RED DEN

Chapter 1

Bluebarroe High





October 28, 2028



For a big city sixteen year old girl, the worst punishment a parent could possibly give is to send her away to a boring old county or town or whatever you call it just to keep her from being what-parents-now-believe-as-a-totally-wild-teen WHICH I am not by the way and will never be.

But odds are my mom is one of those too worried parent but then not too worried to send their child away to a strange place AND I am one of those unfortunate teens who had been attacked by the TRUST LESS parent scheme and now living in the middle of their doom.

GOD! (Sigh...)

I am Elena Claise Rawthorne Haleeford, still sixteen years old and now admitted at Bluebarroe Central High School which is located at Bluebarroe of course, the most peaceful place in the world with zero case of crime for almost ten years now. CREEPY, right? Well, since I am already here, I may as well investigate about this "weirdness". And besides...



Knock, knock, knock...



Startled, I immediately got up on my feet while turning my head to the door. I wasn't expecting anyone. Not at five o'clock in the morning, that is. But then again I thought maybe it was just the dormitory dean checking on the new student.

"Miss Elena Claise?"

A girl?

"Oh! Y-yes? What is it?" I replied, still nailed on my spot beside the bed.

"Can I come in?"

"Huh? Umm... Ye-"

Too late. The door banged open and this strange blond girl, who was already on her uniform, barged in. "Good morning! I am Kharrye Nixon, senior, eighteen years old. I am in charge of you so I am here to guide you on your first day. Nice to meet you by the way," she said as she made her way towards me and without her smile leaving her face. She automatically thrust a hand and I shook it out of surprise.

"Nice to meet you too, Kharr...ye?" I replied, finding her name so weird to say. Who has a name like that?

Seeing her face at close hand, I could really say that she was gorgeous: silky blond hair with sparkling blue eyes; luscious pink lips and smooth-looking skin. And with just that smile she gives a pleasant atmosphere. Good thing she was all THESE or I could have yelled in no time. I always hated people without a sense of personal space.

"I see that you are still not ready for school. And you haven't even unpacked your things yet," she said looking at my open suitcases on the floor. "Aren't you planning to settle in now?"

"Umm... Well, it's still five o'clock in the morning and I think the school dean would lend the entire day for me to settle in so... I was just-"

"Doing your diary," she supplied when she noticed my diary still on my bed.

"Y-yah."

She stared at the thing for quite some time and I just took the chance to really see what kind of a person she was. She got sparkling blue eyes but somehow, when she was looking at my diary, she kind of lost them. In spite her smile, her lonely eyes now caught my attention. How melancholic...

"That thing..." she suddenly said and then continued after a couple of heartbeats, "…is frustrating. “

She hastily turned her back on me before I could ask why. Maybe she's angry. But why?

"Anyway, settle in for today. I'll come back tomorrow," she said while making her way to the door. "Same time. We'll have breakfast then", she continued. "School starts at six."

"WHAT?! What kind of school starts at that time?! It's too early! Gees!"

Then just before she closed the door behind her, she turned to me with the same smile earlier and said, "This kind, Elena. Bye!"

And the door shut close.

Somehow, the way she said those words sent chills on my spine. There's something about her... no. It wasn't her. It was the school.









































Chapter 2

Five rules





After I finished unpacking my things, I decided to go strolling and get familiar with the school a little bit. Besides, I couldn't keep my curiosity and excitement contained any longer. After a satisfying cold bath, I fixed myself into my normal attire (tee and jeans). I decided about a light make-up and a ponytail. Then, I'm off.

"The school is big...huge...enormous..." What the hell-? "It gets bigger and bigger every time I turn a corner. What IS this place? This isn't normal at all mom," I sighed and as expected I heard that familiar laugh over the phone. I missed her already and it has only been 24 hours.

"Come on Elena, what's up with that sigh? It's good that it's big right? Isn’t it beautiful?"

"It's beautiful alright but it kind of feels that this school covers most of the town! It's creepy!"

"Creepy huh? That's good."

"What?"

"That means that there are neither clubs there nor anything that destroys a child's mind. The place is interestingly uninteresting.” A cutesy snicker followed that statement. And all I could do was sigh.



Toot,toot,toot...



"Oh! My battery's dying mom. Call you soon! Bye- It's dead. Oh, well." I slid my phone back into my pocket and continued walking on my own.

When I turned to a corner, I found the school's gymnasium. It was gigantic as well as all the buildings around. Just as I was about to open the door, a hand snatched my wrist and dragged me away.

"Uh-ah... Not now Elena. The gym's still under clean-up duty. I'll introduce it to you tomorrow night, alright?"

That voice... "Kharrye?"

She let go of my hand when we reached a corner of a building. Then she looked around for anyone else.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Isn't that my line? What are you doing strolling the grounds on your own? It's dangerous!"

"But isn't this PLACE the most peaceful place in the world? What's the danger? And besides you all have classes so no one's going to..."

"Oh right! Class! Should I ditch Mr. Runburn? Well, I am in charge of you so... I could skip class and take you on a tour, right?"

"Skip... class? Tour?"

"Shall we go?" she winked.



I am right. This place is creepy... WAY creepy. I think it's a wrong place mom. It's not UNINTERESTING. And it might just be full of surprises.



xxxxxxxxxxxxx



The tour lasted for three hours. That long. But my mind was just occupied by five simple rules. That much. Kharrye introduced this "Five simple rules of Bluebarroe High" to me after complimenting my wise decision of preserving myself with tees and jeans. I didn't know if that was an insult or whatever but I never minded, really. Though she was okay with my boring clothes, she was somewhat irritated by my hairdo.

"First rule," she said. “Keep your neck, wrist and heart covered at all times. “She freed my hair and threw my favorite scrunchy away. I thought it would be awkward if I chase after it so I. Left. It. Be.

"Second rule; shut up and don't butt in on somebody else's business. Third rule; don't trust anyone else except yourself and your partner."

"Part-what?"

"Fourth rule; never do anything reckless that would somehow lead to bleeding. Blood is unacceptable here." She was not wearing any smile now. The atmosphere around me went eerie and cold. This must be serious matter so I shouldn't ever cross it. But- what the hell does it mean?

"What's the last one?" I asked.

After a while, she suddenly smiled. "I'll tell you when the time is right."

The five rules... I didn't understand them but I took them anyway. Why? They just simply got all the nerves in my body.



































Chapter 3

Bite





5:50 in the evening, Kharrye took me somewhere inside one building in the school. She said it was a tradition so I really shouldn't refuse it. On the second floor, we went inside a big room that didn't look like a classroom at all. There, waiting, were other girls in white knee-length dress just like Kharrye. They somehow looked like Greek goddesses.

"What are we doing here?"

"TAADAA!" they all yelled in unison as they showed me a full-length white gown with red embroidery on it. It was beautiful but I didn't get it at all until Kharrye spoke.

"This is yours. You're a red star for the night and your blood prince waits."

Or did I?

"What?"

"No more questions and just get yourself in it! Come on!" a girl with frizzy brown hair said as they all pushed me behind a standing cover that only my head can be seen. Another girl threw me the dress and all that was left to do was to wear it. I just thought "What the heck!" and did what they asked me to.

"Are you done? Come out already!"

"Alright, alright! So?" I asked after showing them what I look like IN a dress.

After half a minute or so..."Your hair's not right." "Shall we go on the make-up next?" "What shoes should we give her?" "Oh! The circlet! I'll find it!"

"Come on girls! We don't have enough time on our hands!" Kharrye reminded them.

"Yes!"

"Umm... sorry to interrupt but what are we doing? Are we playing dress up or something?"

They halted on each of their tasks and looked at me. Then they just laughed. I felt hot blood on my cheeks and I just felt like an idiot. How embarrassing...

"Then what on earth are we doing?!"

"I told you Elena! It's a tradition!" Kharrye replied still laughing.

"That is still not an ans-"



Ding, Dong, Ding!



"The big bell! Oh no! We are really running out of time."



And after that, I was left sitting on a chair with all these four girls running and hurrying themselves on getting me ready for something I didn't even know! But somehow I felt a chilling sensation as the bell chimed. And it didn't stop until...

"We are done!" the brunette shouted in delight.

"Wow! You are beautiful!" the frizzy-haired exclaimed beside me.

"Just look at you!" the blonde said with a little bit of disbelief.

"Ready, Elena?" Kharrye asked and then she turned me around to face a mirror.

I didn't expect that I could ever make myself drop my jaw in awe. But what I was seeing was somehow not me. It was a goddess with her black shining hair fixed with red jewel-like accessories and a red circlet on top of her head. Her hazel green eyes were lively now under long lashes with pink thin lips that could still catch any boy's eyes. I saw her reached for me and then---- I touched the mirror.

"This is me…" I muttered to somehow convince myself.

Kharrye leaned over my ear and said, "Beautiful, right?"

I could have smiled with her if only I wasn’t so confused.

"Kharrye! It's already seven o'clock! We won't make it!" the blonde said after she checked her watch in her purse.

We all turned to Kharrye who wasn’t even panicking in the least when even I was panicking at that time for whatever reason. "Don't worry girls. I always have a plan. Come with me Elena!"

"Oh, o-okay..." I stupidly agreed as she dragged me along out the room while pulling up my skirt.

Kharrye led me into a small passage just beside the room we were into. Then the passage became a staircase. We went down and up and right and finally skidded to a stop.

"We are here and just in time." Kharrye moved a drape over and signaled me to go in. I was still lost about everything so I just obeyed (like I said: stupid).

At the other side of the drape was a dim-lit grand room which looked like an amphitheater because of the rising bleachers. In front of me was a wide circular stage made of black marble, lit by a single bright spotlight directly above, and on it were twelve girls who also wore the same type of dress as me.

"And now, Miss Elena Claise Rawthorne Haleeford and Mr. Andrew James Hawkins!" a voice boomed.

"Me?” I slowly uttered as I roamed my eyes around the darkness beside me.

I looked at the only brightness in front of me and I finally noticed the little boys settled beside each of the girls on the stage. Suddenly, I felt a cold hand touched my fingers and I flinched as I startlingly looked down. A little boy was beside me, holding my hand. Then he looked up at me and I saw pitch black eyes that shouldn't be on a child's face at all. He then led me forward to accompany the others on the center of the room, the stage. My feet moved awkwardly. Standing now on it, I could see vaguely a lot of people. Students are on the bleachers. Teachers and some other adults are seated around the stage under the bleachers.

"Let us begin."

Everyone around me moved. The girls and the little boys faced each other. However, the girls looked like they don't know a thing about what was going on either. Then I felt a pair of eyes on me so I faced him as well. He was so little... just above my waist yet his eyes were of someone who lived years before me. He reached for my hand and drew it closer to his mouth. For a moment I though he was going to kiss it just like a gentleman would do (creepy for a kid though) but inches away from his lips he turned my wrist upside down and then he bit me.

Immediately, I felt the pain. It was excruciating. It wasn't a normal bite and I felt every muscles on my being contract. As I tried to free my hand of him he got hold of my other hand and pinned me on the floor. He was so strong and I couldn't take the pain anymore. Just when I was going to scream for myself I heard everyone else's. Their indistinct voices were piercing my ears and the pain on my wrist was just drawing my strength out of me. And as my consciousness flowed out of my head, I looked up at him and just saw this bright red eyes looking at me in such a way.



What emotion was it? Oh... yes. I remember now. Sorry.