“Morgan?” he laughed out loud.
She eyed him weirdly. Now, she was really sure that most of the students in this school had gone totally bonkers. Did she say something funny? She was sure she hadn’t.
She couldn’t wait to get the hell out of this place.
“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said, with a frown.
“Try telling her that, lover boy.”
“Ask anyone,” he continued. “We used to date, but that’s all over, ancient history. I’m free to date anyone I please.”
“Listen,” she sighed, already having had enough of this, “I don’t wanna get involved in any crazy love triangle with you and your psycho ex. I couldn’t care less about either of you.”
“Oh, come on,” he winked. “What’s not to like here?”
He flexed his muscles, raising his eyebrows as he did so. It was like a cartoon caricature and she almost burst out laughing at him but she was taught better than that.
“Exactly that,” she nodded, rolling her eyes at him. “I gotta go.”
She rushed down the hallway, Raphael already gone out of her mind. She was eager to go to back to her room and get some writing done.
Chapter 9
Mina was sitting at her desk. The blinds weren’t drawn yet and she could see that it was slowly getting dark. The light was disappearing, slowly dying out, as lamp lights took over. She was still weighing whether or not she’d go to the library, which was open until midnight anyway, allowing students a place of peace and quiet for studying or just casual reading. Mina had a few assignments to finish, as they were all due in the next two weeks. However, at the same time, she knew she had to do her own research.
Right now, she felt like there were too many distractions. She kept meeting new people, new faces, who prevented her from focusing on what mattered the most: researching the resources she had here on campus, so she knew what she could rely on if the meeting with Dante went wrong. What bothered her the most, was the fact that she had no idea what to expect of it. She didn’t know if he knew who she was. Of course, he had probably heard of Mina Peyton, but she was here under a pseudonym. Also, she had slightly changed her physical appearance. She’d cut her hair and died it black, which was a big change from her blonde curls but apart from that, there was little else she could do or change. She couldn’t change her height or body constitution. So, she knew that when the time came, she had to be prepared for the worst.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Mina turned to it, then shouted.
“Come in, it’s open!”
Reeba pushed the door open, grinned at Mina, then entered. She approached the desk and offered her what appeared to be a plain white envelope.
“Here.”
“What’s this?” Mina asked, accepting it.
She turned it over in her hands, then back again. There was nothing on it. No name, no sender, no recipient. It was just a regular white envelope, like any other, with no indication that it was meant for Mina.
“I don’t know,” Reeba shrugged her shoulders. “It was on the floor in front of your door. I’m assuming it’s for you.”
“Maybe someone dropped it,” Mina wondered.
“Right in front of your door?” Reeba asked. “It was almost pushed underneath. To me, it looked like someone placed it there carefully.”
Without answering, Mina tore it open. At least this way, they could see who it was addressed to and if it wasn’t for her, she could just give it to the rightful owner who might have lost it. She extracted a folded piece of paper.
Be careful. T
hey’re watching.
Mina read it again. Was it a threat? A warning? A friendly piece of advice?
“What is it?” Reeba inquired.
Mina thought about it for a second. She wasn’t sure if she should show it to her. After all, Mina was a slayer in a place packed with vampires. None of these people could ever be her friends, fighting on the same side. Or could they?
Her fingers started to shake. Her mind was racing. This was the determining moment which would either make Reeba her friend or it would forever seal their relationship as that of mere acquaintances or even enemies. Reeba would probably take it personally if Mina chose not to share the contents of the letter.