The vampire, whose face had been bruised, wanted to tattle-tale on what Roman had done to him. But revealing the truth in front of everyone that Roman had stolen his prey, especially when vampire students were allowed to sink their fangs freely during the night of Hallow, would not just send him to the headmistress office but would also end up with a stake in his heart.

  Because letting the humans know about the vampire's existence was not allowed.

  Ms. Piper shook her head and said, "With your face that is bruised to that extent I doubt it will heal in time. Dalton and Jackson, switch places. I need someone whose face isn't swollen."

  Not that Julie wanted to be judgmental, but porcupine didn't have pretty hair. Instead, it looked like a lawn that had been mowed left and right while leaving the middle just as it was. But then, at the same time, she realized Ms. Piper had offered to let her keep the role of Iris Turner.

  "Everyone who has to practice their stage acts today, move near the stage," instructed Ms. Piper, and she made her way towards the front side of the stage where chairs had been placed. "The rest of you can continue with the props. I want to see it from the opening of the play."

  Some of them were quick to walk near the stage, while the others dragged their feet towards the stage.

  "Are you ready my wife?" asked Caleb, walking next to Julie, but she didn't turn her head to look at him. "What happened, my wife? Why are you ignoring me?" he taunted to get her attention.

  Julie finally turned to look at the boy, "I am sorry, were you talking to me?" she asked him, and Caleb's jaw fell at the girl's audacity. Quickly recovering from it, he smiled at her.

  "Of course, I am. I am walking right next to you. What made you think that I wasn't talking to a hottie like yourself. You have some amazing curves on that body of yours that you hide from everyone. I think everyone will agree that you were a sexy mummy on Hallow," said Caleb, the smile on his lips widened. "Why are you staring at me? Are you wondering why a handsome boy like myself is talking to you?"

  Julie hadn't reached the place near the stage, and she moved towards the wall, hoping Caleb would leave her alone. But instead, he was sticking to her worse than chewing gum on a shoe.

  "You look creepy with that smile," came Julie's direct answer, and Caleb's smile faltered as if until now it had been one of his dazzling characteristics. "Firstly, I am no wife of yours. Secondly, I will fork out your eyeballs if you talk to me again in a sleazy manner."

  "Oh my! I am scared!" Caleb overdramatically said while placing his hand on his chest, and he then laughed. "You don't look like a person who would harm a fly. Why don't you hit me and I will tell you if I feel it."

  Pushing her glasses up on her nose, Julie said, "Go away from here." Bringing her manuscript in front of her, she flipped the sheets.

  "I am a strong person, you can feel it. Do it," Caleb again poked her with his words, and Julie wondered if she was the only one in the room to be harassed, but it wasn't true. Some students were quietly bullied, while Ms. Piper had her focus on the students who were on the stage.

  While Julie stood on one side of the wall, Roman stood on the opposite side of the wall with Maximus. Olivia was up on the stage, delivering her dialogues with two more students. He had leaned his back against the wall, with one foot on the wall to support his body.

  On hearing the little whisperings coming from the opposite side, his gaze shifted from the stage to look at where Julie was standing. She was trying to ignore the boy's presence, but the boy, a junior, continued to talk to her.

  Caleb was only a mere human, which was why Roman didn't bother to go and pull the pest from Julie. And it seemed like she was doing fine by herself.

  After the night of the Hallow, she had returned to her usual attire of wearing a woollen sweater which was light maroon and baggy on her body, pairing it with blue jeans and canvas shoes. She had worn her hair up to a medium ponytail, and her glasses were back, hiding those curious brown eyes behind them.

  And though Julianne Winters had gone back to wearing her regular clothes, some of the students, who had caught sight of her and had heard that she was the one who had worn the mummy costume, their focus fell on her, or more precisely on her figure. People were used to seeing skin, and Eleanor's bunny plan had backfired as there had been too many bunnies and only one mummy on the eve of Hallow.

  "Caleb and Julianne, you are next on stage," Ms. Piper called them, and the students who were on the stage, rehearsing lines until now, let out a breath of relief. "Quick quick, get on the stage. We still have to go through the third act between Atlas and Iris and I would like to finish it today."

  Even though Julie wanted Caleb to walk first, the boy was adamant that she walk first, and it only made her uncomfortable. It was because she had caught sight of the boy staring at her sweater and her jeans. Pulling the backside of her sweater, she made sure to cover herself.

  "Both of you take a minute before starting the scene. Owen, play the music to set the scene," ordered Ms. Piper, placing one leg over the other.

  Not everyone was paying attention to what was going on, on the stage, and they were busy talking or playing until their own turn came.

  The spotlight had turned off, and they were using the regular light in the room. Even though Julie had stood on the stage two times before this, she still felt nervous. She closed her eyes so that she could calm her racing heart.

  "Did she fall asleep?" asked one of the delinquents, who stood below the stage.

  "Maybe she's pretending to be asleep," laughed the person next to the one who had spoken two seconds ago. "I still think Eleanor or someone pretty would have done a better job. She's-" the person stopped talking when something hit the back of his head.

  When the boy turned back to see who had hit his head, everyone's eyes were focused on the stage, and he didn't find anyone looking at him. Touching his head, he finally turned back while his words about the girl on the stage had stopped.

  Maximus looked down at his pen that didn't have a cap anymore because Roman had pulled it out.

  Caleb was the first to open this particular act's scene, and he pulled out the coat that he was wearing and placed it on the stand that was placed on the stage earlier. He said, "It was a lovely soiree, wasn't it? I was just thinking that we hold one here at our place. We have never held a soiree before and I wasn't able to introduce you to everyone properly."

  Julie opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times. She tried to steady her voice as she said, "What are you telling, Blake?" she let out a soft laugh. "I have already met almost everyone in the last twenty soirees where we have been to."

  "Hm, maybe you are right," saying those words, Caleb came to stand behind Julie. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she turned around gingerly. With the way they stood on the stage, to the audience, it appeared as if she was looking at him, but in truth, Julie was looking behind him, and Caleb turned annoyed at this.

  Ms. Piper tapped her finger on the armrest before she commented, "I don't think I have written about Blake being irritated with Iris. It says 'Blake looked at Iris with love'. Unless you have a different definition when it comes to love, Caleb."

  Caleb offered a tight smile and said, "Julie is looking somewhere else."

  "Which we don't care about because the audience cannot see where she is looking at. But they can see you," pointed Ms. Piper. "Seriously, what is with stopping in between the dialogues. One is you and then we have Eleanor who seems to get lost whenever she sees Moltenore's face." Hearing this, Eleanor's face turned red as if she didn't know people had noticed it. "Ms. Winters, please concentrate, I thought you wanted to keep this role."

  "I do," Julie turned back to glare at Caleb. "Stop feeling my shoulder."

  "It is the scene that is asking for it. 'Blake comforts his wife with his hand'," Caleb whispered back to her with a grin before they enacted the scene from the beginning.

  When it was the next scene, both Julie and Caleb stood on the stage, and Roman climbed up the four stairs with his long legs to join them on the stage. Julie's eyes met Roman's for the briefest moment before he turned to look at Ms. Piper, who had called him.

  Julie couldn't deny that having Roman around felt like a safety blanket because of the number of times he had saved her from trouble, even though he appeared distant, as if they didn't speak to each other through letters.

  The scene now was where Caleb was leaving the room after delivering his two lines. And then it was just Roman and Julie. They had moved past the scene where Roman and her character's had already spoken to each other last week, and this was their second time practising together on stage.

  "Alright, everyone get to your position," instructed Ms. Piper, and when the woman was still completing her words, Roman's pen dropped to the ground. It rolled and came to a stop in front of Caleb. Julie noticed this, and so did Caleb. Caleb took a step forward as if he wanted to make it appear to the others that the great Roman Moltenore was bowing at him.

  Some had failed to notice that something had fallen, and some who noticed it didn't bother about it. But Roman took two steps forward, and to Caleb's satisfaction, he bent down to pick up the pen. A wide grin appeared on Caleb's face that he had made Roman bow to him.

  "You don't have to bow your head to me," said Caleb in fun, "I forgive you."

  Roman stood up so quickly that the next moment his head collided with Caleb's face. The younger boy covered his face that had scrunched at the sudden impact.

  "What the fuck did you do?!" Caleb grumbled, and when he pulled his hand away to take a look, Julie noticed his nose was bleeding.

  "My bad, I didn't see you there," Roman didn't sound an ounce apologetic when he said that. "You should apply some ice on that."

  Ms. Piper didn't know what to say because both the boys had acted on their own, one trying to instigate and the other, who delivered a bloody nose. As if that wasn't enough, the students who were vampires, their senses turned high at the smell of blood that came from the stage.

  "Olivia, if you could be kind enough to take Caleb to the infirmary," said Ms. Piper with a frown. It wasn't unusual for fights to break in during the practice, as the room was filled with troublesome students.

  "I will be fine. It just needs to dry," Caleb waved his bloody hand while he had thrown his head back.

  The teacher gave a hard stare at the boy before her eyes shifted to see Olivia making her way to where Caleb was, and she dragged him out of the room.

  Julie was surprised that with such a small touch, Roman's head had broken Caleb's nose. Out of the three of them, Caleb was the person who had stood too close and had been asking for a fight, but she doubted he saw it coming like this.

  "Alright, let us move into the scene from Iris and Atlas' conversation," said Ms. Piper, turning the pages of the manuscript.

  Before the stage turned quiet, Roman said to her, "Give me your glasses for a moment."

  Julie's eyes widened. She had told the truth only to the letter thief, but the letter thief had turned out to be Roman. She asked him, "Why do you want my glasses?"

  Roman didn't answer her, and instead, he raised his hand, waiting for her to hand it to him.

  They stared at each other before Julie gave up the contest because many people were watching them who stood or sat in front of the stage. She pulled her glasses from her face and hoped Roman would not break it so that she would never wear them again.

  She handed them to him. She watched him take a look at her glasses, turning them front and back.

  Julie wondered what Roman was up to, and her gaze moved from her glasses to look up at his face that had a serious look.

  "Here you go," said Roman, returning it to her, and she took them. Slightly confused, wondering if he needed a pair of glasses which was why he was checking the design.

  "Julianne and Roman, please take your position again," Julie heard Ms. Piper say, and she quickly wore her glasses back. But when she wore them, the glasses had turned blurry, and she couldn't see through them properly.

  Did Roman put his fingerprints all around her glasses to make it blurry?!