The Soul Thief

Chapter 20

I was marching towards the school reception area and staffroom when I almost collided with Blake. 

"Hey," He said softly, catching my upper arms and looking at me with concern. "Where did you run off to?"

I shook myself free. "I went to speak to Enzo who saw us kiss, but you can imagine how well that went."

"I wish I could say I'm sorry, love, but I could never apologise for kissing you too much." He grinned.

"Not funny. Enzo seems to think you had something to do with his Aunt's death."

Blake shook his head emphatically. "No, I already told you. I had nothing to do with it. I promise you."

"Then tell me how his Aunt's dead body was covered in child size bite marks?"

If Blake could have paled further, I'm pretty sure he would have. "It wasn't me." he promised.

"Then who? Your sister?" I fished for a reason he wouldn't just say what was going on.

He looked guilty, "I can't say."

I nodded, suspicions confirmed. "So it was Kira, did she have something to do with it?"

"I wish I could tell you everything, but it's more complicated that... do you trust me?"

I shrugged, "I don't trust anyone"

He clasped both my hands together. "Can you trust me on this?"

"How can I trust you if you won't tell me the truth?"

"How can I tell you the truth if you don't trust me?" He counted.

"Would you tell me if I said I trusted you?" I queried.

He looked awkward, "Not right now."

I pulled my hands free and continued the way I had been going. "Exactly."

There was a moment of silence where I thought he was going to let me walk away before I heard hurried footsteps and his voice asking, "Where were you heading?"

I increased the length of my pace but it was nothing for him and he easily kept up, "None of your business."

"Well, isn't that intriguing?" He laughed, "Guess I'm coming with you."

"What if I don't want you to?"

"Who said I was giving you a choice?"

I groaned, I didn't have time to argue with him on this. "Fine, I'm going to break into the room with the student files because apparently they know something about my parents, it's in there, and they wouldn't tell me."

"Seems like a fair reaction to me. I mean it's your personal information, so it's not even like you're stealing anything." Blake agreed.

"Right!" I said, relieved he hadn't called me crazy and tried to get me to give up.

With all the teachers in class the reception area and staff room seemed deserted and we tried the door. Predictably locked, I peered through the glass of the door and noticed a window the length of the far wall.

"Door is locked, and neither of us know magic, so why don't you make yourself useful and figure out how to get to the window?" I asked.

"Try giving me something that's actually a challenge." He laughed, dragging me to the end of the hallway and out through a fire escape before leading me back along the side of the building before we reached the room we were aiming for.

I tested the first window, relieved to find it moved when I lifted it and turned to as Blake to help push it up and give me a boost in. As reluctant as I had been to allow him along with me I was fast seeing the benefits of a taller guy who knew the place a bit better than I did.

"Duck!"

I dropped and threw a hand up over my head just in time to avoid the rock that went sailing through the air and shattered the window next to me.

"Why the hell did you do that? The window was unlocked." I snapped.

Blake was unapologetic. "It was a power move, a message."

I rolled my eyes. "What message could a brick through a window possibly be saying?"

He grinned impishly. "Knock knock?"

"You're infuriating."

"And you're wasting time. You came to me for a reason. None of your goody goody friends would help you with this so don't go arguing with my methods."

"Fine." I snapped, "Give me a boost in?"

Blake grinned, "Any excuse to get my hands on you, love? You could have just asked."

I purposefully dug my heel into his leg as I stepped up and over, careful to avoid the shattered glass before quickly moving to search for my file.

Blake swung up easily behind me and waited, hands in his pockets.

I was half surprised he wasn't taking a look at his own file, but there wasn't time to dwell on it.

Thankfully, the alphabetical order system made it easy to find my file, and I plucked the thick green folder labelled, 'WINTERS, Erica' from the cabinet and let it fall open.

Tucked in the front was a printed A4 sheet with a photo of my mother clipped to the top and I began scanning the page as fast as I could.

The report claimed that my mother had worked for a powerful family for almost three years, but according to the paperwork they had stored, her classification was unknown/unrecorded, likely due to being such a low level on testing.

The report claimed she had vanished mysteriously, and neither her family nor her friends knew her whereabouts.

"I don't mean to rush you, but I can hear movement outside." Blake warned in a low voice.

"Shit." My eyes were swimming with tears as I removed the smiling headshot of my mother and stuffed it in my pocket before tucking the folder back in with the others.

"There's not enough time to get out the window." Blake said urgently, clearly looking for somewhere to hide.

"Dammit, I really can't get caught now." I hissed.

With a creak the wall behind us swung open. Blake and I exchanged look of shock before darting down it and allowed it to close behind us as we hurried down the dark passage.

"You didn't tell me the school likes you?" Blake whispered, his voice still echoing off the stone walls.

"How was I supposed to know if it did or not? The magic map thing hated me."

I rolled my eyes before remembering he couldn't me in the dark, especially not when he was at my back.

"I'm not talking about the map, I'm talking about the school. If it's saving you like this, then I doubt this is the first time it has helped you. Do you get nice things in your rooms?"

I frowned, "That was the school?"

He gave a low whistle, "I wish we had more answers about what you are love, because you absolutely fascinate me and I'm clearly not the only one."

I pushed away from him and continued up the passage.

"What was that for?" He questioned, jogging to keep up with me.

"What was what?"

"That," he emphasised, "Why did you change?"

"I didn't."

He span me, pinning my back against the wall and leaning in close in what was becoming his signature move with me. "Yes, you did. Now tell me what's on your mind, love."

I shook my head. "Nothing."

"If it puts that look in your eyes, it's not nothing."

I wondered how he could see my eyes in the dark, and they remembered he was a vampire. I knew very little about vampires so who knew what other little tricks he had up his sleeve.

I sighed heavily. "I just wonder if everyone will care so much when we get to the bottom of what I am."