Chapter 21-The best outcome

Chapter 21: 21-The best outcome

Maisa woke to silence that was heavy. It was a suffocating silence that followed disaster.

For several long moments, she simply stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above her bed, her thoughts sluggish and disconnected.

Pale moonlight filtered through the tightly drawn curtains and painted silver lines across the white plaster.

Somewhere outside her window, the academy had already awakened for another night. She could hear distant footsteps in the corridors, muffled conversations drifting from somewhere beyond the walls, and the occasional ringing of the academy bell announcing the beginning of evening activities.

Her body ached. Every muscle protested as she tried to move. The bruises covering her ribs throbbed with a dull ache. Her shoulders felt stiff and cold.

Her jaw still hurt where Fenwick’s fist had connected, while faint burn marks traced delicate lines across her arms and the lingering evidence of blackblood venom. Though her wounds had healed, for unknown reasons, the wounds still lingered.

Her hand instinctively flew to her throat where the burn was at the worst. "I’m alive..."

The memory struck all at once. The arena, the unexpected beating, the poison of the blackblood, the Princess Varitreya and the white blood she was fed.

Maisa shot upright so quickly that dizziness immediately washed away. A soft voice reached her, "Easy."

She turned and found that Sapphire sat in a chair beside the bed, her dark-red academy jacket folded neatly over her lap. Her usually lively face looked exhausted, with dark circles beneath her crimson eyes suggesting she hadn’t slept much either.

Relief flooded her features the moment Maisa woke. "Oh, thank goodness," she said and hurried to the bedside. "You’ve been unconscious for almost an entire day."

Maisa blinked. "A whole day?"

Sapphire nodded. "Professor Primrose said your body needed time to recover from both the blackblood venom and..." She hesitated. "And the white blood cure."

The room fell quiet again. Maisa looked down at herself. Someone had changed the bloodstained uniform she had worn into a fresh set of academy sleep clothes.

The cuts on her arms had been cleaned and wrapped with white bandages that smelled faintly of medicinal herbs. Someone had even brushed her hair.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. "I remember..."

Fragments flashed before her eyes. Joam forcing blood into her mouth, her body burning alive and Varitreya kneeling beside her. Then, it all went black and nothing more after that.

Sapphire slowly exhaled. "You really don’t remember?"

Maisa shook her head. "I only remember... the Princess..." she paused, looking beautiful out of place by my side, she held back from saying.

Sapphire stared at her for several long seconds before reaching into the pocket of her skirt. She pulled out her phone. "You should probably see this."

Maisa frowned and looked up. "What is it?"

Without answering, Sapphire opened a video. Within seconds, the arena appeared on the screen. Someone had secretly recorded the entire event from the student stands.

Maisa watched herself being beaten mercilessly. Every punch, kick and desperate attempt to stand had been captured, posted and reposted many times.

Her fingers unconsciously gripped the blanket tighter. "I look... pathetic," she mocked herself.

Sapphire immediately shook her head. "You survived and that is the best outcome here."

Maisa barely heard her. Then the recording reached the moment Joam fed her the black blood. She watched herself scream. The sound coming from the phone was somehow worse than remembering it.

Even now, it sounded inhuman, raw and broken. She instinctively covered her ears. "I don’t... I don’t want to hear it."

Sapphire quietly lowered the volume. The video continued, the next second, the entire arena froze. Then, a white blur crossed the screen. Princess Varitreya appeared beside her.

Maisa stared without blinking. Even recorded through a shaky phone camera, the Princess looked unreal.

Her silver hair shimmered beneath the arena lights. Her white uniform flowed behind her as though untouched by gravity. She knelt beside her without hesitation, disgust or even pausing to think.

Then, Maisa watched as the princess bit into her own wrist. Brilliant white blood emerged. The recording zoomed in as every student watching had obviously wanted proof.

The comments flooding across the bottom of the screen moved so quickly that they became impossible to read.

"The Princess gave white blood to a redblood outcast!"

"Impossible!"

"Is this edited?"

"She willingly fed a redblood! Is that even VaritreyaVancrest?"

"Execute the redblood!"

"Protect the royal bloodline!"

"She’s tainted our perfect princess!"

"Kill the human-born!"

Maisa’s breathing slowly became uneven. She watched herself drink the blood from Varitreya’s wrist. She watched herself collapse into Varitreya’s arms and her eyes nearly left her sockets as the Princess lifted her as though she weighed nothing.

Then the recording ended and silence returned to the room. Maisa stared blankly at the black screen.

"Has the video been spread around?"

Maisa knew how it looked. A newbie redblood nobody entering the school and attracting the future head of the vampire nation to not only kneel at her side like they were equals was already social suicide but being fed from the princess’ veins and carried by her was enough to get the nation gunning for her head.

She needed to learn how far the video’s reach was to find a way out for herself. Her eyes focused razor sharp at Sapphire, requesting the truth from her.

Sapphire looked uncomfortable. "It didn’t just spread, Maisa," she said and swallowed. "It went viral."

Maisa looked up. "What?"

"The entire vampire nation has seen it," Sapphire dropped the cruel truth. She meant it when she said that Maisa surviving was the only good outcome of the whole bizarre situation.

Maisa’s stomach dropped. Her breathing grew heavy and her heart twisted painfully. She couldn’t image the repercussions of royals, noble, common and low turned vampires would have to seeing the video. And the thoughts that did seep into her mind left her terrified.

Sapphire continued quietly. "The palace saw it, the noble houses have seen it, the blood council saw it... every vampire academy, city... simply put, every vampire has seen it."

Maisa’s fingers began trembling. "No, that can’t be... the Princess... will she get into trouble?"

Sapphire lowered her eyes. "She already has gotten in trouble."

Maisa froze. "What do you mean?"

"The palace summoned Princess Varitreya immediately after the duel was over."

Maisa’s heartbeat quickened. She didn’t know vampire rules well or how vampire parents issued punishments. However, having grown up in a strict home with expectations heavy on her shoulders. She knew the princess was in for a treat of pain.

"Summoned?" She asked.

Sapphire nodded. "Her confidants went too, Addessa and Medora left with her. They were all ordered to appear before the Queen."

Maisa’s face lost its remaining color. "They haven’t returned?" She inquired, her heart squeezed painfully.

"They haven’t."

"No..." She lowered her head into trembling hands. "This is my fault. Her only sin is saving me. She’s being punished because of me."