by Kristi Cook
“Agreed.” Tyler’s gaze met mine. “So, what now?”
“I need to talk to Aidan,” I blurted out. Not that I expected him to know anything more than Max did, but just because I needed to hear his voice.
“Here,” Tyler said, handing me his cell. “But be quiet about it, or everyone’s going to want a turn.”
“I don’t need the phone,” I said, gesturing for him to put it away. “I can talk to Aidan without it.”
Tyler reached for my arm, his eyes narrowing. “What do you mean?”
Uh-oh. How was I going to get out of this one without revealing too much? “What do you think I mean?” I hedged. “We’re at Winterhaven, remember?”
“And you’re a precog, remember?” he shot back.
Crap. I should have known that Tyler would want a better explanation than that. Sometimes I forgot how smart he was. “I can’t explain it, Ty. Okay? It’s just some weird … anomaly.”
He looked confused. “So you’re saying you’re a precog and a telepath?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not really telepathic. It’s just … with him.”
“You’re only telepathic with him?” His voice rose a pitch. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Shhh,” I said. I reached for his hand and dragged him into the girls’ dressing room, as far away from everyone else as possible. “I told you, I can’t explain it. But he and I have this weird psychic connection, and yeah, we can communicate telepathically. It’s not really that big a deal.”
He looked at me skeptically. “You don’t think it’s that big a deal? Seriously? It’s not normal, not even by Winterhaven standards. You’re either a telepath or you’re not, Violet.”
“Will you just shut up and let me talk to him?” I begged, suddenly desperate to hear Aidan’s voice in my head.
He held up both hands, palms out. “Hey, go for it.”
“Just … be quiet for a second, okay?”
Without a word, he folded his arms across his chest, leaning back against the row of lockers that lined the far wall.
“Thanks,” I said, then took several deep breaths, trying to focus. Aidan had been screwing around with the serum over the break, and he’d had another bad reaction over the weekend. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the last time, but bad enough that I worried our connection might be temporarily down again.
Still, I gave it a try. Aidan? I called out, hopeful.
There was no reply, though I did feel the telltale tickle in my head. It was faint, but it was there—our connection. I tried again. Hey, Aidan? You there? I was trying my best to yell telepathically, which was not an easy feat.
And then I heard it, a faint whisper in my head. Vi?
I turned so that my back was facing Tyler. Where are you? What’s going on?
Nothing. I waited, willing the connection to strengthen. There was a brief buzz in my head, and then, Violet? again, so faint and indistinct that I wasn’t certain I hadn’t imagined it.
I turned back toward Tyler. “It’s not working.”
His gaze was unflinching. “If you say so. Want me to go get my cell for you?”
“No, it’s okay. Just … never mind, I’ll find him later. We should probably go back inside.” The loud, raucous voices hadn’t quieted any since we stepped out, meaning that Coach Gibson was still MIA.
“Nah, I like it better in here.” He pushed away from the lockers, taking two steps toward me. “So, how was your Thanksgiving?”
“It was nice. How ’bout yours?” I regretted the words the instant they left my lips. It had been his first Thanksgiving without his dad.
“It sucked,” he said. “My mom made this big production of making me carve the turkey—you know, since I’m the ‘man of the house’ now. First she cried, then she drank, and finally she passed out. All the makings of a memorable meal.”
“I’m sorry, Ty.”
“Nah, it’s okay. My grandma put her to bed, and I took the train into the city and hung out with Max and his family for the rest of break. Oh, and I ran into Kate.”
I let out my breath in a rush. “Please say you didn’t.”
“Why do you care?” he said with a smirk. “She’s a lot of fun, even if we can’t speak telepathically to each other like you and the boyfriend can.”
My face flushed hotly. “I wish you’d stop screwing around with my friends. Seriously, it really pisses me off.”
“Why do you always assume that I’m just screwing around with them? Maybe I really like Kate.”
“No, I meant it literally. Stop screwing my friends.”
He just shrugged, which only made me more furious.
“You realize that she isn’t over Jack yet, that she’s totally on the rebound, right? She’s probably just using you.”
“Hey, I’m totally down with that.” He reached down to readjust the colorful string bracelets he still wore around one wrist. “She can use me anytime she likes. Anyway, I’m touched by your concern for my feelings.”
I shook my head. “You’re disgusting.”
In the distance, a siren wailed. The public address system crackled back to life. I cocked my head to one side, listening. “Attention, please. The Code Yellow remains in effect. I repeat, Code Yellow remains in effect until further notice. Thank you.”
Tears suddenly burned behind my eyelids. “I can’t believe we’re standing here arguing when there’s apparently a dead body out there. What if it’s a student?”
He nodded, and the tension between us dissolved at once. “I’d say chances are pretty good it is a student. Or a teacher, maybe. Where the hell is Coach Gibson?”
“We should go inside,” I said, craning my neck to see what was going on back in the studio. It looked like almost everyone was still sitting around talking. Faces looked pale, pinched with worry.
Tyler winked. “Yeah, wouldn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know, Violet.” With a cheeky smile, he reached for my hand, grasping it firmly in his. “C’mon, we’ll tell ’em what we know.”
20 ~ The Scooby Gang
As soon as sixth period ended the following day, we assembled in the chapel, all of us. Even Jack, though he made sure to keep his distance from Kate.
“What are you guys thinking?” he asked, moving to stand beside Aidan.
“That we should stay out of the woods,” Cece offered.
“That’s a given,” Joshua said. He slipped into the first row, stretching his feet out into the aisle. He must have grown a full foot since last year, I realized, surprised. “Seriously, Cece, don’t even think about it,” he continued.
Beside me, I saw her roll her eyes. “Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. Only my astral self goes out there, and I’m pretty sure the Stalker can’t touch her, badass that she is.”
“I just wish we knew what we were dealing with,” Aidan said. “Luc feels sure it’s an imposter, not an actual vampire. But how does an imposter do that type of damage?”
Jack grimaced. “I think there are ways.”
“Yeah, but why here?” I asked. “It just seems like too much of a coincidence that he’d strike here, doesn’t it? I mean, what are the chances?”
“We’re not that far from Manhattan,” Marissa reasoned, “and the train runs down along the river. It’s possible that it is a coincidence. He might have been on his way somewhere and just happened to cross paths with the victim.”
The victim. She’d been identified as a local woman—a drug addict, apparently, who’d obviously been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But unlike the Stalker’s previous victims, who’d been discovered in time for life-saving transfusions, this one hadn’t been so lucky. The groundskeeper had discovered her bled-out body out in the woods, apparently several days after she’d been left there.
I shuddered, horrified by the idea of something so awful happening so close by. “Luc’s sure there’s no one new in the area? A rogue vampire
who’d do something like this? I swear, it’s almost as if he’s trying to send a message, thumbing his nose at Mrs. Girard or something.”
“Or her nose,” Aidan added. “We have no real reason to assume the Stalker’s a he.”
“All the victims have been females,” Kate said with a shrug.
Sophie turned to face Kate, who was sitting behind and to the right of her. “Yeah, but it’s not like they were sexually assaulted or anything.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Kate leaned forward, resting her elbows on the back of the pew in front of her. “I can’t believe the police have nothing, though. There has to be some sort of evidence left behind. Fingerprints, footprints, something.”
“Not if he’s careful,” Jack said. “An experienced criminal knows better than to leave any clues at the scene of a crime.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Well, it’s not like he murdered this woman and then disappeared into thin air,” Kate argued.
“He could, if he’s really a vampire,” Aidan said. “In fact, he could do exactly that.”
Kate nodded. “Yeah, but even so, there’s got to be a trail of some sort, and I bet we’re more equipped to discover it than the police are. Hey, maybe if we ask Jenna—”
“Of course!” Jack said excitedly. “In wolf form, she should be able to sniff something out. Even in human form, her senses are heightened—better than ours, for sure.” He turned toward Aidan. “She can scent a vampire, right?”
Aidan just nodded, his arms folded across his chest, which I couldn’t help but notice seemed far less defined than I remembered. He looked almost … gaunt.
“You want to talk to her?” Jack asked Aidan. “Jenna, I mean.”
“Not really,” Aidan muttered, shaking his head. “But I will.”
I turned toward Cece and Sophie, who were staring curiously at Kate. Beside her, Marissa was doing the same. I couldn’t blame them—after all, that little exchange with Jack had been the most those two had said to each other in weeks. For a second there, it had almost seemed like old times, and everyone appeared to be holding a collective breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
Of course, after Tyler’s little revelation yesterday, I should have known better. Clearly, Kate was finally moving on. I just wished it had been a healthy kind of moving on, rather than a fling with a guy who was sort of dating one of our friends.
Then again, who was I to judge? I was dating a vampire.
Cece glanced down at her watch. “I’ve got to head over to student council, guys. God, I hate this new schedule.”
“It’s definitely a pain,” I agreed. “We’ve got a half hour of fencing practice before dinner, but it’s not going to be enough, not with the big All-Ivy tournament coming up.”
After yesterday’s lockdown, the school administration had set a temporary new curfew. Everyone had to be inside, accounted for, by sunset. All extracurriculars—clubs, meetings, practices—had to be shortened and crammed in before darkness fell. My own schedule was a mess, and I had only fencing to deal with. I had no idea how Cece could possibly fit everything in.
We stood and shuffled into the aisle. Aidan and Jack moved away from the rest of us, their heads bent in quiet conversation.
“I’m going back to the dorms,” Sophie said.
“I’ll go with you,” I said. “Just let me say good-bye to Aidan.”
Sophie laid a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, speaking of Aidan, he looks awful. Well, by Aidan standards, at least,” she amended. “Did he have another bad reaction or something?”
“Yeah, over the break. Maybe you could … you know, do your thing with him. See if you can sense what’s going on.”
“Do you think he’ll let her?” Cece asked.
“I don’t see why not. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before.”
Sophie nodded. “Only problem is, I’ve never touched him before. Which means I don’t have a baseline to go by. But I can still give it a try—can’t hurt, right?”
“I’ve really got to run,” Cece said, looking almost apologetic. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Wait for me,” Marissa said, hurrying to Cece’s side. “I’m supposed to meet Max at the café.”
Kate set off too, not-so-coincidentally timing her exit to match Jack’s, I noticed.
“Hey,” Aidan called out to me and Sophie, “you two heading out?” He quickly closed the distance between us.
“Yeah, but first we’ve got a proposition for you,” I said.
He smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “Hmm, now that sounds intriguing.”
I looked entreatingly to Sophie.
“Here’s the thing—would you mind if I took your hand for a second?” she asked him. “I just want to see if I can … you know, sense your condition.”
His eyes narrowed a fraction, but he was still smiling as he looked back and forth between the two of us. “She put you up to this, didn’t she?” he asked, tipping his head in my direction. “Because of the reaction.”
“Maybe,” Sophie answered with a laugh. “But honestly, I am curious.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” He held out one hand to her. “Do you want one hand or two?”
“Two usually works best,” she said. “I get a better read that way.”
He complied, extending both hands in her direction.
For a moment, Sophie seemed to hesitate. She bit her lower lip, a shadow flitting across her face. Finally, she extended her own hands, grasping his firmly as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Not ten seconds passed before she snatched her hands back, her eyes flying open. “Oh my God. Wow.” She suddenly looked a little pale, slightly shaken.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her, a knot in the pit of my stomach.
She swallowed hard. “It’s just … I don’t know, my readings were all over the place. Some were totally flatlined, like he’s … you know, dead. But his heart’s still pumping, and there’s this systemic infection in the blood cells.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“You sure you’re okay?” I’d never seen her react like this after applying her gift.
She nodded, covering her mouth with one hand. When she let it fall, her fingers were visibly trembling. “It’s just that when I was touching him, my mind was flooded with fear. Just … pure, undiluted fear.” She turned toward Aidan, as if she’d just remembered that he was still standing there. Her cheeks were splotched red now. “God, I’m sorry, Aidan.”
“Hey, no need to apologize,” Aidan said softly. “Considering the circumstances, it’s not surprising. You know, just nature’s way of telling you to get away, and fast.”
Sophie nodded, looking as if she wanted to do just that.
“Hey, Sophie,” Joshua called out. “Can I ask you a huge favor?”
“Sure,” she said, moving toward him, still looking a little dazed.
“Can you take a look at my wrist?” he asked. “I think I might have sprained it playing basketball.”
I watched the pair move off toward the back of the chapel, talking quietly. She would feel better after a more “normal” diagnosis. Somehow, Joshua always seemed to know how to step in and rescue a situation.
Grateful, I turned back toward Aidan. “You still don’t look good,” I fretted.
“I’m fine,” he said absently, taking a seat in the front row. He held out a hand to me and I took it, sitting down beside him. “So, apparently Jack’s work in the lab with your little friend is going well.”
“With Tyler, you mean?” I shook my head in annoyance. “Would it really be so hard for you guys to call each other by name?”
Aidan ignored that jab. “Jack says he’s highly skilled at compressing molecules. I think I’m going to ask him if he’ll help me out this week. That is, unless you have any objections.”
I shrugged. “Why would I care?”
“I just thought I’d ask. You know, in case th
ere’s some drama going on with him that I’m not aware of.”
“Oh, there’s always some sort of drama going on where Tyler’s concerned.” I briefly wondered if Jack knew that his lab partner was busy hooking up with his ex. “But no, no objections from me. He’s all yours.”
“Thanks. I think,” he quipped.
“Hey, Violet?” Sophie called out, and I turned toward her. “Joshua’s sprain is really a hairline fracture. I’m going to walk him over to the infirmary, okay?”
“Sure, I’ll catch you later. Feel better, Josh.”
“I hope I didn’t throw off her sensors or anything,” Aidan said, smiling ruefully. Suddenly his expression turned serious. “I’m supposed to give you a message from Mrs. Girard. She wants to see you.”
My heart gave a little leap against my ribs. “What? When?”
He looked at his watch. “Right about now, actually.”
“Great. Do you know why?”
“No idea, Vi. Just … be careful, okay?”
“I hate it when you say things like that,” I said, shaking my head. After all, I was always careful. I didn’t need reminders.
“Do you have your stake with you?” He gestured toward my bag, and I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
“You want me to take my stake with me to meet with the headmistress? Seriously?”
He nodded. “I think you should probably have it with you wherever you go, yes.”
I carried my stake with me in my bag whenever I left campus, but back on school grounds I usually left it in my closet, away from prying eyes. “Fine. I’ll stop by my room and get it on the way.”
“Thank you. Want me to take you?”
“Sure, why not,” I conceded. “Whatever Mrs. Girard wants to see me about, it can’t be good. You know that, right?”
“There’s only one way to find out.” He stood, pulling me to my feet.
“You sure you can do this?” I leaned into him, tucking my head beneath his chin. “In the shape you’re in right now?”
I felt his lips in my hair. “Two days ago, I couldn’t. Luckily, this particular ability seems to rebound rather quickly. Anyway, hold on tight.”
