vampire, something they had to sense
instantly, didn’t diminish their hatred in the slightest.
The only vampire who didn’t gape in shock and fury was Mrs.
Bethany. She stepped forward smoothly, her long black skirt swirling around
her, to face Lucas. Her expression was unreadable as she stared him in the
eyes.
Could he bring himself to do it? His face betrayed his
confusion and doubt, and who could blame him? To ask for the vampires’
protection — to declare himself one of them at last — was a kind of second
death for him. The death of who he had been, his whole life.
But he didn’t have much other choice.
Lucas took a deep breath. “I call upon the sanctuary of
Evernight.”
Chaos followed. Several of the vampire students tried
to protest, either to Balthazar, who refused to be baited, or Mrs. Bethany, who
ignored them as she stood entirely still amid the din. The human students, of
course, had no idea what was going on or why this new guy was so despised by a
lot of the student body; understandably, they were suspicious of him already.
Lucas stood his ground, though I could see how he longed to
lash back, and how his dark green eyes sometimes followed one of the human
students a little too long. Mrs. Bethany studied him, her eyes searching, until
she gestured for him to follow her and walked toward the edge of the campus — toward
the carriage house where she lived.
As Balthazar watched them go, a space widening around him as
he was shunned by the other vampire students, I willed myself to his side and
whispered, “How do you think she’s taking it?”
He jumped, then hissed, “You scared me.”
“From now on, take it for granted that I’m around.”
“Even when I’m in the shower?”
“You wish.”
After a glance from side to side, making certain that nobody
realized he was talking to “himself,” he murmured, “I think if she were going
to turn him away, she would’ve done it immediately. But she never would,
Biianca. Trust me.”
Despite everything he’d done for Lucas since his turning, I Wasn’t
ready to totally trust Balthazar again yet. He was the guy who’d led Lucas to
his death — the person who had gotten Lucas into this situation to start with.
Wasn’t he ?
I couldn’t take the uncertainty between us another second.
Instead I darted after Mrs. Bethany and Lucas, eager to hear what I could.
Mrs. Bethany lived in a carriage house at the edge of the
school grounds, a place I knew well. But I forgot one very basic thing about it
until I swept down toward the roof, ready to sink inside — and fell myself
shoved back violently. Of course, I realized. The roof.
Metals and minerals found in the human body, such as copper
and iron, repelled wraiths strongly. This was why Mrs. Bethany had chosen a
copper roof: to keep us out. The impact reminded me of the “blocked” areas of
Evernight, except that in this case, the entire place was shut off to me.
Well, if I couldn’t follow Lucas inside, I could try the
same thing I’d done back when I was a student — eavesdrop.
I curled into a soft cloud at the edge of one window, where
the branches of the nearest elm almost scraped the glass and would disguise me
in their shadows. This gave me a view of Mrs. Bethany’s desk — so neat and tidy
that everything was at right angles, with only a framed nineteenth century
gentleman’s silhouette as decoration. As I watched, she strode into the room,
as much in command as ever. Lucas followed her, shoulders tense and gaze wary,
the look he wore when he expected a fight.
“There is one question we must address before any other, Mr.
Ross,” Mrs. Bethany said as she took a seat behind her desk. “Where is Bianca
Olivier?”
Startled, I jumped, and the leaves around me rustled. She
glanced my way for only a second; no doubt she thought I was merely the wind.
Lucas sat heavily in the chair opposite her, gripping the
armrests hard. “Bianca’s dead.”
Mrs. Bethany said nothing.
instantly, didn’t diminish their hatred in the slightest.
The only vampire who didn’t gape in shock and fury was Mrs.
Bethany. She stepped forward smoothly, her long black skirt swirling around
her, to face Lucas. Her expression was unreadable as she stared him in the
eyes.
Could he bring himself to do it? His face betrayed his
confusion and doubt, and who could blame him? To ask for the vampires’
protection — to declare himself one of them at last — was a kind of second
death for him. The death of who he had been, his whole life.
But he didn’t have much other choice.
Lucas took a deep breath. “I call upon the sanctuary of
Evernight.”
Chaos followed. Several of the vampire students tried
to protest, either to Balthazar, who refused to be baited, or Mrs. Bethany, who
ignored them as she stood entirely still amid the din. The human students, of
course, had no idea what was going on or why this new guy was so despised by a
lot of the student body; understandably, they were suspicious of him already.
Lucas stood his ground, though I could see how he longed to
lash back, and how his dark green eyes sometimes followed one of the human
students a little too long. Mrs. Bethany studied him, her eyes searching, until
she gestured for him to follow her and walked toward the edge of the campus — toward
the carriage house where she lived.
As Balthazar watched them go, a space widening around him as
he was shunned by the other vampire students, I willed myself to his side and
whispered, “How do you think she’s taking it?”
He jumped, then hissed, “You scared me.”
“From now on, take it for granted that I’m around.”
“Even when I’m in the shower?”
“You wish.”
After a glance from side to side, making certain that nobody
realized he was talking to “himself,” he murmured, “I think if she were going
to turn him away, she would’ve done it immediately. But she never would,
Biianca. Trust me.”
Despite everything he’d done for Lucas since his turning, I Wasn’t
ready to totally trust Balthazar again yet. He was the guy who’d led Lucas to
his death — the person who had gotten Lucas into this situation to start with.
Wasn’t he ?
I couldn’t take the uncertainty between us another second.
Instead I darted after Mrs. Bethany and Lucas, eager to hear what I could.
Mrs. Bethany lived in a carriage house at the edge of the
school grounds, a place I knew well. But I forgot one very basic thing about it
until I swept down toward the roof, ready to sink inside — and fell myself
shoved back violently. Of course, I realized. The roof.
Metals and minerals found in the human body, such as copper
and iron, repelled wraiths strongly. This was why Mrs. Bethany had chosen a
copper roof: to keep us out. The impact reminded me of the “blocked” areas of
Evernight, except that in this case, the entire place was shut off to me.
Well, if I couldn’t follow Lucas inside, I could try the
same thing I’d done back when I was a student — eavesdrop.
I curled into a soft cloud at the edge of one window, where
the branches of the nearest elm almost scraped the glass and would disguise me
in their shadows. This gave me a view of Mrs. Bethany’s desk — so neat and tidy
that everything was at right angles, with only a framed nineteenth century
gentleman’s silhouette as decoration. As I watched, she strode into the room,
as much in command as ever. Lucas followed her, shoulders tense and gaze wary,
the look he wore when he expected a fight.
“There is one question we must address before any other, Mr.
Ross,” Mrs. Bethany said as she took a seat behind her desk. “Where is Bianca
Olivier?”
Startled, I jumped, and the leaves around me rustled. She
glanced my way for only a second; no doubt she thought I was merely the wind.
Lucas sat heavily in the chair opposite her, gripping the
armrests hard. “Bianca’s dead.”
Mrs. Bethany said nothing.
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