Chapter 1
Absynthe

“Hakura? Hakura! Wake up!” Osaki Karasashi, a cheery twelve-year-old girl, said, shaking her friend. “Hakura! You shouldn’t be sleeping in class again!”
“Huh?” Hakura Iromaka looked up. She was a tall thirteen-year-old girl. “What do you want, Osaki?”
“Look what I found!” Osaki pulled out a dragon necklace. It was holding a blackish-purple marble.
“Miss Karasashi, please don’t tell me you were in the garbage again!” Osaki turned to see her teacher, Mrs. Ichiousa, staring at her.
“Hehehe… Okay…”
Osaki was the poorest girl in the school. She was also Hakura’s, the richest girl in Japan, best friend.

“You know, you should probably stop digging through the garbage,” Hakura advised Osaki. They were in the cafeteria.
“And you shouldn’t sleep in class.”
“I know that, silly!” Hakura replied.
Osaki started laughing. Then the fire alarm went off. Everyone began walking out the emergency exit. Osaki looked at the cafeteria door. A boy covered in black and purple flames stood in the entrance. He was wearing long black clothes.
“Wait! Hakura, we have to help that kid!”
Osaki ran towards him. “Come on! You’re going to die if you stay in the fire!”
“Get away from me!” the kid replied. He had unusually long silver hair.
“I have to help you!” Osaki grabbed his arm.
“Get off!”
“Come on!”
“Annoying girl… Get off of me!” he grabbed Osaki’s wrist and pushed her off. He looked at her and the fires went out. Osaki was clenching her wrist. It had unusual burn marks on it. “Are you okay?”
“Oww… what happened to you? Why were you burning?”
He didn’t respond. Hakura ran up. “What happened, Osaki? And who are you?” she said, looking at the boy.
“Absynthe.”
“Interesting name…” The fire alarm stopped. “Now come on,” Hakura said, grabbing Absynthe’s arm and dragging him towards the table that her and Osaki had been sitting at. They sat down.
“Explain,” Osaki commanded.
“Ugh… You two shouldn’t be so nosy.” Absynthe stood up. Hakura grabbed him again and glared. “Fine… I’m looking for the human that released me from an eternal prison.”
“What? You’re a criminal?” Osaki gasped.
“Sort of…”
“Great, now we’re probably going to be taken in for questioning about you…. Now what’s this about the ‘human that released you’?” Hakura sighed.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I tried to explain. And if you did, you’d probably give away my secret.”
“Secret?”
“Fine… If you’re going to ask so many questions, come to the school office tonight. I’ll tell you then.” Absynthe stood up.
“Okay.”
Absynthe was leaning on the side of the building. Osaki came running up to him. Hakura followed her.
“Now explain!”
“I’m a vampire, and the eternal prison I was sealed in was a marble attached to a dragon necklace for twelve years.”
Hakura started laughing. Osaki just stared. “Really? That’s so cool!”
Hakura stopped. “You don’t actually believe him, do you?”
“Of course I do!”
“I’m telling the truth. I believe it was your friend there that released me.”
“I did find a necklace like that…” Osaki pulled out the necklace.
“That’s it.” Absynthe grabbed it.
“Hey!”
“I need this if I’m going to leave here.”
“Leave? Alone? Yeah right! If you were sealed away for twelve years, I’m not letting you go off alone!”
“And I’m not leaving Osaki alone with a kid who thinks he’s a vampire!”
“Fine… You two can come at your own risk. I’ll be here tomorrow. If you’re going to come, meet me here.”
“Okay.”