 
Welcome to Nightmare Academy: Nightmare Academy #1

By Anthony Avina

Welcome to Nightmare Academy (Nightmare Academy #1)

© 2016 Anthony Avina

All Rights Reserved

Published by Anthony Avina at Smashwords

Visit the author's <http://gunslingerpimp.wix.com/officialanthonyavina>

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents:

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Book Two Preview

Afterward

About the Author

One has to pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive. Friedrich Nietzsche

Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality. Emily Dickinson

Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves. Virginia Satir

Prologue: Death and Living...

It was a cold, rainy night when Francesca Lucas's life changed forever. The 18-year old girl was walking alone along the drenched streets of Rome. It was the year 1900, and when she looked around her, she found several people looking as hungry as she was. Men and women, young and old, it mattered not. The country was in massive debt, and the people of the great city of Rome were suffering because of it.

Francesca wandered the streets aimlessly, not knowing where she was going but knowing she needed food and warmth. The cold bit into her bones like a great white shark that bites into the side of a fisherman's boat. She'd been wandering the streets for weeks now, after her mother and father had been killed by thieves looking to steal her family's meager food supplies. She'd been orphaned and left alone, with not a soul to call a friend or family. She'd sat with her parents corpses cradled in her arms for hours, her body wracked with great sobs as she mourned over her parents. They had been an unfortunate casualty of the poverty stricken country she lived in, and soon she had been turned into the beggars she'd always gone out of her way to help as a child.

Growing up, Francesca had been born into a moderately wealthy family. Her father had been the owner of an exporting business, having amassed a small fortune trading meats from local farmers to other parts of the world. However the collapse of the economy in Italy and the land of the farmers producing less product had forced her father's company to dwindle down, and the wealth she had enjoyed for years had disappeared as well. Francesca had grown accustomed to beautiful gowns, grand parties featuring her father's business partners, and business trips with her father, getting to see the world while traveling in style. Yet her father's losses had diminished their funds, and they had been surviving on the little savings they'd' had since Giovanni Giolitti had become the first Prime Minister of Italy.

With cold rain pelting her back and head, Francesca looked around and found a relatively dry alley, and darted inside. It was nearly midnight, and as she listened to the shivered cries of children and the angry yelling of parents desperate to find their kids food, Francesca walked down the darkening alley, her hunger and pain numbing her to the danger she was walking into.

After taking a few steps inside, a pair of strong hands wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her deeper into the alley as one of the hands wrapped around her mouth, muffling her scream. She thrashed about in the attacker's arms, kicking out at the air and trying to bite the hand of the stranger, but his skin was rock hard and she failed to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Shh, hush now darling," the man whispered, his hands squeezing her tightly. "I can sense your fear, but you need not fear any longer. The hunger and pain will subside shortly, beautiful one, for you see, I too am hungry, but you can provide me with much needed substance."

Francesca's eyes widened as she was turned around, and stared straight into a nightmarish face. A pair of striking red eyes pierced through her own emerald green ones, and long fangs grew out of the large man's face, liquid dripping off of the tips like a viper before it launches at its prey. He caressed her face like a child playing with a doll. The man's long black hair wrapped around her face as the creature leaned in, and before she could attempt to scream, it sunk its teeth into her neck.

She tried to struggle, but soon the pain subsided, and a kind of euphoria engulfed her in its warm embrace. The hunger and pain subsided, just as the man had said, and although a part of her knew she should be fighting, the pleasure coursing through her body fought the urge, and soon she found herself beginning to drift off into a dark slumber. She is nearly gone forever, but before she can fade away a bright glean of silver pierces the cold night air, and the creature drops her down onto the uneven cobblestone street, hissing and backing up and away from her.

Soon the pleasure is replaced with a burning pain, and she is brought back to the present. She held her neck, and cried out in agony as she turned to see a tall man with the purest silver hair and sun-kissed skin walk into the light of the alley, a bloodied sword in his hand and a long, ragged scar across his face. He looked down at her as he walked past, looking at her with cool, piercing eyes that seemed to be hiding a dark and saddened past. He looked at her, and then turned his attention back to her attacker, his look of concern replaced by cold calculation and determination.

"Abominio," the creature hissed, his native Italian tongue spatting at what he considered an "abomination".

"I told you I'd come, Lorenzo. This is the end," the man with the sword said calmly. The creature hissed, and in a show of bravado charged at the man. However, just as quickly as he appeared, the man lashed out in one swift motion, and soon the creatures head rolled along the cobblestone street, blood swirling around the body as it landed with a thud. Francesca looked up at the man, fear and curiosity crossing over her face. She wanted to run, to scream, but she had no strength left as the pain intensified, making her skin feel like it was burning from the inside out.

"Don't worry, I'll help you," the man said, leaning down over Francesca and picking her up in his arms. She couldn't understand what he was saying, but she didn't fight him as he picked her up and carried her away. Soon the pain subsided, and she drifted off into oblivion, noting her heartbeat slowing down to a crawl.

Sometime later, Francesca woke, and the world was brighter and more vibrant than she'd ever thought it could possibly be. She sat up quickly, and found she was in a bed somewhere in a cabin. Although the room appeared to her to be aglow, it was actually extremely dim, with only a couple of candles lighting the room. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and noted that she was wearing a white nightgown.

_What has happened?_ she asked herself, as she stood up and walked towards the curtain blocking a large window in the room.

"I wouldn't do that," a voice beckoned, and she whirled around to see the large man with silver hair, standing in the corner of the room, a small book in his hands. He closed the book and walked over to her.

"Who...who are you?"

"The name is Brad Davies, miss. I should have introduced myself before, but the venom had gotten ahold of you already and I had yet to brush up on my Italian. I hope you can understand me better now."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Davies. What am I doing here?"

"We're at a cabin outside of Rome's city limits. It's remote and quiet, which is what you need during your transition."

"My...what do you mean?"

"It's a complicated matter, miss...?"

"Francesca. My name is Francesca."

"OK then Francesca. That thing that attacked you back in the city, that was a...a vampire."

"A vampire? It can't be. The strigoi were a myth my parents told me about. They can't be real."

"I'm sorry to say it is. This world is a lot bigger than most people realize. That'll come later though. Right now the thing you need to know is that when it fed on you last night, it injected you with its venom. That venom got deep into your veins, and you died as a result. You've been dead for three days now, and when you woke up, you were reborn."

"I...died?"

"I know this is a lot to take in, but you must..."

Before he could continue, Francesca walked up to the curtain and pulled it apart, letting in a stream of bright sunlight. The second the light touched her skin, she felt a pain unlike anything she'd ever felt in her life. Her skin began to crackle and sizzle, sending smoke into the cabin. She screamed as she backed away from the patch of light streaming in from the window. She fell and crawled on her hands and knees into the darkest corner of the room, bloody tears streaming down her face and her body wracked with pain as her skin fizzed. Brad moved swiftly across the room, pulling the curtain back into place to cover the window and then kneeling in front of the frightened young girl.

"Francesca..." Brad began, unsure how to help her.

"I'm...I'm a monster," Francesca spouted, looking at her burnt arms and wiping a bloody tear from her cheeks.

"No Francesca, you are not a monster. You're a victim of an attack, and you survived. Now I'm going to help you recover and move on with your life. You may have died, but you can still live."

"I'm...I'm damned. My parents told me that the corrupt ones, the vampires of legend, they are damned souls, doomed to burn in the fires of hell. I'll never be able to join my parents now. I'm damned, and I will never see them again!" Francesca wept, covering her face with her burnt hands.

"Listen to me Francesca. There is so much in this world you don't know or understand yet, but there's nothing in human history or religion that can prepare you for the real world you are now a part of. There is great evil, and there is great good, but there are also shades of grey in the world, and not every vampire is evil. You are not damned to hell, and if you like, I can help you stay that way. I can help you harness this new life of yours, and use it for something great."

"What? What can being undead possibly do that's so great?" Francesca asked, looking up at the man before her with doubtful eyes.

"I can train you. I too have been touched by a vampire. In fact I've come into contact with the original vampire, the one who created the entire vampire race. I'm immortal, as are you, but the struggle you will face that I don't is a thirst unlike anything you've ever known. You are a true vampire, and as such you will crave blood. I can help you manage that craving, and teach you to use your new abilities to save lives. A great evil threatens to tear this world apart, and I can show you how to help fight this evil when the time comes. The choice is yours though Francesca. You have to want this. What do you say? Do you want to save the world?"

Francesca looked up, fear and hunger once more tearing into her body, but when she looked into this man's eyes, she saw something she hadn't known for quite a long time. For the first time, she saw hope. And so she looked up at Brad, and nodded in agreement, holding out her hand to him, and holding onto him. The orphan girl Francesca Lucas was dead, and in her place stood Francesca Lucas, vampire and soldier-in-training.

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Chapter 1: Orientation

The sun was setting along the horizon of the isolated stretch of Santa Monica beach when Francesca appeared. The wind whistled through her long flowing hair as she drove up the lonely stretch of highway, an old jazz station blaring a classic Frank Sinatra hit as she pulled off of the blacktop and onto the gravel road leading to the beach. Parking her Mercedes on the empty bluff overlooking the beach, she stepped to the bluff's edge and basked in the sunlight. A small surge of adrenaline rushed through her as she peered over the bluff, looking at the serpentine patterns in the sand below as she balanced gracefully on the edge. The year was 2008, and after 108 years of immortality, she enjoyed the feel of the warm sun on her pale skin. She'd learned long ago how to survive for a short period of time in the sunlight, and the longer she lived, the more time she could spend in daylight.

As the final touches of sun descended below the ocean's horizon, Francesca took off her sunglasses, and stared at the beach. Wearing a red t-shirt, jeans and a pair of converses, the woman shook out her long black hair, a red streak running down the right side of her dark locks. To most driving by this lonely stretch of highway, the beach was deserted, marked down as a private beach bought by some real estate mogul. However, as Francesca looked over the cliffs edge, she could sense the wards protecting the grounds of her destination, Nightmare Academy.

Grabbing her bags and descending the narrow steps from the bluffs leading down to the beach, Francesca felt a burst of energy as she passed through an invisible barrier. Soon, she was on the beach, and towering over her was the infamous Nightmare Academy. The campus was a sprawling estate, with a half dozen dormitories, four large wings housing the various rooms for studies, a large kitchen/cafeteria, an auditorium and the administration building. A large clock tower rose in the center of the campus, and a large portion of the beach had been turned into a botanical garden and gym. It's large, stained glass windows all depicted symbols to represent the various supernaturals in the world, from the full moon of the werewolves to the ruby-red blood drops of the vampire clans and the red roses that represented the fairie courts.

In 108 years, Francesca had learned a great deal about the world. Not just the history of mankind, but the shadowy world of the supernaturals who resided there among the humans. She'd traveled through the mystical realms of the fairie courts. She'd ventured into demonic dimensions and soared on the backs of Griffons across the Atlantic Ocean. She'd experienced a vast world in that long period of time, but she had a feeling that her biggest adventure laid ahead.

As she stepped onto the campus, she took notice of all the supernatural creatures who had descended on the school, and she couldn't help but gasp. After all her years on this earth, she still had the wonder of a teenager. In one corner, a group of ogres huddled together, their green skin aglow from a fire they had built. In another corner, a group of werewolves stood, some with their nostrils flaring and others looking petrified. Perched on the roof of the administration building, a pack of gargoyles glared at the students below them, their stone faces refusing to show any sign of emotion. Vampires, spectral spirits, demons, (both natural and possessed), all matter of creatures stood in the front area of the campus.

Francesca made her way past the students and faculty of the academy, taking notice of the glances she got as she made her way through. She headed towards the coed dormitories, having already received her housing assignment the previous week. She'd been hearing tales of the formation of the Nightmare Academy for a few years now, but to see it like this in all its glory was another thing altogether. Never before had she seen such a collection of the supernatural community all huddled into one area.

Francesca walked past several dorm rooms, filled with the cheers, fighting and screams of the students either getting to know one another or trying to kill each other. At one point a pair of shifters who'd morphed into large foxes burst into the dormitory hall, snapping at one another and digging their claws into each other's faces. Francesca shook her head and stepped over the fighting shifters, knowing how prone to aggressive outbursts the shifter clans were.

Finally she made her way to her room, dorm twenty-four, and when she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of her new roommate. A beautiful young Hispanic girl in her late teens looked up as Francesca walked in. The girl had long, curly brown hair with pale grey eyes and a short yet muscular body highlighted in a crop top and shorts. Her muscles rippled under her top, as if her body was in a constant state of flux, and her eyes landed on Francesca with a mixture of warmth and wild-eyed wonder. The girl smiled as Francesca first walked in, then she sniffed the air and fear crept into her eyes.

"Please, I don't want any trouble," the girl whispered, taking a step back from Francesca.

"Relax, you're Faith, right? Faith Dominquez?" Francesca asked.

"Um, yeah..." Faith replied hesitantly.

"It's ok, my name is Francesca. I'm your roommate."

"Roommate? But you're a..."

"Vampire? Yep, last time I checked. No pulse, a not so friendly relationship with sunlight, and a steady diet of O negative. And you are a werewolf. Friend to the moon, super strong, hopefully no problem with your more aggressive state of being, but otherwise ok. It's OK Faith, I'm not here to hurt you."

"I...I'm sorry. I've just had some bad experiences with vampires since my..."

"Transformation? Yes, I read about the incident at the club a month or so back. That's why your pack leader sent you here, isn't it?"

"How did you know that?"

"When you are as old as I am, you learn to be careful and do your research. I've made both friends and enemies over the years, and I wanted to know which you were."

"How old are you?"

"Now Faith, you never ask a girl her age," Francesca joked, setting her bags down near the bed furthest away from the window, avoiding the sunlight as much as she could. She flashed a smile at her roommate, which disarmed the fearful girl and made her laugh. "To answer your question, I'm one hundred and twenty six years old. I was turned when I was 18, in the years 1900."

"Wow, you must have seen so much since 1900."

"More than you will ever know. Some good and some embarrassing fashion trends, the rise of Hollywood, and too many wars to count. Plus a lot of experience with the supernaturals of the world. Don't worry, Faith. I'll show you the ropes and keep you safe. This academy is filled with creatures that will take advantage of you if you aren't careful. The most important thing to learn is how to spot your friends, and how to spy your enemies."

"OK, thanks. You...you are a lot nicer than the vampires I've met so far. I've only been a werewolf for a year now, and this whole supernatural world order thing is still a bit freaky."

"I understand. Don't worry, it'll start to feel normal the more you..."

Francesca was interrupted by a knock on the door. Before either one of them could reply, the door flew open and a group of female vampires walked in. They were stunning, with model good looks and an air of superiority that immediately rubbed Francesca the wrong way. The leader of the group was a tall, pale vampire with bright blue eyes and long blonde hair, who might as well have stepped off of a teenage drama on cable television. Francesca stood to face the group, and smiled, prepared to swallow her pride and meet this obvious "clique".

"Are you Francesca Lucas? Vampire originating from Rome in the year 1900?" the blonde girl asked.

"I am," Francesca replied.

"My name is Lila Santiago. I am the welcoming committee here for vampires such as yourself."

"Hi, my name is Faith!" Faith called out, waving eagerly to the newcomers.

"Shut up mongrel. Your superiors are speaking," Lila spat, glaring at Faith as if she were a flea.

"Anyways, I wanted to invite you to a social mixer up in the lounge later tonight, and..."

"No," Francesca replied.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no. I was ready to ignore the smugness you wafted in here with, but you talk down to my roommate and expect me to want to hang out with you? Screw that, I'd rather hang out with Faith here than your obnoxious clique."

"How...how dare you!" Lila declared, her nostrils flaring and her fangs protruding from her mouth. Francesca just smiled and stood her ground. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Lila Santiago, formerly Lila Kemp of New York. Turned by your maker and the dean of this school, Dante Santiago, in the year 1970. You believe vampires to be the superior race and hoped I would join you and your clique, which would have been a big win for you since I'm one of the oldest vampire students here, and my word will carry weight amongst the other students. Unfortunately for you, you just blew your first impression."

"When my maker hears about this..."

"What? What will he do? I'll tell you, since you are still a child and act like one. He'll likely slap you in the face, for his temper is legendary in our world, and then he'll tell you to settle trivial things like this yourself. Now you can do that, or you can walk away, right now, and start fresh tomorrow. The choice is yours, little one. Either way, I have no time or patience for your childish temper tantrum, so either make a move or get out."

Lila glared at Francesca, fire burning in her eyes and hoping to intimidate everyone in the room, who stood with their mouths agape after Francesca had told Lila off. When Francesca and Faith both stood their ground, the snarky young vampire turned on her heels and stormed out, yelling at the still fighting shifters to get out of her way as she made her way out of the dormitory. Francesca smiled and shut the door, walking over to her bed and unpacking her things.

"Oh my, that was the Dean's daughter?" Faith asked.

"Yep, and her legendary attitude precedes her. Don't worry, I'll teach you how to read people like that. Knowing how to play to a person's personality makes all the difference in the world."

"Girl, you are my hero!" Faith declared, smiling and jumping onto the bed with Francesca. All thoughts and fears forgotten, the young werewolf hugged her new vampire friend and laughed, which made the elderly Francesca smile.

"Yes, quite impressive," a voice chimed in. Both Francesca and Faith turned towards their dorm room door to see it stood ajar, having silently opened, and standing in the doorway was the most breath-taking sight Francesca had ever beheld. A thin yet well-muscled boy of about 18 stood there, with bluish-green skin, spikey black hair and purple eyes that seemed to move and change into the formations of various star constellations. He smiled at the two girls as Francesca stood and took in the beauty of this boy.

"Who are you?" Francesca asked.

"My name is Jasper Harper. Just Jasper to my friends, if it pleases you," the boy replied, showcasing a beautiful British accent. Francesca smiled, and shook Jasper's hand. And that was how Francesca met Jasper Harper.

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Chapter 2: First Impressions

It had been decades since Francesca had come across anyone who could take her breath away like Jasper Harper did. His pigmentation was like looking at the tropical waters of the Caribbean, and his gaze made her feel like she was the center of his universe, as constellations formed and reformed in his stare.

"It's nice to meet you, Jasper," Francesca replied, shaking off the shock of meeting this gorgeous man and instead shaking his hand. His hand was warm to the touch, causing her to feel warmth she hadn't felt in over a hundred years. He noticed her shock and smiled.

"Sorry for the shock. I must be the first warlock you've met."

"No, not the first. Just the first to shake my hand. It's nice to meet a friendly warlock in this school. Are you a student here?" Francesca asked.

"No, more like a 'teacher's aide'. I'm over five hundred years old, so the whole 'school' thing is kind of pointless. I was surprised to see a vampire of your age had opted to be here as a student rather than an instructor."

"Well, I may be old, but I've been a loner most of my existence. I thought it important to immerse myself deeper into our world before I started teaching anyone anything."

"I have a feeling you'll be teaching these younglings a thing or two by this time next year," Jasper mused, walking into the room and smiling at Faith. "And you are?"

"I'm...I'm Faith. It's nice to meet you," Faith stammered, shaking his hand and smiling, shock taking her ability to speak.

"It's nice to meet you too, Faith. I'm glad Francesca has taken you under her wing. You know that Lila and her goon squad will be back, right?" Jasper asked, directing his attention once more to Francesca.

"Let them come. They're young yet, and I get the sense this academy is going to force her to either mature or get culled very fast," Francesca replied.

"For most of these students, you would be correct. However, she's the pride and joy of our good Dean Santiago, and he's a well-connected and old vampire to make an enemy of."

"I will be careful. Thanks for the heads up."

"It's my pleasure. I have to say, it was amusing to see Lila storming out of here like that. If she wasn't dead already, I think she'd die of embarrassment."

"Then it was worth it," Francesca mused, laughing softly.

"You know, I must say, you are the first vampire I've met that seemed to have their own pulse. You have an energy about you that is...intoxicating," Jasper said, smiling and walking over to her.

"Um, thank you. You're the first warlock I've met that doesn't have a stick up their butt, so thank you for that."

"Ha, I like you Francesca. You have such a, how would the humans say it these days, a 'kick-ass' attitude. It's revitalizing," Jasper said. He leaned close to her, and then with a wave of his hand, a shimmer appeared next to her head. She looked and smiled, recognizing the power of a warlock's portal. Her smile became a look of shock when Jasper reached in, and pulled out a single red rose, closing the portal behind him. He handed the rose to her and grinned, flashing his award-winning smile.

"What...how did you know?" Francesca asked, unable to comprehend how he'd picked her favorite flower out of thin air without knowing her.

"The book on your bed. I spotted the red rose sticking out of the pages when I walked in. A beautiful flower for a beautiful girl. I look forward to getting to know you more, Francesca Lucas. Welcome to Nightmare Academy."

With a grin and a wink, Jasper left the room, opening a small portal in the door itself and stepping through. Francesca looked after the man, and a whisper of a smile spread on her lips.

"Wow, that guy is a real charmer, isn't he?" Faith said, staring at the door in amazement.

"That he is Faith. That he is," Francesca replied. Smiling, she set the rose down in her copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula, where she'd pressed the first rose. Wiping away an unshed tear, she smiled and went to work unpacking her bags, and getting set up in her new home.

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Chapter 3: First Assembly

A few short hours later, Francesca and Faith made their way to the school's theater, where the academy students had gathered for an address from Dean Santiago. Francesca kept a stern face as she passed by the glares of Lila and her squad, as well as the curious glances from the various supernaturals filling the large auditorium. She looked up and saw banshees flying about, floating through the walls and seeming to search for a human to prey on. A couple of dragon-shifters sat near the front stage, plumes of smoke rising from their nostrils as their glowing green eyes scanned the room. At one point a little girl walked into the auditorium, her high pitched voice and bouncing pigtails causing several creatures to turn in their seats, thinking they were looking at their next meal. Then the girl's eyes turned black, marking her as a host for a demon, and the creatures grumbled as she skipped past them, another human off limits.

Francesca spotted Jasper, having sat near the back of the theater and watching the students gather. He spotted her and Faith and waved them over, offering them the seats he saved for the girls. Faith thanked the warlock and sat down, leaving the seat next to him open for Francesca. She smiled and sat down, her whole body rigid and tense as she sat next to the boy.

"The theater is beautiful," Francesca remarked, clearing her throat and hoping he didn't notice how uncomfortable she was.

"Thank you. I helped build it. The other warlocks didn't care to make a theater, but I thought a nice Broadway style playhouse would be the perfect addition to our campus. We supernaturals do love our drama after all."

"That we do," Francesca replied. Before they could continue talking, a flash of movement caught their eye, and they turned to see a stunning vampire standing behind them. Her long, silvery blonde hair hung down to her shoulders, and her pale blue eyes seemed inviting and warm. Francesca was captivated, but her mind recognized the stance the vampire took, and she immediately said, "Hunter."

"I was once, Miss Lucas. I was a hunter a long time ago. I escaped that life and now live independently, away from the hunter life. Now I'm just a vampire looking to make a difference. May I sit with you? The name is Ivy Owens."

"Ah, yes, the second oldest vampire in the student body. Turned in 1920 in London, correct?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, quite right," she replied, her British accent seeming to beckon Francesca as she sat there. Francesca shook her head, smiled and shook the vampire's hand, ignoring her distrust and putting on the show she'd practiced so many times before.

"Here, please have a seat," Francesca replied. Ivy smiled and sat down, putting Francesca in between her and Jasper. The foursome began to talk about trivial things, from the shared hatred for Lila and her goons to the uncomfortable amount of demons walking amongst them. Demons were the most shifty and untrustworthy of the supernatural world, and always served their own ulterior motives. As if sensing their conversation, the little girl who was possessed turned towards them, staring at them from her seat and smiling. She wore an innocent's face, but her black eyes gave away her true nature, and as they stared at one another, the demon laughed and slid her finger across her throat. Francesca and her new friends glared at the demon who had threatened them, and the demon laughed, turning away as she did so.

"Best watch your back with that one," Ivy said, shaking her head.

"Demons are the worst," Faith replied, shaking her head in disgust.

"Never met one I could trust, that's for sure," Jasper added.

"That thing makes a move against me, it won't make it back to whatever cesspool it crawled out of, that's for sure," Francesca concluded, making sure the others knew she didn't fear the demon's threat. Reputation and opinion ruled any school, and this supernatural academy was no exception. If she was going to survive this school, she'd need to make sure others knew she was not to be trifled with.

Soon the lights dimmed in the theater, and the student body all quieted as a man walked out on stage, a single spotlight highlighting his approach. Each step he took silenced the students and teachers of the academy, and Francesca could sense the mixture of fear and loathing emanating from the crowd. As she watched him approach the podium of the stage, Francesca took in his designer suit, his pearly white grin, and his jet black hair that seemed to have been drenched in the ocean behind the school before he walked on stage, and she cringed.

If Francesca had a breath in her body, she would have gasped, for although she had been anticipating seeing him, the shock of staring at her hated enemy Dean Dante Santiago was still a surprise nonetheless. Flashes of her past flew through her mind. 1950's Los Angeles; a bright sunny day; crumpled bodies; a bloody grin. All these thoughts went through her as she watched the bastard vampire make his speech.

"Students, welcome to Nightmare Academy!" Dean Santiago shouted, much to the applause and roars of the student body.

"My name is Dean Dante Santiago, and I am a vampire. I've been on this earth for over four-hundred years, and never before have I seen such a collection of various creatures from the supernatural community. This is truly a historic day, for today marks the beginning of the end of the human's rule on this planet, and the beginning of our day in the sun, metaphorically speaking of course.

"I come to you today on behalf of our King, Lord Vlad Dalca, who has set this initiative up to finally make our move on the humans. This is a plan that has been centuries in the making for our King, and over the next couple of years you will be the first to learn the details of that plan. You will be trained to hone your skills and become soldiers in his army, and you will absorb as many details as you can. By the time you graduate this school, you will be full-fledged soldiers for the King, and you will carry out his word without hesitation.

"This is history in the making, but I alone cannot explain this to you. Therefore, I have a special message for you from our beloved King, Lord Dalca himself. My liege," Dante finished, kneeling on the stage as the giant projector screen behind him lit up, and Francesca found herself staring at King Dalca himself.

Rumors had spread through the supernatural community for years, making the King a kind of boogeyman among the creatures. He had untold power, with no equal to stop him. He could shape-shift into anyone and anything, and was even rumored to be the father of all supernatural creatures. The man on the screen radiated strength and violence, with an icy glare that pierced through the student body. Long black hair hung around a perfectly chiseled face, and the King's eyes constantly changed color, as if a storm were constantly raging inside him. He smiled his charming smile to the students, who awed in wonder as they watched the video.

"My children, this is your King. I am Vlad Dalca, the first and only of his name. You, my beautiful and powerful children, are the first of a vast army that will destroy everything the human's love and cherish, and will bring about a new and proper world order. We are and always have been the superior ones, and for too long we have waited in the shadows, allowing the humans to rule the world that is rightfully ours. It's time to take it with a firm and iron grip, and so I have chosen you, the first class of the Nightmare Academy, to take in the lessons that will be learned here and become the strongest warriors you can be.

"There are rules here at the Academy however. First off, there will be no feeding on humans within a five-mile radius. Second, there will be no run-ins with human law enforcement. The work you are doing is too important to bring the attention of the humans down on the school. And finally, if anyone breaks these two rules, or if there are signs of disloyalty to me, to the school or signs of dissent in any way, shape or form, you must immediately report it to the Dean. I say this because if you are caught being disloyal or breaking the law of the school, the punishment is death, with a public execution. This is my decree, and my word is law. Good luck out there my children. Learn your lessons, follow the rules, and remember, I'm always watching. Your time is nearly here. Stand up and take it!"

With that, the video feed cut off, leaving the student body in silence. Dean Santiago stood up, smiled and continued to address the students, but Francesca blocked him out. The fabled Nightmare Academy had been accurately named, for she found herself sitting in the middle of a death trap, waiting to claim her as a prize.

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Chapter 4: Old Wounds

Hours after the address from King Dalca, Francesca laid her head down on her pillow, looking for a few hours in which she could shut off her mind and forget about the world. She'd learned long ago how to train her body to tense and be aware of any incoming threats, which would wake her up instantly should she be in danger. However, the dreamless break from reality she sought alluded her, and soon she was tumbling backwards into a memory she was constantly trying to bury.

It's 1956, and Francesca is living a normal life for the first time in over fifty years. In a world where women in human society are still considered below men, and where men look at Francesca and see either a "hot date" or a housewife who should be cooking her man food, Francesca had managed to find a piece of solace in Alan Jensen.

It had been two years earlier, when Francesca had been in Los Angeles with Brad, hunting down a pack of ravenous goblins killing teenagers near the beaches. She'd been at the butchers late at night, grabbing some animal blood to drink, when she'd heard a scuffle. She'd been trained to heed the call for help and save innocents when she could, and so she'd run into a dark alley, and there had been Alan, fighting with a large man with a blood-stained suit and ravenous eyes.

The scene had reminded her of the night she'd been turned. She could see in Alan's eyes the fear that she had felt herself. The horror of being confronted with the supernatural was overwhelming for humans, and she also felt the wild hunger and rage that was fueling the vampire before her as it lunged for Alan's neck. The vampire was no more than twenty years old in its immortality, and so in one swift movement Francesca ran forward, grabbed the creature's neck, and twisted its neck, severing the spine with her inhuman strength.

Alan had stood there, staring at her in shock and what she would later learn was true amazement as Francesca stood there before him. She hid her face as best she could from the man, looking at him through her dark locks and smelling the air to see if he was injured or worse, bitten.

" _Are you ok?" Francesca asked in a hushed voice, her flowing dark skirt whirling about her in the cool fall evening, and her dark coat covering the many scars that ran along her skin from years of battles._

" _I'm...I'm fine, thank you. Are you ok?" Alan gasped, finally finding his breath as he looked at the dead vampire at his feet and then back to Francesca._

" _Me? I'm...I'm ok. Aren't you afraid of me? Didn't I scare you?"_

" _Scare me? Ma'am, you saved my life. I was scared of that thing there, but you saved me."_

" _Yeah, but I'm like him. That's how I was able to kill it. Doesn't that frighten you?"_

" _Not really. If you were just like him I'd be dead right now, right? So you must be a good...what are you?"_

" _Vampire. I'm a vampire. I'm...I'm sorry, I'm not used to talking casually about these things with a human. I can see that you're ok, so I'm going to go." Francesca nodded and walked back to where she'd left her bag of blood, picking it up and intending to put as much distance between this alley and herself as possible._

" _Wait, Miss..." Alan called, running after her._

" _Stop, you should really stay there. I can't interact with you humans much."_

" _Says who?"_

" _My mentor. The one who trained me to...just forget it. I have to go."_

" _Wait, please, let me at least buy you a cup of coffee or something."_

" _What?" Francesca whirled, glaring at this man. He'd been saved from certain death, and yet like most men, he had the gall to approach her for a date, like she was a damsel he could sweep off her feet._

" _I said..."_

" _I heard what you said. Listen, just because you don't deserve to die doesn't mean you can just ask me out. You human men think woman are so needy and dependent on you, but..."_

" _Whoa, hold on there. I didn't mean it like that, I swear. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life, and all I could think of was buying you a cup of coffee at the diner over there," Alan had replied, pointing to a coffee shop behind Francesca. She turned and looked at the sign, inviting late working humans to come in and enjoy a cup of joe and a slice of pie. It was a marvel to see, considering the poor conditions she'd been born in. She shook her head and looked at the man with his puppy dog stare and glint of hope in his eyes._

" _I'm not sure that's a good idea, Mr..."_

" _Jensen, Alan Jensen. And you are?"_

" _I'm...I'm Francesca," she replied, using her real name instead of an alias for the first time in years._

" _Francesca, what a beautiful name. Listen, I only want to repay you somehow. I wasn't asking you out, and I swear I don't mean to appear like some of my fellow thick-headed male counterparts. In fact if you could continue to protect me that would be much appreciated."_

Francesca laughed at the man's joke, finding herself actually drawn to him and his kind demeanor. She knew what Brad had always said. He'd taught her that making connections with the human world was dangerous, and not only would immortality be a problem in any long-term relationship, but the effects of the supernatural world could be deadly to any human she connected with. She knew what she should do, but for the first time in over fifty years, her heart spoke louder than her mind.

" _Fine, let's try this coffee you speak of. I warn you, I'm from Italy, so I have high standards for coffee," she replied, smiling and walking ahead of the man._

" _Hell, that's a tall order to live up to. Guess I'll have to add a piece of pie too."_

After that night, she'd fallen head over heels for Alan Jensen. They'd spent months becoming friends, learning as much about one another's lives as possible. He'd been born and raised in Los Angeles, and had lost his father to the war and his mother to an automobile accident a few years earlier. He worked as a car salesman, and lived in a small single story home in the heart of the city. She found his normalcy fascinating, having always dreamed of leaving the pending war behind and carving out a little slice of paradise for herself.

Best of all, he listened to her talk for hours about her immortal life, from the night she was reborn to the years of training from Brad and the countless missions they'd gone on together to protect the human world from evil, both human and supernatural alike. He listened to the stories of blood, of tragedy, of pain and loss, and of great adventures, and he never once turned tail and ran. He was the first human that not only didn't fear her dark world, but looked at her with warmth and kindness. He looked into her eyes and saw not a monster, but an equal, and after months of friendship, she did what she never thought she would ever do; she fell in love.

She remembered how furious Brad had been when she'd told him that she was in love. They'd had plenty of disagreements over the years, but no matter what they had always had one another's backs, and had supported one another when they made a decision. However this time was different. Brad had warned her about falling in love with a human. Unlike other supernaturals, humans were ill prepared for the dangers the supernatural realm held, and by getting involved with a human, a target was painted on their backs for all of their enemies to see.

" _You have to end it Francesca, for both your sakes," Brad had said matter of factly, shaking his head as if he were a disappointed father._

" _I'm not ending anything, Brad. I've devoted my entire existence to you and this war we're fighting, and I've never asked for anything in return. I fell in love with him, don't you see that? I can't help how I feel, and he loves me, even knowing what I am and what I do."_

" _Damn it Francesca, don't you understand you've made him a target for the enemy now. They will come..."_

" _They already tried coming for him. I only met him while saving him from one of those goons that works for that vampire mobster Leonardo Archer. He's in this whether or not I'm romantically involved."_

" _Francesca, Leonardo Archer is a dangerous vampire. He answers directly to Dalca himself. He will find out what happened to his man, and when he does, he will send his forces after you. If you walk away now and get this man a new identity and home, maybe he'll have a chance of survival."_

" _I can protect him Brad, whether you believe me or not. I'm doing this, with or without your permission."_

" _I know I can't stop you, and I'll be here for you when things fall apart, but mark my words they will fall apart. One day, you will be sitting there, and life will feel great, but as you get comfortable with one another, something will slink out of the shadows and take him from you, and you will be devastated. I've seen it happen too many times, and I don't want that for you."_

" _I'm sorry you can't see that I need this in my life, but I do. I can't spend my existence alone like you. I'll be in touch, Brad."_

With that, Francesca had stormed out, and as Brad had watched her leave, he whispered, "I understand, more than you will ever know."

After she left Brad, she had moved in with Alan into a small bungalow in Los Angeles, and had spent two blissful years together. She had refused to be the quiet housewife that seemed to define so many women in that era, and he'd been fine with that. During the day she slept, keeping away from the harmful rays of sunlight, and at night she spent her time with Alan, whether it was in the throes of passion or just a simple dinner together it mattered not. Sometimes she would sneak away to take care of a threat that loomed over the citizens of the city, and each time she and Brad fought together, he would give her a look of sadness as she left, as if he knew what was coming.

She spent two years living her life fully. She laughed, she cried, she slept peacefully, she experienced love and passion with Alan, and best of all, she smiled, something she hadn't done in decades. Each day was like dancing across the golden halls of Olympus, making her feel like a queen or goddess. Alan was her rock through everything, and each time she kissed his lips or touched his face, she imagined herself spending her life with him. Although neither of them had spoken of it, she could sense the elephant in the room, which was her immortality. He never asked her, but as each day went by and as their connection grew, she imagined him asking her to turn him, and her saying yes, if he was ready. The thought sent a smile to her face every time, but she cautioned herself, because she knew the hardships he would deal with if he turned, and she didn't want to push that on him.

These thoughts were crossing her mind the morning her life fell apart. It was a bright, sunny day in the summer of 58', and she was waking from a nap in her and Alan's home. It was an hour until the sun was due to set, and she knew this was the time Alan usually drove up to their home. She stretched her long legs out from the bed, and then carefully pulled back the curtain to see the driveway. Alan's red car sat idle in the driveway, the engine running and the driver's side door wide open. She cocked her head in curiosity, and walked out of the bedroom.

" _Alan, you home?" Francesca had called. As her bare feet padded across the soft carpet of their home, she walked over to the large window in the living room overlooking the street, and if her heart still beat, it would have stopped at the sight she saw._

Alan was across the street, pinned to a wall by a large vampire. The creature had sunk it's fangs into Alan's neck, and blood dripped down Alan's pain-staked face, as if he had been thrown into a wall or something. His eyes were glassing over, and Francesca watched in horror as the life was being drained from her love.

" _No!" she screamed. She ran to the door, and felt the sun's sting as her skin began to bubble from the heat. She had run out of the special cream they used to protect themselves from the sun's harmful rays, and so she stood at the door's threshold, helpless to stop the vampire's attack. She locked eyes with Alan, and in that last moment of his life, he smiled, as if recognizing her and seeing the love of his life. A single tear ran down his cheek, before the light faded from his eyes, and he was gone._

Francesca collapsed to the floor and cried, tears streaming down her face as she watched helplessly as the vampire drained every last drop of blood from Alan's body. When it was finished, it threw Alan's corpse to the ground as if it were trash. Before it left the scene, the vampire turned, and revealed the face that would haunt Francesca's face for the rest of her life. The vampire was Dante Santiago, one of the right hand men for Leonardo Archer. Not sensing her presence, the vampire turned and disappeared into the alley.

An hour later, as the sun set, Francesca ran over to Alan's body, holding out some misguided hope that a spark of life still resided in him. She hoped that spark would be strong enough for her to turn him and help him survive, but as she picked up his body in her strong arms, she felt his clammy skin and listened with her enhanced hearing to see if he had a heartbeat, but none greeted her. Her love was dead, and she was holding onto his corpse.

Refusing to leave him in the streets, she carried him into their home, and laid him in their bed. No one had seen her carry him inside, for no police sirens blared and no officers swarmed into the house. She laid with him for a while, crying and kissing his cheeks, and apologizing for not being able to save him. Soon she called Brad, and being a man of his word, he had shown up to the house, looking solemnly at her.

" _No need to say I told you so," Francesca had choked out through her tears, refusing to look Brad in the eyes._

" _No, I'm not here for that. I'm here to help, like I promised. I'm...I'm sorry Francesca. I never wanted this for you."_

" _I...I loved him," she cried, as Brad knelt down beside the bed and held onto her, letting her tears fall on him and comforting her the way any father would his daughter._

" _I know you did, and now you have to hold onto that love. That love is a rare thing in this world, and you got to have it for two years. That's longer than most people ever get. That love was real, Francesca, and it meant something. Come on, it's time to go."_

Francesca was reluctant to leave, but at Brad's insistence she left, grabbing her few belongings and leaving as Brad did what was necessary. Knowing she could leave no trace of herself or evidence of what happened, Brad set the place on fire, eliminating all evidence of the supernatural. She watched the flames engulf her home, and as the fire crews arrived and she watched from a safe distance as the fires were extinguished. She observed as her happily ever after blew out, and she was forced back to reality.

Only one thought crossed her mind as she walked back to Brad's home that night, and that was revenge. No matter how many battles were to come and how many people she saved, the only thing that would fuel her now would be revenge on the vampire who killed Alan. She would find Dante Santiago, and she would kill him.

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Chapter 5: Late Night Stroll

Francesca opened her eyes, fresh tears streaming down her face as she recalled the memory. She sat up in bed and looked at the dark dorm room. Faith slept, tossing and turning with dreams of what Francesca could only assume were nightmares filled with blood and the moon, a regular occurrence for werewolves. Swinging her long legs out from under the bed's covers, Francesca wiped her eyes and shook her head, hoping to push the painful memory out of her mind.

Francesca decided to take a walk to clear her thoughts, and so she grabbed a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes, and walked away from the campus. She watched as the pre-dawn light of the coming sun began to creep over the horizon. Her many years of immortal life combined with the special cream that protected vampires from the sun's rays allowed her to take these brief walks into the sun, and she closed her eyes as she felt the morning breeze off of the ocean whirl around her.

Francesca lost herself in the moment, as thoughts of Alan whirled around her head still and she took in the beauty of the Pacific Ocean. She usually only observed the water in the moonlight, and so these rare moments where she was able to look upon the water's surface as the sun began to peak behind the dark veil of the previous night was a real treat for her. It had been a stressful first day at the academy, and she knew that things would only get worse with every day she spent there, but these calm moments near the water soothed her nerves somewhat, and reminded her of the peace and hope that she had always sought.

She continued walking along the beach, until she reached a crop of woods that led into a miniature forest near the campus. According to Jasper, he and the warlocks had created a whole world along this stretch of beach to suit the many different supernaturals walking around the campus. Parts of the forest reminded her of the rain-soaked forests of the Pacific Northwest, while other areas became artic frozen landscapes reminiscent of the woods of Maine. Walking with a purpose, Francesca made her way quietly and quickly through the crop of trees, until she came upon a small shack. It looked as if it could be a utility shed for the school, with rusted metal paneling and darkened windows. As she neared the hovel, a dark shadow emerged from around the hut, and she watched as her mentor Brad walked into view.

"Brad," she whispered, looking around her to be sure no one had tailed her.

"Relax Francesca, no one followed you. I wouldn't have shown myself if I wasn't sure of it. Are you ok?" Brad asked, looking at her with concern.

"Just having the same old nightmares. I...I saw him yesterday."

"Santiago?"

"Yeah, he's the Dean of the school."

"Shit, are you going to be ok? You know the mission is too important..."

"I'll be ok, Brad. I've learned how to control myself, and I'm prepared for what needs to be done. I'll get it done, don't worry."

"Good. How was the first day? What did you learn?"

"Well, I've been paired with a new werewolf who's a little green behind the ears. I met one of the warlock's who helped create the school, then I went to the school's first assembly, where not only did Santiago give a speech, but we got a video message from Dalca himself."

"Dalca? What did the bastard say?"

"He said that the school is a training ground for his armies. He didn't go into specifics of his plan yet, but he's definitely planning something bad. Like end of the world bad. He's training these kids to be the first soldiers in his army to destroy the humans. It's...it's worse than we imagined, Brad."

"Dammit, I was afraid of that. Alright, continue playing along and work the courses. Find out what his plan is, and start getting intel on the school and the students and staff. If there are any allies in there, we need to know. We need to shut this school down."

"Don't worry Brad, I'm on it," Francesca assured him, turning around to leave.

"Francesca..." Brad started to say.

"Yeah?"

"I'm...I'm sorry you had to see him. One day, when this assignment is over and the school is gone, you'll take him down, I promise. Please be safe until then. I...we need you to be safe," Brad said, giving her one final nod before disappearing back into the shadows of the small forest. Francesca wiped away an unshed tear, touched at the care Brad still had for her. Then she shook her head, and made her way back to the campus, her new home.

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Chapter 6: Day One

The first day of Nightmare Academy would forever leave an impression on Francesca. Having to balance her life as a student and her double life as a spy for the resistance, she had to carefully navigate the halls of the school, making mental notes about who she spoke with, what personality she presented to them and keeping her lies in order. It was a taxing job, but she knew it was important and did the job without complaint.

The first class of the day had been a brutal lesson of violence. The students had gathered in the school's gymnasium, if you could call it that. The windows were tinted, blocking the sun's rays for the vampire students. The walls were adorned with weapon racks, filled with broadswords, machetes, spears and more medieval looking weapons than Francesca had ever seen gathered in one place. Wooden mannequins shaped like people stood in rows, most likely for combat practice, while the floors held mats for more personal, one on one combat sessions. Metal chains, ropes and nets hung near the rafters, surely used for agility practice.

Entering the gym, Francesca and Faith gathered amongst the other students, which consisted of vampires, werewolves, goblins, ogres, witches, warlocks and more outlandish creatures. She watched as the students gave her watchful eyes, whispering amongst themselves. She caught a few words here and there, and gathered her stance against Lila the previous day had made its way through the gossip circles of the school. She couldn't help but laugh, because even though she was over a century old, things never changed in a school setting, and she felt like a teenager all over again.

"You're big news around here," Faith whispered, smiling and nudging Francesca's arm. The vampire smiled, wrapping her arm around her werewolf friend and swaggering over to their spots near the back of the students. The girls were laughing as a large crash sounded, and they looked up to see a hulking vampire had landed in front of the group of students.

He was a mass of muscles, like a monster truck on steroids. As if he stepped out of a book on Norse mythology, the Viking looking vampire glared at the students with icy blue eyes, pale white skin, long flowing blonde hair and muscles galore. He glared at the students, breathing heavily as if he were already in combat.

"My name is Thor, and I am your combat instructor. This course is Battle Preparations 101, and here you will learn the basics you will need to fight in Lord Dalca's armies. You pathetic waste of spaces are going to learn how to stand properly in battle. You're going to learn how to decapitate a human in three seconds flat. You will learn how to move like a flock in combat, and how to count on the soldiers in your group. You will learn these lessons by heart, or you will die. Lord Dalca doesn't tolerate failure, and neither do I. You will be killing machines by the time I'm through with you. Any questions?"

The room was silent, and everyone stared at the intense instructor before them. Thor looked around the room, until a small, green hand shot up into the air. The group stepped away to make room for Thor, who approached the small hand that belonged to a young ogre. The ogre was only four feet tall, and had yet to hit puberty yet. Tears streamed down the child's face as he shrank away from Thor, and his hand quivered as it hung in the air.

"Well, what is it? What do you have to say?" Thor bellowed, glaring down at the young ogre.

"Sir...I...I'm not sure I belong here. My papa said I had to come here, but...but I've never killed anything before. I'm not sure I'm..."

The poor ogre never finished the thought, for as tears streamed down his face and the words bubbled out of his frightful mouth, Francesca watched in horror as Thor moved swiftly, ripping the young ogre's head off in one clean motion and throwing it at the other student's feet. Green blood splashed onto the hardwood floors of the gym, and the boy's body fell to the ground with a thud. The students stared at the body, then looked back at Thor in shock.

"The time for second guessing is over. You are here now, whether you like it or not. If you don't like what I have to say or don't want to kill, then you keep it to yourself and try your luck at running away. I guarantee you will be hunted down and killed, but at least you can go down fighting. If you break down like this weakling here, I will kill you and we will continue with our lessons. Do you all understand me?"

The group nodded in agreement, not wanting to anger their instructor and turn his wrath on him. He nodded and instructed his assistants to clean up the mess the ogre had left. As they watched the boy's body being dragged away, Faith and Francesca looked at each other with grim set looks, and then looked back on Thor as he continued on with the first lesson: decapitation.

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Chapter 7: Cliques and Other Nonsense

Hours later, Francesca and Faith sat with Jaspar in the large restaurant style cafeteria, with Faith and Jasper eating steak and potatoes while Francesca drank some warm animal blood. Francesca checked her face in the compact mirror she kept in her pocket, making sure blood didn't stain her lips.

"I thought vampires couldn't see their reflection?" Faith asked innocently, showing how green she was behind the ears when it came to the supernatural realm.

"Just a myth, little one. They can also eat garlic if they want," Jasper joked. Francesca laughed, smiling at Faith to show her she wasn't offended. The trio talked about their classes that day, and Jaspar's work as a teaching assistant at the school.

"That poor kid, the way his face looked after Thor..." Faith began to say, shaking her head at the thought.

"Sadly that doesn't surprise me. I've heard that Thor is what the humans would call a kind of Nazi. He hates all other supernatural creatures, and think that vampires are the only true supernatural force in the world. If it wasn't for Dalca's will, Thor would probably kill anyone who's not a vampire. He tried to corner me once, but I teleported him into the middle of the ocean, and he stopped getting in my face after that," Jaspar said, smiling and shaking his head at once.

"I would have paid good money to see his face when he trudged back in from the water," Francesca joked, and the trio laughed at the thought of a wet Thor and his angry face. As the trio were laughing and joking about their day, a hand shot out and grabbed Francesca's cup of blood. She turned to see Lila and her clique standing behind her, glaring down at Francesca and her friends.

"Aw, look at the little vampire loner and her pitiful crew. What are you drinking?" Lila asked. She opened the lid and sniffed, and mock gagged as she smelled the blood. "What is this, animal blood? What kind of loser settles for animal blood when there's perfectly good human blood in the kitchen?"

Before Francesca could move, Lila threw the cup of blood into the trash can. Francesca stood, resisting the urge to claw the girl's eyes out and instead standing her ground in the face of Lila and her group of followers.

"Go ahead, make a move you old hag," Lila spat like a spoiled teenager. "My dad owns this school, and I'll see you staked if you so much as lay a hand on me."

"Care to test that theory," Francesca said through gritted teeth.

Before they can make a move on each other, Lila was blocked out of Francesca's view as a beautiful newcomer got in the popular girl's face, and she recognized the girl as Ivy Owens, the stunning vampire girl they'd met at the assembly.

"Lila, is it? Hi, I'm Ivy, Ivy Owens. Can I ask why you're starting trouble with my friend Francesca here?" Ivy asked, not giving Lila room to move.

"I...who are you?"

"Ivy. My name is Ivy dear. I'm afraid you're going to need to pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once. I'm not sure who the hell you think you are, but just because you've lived some spoiled rich girl lifestyle, having your blood delivered to you by servants, doesn't give you the right to judge other's food choices. I was a hunter, Lila. Do you know what that means?"

"You...you..."

"That's right dear, I hunted and gathered food for my master. I know more about hunting and killing things than most of the students here. So listen to me when I say this. A true vampire knows that you have to take your food when you can get it, and sometimes that means feeding on animals to survive. When you're hunted as long as I have, the taste of animal blood gets to be more natural than human blood. Sure, human blood tastes fantastic, just like pizza tastes better than a salad to most humans. Yet just like salad, some people need to eat that animal blood to survive. You understand what I'm saying?"

"I...I..." Lila sputtered, anger and embarrassment causing her to fluster.

"What I'm saying dear is you aren't a real vampire. You don't have that killer instinct like Francesca and I do, so why don't you back the hell off before you get in over your head."

"How dare you..." Lila spat out, getting in Ivy's face. Before a brawl could break out, a female vampire instructor broke the group up, and told everyone to go their separate ways. Lila glared at Francesca over Ivy, and said, "This isn't over." Then Lila and her clique left, leaving Ivy and Francesca behind.

"Um, thank you for that. That was pretty awesome," Francesca replied.

"Don't sweat it. I relish any opportunity to bring down obnoxious vamps like her down a peg or two," Ivy replied, smiling and turning towards Francesca.

"That was very impressive," Jaspar remarked from his seat, watching the vampire girls with interest.

"Glad I could entertain you," Ivy joked, smiling and bowing before the table. Faith laughed, and Jaspar invited Ivy to join them. She agreed, and soon the trio had become a foursome. Francesca sat in awe, watching Ivy talk and move with grace, and she found herself getting chills down her spine, much the same way she did when she'd first met Jaspar. Ivy was beautiful, and had a warrior spirit that she couldn't help but respect.

_Focus on the mission, Francesca. You don't have time for romance. All that matters is stopping Dalca,_ Francesca told herself. She shook her head and continued talking with her friends, doing her best to ignore the attraction she felt for both Ivy and Jaspar, and failing.

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Chapter 8: Day 30

A month after her first day at the academy, Francesca walked along the water's edge on the beach near the school. She had peeled off her flats and let the water rush over her pale feet. She could no longer feel the cold of the ocean, but the rushing water somehow made her feel relaxed. She recalled summer nights spent with Alan on this very beach, away from the curious eyes of humans and supernaturals alike. She remembered standing here, Alan's arms wrapped around her as they let the water splash over them. She could still smell his scent, a mixture of musky cologne and car oil from the dealership's garage he spent his days at.

Smiling at the memory, she walked along the beach, watching as a pair of mermaid students hunted for fish further out in the ocean. They were beautiful in their more human looking form, with a light blue hue to their skin tone and golden hair that shone so bright it was nearly silver in the moonlight. Their eyes were meant to invite humans to come to them, similar to their cousins the Sirens. She watched as they swam with ease, and then their faces contorted into the vicious, animalistic expressions she recognized as their predatory stares. With split open cheeks that revealed rows of razor sharp teeth and gills lining their necks, the mermaids plunged into the waters, and ripped some close swimming fish to shreds, reddening the waters around them. She hated the violence that they displayed, for she had witnessed it used on humans before in her many years, but she did not blame these young students, for they were merely surviving.

It had been a long month, filled with more death and blood than most of the students had ever come across. Being one of the oldest students there, Francesca was much more accustomed to death, but it hadn't made the lessons being taught any less brutal. Thor, the monstrous vampire in charge of their battle classes, had claimed the lives of two other students thus far. One had been a werewolf who had foolishly claimed to be tougher than him, and had challenged him to a fight. The werewolf had lost. The other had been a newly turned vampire, only thirteen years old. The poor boy had been left at the school after being turned a month earlier, his master not equipped or willing to train him himself. The boy was afraid, and he had let it show in Thor's class. After one too many times of clamming up while sparring with another student, Thor had rolled his eyes and decapitated the boy.

On top of the constant threat of death from Thor and his merciless class, Francesca had started to get glimpses of what the war on humanity was going to look like. It would happen quickly, according to teachers at the school. During her vampire-exclusive leadership class, she learned that vampires would become generals in the war, leading groups of other supernaturals to take over assigned sections of the country, whether that be a specific town or city, or a large county. Other schools around the world were being taught the same lessons, and they were also being taught historical lessons to see how their king, King Dalca, infiltrated empires and regimes throughout history, and influenced key battles that benefited the supernatural world. They taught the students this in hopes that they would take his example and use sabotage and subterfuge in order to hit the humans where they least expected it.

Things were a lot bigger than Francesca or Brad had ever thought. They knew the war was going to be tough, but this was different. She had heard rumblings of things that were going to be taught throughout her time there, from targeting key human infrastructures to herding humans into facilities to be bred as livestock and some were to go to members of Dalca's forming council, including Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll, two immortals who's science was renowned in the supernatural community both for their brilliance and their cruelty. She had listened to this information, and suddenly the weight of the world suddenly put pressure on her shoulders. She may be over one hundred years old, but she was just one girl, and she was facing a massive army that was building every day, and a leader who had seen empires rise and fall before.

Her thoughts were troubled, not only because of the dangers facing her if she were to be found as a spy for the resistance and the dangers facing the human race, but her thoughts were filled with memories of the friends she'd made in the school. The bright eyed, strong yet shy werewolf Faith, who had quickly become one of her closest friends. She was barely a year into her supernatural life, and she still held ties to the human world, carrying pictures of her mother and brother, who lived in the High Desert area of Southern California. She felt a great sadness when she would hear her friend crying silent tears in the middle of the night, and in the dark she could see the young wolf holding onto the picture like a lifeline. She hoped she could bring Faith into the resistance someday, and get her and her family to safety.

Then there was Jaspar, who was several hundred years older than Francesca herself and who had somehow made her feel like the teenager she had never been able to be before her immortal life began. She could feel no cold, but he somehow made her shiver whenever he entered the room. His penetrating stare always seemed to be seeking her soul, as if he could crack through her tough exterior and pull out the young girl she had once been. He looked like a teen himself, but the students and teachers alike, even Thor, who despised the warlock, all looked at him in either awe or fear, and Francesca herself could feel the power that radiated off of him.

He seemed to be equally as transfixed with her as she was with him. Often times she would look up from her seat in a classroom, and he would be standing in the front of the class, ignoring the teacher who he was supposed to be helping and instead focusing his attention on Francesca. He walked with her often along the beach or through the dorm halls, and they spoke often of the past hundred years of human history. The world wars, the politics, the music, the entertainment, even the food had changed so much in her time, and it was even more so for Jaspar, who had lived through the rise and fall of so many countries and empires. He spoke of his time during America's founding, of the terror that had struck London when King Dalca masqueraded as Jack the Ripper, (a tale that she was familiar with as Brad had been there, but she could not tell him that), and of the hysteria of the French Revolution.

As they spoke, he would perform great feats of magic, showing her a world she always knew existed but couldn't believe it until she witnessed it for herself. She remembered how her breath had caught in her throat as he had pulled a miniature sun into the palm of his hand through a portal, allowing her to witness the sun's awesome power without being burned. She remembered watching the students enjoying their day as she was forced to hide from the sun's rays, and then Jaspar had come along, grabbed her hand, and then with a wave of his free hand he had turned day into night. She had watched him bring them forward in time, the students and faculty moving at lightning speed around them as if they were inside of a film, and the universe had control of the remote control.

As the first month had rolled on and the weather had gone from hot to mildly warm in Southern California, Jaspar had brought Francesca back into the real world for the first time in decades. She had learned to smile and laugh again, (not the fake laughter she had mastered years ago, but true laughter). He had captured her attention wholly, but so had Ivy Owens. The beautiful vampire had also become a part of her life, and although she still remained a mystery to Francesca, she had made her feel less alone than she had since her transformation.

She'd always had Brad in her life to talk to, but he could never truly understand what she was going through. He was immortal, but did not have the thirst or aversion to sunlight that she did. He was not a vampire, and he was also not an immortal teenage girl. She had never talked with him about her sexuality, had never spoken to him about her need to socialize that had grown difficult throughout her years of isolation. She was never able to confide in him the daily struggle not to give in to her painful thirst for human blood, or the insecurities she felt about herself. Her bisexuality, her loneliness and her cravings had weighed on her for decades, and yet knowing Ivy Owens had allowed her to meet someone who shared some of these same thoughts or insecurities for the first time.

They hung out often, talking about the fight to control their thirst, and the isolation that came from their many years on the planet. Ivy's background as a hunter had forced her into isolation as well, often taking her into long stretches of loneliness that would be filled with nights of bloody death and carnage, and Francesca could tell it had worn on her mind for years. Francesca pitied the girl, because she had seen the mistreatment the hunters suffered at their master's hands, and had fought with her fair share of hunters and masters during her years with Brad. Yet she didn't know if she could fully trust Ivy, because she seemed to be hiding a secret. Her eyes were constantly moving, as if drinking in all of her surroundings, and she would often find the vampire staring at her, as if sizing Francesca up. She would smile and walk up to her, shrugging the staring off and going about life as normal. Francesca was wary, and tried to force her attraction to the vampire out of her mind as she walked along the beach.

All of these thoughts crossed her mind as she strolled along the beach, but before she could think more about it, she stopped in her tracks and listened to the sounds of chanting that her super hearing picked up. She cocked her head and listened, and determined that the noises were coming from the woods near the beach. The chanting was ominous, and she knew Brad would want her to check it out in case it was something that would require the resistance's attention. She slipped on her shoes and made her way quickly into the woods, leaving behind the mermaids and their fishy meals. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she failed to notice a dark shadow moving quickly behind her, trailing her from a distance and moving with an inhuman speed.

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Chapter 9: Secrets & Lies

The chanting grew louder as Francesca made her way through the thickened woods. A creation of the warlocks when they created the school, (the woods made for good practice for the students to hunt, and made for good homes for some of the more feral students), the woods were dense with foliage, and the weather seemed to have been manufactured to feel like a crisp winter in the Northwest region of the U.S. Francesca walked for a bit, noting animal bones that had been cleaned after a kill from one of the students and dried blood on one of the moss covered trees she walked past. Soon, she found the source of the chanting. A small cabin resided in the woods, a plume of smoke coming from the chimney and the windows filled with a greenish glow.

Francesca quietly walked up to the cabin window, being sure to avoid dry branches so she could stay quiet. Making sure she was alone in the woods, she peered inside and found herself looking at a summoning ritual. The cabin was filled with candles, and a large pentagram had been drawn in blood on the cabin floor. The fireplace was lit as well, and the pentagram seemed to be dragging the flames into its embrace, as if drawing on its energy. A beautiful young girl sat outside of the pentagram, her skin the same color as the moss on the trees around the cabin and her hair a pixie colored pink shade. She was a fairie, from what Francesca could tell, and she was the one chanting in a language Francesca recognized as being Fae. She had never been able to master the language herself, but she could pick out a few words here and there, one including "father".

The pentagram was glowing a bright green color, and as Francesca watched, the young fairie girl's eyes flew open, her eyes blazing with fire and her hand glowing as she pointed towards the pentagram's center. Soon a cloven hoof emerged from the pentagram, and at first Francesca feared the young fairie had summoned a demon, the most difficult of creatures to control on this plane of existence. Then the creature emerged, and she realized that this was far deadlier than a demon.

"Erlking, my father," the young fairie girl said, the glow slowly fading away from the cabin as the giant creature emerged. Erlking, the king of all fairies, had emerged into their world, something that hadn't been done in thousands of years, as far as Francesca knew. The beast was known for his ruthlessness and dominance on the battlefield, and the only thing the Fairie King feared in the universe was King Dalca himself. The beast stood at ten feet tall, his head reaching the ceiling of the large cabin. Antlers grew in jagged edges from the King's head, and his skin was a blood-red color, and glowed as if his blood was on fire. Wrapped in what appeared to be a cloak and pants made of animal pelts, and wielding a large silver sword with a ruby encrusted handle carved to look like an eagle, the king looked down at his daughter, who knelt at his bare feet and waited for him to speak.

"You were not to summon me unless absolutely necessary, Chanter, my beautiful daughter. I am not your dog to summon as you please. Explain yourself before I drag you back to our kingdom and chain you to the immortal living tree for a thousand years!" Erlking shouted, glaring at his daughter with fire-brimmed eyes.

"Father, please forgive the harsh summoning. I would not have brought you here if not for the wish of my master, who serves your ally King Dalca."

"Your master? My daughter, Princess of the Fae, bows to no one. Who is this 'master' you speak of?"

"The dean of the academy you have sent me to, Father. His name is Dante Santiago, and he serves King Dalca as the head of the school. He asked me on behalf of the King to ask for your assistance in dealing with an old nemesis of you both. A member of the resistance has made a base here near the school, and he is an ally of your hated enemy, Balor, King of the Giants."

_Balor_? Francesca asked herself. Balor was Brad's friend, whom had stayed out of the conflict between Dalca and Brad for years but who secretly helped Brad with missions from time to time. He was a good friend, and a great ally to have should the war erupt. She had no idea of the rivalry or feud between Balor and Erlking, and if true, then this could mean the Fae and the Giants would become big players in the war to come.

"Balor, that sniveling coward! His pet resistance fighter is near your school, and King Dalca has asked for my assistance? Ha! I would kill a thousand resistance fighters if it meant hurting that bastard Balor. Tell me who the fighter is, my daughter, and let me dispatch of them with haste, so that I may send their severed head to Balor on a pike!"

Before Chanter could reveal the resistance fighter's name, (Francesca feared it would be Brad), a branch snapped behind her, and Francesca whirled to see Ivy Owens, her friend, moving up behind her. Ivy was wearing an all-black ensemble, with a black t-shirt, black yoga pants and black tennis shoes, which helped her blend into the shadows of the forest. The two vampires looked at each other, a look of confusion and distrust on Francesca's face as she saw Ivy following her.

"Ivy, what are..." Francesca whispered harshly, glaring at the vampire girl before her, but before she could finish the window behind her blew apart, sending her flying into Ivy's arms. The two vampires rolled around and hit a tree, and looked up to see Erlking, his sword on fire and his eyes ablaze as he glared at them.

"Spies! No one spies on Erlking. You die, little vampires!" Erlking shouted.

"Explanations later. Run now!" Ivy shouted, and without hesitation Francesca grabbed Ivy's hand and ran as fast as her legs would allow. Moving at supersonic speeds, the girls ran for their lives, the roar of Erlking sounding behind him as he ran after them, swinging his sword so that it cut trees out of his giant path. Soon the girls ran out onto the beach, but before they could continue running a giant hand slammed into Francesca and Ivy, and the girls crashed into the water's edge, covering them in wet sand and salt-water. Erlking stood over them, breathing heavily as he paced along the beach. He picked up his sword, and prepared to deal the girls a death blow. As the sword came crashing down on them however, Francesca watched as a portal appeared, and engulfed Ivy and her in its fluid tendrils. She could hear Erlking howling in anger, and then they were no longer on the beach, but instead inside of an old, dimly lit apartment building. The girls held onto one another, and looked around to find Brad, along with Jaspar, standing before them. Francesca looked around wildly, confused and shocked at seeing Jaspar there with her longtime mentor.

"What...?" Francesca began to ask.

"It's a long story," Jasper said, smiling as he closed the portal in his hands and then crossed his arms across his broad chest. Other supernatural creatures surrounded them, and as Brad knelt down to Francesca, she whispered in a shaky voice, "What the hell is going on?"

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Chapter 10: Alliances

Francesca looked around her, confusion and fear from her encounter with Erlking still fresh on her mind. Before she could say anything, Brad wrapped his arms around her, and she felt herself giving into the embrace, wrapping her arms around him as a daughter would hug her own father. She closed her eyes and held onto him fiercely, and since he was not undead, she could feel his heart pounding in his chest, fear and panic coursing through his veins.

"I was so afraid I was going to lose you," Brad whispered, hugging her tighter.

"Never, old man," Francesca joked in a breathy voice, trying to make light of the situation but feeling the stress of looking death in the face still coursing through her veins.

"Sweetheart, it's so good to see you," a woman's voice called out, and Francesca opened her eyes to see Evangeline Lutece walk into the room. Evangeline was a longtime friend of her and Brad's, and someone they both loved very much. They had met Evangeline in 1912, and had worked several cases together. Evangeline was the sister of Victor Frankenstein, and after he killed her, (after she refused his advances on her), he had brought her back to life, making her his second "creature", after his first creation, Atlas. She had spent hundreds of years running from him, dedicating her life to fighting him and his forces. On top of her immortality, she had been granted enhanced speed, strength and reflexes, as well as a healing factor. The beautiful immortal woman with a lightning bolt tattoo on her neck and a heart blooming out of a rose on her chest smiled down on Francesca, and the vampire girl smiled back at her friend.

"Evangeline, what are you doing here," Francesca asked as Evangeline wrapped her arms around her and Brad, and the three embraced like the miniature family they had become over the years. Having been alone for so long before her immortal life, she had found something she'd been missing in her human life once she became a vampire, and that was a family.

"I came here to help you, as well as Ivy here," Evangeline said, smiling as she pulled away from Francesca and went to check on Ivy, who had been sitting there watching the scene unfold.

"You know Ivy?" Francesca asked.

"Evangeline is the one who rescued me from the life of being a hunter, Francesca," Ivy replied as she hugged Evangeline. "She brought me into the resistance about ten years ago."

"And how do you fit into all of this, Jasper?" Francesca asked, looking at the young warlock with curious eyes.

"I've known Brad since before you turned, Francesca. I've been his inside man for many, many years. He's the one who convinced me humanity was worth fighting for."

"We'll explain all of this in a bit, but first tell me what happened to you. What attacked you Francesca?" Brad asked. The concerned father quickly reverted back to the soldier that had trained her for decades, and she found herself faltering to find the right words.

"I...I followed the sounds of chanting I heard coming from the woods near the school, and I stumbled upon a cabin. The inside was covered in candles and a pentagram had been drawn in the center. I thought a demon was being summoned, but the chanting was coming from a young fairie girl, and it turns out she was summoning her father, Erlking."

"Erlking is here?" Brad asked, standing up and looking at her with concern.

"Yeah, his daughter Chanter summoned him. Dean Dante Santiago was given instructions to summon Erlking by King Dalca in order to hunt down a local resistance member. He said the resistance soldier was a friend of Balor, their shared enemy. I was going to see if it was you they were talking about, but Ivy snapped a branch behind me, and before I could hear anything else Erlking came after us, threatening to kill us. He would have too if Jasper hadn't pulled us out of there," Francesca finished recounting.

"Dalca wouldn't dare going after Balor himself, for fear of retaliation from the Giants. No, he sends Erlking to take me out, and send a message to Balor that he needs to side with Dalca or stay out of his way. That smart bastard knows what he's doing. Francesca, what were you thinking putting yourself in danger like that?"

"Brad, that's what I was put in that academy to do. Without me putting myself on the line, we wouldn't know that one of the most dangerous creatures in existence was now stalking around California."

"You could have been killed, girl. How many times have I warned you not to get too close to the action? Use those senses of yours to keep your distance and observe from a safe point. You've only been at this assignment for a month and you already almost died."

"Well, sorry my death would have been such an inconvenience to you, but I did what I needed to do. You don't like it, then you go to that school and get the answers yourself!"

Before Brad could reply, Francesca stormed out of the room, Ivy and Jasper looking at him before following her out of the room. Brad paced along the floor, shaking his head and feeling the tension running along his body. He looked around and noticed he and Evangeline were alone, and she looked at him with a thin smile on her face.

"Don't you start," he said, holding up his hand and trying to ward off the lecture he was sure to get.

"Brad, why did you send her to that academy?" Evangeline asked.

"She...she's the only one I completely trust to get the job done. She looks like a teenager, and she has the skills to pull this off. She needs to remember her training though..."

"Why don't you just admit what's really bothering you? You almost lost her today, and you're terrified."

"I...she's like a daughter to me, Evangeline. You know that better than anyone. I raised that girl into the woman she is today. I've lost so many people in my war with Dalca, I can't imagine losing her too."

"I don't want you to lose her. I don't want to lose her. I love her like a daughter, Brad. Yet you made a decision to trust her, and you have to honor that trust. She may be immortal, but she's still a teenage girl at heart. She's never been in a social situation where she not only had to lie to protect her cover, but to blend in by being the teenager she never got to be. She wants you to recognize that she can handle herself, even when she doesn't believe she can."

"I...I know you're right. I've always taken her immortality for granted. I just assumed she'd have the adult mentality that I've always known her to have, but this assignment changes things. She has to become a teenager to fit in and understand these people, and to survive. Hell, I never thought I'd have to deal with teenagers, especially in these modern times. Kids these days are unlike anything I ever could have imagined," Brad laughed, running his hand through his hair and shaking his head. Evangeline leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, and he closed his eyes as he smiled and felt her strong arms holding onto him.

"You saw what I saw in there too, right?" she asked him suddenly.

"You mean with Ivy and Jasper? Yeah, I saw it," Brad said with a faint smile.

"She likes them both, and someday she's going to get the courage to talk to you about her sexuality. Are you ready for that?"

"I love her for her, and her sexuality won't change that. When she's ready, I'll be here for her. I just hope she gets the strength to tell me, and has the strength to hold on if something happens to one of those two in this coming war. Dalca preys on love, and he'll use it against her if he ever finds out who she is at that school."

"She'll be ready Brad. She has you as a father," Evangeline replied, kissing Brad on the cheek before walking out of the room, leaving Brad alone to ponder his thoughts.

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Chapter 11: History Matters

Francesca stormed through the abandoned building, her anger flaring as she fought the feelings welling up inside of her. Brad had been the one to send her into that damn school. She had put her life on the line, and had sacrificed the next couple of years of her life to take on this assignment. How dare he question her and her methods. One minute he had been a caring father figure to her, and the next he was a critical military general questioning her in front of the rest of this chapter of the resistance.

As anger welled up inside of her, she lashed out with lightning speed, punching with inhuman strength through concrete walls. She flexed her hands and rubbed the bits of concrete on her fists off, before lashing out and hitting another wall.

"Hey there, how about not tearing down the building and bringing it down on our heads," Ivy said behind her. She and Jasper had followed Francesca in, and hoped to calm her down.

"Look, just leave me alone. I need to work out some of this stress, alright?" Francesca said.

"Francesca, listen, I've known Brad a long time. He can be a hard-ass sometimes. Hell, he's usually a hard-ass. I know he said that though because he was worried about you. He just doesn't know how to approach teenagers."

"I'm over a hundred years old, Jasper. I'm not a teenager."

"You and I and Ivy may be immortal, but we'll always be teenagers. I've seen empires rise and fall, and yet I still feel the pull of adolescence sometimes. It's not a bad thing, it's just what happens when you remain in a teenager's body for so long."

"He should trust me, Jasper. I know what you're saying is true, but I'm pissed off right now and I need to be irrational for a few minutes, ok? Besides, who are you two to try to tell me how to react? I barely know you guys, and now I find out you are members of the resistance too. How can I trust people I don't even know?"

"That...that is a good point," Ivy replied, looking to Jasper, who nodded at her in response. "Let's get it all out in the open. In order to survive this assignment, we're going to need to know each other. So let's just get our stories out there and lay it all out on the line. I'll go first," Ivy replied. Jasper and Francesca looked at one another, and then nodded as they listened to Ivy's story.

Ivy's Story:

"I was born in 1908, but became immortal in 1926. I had lived in London my entire life, and had been born into a fairly wealthy family. My father had been a wealthy merchant, importing goods from around the world. We'd lived in London our whole lives, and I had spent most of my young life as Lila Santiago now lives: as a spoiled, snotty princess.

"I had been catered to for my entire childhood, and thought everything and anything I wanted was mine to take. One night, I decided I wanted to go for a walk through the city, and even though my mother had warned me against it, fearing it was improper and unsafe for a lady to walk alone in the city at night, I ignored her. Although I still don't think a woman should be banned from doing what she wants, I was a fool to think I was impervious to harm.

"That night, as I walked through the city, looking for some trouble to get into, I was attacked. A vampire pulled me into an alley, and drank me. I was near death when he turned me, and when I was reborn, I learned he had turned me to make me his slave. I was to train immediately as a hunter. At first, I still believed myself to be a princess of sorts, and demanded he treat me as such. After spending two months in isolation without a drop of blood, I was taught just how over my human life was, and how foolish I'd been to demand something from my master.

"I was taught soon after to hunt, to lure, and to kill. I was trained to fight, and was shown several ways to drain a human without wasting a single drop of blood. My master...my master taught me to use my...my body. I lured men into my master's home, and while they were occupied, my master would attack, dragging them into his den and draining them. He thought it was a game, and that I was just another pawn.

"I spent decades like that, being used to hunt and lure prey for my master, and I didn't resist. I spent so much time asking myself if I should have fought harder. Should I have run away? Should I have let the master kill me before letting him use me? It's taken a lot of years to overcome that mentality, and to realize that I had been his victim.

"One day, a beautiful woman with strange tattoos broke into my master's den, and slayed him. She killed him and unfortunately several of the other female vampires who were loyal to him and attacked her on sight. They all lost their heads, but when she found me, I was hiding in a corner, closing my eyes and waiting to die finally. Instead, she took me in, and helped me overcome my time in his servitude.

"Evangeline saved me that day, and she taught me how to use the suffering I'd endured to help others as well. She taught me how not to define myself by my victimhood, but rather by my actions. I promised myself never to become a slave again, and to fight injustice wherever I saw it. I promised to stop both supernatural and human threats, and keep the world a better place. When I look at the world Dalca wants to create, I see a world ruled by creatures like my now dead master, and I know I'd rather die than let that happen. That's why we have to win this war. I won't be a slave ever again."

Francesca and Jasper sat in silence once Ivy finished her story. The trauma that this woman had endured in her life was heartbreaking to hear. They'd heard the stories of vampire hunters and what they were forced to do, but to hear it from a hunter themselves was an entirely different matter. Francesca looked up at the vampire and admired the strength she exuded now. To look at Ivy now, one never would have suspected her of ever being a slave, and she only wished she could kill that bastard that had used her like that all those years ago.

"Thank...thank you for sharing that with us, Ivy," Francesca said, holding out her hand and squeezing Ivy's own hand gently as a show of solidarity.

"Thanks," Ivy whispered, wiping away a tear from her face before turning back towards the circle the trio had formed.

"I'm glad to have you on our side, Ivy Owens," Jasper replied.

"Thank you. That means a lot. OK, now it's your turn Jasper," Ivy replied. The girls turned to face the warlock, and listened as he told his story.

Jasper's Story:

"I was born in the year 1517, in the town of Mecca in Egypt. My mother was the wife of the Sharif, Barakat bin Muhammed, who surrendered the town of Mecca to the Ottoman Empire after the fall of Cairo during the campaign against Egypt by Sultan Selim I. Whilst the battles in Egypt were being waged, King Dalca visited my mother's bed chambers, shaped-shifted to look like the Sharif, and bedded her. Due to his otherworldly physiology, I was conceived and born in a matter of two months. King Dalca killed the Sharif, Barakat bin Muhammed, and assumed his place from 1517-1525, in order to keep me and my mother safe. My name at birth was Set-auan."

"Wait, King Dalca is your father?!" Both Francesca and Ivy exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, and please, save all questions for after. Now, King Dalca had done this because of his great hatred towards the Ottoman Empire. During his time masquerading as Vlad Tepes nearly a hundred years earlier, he had waged a bloody war against the Ottomans, and after being driven out by the Ottoman Empire, he had sought to take revenge on the kingdom. Finally, he saw his chance with the capture of Mecca.

"Sultan Selim I reigned for another three years, but then King Dalca took me when I was three years old, and told me to conjure up a poison to kill the Sultan. He threatened to kill my mother if I didn't comply, and being a child who feared his supernatural father, I did as he asked. I reached through the void between realities, and pulled out a poison I called A Sultan's Death. It was administered to the Sultan by Dalca, who shape-shifted to look like the royal physician, and Sultan Selim I died of a deadly cancer in 1520. My father laughed as the Sultan died painfully, and laughed harder when the royal physician was executed for failing to cure the Sultan. Of course the Ottoman Empire continued on with a new leader, and in 1525 my father faked the Sharif's death, allowing a new Sharif to come in and taking my mother and I away.

"When I was 18 years old, my mother died of exposure after having ventured out into the desert, and I was left alone. Dalca made a habit over the next five hundred years of leaving for long periods of time, often decades. I traveled the world, absorbing all forms of cultures and using my magic to blend in with whatever country I was currently living in.

"After not seeing him for 100 years, Dalca showed up at my apartment in New York City four years ago. He said that he was nearing his goal of beginning the final war, and he wanted my help constructing one of his Nightmare Academy projects, keeping an eye on his interests in the West Coast chapter. Little did he know that I'd been working with Brad and the Resistance for a long time, and so I used my connection to Dalca to get an inside look at his schools and his plans for the coming war. I've hated my father since I was a child. He took away my childhood, my innocence, made me an outcast, and left my mother and I to die after he got what he wanted from me. I swore to take him down, and protect humanity while I did it. I am not my father, and I will die before I ever become like him."

"I can't believe it. Dalca's son," Ivy said, amazed as she looked at the Egyptian warlock.

"That can't have been easy. Thank you for sharing that," Francesca replied, looking at the young looking warlock with amazement in her eyes.

"I believe in building trust. I want you to trust me, Francesca. Now, what about your story?"

Francesca took a deep breath, and then recounted her history to them. Being turned at the turn of the 20th century, spending decades working cases with Brad, meeting and falling in love with Alan in the 50's, then losing him to Dante Santiago, and the years since then looking for Dante and looking for a way to stop Dalca and his plans for war. When she was finished, the trio looked at one another, and a peace had settled over them. Each had showcased the dark pasts that haunted them, and the others hadn't run away. They all looked at one another, and a silent understanding had come amongst them. They were now bonded, and were in this mission together, until the end.

Before they could talk more extensively, an explosion rocked the building. The trio held their ground and waited for the building to stop rolling, which eventually it did.

"What the hell was that?" Ivy asked. Before anyone could reply, a loud roar erupted from two floors below them, and the trio looked at one another.

"Erlking," the three said at once, knowing the creature had found them.

"Jasper, teleport us downstairs, stat," Francesca said, taking charge of the situation as Brad had taught her to do. Jasper nodded, and soon they were standing downstairs. The supernatural resistance fighters were surrounding the giant King of the Fae, whose eyes gleamed with hellfire, as did his sword. Brad and Evangeline stood facing the fairie, and Brad took a step forward and bellowed, "Take him down!"

Erlking smiled, and Francesca knew that the first battle of her assignment at Nightmare Academy had officially begun.

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Chapter 12: The First Test Is Always The Hardest...

The abandoned building soon became a warzone. Francesca, Ivy and Jasper watched as the resistance fighters charged Erlking, who laughed as he cut through them, ripping them in half like tissue paper. Blood soaked his burning skin as he used the antlers on his head to bore into the soldiers, wearing the impaled bodies like party hats as their blood flowed down his face. Brad and Evangeline pulled out their own swords, and soon they were clashing with Erlking, sending the dark room they were in into a photographer's studio, the clashing of swords illuminating the room with bursts of sparks.

Francesca watched in horror as the King of the Fae growled at Brad and Evangeline, sweat and blood pouring down their faces as they squared off with Erlking. The King's blade cut across Brad's face, as well as Evangeline's arm, and the two took up a defensive position as the monster reigned down blows on them without stopping. Fear welled up inside of her, but Brad's persistent voice spoke up inside of her mind, and urged her to be the leader he always knew she could be, and so she pushed her fears aside, and took control.

"Jasper, you're the oldest person here. Do you know how to stop that thing?" Francesca asked.

"You have to take off its head. It won't kill him, but it will destroy his physical body and send his spirit back to the land of the Fae. It'll be two years before he can rebuild his physical form here on Earth," Jasper replied.

"OK, then you and Ivy flank Erlking and help Brad and Evangeline keep him distracted."

"Where are you going?" Ivy asked.

"I'm going to kill a King," Francesca replied, disappearing into the shadows of the building. Ivy and Jasper looked at one another, and then ran into the battle.

Ivy grabbed a sword dropped by one of the fallen soldiers, and began clashing with Erlking, giving Brad and Evangeline time to breath.

"Ha! I have destroyed gods, child. You think a young vampire is going to take me down?" Erlking challenged Ivy as the two clashed.

"How about a warlock, Erlking?"

Erlking turned, slapping Ivy with his backhand into the concrete wall, with Brad and Evangeline kneeling to help her up. The King of the Fae glared at Jasper.

"Dalca's boy? How dare you challenge me, your father's ally. He will be most disappointed when I bring your corpse to his doorstep."

"Not going to happen, you pathetic whelp," Jasper replied calmly, gliding into the room with swagger and a smile on his face. The fairie King howled in anger and swung his sword down towards Jasper, but before he could kill the warlock, his arm stopped, and Jasper raised his glowing blue hands to reveal he had opened up several portals around the King. Glowing blue chains had wrapped around the King's arms, legs and throat, securing him in place. Sweat poured down Jasper's face as he used his magic to keep the King in place, while Erlking fought against his restraints.

"Francesca, now!" Jasper shouted between labored breaths. Suddenly, like a bullet in the dark of night, Francesca jumped out of the shadows, landing on top of Erlking's back. The King howled as he worked to rip apart his ties. Francesca howled back at him, baring her fangs and using her own sword to stab the King in the back and neck.

"Get off of me, you parasite!" Erlking shouted.

"Never!" Francesca shouted back. "It's time to return to your kingdom, your Majesty!"

In a series of quick lashes, Francesca swung her sword at the thick neck of the King. He howled in anger and pain, but soon his voice quieted, and blue blood flew everywhere with Francesca's final blow. Jasper fell to the ground as his magic gave out. The chains disappeared, and Erlking fell to his knees. He took one gazed look out over the beaten down resistance fighters, and then his head slipped off of his neck, rolling to the ground with a thud.

Brad, Evangeline and Ivy moved to Jasper, grabbing hold of him and helping him stand. The four of them looked at the decapitated body of Erlking, and then looked past him to Francesca, who stood on top of the King's back. Covered from head to toe in blue blood, her eyes wild and her fangs bared, she stared out at her friends, her sword dripping the King's hot blood, and somehow felt a chill run down her spine. Her secret was safe, and she had made her first kill while undercover. She'd killed Erlking, King of the Fae, and dealt King Dalca a heavy blow.

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Epilogue: Just Beginning...

The day after sending Erlking back to his realm, Francesca roamed the halls of Nightmare Academy. The events of the previous night had stayed with her, keeping her mind racing as she thought of the fight with Erlking. The bodies of fallen resistance fighters littered the floor, as did the giant body of Erlking. She remembered walking into a bathroom to clean herself off, and staring at her hands for twenty minutes, watching as the blood dried on her skin. She'd killed before, but never had she faced a foe as powerful as Erlking. Killing him had shocked her to her core, not only because of how powerful he'd been, but because the battle spoke of the level of danger she would be facing while at Nightmare Academy, and the foes she'd face in the years to come in the war. She'd looked into the mirror of the bathroom, and had shaken when she glanced at her reflection. Covered in blood, her eyes wild from the battle, she had hardly recognized herself, and that had terrified her more than anything.

As she put on a brave face and returned to the school for the next day of classes, she saw as she walked through the halls Erlking's daughter Chanter speaking with Dean Santiago, and she turned her back on them, pulling out a compact mirror and pretending to care about her makeup as she applied lipstick, using her superhuman hearing to listen in on their conversation.

"...did your father say?" Santiago was asking.

"Nothing, sir. He's slipped into a coma. His body was found in the woods near the cabin this morning. His spirit has returned to the land of the Fae, and he has gone into a coma to repair the damage his physical form has undergone. He won't wake up for another two years," Chanter replied.

"Chanter, King Dalca and I are disappointed in you. If your father wasn't an important ally of ours, we'd kill you now and cut our losses. However you may still prove useful to us. I'll deal with your punishment later. For now, go back to your classes and await my instructions. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Chanter replied softly. Bowing her head, she walked down the hallway. Francesca smiled to herself, and shut her compact. Turning to leave, she found herself instead standing in front of Dean Santiago, who smiled down at her with a shark-toothed grin.

"Miss Lucas, I've heard so much about you. My daughter's incessant complaining tells me you are the perfect candidate for our leadership program here at the academy."

"Um, thank you, Dean Santiago. That...that means a lot," Francesca said, holding back her anger while staring at her hated enemy.

"As you are one of our oldest students, you have the most experience to lead our student body. King Dalca himself has seen your record, and we have studied your movements in Thor's classes. You are destined for greatness in King Dalca's army, my dear."

"Thank you, sir. I am humbled to serve my King, and will gladly fight for him," Francesca said, hoping he believed her lies as she bowed to him humbly. Anger welled up inside of her, and it took all her strength not to rip the phony smile he had off of his face.

"My daughter could learn a thing or two from you. Don't let her off easy in school. She needs the competition. Say, you seem familiar. Have our paths crossed before?"

"No," Francesca said through clenched teeth, hoping she was able to convince him and keep a fake smile on her face. "We haven't had the pleasure, Dean Santiago."

"Well, I look forward to working together, Miss Lucas. You are the kind of student Nightmare Academy was made for."

Francesca smiled, and with that the Dean moved on, leaving a fuming Francesca behind. As she stood there, a young werewolf boy walked past her and smiled.

"Hey there hot stuff, whatcha' say you come over to my dorm for a little 'study session' tonight?" the boy asked.

"Boy, I'm a hundred years older than you. I will tear that smug look off of your face if you don't leave me the hell alone," Francesca growled. The boy sensed her anger, and obviously knowing he'd lose, ran off with a story to tell all of his buddies. Francesca shook her head, and stalked off to her dorm room. She opened the door to her dorm, and found Jasper waiting for her.

"Jasper, um, what are you doing here? Are you doing alright?" she asked, setting her bag down on her dresser as Jasper stood up from her bed and smiled at her concern.

"I'm fine, Francesca. A good night's sleep helped me recover. I haven't used my magic like that in a long time. Are you alright?"

"I'm...I'm fine. Just had a run in with the Dean. Apparently he and your father have been watching me, and want me to be the top candidate for their leadership program."

"Of course they do. Be careful, Francesca. I know how much you want revenge, but Santiago and my father are dangerous. He has other motives for you, I'm sure of it. The leadership program is deadly for anyone not fully committed to my father's cause."

"I'll be careful, I promise," Francesca said, smiling tiredly while grasping Jasper's hand. She went to turn from him, but he held onto her hand, and she looked up into his eyes to see him gazing at her fondly. He sent chills down her spine, and his gaze drew her in.

"Jasper," she said breathily, looking into his oceanic eyes.

"I...I know you are hesitant to reach for any sort of relationship, especially after what happened to Alan. I also know that you are torn. You might not be able to feel it, but I can feel your heart, and I know it is undecided right now."

"Yes. I...I want to open myself up, but you and Ivy, I'm..."

"I know. You care for us both. I'm nearly five hundred years old, Francesca. I can recognize the struggle you face. I...I care for you. I'm beginning to care for you greatly. I recognize a strength in you and a determination I've never before known. Where a vampire like Lila is petty, weak and ruled by greed and power, you are caring, strong, and ruled by your emotions. You care so wholly for others, and you believe in this resistance more than any other soldier I've ever met. It's why I've begun to care for you so fiercely. Yet I know you need time, and I won't pressure you. I will give you the time you need, and will be here for you no matter what you decide."

"Jasper, I...I don't know what to say. You are the kindest, most amazing man I've ever met. My sexuality is something I've struggled with for a long time, and I don't want to rush into anything before I have a handle on it."

"I understand, believe me. You must look within yourself before you can look outward. Just know that I am here."

Jasper smiled, gripped her hand, and began to walk toward the door. Yet Francesca held on, and he turned to look at her.

"Jasper, are you afraid of the war that's coming?" she asked him.

"No, but I'm afraid of you," he replied calmly, looking at her with intense eyes.

"Of me?"

"I'm afraid of you because my entire time with the resistance, I've never once doubted my commitment. But when I think of you, and I imagine a scenario where my father holds the fate of the world in one hand, and your fate in the other, I'd happily let the world burn if it meant saving you. Even if you weren't to choose me, I'd feel that way, and that's what scares me most. Not you as a person, but the emotions you have stirred up in me. I'd sacrifice existence itself if it meant having you in my life."

Francesca stared at him, tears streaming down her face as he looked at her earnestly. Before she could think anymore, she pulled him into her embrace and kissed him passionately. He wrapped his hands around her back and into her hair, and she closed her eyes as she kissed him with all her might. She had no idea what this meant, and her feelings for Ivy weren't resolved either, nor were her feelings about her sexuality. She had a ways to go with those questions, but one thing she knew was that she wanted this. She wanted this moment, and no matter what happened going forward, she would remember this kiss. She lost all track of time as the sun set, and as darkness swallowed the room, all that was left was her and Jasper, and in that moment, that was alright.

"Dean Santiago, how goes my Nightmare Academy in California?" King Dalca boomed. It was midnight, and Dean Santiago sat in his office, using his laptop to video call his master, King Dalca.

"It goes well, my liege. Already we are culling the weak from the strong, and I believe we are recruiting a strong leadership program."

"Good. In just a few years we will be ready to invade. Already the humans have elected our man on the inside to become their United States President. All of our pieces are falling into place."

"Sir, I'm afraid Erlking failed to kill our old friend, Brad Davies."

"Ha, as I knew he would. The Fae have always believed themselves to be a master race. This defeat will help show them who their betters are."

"So...so you never intended for Brad Davies to die, my lord?"

"Brad...Mr. Davies and I are destined to battle for years to come, Mr. Santiago. If he's going to die, it will be at my hands. I want him to witness what I have planned for the human race, so that he may know that I have truly won. As I stand on the bare bones of all of humanity, I will have Brad Davies kneeling at my feet, a spectator to the destruction of his precious world he's spent so long fighting for, and when he's broken, then I will end his life, a worthy end for a worthy foe."

"Excellent, your grace. I look forward to that glorious day."

"The day is fast approaching, Mr. Santiago. Soon my forces will outnumber the humans, and no longer will we have to hide in the shadows. This world was always meant to be ruled by us. It is natural evolution. Have my school ready, Mr. Santiago. The next couple of years will determine who lives to see the uprising, and who doesn't."

With that, King Dalca ended the call, leaving Dean Santiago to reflect on his master's words. In just a few years' time, the war would begin, and if he wanted to see it unfold, he would have to make sure he brought up a fearless army to serve King Dalca. He sat at his desk, and pulled out a few files. He looked at the files of Jasper Harper, the King's son, and knew he would have the power to influence the fate of this school. Of course, a good leader always had to have an ace or two in the hole. If he were to become a liability to King Dalca, he would either need to use Jasper as a bargaining chip, or if the King failed to care for his son's fate, then he would use Francesca Lucas as a secret weapon. He would need a way to implant a suggestion into her mind, a word or phrase to unlock her as his secret assassin, should the King turn on him. He'd survived too long to die now, and one way or another, he would survive. It was a time of war, and in war, even King's died.

The End

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Prelude: A Brush with Death

The faintest tinge of light began to creep over the cloudy skies above Raven. It was a brisk October morning, (Halloween to be exact), and the 50 year old woman stepped out of the diner where she worked as a chef with a smile on her face. She didn't know why she was smiling. It had been a typical night at the diner, cooking hot and greasy meals for hungry travelers and truck drivers as they drove along the coast.

Robin "Raven" Barber lived in a small apartment in Ocean Park, CA, near her favorite place in the world, Santa Monica. She'd been working at Al's 24-hour diner for four years, although she'd spent over twenty years working as a chef. She'd spent years cooking and serving all sorts of customers, and whenever she worked these late nights, she was used to dealing with the occasional asshole who claimed their food was overcooked or not cooked enough. This night was no different, and yet she was happy.

As she breathed in the cool morning air, she thought about the day ahead of her. Although she'd lived alone for the last six years in her small apartment near the beach, (with the exception of her two cats, Carrie and Harrison), she had two beautifully grown children who were set to visit her for her birthday today. Her son, Charles Barber, was a twenty-two year old photographer living in Los Angeles, while her daughter, Alicia

Barber, was a 19 year old woman working as a waitress while working her way through school, studying to become a full-time makeup artist. It had been four weeks since she'd last seen her children, and as a working single mother, her favorite days always revolved around seeing them.

As she walked to her car, the early morning sunshine catching in her purple tinged hair, she thought of her coming day and felt a smile tug on her lips again. Raven spent most of her time working, and the rest of her time dedicated to her love of the Wiccan culture. A practicing

Wiccan herself, she loved the approach to magic that the Wiccan culture taught, viewing magic as a law of nature that is not yet understood by modern science. She hoped to one day see magic materialize before her eyes, proving to herself once and for all her beliefs were valid. She could deal with the occasional naysayer who called her "eccentric" for her beliefs, but she could not tolerate her own self-doubt, and so she pursued her beliefs with a passionate zeal.

As these thoughts rushed through her mind, a chill began to run down her spine, and she began to rub the intricate patterns of her tattoo on the base of her neck, which depicted the beautiful Moon Goddess draped across the moon's surface, watching over the world. She did this without thinking, as this was usually a habit she had whenever something stressful or bad entered her life. She shook her head and continued towards her small blue Mini Cooper.

Suddenly, a howl rose through the early morning air. Raven tensed, and scanned the parking lot, which was mostly empty except for the cars of the morning shift employees who had arrived a half hour earlier. She looked around, feeling as if she were being watched, and was shocked to see a pair of red eyes staring at her from some nearby bushes. Her breath caught in her throat, and her mind screamed for her to run, but her legs wouldn't comply. She stared in amazement and horror at the piercing red eyes, but soon the growling began to emerge from the bushes, and she knew what was about to happen.

Finally snapping out of her shocked state, Raven turned and ran to her car, pulling out her car keys as fast as she could. She heard the sharp bark of an animal behind her, followed by the scurrying feet scuttling across the gravel parking lot. Just as she reached her car, a powerful mass of muscles smashed into her back, sending her flying into her car door and her keys flying from her hands. Sharp claws dug into her back, and she tried to scream in pain, but the breath had been knocked out of her. She was sure she was going to die, and so she said one last prayer of sorts to the Moon Goddess, asking for her protection for her children now that she would no longer be there.

Before she could finish her thoughts however, another powerful shock hit the animal attacking her, and she found herself free from its death grip. She rolled over onto her back, wincing at the bloody tears in her back, and looked in terror as she watched a beautiful teenage girl tearing into a shaggy black mass. The animal in the girl's grasp yelped in pain, and then fell silent and unmoving in the young woman's arms. The girl dropped the animal, which looked like a giant ball of black fur, to the gravel, and looked up at Raven.

The girl's eyes were the loveliest shade of emerald green Raven had ever seen, and her beauty was evident, but Raven looked on in horror as she saw the girl wipe a smear of black blood from her mouth, spitting out large gobs of the blood onto the ground.

"Are you ok?" the girl asked, wiping her hands and face with a cloth that she pulled out of her jean pockets.

"What....what..." Raven stammered, staring up in horror at this strange woman.

"She's in shock," a voice spoke up behind Raven. She turned to see the strangest sight yet, a handsome young man with skin the color of the ocean and swirling lights surrounding him.

"I can tell. She was attacked by a hellhound. This is definitely the place it's going to happen," the girl remarked to the man. She walked over to Raven and in one swift motion picked Raven up off the ground, as if she weighed nothing. "Can you fix her up Jasper?"

"Sure can, Francesca. It'll just take a second," the man replied. Before Raven could speak, she felt a warm and pleasant tingling sensation run down her back, and soon she felt her back was whole again. "There you go my dear, you're injuries should be healed, as will your amazing t-shirt. I felt a strong magic in you. Are you a Wiccan by any chance?"

"I'm...yes, I'm a Wiccan. I've...I've been searching for proof of magic for years, and you've given it to me. Thank...thank you both for saving me."

"You are most welcome my dear, but we must take your memories of this event. This area is going to be a dangerous place to be for the next twenty-four hours, and we can't have anyone remembering seeing us here," the man, (Jasper was what the girl, Francesca, called him, Raven thought to herself), replied.

"Oh please, I can't forget this. This is what I've searched for. You are the answer I've always sought."

"I'm sorry my dear, but you can't remember us. However, maybe we can leave you with a little token of magic," Jasper replied. He waved his hand in front of Raven's face, and her mind went blank. Francesca guided the woman into her car, sitting her in the driver's seat and putting her keys in the ignition. When she came to, Raven would only remember falling asleep in her car, and nothing more. Jasper smiled as he left a little box inside the car with Raven. Then they shut the door, and walked back into the forest near the diner, off to their adventure.

Raven woke several minutes later, and laughed as she remembered falling asleep. She shook her head, smacked her cheeks to wake herself up, and then started the car. Before she left the parking lot however, she spotted a small box sitting on her dashboard. She picked it up, and saw a note, which simply read, "Never Stop Believing, J." She shook her head in amazement, not sure who J was, but when she opened the box, she saw a small piece of paper inside. The paper seemed to have some sort of incantation written on it, and laughing to herself, she playfully spoke the words aloud.

"Ignitus Minimus!"

As she finished the incantation, a small light emerged from the box, and a miniature firework show played before Raven's eyes. She stared in wonder as the spell played out, and she felt a tear of joy spilling down her cheek. From the woods, Francesca and Jasper watched the woman smile, and Francesca turned to Jasper with an equally big smile on her face.

"What?" Jasper asked.

"That was a wonderful thing you did for her," Francesca remarked. She knew they had to seek shelter from the sun soon, but she wrapped her arms around Jasper and enjoyed this small moment with him.

"With all the horror coming our way tonight, I think we both needed that as much as she did. The smallest glimmer of hope can turn the worst of tides," Jasper replied. She smiled, and hoped he was right. The things that they would have to face that night would be horrible indeed, and all they had going for them was hope. She only hoped that hope would be enough.

Continue the story when Nightmare Academy #2 arrives in stores in October of 2017!

Afterword

I wanted to thank everyone for starting this journey with me. The Nightmare Wars/Nightmare Academy series is a passion project for me. I always loved the idea that these monsters, myths and legends that have become a part of our culture over the centuries would be tired of hiding in the shadows one day, and I thought that this prequel felt like the perfect opportunity to explore the genre I've recently become fascinated with, and that's the YA genre. I really wanted to explore the complicated romance that most YA stories explore, as well as something I know affects a lot of the youth of our world, (as well as adults too), and that was defining your own sexuality. No one can do that but yourself, and I wanted to start the process of exploring one's sexuality in this first story, and I hope to continue to do so with future stories in this series.

I wanted to thank everyone who participated in the making of this novella. Thank you to my family, (Mom, Dad and Aly), for your constant support and belief in me, even during times when I didn't always believe in myself. I wanted to thank the Booktube community, where I refined and developed my passion for the YA genre, and who has accepted me with open arms and made me feel welcome. I wanted to thank the communities of Instagram and Goodreads, where my passion for books was met with great enthusiasm, and where I've made some great friends. I wanted to thank my beta readers, (Bridget McKeown, Ruba Nassereldeen and Jennifer Bradley), who took the time to work with me and helped make this book what it is today.

Finally, I wanted to thank you, the reader. It's because of your support that I have found the courage to continue writing. Writing is my passion, and I will never give up on it, but without your support I wouldn't have the strength to put my writing out there and make this my career, and so I thank you for taking an interest in my work and believing in me. This book is for you as much as it is for me, and I look forward to continuing the adventure of Francesca, Jasper and Ivy as they navigate the halls of Nightmare Academy. If you enjoyed this book, won't you please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite retailer? Thank you all.

Anthony Avina

November 2016

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About the Author

Author Anthony Avina lives in Southern California. He has written many best-selling novels, and works as a journalist for the online publication On Request Magazine. He also is an internet personality on YouTube. You can find him at the following sites.

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