Birds of a Feather

[Clara Chattoway]

Clara’s blood turned to ice at Miss Dragova’s greeting. The words were right; but, the tone and the smile was all wrong. Yes, this girl knew what she was as much as Clara was certain about her. That was hardly surprising. She looked more corpse like than Miss Dragova most of the time. Still...Such a tone? What did Miss Dragova want from her? To discuss their shared nature? Obviously they couldn’t do such a thing here.

“Oh I was just working on an essay,” Clara chirped. “Transfiguration. But it’s not due until the end of the week. We have plenty of time,” she assured her even though she felt she’d like nothing more than to keep her distance. There was something about this girl that scared her. It went beyond being afraid to associate with another of her kind because someone might pick up on the similarities and realize what they were. There was something genuinely frightening about the older student. Although what it was Clara couldn’t put her finger on. Still, she wasn’t one to needlessly burn bridges. And her first instincts might be wrong.

Clara didn’t get the older student’s purpose, not quite yet anyways. But she knew that friendship was the last thing on Miss Dragova’s mind. Her eyes made it quite clear. Maybe not to everyone but Clara was perceptive. And if she really wished to be friends that smile earlier would have been entirely out of place.

She smiled sweetly, eyes once more filling with warm. “Oh I’d love to be friends!” She wouldn’t not at all. Right now she felt the less time she spent with the girl the better. But she wasn’t about to soil her reputation by turning down an offer for friendship. That wouldn’t mesh with her kind and caring but quiet persona.

“We do seem to have quite a bit in common!” She wanted to make it fairly certain that she got it. They were both half-vampires. There was no need for Miss Dragova to be less subtle and say something careless with so many prying eyes and ears about.