All the cadets were sent to find their rooms. Naina and Pooja grabbed their bags and started walking towards the girls' hostel when Naina heard a large vehicle approaching. She paused and knelt down, pretending to fix her shoelace. Pooja turned and gave her a questioning look.

"Pooja, my lace got undone. Why don't you go ahead? I'll join you in a minute," Naina told her with a smile.

"Okay," Pooja nodded and headed towards the girls' hostel.

Naina watched as a young man in his twenties was dragged by three police officers. She heard them hand over the boy's care to Subedar Suri. "So, he's one of the first-year cadets. Interesting bunch we are," she thought to herself with a smirk. As the officers were leaving, they were discussing the boy's crimes. According to them, the boy, Alekh, was a pickpocket and had often landed in jail in the past years. The Jailer wanted something better for him, so he sent Alekh to the army.

Nodding her head at the information, she started heading for the hostel. On the way, she met Subedar Major Lolita Sen, the girls' hostel warden. Naina pretended to be docile as the older woman sternly informed her of the hostel rules. She could see that her looks were either making the woman overly friendly with her or overly defensive. After Ms. Sen was done, Naina left, rolling her eyes.

Pooja and Naina were roommates and both were pleased about this fact. Pooja was a chatterbox, so it didn't take Naina much time to learn her whole life story. Apparently, Pooja's fiancé had run away from their wedding, and she had come to this academy to look for him.

"By the way, Naina, what products do you use? You have such fair and flawless skin, just like my phone's cover. On top of that, you look so young, just like a teenager," Pooja complemented with a warm smile.

"Good genes, I guess. You should see my mom. She's in her late thirties, but she looks absolutely gorgeous. My dad is also really handsome. My brothers and I take after them," Naina lied flawlessly.

Pooja opened her mouth to ask something more when her cellphone started ringing. "Yay! Rohit's network became available!" she started jumping around excitedly before taking a seat on the windowsill.

Before Naina could understand anything, she saw Pooja tilting backward and falling down. "POOJA!" she shouted before peering down from the window. "Shit!" cursing under her breath, she ran out of the room and went to the mess. "Sir, my roommate fell from our room's window. I can't find her anywhere," she informed Suriji as soon as she found him. Ali and Alekh were with him and gave her a confused look.

"Maybe she ran away?" Suriji joked.

"No, she was sitting on the window sill when she fell," Naina insisted.

"Remember that fallen bird?" Alekh commented.

"Bird?" Suriji questioned, puzzled.

It was like a light bulb lit up in his head. Ali exclaimed, "BIRD! Yes, I heard that sound," and he rushed towards the half terrace outside the mess. Naina followed after him. They found Pooja still talking on the phone on the terrace before she fainted. Naina and Ali chuckled in amusement as they helped her back to their hostel room.

...-...

Naina was exploring the academy, getting familiar with her surroundings so that she could easily come and go as she pleased. She was a few corridors away from the front entrance when she overheard a man arguing about Captain Naveen Singh Ahluwalia with BC. Curious to know who would dare to do so since everyone thought her brother was a traitor, she made her way to the reception area where her eyes fell on the Wall of Fame, where her brother's photo was still hung amongst the other martyrs. The young man reminded BC that Naveen was the best cadet to pass out of KMA. Angrily, BC walked up to the Wall of Fame and snatched Naveen's photo from the wall, throwing it towards the floor by the Amar Jawan Jyoti.

Naina swiftly caught the photo frame before it could hit the ground. Despite feeling intense anger, she maintained a neutral expression. Standing tall, she embraced the photo against her chest. "Sir, why do you consistently harbor such strong anger? Is it worth all this fury, particularly over an unremarkable picture of an ordinary man?" she inquired, tilting her head. Her smile turned gentle as she added, "You've aged, and persisting in this manner may lead to a stroke."

The officer standing behind BC gave her a curious look at her action.

"That is a traitor's photo and it has no place in my academy," BC shouted.

"May I take it out of the academy then? You don't have to ruin the clean floors with broken glass. The cleaner might curse at you," she joked with a shrug.

BC waved his hand for her to go away. First, this girl had ruined his day and now his former student. Taking the chance, the man started telling BC why he was sent to this academy as a temporary teacher. Naina seized the opportunity to observe the young Captain attentively. He possessed an impressive physique, standing tall and proud in his army uniform. His lean, muscular build was well-defined by the fitted uniform, signifying his strength and discipline. His attire was immaculate, with each element perfectly in place, from the crisp uniform to the medals and badges adorning his chest, which spoke to his life of service and sacrifice.

The Captain's ruggedly handsome features, including his chiseled jawline and piercing light brown eyes, commanded attention. His short, neat dark brown hair added to his sharp appearance. His style was refined yet effortlessly modern, with every aspect of his uniform harmoniously coming together to create a timeless look. Despite his youthful looks, there was an air of wisdom and maturity that surpassed his age.

Naina dismissed her thoughts and shook her head, questioning why she was wasting her time admiring the young Captain. She turned to leave, only a few feet away when an abrupt gust of wind blew from behind the Captain, carrying his scent towards her. Instantly, she froze in place.

His scent hit her like a bull. There was no image violent enough to summarize the force of what happened to her in that moment. In an instant, any part of her human nature washed away, leaving behind the predator in her. She turned around and stared at him. In her eyes, he was her prey now. This was the only truth she knew; nothing else existed. She was a vampire, and he had the sweetest smelling blood she had smelled in her 6 years of vampirism. She inhaled sharply, imagining the taste. Thirst burned through her throat like fire. She was surprised with herself. She didn't know how she didn't already rush towards this yummy-smelling creature and take him. The older man would have to be killed as well after she was done drinking the delicious blood. Thomas had taught her to always destroy the evidence.

Captain Rajveer reassured BC that his report about the academy had no connection to his best friend and batchmate, Captain Naveen Singh Ahluwalia. Afterwards, his gaze landed on the female cadet positioned behind BC, and he was momentarily stunned as he took in her appearance.

The young woman exuded beauty, with features that seemed to be crafted by the divine. Her face was unblemished, showcasing high cheekbones, full lips, and a sharply defined jawline. Her fair and smooth skin glowed with vitality and health. Her eyes were the most arresting characteristic, as they were a deep brownish-red hue, complemented by long, doe-like lashes that intensified her already captivating allure. She had a lustrous mane of dark wavy hair that cascaded down her back in soft curls, leaving other women envious and men spellbound. In essence, she resembled one of the goddesses from Greek mythology.

Rajveer became aware that despite her earlier intention to leave, the female cadet had remained rooted in place, fixated on him with wide eyes. Her facial expression was unusual, as if she longed for something intensely, but it was out of her reach. BC departed from their location without casting a glance in their direction, leaving Rajveer in a state of awkwardness as the cadet still hadn't spoken a word.

Clearing his throat, he met her eyes and asked, "Fresher?"

As soon as his eyes met hers, Naina saw her reflection in the mirror of his eyes and along with herself, she saw her brother's photo that she was tightly hugging to herself at the time. The shock she felt there saved his life. Startled, she glanced down at the photo and recalled why she came here. She was Naina Singh Ahluwalia first before she was a vampire. She needed to prove her brother innocent before giving into her vampiric nature.

"I asked... are you a fresher?" Rajveer asked in a teasing tone. He was a little puzzled seeing this goddess-like beautiful girl in front of him, though she didn't look older than a teenager.
Not wanting to take any risks, Naina stopped breathed and replied, "Yes, sir."

"Name?"

"Naina... Naina Campbell." she replied, gulping down the extra venom pooled in her mouth. 

"Campbell. Are you from Christian family?" He asked curiously.

"Sure." she replied vaguely. "Can I be dismissed now, sir? BC gave me the task to remove this photo from the academy." she told him.

"Yeah, go ahead." Rajveer told her with a nod. He wanted to ask why she was staring at him like that, but due to his introvert nature, he didn't ask.

... -...

...-...

"Why did he have to come here? Why did he have to exist? Why did he have to choose this academy out of all the academies? Why was this aggravating human ever born? He would ruin my whole plan! I don't want to be a monster!" Naina ranted in her head as she paced around her hostel room, making sure not to make any noise as Pooja was sleeping on the next bed.

"I don't want to kill this academy full of harmless people! I don't want to lose sight of my revenge. I only feed on the criminals of our country. I don't kill innocent people! His scent is the problem, the hideously appealing scent of his blood. If only there was some way to resist...YES! I won't breathe whenever he's nearby. I can't let Naveen bhai down. This country will remember him as a martyr, not a traitor. I just have to remember that," she thought to herself as she drank blood from the stainless-steel bottle that Jeremy insisted she carry with her. She grimaced when she realized she had finished the whole bottle. "Damn it!" she cursed. "I have to tell them about it so that they could be ready in case I lose my battle with that smell," she muttered to herself.

She pulled out her phone and turned it on when she heard someone's heartbeat approaching the girls' hostel. Curious, she peeked out the window and saw a boy entering the hostel. She hurried to the Warden's room and knocked.

"Cadet Campbell, why are you knocking on my door at this time? Didn't you notice that lights are out already?" S.M. Lolita scolded.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but I saw a boy entering our hostel. Could you please check?" Naina requested.

Upon hearing this, Ms. Lolita took her seriously. They went to the first floor and found a boy roaming the hallways with a large backpack. Ms. Lolita turned on her torch and shone it in the boy's face. "What the hell are you doing in the girl's hostel? Don't you know that boys aren't allowed here?" she screeched.

The boy squinted at the bright light and said, "Girl's hostel? But Dr. Shalini told me this was the way to the boys' hostel."

"Boys' hostel is in the opposite direction, cadet. Get out of here this instant, or I'll complain to Brigadier Chandok and get you thrown out of this academy." S.M. Lolita shouted.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." The boy left the way he came in.

"Good job, Cadet Campbell. Get back to your room," Ms. Lolita ordered.

Nodding, Naina left. As soon as she reached her room, she called Tom.

"Hello, Naina? How has your day been so far?" Thomas asked.

"I'm in trouble. Meet me in an hour on the northeast side of the KMA forest," she urged.

"We'll be there."

"Bring a few more bottles. I'll need them," Naina informed.

"Relax. I'll arrange it. See you soon." He hung up, and Naina was finally able to relax.

.... - ....

Naina was ready in her uniform by 5 am. She shook Pooja awake as they had to report at 6 am. Thankfully, they reached the training ground on time. Everyone greeted each other as some of them didn't meet the previous day. Many of the boys noticed Naina's beauty and tried to flirt with her, but she ignored them and only spoke to Pooja, Yudi, Ali, and Aalekh. She recognized the boy from the previous night as Huda, a huge flirt. He tried to boast about his charms in front of Naina a lot, but she pretended that she couldn't see or hear him. Major Nair's class started with a 15-mile jog. 

Naina was grateful that she didn't meet the Captain again. The previous night, Thomas and Jeremy had hunted for her and brought six bottles of blood. After hearing about what almost happened, they vowed to bring her more blood if necessary and look into the matter to see why she reacted like that. William and Natasha had already started working on collecting the blood and information.

After the jog, Major Nair shared his opinion on how he thought girls weren't capable enough to join the army and gave them information about the bell they would have to ring if they wanted to leave. Naina went with the flow as she didn't want to attract any more attention. Her new features were already attracting enough flies. She thought of ways to keep herself in control. She knew she couldn't hide from the Captain always, as she was sure she would have to be near him a few times during training. She just wanted to finish her mission before feeding on him.

She reviewed that moment in her head and realized that for a human being, the Captain was rather good-looking. He would make a gorgeous vampire if turned. "Maybe I'll turn him after feeding on him," she thought to herself with a slight smirk on her face. Then she wondered if she had good enough control to make one.

"Cadet Campbell, do you have anything to say about this topic?" Nair demanded to know, noticing the blank expression on the girl's face. The girl was stunningly beautiful, and something about that made him instinctively uncomfortable. When their eyes met, he realized it was her unusual eye color that gave him unease. Her eyes were a mixture of red and brown, but in the sunlight, they appeared more red than brown.

"NO, SIR!" she replied in a bored tone.

Nair frowned at her as he got nothing to scold her about. So, he left.

The cadets had a few introductory classes after the drill since it was the first day. Naina returned to her room when she didn't require to be seen out. She didn't want the risk of running to that captain anytime soon. She started reading one of the books they were given for the upcoming classes. An hour later, someone pushed a chit from under the door. Naina narrowed her eyes and she had heard a few senior girls whispering and giggling about the ragging they would be doing on the first year cadets. Naina got up from the bed and took the chit. She recognized the smells of two senior cadets; Mrinal and Laxmi. Rolling her eyes, she went back to her bed to continue reading the book. Ten minutes later, she wanted to check on her fellow cadets. She went out of her room through the window and followed the scent of the senior cadets.

She found herself in a store room at the back of the main academy building. Peeking through one of the windows, she discovered that most of the first-year cadets had been dragged in there by a group of seniors. Huda seemed to be flirting with one of the senior cadets and was being favored by the rest of the seniors. "I hate bullies," Naina stated. She knew that if she took the time to call the faculty, her batchmates might get bullied even worse, especially when she saw a few male cadets forcing Pooja and another female cadet to dance. Looking around, she found the light switch. Since there were no CCTV cameras around this area, she took the chance. At lightning speed, she turned off the lights, entered the room, and knocked out all the seniors and Huda. With her heightened vision, she found a large rope in the dark and bound all the seniors and Huda's unconscious forms with it. All of this happened in the span of five seconds. Before the first-year cadets even knew what had happened, Naina went out and turned the lights back on.

The first-year cadets looked around, bewildered by the state of their senior cadets. "What just happened, dude?" Yudi exclaimed.

"They were just standing around, bullying us, weren't they?" Ali asked the rest of the group.

Naina walked in holding the chit in her hand, pretending to be surprised. "Guys, what's happening here? And where's Brigadier, sir? And why are the seniors like that?" she asked, pointing towards the floor.

"Naina, did you also get the notification to come here?" Pooja asked, rushing to her.

"Yes," Naina replied, showing her the chit.

"It was the seniors who called us for ragging," Aalekh informed Naina.

"Oh, is that why you guys did this?" Naina asked, giggling.

"I wish it was us who did this," Aalekh stated.

"I swear, Naina ji. It wasn't us," Ali urged her to believe.

"Okay, I believe you. But I don't think we should be here anymore. Since they called us here for ragging, the seniors wouldn't inform the faculty about this incident. Let's go back to our rooms, pretend nothing happened, and you never came here. This might be the only way for none of us to get kicked out of here. Not that any of you did anything to get kicked out, but I don't think the faculty would believe you guys over the seniors," Naina pointed out.

The first-year cadets looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They had worked hard to get accepted into this academy, and they didn't want to get kicked out when they had done nothing wrong. Carefully, everyone left for their hostels, making sure they didn't come in front of any CCTV cameras.

...-...

...-...

...-...

A/N::: Did you like Raina's first encounter? 

Do you think Naina would be able to handle her bloodlust or would she attack Rajveer?

Let me know what you thought so far.

P.S.:

S.M. = Subedar Major