Darkness Watching (Darkworld #1) (34 page)

Thank God. Who wanted to live forever?

As for Terrence, Claudia had ransacked his room and found all kinds of awful occult stuff in there. He’d been messing about with demon magic all year. Though his fate still gave me nightmares, I couldn’t deny he’d brought it on himself.

Thanks to Madam Persephone, no one, aside from a select few of us, knew what had happened. As far as the university was concerned, he’d never existed in the first place. I wasn’t sure if anyone would move into his empty room. God only knew what twisted shit he’d been up to in there.

A few days after the hike, Alex told me David had requested to be moved to a different flat. I felt nothing but relief at that. I was free.

The Winter Ball might have been taking place in a rented room in a hotel in town, but it was still great fun. The bar was decked out in silver and blue, with Christmas trees and mistletoe everywhere. Cheesy Christmas music blared from the speakers and a troupe of Santas led a conga-line around the dance floor.

“Hey, there’s Pete!” said Alex, and we all tried unsuccessfully not to laugh as we watched him pursue Danielle with a clump of mistletoe, dodging in and out of the crowd and finally face-planting in the middle of the dance floor.

Danielle wasn’t the only victim. After being chatted up no fewer than five times in a four-hour period, Cara found herself being dragged under the mistletoe by none other than Pete, who, by now, looked rather the worse for wear.

“Take a bath, you loser!” she yelled at him, which finally persuaded him to let go, looking wounded.

“That’s told him,” said Alex, giggling uncontrollably. She’d been at the red wine again. “Just because you’re a student, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shower!”

I
did
see Claudia and the others later, but thankfully they weren’t huddled in a corner like conspirators. That must mean nothing was wrong. Berenice and Howard were lip-locked in the corner; Claudia commandeered the dance floor, surrounded by a throng of admirers, and Cyrus stood at the bar with some other people I didn’t recognise.

“Hi, Ash.” I turned to see Leo behind me. To my surprise, he actually wore a tuxedo, and the dark colours made his dark eyes stand out, somehow. He looked totally different―less scruffy, for one thing.

“Hey, Leo,” I said. “How’s it going?”

“Not too bad. I told them to leave you alone tonight,” he added, indicating Claudia and the others. “Figured you could use a break from the questions.”

“Thanks!” I said, and meant it.

“Um.” He hovered, looking for the first time like words were a struggle. “I just wanted to say… well, congratulations on beating the demon.”

“Not dying’s always a good thing,” I said, smiling in spite of myself.

“Also, you look really pretty.” He said this in a rush, his face reddening.

I looked at him suspiciously. “Are you drunk?”

He blinked. “No. Well, not yet, anyway.”

“Um, thanks, then,” I said, lamely.
Great response.

“Well, I’ll see you later, Ash.” He’d gone before I could say anything more.

Cara came over. “Who was that guy?”

“No one. Just a friend from GameSoc. Don’t you even
think
about it,” I added, as much to Alex as to her; I could see her whispering to Sarah, wearing her most mischievous expression.

I refused to think about what Leo had said. I didn’t need this crap complicating my life again.
It’s not worth making a fuss over.

I was going to miss the student life over the holidays, even though by now most of my depleted student loan was gone. I also desperately needed to do laundry, and my sleeping pattern had totally reversed, thanks to deadlines and late nights. But I’d miss living with my friends, the strange conversations in the early hours of the morning, and the even stranger sights I often saw on campus; after witnessing a group of people dressed as lions enter the on-campus shop to buy a crate of beer, I suspected life at home would seem unbearably dull by comparison.

But maybe I needed that. Maybe I needed two lives in order to keep both in perspective. I might have some power inside me that even I didn’t fully understand, but, tonight, as I danced to Christmas hits with my friends, I could ignore it.

To my family, who’ve put up with me the longest, for your unwavering support.

To Laura and Natalie, my oldest (hehehe) friends. May there be many more years of perpetual childishness.

To my first teachers, for encouraging a dreamer to put pen to paper, igniting the spark that kindled a lifetime obsession.

To Jed, for saving my sanity on more than one occasion, and for believing in Darkworld from the start.

To my flatmates, Jess, Emily, and Elena, for dragging me out of my writing nest occasionally to experience that bizarre ‘world outside’.

To the Curiosity Quills team, for believing in me and my book. To the online writing community, for being awesome. And to my readers, for being my lifeline.

And finally, to all the wonderful people I met during my three unforgettable years at Lancaster. You made my experience, and without you, I might not have written this book. Special thanks to my creative writing group, for reading early drafts and offering encouragement. I hope my demons didn’t scar anyone for life.

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