CHAPTER 8
Isabel was restless. She was tossing and turning in bed, her head spinning with what Ava and Oz told her about the vampires. A battle was brewing, and she still had no idea how she was going to stop it. She thought about visiting the cells again, but then she decided it was too risky. Isabel sat up, dangling her feet over the side of the bed, contemplating her next move. Her staying up all night resulted in nothing but more nerves, more questions. She decided she had to snoop around if she was going to take matters into her own hands. She got up, threw her robe on and stepped outside, wandering about aimlessly until she heard Analise’s voice. Isabel felt her skin crawl. She looked around, but there was nothing.
“You don’t understand, someone broke in there last night, I don’t know how the hell it happened!” she heard the voice say. Isabel cocked her head to the side, and when she realized she was standing right outside Analise’s room, she moved in closer, trying to listen in on what was happening. The walls were thin, a bit too thin, and Isabel knew that all this talk was about her. The thought made her sick.
“What do you mean “broke in”?” another voice said. Isabel immediately recognized it as Gavin’s.
“I went down there and I literally saw the iron bars, they were pushed apart, like someone had broken in,” Analise said. Isabel could just feel the tension radiating through the walls.
“And who do you think did this?” a third voice asked. Isabel squinted, trying to identify who it belonged to; it was a strange voice, an unfamiliar one, but there was something about it that made Isabel curious. A part of her felt like she heard this voice somewhere before, and yet she felt like it belonged to a stranger.
“Who do you think?” Analise asked, rather sarcastically. There was silence. “Tell him, Gavin.”
“It was Isabel,” he said after a long pause.
“Wait, has anyone gone missing?” the unfamiliar voice asked.
“No, I checked. Everything’s in its place,” she said. “That’s not the point… now that she knows where the place is, not even a lock can stop her! She’s too powerful, you don’t understand, this is dangerous.”
There was a pause. Isabel could just feel the tension building up inside the room. Of course they would find out I did it, she thought. She contemplated running away, but then decided against it. There was a pretty good chance they were going to say something useful. “Gavin,” Analise said. “Did you lock my room the other night?”
Another pause. “Yes,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I locked it.”
“So she must’ve used the stairs, like last time,” she said. “Gavin, you need to keep an eye on her more, she can’t just roam around like that.”
“What do you want me to do, tie her to the bed?” he asked.
Another pause. At that moment, Isabel felt like she was this close to running away. Her feet were itching, as if enticed by some invisible force. She had never been so scared in her life. Ever since Gavin saw her down there, she had been having trouble keeping it together. No matter how much she liked to deny it, even to herself, Isabel knew they were going to find out that it was her, and they were going to come after her. “Isabel,” she heard Gavin say. She could feel her heart drop to her knees. Were they going to come out looking for her?
“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Analise snapped. “You just let her roam around like that?”
“Well, I suppose you think you could’ve done a better job? Listen, here, Analise, don’t forget your place.”
The tension was oozing through the paper-thin walls. “I have a lot on my plate, Gavin, and you know that!”
“Hey, I think you need to calm down, what if the newcomers hear us?” the third voice said.
“He fucked up, Mikael,” Analise said. “He needs to get it together, or our plan’s bust.”
Isabel took a step back. Mikael. She wondered what he looked like in real life, but for now, his identity remained unknown, behind the closed doors. Isabel wished she could just barge in and tell them she was on to them. She wished she could get rid of them. She had contemplated using her powers to demolish Analise, but the funny thing was, she didn’t even know if that was possible. How was killing a vampire even possible? Did it involve a wooden stake to the heart, like what you see in the movies? Isabel didn’t know. The tougher question, though, was how was killing a shape shifter possible? She needed to do her research. There was no Internet access, not much technology and very few resources to get through to the outside world. If she was going to find out information about vampires that didn’t involve watching modern day soap operas, then she had to start digging. “Alright,” Analise said again. This time, her voice was calmer. “Did Isabel see anything she wasn’t supposed to see?” she asked.
“She didn’t,” Gavin said. “She can’t do anything, I’ve got her under my control.” Isabel stomped her foot just hearing that. “What was that?”
Isabel took off. She could feel her feet taking her to the far end of the corridor, but before she could round the corner, she heard Analise’s vicious voice call her name. “Isabel, can I have a word with you for a second?” Isabel turned around and walked back. She couldn’t let them know she heard anything.
“Hey!” she said, faking a smile. “How are you? I was just going to get something to eat, you want to join?” Isabel could feel Analise’s eyes boring into her. Her eyes were like daggers, and they were piercing into her soul. Suddenly, Isabel didn’t feel safe. Something told her to make a run for it, so she did. Seconds later, she felt a pair of claws grab her from behind, and then another hand came over her mouth, shutting her up completely. She could feel herself being lifted off the floor, and she was kicking at the air with her feet, trying to break free from their grip. But it was no use: whatever had a hold on her was extremely strong. She could only see the ceiling, but she could tell the hallway was completely empty, like everyone had disappeared into thin air. Isabel twisted her neck around, the sound of feet clicking against the hardwood floor echoing in her ears. Where was everyone? “Let me go, let me go!” she mumbled under Gavin’s hand. Suddenly she felt an incline, like her body was being carried down the stairs.