‘Are you coming?’ Rhode asked. He stood above my desk. ‘You don’t really want to stay in here, do you? Unless, of course, you’d like to draw some more storm clouds.’
I had doodled endless black bulbous clouds instead of taking notes.
I collected my things and followed him to the hallway. He walked close to me as we headed out of class.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
‘Yes!’ I piped up, shaking away the memory of Hathersage. ‘I have a question though,’ I said. ‘You never told me what part of England you’re from.’ I led with this to see how similar this Rhode was to the Rhode of his past.
‘Devon,’ Rhode replied.
The old Rhode was also from Devon. Hope blossomed inside me. Maybe if he remembered this fact, he would remember some of our past too! We left Hopper and crossed the quad towards Turner, the girls’ dorm.
‘And I heard, I hope you’ll forgive me for asking . . .’ I started to say, until Rhode jumped in before I could finish.
‘That I haven’t got any family. Yes it’s true.’
We showed our IDs to the Turner security guard and entered the dorm.
Some girls stopped mid-conversation as Rhode and I walked down the hallway to my room. It certainly wasn’t me they were interested in.
‘No family. It’s tragic, isn’t it?’ he said with a wry smile. ‘My parents died when I was young. I only have memories of living here in Lovers Bay. I’m OK with it, really.’ He leaned his shoulder against the wall just outside my room.
‘Hey, Rhode,’ a girl I didn’t recognize said. He acknowledged her with a small nod.
‘So you’ll come shoot?’ Rhode asked me.
‘You’re really offering to teach me?’
‘Yes, Lenah.’ My body electrified at the sound of his voice saying my name and I couldn’t drag my gaze away from his face.
‘Oh, you two,’ Tracy said, appearing down the hall. ‘Get a room.’ She laughed and went to unlock our door. The keys clanged as they hit the floor, and Tracy screamed so loud the shriek was a needle through my eardrums.
Rhode placed a palm on Tracy’s shoulder. ‘Don’t move,’ he commanded.
‘What happened?’ I asked. Tracy had her palm over her mouth.
Rhode said, in a grave tone, ‘Call the resident advisor.’
‘Frogs?’ Tracy cried through her hand. ‘Seriously?’
Frogs? What?
I pushed past her into the room and froze. She was right – frogs. Dozens of dead frogs were scattered around our room. They dangled from the mirror, on top of our beds, even from the light fittings. Some looked as though they could have been sleeping. Others were split down the middle, carcasses – dissected.
‘This is so disgusting!’ Tracy cried. ‘What the hell kind of prank is this?’
She screamed again as she uncovered more frogs in the bathroom.
A memory sprang unbidden to my mind. Justin and me. Before. In biology. ‘You can rip a cat open with your bare hands but you couldn’t cut the frog?’ Justin asked gently.
‘I couldn’t cut the frog,’ I admitted.
I lingered on the memory. When I was first at Wickham, I couldn’t dissect a frog in biology class. I had killed too many humans as Vampire Queen, and once I’d regained my human form, that little frog was just too much. That was also the day my relationship with Justin changed, when I fell for the twenty-first-century boy and left my brutal past behind.
Rhode started collecting the little bodies.
One hopped on to the toe of Rhode’s boot. ‘There!’ I cried. ‘That one’s still alive!’ I wanted to hold it tightly and thank it for surviving. Instead I scooped up its soft body, opened the window and placed it gently on the ground beneath some leafy branches.
‘What’s all the screaming?’ The voice of our resident advisor, Tina, made me spin around. ‘Wow,’ she said and surveyed the room. ‘This is . . . crazy.’
Rhode was still collecting up bodies. Tracy wrapped her hands around herself.
‘Tina,’ Tracy said in a quiet voice, ‘these were just here.’
‘This is one messed-up prank,’ Tina said. ‘Do you guys know who did it?’
Justin, I thought, but did not say anything out loud.
Tina shook her head in disgust and took out her cell phone. ‘Put them down, Rhode, and go wash your hands.’ She waited for someone to pick up on the other end of the line. ‘Hey, Bob? I’m in Turner dorm, double 102.’
Tina asked for a cleaning crew and explained that we would need to leave for a few hours so maintenance could do their work. ‘I’m calling Williams,’ she said.
‘Hey, guys,’ Tony said, stopping in our doorway. He surveyed the room. ‘Ho-ly crap.’
‘Tony, stop right there. All of you guys need to leave,’ Tina said, ushering Rhode, Tracy and me out.
‘Were those . . . frogs?’ Tony asked.
‘About a hundred,’ Rhode replied.
‘What did you guys do?’ Tony asked.
‘Oh sure, it’s our fault,’ Tracy said. ‘You’re the one denying girls when they ask you out. I don’t usually have vendettas against me.’
Rhode carried my comforter and Tony had Tracy’s. He brought the fabric to his nose. ‘It doesn’t smell like frog.’
I swallowed and ignored the impulse to say anything specific. ‘I think this is someone’s idea of a sick joke,’ I said instead.
‘Sick being the operative word,’ Tony replied.
We headed down the hallway towards the laundry with our bedding in our arms. This was, no doubt, the start of Justin’s payback – the change in his plans.
After the wash cycle had started, Rhode, Tracy and Tony sat at a table in the laundry room discussing who might be responsible for this horrendous prank. I leaned against the window frame listening to the rhythmic hum of the washing machines.
The frogs didn’t bother me. What gnawed at my mind was two things: first, Justin’s new plan and that it would only get worse from here. Second on the list was Rhode’s ignorance. Like Tony, Rhode needed to know the truth, for his own protection.
‘So what’s the plan?’ Tony asked.
‘What do you mean?’ Rhode replied.
‘How are you going to figure out who did it? I know you, Rhode. Your logic-loving brain is piecing together some kind of wacky scheme.’
‘Come on,’ Rhode said, dismissing the notion with a smile.
Tony turned to Tracy. ‘Remember the time he thought the junior-dance vote was rigged?’
When Rhode tried to explain himself, they laughed in unison. He really did have a life here. A reputation. A history. I smiled a little despite the situation. Their voices grounded me and the fabric bracelet around my wrist still clung tightly together. For the briefest of moments Suleen’s quest seemed possible with them by my side.
Outside, the sun beamed through the trees and made spotlights on the ground. I followed the pattern of light from tree base to tree base until they ended at Wickham beach beyond. The bay glittered through the trees and –
A man stood by the shore. I stood up straighter as recognition prickled over me. I couldn’t tell for sure but he had the same stature as the vampire from the farm. The one who had warned me. His arms were crossed over his chest and he faced the school.
Act casual.
‘We should tell Claudia and Kate. They will definitely get to the bottom of this,’ Tracy was saying. ‘They know everything and everyone.’
‘I thought that was you,’ Tony said.
I squinted, trying to make out who the figure was; damn it, I missed having my vampire sight. He had short black hair cut close to his head, and a silver necklace caught the sunlight.
Yes, it was that vampire from the farm! What the hell was he doing standing in the sunlight again?
Plan of action . . . plan of action . . . I needed to get to him, and quickly.
‘Is anyone hungry? Maybe we can get some food. Bring it back here,’ I offered with a little shake
in my voice. I had to get everyone out of the laundry room. I met Tony’s eyes and tried to communicate with my expression that I needed his help on this. His mouth made a little ‘o’ shape when he caught on that I was planning something.
‘I wouldn’t leave your laundry unattended, New Girl,’ Tony said standing up. ‘Some jackass will move your wet clothes if you leave them in the washer for more than two seconds after the cycle ends. So you stay here – we’ll bring you sustenance.’
‘Taco for me!’ Tracy said.
Damn. There went my chance to be alone.
‘Come on, Rhode. I need a sandwich. No! A hot dog. Yes! A hot dog,’ Tony said. ‘You sure you won’t come, Tracy?’ he tried a final time, but she shook her head.
Rhode waited in the doorway. ‘Bring you something?’ he offered me.
‘Just coffee,’ I said.
‘That girl is just nuts for coffee,’ Tony said, adding a maniacal laugh. Once the door closed behind them, I immediately went over to the windowsill and pulled frantically at the lock, but it wouldn’t open.
‘Damn it!’ I cried.
‘What the hell . . .’ Tracy said from behind me, ‘are you doing?’
That vampire was still standing there! I could reach him if only I could get the damned window open.
I pressed my hip into the window frame and grasped the lock again. It screeched as I pulled it from the left to right side and pushed the glass outwards. The hinges were at the top so I brought one foot on top of the windowsill and jumped down to the grass.
I took off.
Tracy called to me from the window but I kept going. I would have to come up with an explanation later.
Dodging tree trunks, I followed the beams of light breaking through the branches. As the beach came into view, I broke through the woods and on to the sand.
Empty. Not a soul, vampire or otherwise.
I spun.
‘Where are you?’ I screamed. ‘Why are you watching me?’ I cried to the shadows and empty beach.
I sighed, placing my hands on my waist and tapping my fingers against my hipbones. I squatted down – footprints. They led up into the woods. He wore boots, heavy boots too, because they sunk into the sand. I followed them to the edge of the wood, where I lost the trail on a bed of pine needles. I was on my knees when a pair of ballet flats entered my eye line. I followed the shoes up to jeans, to a belt and on up to Tracy Sutton’s confused face.
‘So,’ she said, ‘who did you run out here for? Did he leave the frogs?’
What impressed me was not her questions but the lack of fear in her voice.
I sighed and glanced back at the beach around us one more time. Ah, it would be useless. Whoever he was, he was very good at hiding. I was trained to uncover what moved in the shadows or to find a person watching me just outside my field of vision. He had lingered in one place too long.
Tracy crossed her arms over her chest and I was reminded of a time, in a world that no longer existed, where her tenacity had surprised me. Tracy was not only loyal but also fierce. She had avenged Claudia and Kate’s murders with as much passion as I ever had when I was a powerful vampire. And she was only ever human! One time she had walked into a cemetery armed with a kitchen knife, ready to fight the vicious Odette. I would be tied to Tracy forever.
‘Who was it, Lenah?’ She cocked her head, her arms still crossed.
The empty lifeguard chairs just a few hundred feet away marked how close we were to the town line. The beach itself was empty.
‘He’s gone now,’ I said.
‘Are we safe?’ Tracy asked. ‘Because after the frogs and everything, I don’t feel safe.’ Her voice didn’t quiver. It was steady and her words were clipped.
I stalked past her and headed back to Turner.
‘No,’ I said as I pushed branches and leaves out of my way. We walked out of the woods and back on to the grass. ‘No, we’re not safe.’
Clearly, it was time to involve Tracy.
Tracy, Tony and I sat in the laundry room long after our bedding was folded. Rhode had left to speak with the headmistress about giving a special speech during assembly about the dangers of pranking. Apparently, and this was much to my surprise, Rhode was head of the student-body government.
Tracy jumped off one of the washing machines where she had been sitting. She placed her hands on the table. Her voice shook as she spoke.
‘So what you’re telling me, what you are saying, is that not only is Justin a vampire, but that you two knew one another in some alternate reality.’
‘Yes, that’s essentially what I’m saying.’
‘You realize that’s insane.’
Tony didn’t dare say a word about how well Justin and I knew one another.
Tracy leaned against a washing machine and chewed at her nails. ‘And for some mystical reason he can’t hurt you? But he can hurt us? That’s convenient.’ She mocked and her bitterness made sense to me. It was all part of the human need to deny the supernatural.
‘Why are you so mad?’ Tony asked Tracy.
‘I’m not mad,’ Tracy said, but she was shaking and it was clear she was angry. She exhaled and put her hands on her hips. ‘I don’t know. I guess I am mad. I’ve had this weird feeling since I first saw you that I’d met you before.’ Her eyes flickered to me when she said it. ‘And every time you talk to Tony, I get really jealous.’
I should tell her about Justin.
‘Jealous over me?’ Tony said and perked up.
‘Explain to me how you know one another – you and Justin,’ Tracy said.
I had to tread carefully here. Tracy and Justin had been a couple when I had first been on campus a few years ago. In time, I would tell her the complete story. It was the right thing to do, but she had a lot to take in at present.
‘We dated. Before.’
‘Fine.’ Tracy dipped her head and I couldn’t see her expression. ‘Let’s pretend I believe you. You want me to accept that in some alternate reality you knew Justin. I mean, knew him intimately. I need some proof.’ She looked up at the ceiling tiles. ‘OK . . . How did he get the scar on his chin?’
‘Tracy . . .’ Tony groaned.
‘I just want to hear her say it! If Lenah existed with us in some alternate reality, she’ll know the answer. How did Justin get the scar on his chin? I’m the only person he’s told that story to.’
‘What scar?’ Tony asked. ‘I never saw a scar on his chin.’
‘You can only see it if you’re very close to him.’ Tracy said it simply but I could tell she softened her tone for Tony’s benefit.
Tony adjusted his hat and squirmed a little in his seat. ‘Oh,’ was all he said.
I sighed. ‘When they were kids, Roy, his younger brother, got mad at him for eating all his fries. So he threw a fork at his face, but because Justin was taller, the fork got his chin.’
Tracy’s jaw dropped a little and she plopped down in the seat across from us. She covered her face with her hands.
‘She’s right,’ she said with a sniff.
‘Isn’t that a good thing?’ Tony asked.
‘Yeah!’ Tracy said and wiped her stuffy nose. ‘It means she’s not a phony. But it means that Justin is a freakin’ whatever he is.’
‘A vampire,’ I said.
‘I don’t believe it.’ She shook her head. ‘Parallel universes? No. No, no, no, no, no, no.’ She was up again pacing the room, her blonde ponytail swinging behind her.
So much for Fire saying she might remember.
Tony turned back to me. ‘OK,’ he said in a heavy exhale, ‘let’s concentrate on the Let’s Not Die plan. I say we keep our worry to the torture he has planned for us.’
‘Interesting word choice.’
‘Frogs?’
‘No. Torture . . .’ I mused. I crossed my arms and stared at the white linoleum table. ‘Yes . . .’ I said and the table and laundry room fell out of focus. Memories unfolded in my head as I spoke, ‘When I was a Vampire Queen, I hung vamp
ires that withheld information from me by their wrists. I left them suspended until they needed blood so badly that they withered away. I would give them a little when they started to shrivel just to satisfy the need, and when they felt just a touch better I started the process all over again. I always got the information I wanted. That is torture.’
I snapped out of it and looked up.
Tracy and Tony’s jaws dropped.
‘Anyway . . .’ I continued, ‘what you just said about Justin torturing us. He’s not. Not in the traditional vampire sense, anyway. Putting a hundred or so dead frogs in my room – it’s unpleasant but it’s not life threatening.’
‘Let’s not forget,’ Tracy added, ‘he did it to my room too.’
‘But vampires don’t generally behave this way,’ I continued. ‘When I was here at Wickham the second time, Odette—’
‘The blonde vampire?’ Tony interrupted. ‘The one you said made Justin a vampire?’
‘Yes,’ I said eagerly. ‘Odette went directly for the kill. In fact, all vampires do. Justin isn’t doing that – assuming he’s the one behind this – at least not yet. He isn’t exactly torturing us,’ I said, purposefully meeting Tracy’s eyes, ‘and he isn’t going for the kill.’
‘So how do we turn him back into a human?’ she asked. ‘Like what happened to you.’
‘I don’t know if we can,’ I admitted.
‘There has to be a way. We can’t leave him like that,’ Tracy said. ‘We have to change him back. You did it; you know how.’
‘It’s not that simple. No one had performed that ritual before Rhode and me.’
She slapped her hands on the table. ‘Rhode!? What the hell, Lenah? He was a vampire too?’ She spat a little when she said it and her face deepened to a very bright red. Oops. I had meant to reveal that more smoothly.
Once I explained the situation to Tracy and got her sitting down calmly, I said, ‘Odette made Justin a vampire to hurt me.’
‘And hurt me,’ Tracy said, and wiped tears away with her fingertips. ‘He was my friend.’
‘So what now?’ Tony asked, and I could tell he was trying to diffuse the tension. ‘What do we do about the guy watching you?’
I got up and rested my hands on the window ledge. The beach was still empty, and the wind had picked up.