Afterlife (30 page)

“Yes.” There was a strange note in his voice. Uncertainty.
Fear pierced me; Dad must have seen it, because he quickly shook his head.
“Your mother loves you. She
just .
. . she can’t
accept that something so terrible has happened to you. That’s what upsets her.
But it means the world to her to be able to be with you again.”

Something so terrible.Those words resonated with me, not in
a good way. I wanted to turn them over in my mind and discover why, but there
was no time — I could hear my mother’s footsteps on the thick carpet of pine
needles upon the ground.

I peeifed past my father, searching for her. As a wraith, my
night vision was no longer as sharp as it had been during my vampire life. So I
heard my mother gasp first.

“Mom?” I stepped away from my dad, venturing closer to the
edge of the grove, and then I saw her. She stood shock — still, trembling
slightly, hands shoved into the pockets of her long coat. “Mom, it’s me.”

“Oh, my God.” Her voice was almost too quiet to hear. “Oh,
my God.”

She didn’t seem to be able to move, so I went to her — not
running, as I had toward my father, but going slow, giving her time to take it
in. Mom’s face didn’t move; she just blinked at me, for all the world like a
rabbit too scared to run away from the hunter. But when I finally got close to
her, she sucked in a deep breath and said, “Bianca.”

Then her arms were around me, and my dad was hugging both of
us, and for a short time there was nothing but warmth and tears and us saying 192
how much we loved each other. It was pretty much totally incoherent, but I didn’t
care. The only thing that mattered was that I finally had my whole family back
again.

“My baby,” she said as we broke apart at last. “My poor
baby. Are you — trapped here?”

“Not trapped, but no thanks to Mrs. Bethany.” Time to bring
that up later, I decided. “This is one of the places I can travel, and stay. I’ve
been here for a while now, because Lucas is here” — my mother’s eyes narrowed,
but I kept going
— ”
and Balthazar, Patrice, Vic,
Ranulf, you guys, everyone.”

She glanced from me to my father. “You’ve been here for the
last couple of months, and you can
just .
. . hang out
with your friends? As
though
it were normal?”

“It is normal,” I said. “For me, anyway.”

“We can — we can fix up your old room.” Mom smiled
hesitantly. “You could live up there with us, if you wanted to.”

The thought of hanging out in my bedroom, watching winter
snow fall on the gargoyle’s head, seemed like the loveliest pastime imaginable.
“I can already travel there. If you guys make it safe for me, I’ll be up there
the whole time.” Mom’s expression clouded. “Safe. You mean — getting rid of the
traps.”

“Your mother is frightened,” Dad interjected. “She’s
disturbed by what we’ve seen here so far.”

“Most wraiths aren’t like the ones trapped here at
Evernight.” I knew I needed to set the record straight. “Some of them, yeah,
they get creepy.
just
like some vampires do. But there
are a lot of them who aren’t that different from me. They’re — they’re just
people. You don’t stop being who you are just because you died.”

My mother clearly hadn’t been convinced. “Then why are there
so many attacking this school?”

“They’re attacking this school because they’ve been drawn
here. Trapped here. By Mrs. Bethany,” I insisted.

To my surprise, Dad cut in again. “Celia, think about this.
Everything Mrs. Bethany’s taught us, warned us about at this school — it’s more
about attack than defense. I think she’s known since the beginning.”

“Exactly,” I said. “She’s been planning to capture the
ghosts all along
— ”

Before I could finish, revealing the miracle within Mrs.
Bethany’s plotting, my dad continued, “What I mean is, she’s always known about
193 Bianca.”

Mom’s hand clutched at the neck of her coat, gathering the wool
together against a new chill. “Adrian, what are you talking about?”

He said, “I mean that Mrs. Bethany is after the wraith, and
she always knew that our Bianca had a chance to turn into a wraith someday.
Looking back, I suspect that’s why we were offered jobs here in the first
place.”

“Mrs. Bethany is after the wraiths,” Mom said. “And you
think Mrs. Bethany is specifically after Bianca. That can’t be true. Why would
she do it?”

 Everything fell into place. Mrs. Bethany wanted to
live again. She knew that capturing wraiths gave her the power to create life —
but only the sacrifice of a powerful, stable wraith would ensure her sanity
after the transformation. And I, thanks to my special status as a born wraith,
the many relationships that anchored me to this world, and the guidance of
other powerful spirits that had found me when they, too, were drawn to
Evernight — I would be a perfect example.

I was Mrs. Bethany’s best chance at returning to life. Not
for one second did I think she would hesitate; if she could resurrect herself
by murdering me, she would do it, gladly.

“I know why,” I said. They took hands, as if expecting a
terrible blow, and I broke it to them as gently as I could.

 The rest of our family reunion wasn’t as heartwarming
as I might’ve wished. When Mom and Dad weren ‘t sick with anger at Mrs.
Bethany, they were angry at themselves for coming to Evemight Academy in the
first place. Instead of reminding them that I’d been against this plan from the
start sometimes “I told you so” isn’t the best thing to say, even if later
events have proved you totally correct
— !
told them
what my friends and I were planning. They agreed to serve as chaperones for the
Autumn Ball, the better to make sure that the rest of us would be able to leave
and return easily. Although they were thrilled that Balthazar and Patrice were
playing a role in this, they both went very quiet anytime I mentioned Lucas.
Rather than force the issue, I hoped they would wind up talking to him on the
night of the ball. By cooperating on a common goal, maybe they could find a way
to 194 be civil to each other.

Because of that, I started looking forward to the ball — the
dance, the hunt, everything. By the time the night arrived, I was way too
excited to just lurk in the great hall until everyone arrived. I dedded to
enjoy some vicarious glamour by visiting Patrice’s room and helping her get
ready for the dance.

The envy almost did me in. Her ball gown looked like it cost
more than some cars. The ice blue sheath was beaded from straps to hem, and her
shoes were embroidered in fine crystals. “Why couldn’t I appear in a dress like
that?” I said wistfully, helping to hold back the rest of her hair as she
worked on the last few fine braids. “It’s sort of a wraith — y color. Way more
angelic than these stupid pajamas.”

“They’re cute pajamas, and thank goodness.” Patrice squinted
at the mirror. Like most vampire girls at the school, she’d cut back on her
blood to look thinner and hungrier at the dance; however, that meant she no
longer reflected in a mirror very well. “If you ‘ d died in one of those old T —
shirts you used to sleep in sophomore year? I shudder to think.”

“Even if these were the cutest pajamas in the world, an
evening gown would have to be better.”

“True,” Patrice said. Her smile was luminous. There was
nothing she liked more than dressing up. Or was that maybe not the only reason
she was glowing?

“So, you and Balthazar,” I began. “just friends?”

She snorted, the least ladylike thing I’d ever heard her do.
“I told you before, remember? Not my type.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Poor Balthazar was going to have to wait
a little longer for romance. At least Patrice was having fun getting dressed
up.

No wonder, given that her clothing was this expensive and
beautiful. Her drop earrings glittered with diamonds, as did the fine bracelet
she wore. She’d coiled her thin braids into an elegant twist.

Once she was getting done, I said, “I’m going to head on,
okay? I’ll try to say hello during the dance
?
”

“Are you headed down already?” Patrice wore only her lacy
underthings as she curled her eyelashes; the ice blue dress waited on a hanger
upon the closet door. “What for?”

“Urn, I might actually be going to watch Lucas pick up
Skye.”

Patrice shot me a sidelong look. “You know nothing’s going on
there, right?”

“I know. But she gets to go to the party with my boyfriend,
and I don’t. So if I go right now, after seeing how amazing you look, I’ll feel
as though she’s totally average by comparison. It helps, you know?”

She laughed, pleased as ever by flattery. “Sure, go ahead.”

I drifted down to the base of the stairwell, where most
girls would be come down to find their escorts for the evening. Ranulf and Vic
had just met up with their dates; the glamorous Cristina snuggled on Ranulf’s
arm happily enough, but Vic and his date regarded each other suspiciously.

No sooner had they walked out of the common area than Lucas
walked in. He’d managed to rent or borrow an evening suit. I knew him well
enough to know he hadn’t paid much attention to the process, but somehow the
suit fit him perfectly, outlining his shoulders, his waist, and his hips. His
dark gold hair was combed back, something he rarely did. The style made his
hair seem darker, giving him a slightly older look. I’d never actually seen
Lucas dressed up before; this might have been the first formal occasion he’d
ever attended in his life. But his rugged good looks turned out to work just as
well in midnight black as they did in jeans and flannel. He could ‘ve been in a
Cary Grant movie. No — he could’ve been Cary Grant himself.

I can’t wait to see him after this and tell him how amazing
he looks, I thought dreamily. Oh, I wish we’d been able 10 go to this dance
together just once.

My giggly delight at Lucas’s appearance lasted until Skye
appeared on the stairwell.

Every guy in the room went quiet. Even the girls had to
stare, including me. Skye’s dark brown hair, which normally hung straight, had
been swept into a soft bun that left little tendrils free to curl around her
oval face and exposed her long, slender neck. Her one — shouldered dress had a
richly embroidered band just beneath her breasts, from which the chiffon
material rippled to the floor. The deep wine color set off her skin and her
pale blue eyes.

On the average day, Skye looked like a cute girl. This was
not the average day. When she wanted people to notice her, it turned out nobody
would 196 be able to look away.

Sick with jealousy, I wanted to dart from the room that instant,
rather than see Lucas offer her his arm. If I did that.
though
,
I’d torture myself wondering what he’d said to her, what she’d said back,
everything. Though I knew Lucas loved me, I couldn’t help feeling insecure when
comparing myself to a beautiful girl who had such a gorgeous body — heck, even
one who just had a body, period, all of tile time.

So I stayed put to see Lucas walk up to her. His smile was
appreciative, but something else, too. Uncertain, maybe? “Hey. Wow, Skye. You
look amazing.”

“Thanks.” She seemed to wilt; why would a compliment have
made her feel so awful? But then she caught a bit of the chiffon between two of
her fmgers. “Some dress, huh?”

“You can say that again.”

“I bought it to sweep Craig off his feet. Craig, who is now
dating a girl named Britnee. With two Es. Somehow the two Es make it worse.”
There was no flirtation in her, I realized; her exquisite appearance tonight
was like a battle flag — a symbol of her refusal to surrender, though her heart
was broken.

“Don’t let it spoil your night,” Lucas said quickly. “Forget
about that jerk, okay?”

Though her shoulders still drooped a bit, Skye nodded, and I
relaxed. There wasn’t any reason to be jealous of her. Well, except for that
awesome dress. “I’m done crying over him. Tonight I just want to hang out with
my friends and dance.”

“I can oblige.” When Lucas offered his arm to her, I found I
didn’t mind.

The Autumn Ball was always a spectacle — something out of
another century, harkening back to the grander events so many of the vampire
students remembered from when they were young. Instead of a OJ or a band, a
small orchestra played classical music, which turned out to be a lot more
danceable than you’d think. Instead of glittery lights or modern decorations,
the great hall was illuminated with hundreds of candles, many set in place in
front of hammered brass or old — fashioned, smoky mirrors to reflect the light
throughout the room. Every guy wore an evening suit or a tux; every girl wore a
floor — length dress, and some of them had gloves to match. It was the kind of
grand occasion every girl — and more of the guys than 197 would readily admit
it — wanted to be a part of at least once.

I’d attended twice with Balthazar, and had loved my dresses,
the dancing, and everything else. However, it turned out to be just as much fun
to watch, from above, where I darted amid the hanging chandeliers lit by
candles. Sometimes I laughed, either watching Lucas carefully navigate Skye
through the waltz, almost visibly counting one — two — three, or Vic and his
date, keeping each other at full arm’s length and obviously both plotting an
early escape. Other times, I watched in admiration; some of the dancers were
clearly expert and eager to show off their many years of experience. Balthazar
and Patrice were the most beautiful of all, moving gracefully at the heart of
the dance. And, of course, every once in a while, one of them would slip out to
continue the hunt. My parents would always nod at them as they went past — Mom
pretty in a cream silk dress I hadn’t seen before.

Lucas went most often, as much as everyone else put
together. Was that because of his crazed drive to do something productive?
Because Skye excused herself frequently to goof around with her friends on the
outskirts of the dance
?
Or because he didn’t trust
himself to be in such close proximity to a human? All of the above, I
suspected. Each time he went out, he walked by my parents, and the three of
them would get very tense. But they were acknowledging each other now, Mom and
Dad getting over their anger, and I hoped it was a positive sign.