Oh, here we go again! What's happening to me? Am I having a split personality? Or is it my vampire nature fighting my conscience? But how do I suddenly have a conscience? Me, who has never apologised to anyone in my life (parents and Markus don't count) and treated mortals with the disdain that is inherent in higher creatures over lower ones? Why do I care about Viper's feelings and opinions? After all, what is she? A mortal girl I've only seen a few times in my life! Just a speck of dust in my eternal universe.
But again and again I replayed in my head the events of our last meeting: I saw that Viper was not listening to me, she was consumed with resentment, but I monotonously continued to explain the material to her, so that I could not see her eyes burning with resentment. The state into which I had plunged this girl made me morally uncomfortable, and I sought salvation in meaningless retellings of the laws of physics. But when Viper tiredly covered her face with her palms, something in me shivered.
I'd never cared or cared about what both vampires and humans thought of me. But in that moment, I suddenly thought with horror that Viper hated me. And as she began to silently gather her things, preparing to leave me, I remained silent. I didn't dare fall in my own eyes by apologising to her. Now thoughts of Viper plagued me. Maybe she thought I was a son of a bitch, a moral freak, or worse.
For some reason unknown to myself, I was looking forward to another meeting with Viper. Since the girl didn't schedule it, I myself passed my ward a note through a third party.
At the appointed time, I sat in the library and waited for Viper to appear. It was already six zero two, but the girl didn't show up, which was uncharacteristic of her, given her nauseating punctuality, as she herself had put it earlier. The entire hall was occupied by other pairs of students, victims of the Rector's experimental programme.
When the library door opened again, I stared at it again, expecting Viper to appear. But instead of her, another girl appeared: she looked around the room, and when she saw me, she took a firm step toward me and sat down across from me. A beautiful blonde-haired mortal with a radiant wide smile.
"Who the hell is that?" – I thought grudgingly, giving her a frown, but the girl seemed not to notice my gaze and continued to smile.