Shadow Embraced (Haven Academy Book 1) [Completed]

Chapter 9

My eyes snap open. Sharp chills pierce my chest. I stare up at Rayne, who holds an empty cup in her hand.

"What the hell!" I jump out of bed and shake off the icy water.

"At least you're up now." She turns and looks in the mirror, straightening her ridiculously short uniform. "You don't want to be late today? Do you?"

I look around our room. How did I get back here? And I don't want to know how I ended up getting changed and put to bed. The last thing I can remember was Rome's golden eyes, then nothing.

I search for my uniform. The room looks spotless - well, at least my side does. I move to the cupboard and there it is, hanging crisp and clean, just like new.

My whole body screams in protest as I pull on the uniform. I feel like I've been shoved through a blender, then jumped on by a bunch of sumo wrestlers. I take a quick inventory of my assorted injuries before I force my shirt the rest of the way on. Aside from agonising muscle cramps most of the bruises I got from the fights have faded, which is kind of strange since it happened only a few hours ago. I guess that's another side effect courtesy of my father. The large welt snaking up my chest where Rome hit me that final time refuses to heal.

"Answer one question," Rayne says. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" I pull on my boots, cringing from the pain that surges through my body with the slightest movement.

"You, an unknown, unattractive stick figure, come here and immediately get the attention of the two most influential guys around." She shakes her head.

"What?" This news shocks me so much I almost miss the insult in her words. Bitch.

"Do you realise how many girls here would kill to switch places with you?" She lowers her voice.

"Be my guest, I don't want any of it."

"By the way." She opens the door and turns to me. "One of your unwanted admirers is waiting for you downstairs."

As I follow her, I run my hand through my hair. Do I really care how I look in front of some guy? Guess I do.

"Good morning." Daemon smiles at me once I leave the room.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Don't you remember? I was going to give you some help for Control." He walks down the stairs, toward the common room. "Let's get started while we still have the time."

Forcing my pain-wracked body to run, I catch up with him. Better accept any help being offered; I don't want to give Talon another excuse to publicly berate me.

"Where are we going?"

"I know a place," Daemon says, continuing down the hall without looking back at me. "Don't worry, we'll be alone."

"Isn't that the thing I have to worry about?" I mumble.

He stops and faces me. "You don't have to be scared." Moving closer, he says, "I don't bite... much."

He takes me to a spacious room. This is the first time I've been down here. A TV and lounge sit at one end of the room with numerous beanbags tossed haphazardly around. The far corner contains a miniature kitchen complete with fridge, sink and microwave.

The room's vacant except for a couple of laughing students, swinging their arms around in front of the TV. They both hold controllers for some video game. It looks like they're playing a souped-up version of tennis. The avatars on the screen move faster than I'm sure any console would allow them to.

Daemon walks over to the cabinet containing the entertainment system and moves casually behind it. Usually, you'd expect to find a tangle of cables connected to a power socket, but for some reason, it is far enough from the wall for two students to stand comfortably in the space between. Also, none of the cables are connected. Instead, they are plugged directly into a fluoro-orange grapefruit-sized crystal riddled with plugholes.

Daemon motions me over. Pushing aside a mat, he reveals a trapdoor and pulls it open.

"Coming?" He drops into the inky darkness below.

What do I have to lose? I lower myself through the hole and follow.

My sore muscles scream when I land. The low light filtering through the hatch is enough to prevent my eyes from adjusting; I can't see anything. The scent of dirt and mildew surrounds me.

The only sounds I hear come from footsteps running away. I had better keep up with him or I'll get lost down here. I chase after him, listening to catch each time he changes direction. Figuring out the turns using only my ears is hard, yet effective, considering I haven't hit a wall - yet.

When I am far enough from the hole for my night vision to kick in, shades of vermillion tint the air, giving me a chance to view my surroundings for the first time. Dirt walls on both sides of me. Tree roots rupture the ceiling far above me, twining their way around each other. Glad I'm not claustrophobic.

Other tunnels shoot off in all directions; there must be dozens of them. All of this runs under the school. How could someone have created something like this beneath the earth? There's no way all these tunnels are stable. Running around in narrow passageways gives me the creeps.

Daemon stops moving. He has to be right around the corner.

Dead end. An empty dead end. I stop and look around. Was I even following him?

"Up here." He dangles from the ceiling. "Mind your eyes."

Harsh afternoon sunlight floods the tunnel, searing my eyes, as Daemon opens a trapdoor. Everything is a big reddish-black blur. I stumble around, blinded for a few moments, before my vision repairs itself again, just in time to see Daemon climb through the hole in the roof.

The far wall of this blind alley is lumpy and uneven like a rock-climbing display. Various bumps and ridges snake their way up, creating a path to the trap door.

Climbing to the surface is effortless. It's as if my mind, with no conscious thought, selects the appropriate ridge for progression. Daemon reaches down and helps me through the hatch.

"Welcome to the Ruins."

I look around. It's nothing more than a decaying cabin. The early afternoon sun pierces the rotting wooden walls and gaping holes in the ceiling. Broken glass litters the ground.

The entire room resembles an apocalyptic parody of the dorm. A busted, leather couch perches against the far wall, facing a jury-rigged entertainment system someone has pieced together using odds and ends.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"The ghost town," he says. "It's away from the school; out here nobody will bother us. Students often use this place when they need some privacy."

He leads me outside to an intersection of two ancient streets. This looks like the place I was brought when I first came here. Trees tower over us. Branches and vines tangle around the warped buildings, strangling the town. Yep, same town. That means the creepy old hut has to be out here somewhere too. So, this is one way to get outside the gate?

Darting my gaze around the town, I consider making a runner now. Only I don't think I'd get very far before Daemon catches me, and then he'll know I'm not one of them. The only other thought pulsing through my mind is about my parents. I could run and try to get back to them, but what if I did attack them. Can I put them in danger just because I don't want to stay here? I don't know how dangerous I really am.

"Try to relax," he whispers in my ear, making me jump. "Don't worry, we're about to start lesson one."

"Okay." I take a few deep breaths. My getaway plans will have to wait, at least for now. "What do I need to do?"

"You've done it."

"What?"

"Just by getting here, you've completed your first lesson."

"All I did was run." I shake my head. If he's not going to teach me anything, I'm not going to stand a chance in Talon's class. I might as well be trying to learn all this crap by myself.

"Could you see me?"

"No."

"How did you know where to go?"

All these questions are getting annoying. "I listened and hoped I was heading the right way."

"Exactly. The first lesson is learning to listen to and trust your instincts. You can't do anything without the basics."

"I don't get what the point of that was."

He pushes away from me. "I'll show you."

I jump around to face him, but he's gone. I sweep my gaze around the clearing. I can't see him anywhere.

"Imagine you're going about your daily business..." His voice drifts from the surrounding rooftops. "Something happens..." Suddenly, somewhere else. "You need to be able to react before..." Strong arms lock around my neck, pulling me hard against his body.

I struggle to break his hold. I'm trapped. It's hard to breathe with him strangling me like this.

He releases me and steps away.

I collapse to the ground, gasping for air.

"If you can't focus your mind enough to see past distraction you will be left at the mercy of enemy forces. It's not pretty, but that is the way the world works." He offers me a hand and waits for me to accept. "I'm sorry, but it was the only way for me to demonstrate the importance of this exercise. I hope I didn't hurt you. You need to be able to focus, regardless of circumstance, or something serious could happen to you."

I nod. Why did he have to make such a strong point of it? Couldn't a stern lecture have worked instead?

"Okay, you try."

Catching my breath, I try to focus. My neck hurts, but I can't think of that. I have to concentrate. The wind howls down the desolate streets, singing a dirge for this long dead town. My heart races and I'm not sure if that's due to the closeness of Daemon or not. I can still feel his hands against my throat. Fear begs me to move away from him, but beneath that is the desire to be held again. This is nuts; it's like falling for the hunky guy you find out has been stalking you. Why does he have to be so close?

I gulp and push these thoughts away. I clear my mind and listen. Rushing water, pumping fast. I try to suppress a shiver as I realise what the sound is. Blood. My own and Daemon's, each rhythm twining together in a single harmony. The flow paints a clear image of my surroundings. It's peaceful.

Something to the east moves fast. My eyes snap open. "There's something coming."

Daemon looks shocked but quickly surveys the area.

"Maybe it's nothing."

"What does it smell like?" he asks. His voice remains steady, even though his gaze darts around.

"I can't..."

"Just concentrate."

I sniff the air. The stagnant scent of the town fills my nose. I don't know what I'm searching for. A breeze whips past me, carrying the stench of mouldering dirt and rotting meat. It's sickening.

My inner voice growls.

"Something dead," I whisper. I don't want to be here when it arrives - whatever it is.

"Are you sure?" He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I can't smell anything."

"As I said, maybe it's nothing," I say, ignoring the constant growling from my inner voice.

"It's funny actually." He gives a small chuckle.

"Why?"

"I've heard stories. This place is supposedly haunted."

"You can't be serious. There are no such things as ghosts," I say before I can stop myself. Hey, maybe in this world there are ghosts. I didn't believe in vampires a week ago, who knows what else is real.

"Well, back in the 30s, the council decided this area would make a perfect haven for our kind. Secluded land ripe for the taking." He lowers his voice and looks out into the ghost town. "Unfortunately, the Nons had already established a township in this valley, which meant a cleansing was required before settlement could begin. Swiftly a war-tribe was dispatched to eradicate the town. The entire valley was cleansed in a single night."

I remain silent. I don't know whether I should be shocked or not. Maybe this is normal in this world and if I throw up or do any other movement that any normal vampire wouldn't, Daemon might know I'm not who he thinks I am. I focus on keeping my expression blank.

"It is said that out of bloodshed a creature emerged, like us but not, one bent on murder and revenge. Punishment for the slaughter of the township people." He turns his attention to me. "The only way to tell when it is nearby is by the stench of rotting meat."

I wrap my arms around my body as a cold breeze sweeps past me.

"But it's only a story. We're the only monsters that exist. We're the ones that should be feared." He starts walking back to the hut we came from. "We'd better get back. Don't want to be late two days in a row."

"Yeah, and I think breakfast's a good idea now." I definitely need it after that weird lesson.