LHK 01

Lionheart Kids

[Ch 01] Welcome to the Lionheart Institute

    “Welcome to your new home, brats,” Midnight said as they approached a set of black iron gates set inside the archway of a high white wall. They stopped just outside and reached out the window, pressing their thumb into a square gray pad. The light on the pad changed from red to green and the gates began retracting into the walls.

    The five teenagers in the back of the van looked out their windows in awe as the vehicle passed through the archway. Spread out inside the walls was a smooth green lawn rolling gently in the wind and leading toward the gathering of multistory white buildings with dark green roofing. Each one was immaculately clean, reflecting brightly in the Georgia sun.

    “The building directly in front of us is the school itself, where all of the classrooms and administration is,” Midnight explained. “The two buildings off to the left are the dorms; one for boys and one for girls. The athletic center, pool, and auditorium are around back... and some other small buildings, I think. That big building on the right there is the library.”

    “That’s huge!” Corey exclaimed as his eyes landed on the five-story building. “How many books does this place need?”

    “Tons,” Midnight replied, entering a roundabout that circled a wide white fountain. In the center of its pool was a large white tree surrounded by tiny people spiraling from the base of the trunk all the way into the canopy. “Think about how many books were in your high school’s library, then multiply that by about a thousand to account for everything written by people in the Mythical World or about it.”

    They left through the other side of the roundabout and drove a short ways, stopping at the end of a line of other black vans, dotted with a sparse few white ones.

    “Oh yeah, be careful around the White Class kids,” the driver said offhandedly as they waited. “They don’t know anything about talents or the Mythical World.”

    “Why are they here then?” Jack asked, voicing the question he heard in Corey and Lucilla’s heads. “Isn’t this supposed to be a place just for talents?”

    “They are talents, but they don’t know it. There aren’t many, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem; just keep all things mythical-related on the DL when they’re around is all.”

    “Where’s that leave me?” Lucilla asked, pointing to her ears.

    Midnight shrugged. “Either cast a glamour spell, or put that scarf back on. Either one of those should be fine. It’s not like the chairperson would have brought you here without considering something like that.”

    “So we still have to hide here?” Corey asked irritably. “So much for this being a safe place.”

    “It’s better than you’re imagining,” Midnight told him, edging the van forward. “Use of talents is forbidden outside of certain classes, so it’s not like you’d be flaunting them openly anyway. Only about five percent of the students are White Class, so there’s a good chance you won’t have any of your regular classes with them. Even if you do, the way your schedules will be set up, it’ll only be for three days of the week. What’ll be really important is not letting something slip while you walk passed them in the halls. That’s why the uniform colors are black and white; the white ones stand out like sore thumbs.”

    “Uniform?” Skye asked, a note of concern entering her voice.

    “Didn’t anyone tell you? The Institute requires all students to wear a uniform; black ones for Black Class and white ones for White Class.” Midnight looked at Skye in the mirror and winked. “Don’t worry; you’ll look adorable in it.”

    Skye smiled, flattered, but still looked apprehensive.

    ‘Is she that concerned with her appearance?’ she heard Lucilla wondering, but didn’t say anything. ‘This girl needs a self-esteem check, because she is too cute for her own good.’

    “That still doesn’t explain why the White Class kids are even here,” Jack was pressing on. “Couldn’t they just go to a regular school?”

    “Different reasons; the main one being that their talent has interfered with their academic life somehow. Others have talents that give them higher intellects, so a normal curriculum isn’t advanced enough for them. Don’t think too much about it. Just act natural, and if you see a white uniform, keep your mouth shut about all things mythical. And now, this is where we part ways.”

    Midnight finally pulled the van up to the curb in front of the main building and put it into park. “Please exit the van in an orderly fashion,” they told the teens, leaning back in their seat and crossing their legs on the dashboard. “Please remember to take all personal belongings with you. Midnight Transportation is not responsible for lost or stolen items. Any personal items of value left behind will be sold at the driver’s benefit; all useless crap will be set on fire for the driver’s amusement.”

    ‘Why do I get the feeling they're serious?’ Corey wondered as they filed out.

    Skye laughed though, feeling a little less sullen. For all their gruff exterior, she liked Midnight. “Will we see you around the school?” she asked, earning a shrug and a dismissive wave. “I hope we will.”

    They all walked around to the back of the van and began unloading their bags, Corey and Jack helping with Rachel’s. Skye paused as they climbed onto the sidewalk, giving Midnight a final parting wave as they drove off, before joining her new friends following the flow of students into the building.

*          *          *          *          *

    The lobby of the Institute’s main building was as upscale as the outside implied. It was a vast room with a white and black checkered tiled floor and thick white columns lining the walls. Between each column hung a large black banner with the gray profile of a lion overlaying a shield with a heart on it – the emblem of the Lionheart Institute. A wide, deep violet carpet was laid at the door. It ran all the way to the far end of the room and up the grand staircase there to the second floor. Three gold and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling over the room, each one sparkling in the light they cast.

    “Pretty fancy,” Corey noted.

    Set up in front of the grand stairs were several tables with laptops manned by students in black uniforms. Signs hung above them, intended to divide the crowd into orderly lines as they completed their registration. With so many bodies crammed in though, even the great room felt small and cramped by the chaotic and growing sea of children.

    “All students, please follow the signs to your designated line to complete your registration,” called one girl from the top of the stairs into a megaphone. “Please proceed in an orderly fashion. Once you’ve completed registering, please follow the signs to pick up your uniforms, room assignments, and LADs.”

    “Looks like we’re over there,” Jack said, indicating the left side of the lobby. Two signs were hung over tables there; one labeled “Out of State: A-M” and the other “Out of State: N-Z.”

    “Guess this is where we split up,” Corey said, hefting his bags further up his shoulder and holding his hand out to Jack. “Gimme Rachel’s stuff; Skye and I will take her since she’s in our line. We’ll try to catch up with you guys at uniform pick-up.”

    “Can you handle all this?” Jack asked as he handed over the bags.

    Corey laughed, his arms, back, and shoulders full of bags. He looked like a pack mule. “Just wait till your enhanced strength starts to develop.”

    “Stop showing off and give me a bag,” Skye playfully scolded him, taking her own duffel from her cousin. She held her free hand out to the younger girl. “C’mon, Rachel.”

    Rachel looked up at her and smiled, taking her hand.

    “We’ll catch up with you guys later,” Corey said before heading off to their line, which was slightly shorter.

    Jack and Lucilla waved as the cousins and girl left before moving to their own line. Both of them let their eyes linger on the pair longer than necessary, particularly Skye, but each for different reasons.

    “I like those guys,” Jack said as they took their place. “Corey’s pretty cool, and Skye’s like an angel. I’d know.” He laughed at his own joke, but stopped quickly when he noticed Lucilla wasn’t even smiling. She was still looking after the cousins with a contemplative expression. “Is something wrong?”

    “Why’d Skye go with Corey and Rachel?” she asked directly, still watching the cousins.

    Jack blinked, confused. “What do you mean?”

    “We’re separated by last name, and when Skye introduced herself earlier, she said her last name was Rayle. Last I checked, R falls between N and Z.”

    Jack looked at Skye, at the signs, at Lucilla, and finally seemed to realize something was amiss. “I didn’t notice. That is weird.”

    “Just like it was weird that she blocked you from being able to read her mind before she even introduced herself.”

    “Hold on, where are you going with this?” Jack asked, scrutinizing the ulfan girl.

    Lucilla responded with a nonchalant shrug. “It kinda feels like those two are hiding something. She’s seemed a little on edge all day, especially the closer we got to here.”

    Jack glanced over at Skye again. She and Corey seemed to be talking calmly while Rachel smiled up at them. She didn’t look on edge at all, but then, it could’ve been a trick. How did he know for sure that the cousins really did like him? Suddenly he was frustrated that he couldn’t read Skye’s mind. He wanted to find something to reassure Lucilla that there was nothing; that Skye was perfectly normal and that she was just overthinking things.

    He looked to Corey, delving into his mind in search of clues.

    ‘I hope lunch is soon,’ Corey thought.

    Jack sighed in exasperation. At least Corey was a normal guy. It didn’t help his case defending Skye, though.

    “Look, Lucilla,” he said in a placating tone. “Even if Skye does have a secret, there’s nothing wrong with that. People have secrets. It’s not like she’s an international spy or something.”

    “You can never be sure in the Mythical World,” the ulfan told him evenly. “Yeah, people have secrets, but she lied about her last name. Who does that; except for people trying to hide?”

    “Maybe it’s a nickname.”

    “Who has a last name nickname?”

    Jack opened his mouth to argue but was caught short. That part was a little odd. He scowled at Lucilla as he wracked his brain for something.

    Seeing his expression, Lucilla let out a low sigh. “Look, don’t get the wrong idea. I like Skye, I really do. But you don’t know the Mythical World like I do. Secrets here are bigger, and I’d hate to see anything happen to you if…” Her cheeks flushed as she trailed off, looking away from the boy.

    ‘Mannaggia (Damn), I slipped!’ Jack heard her mentally curse.

    “Lucilla, do you…”

    She peeked back at him shyly, her cheeks red, and sighed. “A little. I thought you were kinda cute when you first walked up to me, and that maybe, if you turned out to be nice and all, we could be a thing. But I saw the way you’ve been looking at Skye. You like her, don’t you?”

    It was Jack’s turn to be bashful. “Well… I mean… She’s really pretty and so nice… Not that you aren’t those things too!” he said quickly, seeing and hearing hurt flash across the girl’s face and mind. “If I’m being perfectly honest, I think you’re too pretty for me. No offense, because I know you’re not like that, but you look more like the kind of girls that usually look down on quiet guys like me. You could be, like, a cheerleader or something.”

    Lucilla stared at Jack. Then a bubble of laughter sputtered through her lips and she was smiling again. “A cheerleader? That’s all you could come up with?” she laughed, earning questioning looks from the people in line around them. “For a mind reader, you’re not very good at figuring out what girls wanna hear.”

    Jack’s blush only deepened. He wished it were colder so he could be wearing a hoodie to hide in.

    It took Lucilla a few moments to get her laughter under control. When she did, she wiped her eyes and then placed her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I thought you were cute, but it wasn’t love at first sight or anything. There’s probably plenty of cute boys around here. And if I’m gonna get beat out by someone, I’m glad it’s Skye. If you wanna ask her out, I'll support you.”

    Regaining himself a bit, Jack smiled warmly at her. “Thanks, Lucilla. I’m sorry for…”

    She cut him off by shaking her head, putting her finger to his lips. ‘Just don’t forget what I said about big secrets in this world,’ she cautioned him.

    Jack heard the thought, but there was no malice in it. She said it only out of concern for him. He nodded to let her know he understood.

*          *          *          *          *

    After nearly ten minutes in line, Corey, Skye, and Rachel were near the front.

    “It’s gonna be all right,” Corey assured his cousin again. He’d worked hard to keep his mind occupied by meaningless things while verbally focusing on keeping his cousin calm.

    “But it’s students checking us in,” she moaned anxiously. She’d distracted herself by picking off students’ minds to block, making the room much quieter in her head. The closer they got to the front of the line, though, the harder it was to focus, so she’d given up.

    School registrations had always been rough for her. She’d thought it was something she wouldn’t have to face again after entering high school, and she’d spent more than her fair share of the last few months dreading this moment.

    “Students talk to each other; how do I know the whole school won’t know by the time classes start?”

    “Have some faith,” Corey told her, keeping his voice firm for her. “Remember when Midnight said you’d look adorable in the uniform? I might not be a mind reader, but I think that was their subtle way of telling you they knew, and that things would all right. The school’s already made other arrangements for us; I’m sure this will be all right too.”

    Skye still looked uncertain. She looked down when someone squeezed her hand and saw Rachel looking up at her.

    “Don’t worry, Skye; it’ll be okay,” the younger girl said softly. She didn’t know what it was that had been distressing the older girl, but it bothered her to see. Skye was too pretty to not be happy, or so Rachel thought.

    Skye looked between the girl’s and her cousin’s smiling faces and felt a little better. She took a deep breath to compose herself, letting it out slowly. “All right, if you guys say so.”

    “Just let me do the talking,” Corey told her, stepping up to the table.

    Skye rolled her eyes. “Now I’m scared.”

    “Last name?” said the boy behind the table when they were next. He had short black hair and glasses, and was wearing a black uniform with a red tie. Up close, they could see the Institute’s emblem embroidered on his jacket’s breast pocket.

    “Ayers, A-Y-E-R-S” Corey replied, spelling the uncommon name out of habit. Despite his confidence, trepidation was starting to mount. Was he about to get detention before classes even started for hitting a student that insulted his cousin? Because he wouldn’t forgive anyone who dared hurt Skye’s feelings.

    The boy typed the name into his computer. “Are you Corey or…” he raised a brow as he tapped several times on his mouse pad. “Huh, that’s weird.”

    “Something wrong?” Corey challenged, his fists clenching.

    For the first time, the boy looked up at him, brown eyes scrutinizing him from behind his glasses. “I have two Ayers in the system. One is for a Corey, but the other doesn’t give a first name, and neither name is even clickable.”

    ‘The other one must be you,’ Corey thought, relaxing slightly.

    “Hang on a sec,” the boy said. He grabbed a black flag from the table and waved it over his head. A moment later, another black uniformed student carrying a tablet approached, another boy with cropped dark hair. “Hey Matt, this entry doesn’t have a first name, and neither of these is clickable.”

    The other boy, Matt, bent down to look at the screen. He pulled up his tablet and typed something on it. “Ayers; those are special cases. We’re to send them to the headmaster.” He looked up to scrutinize the cousins. “You guys the Ayers’?”

    ‘Wonder what’s so special about them,’ Skye heard him think. His mental tone was snide, making her frown.

    “Yeah, that’s us,” Corey answered with a tone of defiance. He didn’t like Matt’s attitude.

    “You’ll have to go see the headmaster to complete your registration,” Matt said, straightening up. “Go on up the stairs and take a left; his office is at the end of the hall.”

    The cousins looked down at Rachel, then back at the boys behind the table.

    “Can we get her done first, then?” Skye asked. “We’re kind of her… escorts.”

    “Yeah, whatever,” Matt said dismissively as he walked away.

    The cousins glared after him. They got the impression that he’d been dealing with questions and issues regarding people’s registrations all day and was just about fed up.

    “Last name?” the boy behind the desk said, looking at Rachel now.

    “Ah… um… Bluestar,” she said meekly, halfway hiding behind Skye.

    The boy typed in Rachel’s name and became frustrated when he found it to be unclickable as well. “What is this? Hey, Matt!”

    “Just send them to the headmaster, Gabe,” Matt called from where he was helping someone else two tables down.

    Gabe groaned in exasperation. “You heard him; up the stairs and to the left.” He noted the amount of things Corey was carrying and gave a half smile. “If you want, you can leave your things by the stairs.”

    “Thanks,” Corey sighed with relief, liking Gabe a little more. He didn’t like Matt though.

    Rachel and the Ayers’ walked around the table and arranged their things by the grand staircase before beginning their ascent. The stairs were covered by more deep crimson carpet and lined on both sides by polished wooden banisters. There were at least thirty stairs, and by the time they got to the top, Corey was panting exaggerated pants.

    “With how fancy this place looks, you’d think they’d be able to afford an escalator.”

    “Oh stop,” Skye laughed, hitting him playfully.

    Rachel laughed too. She really liked the cousins. They were like the older siblings she’d never had. The thought triggered a wave of sadness and a rush of bad memories. Her chest tightened and she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

    Skye shuddered.

    “Is something wrong?” her cousin asked.

    She shook her head, plastering on a fake smile. She didn’t want to bring up what she had seen in Rachel’s mind, not with the younger girl around at least. “The AC’s just a little too good in here; my shoulders are cold.”

    Corey rolled his eyes but slipped off his black over shirt, handing it to her.

    She smiled and pulled it on for show, then reached down and gave Rachel’s shoulder a warm squeeze.

    Rachel looked up at her, her sapphire eyes bleary.

    “It’s okay,” Skye mouthed to her, not wanting Corey to hear. “We’re gonna take care of you from now on.”

Rachel nodded, her face still downtrodden. As nice as her new friends were, they couldn’t erase what she’d done. Nothing could bring back the family she’d lost. She just hoped that the people at the Black Sun Group and the Lionheart Institute really could help her, so that she would never hurt anyone again.

    The three reached the end of the hall. It turned to the left and continued circling the main lobby, but they’d arrived at their destination. Before them was a set of tall double doors made from more polished dark wood. The Lionheart emblem was engraved into the door itself, the indents filled with silver. A silver plate bolted to the surface read HEADMASTER’S OFFICE.

    “Do we knock?” Corey wondered.

    “Just come in,” came a voice from the other side.

    The cousins exchanged a look before Corey reached out and grasped the shiny silver handle, pushing the door open and beckoning the girls inside.

    The office was palatial, to say the least. The walls on either side of them were lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves equipped with ladders on tracks. The ceiling itself was probably twenty feet high, while the floor was covered in more blood red carpet. Pieces of furniture were arranged around the room; sofas and chairs of black leather and tables made of dark wood and black metal.

    The far wall of the room was dominated by a set of drawn red curtains. They must’ve been rather thick too, as Corey noticed all of the light in the room seemed to be coming from the crystal chandelier high above. In front of the curtains was an old-fashioned wooden desk, the legs carved in elaborate swirls. Seated on top of it were a computer to one side and two stacks of books on the other, one stack taller. Between the computer and books, bent over the desk with his nose buried in some pages, was a man with pale blond hair arranged in thick spikes that flowed toward the back of his head.

    “Come in, sit down, make yourselves at home,” he invited without looking up, waving at three chairs set up in front of his desk.

    The three students approached the desk and sat down, Skye in the middle with Corey to her right and Rachel to her left. They waited quietly for the man to acknowledge them directly, but he kept on reading. Corey and Skye looked at one another, each wondering if they should wait or speak up. Finally, Corey jerked his head slightly in the man’s direction, indicating Skye should read his mind.

    She nodded, looking back at the headmaster and listening.

    ‘They’re not saying anything. Are they waiting for me to stop reading? I bet they are. It’s really not necessary; I’m great at multitasking. But it’s not good human etiquette, and I’m supposed to be setting an example. Maybe taking this job was a bad idea.’

    Realizing they weren’t going to get anywhere waiting, Skye decided to speak up. “Excuse me, Mr. Headmaster?”

    ‘Crap, she’s talking,’ the headmaster panicked. He really didn’t want to stop reading at such a crucial moment to the book’s plot, but he couldn’t make the students wait. They had a lot to do still; he should be moving them along as quickly as possible. He shuddered to think about the chairman’s reaction if he found he’d been slacking. ‘Okay, I’m going to stop after this paragraph… This paragraph… This paragraph…’

    He continued like that for several pages, finding himself drawn deeper into the plot.

    Skye frowned at the man’s thoughts. She was already tense about her registration, and the man’s lack of interest in his job was trying her patience. She wanted to know what was going to happen sooner rather than later. “Excuse me,” she said a little more loudly.

    “All right, I’m done!” the headmaster suddenly exclaimed, slamming the book shut so suddenly that it startled the three children. “What can I do for you?”

    “Not give us heart attacks, for one,” Corey panted, holding his chest dramatically.

    “Sorry, sorry,” the man replied, his words lacking actual apology. He stood and moved around the desk, his movements smooth and graceful. It looked more like he was gliding rather than walking.

    “I’m the Headmaster of the Lionheart Institute Hale Branch, Arcangelo Sunseri,” he said, offering his hand to Corey. He wore black slacks and a long-sleeved black shirt with a silver vest over it. A red sash was tied around his waist, the long ends of it swishing around his knees. A matching red cord was tied around his left bicep.

    Corey took the hand and gasped. He’d noticed the moment the man had looked up that his skin was pale as a sheet, but the hand he was shaking was ice cold. It sent a shiver down the boy’s spine.

    The headmaster noticed and laughed, revealing a set of glistening fangs. “You’ve never met a vampire before, I take it?”

    “Vampire?” Corey gasped, withdrawing his hand instantly. He looked up at the man, who didn’t even look to be thirty. His features were beautiful and perfect, his skin flawlessly smooth, and his eyes were an amber-orange color with an almost gemstone-like quality, just like Lucilla had mentioned.

    “There’s no need to be alarmed,” the headmaster assured him, moving on to shake Skye’s hand. “Welcome to the institute. My, aren’t you a lovely one, la mia dolce (my sweet). If only I were a few centuries younger.”

    Corey’s eye twitched irritably. ‘I see it now. He has lecher written all over him.’

    Skye glanced nervously at her cousin’s thought and looked back, blushing slightly at the headmaster’s compliment. “Thank you,” she replied. Her reaction to his touch wasn’t as pronounced since she’d expected it.

    The headmaster smiled at her warmly before moving on to Rachel. “And hello to you as well, stellina (little star),” he said, reaching out to her.

    “T-thank you,” Rachel said shyly as they shook.

    “So, what can I do for you lot?” he asked, walking back around his desk and sitting in the brown leather chair.

    Corey and Skye exchanged looks again, hers apprehensive, his reassuring.

    “Well, Mr. Headmaster…” Skye began, only to be interrupted by the man raising a hand.

    “Please, call me Arc. I don’t need all that formality.”

    Skye blinked once, then continued. “Right, Arc. We were sent up here because there was an… issue with our registration.”

    Arc cocked his head to one side curiously. “Oh!” he said suddenly. “You must be the Ayers’ cousins.”

    The two looked at one another and back.

    “Yeah, that’s us,” Corey answered.

    “The chairman said you’d be arriving today.” The headmaster turned to his computer and began typing, his fingers moving so quickly across the keys that the sound of the individual tapping blurred into one drawn out tone. “And this girl here must be Rachel, then.”

    “Yeah, that’s her,” Corey confirmed, relaxing a little. Things had been arranged so that another student wouldn’t be able to see Skye’s file. ‘They set this up to protect Skye.’

    Skye heard his thoughts and relaxed too, looking at the vampire with grateful eyes.

    “My apologies; it’s been a busy few days. I’ll be glad when classes start and things settle down.” Arc hit a final key and turned back to face them. “There’s no need to worry about a thing. All three of your registrations have been completed.”

    He looked pointedly at Skye. “The rest of the staff has been informed about your condition, la mia dolce, and have been instructed to treat you as they would any other female student. You already know we’ve arranged for you to stay with your cousin in the boy’s dorm, and your room will have an en suite bathroom to avoid having to use the public facilities. We’ve also arranged for you to have a uniform you’ll be comfortable in. I’m sure it’ll suit you just fine.” His eyes ran up and down her and he sighed longingly. ‘So pretty; such a waste.’

    Skye’s breath caught in her throat. Tears of relief filled her eyes that she quickly wiped away, replacing them with a wide smile. She was so relieved that she didn’t even bother commenting on his errant thought. “Thank you, Mr. Headmaster.”

    Arc smiled back at her. “Don’t thank me, I’m just following orders. This institute exists to give children who are different a safe place, and not just talents and mythicals. The chairman believes that one day the barrier between the Human and Mythical Worlds can be dissolved, and everyone can live in harmony. For that to happen, people need to be able to accept one another for who they are. Human, mythical, different races and religions, people of different genders or orientations; these are the walls that the institute strives to break down.

    “We’ll do everything needed to make sure you’re comfortable. Just act normal and you’ll be fine. You seem to have done a marvelous job managing yourself until now; just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”

    One joyous sob she’d been trying to hold back escaped from Skye’s throat.

    Corey reached out and placed his hand on his cousin’s shoulder. When she looked over at him, he smiled, his thoughts reflecting her own. ‘See? You’re safe here.’

    Skye wiped her eyes again before placing her hand on Corey’s, squeezing it appreciatively.

    “If there’s anything else the institute can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask,” the headmaster said to her.

    Skye nodded.

    “You three are all set on this end. Go on and collect your things and head to your rooms. The cafeteria is also open all day every day this week, so feel free to grab something to eat if you’re hungry.”

    “What about Rachel?” Corey asked.

    “I’ve taken care of her as well,” the headmaster replied, patting his computer. He turned his smiling amber gaze to the small girl. “Rachel, you’ll be rooming with your friend, Miss Selvaggio. It’s been arranged for you to see the school’s psychiatrist every Wednesday, but you can also request to see him anytime you need. Just keep your choker on, and report any abnormalities to a staff member, okay?”

    Rachel nodded with a nervous smile. She liked the headmaster; he seemed nice. She liked Corey and Skye, and Jack and Lucilla. She liked the school, and all the students. She hoped she didn’t mess things up by having what happened before happen again. She hadn’t been told that she was supposed to do anything like that again, and she hoped she never would.

    “All right, then, off you go,” the headmaster said, giving them a dismissive wave. “Welcome to the Lionheart Institute. I hope you enjoy yourselves here.”

    The three students said their final thanks and left the office, each of them feeling better. They’d all been apprehensive about the institute. It was just too hard to believe that there was really a place for people like them; all of them. After meeting the headmaster, though, they were all looking forward to the coming school year, and what it might bring.

    Arc returned to his book as the students departed. He waited until they were gone, then reached down and picked up his phone.

*          *          *          *          *

    Midnight turned off of Hale’s Main Street and drove up a curving incline that led to the suburbs. The tract houses all looked mostly the same, the main variation between them being their colors. He navigated his way through back streets until he reached the playground, then turned right and parked the van four houses down.

    He idled in the street, looking across the road at a cream-colored house he had once known. A brown pick-up was parked in the driveway, the rust having eaten even more of it since he last saw it.

    “When’s he gonna get rid of that piece of junk?” he muttered disapprovingly. His phone rang, drawing his attention away from the house. “Midnight here,” he answered it.

    “It’s me,” Arc said into the other end. “The three you mentioned just left my office.”

    “I see. Thanks, nonno (grandpa),” Midnight replied. “Make sure you keep an eye on that Bluestar girl. I want copies of her weekly appointments, and immediate notice of any abnormalities. I want to know what it is that sets her off so we can take care of it. Any sign of that other student yet?”

    “How would I know that when we don’t even know anything about that student? I mean, I guess I could always try and pick out a distinguishing scent, but I don’t know how well the students would react to the headmaster smelling them all. I’ll be labeled a perverted old man,” the vampire laughed.

Midnight pinched his brow. “You are a perverted old man. Just keep an eye out for ‘em.”

    “Sure thing, kiddo!” Arc said in a playful salute before the line went dead.

    Midnight sighed as he tucked his phone away. “I have such a messed up family.”