by Rain Oxford
The woman either had a wealth of natural talent or she spent many hours in front of the mirror practicing that innocent façade. “Yes.”
“What happened to the vampire?”
“She disappeared.”
“Really? The other students are saying you killed her.”
“Obviously not, or the professors would have dealt with a body.’’
“You know, most people believe that vampires vanish when they die. Perhaps that was what happened,” she said.
It sounded like she was trying to offer me a way out, but I wasn’t biting. I was here to dig in this mystery, not get a tour of the outside. I wanted to know what she knew.
“What is your job, Devon?” she asked. “What do you do?”
“This and that.”
“I know it was dark, but when you saw Professor Hans’s body, did you notice anything odd? Did you see anything that could have indicated the murder weapon used or who might have killed him?”
I considered my response carefully. My instincts were telling me to deny anything and get out. The room was suddenly a few degrees colder than when I entered. “His beard was kind of unruly, so I really couldn’t see much of anything, just a lot of blood.”
“I see,” she said thoughtfully.
Yeah, she didn’t believe me.
“Well, if you think of anything, come and tell me straight away. There is no need to bother Headmaster Hunt about this.”
“No, not when there isn’t anything to report. Have a good night.” I stood and walked out. She didn’t try to stop me.
Chapter 6
I was eating breakfast at my usual spot the next day when Darwin sat down beside me and started examining his food. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Checking for spiders.”
“You forgot to order spiders with your eggs? I think that’s more of a lunch option.”
Henry sat across from me. “He’s just being paranoid. Jackson was overheard screaming about spiders in his room. He tried to burn down the dorms and was given detention by Alpha Flagstone.”
“Good for him.”
“Alpha Flagstone’s detention involves cleaning bird shit off the roof.”
“It still serves him right. That’s the second time I’ve heard about spiders, though. You’d think wizards would be able to do their own pest control.”
“Maybe your cat can make himself useful,” Darwin suggested.
“He’s not my cat.”
“Speaking of…” Darwin said, giving Henry a look. “I saw your girlfriend throwing a tantrum this morning.”
Henry sighed. “Addison is not my girlfriend and she was forewarned it was only for three days.”
“She’s Mr. Mali’s assistant and she’s been telling all the C-Five girls that you’re a slut. I didn’t take you for the kinda guy to love ‘em and leave ‘em.”
“I only date for three days under the full moon because that is the only time I am interested. That does not make me a slut. The moon is no longer full, so I can concentrate on my studies. Furthermore, it does not concern me what she or anyone else believes.”
“I thought the full moon only affected werewolves.”
They both gave me deadpan stares.
* * *
I was heading to class when I heard a deep, raspy meow, which actually resembled Henry’s yowl more than the sound a house cat was supposed to make. I looked down the hallway and was not surprised to see Dr. Martin’s cat. The damn thing was staring at me like I had done something very frustrating. Then he turned and walked away.
I sighed. I had two choices; go to class, keep my head down, and do my job, or follow some crazy doctor’s crazy cat down the creepy halls of this creepy castle. I sighed again as I trailed after the cat. He was always at the far end of the hallway, up the stairs, or slipping through a door by the time I saw him.
Finally, after twenty minutes of this, we arrived at a closed door. The cat rubbed against the door and purred, which sounded strangely similar to a lawn mower. Since we had come all this way, I decided it was worth at least a knock. Instantly, a familiar voice answered for me to enter. I opened the door and the cat ran in.
“Yes, Devon?” Remington asked.
I assumed this was her office, since there was a large wooden desk in front of the six-by-three window overlooking the lake. It wasn’t a large room at about ten-by-ten with dark paneling on the walls and a black throw rug on the hardwood floor. A bookshelf dominated the north wall while a chocolate brown, suede couch took up the majority of the south wall.
Addie, Professor Mali’s assistant, was trying to serve tea to Remington. “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said as the cat hopped up on the couch and purred.
“It’s okay,” Addie said sadly. “I’ll come back later.”
I felt like I interrupted her in the middle of trying to get advice or something. She probably wanted to talk about Henry, or at least what hexes to use to get even. I’m glad Regina isn’t a witch. “No, really, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Addie glanced at the cat, took her tea, and left without another word.
Remington eyed the cat suspiciously. “What the hell is that thing and what is it infesting my couch with?”
I laughed, shut the door, and sat in the comfortable office chair across from her. “He’s Dr. Martin’s cat.”
“Well, that explains it. I never saw a thirty-year-old cat before, and since Andrew Martin has been dead for thirty years, I’m assuming that’s what you’re talking about.”
The cat scowled at her. That was one perpetually pissed off cat. Then again, I would be upset too if I were that ugly. I studied the cat closely, trying to find some redeeming feature that I could flatter the beast on. He hissed, displaying yellowed teeth.
Nope. He was an awfully ugly cat.
“At the lake, you said you have been in love before,” Remington prompted.
I nodded. “I was married for a year and a half. I was even with her for a month of that.”
“Was it that bad?”
“I only married Regina because she said she was pregnant and it was against her religion to have a child out of wedlock. Apparently, it wasn’t against her religion to lie, cheat, steal, gamble, and forge my signature. She had lied about being pregnant. I tried to make it work. I put up with her temper tantrums that ranged from screaming fits over me buying a pair of pants to her maxing out all my credit cards for her gambling addiction. All my money became hers, my house that was passed to me from my mother became hers, my car became hers…” I shrugged.
“Why did you put up with it?”
“I first went out with her because I was lonely. I found out after we were married from her mother that she wasn’t really pregnant. Then when I confronted her about it, she screamed at me for an hour about how she did what was best for me and that I didn’t love her enough. When I found out she was cheating on me, I had had enough. She told me to get out— of my house— and that it was my fault for not giving her enough attention. She wanted to fight me in court for everything, but I didn’t care at that point. I just wanted out.”
“She didn’t have a leg to stand on.”
“I wanted to get away from her more than I wanted my stuff. I got a hotel at the other end of the city, but she found me somehow. The second she spent all my money, she started calling me and showing up at my house wanting money. Her friends started hounding me, demanding that I apologize and run back to her.”
“No wonder you don’t trust people.”
“No, actually, Regina was my second mistake. She was my one and only wife, but I’m not sure I ever loved her. There was a girl when I was just a kid. Her name was Astrid.” Remington waited, but I only smirked. “Your turn.”
She gaped. “No way! You have to tell me about Astrid!”
“That’s a much longer and gloomier story. How many hearts have you broken?”
She scoffed. “Hearts? No. Skulls? Plenty. I haven’t exactly been out looking for guys.
Some of it’s because my father would crush their lungs, but most of it because I get frustrated too easily. You seem to have a natural calmness in you; where no matter how bad people treat you, you just let it roll off.”
“Oh, I hate inconsiderate people, but I can hold my temper on the outside. Bad things always happened to people when they made me angry, so I learned to hide my anger, because otherwise everyone knew that it was my fault.”
She nodded. “That happens a lot with extremely powerful wizards. I’m surprised that the wizard council didn’t get you.”
“I didn’t even know I was a wizard until recently,” I admitted. She didn’t need to know that I entered the school thinking I was human. “What about your mother?”
“She died when I was little. My father says I get my temper from her. I know he misses her a lot and I’ve never seen him even remotely interested in dating anyone. I think your cat is dead,” she said.
It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about and turn to look. The cat was sprawled on his back with his legs out wide and his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth. It wasn’t a pretty sight. “I think you’re right. Quick; grab a shoe box.”
The cat jerked awake and ran out the door.
“Damn. Too late. I thought I shut the door,” I said. Remington shrugged and motioned with her hand. The door slammed shut. “He’s probably going back to Dr. Martin.”
She sighed. “I told you; there is no Dr. Martin here.”
I stood. “Come on. We’ll go find him.”
She considered the setting sun behind her and sighed. “I have work to do,” she said as she stood.
* * *
“This is a waste of time,” Remington said. After a few eye rolls on her part, I had convinced her to follow me to Dr. Martin’s lab. Unfortunately, it only occurred to me afterwards that I had no idea where to find it.
“We’re almost there,” I lied right as the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
She stopped in the middle of the hall. “I have things to do.” She started to walk away, but I took her arm before she was out of reach. When she tried to jerk her arm away and started to argue, I pulled her into my arms with her back to my chest and put my hand over her mouth.
That sound.
A ball of fire formed in Remington’s hand to defend herself with. Exactly as I did with animals, I searched for her mind and found it instantly. She was what I considered to be a good person; she was overly opinionated, impatient, and honest to the point of being rude, but she wanted everyone to be happy, not just herself. It wasn’t her fault she thought that everyone would be better off if they listened to her.
“Stop,” I said in her mind.
I had never tried my power on a human before, or witch in this case, but I knew it worked when she instantly froze and her fire was extinguished. Although it felt like a major betrayal of her trust, I figured I could explain it later.
The sound came again, so subtle and soft that it could have been imagined… And then a new sound… It was wood scraping against wood with that hollow sound caused by double-paned glass; a window opening. I released Remington and ran to the end of the hallway. I didn’t let the fact that the door was locked stop me. Heat shot through me like adrenaline and the door burst open with the slightest touch to the doorknob.
Inside was a room no bigger than a walk-in closet with moonlight spilling in through the open window. Heather Anne was propped up in a sitting position under the window. Her head was twisted, obviously broken, her eyes were wide open, and blood was splattered all over her chest. On the left side of her throat were two punctures welling with blood. Hell, her shirt was torn open.
Remington made an odd sound of shock and backed away. “I’m going to get my father. Don’t touch her.”
I felt her presence recede and all I could do was study the body. I wasn’t a cop; I rarely ever had to deal with death and I had always been able to call them in. But this was a paranormal case. It was a case, yet all I could think of was how alive she was the day before. She was happy and laughing at Darwin’s humor. And then I saw it.
The blood splatter was wrong.
Most of it was spot on, consistent with a gaping neck wound, but there was an irregularity between her shirt and her skin. While I wasn’t an expert in forensics or a doctor by any means, I could tell something was off. Seeing that there was almost no blood on the outside of her shirt and quite a bit on the inside, it was likely that her light blue blouse was opened before her throat was bitten. I gingerly touched the edge of her shirt. No torn buttons. Consensual sex in a janitorial closet?
But that still didn’t explain the blood; there was more on her chest than her throat, as if it was spilled on her purposefully. I checked her hands; no blood, no bruising, and her fingernails were perfectly clean. You didn’t fight back at all? You didn’t try to stop the blood loss? Was it a surprise attack or were you otherwise unable to react? Sedated maybe?
So many questions that she couldn’t answer. My instincts were still prickling against my skin. I was missing something. No blood in her hair, no bruises or blood on her face, her neck was a mess…
What is that?
In the corner of her mouth was something odd. It wasn’t blood. I gently pressed on her chin with my index finger, cautious of her clearly broken neck, and pulled a penlight from my back pocket with my free hand. I clicked the button, thankful the battery was still working, and aimed the light in her mouth. What is the opposite of dry-mouth called? Her saliva was foamy. Rabies? Epileptic fit? Poison is more likely, but if she was poisoned and then a vampire drank from her, wouldn’t the vampire be poisoned?
I leaned forward to see if there was anything in her throat, and nearly lost my balance. I managed to keep myself from falling against her, but the penlight fell. With a shiver, I reached under her limp arm to retrieve the light and felt something… unexpected in the pocket of her shorts. I tugged on it until the folded note came loose.
Hunt’s footsteps approached and I shoved the note in my pocket to examine later. I quickly retrieved my light and clicked it off. I groaned inside when I turned to see Mrs. Ashcraft and Alpha Flagstone with Hunt instead of Remington.
“What happened, Mr. Sanders?” Hunt asked.
I stepped out into the hallway to let Hunt see the body and my shoes squished obscenely in the cooling blood. “Remington and I were trying to find Dr. Martin when we found Heather Anne.”
“Who is Dr. Martin?” Mrs. Ashcraft asked. My instincts flared with suspicion, but I was more preoccupied with the death.
“Where is Remy?” Hunt asked as he looked at the student. His expression was undecipherable.
“She went to find you. She must have been gone ten minutes or more.”
The headmaster turned to Alpha Flagstone. “Find my daughter.” His voice was hard, not angry or panicked, but accustomed to having absolute control.
The man nodded once and an instant later, shredded clothes lay beneath a large black wolf. He advanced on me and stood on his hind legs to put his front paws on my chest. His weight pushed me against the wall. His huge teeth were just inches from my throat, but I knew, with every instinct in my body, to keep my mind to myself. He sniffed my chest, growled, and vanished down the hall faster than I had ever seen a wolf move.
“Go back to your dorm, Mr. Sanders,” Hunt said calmly.
“Logan, it’s obvious he’s the one behind these---”
“That is enough, Rebecca. Rosin already said Mr. Sanders is innocent.”
Undeterred, Mrs. Ashcraft glared at me. I decided not to push it. Surely Remington is just lost in one of the weird hallways and Alpha Flagstone will find her within the hour.
* * *
I headed back to my dorm on autopilot, so I didn’t immediately sense that I was being watched. By the time I realized my instincts were warning me of danger, it was too late. I had just reached the main door of the dorms when something slammed me into the wall.
“Welcome
to the paranormal world, Devon Sanders.”
It was a masculine voice, but it wasn’t human. The sound was half hiss, half growl. I could feel it as easily as I could sense a shifter; he was a vampire. With his fist wadded in the back of my shirt, he pulled me away and then slammed me back into the wall. I tried to turn my head, but nausea and a massive headache slowed me. I closed my eyes because, while blood didn’t make me squeamish, I preferred when it wasn’t running into my eyes.
When images of blood all over the floors and walls tried to cripple my mind, I forced it away and instead focused on all the sunrises I had watched. It was the most peaceful time of day; the time when all the monsters had to go back into the closet.
At least these monsters did.
Like with Remington, I acted on instinct. I reached out for his mind, locked onto it, and pushed the images in my head onto him. I did it fast enough that he couldn’t see any more of my thoughts and I couldn’t see any of his. He was a vampire; I didn’t want to see what was in his mind.
I pushed not only the images but also the feeling of warm sunlight on my skin. Within a few seconds, the vampire cursed and let me go and I slid to the ground. I didn’t have to let his mind go; he seemed to just disappear. After a few moments, the nausea settled enough for me to sit up and looked around.
I was alone.
I stumbled back to my room with my shirt pressed against my forehead where my skull had met brick. Fortunately, nobody was in the halls. When I got to my room, Darwin was asleep and Henry was studying. He took one look at me and started gathering bandaging and sanitizing supplies from his dresser.
He didn’t ask me what happened; he knew it had something to do with my investigation and respected my secrecy. I sat in my chair while he took care of my cut. It was a comfortable silence.
I pulled the note from my pocket and unfolded it. The language was foreign and not anything I recognized, written hastily with blood red ink.
A es niiso bolape odo. Just one sentence.
