“He’s dead!” someone screamed. “My boyfriend is dead!” All eyes in the hallway turned toward my room, and I quickly ducked back inside before the accusations could begin. My mother was the least of my worries now.
18
The Meeting
Desmond
Before me stood three figures, one of which I already knew. I hated that he was here. He was the slimiest of them. The other two I could only assume were higher ups in the Circle.
Their organization had been a mystery in the last fifty years or so as it crawled on its knees, seething and waiting for a chance to regrow its many heads like an injured hydra. One was Archie Porter, who had been ranked among the top now that he had come from the outskirts of supernatural society to bring the last of the Grey line to the Circle as, at the very least, an informant.
I vaguely recognized the young woman in all black to be another Porter. She was dressed more like a super villain or a thief than a respected part of society, but the Porters were known for their dramatics.
The one that stood in the middle was not at all familiar to me. She had on a red pencil skirt and red cat eye glasses as if she had just stepped out of a 50s movie. Her hair was a tuft of blonde curls like she might have been trying to emulate Monroe herself. She looked at me with curiosity, intelligence, and scrutiny all at once, and I got the feeling that if she wasn't heading this up, then she was pretty darn close.
"Interesting. When Archie told me you were with us, I had my doubts."
I felt exposed in her gaze in a way that made me want to hide in the darkness like the vampires of old. Admittedly, we were already mostly there, meeting underneath the school in its complicated and ancient sewer system that reminded me of what I always learned the Romans had created and perfected. It was a better alternative to getting caught on the surface, but it made my neck hairs stand on end to know that anyone who wasn't staff or student had a way into any part of the school undetected.
"I made it clear to Archie I had not chosen sides yet. Vampires live a long time. Loyalties easily change. I simply saw a benefit to this arrangement, which will cease to exist if you cannot confirm what he has promised to me."
The other two looked sour, but this woman, this leader, was not phased at all. "Perhaps it would be fair to know me first before I ask for your trust. I suspect as someone who has been cursed for what...two centuries now, that trust is hard to come by." She held out her hand to shake, showing off her sharp, red nails. "I am Elizabeth Grady. I believe you are familiar with the Porters." She pointed to the two behind her with a pointed grin. "I just so happen to be the one with the very power to break the curse on you, but as a true businesswoman, I do nothing for free. In exchange for my loyalty to you, I require loyalty from you in return. Give me what I need, and little by little I will do the same for you." Her words were sensual, flirtatious, even. I wondered for a moment if her powers could involve seduction. They wouldn't work on me, not in that sense, but her offer was more than tempting to me.
"I came because I confirmed with Archie I did have new information. I am not sure why any of you want to know about a new girl from Chief Hall, but I happened to be out one night and see from afar that she can levitate. She is listed in the records as a clairvoyant medium as well."
"Oh, you truly are a bad boy, infiltrating Blackwell’s school records." She chuckled, and I got the feeling she was mocking me.
"I am not ready to tell yet how the girl is relevant or even if she is, but she might be. But what we really want to know about is the dagger."
I didn't move a muscle, knowing that a human reaction would have been to reach for it where it was hidden on my person. I kept it with me always, not trusting anything or anyone else to protect it. But no matter what side I was on, I would not give it away like this. "You know as well as I do security would be too tight around it for me to risk it so early on. If it is needed, I do know where and how to get it, but I would be instantly exposed."
"Just don't forget how important it is and how much we can help you," she commented darkly, all sense of a smile wiped from her face. What was once pretty now looked horrific.
"If you want me to take that kind of risk, then I want full access," I demanded, standing my ground. I could be just as harsh and frightening, I had learned from the best.
``I am impressed that you would even want that. As soon as we feel you can be trusted, that wish will be granted. We will be in touch."
That was my dismissal, and I knew it. I didn't stay to watch them walk away.
19
Grey
Anastasia
I blinked up at the five faces staring me down like I was some science experiment. I had been called into the office yet again to discuss suspicions in the death of a student. Collin Monroe had been his name, and this one was also a member of Champion Hall. However, he happened to spend a lot of time in his girlfriend, Amber's, room, which was only across and three doors down from mine. It had been Amber screaming in the hallway after she had come back from an overnight stay in Seattle and a day shopping with her parents, only to find a dead boyfriend in her bed. They determined the time of death just so happened to be the span of time I was sneaking around the campus and having a run-in with the boys I scared half to death. Every single one of them had immediately gone to their dean, Dean Caruthers, and informed her of my ability to levitate and our confrontation. It went without saying that they all thought that I was for sure the killer now.
Dean Caruthers had then let Principal Brown and Dean Andrews know, and they decided to bring in Dean Simmons and Ms. Aberdeen for backup, in case I was dangerous. I still had yet to see how floating or talking to the dead could even become dangerous, much less if I didn't know how to turn my powers off and on at will. The levitation for my mother had been a lucky shot, and I couldn't maintain the levitation for very long without exhausting myself. I had limits. Killing someone was way out of range, but no one believed that anymore.
I had to admit that the circumstantial evidence didn't look good for me, and it made me wonder if there was someone somewhere that hated me enough to make it look like I had been the one to do this. Or maybe the new girl nobody knew was an easy scapegoat. Either way, it was having me worried that, at the very least, I would be kicked out of Blackwell Academy when I was just getting started. I didn't want to think about what the worst case scenario might be.
"Her mind is blocked from me somehow." Dean Andrews was speaking to the others instead of me as if I wasn't even in the room. On the one hand, it was a relief that he wouldn't be speaking into my head anytime soon, but it also made me look incredibly guilty.
"My Auras professor has been trying to teach me to temporarily block some of my powers as they grow because it has been giving me migraines. If you're blocked, it isn't on purpose. I haven't worked out any kinks yet." My voice came out mousy and unsure.
"She seems guilty to me," Dean Caruthers said harshly, and it didn't surprise me one bit that he was over the students in Champion Hall. He was just like them - stuck up and judgmental.
"It isn't so simple. You know what the laws and rules are. There is no true evidence against her other than suspicions. No one saw anything, and she hasn't been in any known contact with the latest victim," Dean Simmons defended, and I wanted to root for him but kept my mouth shut lest I make it worse for myself.
"Anastasia, I would hate to think that someone who seemed so sweet and scared is killing other students and trying to lie about it," Dean Andrews began, getting down on my level like some kind of psychology move. "With the evidence we do have, I have no choice but to at least keep you on our list of suspects. We have no proof you did it but also no proof otherwise. Just your word, and I can't check on that if there is a block on your mind."
"If she goes back into the student population she could kill again," Principal Brown spoke up "If she doesn't and another murder happens, then she is automatically cleared."
"We do not re-admit students once out of
the program, no matter how much they might deserve it," Dean Andrews scolded the principal.
It sounded like it was hopeless, like I would be packing my bags in a few short hours and saying goodbye to Blackwell Academy.
"Then, I will take responsibility for her. She will not return to classes. I will keep her safe form angry students and keep them safe from her. When it is clear she has had nothing to do with this, she can go back to her normal classes,” Ms. Aberdeen offered. I didn't know why she was saving me, but I was grateful to her even though studying all day away from all the other students sounded like a bore fest.
"Do you accept this, Anastasia?" Dean Andrews asked, and I fervently nodded. Surely they would be able to prove it wasn't me, and it would all be over.
***
I looked down at my list of tasks for the day and groaned. I had hardly seen Desmond or Charlotte since I started being privately tutored. If I wasn't in the office or out on the grounds with Ms. Aberdeen alone to train, I was buried in so much homework I almost never left the library until it was time for me to crash for the night.
Practice reading auras in the hallways without blocking
Read up on the Reign of Terror and write a full report
Trigonometry packet B
Read the three passages and write a short compare and contrast paper
I didn't think the work at Blackwell would be a breeze, but I didn't think I would have so much busy work. Then again, I couldn't have predicted there would be two student deaths being pinned on me.
"I hope you are ready for today because we are going to get you to let go of that block of yours and tap into your medium powers." There was a smile in Ms. Aberdeen’s voice like this was the best part of her day. But this was creepy as heck trying to get the dead to come to me so I could talk to them or whatever.
"What is the point of that kind of power? I really don't see the benefit." I knew I was whining, and it didn't help that the skies had quickly transformed from the sunny days to nothing but grey, spilling spurts of drizzle onto students in between classes.
"You can find companionships, solve mysteries, or even give comfort to left behind loved ones that those they lost are safe."
I wasn't about to admit the validity of her answer as she had me close my eyes and concentrate on the vibrations inside my body. Those feelings that came to my body and stomach that scared me so much were exactly what I needed if I was going to make use of my powers and set them free. She kept telling me that eventually they wouldn't feel so intense, but that was hard to believe right now. Right now, it wasn't just the end result of seeing a ghost or two that scared me but the whole process that made me feel sick and out of control.
I felt the sensation rise in my belly and squinted my eyes shut, trying to force myself not to give up.
"I won't let you hurt anyone or yourself, just let go."
I followed her instructions and opened my eyes to find that there were ghosts everywhere. How many people chose this campus as the place they would spend their afterlife?
I fell to the ground, gasping for air, unable to handle the image of more than a hundred of them headed straight for me.
Ms. Aberdeen came to me as I tried to sit up, tears came to my eyes. I had become such a wuss since being here, but being a clairvoyant was emotional in a way I couldn't describe. "There were so many," I whispered to her. "What happened here?"
She pursed her lips and responded with a question. "Aren't you supposed to do an essay on the Reign of Terror?"
"Yes."
"Then, you'll know soon enough."
I went to the library with those words ringing loud in my head over and over. Immediately, I found the books listed under my class syllabus I had received at the beginning of the year and threw them down with a thud. I got a few looks, but the one thing about the library was that anyone there was too busy studying and doing homework to terrorize me for what they thought I did. And if I saw anyone I knew would cause trouble, I would always wait to leave until long after they did.
I scanned the index for what I needed in the first book and saw something interesting in the related terms section.
Reign of terror, see also; Grey, Constantine and Grey, Alastair
Was it a coincidence that whoever these two men were, they shared the same last name as Desmond?
More curious about this assignment than before, I quickly turned to the correct page and began reading. I didn't like what I saw.
The Reign of Terror is thought to have lasted from 1802 until 1815, and though it was confined to Blackwell Academy, its consequences were far reaching in the supernatural community. The first headmaster of the school, Constantine Grey, was a great, pureblood vampire whose power was second to none, and he used them to lure in unsuspecting victims to feed his lust for blood, control, and sick amusements.
I scanned the pages that followed and was horrified at the mentions of torture, murder, and compelling students and staff. Constantine Grey was the worst sort of monster, so much so that even his own son recognized it. In 1815, his evildoing ended when Alastair Grey, Constantine’s son, found a dagger forged with the most powerful magic that could be found and drove it through Constantine’s heart.
The fight had left Alastair weakened, and following the burial of his father whom he couldn't stomach burning as should have happened, he too passed away.
I went back to the reference section to grab the Grey family tree, hoping I wasn't right. But there was his face, right there below Alastair and a faded photo of a beautiful woman; Desmond Grey.
20
She Knows
Desmond
The Heavens opened up and decided to give the first real rain of the season, making it hard to get my cigarette to spark as I leaned at the back of the Charlock Hall building, staring out at the graveyard beyond.
I hadn't really seen Anastasia since I left her room the morning her mother showed up on campus. Between the random family visitor and the fact the whole campus was talking about how she had murdered two students now, I didn't think it was a good sign she hadn't been around. I knew there was only so far the staff could move against her with no evidence, which they surely had none of since I knew now she hadn't done it, but she was being punished in some way for the suspicions.
Someone was trying very hard to make it look like she was the one who had done this, and the Circle had become increasingly curious about her, agitated that I had nothing to report to them.
I hadn't told them how close we were, so they were more annoyed than angry, assuming I just hadn't gotten a chance to check my sources. For all I knew, her powers were being suppressed, though, since the staff thought she could use them to hurt someone.
This part of campus was feeling darker than usual, a pulsing of pain and evil radiating off of it like never before. I know part of it had to do with the collection of bones lying in the mausoleum that made up the back border of the cemetery.
A school with a cemetery was already a depressing and dark thing. Add in the curse I was under and the house I was in full of dark misfits, and it as enough to repel even the most adventurous of students from this side of campus. So, imagine my surprise when I saw a girl in uniform braving the rain and mud to walk in my direction.
I narrowed my eyes and instantly knew it was Anastasia. My body's reaction betrayed my real feelings of her being on this side of campus. It was dangerous and even painful for some as they felt the darkness closing in.
"You shouldn't be here," I warned her, removing any friendly tone from my voice as to get my point across. If I so happened to scare her away from me for good in the process, it was better for her anyway.
"Why didn't you tell me you were related to a murderer?" Her arms were crossed over her chest, her white shirt getting soaked by the rain. Part of me wanted to focus on the fact that I could see her skin and the outline of her pink bra instead of the fact that she had somehow found out about Grandfather. I couldn't imagine what she thought of me now. For so
me reason, they always associated me with him instead of with my father, who ended his Reign of Terror.
"Aren't you going to say something?"
"There’s nothing to say. Not anymore." I turned my back to her because I couldn't stand the look of disappointment I knew I would see in her eyes. I never should have tried to get close to her, no matter how beautiful she was.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I was enjoying not being judged for who my family is for once, and now it's over. Now you know, and you have broken every vow you made not to judge. I can hear it in your tone." I was being a sour prick. I knew that, but it still hurt me to my core that the one person who knew nothing about me and refused to listen to preconceived notions was now looking at me like a monster because of some library book on what happened here.
"I don't know what to think because you didn't tell me. I wanted to be my own judge, but you have to give me something to judge. I didn't expect to learn about your murdering grandfather from a school assignment before I heard it from you."
So, she was upset because it hadn't been me to tell her. I turned around to look at her, willing the right words to come to me, but all I knew was that the knife had begun to pulse against my body, thrumming the closer I got to her. Now, I knew for sure what the Circle wanted with her.
"You aren't supposed to be on this part of campus. We'll talk about this later," were the words I left her with.
21
Not the Killer
Anastasia
I stared at the group of ghosts haunting the campus, my thoughts going to the cemetery that was behind Charlock Hall. How many of them were buried there because of what happened, and how many more were denied a proper burial?
Almost Dead (Blackwell Academy Book 1) Page 9
