The bell rang.
Adeline had never been so grateful to hear a bell in her life.
The moment the teacher dismissed them, chairs scraped against the stone floor and students began pouring out of the classroom.
Adeline stayed seated.
She needed a moment.
The word mutant was still burning inside her head.
She had managed to keep her secret hidden for years.
She wasn't about to lose everything on her first day.
"You're quiet."
Adeline glanced sideways.
Ezekiel was standing beside her desk.
"Am I?"
"Usually people talk when they're nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
He smiled.
"Then you're definitely nervous."
Adeline rolled her eyes and stood.
"You're annoying."
"I've been told."
Remy walked past them, tossing his silver coin into the air.
"He's proud of it."
"I am," Ezekiel replied.
Pierre followed behind him, carrying several books beneath his arm.
"Come on. We have another class."
Drake stopped beside the door.
"Azreal."
Adeline looked up.
Azreal was still sitting at the table.
He hadn't moved.
His eyes were fixed on her.
Again.
She frowned.
"What?"
He stood.
"Nothing."
"Then stop staring."
He walked past her without answering.
Adeline watched him leave.
"Strange boy," she muttered.
Ezekiel grinned.
"You have no idea."
The next class was combat magic.
Adeline immediately regretted coming.
The training hall was enormous, with stone walls reinforced by glowing runes. Targets floated in the air, some shaped like monsters, others like human figures.
Students stood in pairs.
The instructor was a huge man with black horns and glowing amber eyes.
"Your magic is useless if you cannot defend yourself," he announced. "Today, we test your physical abilities."
Adeline sighed.
Of course.
The instructor began assigning partners.
"Remy and Drake."
"Pierre and Ezekiel."
Then his eyes landed on Adeline.
"Adeline."
She raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"You're with Azreal."
The room suddenly became very quiet.
Ezekiel looked delighted.
Remy laughed.
Pierre shook his head.
Drake muttered something that sounded suspiciously like good luck.
Azreal walked toward her.
Adeline crossed her arms.
"Why does everyone look like you're about to kill me?"
Azreal stopped in front of her.
"Maybe they're worried about me."
Adeline scoffed.
"You?"
His eyebrow lifted.
"You're confident."
"I prefer realistic."
The instructor blew his whistle.
"Begin!"
Azreal moved first.
Fast.
Far too fast.
Adeline barely managed to block his strike.
The impact sent a sharp vibration through her arm.
Her eyes widened.
Vampire.
That speed.
That strength.
She stepped backward.
Azreal came again.
Adeline ducked beneath his arm, spun, and kicked his leg.
He stumbled.
The entire class gasped.
Azreal looked at her differently now.
Adeline smirked.
"What's wrong?"
He straightened.
"Nothing."
"Good."
He attacked again.
This time, Adeline moved without thinking.
Her body reacted before her mind could.
She caught his wrist.
Twisted.
And threw him across the training floor.
He landed hard.
Silence.
Adeline stared at him.
Azreal stared back.
Then Ezekiel burst out laughing.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
Adeline slowly lowered her hand.
She had used too much strength.
Far too much.
Azreal stood.
His expression was unreadable.
But his eyes were no longer merely curious.
They were suspicious.
The instructor stepped between them.
"Enough."
Adeline nodded.
Azreal didn't take his eyes off her.
"You aren't a normal witch."
Her smile disappeared.
"Neither are you."
Then she walked away.
By lunchtime, Adeline's stomach was hurting.
Not from hunger.
From something worse.
She could smell everything.
The food.
The students.
The tiny cuts on people's fingers.
The blood moving beneath their skin.
Her senses had become painfully sharp.
She pressed her fingers against her temples.
Not here.
She couldn't lose control here.
Not surrounded by hundreds of magical creatures.
She stood abruptly.
Liana noticed.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You look pale."
"That's my natural charm."
Liana frowned.
Adeline walked away before she could ask more questions.
She made it to an empty corridor.
Then she stopped.
Her breathing became uneven.
Her fangs pressed painfully against her gums.
"No."
She covered her mouth.
"Not now."
A drop of blood appeared on her finger.
She stared at it.
Her pupils widened.
The hunger exploded through her.
For one terrifying moment, she wanted nothing except blood.
Then she heard footsteps.
Adeline quickly wiped her finger against her sleeve.
A voice came from behind her.
"You're hiding something."
She froze.
Azreal.
Of course.
She turned slowly.
He stood several feet away, watching her.
"You're beginning to become a habit."
His eyes moved to her sleeve.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"You were bleeding."
"I'm fine."
Azreal stepped closer.
Adeline stepped backward.
"Don't."
He stopped.
For the first time, she noticed something strange around him.
A dark shadow moved behind his shoulder.
Then another.
Adeline's eyes widened.
Demons.
Small ones.
Almost invisible.
They crawled along the walls behind him, watching her.
But they weren't watching Azreal.
They were watching her.
One of them slowly lowered its head.
Almost like a bow.
Adeline stared.
"What the hell are those?"
Azreal turned.
His expression changed.
The demons were gone.
He looked back at her.
"Nothing."
Adeline laughed bitterly.
"Funny. I was about to say the same thing."
Azreal studied her for another moment.
Then he walked away.
Adeline waited until he disappeared around the corner.
Only then did she release the breath she'd been holding.
She looked down at her trembling hands.
Something was wrong.
Her hunger was getting stronger.
Her magic was behaving strangely.
And now Azreal's demons were reacting to her.
Adeline closed her eyes.
She had come to Vampire de Witch to hide.
But somehow, the school was doing the exact opposite.
It was making her secret harder to contain.
And she had a horrible feeling that Azreal was going to be the first person to uncover it.
A good next chapter could introduce Adeline's first night at Vampire de Witch, where her vampire side becomes much harder to control and Azreal witnesses something he definitely wasn't supposed to see.