Zea was walking across the campus in the night.  She went under a blue-green structure that had the words, “Sather Gate,” emblazoned in bronze across the top. In her arms were a few heavy books and a binder. She regretted not bringing a backpack. 

“Now where is that class,” she thought. She had stopped and attempted to take out the map of the campus she had in her pockets, when a bump from behind sent her books flying out of her hands.

“Watch it,” she snarled. She bit back showing her fangs when she bent down to pick up one of her books. Who had the nerve to run into her considering how open the area was and the lack of people?

“Uh, a thank you?” drawled the woman. She picked up one of the books and handed it to Zea.

The woman came up to Zea’s eyes and had long dreadlocks that were pulled to one side of her head with a vibrant purple scrunchie. Her striking golden eyes stood out of her dark skin and the rainbow gradient eyeshadow made them so much more unforgettable. Hot pink lipstick graced her curled lips. She wore a Greek letterman  jacket which told Zea that the woman was in a sorority.

Zea glared at the woman as she snatched the book and then picked up the last one. “I was expecting an apology,” she responded.

The woman lifted a dark eyebrow and pursed her lips. “I was trying to help you.” She then slapped the books out of Zeas’ hands. 

“Hey,” started Zea.

“Pick it up yourself, nerd,” said the woman.

Zea grinded her teeth as she watched her walk away, having decided that the woman was not worth going after. She picked up her books and continued with her journey.

It wasn’t long until she arrived at her destination. Her class was in a concrete building and it had an auditorium. The seats inclined down to a center where there was a podium and a projector. 

Zea slipped into the back most seats that were the nearest to the exit. She wanted to be inconspicuous and leave as soon as she could. The fewer people asking her questions, the less chance any humans would discover that she was a vampire.

Not that she had many incidents before in her past. There were only a handful of humans, allies and friends, who knew of her true nature currently. Though she wondered if they were ever bothered by it?

There was sort of unspoken rule or maybe pure convenience that the supernaturals like her kept to themselves from the regular humans if they could. Other vampires, especially those seating on the councils and those high in the vampiric hierarchy, kept a few humans as pets, companions or made deals with them to do business on their behalf in the daylight in exchange to being turned. But despite all of that, somehow, they’ve managed to keep vampires in the midst of legends and myths.

  Even the hunters who, despite being human too, kept to this code of secrecy. She had hypothesized for them it was so that idiotic vigilante humans not get themselves killed. Still, maybe it was fear or was there something else for this secrecy?

Zea’s thoughts were cut short when a shy woman with short bob hair with thin streaks of gray hair, sat a few seats from her. She did not like that as she was hoping she’d be alone in her row. A few more people arrived before the professor appeared with a book and a manila folder under his armpit.  After a few minutes the professor started a roll call and spoke into the mic that was on the podium.

“Zea Hiltebrant?” called out the professor.

“Here,” Zea said and quickly raised her hand.

The professor called a few more names. Zea’s seat neighbor was called toward the end with the professor horribly mangling the woman’s last name. The now not-so-shy woman was quick to correct the professor.

“Corrine Marie Vitali,” repeated the professor tiredly. “Was that correct?”

“Yes and I am here,” said Corrine.

Zea observed the woman’s crows feet at the corner of her eyes. If she had to guess, the woman was in her forties. Now she was not a person to judge as she was over two hundred years old, but it wasn’t common to see a human of that age attend an undergraduate class from her experience of having been a professor once before.

The professor continued with the roll call. At the end, there were two people who were not accounted for: Selene Leon and Roberta Langley. The professor called them again before grunting.

“Well, I guess if they don’t show up tonight, I will have two spots open for drop ins,” said the professor. “Alright, the TAs will hand out the syllabus. I’ll give a few minutes for everyone to read through it before I go over. Please save your questions at the end.” The professor was so tired.

When Zea got the syllabus and scanned it, she frowned. Most of the topics to be covered she already knew. Technically she did teach a similar class a few decades ago in Stanford but, assuming her latest identity, she was a sophomore transfer student majoring in aerospace engineering. For her to take the more advanced classes, she needed to take this class. 

She had gotten her notepad from her binder and started to write her name and date, when she felt someone had taken a seat right next to her.

“Well,  nice to see you again,” said the newcomer.

Zea nearly snapped her pen into two. She recognized the voice. She looked up to see the newcomer was the sorority she had bumped into earlier! She wanted to move but the professor spoke.

“Ah, young lady that just came in. What’s your name so I can mark you here?” called out the professor.

“Selene Leon,” the sorority answered.

“Please look at your neighbor's syllabus and after I am done going over it, come meet me so I can give you a copy,” said the professor. “Alright, let’s begin. My name is David Anderson. I will be your professor for the next few weeks....” The professor droned on.

“Hey,” whispered Selene to Zea. 

Zea ignored Selene as best she could.

“Hey,” repeated Selene. 

Zea crossed her legs and turned away. She pretended to take notes, but a tap on the shoulder, a chuckle and what Selene spoke next the vampire could no longer ignore.

“Hickies,” smirked Selene. “I am surprised. I did not think a nerd like you, well, would have some.”

Zea pulled up her collar and tried her best to cover her heck. She had thought she had covered them up. She could feel heat moving from her cheeks to the tip of her ears.

“Shhh, Professor still talking!” Corrine hushed.

Selene rolled her eyes. She tapped her pen lightly on Zea’s syllabus. “You good with this stuff?” she whispered.

“If I answer, would you stop talking to me?” Zea whispered back.

“Depends,” said Selene. She craned her neck to read the top of the vampire’s notebook. “Zea, would you like me to say please? Also, it’s kind of weird to write your name on top of your own paper.”

“It’s in case I lose it,” Zea said. She ran the many outcomes and the many reasons why this woman continues to bother her. The most likely situation was that Selene was looking at her to help with homework and tests. “If you have trouble with this, there are tutoring services on campus,” she advised. She looked over to Corrine and noticed that the no-so-shy woman had a cross gold chain. “Or ask other classmates.”

“Shhhh!” Corrine glared at them but this time her voice carried down to the podium.

The professor, mid-speech, used his manila folder to point at Corrine. “Is there something you wanted us to know, Ms. Vitali?”

“Oh, sorry. No, professor!” answered Corrine. She slunk back into her seat.

The professor continued.

Zea was glad that for the rest of the hour, Selene kept to herself. The moment the class ended, Zea quickly slipped away. She looked back momentarily and was relieved that Selene had gone down to meet the professor. She didn’t want that woman, who seem the type, to follow her and ask her more stupid questions.

The vampire headed for the botanical gardens. Aside from attending the first day of class, she was also here on campus to check on her secret garden that she had made many decades ago. There was something there she had been growing for eighty years.

Chattering from the campus dormitories had perked her ears. Zea slowed herself as she listened in, extending her hearing to vampiric range. Her black eyebrows knitted. A body was found. 

She turned to the dormitories and watched the police roll out yellow caution tape. Many students in their pajamas stood by and some of them were crying. One of them uttered a name she recognized.

Roberta Langley had been murdered.

Now the murder rate in the city, despite supernatural beings such as herself have nestled into human society for so long, was mostly caused by humans to themselves. Her own vampire house has many strict rules whom they can kill and not kill for various reasons. They had to have these rules or risk the Order, a group of supernatural exterminators, deciding to meddle in the city and that would give her a giant headache.

Zea continued listening to the police gossiping. She heard many words like “freshman,” “throat slit” and “jewelries gone.” The police had concluded that it was a robbery gone wrong somehow.

“Poor girl,” Zea said under her breath. Such a young thing and she can only imagine how excited Roberta Langley was for today. However, this was life and it goes on. She wished Roberta that in her next life, that she’d be born and allowed to live out her life. 

Zea walked on, taking her time strolling to her destination. 

When she arrived at the botanical garden, there was a small man with a slight hunch standing at the gate. This man was the old gardener and he was tugging on a lock when she quietly stopped right behind him. Before she could clear her throat in a way to get his attention, he whipped around. 

The old gardner smiled warmly at her and outreached his leathery hand for her to shake. “It’s been a really long time,” he said.

“I believe the last time we met was 1934?” said Zea as she grasped the old gardener’s hand, shook and let go. “You don’t look a day older,” she joked.

The old gardener laughed. “Oh, you,” he crackled. “Fifty years is but a wink for you. Also comes in handy when you want to see a flower that blooms once every eighty years.”

Zea nodded. “Indeed.” At one point of her everlasting life, she had drifted into a bout of restlessness that was so typical of her kind. After getting advice from her sire on how to deal with the restlessness, she took on this hobby, growing rare plants with ridiculously long blooming cycles.

Zea let her smile show her fangs. “I am going to check on my flower,” she said. 

The old gardener nodded but his eyes had gone stony.  “About that,” he said. “A  lady earlier today asked about it.”

The vampire raised an eyebrow. Other than the old gardener, no one knew of her flower, let alone it’s secret place in the botanical garden. “It could be a coincidence,” she started. Afterall, the botanical garden was open to the public. Maybe someone found her flower by accident?

“Well, she was quite persistent to know who it belonged to,” said the gardener. “I didn’t tell her.”

Zea pursed her lips. “I see. Did she say why she wanted to know?”

“No, she left quickly before I could,” answered the gardener, but he quickly added. “I just got that feeling about her....” 

“Maybe she is also interested in the Queen of the Andes,” she chuckled. “Get some rest. You look tired and maybe it’s getting to you.” The last part she said it as gently as she could. She had lived long enough to see family and friends grow old and sometimes their minds aged too.

The old gardener let out a sigh and nodded. “Perhaps, you are right.” He patted Zea on the shoulder. “Take care. It’s going to bloom in two days.” Then he pressed a set of keys into Zea’s hand. “You can leave them on my desk in my office.” 

Zea watched the old gardener leave her. When he went out of her view, she used the keys and entered the garden. Once inside, she went straight to her greenhouse. 

In the greenhouse, she marveled at what started as a little seed from a plant known as the Queen of the Andes. It had grown to a seven feet behemoth and resembled a cross between a hairless cactus and a venus flytrap. 

She approached and touched her flower fondly. Soon, she will finally see it bloom. She wondered if she should use her polaroid instant camera that she was gifted to by Talia and take pictures to capture the moment. Better, yet, if she can use a video camera she has gotten from a good friend. She was about to decide, when she heard the sound.

At first Zea had thought it was a small rodent that sometimes came from the side of the hill where the garden was located, but the next sound, a sharp inhale, told her it was a human. Quickly she took one of her pens from her front pocket, twisted off the cap to reveal it was a knife, and threw it through a glass pane of the green house.  The throw was perfect. The pen punched through the pane without shattering it.

Then she rushed out. Her eyes glowed red as she used her vampiric night vision to see only her pen was embedded on the door of the tool shed nearby. She went over to the shed and retrieved it.

There was a knick of blood on the blade of the pen and her nostrils burned from its holy tainted scent. “Hunter,” she snarled as a glint of a golden cross necklace on the ground caught her attention. This wasn’t the first time she had seen the necklace.