Chapter Text
“—you can’t take him! Keep your filthy hands off him—he’s my son! You have no right!”
The tires of the car crunched over the gravel driveway, tiny pieces of rock flying into the immaculately mowed lawn as the huge metal security gates swung open. A tingling sensation rushed over Eddie Kaspbrak’s skin as they passed the barrier and entered school grounds, causing him to shiver, one he hoped the large men on either side of him couldn’t feel. I’m not afraid, he thought, almost as if trying to convince himself, not afraid. The trees on either side of the long drive started to spread apart, a massive building coming into view, still a way off into the distance. It was the middle of the day, prime time for people to be out and about before the sun started to set, but there wasn’t a person in sight. No movement behind the large windows, no bodies milling about in the lawn. If anything, the curtains looked too thick—blocking out even the shadows of the people inside, keeping the light out and the darkness in. It appeared to be deserted, and not for the first time today, Eddie wondered if this was the day he was going to die.
As they pulled closer, Eddie could see the name of the building written across the front entrance: St. King’s Academy. The men had said nothing to him the entire way here, other than one word commands that were exclusively to get him moving or to keep him still. When the car came to a stop one of the men placed their arm around Eddie’s bicep, holding on to him as they exited the car. As if he would get very far if he tried to run. Both men were of average height but clearly built under the black and white suits they wore, and he could see that they had tattoos on the back of their necks. He couldn’t tell what they were, but they looked like the same design, further convincing him that this was clearly a cult and he was about to get sacrificed. It was the only logical explanation.
Eddie was silent as they led him into the front doors of the building, and after a few moments of waiting they were greeted by a tall man with his hair slightly ruffled, looking like he had just been asleep recently. Well, welcomed was perhaps too kind of a word to describe the greeting—the man seemed annoyed, hidden behind a fake smile with narrowed eyes.
“Mr. Kaspbrak. We’ve been expecting you. Come now.” The man spoke in an even tone, urging the small group towards what had to be his office. Eddie was pulled along by one of the men and sat down in a chair inside of the office before the men stepped back and out of his sight, though he could feel eyes on the back of his head that told him they were still in the room. On the large wooden desk sat a plaque that read Norbert Keene – Headmaster. Mr. Keene sat with his hands folded on top of his desk, a smile that could be described as sadistic coming over his features—but that couldn’t be right for a headmaster, could it?
“Mr. Kaspbrak,” he started, that smile still on his face, though it was clear he was trying to appear sympathetic. “You are here, at St. King’s Academy, because your mother has been lying to you. Lying to all of us.” He made a gesture as though to indicate others in the room, despite it only being the four of them. “She has led you to believe that you are human. We’ve brought you here to tell you that you are not, and never have been.”
He paused, letting the information sink in. Eddie could feel his brows furrowing in confusion, slowly shaking his head. “No,” he said, “I…” The idea seemed so silly to him in that moment. Not human? If he wasn’t a human, what else could he be? He looked normal. Behaved normal, ate normal things. “My mother told me I was sick. She told me that I was born sick, and I had to be careful, because I had allergies…”
If anything, Mr. Keene seemed more excited by this admission. “You are not sick, Mr. Kasprak. You are what we call a dhampir.” He was smiling still, his fingers tapping on his desk. “A dhampir is not fully human. They are a combination, a hybrid if you will, of humans and vampires. The Moroi. Your father was a Moroi, Mr. Kaspbrak, and your mother is a human.” He paused, eyes running over Eddie’s face, which was morphing further into disbelief. “She kept you from us. Kept you weak. Haven’t you ever wondered where your illnesses came from? Have you ever felt sick a day in your life?”
Eddie slowly shook his head no, not wanting to admit to it, but knowing that it was true. Every time his mother told him that he was fragile and should stay inside, oh, Eddie-bear, you don’t want to go out there! You could fall and get hurt! You’re so fragile, dear. Just one little scrape could send you to the hospital! He’d never bled. Never coughed, sneezed, or felt anything other than a tightness in his chest when things got—too much.
“Dhampirs do not get sick, Eddie.” Mr. Keene was shaking his head, making a quiet tsk, tsk sound with his tongue. “If you fell, you wouldn’t bleed. Not from simple child’s play. You are tougher than that, stronger—she knew, and to keep you from figuring it out, she lied. Your mother wanted to keep you all to herself. Selfish of her, truly.”
“She wasn’t!” Eddie’s hands flew to the armrests of his chair, gripping them tightly. This all felt wrong, but something inside of him was screaming that Mr. Keene was right. He had always felt the need for more, his body craving something other than sitting around and doing his mother’s bidding, but he had always taken her word and accepted his ‘sickness’. Whatever Mr. Keen said, he knew that his mother was till just that, his mom. That had to mean something, didn’t it? “She loves me! I know—I know that she might have lied, maybe I am what you say I am, but she loves me!”
Mr. Keene held his hands up in a placating manor, looking unconcerned with Eddie’s outburst. “I’m sure she does, in her own way,” he says, “but that doesn’t change the fact that she hid you. Dhampir children are required to attend an academy such as St. King’s for training once they reach the elementary level of schooling. You are thirteen, Mr. Kaspkrak, and much overdue to begin your dhampir training.”
“My training? Training for what?”
“To become a guardian, just like Mr. Alto and Mr. Chase.” Keene gestured to each of the men standing behind Eddie, and he turned his body to look at the men who had brought him here. Be like them? How could I ever be like they are? Mr. Keene continued while Eddie stared, tapping the desk to get his attention and turn him back around. “Guardians keep us safe, Mr. Kaspbrak, and it is the destiny of every dhampir. There are so few of you now, such a shame, but we need each and every one to do their duty to protect the Moroi.”
“Protect—protect from what?” There were so many questions running through Eddie’s mind, namely, what could vampires possibly need protecting from, and why was he suddenly one of the people being shoved into the line of fire? Before he got a chance to say more, Mr. Keene stood up and looked at the two guardians next to the door, hands folded behind his back.
“That’s enough excitement for one day. Gentlemen, if you would please escort Mr. Kaspbrak to his room. We follow a nocturnal schedule on campus, so please do try to get some sleep.”
“Wait—” Eddie stood up from his seat, but before he could even decide what he was going to do, the same hand was on his arm and was pulling him away. “Wait! Wait, what do I do, where do I--?”
Mr. Keene was smiling at him with that same smile, though there was a slight twitch to his eye, as though he were growing increasingly impatient. “Classes start at 9PM when the sun is down. Welcome to St. King’s, Mr. Kaspbrak.”