“Told you,” Oliver said.
She pointed a finger at me and between gulps of air said, “Stop doing this to me. You’re going to kill me with all the stress.”
Immediately I felt guilty. “You’re right. I’m sorry—I should’ve called.”
“So what did happen if you didn’t die?”
I spent the next fifteen minutes filling Leanne and Oliver in on my trip, including my make-out session with Andre, and the possibility that world’s oldest vampire might be trying to kill me.
For a moment, the room was silent, and then Leanne cleared her throat. “You met a fate? I didn’t even think they were real. What was a fate doing as your nanny?”
I glanced at our rain-splattered windows. “That’s what I want to know.”
***
The next day in History, I began jotting down notes on what I knew about my past and the attacks. Andre was the prime suspect, but I wouldn’t let my feelings cloud my sleuthing skills. After all, someone else could be responsible. I didn’t have many hard facts.
As usual, Caleb was absent. In the background, Professor Mead droned on. “The Glashtyn is a water horse who appears as a dark and astoundingly handsome man only distinguishable by his pointed horse ears. In all folktales he captures or attempts to capture women—”
A voice boomed through the room. “Gabrielle Fiori, Principal Hazard requests your presence.”
You have got to be kidding me. Thirty different heads swiveled in my direction.
I made my way out of the classroom. From memory I traced my way back to Principal Hazard’s office. Beyond his open office door he leaned over a scattered pile of papers. I knocked, standing in the doorway.
He glanced up. “Oh, Miss Fiori. Come in, come in.” He beckoned me over. Unceremoniously I dropped my bag and coat on the floor and took a seat across from Hazard.
I folded my arms together and lounged back in the chair, annoyed and letting it show. “I haven’t done anything to Doris, so what is this about?”
“Well, Miss Fiori,” he said, flustered by my gruff manner, “you certainly have not done anything wrong.” He loosely folded his hands on the desk. I could literally smell the waves of distaste coming off of him. He might have said I’d done nothing wrong, but he thought otherwise.
“However,” he continued, “the school is worried that with the multiple attempts on your life, your presence poses a threat to other students. Especially after the second attack occurred within campus grounds.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What are you saying?”
Principal Hazard looked uneasy. And guilty. “Miss Fiori, we cannot endanger the entire student body because of your situation.”
“Let me try to understand this better. You’ve determined that, because there have been multiple attempts on my life, I, the victim, am a threat to other students?”
“Miss Fiori, you must think of the other parties involved here. Innocent students. Your presence puts them in jeopardy.”
“So, are you kicking me out of Peel?” I fixed my gaze on a bust of Pallas Athena that sat on a shelf behind him.
“No, no. We are putting you on independent study. You can come and go into the school and use all the facilities outside regular hours. You will, however, need to find an alternative place to stay. … Perhaps your leader will be accommodating.” My nostrils flared as I took in his disgust.
I stood up, shaking from head to foot. “Please,” I implored, “make an exception. Andre might be the one who’s trying to kill me.”
Principal Hazard shook his head, his withered skin flapping. “I’m sorry. I cannot.”
All the willpower that had kept me going left, and my body sagged in on itself. “How long do I have until this comes into effect?”
“Independent study will begin tomorrow, and you have until Sunday to find a place to stay. I’d suggest discussing this week’s assignments with your teachers so you can stay on schedule.”
“And what will happen when my attacker is captured?”
Hazard stared intensely at me for a few long moments. “Everything will go back to the way it was.”
I forced myself to smile. “Great. I look forward to it.” He frowned, his creases deepening.
Without another word I grabbed my bag off the ground and headed for the door. It was as I walked out of his office that I smelled it.
Hatred.
***
I left the study halls of Peel Castle around 8:00 p.m. I’d spent a good portion of the afternoon thinking of how I was going to find my attacker, bring him—or her—to justice, and manage to stay alive, all in under one week. Three hours later and no closer to solutions, I decided to pack up and head home.
Outside, rain was coming down in torrents. Dang. I’d forgotten to bring my umbrella this morning. The walk across campus to my dorms was a good hundred yards, so there was no way I’d make it back dry. I just hoped the notes inside my bag didn’t get wet.
As I got closer to my dorms, a figure came into focus, somewhat obscured by the downpour. Andre.
He stood out in the rain, drenched from head to toe. He hadn’t even bothered to try to keep himself dry. Too bad the look suited him so well, the moisture giving his face a healthy sheen and the water dripping from his hair making him all the more wildly sexy. I was sure I looked like a drowned rat.
I was tempted to turn around and walk back to Peel Castle. But just as soon as the thought crossed my mind, his gaze captured mine. My heart thumped a little faster, and I tried to convince myself that it was because I was scared and not because of how much I still achingly loved him.
He wasn’t going to attack me here—that much was certain. Too many potential witnesses.
I walked up to him. “So you found me.”
He ran a hand through his hair, his tell. He was anxious or—more likely—annoyed. “I’m not even going to go into all the ways you could’ve been hurt leaving like you did.”
I gave him a look. Overbearing much?
“So I’ll just ask you why—why did you leave? What did I do to push you away?” The hurt in his eyes constricted my heart. I was expecting a whole lot of anger, but not this. Perhaps I had it all wrong.
But how could I know? A guy wasn’t worth risking my life over … even one that I had fallen for—hard.
“This is all happening so fast,” I lied, using our budding romance as the excuse. “I think I need some distance.”
His mouth thinned, and he looked grim. “That’s what you want? Even with your attacker still at large?”
“Yes.”
He stared at me for a long time before speaking. “Fine,” he said eventually. “I’ll give you your distance, and I’ll leave you alone. But I will have around-the-clock security watching over you—”
“Andre—”
He put a hand up. “No.” His voice was hard, and for the first time I felt his coldness, his distance. He was pushing me away. “I think we can both agree I’ve been exceptionally lenient,”—true, at least for Andre’s standards—“so this is non-negotiable.
“Lastly,” he looked across the campus, “there’s a gala at the mansion on Saturday—for my birthday of all things—I hope you’ll come. It starts at eight.”
For a moment I forgot my problems. “You’re having a birthday party?”
He looked chagrined.
I held up my hands. “I’m sorry. It just seems so … normal.”
He shrugged and glanced at his watch. “I have to get going. Just promise me you’ll stay safe.” His eyes were intense.
I was wrong about Andre. I had to be. “I promise.”
“Call me if you get nervous or just need to talk. I’ll be waiting.” He turned and walked to his car. I watched as he got in and drove away, feeling like mistrusting him was a big mistake.
***
When I walked into my dorm room, Leanne and Oliver were watching funny videos on my bed, as if the world had not shifted on its axis. I’d avoided coming back here this
evening for this very reason. I’d have to tell them about my visit with Principal Hazard—eventually.
“Hey gorgeous!” Oliver said around a mouthful of chocolate. How much chocolate could I possibly have left by now? “Come join us!” He scooted over to make room for me, a huge feat for Oliver.
My throat constricted. I’d lose this in a week. All because someone was trying to kill me. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair.
***
I yawned as I flipped the page of my textbook that Friday evening. My eyes blurred as I tried to read about early Viking settlements on the Isle of Man.
It was one of the lamest Fridays I’d had in a while, sitting in the library, catching up on my reading. However, following my conversation with Principal Hazard, I’d decided out of spite that I would do all my homework inside the castle. This way if I was attacked, it increased the chances that the castle would also get maimed. Petty, but possibly effective.
I hadn’t even considered looking for housing. Nor had I told Oliver and Leanne about having to move off campus, though they knew about independent study. Instead I’d spent the week scribbling notes in my notebook, trying to determine who my attacker was and why he or she was trying to kill me. My sleuthing skills had still gotten me nowhere.
I stretched and looked around. I jolted when I realized I was alone. Somehow I managed to outlast even the most academic of my peers. Pulling out my phone, I checked the time.
“Crap, eleven-thirty?” I hadn’t meant to stay this long. I packed up my bags and put on my coat.
As I grabbed my bag, I heard a rustle from the far side of the library. I froze, listening.
When I was certain no one was there, I walked past the rows of musty, leather-bound books, their embossed covers shimmering gold in the low lamplight of the library.
Just as I left the library I heard it again: a rustle coming from somewhere behind me. I hurried my pace, determined to get out of the spooky old castle. It was eerie here at night.
The candlelight flickered in the wall sconces, making the light dance along the rough stone walls. Behind me I heard a growl.
I turned. An enormous black dog with glowing red eyes stood in front of the library doors I’d exited not a minute before. The Moddey Dhoo, according Professor Mead.
Great. That was a true legend?
The dog’s hackles rose and it barred its teeth. Saliva dripped onto the floor, where it sizzled away. It inched towards me.
“Good doggy,” I said, edging backwards. The exit was down the next hall. With my speed I could probably outrun the dog. Only, I had no idea what I was dealing with. Demonic dogs weren’t really my forte.
It growled louder, and it began to pace back and forth, agitated. I saw the dog pause and its muscles tense. Then it charged me.
I turned on my heel and sprinted for my life. I could hear its paws clicking on the stone floors behind me. Some phantom dog—that thing sounded real to me.
I flew down the hall, barely losing momentum to turn the corner. At the end of the hall was the exit. Behind me the Moddey Dhoo snarled. It sounded much too close.
Putting in one last burst of energy, I plunged through the exit. I glanced behind me in time to see the dog jump through the solid oak doors.
I swore. I’d really hoped the dog would stay inside the castle.
In front of me was Peel Castle’s expansive lawn. Wisps of fog obscured the far side of the campus where my dorm was. I ran blindly in that direction.
Through my pants I felt the dog’s hot breath. It was right on my heels. My muscles protested as I forced them to move faster.
I didn’t slow down until the dog’s growl became a distant noise. I glanced back. The Moddey Dhoo stood in the middle of the grassy lawn, staring calmly at me. As I watched, the dog slowly faded.
I shivered as its glowing eyes finally winked out. The dog was an omen of death.
This time I was in deep.
***
“Kill me. Please.” Leanne moaned when I woke her up the next morning. “That would be the kind thing to do.”
Her and Oliver hadn’t come home until the wee hours of the morning, so I hadn’t had a chance to mention my encounter with the ghostly dog.
“Want something to eat?” I asked, holding up the bag of pastries I’d bought an hour earlier, a peace offering in case she didn’t like being woken up.
I’d barely touched my own breakfast. I had been anxious all morning about seeing the Moddey Dhoo, even going so far as to research what I knew about the demonic dog. It was more of the same: the dog was an omen of death.
She sat up in bed. “Sure, what’d you get?” she asked, scrubbing her face with her hands. I handed the bag to her and watched as she pulled out a Danish and began to nibble it.
I took a tasteless bite of my croissant. “Leanne, I have something to tell you.”
“What?” she asked, yawning.
“I saw the Moddey Dhoo last night.” I glanced up from my plate to watch her reaction.
She stared off in the distance. Then, slowly, she looked at me. “You saw … ?” She trailed off, “But that’s impossible,” she said. “The only people that see the Moddey Dhoo—”
“Die. I know.”
Her gaze sharpened on me. “Let me give you a reading.”
I raised my eyebrows. “But I thought you just saw stuff.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I foresee things, but it’s more accurate if I give you a reading.” She reached out. “Here, give me your hand.”
I put down my croissant and gave her my hand. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths in and out. All was still for a few minutes.
Suddenly, her hand tightened over mine, and her eyes darted back and forth behind her closed lids.
“I see a mansion. People are wearing formal attire.” Could she be talking about Andre’s birthday gala?
Leanne’s fingers dug into mine. “There’s a fire. Trapped. So many people trapped. All of it burning down. I see you. I see Andre, and a gun, aimed at you. The trigger is pulled and …”
She let out a muffled moan and dropped my hand. Hesitantly she opened her eyes. They were red.
“Gabrielle,” she said, “you will die if you go to this event.”
Chapter 22
THE SILENCE THAT followed sounded louder in my ears than a scream.
“What exactly is it you’re going to?” Leanne asked.
“Andre’s birthday party.”
Understanding broke out along Leanne’s face. “Right before you died I saw Andre and a gun.”
I felt lightheaded. Andre’s going to kill me.
I didn’t think my heart could break anymore, but I was wrong. Even after Cecilia’s warning, I’d carried around the secret hope that he was innocent.
My chest ached, and my stomach churned painfully. How could people live like this? Why would anyone want to fall in love? This was awful.
I blinked a few times to push back my tears and met Leanne’s shocked gaze.
I had a decision to make: go and die, or stay and … probably die in the near future. Leanne’s vision also indicated that I had to come to terms with the fact Andre was playing me.
I felt my conflicting emotions resolve themselves. “I’m going. I have to.” I nodded to myself. I had to save those people.
Leanne looked at me as if I were insane. “You can’t. You’ll die. I saw it.”
“Leanne, people will die whether or not I’m there. You said yourself that the guests were trapped in the burning building. We know this will happen. I can evacuate them if given the chance.”
She took this in. Then she nodded. “Fine. But I’m going too.”
Now it was my turn to look at her like she was crazy. “No way. I can’t let you risk your safety.”
“I’m not letting my friend walk to her death without some backup.”
“Leanne!”
“I’ve already decided. You can’t change my mind. I’m coming.”
The door
burst open to reveal a shirtless Oliver. “Oh. My. God.” He was wide-eyed. “When did I get a bellybutton piercing?” He gazed, horrified, at the pink and clear crystals dangling from his navel.
“Pixie dust.” Leanne shook her head. “You tried pixie dust last night, and then decided to get your bellybutton pierced.”
If I’d been in a better mood, I would’ve laughed. Instead I said, forlorn, “I wish I could’ve been there.”
Oliver glanced up, his gaze piercing. “Is everything okay, G?” Somehow, he knew. He knew that my heart was broken, and he knew that only one thing could’ve caused that.
Leanne met my eyes before she turned to Oliver. “We think Andre’s planning on killing Gabrielle tonight at some party.” I felt a tightness in my chest as she spoke the words out loud. “Gabrielle, however, is still planning on going so she can save all the others I foresaw die. So now I’m going with her.”
“No—” I began.
Oliver pulled up a chair and sat down next to us. “In that case, count me in.”
“No.” I rubbed my temples. “Please. I don’t want either of you getting hurt.”
Oliver scratched his chin. “If I remember correctly, I am the bossy one in this relationship, not you. So, I’m coming.”
I sighed, looking at the clock. It was 3:00 p.m. “The gala starts at seven. That means we have less than four hours to come up with a plan and get ready.”
Oliver squealed. “I’m designing our outfits!”
***
It was while Oliver was pinning up Leanne’s hair that I heard a knock. I got up and opened the door.
I balked at the visitor. “Caleb?”
He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Hey.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I texted him,” Leanne said. Oliver eyed him up and down like he was a juicy morsel. “I thought he might want to help.”
I squinted at Leanne. After his apology last week, I knew Caleb would’ve eagerly assisted us tonight. But I hadn’t told Leanne about Caleb’s apology. So why had she contacted him?
I swallowed. Whatever she saw must’ve been awful enough that she called in a favor. That, or he was in the vision.