New Blood: chapter 3

chapter 3: Hug and Make Up

Wren found Nestor. He was in a spare room of the Academy. He was making up a bed and smiled as he turned to see Wren at the doorway.

"Oh hello there, I'm making your bed up now," his smile faded as he noticed she had been crying. "Say, what's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Wren sighed as she walked in the room slowly.

"Wren..." Nestor sat on the bed and motioned Wren to sit next to him. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing..." Wren turned away from him.

"You can tell me."

"It's nothing really..."

"Come on... Don't make me hypnotize it out of you." Nestor raised his hand up, making claw-like gestures with his pointed fingers.

"Well...." Wren gave in. "I was talking with the other kids and they asked about me and our family."

"Yes...?" Nestor smiled with his eyes closed.

"So I told them I'm a half-witch."

Nestor's eyes widened and he looked down at his niece. "You know about that, huh?"

"Yeah.... And that Stoker kid made fun of me." Wren pouted and punched her pillow. "I oughta sock him!"

"Wren, violence is not the answer." Nestor told her.

"I know..." Wren sighed as she quit punching the pillow. "I'm just a dorky witch mortal freak."

"Wren, look at me."

"No."

"Wren...."

"No!"

"WREN!"

"NO!"

Nestor grabbed Wren by the arms and held her close. "Wren, you are not a freak! Whether you're mortal, witch, or even a plain old human! You are my niece and I'll be darned if you take her from me. Your parents don't matter. You are who you choose to be, not how others label you. Before I got bitten I felt like I didn't belong here, but now I'm accepted, even before. We're family and who needs friends when you got family, huh?" Nestor smiled at her.

"I guess..." Wren smiled slightly at him.

"You'll be fine. Now, after dinner there's a little recess. I'll tell Count von Horrificus to let you socialize with the others and start fresh tomorrow." Nestor told her.

"Thanks, Uncle."

Nestor smiled and looked up all around the room with her. "How do you like your new room?"

"It's wonderful." Wren looked with him. "It makes me feel right at home."

"This will be your own private room, I have my own as well as the others in faculty. The little vampires have their own room as well. You feel better, now?"

"Of course."

"Come on, I'll let you mingle with the other vampires. And don't listen to Stoker, he just likes to pick fights." Nestor took Wren's hand and led her out of the room. The other vampires were out by the school grounds being together.

Tinto was writing in his notebook about science, Grufftine was meditating, Klot was walking around with Ashley in his carriage, and Stoker and Oskar were standing around together as the moon illuminated down on them all.

"Kids, I'm going to tell the count my niece is here while you all have a free night. Be nice to her, that goes double for you, Stoker." Nestor walked off back inside the school.

"Hey girl," Stoker laughed. "If I'm mean to you are you gonna turn me into a frog?"

"Stoker, cut it out." Oskar hissed at him. He then turned to Wren. "You remind me of another friend of mine. Maybe you'd like to meet her sometime."

"Umm... Okay." Wren smiled at Oskar.

"Don't let Stoker bring you down, he's always like that. Especially around me." Oskar wrapped his arm around Wren.

"Oskar, you're so nice. This world would be a lot better if there were more boys like you." Wren smiled at her new friend.

"Thanks Wren." Oskar smiled at her then checked his wrist watch. "Umm... I have an appointment, I'll be right back." Oskar turned into a bat before Wren's eyes and she backed away suddenly in shock and fright.

"Vampires really turn into bats?" Wren asked in shock.

"Well yeah, why do you think they're called vampire bats?" Oskar laughed. "Do you really ride brooms by moonlight?"

"I don't know, I'll have to ask my mother sometime." Wren replied. "Have a good... umm.... appointment."

"Thanks, I'll see you later." Oskar flapped his wings off as he was away from the Vampire Academy.

"He's really nice..." Wren looked shyly at Oskar as he flew away.

"Yeah, Oskar's a great student too. Unfortunately he's afraid of blood," Grufftine said. "He'd be the best student in school if he wasn't so squeamish around blood. Do you like blood, Wren?"

"I actually do like the taste of blood." Wren giggled. "I had a bloody nose once and some dripped onto my tongue. It tastes like cherry soda with vinegar."

"I wish I could have soda," Klot walked up to Wren with his hands behind his back. "I have something for you though, Wren."

"Really Klot? How sweet." Wren looked down at him.

Klot looked away sheepishly, then handed a black rose to Wren. It looked cold and near death. "I picked this for you. I plucked the thorns from it so it wouldn't hurt you."

"Oh thank you, Klot. That's very sweet of you," Wren took the rose and smelled it. She sighed heavily. "Smells like the undead. I love it."

"You look very pretty tonight, Wren." Klot looked down and shuffled his foot into the pavement. "I look forward to your visit with us."

"Aww... Aren't you just the sweetest?" Wren pinched Klot's cheek.

Klot giggled at that. Once Wren let go, he walked off back to play with Ashley a little bit more. Wren smiled and she figured maybe being at the Vampire Academy wouldn't be so bad from now on.