Sarah felt like she was falling. First along a snow-covered mountain then through the air and then through the wooden roof of a building. When she hit the ground, she woke up with a start covered in sweat. Sasha didn’t stir she looked out the window and it was still dark. Her movement had wakened Sir Gallant whose twitchy nose was sniffing her direction. She touched his head and scratched with her index finger. He pushed against it.

“Just a dream brave Sir Gallant.”

She glanced at her holo-tablet’s wristband. Still the middle of the night. She laid back down after hitting her pillow a few times. Sir Gallant hopped down and nuzzled against her nose and patted her cheek with his front paw he hopped backed up and vanished into his enclosure. Sarah closed her eyes. When she drifted off another dream took hold of her. It was far different than any before it. She felt like she was in a different body. Her whole body was tingling. She was completely inexperienced when it came to actual physical intimacy so she had no basis for comparison but whatever was going on it felt really good. When she opened her eyes and looked towards the sensations, she saw a pair of magenta eyes looking back up at her and Amee’s mischievous smile pop up from between her thighs. Amee looked older. Her hair was longer. The older version of Amee crawled over top of her, her knees between Sarah’s thighs. She spoke, it was her friend’s voice.

“We should have done this a thousand years ago.”

Their lips met, their breasts pressed against each other, and Sarah was pulled out of the dream by her wrist vibrating. She was breathing heavily and was flush when her eyes fluttered open. Her bed felt wet and she thought at first she’d missed a queue to get to the washroom during the night but then when she looked it was blood, not a large amount but enough she let out a squeal of panic. Her half-asleep brain not being able to process what she was seeing. It didn’t take long for Maria to open the door. Sasha was still completely asleep and didn’t notice. Sarah covered herself up quickly. After glancing around the room Maria spoke quietly.

“Is everything alright Sarah?”

“Fine, everything is fine.”

“Did you hurt yourself? I smell blood.”

Sarah clutched her blanket to her chest. She felt her cheeks burning.

“I’m fine!”

Maria blinked a few times then stroked her crucifix as she spoke.

“Oh, I see. I will get Amee. She will know what to do.”

Sarah shook her head furiously her voice was a harsh whisper.

“No! Definitely not Amee.”

“It is a normal part of being alive, I do not understand how it is embarrassing. I am also not equipped to assist with this, I do not get my period. I am dead. I have no memory of them from my mortal life. Would you rather I speak to Ms. Sheppard?”

“Umm… just… Please I will sort this out. Thanks!”

Maria nodded.

“If you need me, I will be in my room.”

Sarah kept clutching her sheet to herself. Her hands were shaking. Normally she would have loved to ask Amee to help her with her predicament. After that dream she just felt awkward. She felt no attraction to other women. Not even the slightest but that dream was intense. It also felt like it had actually happened. Every sensation, every touch. Her face had lost the blush but as she recalled the dream, she became flush again. How was she ever going to look at Amee the same way? She could never ever tell her, nope, way too embarrassing.

She lifted the sheet and looked at the carnage so to speak. She thought it was supposed to be drops not…this. Her underwear were ruined. She’d desperately wanted to start developing but she didn’t even take in to account what it would really mean. Tears dripped down her cheeks. She suddenly wished her mother was just next door and could help her. Tell her it’s alright. She took a deep breath, grabbed her bathrobe, a fresh pair of underwear and rushed to the bathroom. Under normal circumstance she would be panicking right this very second, but it occurred to her, she wasn’t. She was freaked out, uncomfortable and embarrassed but she was not panicking. She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Maria was right, this was normal, this was part of being a woman.

Sarah looked around the shared bathroom, she hopped one of her room mates had left something in here that could help her out. She’d borrow and apologize later. They’d understand. Sasha didn’t have anything stored here yet. Maria wouldn’t have any. Amee had six different kinds of shampoo and conditioner. A fortune in cosmetics but absolutely nothing of use for Sarah’s current predicament. Kerri was her last chance before toilet paper.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Kerri had a collection. Which was her next challenge. She wasn’t completely uneducated in such things, but her mother had never had the talk with her. She picked up the box labeled tampons and pulled one out and turned it every which way. Then she looked at the instructions on the box and immediately shook her head furiously. She replaced the tampon and put the box down. She lifted up another box, then another. They all looked so big. There was another that looked fairly thin. She looked between them. Sarah jumped when she heard a woman’s sigh of annoyance then then heard a voice.

“Jesus kid! Just pick one and go with it. It’s not like you’re painting the Mona Lisa here.”

Sarah dropped the panty liner box she’d been inspecting and looked around quickly.

“Who is there?”

She received no answer. Once she caught her breath and the adrenaline the sudden scare had released subsided she leaned down and picked up the box and pulled a liner out.

“Oh my god, not that one. I thought having to sit through high school for a third time was going to be torture… this is a whole new level. Do you want to be the girl who leaves blood everywhere you sit? A panty liner? How long would that last? Ten minutes?”

Sarah dropped the liner she’d pulled out along with the box as she looked around fervently again.

“Come out! I’m warning you.”

Sarah once again received no answer. After several minutes and a thorough search of the bathroom and the common room she picked up the box of liners and replaced the one she’d dropped and reached moderate flow ones. She wrapped her fingers around one of the pads and looked around hesitantly hearing no further voices she pulled it out and went about putting it on her underwear.

“Why would you think the sticky side goes up? In what world does that make sense? We’re doomed. Everyone is completely fucked.”

Sarah jumped for the third time but managed not to drop anything this time. She looked around again. Then she rushed to the mirrors and started feeling along the side of them. Then repeated the same thing everywhere she could think. After another fruitless search she gingerly flipped the pad over and wrapped the wings around and pulled her underwear on. She got dressed and ready for her morning workout routine. She took her pill and chalked the voices up to lack of sleep or she was still dreaming. Either way she just got on with her day because staying in the room would mean running into Amee and she was in no way emotionally ready for that.

As Sarah jogged towards the athletics compound her memory kept flashing back to her dream. It was so strange and so real. Like it had already happened but Amee was her age, not some adult. She was so distracted she barely remembered the conversation with Misha about Sasha. She rushed through her work out and her shower so she could get through breakfast without running into Amee. That was the plan, but like she told Richard once, no plan survives first contact with the enemy… She was halfway through a bowl cereal then Amee, Maria, Sasha and Kerri sat down. She jumped when Amee spoke to her. Spilling some her milk on her tray.

“What’s up Sarah? Maria said you had a bad night?”

Sarah’s cheeks became flush. Whether it was from remembering the dream, or the fact she was embarrassed by the mess that had happened in the morning she couldn’t tell. She quickly picked up her tray and mumbled a response and rushed off. Leaving her roommates looking at each other in confusion. She decided to catch the early train to introduction to magic. At least she wouldn’t see Amee there, Maria and Kerri would be there though. Either way she could skip the awkward train ride. Unfortunately leaving so early would mean she was alone in the train. That would mean her phasing stalker might show up. In the end avoidance of an uncomfortable conversation with Amee won out over fear of the boy showing up.

Sarah glanced around the underground station nervously. No voices, or strange boys to be seen. She was just sighing with relief when her fears came to fruition. She saw him shimmer into existence. She glared at him.

“Go away! You stalker bawbag. They can track you now you know!”

He did his trademark half-smile/half-smirk that made her heart flutter. His presence made her memories of the dream evaporate. Why did he have this power over her?

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“That’s nice.”

“You’ll be expelled!”

He laughed. It made her weak in the knees.

“If I went to the school that might frighten me, Sarah.”

Sarah did her best to look away from him. Her head was swimming in hormones. She hopped on the train as soon as it arrived. He appeared and sat on the bench in front of her. He had his uniform jacket off now and his sleeves rolled up. He leaned back and hung his elbows over the back of the bench. Sarah couldn’t believe the audacity of the boy.

“You’re in a school full of vampires, supers and mages, how can you be so… arrogant? Calm? They’ll catch you and throw you on Earth-18!”

He laughed again she felt her heart fluttering in her chest and she crossed her legs self-consciously.

“I assure you they are no threat to me.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because an Archangel made my new body, and Odin fused me to her blade of light. I am of the Gods.”

“You’re insane, why are you obsessed with me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Sarah was fairly calm now. She’d come to the realization that had the boy wanted to harm her in some fashion he could have done it any number of times. Like phasing her half through the train or what not. She was calm right up until she heard the woman’s voice again.

“Just tell her already Lucius. You arrogant prick! Quit playing with her emotions. Gah. You were always such an ass. How we ended up soulbound!”

Lucius started looking around when Sarah jumped in her seat. He held up his hands.

“Slow down. I will never hurt you.”

“Did you hear her?”

“Hear who?”

“That woman! She’s… rude.”

Lucius reached out his hand and put it on Sarah’s. She felt the spark again. Like they were meant to be like this, together, hand in hand. She let their hands touch and linger. She didn’t even notice the train stop. She heard bootsteps rush on the train. She snapped her hand away. It was a full group of the special forces soldiers that acted as a multi-national security force for the school. Misha was at their head. They had their assault rifles pointed at the spot Lucius was sitting in. Sarah froze she was suddenly back in the police station with bullets flying at her. The train started to shake around them. She didn’t notice the men and women of the security force being shoved aside, she didn’t notice much of anything until she was looking up at Helen who was holding her cheeks. Lucius looked Helen up and down. He spoke.

“Vampire. Nice. Young though. She yours?”

Sarah’s eyes flicked to him. Helen spoke.

“He’s here, you can see him?”

Sarah lifted her hand and pointed at Lucius. He waved at her.

“He’s right there, waving at you.”

Misha waved a device up and down that looked half-magical and half-tech.

“The disturbance is here.”

Helen waved her hand in the area where Lucius occupied, and it passed right through him to Sarah’s perspective. Helen shivered as her hand passed through it but couldn’t really make contact.

“I can feel him here, but… I can’t see or touch him.”

She stepped between Sarah and where Lucius had been pointed out and she started to move her hands in patterns and she cast a spell. There was a flicker of the train lights and a wave of energy. Lucius yawned.

“She’s talented, but she’s no Mariana, and no you. Please tell me she’s not teaching you magic. Mariana, now I might actually be scared of her.”

Sarah recovered from her flashback to the police station where she was shot and was starting to get angry again.

“Stop being so cryptic and tell me why you are here!”

Lucius flipped his hands up.

“I wish I could, I wish I could, but technically I was ordered to keep all of this secret. I was hoping I’d jog your memory… you know then I could tell you, but I wouldn’t need too. You kind of put me in an impossible situation. Which is so typical of you. Let’s admit it, sometimes you fail to think through the consequences of your words and actions.”

The assembled security team looked between Sarah and whatever she was speaking too. Sarah was right pissed off now. She stood up and started wagging her finger in Lucius’s direction.

“That makes no bloody sense! If I ordered you to keep it secret, why can’t you tell me?”

“Because you’re not you yet.”

“She was right, you are an arrogant prick and an arse! At least tell me what the runes say!”

Lucius blinked at her.

“What runes, dear?”

Sarah threw her hands up and screamed softly.

“I just want to punch you!”

“Hmm, maybe you are remembering now.”

“Go! Go away!”

Lucius sighed.

“As you wish.”

He vanished. The device that Misha was holding that had been making a racket since he arrived went silent. He glanced between Sarah and Helen. Helen spoke.

“It’s gone, whatever it is. Obviously magic had no effect.”

Sarah grabbed her bag angrily. Helen motioned for the team to move.

“We should get off; We’re going to set the whole day of classes off schedule if we keep the station locked down. It’s gone no point now.”

Sarah was almost off the train when she felt Helen’s hand on her upper arm. Sarah stopped on the platform.

“Ms. Aurelius I’m going to be late for class.”

Helen nodded.

“We need to talk after class, I need to know everything about the boy. What he has said, what he looks like. I’ll teach you a spell.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Helen released Sarah.

“Sorry you’re having to deal with this, especially today.”

Sarah blinked at her.

“What’s so special about today?”

Helen smiled.

“Don’t worry about it, just part of growing up.”

Sarah blushed profusely and hurried up the stairs. Being in a school with vampire teachers and at least one student was going to be embarrassing. She couldn’t even have her first period in peace. Misha watched Sarah go then looked at Helen. He spoke in Russian.

“What next, ma’am?”

“I’ll need to talk to my sister. This is beyond my power. Carry on with your usual day. Keep track of any more sightings.”

Misha nodded and motioned for the security team to follow him. Helen flipped out her holo-tablet and sent a message to her assistant teacher to start the training without her. She sighed and stepped onto the next train. By the time she reached Eyre’s office Carly was already there. Helen closed the door behind her and sunk into the chair beside Carly with a defeated huff. Carly and Eyre looked at her expectantly. Helen threw up her hands.

“This is on you Eyre, or we’ll need to call in a specialist. My imprisonment spell did nothing. We know for certain Sarah’s not crazy though. The spectral scanner was going crazy. I felt him with my hand, it was cold, like I was touching ice.”

“Did you sense ill-intent?”

Helen shook her head.

“Whatever he, it, wants, its not here to cause any harm, as far as I can sense.”

Carly was watching Eyre intently. Eyre leaned forward leaning her chin on her interlaced fingers.

“How did Sarah react?”

Helen shrugged.

“She was fine until guns were pointed in her direction. Had a bit of an incident I had to stop her. She was getting mad it, whatever it is. She mentioned a woman? Something about she was right and whatever she is talking to was an arrogant prick and an arse.”

Eyre pondered Helen’s words for several seconds then sat up straight.

“We need Maria.”

Carly raised an eyebrow.

“Why do you need a student? What can she do that you can’t?”

Helen glanced at Carly.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Maria can see ghosts and speak to the dead. She’s more than a necromancer. She can open rifts into the deadlands.”

Eyre nodded. Carly opened and closed her mouth a few times.

“Why is she even here. She’s older then the both of you put together and she can do that?”

Eyre shrugged.

“When a two-thousand-year-old vampire that my mother said she was frightened of sometimes and the Imperial Council voted to put to death for building an army of undead and tearing a hole in reality says she wants to go to high school, should I say no? Unlike Helen and I she is the literal daughter of the first vampire. Biological daughter, and he made her. He made my mother. She’s not someone you annoy.”

“And she’s living in my dorm, with my kids?”

Helen motioned dismissively.

“Eyre’s just paranoid, Maria is harmless. At least she doesn’t have antimatter weapons in this timeline.”

Carly nearly fell out of her chair.

“What?”

Eyre gave Helen the evil eye. Helen ignored her and continued.

“In the original timeline before my mother messed with things, Maria was president of Earth and several extra-solar colonies. She built the first faster than light star drive. Was the first captain of an Earth ship to see the light of another sun with her own eyes… First military captain to fight a space battle… She also built two artificial intelligence fighters. One of which made it to Andromeda in like a month. What my sister isn’t telling you is she’s hoping Maria can repeat her feats but she doesn’t want to jinx it by telling her or anyone else for that matter. Truthfully, she’s harmless right now. She wouldn’t hurt a fly, whoever erased her memory turned her into a pacifist. Her ghost protector though… not a pacifist, I recommend not threatening her.”

Carly looked between the two vampires, not sure if they were trying to punk her. Finally, she determined that they were both being honest to their knowledge.

“Okay. So, you think if it’s a ghost she can see it?”

Eyre nodded. Helen snapped her fingers.

“What if it is a spirit?”

Eyre looked at her. Carly spoke.

“Well yea, you just said you want Maria to try and talk to it.”

Helen shook her head.

“No, a spirit. You know.”

Eyre frowned at Helen.

“What my baby sister, who is very ineloquent sometimes, is trying to say it could be a spirit, as in tree spirit, or animal spirit.”

Carly sighed.

“Okay let’s pretend I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Eyre smiled.

“Everything has a spirit. Well everything that people think should have a spirit. So your SEAL pin probably has a spirit associated with it. One of Bravery, or duty… That would explain why your necromancy spell failed. And why Maria never saw it in Sarah’s room.”

Helen nodded.

“We need a werewolf.”

Eyre nodded in agreement.

“We need a werewolf.”

Helen glanced at Eyre, their eyes met. Eyre nodded. Helen spoke.

“Auntie A?”

Eyre nodded.

“She would definitely help.”

Carly held up her hand.

“For the humans from another Earth in the crowd, what are we talking about?”

Eyre smiled at her again.

“Our Aunt is a werewolf, and a vampire. Aunt by marriage.”

“Why a werewolf? Why can’t you just go wiggle your fingers?”

Eyre laughed softly.

“You need to be part spirit to affect spirits. A werewolf.”

Helen stood up.

“I’ll call Uncle Leander.”

“Tell him he’s invited too.”

Helen paused as at the door and glanced back at Carly.

“You might want to have a chat with Sarah.”

“About what?”

“I believe she just got her first period.

“Roger that.”