Olive Matheson walked into the classroom, her first class of the day, the first day of an entire year of hell. It was the first year of her education in becoming a teacher. She didn't want to take vampire history but she had to. If she was to become a teacher she had to be fluent in all subjects, including the very species that she would have to teach. That was her future, there was going to be a new wave of schools around the world, integrating the vampire children with the children of the humans that were allowed to roam the earth. Olive considered it lucky that it was the only year that she was required to do vamp life, that she only had to do this for a few months and then she would be free. Her eyes darted across the rows of seats that curved around the front of the room. Students had already started to fill their seats. Her eyes wandered over the people, clusters already forming. She inwardly huffed at herself, she knew no one. Her eyes caught the thin framed woman half way down on the right hand side. The long black hair cascaded down her tilted head, almost forming a curtain that she hid behind. Olive rolled her eyes wondering why she always managed to find the loner. The girl was nervously twitching her leg as she scrawled something on the note book in front of her. Not only had she managed to pick the loner, she had also managed to pick the only odd chick in the place. Red army boots, black stockings, a short red tartan skirt and a tight black shirt with a skull emblazoned on the front. The only thing normal about her was the gold and diamonds glinting off her left hand. She was married and by the look of the rock on her hand, the lucky fellow had obviously taken out a loan to buy the rings. 

Her eyes darted around the room again, the seats were going fast. It was now or never she told herself.

'Hey, is this seat taken?'

The woman looked up at her and Olive wanted to pass out, the woman was a vampire. Her alabaster skin was the first tell tale sign, the strikingly vivid green eyes was another and finally when she smiled at her, Olive saw a fang.

'No, you're ok to sit there.'

'Thanks.' she murmured.

Her eyes darted around the room, it was too late to change seats now, she would probably end up annoying the girl and that wasn't the wisest thing to do. She inwardly sighed, be pleasant Olive, don't treat her differently.

'I'm Olive.' she turned to the girl 'Olive Matheson.'

The girl pulled her hair behind her ear revealing a few piercings. Her beautiful green eyes were surrounded in a lot of eye liner.

'Danika Smith.'

'So... you're studying vamp history.'

'Just doing a refresher before I start vamp law.' she shrugged as she tapped the pen against the note book 'I kind of left for a job and never got to finish my education, so I'm back to get it done. Why are you here?'

'Mandatory to become a teacher.'

Olive flicked over her books, finding the course outline. There was more than one reason she didn't want to do this class. It wasn't just that she held fear of the vampires, no, there was another reason she didn't want to be here. But she had to, this was the best university to be in if she wanted to become a teacher.

'So have you studied under Professor Deltrith before?'

Danika grinned as she looked up at the girl, having already been in her mind, found all sorts of interesting bits of information. She knew everything she needed to know in just a few seconds of free fishing.

'Yeah, he was really pissed at me for leaving the first time too.'

Olive paled at the thought.

'Is he a crank?'

'He has been known to have the occasional irrational mood swing, seems to be a theme going with the professors in this place.' Danika leaned in closer 'Personally I think the professor needs to get laid.'

Olive could feel her cheeks burn, she could imagine she looked something akin to a tomato. Danika could see Olive flush and decided to put the poor thing out of her misery.

'So, got a boyfriend, girlfriend...' she squinted with faked curiosity 'Life partner?'

Olive shook her head, lowering it slightly as she toyed with the edge of her shirt.

'No one at the moment.'

Danika nodded as if she didn't already know that. Olive was a pretty young thing, her skin was such a pale pink she could be easily mistaken for a vampire. She had her mousy brown hair pulled into a neat pony tail, pulling it gently away from her sweet face. Hazel eyes watched her warily, Danika knew she was scared of her.

'I was human not so long ago.' she whispered.

'Really?' Olive's eyes widened.

At that point, the professor walked in, calling for everyone to take a seat.

'Will you tell me about it?' she nearly begged as she whispered back.

'Sure, how 'bout lunch?'

Olive grinned, already liking Danika.

'Sounds great.'

Phabel picked up the seating chart, taking it to the first seat on the front row.

'Names on it please, don't move from your seats, understood?'

There was a general consensus around the room, as Phabel looked up at his students his eyes met with another. He was pleased that she had actually fronted to continue her education but she was not supposed to be taking any of his classes. Phabel frowned as he cocked his head to one side, trying to figure out why Danika was disobeying her instructions. His eyes were then cast to the woman beside her, timidly watching him. She seemed familiar to him but he couldn't place her, she was probably doing a refresher. Maybe she was trying to fill in time on her schedule and thought that a bit of vamp history would kill time sufficiently. Phabel turned, returning to the lectern, shuffling through his course notes. The sound of twenty minds thinking, the soft murmurs of a few people were deafening to him, slowly as he blocked them out he could think clearly. But one mind still lingered intentionally.

Danika why are you here, I can not grade you. I know that she snapped at him the course advisor said to do a refresher, no need for grades because they will use my previous ones. Phabel shook his head slightly, wishing that the course advisor had the decency to advise him. Hey Phabe, you checked out this chicky babe's mind? He looked up at her and subtly she flicked her head to Olive. I can't read minds, I can only hear thoughts occasionally. Danika grinned, knowing he wouldn't have been in her mind, he wouldn't be able to see her memories.

*************************

'So you were a human... how long ago?'

'A few months back.'

'Why? Didn't you like being human?'

'I did but circumstance didn't allow for choice.'

Olive frowned as she toyed with the salad in the bowl, wondering what she meant.

'It's rather complicated and I really can't tell you much. I had been abducted by a nasty vampire who wanted something from my boyfriend, now husband.' she twinkled the rings at Olive 'When he got what he wanted he plunged a knife into my stomach. It was either death or this. I don't regret a single moment of it, he saved my life.'

'Your husband?'

Danika nodded with a giddy grin, still very much in honeymoon mode.

'So you're finishing this off for your job, what do you do?'

Help Lucian run the country you live in she mildly thought. No, she couldn't tell a soul what went on in her life, nor could she tell anyone that the guys at the table behind were really her security.

'Just a small business. So you're becoming a teacher soon, are you going to go into an integrated school?'

'I don't know really, I hadn't thought about it until I got my schedule and saw vamp life as my major subject this year. Why is the queen making the schools as one? It seems odd.'

'It's so that the children grow up together, so they understand they do not need to fear us. Fear leads to irrationality and that's when humans and vampires have a problem. You need to remember that the queen is from a time where humans hunted vampires. That's why they teach these courses, creating a better understanding.'

Olive nodded as she quietly ate her salad, her eyes catching the figure walking across the courtyard. He didn't recognise her, which she was grateful. If she could have, she would have applied to the university in the next city, but she couldn't. This was the teaching university, the best that was on offer. Movement for the humans came with strict rules and one of those rules she couldn't completely comply with. Parental approval for any student under twenty-five had to be gained when leaving their assigned home town. That meant that if Olive wanted to go to a different university in a different city she had to get her parents approval. She had tried to get a pardon on it, stating that it would be hard to get two dead people to authorise her to move but it fell on deaf ears. It just added to the things that she disliked about vampires. Now she was stuck in a university, albeit a great university and the one that was best for her, but it was a university with him in it. She might have been grateful that he didn't recognise her but she wanted him to. But Olive found her fixation on him embarrassing, borderline unhealthy. Olive had met the sweet boy when she was just a young girl, seventeen and he was her first and only crush.

The dingle of a phone roused Olive out of her thoughts, she watched as Danika grinned at her phone.

'I gotta go. Catch ya in vamp law?'

'Uh yeah sure.'

Danika wandered down the path and as the two men at the next table got up and followed her, Olive frowned. She worried that Danika might be in trouble, fearing for her safety. Olive quickly packed up her things and dumped her lunch in the bin, cautiously following the dubious men. They held a casual distance from Danika, when she reached a young man they waited close by. Olive frowned at the whole scenario, it was strange. Danika wrapped her arms around the young man, planting lots of kisses all over him. Olive gaped, recognising the man.

'Shit.' she whispered 'The king.'

Olive recognised her vampire king, Lucian Eliade Leonte. She knew that he had recently taken the posting of her little country from his mother. The queen still ruled the entire realm but she allowed her son to take the kingdom of Rostonin and rule it as his own. And then there was the new addition in his life. It wasn't a widely publicised wedding but there had been some photos released. Everything sank into place now. Sure she had the same name but Olive thought nothing of it. Now that she had figured it out, she could see the resemblance under the thick eye liner and clothes. Put her in a pretty wedding dress and picture perfect hair and make up and you could see the same woman easily. Now the two men made sense, they were her security. She's the queen of this country.

'God damn.' Olive whispered 'I've just made friends with the freaking queen of the country.'

She watched with a hint of jealousy, wishing she had someone that adored her like Lucian did with Danika. How lucky she was. Olive turned on her heels, no longer wanting to look like a pervert. As she turned she walked straight into a man that had been standing behind her.

'Sorry.' she murmured and then looked up.

Two piercing blue eyes bored down at her, darkening at the edges of the iris. Luminous olive skin and dark brown hair that looked so soft. She wished she could push it out of his eyes, trailing her fingers over his defined cheek and jaw line.

'Miss Matheson, are you lurking behind buildings for a reason?'

Phabel knew where she had been looking, he knew who she had been watching. He was determined to protect his family and wasn't prepared to have Danika outed.

'I uh... the men were following her, I was worried they might hurt her.'

'I think you might find that Miss Smith is more than capable in looking after herself.'

'Of course.' she ducked her head.

Phabel inwardly sighed, he was being an idiot, she was watching out for her friend.

'However, I am sure she would be appreciative of your concern. I think we can trust your discretion with that.'

His head gestured to Lucian.

'Of course.' she whispered as she turned to look at the couple 'Do you know them?'

Olive turned back to see he had left. It was like he was so silent on his feet that he had just left without making a sound. No goodbyes or how did you like the lesson today, just disappeared into thin air. She wanted to cry, it was the first time she had spoken to him in years and he didn't recognise her, he was a little cold towards her and it left her wondering if she had imagined the whole thing.