Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince
Chapter 5

The next morning I missed hearingmy alarm clock buzzing. I was extremely tired from the hunt the night before. Iusually planned these excursions on the weekends when I had the time forrecuperating after drinking in the blood, but last night was an unscheduledbanquet. And the guy I drank from had been full, extremely stuffed.

After I left his rotting corpse inthe bathroom of the decaying house, I raided his wallet and the items nearby.There wasn’t much to take, mostly because it was already old and rotted away,but he had over a thousand dollars in his pocket. I also found another rustedtin can behind the broken washer full of stacks and rolls of hundred dollarbills. What he saved them for, I knew already. Why he didn’t live like thericher of his kind, I had no idea. He clearly didn’t belong in this part oftown.

Now that I had discovered thelocation of the high-strung drug motel in this city, I could live anywhere Iwished to. I could move into a nicer motel or a furnished apartment. I wastired of sleeping on the old mattress in the hotel and taking cold showersbecause there wasn’t a hot water heater there. I usually paid for the barenecessities, but now I felt like I needed a change; maybe a change of scenery.

I hadn’t worried over the fact thatit was a school day until the principal called my cell phone. I let it go tovoicemail, after recognizing the phone number, knowing they’d want an excuse asto why I wasn’t present. Thank goodness Seth came down with a cold or someother mono simulating disease, because it gave me a perfect excuse to be sickas well. We had shared a close space, a lab table, probably already crawlingwith germs of all sorts. Teens and kids spread around the most disgustingselection of bacteria and viruses unknowingly, in my opinion. They were alwayssick.

As soon as the sun neared themiddle of the sky, I gathered my meager belongings and took off. The good partabout living in this section of town was the fact that not many people wereactive in the daylight. The population that lived here were night dwellers, andthey hated the sun. I got on the nearest bus and rode the route that led to theavenue of shops and boutiques. Once I was on the street itself, I snatched oneof the apartment guide books off a stand and started perusing it. I searchedthrough it rather quickly as I crossed the sidewalk over to a table near acoffee shop. I hated coffee, but I loved hot chocolate. I ordered some andfinished reading the rest of the thick book.

It was warm today, unlike most daysin October for this time of year. I sat comfortably, reading over the list ofamenities and rent fees between places, making a checklist inside my mind ofthe best offers and bargains. The waitress brought me my cup of cocoa andpeered down at the book I perused. I stopped scanning the pages rapidly so shewouldn’t notice the obscene pace that I read at. It boggled the mind if youweren’t used to my speed. My finger had paused on a page near the end, and shespotted the ivy walled brick building in the photo.

“Oh, are you looking at theWisteria Manor?” she asked me curiously.

I glanced up at her briefly,waiting for an explanation as to why she interrupted my thoughts. She thoughtit best to continue rather than leave me hanging or at least that’s what Ifigured when she kept talking.

“I wanted to live there last year,but they only take in full-time students. It would’ve been nice to have a fullyfurnished apartment.” She shrugged and walked away without saying anythingfurther.

I glanced back at the photo. Itonly had a number, no fees, no amenities, nothing else was written there. Imemorized the picture and whipped out my phone. I searched for the address ofthe place and found none, which was odd. Maybe it was off the city map, buteven that should’ve yielded some location. There was only one alternative - Iwas forced to dial the phone number.

A lady picked it up quickly.“Wisteria Manor, how may I direct your call?”

“I’m looking for an apartment,” Istated hurriedly, afraid she would hang up at any moment. Her tone told me thatwas something she might do.

“We only take in full-timestudents,” she said matter-of-factly.

“I am a student,” I interjected beforeher ear left the receiver.

“Okay, would you like to make anappointment? We have a Thursday in the morning available…”

“Right away if possible,” Iinterrupted. At the rate I was going, the quicker the better. I could stay in amotel for a day or two, but that would be burning money, and even with my newstash of cash, I hated spending it like that.

I overheard her flipping through abook of some sort, probably a day planner if I had my guess. “The only time Ihave is in ten minutes from now. Could you make that?”

I thought quickly about my locationand where it could be. Even if it was on the other side of town, I would berushed to get there on time. I could always travel speedily, but that putothers at risk in noticing what I was capable of and I really wished that Iwouldn’t have to resort to that way of travel. I decided that I could chanceit, knowing that the woman tried her best to make it seem impossible for me tomake it there. “Where are you located?”

She gave me the address with thesimple directions, and hung up. I threw a ten on the table, a huge tip for thethree dollar cocoa, and walked away. If it wasn’t for the waitress’s interestin the photo of the page I stopped reading, I wouldn’t have called about theapartments. I took the bus down a couple of blocks east towards the cape. Butbefore I got to the seaboard, I exited the bus on a street with a brick pavedlane. I walked hurriedly down the sidewalk, knowing that my time was pressed,but eventually I spotted the building. It looked nothing like its cover. Iexpected it to be rundown and dismal, where the outer growth took over thestony façade like the picture indicated, but I was wrong. The leafy green ivyactually covered nearly every brick stone on the surrounding fence, making the houseitself seem like a glorious rendition of the Secret Garden. It was quite breathtakingly beautiful and a classicstructure of its time. I wondered where the apartments were located.

A sign out front directed metowards the office and I arrived right on time. The woman, who I decided wasthe one who answered the phone judging by her presence alone, peered up at meover her small thin rimmed glasses. Her grey hair was pulled up into an elegantbun on the top of her head. Despite the fact that she looked elderly, her skinwas flawless, devoid of wrinkles. From her appearance I gathered that she wasone of the rich elite that lived in these parts.

“We don’t shelter runaways,” shegreeted me in a flat tone and went back to her books.

“I’m not a runaway. I’m your oneo’clock.” I wasn’t thrown off by her mannerisms like most people would be. I’dmet her kind before, so I knew how to play this game.

Her face righted itself and shetook another look at me. Her eyes scrutinized my body, and I could imagine whatI looked like to her. It was true I had all my belongings with me, a duffel bagfull of clothes and toiletries, and a bag full of school books with writingutensils. Overall I probably looked like a runaway, so I whipped out myexpensive smart phone and made a show of it. She seemed like the kind of ladywho needed to know I had money.

“You’re on time,” she finallyconcluded with a tone of disappointment. She pulled out a set of forms andwalked over to a desk on her left. Her regal posture let me know that she stillhad hurdles for me to jump over. “I’m going to need to know what school youattend, and how many hours you’re enrolled for.”

I pulled out my black pen from mybag, standard ink for filling out forms, and began. I hurried through it andwas done in less than five minutes. She picked up the paper and read through myanswers. She sighed once or twice, but eventually set the paper back on thetable, right in front of her. She folded her arms and stared down at me alongher thin nose.

“You’re a high school student,” shestated matter-of-factly.

“I’m enrolled in a private school,”I answered her fully. She obviously wanted to know otherwise she wouldn’t havestated the obvious.

“We take in college students,” sherefuted.

“I’m old enough to live on my own,”I retorted.

She sighed again and looked away toa spot on the wall, as though deep in thought. “We can’t guarantee that youwill be able to take the bus this far out of the town in order for you to reachthe school. And as a full-time student you must remain in school at leastninety percent of the time unless you are excused by a debilitatingcircumstance.”

“I can walk if I miss the bus.” Shesure was a stubborn woman. Even if I tried to use compulsion on her, I don’tthink it would’ve worked. Her mind was already made up. She didn’t want me hereand was throwing out any excuse possible. The only problem was that all of herexcuses were refuted by my quick thinking and experience.

Finally she stood up and went overto a cabinet in the far corner. I figured she was fishing out more forms, butshe instead flushed out a set of keys. “Rent is seven hundred a month. Thatincludes water, electricity, and trash service. Internet and groceries you’llhave to arrange on your own.”

I was flabbergasted. I was sure shewouldn’t give me a room here this quickly, or expect me to jump through flaminghoops overlooking a gorge before she handed me a set of keys. She peered overat me from her spot, taking in my reaction.

“Normally I wouldn’t take in astudent like you, but you attend a prestigious private school and it seems likeyou could use our services. As long as you don’t throw wild parties, I’llexcuse the fact that you’re not a college student. Of course I should mentionthat no alcohol should be on your being or in your apartment at any giventime.”

I whipped out my worn down changepurse and started counting the money.

She watched me with her searingbrown eyes. “We normally don’t take cash. Check or transfer of deposit.”

I grimaced. “I only moved here thisyear. I don’t have a bank account yet.”

She nodded and fished out severalbrochures. “I figure you have a good excuse for missing today, so here are somethings you might want to look into if you plan on staying.”

I received the paper leaflets andrifled through them. They were things like banks and clothing stores. I glanceddown at my attire; a t-shirt and jeans was all I wore, but apparently thatwasn’t good enough for her. Judging from her chic black skirt and designerblouse, she wished I looked more like her class or close to it.

“If you go to the boutique onAvenue K, tell them that Sylvia sent you.”

I nodded and handed her the money.

She passed me the keys. “One otherthing, we take a deposit. It’ll be another five hundred.”

I set down the cash on the ornatetable.

She took it and smiled. “Yourapartment is letter J.”

“Thank you.” I grabbed my things,including the key, and headed out the door. She was an odd woman, but slightlylikable. It had been a long time since I encountered a woman like her, thoughjudging from the class of this side of the village I figured she wouldn’t bethe last.

I found the apartment easily, as itwas separated from the others. It was also smaller, but still fully furnishedlike the waitress implied. This would suit my needs, but I found the sevenhundred dollar fee expensive for something this small, even though there wasfurniture. There was a tiny kitchen and no breakfast area. The adjoiningbathroom had nothing but a toilet and a sink inside, yet it reminded of an Englishlieu. I circled up the spiral staircase, set into a castle-like tower on oneside of the living room, and walked into a lofty bedroom. It was actually quitespacious up here, also fully furnished with a full size bed. The comforter was light green with yellows andblues painted on it in intervals. An adjoining door on the left hand side ledto a walk-in closet complete with a full bath. I had a shower and a Jacuzzi,both separate from the other.

I set down my bag in the corner ofthe bedroom and shuffled through it for my school uniform. It was really theonly set of clothes I owned, other than the clothes I wore. I placed them onhangers in the closet, making sure to get the wrinkles out, and put the otheritems in the drawers of the chest. Once I was finished with that task, I setout my bag of toiletries and took stock of what I was missing.

I made a list, of everything Ineeded, in addition to the hint that was given that I needed more clothes,muchbetter looking ones than what I wore. I sorted through the brochures and tracedthe route of my destination in my head. I could have everything accomplished bysix if all went as planned.

I grabbed my school bag and stuffedthe cash I had inside. If I was going to make a life here, I needed a bank account.