(Chap 7) Packing Day

     Jessica stood at the doorway of her now empty dorm room looking in, making sure she had carefully packed all of her things. The only stuff left in her room was the furniture, which wasn’t hers to begin with, but everything else of hers fit in two good size luggage bags that she could easily manage on her own. She didn’t have much, seeing how she was an orphan, so the only things she owned were her school books and cloths, which most were her school uniforms. Her eyes scanned the room as she double checked that she had everything, going from her desk to her now empty closet and final to the bed that she had slept on for the past years of her life. Her eyes fell on the headboard of the bed where the fanged tooth hung and contemplated, again, if she should take. After another brief inner discussion with herself she final crossed the room and grabbed it for is hanging place and placed it around her neck then proceeded to tuck it into her shirt for safe keeping. She didn’t know why she was taking it; to her it had no real value or importance, but then maybe she thought it was a symbol of the first time she stood up to a vampire. Whatever it was she didn’t really care, she just knew she was taking it with her on her assignment. She turned around and gathered her two bags, with her sword on her back, and started for the elevators at the end of the hall of her dorm floor. As her walked down the hallway she pasted other students going about their own business: packing, going in and out of rooms, saying good bye, crying, and wishing luck to each other. She headed down to the ground floor where she knew there was a car wanting to take her to the station. No one said a word to Jessica as she walked down the hall alone. No one paid any attention to her at all, but she didn’t care. She stepped into the elevator and faced out watching the other student busily running around with all kinds of noise and voices over powering the floor. The doors slowly started to close in on the scene and she realized she hated all the noise.

     Vaun entered the front door of his house and kicked of his shoes, he was a little disappointed because he had wanted to talk to Jessica, but she had took off after she left the office. So Vaun just went to the lower level storage of the school alone and gathered supplies. It was hard for him because he was hoping to travel light, but not knowing what Jessica packed he was forced to travel heavier than expected. He started to head down the hall of his home, but something caught his focus from the corner of his eye as he pasted a room to the side. The room was a medium sized office which had a large window opposite the wall with the door. There were a few random pieces of furniture scattered around the room, one of which was a desk with a large mirror against one of the walls. There at the desk facing the mirror was Vaun’s mother brushing her long golden locks of hair that so resembled his hair. Vaun cleared his voice and spoke into the room, “I received my assignment today. I will be leaving tonight to investigate some suspected vampire murders.” His mother stopped pushing her hair and placed the brush in her lap, eyes down cast upon it. He knew she wasn’t going to be excited, but he knew that she wasn’t going to say anything about it because he knew she didn’t want him to go. But she knew it was Vaun choice and couldn’t argue against it, but he wished she would say something. He knew what was wrong and couldn’t really blame her because he was the only one left for her and if she lost him she would be alone.

     Vaun’s mother and father were both once slayer, great slayer, that had graduated from Vampuren school with flying colors. They had met a few years after they had graduated for school when they were placed on a mission to work together on a case involving a vampire Alfa. They had falling in love some years later and shortly after mirage they had Vaun. They continued their hunting as a team, which Vampuren supported and as the years went by the duo had received a lot of attention as the number one vampire slayers, especially Vaun’s father. Vaun’s father came from a long and proud family of slayers and as the years past he added more and more to the family legacy. But one day when Vaun was five a group of Alphas attacked Vaun’s father. It was thought that Alpha never worked in groups, but recently it had become more common for them to come together and kill when well known slayers that had been devastating their numbers. Vaun’s father was one of those well known and he was attacked by five Alphas, but he was strong. Vaun remembered when he was told, he was there for his mother the whole time wanting and needing to stay strong for her. The strangers came to the door to speak with his mother and every one sat down while they told Vaun’s mother the details. They said it had been five Alphas and that Vaun’s father was able to kill three on his own before he died. The last two turned on each other and one was killed and the other got away, but was tracked and killed after Vaun’s father was found. Vaun’s mother didn’t cry she just sat there and said she was retiring.

     This is why Vaun knew she wouldn’t say anything, she was torn. She didn’t want to lose Vaun, but she didn’t want the Hellspring name tarnished as cowards. She would support him, but never guide him. Vaun knew that he wanted to make the family name proud and to do that he had to continue the family tradition of killing vampire. Vaun turned to leave for his room to pack, but before he left he heard his mother say, “Your father would be proud, Vaun.” He smiled and turned to her and looked into her big blue eyes. He saw the love and pride she herself felt for him and the strength she showed the day she was told about his father death, “He would be proud of both of us.” said Vaun and went upstairs to pack.