Blood Ties (8 page)

CHAPTER NINE

C
assie didn’t sleep well that night. Every time she began to drop off, she’d feel the rush of the train, hear the shriek of its whistle. And in the uneasy half-dreams, there were no hands to seize her and pull her away – instead she reached out, pulling Ranjit down with her. In the dreams, she just kept on falling, falling, Estelle’s voice ringing in her ears …

Yet again, she started awake, breathing hard. It was still night outside, but she fumbled for her watch and peered at it in the faint city glow. She groaned. Feeling hopelessly sleep-deprived, she swung her legs out of bed for fear of falling back into a doze. That would be just typical.

‘Time to get up. Hey, partner. Wakey, wakey.’

Isabella snored on until Cassie pummelled her awake, and then she tried to burrow back under the covers. ‘Cassie, no …’

‘Cassie, yes. Get up, girl. We have to go and see Sir Alric, remember?’

‘Tomorrow. It can wait till tomorrow …’

‘It is tomorrow, Isabella!’

Finally, Cassie resorted to the tried and tested trick of pulling her roommate out of bed by the ankles. Isabella only woke properly when she thudded to the floor. Cross and bleary, she blinked up at Cassie through her tangled mane, then shoved it out of her eyes.

‘Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry. We have an appointment, don’t we?’

By the time they were both dressed and heading for Sir Alric’s office, Isabella irritatingly seemed almost as bright and breezy as always. If she was feeling tense, she covered it well. It was Cassie who felt heavy with tiredness and brimming with nerves.

As she raised a fist to knock on his door, it opened. Cassie recognised the smiling Few boy who was leaving the office.

‘Hi, Paco. Hi, Louis.’ Isabella smiled at his roommate behind him.

‘Morning!’ Paco seemed absurdly lively for the early hour. His eyes fairly sparkled and he glowed with energy. Louis, though, was yawning. He gave Cassie and Isabella a sleepy smile.

‘You too, huh?’ He rubbed his eyes and shook his head.

‘What?’ said Cassie.

‘Extra Latin tuition first thing. Pain in the derrière, non?’

Cassie could only laugh weakly and nod, but she didn’t miss Paco’s sly wink, aimed only at her. She ignored him as Sir Alric called them into the room and the door closed on the boys.

‘Cassandra. Isabella.’ He bestowed reassuring smiles on each of them. ‘Thank you for coming.’

‘Not really optional, is it?’ pointed out Cassie dryly.

Sir Alric gave a brief laugh. ‘Isabella, welcome. Cassandra tells me that she has spoken with you about her … special needs. And that you have agreed to become her life-source. I take it you’re still sure about your decision?’

Isabella smiled tightly. ‘Of course.’

‘Not many people have the luxury of choice in this matter,’ said Sir Alric gravely. ‘As you know, most roommates are unaware of the true nature of the Few.’

‘Yes, Louis for example?’ Isabella interjected, arching an eyebrow disapprovingly. ‘He does not know that Paco is feeding from him?’

‘No, he does not. But let me assure you that whether or not the life-source is aware of what is happening to them, if it is properly performed, the feeding process is entirely harmless.’ Sir Alric gestured towards two large, dark leather chairs. ‘Please take a seat, both of you, and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you have before we begin.’

He sat opposite them, folding one long leg over the other and regarding them expectantly. Cassie’s heart raced – she didn’t know where to begin. She glanced over at Isabella, but she seemed at a sudden and uncharacteristic loss for words as well. Sir Alric broke the silence.

‘Well, firstly, perhaps it might be useful for you both to think of these sessions in the same manner as any of your other lessons. What we are hoping to achieve here is part of the core aim of the Academy – to prepare our students for life outside these hallowed walls. Indeed, you may wish to think of the Academy itself as a training ground of sorts.’

‘Training ground?’ Cassie ventured.

‘Yes. As you know, here at the Darke Academy we select students that we believe have the potential to be suitable hosts for the Few. The academic setting provides the chosen Few with the opportunity to obtain the skills and personal connections necessary to become leading members of society.’

‘And the rest are just here as snacks?’ Cassie was becoming less sure about this idea by the second.

‘The other students,’ continued Sir Alric, unruffled, ‘serve a vital role in our world. And by extension, the world at large. In giving of themselves – their life-energy – they help to nurture our future leaders, artists and scientists – individuals vital to humanity. And in return, they are the beneficiaries of an unrivalled, world-class education that will stand them in good stead in their own lives.’

Cassie let out a mirthless laugh. ‘Vital to humanity … ?’ she began, but Isabella leaned forward and held up one hand.

‘But why do you have to do it without our consent? And why does each member of the Few have to feed on their roommate, in particular?’ she asked, her brow lined with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

Sir Alric steepled his fingers and began again cautiously. ‘Over the years, we have found that secrecy is the best policy. Not everyone would be as accepting of the Few as you have been, Isabella. If the world knew the truth about us – about our strengths and skills and what we need to do to maintain them – how long do you think it would be before we found ourselves branded monsters? Feared and persecuted wherever we went. No. There is safety in secrecy, and it is for that reason that most members of the Few choose to keep their roommates ignorant of what is happening to them.’

Isabella nodded.

‘As for why we insist that each member of the Few feeds only on their roommate,’ continued Sir Alric, ‘if the Few were allowed to feed at random, there would be the risk that one student might be fed on by more than one of the Few, losing too much of their life-energy. It is when that happens that feeding can become dangerous. But if each member of the Few only feeds from their roommate, that danger is avoided. It is merely a precaution, another measure of how seriously we take your safety.’

Cassie was shaking her head.

‘Is there a problem, Cassandra?’

‘You make it sound so easy. But what about Keiko and Alice? What about what happened to Jess, huh? What about the Few who decide that they’re not going to follow the rules of your so-called system?’ She almost spat the last word.

‘In any society, there are those who stray from the path of law. When that happens, they are punished.’

Cassie laughed incredulously. Jake’s angry words from their computer science lesson rang in her ears. ‘So Katerina was punished for killing Jake’s sister by being expelled? Call me unreasonable, but that’s one case where the punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime.’

Sir Alric unfolded himself from his chair and stood up, his expression hardening. Cassie felt a pang of fear alongside her anger and nerves.

‘I understand your feelings, Cassandra, but we are not here to discuss Katerina Svensson. Her punishment was decided by powers beyond your knowledge and my control. What is more important now is that you are given proper training in how to feed, and monitored to ensure that you do not make the same mistakes she did.’

Sir Alric’s tone carried a definite ring of finality. Question time was over.

‘Now, I have another appointment shortly, so we should begin. Isabella, if you could please come over here.’ Sir Alric gestured to the space in front of him. ‘And you here, Cassandra.’

Cassie took up the position indicated in front of Isabella, her palms sweating. Isabella giggled nervously and puckered her lips.

Sir Alric arched a perfect eyebrow. ‘What are you doing, Miss Caruso?’

Isabella glanced uneasily between Cassie and Sir Alric. ‘Cassie said that when Keiko fed on Alice it was like she was kissing her. So I thought …’

‘Keiko’s method was not the manner by which we recommend this process should be undertaken. Her proclivities were cruel, and her decision to feed in that manner merely reflected those proclivities. Direct mouth-to-mouth feeding is more powerful, but also more harmful.’

‘Phew! Finally some good news!’ Cassie managed to crack a smile. ‘No offence, Isabella, but you’re not really my type.’

‘None taken, darling,’ Isabella replied, winking.

Sir Alric smiled as well, then shook his head. ‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Cassandra, take hold of Isabella’s wrist, like so …’ He demonstrated, wrapping his index finger and thumb tightly around her own wrist. Cassie reached over and did as he said, shuffling her feet uncomfortably.

‘So far, so good,’ Isabella said, nodding encouragingly to Cassie.

‘A little tighter,’ said Sir Alric briskly. Cassie tightened her grip on Isabella’s wrists, watching her roommate closely. She could feel her pulse underneath her thumbs. Sir Alric continued.

‘Now, you must think, all the time, Cassandra. Think about what you are doing, about the importance of it. Think about Isabella as well as yourself. Don’t ever let yourself go onto automatic pilot; that’s when you’ll lose control. Start slowly. Do you understand?’

She nodded, swallowing.

‘Now, Isabella – this may feel a little unusual,’ said Sir Alric, his voice calm and level. ‘But I am here. You have my word that you will not be harmed.’

‘OK,’ said Isabella, sounding uneasy.

‘Are you sure you want to go through with this?’ asked Cassie.

‘Sure. Honestly, Cassie. I trust you.’

‘Yeah, but I’m not sure I trust myself,’ Cassie mumbled, her mind flying back to Cranlake Crescent and the moment she had attacked Patrick.

‘Then I will trust you for both of us.’ Isabella’s smile was shaky, but her voice was firm.

‘Right,’ said Sir Alric, putting a hand on Cassie’s shoulder. ‘Both of you close your eyes.’ He paused. ‘Now, Cassandra. Take a deep breath and try to relax.’

Cassie did as he said, but nothing seemed to happen.

‘Once more. Concentrate.’

Sir Alric’s voice faded as Cassie drew a second deep breath. This time there was a change. As she breathed in, her senses seemed somehow to be heightened. Beneath her fingertips, Isabella’s pulse was pounding, racing. She could sense the life-energy flowing through her roommate’s veins.

‘That’s it,’ murmured Sir Alric.

Now Cassie could feel a prickling sensation all over her skin, a humming inside her head, a bright glow behind her eyelids. She was at once both light-headed and totally, completely alert, and she realised she was still inhaling, her lungs seemingly no nearer to being filled.

‘Concentrate,’ came Sir Alric’s voice once more, over the buzzing in her head. Cassie slowly opened her eyes, still breathing in, her fingers coiled tightly around Isabella’s slender wrists. Blinking, she noticed Isabella’s own eyes were squeezed shut, her mouth hanging slightly open, a barely perceptible sigh emitting from her lips, and Cassie instinctively knew that the endless breath coming out of her friend and into her was the life-energy she needed. Filling her with power …

Yes, my dear! That’s it! Feed me, Cassandra!

With a choking noise, Cassie dropped Isabella’s wrists and took a pace backward. Isabella’s eyes opened lazily, and she coughed, rubbing her eyelids as though she was trying to wake up from a deep slumber. Cassie’s heart was racing, not just out of alarm at what she had been doing, or the reappearance of Estelle’s voice, but from the huge, almost overwhelming rush of vitality. She’d never felt more alive. It was as though her senses were all snapped into hyper-focus.

‘Yes. Good control, Cassandra,’ said Sir Alric. Cassie jumped, almost surprised to find he was still standing beside them. ‘Well done, both of you.’

Cassie turned to Isabella tentatively. ‘Are you OK?’

Isabella paused, then let out a short laugh.

‘That’s it?’ Incredulity flooded her voice.

‘Isabella? Are you sure you’re—’

‘I’m absolutely fine,’ Isabella said. She looked up at Cassie and grinned, then threw her arms around her friend in a tight hug. ‘See, I told you, Cassie Bell. There was no need for all that build-up! No sweat.’