2 Whispering (13 page)

I was so fixated on warm coffee (whipped cream and chocolate being thrown into the mix couldn’t hurt) that I nearly tripped over the last step in the stairwell. I stumbled into the open main hallway on the first floor and crashed forward into the wall on the opposite side of the open door. The wall wasn’t as hard as it should be, though. In fact, it was a lot softer than I expected.

“Oomph.”

The wall grunted as I collided with it – making me realize that I hadn’t really run into a wall at all, but a person. I didn’t get a chance to register just whom I had run into before my forward momentum toppled us both to the floor.

I heard the sound of applause from the stairwell behind me as Mark and Paris reached the bottom of the steps.

“Smooth,” Paris laughed.

“What the hell?”

I rolled over to see whom I had landed on. I was surprised to find Zach spread eagle underneath me. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t you mean that you’re sorry for knocking me down?” Zach grumbled.

Actually, I was more interested in what he was doing here frankly. “I’m sorry. What are you doing here?”

“I followed you.”

“Why?”

I let Paris help me up from the ground while Mark helped Zach up at the same time. “You’re really graceful,” Paris teased.

“Yeah, I should be a ballerina,” I muttered.

“You in a pink tutu is a frightening thought,” Paris smiled.

Her words weren’t exactly making an impression on me, though. I swung back on Zach. “Why were you following us?”

“I wanted to see where you guys were going, jeez,” Zach dusted himself off and shot me a dirty look.

“Why?” The hair on the back of my arms was standing on end. Finding Zach in the stairwell below the second floor didn’t feel right to me.

“I was just curious,” Zach said. “I thought it was weird that you guys were leaving after dinner. Then I saw you come in here and figured you were smoking a joint or something.”

“That’s a great idea,” Mark said, wistfully glancing around the building. “No one would ever find us here.”

“That’s not what you were doing?” Zach asked suspiciously, shifting his gaze between the three of us. “What were you doing?”

“I was looking for an old building for my photography class,” Paris lied smoothly. “Zoe told me about Barnes Hall and I wanted to check it out.”

“After dark, in the middle of winter?” Zach didn’t look like he believed Paris, despite the fact that she hadn’t even as much as blinked during the recitation of her lie.

“I have a deadline coming up for midterms,” Paris said.

“It’s after dark, though?”

“So? It’s still only 7 p.m. It’s not like it’s really late or anything,” Paris said, flashing an irritated glance in Zach’s direction.

I had to admit, I was impressed with Paris’ lying skills. She would have come in handy in high school when I got caught climbing out my window in the middle of the night.

“Sorrrrreee,” Zach sang out sarcastically. “I just wanted to see what you guys were doing. What’s the big deal?”

“Nothing,” Paris shot back. “You just scared the crap out of us. This is a creepy building.”

“That’s why I thought it was weird you were in here.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

The four of us lapsed into uneasy silence. “We’re going to get coffee,” Mark broke in warily. “You want to get some with us?”

Zach shot a quizzical look in Paris’ direction. “Is that alright with you?”

“I don’t know,” Paris dug in her metaphorical heels. “I’ll have to think on it.”

“Let’s just get out of here,” I suggested. I was worried that Lisa would suddenly show up and then things would get really uncomfortable. “I could really use that coffee now.”

Paris, Mark and Zach filed in behind me and we all left the building together. I could hear Mark and Zach talking in low voices behind Paris and me. I tried to hear what they were saying, but I couldn’t quite make out the words.

When we stepped back out into the crisp night air I immediately stopped in my tracks. A dark figure was standing on the sidewalk in front of us. There were very few street lamps in the area, but I could tell who the figure was despite the limited light. “Rafael,” I greeted him, my breath hitching. What was he doing here?

Paris looked just as surprised as I was. “What are you doing here?” She turned her suspicious eyes away from Zach.

“Looking for Zoe,” Rafael shrugged and took a step forward. “Looks like I found her.”

“Who is this guy?” Zach sounded exasperated. “These guys just keep showing up.”

I heard Mark chuckle. “She’s a popular girl.”

“Too popular,” Zach grumbled. “And do they all have to look like models?”

I stood still and regarded Rafael. “I haven’t heard from you in weeks. I thought you were going to get back to me?”

“Something came up.”

“Something always comes up with you.”

“I thought we could . . . go for some coffee and talk. I have some things I want to tell you.”

Zach strode up and stood beside me, fixing Rafael with an icy stare as he did so. “We’re all going to the University Center for coffee. You can come with us.”

Rafael looked Zach up and down with his contemplative brown eyes and then quickly dismissed him. “It’s a private conversation.”

“Well then maybe you should make an appointment with her,” Zach suggested coldly.

“Maybe you should mind your own business.” Rafael’s voice was calm and even – but it was also chilling. He obviously didn’t like Zach.

“Maybe you should just leave,” Zach challenged him.

Rafael was nowhere near as muscular and big as Aric, but he was intimidating in his own right. People were a lot more leery of him than Aric, mostly because Aric was so much more overt, but Rafael’s menace was quiet and just as terrifying. Rafael took a step towards Zach. I had no idea what was about to happen but I stepped in between the two of them anyway.

“Zach, why don’t you go with Paris and Mark and I will catch up with you guys?” I spoke the words to Zach, but my gaze never left Rafael’s immovable face.

Zach looked like I had just punched him in the stomach. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re just going to go off with this guy?”

“We have a few things to discuss,” I said stiffly.

Zach looked at Paris incredulously. “You’re just going to leave her with him?”

“She’ll be fine,” Paris said. “Rafael will make sure she gets back to the dorms, right?”

Rafael nodded at Paris and then turned his attention back to me. He held out his hand for me to take – a further gut punch for Zach. I ignored his outstretched hand and headed in Rafael’s direction. “You’re such a people person,” I chided him.

“I’m not here to win any personality awards,” Rafael said.

I glanced over my shoulder to see that Paris and Mark had already started heading towards the University Center. Zach’s eyes were fixed on me for a few more seconds but then he resignedly turned and followed Paris and Mark. Once they were out of sight, I slowed and turned to Rafael. “Where have you been?”

“I told you, I’ve been busy.”

“Well, a lot has been going on around here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that two girls have gone missing from campus in the past two months.”

Rafael didn’t look surprised by the new information. “I know.”

“How do you know?”

“This place has a steady stream of information coming out of it. You should be aware of that. The question is, how did you find out?”

I thought about lying to him, but I didn’t really see the a reason to muster the effort. In the end, I told him everything. When I was done, Rafael looked impressed.

“So Blake is still trying to recruit you?”

“I guess.”

“And you’re still telling him no?”

“I have no interest in being part of his little crusade,” I said.

“That must be driving him crazy.”

“It seems to be.”

“Well, that helps improve my day.”

I shook my head at Rafael. “You’re unbelievable.”

“What?”

“Never mind,” I said exasperatedly. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I wasn’t,” Rafael said. “I was actually going to try and find your ghost when I saw you. It just seemed easier to lie than tell the truth.”

“Then why did you make me stay with you?”

“I don’t like that guy,” Rafael said simply.

“You don’t like anyone.”

“This is true,” Rafael said simply.

“So what do you know?”

“What do you mean?” Rafael furrowed his brow in confusion.

“You must have been coming to talk to Lisa for a reason?” I prodded him.

“I wanted to ask her how she died.”

“She doesn’t remember.”

“She told you that?”

“Yeah. I’ve asked her several times. I told her it’s even more important to remember now that these new girls have gone missing. She says she’s going to try harder.”

“You think the disappearances now are tied to the disappearances in 1975?” Rafael was testing me.

“Yeah, and so do you.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re here.”

“I could just be trying to help Lisa move on,” Rafael said pragmatically.

“You don’t seem like the altruistic type.”

Rafael smirked. “I’m wounded.”

“No you’re not. The question is, what do you think is doing this?”

“Why did you say what instead of who?”

“Because, if this is the same person, he’d be forty years older now. If he was human, that would be quite a feat – for a sixty something guy to take down a teenage girl and overpower her without her outrunning him or something.”

“And?”

“And? And that means it’s probably a supernatural.”

“You’re getting better at this,” Rafael acknowledged. “Yeah, I think it’s a supernatural.”

“A vampire?”

“Perhaps, but I don’t think so. Vampires kill for food. They don’t take the time to hide the bodies.”

“What about a werewolf?”

“Werewolves are like rabid dogs. When they kill someone, it’s usually because they’ve played with them to death and it’s more an accident than anything else. Unless it’s some psychopathic werewolf, I don’t see the motive.”

“Then, what, a witch?”

“That’s a possibility, but that doesn’t feel right to me.”

“What does feel right to you?”

“I don’t know,” Rafael admitted. “The pieces aren’t fitting yet.”

“What other kinds of supernatural beings are running around this campus? What else could it be?”

“I don’t know and until we find out, you should be careful about going out on campus after dark by yourself,” Rafael warned.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” I said dryly.

“I’m not joking,” Rafael said earnestly. “You could be in particular danger.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you’ve been talking to Lisa and, despite what you may think, there are a lot of people aware of you on this campus,” Rafael said. “People are starting to talk.”

“About me? Why?”

“What happened on Halloween isn’t exactly a secret,” Rafael said. “When something that big happens on a campus this small it gets around.”

“Why would I be a topic of conversation?” I pressed him.

“You’re the new player,” Rafael said. “Everyone is interested in testing the new player.”

Well, that didn’t sound good.

Rafael walked me back to the dorms – even buying me a coffee along the way to replace the one I should have had with Paris, Mark and Zach. When we got to the big double doors on the main floor, he paused and gave me a harsh look. “Promise me you won’t go out after dark alone.”

“Okay, dad.”

“I’m not joking. If you get in trouble, don’t hesitate to call me.”

“I don’t have your phone number,” I reminded him.

Rafael sighed and reached into my pocket to pull out my cell phone. I watched as he programmed his number into it and then handed it back to me. “If you get in real trouble, you might want to consider bringing Winters in on this, too.”

“I’m not talking to him right now,” I said obstinately.

“Why?” Rafael asked curiously.

Because he was flirting with a hot girl at the University Center. “Because every time I run into him he acts like a jerk.”

“He is a jerk, make no mistake,” Rafael agreed. “He is also willing to help you and, loathe as I am to admit it, he is capable of protecting you.”

“You’re really worried?”

“I am,” Rafael nodded. “Things are going to start happening fast. I can feel it. Just be aware of what is going on around you.”

“I will,” I said solemnly.

“I’ll be in touch.” Rafael turned to leave.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”

“I will be close. Don’t doubt that.” With those words, Rafael disappeared into the dark.

“Seriously, why can’t I attract a normal guy?” I muttered to myself.

When I got up to the fifth floor I saw a figure sitting in the hallway outside of Laura’s room. As I got closer, I realized it was actually Laura.

“What’s up?”

Laura’s pale face turned towards me but she didn’t immediately recognize me. One look at her, though, and I could tell she was completely blitzed.

“Zoe!” Laura squealed when she finally saw me and her brain clicked with my identity. “It’s my friend Zoe,” she announced to the empty hallway.

“How much have you had to drink?”

“I’m not drunk,” Zoe protested. “I only had a few drinks.”

“Why are you drinking on Monday?” I glanced around. “Why are you drinking alone on a Monday?”

“I wasn’t alone,” Laura corrected me. “I was at my brother’s apartment. I drank with them. They just dropped me off a few minutes ago.”

“Why are you in the hallway?”

“I’m just resting before I go to bed.”

Well, it was a long walk. She still had a full two feet to go. I could see why she felt the need to rest. Instead of helping her up, though,  I sank down on the floor next to her. This was the chattiest she had been in weeks. “So, how are things?”

“They’re great,” Laura laughed. “Can’t you tell? I’m hanging out with all my friends on a Monday night. What’s not great about that?”

“You seem a little depressed.”

“I’m not depressed. I’m happy. Happy, happy, happy.”

Obviously.  “Laura, you can’t let the fact that Mark and Paris are together get you down,” I started. “There are a lot of guys on this campus. Just pick another one.”

Laura looked at me incredulously. “I’m not depressed about Mark and Paris.”

“Maybe depressed isn’t the right word,” I agreed. “Sad. You shouldn’t be sad about it.”

“I am not sad!”

“Fine, you’re not sad.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re not.”

“I’m happy.”

“Clearly.”

“So, what did you do tonight?” Laura changed the subject.

I considered how much I should tell her. What the hell? I told her everything. I thought it might distract her from her “happy” thoughts about Mark and Paris. When I was done, she looked surprised.

“So what do you think is doing this?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I don’t know very much about other supernatural creatures.”

“There are a lot out there,” Laura agreed. “There’s Morgens, lesser gods, greater gods, sphinxes, standard demons, you name it.”

Holy crap.

“What are Morgens?”

“Sea monsters.”

“Sea monsters are real, like Loch Ness?”

“Yep.”

“And sphinxes? Statues that come alive and try to kill you?”

“They’re not statues,” Laura laughed. “The Egyptians made them into benign statues. Greek sphinxes are a completely different thing. People believe they’re mostly women, but that’s not true.”

“And gods?”

“They’re all real,” Laura said tiredly. “I’m surprised you haven’t talked about this more with Paris.”

“I guess I’ll have to.”

“Yeah,” Laura sighed. “Paris knows everything. That’s why everyone loves her.”

I got to my feet, pulling Laura up with me as I did. “You need to go to bed.”

“That sounds like a really good idea,” Laura agreed.



I left Laura in Michelle’s capable hands and went down to my own room. I was glad to find Paris alone in the common room when I entered.

“What did Rafael have to say? Zach is a little miffed, by the way.”

Zach’s issues were so far off my radar right now they didn’t even ping. I told Paris what Rafael had told me which, admittedly, wasn’t much. I also told her about my run-in with Laura down the hall.

“I don’t see how this is my fault,” Paris said.

“I didn’t say it was your fault,” I countered. “I want to know what other kinds of supernaturals are out there.”

“Zoe, there are so many that I couldn’t even begin,” Paris said. “We have to narrow down the list before we can even begin to start researching. There’s just too many.”

“Define many. Hundreds? Thousands?”

“Try hundreds of thousands,” Paris said.

“No way.”

“Yes way. The good thing we have going for us is that we can eliminate a lot of them by location.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we’re not by any bodies of water – fresh water or salt water – so all the water-based monsters can be eliminated,” Paris started. “I think it’s fair to say that we can eliminate any monsters that prefer warmth, too.”

“So how many does that leave us with?”

“We’ve still got thousands to consider.”

“Where do we start?”

“Rafael didn’t have any ideas?”

“He said he’d get back to me.”

“We’ve heard that before.”

“Yeah.”

“What about Aric?”

“What about Aric?” I asked shrilly.

“Why don’t you call him and tell him what we’ve found out.”

“I’m not speaking to him.”

“Oh, well, that’s mature,” Paris said. “Girls are disappearing on campus and you’re letting jealousy get in your way.”

“I am not jealous.”

“Oh, please,” Paris waved her hand dismissively. ”If you were any more jealous you’d turn into the Incredible Hulk.”

I pursed my lips in Paris’ direction. “The Incredible Hulk turns green because he’s mad, not jealous.”

“Whatever.”

I got to my feet and stormed into the bedroom. “I’m not jealous.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“I am not jealous,” I repeated one more time for good measure.

What? I’m not.