Mirage

by Kristi Cook

  So I did.

  A hiss and pop, and we were there in my dorm room, standing near the foot of my neatly made bed.

  “Huh. So this is your room.” He released me, taking a step away from the bed. I watched as he turned in a slow circle, examining the small space. “Pretty nice,” he said at last. “It feels like you.”

  “You’ve been in here before,” I reminded him. Once, last year.

  “Yeah, but just over by the window. I didn’t get a chance to look around.”

  I glanced around the room, trying to see it with fresh eyes. Much of the wall space was covered with artwork—mostly music posters, interspersed with a couple of prints from our favorite movies. Everything else—the lamps, bedding, plastic bins, and fabric-covered corkboard—was done in our favorite colors, pink for Cece and lavender for me. We’d gone with a shabby-chic look, I supposed. There were sheer, fluttery curtains trimmed in grosgrain framing the room’s single window, and distressed floral slipcovers on the love seat. Gran would have called it a “hot mess,” but I thought it was perfect.

  “The messy side is Cece’s, by the way,” I said, noting her unmade bed and the unruly stack of magazines on her night-stand. Luckily, she hadn’t left any undies lying around the floor. At least, not today.

  A smile danced on his lips as he reached for my shoulders and pulled me up against his chest. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.”

  “I hope the door’s locked,” I murmured. “We’re engaging in some serious rule-breaking here. “

  Behind me, I heard the lock click. “We’re good,” Aidan said, taking a step back. “But yeah, I guess I should let you get over to Mrs. Girard’s office before she comes looking for you.”

  I nodded, exhausted. It was like it all finally hit me at once—the new Sâbbat stuff, the lockdown, the curfew. Not to mention the murder, right here on school grounds. That’s what freaked me out the most, I realized—the fact that it had happened here, in what was supposed to be a safe haven. I sank to my bed, feeling queasy all of a sudden.

  “You okay?” he asked, sitting beside me and wrapping one arm around my shoulders. “I know it’s been a pretty unsettling couple of days.”

  I let out my breath in a rush. “It’s just … that poor woman. I mean, I realize she was just some junkie, but still.” I shook my head. “She didn’t deserve to die like that.”

  “Don’t worry, Vi. We’ll figure it out. All of us, working together.”

  I laughed uneasily. “Yeah, our little Scooby Gang.”

  “Our what?”

  “Didn’t you ever watch … never mind.” Of course he didn’t. “You’re right—I should probably get going.”

  He nodded, and we both stood. “Want me to take you?” he offered.

  “No, I’ll walk. You should go, though.” I headed into the closet, standing on tiptoe as I reached up to the shelf above my shoes. “The last thing we need is Mrs. G. coming to look for me and catching you here.” My fingers closed around the satiny shaft, and I hurried out, crouching down to stuff the stake into my bag. “I’ll see you at dinner, okay?”

  When I didn’t get a response, I stood, my gaze sweeping across the room—the apparently empty room—and let out my breath in a huff.

  I really did hate it when he did that.

  Just as I’d done so many times in the past, I settled myself into the chair across from the headmaster’s desk. The headmistress’s, in this case.

  She smiled at me, looking as chic and poised as ever, not a hair out of place. Her pale brown gaze was direct but kind. Despite Aidan’s warnings, it was hard to remember to remain wary in her presence. She still seemed exactly like the kindly dorm mistress I’d first met at Winterhaven, not a powerful, centuries-old vampire.

  I thought of her predecessor. Dr. Blackwell’s strength had been mind control—apparently his powers had been unparalleled among their kind. I wondered what Mrs. Girard’s strengths were. Whatever her powers, I just didn’t feel the alarm in her presence that I knew I should. Where was the reaction that I experienced with Trevors?

  “Thank you for coming, Miss McKenna. Better late than never, as they say.”

  “I’m so sorry—”

  “No need to apologize, chérie,” she interrupted, waving one hand in dismissal. “This isn’t official school business, not precisely. I was just thinking that perhaps it’s time we had a little chat. I spoke to Mr. Gray today, and he tells me that your Sâbbat tendencies remain mostly latent.”

  I nodded. “I’ve noticed some slight changes, but nothing significant. Nothing that’s affected my relationship with Aidan, at least.”

  Again, she smiled. “The connection you share is particularly fascinating. I can only wonder if your feelings for him will somehow neutralize your hatred for our kind in general.”

  “I wish I knew. When I’m with Aidan, even with you, I don’t feel anything unusual. But other vampires … well, I do feel the stirrings of something.”

  “Hmm, interesting.” She leaned back in her chair. “Though I must admit, I wasn’t aware that you’d encountered any others.”

  “Just Trevors. You know, Aidan’s … his … butler.” Butler? I felt stupid just saying it.

  “Of course. How could I forget Trevors? I wonder, then, if you’d feel similar stirrings in the presence of another vampire? One with whom you aren’t familiar.”

  “It’s possible,” I said. “The feelings were pretty intense. If I hadn’t known Trevors and hadn’t been sure that he was someone I could trust, well …” I shook my head. “I was pretty desperate to get my hands on my stake. It actually took a lot of restraint to ignore my instincts. And I know Trevors. I like him.”

  She nodded, looking pensive. “So, let’s say that this so-called Vampire Stalker crossed your path. Do you think you could sense his or her presence?”

  I sucked in my breath. “So you think the Stalker is really a vampire?”

  “Other members of the Tribunal don’t agree with me, but yes, I do. A clumsy one—one who doesn’t care about discovery, it would seem. My best guess is that it’s a newly turned vampire, someone young, perhaps. Anyway, winter break is almost here. I presume you’ll be spending the holidays in Manhattan?”

  I just nodded.

  “Well, you see my concern, then? If you were to somehow cross paths with this murderous vampire, well … I realize you’ve already slain three vampires, but they were threatening your friends’ lives. Would you be able to act so swiftly, so decisively, without such an incentive as saving your friends?”

  I shook my head. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “It could be a dangerous situation, Miss McKenna. Far too risky. Conversely, what if you encounter a vampire on a busy Manhattan street, and your instincts do kick in? I can only assume that a Sâbbat newly into her powers might find herself struggling with control much in the same way a newly turned vampire does.” She visibly flinched, presumably imagining me going all Buffy, right in the middle of Times Square.

  I had to bite my lip to keep from smiling, just imagining it myself.

  Mrs. Girard’s gaze met mine. “You must see why I’d feel more comfortable if Mr. Gray accompanied you whenever you ventured out.”

  “You mean all the time?”

  “Whenever possible. Admittedly, he’s compromised his own abilities with his work toward the cure. But together, I think you’ll be safe.”

  So basically she was just asking me to spend as much time as possible with Aidan over the holidays? Hmm, okay. I was down with that. “No problem,” I said with a nod. “We’ll stick together like white on rice.”

  “Thank you,” she said with an amused smile. “And thank you for that charming colloquialism.”

  I studied her features, searching my instincts. She seemed genuine—but then, so had Dr. Blackwell. Still, I didn’t sense any sort of manipulation. I only sensed sincerity. Worry. Aidan meant something to her, I realized.

  Because she had created him? Was there something akin to
a parental bond between a vampire and those she had turned? I had no idea.

  Almost immediately, thoughts that weren’t my own flooded my mind. Just words and phrases, snippets.

  Edward’s son. Royal blood; our crown jewel. He can’t know, not yet. Not till war erupts.

  Accompanying the words was one single image—Aidan’s face.

  21 ~ Friendship 101

  After breaching her mind, I got out of Mrs. Girard’s office as fast as I could. She hadn’t appeared to notice that I’d been eavesdropping on her thoughts—she’d seemed a little distracted, actually. And as far as I could tell, she was being totally up front with me.

  But there was obviously something she knew about Aidan, something that was there in the back of her mind the entire time she was talking to me. I couldn’t really make heads or tails out of the jumbled thoughts, but maybe he could. I needed to talk to him.

  Glancing over at the window, I watched as the bright orange sun melted into the horizon. Great. I couldn’t talk to him now, thanks to the stupid new curfew.

  Beside me, my cell phone started to ring. Patsy, according to the ringtone. Cursing her bad timing, I connected the call. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hey, hon. You got a sec?”

  “Sure. Wait—did you get your EpiPens?”

  I heard her sigh. “Yes, Violet. They’re right here in my purse.”

  “Okay, good.” I sat down on the bed with a satisfied smile. “Go on.”

  “I really need to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay,” I said, wondering where she was going with this.

  “Actually, it’s about someone,” she corrected. “I should have told you about him while we were at Gran’s, but … I’m sorry, Violet. I guess I chickened out.”

  Oh no. She was going there. “Well, now’s your chance,” I said.

  “You know how much I loved your dad, right?”

  “Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

  “I’ll never forget him. Never.”

  I just sat there silently, willing her to hurry up and get it over with.

  “Anyway, I met someone. Over the summer. Paul’s a really nice guy, Violet. Smart, too. I think you’ll like him. He’s, um, legal counsel for the Australian embassy.”

  I remembered the guy I’d seen golfing with her in my vision. Tall guy, short brown hair, blue eyes. Australian accent.

  “And?” I prodded.

  “And he’s invited me to go to Turks and Caicos with him before Christmas. I’d like to go, but I hate to leave you home alone over the break.”

  “It’s okay, Pats—Mom, I mean. You should go. Have some fun.”

  “Really? You’re sure?” I could hear the excitement creeping into her voice. Did she really think I’d say no? “You could go to Gran’s if you really don’t want to be alone,” she offered. “But I’ll be back on the twenty-fourth, so it’s not like I’d be missing Christmas or anything like that.”

  “Seriously, I’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks, Violet. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

  I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know. It’s not like I expected her to sit home, loyal to my dad’s memory forever—not at all. She was young, and I expected her to eventually move on, find someone new, fall in love. I certainly wasn’t going to hold it against her if she did just that. I just didn’t want the details, that’s all.

  “Though I …” She cleared her throat. “I don’t want to give the impression that just because I’m gone, you and Aidan are free to do whatever you want. Regular rules still apply, right?”

  “Right,” I agreed, my voice tight. She was free to go gallivanting off to the Caribbean with her new fling, but I had to be home by midnight? Of course, technically speaking, her rules had never specified that I had to be home alone. “You have to promise me one thing, though, or the deal’s off,” I said, brushing aside my annoyance in favor of more serious issues.

  “Oh yeah?” she asked, a trace of amusement in her voice.

  “Yeah. You have to promise me that as soon as you get off the phone, you’ll put an EpiPen in your golf bag, okay? Plus, make sure you have one in each of the bags you’re going to bring with you. Better to be safe than sorry, right?”

  “Fine,” she said with a laugh. “I promise, if it’ll make you feel better. I swear, since when did you become so fixated on my bee-sting allergy?”

  I shook my head in disgust. I mean, okay, I got that she didn’t believe in psychic stuff. But she’d lived with me since I was little. Over the years, she’d seen enough evidence of my gift that you’d think she might take my warnings seriously by now.

  Just take the effing EpiPens, I silently urged.

  A knock sounded on the door. “Violet?”

  “Hey, I’ve got to go,” I said into the phone. “Someone’s at the door.”

  “No problem. I’ll e-mail you my itinerary as soon as we book, okay?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later, then. Bye.” I ended the call just as another rap sounded on the door. “It’s open!” I called out.

  Kate stepped inside, looking as if she’d been crying. Uh-oh.

  “Hey, since when do you knock?” I teased, collapsing back on the bed.

  She sat down across from me on Cece’s bed. “Since everyone started treating me like a social outcast, that’s when. Where’s Cece?”

  “Over at Marissa’s, studying for their English final. I thought you were in their class.”

  “I am. Obviously I wasn’t invited.”

  Oops. I shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “Oh. Sorry about that.”

  “How long is everyone going to stay mad at me? Seriously, is what I did that bad? It’s not like Cece and Tyler were serious or anything.”

  “Are you and Tyler serious?” I asked. “I mean, I don’t really understand it. One day you’re devastated about Jack, and the next you’re off hooking up with someone else, someone you knew that Cece was interested in. And yes, it was that bad. Couldn’t you have at least waited until the day after the dance?” More than a month’s worth of pent-up frustration came spilling out. I wanted to make her understand that she’d broken a basic tenet of Friendship 101.

  Abruptly, Kate stood. “Never mind. I should have known that you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Well, how ’bout you help me understand, instead of just storming off,” I shot back.

  “What’s the point?” She swiped at her eyes with her sleeve. “You’re just going to take Cece’s side.”

  I took a deep, calming breath. “Look, I love Cece. But I love you, too. You know that. I owe you so much.” How could I forget Kate standing there beside me, facing down Julius? She’d done everything to stop him and the two females; when that didn’t work, she’d made sure I had my stake in my hand when I needed it. “But why Tyler? I mean, I know you were hurting—I get that. But couldn’t you have found someone else to mess around with?”

  “I happen to like Tyler,” she said softly.

  “You like Tyler? What do you mean, you like him? What about Jack?” Because she’d loved Jack. They were going to be together forever, she’d claimed.

  Kate glanced over at the corkboard on the wall. A pushpin fell out, the picture it anchored fluttering to the floor. She held out her hand and the picture flew into it. It showed her and Jack wearing their matching pirate costumes from last year’s Halloween Fair dance. They had their arms wrapped around each other, Kate’s lips pressed against Jack’s cheek. Someone must have snapped it while I was off in the chemistry lab, watching Aidan smash things up.

  “Jack broke up with me, remember?” she asked, ripping the picture in two and dropping the pieces to the floor with a flourish.

  “He’s a total moron, Kate. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have moved on. But … Tyler? I mean, he was at that dance with Cece.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, okay? I told Cece I was sorry. What more do you guys want from me?”

  It was a good question. I guess I just wanted to
understand. “He told me that the two of you hung out some over Thanksgiving break.”

  Her eyes widened. “He told you that?”

  “He has a habit of telling me way more than I want to know.”

  Kate was watching me curiously now. “I’m starting to think that maybe you’re jealous,” she said, her tone accusatory.

  “What, of you and Tyler?” I almost laughed aloud. “I’ve got Aidan, remember?”

  “Yeah, you do now,” she agreed with a nod, her hands on her hips. “But what happens if he doesn’t find his cure in time?”

  I just stared at her, unable to believe what she was insinuating. “So what are you saying?” I finally asked. “That I’m trying to keep Tyler to myself, just in case? For backup? Seriously, Kate, that’s messed up.”

  She just shrugged. “Hey, you said it, not me.”

  Something was digging into my hand. I glanced down and saw that I was still clutching my cell phone, my grip so tight that my knuckles were turning white. Inhaling sharply, I dropped it on the bed beside me. “To answer your stupid question, if for some reason the worst does happen, I’m not going to hop right into another relationship. There’s nothing wrong with being alone, you know.”

  For a moment, she said nothing. She just sat there, tears flooding her eyes.

  “Hey, are you okay?” I said, standing up and taking a step toward her.

  “Yes. No.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s just that I … I don’t want to be alone.” A single tear slid down her cheek.

  I sat down beside her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders.

  “It’s just that my mom’s been alone all these years,” she said, her voice muffled against my shoulder now. “She always seems so sad and lonely, as if I’m not enough for her. I don’t want to be like that.”

  I’d met Kate’s mom, a Broadway star, just once. She seemed really perky and outgoing, a lot like Kate. Of course, I knew that appearances weren’t always what they seemed. “You’re not alone, Kate. You’ve got us.”

  “Yeah?” She sniffled. “Then tell me why Cece and Marissa are off studying without me.”

  I reached over to Cece’s nightstand for a tissue and handed it to her. “Didn’t you blow them off the last time they were studying for an English test?”