...And a scent that smells like winter ice-cream is as nostalgic as a her.

~Virgil Glancing at the gargoyle statue by her desk, I tapped my finger lightly on the table. This place hasn't changed at all, it was as though just yesterday when I graduated and left.

"Here's your room key and your luggage...the usual," came a monotonous yet calm voice one that gave no room for buts. With that, I stood up and left her office. Nothing has changed ever since I left the academy. Everything was as I remember, but I still decided to have a tour around the building, and that's when I heard a faint whistle. Only one place can make this kind of noise, the gymnasium.

A subtle smile subconsciously made its way to my lips. I missed those days and my favorite part was the swimming pool. There's something mysterious about the water in the pool, not any other pool but the Shadowthorne pool.

The mature vampire in me craved a swim. Even from afar, I could still get the scent of chlorine on the water in the pool. I stealthily marched towards the huge mahogany door and pushed. There I stood, at the entry of the grand hall.

I thought it'd be the usual but surprisingly, I received glances from the few students who were resting at the side of the pool. It was at this moment that I caught a whiff of a fragrance. Judging from this scent, it can't be a normal human. All students who join STA aren't of the human race. They're either vampires or werewolves.

However, judging from this fragrance, I am not sure. I also wondered if others could smell it. Addictive. That's how I could best describe it.

My body subconsciously followed the source of it and by the time I got a hold of myself, I was standing at the edge of the pool.

Suddenly, I caught sight of a female silhouette under the water. I didn't give it a second thought as I briskly jumped into the water. I swam deep towards the figure and saw her drowning. However, I admired her will to hold her breath for so long. Maybe she was a vampire after all.

Upon reaching her up close, I could only come up with one word. Stunning. She was a total head-turner and I was sure that she received gazes from the other boys, and somehow, I was feeling strange about it. It didn't feel good.

The moment I met her almond-shaped red ruby orbs, she blacked out suddenly. I quickly caught her and gave her a mouth-to-mouth breath, but she wasn't responding. I quickly swam us upwards.

Reaching the edge of the pool, I met the concerned gaze of the couch.

"Quickly, take her to the nurse’s station," the coach said as his eyes took in my wet appearance.

"And get changed as well," he continued with still dripping concern in his tone.

Since I enrolled in the academy as a transfer student, my uniform was a bit different from the rest. While the rest wore those black attires, mine was black and grey. It's the uniform they came up with for transfer and special students.

Being a good student or portraying to be one anyway, I heeded the coach's instructions and took her out of the gymnasium. However, I didn't feel like taking her to the sanitarium. So I briskly took her to my room. I called for a female doctor to help her change her swimming gear to a bathrobe.

I smoothly laid her on the decent-sized bed assigned to me. I gazed at her slightly ashen face and I admired her beauty. She was simply too beautiful to ignore. However, the more I inched closer to her, the more her scent invaded my nostrils, making my senses stop functioning for a while.

Her sweet scent would ruin anybody, and now I understand why STA had the words "Keep distance" in its motto. The platinum blonde hair of hers shone brightly under the light from the chandelier. It didn’t look unnatural like how most people liked to dye theirs. No, she was a pure blonde.

Being a vampire, I hated the sun for a reason, I couldn't withstand it. My skin is still full of those faded scars caused by the sun's heat and lucky for us, the academy was built in such a way that the sun doesn't reach us. We could walk in the sun just like any other creature, just not for long periods of time.

Now that I got a glimpse at her face, she did have that typical pale skin of a vampire. Blocked from the access of sunshine, it became a bit paler. Nonetheless, she was still beautiful. Her scent though, wasn't that of a vampire. One might be wondering how, but vampires do have a common scent. Decayed blood, death, old age; these were the scents of a vampire. This common scent allows them to notice each other. Not in terms of recognizing one's chosen other.

Soon enough, she stirred in her sleep as her long lashes fluttered like a butterfly, it was simply adorable. She gazed blankly at the ceiling and soon her gaze turned to me. She looked perplexed.

Immediately she sat straight on the bed.

"You're awake?" I uttered.

I felt like taunting her a little, "Did you see what's under the water? That shadow?"

Shock marred her face as she sharply looked at me. She was quite cautious, and somehow, I felt relieved. I wondered why, though.

"I-I have to go, now," she stuttered, something I found amusing.

Before I could even reach her, she immediately fainted which meant carrying her to the infirmary. The doctor in there gave me the chills, and that’s coming from a vampire. Doctor Mortimer Graves could send even a zombie running for the hills, that’s how creepy he is.

That's when everything came crashing down and bringing me back to reality. Yes, now I get it, why her scent is so alluring, I have to kill her.