Chapter 10

Velvety green pastureland flew by on either side of the Ferrari as Graham kept his foot on the gas pedal, even on the sharp turns, and Rachael alternated between elation and feeling like she was going to hurl her Starbucks out the window--which was currently up, so that probably wasn’t a good idea. Even without taking the highways, there was no way this trip was going to take two hours, not at this speed. She imagined Graham would slow down when he got into a more densely populated area. He definitely hadn’t been pushing 140 in the city.

“Are you okay?” Graham asked, his right hand on the steering wheel, his left elbow propped near the window, like he could’ve driven the car with one hand tied behind his back.

“Great. Never better.

He turned for a moment and raised an eyebrow at her to see if she was serious, and Rachael smiled at him. The car slowed. “No, really, I’m fine,” she insisted.

“Then maybe you should dig your fingernails out of the leather before it rips.” He chuckled softly, just loud enough to be heard over the Classic Rock playing on the radio.

“Sorry.” He laughed again, clearly not really worried about it. This was his car, though. She knew that without asking. She’d been there when he’d bought it last year; when he and Chell had went to the dealership together. His girlfriend had said it was a ridiculous waste of money, but he’d gotten an inheritance when his grandfather died, and he could afford it. Not to mention, there was a lot of money in vampire hunting. While the existence of Silverwood Academy was top secret, enough governmental agencies and billionaires knew about it to commission protection. Rachael had set it up that way, thinking it would be the best way to fund the expensive cars, weapons, clothes, etc. her characters would need to fight vampires and still look cool. Now, she may actually benefit from it herself.

Assuming they were somehow actually going to a school and not out to a field somewhere for this attractive, muscular man to kill her….

“So… do you have any questions?” Graham asked, switching hands so that his right elbow was resting on the console. Rachael wondered if there was a way she could resituate herself so that her left elbow “accidentally” bumped his. Perhaps she was moving too fast. It was as if her mind had already accepted that this was reality now, and she couldn't hold back her thoughts of replacing the woman she'd killed off.

Looking up at the ceiling and tapping one finger against her chin, she tried to think of something she could ask. What would a person who hadn’t invented the place they were going to ask about it? “Well, what’s the program like? Is it a four year program? What happens when I graduate--if I graduate? Am I automatically accepted, or is there a test?” She stopped. That should do it for now.

A crooked grin lit his face. Clearing his throat, he sat up straighter, switching to steering with only his left wrist. “I usually answer all of that in the intro meeting, but since ours was… unusual, I guess I didn’t cover much of anything, did I?

“Well, that wasn’t your fault,” she assured him, considering a quick pat on the arm but restraining herself. Too soon.

“It is a two year program,” he said. “There is no entrance exam, but you have to meet certain criteria in the first semester to advance to the next part of the program. As long as you make adequate progress in your training and have at least a C average in your classes the first semester, you’ll be approved to finish. We only expel students after the first semester if their grades fall below a 49 percent average. The program is kind of rigorous, but you did well in your university classes, so I’m sure you can handle this.

“I hope so,” she muttered. Of course she could. She’d have to do well on a curriculum about a world she’d invented.

“Upon graduation, there are some options. You could be assigned to a specific detail for one of our clients. Or you could become part of our operative program, which is sort of like the FBI or CIA, but instead of taking out criminals, they take out vampires. Some graduates go back to their communities and join local teams that are no longer associated with the school. This allows them to stay near their family and friends, take on other jobs during the day, and still hunt vampires. A highly select group of graduates is asked to stay at the academy to train other students and hunt the local area. That’s not likely because openings are rare, but it’s possible.

Rachael knew they had an opening right now, because she’d killed Chell, but she didn’t say anything about that. His eyes seemed slightly misty, but he held it together. “Everything okay?

“Yep,” Graham said quickly. “Yeah. Fine. So… the program is only three classes per semester, which may sound easy, but they are all challenging. You’ll always have a physical education class--we’ll teach you how to fight, how to use various weapons, how to protect yourself, etc. You’ll have a class that teaches you how to tune in to parts of your brain you aren’t currently using. Some people call that magic. You likely have skills there you never knew you had. Maybe even mind reading.

Rachael giggled. “That would be pretty awesome.

“And then you’ll have a lecture class as well. You’ll learn the history of our organization, combat theory, the origin of vampires, all sorts of things. Each class lasts an hour and a half every day, so you’ll be in class for almost five hours, and then we’ll expect you to train for at least two hours a day. That would be in the gym on your own or with a personal trainer. We also have a ropes course and an obstacle course, as well as various simulators. You’ll be given your own dorm room, which is a lot nicer than what you’re probably thinking….

She smiled because she knew exactly what the dorm rooms were like. She’d built them. In her head.

“There’s a dining hall. We have some of the best chefs in the world, so it’s definitely not your typical cafeteria cuisine. You don’t have to eat there, though. There are other options in nearby towns. You’ll have access to transportation anytime you need it. We have a fleet of vehicles of just about any kind you can imagine. Should you choose to bring your own, we’ve got a garage where we keep personal cars as well.

“Like this one?” Rachael asked with a smirk.

His eyebrows arched. “Yes, like this one. How did you know this was mine and not just the academy's?

She shrugged. “Just had a feeling.

“As you progress through the program, you’ll have more opportunities to go out into the field with us, and get your hands dirty.

“Bitchin’!” Rachael exclaimed, making him chuckle. “That sounds like the best part of all.

“It is. There’s nothing quite like jabbing a silver-tipped stake into a vampire’s chest.

Images of all of the scenes she’d written where he or Chell had done just that came to mind. Rachael nodded, but part of her wanted to shake her head. He sounded exactly like the person she’d made up. Not knowing how this had happened was going to drive her crazy! Unless, of course, she was already crazy….

Graham slowed the car and turned on his blinker, and Rachael sucked in a deep breath. She recognized the road they were turning down, even though she’d never seen it in real life before. Large trees lined both sides of the narrow dirt road, so tall, their branches touched, curling into each other to create a canopy overhead. The effect was a mysterious path that seemed to lead nowhere, and if a person wasn’t looking for the road, they might not have seen it at all. Not that there was a lot of traffic in this particular part of the Pennsylvania countryside. Rachael couldn’t remember the last time they’d seen another car.

They were going a lot slower now, likely so that the gravel didn’t scratch the paint on his hotrod. Rachael watched in awe, her stomach churning with anticipation. It wouldn’t be too much further until they’d take a bend to the left, and then, up ahead, on a small rise in the land, she’d see a familiar brick building behind a large wrought-iron gate, dozens of mature trees obscuring the view from the road. Either that, or Graham’s prank was about over.

The bend came into view, and the Ferrari traced over it, Rachael bracing herself again, not from the speed, but from the disbelief. The canopy parted, and there, in the distance, she saw it. Her lungs couldn’t expand enough to consume all of the air she’d sucked in as her mouth gaped in awe.

She was out of the car the moment Graham brought it to a stop outside of the gate, unable to keep herself in her seat. None of this was possible--it was all like something out of a vivid dream. But here she was, standing in rural Pennsylvania, staring in wonder at Silverwood Academy.

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