by LJ Swallow
I refuse to allow a vision in.
Since the horrific images of Jamie, I've not had another flash of the future. My one session with Jamie and Sofia led to nothing. Is this because Halloween is over and my mind has nothing to show me?
No, because I’m too scared to subject myself to the waking nightmare.
For Jamie's sake, I need to let that fear go, and soon.
Chapter Ten
MAEVE
I stand and scan the area, searching for the others; I don’t want to sit alone. Jamie is with Amelia and a couple of girls, and he laughs at their exuberant dancing to the music blaring from small speakers close by. Amelia can’t resist music and often dances around our room singing. I love that she feels free of expectations—Amelia lives her life to the best of her abilities, and if she makes mistakes, shrugs and moves on.
I could learn a lot from Amelia’s attitude to life.
Brushing dirt from my coat and jeans, I move to stand beneath a tree. I could join the others, but I’m not in a dancing mood. I’m still learning about my place here, and I prefer to watch and learn.
A guy looms from the dark, brandishing a bottle. Judging by the size of him, he's Gilgamesh. The hand around the small whiskey bottle is twice the size of mine, and he matches Ash in bulk and height.
"Hey, new girl," he slurs.
I cringe. I've been here weeks; how long will I be the new girl for?
"Hi." I wrap my arms around myself.
"You liking it here?" he continues then takes a slug from the bottle.
"Yes. Thank you."
Drunk people are one of my pet hates, and drunk guys scare me. I edge away.
"I see Ash is busy with some chicks." He stumbles slightly as he gestures around.
He's correct. But Ash surrounded by girls isn't anything unusual. They're not the only ones hanging on his every word because the guys with him laugh and lap up his attention too.
"You're future-sighted," he informs me. "That's cool."
"Uh huh. It's not something I talk about really."
He moves closer and I edge away.
The nameless guy laughs. “There’s no point in you chasing Ash. He's not a fan of witches."
"He seems to like Amelia and Jamie okay."
The guy drinks again. Slowly, eyes on mine, and unease lifts the hairs on my neck. "Nah. He's okay with ordinary witches. Not you. A future-sighted witch killed his brother."
His words are a slap to the face. Ash said that’s not true. “What?"
“The witch was friends with Vincent. Hunters had threatened his mates and the witch chick told him she saw two hunters in a vision, and where they’d be. Vincent and his mates went after them." The guy hiccups. “Nobody returned.”
"She didn't actually kill him, then?"
"May as well've done," he slurs. “Ash hated her for what happened, and she had to go into hiding from shifters who blamed her. Maybe he’s waiting to plan his revenge against witches.”
"Ash isn’t like that," I reply. I've seen him though—angry and out of control. What if I upset him one day?
The guy takes a swig from his bottle. “Forget about that shit. Can you see me in your future?”
Omigod. Is that supposed to be a line? I edge further away. The last thing I want is a drunk guy from Gilgamesh hitting on me.
"You're in my English and History of Magic class. It's likely I will see you."
"No, I mean in your future."
Pulling a tight smile, I make to walk past him. He steps in my way. Crap. I scan around for Ash, who's deep in conversation, back turned to me.
"You're cute," he says. "You wanna go out somewhere?"
"Uh. Like where? We're not allowed off campus. And no, thanks."
He leans forward with his finger on his lips and fails to keep his voice down. "We go off campus all the time. Local town. There's a club there."
"Thank you, but not my scene." I grit my teeth. Please go away, before I need to be rude. The one thing I've tried hard to avoid is upsetting the balance here and drawing attention to myself.
"What do you do for fun, then?" He scrunches his face up, genuinely confused.
Since I arrived here? Very little. "Hang out with friends. Excuse me."
I make one final effort to pass him, and he finally does what I expected. The nameless guy grabs my hand. "Go on, one evening with me. I’ll make sure you have fun.”
"Let go of my hand," I say through gritted teeth.
His fingers tighten and I pull my hand away, so he's left with a black woollen glove in his hand. The guy chuckles. Bloody hell, Ash, would you just turn around.
I gasp as the shifter grabs me around the waist with one arm and draws me closer. If he doesn’t take his hands off me, this guy will discover how effective my right hook is. Somehow, I don't think they'll expel me from this school.
“Have a drink.” He waves the bottle at me. “Relax.”
I dig my nails into his hand and shove at his chest, but he’s immobile. His eyes are hidden beneath the mass of curls and his breath stinks of whiskey.
“Get the fuck off me,” I shout, hoping somebody hears.
“How about a dance?” He sways from side to side, pulling me with him.
Someone steps out from the tree behind me, a figure with his hoodie pulled low across his face. “Didn’t you hear what she said, dickhead? Let Maeve go.”
My heart leaps into my mouth. Andrei.
The guy peers at him through the dark. "Petrescu boy? What are you doing here? There’s a big scary fire over there, y'know."
Andrei pulls the hood from his face. “I’m looking out for a friend.”
"Katherine isn't here. Nor Clive."
“Not them. Let Maeve go,” he repeats.
The shifter huffs and drops his grip on me. The two guys stand head to head and the guy flicks a look at me. "Were you waiting for him?" He gawks. "This all makes sense now."
"What? That I didn't fall for your charms?" I scoff.
"A witch and a blood-sucker, huh? Good luck surviving a night with him, sweetheart." The guy looks to Andrei like he's a dog crap he almost stood in. "Don't mess with her."
"Ooh, I'm scared of the puppy dog," mocks Andrei.
"She's one of Ash's girls. Watch your back.”
I splutter. One of?
"I think you'll find Maeve is a little more than that to him." Andrei rubs his head and his hair musses. “And if Ash knew you had your paws on her when she’d said ‘no’, he’d knock you into next week.”
The guy mutters something about my bad taste in guys and shakes his head. My shoulders sink as he walks away. The shifter’s size and what he might do scared me, even though we're in public. I'm definitely working on that barrier spell Jamie showed me the other day, if it can help repel shifters.
I turn to Andrei. "What are you doing here? I was told Petrescu never come to this night.”
His bright eyes shine in his pale face. "Would it sound creepy if I said I'm watching you?"
"Yes, Andrei, it would."
He smiles. "I'm watching you."
"Creeper."
Andrei laughs. He's relaxed and amused. Not trying to rile me for once.
"Good thing I am watching, if the shifter apes are hitting on you. Although, I’m impressed he knew words with more than one syllable.” Andrei smirks. “But, seriously. I've waited to talk to you, but I can't get you alone. Are you avoiding me again?"
"No. I thought you were avoiding me." God, how childish do I sound?
He moves closer and I tense, remembering how he behaved in the hallway at the dance on Halloween. “I also need to talk to you about Tobias.”
I straighten. “Has he spoken to Theodora? But he said—”
"No.” He lowers his voice. "I think Tobias took the blame for the attack."
"Why would he do that?”
"Like he said, the Confederacy branch who watch the hunters’ activities are aware a hunter was attacked by a vampire. Rumours and stories s
pread, and questions have been asked. No vampires live near your town, so fingers point to the academy since we’re close. Theodora is instructed to find the culprit, and Tobias went to see the Confederacy leaders today.”
I reel at his words. “Because they suspect you?”
"Partly. I have a reputation, don’t I?” He looks annoyed. “He’s doing this for you. All of us. Tobias is happy to keep our secret, Maeve."
The noises continue to drift our way from the bonfire, the smoke circling us, "Why?"
"Who cares? He is, that's what matters."
"You think it's that the simple? He must have reason. How would he explain his behaviour?" I straighten.
His mouth turns down. “What a fucking mess.”
I stare back at the bonfire. My mess. Tobias can’t blame himself for something that’s my fault.
“What will the Confederacy do if he told them and they believe him?”
“No idea. He won’t tell me any more than what I told you, but Theodora spoke to me and said I was no longer under suspicion. Maybe you should talk to him and ask why." Andrei brushes hair from his eyes. "He seems to have a soft spot for you."
My cheeks heat. "And you."
"I think you know what I mean. Personally, I think his motivation is to keep you closer to him."
"That's ridiculous. How can you possibly think that?”
Andrei sniffs. "I watch and listen, as you've seen," he says.
"By following me and my friends?"
"No. By hanging around Katherine to keep ahead of the game. I heard that she saw the two of you together.” He pauses. “You don't honestly think I like her, do you?"
Do I? I'd lumped the group together. Bad guys vs. good guys at the academy. Another example of the naivety Tobias talked down to me about. “I did.”
"You're quick to judge, aren't you? I have a complicated history, Maeve. I'm surprised nobody told you about me—those who know, anyway. If you want answers about why I'm a moody bastard, they can enlighten you."
Talking with this Andrei is like I'm speaking to a different person. He's open and acts as if he's genuinely friendly. But can I trust his words?
"I will."
He nods. "Good."
We stand facing each other, but for once he's keeping a distance that doesn't trigger my usual, annoying reaction to him. Hands buried in his pockets; he studies me with bright eyes. Andrei's respectful space between us makes no difference; the mixture of fear and attraction to him still affects me. I look away—I can't let him notice and feed his ego further.
Andrei steps down the slope towards the bonfire. A couple sits on the ground beside us with a blanket wrapped around their shoulders. They look up in surprise when Andrei's shoes crunch dead leaves on the ground. The guy mutters something before pulling the blanket tighter across his girlfriend's shoulders, and they returning to their quiet conversation.
We're close enough for the fire to warm us, but a safe distance from the flames. "Doesn't the fire scare you?" I ask Andrei as he stares at the blaze, the light flickering across his face. "The others told me what fire means to vamps."
"I play with fire every day, Maeve." He turns to me. "I expect to die in one before I reach full strength. Nobody wants to deal with the problems I'll cause."
Andrei says the words with no emotion, as if it's a fate he needs to accept, but the idea of anybody burning horrifies me. "Because you can't control the blood lust?"
"Ha. No. That's the least of my problems. I'm happy I have at least one person on my side."
Tobias?
Uncomfortable, I glance over to where Jamie and Ash are still busy talking, and to Amelia who now dances closer to the fire, her face lit with happiness.
"Why did you come here tonight?" I ask him again.
"I said: to see you," he says softly. "I needed to know how you're coping after Halloween's... events."
"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine."
I pull my scarf tighter around my nose as the wind picks up. Who is this Andrei? Where's the suggestiveness? The scorn? I glance around at the others again, ready to make my excuses to leave before things become weirder.
Andrei gives a rueful smile when I look back to him. "Don't let me keep you from your friends. I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm as okay as I can be."
He nods. "Aren't we all?"
I flinch as he closes the space between us and untangles my hair with his long fingers. My scalp tingles where he pulls and I catch the subtle mint scent from his breath. "I hear you joined Katherine's Winter Ball committee. You're smarter than I thought."
"Why?" His eyes burn my skin hotter than the nearby fire, and I hope he can't sense how much faster my pulse races.
"You're keeping your enemies close." Andrei steps back and smooths my hair. "All of them."
With one last smile, he turns and walks away.
I watch his tall figure blend into the dark. Of everybody who I've met here, Andrei is the strangest—and also the one I'm most frightened of.
Chapter Eleven
MAEVE
“Sore head?" I ask my group of friends as we sit at a dinner. Thanks to their partying last night, I haven’t seen them all day, and I’m amused how rough they all look.
Amelia rests hers on the cafeteria table, eyes half closed. Jamie's skin would match Andrei's colour if he were here, because he ended the night vomiting. Only Ash happily eats burger and chips, pausing occasionally to swill coffee.
"Shh." Amelia waves her hand at me. “My head hurts.”
"I thought you were going to trip into the fire at one point, Amelia,” I say with a laugh, but at the time I was genuinely concerned. "Talk about a crazy dancer."
Ash grins and I hold out a paper napkin and point at his chin. "You have sauce here."
He leans across the table to move his face closer, indicating I should wipe it off. Remembering the dickhead shifter’s words that I’m 'one of Ash’s girls’, I hand the napkin to him instead. Ash wipes away the sauce with a confused look on his face.
If Andrei hadn’t appeared, there would’ve been a huge scene when I kicked the guy in the balls for putting his hands on me. I play the conversation we had over and over in my mind since last night.
“Maeve.” I look around. Lucille, the Walcott head girl, looks between us all. “Theodora and Sofia would like to see you in Theodora’s office.”
Anxiety spikes. “Okay. Do you know why?”
She shrugs. “I’m just the messenger.”
“Just Maeve?” asks Jamie cautiously.
“As far as I know. Why? What have you all done?” She’s joking, but her news has rattled me. “Don’t be too long.”
Lucille turns and walks away, her messenger duties finished.
“Shit,” says Ash. “Has she found out about Halloween? Who told her?”
“This could be about something else,” I say, trying to convince myself. Was this Katherine?
“I bet Tobias said something,” grumbles Ash. “I bet they’re talking to each of us alone for our stories, to see if they match.”
Amelia sits staring ahead, face pale, but doesn’t speak.
“No. Tobias promised he wouldn’t,” I reply. “Andrei told me he won’t.”
“When?” asks Ash sharply.
“At the bonfire.”
The stunned silence returns. “Andrei was at the bonfire? I never saw him,” says Ash.
“Nor for long.” I fidget. I don’t want this conversation now. I stand. “I don’t want to keep them waiting. I hope we have our stories straight for when they call the rest of us.”
I’d fooled myself that we could get away with breaching academy rules. Tobias told us he wouldn’t say anything, and Andrei told me he’d approached the Confederacy. What if Tobias changed his mind and didn’t tell Andrei? If Tobias’s neck is on the line, he couldn’t protect us at cost to his life. He’s a professor. His loyalty isn’t to us.
Sofia and Theodora sit on armchairs in her office. I’
m encouraged—Theodora usually sits behind her desk if students are reprimanded. But there’s something that makes this more than our occasional meet up to discuss my progress: Sofia sits stiffer than usual and Theodora’s smile is too big.
“Ah, Maeve. I’m happy Lucille found you quickly. We have a surprise for you.”
I blink. “Surprise? A good one, I hope,” I joke.
Theodora sits and smooths her skirts, holding herself straight as if posing for a portrait. "Maeve. As you know, we very much want you to meet your aunt, and I understand that Sofia told you we were having problems locating her. I’m pleased to say, we’ve caught Marie.”
Caught? “What do you mean?”
Sofia laughs lightly. “I told you, she’s a hard woman to pin down. Marie is back in England for a few days and finally responded to my calls.”
I leap to my feet. “Is she here?” Stupidly, I imagine she’s hidden behind an invisibility spell, about to emerge as if I’m in one of those dumb family reunion shows.
Sofia pats the seat. “Please, sit. She’s in my office, but Theodora and I wanted to talk to you first. We're concerned you may find her... confronting."
I drop back onto the seat as my chest tightens. Marie is here? "I know she's eccentric—Mum told me."
Theodora’s warm smile doesn’t fool me. What are they hinting at?
“Your aunt is one of few future-sighted witches in the world. Although she can help you come to terms your gift, she is also difficult to understand.”
“Marie walks the line between the present and future." Sofia touches my hand and I stare down at her attempt at a reassuring gesture.
“What does that mean?”
“Nobody taught Marie how to control the visions." Sofia pauses. “They’ve started to control her."
My heart skips a beat. "Control?"
“Don’t worry, Maeve,” puts in Theodora. “With some intensive training, I’m confident we can stop this happening to you."
"What are you saying? Are you telling me she's unstable?"
Mad?
My stomach lurches. I'm reminded of the day doctors spoke to my parents about my 'issues'. Their whispered opinion I’d never be able to control my condition if I refused medication. How they doubted I could live a normal life.
