Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1) Read Online Free Page A

vampirism, freely offering
their bodies as sustenance in exchange for the opportunity to be
seduced or even transfigured. They’re freaks. Maybe I’m a prude,
but for me the hunger is a fact of life. Feeding is a means to an
end, and I work hard to keep it that way. Like most civilized
vamps, I get my blood the new-fashioned way. I buy it from vamp-run
blood banks and butcher shops.
    Thirst satisfied, I return my attention to
the desk. As I scan the textbooks, I slide back into the chair I’d
so quickly vacated just moments before. I eagerly select the one
titled Historical Perspectives, curious about its contents.
Although the title is predictably lame, I know this book contains
answers to many of the questions I’ve had over the last year. Being
raised blissfully unaware of my heritage and the entire vamp world,
I know I have a lot of catching up to do if I want to be successful
at Crossroads. And I will be successful.
    I peel the cover back slowly and prop my feet
up on the desk getting as comfortable as possible. I inhale deeply,
enjoying the scent of the fresh pages and the hint of glue that
binds them to the sturdy cover. I’ve always been a fast reader, but
I want to absorb every detail of the text, which means pacing
myself through all four hundred pages. “It’s going to be a long
night,” I murmur, scanning the Table of Contents and flipping
straight to the Preface.
    Vampirism has deep roots which can be
traced back to the dawn of man and which predate the first written
word. Historical Perspectives makes no attempt to cover this
extensive history. Instead, we focus on the paramount events that
have shaped our world and brought order to the Vampir society.
Inside the pages of this book you will come to understand not only
your heritage but also the impact of our people on the modern
world. You will gain unparalleled insight into the sete de sange,
the foamea, and ultimately de sange vechi from which you were born.
Not every chapter will paint a pretty picture, as history is often
unkind and grotesque; but the Consiliul de Batrani has endorsed
this book as a key component of your education. The Council
recognizes that, in order to reach your full potential, it will be
necessary for you to accept the harsh realities of the world in
which we live and the dangers presented by the otrava de sange and
de sange amestecat. Your studies will provide the foundation for a
deeper understanding of the Councils’ defining values—values that
you, too, will come to embrace and to which you will swear
allegiance upon graduation .
    I quickly flip to the back of the book
looking for old world translations. I picked up some Romanian
living with Aldo but only enough to get by and there are several
words I don’t understand in this one short paragraph. “Ugh,” I
groan aloud. This book is going to be a bigger challenge than I’d
originally thought. I commit the translations to memory and reread
the passage, substituting the English words with which I am more
familiar.
    Vampirism has deep roots which can be
traced back to the dawn of man and which predate the first written
word. Historical Perspectives makes no attempt to cover this
extensive history. Instead, we focus on the paramount events that
have shaped our world and brought order to the Vampire society.
Inside the pages of this book you will come to understand not only
your heritage but also the impact of our people on the modern
world. You will gain unparalleled insight into the blood lust, the
hunger, and ultimately the old blood from which you were born. Not
every chapter will paint a pretty picture, as history is often
unkind and grotesque; but the Consiliul de Batrani has endorsed
this book as a key component of your education. The Council
recognizes that in order to reach your full potential, it will be
necessary for you to accept the harsh realities of the world in
which we live and the dangers presented by the blood poison and the
mixed-bloods. Your studies