At this point in history, there was no question as to what were the reasons why the University of Diversity located in Iowa had become, from one day to another, the center of attention and main topic for big and small talk not only in the city or even the entire country, but rather numerous, separated parts of the world. Having in mind it had been a pioneering institution in its anti-segregation policies, there was also probably no further need for explanation as to why the University of Diversity had starred in such a heavy and long-lasting controversial topic as the role of vampires in modern society.

Can the same education plan apply to both humans and vampires? Is early exposure between the two races truly capable, let alone appropriate, of normalizing relationships between the two? Is the University's diversity program merely a marketing tactic to broaden audience? Are there even enough completed social studies for a project of this nature to meet success? What are the consequences if it proves ineffective? For a while, titles in many debating programs and talking shows were very similar to those and, as per usual, they never came to a definite conclusion. But time seems to march on nonetheless and, other than in the surroundings of the facility, the issue was dropped in a matter of months only to go back to the same starting point. Nowadays, most of the world seemed to ignore the existence of vampires altogether, something they could now afford to do since they all conveniently gathered in one single location. Which revealed, as was suspected, what the real root of the problem was: people just didn't want to care until it was time to worry.

While he understood, respected and even agreed with a big part of these principles that had given ground to the code of the University of Diversity, Leith Elvan couldn't care less about them at that very moment.

For you see, there were other reasons why the university had earned a reputation of being eccentric and odd. The building was old and had met renovations only in key locations to keep it from falling down or saving some face for outsiders, making it look like nothing short of a Frankenstein-like creation. Furthermore, whatever it had been before its transformation, the campus was enormous. Rather than comparing it in size to other universities, it was a lot easier to say that it was a town by itself. This would usually be a good thing, if it wasn't for the fact that, whatever it had been at the time of its construction, the architects obviously didn't put much effort into properly organizing it, and it was extremely difficult for most people to find their way around the place. For newcomers, the first weeks were stressful and chaotic. For Leith, who had a habit of getting lost with remarkable ease in just about any new place he visited, this was pretty much a nightmare brought to reality.

That was also the reason why, after two hours of trying to find the room of Mr. Wilham, one of his teachers, there were only two words that could accurately describe how he felt at that moment: utterly frustrated.

As he had agreed with his parents, the only way for him to study in this new college, was that he helped with the expenses of studying far from home by working in a part-time job. Surprisingly enough, finding the job turned out to be the easy part, but he needed to have permission from at least three tutors to verify he could handle the extra effort from an outside responsibility. By doing some investigation, he had heard that Gary Wilham didn't even ask any questions when handing out permissions and signatures. What Leith didn't research or even bother suspecting was that his office had been placed in the weirdest possible place imaginable which made the matter at hand quite important and urgent for him.

His shirt was now completely unbuttoned and the sleeves had been rolled up, revealing a black, long-armed t-shirt he was wearing underneath it. Together with a frown completely locked on his face, a hunched over posture and his dragging feet, it was quite obvious to any bystander that he had been walking for far longer than he would be willing to admit. Then again, there was absolutely nobody in the vicinity to make that judgment.

“*Mumble, mumble, mumble*...”, he couldn't help but let out another rumble of resignation as he finally came to the realization that, wherever it was that he had ended up in, it certainly wasn't his intended destination.

If you asked him, Leith wouldn't even be able to tell you how it happened, but somehow, after taking directions from the fourth person, he had stumbled upon a zone he was unfamiliar with, and it didn't exactly inspire much trust in him. There was nobody around besides him, it had absolutely no renovations and barely any light entered through the windows. Furthermore, whatever the many rooms that were connected to the corridor certainly didn't look like studying classes nor did they look like they had met any usage for a long while. He suspected he had stumbled into an annexed building, but without a map, it was rather hard to be sure of anything.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered to have read somewhere that, in order to escape a labyrinth, one should always go to the right when given the option and, despite being perfectly aware that it was a bogus myth, he was willing to try anything after having all else fail. Hell, he had already given up on trying to fin Mr. Wilham's room anyway.

“Sometimes I hate my life”, heaving a sigh in surrender, Leith stopped on his tracks, his head held lower than ever. Already trying to think about an alternative for how to keep his job AND college studies in coexistence.

He was about to resume his march of shame when suddenly, before he had the time to even decide which direction to take, a sound startled him. He looked around trying to find the source to no avail until a second much more noticeable sound, reached his ears and gave him a guess of what it could possibly be: voices. They were low and sudden, but they seemed to be closeby, coming from one of the rooms next to him. Figuring that whoever they were, they would probably have a much better idea of where he was than him, Leith decided to open the door and try to, for the fifth time now, get directions.

At least until a sudden cold breeze passed by him.

Even though he knew that nothing very dangerous could be found anywhere inside the entire University (quite the subjective judgment, depending on each person's views on vampires), the menacing aura of his surroundings made him uneasy. His posture had normalized, the stern expression on his face had softened with a shade of distrust and curiosity and his hand seemed to slow down as it reached for the handle of the door.

Why was it that suddenly, every single movement he made, minuscule as they were, seemed so important?

Brushing aside any further thought, he opened the door with a lot more violence than he intended.

So this was Iowa, it was certainly warmer than what London was used to and that made it a lot harder to wear her hoodie and be comfortable doing so. However, she’d be very uncomfortable not wearing it. Her hopes were high for this year, she could tell there were going to be changes, the menacing gloom that seemed to stalk after her told her that much. Of course, this ominous shroud didn’t necessarily doom her to a terrible year, no she was doing that to herself by hiding from the crowds and being completely and utterly unable to say hello to a single soul. It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried, she had. Simply put, she had tried and failed, quite miserably. By this point she was sitting behind a bush pondering what had gone wrong even after all the practice in the mirror.

Trying to initiate a conversation she discovered early on was a mission condemned to failure, however, her hopes were that if someone else said hello she could at least return the favor. However, when this opportunity arose, the people saying hello were not only strangers to her but also chose to do so in a group and she ended up having a panic attack that sent her into hiding. Now clutching her chest as she tried to remind herself to breathe properly she criticized her actions, what is wrong with you!? Lightly she smacked her cheek, they were being nice; they weren’t criticizing me! That could have gone so well but I ruined it! This is hopeless.

A spark of determination brought her to her feet as she reminded herself again of what she had to do, stop that! Pity never got anyone anywhere! I can’t change if I don’t think I can change! Which probably means I’ll never change, but yes I can. The revolution of her mind came in quick and sudden bursts as she clenched her fist before her, turned towards the school again, and faced the throng of people. In the end her scarlet face led her towards the deserted part of the school where she found herself better able to calm down, or at least that’s what she thought for the moment.

“Pleasure meeting you here!” London nearly mentally died right then and there as an older man with round glasses took her hand and shook it so fiercely she was forced to meet his gaze. The result? Her entire body took to trembling and her already scarlet face turned green from nausea. “I take it you’re here for the sponsorship program! Splendid right this way no need to be shy! Follow me now.” Somehow she couldn’t help but feel a chill run down her spine as his final statement trended more towards a threat than a request.

Just what this sponsorship program was, London had no idea, she’d only just arrived at the school half an hour ago and she hadn’t even found her dorm building yet, or her bags for that matter seeing as they were lost on the flight from Washington to Iowa. “W-wait, sponsor, I do-” she begun.

“I’m so glad to see you are just so willing. Right this way, so many papers to sign so little time.” The man walked unusually fast and all but carried London into a building and office that didn’t inspire much confidence in a euphoric ending to this adventure. The man then proceeded to shove London into a folding chair with such force she nearly fell backwards. Confused and beginning to feel light headed the blonde tried to piece together in her head what exactly she was so willing to do. For the life of her she couldn’t remember agreeing to anything and yet this man seemed convinced she had.

“B-but I did-” Again her thought was interrupted this time by a pile of papers being shoved into her lap.

“GREAT! Here’s a pen, just sign there,” he pointed at a line on the bottom of the page, “and you can be on your merry way. Or you could just sit here with me for as long as it takes for you to understand. We could have a nice long conversation about it or I can just fill you in while you sign and you can be gone in two seconds it’s up to you.” This man had completely lost London’s attention the moment he asked her to sign the document. Not because she wanted to leave as soon as possible (though she certainly did) but rather because of the mere fact he wanted to watch her fill out a document. Deeper confusion set in as she wondered where she had been taken and who he was and why she was here. What did I do wrong to end up here? I don’t remember what I did wrong! I must have done something. Who is he again?

“I’m the Sponsorship Club Director,” the man started to speak. London looked up at the guy, this would be the final straw because the moment she made eye contact with him for the second time her mind went blank. No longer did she register who he was or she was, or where she was, or what she was doing. The man was talking but she couldn’t hear any of his words over the sound of the pounding of her heart. Nor could she hear the sound of scratching as her clammy, cold, trembling hands, scribbled her name on the paper, London Dawn Merlo.

She had no idea what she had written or if she had even written anything at all. By this point, the chances that she had actually penned her name on the line was astronomical seeing as she was a mere shell of her former self. However, chance and the aligning of the stars would have it that the line was marked and the deed done. Even if London didn’t know it herself.

The form was removed from the still soulless girl and the four-eyed man smiled before tucking it away in a mass of papers. “Pleasure doing business with you Ms. Merlo.” He stood and brushed himself off before helping London to her feet and guiding her out the doors of the workplace and building. “Let me take you to your dorm room, you seem a little flustered at the moment and I worry you may be unable to find it on your own.”

The walk was rather slow paced as the man was currently guiding a weak jointed stringed puppet along a poorly kept path. At the end of this path was a shoddy building that looked like it would collapse if you simply opened the front door. He led her inside and then guided her up a flight of stairs and down a hall. He stopped in front of a forlorn oaken door and took out a key. He unlocked and opened the portal before handing the key to London.

By this time London had started to regain her mental functions, and actually analyze her surroundings. What kind of dorm is this? It’s an accidental death waiting to happen. The man patted her shoulders, “well then make yourself at home. If you need me you know where to find me.”

That most certainly was not the case for London, still trembling she went to reach out for the man that was starting to leave, “a-a…”. Her throat was so dry her voice actually got stuck inside it, but that was nothing compared to how dry her mouth was. Before the man’s feet (seeing as that was all she could see from beneath her bangs and hood) disappeared completely however he turned back around.

“Just in case you didn’t hear me before, you’re to look after the shape-shifters; if you need any specific information on how to do this, I have some files in my office. Well then, bye.” Then he literally picked his feet up in a mad dash to get away from her. London stood there; the nausea and dizziness made her feel like she was about to keel over then and there. However, even they weren’t enough to stop her next thought, what is he talking about?She turned towards her dorm room. It was dark inside and covered in cobwebs. There was wallpaper that was tearing away from the wall, and a broken light bulb on the ceiling as well as a single dirty window with chipped paint acted as her only light sources. This isn’t a room! This is a cave of shattered dreams and confusion!

Well, an hour in to her first day and already London had shot herself in the face, metaphorically speaking of course. At least, she was pleasantly unaware of what she had done to deserve this. All in all, it is time to test the age-old proverb, “ignorance is bliss.”

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The sun slowly crept through the blinds to Yuki's room, highlighting her sleeping form as she tossed through the blankets. The subtle knock on her door caused her to stir as she opened her eyes, wiping at her eyes to remove the debris lodged between her eyelids. She glanced at her clock, watching as the digits flashed the current time. A few mumbles and a soft thud echoed through the empty bedroom as Yuki dragged herself towards her closet. After a few minutes of rummaging through her closet, she found her outfit for the day and dressed herself much slowly than she had anticipated. She was excited to say the least, a new home, new city.

She had much to do, but for now she had to go to school. The only reason why she was accepted into the University of Diversity was because she was on a scholarship. With her father's pay, and being the only working person in the family, it was hard to budget a school expense and a house note plus some. She tried to make it easier on him by applying for the scholarship once they reached Iowa. She was surprised when she was actually accepted into the program. When she told her father, it seemed like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders as he congradulated her.

The soft chirping of the birds outside snapped Yuki out of her stupor as she glanced at the clock. The slow ticking of the second hand signaled she still had enough time for breakfast...alone. Her father had left early this morning for his job and her brothers were already gone for the day. She wouldn't be seeing them until they came home from their job or school. A smile pulled at her lips as she stuffed the blueberry bagel into her mouth before heading out of the door. Satisfied that it was locked, she began the long trek to school, munching silently on the bagel with a content look on her face.

She was as nervous as she was excited. Today was the first day of a new school year, a new school in general for her. Although she was a natural at making friends, the thought of having to start over made her skin crawl a bit. They don't call it Diversity for nothing, she thought as she tried to calm her mind. She pulled the scholarship papers from her bag and glanced over them, reading the conditions and other important information she needed to know. One line caught her attention as she read over it. She almost groaned as the letters seemed to jump out at her.

In order to keep her scholarship, she would need to join a club and a community service. She didn't have the time to do both. She almost felt like crying as a dark cloud appeared above her. Without even knowing it, she had made her way towards the school, watching as students walked and chatted amongst each other. She allowed her feet to carry her towards the front of the building and entered, shuffling her way towards the building before she changed direction. She didn't know why, but she felt her feet carrying her towards a peculiar spot. It seemed almost deserted if anything and she had to tilt her head in confusion. As she turned around, she bumped into a figure and immediately apologized.

"No worries," the voice replied as Yuki turned to face a spectacle faced man. A bright smile lingered on his face as he glanced down at her. He was taller than her and she felt a bit uncomfortable around this man. Whether his smile was supposed to be comforting or not, she couldn't say for sure. "Ah, would you be interested in joining our Sponsorship club?" he suddenly asked, catching Yuki off guard. Before she could utter a word, the man dragged her towards a rather interesting building.

"Ah, this club," Yuki began as the man continued to ramble, "does it consist of a community service?" she found herself asking. Before she knew it, the man had explained, in an empecable speed mind you, the requirements and benefits of the club. Of course the moment Yuki signed the documents, she unwittingly signed her life away. As she dotted the 'i' to her name, the mans smile turned malicious and she could feel a you-are-doomed cloud wash over her being.

"Wonderful," the man, who introduced himself as the director of the club, spoke and shuffled the papers. "If you'll follow me, I will show you to your room!" he stated, causing Yuki to raise an eyebrow. She was to...oh that's right, she thought as she remembered the school's unique features. She would have her eldest brother retrieve the necessary things from her home when she could get a hold of him. She followed the man to a rather shot down building and up a flight of stairs. They stopped by a rather peculiar old red oak door the seemed to creak as he pushed it open.

"So, as the sponsorship decree's, you will be looking after the group of Normal vampires," the director began as Yuki turned to him with a confused expression. Vampire? Now she was slightly worried of what she had gotten herself into as the man waved bye and mentioned if she needed anything, that the club wouldn't be too far away. Yuki slouched against the door, bag hanging limply in her arms as she tried to recover from what just happened.

The morning was tiresome, and not to mention long and annoying; yet, she still tried to trek on up into the school from the huge twirling path from the arching gate in the front.
When Ava woke up and lugged her dead weight out of the bed, the first thing she saw when she opened her door, was her mother and Charles, her vampire step-dad, sucking each other’s faces and if that wasn’t enough; another car had literately, smashed itself into the side of her poor, old red and blue Ford truck. And of course, the driver just had to be a vampire with no insurance or claim, and of course, since Charles was a bleeping vampire himself, he refused to press any kind of charges. So, without much of a choice, Ava was then forced to drive two hours in a silent and tense car with the same man who brainwashed her mom to move away from Albany and into this shit pile of a state.

To say her mood was sour this morning, was a somewhat understatement; but no matter, because once she entered her dorm, Ava was planning to sleep off this morning’s incident and eat six whole servings of cupped noodles to drown her troubles. From now on, she’d be far away from that blood sucking mosquito and the convenient location of the school, was only thirty miles away from her mother’s workplace; and since her mom worked twelve hours, Ava hoped she was able to visit her when she didn’t have school. That of course, would only be accomplished when her truck would come back from the shop, which, in her hoping mind, would be by this Friday.
She lugged her small suit case up the steps, already annoyed with it clicking against the cement steps and although she’d hate to admit it, the school was pretty bleeping nice- not to mention freaking huge.

Even the inside of the school was huge and quite beautiful; students of all sorts of ages bustled around her as she walked forward, her head turning every degree and looking at every face. She felt like she was in a movie. It was hard enough for Ava to try to prevent her feet from gluing to the ground, and even harder to keep herself from walking in circles in the lobby, but when she got into one of the large hallways, she practically did her happy dance of jumping up and down and flinging her arms everywhere. Before she went on, deep into exploring the school’s guts, Ava stopped and reached into her bag, fishing out a piece of paper that had a map with purple dots and red circles; while the map was indeed, poorly drawn thanks to the lack of technology in her house, it was obvious that it was indeed, a map of the school with her classes and dorm scribbled out onto it.
With everything all set, Ava started off into the deep abyss of the school, hoping the inevitable of not getting lost.

Which, within the twenty minutes she’d been walking, she did just that, though, her mood changing from sour to an active St. Mt. Helen wasn’t due to the fact that she was lost; but more due to the hostility of the various people around her. Once, she had asked for directions, and the guy totally blew her off, walked away and not even three feet from her, began to talk to his friend about her! Twice, she was given that, ‘gross, it’s her’ look, and four different times, she was told to screw off by a teacher and three different students! That’s right, a teacher (while he didn’t directly say, it sure did sound like that to Ava); the one who was supposed to be helping the new students. Ava could feel her own shoulders shaking from the building anger and she could hear the crinkling of the paper from her grip. How the hell did these bleeping students know that Ava wasn’t some kind of executive producer’s daughter of some sort? What if she was a daughter to someone with a lot of power who could easily bulldoze this school to dust? While that was extremely far and way off, Ava was still mad at the fact of how mean and shitty the people where here. Assholes.
She didn’t need their help; if they were going to be that way, then fine. Ava was positive that she would be able to find the dorms by tomorrow morning, and if she still didn’t find them by then, then she didn’t need to go to this school. With stomping feet, Ava jerked her suit case to her heels and scuffed off down the hallways.

It didn’t take very long until she hit the darker and frankly, shadier parts of the school; though, the stench of musty mold was in the air as soon as she crossed the renovation lines, there was no mold in sight- not even on the floorings. Ava stopped in her tracks and looked up over her head, the lights where flickering on and off, practically on their last leg, while the ceiling tiles where stained with brown, green and dark liquids that had long dried up. Some of them where cracked, while many of the tile where missing all together. Her eyes shot down the dusty and old windows down to the stained carpets and the mice-holes at the floorboard. Note to self: She thought, pulling her map so she could see it. Don’t eat snacks in the dorms.
Ava wasn’t able to tell if she was going the right way, but she was pretty certain the dorm she was located in was down here; oh goodies. Not as if her day was going to get any worse than this, right? What else could happen, would a vampire come up to her and try to become friends? Because, you know, they are just the friendliest little buggers out here.

After bypassing a bathroom and public shower-room- which she assumed to be the girl’s shower due to the cracked in half girl-in-skirt symbol barely hanging onto the door frame. She also passed a few rooms, the doors where closed but the light that seeped underneath the cruddy and uneven door frame told her she wasn’t completely alone in this horrid place.
Once she got to her specific dorm number, Ava was completely shocked at the sight; don’t get her wrong, Ava isn’t spoiled and can adapt to anything after she’d spent the first week in it, but this was completely unfair. Upon jerking her door open, dust exploded from the room, causing her to cover her mouth and nose and squint through the debris that had leaked out of the room. She fanned the dust away as she took another step, stepping right into a huge cobweb whose owner probably died long ago.

The wallpaper looked droopy and sad, they sagged down and practically tore themselves open; revealing a quite ugly and beat up looking wooden underneath. Ava didn’t trust the room quite enough to let go of her nose, so she kept her hand glued to it as she made her way further inside the room. She let go of the small suit case, allowing it to keep the door open as she swung her hand in front of her, clearing the cobwebs with it. There was a dresser, a desk with a matching nightstand next to the small, and new looking mattress that sat low into the spring frame. The window that was directly over it wasn’t as bad as it had been outside, but it still needed some major cleaning none the less.
Afraid she might find worse if she dared looked through the dresser and nightstand, Ava stuck to the wobbly and cheap plastic yard table they called a desk- which, by the way, had a missing chair.

Ok, now this was just plain old bleeping crazy! Wasn’t she a student? Ava wasn’t even in a scholarship as much as her mom and Charles paid to get her into this school, so why the hell were the bleeping dorms so bleeping shitty?! She bit into her palm, trying to control the rage that was slowly building up, and without much thought, Ava cranked her leg back and kicked the bed frame; which actually wasn’t as solid as it looked. A loud clank echoed throughout her room as the bed frame collapsed, causing the mattress to sink and crash down at the foot of the bed. The sides of the frames fell away from the spring-bottom and the mattress slid off of the frame and stopped at Ava’s foot.
Now, even Ava’s anti-blushing skin flushed with a shade of angry and irritated red; her eyes watching the still mattress that she was now certain was brand new- wasn’t that a plus? At least her bed was brand new, right? Ava tried to find her happy place and closed her eyes for slight second; who needed a bed frame anyways, they were totally going out of style. The people in Asia don’t even need a mattress to sleep on. Ok, Ava had to admit, that did calm her down a little, but not enough to stop her from snapping at anyone if she so happened to leave at the moment.

After a few calming breaths into her palm, she voted that it was now safe to breath in the air; Ava examined the room once more and decided that it wouldn’t be that bad of a room if she vacuumed and expected the nightstand and dresser- which, as you may be able to tell by now, she wasn’t too excited about. If she could be able to fix, or even dismantle the bed fame, perhaps even store it in one of the drawers, then maybe this place wouldn’t be all that bad; at least they were nice enough to get her a new mattress. The musty smell, she hoped, would probably disappear if she was able to get her hands on some Fa-breeze.
Even with this though in her mind, Ava still couldn’t get the bad taste of having a crappy dorm; did every student have this? She sure as hell wondered about that, and for the first time in a while, she actually felt a little bit of pity for the vampires; if her dorm was like this, then what conditions where their dorms in? Poor little suckers.

Before Ava can get anything started- cleaning her ‘new’ dorm room that is- she was most definitely going to eat first; she hasn’t eaten in two hours, so she was practically starving. Ava turned from her standing position and headed towards her bag, rummaging through it until she pulled out what she’d been wanting ever since she ate her cereal breakfast- cupped noodles; two to be exact. She figured she’d cook both of them now, and eat one while she was in the cafeteria and eat the other on her way back to the dorm.
Without another thought, Ava pushed her bag out of the door’s way, and shuffled the noodles in her hand before closing the door, or well, more like trying to close it.

She made her way through the halls, and with her drawn map in her hand, gratefully made it out of the cruddy dorm area, walking in the direction of which she hoped to be the cafeteria’s. As Ava approached the door to the cafeteria, a cute girl strutted out of the doors. Now that Ava thought about it, this is a school for vampires as well, yet, she had ceased to meet any of the kind; maybe they separated the two on different ends of the school, or perhaps she did see them, but didn't take notice? Whatever it was, she couldn’t imagine the girl in front of her was a vampire; perhaps it was the pretty tan that made her think the girl was far from being a vampire. Or maybe it was just because that she had short hair too. One thing that did throw Ava off was the cards around the girl’s belt; they looked like tarot cards Ava would often play with when she was younger.
While she never was a fan of them, she’d often do them with her father (even though she did not understand them, at all); maybe that was what compelled Ava to stop in her tracks with a wide smile, hoping the girl wouldn’t give her the same hostile attitude everyone else was giving her and say, “Hello.”

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Standing on the outside of the University, with it's large arched wrought iron fence looming overhead, and looking inside made Lilith feel small somehow. Maybe it was the massive size of the campus, or maybe it was watching all the other students gather together in their circle of friends gushing on about how much they missed one another and telling all their exciting tales of summer fun had and summer loves made. Lilith had no such stories to tell as she had spent the summer with her parents. Even though they lived in town she only ever saw them on holidays and would spend some time with them during the summer break. This allowed them to have a normal life; making friends, having dinner parties, being able to go out in public without the snide comments and the disdainful glares. It was a sacrifice she willingly made because their happiness meant so much to her.

Taking a deep breath while running a hand through her silver mane, she looked around once more relishing in the small amount of comfort granted to her by the fact that the other students were so caught up in themselves that they didn't pay her any mind. After the thrill of being reunited faded and the normal day to day routine of a student settled in she was sure that the common practice of openly staring and avoiding her would return. Though being ostracized in that was was preferable to being
beaten and bullied. That hadn't happened in quite some time, her gift being the main reason for that.

Lifting a duffel bag full of clean clothes, bathroom products, and various forms of entertainment, which was far too large and heavy for any human to lift, in one hand and her violin case in the other. Lilith began the long and winding journey to her dorm room. The dorm was on the outskirts of the campus and had this been a normal type of campus the building wouldn't have been so hard to get too but the many renovations had turned this place into a labyrinth something akin to what you would find in Greek Mythology.

Lilith weaved in and out of crowds of students mingling around careful not to touch any of them, not physically anyways. As she passed each of them she would put out feelers that only she could see. These gold strands would reach deep into the soul of the student searching for the one emotion she needed to sustain herself; Envy. Once found the energy from the emotion would zip up the strands in a hew of pink and recharge her, she often wondered if the reason her eyes were magenta was because it was the same color of the energy that gave her life.

Getting several decent sized hits from those who were jealous of their friends extraordinary vacations; Caribbean cruses, trips to Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, meeting ones idol while in LA or New York, left her feeling completely recharged. Not that she could blame any of them for feeling envious, Lilith sure was. Now that she was fed, per-say, she hurried on to the dorm.

Standing in front of it gave her mixed feelings, this was her home for five years now and she had come to really love her little room. On the other hand the dilapidated state of the building was a testament of how low vampires were on the totem pole in society, they didn't even warrant simple repairs like leaky roofs or broken windows. As she opened the door is screeched in protest as if the act itself had cause it some sort of grievous pain. She made it up the creaky stairs to the second floor where she looked down both end of the hall to see if anyone else had made it back yet. Immediately she noticed the two new human girls, both of witch looked as if they didn't want to be here, she could only guess that the Sponsorship Club manager had somehow roped them into this. Lilith didn't bother stopping to talk to them though, she just went on down the right said of the hall to her room and unlocked the door.

It was just as she had left it. She had taken it upon herself to renovate her own room over the years with the help of her father. The old brick wall had still been mostly intact, the only flaws were hidden my the bookshelf and her bed. Oh her bed, it was the loveliest thing in the whole room and it had taken her father all of her fist summer break to build it. She was only 13 at the time so she wasn't able to help much but she did what she could like sanding and staining the wood. The day before school started they had brought it in piece by piece and assembled it inside the room. He had even made a closet on the end of it for her since her room didn't have one and a book shelf on the inside. After she left the University she planned to take it with her wherever she went.

The other walls had many holes in them but that was easily fixed with some plaster and then painted over with a simple cream color. On the brick wall she had hung a mantle and placed a faux fireplace underneath to give the room a feel of comfort. Inside the closet, behind the back curtain, she had strung some white Christmas lights that were plugged into an outlet that was controlled by a light switch. The lamp inside her bed was actually battery operated though you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at it. While there was a top bunk it didn't get much use and was mostly there for decoration, though Lilith suspected that her father had done that in hopes that she would find some girl friend to have slumber parties with.

All in all this was her little slice of heaven, her sanctuary if you would. A small smile appeared on her face as she walked in, leaving the door open behind her, and set her bag down then opened the window before beginning to unpack her things. As much as she loved visiting with her parents she had missed being here.

Edmund Malkin

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

A tall figure in a long, beige coat carrying as much as humanly possible and then some could be seen lumbering towards the university’s arched gateway. This was Edmund. If you could see his face, you would notice that it was twisted into an angry scowl, not at anyone in particular, but more at the university itself. The buildings, the students, the teachers; he hated them all. Every time he returned to the university, he had a sledgehammer of disappointment swung into his emotions. As he dragged himself through the arched gateway that loomed before him, in his mind the gates slammed loudly shut behind him, and stayed that way.

Now, you should remember that I said Edmund was carrying more than humanly possible. That may have been slightly exaggerated, but he still wasn’t travelling light. This could have been easily avoided if he wasn’t so passionate about his music. But he was, and there’s no use crying over spilled milk. His bass was slung over his back, his acoustic guitar was slung round his front, he carried a large guitar amp in his right hand and his electric guitar in his left. All of his guitars were in soft cases, so he needed to watch where he was going, lest he bash and damage them. As for the stuff that most people bring with them, he had made sure to leave a good supply of clothes and toiletries in his dorm. There was no way he would leave his guitars there; he wasn’t going to go an entire holiday without practice and quite frankly, he didn’t trust someone not to steal them. He could leave his clothes and toiletries there, nobody was going to nick his toothbrush, but they might well nick two thousand dollars’ worth of musical equipment.

In tow was Edmund’s faithful companion, the Eurasian Eagle Owl Malphas. Malphas was significantly less burdened than his master, and fluttering along beside him with ease. He usually perched himself on Edmund’s right shoulder, but Edmund’s guitars prevented him from perching comfortably. In his usual attempt to lighten Edmund’s mood, he spoke up:
“It’s such a glorious day. The sun is shining, there’s a cool breeze in the air and the birds are singing beautifully.”
“If only the birds would be quieter.” Edmund retorted.
Cheering Edmund up was not an easy feat, and in his current state even Malphas could do nothing to raise his spirits. Malphas was well aware of this, and so he didn’t make any further attempts, as they would only rile Edmund up.

The pair progressed through the campus in silence paying no heed to the surrounding area that would surely startle any newcomers to the university. They had since grown used to the peculiar mishmash of architectural styles that bore the name “the University of Diversity”. Edmund often wondered if the diversity it spoke of was regarding the buildings, not the students. The students Edmund passed seemed to watch him with confusion in their eyes; why was he drowning in musical gear when he didn’t even have a suitcase? Ignoring their gazes, Edmund continued to drag himself through the campus towards the vampire dorm building.

Finally Edmund carefully removed all his luggage and laid it down carefully against the wall. He slumped down onto his bed and took a series of loud, deep breaths; he was tired out from having to shift his gear to the far edge of the campus, and the dorm building’s stairs didn’t exactly help. He stared up at the dorm’s plain, brown ceiling for a while before sitting up and looking around the rest of the room. It wasn’t huge, but Edmund made use of the space. Along the wall opposite the door there was a kitchen surface, some cupboards, a bread bin, a kettle, a microwave, a sink, a dishwasher and a fridge. Along the right wall was Edmund’s bed, his guitars, his amp and the door to his closet. His desk and chest of drawers were pressed against the room’s left wall. The room’s fourth wall had a large bookshelf on the right side of the door, put there as opposed to the left side to conceal a large strip of paint that was dangling off. The carpet was beige and fairly grubby, but this was normal for the vampire dorms. It wasn’t pretty, but Edmund made do with what he had.

It was a minute or so before Edmund stood up. When he did, he walked over to sink, filled the kettle with water and turned it on. He simply stood and waited while the kettle boiled, and instantly poured out the water into a cup before dropping in a tea bag. He waited in the same silent, motionless fashion that he had waited before while the tea infused. After discarding the tea bag he slumped down into the wheelie chair by his desk, blew on his tea and took a sip. He smiled and took another sip; while no person could calm Edmund while he was in such a state, tea certainly could.
“You know, Malphas, perhaps you were right about it being a nice day outside.” Edmund apologised, “I think I’ll go outside once I’ve finished my tea.”
If Malphas had lips he would have smiled, but his expression still made it obvious that Edmund’s change of heart had pleased him.

Once he had finished his tea, Edmund put his cup by the sink, slung his acoustic guitar over his shoulder and opened the window. Malphas groaned internally, he knew what Edmund was about to do. Edmund climbed out of the window and began to scale down the wall quickly, using whatever he could to grip on. Within a matter of seconds Edmund had reached the ground, unscathed. While he was unscathed now, Malphas was concerned that he would fall off one day and break his back, or worse: die. However, he knew that he couldn’t talk Edmund out of doing it since it was far quicker than using the stairs. He flew from the open window, closed it and flew over to Edmund to perch on his shoulder.
“Where are we going?” Malphas asked.
“Somewhere quiet.” Was Edmund’s response.

The campus was huge, so it didn’t take too long to find a quiet spot where Edmund could keep to himself. The spot Edmund chose was beneath an oak tree that stood near the banks of a stream. He sat back against the tree, took his guitar from his case and gave it a quick strum to ensure that it was still in tune. When Edmund was sure it was, he began to play the first song that came to his mind: an old song named “Games People Play”. Edmund particularly liked the lyrics, which address hate, intolerance and hypocrisy. He wasn’t much of a singer, so he simply hummed along with the guitar line while the lyrics went through his head. Malphas perched on a branch above Edmund and listened intently to Edmund’s playing. He enjoyed watching Edmund playing music, since it was just about the only time he was happy, other than when he was drinking tea.

Isao Serato

Isao arrived at the university in the morning. His parents had drove him here while it was still dark, glad to be rid of him once more. Isao didn’t blame them for their sentiments. They disagreed on almost all matters, even his own nature. They had treated him like a child born with a serious disability and he had rebelled against that. Still, they weren’t as bad as most humans. They didn’t despise him, they pitied him. Misplaced pity of course, but more preferable than the hate most felt towards his kind. It wasn’t enough to warrant a good relationship though, they had said goodbye with some empty words and a hasty kiss, both all too happy to walk away from this awkward situation.
He studied the gate before him with a sad smile before walking in, a heavy backpack on his back, a suitcase in one hand and a violin case in the other. He was clothed in a plain blue shirt, black pants and a leather jacket. Many students were already exchanging vacation stories. Isao tried to ignore them, hoping to at the very least reach his dorm before someone insulted him. With quick strides he moved towards the periphery of the campus, where they had hidden his kind. The place still looked as willing to collapse as ever. He swung the creaking door open and moved through the dusty hallways. The funny thing was, he was glad to be back. The place might be old, damaged and unpleasant, it was home to his peers. He almost cried, glad to be among equals once more.

It didn’t take him long to find his room. It was the one place he could find on the campus. Many students had trouble orientating, but Isao was even worse at it than most. He slowly unlocked the door and entered. He was met by a stuffy smell and a substantial amount of dust. He sighed, put his luggage down and opened the window. At least the place wasn’t falling apart as badly last year, it had taken him months to either repair or replace everything. It was a shame he couldn’t replace the building.
With resignation he started to clean the place, humming an old tune while he was at it. His room wasn’t exactly big, so it didn’t take too long. Then he started unpacking, hanging posters from several music groups, movies and foreign places such as Egypt on the walls. When he was done, not a single hint of the white wall was visible. He smiled slightly, proud of his work. They might have given him a worthless room, but he had made sure it was his worthless room. These posters were his way of defying the world. They might do their very best to make him believe he was a worthless slob, not even remotely similar to humans, but on that account, they were dead wrong. It was a meagre act of rebellion, but at least one he could pull off without breaking the vampire codes.

A loud noise broke his concentration. He backed away slightly, or at least tried to. Instead he stumbled over his backpack and hit the floor. A soft groan escaped his lips as he crawled up. He stumbled towards the window, his one hand pressed against his grazed side, still slightly dazed, and saw a couple of students disappearing in the distance. It looked like the humans were starting early with their pranks.
“Oh why don’t you all go to hell,” he muttered before slamming the window shut, “damn humans, just wait till I find out who’s responsible for this,” he concluded, knowing it was an empty threat. He dropped down on his bed and massaged his temples, forcing himself to stay calm. His head hurt like hell, but he didn’t think he was actually hurt. It would have been embarrassing to start his new year with a broken nose. After a while he searched his pockets for a matchbook, but found none. He realized he had packed those as well, at the bottom of his suitcase.
With an exasperated sigh he cupped his hands together and focused, his brow furrowing. After a short time a small flame burst into life, hovering just above his hands. Isao focused on the flame, watching it dance to the sides. When a couple of seconds had passed, he withdrew his hands, the fire disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. He felt exhausted, but calmer. He was sure the university wouldn’t approve of this, even though he had the fire perfectly under control. Still, they’d never find out. His room didn’t even have a smoke detector unlike the human rooms. If the vampire dorm burned down, they would be rid of both their troublesome ilk and a building long due for either a renovation or a demolition.

With new resolve he got up from his bed and resumed the unpacking. He hung his clothes in the closet, made his bed and placed his books on a shelve, his hands gently sliding across the covers. His violin case was put in the closet as well. He left his most valuable stuff in the suitcase, making sure to lock it. Given the recent prank he decided to retain a certain degree of caution for now. He then turned towards the wash basin and splashed some water in his face, shivering at its cold touch.
“No warm water, looks like it still isn’t the university’s priority to fix. They probably ‘lost’ the complaint I filed ” he grumbled before he realized he was talking to himself. He sat down at his desk and surveyed his room once more and concluded there was not much left for him to do here. His posters had been hung up, the dust was mostly gone and his luggage was unpacked. A job well done. Then he saw something underneath the desk itself. He tilted his head slightly, seeing a small piece of paper. He crouched down and picked it up, expecting it to be either taunting, insulting or both. Instead a short sentence was written on it: ”Today is the first day of your new life."
Isao shook his head, surprised but also slightly annoyed. A year ago he might have believed that. Back when he still hoped vampires would be less hated here than everywhere else. This year, he was less naive. Still, it was a nice sentiment and it had improved his mood slightly. He just wondered who had gone through such trouble for the likes of him. He grabbed his leather jacket, a new matchbook and his keys. With a defiant smile he left his room, making sure to lock it. It was time to go find a quiet place outside.

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Piercing, ice-blue eyes. They stared deep into him, full of understanding and wisdom. The two pools of ice were framed by black and white fur that glittered in the sunlight streaming in through the window. Razor sharp claws dug into his bare chest, though the strength behind them was measured and careful so that they did not break his skin. The full weight of the beast on his body made it quite difficult to breathe. The snow leopard was perhaps heavier than himself. Dimly, he wondered what the feline ate to create so much body mass. A deep-throated growl filled the room and Henri was instantly jerked into full consciousness.

“Wha’s yer problem, Evs?”

Everest retracted his claws and stepped off his master, allowing him to sit up in bed. Henri rubbed his eyes tiredly. He reached under his pillow and brought out a box of cigarettes. Lazily, he looked about his surroundings. It was just his dorm room; his home for the past four years. His parents lived elsewhere in Iowa and Henri did not like to visit them. The last time he had gone, the neighbors had called the police because they thought the tall, intimidating figure with the ‘strange, long-tailed lynx’ was there to bring harm to the innocent Leppards. It had taken nearly seven hours to clear up the misunderstanding. Both Henri and his parents agreed that it would be best if he didn’t come over too often. His parents couldn’t visit the campus, since their disguise as a normal, human couple would crumble if they were spotted with Henri.

So he lived in his dorm room almost year-round. To be honest, it looked pretty much the same as when he had first become its inhabitant, albeit much more hygienic. Peeling wallpaper, sad-looking ceiling, gaping hole in the wall that exposed a rather important water pipe. This was home. What fun.

“It’s fifteen minutes after seven,” said Everest, flicking his tail back and forth impatiently.

Henri stuck a cigarette into his mouth. He struck a match against the wall and lit the roll of tobacco. After flicking out the match, he turned a bored gaze towards his familiar. “Yeah? What are ya now? Me ‘larm clock?” he asked casually.

Everest sat down beside Henri on the bed. “You have an appointment at seven thirty,” he reminded.

Henri blinked uncomprehendingly. “Whaddya mean? I don’ have a...” he trailed off as he glanced across the room to the calendar. Today’s date was circled in red with the words ‘CLIENT AT 7:30 AM’ written in the box. Henri just stared at the calendar for a long time. He wasn’t sure what to think at the moment. After all, he had just attended to another client the previous night. Which loser had scheduled two of them in a row?

“Now it’s twenty minutes after seven,” Everest murmured, sighing softly.

Henri reached for his phone, which sat on the bedside table. He saw that he had missed a text message while sleeping. It had been sent at 7:03 am:

Sinclair: Where r u? Client in 30 mins!

Henri growled in disapproval, sounding much like his familiar. He texted back:

You: cancel it. I have school

Everest chuckled in amusement. “Since when did you care about school?”

Henri playfully stuck out his tongue. “Never.” He literally swung out of bed, reaching up to stretch his arms over his head in one fluid motion. After stretching and yawning some, he slipped on a black t-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. Reaching under the bed mattress, he produced his famous belt. Said belt always resided underneath the mattress when not worn, for it was far too precious to be kept anywhere else. Henri snapped his belt in place, admiring how the voodoo dolls swayed with his every step. The chains tinkled ominously. All his shorts had been modified so that the bottoms of the belt loops attached with snap buttons, which allowed him to easily put on his belt.

Armed with his belt, cigarette, and snow leopard, Henri was ready to face the first day of school.

Everest was calmly licking his paw when Henri made towards the door. The snow leopard stopped him, barring the path with his massive frame, teeth bared and gleaming in the morning light. He growled menacingly. “You forgot to brush your teeth.”

So Henri brushed his teeth. Sadly, he was unable to do so with the cigarette still in his mouth, so it went into the ashtray. When he looked into the bathroom mirror, he realized with a start that he hadn't washed off his face paint from last night. He took a damp towel and wiped it all off. And not very silently, he berated his familiar for not telling him.

Everest chuckled at the stream of profanity audible over the gushing of the faucet. The snow leopard was not one to waste words. Of course he had noticed the face paint. He had even laughed at his master's carelessness. By telling Henri to brush his teeth, knowing the dreadlocked teenager would see the face paint in the mirror, he had effectively killed two birds with one stone. When Henri emerged from the bathroom, Everest padded to his side and followed him out the building.

"Who’s that client anyways?" Henri asked, checking his cell phone for a reply.

Sinclair: the client aint happy

You: like I care

"Entrepreneur from Germany," Everest answered. He lifted his head, trying to read what was on the phone.

Henri stopped abruptly. His dreadlocks whipped around as his head turned incredulously towards his familiar. "Wha’? I don’ remem’er anyone from Germany.”

Everest did his best to shrug, but the action was not one meant for a feline. He settled for an irritated flick of the tail. "It seems he heard of you from one of your other clients. The one with the enlarged toe," he said. His bright blue eyes stared evenly ahead.

"The frickin' bastard!" spat Henri. Every client of his was sworn into secrecy. Henri only treated people with ‘incurable’ diseases who were found by his underlings. This was to stop massive publicity, since it would be disastrous if people found out that the Leopard Doctor was in fact a vampire. If the word spread, Henri would probably need to move elsewhere. To take his mind off this fact, he rummaged around in his pockets and produced a half-empty box of cigarettes. Henri lit one and took a long draft before blowing out a torrent of smoke from his mouth. He stuffed the box back into his pocket. "He’ll hafta get cursed."

"I agree. He broke his oath. He signed in blood."

Henri nodded half-heartedly. The two of them, leopard and vampire, continued on their way. They weren’t sure exactly where they were going. Their goal was to wander around, get lost, then try to find their way again. It was an effective method to waste time. The fact that it was extremely busy on campus helped with the task. Students of all ages and sizes were milling about, clogging the streets. As Henri waded through the crowd of people, towering well above most of them, he heard some murmuring amongst a group of teenage girls.

“Did you see that girl?”

“You mean the new Sponsor?” The word ‘Sponsor’ was spat out like a broken tooth.

Everest’s ears twitched with curiosity. A new Sponsor? That was rare.

“Yeah. She looks so filthy. No wonder she’s a Sponsor.”

“Well, duh. Only filthy people would associate with filthy vampires.”

With his hands in his pockets, Henri intruded on the conversation. “Why, ‘ello ladies!”

Immediately, the girls stopped talking. Who wouldn’t when faced with a huge guy and a huge snow leopard? When recognition dawned in their eyes, some of them shrieked in fright. Everyone knew of Henri, the vampire with the dreadlocks, but not many had actually interacted with him since he didn’t like talking to people he didn’t know. There was plenty of talk about him going around and sucking the blood of innocent girls.

Henri didn’t care about the rumors. Honestly, he had only entered the conversation to see if any of the girls were hot. He glanced around the group and confirmed that they were all average in terms of looks. How disappointing. He sighed. “Never mind,” he said dejectedly. “Le’s go, Evs.”

Leaving the girls thoroughly bewildered, Henri turned on his heel and headed back in the direction they had come from. Everest padded silently at his side, easily keeping up with his master’s long strides. He was used to Henri’s behavior and didn’t mind his carefree nature at all. In fact, seeing Henri burdened was quite distressing for the familiar, so it was best if those moments were few.

“Are we going back to the dorm?” Everest asked as the old, depressing building came into view.

“Yeah. I’m gunna see if Báthory’s back yet.”

Everest purred in delight. “Lilith is the best at scratching behind the ears,” he murmured dreamily. The snow leopard then shook his head free of his daydreams and circled Henri’s feet, noting that his master had mismatched his sandals. “Shouldn’t you also greet the new Sponsor?” prompted Everest, noting that Henri also had mismatched earings: a silver skull on the right ear and a golden hoop in the left.

“Well, if she’s pretty, she’ll get more than jus’ a greetin’,” Henri replied. With his next step, he nearly tripped on his familiar’s tail. “Watch it, Evs!”

Everest’s tail jerked away from Henri’s feet. “Sorry.”

The two continued for some time, conversing about the weather and other exciting topics. When they reached the dorms, Henri headed straight for Lilith Báthory’s room. Everest sighed inwardly. So much for greeting the new Sponsor. The snow leopard followed close behind his master. He glanced around and saw that there were a few familiar faces and few unfamiliar ones. There was Isao. And there was Edmund and Malphas. Oh, and there was Morana talking to a new girl. A human girl. There were two others who Everest noticed. They seemed quite confused. How refreshing.

Upon reaching Lilith’s room, they found the door open and Henri invited himself inside. Everest bounded in eagerly and rolled around on the floor like an excited cub.

Henri remained near the door, smoke drifting from between his slightly parted lips. Lilith was just as beautiful as she had been four years ago, perhaps even more so. Her silver hair and magenta eyes were odd, but only added to her radiance. Henri flashed a grin, holding out his arms for a welcoming hug. “So how’s me lovely Báthory today?”

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Zane stepped slowly onto the academy's grounds, his feet sinking slightly into the soft ground. He was wearing his normal attire for school, with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up past his elbows because of the heat. In his left hand was a small backpack. It didn't have much besides some stuff to put in his room. As well as his phone and wallet which carried a credit card, school ID, and much to his dismay a large sum of cash. He looked straight ahead at all the seemingly mismatched students. Not that the ages were that much of a difference, but the personalities. He smiled a bit. And that is the exact reason he liked this place.

He started to walk forward towards his dorm room, not like it was really like that, but he liked to call it one anyway. It made him feel like he was one of the masses, but he wasn't. As he walked along the path towards his room he could hear people whispering. Of course they would, everyone does. What would anyone do when they saw the school's celebrity walk nonchalantly outside. Zane wasn't so fond of this. Most people would love that they could get all this attention, but he really didn't like it. He wasn't shy or anything, he just preferred not to stick out.

Let other people shine, not me. He sighed a bit.

He was actually lucky he got rid of the servant his Grandfather sent to him when he started going to school here. Of course there was some petty arguing about safety, but overall Zane won that argument. Continuing his walk he passed most of the people who were whispering without a big scene erupting, which he was grateful for. His room was on the far side of the academy. He could always choose to get a ride, as his Grandfather always stated, but he was not allowed to change rooms. And for what reason, well there wasn't one, he just wasn't allowed to.

He was about three fourths of the way there. Strolling leisurely to enjoy the nice weather. Zane knew there would be some new sponsors this year. Most of the time they were transfer students that didn't know what they were getting themselves into. He sometimes actually wished he was allowed to be a sponsor, but of course that was another forbidden fruit of his life. Well he could always make friends with them.

Finally Zane arrived at his room, or at least the building his room was in, but then he was the only one that even lived in the building. One thing was though, he never invited people over to his room. He though, however, he had a good reason not to. He pulled out a key attached to a chain which in turn was attached to his pants' pocket. Sliding it easily into the lock he turned it until he heard a click. He removed his key and opened the door.

There was nothing on the first floor. Though it was well kept and smelled faintly like someone recently cleaned it. Zane looked around, then his eyes met two things. One was a spiral staircase off in the corner. It was fairly elegant and also nicely polished. Well this was one of the places that was always kept in fair shape. He was actually allowed to call someone if something needed to be fixed, or was not to his liking to, but he never did. Though the place was always updated anyway. The second thing he saw was new.

He turned a bit and bonked his head lightly on the wall next to him. Are they idiots or something... Why do they always do this... He looked back over and his gaze met a glass elevator. It was new, like many things that always popped up inside this building. What do they think I am... a crippled or something? I-know-how-to-walk. Curiosity did get to him though as he walked towards it. Besides being made of glass it did look like a normal elevator - except for the fact... WHY IS THERE F****** GOLD TRIM ON THIS! Disgusted Zane turned away from the elevator then started to run up staircase.

The second floor. The entire thing is actually his room... It looked like a hotel suite, but bigger. And this was the reason Zane didn't want anyone ever to come to his "room" Well how would he be able to lead a normal-ish life if everyone knew this was where he stayed. He honestly thought his place was better then most of the staff here. The room had an open sort of layout. There was a large bedroom connected to the bathroom. A kitchen, dinning area with enough space for six, though by using the entire place, six was a joke. A large open living room where there are a lot of shelves with books, games, and such. There were also random closets around the place which were always stocked with stuff. One of the things Zane does like, however, is the large windows. Better to see the weather.

Putting his bag on the kitchen countertop he stretched a bit. Then noticed some papers on the coffee table. Walking over he picked them up as his hand brushed against the wooden tabletop. There wasn't anything new on the papers, just a schedule of his classes, a detailed map of the academy, and some club/sport recruitment forms. Putting the papers back onto the table he checked his watch. It still wasn't time to eat, so he decided to go on a jog. Might as well train a bit for track.

He went into the bedroom and quickly got out a white tee-shirt and blue shorts. He slipped them on after he took his other clothes off. He then got on a pair of sneakers making sure to double knot them. Zane put his clothes in a hamper knowing they would come back the next day washed, folded, and put away. He went over to the fridge and opened it letting the cool air rest on his face for a moment before getting a bottle of water. Picking up his key, wallet, and phone he was ready to go.

He walked down the stairs cautiously to make sure he didn't fall down. Then went back outside, making sure to lock the door behind him. He actually didn't know why he needed a lot of the stuff he had with him, but he was already in the mood to go running, so he decided just to hold everything. And on that note he started on a nice jog around the campus. Trying to avoid most people, but occasionally some did manage to spot him.

Ignore post

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Lilith had just put away the last of her clothes when a blur of motion caught her eye. Turning she was Everest playfully rolling around on the floor. The Snow Leopard was the closest thing she had ever had to a pet and she cared for him as if he were hers. Bending down she gave him a hug rubbing her cheek again the fur of his neck. "It's good to see you too Everest." Looking up she saw Henri standing in her doorway. He was her closest friend and while their personalities were different the got along famously.

Henri grinned at her and opened his arms wide. "So how's me lovely Báthory today?" She gave him a small smile as she stepped into his arms. Her heeled boots may have given her a couple of inches but it was nothing compared to Henri's six foot four inch frame. Lilith didn't find it threatening like most people did, it was actually quite comforting.

"I'm happy to be back, not that I didn't have a good time in the three weeks I was there it was just difficult what with having to hide in plain sight." Any time her parents friends had stopped by she would run to the restroom and put in contacts and stuff her hair under some kind of cap.

"Oh but there was an 'almost-indecent'." Lilith said pulling back slightly and looking up at Henri. "My hair has gotten so long and thick that it's getting harder to hide. Well I tripped bringing in some tea for my mother and a neighbor friend of hers and the hat fell off. Sh had gotten up in concern at first, then she noticed my hair." Taking some of her hair in her hands and looking at it she frowned. Lilith truly loved her hair and its color, though they were usually (always) Vampire supporters.

"I told her I had some disease that made me gray prematurely and that it had been hard growing up with it." her story had been half lie, half truth and as her mother watched her spin the tale Lilith couldn't help but notice the look of sad understanding and pure love that shown through her eyes.

A sneer formed on Lilith's face, a look not common for her, as she thought of the look of relief the woman gave. "Humans are so strange. They would rather believe an obvious lie than face the truth so long as the lie is prettier."