CIERA [POV]
“Daughter, the uniform looks so good on you! It really suits you,” Mama said happily as she helped me fix my uniform inside my room.
So this is really the Spencer Academy uniform?? Yes, it looks beautiful… but the skirt is way too short. >___<
“But Mama, the skirt is way too short,” I complained. Though at least I was wearing stockings—long ones that reached up, and they were black.
Suddenly, someone knocked and opened the door. It was Papa.
“Ciera, daughter, Sir Stephen is already waiting outside,” Papa said.
“Alright, we’re almost done,” Mama replied.
“Daughter, be careful,” Mama said to me seriously.
---
Stephen and I sat next to each other in the backseat of their car. Yes, he was stunning. His aura felt different, almost otherworldly. But when you look directly into his eyes, they’re cold.
He noticed me staring—omo! >_<
“Ahhh… ehh…” I didn’t know what to say. His eyes were sharp again.
“Stupid.” That’s all he said. But wait—did I hear that right? Stupid? He called me stupid??
“M-me? Stupid??” I asked in disbelief.
“Who else would it be? Behave. We’re already here,” he replied, making me immediately glance out the window.
Wow. Their school was beautiful—but strangely, it seemed completely covered. I couldn’t see a single ray of sunlight, only artificial lights.
Stephen was the first to step out of the car. Ahem. Not a gentleman at all.
“Hurry up. Don’t fall behind. Follow me,” he ordered as he glanced at me.
“Ah… o-okay!” I quickly stepped out of the car.
As expected from its name, Spencer Academy was for the elite. The moment we entered, all the students stared at us. But wow… they were all so stunning—beautiful faces, sharp features. It felt like I was surrounded by angels.
“I feel something different about her.”
“Me too.”
I overheard some students whispering.
Different? Me? Well, yeah. Obviously, I’m not rich. Haisstt. Why are rich people always so judgmental?
“Ciera, are you still wearing the pendant?” Stephen suddenly asked me.
“Y-yes, I’m still wearing it,” I replied.
“Hi, Stephen.”
We both stopped when a girl approached him.
“What do you want?” Stephen replied, his face expressionless—no emotion except for those piercing eyes.
“Ah… w-well, nothing. Good morning,” the girl said nervously.
He ignored her and continued walking. Wow. All that coldness, just for a simple good morning?
“Uh… Stephen, where’s my classroom?” I asked, tugging at his sleeve.
He stopped and turned to look at me. Gosh, why does he look so scary?
“Oy, Stephen! Our beloved student council president, you’re here!” someone suddenly called out. A boy. And wow, he was handsome. 0///0
“What is it again, Matthew? And by the way, are all the paperwork done?” Stephen asked. Matthew—that must be his name.
“Yep. Of course. And who’s this?” Matthew looked at me.
“Is this the one Mrs. Maiven mentioned? The transfer student?” he added.
“Yes,” Stephen answered curtly.
“Well, nice to meet you, Ms. Transferee. I’m Matthew,” he said, taking my hand. I was shocked when he kissed it.
He froze for a few seconds, staring at me. “You’re… something… unexplainable,” he murmured.
What on earth are they saying again? Do they really sense I’m poor, even here? ToT
Suddenly, Stephen grabbed the hand Matthew was holding. “Excuse us,” he said firmly, pulling me away.
“W-wait, Stephen, what’s going on??” I asked as he dragged me toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
“We’re going to the council first, before our classes,” was all he said.
We walked until we reached what he called the council room. He opened the door.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Good morning, Stephen.”
“Glad you made it, bro.”
His companions greeted him. And wow… they were all beautiful too. Is there really no one ugly here? Am I the only one?? =____=
“Ace, is the task I gave you finished?” Stephen asked a guy and walked to his cubicle. Yes, they each had their own cubicle—almost like mini offices.
But was it okay for him to just leave me standing here? I didn’t even know what to do.
A girl wearing glasses glanced at me.
“Stephen, is this the transferee they mentioned?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered while rummaging through his papers.
The girl with glasses walked over and held my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Miss. By the way, I’m Elle, the student council secretary,” she said with a smile.
I smiled back. “Ahh… I’m Ciera.”
“Yiee. We’re going to be friends, Ciera. And by the way, these are our council members. This is Ace, the auditor,” she said. Ace waved at me cheerfully.
“This is Nicole, our treasurer. And Ethan, our first PRO, and Vivien, our second PRO.” Elle continued. They were all friendly—smiling or waving as she introduced them.
“And of course, Matthew, our vice president. He left earlier. And lastly, Stephen, our student council president.”
“But don’t worry, Ciera. We’ll all be in the same room! You’ll be classmates with us in the student council,” Elle said cheerfully, still holding my hand.
So, there are kind people here in Spencer Academy.
“Uhmm… thank you, Elle. You’re actually my first friend here,” I told her sincerely.
“Stephen, we’ll go to the room first, okay? ^o^ I want to show her our class,” Elle said, pulling me out.
“You’ll really be amazed, Ciera, when you see our room,” she said with a smile, still clinging to my arm. But that was okay. At least I had a friend now, even though I was new.
“Hahaha, your school is really beautiful. I was speechless the moment I entered,” I said.
“Haha! Well, wait until you see our classroom.”
Finally, we arrived.
“Here we are.” She opened the door.
O
I was in awe. It was huge! They even had a lounge, a kitchen, and ten desks at the front with laptops.
“It’s like a house,” I said, practically drooling in amazement. ___
“Hahaha! Only 10 students are allowed in this class—the council officers plus three non-officers. And Mrs. Maiven said you’re a special transferee, so you’re included! Hoho~” ^____^ Elle explained.
“Waahhh.” I quickly ran to the back desk and sat there. ____ So cool!
“Hey! Don’t sit there—that’s Stephen’s seat. You know how he is—grumpy, like the world dropped on him. Better move before he gets mad,” Elle warned.
“Ah, really? Okay.” I pouted and moved to another seat, right in front of Stephen’s desk.
“In a bit, class will start,” Elle said. ^___^V
Suddenly, the door opened and two students entered—a boy and a girl.
“Oh, Luke and Yna, you’re here. This is Ciera, our new classmate,” Elle introduced me. I stood and smiled at them.
“Hmph.” The girl just rolled her eyes and sat down in front. So rude!
The boy ignored me too and took his seat—right in front of mine. Something must have happened between them.
“Haha! Don’t mind them, Ciera. That’s just how they are. They’re a couple,” Elle explained.
“Ahh…” No wonder. They were just moody.
Wow… even with all the snobs, I was still amazed by this school—especially this classroom. I was really lucky. O
---
Class started. We were all inside when I noticed Stephen staring out the window, as if watching emptiness.
“Class, I’m sorry I’m late. And by the way, has Ms. Ciera Sanchez arrived?” the teacher asked as he entered.
I immediately stood. “Yes, sir. That’s me.”
Silence. He seemed shocked when he saw me. What now, just because I’m poor?
“W-well, alright then. We will proceed to our discussion,” the teacher said.
---
“We’ll leave together later. I just need to handle something in the council room. If you want to wait there, go ahead. Just don’t wander around anywhere else,” Stephen told me as the others left the room—including Luke and Yna.
“Ah… okay. Sure,” I replied.
He left immediately, leaving me alone in the classroom.
Sigh. What am I supposed to do here if I don’t explore their school? Besides, I didn’t want to bother them in the council room. =.=
---
I didn’t know where my feet had taken me, but I ended up in some kind of storage room.
“What’s that?” I heard a sound inside.
Curious, I opened the door—and froze. Inside were containers filled with blood. And in the corner, I saw a student drinking from one of them.
He noticed me and turned. His eyes were blood-red, and he had fangs.
I stepped back in shock. My heart raced. Please, let this be just a dream.
“YOU!” He suddenly rushed toward me and grabbed my neck tightly. He was so strong—he even lifted me off the ground.
“L-let… g-go… of me!” I gasped, struggling to breathe. My pendant slipped off and fell to the floor.
His eyes blazed even more.
“You’re human! How did you get in here?” he demanded.
“W-wait!” I couldn’t breathe anymore.
Suddenly, he released me when someone punched him—Stephen.
Stephen grabbed the guy by the collar, his own eyes glowing red.
“Didn’t the school administration say the storage room is off limits?!” Stephen yelled at him.
I was still trembling, collapsing to the floor, drenched in sweat.
“S-sorry, Stephen!” the boy stammered.
“Get out. Before I kill you,” Stephen said coldly. The boy fled. Stephen’s eyes slowly returned to normal.
I couldn’t speak. I was confused. Who were they? What kind of beings were they? Monsters?
“Ciera,” Stephen called, reaching out his hand to me.
“W-who are you? What kind of creatures are you?” I asked, still sitting on the floor, hiding my face behind my hair.
He sighed.
“We’re not humans. We’re vampires. And this school… is a Vampire Academy.”