“You mean you haven’t noticedthe mark?” Daniel asked.
I shot him an incredulous look. “There’s no mark.”
Malik punched his arm. “No, but there’s an aura.”
I turned to Hannah, and she was still giggling, shaking her head. “Guys, stop. She’s completely new to this world. She knows next to nothing. We can’t laugh at her, or she’ll never ask us anything.”
Thank you, Hannah!
They composed themselves, and she continued. “There’s no outward sign or way to distinguish between the races.”
“Races isn’t a biological term,” Malik interrupted. “It’s been proven.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “I feel like I’m describing animals when I say species.”
Daniel growled and wagged his brows. “Some of us are.”
I chuckled, but she ignored him. “As I was saying, there’s no way to tell based just on appearance, but there are some general trends that can help.” She looked down the table and called out, “Hey, Savvy?”
A girl sitting in the group next to us looked our way. “Yeah?”
“Can you show us your ring?”
She scrunched her nose in confusion but lifted her hand in the air and waved it around before dropping it and turning back to her friends.
“Vampires have to wear amulets created by witches to be able to walk in the sun without getting seriously burned.” Hannah explained.
“Like to ashes?” I asked.
Daniel looked like he was fighting a laugh and shook his head. “No, like the worst sunburn ever.”
“So, they wear rings?” I tried to understand.
“Some have rings. Some have bracelets or necklaces. Just look for really old-looking jewelry,” Hannah said.
“Not always old,” Malik countered. “The really old or rich vampire families have plenty of amulets to pass down to each generation, but some don’t.”
“So, they’re stuck inside during the day?” That sounded awful.
“Unless they’re covered head to toe. The school has underground tunnels for the vampires who don’t have them, so they can get to their classes,” Daniel said, before taking another huge bite.
“Really?” I wasn’t sure if that was another joke.
“Yeah, but usually by the end of their freshmen year, they’ve made friends with a witch who can create one for them,” Hannah added.
“So, we can make them?” Something so powerful sounded like it should be too hard for teenagers.
“Yup.” She picked up her last chicken tender. “We learn that pretty young since it’s one of the things that creates a balance in our world.”
I leaned my elbow on the table, food forgotten. “What does that mean?”
The three of them shared a look like they were deciding who would tell me. Malik blinked and seemed to have lost. “The threespeciesexist in a mutualistic relationship, each needing something from the other. It’s been that way since recorded time. It keeps any one species from overpowering the others. Nature’s justice.”
“That’s interesting, so vampires need witches for the sun amulets. How does the rest work?”
“Witches need vampires for their potions. A vampires’ venom, hair, fingernails, even their eyelashes make spells stronger,” Hannah explained, and I tried to hide my disgust.
Daniel and Malik laughed. I hadn’t pulled it off.