Chapter 8

“I see, ‟ said the vampire thoughtfully, and slowly he walked across the room towards the window.” The old professor scanned the crowded lecture hall from behind a dark brown wooden lectern. “How many of you can tell me what book starts like that? Raise your hands.”

Perched on a comfortable cushioned seat in the top row of the amphitheater-style classroom, Leesa recognized the quote. She looked down on a sea of raised hands, amazed at how many seats were filled. Close to a hundred kids, she guessed, twice as many as in her other classes. Except for her row, which was only about half full, there were few empty seats. To her left, a group of seven or eight guys and girls clad in black were clumped together in the back two rows. Two wore white makeup on their faces, and the rest were exceedingly pale. You didn't see many full-fledged goths nowadays, but she wasn't surprised they were drawn to this class.

This was the class she had so looked forward