Madame H's classroom was like everything else in the school: outrageous.

Large tables of wood lay in front of an old desk and a large blackboard.

 

“All those in the first year take history classes” said Ten, putting his bag on the first table. “It's annoying, restricted classes are cooler.”

 

Taeyong swallowed, sitting next to his classmate, watching the class fill up. All the students seemed to stare at him one by one.

 

"I told you that you were going to be famous" said Ten, sitting down. “And seriously, pink hair? You can’t go unnoticed.”

 

A hubbub invaded the space and little by little Taeyong regained confidence, seeing that very quickly the attention wasn’t on him anymore.

A group, however, caught his attention: their skin was abnormally copper, their hair was a special golden color making them recognizable among all. Their noses were flat and their brown eyes radiated a red glow. They were five and were all impressively built.

 

“Demons” muttered Taeyong, “is that right ?”

 

Ten nodded, grabbing his pen and notebook.

 

“Easy. They freak me out. Don’t try to provoke them in a duel of basketball, you may not come out alive.”

 

Taeyong scanned the room.

 

"They’re the wizards," said Ten, pointing to another small group that was a little noisier than the others. “They look exactly like humans, and most of them just discovered their powers very recently and often by accident. They used to live normally before that. Imagine the shock - most of them go nuts and end up in an asylum before even arriving here. But they are pretty cool, well if hanging out with humans doesn’t bother you of course...”

Taeyong sank into his seat as he saw a group of ten boys arrive. Ten clones - perfectly similar, with pulled back hair, bearing a cold look. They stared at him insistently before sitting next to each other on the other side of the room.

“Metamorphs. ” said Ten, wallowing in his seat. “They love to show off with their ty group effect. I swear... they’re acting like real kids. The day we’ll see their real faces, it’s gonna be less glamorous trust me...”

 

Taeyong decided to look into Ten's notebook instead of the rest of the students. The more he watched, the more his instinct told him to clear off as quickly as possible. He whispered, reading the course that Ten had opened.

 

“The extinction of vampires?”

 

Ten giggled.

 

“What, aren’t you aware that you are endangered or what? This is our third chapter.”

“I’d like some silence, please!”

 

Mrs. H's voice rang out in the hall, silencing the chatter.

Taeyong straightened up, taking his pen.

 

“Well, we will start the course where we stopped last week.”

 

Mrs. H did not look very old. She was wearing a long classic straight dress and small glasses on the tip of her nose. Taeyong smiled when she turned to write on the big blackboard. Two long wings with black feathers were behind her back. He had never thought to see a real nyfellis one day in his life, he had read a lot of books on this breed.

 

A shiver ran down Taeyong's spine, pulling him out of his thoughts. He had never felt that before, at least not so intensely.

The doors of the hall opened abruptly, letting in four boys laughing loudly.

Taeyong sank deeper into his seat, lowering his eyes, immediately understanding what was happening.

That knot in his throat, these chills and this sudden discomfort. Not to mention the unpleasant smell he had smelt since he arrived here. The lycans had just entered the classroom, he had no doubt about it.

“Once again,” exclaimed Mrs. H, who had already given up a long time. “Classes begin at ten o'clock, not ten fifteen, men! This is the second time in two weeks!”

 

“We are really sorry - we got lost,” threw a tall brown haired guy, giving high fives to the other students passing by.

“The next time I will not let you stay, I warn you for the last time!” said the teacher, annoyed.

 

An unbearable smell of wet dog invaded Taeyong's nostrils, plunging him into a deep discomfort that he struggled to conceal. He put the sleeve of his uniform on his nose, looking for a way to think about something else.

 

“Yo! Ten! My bro!” said the tall one, passing first behind the two comrades. “Give me five!”

“I’d rather die, Johnny” squeaked Ten, looking at the blackboard seriously.

“Next time” he said, tapping Ten on the shoulder, making him sigh loudly.

 

A second boy stepped forward as Taeyong looked up at that moment. His brown hair had coppery highlights and they fell back on his forehead in a neglected way. Taeyong froze, he was seeing the eyes of a Lycan for the first time and it was even more terrifying than anything he could have ever imagined. He had never seen such a look, and he was surprised to see that the boy had lowered his eyes first, passing then directly behind them without comment. Without having time to recover from this first shock, something else caught the vampire's panicked eyes. He saw with horror that the smallest of them, the one who wore a ridiculous bob on the top of his head had a wolf tail coming out of his uniform. He was still crumbling with laughter, his tail wagging like an excited doggie playing with his master.

 

“Disgusting.” muttered Taeyong, closing his eyes. “These things are disgusting.”

“This stupid Mark Lee can’t manage to transform himself completely,” whispered Ten. “It’s been two weeks that he's stuck like this.”

 

Taeyong saw his roommate tense up a little more and look down as the last of the four boys approached to pass.

His purplish hair was falling in front of his eyes, he was wearing earrings and smiled broadly. He stopped at Ten's levels, whispering something in his ear.

 

 

“Move,” spat Ten by pushing him away with a nudge, “I’d rather die.”

 

This reaction provoked again the hilarity of the rest of the group of lycans who burst out, laughing at the other end of the room.

 

“Ok, now stop boys!” Mrs. H shouted, tapping her foot. “I will send you to the director's office if you continue!”

 

The class finally became quiet and the course could begin.

Taeyong did not care, not being able to listen to a single word of what the teacher was saying. The smell was still in his nostrils and worse than that, he felt that he was being watched a little further.

 

“What did he tell you?” whispered Taeyong after a while, seeing that Ten did not seem to feel that great either.

“I don’t even want to repeat it.” whispered the dark haired, writing in his notebook.

 

Taeyong took his pen, trying to forget the four pairs of eyes that were on him.

 

“Before 1620, the vampires were still the most numerous creatures, exceeding by far the lycans who lived naturally in more remote places.”

 

Mrs. H paused, putting her glasses back in place.

 

“You must have heard of the ‘great purge’.”

 

Taeyong, who was taking notes, stopped abruptly. Why did his first class have to deal with the least glorious part of his ancestors? He swallowed.

 

“A little before 1620, only four great families of vampires were recognized as being "pure", they alone had kept the blood of the first vampires. Over time, these creatures had multiplied, creating many new fragile and uncontrollable young people. These four once very powerful families decided to wage a real war against their own species, determined to eradicate all vampires deemed "impure" and therefore unworthy to live. The idea was to find a reliable blood base and to limit the irresponsible transformation. Vampires born of bites were all condemned to be eradicated, so only true vampires born of two purebloods were considered viable and worth living.”

 

A paper ball landed on Taeyong's notebook, making him tremble.

He turned his head casting a sharp glance at the group of lycans. Ten took the paper before unfolding it with a sigh.

 

“ ‘Bloodsucker’?”

“These guys are definitely stupid.” spat Ten, tearing the piece of paper.

 

Taeyong closed his eyes, praying for the class to stop quickly. He felt that he was not going to be able to hold on for a long time.

 

*

 

*

 

Ten chewed his wand, his gaze lost in Taeyong's still intact plate.

 

“You're not eating?” he asked, picking up a piece.

“I'm not very hungry,” Taeyong whispered.

 

The refectory was empty at this time. The first years had a fairly light schedule and a lot of free time.

 

“I always come to eat earlier,” said Ten, swallowing another mouthful of rice. “It’s quieter and we avoid problems.”

“Problems?”

 

Taeyong was looking at the brick of blood he had taken from one of the refrigerators that was available. He planted his straw inside, forcing himself to drink to be able to hold on until the end of the day.

 

“Yeah... here, it ain’t just rainbows and butterflies in case you didn’t notice. People pretend to get along well in front of the teachers and supervisors, but the vast majority of species look down on each other. Their reconciliation program is just bull if you want my opinion. When we get out of here we hate each other even more than before.”

 

Taeyong grimaced, taking a sip. He had never drunk anything so bad before.

 

“What, were you expecting fresh baby blood?” Ten mocked.

 

Taeyong sighed, putting the straw back between his lips.

 

“But the most annoying are the lycans. At least with me,” Ten whispered, discouraged. “They get along pretty well with others I think.”

“Why with you in particular?” Taeyong asked, with a new thrill at the idea of ​​seeing that bunch of mutts again.

“Because they are the only ones that can smell me. These flea bags smell and detect every breed.”

 

Taeyong's eyes widened. Without having time to answer anything, he saw the famous group enter the room with their usual “discretion”.

Ten held his chopsticks, motioning Taeyong to hurry to leave.

 

“Ten! Why are you ignoring me so much? ” asked the one with the violet hair rushing to their table.

“Because you're disgusting Yuta, how many times do I have to repeat it?”

 

The other three burst out laughing, also approaching the table.

Taeyong tensed like never before, no longer knowing where to look at.

 

“I see you have a new friend,” said Johnny, sitting next to Ten, grabbing the meat with his fingers.

“Let us finish eating.” Ten growled, slapping the lycan's hand, which was picking up a second piece of meat. “Go eat your meat further. You are a real pain!”

 

Taeyong froze as she saw the second brown haired man sitting next to him.

 

“So, what do you think Jaehyun?” asked Johnny, pointing at Taeyong with his chin.

“It's a vampire.” blew the brown haired.

 

Taeyong looked away at Jaehyun who was staring at the brick of blood in his fingers. Jaehyun's eyes fell on those of the vampire for the second time, causing a strange sensation in the vampire's stomach. Jaehyun had brown eyes with golden highlights and his eyes were strangely soft. Taeyong wavered for a moment, failing to break eye contact with the wolf.

 

“You shouldn’t drink that. ” he said, shaking his head, putting his hair back in place. “Did you know that it's full of chemicals?”

 

Taeyong came back to earth, understanding that he was talking to him.

 

“S-sorry?”

“What you drink, it’s not going to bring you any nutrients-”

“I never understood why y’all vampires needed to drink blood” cut Johnny, raising his eyebrows, “I mean seriously, eating a good steak is really something else.”

“So are you a dietician for vampires now?” spat Ten while pouting.

 

Mark, the last of the group, was a little blond with tousled hair who seemed hyperactive. He had obviously gone to get the meal for the rest of the group. He set a tray of raw beef ribs on the table, his tail shaking uncontrollably behind his back.

 

"I took the best pieces!" he said, smiling.

"You disgust me." said Ten, seeing Yuta catching the meat with his hand.

"Don’t be foolish." Johnny said, “it’s not like you're vegetarian either.”

“Don’t act like you don’t like to watch me eat.” Yuta whispered, plunging his eyes into Ten's as he bit into the meat in slow motion.

Ten rolled his eyes before getting up.

“Well, are you coming Taeyong? We are going to be late.”

 

The vampire got up in a second, taking his bag and bowing his head. He had just experienced the most traumatic moment of his life and he felt the absolute need to isolate himself as soon as possible.

 

"I didn’t think they would come," said Ten, catching him. “Usually they eat later.”

 

Taeyong looked at his feet and walked quickly towards the room.

 

“Are you ok ?”

“I- I just need to be alone for a moment, excuse me.”

 

*

 

*

 

Taeyong couldn’t think straight. All these new events and changes were making him sick, causing a knot tightening in his throat and preventing him from breathing normally. What he felt was called fear and he discovered for the first time with intensity that emotion he already hated.

What was he supposed to do? How should he act? All his life, his family had kept telling him that wolves were monsters that had to be eliminated or at least avoided as much as possible. And he was there, surrounded by all these enemies and he felt so alone in this world. He looked at his suitcase for a moment before sighing to slow down his breathing. He wanted to go home, it was all too hard to endure. He was not going to hold on. He was never going to get used to it.

His stomach twisted, making him wince. He had not drunk enough today and if he did nothing to quench his thirst, he knew that his state of anxiety would get worse very quickly.

Taeyong stood up and grabbed a bag of blood from the little fridge next to his bed. He did not want to drink but his body was demanding his dose.

He tore off the plastic with a canine and brought the opening to his lips. He grimaced as the icy liquid enveloped his tongue. The cold blood tasted bad, and his knotted throat wasn’t helping him.

 

He swallowed loudly, squeezing the plastic to run the liquid into his mouth.

He groaned, wiping his lip with the back of his hand, staring at the label with haggard eyes for a moment. The blood had an immediate effect on the vampires, a surge of energy seized them as soon as their body received the necessary haemoglobin.

Obviously, nothing was worth the fresh blood taken from a victim but they found this as an effective way to camouflage and blend in the mass.

Taeyong's pupils widened and he felt his pulse subside a little. He jumped when he saw the door of the room open slowly.

 

“Can I enter?” asked the person at the door.

 

The vampire recognized the voice of his roommate and he relaxed.

Ten pushed open the door, watching the young vampire sitting on the floor, his back resting against the bed. His lips were pink, a trace of dried blood left a line down his chin.

 

“You were thirsty?”

 

Taeyong shook his head, hiding the pocket of blood feeling ashamed. Vampires were very modest beings when it came to feeding. In general, they did it alone, even hiding from each other. It seemed that drinking blood was disturbing. Even for them.

 

“I told you not to worry about your vampire stuff. You don’t have to hide.”

 

Taeyong shook his head before letting it fall back against the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds as Ten sat on his own bed.

 

"I… I don’t know if I'll get used to it," muttered Taeyong. “I think that's all too much for me.”

“Uh, you can’t run away after one single day! What? Is it because of those dickheads of lycans that you are afraid?”

 

Taeyong sighed, pushing away the now empty plastic with the back of his hand.

 

"You don’t understand." he whispered.

“They will not do anything to you! They are just stupid and they love to come and bother me but I can protect us! And they will end up getting tired after some time...”

 

Taeyong pursed his lips. Ten could not understand.

 

"It's unnatural." he murmured.

“What are you talking about?”

“It's unnatural for a vampire to tolerate these wolves. To live next to them as if nothing had ever happened.”

 

Ten rolled his eyes.

 

“It is not so terrible! I'm here, if you're afraid you can tell me. I can make these dogs shut up in less than two minutes!

 

Taeyong closed his eyes. Ten could not understand; but he could not blame him for that.

 

“There is no class this afternoon,” said Ten. “We could go to the library, or go for a walk in the park to change your mind?”

 

Taeyong straightened up, chasing away the negative thoughts that were spinning in his mind. He was going to try. At least a little longer; he had to.

 

“The park is a good idea, I need to get some fresh air.” Taeyong replied.