Rankings and Reckonings

Chapter 5: Rankings and Reckonings

The dining hall emptied slower than it should have, whispers chasing us out like shadows. I caught fragments—“twenty-one,” “new kid,” “queens’ pet”—but I kept my head down, crutches thumping a steady rhythm back to West Tower. The suit queen—Seraphina Locke, I’d overheard someone call her—had wrapped the presentation with a list of do’s and don’ts that boiled down to: Don’t bleed where you’re not supposed to, don’t break the Accords, and don’t think the Bloodmate Board is optional.

We had an hour before first class. “Supernatural History 101,” the schedule on my phone said. As if I needed a reminder that this world was still new to most humans, even five years after the Integration.

Back in room 413, the door clicked shut behind me, and the tension uncoiled like a spring. Kai—the guy with the dreads—was already sprawled on his bunk, earbuds in, but he yanked them out when I hobbled in. Theo, the redhead, was at his desk, fingers flying over his laptop. Jax, the blond buzzcut, leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring at me like I’d stolen his spot in line.

“Twenty-one,” Jax said first, voice flat but edged. “Out of the gate. No one starts that high unless they’re legacy or loaded. You bribe someone, Black?”

I lowered myself onto my bunk, ribs protesting. “Didn’t even know what the board was until last night.”

Kai laughed—low, easy, the kind of sound that cut through bullshit. “Bull. Everyone knows. It’s the whole point of integration here. Top humans get ranked based on ‘compatibility.’” He air-quoted the word. “Vamps pick mates, blood bonds, whatever. The queens run it like a draft pick.”

Theo didn’t look up from his screen. “Not just the queens. Upperclass vamps too. But yeah, the four at the top? They’re the prize patrol. Rules are simple: Rankings update monthly. Points for academics, extracurriculars, ‘social integration’—that’s code for not freaking out around fangs—and whatever mysterious crap the algorithm spits out. Seraphina built the system herself. AI-driven, pulls from campus cams, health scans, even social media if you’re dumb enough to post.”

I pulled out my phone, tapped the Bloodmate app that had auto-installed overnight. My profile stared back: Nico Black, 21st, with a progress bar at 45%. Below it, a breakdown—endurance (high, probably from the car wreck survival), adaptability (medium), “intrigue factor” (off the charts, whatever that meant).

“Penalties too,” Kai added, sitting up. “Fights drop you. Failing classes tanks you. And if you reject a ‘match request’ from a high-tier vamp? Instant demotion. Bottom fifty get reviewed for expulsion if they stay low too long. It’s supposed to ‘foster harmony,’ but it’s really just a popularity contest with teeth.”

Jax snorted. “Teeth that bite. I started at 87 last year. Clawed to 42 by sucking up in sparring club. You waltz in at twenty-one? Makes you a target. Other humans’ll test you. Vamps too.”

The dynamics clicked into place then. Jax was the alpha-wannabe—competitive, quick to jab, probably ranked decent but insecure about it. He’d been eyeing my cast like it was a weakness he could exploit, but there was a grudging respect under the snark, like he was waiting to see if I’d fold.

Kai was the chill one—laid-back, observant, the guy who diffused bombs with a joke. He’d nodded at me during breakfast from across the hall, like we were already cool. Music posters on his wall, a guitar case under his bunk. He didn’t seem threatened; if anything, he looked amused by the whole setup.

Theo was the wildcard—quiet, buried in code, but his eyes flicked up now and then, calculating. “I’m at 15,” he said suddenly, spinning his chair. “Hacked the prelim algo last week. Yours spiked because of your app essay. ‘I’ll do anything even if it kills me’? That flagged as high loyalty potential. Queens love desperation disguised as devotion.”

I leaned back against the wall. “Speaking of queens… who are they? Really?”

The room went quiet for a beat. Jax pushed off the wall, grabbed a protein bar from his desk, and tossed one to me without asking. “Fine. Crash course. They’re the purebloods who stuck around after the Thirteen Families bailed. Each one’s got powers no normie vamp has—old bloodlines, war heroes, all that. They don’t just rule the school; they own it.”

Kai ticked them off on his fingers. “First: Elara Voss. The gothic cowgirl. Outgoing as hell, flirtatious, always got that drawl like she’s from some old Western flick. But don’t let the hat fool you—she’s protective. Like, mama-bear-with-fangs protective. Her power’s empathy projection; she can make you feel whatever she wants. Calm you down or amp you up. Runs the campus events, parties, that stuff. If she likes you, you’re golden. If not… well, good luck sleeping.”

Theo nodded. “Then Liora Kane. Preppy emo vibe—sarcastic, introspective, total artist. Paints in her spare time, writes poetry that could cut glass. She’s got shadow manipulation; can bend darkness like it’s clay. Witty as a whip, but she’s got layers. Broods a lot, questions everything. She’s the one who’ll psychoanalyze you over coffee and leave you wondering if you’re broken or brilliant.”

Jax took over, smirking. “Ravenna Slade. Biker goth. Tough exterior, direct as a punch to the face. Adventurous—leads the outdoor clubs, cliff dives at midnight, that crap. Loyal to a fault once you’re in her circle, but intimidating as hell getting there. Her power? Kinetic absorption. Takes hits and throws ‘em back twice as hard. She’s the enforcer. Cross her, and you’re paste.”

“And Seraphina Locke,” Theo finished. “Tech heiress. Analytical, reserved, genius-level smart. Daughter of that pre-Accords silicon valley vamp who built half the world’s firewalls. She’s all business—suits, spreadsheets, strategy. Her power’s technopathy; talks to machines like they’re pets. Builds drones, hacks systems for fun. Distant at first, but if she warms up, she’s the one who’ll fix your problems before you know you have ‘em.”

I absorbed it all, names slotting into faces from the stairs last night. Elara’s slow smile. Liora’s bored tilt. Ravenna’s neck crack. Seraphina’s clinical scan.

“Why me?” I muttered, more to myself.

Kai shrugged. “Dunno. But twenty-one means they’re watching. All of ‘em.”

Jax checked his watch. “Class in ten. History with Professor Thorne. Don’t limp too slow, twenty-one. Wouldn’t want to drop ranks on day one.”

He clapped my shoulder—hard enough to sting, light enough to be friendly. Theo packed his laptop. Kai grabbed his bag.

We filed out together.

Roommates. Not friends yet.

But in a place like this, that was a start.

And with the queens’ eyes on me, I’d take whatever allies I could get.

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