The surprise gift;

Chapter 5:

[RENEE's POV]

I find myself standing in the middle of nowhere trembling with cold when a cool breeze brush past me. As I desperately look around, darkness and an eerie silence surround me.

Where am I?

As I try to figure out, the clouds in the sky clears making way for a bright full moon. The moon casts its light revealing a dense forest. Sounds of footsteps from afar reach my ears. The sound is approaching me making each step much clearer than the previous one. A silhouette emerges out of the dark woods. As the figure gets closer, her face becomes more visible.

Its ME!!

I'm desperately running away from something as I pant and gasp for air. Fear evident on my face. I keep running as if my life is at stake. Soon the scene changes. I'm in somebody else's arms, unconscious. There is this mark on the right side where my shoulder and neck meet... specifically a bite mark, blood oozing out of it. The shape of the mark imprinted on my neck was like a crescent moon. That is when my attention turns to the person holding me. A boy of my age who is inhumanly handsome like a divine being. Skin as pale as moonlight. Eyes as red as ruby which held desperation and need. His silky black hair was pulled back with an elastic band, a few stray locks dangling just below his chin. And his pearly white teeth elongated into... fangs!? with blood dripping from them... My blood!!!

I wake up with a loud gasp, completely drenched in sweat. My body is visibly shaking from the nightmare I just saw. My heart pounding in my chest, so fast that it could pop out any moment. I know what this meant.

It's a... Vision!!Why!? Why now!? I thought I'll never see them again. Then why now!? Has my time come? Is this how it's going to end? Vampire... He's a vampire...

My thoughts running wild as I sat there in utter fear and confusion. Different emotions that I didn't knew existed in me hit me like a wave crashing the boulders. My breathing gradually shortened and soon I was out of air. My face pale as sheet and my head completely numb. I started taking deep breaths and tried to calm myself down. But no, it was not working. It was as if there was a tight knot around my lungs blocking any air to enter. Reaching for my bag, I rummaged through it. After a desperate search, I found what I was looking for. Shaking the inhaler, I removed its cap and pumped the contents twice in my mouth. A wave of relief washed through me as my breathing got steady.

I sighed and got up from my bed. That was when I took a proper look at my room. It was a pretty big and decent room. There was a full-body mirror near the door. Two beds were attached to make a big, comfy bed. A nightstand stood by the side of the bed with a jug of water. To the other side of the bed was a wardrobe with 2 double-doors. Next to the wardrobe, there was another door. Probably the bathroom. To the opposite side, there was a study table and a bookshelf attached to the wall beside it. There was a big window next to it.

I opened the window and a gush of air blew on my face making my hair flutter around. Outside the window dense forest spread far, far across the land until where my eyes could reach. The forest reminded me of granny.

Granny! The box!!

Before leaving, Papa handed me a wooden chest box along with a letter and a tiny keepsake bundle," The package arrived the other day. It's from your grandma. Open it when you get there. "

I turned around and looked through the luggage piled at a side. I found an ancient chest made out of Rosewood. My fingers slowly caressed the chest, as lovely memories of her returned to me. I looked at the forest behind and then at the chest in my hand. Suddenly, I got a wonderful idea.

Let's go sight-seeing in the forest!!

I stood up; grabbed my towel and other necessities and rushed to the bathroom. After finishing my business, I came out of the bathroom wrapped in towel. I noticed a clean set of uniform on my bed- that wasn't there before- along with a brochure and a note. I took the note and read-

" Hope you had a good rest. I've got some urgent matters to look into. Hence, I'm leaving this uniform here. I'll be expecting you at the dining hall for lunch.

-Belle"

I kept the note on the table and took the uniform. It was a perfect fit.

How do they know my size?

Shrugging, I took the brochure. The first 3-4 pages were filled with the history, architecture, yada-yada of the academy. The next page had the rules for students. Let me tell you, there was a hell bunch of rules. I made a mental note to go through them later as I was not in a mood to go through it at the moment.

Keeping the paper on the table, I turned to fix my hair. Oooookay! Now this is gonna take some time. My hair was a complete mess. It basically looked like a crow's nest which cuckoo would choose to lay eggs. And grooming it back to normal is the most hectic work. I took the comb and started brushing it with full force. Anybody looking at me now will think I'm pulling my hairs out. After what felt like hours- but actually 15mins - my hair was back to normal. I left it to flow freely behind me with just a few strands braided at the right. Even though it's difficult to maintain, I love my hair a lot. My granny took great care of it when I was small. At that small age itself I had them to my hip level. Now it's to my thigh level, black and shiny. Happily, I took the chest (let's not forget the keepsake bundle and the letter now) with me and headed out.

After climbing down the stairs, rather than heading straight to the main doors of the dorm I turned to my left and walked through the hallway. There were students here and there in little, groups all in uniform, chatting with each other. As soon as they saw me their chatters turned into hushed whispers. I was too engrossed in the exciting adventure I'm about to do to care to notice them. I reached a door. Hoping for my guess to be true, I turned it open. As suspected, it was a door to the woods. I had simply guessed it after looking at the map. To think I had such a good intuition.

Heh! I'm so proud of myself.

I stepped out into the woods with a little happy dance and squeal in my mind. It's been awhile since I've been this excited about something. So, I'll enjoy it as much as I can!!