Unable to admit as much to Trey, I averted my eyes and casually brushed hair from my face. “I’m okay in it.”
His gaze moved to my cheek, and a look of understanding came over him. “Ah. So that’s it.”
“What’s it?” I asked.
He pointed to my face. “Your tattoo. That’s what it does, huh?”
In moving my hair, I’d revealed the gold lily. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“You don’t have to play coy with me,” he said, rolling his dark eyes. “I get it. I mean, it seems like cheating to me, but I guess not everyone cares about honor. Pretty ballsy to have it on your face, though. They’re against the dress code, you know—not that that stops anyone.”
I shifted and let my hair fall back into place. “I know. I meant to put makeup on it and forgot. But what do you mean about cheating?”
He simply shook his head in a way that clearly said I’d been dismissed. I sat there feeling helpless, wondering what I’d done wrong. Soon, my confusion was replaced by dismay as our instructor gave us an introduction to the class and its setup. I had a chemistry set back in my room that was more extensive than Amberwood’s. Oh well. I supposed a little elementary review wouldn’t hurt me.
My other classes progressed in a similar way. I was on top of all my subjects and found myself answering every question. This got me in good with my teachers, but I couldn’t gauge the rest of my classmates’ reactions. I still saw a lot of rueful head shakes and intrigued expressions—but only Trey actually condemned. I didn’t know if I should hold back or not.
I ran into Kristin and Julia a couple of times, and they reminded me to join them for lunch. I did, finding them sitting in a corner table in East’s cafeteria. They waved me over, and as I wove through the rows of tables, I did a quick scan, hoping to see Jill. I hadn’t run into her all day, but that wasn’t too shocking, considering our schedules. Presumably, she was eating over at the other cafeteria, maybe with Eddie or Micah.
Kristin and Julia were friendly, chatting me up about how my first day had gone and imparting wisdom about certain teachers they’d had before. They were seniors like me, and we shared a couple classes. We spent most of lunch exchanging basic info, like where we were all from. It wasn’t until lunch was winding down that I began to get answers to some of the questions that had been bugging me all day. Although it required wading through still more questions first.
“So,” said Kristin, leaning across the table. “Does it just give you a super memory? Or does it like, I don’t know, actually change your brain and make you smarter?”
Julia rolled her eyes. “It can’t make you smarter. It’s gotta be memory. What I want to know is, how long does it last?”
I glanced back and forth between them, more confused than ever. “Whatever you’re talking about can’t be making me smarter, because I’m so lost right now.”
Kristin laughed at that. “Your tattoo. I heard you answering all the hardest questions in math. And a friend of mine is in your history class and said you were dominating there too. We’re trying to figure out how the tattoo helps you.”
“Helps me . . . answer questions?” I asked. Their faces confirmed as much. “It doesn’t. That stuff . . . that’s just, well, me. I just know the answers.”
“No one’s that smart,” argued Julia.
“It’s not that crazy. I’m no genius. I guess I’ve just learned a lot. I was homeschooled part of the time, and my dad was really . . . strict,” I added, thinking that might help.
“Oh,” said Kristin, toying with a long braid. I’d noticed she wore her dark hair in very practical ways while blond Julia’s was always teased and tousled. “I guess that could be it . . . but then, what does your tattoo do?”
“It doesn’t do anything,” I said. Yet even as I spoke the words, I felt a slight tingle in my flesh. The tattoo had a kind of magic in it that stopped me from speaking about anything Alchemist-related to those who weren’t part of the inner circle. This was the tattoo stopping me from saying too much, not that there was any need. “I just thought it was cool.”
“Oh,” said Julia. Both girls looked inexplicably disappointed.
“Why on earth would you think the tattoo is making me smart?” I asked.
The warning bell interrupted further conversation, reminding us all it was time to get to our next class. There was a pause as Kristin and Julia considered something. Kristin seemed to be the leader of the two because she was the one who gave a decisive nod. I had the distinct feeling I was being assessed.
“Okay,” she said finally, giving me a big smile. “We’ll fill you in more on everything later.”
We set up a time to hang out and study later, then parted ways. My impression was that more socialization than studying would go on, which was fine with me, but I made a mental note to get my homework done first. The rest of the day went quickly, and I received a note in one class from Molly the advisor. As expected, I’d passed out of all of my language courses, and she wanted me to come by and discuss matters during the last period, when I technically had no class. This meant that my school day would officially wrap up with PE.
I changed into my assigned gym clothes, shorts and an Amberwood T-shirt, and trekked outside into the hot sun with the others. I’d felt a little of the heat ducking between classes today, but it wasn’t until I actually had to stand outside for any length of time that I really and truly appreciated the fact that we were out in the desert. Glancing around at my classmates, who were guys and girls of all grades, I saw that I wasn’t the only one sweating. I rarely burned but reminded myself to pick up sunscreen to be safe. Jill would need it too.
Jill!
I peered around. I’d nearly forgotten that Jill was supposed to be in the same class. Except, where was she? There was no sign of her. When our instructor, Miss Carson, called attendance, she didn’t even say Jill’s name. I wondered if there’d been a last-minute schedule change.
Miss Carson believed in jumping right into the action. We were divided into teams for volleyball, and I found myself standing beside Micah. His fair, freckled complexion was growing pink, and I almost wanted to suggest sunscreen to him as well. He gave me one of his friendly smiles.
“Hey,” I said. “You haven’t seen my sister today, have you? Jill?”
“No,” he said. A slight frown crossed his forehead. “Eddie was looking for her at lunch. He figured she was eating with you over at your dorm.”
I shook my head, a queasy feeling welling in my stomach. What was going on? Nightmare scenarios flashed through my mind. I’d thought Eddie was overreacting with his vigilance, but had something happened to Jill? Was it possible that, despite all our planning, one of Jill’s enemies had slipped in and stolen her out from under us? Was I going to have to tell the Alchemists—and my father—that we’d lost Jill on the first day? Panic flashed through me. If I wasn’t about to be sent to a re-education center before, I definitely was on my way to one now.
“Are you okay?” Micah asked, studying me. “Is Jill okay?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Excuse me.” I broke out of my team formation and jogged over to where Miss Carson was supervising.
“Yes?” she asked me.
“I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am, but I’m worried about my sister. Jill Melrose. I’m Sydney. She’s supposed to be in here. Do you know if she changed classes?”
“Ah, yes. Melrose. I got a note from the office, just before class, that she wouldn’t be attending today.”
“Did they say why?”
Miss Carson shook her head apologetically and barked an order to some guy who was slacking off. I rejoined my team, mind spinning. Well, at least someone had seen Jill today, but why on earth would she not be attending?
“Is she okay?” Micah asked me.
“I . . . I guess. Miss Carson seemed to know she wouldn’t be in class but doesn’t know why.”
“Is there anything I can do?” he asked. “To help her? Er, you gu
ys?”
“No, thanks. That’s nice of you to ask.” I wished there was a clock around. “I’ll check on her as soon as class is over.” A thought suddenly occurred to me. “But Micah? Don’t say anything to Eddie.”
Micah gave me a curious look. “Why not?”
“He’s overprotective. He’ll worry when it’s probably nothing.”
Also, he’ll tear the school apart looking for her.
When class ended, I quickly showered and changed clothes before heading to the administrative building. I was desperate to run back to the dorm first to see if Jill was there, but I couldn’t be late for the appointment. As I walked down a hallway to Molly’s office, I passed by the main one—and an idea came to me. I stopped in to talk to the attendance secretary before going to my appointment.
“Jill Melrose,” the secretary said, nodding. “She was sent back to her dorm.”
“Sent back?” I exclaimed. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.” Melodramatic much?
Annoyed and more confused than ever, I went to Molly’s office, taking comfort in the fact that even if Jill’s absence was mysterious, at least it was sanctioned by the school. Molly told me I could either take another elective or engage in some kind of independent study in place of a language, if I got a teacher to sponsor me. An idea popped into my head.
“Can I check in with you tomorrow?” I asked. “I need to talk to someone first.”
“Sure,” said Molly. “Just decide soon. You can go back to your dorm now, but we can’t have you wandering around every day during this time.”
I assured her she’d have an answer soon and headed back. The shuttle bus didn’t run very often during classes, so I just walked the mile back. It only took fifteen minutes but felt twice as long in the heat. When I finally reached the dorm room, relief flooded me. Hanging out in our room as if nothing strange had happened was Jill.
“You’re all right!”
Jill was lying on the bed, reading her book again. She looked up morosely. “Yeah. Kind of.”
I sat down on my own bed and kicked off my shoes. “What happened? I had a panic attack when you weren’t in class. If Eddie knew—”
Jill sat bolt upright. “No, don’t tell Eddie. He’ll freak out.”
“Okay, okay. But tell me what happened. They said you got sent here?”
“Yeah.” Jill made a face. “Because I was kicked out of my first class.”
I was speechless. I couldn’t imagine what sweet, shy Jill could have possibly done to warrant that. Oh, God. I hope she didn’t bite someone. I was the one everyone expected to have trouble fitting into a school schedule. Jill should have been a pro.
“What were you kicked out for?”
Jill sighed. “For having a hangover.”
More speechlessness. “What?”
“I was sick. Ms. Chang—my teacher—took one look at me and said she could spot a hangover a mile away. She sent me to the office for breaking school rules. I told them I was just sick, but she kept saying she knew. The principal finally said there was no way to prove that’s why I was sick, so I didn’t get punished, but I wasn’t allowed to go to the rest of my classes. I had to stay here for the rest of the school day.”
“That’s . . . that’s idiotic!” I shot to my feet and began pacing. Now that I’d recovered from my initial disbelief, I was simply outraged. “I was with you last night. You slept here. I should know. I woke up once, and you were out cold. How can Ms. Chang even make an accusation like that? She had no proof! The school didn’t either. They had no right to send you out of class. I should go to the office right now! No, I’m going to talk to Keith and the Alchemists and have our ‘parents’ file a complaint.”
“No, wait, Sydney.” Jill jumped up and caught ahold of my arm, as though afraid I would march out then and there. “Please. Don’t. Just let it go. I don’t want to cause any more trouble. I didn’t get any bad marks. I wasn’t really punished.”
“You’re behind in your classes,” I said. “That’s punishment enough.”
Jill shook her head, eyes wide. She was afraid, I realized, but I had no idea why she wouldn’t want me to tell. She was the victim here. “No, it’s fine. I’ll catch up. There are no long-term consequences. Please don’t make a big deal out of this. The other teachers probably just thought I was sick. They probably don’t even know about the accusations.”
“It’s not right, though,” I growled. “I can do something about it. It’s what I’m here for, to help you.”
“No,” said Jill adamantly. “Please. Let it go. If you really want to help . . .” She averted her eyes.
“What?” I asked, still filled with righteous fury. “What do you need? Name it.”
Jill looked back up. “I need you . . . I need you to take me to Adrian.”
CHAPTER 7
“ADRIAN?” I SAID IN SURPRISE. “What’s he have to do with any of this?”
Jill simply shook her head and looked at me beseechingly. “Please. Just take me to him.”
“But we’ll be back there in a couple days for your feeding.”
“I know,” said Jill. “But I need to see him now. He’s the only one who will understand.”
I found that hard to believe. “You’re saying I wouldn’t? Or that even Eddie wouldn’t?”
She groaned. “No. You can’t tell Eddie. He’ll flip out.”
I tried not to frown as I mulled everything over. Why would Jill need to see Adrian after this mishap at school? Adrian couldn’t do anything to help that I couldn’t. As an Alchemist, I was in the best position to file a complaint. Did Jill just want moral support? I remembered how Jill had hugged Adrian goodbye and suddenly wondered if she had a crush on him. Because surely, if Jill needed to feel protected by someone, Eddie would be a better source to turn to. Or would he? Eddie was likely to go throwing office desks around in his outrage. Keeping this from him might not be a bad idea.
“Okay,” I said at last. “Let’s go.”
I signed us out for off-campus travel, which took a little finagling. Mrs. Weathers was quick to point out that Jill had been banished to her dorm for the rest of the school day. I was equally quick to point out that classes were almost done, technically meaning the school day was almost finished. Mrs. Weathers couldn’t fault the logic but still made us wait the full ten minutes until the last bell rang. Jill sat there, tapping her foot anxiously against the chair.
We drove the half hour to Clarence’s estate in the hills, saying little. I didn’t really know what kind of small talk to make. “How was your first day of school?” was hardly an appropriate topic. And anyway, each time I thought about it, I just grew angrier. I couldn’t believe any teacher would have the audacity to accuse Jill of drinking and having a hangover. There was really no way to prove something like that, and besides, you could tell after spending five minutes with her that it was impossible.
A middle-aged human woman greeted us at the door. Her name was Dorothy, and she was Clarence’s housekeeper and feeder. Dorothy was pleasant enough, if a little distracted, and wore a stiff gray dress with a high collar to hide the bite marks on her neck. I smiled back at her and maintained my professional mode but couldn’t help a shudder when I thought about what she was. How could anyone do that? How could anyone offer their blood up willingly like that? My stomach lurched, and I found myself keeping my distance from her. I didn’t even want to accidentally brush her arm when I walked past.
Dorothy escorted us back to the room we’d all been sitting in the day before. There was no sign of Clarence, but Adrian was lying on a plush green couch, watching a TV that had been cleverly concealed inside an ornate wooden cabinet last time. When he saw us, he turned the TV off with a remote control and sat up. Dorothy excused herself and shut the French doors behind her.
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” he said. He looked us over. Jill had changed into her normal clothes during her isolation today, but I still had on the Amberwood
blouse and skirt. “Sage, aren’t you guys supposed to have uniforms? This looks like what you usually wear.”
“Cute,” I said, suppressing an eye roll.
Adrian gave me a mock bow. “Careful. You almost smiled.” He reached for a bottle of brandy sitting on a nearby table. Small glasses were arranged around it, and he poured himself a generous amount. “You guys want one?”
“It’s the middle of the afternoon,” I said incredulously. Not that it’d really matter for me what time of day it was.
“I’ve got a wicked hangover,” he declared, giving us a mock toast. “This is just the thing to cure it.”
“Adrian, I need to talk to you,” said Jill earnestly.
He looked over at her, the smirk fading from his face. “What’s up, Jailbait?”
Jill glanced uneasily at me. “Would you mind . . .”
I took the hint and tried not to let on how irritated I was by all the secrets. “Sure. I’ll just . . . I’ll just go outside again.” I didn’t like the idea of being exiled, but no way was I going to wander the halls of the old house. I’d face the heat.
I hadn’t gotten very far down the hall when someone stepped out in front of me. I let out a small scream and nearly jumped three feet in the air. A heartbeat later, I realized it was Lee—not that it reassured me much. No matter how ostensibly friendly I was with this group, old defenses inside me kicked up at being alone with a new vampire. Running into him didn’t help matters either because my brain processed it as an attack! Lee just stood there, staring at me. From the expression on his face, he was just as startled to find me in his house—though perhaps not quite as alarmed about it as I was.
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