I knew my day was going badly when my canines slipped in the middle of Biology 101. One second I was half-asleep over my textbook. The next, the girl beside me was staring at my mouth like she'd seen a ghost. Not ideal when you're the last Crimson Heir—and every vampire faction in the world wants you dead or enthroned.
I heard the bell ringing as I came to my senses, wiping the drool from my lip and shooting a glance at the clock. Grabbing my bag, I made a hurried dash for the door to the classroom. If anything came of the situation it would have to wait until later to be resolved. Some people might say scheduling work right after school without any wiggle room is a bad idea, I say keeping up appearances of a struggling college student is a little more important.
I'd done well so far, keeping my distance from the friend groups that I weaved into as to not appear as an outcast. I kept myself single and as far as I know out of the romantic view of anybody at the school. My car was about as shoddy as it could be without being considered a junk box.
The silver 2007 Honda Accord let out a creaky, straining sound as its worn hinges flexed. When you have the strength of someone three times your size, car doors just aren't built for sustained abuse. I tossed my bag into the backseat before pulling the visor down. Using the small mirror, I lifted my lips to inspect my teeth. My fangs were no longer showing to my relief, the small canines staring back at me looked average.
A quick overlook of myself gave me a ghastly reflection. My onyx toned hair, which I had to cut shoulder length after the incident with the phoenix last year left my ends singed, hung in a messy bob. My eyes were still in the process of swimming back to blue, from the red tint that came out when something dangerous was nearby.
I had not sensed anything earlier in the day and it seemed nothing was around now. My senses rarely alarmed for no reason, leaving a pit of unease in my stomach. The visor closed with a soft thump as I started the car, reversing and cautiously leaving the parking lot of Pineridge Community College.
I pulled into my spot outside of the book store. Dusty Spines' Book Shop lived up to its name, rarely any customers entered the building. Mostly due to the aversion spell the shops owner had placed upon the business. I tied on my apron as I went towards the front door, pushing it open. The small bell above the door signaled my entrance. The steel bell was the newest thing in the shop after the old one had fallen from its perch and burned my forehead, leaving a split scar where the silver slashed between my eyebrows.
"Hey Dusty, I'm here for my shift." I called out into the dimly lit horde of shelves.
"Juniper! It's always a pleasure to have you, my dear." A rough voice crowed as he emerged from the den.
Dusty was an ogre, literally, who took me in when I moved to Pineridge. He towered at seven feet tall, his lumbering gait pressuring the floorboards. His toothy grin was warm with hospitality.
"Are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale--more so than usual." He asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Just a slip today, but I could not detect anything near me, and I was not followed. Have you heard anything in the area?"
The ogre shook his head as he headed back into the den. The old ogre had practiced magic since before I was born, becoming my designated shelter in this small backwoods town. He would scry the area and keep me updated on movements of the vampire factions that were looking for me. They had passed through Pineridge on occasion, leaving me many nights spent in the basement out of sight.
I got behind the counter and picked up the book I had been reading lately, an anthology of cryptids in the North American wilderness. Pineridge seemed to draw in creatures from around the country, even foreigners traveled here. It was a perfect place to lay low for those of the supernatural community as the magical ley lines around this place protected it's inhabitants from outside detection.
The current section of the book was going over the sightings of a bat-like creature known as an Ahool. Ahool's were thought to swoop down on their victims and attack viciously. That part was correct, but what the vanilla author had gotten wrong is that Ahool's were actually the failed products of monkeys being turned by ancient clans of vampires. Nowadays they were used as attack dogs by the Claw faction, which consisted of the most deranged vampires, a unique clan that got its members from other clans, picking up strays and creatures alike. They were the most chaotic faction, and one that wanted me dead.
After a few hours had passed, I was preparing to put the book down when the bell sounded. I looked up to see a man in a business suit carrying a briefcase. The customer caught me off-guard, with orange eyes slit like a fox.
"Juniper Vale," the kitsune started, "I have a job that I believe you would be well suited for."
Great, exactly what I needed tonight.