“Right. And even though Victoria was part of the Shadow Society, I don’t think many of the students are, do you?”
“No, I doubt it.” He shook his head.
“Though I have noticed a shift in the atmosphere, unfortunately, since it happened.”
“What kind of shift?” James questioned.
“In the students’ attitudes and demeanors.” I sighed. “Witches making a point of avoiding vampires, moving to sit in clusters away from them, doing things to avoid coming into contact with them.”
“Oh. Yeah, I’ve noticed that too.” He leaned back against the bedframe and pulled me back with him. “It sucks.”
I giggled.
“What?” he asked curiously.
“Nothing, it’s stupid.”
“Okay, now you have to tell me.”
I snorted. “Fine. You said, ‘it sucks’ and I wanted to say, ‘No, you do’ because ha-ha, you’re a vampire. See stupid.”
He chuckled and kissed my temple. “No, it was cute.”
I grinned. “You don’t have to be nice and laugh at my lame jokes.” I stuck my tongue out at him.
He pulled me to him and kissed me. “I adore your lame jokes.”
Smiling I snuggled into his chest and relaxed, glad he was in a better mood than earlier. I’d hated seeing him like that.
“I should probably go. I’ve got homework and I need some decent sleep.”
“Okay,” I said with a sigh as we stood and walked to the door. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” He kissed me and then headed off down the hall.
I decided to go get dinner and bring it back to my room. I had homework too, but I really didn’t want to get started until after I ate. With that in mind, I headed off to the cafeteria.
Chapter 8
James
A few weeks later I was recalling the conversation with Bethany. We had talked about the witches avoiding the vampires and I’d felt my anger about it building. I didn’t want it to affect her, so I’d laughed at her attempt at humor, knowing she was just trying to lighten the mood. I hadn’t wanted her to know how much it upset me about their attitudes. A vampire had been hit with magic that made her behave completely against how she would normally. It wasn’t her fault. And weeks later she was still being sedated because she couldn’t stop herself from going into that frenzied state.
I understood the witches fear, but it shouldn’t be directed at us. If anything, they should be fearful of their own kind because it was obviously a witch who had done this. Used Leonora as a weapon. I frowned. I had to stop thinking about it. That was really why I’d left Bethany’s room that night. I had needed to go before I said something I shouldn’t. I hadn’t wanted to fight with her. I didn’t want to blame her, and I wasn’t blaming her. She didn’t do this. But a witch had to be behind it. And she was most likely right about it being someone in the Shadow Society.
I’d been going over it for weeks now, trying to work out what it was that could be causing Leonora’s frenzied state, or even the nightmares I’d been having, but without much luck. Unfortunately, mine were getting worse and it was making me irritable. I tried not to take it out on anyone, and especially not Bethany, but I knew she was worried about me.
With that thought in my head, I laid down in bed and was soon drifting off to sleep.
* * *
I could hear the chanting before I could see them. It was loud and seemed to vibrate in my head. It tore at my heart and I felt like I was going insane. I ran, attempting to get… somewhere… to them… away from them… somewhere, anywhere, but away from the chanting that seemed to drill a nail into my heart with each beat.
Finally I saw them. The red robes, as deep a red as blood just spilled, and white faceless masks with slits for eyes and the mouth. They stood with hands clasped between them in a circle surrounding my sire. Arrond stood, his mouth open in a silent scream, his eyes black as coal as a pitch black fog moved through him. From his mouth, to his ears, out his nose. It swirled around him and his fingers began to blacken and turn to ash.
“Arrond!” I screamed. “No! Arrond!”
The closer I got, the more he turned to ash, first his hands, then his arms, on to his feet, and torso… after a moment there was nothing left of him except a pile of ashes drifting on the wind.
“No!” I screamed until my voice gave out.
And then the chanting red robed witches turned and looked at me. Slowly they began to take off their masks…
“Hey, man, wake the heck up!”
I blinked up at Cory as he shook my arm. “What?” I asked wiping my face.
“Crap, man, you were screaming the dorm down. Lukas said if I didn’t shut you up, he was gonna come in here and kick your ass all the way to Siberia.” Cory dropped his hand from my arm and sat down on his own bed. “What the heck were you screaming about?”
Sitting up, I raked my hands through my hair. “I— I don’t know. I… think I was dreaming about Arrond.”
“Really? Still bothers you, huh?” Cory frowned.
I shrugged. “Yeah. I guess. Not like it does Lindon, but still. Yeah. It was… disturbing.”
“I’d say everyone in the dorms would agree with that, man.” Cory chuckled.
Sighing, I got up. “What time is it?”
“Bout two, why?”
“I want to talk to Professor Corbett.”
“Hmm, he should still be in his office. I don’t know how he’s able to teach class during the day. I’m like dead to the world.”
I grinned. “He takes a potion Professor Zin makes. Let’s him stay awake. He’s only got the two classes. So it just gives him an extra five hours.”
“Huh. Don’t think it’s worth it. I bet he’s exhausted by the time it wears off.”
“Probably,” I agreed. “It’s temporary though, until they can get someone skilled enough to take over. Speaking of, why aren’t you in class?”
“It’s break. I’ve got another half hour.”
“Then I better go find him before classes start again.” I gave him a wave and headed out of the room. I avoided the corridor that led to the library and Lukas. I didn’t need him keeping me from talking to the professor.
When I reached his office, I knocked and then waited patiently outside until Professor Corbett opened the door.
“Mr. Barrett, what brings you to my door at two in the morning?”
“Sorry, Professor, I had some questions and I figured you would have more answers than anyone, other than Professor Swift, but I don’t feel comfortable really asking her.”
“Oh? Questions of what sort?” Professor Corbett pushed his glasses up on his face and turned, using his bat wings to float back to his chair.
“About the Lamiae. Is there a history of hallucinations or delusional behavior among them?”
“I can see why you didn’t wish to bring this up with Professor Swift.” He grinned and then turned serious. “As to your questions, no. Not that I can recall. The Lamiae have always been, well, not peaceful, but certainly not violent.”
“So, Leonora’s behavior is completely random?”
Professor Corbett sighed. “Well, I wouldn’t say random, but certainly new. And the amnesia with it is quite odd. I imagine this is a new phenomenon, or disease, striking the weakest of us. I would recommend not interacting with anyone who is acting oddly. They may be experiencing some type of this disease as well. We’ve attempted to bring Leonora back from the frenzied state, and it works temporarily, but after about fifteen minutes of walking around the infirmary she relapses. We’re going to keep her sedated and under observation as we try to sort this out. We’ve gotten her blood work back, but it hasn’t led us to any new clues of what this is.”
“So you think it can spread?” I asked, fearful.
“We just don’t know, James.” He looked at me, concern written all over his face. “You look as if you haven’t been sleeping well. Are you experiencing these nightmares?” he asked.
I drew in a sharp breath. I didn’t want to worry him, not with everything else he was dealing with. I shook my head and pasted on a smile. “No, just not getting a whole lot of sleep.”
“Well, you’ve got the long weekend to get caught up.” He smiled and looked at the clock on the wall. “For now, you had best be on your way. I have classes to teach still. Good night, James.”
“Good night, Professor.” I rose and left his office. I knew I had kept my nightmares from him, but I also felt as if he’d kept something from me. What it could be, I had no idea. And with it being right before the long weekend, I didn’t want to bug Bethany with it. She was spending the weekend with her folks and that would be trying enough.
Chapter 9
Bethany
“Hi, Mom,” I said with a smile, hurrying out to the car.
“Hello, sweetheart,” Mom said and kissed my cheek as she hugged me. “You look… well, not well at all. Are you not sleeping, dear?” she asked.
“Just school stuff. I’m glad for this long weekend,” I commented. I knew I should have put on makeup to hide the dark circles under my eyes from worrying about James. “Hi, Dad.”
“Hi, sweetheart, is this all you’re bringing for the weekend?” he asked, gesturing to my bag.
“Yeah.” I slid into the backseat as Mom took the front.
“We thought we’d just go into the city and stay in a hotel. That way we don’t have to spend most of the trip driving. Won’t that be nice?” Mom said over the seat.
“Sure, Mom.”
“Did you pack a swimsuit?” she asked.
“No. It’s January and you didn’t tell me we were going to be at a hotel.”
“Never mind, we can get one while we are out shopping.” She turned back around as Dad climbed in the car.
“Did your mother tell you we’re going into the city?”
“Yes. What are you going to do while Mom and I are shopping?” I asked, half wishing that I could skip the shopping and just sleep for the whole weekend.
“I’m going golfing with Dr. Patren. He’s here at a convention and invited us to dinner at his condo on the beach.”
“Dr. Patren has a condo on the beach? I thought he lived back home.”
“He’s a Dr., dear. He has multiple homes,” Mom commented with an air of haughtiness.
“Phil has family money, sweetheart,” Dad put in, rolling his eyes at Mom. “The condo is shared between him, his sister and their parents. Right now, his folks are vacationing in Europe, so Phil is staying at the condo. The convention was an excuse for him to come down and golf. When he heard we were going to be here, he invited us to dinner and me to go golfing with him.”
I snickered. I knew Dad and Dr. Patren had grown up together, but Mom had always been a little bit jealous of Dr. and Mrs. Patren’s more lavish lifestyle. Every time she spent time at the Patren’s house, Mom came home wanting to redecorate.
“So is that where we’re going first?” I asked.
“We’ll check into the hotel first, and you can change. Since I know you didn’t bring anything suitable, I brought your pink dress from home and the matching flats.”
I sighed. “Mom, that dress is from eighth grade and makes me look like a child.”
“You are a child.”
I sighed. There would be no way to win this argument. She was right, I hadn’t brought an appropriate dress. I’d barely even remembered to pack pajamas. I had been under the impression that we were going home. Not into the city. And with everything going on at school, and the Shadow Society, I certainly hadn’t had my mind on this weekend before about an hour before my parent’s arrived. “Fine.”
“Don’t sulk, Bethany, it will give you wrinkles,” Mom commented.
I rolled my eyes. This was going to be a very long weekend.
* * *
“Bethany, don’t you look lovely,” Dr. Patren greeted me.
“Thank you, Dr. Patren,” I said, giving him a smile.
“So grown up,” Mrs. Patren said, hugging me.
I hugged her back quickly, trying to keep my face full of makeup from getting on her silk blouse. “It is good to see you, Mrs. Patren.”
“Oh, aren’t you sweet, dear. Why don’t you go on into the den. Michael is in there watching tv and I’m sure he’d love to catch up with you.”
I nodded and pasted a fake smile on my lips. Michael was two years older than me, and an entitled jerk. I’d actually hoped he wouldn’t be at this little get together. I walked into the den to find him sprawled on the floor, his hair a mess, greasy food stains on his white shirt and his eyes glassy as he held a game controller.
He looked over at me and snorted before turning back to the tv and ignoring me.
Sighing, I sat in the overstuffed chair and crossed my legs. Really the only way I could sit in the dress Mom had made me wear. “Lovely,” I muttered wishing I was anywhere but here.
Twenty minutes later, Mrs. Patren came to the den doorway and frowned. “Michael, I thought I told you to change two hours ago,” she said, clearly irritated.
I swallowed my smile and kept my gaze on the tv, not that it was at all interesting.
“Whatever.” He tossed the controller down. “I’m out of here.” He shoved himself up and pushed past his mother.
“Michael! Come back here! We have guests.”
“No. You have guests,” I heard him call just before I heard the slamming of a door.
A minute later a loud roar sounded from outside and I jumped.
Mrs. Patren sighed. “I’m sorry, Bethany, Michael has been going through a difficult time at school. I do hope you are enjoying your new school. Do you like it?” she asked politely.
“Yes ma’am.”
“Perhaps I should look into sending Michael there. Lord knows he could use some discipline.”
I swallowed another smile. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Patren, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why is that, dear?” she asked confused. “I thought it was a school for… well forgive me, troubled students.”
“It is a school for kids with learning disabilities, ma’am,” I lied. “So we are trouble in regards to being difficult to teach.”
“Oh, I see. Yes, Michael doesn’t have trouble learning, he is just trouble itself,” she murmured and then covered her mouth as if realizing whom she was speaking to. “Forgive me, I shouldn’t burden you with our Michael’s troubles. In any regard, dinner is ready, dear, if you would like to join us.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” I smiled.
I joined the adults in the dining room and sat silently as they spoke over me and around me, all clearly avoiding the topic of Michael and his abrupt departure. I swear it was the longest night of my life. And that was saying something considering the nights I’d spent over the last year fighting for my life against those wanting to kill me.
When we got back to the hotel that night, I changed into my pajamas and washed the caked-on makeup off my face. Mom and Dad had gotten a suite, so we had two bedrooms, a joint living room and a bathroom, thankfully. I passed through the living room and said, “Night, Mom, night Dad.”
Dad replied, “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
Mom didn’t say anything, and I realized she’d fallen asleep with her head on Dad’s shoulder. It made me smile. I gave Dad a little wave and went into my designated room and shut the door. With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and texted James.
Hey, you up? – Bethany
A moment later he replied. Yeah, having a good time with your parents? - James
I giggled. No. We’re in the city. Staying in a hotel for the weekend. Just had dinner with a friend of Dad’s. Was the longest night ever! – Bethany
And then I had a thought and typed it out.
On the plus side, no creepy feelings of being watched. – Bethany
Sorry about the long night, but good that you don’t feel threatened. I’m glad you aren’t so far away though. I can get to you fas
ter if something happens. - James
That made me smile. Always so overprotective Miss you. – Bethany
Miss you too. Get some sleep, beautiful. – James
You too. Night. – Bethany
Night, beautiful. – James
I turned my ringer off and laid down. I fell asleep within minutes.
The next morning, Mom woke me up early for breakfast and then we spent the day shopping. She bought me a new bathing suit, which I didn’t get to wear, four new pairs of jeans and two tops. She on the other hand, splurged on a whole new wardrobe, going for bright colors that really didn’t suit her skin tone, but she wouldn’t listen to anything I had to say.
“This is what is in, darling. I have to have it,” she said about the bright yellow jumpsuit she was currently trying on.
“But Mom, the color doesn’t—”
“With my tan it’s perfect.”
“But your tan isn’t going to last Mom, and then what are you going to do?”
“I’ll just get one of those spray tans, dear, or go to that tanning salon on Fifth, you know the one that used to be that video store?”
I sighed. “Sure, Mom.”
I shook my head. The rest of the day was spent with me carrying all of the bags and her adding more to the pile. By the time we got back to the hotel I was ready to pass out.
“Darling, we’re going down to dinner… why haven’t you changed?” Mom asked coming into my room.
I hadn’t changed because I hadn’t moved since we’d gotten back an hour earlier. I was sprawled across the mattress half asleep. “Not hungry,” I muttered. “Sleepy.”
Mom might have said something after that, but whatever it was, I didn’t hear her. I woke up about five hours later to discover they’d gone to bed and I was starving. Dad had left a light on in the living room though and I noticed a note on the coffee table.
A Witch’s Immunity: Supernatural Academy - Book 3 Page 5
