Fall For Me ((The Tate Chronicles #1)) (17 page)

The look of surprise on his face made me smile.

“How do you do that?”

“It’s all part of the package. I’ve never actually done this with a normal human before, but I think now I’ve forced you to hear me it will be easier. Arch and I can hold the line open when we want to, so I’m hoping you and I can do the same.”

Josh looked a little taken aback and I couldn’t really blame him, there was so much he’d had to deal with in the past few days. When I asked him to close his eyes again, he didn’t question me. I let go of his hands and moved around behind him. I motioned for Archer and Charlotte to move away; a finger to my lips told them not to speak.

Josh, now you have your eyes closed you should be able to hear and smell better, and be more aware of your surroundings.

What are you getting at, Grace?
He shifted slightly on his feet.

Arch and Charlotte are somewhere in the clearing. I’m going to signal them to come closer, and I want you to point to them.

Are you serious, I can’t see?

Just try.

The three of us danced around Josh for about half an hour. At first he struggled, but he got the hang of hearing the slightest shift in movement, and learnt to trust his gut. We stepped up the game and told him to prepare for some physical contact. Josh managed to avoid a few lunges and kicks, but not all of them.

“Ouch! That hurt.” Josh was on his butt again, this time because of me.

“Sorry, but do you get it now?” I asked.

“I think so.”

“You don’t always need to see to fight. You need to use your instinct.”

“Now all we have to do is teach you some basic moves and you’ll be a better fighter than you were, which isn’t hard,” Archer said, clapping Josh on the back.

“And it’s not only about strength or speed,” I said, wrapping my arm around Josh’s waist. “It’s about wit and cunning, outsmarting your opponent and using their weaknesses against them.”

Something buzzed against my hip and Josh pulled his phone from his pocket. I guessed it was Ryan before he answered, so much for being too preoccupied.

“With Grace … for the night, yes.
Ok, hang on.” Josh passed me the phone.

“What on earth are you doing?” Emma yelled down the line. I had to pull the phone away from my ear she was so loud. “Do you know what will happen if he’s found out?”

“Emma, it’s ok, it’s just one night. And so you know, Charlotte is here as well.”

“Oh my god, are you guys crazy?”

Maybe,
I thought, but we had more pressing issues to worry about than school detention. I detected a hint of jealousy in her voice. She wanted to be with us. Our conversation went back and forth for a few minutes, and I told her what felt like a hundred times not to worry. She wasn’t convinced.

“We’ll see you in the morning. Everything will be fine.” I ended the call and handed the phone back to Josh. Emma was such a worry wart.

The four of us kept at it, practising into the night until I was sure Josh could fight at least to save himself. The clearing was bathed in soft moonlight and I stopped to take a look around. There was one question weighing on my mind. Why hadn’t we been interrupted? If I knew Angelica like I thought I did, she was probably waiting until her chances of getting at Charlotte were better. Angel or not, four against two were pretty bad odds. But the absence of Seth, Matthew and Cain troubled me. Charlotte seemed to be their highest priority, and with Seth’s help they should have been able to track her down. Maybe I was being paranoid, but could you really blame me? There was definitely something wrong. I had a feeling I couldn’t explain.

“What’s wrong, Grace?” Archer came over to where I stood staring into the trees.

“Nothing, I hope. I think we should get some rest. There are only a few hours before dawn, and I don’t think we’ll have any visitors tonight.”

“I just need to eat,” Charlotte said, quietly.

“I’ll come.” Archer grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the trees. He laughed at my expression. “We won’t be long. Ten minutes tops.”

Josh walked me back to the shed, his arm around my shoulders. Together we climbed the stairs to the loft. I still couldn’t shake the feeling there was something wrong, but I pushed it to the back of my mind. Josh scanned my bookshelf and made a few Shakespeare related comments before coming to sit with me on the bed. We talked a little, waiting until we heard Archer and Charlotte come back, before lying down and getting comfortable.

Josh was having his thoughts again and I smiled to myself. Boys had one track minds. But the thought of being that close to him scared me. I was unsure what effect it would have on either of us. The possible outcomes were numerous, and although we both wanted to, it was probably not a good time. I snuggled in to Josh and sighed. The feeling of his strong embrace made me immensely happy, and I felt safe. Within moments he was snoring softly.

When I finally fell asleep I plunged head first into a dream. Josh and I stood on the rock outcrop where I’d first revealed myself to him. We gazed at the beautiful valley, but something in the air didn’t feel right. The sky shifted, changing colour before our eyes, and the clouds raced across the sky. The wind picked up and I turned to Josh, but I was alone. Frantically, I spun in all directions trying to find him. I heard him call my name. I walked to the edge of the rock and looked down into his scared face. He was falling away from me, and I couldn’t reach him.

My wings unfurled and I spread them wide, diving towards him. The air turned cold and the sky went an inky black. The closer I got to Josh, the further he fell away from me; it felt like we would be falling for eternity. When I finally caught him, before he hit the ground, I grabbed him eagerly and pulled him close, cradling him in my arms. I flew us back to the outcrop, laid him down on the hard rock and looked at him.

The eyes staring at me were cold and dead, lifeless, but what scared me the most was that it wasn’t Josh lying in my arms anymore. An ear piercing scream stabbed the air and echoed over the valley, it took a few seconds for my brain to register that the scream was mine.

I woke with a start and sat up in bed, gasping for air, feeling like I was suffocating. Josh rolled towards me and panicked when he saw my face.

“Grace, what is it? What happened?”

My body shook all over and I burrowed into his chest. He held me, gently stroking my hair, until I calmed down. After relaying the details of my dream, Josh lifted my chin and kissed me softly.

“It was only a dream,” he said.

“My dreams are never
only
dreams. I’m scared.” Scared that something would happen to him, but worse, that something horrible had
already
happened.

“Hey, we’ve got this far, we’ll be ok,” he said.

I really wanted to believe him, but somehow I wasn’t completely convinced.

GRACE

Friday Morning

W
e decided not to tell Archer and Charlotte about my dream; I didn’t want to worry them any more than I had to. When I thought about it later, telling them probably would have been a good idea.

Everyone was quiet as we got ready for school. My morning shower felt like bliss, but did little to calm the feeling of dread in my stomach. At least it was Friday and there was only one more day before the weekend. It was a welcoming thought, after the week we’d had I was looking forward to letting my hair down on Saturday night. You only turned eighteen once in a lifetime—maybe not so much in my case—but Archer still wasn’t convinced a party was a good idea.

The short ride to school was quiet, too. Archer drove with Charlotte next to him while I sat in the back with Josh. When we pulled into the gravel driveway, like we had so many times before, something was different. Something was wrong. We passed the gate where almost the entire school’s population was milling around. Everyone looked lost, and some were crying. Archer parked the car, made a comment I didn’t hear, and I jumped out.

There wasn’t much conversation going on in the crowd, but the noise in their heads was horrendous. Once I passed through the gate I began to run, trying to find some truth in what I was hearing, in what everyone was thinking. What I saw next confirmed it.

My legs buckled beneath me and I fell to the asphalt. The pain didn’t register as the rough ground cut my knees open. My body was wracked with sobs of grief and devastation, and I couldn’t get up. An ambulance made its way across the yard with Ryan walking along side it, his face wet with tears. It was then I knew Emma was dead. For a moment Ryan’s eyes met mine, and the pain I saw in them made me want to scream until my voice was gone.

Two sets of strong hands lifted me off the ground and supported my weight. There was no way I could stand on my own. The muffled sound of students talking merged into one big drone. I felt lost, empty. Archer and Josh led me out of the path of the ambulance and we could do nothing but look as it passed through the gate. Ryan stopped, shoulders heaving, before turning in our direction.

His face was contorted with emotion, and I knew if I looked in a mirror my face would be the same. There was someone screaming Emma’s name, over and over again. That someone was me.

I let myself be led through the school. I couldn’t tell you who was there I was so out of it. Someone, Archer I think, lifted me onto a hard bed that smelled of disinfectant. The pillow rustled under my head and I felt the weight of a blanket over me.

“She’s in shock,” a voice said. “She’ll need you more than ever. Best friends weren’t they?”

I didn’t know who was talking. My eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and I’d blocked all further thought from my mind. I went to a place deep inside myself to hide from the outside world. Why Emma? Please not Emma.

When I woke it felt like a terrible dream. Josh jumped up from his chair by the bed and stroked my hair, his touch was tender, comforting. My eyes fell on Archer and Charlotte, and then Ryan. That’s when I knew I wasn’t dreaming. The nightmare was real. His face was harrowed and I think he’d cried enough tears for all of us ten times over.

Josh tried to help me up, but I gave him one firm shake of my head. He sat back down and waited. I felt dizzy with emotion and grief. It was hard to stand, but I did. Slowly, I walked the few steps across the room to Ryan. He rose from his chair and stared into my eyes.

“Why didn’t you call me the minute you knew?”

“Go easy, Grace, we’re all upset,” Archer said.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I shouted.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan whispered, “the last hour has been a bit of a blur.”

“No.” I swiped a tear from my cheek. “It’s not you I should be angry at.” I hugged Ryan tightly. I couldn’t tell you how long we stood there holding each other. It’s as if time stood still.

Grace,
I heard Archer calling me.
We need to find out what happened.

I pulled away from Ryan. “I don’t want to know. She’s dead. Emma is gone, so what does it matter?”

The door to the room squeaked open and Miss Miller, the school nurse, stuck her head through. I was in the school sick room, and suddenly I wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Grace dear, you’re up,” she said, looking at everyone in the room before turning back to me. “I’m terribly sorry about your friend, if you’re feeling well enough the school has assembled in the yard, although you are quite welcome to stay here if you like.”

Before I could reply, Miss Miller left. The door closed with a soft click. The last thing I felt like doing was facing everyone, but I couldn’t stay in that stuffy room either. I bet Seth had something to do with what happened. The thought of seeing him made me cringe.

I opened the door and walked out, knowing the others would follow. I knew my silence was rude and bitchy, but it’s not every day your best friend dies. They’d just have to deal with it.

The yard was in complete chaos; those who weren’t crying wore worried expressions. The faculty was lined up on the steps talking amongst themselves, and Mr Gerard, Hopetown Valley’s headmaster, appeared to be rather ruffled around the edges.

Josh, Archer and Charlotte stayed near me, but I paid them no attention as I scanned the crowd for Seth. He leant against the cafeteria wall flanked by Ivan and Blake. When I caught his gaze it took an enormous amount of strength for me not to look away. I angrily swiped at my wet eyes.

Seth’s jaw was set; his face stern. I recoiled at the thoughts he assaulted me with. He managed to give me a complete overview of what happened to Emma in less than five seconds. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the ground, replaying what Seth had forced me to see over and over in my mind.

Emma walked through the gate of the school cemetery towards the graves, and I wanted to scream to her, to tell her to come back, but it was no use. What was she doing there? With a blur of movement she was thrown to the ground. Seth must have been somewhere, watching, as his memory showed Matthew standing over Emma. I tried to blink away the image in my head, but I couldn’t get rid of it. Matthew leant down and picked her up, her eyes wide with fear. She screamed but the sound turned to a gurgle as he clamped a hand over her mouth. His fangs glistened in the moonlight and he bit her.