Afterlife ↠ Argent [1]

19. Unraveling

Last night was definitely the best moment of my life--well, best moment of my afterlife. I remembered Allison waking up this morning with a huge yet sleepy smile on her face, her hair a little messy from her sleep, but she still looked gorgeous as always. A yawn had escaped her mouth before she had remembered that she still had school; and that she slept in.

I had just sat there and laughed as she scrambled out of bed to get ready, running to the bathroom while yelling, "Shut up, Corey!" I guess it was a good thing that her parents weren't home. Actually, I wondered where they went to so early. I had heard them leave earlier, but I didn't really think much about it.

So in a couple of minutes, Allison was soon dressed and ready to go to school. She had somehow managed to touch up her bed head with a few new curls, but either way she looked beautiful. She had also grabbed her bag and yelled at me to come on, or else she would leave me here. I guess you can say I followed after her fast.

But now we were at school, sitting in her grandfathers office. I had followed her inside when he called her down to talk about something, but we weren't sure about what yet. It still baffled me that Gerard was even the school principle, but I guess hunters find a way to get whatever they want. Only I'm unsure why he would want to be school principle anyways.

"So I heard you're studying with a friend later tonight," Gerard says as he sits down at his desk, staring at Allison as if he wanted her to pour out all of the information she knew.

Allison shifts positions in her chair. "Yeah, Lydia and I are for World History. We've got a big exam coming up."

"History was one of my favorites," Gerard says with a brighter tone, rising his eyebrows. "Especially military history. Ever hear the phrase...know thy enemy?"

Allison nods her head as I raise an eyebrow. "It's from The Art of War by Sun Tzu."

"Very good. Know what it means?" Gerard says while lifting his chin, and it appeared to me that he was hinting towards something bigger.

Allison lowers her head. "In order to win a battle, one must know everything they can about their enemy."

"Right again," Gerard says, raising his eyebrows. "Your father and I happen to be having that very problem, actually. We've got an enemy that we know next to nothing. It's killed one of our own."

Allison's jaw tightens. "Oh."

"Did you hear that Jackson Whittemore didn't show up to school today?" Gerard urges farther, causing Allison to glance over at me briefly. It was like she needed help with a reply, but what was I supposed to do?

Allison's hands fall into her lap as she cocks her head slightly. "He didn't?"

"His parents called and said that they called the police," he says as a small smirk dances across his lips. I could tell that he knew something more, and he was playing Allison. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

Allison sounds firm. "No."

Gerard lifts his chin. "Now, let me tell you that I know that a teenagers first reaction is to protect their friends, and I even believe that my own grand-daughter would do anything to protect her friends, even if that meant lying."

"I'm not lying," Allison says, shaking her head. If I wouldn't have actually known, I would have believed her. Instead, Gerard stands up and walks over behind Allison, placing two fingers on her neck.

"I'm going to ask again, but this time, with a small advantage," he says as he presses his fingers harder. I knew then that he was going to feel her pulse to see if it raises, indicating if she was lying or not. "Do you know anything about Jackson being missing?"