Episode 1: Welcome to Wheldrake College: Part 8

"I want a normal life," Gwen said, strolling beside Scott. They both walked down the brick path lined with streetlamps, giving an old London feel to it. Gwen hoped one day to see fog rolling between the trees. She had seen London's fog once and loved it.

One day, she hoped to go back there.

"Your family is like super rich, right?" Scott asked.

"Yes," Gwen frowned, "but I don't want any of their money. I want to live my life my own way."

Scott smirked and asked," Can they help me then? I'll use their money."

"You can try," Gwen said, trying to chuckle at the joke, but not in the mood to do so. "My dad would have someone kill you."

"Good one," Scott laughed, but the look washing over her face didn't say it was a joke. "Right?"

"Right," Gwen laughed this time, halfhearted in the joke.

"I mean, it must have been nice growing up rich," Scott remarked. "I grew up dirt poor. The only way I got in here was to take so much debt on my grandchildren's kids, who will be paying it off." He tried to smile. "At least, I get to leave them something."

"You have grandchildren already?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Scott laughed, "No, I don't even have children."

"Where did you grow up?" Gwen asked.

"Tallwater," he said. "Ever heard of it?"

"Sort of."

"It is a small country town near Winston-Salem," Scott said.

"Did you grow up on a farm, like a real farm with cows and pigs?" Gwen asked, overly enthusiastic at the idea.

Scott smiled a big, toothy smile. "Yup, I milked those cows every morning and slaughtered a few of the pigs."

"Wow," Gwen said, "that must have been the life."

"God no, it was boring as Hell," Scott shook his head. "I would trade places with you in a heartbeat."

"No, no, you wouldn't," Gwen said, shaking her head. There had been good times back in her youth. She guessed everyone could say such things, not all childhoods are bad, but somehow the darker times outweighed the good memories. The darkness blemished the happiness in her life, her dreams and thoughts. She knew Scott had hard times in his past, what person didn't?

But she knew Scott had never faced world-ending events. He had no idea about the Night or the Children of the Dark. He had no clue about the Sons of the Sun and the goodness of the Light. All of it would be lost on him: fighting the endless war between good and evil while watching people you love die all the time.

Even if she wanted a normal life, deep down, she feared she couldn't have it. She knew far too much of the real world to live blindly like everyone else.

Gwen had been born into such truths. She couldn't share it with anyone who wasn't a part of that world, and she wanted nothing to do with anyone who knew the truth of the Night.

"Why not?" Scott asked.

"Look, it is nothing I wish to talk about," she said. They turn down the path dividing one of the small parks on the school's grounds. Once they got to the other side of the woods, they would get to the entry of the school, across the street to her car. The path had fewer lights on it, a couple of dimly lit streetlamps. The light pooled on the red brick,s almost looking like fairy circles in the dark forests, places of safety for the wandering travelers, but Gwen stopped and stared down the path.

"What is wrong?" Scott asked.

She studied the night, waiting for it to reveal its secret, much like an owl hunting for dinner, but nothing moved, and nothing came forth in the dark.

"Nothing," Gwen said. "I thought this might be the wrong way, but it's not. Let's keep going."

"So, did you have like a butler?" Scott asked.

"You have watched too many movies," Gwen said, grinning at him.

"You didn't say no," Scott pointed out.

Gwen huffed and nodded," Yeah, we had one."

"Oh man, that must have been great," Scott roared with laughter. "Why in the world would you give that up?"

"Because �" "But Gwen stalled her thought along with her step. They were standing between two pools of light and safety, and the dread started to snake up her leg. The eyes of something in the dark were watching them, licking its lip with each step they took. The stare alone had sent her heart racing, for it knew what this meant. Danger. Like seeing someone come strolling toward you holding a knife in their hand. She knew, but Scott �"

"What is wrong?" He asked, stepping in front of her.

"Run," Gwen said. "Run to the light."

"Why?" Scott asked, looking around. "There is nothing here but us." And then it moved in the dark. They heard something dragging its foot across the bricks of the path. Not a foot, but its talons, and the things slowly came into view. Its body was in the form of a human, but the monster walked on all fours, unnatural and painfully. The thing's long face looked to have been human at one time, maybe a man, but the dead skin had been pulled tightly against its skull. The monster's eyes started to glow a yellowish red of death.

Scott shouted at the sight of the beast. "Run, Gwen," the words somehow came from the man, as if there was anything he could do to stop this monster from attacking them.

Stupid fool trying to play hero.

"Scott," Gwen snapped, but he pushed her back, telling her once again to run. He took his eyes off the monster, and it was the second time the monster needed. He launched itself at Scott, piercing his chest with its long teeth. He roared from the pain but drove the monster to the ground. He fought with it using all his fists and boots, hitting the thing.

Gwen snarled at the scene before her eyes. She reached deep inside of her, almost touching her womb with her will, pulling the manna into the tips of her fingers. She caused the manna, the energy for the creation of life, to bend and break to her Dead Magic, the magic darker than black and seen to the world of the Arcane as truly unholy, even to demons. The magic flowed around her hand, forming green flames, an easy spell to remember, something she was taught to do at the age of five. Necro-fire, her mother called it.

The monster smelled the flames before seeing them. It hissed at her," Duval," and jumped off Scott, turning to face Gwen. It roared at her, and she smiled at it. The old rush of magic came back to her, and she felt at home with it, even if it had been years since she used manna for anything. The monster raced for her, but the only thing it was able to catch midair was the fire wrapping around its body. It fell to the ground, being devoured by the flames.

Gwen didn't care at all about the dying monster. She landed beside Scott, seeing the holes in his chest flowing with blood. "What? What was it?" He asked weakly.

"A Ghoul," She mumbled.

"Oh yeah, I can see it ---" He closed his eyes before saying anything more.

I just wanted a normal day.