kind of irked Rafe a bit.

“Who cares? He’s probably just some creep. I need to take a nap before I go anywhere else.”

Rafe then started toward the dorms without looking back. Andre and Joe were on his heels.

“Same,” the Ares superhuman grinned. “Say, wanna go exploring after, bro? It’s always fun after dark. Like ghost-hunting inside a haunted asylum.”

Rafe’s lips quirked. “I know you’re making a joke, but honestly, I think we just might find one. These buildings are huge. Remind me to find a gym.”

“Hopefully, there’s no curfew,” the omé gently elbowed his blond friend. “Not that you’d follow it anyway.”

He had to let out a huff of laughter at that one. “Nope.”

-POI-

The first-year dorm was in the centermost villa, and by coincidence, Rafe and Andre’s room was across from Joe and his roommate, who has yet to show up, on the second floor. Someone named Daeran. However, as they went to turn a corner, they stopped short when Andre suddenly froze, grimacing with his ears twitching and nose curling in the air like breathing in a bad smell. Rafe was about to ask what was up when noise – low chuckling and trembling whimpers – emitted from the open door beside them, recognizing it as their floor’s common room.

“The hell is going on in here?” the blond murmured as he peered in.

The common room was quite a spacious area, several sofas positioned to make a circle in the middle with tables and chairs in and around them. And in one of the corners was a kitchenette and a custodial closet. The walls were littered with motivational posters after motivational posters promoting high grade-point averages and signing up for sports, especially the combat team.

Though, it wasn’t what the conversation they were hearing was about. Four tall, striking beings in formal apparel encircled five smaller, more frightened individuals, either sprawled nonchalantly upon a sofa or intimidatingly orbiting the anxiety-ridden group, odd-colored, glowing eyes perusing each one hungrily.

“You sure you want these fangs?” a muscular guy with a blond fohawk grinned a shark’s smile down at a pale, blue-skinned girl. “It’ll hurt a fuck-load your first time.”

“Oh, yeah! All that blood…” the black, blue-eyed female with pigtails shivered in delight as if already tasting the fluid on her tongue.

“Let me guess,” Rafe whispered to Andre. “Vampires.”

“Yup,” the omé swiped at his ears.

As nice as he was, the unnerving feeling of hearing no heartbeat never sat well with him.

“And I think those are either first or second-years,” Joe mentioned.

The third, male vampire was licking at the neck of a bushy-eyebrowed, the swipes of his snake-like tongue causing his prey to quiver in place. A… keen quiver. “This one tastes like apples. You sure do like your vitamin C’s, don’t you? I have a lot more vitamin C where that came from.”

The fourth one shuddered so violently, the sofa he sat on shook with him. “Ooh! Let me get first bite, Deyja. I won’t go too deep this time.”

Some ways away from the sofa circle, sitting on top of a table near the kitchenette, sat a picturesque lady. Her pitch-black hair traveled down her colorless skin and elegant uniform in waves, reaching the small of her back. Gleaming, red-orange orbs observed the scene before her with icy impassiveness.

“Your simping isn’t gonna work this time, jackass,” the other girl vampire shook her head, then walked up to a short, sharp-eared male. “Besides, speaking of simps, I’ve already chosen my new blood bag for the year. Name and race, darling.”

“U-Uh… Hagas,” his eyes kept to her feet as he stammered. “H-Hagas Grel, ma’am. I’m an elf.”

“An elf, you say? I’ve never had elf blood before.”

“Well, I can be… pretty sweet,” he let out a shaky laugh, but immediately blanched, realizing the implications of his statement. “I-I mean, not that I’ve eaten my own s-species before! I-I’m not a cannibal… or a z-zombie or anything-”

“He’s a motormouth,” the blond vampire rolled his eyes.

“But he’s lucky he’s cute,” the black one smirked, leaning closer toward the eld. “I dunno, but the shy, nervous wrecks with the occasional backbone always do it for me.”

The fourth vampire nodded in agreement. “I get it. It’s always fun when they have the nerve to scream.”

“Should… should we be doing something?” Joe asked unsurely.

Andre shrugged. “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. It’s just the feeding process for vampires. There’s fear, but it’s almost like an excited kind of fear. I don’t think anyone’s being forced.”

The two superhumans took a second look. Indeed, the non-vampires seemed afraid, but there was a certain spark of anticipation in being at the mercy of such dangerous creatures. Rafe shook his head, wondering if this place could get any weirder.

“Blood is all the food they need. And it helps to stay looking young.”

“For a mutt, you sure know your facts. I’m impressed.”

The trio’s attention snapped over to the fifth person in the group of bloodsuckers, tensing as she seamlessly hopped down from her spot on the table and casually strolled over to them, widened, awed eyes of the first and second-years now solely on her.

“Oh,” Andre scratched his head awkwardly. “Uh, thanks.”

“I didn’t think they’d even bother to teach any of you the basics.”

“Graybite does like to keep up to date with their potential enemies. Not saying that we have to be or anything.”

“You don’t say?” Deyja smirked.

Rafe took a second to make sure he was a shoulder in front of Andre. He wasn’t one to be fooled so easily. This Deyja Permelia might be beautiful and seemingly innocent, but those red-orange eyes told a different story.

“They here to join the party, Dey?” the fohawk bloodsucker scrutinized the trio.

“No,” Rafe was quick to answer for them. “We’re just passing by.”

The fourth vampire sauntered over and examined each of them as well, his attention lingering on the blond superhuman. “Young, supple, and brimming with hot energy. Maybe I can have this one.”

“Not for sale, leech!” Rafe snapped. “Back off!”

The undead male just giggled wickedly and stepped closer. “Brave one, too. But they all break in the end. Just one-”

“Caid. Away.”

The order made everyone stop cold momentarily before “Caid” spun around and began to complain.

“Oh, come on-”

Deyja’s black lips twisted up into a playful smile, but her voice was laced in so much frost the three boys felt chills crawl up their spines. “Don’t make me repeat myself. Or it’s the prism for you.”

For a split second, Caid’ eyes flashed with fear, but he instantly covered it up with a sad pout before stomping away like a child. Deyja watched him until he sat back down on the sofa before returning to the three, giving them an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that. We’re a bit hungry right now, and there’s so much new blood to choose from. And this year…” she gave Joe a once-over and grinned, “is looking a bit promising.”

Joe’s cheeks went pink, but he chuckled and flexed a lean, muscular arm. “I do love my vegetables. Keeps the blood flow going.”

“And that’s what I like to hear. My name is Deyja Permelia. Neonate-going-on-ancillae vampire, princess of the Permelia Family, and esteemed member of the Abellon Club. Also, a ninth-year.”

“Hey,” Andre extended his hand. “My name’s-”

“Hold up!” Deyja stopped him. “Don’t tell me. Let me guess. I love guessing games. I swear, I’m good at them but be free to punish me if I’m wrong.”

She peered closely at the omé, her fingers under her chin. “Andre. An omega wolf from the Graybite Tribe.”

Said wolf blinked in utter shock, but the vampire was already on Joe before he could question her.

“Joe Sloane. An Ares superhuman belonging to a family of blacksmiths. Hence the nickname.”

The black-haired teen gaped but nodded, confirming her completely accurate assessment. When she settled on Rafe, the latter glared heatedly back, daring her to figure him out.

“And last but not least,” she tilted her head. “Raphael Gold. A Hermes superhuman from the infamous Coat of Wolframite Corporation and should-be heir to the Gold family throne.”

She almost sounded confused. As if wondering why anyone would give up the seat to a multi-trillion-dollar company for coming here.

“How do you know all that?” Rafe narrowed his eyes all the more.

Deyja just gave him a sly grin and tapped her head. “Never underestimate a woman’s intuition.”

“Bullshit!”

“My, my! The temper on this one!” she sniggered lowly. “I usually don’t go for first-years seeing as how you’re still children. But, in a few years’ time, you’ll be ripe for the picking, snagging the eyes of ladies and gentlemen alike, and I definitely don’t want to be the last in line in case you do change your mind.”

While Andre and Joe couldn’t be anymore perplexed, Rafe seethed in disgust.

“You’re offering some kind of contract to… what? Be your blood bags when we get older?”

Deyja shrugged. “Essentially, yes. I don’t exactly have a preference. Wolf blood is still blood to me.”

Behind her, the group of wannabe-blood dolls shot envious looks at the trio. They were morons to go along with this. There was no such thing as a good deal. When they discovered that there was a catch, it was going to bite them hard in the ass.

It’s just the way the world worked.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a no from me,” Rafe gave her and her league of leeches a dirty look. “I’m not looking to be snacked on anytime soon.”

Joe hesitated for an instant before shaking his head. “I got to agree. I’m not one for being anybody else’s lunch right now or ever.”

Andre nodded his declination.

Deyja didn’t seem to be offended in the least, like she was only offering them seats at her table. “Are you positive? I know what they told you at the assembly. That Ironward is a safe space for learning and diversity, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Fresh meat like you might need all the protection you can get. You see, here at the academy, the students like to form gangs, and we all own a piece of land on this island. If you set foot on the wrong territory without their say-so, well…”

“Are you being serious?” Andre asked, earning Rafe’s glare next.

“Of course not. She’s just making it up to convince us so she and her band of ticks can maul us later. I bet you weren’t even expecting us to ask the rules of whatever bullshit contract you were brewing up. Either that, or you’d lie about it. What are you really after?”

While that got a few angry hisses in the background, the ninth-year vampire just shook her head, her eyes closed and her smirk small but devious. “I just do love a hardheaded man, but that often makes them blind. Poor Andre and Joe will be led astray, Raphael.”

“It’s Rafe, lady,” the blond superhuman snarled, “and I think we’re done here.”

“Does he decide for you two?” she reached over and dragged a sharp, ruby nail leisurely down Joe’s arm, making his face go crimson.

The sight made Rafe sick to his stomach.

“Sorry, but no thank you,” Andre responded politely.

“No thank you indeed,” Rafe grabbed Andre’s arm and nodded once at Joe. “Let’s go, guys.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Deyja was still smirking, still smug. If she thought any of them were going to come crawling back to her, then she was sorely mistaken. He’ll deal with the brutes and crooks in this place without his limbs if he had to.

Right before they exited, the big, fohawk vampire dove in for his chosen girl’s neck, resulting in a loud moan. Andre and Joe flushes while Rafe shook his head in revulsion.

“You sure we didn’t upset her or anything?” Andre muttered.

You mean if I didn’t upset her, Rafe wanted to spit but swallowed the retort down. “Don’t care. I don’t fuck with predators.”