Cold Blood

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “Really?” She eyed me with her hands on her hips. “You took a bag of dog food in the face for the entire junior class to witness and you’re not mad anymore?”

  “Okay, when you put it like that…”

  “Exactly. Let it out. Rise above or whatever.”

  I nodded. Her words reminded me of something Grandma would say. And I had promised Grandma I would try to keep better control of my temper. It was worth a shot. If it didn’t work, at least I could say I’d tried not to beat the crap out of Victoria. I’d at least attempted self-control. I let my hands fall loosely to my sides and tipped my head back, sucking in a deep breath. Then, I let it out.

  “Aahhhh!” I yelled, with no specific words attached to the sound.

  When the echoes stopped Cambria shook her head. “You can do better.”

  I tried again. By the third time, I was finally beginning to feel a release. Cambria was right; as stupid as it might sound, yelling into an echoing cavern was therapeutic. Before long, we were taking turns, seeing who could yell the loudest and whose echo could last longer. I only quit when my throat grew hoarse.

  Cambria showed me the pool of water, and we drank from our hands and sat on the rocky bank, talking. Slowly, the story of how I discovered my Hunter side came out. Cambria couldn’t believe it.

  “So you just found out you were a Hunter a few weeks ago?” she asked, brows disappearing into her hair.

  “Yeah. It feels like a lot longer, though, believe me.”

  “And you only found out because you were attacked by a Werewolf?” I nodded. “And that’s when you met this Wes guy, right?” There was a glint in her eyes now. “Tell me more about him.”

  I laughed and shook my head, feeling not quite so alone and friendless after all. When I was done, I’d told her everything; from meeting Wes in the parking lot that night, freaking out on him, and getting my memory erased to inadvertently joining The Cause, in order to gain help in my fight against my murderous uncle. I left out the part about the weird almost-kiss moment with Miles because that was way too disgusting to say out loud, but I did end by telling her about the message I’d gotten from him on the way up here.

  “So you think he’s going to try and get to you here?” she asked.

  “I think if he finds out this is where I am, then yes, he’ll try.”

  “Hmm. Well, good thing you have a badass Hunter friend on your side.”

  “Who, Logan? Is he a good fighter?”

  Cambria’s fist shot out in a mock punch, but I swerved out of her reach and grinned. Talking about it all had definitely lifted a weight; I felt better than I had in days. The only thing missing was Wes.

  It must’ve been obvious what I was thinking, because Cambria frowned and said, “So Wes is going to be the head honcho of the Cause now, huh? And that’s why he isn’t here with you.”

  I nodded.

  “The same Cause that got his parents killed and destroyed your family.”

  “Yup.”

  “And now this Vera Gallagher believes you’re next in line to run things, along with Wes, your soul mate.”

  “Basically.”

  She blew out a heavy breath, sending her bangs floating away from her face. “Wow. That’s a lot.”

  “I know.”

  Chapter Ten

  The rest of the weekend passed way too quietly compared to my first couple of days. Alex had cancelled our Saturday training. Something about his patrol schedule conflicting and he’d see me on Monday. I wasn’t complaining.

  Victoria was barely in the room when I was, which wasn’t often. I was doing my best to avoid her because I’d caved and gone to Ms. Fincham about switching rooms. She’d wiped her flour covered hands on her housecoat – blue, with pink daisies – and shook her head, like she couldn’t remember who I was in the first place.

  “We don’t got no vacancies anyhow. You need to work it out. Would you like a cookie?”

  I’d edged away, remembering how Cambria had seemed a little scared of eating anything Ms. Fincham baked. “Um, no thanks. I’ll go work on that.”

  When I’d realized I wouldn’t be able to escape it, I’d even called Grandma to warn her.

  “I know I promised to do better with my temper but this girl is going to push me too far, Grandma,” I’d said into the landline I’d borrowed from one of the admin ladies in Griffin Hall. I was hunched over the desk while the secretary took a coffee break and whispering so no one else could hear me.

  “You’re better than her, Tara. That means you have to rise above and find a way to deal with her without violence. You can do it. I believe in you,” she’d said. Then her voice changed to something sugary and forced and she’d said, “Oh, here’s your mother, honey. Let me pass her the phone, and I’ll talk to you later.”

  My mother’s voice was just as fake. I could tell she was making an effort – they both were – not to let on that they were already sick of each other.

  “How are you, sweetie?” she’d asked.

  “Fine. Checking on you guys.”

  “Oh, we’re all right. Grandma’s been giving me ideas about how I can rearrange the furniture.” Her voice lost some of the sweetness and let in more of the tension.

  I smiled, able to guess how well that was going over. “Sounds great, Mom. I miss you guys.”

  “We miss you, too, sweetie.”

  The admin lady returned after that, and I’d hung up, knowing my only option left to deal with Victoria was to avoid and ignore. So that’s what I’d been doing for the past two days. I didn’t hold out much hope for my plan, long term.

  My classes on Monday were a lot of the same information I’d heard on Friday, with the addition of English and Chemistry, which turned out to be a lab for the whole semester. I got partnered with the gangly kid Logan had sparred with in Defensive Maneuvers. His name was Justin, and today he was wearing black skinny jeans and a Megadeth shirt. He used the word vintage a lot.

  My last class was history and I got out late, again. Professor Hugo seemed more determined than most of my other teachers that I make up any work I’d missed. Even though history was something that I was able to include on my old transcripts – unlike combat classes, which weren’t exactly a part of my old schedule – he still wanted full-page essays on each chapter I’d missed since the semester began.

  Between all the homework and trying to avoid Victoria and her posse, I’d skipped lunch, and by the time Professor Hugo had grunted that I could leave, I was starving and running late for Alex. Cambria was waiting for me when I rushed into the hall after last bell. Other than her, the hall was already empty of students.

  “I better hurry,” I said.

  “Yeah, you don’t want to be late for training.” She winked, but I ignored it.

  “I’m going to run back and change before I meet Alex,” I said, as we power walked down the hall.

  “You might want to inhale a granola bar or something, too. We both know Alex isn’t going to go easy on you. You’ll want the energy.”

  “Crap, I don’t have anything in my room.”

  “No worries. I got this. Go change and meet me back here,” she said.

  I thanked her and then sprinted for the stairs. It wasn’t so much that I cared if Alex had to wait, but I was determined to prove myself to him. And being late felt like letting him win.

  In my room, I dug frantically for a pair of running shorts and a sports bra and then whipped them on in record time. I really needed to take the time to unpack at some point. Just not now. When I was done, I let the suitcase fall shut and slid it back under my rumpled bed. I pulled my hair into a ponytail while I jogged back down the hallway and up the stairs. Cambria waited for me in the lobby with a small paper bag in her hand.

  “What’s that?” I asked, eyeing it suspiciously. I didn’t take it when she offered.

  “Oh, for crap’s sake.” She reached into the bag and pulled out a bottled water and a gigantic muffin, prepackaged. “They’re from the cafe
teria. I didn’t swipe it from Ms. Fincham or anything.”

  “Thanks,” I said, already tearing into the muffin. “How’d you get these? Cafeteria’s closed,” I mumbled, around a mouthful of blueberry flavoring.

  Her eyes sparkled. “I have my ways.” I gave her an ‘explain further’ kind of look but she waved me off. “You’re late.”

  “Right. I’ll see you at dinner.”

  “Have fun,” I heard from behind me in a very meaningful tone.

  *

  Alex was already waiting in the clearing when I got there. I’d finished the muffin off before I’d even cleared the trees, and now I gulped down the last of the water. I dropped the bottle at the edge of the grass and walked over to meet him. He was already stretching so I did the same without offering a “hello.”

  He eased out of his stretch and clasped his elbow behind his head, pulling on it. I did the same. Still, neither of us spoke. A minute later, he pulled his foot up behind him, touching the sole of his shoe to his hip, and I followed.

  The silence was starting to get to me. Not because I felt the need to talk but because I thought he, as the teacher, should’ve. Still, I waited him out. In the absence of words, all I had to occupy myself was the view, and it wasn’t a bad one. Maybe having to listen to Cambria’s innuendos was starting to get to me, but the way his muscles stretched against his shirt when he moved wasn’t exactly a hardship to watch. I shook myself and turned away, continuing to copy his stretches by watching him in my peripheral.

  When we were done he stood there, staring at me. I couldn’t read his expression, and the silence was now officially driving me crazy. I wasn’t one of those girls who had to talk all the time, but the way looked at me made me feel...weird.

  “So? What are we doing today?” I asked.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “What?” I blinked at him, completely lost. Then I realized where exactly he was staring. I’d all but forgotten about the ugly yellow bruise on my cheek. Then something else hit me. Was he actually being concerned? It was so tempting to play right into it and say “yes”, but my stubborn side wouldn’t let me.

  “Not really,” I said, straightening a little and planting my feet. “I’m fine, don’t you worry. I’ve had worse.”

  “I’ll bet,” he said, almost under his breath. “We’re running. Come on.”

  “Running?” I repeated, shoulders sagging. I’d almost rather take another roll down the hill.

  Alex glanced back with a look that said I should already be following and headed for the trees. I followed, practically dragging my feet, and found myself on a wide trail that led further away from school. I fell into step with him and he let me set the pace, which I made sure was slow. Like, tortoise slow. I might’ve been able to go faster but I wasn’t taking the chance. I had no idea how far he was going to take us, and I didn’t want him trying to challenge me by ramping up the pace to something that was going to make me throw up or pass out before we reached the end.

  A mile in, we broke free of the trees, and everything opened up into gently rolling hills. There was green grass as far as the eye could see. Wrought iron fencing marked where the grounds ended and state property began. We ran parallel to the fence for a while. The terrain was easier to run on here, out of the woods, but the heat was worse. At first, I tried to be subtle about swiping at me forehead with my hand, but soon I didn’t care. I used the sleeve of my shirt to swipe my face at regular three second intervals and prayed for a cold shower that would last until this time tomorrow.

  At one point, I glanced over at Alex’s expression. He was breathing in a slow, deliberate pattern; he didn’t look uncomfortable at all. That pissed me off for some reason that I couldn’t even name, and I vowed not to be the one who broke the silence.

  We ended up making a circle and finished up in the clearing we’d started in. Alex retrieved a small cooler from the shade of a tree and threw me a dripping cold water bottle. I gulped halfway and had to stop to catch my breath. My lungs burned like a forest fire, and I wasn’t completely sure if it was getting darker or my vision was going. I pressed my hands to my knees and let my head hang while I sucked in air.

  “Not bad.”

  I looked up and found Alex watching me with a sort of amused expression. I noticed he wasn’t wheezing or gasping for oxygen like I was, so I straightened and tried to pretend I could breathe normally without hyperventilating. The glint in his eye deepened, and his face did this thing where he looked like he was smiling without curving his lips. Something in my stomach flipped over; I told myself it was another symptom of running to the brink of death.

  “Thanks,” I said, between forced deep breaths.

  “Same time tomorrow.” He retrieved his cooler and slung it over his shoulder.

  Then, believe it or not, he jogged out of sight. Jogged. Seriously? Was he a GI Joe in another life?

  As soon as he was out of sight I let my knees buckle, and I slid to the ground, my limbs like liquid. I rolled onto my back and gulped in air like there might not be enough to go around. I looked up at the small piece of sky visible in the little clearing and let my mind wander. As usual, there was Wes.

  The more I thought about him lately, the more I was sure something had been “off” during our phone conversation. He was always protective and usually extreme about it, but there had been something else. Desperation. Something he wasn’t telling me. Maybe I was paranoid after all the secrets people had kept from me, but I felt like there was a missing piece. Had something happened back home? With the Cause? Had Miles come back for me?

  I worried about my mom for a split second and then relaxed when I remembered that I’d talked to her a couple of days ago –and Grandma was there. It was probably kind of sad when a girl felt more confident about her grandma’s fighting skills than she did her own mother, but there it was. And I knew the rest of the Cause could protect themselves. Derek and Cord would make sure Bailey was all right. And Jack and Fee had Wes with them. I felt better when I thought of it that way. No way could he get to any of them.

  Finally, I was able to breathe like a normal human and not an asthmatic monkey. I got up and made my way back to Lexington Hall, opting again for the back door. I circled around and was surprised to see Cambria waiting for me.

  “Finally,” she said, practically jumping up and down with poorly contained energy.

  “What’s up?”

  She opened her mouth to answer and then shut it again, eyeing me critically. “You look like crapola. Did you go for another tumble?”

  I made a face. “Running.”

  “I see.” She didn’t seem to need further explanation. “You need to hurry up and shower. An announcement was made a while ago. Assembly in Griffin Hall in twenty minutes.” She was bouncing again.

  “Why?”

  “Not sure, but it sounded serious and it’s mandatory. Hurry up!”

  “Why are we so excited about this?”

  “Phillipe might be there. I want to introduce you. Go!”

  “Okay, I’m going.”

  We booked it to my room. Cambria waited while I went in and got a change of clothes for the shower. Victoria looked up from her desk mirror as I came in and narrowed her eyes at me, pasting on the disgusting smile that had become her signature. I braced myself. This was the first time we’d come face to face with each other since Friday. My temper flared on sight, and I bit my lip and repeated the words rise above under my breath as I yanked open my suitcase.

  “Tara, how did you like my present the other day?” Victoria asked in a tone filled with mock innocence. “I heard it was an explosion of success.”

  “Whatever,” I muttered, doing my best to ignore her. I could feel the stirrings of temper rising but it didn’t get far. I was too exhausted from the run. Victoria should count herself lucky on her timing.

  “I didn’t see you after that. Was everything okay? Or were you off enjoying your gift?”

  I grabbed my clothes and shower bag
and rounded on her. “Bite me, Victoria.”

  She made a tsk-tsk sound with her tongue and shook her head. “I should have known all you think about is biting. Such a mutt.”

  The last part was mumbled and low, but I heard it, and suddenly my temper was boiling, my exhaustion gone. I veered towards her, but Cambria took a step towards us from the doorway and blocked my path.

  “Tara, we’ve gotta go,” said Cambria.

  I ignored Cambria and stepped around her. I walked over to Victoria and leaned down until I was right in her face. I was shaking with the effort of controlling myself and my skin felt funny, sort of stretched too tight. I stared hard into Victoria’s light blue eyes.

  “Eat. Shit.” I stayed where I was, waiting to see if she’d respond; hoping she would. She didn’t. She sat rigid against the chair and her gaze never wavered from mine, but the snarl was gone from her face, and she kept silent. When I was sure I’d made my point, I straightened and followed Cambria out the door. In the hall I let out a loud exhale.

  “Eat shit?” Cambria echoed. “That’s the best you could do?”

  “I don’t curse at people on a regular basis. It’s what came to mind.”

  Cambria laughed. “We’ll work on that. Points for not punching her lights out, though.”

  I showered and changed, and we high tailed it to Griffin Hall. The assembly was being held in a large auditorium on the west end of the building. We were literally the last two through the door. A teacher I’d never seen before, with a crooked nose, shut the door behind us and gestured for us to hurry up and find a seat. I began scanning the rows when Logan caught my eye and waved us over.

  “Thanks,” I whispered, taking the seat next to him. “So, what’s going on?”

  “Don’t know yet. I think it has something to do with the attacks last week,” he said quietly.

  “What attacks?”

  “A couple of important families were attacked in their home. The parents went missing and everyone else was killed.”

  “Do they know who did it?”