The desks in the classroom were arranged in rows of four, all facing the front of the room.

The teacher had not arrived yet, and none of the students were taking their seats. They were clustered together in groups and admittedly I felt a little envious of their happy banter as I took a seat in the front row of the classroom, hoping desperately I was not taking someone else’s desk.

Cathy smiled down at me and then went to join a group of girls standing at the back of the classroom. I glanced across my shoulder at them and noticed one of the girls look at me. Quickly, I turned back and started rummaging through my bag. All I had with me was the piece of paper with my schedule printed on it, a new notebook, two pens, and the sudden bad feeling that everyone at this school knew my family’s secret.

A boy in a seat in the row behind mine, tapped me on the shoulder. “Welcome,” he said when I looked across my shoulder at him.

“Thank you,” I replied with a friendly smile.

His blue eyes sparkled at me, and he wiped his hand through his mop of blonde hair as he introduced himself, “Andrew.”

“Zoey,” I remembered to say as I shifted in my desk to face him.

“You’ll fit in soon enough, don’t worry. Your friend is very outgoing though, unlike you, she’s not waiting for someone to talk to her first. You should take the initiative. Know what I mean?” He smiled even wider. “I remember when I was a new kid here.” He laughed to himself as he recalled a memory. “My parents had just broken up, and I didn’t know anyone, but I made friends quick enough. You’ll be okay, you’ll see.” He flirted, “I could be your friend.”

“Could you just be my friend?" I was surprised to hear a flirting lilt in my own voice.

An easy smile spread across Andrew’s face, and he raised one eyebrow. “And to think I didn’t want the weekend to end.”

I thought of something clever to say, but by the time I was able to get the words straight in my head, the minute-warning bell rang, and all the kids moved to their desks to take their seats.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Andrew sneaking peeks at me. I felt flattered, and nervous, and frustrated. I could not allow myself to go falling head over heels for any boy, not even the boy I saw earlier with the pale skin and black hair. Remember! No close relationships — ever. Close relationships could spell disaster. I could not expect a boy to be honest with me, when I could not even tell him my real name.

I looked over at Andrew, who raised his one eyebrow at me, then brushed his blonde hair away from his piercing blue eyes. He was being nice to me. We could be friends. Maybe that was all I needed, a group of friends, then I would stop feeling quite so obviously out of place.

Maybe then I would actually pay attention to the stern looking teacher who marched into the room and firmly closed the door, and not feel miserable, as a pull of disappointment in my chest made me realise that he was not in this class with me.

Would he be in the next class?

I looked at the board as these thoughts hurried through my mind, and the teacher scribbled something on it, in a barely legible script.

A ball of paper connected with my head and bounced onto the floor beside me, coming to a stop next to my bag.

Nervously, I glanced across my shoulder.

Andrew turned to look at me and gave me a wink.

Behind him I saw Cathy wave her fingers a little and mouth, “Pick it up.”

I bent down to reach for it and then opened it in my lap. “Did you see our schedule? We’re stuck in here. Double Science!!! On a Monday night!!! Can you imagine?”

Quickly I pulled out my schedule to double-check and realized with horror that both my first classes were in this classroom.

I glanced back at Cathy, turning the corners of my mouth down, and she rolled her eyes.

Mr. Mulhern, the teacher, had moved away from the board and was negotiating his way through the room. There was no introduction for the new kids — and I could not decide whether I was glad about that or not. He just dropped course outlines down onto my and Cathy’s desks and when the stapled packet landed in front of me, I leaned forward to have a closer look: Homeostasis. Any self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival. If homeostasis is successful, life continues; if unsuccessful, disaster or death ensues.

A closer look at the stack of papers revealed an impossible reading load. The word, Test, in big, bold letters appeared every fourth-class period, and I almost laughed aloud when I saw the topic of a thirty-page paper we had to write about the similarities between some of the afflictions and illnesses of humans versus the characteristics of a vampire. Thick red circles had been drawn around the assignments I had missed during the first few weeks of school. In the margins, Mr. Mulhern had written: “See me for Make-up Assignments.”

I turned back to look at Cathy sitting two rows back and gave her a horrified look. I would have to get her phone number so I could send her texts on the sly, because this archaic way of note passing was never going to work because my aim was not at all as it should be for passing secret notes.

Ninety excruciating minutes later, we followed the other kids to another classroom where we had a forty-five-minute period of English. The teacher, Mr Thomas, was a stocky man in his late fifties and looked as if he belonged in a sixteenth century novel. He handed me and Cathy each a list with the prescribed reading books for the year, and as I scanned the list, I saw that I had read most of them already.

Andrew was not in this class with us, and neither was the boy I saw earlier.

Eventually the bell rang to signal the end of English, and I followed Cathy to our last class for the night, which was scheduled as Study Hall.

Cathy hooked her arm through mine, as she asked, “So what do you think?"

“It’s a bit harsh having Science first thing on a Monday night.”

Cathy giggled. “Did you see that paper we have to write?”

I laughed. “Vampires! Seriously?”

“That’s what you get for having to go to night school, I guess.” Cathy sputtered out a laugh.

“Yeah, but I guess every mythical attribute of being a vampire can be scientifically explained, if you think about it.”

“It’s not something I want to think about too deeply.”

Something hard bumped against my shoulder, and I turned quickly to see Andrew, who was passing us on his way to the big hall at the end of the passageway. I would have fallen if not for Cathy reaching out to steady me.

“Are you okay?” he asked concerned, but I had the distinct feeling he had bumped into me intentionally. It had not felt like an accidental bump.

“I’m okay. You?”

“Speak soon,” he said as he rushed away.

We followed the crowd into the ruckus of the study hall.

“At least, coming to night school, we only have to be here for three very long hours,” Cathy said. “Not the usual six we’re used to at home.”

I was glancing around the tables, looking for one person in particular. I would feel more at ease if I knew where he was in proximity to me so I could use the last forty-five minutes for its scheduled purpose and not pretend I did not notice him.

Cathy nudged me. “Look, they have vending machines at the back there, and it looks like everyone is snacking on something. I hope they cater for vegetarians.”

I looked at her. “Besides both of us coming from London and being new tonight, we have something else in common.” I smiled. “I’m vegetarian too.”

“You’re a vegetarian too? This is really going to work out just fine. Don’t you find it’s so rare having a friend who is also a vegetarian?”

“It is,” I said as I scanned the room again and then I was looking directly at him, sitting at a table across the room.

I let go of a breath I did not even realise I was holding, as Cathy inched me toward the back of the room and the brightly lit vending machines standing side by side in a neat row.

“You like that guy, don’t you?” She nudged me with her elbow as she whispered the words.

I still felt strange by what had happened when I had seen him for the first time. There was a gravitational pull toward him, which I did not understand, and now I felt it again. I forced myself to look away from his dark eyes, black hair and the smooth line of his jaw. I did not want to be caught staring. It would be horribly embarrassing, especially if he just blew me off again like he did earlier tonight.

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