Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series)

by Mesick, Catherine

  GM and Mrs. Krstic showed up soon after that.

  GM rushed into my compartment, sweeping back the curtain with energy. She sat down next to me on my creaking cot and gave me a hug.

  "Oh, Solnyshko. You have not had much luck these past few months. Tell your grandmother what has happened."

  I had a feeling the police had already filled her in on the facts, but it was something of a relief to tell her myself. The horror of the whole situation and the knowledge of just how close I had come to being Joshua's victim overwhelmed me as I spoke. I felt tears running down my cheeks, and GM ran her hands over my hair.

  "That's all right, Solnyshko. You have every reason to be sad. I don't know what this town is coming to."

  I was careful, of course, not to mention anything about Joshua Martin's true nature.

  When I was finished with my story, and I was feeling calmer, GM patted me on the shoulder.

  "They told me that your friends are upstairs, and that they are awake now. Would you like to go up and see them?"

  "Yes, I would." I thought of Charisse, Mrs. Graebel, and Branden lying strangely motionless on the floor. It would be a relief to see for myself that they were okay.

  Simon and Mrs. Krstic were still talking with Simon's doctor, so GM and I decided not to disturb them and to just go ahead on our visit upstairs without them. We left the emergency room and went into the main body of the hospital.

  The whole place was highly polished and smelled strongly of antiseptic.

  As we waited at a bank of elevators, GM turned to look at me. To my discomfort, she continued to stare.

  "GM, please," I said, after some time had passed, and the elevators had stubbornly refused to put in an appearance. "You're making me nervous."

  "You know, Simon Krstic is a remarkable boy," GM said. "And he has certainly proved today that he cares about you. Perhaps he even loves you."

  "I know," I said.

  "And yet that is not enough for you to love him in return," GM said ruefully. "I'm sure you think I'm being a busybody. But I know something of these matters."

  "I suppose you're thinking of William and my father again," I said. "But William's not a bad influence. He really isn't. Like I said, he wants me to stay away from danger—not go out and look for it."

  GM gave me an odd little smile. "Actually, I was thinking of my own life. I loved your grandfather very much. But sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision. It is easy to fall for the man who is exciting and mysterious. Sometimes it is just as easy to overlook the man who is quiet and dependable. His love is no less strong just because it is not showy."

  There was a chime, and an elevator finally opened up for us. We stepped inside, and I looked at GM in surprise.

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  She shook her head. "It doesn't matter any longer. I have to keep reminding myself of that."

  GM refused to say anything further, and when our elevator came to a stop, she led me on through the hospital's highly polished halls.

  We stopped by Branden's room first, but he was already surrounded by a crowd that consisted of his divorced parents, both of their spouses, and an assortment of siblings and half-siblings. We decided not to interrupt, and we moved on.

  In the room next door, we found Charisse and Mrs. Graebel, who were separated by a curtain as Simon and I had been down in the emergency room.

  GM stopped to talk to Mrs. Graebel, and she waved me over to Charisse.

  "Go and talk with your friend. I'm sure the two of you would rather not have me hovering over you."

  I walked over to Charisse's side of the room. GM pulled the curtain out further so that we were shielded completely. I had a feeling that GM was actually more interested in talking to Mrs. Graebel herself, rather than in giving Charisse and me privacy.

  They probably wanted to discuss how better to protect us. Unfortunately, that was likely to mean decreased freedom for both of us.

  I sat down in a chair next to Charisse's bed, and she gave me a wan smile.

  "Hey, Katie."

  "How are you feeling?" I asked.

  Charisse shifted a little and yawned. "Honestly, I'm fine. I'm just really, really tired. I don't seem to be able to shake off this sluggish feeling."

  "When did you wake up?"

  "I was here in the hospital when I woke up. I don't know when it was exactly."

  "What happened back at the house? How did Joshua put you guys out?"

  Charisse frowned. "I don't know. I don't remember being put out. The last twenty-four hours are kind of a blur. The last thing I remember clearly is dropping you off yesterday and then driving home. Then it's all a blank. I only know Joshua was involved in the whole thing because the police told me."

  She made an effort to focus on me. "The police told me you and Simon came to check on me, and then there was a fire. Are you guys okay?"

  "Simon and I are fine. It looks like I should have believed you. Joshua really was trouble."

  Charisse shook her head. "It's not your fault. You know, I was actually starting to believe that Joshua had powers—like he was superhuman or something. But he was really just a run-of-the-mill psycho. I shouldn't have let my imagination run wild like I did."

  I sighed inwardly. Charisse's instincts had been right, of course, but there was no way I could tell her that.

  "How is your mom?" I asked.

  Charisse turned her head involuntarily toward her mother, even though the curtain blocked her from view. She took a deep breath, and then turned back to me. "I think she's okay at the moment, but she's still pretty groggy. When she's more herself, and she realizes what almost happened, I think it's going to hit her pretty hard."

  Charisse gave me an agonized look. "Katie, I didn't like Joshua, and I didn't like having him around, but I never wanted my mom to be hurt. I never wanted anything like this to happen."

  "I know you didn't," I said. "And your mom knows that, too."

  I could see tears welling up in Charisse's eyes, and I came over to sit beside her on the bed.

  "Don't think about it," I said. "You're both safe now. This wasn't your fault, and it wasn't your mother's either. People like Joshua are really good at what they do." Unfortunately, I knew from personal experience that this was true. "Plenty of smart people have been tricked by him—trust me. Your mom didn't really have a chance against him."

  Charisse looked down at her hands. "He's still out there, isn't he? He wasn't caught."

  "No, he wasn't."

  "We aren't safe then, are we?" Charisse said. "He could come back for us."

  "I don't think he will," I said. "I think he's wise enough to stay away from you and your mother."

  Whether or not he would come back for me was a different matter.

  "I hope you're right," Charisse said. She frowned. "You know, I really don't remember what happened, but I have a feeling that there was something important I needed to tell you—something you needed to know."

  I already knew that Joshua had set up the whole thing to trap me, so I wasn't too concerned about any details Charisse might remember.

  "Don't upset yourself," I said. "I'm sure if there's anything I need to know the police will tell me."

  "No—it's important—it really is. Give me a minute. I'll think of it."

  Charisse closed her eyes. In the silence I could hear GM and Mrs. Graebel murmuring on the other side of the curtain.

  Charisse remained still for such a long time that I thought she had fallen asleep. Then her eyes flew open.

  "Someone else was there."

  "What was that?" I asked.

  "That's what I needed to tell you," Charisse said. "I knew it was important. Someone else was there with Joshua—someone who had a connection to you."

  "Are you sure you actually remember that?" I asked. "You said you didn't even remember Joshua. And Simon and I didn't see anyone else."

  "I'm sure of it, Katie. Something was pushing at the back of my mind—something tha
t mattered so much that it pushed through whatever drug it was that Joshua gave me."

  Charisse frowned again and struggled to remember. GM stepped around the curtain and came to stand beside us.

  "How are you, dear?" GM asked Charisse. "You've had quite a trying time."

  "I'm fine, Mrs. Rost. I really am." Charisse gave her a small smile, but her brow remained creased in thought. "I don't really remember much, but I'm trying to remember something now. Someone else was there with Joshua."

  "Someone else?" GM looked concerned. "Who was it?"

  Charisse rubbed her temples. "I'm sure it has something to do with Katie."

  Charisse paused for a long moment.

  "It was William," she said suddenly.

  GM blinked in surprise. "What did you say?"

  "William was there," Charisse said, staring at me defiantly. "I'm sure of it."

  "Charisse, that's crazy," I said. "There's no way William was there. If he had been, he would have stopped Joshua himself."

  "Have you told the police about this?" GM asked sharply.

  Charisse ignored what I'd said and addressed GM. "Not yet. It's only just come back to me. But I will."

  I was horrified. "Charisse, you can't do that."

  "Why not?"

  "Because you never saw him. You told me you didn't remember Joshua. If you didn't remember him—and both Simon and I saw him—how can you possibly remember that William was there? Neither one of us saw him. And as I said, William would have helped you."

  "I'm positive William was there," Charisse said. "I told you William reminded me of Joshua. That's probably because subconsciously I knew they were working together."

  "You can't let your dislike of William cloud your judgment," I said angrily. "You're imagining things now. It would be irresponsible of you to tell the police you saw William at the scene. You can't be sure."

  "I'm sure," Charisse said stubbornly.

  "Charisse, what's wrong?" Mrs. Graebel called out.

  GM pulled the curtain back. Mrs. Graebel was getting out of bed.

  "I just remembered something that happened back at the house," Charisse said.

  "Charisse, you didn't—"

  Mrs. Graebel interrupted me gently. "Katie, Anna, would you mind leaving us? I think my daughter and I need to talk."

  "Of course. We will go." GM put an arm around my shoulder. "Come along, Katie."

  I allowed myself to be steered out of the room and down the hallway.

  "William was not at the house," I said to GM as we waited for the elevator. "Charisse was unconscious when I found her. I was wide awake. She doesn't know what she's saying."

  I was really worried that Charisse would actually go ahead and tell the police her ridiculous story. From what Simon had said earlier in the day, William had already been questioned in connection with the attack on the second girl in the Old Grove. If he were also identified as being present in Charisse's house, he really would be in trouble.

  "We will need to talk," GM said firmly.

  And talk we did. By the time we reached home, it was established that I wasn't allowed to go anywhere in town alone—not even to school. GM would be driving me to and from school just as she had back in October when people had begun disappearing.

  And I was no longer permitted to see William.

  I had argued and argued against that, but eventually I had to give up. I realized that no amount of arguing on my part was going to change GM's mind—at least not at the moment.

  I was worried about what William would say when he found out. Would he want to abide by GM's rules and not see me?

  He would certainly be worried by Joshua's attack. Would he think that avoiding me was safer for me?

  That was ridiculous, of course. In fact, I realized now that I should have used William's call and summoned him to me. William would have appeared in an instant, and he could have stopped Joshua and prevented the fire from ever happening.

  Things would have been different if I had just called William.

  But I had been so frozen both in body and mind that I had never even thought of calling him.

  I was really lucky that Simon had shown up when he did.

  I felt another pang of worry—this time for a new reason. William hadn't shown up at school today—even though he'd promised to come—and he hadn't shown up at the hospital tonight either. William often seemed to know when something was wrong, but he hadn't appeared.

  Where was William?

  When would I see him again?

  I hoped that I would see him at school tomorrow—I needed to warn him that the police might be after him soon.

  As GM and I got out of the car, I couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into Charisse—she seemed so positive that William had been at her house with Joshua. Her dislike of him must have been stronger than I had realized.

  GM went into the house ahead of me, and I paused outside on the step. What if Charisse had seen something and misinterpreted it?

  What if there really had been someone with Joshua? What if there was yet another vampire lurking in town?

  "Is something wrong, Solnyshko?"

  "No—it's nothing," I said. I went into the house and closed the door behind me.

  GM and I had a quiet dinner, and then I went upstairs to do my homework, wishing all the while that it were already tomorrow, and that I was already back at school.

  I had to see William tomorrow.

  And once again, before I went to bed, I passed by the mirror and could have sworn that a shadow moved within it—a shadow that shouldn't have been there.

  GM drove me to school the next morning, and I was nearly frantic to see William. I knew that I could use his call to summon him, but that was something I felt I should only use in an emergency. I hoped he would show up right away.

  Maybe he'd heard about Joshua and would even be waiting for me outside the school.

  I hurried into the schoolyard and scanned it quickly. There were a few students standing out in the yard huddled against the cold, but William was not amongst them. I'd already had a text from Charisse telling me that neither she nor Branden would be in school today. But I did spot Simon standing by the usual picnic table—he was clearly waiting for me.

  I hurried over to him.

  Simon turned at my approach. "Hey, Katie. How are you? Did you sleep okay last night?"

  "Yes, thanks," I said. "How are you? How are those burns?"

  Simon pulled off his gloves to show me his bandaged hands. "They're good. I know all this wrapping looks bad, but it should heal well. There probably won't even be any scarring."

  He gave me a smile. "That last part is too bad. I hear girls like a few scars." He pulled his gloves back on. "Would you like to go inside? It's freezing out here."

  I took one last look around the schoolyard and felt disappointment rising within me.

  "Sure," I said. "Let's go in."

  We went into the school and made our way to the cafeteria.

  "So, your grandmother is shepherding you to school again, is she?" Simon asked as we sat down at a round table.

  "Yes, she is," I said. I scanned the cafeteria for William. He usually chose to appear at busy times when he was less likely to be noticed, but I hoped to see him anyway—I didn't care if Simon saw him and wondered why he was there. I looked over each face carefully, but William clearly wasn't in the cafeteria anywhere. Disappointment welled up within me again.

  Simon continued. "That's probably for the best that you have a chaperone." He took a deep breath. "I heard about Charisse—I heard that she saw William at the scene of the crime."

  "Charisse doesn't know what she saw," I said, my anger flaring. "She also told me she didn't remember much of anything at all."

  "She seemed pretty sure about William. Katie, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I really think you should stop seeing him."

  My anger faded as quickly as it had come—Simon was just onto his favorite topic. There was no po
int in arguing with him.

  "You've been saying that a lot lately," I said wearily. "And as it happens, GM agrees with you."

  "Oh, does she?" Simon did a poor job of concealing a smile.

  We talked a little more, but my heart wasn't really in it. I was relieved when the warning bell rang, and Simon and I streamed out into the hall with everyone else.

  Shortly after Simon waved goodbye and disappeared into the crowd, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around expectantly, but it wasn't William who was standing behind me.

  It was Irina.

  Her dark eyes were blazing. "You almost got him killed. Are you happy?"

  "What are you talking about, Irina?"

  "I'm talking about Simon. It's all over the school. He was nearly killed in a fire last night. All because he was trying to save you."

  "That's not exactly what happened."

  "Do you even care about him?" Irina demanded. "You take everything so calmly. Like the world owes you something. Like everyone's supposed to be in love with you. And you can't even be bothered to care about anyone in return."

  I felt my anger flare up again. "You don't know anything about Simon and me. We've been friends for years—and during most of those years you didn't even seem to know he was alive. Do you actually care about him? Or is he just something you can't have?"

  "Do I actually care?" Irina's voice rose hysterically, and several people in the crowded hall turned to stare at us. "Do I care? I care more than you ever have or ever will."

  I was startled to see tears welling up in Irina's eyes. "Irina—"

  "Your family has always been trouble," Irina said suddenly. "My father told me all about it."

  I was thrown off by the sudden shift in topic. "My family?"

  Irina's lips twisted into a bitter smile and a tear spilled down her cheek. "My father told me that your family tried to ruin us back in Russia. He told me about what your grandmother did. And you—you're no different."

  Irina stormed off, and I was left staring after her in shock. What could my friendship with Simon possibly have to do with anything that had happened in Russia?

  And why was she attacking my grandmother?

  I shook off my shock and hurried on to homeroom.

  As the day wore on, I looked anxiously for William. I lingered in the hallways and was very nearly late for several classes. I had lunch with Simon, and though I tried to be sociable, I had a hard time paying attention to anything Simon said.