Darkness Falls

by Mia James

  Another thought hit April like a blow to the stomach.

  ‘Were you still seeing him? Is that why you came down here? So you could be close together? God, this is horrible …’

  ‘No, April,’ said Silvia fiercely. ‘Absolutely not. I would never have come within a hundred miles of Robert Sheldon, but … we came here because your father wanted to.’

  ‘That’s rubbish! You want me to believe Dad insisted I went to a school run by your lover? Pull the other one. You were still seeing him and you tricked Dad into coming here. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got him fired from the Scotsman on purpose!’

  ‘How dare you!’

  ‘How dare I? You’re the one running around behind Dad’s back, lying and cheating! Is that why you lied about where you were when he died? Because you were off having your affair?’

  ‘No! The thing with Robert was years ago, one drunken night, a horrible mistake.’

  ‘That’s such rubbish. As soon as Dad died, Hawk was around here all the time.’

  Silvia ran a hand through her hair.

  ‘Robert was only trying to help. I think he feels guilty about … about what happened between us. Yes, he wanted me back, that much is true, but I swear to you, April, I never cheated on your dad ever again.’

  ‘Why should I believe you?’

  ‘Because it’s true.’

  ‘Is it? You’ve lied to me so many times. For all I know you and Robert Sheldon plotted to have Dad killed, to get him out of the way. Dad was so stupid.’

  Like lightning, Silvia stepped forward and slapped her.

  April stood there, her mouth open, holding her stinging cheek. Silvia stepped towards her, but April turned, trying to run from the room. Her mother grabbed her and held her.

  ‘Think what you like about me, April. But never think about your father that way. He was a fine, brave, principled man. Yes, I cheated on him once, yes I was selfish and weak, but he was strong enough to stay with us. Any other man would have walked out on us, but he put his own hurt to one side in order to protect you. And because, despite it all, he still loved me.’

  ‘He loved you?’ yelled April, wrenching herself free and running for the door. ‘He loved you? Then he really was stupid!’

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  ‘How could she?’ April stood sheltering under a tree as the rain swept down. She hoped it wouldn’t get into her phone, that would really cap her day off.

  ‘I don’t know, honey,’ said Fiona soothingly. ‘But I know she didn’t do it to upset you.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ said April. ‘You can’t imagine how much she hurt my dad.’

  ‘I can, actually,’ said Fiona. Her own family had split in two when her mother ran off with the local golf pro a few years earlier. ‘And I know what your mum means when she says it took incredible strength for them to stay together. But whatever happened back then was between your mum and your dad. Yes, she was selfish and stupid, but no one ever knows what goes on inside someone else’s relationship. Try not to judge her. I know that sounds like useless advice, but believe me, I’ve been through the same thing and it gets you nowhere trying to hate your parents, however idiotic they are.’

  ‘I suppose,’ said April, but she was still too angry to listen to reason, even if her friend was talking from bitter experience. ‘Why can’t adults behave like adults? They spend so much time telling us how to behave and getting all worked up about the way we look and speak and all the time they’re sneaking off to do horrible things. Are we going to turn out like them?’

  ‘We’ve got to be better than they are, if we can,’ said Fiona sadly. ‘I know you’re angry at your mum, but shouting at her isn’t going to help. Like I say, I have experience.’

  ‘Sorry, Fee, I don’t mean to reopen old wounds.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be silly. I’ve got over it, as much as I can. The tricky part is grasping that your parents are human too. You want them to have all the answers, and it turns out that they’re as clueless as we are. That’s pretty scary the first time you work it out.’

  ‘It’s no excuse though, is it?’

  ‘No, of course not. But the bottom line is your mum is your mum and she always will be. You might not want to see her right now, but you will one day.’

  ‘I can’t stand the sight of her.’

  ‘Well then avoid her for a while. You’ll only say something you can’t take back. Or rather yell something.’

  April shook her head. All she wanted to do was yell. At this very moment, she wanted to strike out at someone. Mr Sheldon in particular.

  ‘Well if I can’t yell at my mum, maybe I should yell at Hawk. God, I’d like to wring his neck,’ she said, kicking at a tree root.

  ‘Obviously. But again, just avoid him. You don’t want to get expelled from Ravenwood just when you’ve got Peter helping you on your investigation.’

  April thought for a while, watching the rain dripping off the leaves of the tree.

  ‘Do you think my mum was meeting him that day?’ she asked. ‘I mean, she swears she wasn’t having an affair with him any more, but she’s not exactly told me the whole truth so far, has she?’

  ‘Possibly,’ said Fiona. ‘But does it really matter?’

  ‘Of course it matters!’ said April, ‘If she was going off to have some sort of horrible rendezvous, that makes it even worse!’

  ‘But weren’t you with Mr Sheldon just before it happened?’

  ‘Yes, he drove off in his stupid sports car. He could have gone straight there and killed my dad. And …’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘Well, maybe that was why my mum wasn’t at home. Maybe Hawk arranged to meet her to get her out of the way so he wouldn’t have any witnesses. And maybe that’s why she lied about where she was.’

  Fiona was silent for a moment.

  ‘It’s possible, but that’s an awful lot of maybes.’

  ‘Yes, I guess. But someone out there knows.’

  ‘Mr Sheldon for one. Perhaps you should ask him.’

  April laughed.

  ‘I can’t just go up and say “Hey Mr Sheldon, I hear you were screwing my mother and I was wondering, did you also murder my dad?”’

  There was a pause at the other end of the line.

  ‘What?’ said April. ‘Do you think I should?’

  ‘April, you’re my best friend and it’s terrified me hearing all about the things you’ve gone through over the past few months. The last thing I want to do is put you in more danger …’

  ‘But? I can feel a big “but” coming on.’

  ‘But they do say attack is the best form of defence. You and Caro have spent months sneaking around, reading books, doing research and where’s it got you? Maybe it’s time for a more direct approach. At least then you won’t be sitting around waiting for one of the Suckers to jump out at you.’

  April felt a weird mixture of thrill and fear. She knew Fiona was right, she just wished someone else could go and do it for her.

  ‘So what do I do?’

  ‘Go and see Mr Sheldon tomorrow. Ask him about it straight out. He’ll probably deny it, but you’ll be able to see how he reacts, won’t you?’

  It sounded crazy, but right now, April was so angry, she felt she could have walked into a lion’s cage and come out unscathed.

  ‘You know what? I’ll do it,’ she said. ‘I’d certainly love to see his face when I tell him I know everything.’

  ‘Good for you. So what are you going to do right now?’

  April looked at the time. Eight-thirty. She knew she’d have to go back some time, but she couldn’t face seeing her mother right now. Let Silvia worry for a while – this time, she deserved it. April so wished she could see Gabriel, but she knew there was no way he could come back to Highgate.

  ‘I suppose I’ll call Caro. She’s been texting me since I met up with DI Reece. I’ll go to hers and we’ll see if we can plot our next move.’

  ‘Keep safe, okay?’

&
nbsp; Just then her phone beeped in her ear.

  ‘Speak later, Fee,’ said April. ‘I think that’s Caro now.’

  She quickly flicked through her phone’s menu, but the message wasn’t from Caro.

  It was from Miss Holden.

  I need to speak to you, it’s urgent. Can you come to school?

  Mr Sheldon’s office, I’ve found something I think you should see.

  April frowned. Had Miss Holden finally seen sense and decided to help her out?

  ‘I hope so,’ she whispered to herself. ‘I could do with some help right now.’

  April walked straight up the path to the school, feeling a new sense of purpose. Fiona was right; there was a time for gathering evidence and looking for clues, and there was a time to take action. She needed to take the bull by the horns, even if it meant the risk of being gored, because the longer April sat around and waited for something to happen, the more time she gave the Suckers to work out who she was and close in on her. April needed answers, and she was only going to get them by asking the right people – Miss Holden and Mr Sheldon were excellent places to start.

  April walked up the steps and pushed in through the main doors: they were unlocked. Maybe Miss Holden had left them open, or perhaps they were always unlocked, she’d never been here this late. As she walked inside, April was immediately struck by how quiet it was, her shoes tapping on the stone floor. Empty buildings always had a neglected, unhappy air and Ravenwood’s high-ceilinged passageways added to the unsettling sense that she was both alone and being watched. She was just turning into the corridor housing the headmaster’s office when her phone buzzed, echoing in the silence, and she pulled it before it could ring again.

  ‘Caro,’ she whispered, covering the mouthpiece with her hand. ‘Can’t talk right now.’

  ‘Where are you? I’ve been trying to call you. And why are you whispering again?’

  ‘I’m at Ravenwood, I had a message from Miss Holden to meet her here.’

  ‘Miss Holden? What’s she doing there?’

  ‘She’s found something in Hawk’s office. I can’t talk now, I’ll call you when I get out.’

  ‘April—’

  ‘Speak later,’ April hissed urgently and hung up, turning her phone off. She didn’t want it going off again and alerting some caretaker or security guard.

  She tapped gently on Mr Sheldon’s door and could see there was a light on inside, so she pushed it open. There was a strange smell in the air, like burnt meat.

  ‘Miss Holden?’ she said, peering around the door.

  ‘Oh no!’ she gasped as she saw what was happening inside. April moved fast, but not quite fast enough. A hand shot out and grabbed her hair, pulling her sideways into the room. She fell to her knees, grazing them on the carpet, then someone kicked her over and she felt a foot on her neck, pinning her to the floor.

  A trap! her mind screamed. It was a trap! So stupid. Anyone could have sent that message using Miss Holden’s phone. And, from her position on the floor she could see exactly who had done it.

  ‘Good evening, April,’ said Benjamin, bending down so she could see his smiling face. ‘I’m sorry to have deceived you, but I thought it was time we finally had that date we’ve been talking about. It’s a sort of double-date actually.’

  Suddenly she was jerked up off the floor and her arms were twisted up behind her back.

  ‘I think you’ve heard of my associate, Teddy the Toad,’ he said, nodding to the giant holding her.

  Oh please no, thought April. Had they caught Gabriel too?

  April tried to twist around, but she was held in a cruel grip.

  ‘Let me go,’ she said, trying not to show her pain.

  ‘Oh, is he pinching you a little?’ mocked Ben. ‘I’m so sorry, Teddy can get a little zealous. Seems to enjoy inflicting pain for some reason. Ask Miss Holden if you don’t believe me.’

  Teddy spun April around to face Mr Sheldon’s desk. The table top had been swept clear and Miss Holden had been tied over it, facing the ceiling. Her face was covered in blood.

  ‘What have you done to her?’ screamed April.

  ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ said Benjamin. ‘We’ve been torturing her. I thought she’d appreciate the irony,’ said Ben. ‘It’s long been a tradition of the Guardians to put people “to the question” – to torture them until they confessed to their crimes. So far, she hasn’t said much except your name. Now why do you think that was? Hmm?’

  He walked over and flicked a Zippo lighter open, the orange flame jumping out. Then he held it to Miss Holden’s feet. She screamed, jerking against her ropes.

  Benjamin leant in close to the teacher’s ear. ‘Where is the White Book?’ he whispered. ‘Tell us where you’ve put the Albus Libre and it will all stop.’

  She looked at April, then shook her head.

  ‘Have it your way,’ said Benjamin, his voice heavy with regret as he applied the flame to her feet again.

  ‘Stop! For God’s sake stop it!’ shouted April, struggling against Teddy. ‘Ask me, I’ll tell you!’

  Benjamin was across the room in a flash, his face right up against hers. ‘Yes you will, April Dunne,’ he hissed. ‘By the time I’ve finished with you, you will beg to tell me every last little secret in your tiny head.’ He pressed the lighter against her cheek and she flinched at the touch of the hot metal.

  ‘Now tell me what you know about the White Book.’

  ‘What white book?’

  Benjamin curled his fist around the lighter and punched April hard on the jaw. Pain exploded in her mouth and spots danced in front of her eyes.

  ‘I’m getting impatient, April. I know you’ve seen that book. I know everything.’

  How? How did he know? Had Miss Holden told him? April had a feeling she hadn’t told him very much at all, otherwise why would he have summoned her?

  ‘What do you need it for?’ she asked, trying to stall him.

  ‘There’s a revolting little virus going around, I don’t know if you’ve heard? This book contains a cure. But then you know that, don’t you, because you used the Dragon’s Breath to save your hero boyfriend. Not that it’ll do him any good now.’

  ‘Where is he?’ she shouted. ‘If you’ve hurt him I’ll kill you!’

  ‘Oh, now, that’s not very nice, April. I thought you liked me.’

  In the blink of an eye, Ben’s handsome face twisted into a horrific leer, his sharp teeth bared, his eyes yellow, like a wolf standing over a wounded deer. It was the same face she had seen on Gabriel when the Dragon’s Breath had taken hold, the same hellish mask she’d seen on Marcus that night in the cemetery, his pale skin spattered with her blood. April closed her eyes and turned away.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ he whispered, his words dripping with spite. ‘Don’t you fancy me any more?’

  ‘You’re disgusting,’ she said.

  ‘Now you’ve hurt my feelings,’ said Benjamin. He grabbed her hand and held the naked flame to the sensitive web between her finger and thumb. She screamed.

  ‘Tell me where the book is or I swear you will end up like Layla!’

  ‘You killed Layla?’ she gasped.

  ‘Not technically,’ he said. ‘Okay, so I put her head in the noose, but she jumped off the ladder herself. Well, I may have wobbled the ladder a tiny bit.’

  April lunged at him, but Teddy the Toad held her.

  ‘Bastard!’ she spat.

  ‘Yes.’ yelled Benjamin, ‘Yes I am, has it taken you this long to work it out? Now tell me about the book. I’ve already torn her worthless little cottage apart and it’s not there. If you don’t tell me where it is, I’ll burn this shit hole school to the ground with both of you inside.’

  April didn’t know why, but she sensed that she was more valuable to Benjamin alive than dead. Why else would he be so keen to get the Dragon’s Breath recipe? If he’d barbecued the Fury, there would be no need for it.

  ‘Screw you,’ she said.

  Benjamin no
dded to Teddy the Toad. ‘Bring her,’ he said.

  The gorilla behind her dragged April over to the desk, holding her hair so she couldn’t look away. Miss Holden flinched as Benjamin bent down towards her.

  ‘So pretty …’ he said, touching her face. ‘For a witch, anyway.’

  April could see the fear in Miss Holden’s eyes.

  How long had he been torturing her? Longer than was necessary, that was for sure. April knew that her inbred Guardian hatred of the vampires would have allowed her to resist for a while, but what chance did a history teacher have against an undead killer?

  April gasped as Benjamin pulled out a knife, twisting the blade so it caught the light. ‘Now, what do you think I’m going to do with this, Fury?’ he asked.

  ‘Slit your wrists?’ said April, trying to sound defiant, feeling anything but.

  ‘Funny,’ said Benjamin – and pushed the knife against Miss Holden’s throat.

  ‘Okay, I’ll make this simple,’ he said. ‘Either you tell me what I want to know or I’ll slit her from ear to ear and make you watch as I drink her dry.’

  He pushed the knife down harder and April could see a thin line of blood appear.

  ‘All right, all right!’ said April quickly. ‘I know where the book is and I have the Dragon’s Breath recipe. I have it all, so you can let her go – please, Ben? Please.’

  Benjamin nodded to Teddy the Toad, who immediately let go of her arms.

  Surprised, April began to turn – and then suddenly it went dark. It took a moment for April to realise that a bag had been pulled over her head.

  ‘No!’ April screamed, but her cries were choked off by an arm around her neck.

  ‘Shut her up, Teddy,’ said Benjamin. ‘If she’s got the book then I have no more need for this witch.’

  Suddenly, she heard Miss Holden’s voice.

  ‘Fight them, April,’ she said urgently, ‘fight them all the way. You have the power. Send them back into the darkness!’

  ‘Quiet!’ snapped Benjamin and Miss Holden’s voice was cut off.

  ‘NO! DON’T …’ April tried to scream, but something hit her head. And then all she saw was darkness.