Darkness Falls

  ‘And would you do me the honour?’ said Gabriel.

  ‘You can dance?’

  ‘I’m very good at the waltz.’

  ‘Hmm, I’m more of a Lady Gaga girl myself,’ said April, watching as a beautiful woman in a red dress entered the marquee. April did a double take. It was Jessica, the woman from the Covent Garden bookshop.

  ‘Gabriel, look! It’s that woman from Redfearne’s, you know – the witchy bookshop. She’s the owner.’

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him across the floor.

  ‘Hi Jessica, do you remember me?’ said April, ‘Listen, I’m sorry I haven’t brought the card back yet, I kept meaning to but things have been so mad …’

  Jessica smiled at her. ‘Don’t worry about it, April,’ she said. ‘As long as you get it back to me next week.’

  ‘Of course, I’ll do that, I promise.’

  Jessica looked up at Gabriel. ‘And how did it all work out?’

  April grinned.

  ‘It worked perfectly. I just wanted to come over and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. If it hadn’t been for you, things would have been completely different.’

  ‘You’re very welcome,’ said Jessica. ‘I was glad to help.’

  ‘Oh!’ said April. ‘And this is Gabriel, he’s the one I …’

  April glanced at Gabriel’s face and was dismayed to see him looking furious.

  ‘Gabe?’ she said. ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘I’m just surprised to see Jessica here.’

  April looked from Gabriel to Jessica and the penny finally dropped.

  ‘You … know each other?’

  ‘No,’ said Gabriel immediately. ‘Not really.’

  ‘Our paths have crossed,’ said Jessica, her eyes not leaving Gabriel’s. It was as if they were having a conversation April couldn’t hear, and it made her feel excluded and forgotten.

  ‘Listen, I mustn’t keep you two,’ said Jessica suddenly. ‘April, it was lovely to see you again. Don’t forget that card though. And Gabriel, you have a great evening.’ She moved off into the crowd.

  ‘What was all that about?’ asked April.

  Gabriel shook his head.

  ‘Someone I used to know. It’s …’

  ‘… complicated, I’m sure,’ said April more sarcastically than she meant it to sound. ‘Listen Gabriel, I don’t know why she’s got you so obviously wound up, but I do know that without her help I would never have found the White Book and we would never have been able to save you. So whatever’s annoyed you, remember that.’

  ‘Of course I’m grateful. It’s not about that.’

  ‘Well whatever it is, can’t you forget about it for tonight? It’s supposed to be us, hand in hand, remember? You’re here, you’re alive and we have each other. Or would you rather be with someone else?’

  He looked at her intensely.

  ‘Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. It’s you, April, it always will be.’

  ‘Then start behaving—’

  ‘Lovers’ tiff?’

  They turned as Mr Sheldon approached them, glass in hand.

  ‘No, sir, just a conversation,’ said Gabriel.

  The teacher raised a sceptical eyebrow.

  ‘Well do you mind if I cut in?’

  Gabriel looked at April, but April looked away.

  ‘He’s a nice boy,’ said Mr Sheldon as Gabriel walked off. ‘A little misguided, perhaps, but I think he’ll come round.’

  April nodded. She didn’t know what to say. Who wanted to discuss their love problems with their headmaster?

  ‘I was disappointed not to see your mother here tonight,’ said Mr Sheldon.

  I bet you were, thought April.

  ‘She had an important meeting with my grandfather.’

  ‘Ah. An influential man, your grandfather, or so I hear.’

  April shrugged. Why was he forcing conversation with her?

  ‘Did he ever pursue that issue we were talking about?’

  April looked at him. God, is that why you’ve been hanging around my mum? she thought suddenly. Maybe that’s why he was flirting with her, why he came to see them instead of going to see Layla’s family that night – he was hoping to get them onside so they wouldn’t sue him or the school.

  ‘You’ll have to ask him about that,’ said April. ‘He did seem pretty upset about it though.’

  They lapsed into silence again.

  ‘Anyway,’ said Sheldon finally, ‘I just wanted to say how sad I was about your father.’

  She looked at him, frowning.

  ‘Sorry? You’re sad about my dad?’

  ‘Yes. I didn’t really have the chance to offer my condolences after the funeral,’ he said awkwardly. ‘And then, well, there was all that unpleasantness at the Osbournes’.’

  Unpleasantness? Someone tried to kill me, thought April, and all you care about is a lawsuit.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said lamely, hoping it would be enough to make him go away.

  ‘If you ever need to talk, I’m here. Your mother is an old friend of course, so I feel doubly responsible.’

  He was looking over her shoulder and had obviously spotted someone more important.

  ‘Well, I must mingle,’ he began, but April stopped him.

  ‘So how did you meet her? My mother, that is. I never heard the story.’

  Mr Sheldon looked uncomfortable. His strange hooded eyes searched hers.

  ‘We were friends at university. A long time ago, of course.’

  ‘It’s just that she never mentioned you before. Not even when she knew I was coming to Highgate.’

  April realised why the news that Hawk was supposedly a ‘family friend’ had made her feel so uncomfortable. She had been told that Grandpa Thomas had ‘pulled a few strings’ in order to get her into the prestigious Ravenwood, but if Sheldon and Silvia were such bosom buddies, then why didn’t she just call him up herself?

  ‘As I say, it was a long time ago.’

  ‘And did you know my dad, too?’

  The smile instantly left his face, those eyes searching hers again.

  ‘We – ah – he and I didn’t exactly move in the same circles.’

  ‘But he was there?’

  ‘Oxford is a big place, April. Something I hope you’ll discover for yourself.’

  April almost laughed out loud.

  ‘You think I’m brainy enough to get into Oxford?’

  ‘I think – a lot of people think – you can be whatever you want to be, if you channel your energies in the right direction.’

  Just as she was about to ask more, a large fat man walked over, a tall thin woman trailing behind him. There was something dark and unpleasant about the man. He exuded anger and irritation.

  ‘Good evening, sir,’ said Mr Sheldon quickly, ‘and the lovely Mrs Wilton too. I do hope you’re enjoying yourselves.’

  The man waved his champagne flute in disgust.

  ‘I would be, Sheldon, if you weren’t serving this revolting bubbly. All the money we shovel into your coffers and you can’t spring for something decent?’

  ‘I’ll see to it at once, sir,’ Sheldon said, almost bowing as he scuttled off. April watched in amazement. Clearly Caro was right; there were people pulling the strings behind Ravenwood. And they made Mr Sheldon afraid. April made a mental note to follow up on ‘Mr and Mrs Wilton’ as soon as she got home.

  When April found Caro, all her friend’s previous buoyancy had gone. She was sitting at a table next to the dance floor, taking big swigs from a cocktail. April leant over and sniffed it.

  ‘One of Benjamin’s specials?’

  Caro shrugged.

  ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Nothing, everything’s just peachy. Nothing that a machine gun wouldn’t sort out.’

  April frowned.

  ‘What is it? All these rich, smug people showing off? I thought you would have been infiltrating like nobody’s business. In fact, I saw Hawk
speaking to this horrible fat man …’

  ‘It’s not all about you, you know,’ snapped Caro. ‘You and your perfect man. Who, I should point out, isn’t as perfect as you think.’

  ‘Hey! Don’t have a go at me, I haven’t done anything. And what’s all the snide remarks about Gabe all of a sudden?’

  Caro looked sulky and took another drink.

  ‘Caro, what’s going on? I thought you liked Gabriel.’

  Caro avoided her gaze.

  ‘I’m just sick of all this vampire business.’

  ‘Shhh!’ said April, waving her hands. The music was loud, but vampires had acute hearing, didn’t they? ‘Keep it down – remember where we are. Besides, I thought we were in this together.’

  ‘It’s all right for you with your destiny and your grand plot for revenge, but what’s in it for me? Eh? I’m the sidekick who gets killed just before the end of the movie.’

  April touched her hand.

  ‘You’re my friend, Caro. And no one is going to lay a finger on you. What’s brought all this on?’

  Caro pointed with her chin across the dance floor. Simon was sitting on the other side, holding hands with Ling.

  ‘Oh, honey,’ said April. ‘I thought you said you weren’t bothered by it.’

  Caro turned to her, tears glistening in her eyes.

  ‘Well clearly my heart thinks differently.’

  ‘Simon’s still Simon. It won’t take him long to realise how shallow and horrible they are.’

  ‘That’s what I’ve been telling myself for the past few weeks, sure he’d come to his senses, but every day that looks less and less likely. He dresses like them, he talks like them. He even finds their jokes funny.’

  April squeezed her hand.

  ‘Come on, let’s go over.’

  Caro pulled her hand away. ‘What? No!’

  ‘Come on,’ April said firmly. ‘We’re not going to save him from across here. And besides, we’re supposed to be joining them ourselves, aren’t we?’

  Reluctantly, Caro allowed herself to be pulled from her seat. They threaded their way across the dance floor and into the seating area where all the Faces were gathered.

  ‘A-ha!’ said Benjamin, offering April a glass. ‘The very girl. I knew you’d be back.’

  ‘Couldn’t drag me away.’

  She glanced around at the Faces, watching them look her up and down. Chessy forced a smile at her. ‘Nice dress,’ she said with an air of sarcasm.

  ‘And what have you come as?’ said Caro. ‘Is the circus in town?’

  ‘Now, now, girls,’ said Simon, ‘let’s not quarrel. I think you’re looking lovely tonight, Caro.’

  Caro blushed. ‘Thanks, so are you.’

  A look passed between them.

  ‘I think your hair looks amazing, Caro,’ said Ling. ‘Very Roman, like something from the Trajan era.’

  Caro looked at her in surprise, clearly having to remind herself that the vampires were recruiting these students for their brains. They might talk like airheads, but there was intelligence underneath. Which, of course, made them all the more dangerous.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said lamely, ‘my mum did it.’

  Chessy tittered. ‘Yes, I heard she’s a hairdresser,’ she said. ‘Do you think you could get me a discount?’

  ‘I think you’d need one, the amount of work you’d need.’

  Davina flashed a look at Chessy.

  ‘Well, I think it’s amazing,’ said Davina, walking up and touching Caro’s ringlets gently. ‘I wish my mother was useful for something.’

  ‘I think your mother’s perfectly charming,’ said Simon.

  Perfectly charming? thought April, God, they have brainwashed him.

  ‘It’s nice of you to say so, but she’s not much use beyond the dinner party circuit and even then she only seems to sit around reeking of scent.’

  ‘She does spend an awful lot of time abroad though,’ said Benjamin with a smile. ‘Usually in some clinic or other in a vain attempt to reverse the wrinkles. Which means we get the house to ourselves.’

  April couldn’t believe they were talking about their parents with such contempt. Silvia was hardly a model parent, but she was still her mother. She would never dream of running her down in public. But then, she thought suddenly, maybe that was what was required.

  ‘I wish my mother would do the same thing. She’s always hanging around. She could do with a clinic of her own,’ she made a drinking motion with her hand.

  ‘A woman after my own heart,’ said Benjamin.

  ‘I just wish they’d leave us alone – adults, I mean,’ sighed April. ‘Always going on as if they know better than we do, as if their own lives have been these massive successes. Drives you mad.’

  Davina gave a sympathetic nod.

  ‘I know what you mean. We have to do our best to cope without their interference.’

  ‘But how do you do it? I mean, they’re always interfering.’

  Davina gave a smile, to knowing smirks from the rest of the group.

  ‘Stick with us, honey,’ she said. ‘We’ll show you how it’s done.’

  ‘What was all that about?’ said Caro after they had gone back to the bar. ‘Chessy starts off having a go at my mum, then you pile in complaining what a drunk your mother is.’

  ‘Well, it’s true. You should see the empties we put out on a Monday morning.’

  ‘Maybe, but your mum has been through a lot over the past few months, you shouldn’t be dissing her like that. She’s not in the same category as Barbara Osbourne, not yet anyway. At least she’s supportive.’

  ‘Hey, I can understand you wanting to defend your mum,’ said April, ‘but mine happens to be driving me mad. Supportive? I don’t know where she is from one day to the next, out on the town. Anyway, it wasn’t about attacking my mum. It was about getting in with them. Didn’t you see the way they reacted? They smell fresh meat. They’re looking for the weak ones, and we’ve got to act weak.’

  Caro shook her head.

  ‘I’m not sure I can do it.’

  ‘Well I can. If it’s the only way I can find out who killed my dad, I’ll do anything necessary. This is a race, Caro. We’ve got to get to them first. If they find out what I am and what we’re doing, then we’re all dead.’

  She couldn’t find Gabriel anywhere. She did a circuit of the dance floor and elbowed her way through the bar, but he had disappeared. Giving in to her paranoia, she changed tack and looked for Jessica instead, but quickly spotted the lady in red discussing wine with Nicolas Osbourne. She was just going to check the decking area outside when she ran into Miss Holden.

  ‘Enjoying yourself?’

  ‘Not much.’

  ‘I see Gabriel’s looking well.’

  ‘Oh, God. Miss, I’m sorry, I should have come to thank you.’

  ‘Don’t be silly, April, there’s no need. How’s he coping with it, anyway?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well, it’s going to be hard to go from human to undead. He may be the first to choose that path with full knowledge of the horror.’

  ‘Horror?’

  ‘He willingly died, April. He felt his life slip away from him, for the second time; and he did it for you. That’s a pretty big thing.’

  ‘Pretty big thing?’ said a voice. April turned to see Dr Tame standing behind them. How much did he hear?

  She glared at him, remembering the last time they had met, the way he had bullied and terrified her all in the name of ‘the truth’, but Tame didn’t seem to notice or if he did, didn’t seem to care, just standing there with that smug half-smile on his pale face.

  ‘Oh, I was just talking to Miss Holden about applying for Oxford,’ said April as smoothly as she could. ‘Mr Sheldon says I can do it. Do you think I’ve got a chance?’

  ‘I should think that is a question for the lovely Miss Holden,’ said Tame. ‘What’s your verdict, Annabel?’

  April could see that Miss Holden d
isliked him and she could also see she hated his using her first name in such a familiar manner.

  ‘As I was saying to April,’ she answered, ‘it’s all about how much work she’s prepared to put in. She’ll have to knuckle down this year and that’s going to have a significant impact on every area of her life. It’s quite an undertaking, should she choose it.’

  I thought we were talking about my university prospects, thought April, not the war on the vampires.

  ‘Well, I’m sure April is up to the task,’ said Tame, squeezing April’s arm and leaving his hand there a little too long. ‘Do you mind if I steal her away for a moment? There’s something I’d like to discuss with April if I may.’

  ‘Actually, I’ve got to go over to …’ began April, but Tame wasn’t listening and steered April towards the terrace area.

  ‘I’m glad Mr Sheldon brought it up, actually,’ said Dr Tame when he had dragged April away from the main party. ‘Because I’ve been meaning to ask you, April, what do you intend to do with your life?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, rubbing her arm. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Just trying to get a handle on the real April Dunne. Are you the sort to get a mundane job in an office? Do you want a high-flying career in the city? Or are you going to marry and become a yummy mummy?’

  April looked around, searching for allies, someone she could wave over to save her. She didn’t like being here with this man; he made her flesh crawl. No, it was more than that; all her instincts told her Dr Tame was actively dangerous.

  ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,’ said April. ‘I’m still weighing up my options.’

  ‘Weighing up your options,’ repeated Tame. ‘Yes, that’s good. But do you really think you have that many? I mean, really? Surely it’s all mapped out before you like a destiny.’

  She went cold. Did he know something? He always seemed to know more than he said; it was unsettling. But then maybe this was another one of his nasty techniques.

  ‘Destiny?’ she stuttered.

  ‘Destiny, April. A fate you cannot escape no matter what.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Well, surely you’re going to follow the old man into journalism?’

  Relief flooded through her.

  ‘Why do you say that?’