Obscure

fifty eight

A SIGH ESCAPED Sophie's mother. "Let's all just sit down," she suggested, gesturing to a set of lounge chairs. "I'll explain everything and then we can brainstorm up a plan to rescue them. It won't be easy. Knowing my brother, it will be even harder to sneak into the castle now that you've managed to escape."

Sophie reluctantly walked toward one of the chairs, following Aubrey. Both sat and turned toward Sophie's mother. The woman cocked her head. "Can I offer you girls a drink?"

"No, thank you...um," Aubrey trailed off.

"Just call me Aelia," Sophie's mother said, and smiled at the two warmly, like an actual mother would. It made Sophie's hand clench into a tight fist atop her thigh.

Aubrey nodded. She glanced at Sophie, who shifted around in her chair uncomfortably. It had been a long time since she'd heard her mother's unusual name said aloud. It felt strange to hear it again.

Aelia ran a hand through her hair and let out another sigh. Her gaze flickered toward the ground. "I suppose it would be best if I were to start from the very beginning, and explain why this war was started."

"We already know that," Sophie said. "Vampires thought that they were better than everybody else. And after so many years of oppression, the other races started to fight back."

A pinch of sadness seemed to swim within Aeila's eyes. "Not all vampires."

Sophie pursed her lips. A part of her still wanted to snap, to scream and curse out her mother. But the calm and rational side of her knew that she needed to focus on rescuing Eli and Wolfe. And hearing Aelia's story would definitely help them understand things a bit better.

"It started with the original vampires," Aelia started to explain. "If you paid attention in your history classes while you attended the academy, you should know that there were two main vampire clans, or families. The ancient world started out with two different clans of each race, and we all had to work together in order to survive. My brother and I were part of the oldest clan, and were the youngest of six children. It was our duty to hunt and gather the food; while we drank the blood, the others ate the body. It was a simple system, and we worked closely with the werewolves in particular. They were our closest ally."

Aelia pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly. "When I was sixteen and my brother ten, our clan was attacked. I survived because I was away, hunting. My brother survived because he avoided detection. He witnessed the massacre and blamed the werewolves. Then the other vampire clan was killed, and we were the last vampires in existence."

Aubrey's eyebrows crinkled. Sophie glanced at her, and the two shared a confused look. "But there is a whole school full of vampires several miles from here," Aubrey said.

A wary smile tugged at Aelia's lips. "You're exactly right. Years ago, I got the idea to create the academy. It was designed to recreate the vampire race and hopefully reduce conflict between the races. Humans were invited to join and, if the right tests were passed, given the choice to become somewhat immortal. It was originally an innocent idea. Humans had the right to choose whether they wanted to be changed and it was an opportunity to teach them supernatural knowledge. And since the courses would be taught positively, the new vampires would think highly of the other races. It would ensure that most would treat others with respect."