THE SAN DIEGO TRIP continued to bother me, even though I knew I should let it go. As I often reminded myself, Adrian wasn't my concern, not like Jill and the others. Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about the terrible confrontation with him and Nathan - or Adrian's face afterwards.
I felt even worse when a worried Eddie came to talk to me about Jill during breakfast on the following Monday.
"Something's wrong with her," he told me.
Immediately, I looked up toward the cafeteria line, where Jill was waiting with her tray.
There was a vacant look on her face, like she was barely aware of her surroundings. Even with no magical talent for auras, I could practically see the misery radiating off of her.
"Micah's noticed it too," Eddie added. "But we don't know anything that could be upsetting her this much. Is it because of Lia? Or is she being harassed again?" In that moment, I wasn't sure who I felt worse for: Adrian, Jill - or Eddie. There was practically as much pain in Eddie as there was in Jill. Oh, Eddie, I thought. Why do you keep doing this to yourself? He was clearly worried about her but wouldn't dare approach her or offer comfort.
"There's nothing wrong with Jill. It's Adrian, and she's feeling it through the bond. He's going through a rough time." I offered no more details on Adrian's situation. It wasn't my story to tell.
Eddie's face darkened a little. "It's not fair that she has to endure his moods."
"I don't know," I said. "Seems like it might be a fair trade for her being alive." Adrian using spirit to bring Jill back from the dead was still a troubling matter for me. Every bit of Alchemist training I had said that kind of magic was wrong, far worse than any of the other magic I'd witnessed.
One could even argue that what he'd managed was only a few steps away from the undead immortality of Strigoi. At the same time, whenever I saw Jill bright and alive, I was convinced that Adrian had done a good thing. I'd meant it when I said as much to him in San Diego.
"I suppose," said Eddie. "I wish there was a way she could block him out. Or at least a way to make him a little less moody."
I shook my head. "From what I've heard, Adrian was like that long before Jill was shadow-kissed."
Still, that conversation stuck with me, and I spent the day asking myself: what could I do to make Adrian happier? A new father obviously wasn't possible. I would have tried that on myself years ago if I could. Slushes were also out, partially because they only offered ten minutes of comfort and because I was still recovering from the last one. An idea finally came to me later on, but it wasn't one I could easily implement. In fact, I knew my superiors would say it was nothing I should even attempt - which is why I decided to do it in a way that wouldn't leave an e-mail or paper trail. I couldn't do it today, however, so I made a mental note to deal with it later. Besides, who could say? Maybe Adrian would shake off the effects of his fatherly encounter on his own.
These hopes were actually reinforced when I saw Jill the next day at a school assembly.
Assemblies like this were still a new concept to me, and we'd had exactly two since school started. One had been a welcoming gathering during our first week. The other had been a pep rally to cheer on the football team before Homecoming. Today's was called "Healthy Lifestyles." I couldn't figure out what it was about or why it was important enough to interrupt my chemistry class.
We were seated by grade in the school's gym, putting Jill and me in separate sections of the bleachers. Craning my neck to get a glimpse of her, I saw her sitting down near the front with Angeline and several friends she'd made through Micah. They'd welcomed her easily once they got to know her, which wasn't a surprise with how nice she was. Even Laurel, a girl who'd once tormented Jill, now gave her a friendly look. Angeline said something that made Jill laugh, and, overall, there was definitely an improvement in Jill's attitude. A very big improvement, judging from how much she was giggling. My spirits rose. Maybe Adrian really had bounced back.
"Can someone tell me what this is about?" I asked. I had Eddie and Micah on one side of me, Trey on the other.
"It's this group that comes to school and gives presentations about things like drugs and safe sex," explained Micah. He was pretty active in student government, so I wasn't surprised he knew about today's agenda.
"Those are kind of big topics," I said. "Isn't this just supposed to be an hour? Doesn't seem like they can really provide thorough coverage of these issues."
"I think it's just supposed to be a quick overview," said Trey. "Not like they're trying to do a seminar or anything."
"Well," I declared. "They should."
"Did we miss anything?" Julia and Kristin pushed their way through others and squeezed themselves in between Trey and me. Trey didn't seem to mind.
"We're trying to explain the point of this to Sydney," Trey told them.
"I thought the point was to get out of class," said Julia.
Kristin rolled her eyes. "This'll show you what you were missing by being homeschooled, Sydney."
Nothing could have prepared me for the spectacle that followed - mostly because never in my craziest dreams had I imagined weighty social issues would be addressed in musical numbers. The group performing for us called themselves Koolin' Around, and the inappropriate use of that K was nearly enough to make me walk out then and there. Before each song, they'd give a quick and totally vague info-blurb about the topic or - even worse - a skit. These little lectures always began with, "Hey, kids!"
The first song was called "STDs Are Not for Me." That was when I took out my math homework.
"Come on," Eddie told me, laughing. "It's not that bad. And people should know about this stuff."
"Exactly," I said, not looking up from my homework. "In trying to be 'hip' and 'relatable,'
they're trivializing issues that need to be taken more seriously." The only time I tuned in again was when Koolin' Around had moved on to the evils of alcohol.
One of the lyrics in their particularly atrocious song was, "Don't listen to what your friends say / Bourbon will totally ruin your day."
"Ugh. That's it," I muttered. I sought out Jill again. She was watching with kind of a stunned disbelief, but just like earlier, there was none of that despair or melancholy. Some gut instinct told me why she'd had the mood change. Adrian hadn't snapped out of his gloom.
Most likely he was drinking his way through it. Sometimes Jill would pick up some of the sillier side effects of intoxication - like the giggling I'd observed earlier - but eventually, alcohol actually numbed the spirit bond. The bright side of his indulgence was that it spared her some of his depression. The down side was that she could actually suffer the physical effects of a hangover later.
Koolin' Around mercifully reached their last song, a big production number celebrating the joys of feeling good and living a healthy, happy lifestyle. They pulled up members of the student body to dance with them, earning a variety of reactions. Some students just stood there frozen and embarrassed, wearing expressions that said they were counting the seconds until this ended. Other students - particularly those who normally sought attention in class - made the biggest, most outlandish spectacle they could of themselves.
"Sydney."
The warning note in Eddie's voice stopped me as I was about to return to my homework.
That kind of concern could only be reserved for Jill, and I immediately looked at her again.
Only, she wasn't the issue. Angeline was. One of the Koolin' Around members was trying to coax her out and even grabbed her hand. Angeline shook her head emphatically, but the guy seemed oblivious. Angeline might be okay around wild dances in the backwoods of West Virginia, but this was not a situation she was comfortable with.
To be fair, what happened next wasn't entirely her fault. He really should have left her alone when she said no, but I guess he was too caught up in his feel-good mood. He actually managed to drag her to her feet, and that's when Angeline made her disapproval perfectly clear.
She punched him.
It was pretty impressive since the guy had almost a foot on her in height. I supposed that came from Eddie's training in how to take out taller Moroi. The guy staggered backward and fell, hitting the floor hard. There was a gasp from most of the students sitting nearby, though only one of the band members - a guitarist - noticed. The rest kept on singing and dancing.
The guitarist hurried forward to her fallen colleague and must have threatened Angeline's personal space because Angeline punched her too.
"Eddie, do something!" I said.
He turned to me in astonishment. "Like what? I'd never make it there in time." It was true. We were two thirds of the way up in the bleachers, surrounded by others. I could only watch helplessly as the rest of the spectacle unfolded. The band soon caught on that something was terribly wrong, and their music faltered, finally coming to silence. Meanwhile, a group of teachers had rushed the floor, trying to pry Angeline away from Koolin'
Around's bass player. There was a frantic look in her eyes, like a trapped animal that had gone beyond reason and only wanted escape. The teachers finally managed to restrain her, but not before she'd thrown a speaker at the lead singer (she missed) and punched the school's shop teacher.
Trey leaned forward, mouth gaping. "That's your cousin? Wow." I didn't even bother responding. All I could think about was how in the world I was going to do damage control this time. Fighting was a serious offense in and of itself. I couldn't even imagine what attacking a motivational musical group would elicit.
"She took out, like, three people twice her size!" Kristin exclaimed. "And I mean took out.
Knocked them to the floor."
"Yeah, I know," I said dismally. "I'm right here. I saw it all."
"How was she even able to do that?" asked Julia.
"I taught her some moves," remarked Eddie in disbelief.
Unsurprisingly, no one even bothered sending this to Mrs. Weathers. Angeline was referred directly to the principal and vice principal. After her display, maybe they felt there was safety in numbers. It may have been Mrs. Weathers's recommendation or simply the fact that our fictitious parents (and "cousin" Angeline's) were notoriously hard to get a hold of, but I was asked to accompany her when she met with the administration.
My pre-briefing with Angeline was short and to the point. "You will act apologetic and contrite," I told her as we sat outside the principal's office.
"What's contrite mean?"
"Apologetic."
"Then why didn't you just say - "
"And," I continued. "If pushed for reasons, you will say you were overwhelmed and panicked.
You'll say you don't know what came over you."
"But I didn't - "
"And you will not mention how stupid they were or say anything negative whatsoever."
"But they are - "
"In fact, don't speak at all unless you're asked something directly. If you let me handle this, it'll be over fast."
Angeline apparently took that to heart because she crossed her arms and glared at me, refusing to say anything else.
When we were ushered into the office, the principal and vice principal - Mrs. Welch and Mr. Redding, respectively - were both sitting on the same side of one desk. They were side by side, presenting a united front that again made me think they feared for their lives.
"Miss McCormick," began Mrs. Welch. "I hope you know that what you did was completely out of line." McCormick was Angeline's fake last name around here.
"Violence and fighting of any kind are not tolerated at Amberwood," said Mr. Redding. "We have high standards - standards meant to ensure the safety of everyone at this school - and expect our students to adhere to them. None of your other violations of school rules come close to what you did today."
"Even if we didn't have those other transgressions on file, there can be no question here," said Mrs. Welch. "There is no place for you at Amberwood." My stomach sank. Expulsion. Although the Keepers weren't entirely uneducated, her academic background had hardly been up to that of average high school students in the modern world. She was in a lot of remedial classes, and getting her into Amberwood at all had been quite a feat. Expulsion wasn't as bad as someone investigating how a petite girl like her could do so much damage, but it still wasn't an outcome I wanted. I could already imagine one of my superiors asking, why didn't you realize how volatile the school was making her? To which I would have to respond: because I've been too busy going on dates and helping vampires who aren't my concern.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself before we notify your parents?" asked Mrs.
Welch. They looked at Angeline expectantly.
I braced myself for an irrational tirade. Instead, Angeline managed to produce some tears which, I had to admit, certainly looked contrite. "I... I panicked," she said. "I don't know what came over me. So much happened at once, and that guy was so scary, and I just freaked out.
I felt threatened. I wanted everyone to get away from me..." I was nearly convinced, probably because it was seeded with truth. Angeline had had a number of flustered moments at Amberwood, no matter her bravado. There were more people at the school than had been in her mountain community, and she'd been so overwhelmed in her first week that we'd had to take turns escorting her to class. I really should've been paying more attention to her.
Mr. Redding looked a tiny bit sympathetic - but not enough to change his mind. "I'm sure that must have been hard, but it was hardly reason for you to act in that way. Injuring three people and damaging expensive audio visual equipment were in no way appropriate responses." Understatement.
I was tired of the formalities and needed to fix things before they escalated further. I leaned forward in my chair. "You know what else isn't appropriate? A thirty-year-old guy - because that's how old he was, no matter how young and cool they were trying to be - grabbing a fifteen-year-old girl. It was bad enough that he did so when she clearly didn't want to go with him. The point is he never should have touched her in the first place. She's a minor. If a teacher did that, he'd be fired. I've read the book teachers are given from your HR
department." It had been an attempt to see if Ms. Terwilliger was abusing me. "Medical emergencies and breaking up a fight are the only times teachers can lay hands on students. Now, you might argue that that guy wasn't a teacher or employed by the school, but his group was invited here by the school - which is obligated to keep its students safe. You're a private school, but I'm certain the California Department of Education would have a few things to say about what happened here today - as will Angeline's father, who's a lawyer." He was actually the leader of a bunch of mountain vampires and had multiple wives, but that was beside the point. I looked back and forth between Mrs. Welch and Mr. Redding's faces. "Now then. Shall we renegotiate your position?"
Angeline was in awe after we left the office and went back to our dorm. "Suspension," she exclaimed, a bit too much joy in her voice for my liking. "I really just get to skip class? That sounds more like a reward."
"You still have to keep up with your homework," I warned. "And you can't leave the dorm.
Don't even think about sneaking out because that will get you expelled, and I won't be able to save you again."
"Still," she said, practically skipping, "this was all pretty easy." I came to a halt in front of her, forcing her to face me. "It was not easy. You got off on a technicality. You've continually resisted efforts to follow the rules around here, and today - well, that was off the charts. You aren't back home. The only time you should even think about fighting here is if Jill is attacked. That's why you're here. Not to do whatever you want. You said you were up to the challenge of protecting her. If you get expelled - and it's a miracle you weren't - she's at risk. So get in line or start packing for home. And for God's sake, leave Eddie alone."
Her face had been kindling with anger as I spoke, but that last bit caught her off guard.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you constantly throwing yourself at him."
She sniffed. "That's how you show a guy you like him."
"Maybe among the uncivilized! Here you need to back off and start acting like a responsible human being - er, dhampir. Whatever. You're making him miserable! Besides, you're supposed to be cousins. You're screwing up our cover." Angeline's jaw dropped. "I... I'm making him miserable?" I almost felt bad for her. The look of shock on her face was so great that it was obvious she really hadn't known what she was doing to Eddie was wrong. I was too worked up to feel much sympathy right then, though. Jill had acted out when we'd first arrived, and that had been just as frustrating. I'd come to enjoy our peace, and now Angeline was threatening all of that. Unlike Jill, she didn't seem to realize it, and I didn't know if that made things better or worse.
I left an upset and frustrated Angeline off at her dorm room and also verified with Jill that Adrian had indeed been drinking. That and my agitation were more than enough to make me want to leave campus, if only for the escape. Brayden had asked earlier if I wanted to go out, but I wasn't up to that. I sent a quick text: Can't go out tonight. Family stuff. Then I headed off to Clarence's.
I'd called ahead to make sure Dimitri and Sonya were there since I had no interest in having a one-on-one visit with the ancient Moroi. He wasn't around when I arrived. I found Dimitri and Sonya huddled over some cards with blots of dried blood, speculating on how to proceed.
"It'd be interesting to get Strigoi blood and see if anything happened when I applied spirit," she was saying. "Do you think you could manage that?"
"Gladly," said Dimitri.
They noticed me. As soon as she looked up, Sonya asked, "What's wrong?" I didn't even bother asking how she knew. My face probably said more than my aura did.
"Angeline got into a brawl with a motivational group at school." Dimitri and Sonya exchanged looks. "Maybe we should go get some dinner," he said. He grabbed a set of keys from the table. "Let's go downtown." I never would've imagined that I'd look forward to going out with a Moroi and a dhampir. It was yet another sign of how far I'd advanced - or regressed, by Alchemist standards. Compared to most of the other people in my life, Dimitri and Sonya were grounded and stable. It was refreshing.
I gave them a rundown of Angeline's behavior, as well as my thinly veiled legal threat.
That part seemed to amuse Sonya.
"Smart," she said, twirling spaghetti on a fork. "Maybe you should be in law school instead of the Alchemists."
Dimitri found it less funny. "Angeline came here to do a job. She wanted out of the Keepers and swore she'd devote every waking minute to protecting Jill."
"There has been a bit of a culture shock," I admitted, unsure as to why I was defending Angeline. "And those guys today... I mean, if they'd tried to get me to join their sing-along, I probably would've punched them too."
"Unacceptable," said Dimitri. He used to be a combat instructor, and I could understand why. "She's here on a mission. What she did was reckless and irresponsible." Sonya gave him a sly smile. "And here I thought you had a soft spot for reckless young girls."
"Rose never would have done anything like that," he countered. He paused to reconsider, and I could've sworn there was the hint of a smile there. "Well, at least not in such a public setting."
Once the Angeline topic was put to rest, I brought up the reason I'd come here. "So... no experiments today?"
Even Sonya's good nature faltered. "Ah. No, not exactly. We've gone over some notes on our own, but Adrian hasn't been... he hasn't been quite up to the research this week. Or up to going to class."
Dimitri nodded. "I was over there earlier. He could barely answer the door. No idea what he'd been drinking, but whatever it was, he'd had a lot." Considering their rocky relationship, I would've expected disdain in discussing Adrian's vices. Instead, Dimitri sounded disappointed, as though he'd expected better.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I said. I'd eaten little of my dinner and was nervously tearing a roll into pieces. "Adrian's current mood isn't entirely his fault. I mean, it is, but I can kind of understand it. You know we saw his dad this weekend, right? Well... it didn't go well."
There was a knowing glint in Dimitri's dark eyes. "I'm not surprised. Nathan Ivashkov isn't the easiest man to get along with."
"He sort of tore down everything Adrian's been trying to do. I tried to make a case for Adrian, but Mr. Ivashkov wouldn't listen. That's why I was wondering if you guys could help." Sonya couldn't hide her surprise. "I'd gladly help Adrian, but something tells me Nathan's not going to really put much stock in what we have to say."
"That's not what I was thinking." I gave up on the bread and dropped all the pieces to my plate. "You guys are both close to the queen. Maybe you could get her to tell Adrian's dad how... I don't know. What an asset he's been. How much he's been helping. Obviously, she couldn't explain exactly what he's doing, but anything might help. Mr. Ivashkov won't listen to Adrian or anyone else, but he'd have to take a commendation from the queen seriously. If she'd do it."
Dimitri looked thoughtful. "Oh, she'd do it. She's always had a soft spot for him. Everyone seems to."
"No," I said stubbornly. "Not everyone. There's a split. Half condemn him and write him off as useless like his dad. The other half just shrug and indulge him and say, 'Well, that's Adrian.'" Sonya studied me carefully, a trace of that amusement returning. "And you?"
"I don't think he should be babied or disregarded. If you expect him to do great things, he will."
Sonya said nothing right away, and I shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. I didn't like when she looked at me like this. It was about more than auras. It was like she could see into my heart and soul.
"I'll speak to Lissa," she said at last. "And I'm sure Dimitri will too. In the meantime, let's hope that if we follow your advice and expect Adrian to sober up soon, he will." We had just paid the check when Dimitri's cell phone rang. "Hello?" he answered. And like that, his face transformed. That fierceness I so associated with him softened, and he practically glowed. "No, no. It's always a good time for you to call, Roza." Whatever the response on the other end was, it made him smile.
"Rose," said Sonya to me. She stood up. "Let's give them a little privacy. You want to take a walk?"
"Sure," I said, rising as well. Outside, dusk was falling. "There's a costume store a few blocks away I actually want to check - if they're still open." Sonya glanced at Dimitri. "Meet us there?" she whispered. He gave a quick nod. Once we were outside in the warm evening air, she laughed. "Ah, those two. In a fight, they're lethal.
Around each other, they melt."
"Is that how you and Mikhail are?" I asked, thinking there wasn't much melting with Brayden and me, no matter how much I enjoyed spending time with him.
She laughed again and glanced up at the sky, painted in shades of orange and blue. "Not exactly. Every relationship is different. Everyone loves differently." There was a long pause as she chose her next words. "That was a nice thing you chose to do for Adrian."
"There was no choice to be made," I countered. We crossed onto a busier street, full of brightly lit stores with water misters outside that were meant to cool off hot shoppers. I winced at what that mist was doing to my hair. "I had to help. He didn't deserve that kind of treatment.
I can't imagine how Adrian's put up with that his whole life. And would you believe that what worried Adrian the most was that I would think less of him?"
"Actually," said Sonya softly, "I can very much believe that." The costume store was still open, thanks to extended Halloween hours, but only for ten more minutes. Sonya wandered around the aisles with no real goal, but I headed immediately for the historical section. They had exactly one Greek-style dress left, a plain white gown with a gold plastic belt. I knelt down to take a better look. Opening the package, I felt the fabric. It was cheap, probably flammable. The dress was also an XL, and I wondered if Jill had learned enough in sewing club to take it in for me. With less than a week until the dance, my options were limited.
"Really?" a voice beside me said. "Haven't you insulted me enough without resorting to this trash?"
Standing above me was Lia DiStefano. Her curly hair was bound up with a bright red scarf, and a voluminous peasant blouse made her petite body look like it had wings. She peered down at me disapprovingly with kohl-lined eyes.
"Are you following me?" I asked, getting to my feet. "Every time I'm downtown, here you are."
"If I were following you, I never would have let you set foot in here in the first place." She pointed at the costume. "What is that?"
"My outfit for Halloween," I said. "I'm going Greek."
"It's not even the right size."
"I'll get it taken in."
She tsked. "I'm so appalled, I don't even know where to start. You want a Greek dress? I'll make you one. A good one. Not this monstrosity. My God. People know you know me. If you were seen in that, it'd ruin my career."
"Yeah, because what I wear to a high school dance will really make or break you."
"When's your dance?" she asked.
"Saturday."
"Easy," she declared. She gave me a once-over and nodded in satisfaction. "Easy measurements too. Is your sister dressing just as badly?"
"Not sure," I admitted. "She talked about making a fairy dress in sewing club. A blue one, I think."
Lia blanched. "Even worse. I'll make her a dress too. I've already got her measurements." I sighed. "Lia, I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work. Jill absolutely cannot model for you again. It doesn't matter how much bribery you try." Lia attempted an innocent look that was in no way convincing. "Who said anything about bribery? I'm doing this out of charity. It'd be a disgrace to let you two go out in anything less than the best."
"Lia - "
"Do not buy that," she warned, pointing at the costume. "It's a waste. You might as well set your money on fire - although, it probably wouldn't light as fast as that dress. I'll let you know when your costumes are ready." With that, she turned on her high wooden heels and walked away, leaving me staring.
"Did you get a costume?" Sonya asked me later, once the closing store forced us to leave.
"Weirdly, yes," I said. "But not from there."
Dimitri apparently wasn't done with his call, since he hadn't joined us yet. We strolled leisurely back toward the restaurant, wanting to give him more time with Rose. Other stores were closing, and the tourists were beginning to thin out. I explained the meeting with Lia. Sonya found it more amusing than I did.
"Well, don't knock it," she said. "If a designer wants to make you something, you're not obligated to give her anything else. Maybe she could help me out with bridesmaid dresses." We crossed a less busy street and cut through a narrow alley with a brick building on one side and a tree-filled church lawn on the other. I'd admired the church on our way over, but now, in only a short time, evening had filled it with shadows and given it a foreboding look and feel. I was glad I wasn't walking through here alone. It felt strange to be reassured by a vampire's presence.
"Lia does make amazing things," I admitted. "But I don't know if we should encourage her."
"Fair enough," said Sonya. "Maybe one of these days, you'll help me look for dresses.
You've got a really good sense of - "
She suddenly spun around toward the darkened churchyard. There was a look of fear on her face, but I saw nothing alarming - at first. Seconds later, four figures in black jumped out from behind the trees. One of them threw me against the brick wall while the other three pinned Sonya to the ground. I pushed back against my captor, but a muscled arm held me tightly. In the faint light, I saw a glimmer of something I never expected to see on the streets of Palm Springs: a sword.
The dark figure poised it over Sonya's neck. "Time to go back to Hell," he said.