PIUS'S POV
'Blood is beauty!' The voice rang in my head, euphoric and full of twisted delight. And it sounded just like me.
'What the hell?!' I nearly screamed out loud, my fingers tightening around the spoon until the metal creaked.
'Can't you see it? Blood is the epitome of beauty!' the voice echoed again, oozing adoration like a lover swooning over art.
And then I felt it, a gaze, intense and sharp. My head turned on its own, my eyes snapping to the source like a magnet finding its pair.
He was tall. Passing by. His eyes met mine, and in that instant, the world slowed to a crawl. The noises in the dining hall faded into a muffle. My breath caught in my chest. There was a connection.
'No way! He's one of us!' the voice exclaimed.
'What do you mean?' I asked, no longer questioning the madness, just trying to keep up.
The boy didn't break stride, he just smirked as he walked past, as if he knew. As if he'd seen this all before.
'He's special. Like us. Or like you, since we're the same person. There are others across the world... chosen ones. He's one of them.'
My mind reeled.
'What exactly are we?'
'We are a vampire. Or more accurately, you are. I'm your power, your essence, your birthright.'
'Wait... so you're going to be in my head forever? And what the hell is a vampire doing in Ghana?!'
'Oi! Calm down, you're not the Hollywood version. It's deeper, ancient. You'll understand when you awaken. That's when we fully merge. Complete assimilation.'
'Assimilation? With... you?'
'Exactly! You're not completely dumb, after all!'
'Don't insult me!'
'Anyway, once we merge, you won't hear me anymore. This is just a temporary link. My time's almost up. You're part of something greater. This generation… It's different.More awakened. More dangerous.'
'How dangerous?'
'You're the first vampire in centuries. That's one kind of special. But I've already sensed others, one with draconic power... another with shapeshifting... and that guy just now, he's got sound manipulation.'
'You've gotta be kidding me!' I stood up abruptly, heart racing.
Heads turned.
"Pius? What's wrong?" the second-year beside me asked.
"Oh… nothing. I'm done." I muttered, trying to keep my face neutral as whispers floated through the hall.
"Sit. We haven't said the last prayer yet," the senior said, his voice firm but gentle.
"You're too lenient with him, Emma! Form 1s should know their place," another senior interrupted, a bald-headed giant with a greasy mouth and eyes that lingered too long.
Something about him twisted my stomach. He had a look, crude, hungry.
'This guy smells like trouble… and gay!' the voice hissed darkly.
'Gay?! Don't tell me he's into me!'
'Didn't say that. But his eyes say plenty. Probably into the short, delicate types.'
'I'm not delicate! Or cute!'
'You are. Go look in a mirror. And don't forget, you're a vampire now.'
'That doesn't mean…'
'It means everything. And that guy? He's not normal either. I don't know what he is, but he reeks of something dark. Be careful.'
I bit the inside of my cheek. My appetite was gone. My pulse was pounding in my ears.
'Oh God, I'm dead!'
'Make friends with the sound manipulator. You'll need allies.'
'How?! He looks like he's already planning a murder-suicide.'
'That's just how most sound manipulators look, broody and psychotic. Haha! But trust me. You'll need him.'
'Great. Just great.'
'Let's just pray and survive lunch. That ogre won't touch you, not with all these eyes watching.'
'Let's hope so.'
Narrator's POV
After the tense encounter with the ogre-like senior, lunch dwindled to a close. No one really noticed the emotional chaos brewing beneath Pius's skin.
The 1st years shuffled off to the Recreational Hall, where the second half of orientation awaited them like a slow-acting curse.
It was boring. Painfully so.
But eventually, evening approached.
Permission was granted for them to return to their dorms, freshen up, and prepare for their first evening prayer session, a sacred routine at St. Hubert.
Bishop Sarpong House
Kelvin walked toward the washroom with a bucket of cold water in hand. A towel hung around his neck. Sponge and soap were tucked neatly in his sponge bag. He wore the prescribed 1st year pajamas, baggy and plain.
The moment he climbed the stairs, a senior stepped into his path.
"Give me your bucket," the senior said, voice sharp like a slap.
Kelvin didn't blink.
"My water's in," he replied, tone flat, like steel pressed cold against skin.
The senior's smile widened into a grin, smug and stupid.
"Did you bring water to the school?"
"Is the tap locked?" Kelvin shot back without missing a beat.
A hush fell over the bystanders. That reply? Unforgivable.
Even more shocking, Kelvin's face didn't change. Just calm, distant, void of emotion.
"What's your room number?" the senior barked, flushed with embarrassment.
"Sarpong Room 3." Kelvin brushed past him like he didn't even exist, vanishing into the hallway.
Back at the top of the staircase, a small figure watched with glowing red eyes.
Pius.
'He's in Sarpong House too?'
The realization sank in, and something inside him coiled like a spring.
A war had begun. And it started with a bucket of water.