Night After Day

Chapter 40: HeartBeat

"What did he mean about "Tainted blood"?"

Angeline stared at me across the coffee table and then sighed, crossing her legs. "I thought you wouldn't have figured out that already."

I had an idea... But I just needed to hear it from her.

Angeline stood and walked over to the window. While she did I desperately wiped my sweating hands on my jeans. She turned back and I did my best to look as unconcerned as I could manage.

"Your blood is currently full of poison. And that poison would be bad to drink in large quantities."

My face, I hoped, remained steady but the gears in my mind were beginning to turn again. "Oh."

Angeline rubbed her forehead and I came to the conclusion that she was tired. I didn't even know that vampires could get tired. Did they sleep? I was kinda running off Twilight and as far as I could remember, I was pretty sure I would have noticed if Angeline looked like a bag of sequins. So I didn't think Twilight was a reliable source of information.

"So Hayden."

"Mmmhmmmmm?"

Angeline smiled. "What have you and Jason been up to recently?"

"Drinking tea."

Angeline laughed. "Hayden, you know as well as I do that you hate tea."

"I don't know.. It was REALLY good tea." She was being strangely calm after what happened last time we spoke.

Angeline pursed her lips and her eyes landed on my hands which were clasped in my lap. "How are your hands healing up?"

My fist clenched over my other hand and Angelines eyes narrowed. "Not too well it seems."

"They'll be fine." Even to me my voice was starting to sound a little strained.

"Hayden. I don't know if you have noticed.... But there have been whispers around the kitchens and halls. I don't want to believe them but I need to cover all my bases and I just wanted to rule you out."

"What kind of whispers?" I focused on keeping my heartbeat steady. Very likely that they were the whispers of the werewolves. The fact that I had never been very good at lying to humans made me relieved that Jason had refrained from telling me the entire plan.

"No need to concern yourself with such matters. They will soon be dealt with. It's only a matter of time."

I found myself nodding and breathing evenly.

"Your heart rate is strangely high." Angeline walked over to a table and brought a cup of water over.

"Must be the poison." I gave a tight smile as she handed me the glass but Angeline looked far from convinced.

"Hayden. You need to understand that I'm protecting you."

"What?" I shook my head incredulously at her but let her finish.

"I am... I really am." She kept her eyes on water in the glass. I realised that the slight shaking of my hands were disturbing the liquid and I put the glass down. "You don't know what is like out there. You are much safer in here. People would take advantage of you... And there are secrets that must not be uncovered... Not for anything. In here you're safe!"

Wipe your mouth, I think there's a little bit of bullshit around your lips.

"If you have heard anything, SEEN anything, you must tell me. Please understand."

I nodded and stood up, heading for the door. As I reached for the handle there was a hand on my shoulder. I kept calm, and turned back to the vampire. There was a curious look in her eyes.

"Before you go. I need to ask you one question."

Oh no.

"Sure."

"Where did you get the spare antidote that you had on you while you were attempting to escape? The one that Cole crushed?"

Jason.

I knew immediately that I couldn't lie about this. That information was going to put her on even higher alert than she already seemed to be.

You're rubbish.

Suddenly I couldn't move, not a muscle. And the voice came to me again.

I don't know how you managed to survive without me, Hayden, but you're going to need my help with this one.

My mouth suddenly moved of its own accord.

"It was one of the ones you gave to me. But I had been working the poison out of my system for a long enough time that I just managed to skip a day." My mind spun wildly. What was that? That wasn't me talking! The strange feeling came over me again and I realised that my heartrate was smooth.

Angelines blue eyes searched my face and then she smiled, hopefully coming to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong.

I could move again. I resisted gasping as the pressure disappeared and only just managed to succeed.

"Thankyou. You may go."

I hurried out that door and down the hallway. Beginning to make my way back to Jason's room I stopped and frowned, turning around back the way I had come and set off as far away from everyone as I could. Something was different in me. It wasn't just becoming a werewolf. Or my own views that had changed. I had the strangest feeling. Almost like I wasn't alone.

I needed to find out who this person was in my thoughts.