Chapter 2: The Ruins

Ruins were seen on landscape... why are they like this....

I lay in bed with opened but droopy and sleepy eyes. I was afraid to sleep, afraid to let him into my dreams, again. The bells of the school rang in every possible room in the whole building waking up every person. I groaned and rolled over on my stomach closing my eyes finally.

Then again the bells rang clear and loud in my aching head and grumbling, I opened my eyes and sat up yawning. My arms and legs got better just as I expected them to be and so I could stand up without any wincing or grimacing. After sitting and yawning for couple of seconds, I stood and combed my hair with my fingers as my gaze darted around the nightstand searching for my pearl comb. 

I froze familiar shape of a rock shining in the small rays of sunlight. Forcing my legs to get over there, I picked up the rock and my heart dropped. It was going to sound childish but this rock was the very first present that Aaron gave me on my birthday. And on same one, he didn’t save me from the Guards.

The rock, as he said, was supposed to have magic in it. Aaron believed that it held power to make wishes come true. He told me the process was that if you see the full moon, take the rock into your hands and make a wish. After I left the streets, I’ve been making a wish that my true love will come to me. That time I thought that Aaron was my true love and I still think now although it may not be true.

I felt stinging at the back of my throat realizing that I was on verge of bursting into tears. Quickly gathering myself, I glanced at the ancient clock that hang above the large mirror then heavy sigh escaped from me before I could stop it. Now the question hung in the air. Will I go to the hunt or not? Many other people would thought of me as killer of everything good, but this time it hurt �" I was hurt �" that much that I decided to show that that I wasn’t.

Idiotic, right? Although now the idea formed in my head and it didn’t seem like that at all. I quickly fetched some boy’s clothes from my closet before I bit my lip and shaking my head, I changed them to the girl’s ones. Everyone in the school wore same clothes though some begged to differ. Boys wore white jacket that won’t ever be stained even if you roll in mud with buttons right on the heart or dark green one with an emblem of the Academy on the same spot, on the heart. Along dark brown pants and simple black boots that somehow fitted them.

Girls although had very rich parents and often broke the rules by changing the dull uniform that school gave them into fancy clothes that their aristocrat parents bought them. After few months, boy started to do the same, wearing fancier clothes to either out �" peacock the girls or bring them closer. And soon enough I was almost the only one who was wearing the original clothes.

Even I started wearing other boots until knees and with black with gold string cloak that was always on me although I got a bit tired of that wardrobe and began to dress like a guy. With my hair up, I quickly changed into white blouse and dark brown pants along between green and brown color boots.

When I was finally done with changing the clothes, I jumped out of the window and landed on the ground with low sound looking around. We were not supposed to go outside without any supervision especially when it was foggy day. And today it was. Fog lay low on the ground covering with its texture the trees and everything else making it almost invisible. My gaze skipped around the place scanning every object that looked like Drake or someone else. 

Nothing looked like either of them so I sighed and stretched breathing in air from the latest rain. The fresh air moved around me calming me and my aching head that started to ache ever since I saw that damn rock. My hand moved to my neck and massaged it unknotting muscles somewhat but enough for me to move my head without wincing.

I looked around again and sighing heavier, I headed to the forest watching where I stepped. When I was finally in the foggy forest and complete silence, my feet kept walking heading somewhere farther away from school. Reaching appropriate distance, I stopped and shiver went down my spine signaling that someone was either watching me intensely or aiming at my back with something. 

Going with the watching option, I slowly looked around my gaze never missing any of the lines nor shadows. It stopped seeing something move in the shadows in mere second and I squinted trying to see through the light fog that was in the forest. I stared at that spot for couple of minutes before I shook my head to myself and turned back around starting to walk once again.

Feeling that same feeling of someone watching me, I narrowed my eyes ahead and kept walking my mind thinking of strategies. Suddenly small push of air hit my back making my stumble and shadow pounced on me. Before it could actually make contact, I drew my legs forward smirking as it met its mark and bent down rolling away few feet.

I walked back at the bent over figure with cloak’s hood on its head hiding features of the face and nudged him with tip of my boot annoyed that it still didn’t stand up. The figure groaned and slowly rose as the hood fell away from the face finally revealing its face. 

And why didn’t I think of it before? Drake was grinning at me wildly even though there was a bruise of his jaw from my kick pain still somewhat in his green eyes. He saw me looking at his bruise and touched it wincing. “Yeah, it does hurt.” He said as if reading my mind.

“I don’t care if it does. I just want to know the heck were you following me out here and why weren’t you there outside the girls’ dorm?” I crossed my arms getting a chill from that same feeling that was still somehow lingering. He shrugged. “First, I weren’t following you. I saw you from above while I was having a run and decided to startle you. Obviously it didn’t work but hey! you can still try.” His grin turned into charming smile that would have sent any girl melting down in a puddle.

Deep sigh left me before I could stop it and I turned around starting to walk back towards the school wondering if he actually brought the whole class as he promised. Sudden feeling of warm skin on my arm through the blouse made me flinch and then I was pulled back to Drake who was looking at me lazily. 

“Let me go!” I snapped wrestling him as I tried to break from his hold and he interrupted me before I could say anything else. “I want to show you something, beautiful. Come on.” My mind told me I shouldn’t follow me. I should never ever follow him and yet he let go of me and I walked after him my gaze on the ground underneath us. 

We walked for awhile before I ran into him and stumbled back blinking in surprise.  If he stopped to annoy me, I’m sure that I will kick him hard enough in the near future. He still haven’t moved so frowning about why he stopped, I walked to the spot beside him and froze my eyes glued on the scene before me. 

Ruins. 

Ruins of gigantic buildings those were probably magnificent in the past. They were probably castles of royalties and rich society’s people that lived in then. The stones were going on and on probably for hundreds of miles stretching out on the bare land without any trees. Although there were trees few here and there but that was it. 

I gaped at the sight before me wondering what happened to the buildings. Was there war or battle field in there? I felt his gaze focused on me probably watching me to see what I would say then and I looked at him then meeting his eyes that seemed to change shade from bright green to darker green like in muddy water. Right then I really wondered what was he thinking as he was looking at me. 

He grinned after staring at me for few minutes. “You like it, beautiful?” Every thought that had been that he was a good person disappeared and I smirked. “Never seen something like that. How did you find it?” Drake laughed softly his laugh bouncing off me like warm shock wave leaving me a bit stunned. 

“I found this when I passing through to the school. Or to be more exact, when I was running through the forest.” He smiled softly his eyes growing warm green which somehow looked good on him. “Isn’t this place amazing? Always leaves me wondering what happened to them to be something like that.” He bit his lower lip his gaze scanning through the ruins.

I nodded before my attention snapped back to the movement that I saw with corner of my eye somewhere in the ruins. As I scanned the surroundings, I finally noticed that Drake wasn’t beside me anymore and that he was walking away. That was supposed to feel nice, but still I didn’t want to be alone with this beautiful and yet a bit creepy place. 

So I raced after him and when I caught up, I said almost breathlessly. “Why did you leave so suddenly, Drake?” Grimace took place over worry since I said his name like a girl who loves a boy and really cares about him. I will not be that girl in my whole life. 

Ever.

He glanced at me with playful smile and looked back forward heading back to the school. “I like how you say my name.” He almost said so quietly that no one would ever hear it but I still heard it which made my cheeks flush a bit. Anger took over the embarrassment just as quickly as it appeared. I would not be nervous about what he thought about how I said his name.

I did not care. Then he replied now loud enough for me to hear even though what he said, I heard it perfectly. “Well, since you saw them,” he nodded back to the place that we just left, “I thought that maybe you were completely in the better and hunt mood.” He grinned at me joyfully making me sigh.

“Alright, fine. I’ll go on that stupid hunt of yours.” I said with roll of my eyes just before we exited the forest and out into the clearing of the school. None of the students were out here so we �" well, he �" decided to wait. I, step by step, began to pace around no emotions of what-so-ever. Although the ghostly picture of torn and crushed buildings was fresh in my mind reminding me that someone had actually lived there. 

The feeling of him watching me again made me turn around and snap. “What?” His only response was a chuckle and he sat down on big rock that one way or the other was out here. I raised my brow and he sighing replied. “Nothing. You just look like a lioness pacing around thinking about her next move of how to hunt.” Drake smiled again which made him a new level on my rate of annoyance. 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I murmured under my breath and stopped seeing few people appear here and there. Seeing me, they bowed their heads slightly in my direction and began to talk between themselves obviously excited about the hunt.

When everyone gathered here, Drake cleared his throat and girls were the first ones to shut up excited to hear his voice once again. He sent a brief smile to their direction and finally began to talk. “First of all, hello and thank for coming out here for the first hunt.” Light applause scattered around in the crowd but he seemed to not notice it. “Second, we are hunting today for…” He paused looking at me.

I shrugged carelessly and spoke loud and clear. “Vampires. We are hunting for vampires today, fellow wizards.” Few gasps were heard from the crowd and someone called out then. “But wouldn’t that break the peace treaty that we have made with them in past years?”

I nodded. “Yes, it would, but think.” Slow, cruel smile twisted my lips as I continued. “They have bitten everyone, not just killing everybody but taking their blood and weapons as well. We, as future generation, should take hold of everyone in our hands and control them.” I clenched my hand making a fist before someone else shouted. “It’s your point of view. What about ours?”

“Yours? Your point of view should be same as mine.” I shrugged again and added. “Oh, and besides that, Council will do the same.” Hearing the sacred word, their faces went from shock to relief then back to shock. No one ever seen the Council and they never knew what it did, but luckily for me, I found a small book written in female’s handwriting about the Council. Not much but still information is information.

“Understood?” They nodded quickly and I grinned wickedly as my blond hair lifted up from the wind flowing perfectly behind me. “Time to call our transportation.” I called and lifted my hand up whispering old language words that teachers taught us on how to call our dragons.

The words swept across the lands of the school and forest almost waking every single being but still leaving some sort of sleepy chant to it. Loud roars were heard then above the whispers that were left behind and soon enough magnificent dragons stood before us bowing their heads to their masters.

Dragons at the beginning of our first school year were given to us as present for being here. They were sworn for their loyalty and love to their masters and that they must appear whenever their master called them. No one ever broke that rule because of that they were afraid of what might happen if they did.

Before me, black dragon stood not bowing his head but looking at with some same sad dark blue eyes that he had looked at me the very first time he met me. I’ve asked him why did he look at me like that, but he just shook his head and didn’t answer. That didn’t mean that I should give up.

I smiled softly at him. “Orego. My dearest pet.” He snorted and laid down crossing his paws and laying his head on them as he waited for me to climb up. “I’m not your dearest pet. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that.” Small laugh escaped from me but I quickly shut up before anyone heard it.

When I finally sat into the saddle and tapped him, he with a sigh stood up and faced the forest almost as if he didn’t want to go. I glanced at Drake who was talking lively to his dragon laughing at whatever he said. Probably something about himself. His gaze lifted and met mine before wild grin spread across his face and he mouthed the words. “You look beautiful.”

Small smile tugged at my lips but I resisted it looking back at the tree line and patting Orego, I murmured low enough for no one to hear.  “It’s time to go on a little hunt.” 

Author's Note

Another chapter re-made.... Critique as much as you want :)

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