I ram through the door of my dorm and take the stairs two at a time to my floor. When I get to my door I barely slip through before slamming it shut and invoking a barrier. Asher had created a spell so me and Jullia don’t have to use our keys to keep locking and unlocking the door, but if someone has our key they can come and go. Which, Callahan does.
So I create my own barrier to keep him out and hopefully he just assumes it was another protection Asher made for us when he put the spell and sound barrier up.
A second after I solidify it there’s a crash into my door. It actually shakes the entire wall.
“Mavyn! This is bullshit, you need rest!” There’s a click from the key unlocking the door but when the knob twists the door doesn’t budge. “MAVYN!”
I huff a laugh as I quickly turn to my wardrobe and begin stripping. It takes me a moment to actually process that I did just run all the way over here. And I ran without my umbrella. Meaning I was. . .
No. The storm clouds. That’s why I hadn’t burned. I had been so caught up I didn’t realize I nearly killed myself by going head first outside. No wonder Callahan kept screaming at me to stop before I went outside.
There’s another bang on the door as I start getting dressed. I wish I could shower, but there’s nothing I can do about that.
“Mavyn! Even if you get ready I’m not letting you leave this room. This is a hard no for me, you need to rest. You’ve locked yourself in!”
I roll my eyes at him. True, true. . . but there’s still the window. And since there’s enough cloud cover I can walk outside without my umbrella, I’m just taking that exit.
Callahan keeps knocking on the door but I ignore him and roll on my thigh highs. Then I slip on my flats and pull my desk a couple inches away from the wall before standing my chair on top. My bed still looks like a mess, most of it ashes, but I’ll deal with that after everything else.
Stepping onto my desk, I rip the blackout sheet away and flip the latch for the lock. There’s a loud-ish snap as the frame snaps up and there’s a crunch from the ivy covering it. I have never been more grateful for that sound barrier Asher made. Callahan can’t hear a single thing.
Stepping onto my chair, I push the window all the way up and heft myself over the edge. There’s a sharp bite in the air as a rain scented breeze blows. It makes me smile as I get to my feet and crouch down.
Pushing the window shut, I close my eyes and let another key within me, sitting in another lock to another door within me, twist. This door only cracking the barest bit open and allowingme to curl those vines that had covered the window before back over the glass.
Since I can’t lock the door from the outside like this, this is the next best option.
Satisfied, I close and lock that door within back up and softly hum to myself as I walk along the roof. I take my tablet out from the inside pocket of my blazer and check the time. Seven twenty-eight. It almost feels like a miracle. Even though I can’t run to the opposite side of the school in only two minutes. . .
I check my surroundings. There’s nothing but the forest curving around the back of the dorm and the only creatures with blood I’d be worried about are ones still inside the dorm or further away.
There’s a chance I could be seen, but it’s not unheard of for vampires to have certain types of magic. Elemental portaling is common, afterall.
Strengthening the storm, I wait for just the right moment. Reaching into the ether and then I blink. Like always, it feels like my feet didn’t even leave the ground. And thankfully, there’s not a single body out that could have seen me.
I blink again at the courtyard I landed in. This one technically on the outer side of the main building with no roof. And all I have to do is go through the entrance that leads into the building and Professor Asier’s class is right down the hall.
I make a run for it. Straight down the hall I can see the open door and Professor Asier’s desk. The bell rings and he turns towards the door. Normally he keeps it open and I’m right there.But his gold ringed red eyes latch on me, make eye contact, and at just the last second his door slams shut.
I’m too close to stop my momentum and I slam into the thick wooden door.
Pain vibrates through my bones and shocks the rest of the pain I had been trying to ignore. It also doesn't help that my legs, which are still prickling with the last remnants of numbness, shoot shocks of lightning up from my feet. The blisters are only just barely healed.
I slam my fists into the door and the force actually shakes it.
That rage I had felt two days ago flickers. Like embers sparking once more after the fire should have been doused. The bell hadn’t even finished ringing when he shut the door. I wouldn’t have been late. I would have been right there, on fucking time.
I get it. They hate vampires. I have my secrets. I’ve challenged someone who is very clearly at the top of the food chain. But this kind of pettiness. . .
There’s no physical lock on the door, but there is some sort of spell or barrier. I run my fingers over the wood and once more twist that secondary key in its lock. The door not even opening, but it’s enough for me tofeel.
Some sort of lock made of shadows and. . . golden flames. A chain wrapping the door that also extends over the entire room.
Closing my eyes, I twist a third key within and let that magic slip through the links of the chain. Roving over golden aura until I find the actual lock.
In my head I envision it like a vintage metal lock you use one of those skeleton keys to open. Then I curl claws into it and crush it.
It splinters to pieces as the door swings in. I step through the doorway to a class that goes silent and a professor that is staring at me with pure shock. It would be amusing, but I don’t waste time and take the stairs closest to me to the third row.