A Girl in the Shadows

Chapter Fifteen

The courtyard was busy as ever. Students were eating, smoking, and fixated on their computers. There wasn't an empty table in sight, so I leaned against a garbage can. I was directly across from the back entrance of the Van. A few steps and I'd be inside. Get in there. Now.

"Just give me a minute," I said.

I took a few breaths to ease the pain. It was a worthless effort. A squirrel scurried near my feet. Oh, how I wished to be able to run after it. The two raw burgers were nowhere near enough blood to make up for what was lost. Open the doors and go in. I was feeble and fading, but still moving. Moving until I was stopped, at least. Tristan had his arms around me. Push him off. You have to get going. I couldn't fight anymore. I just couldn't.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tristan asked.

"How did you find me?"

"One, I'm a light sleeper. Two, my window faces the courtyard." He took my hand. "Come back with me. Your friend will freak if she sees that you're gone."

Tell him you have business to attend to.

"I think you're right," I said.

You're weak. I held on to Tristan as we made our way through the crowd and to his dorm. That's right, hold his hand. He looked down at me and smiled. Go ahead, Tali. Hold the hand of the boy whose sister you had for dinner. He scanned his ID and we went into the lobby.

"I wish we could be alone," he said, pressing the elevator button. "I didn't know you had a...friend."

"Kai is a special being. She has good intentions," I said.

He held me to his side in the elevator, down the hall, and lifted me back onto the bed. I crawled under the covers, trying to dream of a better life, but all I saw were hunters. Vampire hunters with all their ballistic gear raiding Austin Hall, kicking down the door, and barraging me with bullets. As I laid there, helpless, a dark figure came up to me, taking off my cloak. The vampire hunters were suddenly gone. All I could remember were those long black waves of hair, my cloak blowing backwards like a cape as it sped off down the hall.

When I awoke, the bright light was coming in through the slits of the closed blinds. Kai's snoring stopped. I rolled over. Tristan, Kai, and Liam were gone. My whole body still felt sore, but the pain in my abdomen was declining from a stabbing to a soreness. Drake sat on his bed across from me, pattering on the keyboard of his laptop. He looked away from the screen when he noticed my movement.

"Hey, how are ya' feeling? Any better?"

"Slightly." I moaned and stretched out my arms. "My apologies for last night. It won't happen again."

"Don't worry about it," he said.

"Where are the others?"

"They went to get lunch across the way. They just left a few minutes ago. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"Oh, I see."

I put my head back down and shut my eyes, covering them with my hand to block out the sun coming from the window next to me.

"Do you guys pretend to not like the light or something?" he asked.

I cracked my eye open. Drake's face was so inquisitive, so curious. I smiled at him. It confused me, but sometimes it was enjoyable to tell people about my miserable lifestyle.