Read Avalon Girl's Academy Side Girls :: Val's Day Off

This first side story happens to take place days after Lauren's expulsion from her American school, and it focuses on the stoic Valerica. More a look in on what she deals with than anything else, we get to glimpse the struggles of a "good" strigoica and what she likes to do when she's not having to deal with Krys or Lauren.

Valerica Dalca woke one late September evening, a Saturday at 8:45PM to be precise. It was dark, quiet, and the room around her shone with an ethereal glow as the moonlight hit the automated blinds. Those were one of her favourite inventions, a timer set for 8:30PM opened the curtains, and a second timer set for 4:15AM closed them. The perks of living at Avalon Girls Academy were numerous and fantastic, but it was the simple things that Valerica adored.

She heard a yawn from within her own mind, Shezré the daemon must be waking as well. Time to start the day I guess, Valerica thought, preparing herself for the daemon to go through the daily routine. Her life since becoming a strigoica was fairly scripted in the early evening when she and Shezré awoke; the daemon was bound by the curse that had placed her in Valerica’s body to demand control of her host, and Valerica was bound by a sense of morals drilled into her by her adoptive father Vasile Albu to refuse the daemon. This would normally lead to some minor conflict within her before she started her daily meditation.

Moments later, Shezré took form beside Valerica. Well, maybe not took form per sé but projected an astral representation of herself that only Valerica could see. Shezré was actually quite attractive for a daemon; she was of a more slender build, but had enough meat on her body to arouse thoughts of carnal sin. Her silver hair cascaded down her back, accenting the deep crimson of her skin, and her deep purple eyes held within them a flame of cunning and desire. Across a majority of her body were runes and symbols tattooed in the burnt blood of sinners, this made them the same shade of black as her claws. Absent from this particular daemon were the horns her kind was known for, and the cloven hooves one might expect to see on an entity from the bowels of perdition. Though she wore no clothing, several tattoos covered her “temptation spots” as she called them.

Shezré took her time and stretched out a bit, the muscles in her tight stomach and her ample bosom flexing enough to make any living creature with a libido consider the thought of selling their soul. Once she was finished, she looked Valerica in the eyes and blinked the sleep from her own. “Morning, sweet cheeks. I see the midget isn’t here.” She rasped, her voice just at that point of sleepiness some find arousing.

Valerica took a moment and looked about, Shezré was right, Kryssia was not present. This was a welcome relief, the little Valvé Albe would have made the evening’s proceedings more difficult.

“So, are you ready to hand over the reigns to me? I can make it worth your while; fame, fortune, sex, you name it.” Shezré led in.

“Sure, and while you’re enjoying all of that, it’s my reputation that suffers. No thanks. Especially not with-“ Valerica was cut off by a buzzing on her wrist. She flipped over the crystal communication device and opened the messenger function with a motion.

As she read through the contents of the message, Shezré took to poking about the room and started the electric kettle. She was terribly adept at making the electrical components of certain machines work even if she wasn’t there to physically touch them, so if ever she awoke before Valerica’s body was ready to do so, she would start the tea pot.

Valerica finished reading and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Mistress Black would like a word with us.”

Shezré looked over at Valerica, “Why does the old crow need us? It’s not like you’ve let me out like you did back in your first year. Nor did we have any part in your former roommate jumping from the balcony to her untimely, and rather wasteful, demise. I could have taken that soul if it wasn’t for that cantankerous old hellion you call a physical education teacher.”

Valerica walked to the kettle and poured herself a cup of tea before responding.

“Apparently, we’re getting a new roommate within the next few weeks. She’s given us the whole day off today, so long as we meet her in her office by 9:30.”

Shezré pondered that as Valerice sipped her cup of Darjeeling, her favourite black tea.

A half hour later Valerica found herself outside the office of Mistress Anna Black, the one in charge of everything at Avalon Girl’s Academy. She was early, but she knew she would need to be if she expected to be considered “on time” by Mistress Black.

The doors creaked open inwardly, they seemed to almost say “come in” as they did so; in all honesty Valerica felt a little creeped out by the whole thing, and Shezré felt an equal chill slide down her daemonic spine.

“We can still run away, you know that, right?” Shezré whispered to Valerica.

“I thought daemon’s had no fear?” Valerica turned to look quizzically at her companion.

“Normally, we don’t. But this woman is a master at the art of creepy and scary, so I’m feeling excused for my cowardice.”

Valerica nodded, her silent agreement with the daemon was predictable.

It took her a moment more before she stepped into the office, but Valerica moved her feet forward and entered the room. Behind the desk sat a woman dressed in a pitch black Victorian dress and a hat of raven feathers. As Valerica hadn’t had time to close her perspicacity, the woman’s true form appeared before her. Easily eight feet tall, long and bony, and covered in dried and blackened blood, there was Mistress Anna Black; or better known to the inhabitants of Scottland, Black Agnes… their equivalent of the bogeyman. Her blue face and bright iron claws stood out very painfully against the dark interior of the room.

“Miss Dalca, how polite of you to arrive early. It is always a pleasure to see you.” Mistress Black croaked, her voice like the scraping of nails on a chalkboard wrapped in crushed suede.

Valerica responded as politely as possible while trying to focus on the mundane world; moments later she was sitting across from a woman who looked more like the headmistress of a school and less like a monster who had just disembowelled a living person.

“I called you in today to discuss your new rooming partner.” Mistress Black said, her voice now a clipped Scottish accent. The things a glamour can do were impressive, the thought crossed Valerica's mind.

Valerica nodded and waited for Mistress Black to continue.

“Your new roommate is named Lauren Sidhe, daughter of the famous Leannan Sidhe, she lacks training in her powers and I doubt she’s aware of them herself. Should she awaken during her time here with us, I shall entrust you to helping her. You’ve personally been trained on how to stop your perspicacity from running your life, so that part should be easy to you. Her ability to dispel glamours should work on a similar principle. Beyond that, I know not what lies dormant in her metaphysical self. I trust you will keep me apprised.” Mistress Black spoke, her words short and her speech succinct.

“I understand Mistress. Is there anything else I should know about?” Valerica asked, keeping her annoyance to herself.

“The young Sidhe will need guidance from time to time, I trust you will do what you can to aid her. She will have questions, and you will answer as you can. Walk in the light, and you shall be fine.”

With a wave of her hand, Mistress Black dismissed Valerica.

Once safely outside, Valerica let out the breath she had been holding subconsciously.

“What are we going to do with all the extra time we have now, sugar lips?” Shezré asked, her astral form hovering right by Valerica’s shoulder.

“Hot cocoa and a book in the library sounds like a plan.” Valerica offered up.

“Can we get extra marshmallows and cream?” Shezré asked, suddenly overjoyed by the prospect of cocoa.

Valerica agreed and made her way to the small coffee shop that was hidden away from the rest of the campus, the tiny shop was always better than the café when it came to cocoa and tea. She got her cup of steaming chocolate and made her way into the smallest padded alcove in the enormous library in the center of campus, and there she stayed, reading her favourite romance novel for the 108th time until the sun began to rise.

Character Profiles:

Valerica Dalca

Age 16

Hair: Black, Eyes: Amber (pitch black when not in glamour)

Likes: Darjeeling tea, Romance and Fantasy novels, cocoa, sleep

Dislikes: Alarm clocks, the sun, people with sunny dispositions

Creature Type: Strigoica (posessed undead sorceress)

Skills: minor magic, perspicacity, Astral and Ethereal Projection

Favourite place on campus: Library

Shezré

Age: 4928

Hair: White, Eyes Purple