The Clover Colossus Hotel and Suites was located at 74th Appleburn Street, and it was popularly known for being one of the most highly rated (and crazy expensive) hotel in the Toronto region.
The Hotel was simply breathtaking. The building was an ultra-modern design of a 28 storey structure with glass and steel. I've never seen such a beautiful hotel in all my life (okay maybe some on TV). The steel was polished to a high shine and the marble gleamed brightly under the sun. The windows were large, tinted and reflective, reflecting the sparkling sunlight off it. It even had a rooftop garden and a helipad probably for guests who wanted to arrive stylishly. At the ground level, were different sculptures and water fountains. Not to mention the landscaping which was flawless. Looking at the hotel from the ground, it really was a beacon in the city designed to impress and astonish. When we got off from our escort, we were still amazed by the hotel's appearance, but when we walked past the jovial doorman into the hotel our minds were blown away.
The receptionist hall was very spacious with the scent of fresh flowers and lemon. The walls were adorned with lavish and intricate tapestries with intricate carvings and patterns. There were magnificent paintings throughout the building and the lighting was not only warm and welcoming, it highlighted the beauty of the artwork. The carpets were made out of rich, luxurious fabric and the furniture was covered in plush and colorful fabrics. The hall had myriads of resplendent chandeliers hanging from the ceiling casting a warm glow throughout the space. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a harpist playing gracefully adding to the peaceful and overwhelming ambiance. Every single detail, no matter how small seemed to be designed to be extravagant and lavish. The place was quiet yet humming with activity as people chatted, strolled, checked into their rooms and the staff who were dressed in fine suits and dresses moved luggage belonging to guests into elevators.
Trying as much as possible not to look out of place, we walked to the receptionist desk led by Ms. Flores who looked indifferent to the glamorous surroundings of the hotel. She barely even raised an eyebrow at the extravagancy around her. She was probably used to this type of luxury it seemed.
"Hi," she said to the young brunette who sat behind the desk dressed professionally in a suit and was occupied copying something from her desktop onto a sheet of paper. "Rooms for eight."
"Good evening madam," she replied briskly whilst smiling cheerfully. "You said eight rooms?"
"Yes," Ms. Flores replied.
"Wow! That's the second time we've gotten such a request today," she said genuinely surprised.
"Most likely another college," Marcus whispered to me.
"Not to worry, we have more than enough rooms for you all. We're always ready to serve. What room specifications do you need?"
"We've made a reservation before now," Ms. Flores said. "Under the name Ms. Sally Judge?"
"Alright, let me confirm that," she said clicking on her desktop. After a while she affirmed, "Yes, it's here. Payment by a Ms. Judge Sally for eight rooms on behalf of Ms. Flores. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Ok then," she said. "Just fill in this form and we'll have your rooms ready".
After Ms. Flores finished the form, the receptionist turned to the glass frame on her right and took out eight different keys. After handing it to us, she directed some standby staff to help us with our luggage before calling out to us as we walked away, "Enjoy your stay!"
After our luggage and keys were taken, Ms. Flores took us aside and said, "Alright guys. We're gonna be here for a week, but I'm sure you've all noticed that another college is staying here, so no carless discussions. We can't afford to give away our tactics to other colleges. Tomorrow, we leave by 10:30am for the opening ceremony. Be on time…I mean it Darmian".
"Hey!" I objected.
"Ms. Judge is really staking a lot on you guys by putting you all up here. You don't need me to tell you that this place isn't cheap. Hell, she may have spent all the school's budget getting you guys rooms here and not in some raggedy run-of-the-mill hotel elsewhere. Let's try as much as possible not to disappoint her ok? We'll have meetings in my room everyday by 12:00pm excluding tomorrow, so that we can review our plans and prepare for the next day."
"Can we go out by ourselves or do we need you to follow us," Mackenzie asked.
"There will be no 'going out'. There isn't any need for that. This place has everything. It has a spa, a steam room, a pool, a gym, yoga and meditation classes, five star restaurant, wine cellar, business centre, movie theater, ballroom, boutique, an arcade, a—''
"We get the idea!" Henry nearly shouted.
"Hey I was wondering, how much does our rooms cost, like for one week?" Zoë asked.
"Well, the total here in USD is about 400k," Miss Flores answered to everybody's bewilderment.
"Damn," I said.
"That's crazy."
"Holy cow."
" Yeah. That's why we need to win this thing and get that prize money too. Any other questions?" Miss Flores asked yawning. When no one answered she went on, ''If none then I guess that'll be it for now. I'm famished right now and I'm sure you guys are too, so take these." She brought out seven vials of bectar and handed one to each of us. "Boys especially; try not to go crazy. I'm the one sending bills for food to Ms. Judge and I've got too much on my hands already. Try to show some self-restraint alright? As for me, I'm gonna spend the rest of my night getting a steam massage. See ya." With that, she left us and entered the closest elevator leaving us to stare at our vials.
"Just a random thought," Scott said grinning mischievously. "Anybody thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Ha! You bet,'' Henry answered as we left the girls and dashed towards the elevator.
***************
My room number was 807A and it was the highest floor number among everybody else's so I got off the elevator last. I navigated my room easily through the narrow and lush hall. Just as I got to my room door, I ran into one of the hotel staff coming out of the room.
"Your room is prepared sir. Do enjoy your stay," the man said respectfully to me.
"Thank you Mr.…Joseph," I said peering at the golden crested name tag on his red tux.
He gave a quick nod and left quietly after handing the key to me. The room was just as lavish as the hotel. The bed was king sized and very comfortable with high quality sheets and pillows. The bathroom was spacious with a marble floor and luxurious bathtub. The shower even had a rainfall showerhead and a body jet! The towels were made of Egyptian cotton (don't ask me how I knew that), the soaps and shampoos from a French perfumer and the toiletries were high end and indulgent. The TV placed a few feet away from the bed had a high resolution and was internet connected so I had access to streaming services, popular movies in high demand and so much more! The sound system was crystal clear with surround sound for an immersive and entertaining experience.
After I had showered and changed into my nightwear, I remotely controlled my room's floor to ceiling window curtains to reveal the amazing night view of the bright city of Toronto. While I stood mesmerized by the beauty of the city, my stomach growled and reminded me that I hadn't eaten since morning. Gingerly, I picked up the black intercom on my bedside desk, the phone immediately began ringing.
"Good evening, front desk speaking," a polite voice answered almost immediately.
"Uh…hello, I was wondering where I could get some food to eat," I said nervously.
"If you're interested in our room service, you can dial 4 to get food delivered straight to your room, or you can try our gourmet cuisine featuring restaurant on the third floor," she answered.
"I think I'll go with room service," I said feeling too tired to go all the way down to the third floor.
"Alright then! Goodnight!" came her reply before the call ended.
I pressed 4 on the intercom and the line was answered. "Hello," I called.
"Good evening sir, what can I do for you this night?" a friendly old masculine voice answered.
"I was thinking of ordering food to eat."
"Ah, that's fantastic. Please, what would you like to eat?"
"Wait…I can order whatever I want to eat?."
" Yes, of course."
"Anything?!"
"Well, as long as it's in our menu, although I doubt there's any type of food we don't serve here. Yes anything."
"And it's covered for, right?"
"This is room 807A, yes?"
"Yes sir."
"It's already covered young sir."
"This is crazy."
"Ha-ha. That's what room service is for."
Room service is the best!!
"Can I get a cheese pizza, and fries and a taco and a…" I said hurriedly trying to call every single food I'd been dying to taste.
"One cheese pizza, some French fries, a taco…would you prefer meat or chicken?"
"Chicken".
"…and a chicken taco. Anything to drink sir?"
"Uh…what would you suggest?"
"Ah! You must have a glass of Sparkle! It's highly refreshing and relaxing plus it's not alcoholic if you were wondering."
I wanted to tell him that alcohol wouldn't really have any effect on me either way but decided against it.
"Ok a glass of Sparkle…or make those three glasses."
"Fine choice. And for desert?"
"Hmm…"
"May I suggest our famous croquembouche? Or would you prefer parfait?"
"I'll try the crock…crawcu—"
"Croquembouche."
"Yes that."
"Very well sir, your dinner will be served in 45 minutes, please be patient while we prepare your dinner."
"Thank you!"
"It's our pleasure."
Sure enough, after a little over 45 minutes, there was a knock on my door. I opened it excitedly and a butler rolling a food cart came into my room and set my dinner at the table before bowing and leaving quickly.
Staring unbelievably at the neat and professional manner the food was arranged, I took the bectar vial from my pocket and put a drop into the pizza, taco, fries, Sparkle and the croquembouche barely holding myself from digging in like a mad glutton (who could blame me). Unable to hold myself a moment longer, I devoured everything, relishing the rich spiciness and luscious sweetness of the taste. The Sparkle wine tasted like Mountain Dew but had a sharper feel and I could taste some apricot in it. As for the croquembouche, after taking a bite out of the pastry, I felt like my taste buds were about to explode as it melted slowly in my mouth.
In summary, I had the best dinner of my life that night and ended up getting so stuffed that I couldn't lie down for an hour. The time was about 11:48pm when I switched my room's lighting to dark blue (another cool feature I found out) and laid on my bed with my face upturned towards the ceiling. I was pretty cozy and completely satisfied so far, but I knew the main reason I was here; to win. And so I closed my eyes slowly drifting off into sleep wondering how the ceremony tomorrow would turn out.
***************
The time was 8:00am when my alarm clock rang. At the same time, my room's siding curtains automatically slid open, filtering the bright sunlight from the early morning sun into the room and my eyes. I felt completely energized from last night's sleep which was the best I'd ever slept in my life!
Before taking a shower, I called room service again and ordered toast, a croissant and orange juice for breakfast. I was slightly surprised to hear a different operator's vice, but they probably worked in shifts it seemed. Trying not to dwell on it for long, I entered the bathroom and turned the shower on.
After a fifteen minute hot shower I dried my hair, brushed and dressed up to open the door which someone had been knocking gently on for some time.
"Sorry for the delay," I said to the steward with my food tray.
"No problem sir," he replied curtly.
"Er…Mr. Joseph?" I said to him as he turned to leave.
"Yes sir?" he answered.
"Please call me Darmian. I'm not a fan of this 'sir' thing."
"Hotel policy sir."
"What was that saying again? Y'know, about the customer always being right?" I asked smiling.
"Well then, he said clearing his throat and bowing with a smirk. "If you insist, I guess I could make an exception…Mr. Darmian."
I grinned and returned his bow with one of my own and watched him walk away dutifully. Then, I 'attended' to the breakfast waiting for me.
By 10:00am, I was completely dressed up and looking fantastic. My skin smelt of fresh olives and lavender owing to the scrubbing and excessive smearing of soap I found in the bathroom (hope I can ask for another one). My hair was done slick and neat. My uniform was crisp and my shoes laced properly (someone was definitely going to turn heads today). Without wasting another moment, I stepped outside, locked my door and took the elevator downstairs.
***************
At the ground floor, I met up with everybody apart from Ms. Flores who was shockingly late (remind me about yesterday).
"Where the heck is she now?"I asked to no one in particular.
"Beats me," Laura said.
"Forget about her," Scott said. "She'll be here any minute now. More importantly, what'd you guys think about the TV?!"
"Bro! It was crazy!" Marcus exclaimed fist-bumping Scott.
"Who cares about the TV?"Henry asked. "Free wifi!"
"We have that at school. What's new?" Scott said.
"Yeah true. But this one actually works, plus its way faster than that slow as hell Wi-Fi in school," Henry argued.
"Guys, guys, guys," I called out. "Nothing beats room service my boys".
"Damn right bro!"
"Too true…too true."
"Ah…yesterday night was awesome," Scott said as the four of us recounted our room service experience. The girls on the other hand were busy rolling their eyes at us and talking excitedly about the different hair gel and the full body mirror they found in the bathroom. Ugh!
While we were busy discussing, Ms. Flores got off the elevator and walked towards us dressed in a red pinstripe suit and was glowing with vigor.
"Hey guys. Hope your night was as good as mine," she said cheerfully.
"Yeah it was," Scott said.
"Room service was top notch," I added.
"Room service?" she asked creasing her brows in confusion.
"Mhm".
"What was so special about it? It was pretty normal to me".
"Hold up," Marcus said. "Room service was normal?!"
"Yup".
"So what exactly made you enjoy yesterday night ?" I asked.
"The salon obviously," she answered.
"How is that in any way obvious?!" Henry shouted.
"It was so wonderful! I got up by 11pm yesterday to grab a cup of coffee because I couldn't sleep after my massage. But I saw the salon on the way and just felt I should take a little detour. The service was spectacular! I got my hair washed, relaxed, and curled! I've never had such a fantastic hair-do in such long time. Just look at it!" she said swaying her hair.
Eight of us stood there dumbfounded in disappointment…or at least I thought we all were until the girls went crazy with glee and began caressing Ms. Flores' hair which looked pretty much the same to me.
"Anyways, enough of that" Ms. Flores aid gingerly straightening her hair. We're on a schedule today and thankfully Darmian isn't late".
"But I got here before—".
"And so," she said interrupting me. "We need to get going right now. I want to get front row seats for the opening ceremony".
"Where's our driver?" Mackenzie asked.
"You're looking at her," Ms. Flores answered.
"What happened to the guy from yesterday?" Laura asked.
"We only needed him to show us the way to Frostville and the hotel, that's all. I can take us there and back anytime now," she answered.
"Refreshing," Scott remarked.
"Alright let's go!" she said pushing us outside.
We got into the limo and Ms. Flores reversed out of the hotel parking lot and in no time, began speeding down towards the highway.
***************
The drive to Frostville was quick (thankfully). Traffic was light so we arrived at the campus in relatively good time.
"Man, this place is crowded already?" Henry said staring at the large crowd of people trooping into the college stadium.
"It's almost time," Ms. Flores said checking her watch. "Let's hurry".
"Hold up," Marcus said stopping everyone in their tracks.
"Well?" Ms. Flores asked impatiently.
"What is it now?" Zoё asked.
"Uh… this is kinda embarrassing but…I gotta take a leak".
"Seriously?"
"For real man?"
"He's gotta be joking".
"Marcus," Ms. Flores said rubbing her eyes I frustration while we grilled him. "We just left the hotel ten minutes ago".
"Yeah, but things happen…I guess," came his reply.
"Fine, hurry up with it, but we're not waiting for you. Find your own seat," she said.
"Also, I just felt I should point this out," he said slowly. "I don't know where the bathroom is".
"For Pete's sake!"
"Wow…just wow".
"Unbelievable,".
"I can't do this," Ms. Flores said to herself
"I know the way," I said helpfully.
"Really?" Marcus asked.
"Yeah. I saw the directions on the map stand by the teacher's quarters."
"Okay. Take him to the bathroom while we go ahead, got it?" Ms. Flores said wearily.
"Got it," I affirmed dragging Marcus with me while the others went into the stadium.
While we walked to the bathroom building, we passed Forstville's ultra-modern library and met a couple of teachers and students who wished us good luck.
The bathroom building was quite large and very neat. It also had clear pictograms showing the direction to the boys' stalls to the right and the girls' stalls on the left. Standing at the entrance of the boys' stall were two athletic looking guys wearing black trousers and a black button shirt with a red blazer which showed the initials 'K.C' on the breast pocket. They were from Kingsreed College, and if that was true then it meant trouble for the both of us.
Kingsreed students were notorious over the years for underhanded tactics during the C.V.C. Most of their students were aggressive and arrogant but their raw talent was still always impressive. So unsurprisingly, they had the most appearances in the finals and are the only college to qualify each decade consecutively since the C.V.C's inception. They also have two trophies and about 8 second place medals.
Instinctively I knew the taller guy on the right who was leaning on the door would be trouble as soon as Marcus walked past him.
"Oi," he called out to me as I was about to enter. "Ladies go that way," He nodded his head to the direction of the girls' stalls while his friend or whoever he was snickered. His heavy British accent reminded me of Agent Krischov but that didn't mean I was going to take crap from this guy.
"Yeah, I know. Actually, I was there a minute ago and damn bro! Your sister was really nice man. Might have to thank her later," I said playing with my zipper. His sly grin quickly faded as his face turned red with anger. I also heard a slight chuckle from another guy inside the bathroom wearing glasses and a green waistcoat with white trousers. And of course, Marcus' "Hot damn!" exclamation.
"Well, look what we've got here," the guy said standing in front of me. It was then I really began to realize how tall he was. My head stopped just barely after his shoulder.
"Feeling cocky are we now?" the boy next to him said smirking at me.
"You know the rules guys," the boy on green said washing his hands. "Fighting is only allowed in the finals".
"Shut it four-eyes," he shot back. "It's not like anyone's gonna find out".
"Bring it. I'll whip your asses whichever way you want it," I said steeling my nerves for the next moment.
The guys from K.C. looked at each other incredulously and erupted into laughter a second after. Even thought I was sorely pissed I was somewhat relived.
Taking on one of them would have been a piece of cake but two was another thing entirely.
"Calm down mate, it's the C.V.C. for crying out loud," the first guy said relaxing back onto the wall. "Besides we wouldn't want any kids getting hurt, right Zack?"
"Damn right Tyson," Zack replied.
"For someone who doesn't look like much you sure do talk big," Tyson said.
"Heh," I chuckled. "Not sure your sister would agree".
Anger flashed again through his eyes for a moment but then it disappeared just as quickly as it came.
"Here's a disclaimer for you two," I said "I'm the guy who's wining this thing".
Zack snorted and replied, "Friggin' Joseph the bloody dreamer. Sorry to say mate, but big dreams don't happen here."
"Hey glasses," Tyson called out to the boy on green.
"I have a name and it's Wil—".
"Save it for later," Tyson interrupted. "How many trophies do these guys have?"
"How would I know?" he asked.
"Well maybe it because ya look like a bloody geek," Zack shot back.
He stared at my badge for a while lost in thought before saying, "Crescent College doesn't have any trophies".
"What have we got here," Tyson asked mockingly while I glared at him. "Doubt this year's gonna be any different, right fam?"
"Damn right," Zack answered.
At that moment, I heard the toilet flush as Marcus stepped out of his stall and said smugly, "Well gentlemen, if you excuse us we have a tournament to destroy, don't we my good man?"
"Ah yes of course," I answered while he washed his hands. "But I think I'm forgetting something".
"And what might that be kind sir?" Marcus asked.
Turning to face Tyson and Zack I said, "The name's Darmian and you better don't forget it. Cause you'll be hearing it for a long time".
For a long time we stared each other down until Marcus tapped my shoulder. Giving them one final glare we left the building as I heard Tyson's faint remark, "We'll see".
***************
By the time we got to the stadium, the only available seats were the ones furthest from the stage. The stadium itself was pretty standard but properly structured. Basically it was just like a soccer stadium but slightly more majestic with the C.V.C banners and designs all over the arena. Even though we sat a bit far from the stage, I could still see everything clearly (y'know being a vampire and all) and I had no problem listening as the stadium was equipped with powerful line array speakers positioned at all the stands in the stadium. Doing a quick approximation, I concluded that there were at least 5,000 people in the stadium, some of which were teachers, students, parents and even observers from other colleges across the world. I couldn't locate where the others sat, but on the flipside I had one helluva view.
The opening ceremony began a few minutes later with a surprise presentation by Frostville's cheerleading squad. Everyone was caught off guard when the stadium was filled suddenly with fireworks and fanfare. Plus I have to say that the cheerleader's performance was not only fantastic but was also sexy as hell. I'm pretty sure most of the guys in the crowd didn't breathe throughout the show (I know I didn't). The entire presentation lasted for about ten minutes which was followed by an earsplitting ovation. After the girls had bowed and left the stage, the panel of judges walked in and took their seat.
The team was made up of three men and two women, however there was still one empty seat left at the table were they sat. After the college's anthem, one of the men dressed in a white tux shirt and navy blue trousers stepped out and walked over to the microphone stand. He looked to be in his mid or late 30's, so I guessed him to be a PTA chairman or a head teacher, but I was dead wrong.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," he began smoothly. "For our guests who don't know who I am, I'm Mr. Brockway Jason, the principal of this great college. And somehow, I was conscripted into today's judges. But, were not here to learn about me or my boring history. I believe what we're here for is the Continental Vampire Competition". Many heads nodded in agreement while others simply smirked as he continued, "Before we begin proper, I invite you all to please be on your feet as we sing the national anthem". Everyone stood up for the Canadian national anthem which was performed by the school's band and a female solo singer with a beautiful voice, and after that was the national pledge before everyone took their seats again.
"I'm sure you all have noticed we have a 'missing' guest," he said gesturing towards the empty seat. "Of course we all know who it is but formality dictates that I introduce her to her seat. She's been chairing this event longer than the amount of times I get home and argue with my wife, and trust me it's a lot". His light humor spread ripples of laughter throughout the crowd.
"I wish we had a funny principal," I said to Marcus enviously.
"Miss Judge isn't so bad…I mean she acts funny once in a while," Marcus replied laughing.
"I heard from one of the teachers that she once walked into a bar and said 'ouch'," I said looking at him.
"That's the cringiest thing I've heard today," Marcus said cracking up while I shrugged.
Mr. Brockway continued "She will be in charge of reading the opening/welcome address. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding as we welcome our very own Queen of the Night for North America; Ms. Roxanne Steffen!"
Suddenly, the Frostville College band began playing exciting music as a lady dressed in the most astonishing ivory dress I've ever seen began walking towards the stage from the tunnel. From where I sat, I could see how shockingly young and pretty she was for someone who's lived for centuries. Her eyes glistened like dazzling green emeralds and her smile was full of life. Her auburn colored hair was fierce, wavy and long, just stopping beneath her elbows. Her gait and curvaceous figure was full of grace and majestic in nature. She radiated an intense aura of wisdom, beauty, experience and most of all; power. All eyes were stuck on her as the crowd clapped, cheered and hollered as she climbed up the stage carefully watching her steps. Mr. Brockway shook hands with her before giving a polite bow and returned to his seat.
I have to admit that seeing the Queen of the Night for the first time was surreal. I had completely forgotten that she was the chairwoman of every C.V.C competition and seeing her in real life was so cool. It was like meeting Tom Cruise!
"Dear ladies, gentlemen, parents, students and observers from our different colleges and agencies worldwide," she began slowly with a silky voice. "Good morning and welcome".
The crowd once again erupted into a wild applause as she turned to face each section of the crowd. Eventually, she turned in our direction but just as she was about to turn again, she stopped and locked eyes intensely with me.
Now I know I might be a bit pretentious sometimes and I do over think from time to time, but somehow I knew she was staring straight at me. To be fair, she could have been looking at the crowd in general, so I really don't know how or why but I had this strong feeling that she was looking straight at me and no other person. It was like she was peering into the depths of my soul (and I don't even know what that means!) Her eyebrows seemed to be knitted in confusion as I held her gaze partly because I was too scared and surprised to look away and because for some reason she was beginning to look more and more familiar.
Instantly, I felt this rushing sensation that I'd met her before somewhere but for the life of me I couldn't figure out where. It was really strange because a moment ago, I never even knew what she looked like in person but now I could faintly remember seeing her before but had no idea where or when.
Just as abruptly as she began, she looked away after staring for what seemed to be a few seconds but felt like days. She looked vaguely flustered and her voice shook slightly but I seemed to be the only one who noticed as she went on with her speech.
"Hey Marcus," I said trying to gather my thoughts as I felt a shiver down my spine.
"Sup," he answered.
"Has Ms. Steffen ever visited our school before?" I asked.
"Nope. Not even once. Why'd you ask?"
"This is weird but I think I've met her before".
"Sorry to say this but that's impossible. Queens of the Night don't appear publicly unless it's a serious matter of urgency," a boy sitting next to me said.
I turned to face him and recognized him immediately, "You're the guy from the bathroom…the geek," I said.
"I'm not a geek!" he nearly screamed. "I have a name and it's Wilson. Wilson Freeman".
"So 'Wilson who's not a geek'," I said jestingly.
"How can I help you," he said sighing.
"You seem to know a lot about history. Tell me more about Ms. Steffen's publicity," I asked curiously
"Sure. Like I said, Ms. Steffen doesn't make any public appearances unless it's something really important that requires her expertise. In fact this might be her only public appearance this decade," he said.
"And that's for the C.V.C.," I reasoned.
"That's right. As the administrative head of the Continental Vampire Agency and Organization of North American Colleges, she's way too preoccupied to attend maybe bake sales or prom parties. The demand of running both jobs simultaneously is very hard and time consuming as I'm sure you can guess".
"Wow, she does that all by herself?"
"Well obviously she has assistants and other executives, but yeah, she does most of the hard work by herself".
"Then that means you've seen her before right?"
"Yes. During the C.V.C tournament ten years ago when I was part of my school's junior team. That's when I saw her for the first time. This is just the second time I've seen her which is the amount of times most vampires will get to see her," he answered.
"Me too," Marcus chipped in.
"Has she changed?" I asked further.
"Not really. Give or take she's pretty much the same as she was back then…still giving me nightmares," Marcus said running his hands through his hair.
"Show some respect that's our leader, not your fantasy girl," Wilson chided Marcus.
"I'm not the one who said she had to be so cute," Marcus says putting his hands up
"So she's met Lord Dracula?" I asked.
''Yeah. She and her sisters—that is the other Queens of the Night—are the only living vampires to have seen Lord Dracula before he died".
"That means the next time she'll appear like this is ten years from now during the junior and senior C.V.C?" I asked.
"That's about it," Wilson affirmed.
If what Wilson said was true, there was no chance for me to have met Ms. Steffen before. More so, I had no idea of my vampire lineage ten years ago when I was 7 so there's no way I could have met her then. When I thought deeply about it, it didn't make any sense no matter which angle I took. But as much as I wanted to admit that we've never seen each other before, I could still vaguely remember meeting her.
Reaching no reasonable conclusion, I decide to drop the entire idea and forget about it, at least for a while and focus on her speech.
"…the rules of this competition are quite straightforward and will be handed to all contestants in a pamphlet after the ceremony. During the commencement of any qualification round, the announcer will also repeat the rules again. Strict obedience is compulsory as disobedient contestants who flout the rules will be disqualified immediately. The date and time for all rounds will be contained in the informative pamphlet, so late appearances will not be tolerated".
Speaking in a loud voice, she finally concluded, "Students. I wish you all the very best of luck. This competition is an avenue for you to showcase your ability, talent and write you names in history as the greatest for this decade. However, it is imperative that as you strive for this goal, each and every one of you must inculcate the spirit of sportsmanship. You all have come a long way. Now is the time to show whether you deserve to be here or not. Will you rise to the occasion? Or will you throw yourself to the ground in despair? That alone is left for you to answer. And although this is a bit cliché I just couldn't resist saying; let the games begin! Thank you and good luck".
Cheers and applauses rang throughout the stadium as she wrapped up her speech. It was really rousing as most of the student's faces became steeled with determination (this is going to be interesting). After shaking hands with the other panel of judges, she took her seat and the applauses died down.
Next followed Frostville's head boy who read out his own welcome address and then some goodwill messages were read by the head girl. The ceremony ended with Mr. Brockway's closing remarks and reading of instructions for tomorrow.
After the ceremony ended, Marcus and I caught up with everybody after we wished Wilson good luck. The time was around 3 o' clock
"Yo Dar, where were you?" Scott asked.
"A little far from where you guys sat," I said looking around for any sight of Ms. Steffen. "Where's Ms. Steffen by the way?"
"Why'd you ask" Ms. Flores inquired.
"Well we're standing at the stadium's exit tunnel but she hasn't come out yet," I said.
"She's still inside meeting up with some of the students," she replied.
"Really?" I asked excited at the prospect of meeting her.
"Yeah. I mean, it's the only time they'll get to see her for a while. You wanna go?" she asked.
I was about to say yes, but decided against it because of what happened earlier. Besides I had a nagging feeling I'd be meeting her soon enough.
'Maybe later," I said.
"Sure. Now, let's get back to the hotel. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Marcus and Mackenzie, it's up to you guys now." Ms Flores said leading us to where she parked.
I took one last look towards the direction of the stadium wondering what would happen in the coming days.