NoHoper Ch 7 - Vowed
Tentative Title: No-Hoper
Full Summary: Merely a test-subject and researcher for the anti-Vampyre drug Denyxinil, a No-Hoper in the grand scheme, all that changes when he is Marked and forced to live among those he despises most. No identified pairings so far, takes place somewhere around a canon-changed 'Untamed'. Expect pride and a lot of prejudice.
Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note, nor do I own the House of Night series, or the various mentions to various other products of modern and post-modern Western culture. Let me warn you that, while I'm sure the Casts' way of doing things works very well for them, I took the liberty to take what I hated about the series' narration and change it to suit my tastes. So just expect some changes to things, like narrative style and the competency of character development.
Dear Cast duo, may I point out your violation of the most elementary rule of novel-writing: That is, your giving characters names that sound very similar, that begin with the same first two letters as one another, never mind the first. Think about it please: Damien, Darius. Erik, Erin. How many of your readers can say that they’ve gotten these characters mixed up when reading your novels on occasion? Quite a few, this one included.
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Chapter VII
Vowed
Feeling the eyes of the student populace on my back, sat alone save for Zoey, Shaunee, Erin, Aphrodite and her Erebus Warrior boyfriend, I was indeed starting to feeling like an outcast. Within one morning, or evening as it was here, news had spread of my outburst at breakfast, of the argument I’d dared to hold with Neferet, and the bout between Damien and I that had gotten terribly out of hand.
Of course, that had to mean that they’d also heard of how I’d called everyone in the Common Room a bloodsucker, how I’d accused vampyres of murdering and slaughtering humans, how I’d fought Damien so intensely that I managed to draw blood where it should have been impossible to do so. Although I’d not even been here for one school day, I’d already made a name for myself, and it was as a creep, a freak.
Even a monster.
If it wasn’t for Zoey’s willingness to befriend me, and the Twins’ insistence that whatever monster I may be could not amount to my ability to be desired, I would no doubt have been sitting alone, without Zoey and Shaunee on either side, or Erin, Aphrodite and Darius sitting across from me. Damien, rather than stay and play Mr Nice Guy, had gone to comfort Jack, who was still sore from my outburst earlier. He probably needed some time alone to himself, if just to clean the blood from the cut on his face.
Pathetic fledglings, both of them. Can they not handle a simple creature such as I?
Perhaps Zoey’s willingness to stay has something to do with the fact that she too knows something is going on, knows that her High Priestess isn’t what she seems?
Picking at the salad I’d chosen, I didn’t feel as hungry as I thought I would be. Although I had barely eaten yesterday, had only managed half a bowl of cereal, if that, and had had such a workout during Fencing, I didn’t feel up to the task of eating. Knowing that the fledglings everywhere were talking about me behind my back, spreading rumours of my abnormality, it didn’t seem of much importance.
Hypocrites, the lot of them.
“Light?” Zoey asked, bringing me back to the attention of immediate reality, “Are you okay? You’re not eating anything.”
“Yes,” added Darius, “In fact, you have been hitting your tray with your fork for the last five minutes.” I allowed a smile. The way he talked, as though he’d been raised by Shakespeare himself was a strange comfort as it made him seem civilised, giving the idea that vampyres could have redeeming features after all.
I would love to believe that vampyres aren’t what they’ve already proven themselves to be, but that isn’t my fault. Only theirs.
“No, it’s nothing.” I answered, “I just don’t feel like eating, that’s all. I don’t really have a big appetite to begin with.”
“A damn fiiinnneee boy like you?” Shaunee asked, licking her lips.
“Nonsense!” Erin finished. “You should eat some more,”
“Or you won’t be Mr Fine anymore!” Shaunee purred, finishing for Erin.
I gave a gentle laugh, “I’m glad you think so.” As the easy flirting continued, I watched from my peripheral vision as two fledglings - girls - walked past our booth from behind my chair, glared at my back, and walked off again, their noses in the air. Aphrodite took her eyes away from Darius long enough to survey the scene. As the girls walked off, she gave a simple sniff.
“Wow,” she said, as pleasantly as she could, “that looks familiar. Did I just get deja-vu?”
Zoey glared at the backs of the girls, before looking back at me. Discreetly, she whispered, “Aphrodite used to be super-popular, before she lost her crown and everyone started talking bullpoopie about her. You know, like they’re doing now about you.”
Oh joy. Somehow, I’d become unpopular, and after the attempted unseating of their favourite Priestess, I’m not surprised.
Darius slid out of the booth smoothly. Walking forward, he greeted Professor Dragon, and I had to look away. After that bout with Damien, the way I’d ferociously attacked him, stabbed through the mesh of the mask just to try and stab him outright, I couldn’t look the professor in the eye.
If I let him look at me long enough, he may realise why I did it, what I was planning, and then he’d tell the whole school. If I’m lucky, they’ll just eat me then.
“Ah, Light,” Dragon said, giving an easy smile, “just who I was looking for.” He was facing me directly now, and I couldn’t help but avoid the eye contact. “Would you mind coming with me for a walk on the grounds? Or are you too busy not eating to talk to your own mentor?”
“Oh, he’s not,” Shaunee offered, giving me a wink. “Take him for as long as you like.”
“Just bring him back in one piece!” Erin finished. Zoey slid out and, pulling me up to my feet, gave me a nudge, and mouthed for me to go. Nodding my consent, I walked away with Dragon, standing barely inches behind him.
We soon found ourselves outside, walking along the path, I was still walking behind him, unwilling to even be near someone who could shred me in two with ease. When very few fledglings were in the vicinity, he stopped and turned, facing me.
To my surprise, he was still smiling, not even a trace of anger on his face. “Now,” he said, “would you care to explain?”
“Explain what?” I asked, playing the innocence card.
“The bout between you and Damien. The argument between you and Neferet, along with the little matter about you yelling at Drew and the others over breakfast.” I couldn’t help but feel shock at his comment, unable to believe that he knew.
Does every vampyre here know how to read me like this? Is my privacy not respected here?
He gave a laugh, a good-natured one at that. “News travels fast here. Now, would you like to explain why you nearly killed Damien today in your first Fencing class, and how you managed to destroy a high-quality piece of protective equipment?”
“Not really.” I muttered. “I don’t think I can.”
“Are you angry at someone?”
“No.”
“Are you holding a grudge against someone?”
“No.”
“I know you’re probably angry about being Marked. Most new fledglings are: It usually takes them a while to adjust to the idea of not being able to see their friends again, and perhaps not even their parents, but-”
“It’s not that,” I urged, insistent.
“Are you sure? Because no fledgling I’ve ever mentored has tried to kill a classmate over nothing. Not on purpose, in any case.”
“I’m sure.” I managed to drag my eyes up from the ground to look at his, determined to show sincerity to a vampyre who could no doubt detect honesty and more.
He sighed. “Fine. As this is your first day, I’m willing to let this incident go. It is always hard for fledglings to adjust, so I’ll chalk it up to that. However, I’d much rather that you tell me, as your mentor, what is going on if you can’t tell anyone else. I’d much rather you take out your anger on me than on one of your classmates - at least I can take it.
“Remember that well, Light. You can always tell me about your problems, if you can’t tell anyone else. I’ll always be available to talk to, because that’s what I’m here for. In return, I ask that you don’t take whatever it is out on the others. Promise?”
Taking hold of each other’s forearms, we shook on it. “I promise.” I said, smiling for sincerity.
“So?” he asked again, “Is there anything you want to say before I go?”
As uncertain as I was, as to whether I could really trust this vampyre right now, a thought, a whisper of the conscience I never had responded. Yes, it whispered, yes there is. Go ahead. I tried to turn away from Dragon, tried to step away, but my feet wouldn’t move for me, and an invisible fist punched me from within, forcing me it stop.
Finally, I had to admit it. “Yes, there is.” I said, my head bent down. Knowing that the professor wouldn’t let me leave without an explanation, I spotted a bench, gestured for us to sit there, and, once sat down, I began.
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When I’d finished explaining, Dragon took a deep inhale, and then a deep exhale. His face unreadable, he looked away, seeming to be in the process of ordering his own thoughts.
Finally, he gave his response. “I see.” He said, giving a slight nod. “Is this why…?”
I nodded, not daring myself to speak in case the truth caught me off guard, and made me cry.
“I understand.” He said, “It seems-”
“No,” I cut across him, “you can’t understand. But you can help.”
“Help? What do you mean by that?” His tone was quizzical, and rightly so: He had no way of knowing what I was planning, what I meant by ‘help’. And yet, up until now, I didn’t either.
“I need to find him, to make him pay, and I know I can’t do that on my own. I know the best vampyre to talk to would be Neferet, but I don’t think she would help. She wouldn’t understand, and I doubt she’d be willing to take part in such a mission.” I gave a sigh, an indication of the feeling of futility, “No, you are the best hope I have in this matter.”
Dragon didn’t speak for a moment, still thinking. Finally, “While I know that these are unacceptable actions, for humans or vampyres,” he began, “I’m not sure I want to invoke the wrath of such a dangerous being. Then again, do I even have a choice?”
“No,” I answered, “you don’t. If you say ‘no’, I’ll view you as an accessory. I’ll never trust you again, and you’ll be forced to step down as my mentor, whether you like it or not.”
He gave me a strange look for that, an ambivalent look that showed both insult and surprise. I knew as well as he did that no student had the right to talk to their teacher like that, regardless of species, and yet there was no way to avoid it - he didn’t doubt that I could stop him from being my mentor as easily as Neferet could, and he’d have to accept that and my threats if he wanted that bond to remain.
He was caught out, stuck between a rock and a hard place, and we both knew it.
With a long sigh, he held out his hand to shake forearms with me again, and he gave a curt nod, “Fine,” he said, his tone exasperated, “I will help you, but I need to remain informed in the matter, I’ll need details, and we will not trespass against the High Council. If they have any reason to call us out and stop us from succeeding, they will, and you will have to accept that. If they tell us to call it off at all, I won’t help you any longer. Deal?”
Reciprocating, I nodded. “I understand.” I said, “But if we are free to continue to the end, then we have no choice but to. I won’t allow it to go any other way.”
His expression was solemn, and rightfully so: If the High Council of Vampyres could find no fault with us, had no reason to stop us, then the end of this mission would be marked with death.
That was the only option.
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The plot thickens!!! I know this one is much shorter than the last, but this one was always going to be short. Don’t worry, there are a few more long ones set up to about in this fic, no doubt about it. If you’ve got anything to say about this one, you know what to do, and that’s all I’ve got to say about it, really.
Until next time,
Thank you, and please R&R!
Ruin Takada XXX
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