Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)

by J.J. Bonds

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Glad to be finished with work detail?” Keegan asks, as I hand him my filthy gloves. “Have you been scared straight never to cross Headmaster Pratt again?”

  “No offense, but I am most definitely glad it’s over,” I laugh, wrinkling my nose. “I am dying to get my off campus privileges back.” It could’ve been worse, but I’m starting to feel claustrophobic and stir crazy. I need the freedom to come and go as I please. Well, as much as I please within the rules of the school.

  “Too bad you couldn’t go on the ski trip today. Killington is reporting fresh powder on the slopes.” He looks depressed. He probably wishes he were on the trip.

  “Truth be told, I’m not that interested in Killington. Plus I have some studying to do. I plan to make the most of the quiet library this afternoon.” Most of the students have gone on the trip and aren’t expected back until late this evening. I’m not really planning to study, but it’s close to the truth. I plan to use the time to do a little research. I will scour every corner of the library if I have to in order to find out more about the transfiguration of a human and the ensuing bond with the sire.

  “Well, off with you then.” Anxious to get to the library, I bolt when he releases me. Halfway to the door it occurs to me that I haven’t thanked Keegan properly.

  “Keegan, I want you to know that I couldn’t have asked for a better work detail. It’s been nice getting to know you,” I tell him awkwardly. I’m not good at stuff like this and can tell by the look on his face that he feels as uncomfortable as I do. “I don’t have a lot of friends here, but I count you among them. So thanks.”

  “Aye. I’d be proud to call you my friend.” He smiles. “Besides, you’re not the biggest pain in the arse they’ve ever given me for work detail.”

  I swing by my room and grab my laptop and some notebooks before heading to the library. It’s housed in the same wing as our classrooms which are freakishly quiet in the absence of students. My footfalls echo on the wooden floors exaggerating my isolation. The library is unattended. Probably an oversight, but I take it as a sign of good fortune.

  I set myself up at a rectangular table in the back of the library. Since I’m alone today, there’s no need to sit at one of the cramped study carrels for privacy. I boot up my laptop and toss the notebooks on the table. Now what? I have no clue where to start. Guess that’s the down side of no librarian.

  I haven’t really been in the library much since coming to Crossroads, but I know there’s an electronic card catalogue near the front desk. It’s as good a place as any to start. I step up to the dummy terminal and begin making impulsive selections when the search engine pops up.

  In an effort to be discreet I uncheck the option for ‘Search other libraries’. I don’t want to have books shipped in from other locations any more than I want to wait for answers. I’ll have to make do with whatever I can find in the Crossroads library today. I try searching for ‘mixed-blood’ first and get five pages of results. I rack my brain for more specific key words and find that I have better luck with ‘transfiguration’ and ‘sire’. This cuts my results down to a page and a half of promising leads. I hit Ctrl-P and wait as the laser printer spits out my list of titles and the books’ locations within the library.

  I’m not a big fan of the Dewey Decimal System, but I fare alright with the aid of the signs posted on each of the library stacks. I had hoped, naively it turns out, that the books on my list would be confined to one section of the library. Much to my chagrin, they’re scattered all over the place. With the exception of one book which is not on the shelf, I collect everything on my list.

  I pile the books on my table and get to work. The first book is titled ‘The Glorious Transfiguration.” How cliché, I think rolling my eyes. I scan the Table of Contents and decide it’s worth a look. Twenty minutes later it’s clear I’m wasting my time. The book doesn’t get beyond the basics. Get bitten, toxins are excreted from the fangs, blah, blah, infection spreads, body mutates becoming stronger, faster, virtually indestructible, blah, blah, blah, live forever and experience the world to its fullest as a superior being. It’s propaganda. It hits all the highlights but skips the down and dirty details. There’s nothing of the hellish pain of transfiguration or the never-ending thirst that will rule your life. No mention of the agony of watching everyone around you wither and die. I’m half convinced the book was written to sell the idea of vampirism to humans; as if most of them would need convincing. There are scores of humans who would trade anything to be like us.

  Refusing to be discouraged I fan out the remaining books, determined to find one that has the information I need. The relationship between the sire and those they’ve transfigured has to be documented somewhere. I strike out with the next two books as well. I learn some interesting facts that help solidify my understanding of our bloodlines and the factors that contribute to a vampires’ strength such as age and purity of blood. It’s educational, but it’s not what I’m looking for.

  I hit the pay-dirt on the fourth book. I almost pass it over due to the technical content, but I ultimately decide that it’s better to be thorough. There’s a lot of scientific stuff I don’t fully understand, but I get the gist of it all. At least I think I do. As it turns out, Keegan was right. Years of clinical trials have shown evidence that a complex psychic connection does exist between a pureblood sire and the vampires that he or she has turned. Although there is sufficient statistical evidence to prove that the connection is real, explaining how it works is more difficult. The book leaves a lot of room for interpretation of this phenomenon dubbed the Vampiric Nexus.

  I read several theories which I don’t really buy into, despite my own ability to see the life-force of those I taste. It all seems far-fetched, and I want something fact based. Hypothesizing that consanguinity stems from the exchange of blood seems unlikely. Could it really be the result of sharing the same virus? Could the toxins really put each brain they touch on the same wavelength? That would mean the virus is not the same for each vampire. Each strain would be a little different like human DNA. That might also explain some of the differences in how our bodies function. Why isn’t there more conclusive data? It’s so damn frustrating that I want to rip my hair out. I decide to move on. It’s more important to understand how it works and why Aldo’s kept it from me than it is to understand the cause.

  Further reading reveals that the Nexus has been tested in innumerable ways since its discovery. Apparently it’s just another way for the purebloods to hold the transfigured captive. Like Gabriel, many have exploited the Nexus for personal gain. If the data is accurate, the Nexus is strongest at the beginning when a new vampire has just been transfigured. If fostered the bond can grow to be iron tight, with the sire having complete control over the mind of the mixed-blood. The Nexus is a means of reciprocity, allowing the sire to communicate psychically and invade the mind stealing thoughts and feelings. Some have proven capable of overcoming the Nexus with extreme discipline and mind strengthening exercises, but the only way to completely sever the bond is death. It’s not a particularly comforting discovery.

  I lean back in my chair contemplating what I’ve read. The sun is setting, and I’m running out of time. Might as well pack up for the day. I’ve gotten what I came for, and I doubt I’ll find better information in the remaining books. Not wanting to leave any signs of my presence or my research, I gather up the books so that I can return them to their respective homes on the shelf.

  As I slot the books, I find myself wondering about the studies I’ve just read. I wonder how many of the participants were willing subjects. Were they slaves like Keegan, or did they do it for another reason? What would motivate them to go through such rigorous testing? It couldn’t have been pleasant. I ponder these things and more until my thoughts are interrupted by the sound of falling books. I’m positive I was alone in the library when I entered the stacks, but now it sounds like I have company.

  Should I cal
l out and announce my presence or should I try to sneak out unseen? I’ve gotten rid of all of the books so there’s no evidence of my research. It’s probably best to be forthright. If it’s a professor I don’t want to be accused of sneaking around, although that’s exactly what I’m doing. Not wanting to arouse suspicion, I elect to make my presence know.

  “Hello?”

  No reply. I try again.

  “Hello? Who’s there?”

  Still no answer. I emerge from the stacks to discover that I am alone. The pile of books laying on the floor to my right proves that someone else was here just moments ago. I didn’t imagine the crash of books. They were knocked from the overflowing return cart. Something isn’t right. It’s time to go.

  I turn to collect my things and stop dead in my tracks when I realize that my laptop is gone. It’s been stolen. I can hardly believe my eyes. I can’t believe this is happening. How could I be so careless? Blind panic sets in. I don’t know how I get back to my room. I don’t remember the walk. Or dialing Aldo’s number. His cool voice comes on the line, and it takes me a minute to realize it’s a recording. Voice mail. I leave a short message demanding that he call me as soon as possible. I disconnect and throw the phone on the bed. With nowhere else to turn, it’s time to find out if Anya can really be trusted.

  I find her working in her office. No surprise there. I rudely let myself in not bothering to knock or wait for an invitation to enter.

  “We need to talk.”

  “What is it? What’s wrong Katia?” She closes the file she’s working on and gives me her full attention as she stands and comes around the desk.

  “My computer was stolen today. In the library.”

  “Are you sure? You couldn’t have lost it?”

  Is she for real? “No. I didn’t lose it. Someone took it. I was in the stacks and when I came back, it was gone.”

  “Okay. Well, I’ll take it up with Headmaster Pratt tomorrow. Theft will not be tolerated.” She doesn’t get it. It’s painfully obvious that she doesn’t comprehend the seriousness of the situation. She sits down on the edge of her desk looking relieved. “You really scared me, Katia. I thought something terrible happened. It’s just a computer. It can be replaced if we don’t recover it.”

  “You don’t understand. There are things on that computer that can’t be seen. Things I can’t explain. Things that would jeopardize Aldo. And you.” It’s a stretch, but it’s no secret how much time Anya and I spend together. They’d never believe she didn’t know. Or at least suspect. She is a Psychologist after all. She’s trained to observe and analyze.

  “Don’t threaten me, Katia.” Her voice is edgy, her anger thinly veiled. I’ve violated her trust. Funny, I always thought it would be the other way around. Still, I don’t have time for guilt.

  “It’s not a threat. I am just trying to make you understand. It was so stupid. So careless. How could I let this happen?” I drop into one of the visitors’ chairs and bury my face in my hands, my dark hair spilling over my fact like a curtain.

  “Let’s not panic. Who was there with you? Did you see anyone?”

  “No one. The library was deserted.”

  “Okay. What about your computer. You had security on it, right? Encryption? A pass code?”

  “Of course. But I’m sure it can be hacked. It happens all the time, doesn’t it?” I’m appalled by the hysteria in my own voice. It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s Aldo and Anya. “What are we going to do?”

  “We aren’t going to do anything. You are going to go back to your room and get some rest. All we can do is wait it out. We cannot panic, and we cannot jump to conclusions.”

  “But—”

  “No.” She cuts me off. “Do as I say Katia. If anything changes, if I have any reason to believe you’re in danger, I’ll get you out of here. Until then, you act normally. You go to class and follow your routine. Got it?”

  Anya is taking control, and, for once, I’m glad to let someone else take the lead. I’ve already made enough of a mess with my carelessness. For the first time, I truly see Anya as an ally not an adversary. She’s willing to assume even more risk to protect us. Aldo was right to trust her. Too bad I didn’t see it sooner. Things could have been much easier for both of us.

  “Yes.” I agree because I have no other choice. I know she’s right. All we can do it wait and hope for the best. My throat is dry. I’m thirsty. I’ll go back to my room and feed. Then I’ll sleep. I’ll do exactly as Anya tells me. Tomorrow, I’ll get up and go to class. Everything will be normal. Routine is good.