April frowned, sensing that something was wrong. The girls behind Chessy all had those sly smiles that said “we’re in the gang and you’re not”. And they all looked very pleased with themselves.
‘No, no, I’m good,’ said April.
‘That makes me happy,’ said Chessy. ‘Because not everyone’s feeling so good right now, are they girls?’
Chessy’s gaggle of wannabe Faces – all new recruits, April noted – tittered and followed their leader past April and down the corridor. April began to walk towards the entrance, but then stopped. Damn, damn, damn, she thought, turning back. Something was wrong, she could feel it – Dr Death would have to wait. Gingerly, April pushed the toilet door open and peered inside.
‘Hello?’ she said, ‘Anyone in here?’
There was no reply and for a moment, April thought that she had been imagining things. But then she the rush of a flushing cistern and a cubicle door opened. At first glance, April barely recognised the girl who emerged.
‘Davina?’
Her hair was sticking out, her lip was cut and bleeding, and although she was trying to hide it, there was a livid bruise spreading on her arm, just below the torn sleeve of her shirt.
‘What the hell happened?’ said April, closing the door.
Davina walked to the sink with as much dignity as she could manage. ‘Just a little disagreement,’ she said, leaning into the mirror and dabbing at her lip with a paper towel.
‘A disagreement?’ repeated April. More like you’ve been beaten up, thought April.
‘I thought I could use the ladies in peace – they disagreed.’
With shaking hands Davina opened her bag, almost spilling her make-up into the sink. She selected an eyeliner and tried unsteadily to apply it.
‘’Vina? Are you all right?’ said April, walking up slowly, as if the girl might bolt like a startled horse.
‘Me?’ she said, closing the liner and shoving it into her bag, ‘Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?’
‘Come on, don’t be silly. We can talk about this. What the hell is going on here?’
Davina kept staring at herself in the mirror, as if she couldn’t bring herself to look directly at April. ‘I should have thought it was obvious. Clearly there’s been a temporary shift in power.’
April put a hand gently on Davina’s shoulder and she flinched. ‘Come on, let’s talk somewhere else. We don’t want any intrusion now, do we?’
Davina took a ragged breath in, then nodded. ‘If we must.’
April led Davina outside into the playground and sat her down on the bench she and Caro considered theirs. Predictably, the cut on Davina’s lip was already healing and April guessed that the bruise would soon be gone too. But surveying her, April could see that the damage on her face hadn’t all come from the attack. If Gabriel looked like he hadn’t slept in days, Davina looked even worse. The queen of the Faces looked as if she’d just crawled ashore from a shipwreck. Her clothes were crumpled, her hair uncombed and – worst of all – her bag didn’t even match her shoes.
‘You don’t mind me sitting here, do you?’
‘No, no, not at all,’ reassured April. ‘It’s good to have you here.’
‘Thank you,’ said Davina, looking down at the table. ‘It helps to know that not everyone hates me.’
‘Why would anyone hate you, Davina?’ asked April.
She gave an ironic laugh. ‘That’s sweet, but we both know why. I think the word is schadenfreude.’ Davina smiled as she saw April’s raised eyebrows. ‘Surprised I know such a big word? I believe it’s defined as “taking pleasure from someone’s misfortune”, or “being happy when an enemy gets their just deserts” – something like that, anyway. Let’s be frank, there have always been plenty of people who wanted to see me fall on my arse.’
‘But why?’ asked April.
Davina’s face changed in an instant, flipping from self-pity to boiling anger. ‘That stupid little brother of mine!’ she hissed. ‘God, how could he have been so bloody idiotic?’ She glanced towards April. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t be saying this in front of you, should I? God knows you’ve reason enough to hate him.’
‘It’s okay,’ said April. ‘I ... I feel sorry for him really.’
Feel guilty for having killed him, actually, she thought.
Davina snaked out a hand and squeezed April’s arm so hard April almost cried out. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘You’re the first person who’s said a single nice thing about him. And you’re the one he tried to hurt.’ She shook her head. ‘I still can’t understand why. Maybe that snake Sheldon talked him into it. Ben worshipped the ground he walked on.’
April had always wondered how much Davina really knew about that night – and now seemed like a good time to ask.
‘You think Mr Sheldon was behind it?’ she said.
‘Why not? It was his house and we all knew that he had some sort of problem with Gabriel.’
‘Really? What did he have against Gabriel? ’
‘That I don’t know. I mean he’d call Gabe into his office with the rest of us, give him those ranty talks he was so fond of, telling us we were the new elite, that same crap Dr Tame is spouting now. But when Gabe’s back was turned, Sheldon kept going on about how we had to watch him, how he wasn’t “one of us”. God knows what Hawk thought that entailed – someone who was prepared to burn his house to the ground perhaps.’
‘You think that’s why he got Ben to lure Gabe there?’
Davina shrugged. ‘Maybe that, or maybe it was something to do with your ...’ she said, suddenly cutting herself off, putting a hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry darling, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s nothing to do with me.’
‘What isn’t? What were you going to say?’
But April knew what she was referring to – and she found she had had a strange desire to hear it from someone else. ‘About my mum and Mr Sheldon you mean?’
Davina blew her cheeks out. ‘I wasn’t sure if you knew,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad tidings, not when you’ve been through so much already.’
Bad tidings. She made Silvia’s affair sound like getting caught in a rain shower or forgetting to do your homework. But April knew she would get more out of Davina if she played along.
‘Actually, that was what I thought,’ she said. ‘I mean, when Ben took me to Sheldon’s house, I assumed it was something to do with their affair. Maybe he thought Gabriel was going to tell me?’
‘Oh, I don’t think anyone else knew,’ said Davina, a touch of the old arrogance seeping back into her voice. ‘I saw them together, you see. But I swear I didn’t tell anyone else.’
April doubted that. Davina had always been the consummate politician, the sort of creature who believes that “knowledge is power”. She would never keep a juicy piece of gossip like that secret, not if she felt she could use it to her advantage.
‘Where did you see them together?’ asked April, feeling sick, but needing to know.
‘At the Winter Ball, at our place last Christmas remember?’
The same Winter Ball where April had been hunted through the grounds of the Osbourne’s house by a psychotic vampire? The ball where she had been saved by Gabriel’s heroic kiss. No, April was unlikely to ever forget that night.
‘I was looking for Benjamin, actually,’ said Davina, ‘As usual he had disappeared just when I needed him to do something. I thought he had maybe disappeared to a dark corner with some silly girl, so I went across the terrace to look around the side of the house – and that’s where I saw them, your mum and Mr Sheldon.’
April’s mind jumped back to that night; her mother had looked so beautiful, dressed in a flowing silk dress, her hair pinned up, her elegant neck adorned with jewels. April remembered Silvia raising a cocktail to the memory of William Dunne, the tears glistening in her mother’s eyes as she recalled how much her husband would have enjoyed the gathering. And then she had sidled off, found Robert Sheldon, and ...
br /> ‘You saw them ... kissing?’ she croaked.
A sly smile cracked over Davina’s face. ‘They did seem very close ...’
Oh God, oh God, oh God. April took in a sharp breath, suddenly very sure she was going to be sick. Come on, April, she said to herself angrily. It wasn’t as if this was news to her – Silvia had as good as admitted the affair, but this was the first time April had actually pictured it, imagined what had been going on behind her back – behind her father’s back all that time. How could Silvia live with herself? April was so wrapped up in thoughts of disgust and betrayal, it was some moments before she realised Davina was crying.
‘Oh, ’Vina, what’s the matter?’ said April, rather startled. Davina Osbourne, ice queen, crying? April reached over and rubbed her hand up and down Davina’s back. ‘What’s brought this on?’
Davina let out a sob, then wiped her nose on her torn sleeve. Somehow, that was even more unsettling than the tears running down her face. The old Davina would never have dreamed of doing such a thing.
‘It’s just ... thinking about that bastard Sheldon and what he’s done to me.’
That was more like the old Davina, thought April: what Sheldon had done to her. She had almost forgotten that everything in DavinaWorld had to be about Davina.
‘I just don’t know what to do,’ sniffled Davina, looking up at April, her expression pleading, as if April might have the answer. ‘I know it sounds conceited, but I’ve always been in charge – I’ve always been the one that people look to for the way to do things. You know, fashion, the best clubs, who’s in and who’s out. And now I’m the one who’s out.’
April tried to see it from Davina’s point of view. In her mind, presumably, she had been unfairly pushed out just because of something her brother had done. In truth, she was the victim of politics – nobody could stay at the top forever, leadership was always a fluid thing and Davina Osbourne had had more than her fair share of time in the sun. Plus, she hadn’t exactly been a benevolent dictator. It was rather hard for April to feel much sympathy, especially when this sniffling girl may well have ordered – or even carried out – numerous killings.
‘What do you do? I guess you find yourself some new friends,’ said April.
‘Yes, well, it’s easy for you to say. You’ve got real friends, people who stand by you and look out for you. I wish I had friends like that.’
April wondered if she was hinting at something, suggesting she could join their side? Could that work? It sounded crazy, but Davina did have intimate first-hand experience of the inner workings of the vampire tribe, much better than Gabriel’s, especially if what she was saying about Robert Sheldon was true. And she had a grudge – a desire to make Chessy and the other Faces pay for pushing her out. She could be a formidable ally.
But April had to remind herself who she was dealing with. The Faces were not just a collection of vain schoolyard bullies. They were a front for a vampire revolution. They were clever, underhanded, scheming and murderous. Perhaps Davina was being genuine, perhaps she was in pain, but given previous form, she wasn’t exactly someone you could trust.
‘So, what are you going to do about Chessy and Ling?’
Davina snorted. ‘What do you think? I created those bitches. And I can unmake them too.’
April noticed that Davina was scratching her fingernails into the surface of the picnic table, scoring grooves into the wood as she spoke.
‘Chessy? She was nothing before I rescued her from the gutter – nothing! I found her down by the canal, living on some old boat, did you know that? She was like an animal. But I took pity on her, talked Hawk into letting her come to Ravenwood, saved her from the rats. And does she remember that? Does she hell. Maybe I will remind her one of these days.’
‘If you do,’ smiled April, ‘Give me some notice, because I don’t want to be anywhere near you when you explode. Seriously.’
Davina laughed. ‘Thank you, April,’ she sighed. ‘It does mean a lot to me that not everybody around here is a horrid cow.’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment, shall I?’
‘You should,’ said Davina. ‘You really should.’
Chapter Thirteen
April lingered at the school gates and watched Davina walking up the hill towards her home. She shook her head in disbelief. How had a Fury become Agony Aunt to the queen of the Faces? Miss Holden must be turning in her grave.
As she turned, something caught her eye and her heart gave a little leap. Dr Tame’s car was still there, suggesting he hadn’t left yet. Perhaps she could still catch him. But she immediately hesitated. It was one thing casually “bumping into him” as she left school; it was quite another to be found waiting by his car – she’d look like a stalker. Even so, she couldn’t quite drag herself away. She crossed the road and pulled out her phone, trying to look natural. There were two texts from Gabriel:
Had an idea about our School Project. Call me. Love you, G
Another had arrived two minutes later:
P.S. Can still feel your kisses from last night. Xxx
And there was one from Caro:
More white coats in the labs today. Want cake to catch up? C
April should have felt elated, but instead she felt wretched. Only yesterday, she had given her tiny task force a speech about how they needed to think bigger, act bigger, take the bull by the horns and take the fight to the Suckers. Well, they were doing as she asked, while April was standing in the street, hopping from one foot to another, hoping that the headmaster would pop out and obligingly lead her to the vampire King. It was pathetic. But the most pathetic thing was that she had no other plan. She was trying to set herself up as the real Head Girl, someone worthy to lead the crusade against the spreading darkness, but she genuinely had no idea how to do it.
‘Jesus, April, why don’t you just bugger off home?’ she whispered to herself.
It was then April saw her mother.
‘What the ...?’
There was no mistake – it was Silvia Dunne, standing at the door of Ravenwood, her hand on Charles Tame’s arm, smiling coquettishly.
What on earth? What was she doing here? Was she having an affair with Dr Death now? But April didn’t have time to think any more – her mother was getting into her car. April ducked down behind a willow tree just as Silvia turned out of the gate and drove up the hill. April waited until she was out of sight, then began to sprint after her.
Silvia was only just getting out of her car as April arrived, panting, her face pale with the exertion.
‘Darling!’ said Silvia. ‘What are you doing here? I mean, it’s lovely to see you of course, but I wasn’t expecting you.’
April, leaning against the fence and trying to catch her breath could only shake her head.
‘Why have you been running?’ Her mother looked behind her, scanning the square, something like concern on her face. April supposed it wasn’t unreasonable to assume that she was being chased – it wasn’t as if that hadn’t happened before.
‘What ...’ April gasped, trying to control her breathing. ‘What were you doing at the school?’
‘Oh, that,’ Silvia said. ‘I was just having a little discussion with the new headmaster. It’s wonderful news that you’ve been made Head Girl. I don’t know why you didn’t tell me straight away.’
‘It’s not ... that important,’ managed April, finally straightening up.
‘Not important? Don’t be silly, it’s brilliant. Your father would have been so proud.’
‘Don’t you dare speak about him!’ snapped April. ‘Don’t you ever speak about him.’
‘What?’ said Silvia, taken aback. ‘What are you saying? Listen, April, what’s this all about?’
‘Why were you visiting Dr Tame?’
‘If you must know, he called me up to discuss your education.’
‘My education?’
Silvia glanced to the side, looking up at the windows of the neighbourhood houses, as if she didn??
?t want to be overheard. ‘Apparently,’ she said, lowering her voice, ‘you’re struggling a little bit. That’s only to be expected, considering what you’ve been through over the last few months, and of course, the students at Ravenwood are very academic, but he just wanted to discuss it with me before ...’
‘Before what? Is he going to expel me?’
Silvia let out a tinkling laugh. ‘Oh, don’t be silly, darling. It’s not that serious. In fact, Charles has come up with some rather clever solutions to the problem.’
‘Charles?’ said April. ‘It’s Charles now?’
April’s head was immediately filled with the image of her mother and Robert Sheldon “getting close” in Davina’s words, but in April’s mind, Hawk’s face was replaced by Dr Tame’s. She felt sick.
‘Don’t over-react, April,’ said Silvia. ‘Surely it is better that I’m on first name terms with these people, especially when he’s doing you such a big favour.’
‘What big favour? Using me to publicise his brilliant educational improvements to the school? Don’t you remember how horrible he was about dad’s death? Don’t you remember what he did to me?’
Silvia began to look impatient. ‘Why do you have to turn everything to being about you, April? You’re not the centre of the universe, you know. Dr Tame is simply trying to help you – and, actually, I’m hearing very good things about Ravenwood’s teaching methods at the moment, especially in science. I was thinking perhaps you should be taking some sort of practical subject too.’
‘Oh for God’s sake, mother, can’t you see what’s going on in front of your nose?’
But, of course, Silvia couldn’t. It was like trying to complete an enormous jigsaw puzzle without having any idea what the picture should be. You needed to know the key element – that Ravenwood was full of vampires – before you could ever hope to understand Charles Tame’s so-called “teaching methods”.
‘What? What is going on under my nose, April?’ asked Silvia, clearly exasperated.