“My parents are probably dead,” I say quietly.
All of my life, I assumed my parents didn’t want me. Never did I think they had given me up because they died.
“I’m sorry.” Jude offers me a sympathetic look. “I know this is a lot to take in, and I wish I could say it’ll get easier, but for a while, things might be intense. Hopefully, though, once you’ve learned more about this realm, this school, and what it means to be a monster, things will get better. I also think it’ll help once we start looking into your background. Maybe then, you’ll be able to get some answers about where you come from.”
I nod, but my chest remains tight.
My parents are probably dead.
I really am alone.
Jude forces a smile onto his face. “On the bright side, though, you do get to live in one of our best dorm rooms in the academy.”
Before I ask why, he shoves the door open.
On the other side is an enormous room with a high peaked ceiling lit up by a chandelier woven of thorns. The walls are brick and covered in alcoves, and purple rug is spread across the floor. A velvet set of chairs is in the center of the room, and a flat-screen television is hanging on the farthest wall, which seems like the most out of place item this place.
So monsters watch television? Weird…
“Where
are the beds?” I wonder as I follow Jude into the room.
He points to various arched doorways. “There’s one in each of these, along with a kitchen and two bathrooms.”
“Oh.” I shake my head in astonishment. “Are all the dorm rooms this fancy?”
“Gods know.” He laughs. “Most of them look a lot like the Headmaster and Headmistress’s office.”
I step further into the room, taking it all in. “Why’s this one so fancy then?”
"Because this room belongs to the Death Triplets," Jude explains, a handheld device appearing in the palm of his hand. "They come from some of the wealthiest families, who donate a lot of money to the academy. And in return, they get all of this." He gives a gesture around the room as he glances at the screen of the handheld device.
“I guess that makes sense,” I say, confusion rising inside me. “But I thought you said this was my dorm room?”
He bobs his head up and down. “It is.”
Something dawns on me then.
Something that makes me very uneasy.
“Wait… Does that mean—”
“That you’ll have the pleasure of being our roommate.” The guy with blue hair and fangs that I saw earlier cuts me off as he ambles into the room.
Phoenix, I think his name is. And from what I’m guessing, a vampire.
Holy crap, this dude is a vampire.
Again, reality throat punches me like a little bitch.
I’m in a place where vampires and other monsters exist—where magic exists. And I’m part of this realm, a deadly, rare creature. After seventeen years of living a life where I always felt completely out of place and believing I was a freak, it finally makes sense. I felt that way because I wasn’t human. I wasn’t really just a freak.
And now…
Well, now I’m not sure what I am or where I fit in. Will other creatures accept me here if they don’t know what I really am?
I guess I’ll find out.