Unearthly, The (17 page)

I was wrong about Andre. I had to be. “I promise.”

“Call me if you get nervous or just need to talk. I’ll be waiting.” He turned and walked to his car. I watched as he got in and drove away, feeling like mistrusting him was a big mistake.

***

When I walked into my dorm room, Leanne and Oliver were watching funny videos on my bed, as if the world had not shifted on its axis. I’d avoided coming back here this evening for this very reason. I’d have to tell them about my visit with Principal Hazard
—
eventually.

“Hey gorgeous!” Oliver said around a mouthful of chocolate. How much chocolate could I possibly have left by now? “Come join us!” He scooted over to make room for me, a huge feat for Oliver.

My throat constricted. I’d lose this in a week. All because someone was trying to kill me. Sometimes life just wasn’t fair.

***

I yawned as I flipped the page of my textbook that Friday evening. My eyes blurred as I tried to read about early Viking settlements on the Isle of Man.

It was one of the lamest Fridays I’d had in a while, sitting in the library, catching up on my reading. However, following my conversation with Principal Hazard, I’d decided out of spite that I would do all my homework inside the castle. This way if I was attacked, it increased the chances that the castle would also get maimed. Petty, but possibly effective.

I hadn’t even considered looking for housing. Nor had I told Oliver and Leanne about having to move off campus, though they knew about independent study. Instead I’d spent the week scribbling notes in my notebook, trying to determine who my attacker was and why he or she was trying to kill me. My sleuthing skills had still gotten me nowhere.

I stretched and looked around. I jolted when I realized I was alone. Somehow I managed to outlast even the most academic of my peers. Pulling out my phone, I checked the time.

“Crap, eleven-thirty?” I hadn’t meant to stay this long. I packed up my bags and put on my coat.

As I grabbed my bag, I heard a rustle from the far side of the library. I froze, listening.

When I was certain no one was there, I walked past the rows of musty, leather-bound books, their embossed covers shimmering gold in the low lamplight of the library.

Just as I left the library I heard it again: a rustle coming from somewhere behind me. I hurried my pace, determined to get out of the spooky old castle. It was eerie here at night.

The candlelight flickered in the wall sconces, making the light dance along the rough stone walls. Behind me I heard a growl.

I turned. An enormous black dog with glowing red eyes stood in front of the library doors I’d exited not a minute before. The Moddey Dhoo, according Professor Mead.

Great.
That
was a true legend?

The dog’s hackles rose and it barred its teeth. Saliva dripped onto the floor, where it sizzled away. It inched towards me.

“Good doggy,” I said, edging backwards. The exit was down the next hall. With my speed I could probably outrun the dog. Only, I had no idea what I was dealing with. Demonic dogs weren’t really my forte.

It growled louder, and it began to pace back and forth, agitated. I saw the dog pause and its muscles tense. Then it charged me.

I turned on my heel and sprinted for my life. I could hear its paws clicking on the stone floors behind me. Some phantom dog
—
that thing sounded real to me.

I flew down the hall, barely losing momentum to turn the corner. At the end of the hall was the exit. Behind me the Moddey Dhoo snarled. It sounded much too close.

Putting in one last burst of energy, I plunged through the exit.  I glanced behind me in time to see the dog jump through the solid oak doors.

I swore. I’d really hoped the dog would stay inside the castle.

In front of me was Peel Castle’s expansive lawn. Wisps of fog obscured the far side of the campus where my dorm was. I ran blindly in that direction.

Through my pants I felt the dog’s hot breath. It was right on my heels. My muscles protested as I forced them to move faster.

I didn’t slow down until the dog’s growl became a distant noise. I glanced back. The Moddey Dhoo stood in the middle of the grassy lawn, staring calmly at me. As I watched, the dog slowly faded.

I shivered as its glowing eyes finally winked out. The dog was an omen of death.

This time I was in deep.

***

“Kill me. Please.” Leanne moaned when I woke her up the next morning. “That would be the kind thing to do.”

Her and Oliver hadn’t come home until the wee hours of the morning, so I hadn’t had a chance to mention my encounter with the ghostly dog.

“Want something to eat?” I asked, holding up the bag of pastries I’d bought an hour earlier, a peace offering in case she didn’t like being woken up.

I’d barely touched my own breakfast. I had been anxious all morning about seeing the Moddey Dhoo, even going so far as to research what I knew about the demonic dog. It was more of the same: the dog was an omen of death.

She sat up in bed. “Sure, what’d you get?” she asked, scrubbing her face with her hands. I handed the bag to her and watched as she pulled out a Danish and began to nibble it.

I took a tasteless bite of my croissant. “Leanne, I have something to tell you.”

“What?” she asked, yawning.

“I saw the Moddey Dhoo last night.” I glanced up from my plate to watch her reaction.

She stared off in the distance. Then, slowly, she looked at me. “You saw … ?” She trailed off, “But that’s impossible,” she said. “The only people that see the Moddey Dhoo
—
”

“Die. I know.”

Her gaze sharpened on me. “Let me give you a reading.”

I raised my eyebrows. “But I thought you just
saw
stuff.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I foresee things, but it’s more accurate if I give you a reading.” She reached out. “Here, give me your hand.”

I put down my croissant and gave her my hand. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths in and out. All was still for a few minutes.

Suddenly, her hand tightened over mine, and her eyes darted back and forth behind her closed lids.

“I see a mansion. People are wearing formal attire.” Could she be talking about Andre’s birthday gala?

Leanne’s fingers dug into mine. “There’s a fire. Trapped. So many people trapped. All of it burning down. I see you. I see Andre, and a gun, aimed at you. The trigger is pulled and …”

She let out a muffled moan and dropped my hand. Hesitantly she opened her eyes. They were red.

“Gabrielle,” she said, “you will die if you go to this event.”

Chapter 22

The silence that
followed sounded louder in my ears than a scream.

“What exactly is it you’re going to?” Leanne asked.

“Andre’s birthday party.”

Understanding broke out along Leanne’s face. “Right before you died I saw Andre and a gun.”

I felt lightheaded.
Andre’s going to kill me.

I didn’t think my heart could break anymore, but I was wrong. Even after Cecilia’s warning, I’d carried around the secret hope that he was innocent.

My chest ached, and my stomach churned painfully. How could people live like this? Why would anyone want to fall in love? This was awful.

I blinked a few times to push back my tears and met Leanne’s shocked gaze.

I had a decision to make: go and die, or stay and … probably die in the near future. Leanne’s vision also indicated that I had to come to terms with the fact Andre was playing me.

I felt my conflicting emotions resolve themselves. “I’m going. I have to.” I nodded to myself. I had to save those people.

Leanne looked at me as if I were insane. “You can’t. You’ll die. I
saw
it.”

“Leanne, people will die whether or not I’m there. You said yourself that the guests were trapped in the burning building. We know this will happen. I can evacuate them if given the chance.”

She took this in. Then she nodded. “Fine. But I’m going too.”

Now it was my turn to look at her like she was crazy. “No way. I can’t let you risk your safety.”

“I’m not letting my friend walk to her death without some backup.”

“Leanne!”

“I’ve already decided. You can’t change my mind. I’m coming.”

The door burst open to reveal a shirtless Oliver. “Oh. My. God.” He was wide-eyed. “When did I get a bellybutton piercing?” He gazed, horrified, at the pink and clear crystals dangling from his navel.

“Pixie dust.” Leanne shook her head. “You tried pixie dust last night, and then decided to get your bellybutton pierced.”

If I’d been in a better mood, I would’ve laughed. Instead I said, forlorn, “I wish I could’ve been there.”

Oliver glanced up, his gaze piercing. “Is everything okay, G?”  Somehow, he knew. He knew that my heart was broken, and he knew that only one thing could’ve caused that.

Leanne met my eyes before she turned to Oliver. “We think Andre’s planning on killing Gabrielle tonight at some party.” I felt a tightness in my chest as she spoke the words out loud. “Gabrielle, however, is still planning on going so she can save all the others I foresaw die. So now I’m going with her.”

“No
—
” I began.

Oliver pulled up a chair and sat down next to us. “In that case, count me in.”

“No.” I rubbed my temples. “Please. I don’t want either of you getting hurt.”

Oliver scratched his chin. “If I remember correctly, I am the bossy one in this relationship, not you. So, I’m coming.”

I sighed, looking at the clock. It was 3:00 p.m. “The gala starts at seven. That means we have less than four hours to come up with a plan and get ready.”

Oliver squealed. “I’m designing our outfits!”

***

It was while Oliver was pinning up Leanne’s hair that I heard a knock. I got up and opened the door.

I balked at the visitor. “Caleb?”

He scratched the back of his head nervously. “Hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I texted him,” Leanne said. Oliver eyed him up and down like he was a juicy morsel. “I thought he might want to help.”

I squinted at Leanne. After his apology last week, I knew Caleb would’ve eagerly assisted us tonight. But I hadn’t told Leanne about Caleb’s apology. So why had she contacted him?

I swallowed. Whatever she saw must’ve been awful enough that she called in a favor. That, or he was in the vision.

I looked back at him. “Did Leanne tell you what you’re getting yourself into?”

“Enough to know the danger.”

“And you still want to do this?”

Caleb pushed past me and ambled in. Awfully presumptuous of him. He was looking at a glass paperweight of mine when he answered. “I’ve been in training for this type of thing for years.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” I said.

He glanced up and our eyes locked. “And I’m not sure I’m authorized to tell you … yet. Just trust me when I say that I’m prepared.”

“Okay,” I blew out my breath, “then let’s get you suited up.”

***

At 7:30 p.m. our taxi pulled up and we dashed inside. “Where to?” our driver asked.

“The Bishopcourt mansion,” I said. “And I will double you’re your fee if you can get us there as quickly as possible.” Our task was simple: evacuate Andre’s mansion. The not-so-easy part was going to be staying alive.

The driver made good on our deal. We managed to make a forty-five minute drive in half the time. I threw a thick wad of bills at him as Leanne, Oliver, Caleb, and I dashed out of the car. Guests were still arriving, but the warm light from the mansion illuminated a room already full with people.

Grabbing the dark blue folds of fabric of my dress, I sprinted to the entrance, my friends quick on my heels. I tried not to think about the danger I was putting them in.

Bishopcourt loomed in front of us. Hundreds of glass bowls had been placed throughout the expansive yard, filled with water and floating candles. Light refracted off of the strangely beautiful decorations. Each tiny beacon of light reminded me that Andre had not seen natural light in nearly a millennia.

Classical music poured out of the front door. The crowds were thickest here. I jostled many guests as I approached the entrance.

Two large security personnel guarded the door. As soon as they saw me, they parted to let me through but stopped my friends.

“They’re with me,” I yelled to the guards.

At that, they stepped aside and let my friends through. “Thanks!” I didn’t pause, but pushed my way through the entrance.

I’d never realized it before, but most of the mansion was flammable, despite being built out of stone. The polished wood floors were covered with Persian rugs. Fabric insulated the walls, partially hidden by woven tapestries and oil paintings. Cloth drapes were pulled back from windows, and most of the furniture had wooden frames. Hundreds of candles perched on every open surface. I shuddered. Forget about the price on my head; this mansion was one wrong jostle away from going up in flames.

We’d decided earlier to split up, but it fell on me to direct my friends where to go. “Oliver and Leanne, take the stairs to the upper stories and start evacuating people from there. Caleb, you take the rooms to the left, and I’ll take those to the right.” Hopefully we’d have enough time to get everyone out before the fire broke out.

“Be safe Gabrielle!” Caleb shouted.

“You too!” I yelled back, but he had already vanished from sight. I hurried to the right, where the reception hall and ballroom were located. I’d yet to see Andre and hoped it would stay that way. Vaguely I could sense him, which probably meant he could sense me too. I’d have to do this quick.

Most of the ballroom was open space to make room for dancing. A string quartet played in the corner, playing classical music. Some couples danced in a rigid formation and others talked. I scanned the room for any type of platform. There was nothing to stand on but a few tables. They would have to do.

I pushed myself onto a table top, getting looks from those guests nearest me. “Excuse me!” I shouted from the table. Clusters of individuals near me turned to look. Others saw me standing and stopped to stare.

“Excuse me!” I shouted again. The room fell silent. Now I had everyone’s attention. The guests however, were gawking at me as though I had grown a third eye. I guess I was breaking etiquette.

“A plot to burn down this building was discovered earlier tonight. You must all evacuate the mansion.” There was murmuring, but no one moved. And then I felt Andre. He was moving swiftly towards this room. Frantic, I yelled, “Did you not hear me? Get the hell out of here unless you want to die!” The murmuring got louder and slowly the crowd began to move. A woman screamed as her companion grabbed her, and suddenly the room was bedlam.

I felt the current of energy spike, and instinctively I looked for Andre. He was making his way through the crowd over to me, and he did not look pleased.

“Gabrielle!” he shouted. I jumped down from the table and ran into the crowd, trying to hide myself.

The scary truth was that, while I knew my life was in danger and while I had killed before, I couldn’t kill Andre. I couldn’t even try, as cowardly as that was. I sent a silent apology to my father. At least no other lives but my own would be lost tonight.

A hand caught my arm. I cursed and looked up, expecting to see Andre. Instead, Theodore was smiling down at me.

“Exit’s the other way,” he said, “or are you not going to evacuate from the fire you’ve been raving about?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I was going to check some of the other rooms to make sure everyone has evacuated.” I didn’t want to tell him I was hiding from his boss.

“Good idea,” he said. “I’ll come with you.”

I eyed him curiously, not sure whether he was being sincere or just toying with me. Either way, I needed to check the rooms on this side of the house, and I was willing to go along with it.

The ballroom we were in had two exits, one that led to the entrance hall, and another that led to a hallway and back rooms. We took this exit. I glanced behind me, but I could no longer see Andre and the current between us was fading. Theodore and I made our way to each of these back rooms.

Five minutes later we were done checking this wing of the house. All the rooms were empty except for the kitchen.

I leaned in the doorway. “Please evacuate the premises.”

“Why?” one of the chefs asked.

“There’s a fire hazard and the building’s being emptied.”

A grumbling chef and the surrounding help reluctantly filed out of the room.

Theodore watched me the entire time, giving me the creeps. I got the distinct impression he was taking note of my actions so that he’d have evidence when he turned me in.

“Why don’t we check upstairs?” Theodore asked.

“Sure,” I said, even though I knew Oliver and Leanne had probably evacuated them by now.

We peered into the first room. Empty. As we walked down the next, unease pooled in my stomach. Why hadn’t Theodore brought me to Andre by now if he was going to turn me in, like he had the first time I met him? He followed me into the next room, a guest bedroom, which was also empty.

I turned to Theodore. “I think we should probably evacuate as well now,” I said, hiding the unease from my voice. Unfortunately, I was still mostly human, so I couldn’t hide the fear that slowly oozed from my pores.

Theodore closed the door, trapping us together in the room. He slung an arm around my shoulders and leaned in close. “What were you thinking? Coming here, making up lies about a nonexistent fire?”

“They are not lies.” I tried to pull away from his loose embrace.

Theodore pushed me forward. I fell to my knees and scrambled backwards, away from him. “How much do you know?” he asked.

I shook my head. “About what?”

Theodore stared intensely at me, trying to read my thoughts, and then he did. “You believe Andre is going to kill you.” His voice held a note of disbelief.

I kept quiet. Theodore was still scrutinizing me. I had never seen the animalistic side of a vampire until Theodore turned those inquisitive, predatory eyes on me. Now I felt like lunch.

I saw a flicker of understanding pass across his eyes. “That was why you ran away from Andre in the banquet room.” he said. He began to laugh hysterically. “You think he’s after you?” My eyes widened. “Oh Gabrielle, you sweet,
stupid
girl. Do you realize you just initiated your own death?”

My breath caught in my throat as an awful thought was beginning to take shape.

“Ahhhh, you’re finally getting it,” he said. “Andre is not the one you need to fear. By the way, thank you for evacuating the entire building. No pesky witnesses or tragic heroes will hold this up.”

Oh God. I’d misunderstood everything. Andre was innocent, and I was so scared of trusting him that I jumped to my hasty conclusion. Looking at Theodore now, I saw a guilty man.

He was right. I had put the final nail in my coffin
—
so to speak. And now I was cornered in a windowless room, and the only way out was through the door Theodore guarded.

“Why?” I asked. That’s what it really all came down to at this point. Answers.

Theodore curled his lip and stared at me. “Your parents took you to a seer when you were an infant,” he said. “The seer looked into your future and predicted what you would become
—
a vampire.

“The problem is that she also saw something else
—
I assume you have heard of soulmates?”

I rolled my eyes. I was not that dumb.

Theodore continued. “The seer saw that you had a soulmate. She saw Andre.”