My heartbeat pounded in my ears. I quickly put my fork down so that no one would see that my hands were shaking. But I met Nick’s gaze across the table and said, “No. I’m not. But we were friends. He had a girlfriend, Elodie Parris. She was one of the girls killed by a demon at Hecate.”
My words hung in the air for a minute while Nick and I stared each other down. He broke first. “Okay, well good, then,” he said, his voice jovial. “Glad we got that cleared up. Just wanted to be sure your boyfriend wouldn’t be dropping by with any of his buddies.” He smiled at me, and it was easily one of the scariest things I’d ever seen.
Roderick cleared his throat. “Nick, please remember your manners,” he said. “Sophie is our guest.”
“I’m just making conversation, Rod,” Nick said. “After all, involvement with The Eye is something me and Sophie have in common.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Oh, just that they tried to kill me too.” He leaned back in his chair and tugged his shirt up, revealing a vicious purple scar that snaked from his waistband to just below his sternum.
Everyone at the table was deathly silent, and next to me, Daisy shuddered.
“I was fifteen when they found me. Living in a foster home in Georgia, not knowing why I could make things happen with my mind. Not knowing much of anything, for that matter.”
“Nick doesn’t remember anything before he was thirteen,” Daisy interjected, her voice so quiet I could barely hear her.
Nick nodded. “I was homeless for a while, but then the great state of Georgia took me in. Shuffled me off to the Hendricksons’ house.” He snorted. “Which ended up really sucking for the Hendricksons. The Eye killed all four of them while they were trying to kill me.”
“How did you get away?” Jenna asked. Her shoulders were tense, and I know she was remembering her own escape from The Eye.
Nick shot another look at me. “Used my powers. Figured that made more sense than attempting hand-to-hand, you know?” Something crackled against my skin like electricity, and Daisy’s hair ruffled. There was a distant look on Nick’s face as he continued. “One of the guys caught me as I was trying to get out a window. He had this black knife.” The china on the table began to rattle, and I saw Kristopher and Elizabeth shoot each other worried looks. “I didn’t know what demon-glass was then,” Nick said, “but I knew it hurt like a mother—”
Suddenly, Lara reappeared in the doorway. “Nick,” she said, her tone just a little too sharp. “Perhaps that story can wait for a more appropriate time. If you’re finished with breakfast, why don’t you and Daisy go practice the exercises Mr. Atherton taught you?”
Just like that, the surge of power evaporated, and I let out the breath I hadn’t known I was holding.
“Sure thing, Lara,” Nick said, smiling that creepy smile again. He rose from the table, and Daisy followed suit. “Oh yeah,” he added. “Meant to ask if Daisy and I can take Sophie and her friends out tonight.”
I started at that. After what I’d just seen, the last thing I wanted to do was go anywhere with these two.
“Out where?” Lara asked.
“Just to the village. Isn’t she here this summer to spend more time with her own kind?”
Lara hesitated, and Nick went in for the kill. “James asked me specifically to take Sophie under my wing, Lara,” he said, laying a hand on my shoulder. It took everything I had not to throw it off.
Still not totally convinced, Lara said, “I’ll talk to James this afternoon and see what he thinks. Now go on.”
Nick gave my shoulder a squeeze before he and Daisy headed out of the room. Cal, Jenna, and I sat in silence, staring at each other. At least now I knew how Elodie, Chaston, and Anna had pulled off that three-way glance thing. Finally, the other Council members and various underlings trickled out of the room until it was just the three of us.
It was Jenna who spoke first. “So that was creepy as all get-out.”
I shivered. “No lie. Captain Mood Swing totally gives demons a bad name, which is quite an accomplishment.”
But Jenna shook her head. “It wasn’t him. Well, I mean, it was him, but not just him. It was the Council members. Did you see how weird they were with Nick and Daisy? Nick looked like he was seconds from blowing us all away, and no one said anything. And that stuff about changing his room?”
“Makes sense that they’re scared of him,” I said. “I’m a demon and I’m scared of him.”
“How can those two be demons?” Cal asked, leaning back in his chair. “I thought that ritual had been destroyed after Alice.”
“Apparently not,” I said. “But it’s not so much the how that bugs me as the why. I mean, it’s not like demon raising went so well for them the last time they tried it.”
I got up from the table, carrying my plate to the buffet. The others had used magic to dispose of their dishes.
“If your dad says it’s okay, do you want to go out with them tonight?” Jenna asked, rising to stand beside me.
“Not really. But I still think we should. Might give us a good chance to learn more about what’s going on here.”
Jenna bumped her hip against mine. Or at least she tried to. She’s so short that it was more like her hip against my thigh. “I love when you think all deviously, Soph.”
Cal smiled at us, and my face flushed. Seriously, what was going on with me?
Jenna looked back and forth between us. “Oh! I just remembered, I need to, uh, unpack some more stuff, so I’m…gonna go do that. Come find me in a little while, and we can do some more exploring.” By which of course she meant, Come find me when you’re done talking to and/or making out with Cal, then tell me everything. Jenna may have been a vampire, but she was still a girl.
But as soon as she left the room, Cal rose to his feet. “I promised your dad I’d check out one of the gardens this morning.” He wiggled his fingers, and little silver sparks flew between them.
“Right,” I said, relieved. “Go work your plant mojo, and we can, uh, talk or whatever later.”
“Sounds like a plan.” His voice was low, and I felt a shiver race up my spine. I think he could tell, because he kind of laughed before saying, “I’ll see you later, Sophie.”
Once he was gone, the room felt bigger again, and I sagged back against the buffet.
Lara stuck her head in the door. “Sophie? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine. Just, you know…” I waved my hand. “Adjusting.”
“It is a lot to take in, I know,” she replied, her voice sympathetic. “When your father—”
I didn’t want to hear anything about Dad, so I cut her off, even though I felt bad doing it. “It’s fine. I’ve had lots of experience dealing with new places.”
And, I thought, I’m already doing better than I had my first day at Hex Hall. No one’s slobbered on me, I haven’t developed an inappropriate crush, and I haven’t made any enemies yet. Well, there’s Nick, but he’s nothing compared to Elodie—
Suddenly I remembered my promise to Jenna to tell Mrs. Casnoff about Elodie. I really didn’t want to have to find a vampire pony. I could use the cell phone Lara had given me to call Hecate, but no one could put you on the spot like Mrs. Casnoff, and I knew she’d have a bajillion questions. From me, there would be stuttering and lots of “ums,” and “I don’t knows,” and I wasn’t in the mood to deal with it. Then I remembered the sweet, shiny laptop in my room. “Lara, do you know Mrs. Casnoff’s e-mail address?”
“Certainly. It’s ACasnoff at Hecate dot edu.”
Great. I may not have to give Jenna a vampire pony, but now I would have to give her ten bucks.
Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in front of my computer, typing out an e-mail to Mrs. Casnoff. I tried to make it sound as casual as possible, and I used the phrase “it’s no big deal” twice. Still, I hesitated before sending it. What if Elodie acknowledging me actually was a big deal? I wasn’t sure I could handle much more weirdness. Besides, that feeling was back, and when I took a deep breath, trying to make it go away, I caught the faint whiff of smoke.
But I’d promised Jenna.
So I sent it.