AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I tried to work it all out in my head. I thought back to the plane—the stuff had made me feel stronger, braver, more alive.
Sighing, she pushed her plate away and stretched back in her chair. “But, as with gossip, some of it bears a bit of truth, or near to it. Like, they can’t see well in bright light. ” She looked to a bank of windows along the far wall and to the slate gray day beyond. “It’s why we live on this sodding isle,” she grumbled. “You’ll see. We’ve got two times of day: dim and dark. ”
“Are they immortal? Can they”—I lowered my voice to a whisper—“can they be killed?”
“A stake through the heart does ’em in—that bit’s true enough. ” She took another sip of tea, scowling at how it’d gone cold. “But otherwise, yeah, they live on and on. Don’t know about you, but that’s the bit that’d drive me batty. ”
“When will I see other vampires?” I thought of the monster in the moonlight. He’d seemed otherworldly, and I could believe he was a creature immune to death. Were they all like that? It was hard to imagine the boys at the far table ever transforming into such still and ethereal beings. “How will I know someone’s Vampire? Can you just . . . tell?”
“Oho. ” She chuckled. “You can bloody well tell. And you’ll see other vamps soon enough. ” She looked to the front door and gave a nod. “But the i
nterrogation’s over. It’s time for your first day of school. ”
I followed her line of sight, and my chest tightened. Ronan. He strode toward us, looking classically handsome. His black hair was combed back and looked slightly damp, like he’d just gotten out of the shower. He’d shaved, revealing the cleft in that strong chin. Jerk.
My eyes went to the boys’ table and back again. The vampire Trainees all of a sudden seemed like a bunch of kids. Cute, sure, but just boys. While Ronan was a man.
And to him, I probably seemed as young and awkward as that table full of teenage boys. Young, awkward, and apparently gullible. I cringed.
He stopped to say a few words to each Proctor he passed. His manner was easy and confident. He wore jeans and a forest green sweater that was snug on his chest and arms. In just his T-shirt, I hadn’t realized he had such broad shoulders. My cheeks flamed hot. That green would do killer things to the color of his eyes.
He turned to walk toward us. I reminded myself that he and Amanda were close. That it’d be her he was coming to see.
Most important, I had to remember the only reason I was here was because he’d tricked me. How could I ever trust someone who had the power to persuade me with just the touch of his hand?
I looked nervously at my breakfast. I wasn’t finished, but there was no way I could swallow anything now. I pushed the tray away.
“You must drink. ” Amanda shoved the tray back in front of me. I stared at that thick, dark liquid. The thought of it should’ve turned my stomach, but, oddly, it didn’t.
With a silent nod, I tossed the whole glass down in a few gulps. For some reason, I didn’t want Ronan to watch me drink it.
Turning my back to him, I wiped my mouth, watching the breakfast crowd disperse. Many Acari had taken their course schedules from their envelopes. Proctors milled around, talking to them, pointing, explaining, directing.
I still hadn’t opened my envelope yet. I’d planned to, over breakfast, but I’d shoved it in my pocket and hadn’t thought about it again since seeing all those boys in the dining hall.
“Your girls will need help finding their first class,” Ronan told Amanda. He stood over me. I felt his presence like a solar eclipse.
“Oh, I’ve done this a time or two before. ” There was a smile in Amanda’s tone.
I wondered how many years she’d been there. How many years were girls stuck on this island before they graduated off? I filed my questions away for another day. I didn’t trust my voice at the moment, anyway.
Ronan still stood there. I stared at my hands, trying to breathe normally. I was angry with him, so why did I also feel so nervous?
“Annelise?”
Oh, God, the way he says that. Was my reaction to him real, or was he even now using some sort of spellbinding juju? I looked up, mortified to feel my face so hot. “Yeah, hi. ”
“Time for class. ” The green sweater did do crazy things to his eyes, making them look deep and vibrant and soulful. That gaze searched mine—or at least I imagined it did. Was it fraught with meaning, looking for answers? Trying to hypnotize me into doing something horrible? Or was he just impatiently waiting for the silly Acari to say something? He chuckled into the silence, and I wanted to disappear under the table. “You have looked at your class list, aye?”
“Um, no . . . ” I fumbled in my coat pocket and pulled out the envelope.
“Most girls get four classes and a private study,” Amanda said.
I brightened. “A private study?” My whole life, I’d longed to do a private study. My mind raced, thinking of all the possibilities. Theoretical mathematics. Deconstructionist philosophy. Or maybe it was a private tutorial having something to do with that Viking mythology book. I’d dabbled in a few Germanic languages, but would love to try Old Norse.
I tore it open. The paper looked expensive, like yellowed parchment with unfinished edges. What, did they think I was going to save it in my scrapbook or something?
I had to read and reread my schedule a few times for the full and truly effed-upness of it all to sink in. Phenomena class? Decorum? Combat? Freaking fitness? It was one part Baroque atelier, one part YMCA.
