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"Hey," Simon said softly, raising my head up again with a crooked finger. "It's not your fault. I've never met your father, but something is seriously wrong with him to speak to you like that. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met, especially now that I know everything you've been through. You're strong, beautiful, smart and courageous. Don't let your father take that away from you."
Simon knew exactly what I was feeling, and his words were a soothing balm. I tried to smile, although it was tremulous at best.
"Thank you."
Simon leaned in and rained light kisses on my tear-stained face, like he was trying to heal my wounds. When his lips finally found mine, I found all the love I had been craving my entire life.
Simon's eyes were ablaze with desire when we pulled apart but he gave me a wry smile. "With everything going on, I still can't keep my hands off you. What does that say about me?"
"It's says that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." Simon's expression turned even more intense and he leaned in closer, but I stopped him with gentle hands on his shoulders. "Wait, I should call Sarah. I'm sure she's worried sick, and I want to let her know I'm okay. I'm worried too. If...if your vardoger has possessed your body, maybe the same thing happened to her."
I quickly pressed the button on my cell phone for Sarah, frowning when it went straight to voicemail. I left a brief message telling her I was okay and to call me back as soon as she got my voicemail.
"She didn't pick up," I said, worriedly, as I checked the time. "She doesn't have class right now, she should be home. I hope she's okay."
Simon grabbed his phone. "I'll call Grant and ask him to check on her."
My concern was growing with each second as Simon waited for Grant to answer.
"Hey, Grant." Simon paused for a moment. "Yeah, I found her. She's okay. Listen, have you seen Sarah today?" I watched Simon talking to Grant, straining to hear Grant on the other end but he was speaking too quietly.
"Do you mind checking to see if she's in her apartment? I'll wait on the phone." Simon squeezed my hand reassuringly, although it wasn't quite effective since I could see the concern in his eyes.
"Tell him to use his spare key to go inside our apartment," I whispered and Simon obliged. I didn't feel any better when Simon's lips tightened as he listened to Grant.
"No? Can you check with Jenny and Marcus to see if they've seen her or heard from her? She left last night on the train and we're a little worried that she has her phone turned off. I watched her get on the train so she has to be back at school." Simon paused, nodding as he listened to Grant. "Okay, thanks. Call me as soon as you hear anything."
"She's not there," I said flatly, a statement instead of a question because it was clear, from Simon's end of the conversation, that no one had seen her.
"She could just be on campus or something. Or maybe she's somewhere that doesn't get cell phone reception. Grant is going to check with Jenny and Marcus and look for her."
"She never turns off her phone! Never!" It was physically painful to consider the possibility that something had happened to Sarah. "We need to get back to Maxwell."
Simon was in full agreement and we left immediately. Now that I had found Aunt Brenda's journal, there was nothing left for me here. Certainly not my aunt or her inner circle. They had vanished into thin air. I glanced at Simon's grim profile as he drove, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. I wondered if he would disappear too. I didn't know if that was a worse fate than his vardoger destroying his soul.
Chapter Seven
The drive to Rochester was excruciating. We kept in constant contact with Grant throughout the drive, and I was getting frantic with each hour that Sarah wasn't found. Her phone was still turned off and she was nowhere to be seen, her car still sitting in the driveway. We didn't explain to Grant why we were so worried because it would be a ludicrous conversation to have over the phone, but we didn't need to provide any added incentive for Grant to grow concerned. He sensed our anxiety and it seemed to fuel his own. I was beginning to realize how much he cared for Sarah.
We only stopped once to fill up on gas and buy stale sandwiches. Neither of us were hungry, but we forced ourselves to eat. It was late afternoon by the time we reached Maxwell, and it was bizarre seeing students loitering about, leading normal lives and having no idea that they might be on the brink of being overtaken by a vardoger. It was so ludicrous that I wanted to laugh, although humor was the last thing I was feeling.
Grant burst out of his apartment the second we pulled up into the driveway. He looked frazzled, anxiety making his features look drawn. "What the hell is going on? Why won't you tell me what's happening?"
Simon took a deep breath, motioning towards the stairs. "Let's go upstairs first. You're going to need to sit down for this."
I shot him a look as we went up to my apartment. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to tell Grant. I was pretty sure Grant would try to commit us to an insane asylum if we tried to explain the existence of vardogers.
My apartment looked exactly the same as it did when I left, but it was no comfort. I knew that the lack of a struggle didn't mean Sarah hadn't been abducted. Or worse.
Grant wheeled around the moment we stepped inside. "Okay, spill."
Simon glanced at me and I took a deep breath. I figured I had nothing to lose. "I think you should sit down, Grant. We should all sit down."
Grant looked like he was about to argue, but Simon pushed him towards the couch and made him sit.
"Fine, I'm sitting. Now is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?"
I opened my mouth to speak, when the front door opened. I gasped when I saw Sarah walk in, looking completely fine. I revised my assessment. She didn't look hurt but she looked far from fine, her face pale and drawn. Her mouth dropped open when she saw me, but before I had a chance to say anything, she flung herself towards me, hugging me so tightly that it was hard to breathe.
