‘I have to do this one more time,’ I said and hugged Tony again. This time he didn’t just pat me; he squeezed me back.
He dragged my trunk into my room, next to the empty remaining bed.
‘OK, now I am going back to my room,’ he said.
I handed him his artwork, but I couldn’t resist watching him as he walked away. I had a dozen reasons to call him back. We could get coffee, gossip about the school or he could show me his art space in the tower.
No. I had to enter this world again on my own and earn his friendship.
I also had to find Rhode as soon as I could.
My dorm room was fairly large with a twin bed on each side. There was also a massive bookcase, a bay window with a seat and, through another door, a bathroom. A blonde girl walked out of it holding a toothbrush.
Well, I’ll be damned.
Tracy Sutton.
‘Hi,’ she said, smiling at me. She wiped a wet hand on her pink pyjama bottoms. ‘You’re Lenah? Am I saying it right? I’m Tracy.’
We shook hands and this time I fought the impulse to throw myself around her. Tracy had once tried to fight Odette, a vicious vampire; she was willing to go to bat against a whole room of vampires for Rhode, Vicken and me.
‘I took the left side; I hope that’s OK?’ Tracy asked.
I nodded. Tracy could have anything.
‘Yes, that’s great,’ I said aloud. I couldn’t be the weird and mute roommate.
A dark blue comforter with seashells decorated her bed. She had tacked up black-and-white posters of kissing couples and many pictures of her friends – my breath caught in my chest. Justin was in some of those pictures.
I approached the mirror above her bureau. Tracy and Justin posed for a picture at a winter dance. Fake silver snowflakes dangled over a cheap blue fabric background. Tracy’s cheeks were fuller in these photos. I guessed she was a freshman when they were taken.
‘Is this . . .’ I asked, pointing at the picture. Hide it, Lenah. Be smarter than this. ‘. . . your boyfriend?’
Her smile fell immediately. Not smooth, Lenah. Not smooth.
‘Well, yes. I mean, we broke up before he – not any more.’
‘Before . . . ?’
‘He’s missing. ’Has been for almost three years. You’ll see his picture around campus.’
She momentarily turned her back to me and placed her toothbrush down on her bureau.
‘So you’re British?’ She spun back to me with a huge plastered-on false smile.
‘Oh, um, yes,’ I said. Get it together. I had business to attend to. Fire left me the trunk for a reason. I opened it.
‘Like Rhode Lewin,’ she said. ‘He’s the other Brit on campus.’
The mention of his name tugged on my gut.
‘Exchange student?’ I asked, playing dumb. I moved a couple of sweaters out of the way and the sunlight caught the handle of a very ornate dagger. There were at least four more daggers in there, so I slammed the trunk closed and sat down on top of it.
‘Yeah. Every single girl on campus is in love with him. But maybe you’ll get lucky since you have something in common. You know, being from England.’ Tracy had changed clothes and picked up a pink cardigan. ‘I wish I could stay, but I have –’ She stopped and dipped her head a little. Her cheeks reddened. ‘I have chorus try outs.’
‘Chorus?’ I couldn’t help the crack of excitement in my voice.
‘Yeah, I sing . . .’ She actually sang the word sing, and it was rather good.
‘You do?’
She shook her head and her honey-coloured hair fell in a sheet around her angular face. When she smiled I was impressed by the whiteness of her teeth. Gleaming teeth the colour of porcelain were a mark of the modern world. It was something my own mother noticed about me when I first returned, and it took weeks for me to make a proper toothbrush. The medieval world did not have toothbrushes. And it most certainly did not have fluoride.
Tracy shook her hair out of her eyes.
‘I figure if I don’t audition now, it’s never happening.’ She shrugged.
She was trying to pretend it didn’t matter but it clearly did.
‘Well, I have absolutely no musical talent whatsoever, so I’m impressed,’ I replied.
‘Good, well, I know I’ll have a friendly face in the audience.’
She lifted her backpack over her shoulder.
‘Should I come?’ I asked.
‘No, no. Believe me – two hours of awkward solos? If you’re looking for something to do, there’s the union – they have TVs in there – or the beach, but the sailing team will be doing some demos. Oh, they just built a huge farm this summer, if you’re into that. You know, sustainable living or whatever.’
What living?
‘It’s near the barn in the back of the lacrosse field. Just at the edge of the campus. And when I come back, we can have lunch? I should be here around twelve.’
‘The farm,’ I replied. ‘Perfect.’
Truthfully, I only grasped half of what she was talking about.
Though a farm was precisely what I needed. It would be comforting to be near the smells of home.
Once Tracy left, I immediately dropped to my knees and searched Fire’s trunk.
Clothes.
A tin with plenty of money.
I moved the sweaters over to the side. Beneath them was a dagger. I held it gently in the palm of my hand. My fingers wrapped tightly around the blood-red hilt and it warmed to my touch. I turned the blade over and the oxblood, reds, pinks and garnets reflected on to the floor, making blood-red dances of light. The hilt was made of rubies.
There was also a longsword. This was not Rhode’s weapon from his days with the Order of the Garter. That was a life that no longer existed. When I took the sword from its sheath, the silver flickered crimson as though a flash of Fire’s hair sped by the blade. I searched for her in the blade.
‘Fire?’
I waited, hopeful that her face might appear and begin speaking to me, but the metal remained silver.
I replaced the weapons, clicked the lock and dropped the trunk key in my boot. I checked the clock.
Rhode.
His name came through my mind like a prayer. Fire’s words came too.
I don’t think he will ever remember his past.
Time to find him.
CHAPTER 4
Tracy was right. A barn now stood at the back of the main lacrosse field. Running parallel to it were plots of land sectioned off by a wooden fence. The sheer familiarity of growing greens, and the unmistakable fluffy mint plant made me smile, just for a brief moment. It could have been home – well, if it wasn’t for the little motorized tractor waiting at the end of the farm. Oh, and electricity. I stopped next to the barn, crossed my arms and relished the green vines of the tomato plants and small pumpkins growing in bunches. My parents would have run from plant to plant overjoyed by the selection. I touched the pendant around my neck; it had warmed in the morning sunlight.
Someone is coming closer to me. No, they are jumping at me. I’m being attacked! Bring your hands up! Protect your face! My body tried to catch up with my thoughts.
Male. Black T-shirt, black hair.
There was a shove to my chest, and I flew backward. My head smacked the ground and pops of light burst before my eyes. I barely had time to raise my hands against my attacker.
I inhaled a scent like amber resin and nights by dripping candle wax.
Rhode.
Anywhere you will go, I will go.
Those words Rhode had once spoken to me echoed in my mind. He stood above me and radiated the same protective aura I had loved for so long. He spoke to me but was investigating the wall of the barn,
‘You could have been hurt. They’re getting more and more reckless.’ He paused. ‘Archers,’ he added with a growl.
My ears perked up. I had dreamt of Rhode’s voice, of the way it would sound if I ever heard it again. It was so familiar and deep, an
d yet the dips and emphasis on certain syllables were different to the way they had been before. I had to remind myself this was the Rhode of the modern world, with no memory of his life as a vampire.
From my spot on the ground, I followed the length of his outstretched arm.
An arrow with a red fletching, or tail as it were, stuck out of the wood of the barn. But I couldn’t concentrate on the arrow. Rhode’s beauty left me speechless. His hair was cropped, in a modern style. He moved so easily. I must have just sat there staring, but I didn’t care.
Rhode leaned closer, investigating the wooden shaft of the arrow. Blood pulsed through his veins and hair grew on his arms. For hundreds of years Rhode was forced to stay out of the sunlight. And now . . . he was tanned. I followed the bronze skin of his arm to the tips of his fingers now pulling at the end of the arrow.
With my heart nearly exploding, I remained on the ground, waiting for him to look at me. I nearly passed out from the anticipation. His blue eyes focused intently on the arrow and I gulped. It stuck out of the wall right where my head had been.
‘Wait . . .’ he said, and snatched the arrow out. ‘This isn’t a Wickham arrow,’ he mumbled. ‘Who would use a razor-head tip? Lunatics.’
He looked down at me. His jaw dropped and he backed away.
‘You,’ he said. He dropped his voice. ‘The girl in red.’
Excitement shot through me.
‘Me?’
His lips parted as he studied me. He shook his head and resumed speaking as if he hadn’t just stopped mid-sentence to call me ‘the girl in red’ – whatever that meant.
‘I mean, are you . . . are you all right?’ he stuttered. He reached down and his hand gripped mine. After he had helped me up, our hands lingered in one another’s.
‘I think so,’ I said. His grasp was strong, comforting.
Rhode focused on the ground. ‘I’m glad.’
‘How did you see it fly through the air so fast?’ We were still holding hands. ‘You pushed me out of the way, didn’t you?’
‘I’m an archer,’ he said and dropped my hand.
I wanted to study the arrow to see if I could identify its origin. My old life had prepared me. I could shoot a perfect bullseye from two hundred feet away when I had my vampire sight.
Rhode held the arrow at a strange angle, almost as if he was trying to hide it behind his back. He kept it there when meeting my eyes again. The familiar blue pinned me in the middle of my chest. I had searched for that blue in every medieval sky, in the flowers that grew on the Heath, but never, not once, did I find it. Not until now.
Three years. Three long years since I had felt their gaze.
‘Your accent. You’re not from the south of England,’ he said.
‘I lived in Derbyshire for most of my . . .’
Oh boy. What should I call those 592 years? Life? For lack of a better expression, I went with it.
‘I lived in Derbyshire for most of my life. A small village called Hathersage.’ I waited to see if the name would prompt a reaction.
Rhode opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I couldn’t read him. Without another word he set off in the direction of the main campus.
‘Wait,’ I called. Rhode twisted to look back at me, but he shook his head in disbelief. Something about me was unsettling him. ‘Thank you,’ I said. ‘I would have been killed. Big lawsuit for the school archery team.’ I chuckled. When he didn’t laugh I cleared my throat. ‘I’m Lenah.’
‘Rhode,’ he replied. I couldn’t ignore the hesitation in his voice again. Before I could say anything else he turned his back to me again and walked away.
I wanted to follow after him. I even took a step, but a ripple of cold air fluttered the leaves and plants. The branches waved against the direction of the wind. The natural world always hinted when someone magical was near. Someone who was not human. Look for the clues, Rhode had taught me. And you will see when a vampire is near.
But where?
I scanned the long width of the Wickham farm. Running parallel to it were the woods, followed by the bay beach. The tomato plants were in full bloom and the round red tomatoes reminded me of the apples hanging in the orchard at home. I inhaled deeply bringing the scent of mint and soil.
I could almost relax. Almost . . .
I rubbed at the cloth wrapped around my wrist and held the delicate fabric between my thumb and index finger.
Beyond the farm, in the woods, a pair of dark eyes stared at me from beneath a proud brow. Vampire eyes. They were like glass. Although he was far away from me, I knew the vampire was not Justin but a young man I did not recognize.
He stalked out of the woods and the sunlight passed over him. I stuttered something. I even threw my hands to grab him. I wanted to throw him out of the sunny rays, but he kept straight ahead, and stopped within a foot of me.
‘How can you be in the sunlight?’ I asked once he reached me. ‘How old are you?’
‘Lenah Beaudonte,’ he said in response. His voice was thick with an Italian accent. At the base of his neck was a pendant: a silver R inside a circle. ‘I have waited for this.’
Someone who remembered me?
‘You must arm yourself,’ he said. It must have been a trick of the light because even though I blinked a few times, the colour of his eyes was so strange. Were they silver?
‘Lenah!’ Tony called from behind me. He walked from the direction of the union. The vampire’s head whipped to Tony. The vampire turned and hopped the fence to the farm. He moved with grace and ease. There was little gravity for him – he jumped to the other side in one leap and within a few paces was in the woods, in the shadows.
‘Wait!’ I cried, following after, but the fence prevented me from catching up. ‘Arm myself against who?!’ I yelled, but there was no answer.
Damn it.
The smell of the sea wafted on to campus in a warm breeze.
Whoever he was, this vampire was gone.
‘Must be on cross-country,’ Tony said. He stepped next to me.
‘Did you recognize that –’ I chose my word very carefully – ‘guy?’ I asked Tony.
‘No. He was fast though. What were you guys talking about?’ He plucked a tomato and rubbed it on his shirt like an apple. He took a bite and wiped the juice from his cheek with the back of his hand.
‘He didn’t say anything to me. He was so strange.’
‘Forget about him – there’s chilli for lunch, and the first of the year is always the best.’
As Tony and I walked, Suleen’s last words came back to me: There is a revolution. Walk into the sunrise and go back. I glanced back at the spot where the vampire had stood. Was it possible the revolution Suleen had mentioned was a vampire revolution?
‘You’re awfully quiet,’ Tony said as he opened the door to the union.
‘First-day jitters,’ I lied. I wished Vicken were here.
Vicken. The thought of him nearly made me stop walking but I didn’t want to draw any more unnecessary attention to myself in front of Tony. Vicken was my Scottish friend. Vicken had once been a member of my coven. The Aeris had changed that fate and he was able to live out his life in the 1840s as he was meant to, without his soul falling into the world of vampires. I hoped he died an old man. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
I would honour Vicken the moment I had the chance. I would do an old vampire ritual, one of respect. Oh, it’s just an arrow, he would have said. But it wasn’t just an arrow. I’d nearly been hit!
Rhode had pushed me out of the way! This meant that he had been watching me. He might not have recognized me until he got close, but maybe Rhode had been intrigued by me. Perhaps he thought I seemed familiar. I couldn’t afford to get swept away by my feelings about Rhode.
I hadn’t even been back on campus twelve hours and already someone had shot an arrow at me and a vampire I didn’t recognize had told me to arm myself. Great.
We entered the union and I was overwhelmed a
gain by how familiar it was. But I was more overjoyed by the food. Oh my. Pizza. Chinese food. Soup. Salads. Soda.
‘Lenah! Tony!’ Tracy called to us from across the union. She waved and once we had picked out something to eat, Tony and I crossed the union to her table. As we approached, I gripped my tray. There they were, Claudia and Kate – alive. Sun had bronzed their skin and the summer had lightened Claudia’s hair with almost white streaks.
No one had been murdered. No gruesome death. Claudia and Kate scooted apart to make room for me.
I scanned the seats for Rhode, hoping he’d be eating in the union like a normal Wickham student. I didn’t see him anywhere, though there were dozens of crowded tables.
Tony sat down across from me and shovelled in turkey chilli so fast that it rolled down his chin. He ran the tortilla chip along his skin to scoop up the remnants.
‘That’s disgusting,’ Claudia said with a laugh.
‘What?’ he asked with a shrug.
My love for Tony swelled.
‘So this is Claudia, and Kate. And I can see you met our really classy friend, Tony,’ Tracy said.
‘That must be really good chilli,’ I joked.
‘It is,’ Tony said and more spilled out of his mouth.
‘Ooh, I love your accent. We have a British guy here,’ Kate said.
‘The infamous Rhode,’ Tracy said with a roll of her eyes.
‘So,’ I asked Tracy, ‘did you get in?’
‘Of course she did,’ Claudia said. ‘Senior project she’ll be singing for the whole upper school.’
I was about to ask what senior project was when a girl passed outside the window. As she did so, she threw a sidelong glance at me. My breath caught. She had blonde cascading ringlets, just like Odette. No. Odette is dead. That life never happened. It was reversed. The light reflected off something silver around her neck. A necklace! Perhaps it was the same as the one the vampire at the farm had been wearing! The girl kept walking. I forced myself to draw a deep breath. Act normal. Don’t jump to conclusions. Both Claudia and Tracy wore silver necklaces with a pendant. I hadn’t seen the blonde girl’s properly. I was overreacting.
Claudia was laughing so hard at something one of the others had said that she cried. She wiped her cheeks and pointed at Tracy.