The Young Blood

4.

Rachael dedicated the rest of the week's end to furthering my education about the modern world; she taught me the names of all these strange devices such as the television, the mobile cellular phone, or the computer. She gave me lessons in how to operate such things as well.

Which was good as Mr. Gomez saw fit to give me one such 'smartphone' for my own use upon the morning of Monday.

It was then he explained that there had been no progress in the investigation and so I would be remaining with them for the foreseeable future and thus would be required to attend school.

I had always been taught by private tutors, it was the custom of my kind not to allow youths among humankind until they had developed perfect self-control after all.

Mr. Gomez also outfitted me with a backpack and some currency to purchase a mid-day meal.

The girls were in a great hurry to get prepared that morning, and so I followed their motions, soon going out the door with them and walking alongside the road in the morning sun. Contrary to human belief we did not fear the sun, but we did prefer the night.

We walked until we stood before the gate of Greenway Public Highschool, a large brick institution from the nineteenth century surrounded by more modern constructions.

A large cross hung over the entrance, it had once been a religious institution I was informed by Rachael. "Oh, what about crosses, do you recoil from them?" she asked.

"Nothing but superstition."

Rachael took me away from the flow of students and toward the administration of the establishment. There I was 'processed' and given a variety of items such as agenda, a map, and a schedule.

Rachael took a look at that last item. "Oh good, we share a few classes, including our first."

"And those we do not share?"

"Try to act... normal?"

"I am normal."

"Act like a 21st-century human?"

"That may be difficult without your assistance."

"Just try to stick to formalities; Hi I'm Ana, I'm Russian and definitely not a vampire."

"You are mocking me."

"A little." She laughed anxiously. "Let me show you around."

Rachael guided me toward our first class of the day. I just absorbed the atmosphere; never had I in my life been so close to so many humans, I kept my nose on alert for the noticeable scent of my kind but found no traces but my own.

Rachael brought us to her 'Locker' where she kept her bag and books. "You can share it with me," she gave me the combination code.

"It appears to be I am the only one of my kind in here,"

"How do you know?"

"I can smell the difference," I said.

"Ah, alright, English is right over that corner."

I followed Rachael only for some rudish lout to ram into her shoulder, causing her to drop her things. She knelt down to pick them only for a girl to fake a cough;

She uttered a word I had not heard before; "Tranny." I saw Rachael tense, close her eyes and take a deep breath before resuming her task of gathering her possessions.

I knelt by her. "What does that word mean?"

"It's a slur —an insult— against transgender people like me."