"Come have a seat at my desk." Mrs. Nasberry kindly requested.
At the front of her desk, I sat in a chair while she relaxed back into her office chair behind it. Today, she wrapped up her class earlier than usual to discuss my grades with me.
"I'm aware my grades have declined recently." I addressed the issue directly since I knew this was why she wanted to speak with me.
"My dearest niece, you are failing." Mrs. Nasberry frowned, expressing her concern. "Your latest assignments from December are incomplete. You used to be a straight-A student at the top of your class. What is going on, child?"
"I just can't do this anymore. The stress of expecting motherhood and the votes are troubling me. I want to drop out, but I'm not sure how to approach Mr. Collin about it," I admitted, feeling disappointed in myself, but I lost interest in attending college.
Ultimately, guilt plagued my heart because Mr. Collin was financing my degrees, and I wrestled to tell him how I felt. I didn't want to disappoint him or squander his investment.
Mrs. Nasberry empathized, "I know you have a lot on your plate, but you mustn't give up when you're so close to graduating. So here's what I'll do. I'll extend the deadline until May for you to complete your missing assignments, and I'll speak to Gaston myself. Perhaps we can explore alternative options for you to graduate in May."
"If I'm alive for that long," I murmured as her next class assembled outside the door. "Thank you for extending my time."
Everybody encourages me not to give up on my ambitions. Practically everyone claims I am safe until after the votes. Each morning, I am motivated to attend college, though quitting is desired in my subconscious. Truth be told, I no longer felt safe coming here. Even with Darlene or Mia escorting me daily to provide additional security, it still didn't relieve me. Everywhere I go, I notice twice as many vampires lurking at the college. Every one of them watches me like a starving, crazed vulture.
Deep from her heart, she reassured me as I stood, "Cheer up, deary. My nephew will come up with a key solution."
"I'll see you at Coraline's birthday party tomorrow." I merely mumbled before exiting out the door.
"We can head to my next class," I informed Darlene. She waited outside the classroom for me while I spoke to Aunt Nasberry.
As we walked out into the blistering breeze, Darlene stated, "I hope it all went well."
"She's just worried about me," I replied, keeping it brief.
"We've all been concerned about you lately. You seem so depressed after the incident with Roxy, Bella, and Brandon," Darlene frowned as we reached the next building.
"I'm fine." I somewhat lied, feeling more numb than anything.
Lately, it's been frustrating because I knew Kai was back home, but he hadn't once greeted me with his presence, so I understood he was still avoiding me.
After we stepped inside Professor Mark's research classroom, multiple eyes fixed on me, and the Professor hadn't arrived yet.
"Look who had the guts to show up for class," one young lady with brown hair mocked as we strode across the room.
"I told you Stella didn't have a chance," giggled another woman amid their gossiping cluster.
On the early morning news, it was announced that Stella's body had been discovered inside her apartment. Residents had previously complained about a foul odor, so the landlord investigated the issue. Unfortunately, his investigation led to finding Stella's body on the couch. Ropes were bound around her wrists and ankles, plainly indicating to the police that someone murdered her. Reports claimed her throat had been cut, and no traces of blood were found in her body.
Little could the authorities recognize that a vampire had consumed her. To human eyes, fang marks merely resemble bad cuts or slice wounds, which helps to camouflage their Kind from the world. Apart from me, who can see vampire bites, their fangs are invisible to the human eyes. Not even granted humans possess the ability to see them as I do.
Except for me alone, no one can even perceive the monsters slipping in between these dimensional worlds as well. I suppose I'm the fortunate one with the eyes of wonder, I thought to myself, adding a touch of sarcasm to my annoyance.
"Don't whisper too loudly. You never know when I'll be sending the Grim Reaper to pay you a visit," I calmly retorted to their derogatory comments as we strolled past their tables, maintaining a composed expression.
Their eyes widened in horror while their mouths gaped, utterly speechless on what to say.
With that finally said, I didn't bother sparing any of them another glance afterward. For once, it felt nice to shut these gossipers up myself. It's something I should've done a long time ago. A long-overdue moment, I'd say.
"Nicely said," Darlene complimented, and I softly giggled as we took our seats at the back table just as Professor Mark walked in.
"Okay, class, we will be finishing up our projects today. On Monday, we'll meet in the regular classroom," he announced.
In my schedule, I made a quick note of it, just in case I decide to attend next Monday.
"This part of the globe is just about done," Darlene informed me across from the table as she worked on Stella's piece.
Good thing Roxy came to class last Friday, or else I may not have completed it on time. As a team, we worked hard and got it done by the end of class.
After entering the cafe, I noticed Nora had already designated a table for us.
"Thank you for assisting me with my project. You may take a lunch break to hunt," I dismissed Darlene.
Kai's guardians, including Glenn and Rome, were here to keep watch over me, so I wanted to give her a break.
"I'll see you after lunch." Darlene smiled, and then she proceeded back outside.
Kai's friends smiled at me by the pool tables as I neared Nora. In return, I gave them a faint smile before joining Nora in line to purchase our lunch.
"How did your conversation go with Mrs. Nasberry?" Nora asked as we enjoyed our meals at our usual booth table.
"It went well. She's giving me additional time to make up for the missing assignments from December." I shared before biting into my slice of pizza, which tasted scrumptious.
After swallowing her food, Nora remarked, "That's nice of her."
"Now I only need to speak with my other professors," I added because I have missed assignments with my other classes as well.
"I can't understand how you got yourself so far behind," Nora humorously giggled.