Midnight Academy. Born at midnight - стр. 17

“I’ve already graduated from school,” I reminded, forcing myself to stay in place by an effort of will.

It was simply unbearable to want to take even a couple of steps back.

– This is not a school, Sally. This is an academy for Midnighters.

Taking a large burgundy rectangular map from the inside pocket of her jacket, she placed it directly into the open mouth of the stone bat. The mouth instantly closed and opened with a click, leaving two impressive holes on the card. Then the gate next to the gate creaked open.

I was in no hurry to go inside.

“But you yourself said that I’m not like that.” What will I learn here then?

– Everything that I didn’t tell you about, because I recklessly believed that this side would never touch you. But she touched, which means you must be prepared for the fact that our world is not as simple as it seems at first glance. And he won’t find you here,” she was the first to go through the gate.

Without doubting for a moment, I immediately followed her, hoping to finally get an answer to the main question. Clenching my fingers into fists, I felt that the solution was already close.

– Who, mom? Who have we been hiding from all this time?

Silently continuing our way past the working fountain, on which stood an ugly stone gargoyle, she nevertheless responded dully, as soon as we reached the steps of the main building:

– From the Hunter.

But it didn’t become one gram clearer.

“Hey, you seem to be lost in thought,” Nirel touched my hand, pulling me out of recent memories.

Catching the attentive gaze of his green eyes, I directly and unvarnishedly blurted out what I knew about the Midnighters. There were only two theses: for some reason they do not sleep at night and maintain order in the world on both sides.

“Very generalized, of course,” he drawled slightly dissatisfied. – That is, you don’t know anything at all about where you ended up.

“Actually,” I confirmed dully. – We entered the library from one side and left from the other. I thought I had lost my mind.

Having carefully examined me from head to toe, the student made an unexpected conclusion:

– So you are one of the Coming Ones. – But, probably catching the misunderstanding on my face, he added: – From those who came from the world of people. And I’m wondering why your clothes and shoes are so strange. Okay, then let's start with the main thing. Our ancestors were not people.

“Of course, not people,” I agreed, suspecting that we would now plunge somewhere much deeper than the Stone Age. – Everyone knows that we descended from monkeys.

Nirel did not deny this fact:

– Once upon a time – perhaps. But then our ancestors chose a different path. They, Sally, became vampires.

I tried to digest this information. I honestly tried, but even after what I had already learned and seen, I didn’t expect to hear something like that.

Simply because vampires are not superheroes at all. This is a pale, bony likeness of a person, living in a crypt, sleeping in a coffin and not knowing what toothpaste, solarium and manicure are.

“My mother is not a vampire,” I objected, having recovered from the first shock.

Smiling indulgently, Nirel corrected me:

– Not such a vampire as you used to think. Almost none of us have fangs anymore, because the need to drink blood has simply disappeared over the centuries. They don't grow anymore, see? – He showed me his even white teeth. – Now we take away unnecessary emotions from people in a different way.