The entire class was buzzing with the conversations of twenty students as we all tried to guess what was keeping Eldritch. Our Anthropology professor was never late, and there were already speculations that he’d been called out on a hunt and wasn’t coming back. But Eldritch was far too old to be actively hunting vampires, even if the thought of him being hospitalized did make most of us smile. I was set to be valedictorian of my class, top marks, never late or missing homework, and even I couldn’t escape his foul temper. He swept into the classroom, and there was an audible groan from all of us at the sight of the black storm cloud in his expression. “Two more days ‘til vacation”, I thought. “Two more days”.

 

“I have a special treat for you today, class.” Eldritch spat out the words, literally, so that a fine mist settled on my desk and books. I forced myself to ignore it and not brush it away. I took comfort in the fact that it probably was going to be a treat for us. He seemed pretty unhappy, and he hated anything his students thought was fun. “I present to you,” Eldritch continued, “Signora Borgia, master of the eleventh order of magic and elder of the Venatores Lamiae.”

 

A collective gasp went up around the room as a slender, pale woman glided to the front of the classroom and bowed at her neck. This was the closest I’d ever been to a true legend. Signora Borgia was a hunter and magic-user. According to my textbooks, she’d been born to a powerful Italian family of hunters, during the Renaissance. She looked no more than twenty-five, which meant she was an incredibly powerful sorceress. Magic and psychic powers like her telepathy were incredibly rare; it meant that those with talents were the most valuable members of the Venatores. Signora Borgia was the most renowned of them all.

 

She looked at each of us in turn, and my throat went dry as I waited for her to look at me. When her eyes finally lit on my face, I felt an instant recognition, even before I heard her voice in my head Startled by the invasive sensation, I felt something like a door slamming shut inside me. It was followed by the impression that someone was pushing at it from the outside. My heart raced and I shook, but my jaw locked and I couldn’t speak or tell her to stop. My foster parents had explained that my mind worked differently from others. Until now, I didn’t understand what they’d been trying to say.

 

Her face registered surprise, and she stepped up to my desk, touching my forehead with one long, cool finger. She traced a series of symbols across the fevered skin above my eyebrows, starting at the right temple and moving across to end at the left.

 

“I am Dominique, Caroline. It is fascinating to meet someone so young who has raw, untrained psychic ability,” she projected telepathically, her voice an echo inside my head that gave me goosebumps. “I regret frightening you. Please come out, I’m not here to harm you.” Her being washed over me, entreating me to be calm, but I didn’t know how to control what I was doing. I had built my psychic walls in a terrifying instant, unaware of what I was doing. When Venatores doctors had noticed this ability in me, they had called it traumatic disassociation. They said is wasn’t a valid psychic ability, but a one-time herculean effort to save myself. I wasn’t excited about proving them wrong in the middle of class.

 

The spot where Dominique had touched my forehead began to cool, in swirls and symbols that followed the spell, or whatever she had done to me. I felt my jaw unlock gradually and my walls melted away like ice. It wasn’t at all like the violent tearing down that I would have expected. I took a deep breath and thanked her, using her telepathic connection. Dominique rewarded me with a smile that warmed me to my toes.

 

“Now that Caroline is finished interrupting class, let’s carry on with the lesson, shall we?” Professor Eldritch’s acerbic tone made Dominique’s eyes fly wide, and then she winked at me.

 

“Oh, I agree, Professor. In fact, I’d like Caroline to join me at the front for a demonstration She’s going to be my guinea pig, and help me teach a vital skill that every hunter should know.” Eldritch motioned for me to join the sorceress at the front of the class; his jaw was working under his skin like he was grinding hard enough to break his own teeth.

 

“Now, can you explain to the class what happened when I touched your mind?” Dominique asked. I hesitated, unsure of how to explain without speaking of my parents, a secret that only David and his parents were privy to.  I’d prefer the whole school think I was weird and shy and a nerd. I wasn’t sure I could stand pity or fear from them.

 

“I. Um, I had a really bad experience as a child. The kind of thing that no one can really describe without making the room super uncomfortable, so, I won’t go there. But, when it happened, I was little… barely talking in full sentences, little.” I cleared my throat. “So, when I was found after the bad thing happened, I wasn’t speaking. The doctors called it ‘catatonic’,” I shared, looking straight at Dominique, and pretending the class wasn’t even there. “But my foster brother seemed to always know what I wanted, how I was feeling, and what I wanted to say, even though I was silent for a long time.”

 

“You shared a psychic connection?” Dominique questioned.

 

“That’s what my foster parents guessed, but we were never sure. I went to therapy and tore down the walls that I built to protect my mind, over a long time, one brick at a time.” I swallowed hard. “I threw them back up the moment I felt you in my head. How did you get them down so easily?” The sheer power I’d felt pushing at me was terrifying. I questioned my right to be at a school with kids so brave and ready to fight monsters that I couldn’t even imagine without giving myself nightmares.

 

“That, in fact, is exactly why I am here.” Dominique smiled at me like I’d just discovered a new element of magic. “The first thing any student should learn, even before they learn to hunt, is how to protect their own minds from intrusion. Vampires are highly developed predators. They have the upper hand in almost every situation, and many can even infiltrate minds, like I did when I entered the room. I’m going to spend a few days with you, teaching you how to keep your minds safe.” She motioned me to my chair, and I sank to the wooden seat with shaky legs.

 

Eldritch sat in the corner behind his desk, and I glanced at him when I felt his eyes on me. His face was unreadable as he watched me, but the scrutiny was enough to make my palms damp, and I fingered the pill in my pocket like a touchstone.

 

Signora Borgia explained the visual of mental blocks. She said we each had to have them ready at our command, without putting any thought into it. She also explained that when shields were automatic, but not cultivated and practiced, like mine, they were much easier to break down. To prevent this, she gave us instructions for building our strongest, best mental shields.

 

Class had gone almost an hour over before Eldritch finally released us. I was gathering my books and waiting for the crowd pressing out the door to thin so I could make my escape, when Dominique and Eldritch approached my desk.

 

Dominique addressed me. “Caroline, I would like to give you one extra bit of homework before you go. You are the only student in the class who can accomplish it, and I feel that it would be of use to you right away to have it.” I nodded, and she handed me a notebook. “This is my first spell book. I was your age when I started to exhibit talents, and I was obsessed with writing down everything I learned, because I had no one to teach me.” I looked at the ancient leather binding in awe. “It was a different time then, and I have no doubt you will surpass me in time, given some instruction and time to realize your strength.” She opened the vellum pages to a section marked with a red silk ribbon. “This spell will help you bring anyone back to themselves. If another controls them or if they are hysterical with fear or even rage this spell, done correctly, will bring them back to their rational mind.” I read the words silently, mouthing them as I did.

 

“I have used that spell to bring even vampires out of their blood fugue,” Eldritch added. His face was grave, but the resentment and irritation that usually marked our conversations was absent. “You are too fragile to be here, Caroline. I have always thought that, and my opinion hasn’t changed. However, with this, I think your chances of survival are greatly improved.”

 

“Thank you, professor,” I replied. “I hope that all my hard work helps too.” For a moment, I could have sworn I saw compassion in his eyes. In a flash, it was gone and his crusty demeanor was firmly in place.

 

“By hard work, I hope you mean you’re going straight back to your room to practice,” he drawled. He held the door open and gestured me through. I nodded my thanks to both him and the Signora, and escaped before he came up with anything more cutting to chase me out the door.

 

I jogged back to my dorm room, texting David on the way. He was thrilled that people were seeing my true abilities. All I felt was the crushing weight of more possible failures chasing me down as surely and physically as the undead we hunted.

 

He asked me to meet him outside, in the park that the society had built around the viaduct entrance. He also warned me to wear my sneakers. I pulled a scoop neck t-shirt over my head and added a light jacket that I tied around my waist. I’d learned after years of unplanned adventures with David that a twenty-minute walk could turn into hours of tailing random people for practice, or breaking into warehouses and running rooftops in the dark. Everything he did was to further his one goal: to carry on the family legacy as a Venatores Lamiae master-hunter. No one understood that better than I did, and he knew I was on his side, no matter how much trouble we got in after.

 

The air was cooler than I expected as I slipped out the back door through the viaduct, but this wasn’t exactly a shock for the Pacific Northwest. Our teachers gave us a curfew because we knew something the public around us didn’t; our knowledge made us targets. David (and Clayton, who was with him) had scouted around the back door and made sure it was clear and no one, inside or outside, had seen us leaving.

 

“Hey, Care-bear, the clouds are thick tonight. There’s no telling what he’s going to want us to do,” Clayton quipped. I nodded and hid my smile behind my hand as David rounded the corner. Even in the half light of the street lamp, I could see the flush that darkened his naturally olive skin. He held out a card to me, and I peered at it in the light.

 

“A fake ID?” I arched an eyebrow. “I’m not even going to ask how you got someone to make this.”

 

“Good strategy. You should do that more often,” he teased. “We’re going on vacation, to a resort with poolside bar service. I, for one, want to give these a trial run before we try them out of state.” I shrugged and slipped the fake driver’s license in the clear plastic pocket of my wallet, then zipped my real one into the change purse so I wouldn’t get confused and show the wrong one after a beer or two. After all, if I had two beers, that would take my lifetime grand total up to three. I wouldn’t bet that I could win any drinking contests, and I didn’t want to try.

 

The night seemed to take on a more ominous chill as I considered exactly how far south the night could go, but I kept my mouth shut. I wasn’t brave, but I wasn’t a snitch either.  If I didn’t go and someone noticed the boys’ absence, I’d be the first person called to the Dean’s office.

 

David stayed close to home, but far enough that we didn’t run too much of a chance bumping into anyone we knew. My heart was in a vice as we stepped up to the door, knowing my stupid little girl face was going to give us away, and I hesitated at the steps. The bar was dingy and poorly lit even on the outside, just like the ones in the movies. A Bud Light sign in the window flickered and blinked from an electrical short, and when we walked in and showed our ID’s, the bouncer barely spared us a glance. We could’ve used our real ID’s and no one would’ve been the wiser. I filed the information away for later and let David lead us to a high-top table.

 

A pretty, blonde lady in a low-cut tank top and shorts that were far too short for comfort on wet, cold Seattle nights, appeared at my elbow, making me jump. She wasn’t there for me though, and soon, David had her swooning. I looked away, working to unclench my jaw and school my face into a more neutral expression than what I felt in the churning pit of my stomach. Perhaps his skill at mindless flirtation was a psychic talent, that he could make panties of any age drop, just by smiling. I watched the other patrons of the bar as the waitress took our orders and promised to be back soon. I even managed not to growl at her when she touched David on the arm before strutting away.

 

“Damn man, normally I love being your wingman, you know that. But now, it’s just getting depressing,” Clay complained. I giggled and shot Clay a wry smile. We both knew the truth, that he’d have given anything to be David, and I’d have given anything to be with him. He was right. It was depressing.

 

“So, Dominique Borgia hijacked my anthropology class today,” I blurted, eager to change the subject.

 

“No kidding. She doesn’t come around every year; you must have some talent in your class,” David mentioned, slamming his mouth shut as the waitress appeared right at his side with pints of dark amber beer for each of us. I didn’t answer, and Clay made an exasperated sound.

 

“Seriously, why am I friends with either of you. You’re giving me an inferiority complex!” He half-laughed as he spoke, but I saw the shadow that passed over his eyes.

 

“You’re friends with us, because you’re the fastest, strongest guy in your graduating class, and anyone with a quarter of a brain wants you at their back when stuff goes down,” I reminded him. “I broke my own record today, and you almost caught me, with a lead.” I glanced at David, encouraging him to help me make Clayton feel better, but he rolled his eyes, his mouth set in a frown.

 

“Well, that’s true,” Clay mused. “If you hadn’t done the last three miles on a busted knee, I’d feel pretty good about myself.” Now it was Clay who rolled his eyes, but this time I giggled.

 

“Help me out here, David?” I asked. David didn’t say anything, and I peered over at him. His face had gone dark and angry. I knew he couldn’t stand that anyone, even Clayton, had performed better than him.  I touched his hand and smiled. “You two are the best in your class. I wish I was graduating with you, and I didn’t have to wait another year,” I confessed. It was enough to salve his ego. The storm clouds cleared and he smiled at me.

 

“Sorry, Caroline. wish you were coming with us too.”

 

“I love you guys. I’ll miss you after graduation,” I replied. My heart beat like it could burst out of my chest, and I mentally cheered as I managed to keep my face calm. David seemed happier, but something had changed in the air, and after only one beer, the guys were as ready to sneak back into the compound as I was. David paid the bill, snickering to us as he showed us the name and phone number written on the back of his receipt. Clay sputtered and threw up his hands in mock dismay.

 

“Marry young, David, or I’ll never have a chance at a girl.” David was in better spirits as we split up to sneak in at our favorite spots, and I sighed and kicked a loose rock outside the vent I used to sneak back into my wing of the dormitory. Boys might be the death of me, I thought. But, I had Dominique’s present waiting for me.

 

With a satisfied smile, I dropped down into my room from the vent above my bed and picked up the little leather booklet Dominique had given me. The spell was simple enough, even though it was in Latin, for which I was grateful. My grasp of dead languages wasn’t as good as the ones I could Google translate if I got stuck.

 

I read the words three or four times, then sat at my desk with a small mirror in front of me and practiced my shields. With the three of us going away for Spring break, it couldn’t hurt to have some practice and extra protection. I stared into the mirror, then closed my eyes and visualized my new psychic shields.

 

Dominique had explained that mine was brittle, and more likely to shatter than it should have been, even though I’d had it so long. So, instead of brick, like the house I’d lived in before a vampire drained my parents before my eyes, I visualized smooth forged steel. Impenetrable and cold, it began far under the earth in my mind’s eye. I let it flow up out of the earth as though it grew naturally, so it was as much a part of nature as if it had been a tree or mountain. I pushed until I felt faint, stretching the wall up and over me until I could see it closed around me, like a tower or a bullet casing.

 

I opened my eyes and in doing so caught my reflection in the mirror. I was sweating, beads gathering on my upper lip and rivulets of the salty stuff dripping down the sides of my face. I sent up a prayer to whoever might be listening; that my life wouldn’t depend on this skill anytime soon, and turned off my desk lamp. I had one more day of classes before break and the vacation of a lifetime. Knowing David, I figured that meant I needed to sleep while I could.