Storm (Blood Haze: Book Two) A Paranormal Romance (16 page)

downstairs.”

I followed him down the narrow wooden

staircase into the basement. This was another

long hallway that reminded me of the basements

in the hunter warehouses. I shuddered,

remembering the things that had happened in

those places.

“This hallway contains all of the classrooms

where you will practice your abilities,” he

explained. “Each door holds the classroom for a

different ability. Your Keeper will work with

you one-on-one to help you train.”

“Keeper?” I asked.

“It’s like your teacher,” he said. “You’ll be

assigned one soon, probably tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

“Let me take you to your room,” Liam said,

and I followed him up to the main floor, and then

up the next flight of stairs.

Upstairs was yet another hallway. I followed

Liam down the hallway to the last door on the

right.

“This is the only empty room,” he said. “I

hope you’ll like it.”

He opened the door and stepped aside,

allowing me to enter. The room was dark. Thick

gray curtains blocked out almost all of the

sunlight from the two windows. A large bed

made of wrought iron stood with its headboard

on the back wall between the two windows. A

small wrought iron table with a glass top held a

lamp underneath the window on the right side,

and a matching desk sat empty underneath the

other window. The walls were a dark wood

paneling, and the floor was bare hardwood. A

plush crimson quilt covered the bed.

On the right wall, a door was cracked and led

into a bathroom. On the left wall, I saw another

door that I assumed was a closet. Against the

wall by the door, there was a large dresser with a

mirror above it, and a small television sat on the

dresser.

“It’s perfect,” I told Liam. “It’s nice and dark,

just like I like it.”

“Your Keeper will get you some clothes and

such,” he told me. “For today, since you won’t

have a Keeper assigned to you, you can spend

some time in the library or something. Let me

take you downstairs to the main hall and I’ll

show you where you can get something to eat.”

He led me through a door in the main hall and

it opened into a huge dining room. There were

two rows of five tables. It reminded me of the

cafeteria at school. In the back of the room, there

was a window, and I could hear the clatter of

dishes behind it.

“Whenever you’re hungry, just go up to the

window and tell them what you want. There’s a

menu on the table under the window, but if you

want something off the menu just let them know

and they’ll fix whatever you want as long as they

have the ingredients. You can come here any

hour of the day or night. It’s never closed. Are

you hungry now?”

“No,” I lied. “I’m too anxious to eat.”

“Okay,” he said. “Anyway, they’ll assign your

Keeper soon. Until then, you can find me if you

need anything.”

“You’re leaving?” I asked.

“I’ll be on the grounds,” he said. “I have a

room in the Council House out back. If you need

me, just come to the Council House and ask the

receptionist to take you to my room.”

“Can’t you stay with me today?” I asked

suddenly. “I’m… I’m kind of scared.”

“If that is what you wish, I will stay with

you,” he agreed.

“Thanks, Liam,” I said. “I don’t understand

any of what’s going on, and I’d really like to have

a familiar face around.”

“I understand,” he nodded. “You know, I

never got to thank you for saving my life.”

“Don’t thank me,” I told him.

“Well, I want to. You didn’t have to do that. I

kidnapped you, and instead of letting me die, you

saved my life. You’re one in a million.”

I shook my head.

“I just did what anyone would have done.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Of course. Don’t you?”

“Alice, I’ve never known anyone who would

have done that for someone who just kidnapped

them. Most people would have just let me die.

But not you. You are unique.”

“I don’t think so. I can’t imagine letting

someone die if there was anything I could do to

save them.”

Liam shook his head somberly.

“This life is not going to suit you.”

“Why?”

“Because you will be forced to let people

die,” he answered truthfully. “Sometimes you

will be forced to
kill
them.”

“Oh,” I said quietly.

“I’m sorry you’re involved in this at all,” he

said. “But the Council insists. Your gifts are too

valuable to them to just let you go.”

“It’s okay,” I told him. “It was my choice.”

“Another reason you are unique,” Liam said.

“Not many people would have come into a

situation like this in order to protect the people

they care about. You are brave and selfless. That

is quite unusual.”

“Wouldn’t you do it?” I asked him.

“I don’t have anyone I care about enough to

do it,” he admitted.

“What about Alexi? Your father?” I asked.

He shook his head.

“I am not really close to either of them.”

“Your mother?”

“Not even her.”

“Wow,” I muttered, suddenly feeling very

sorry for Liam. “I’m sorry.”

“It is… inconsequential,” he said, but his eyes

said otherwise.

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I asked, “What is

there to do around here?”

“We have a music room, an art room, a

computer room…”

I interrupted him. “Music? Is there a piano?”

“Yes, there is a piano,” he answered. “Do you

play?”

“Since I was five,” I told him.

“Would you like to go there?”

“Yes, please.”

So he led me to the room next to the dining

hall. The room held a wide variety of

instruments, but a huge black grand piano stood

against the back wall. I walked over to it and sat

down. Liam took a chair from the front of the

room and brought it over by the piano, and he sat

down in it to listen to me play.

I remembered playing for Kai in the church

the night I first met him. The first song I played

was my favorite – Moonlight Sonata, the first

movement. I closed my eyes and pictured him,

and I began to play.

As the melancholy tune echoed throughout the

room, and I felt the crushing weight of Kai’s

absence pressing upon my chest. My throat

swelled, and my eyes began to sting. I blinked

back the tears, and continued to play.

One by one, the faces of my other loved ones

filled my mind – Max, my brother, my mother,

and Jamie. I even saw Alexi. Oh, how I would

miss them! I had no idea what the Council had in

mind for me. I might never see them again.

I clenched my jaw and struggled to contain the

flow of tears I knew was imminent. The harder I

tried, the more difficult it became. Finally, a

single tear escaped my eye and trickled down my

cheek, and I could no longer contain my emotion.

I slammed my arms down on the keys and buried

my face in them, and the sobs erupted in sharp

waves.

I felt a strong arm around me, and Liam said,

“Alice… I’m sorry. Perhaps I have made a

mistake.”

“No, Liam,” I said, choking back sobs, my

voice muffled by my arms. “I made my choice.”

“I should not have allowed this,” he said. “My

brother was right. You’re not cut out for this

life.”

“Your brother is one of the people I left to

protect,” I reminded him.

“Alexi can take care of himself, Alice,” Liam

said. “He’s been doing this for a long time.”

I lifted my head and looked at Liam.

“He sacrificed
everything
for me. He turned

away from the Council and defied your father.

He did it to keep me away from them. I never

would have allowed that if I had known. I
had
to

do this, Liam. I had no other choice.”

“Yo u
never
had to do this. Alexi will be

furious when he finds out I brought you here.

This is
not
what he would have wanted.”

“I know it’s not what he wanted, but it’s

what’s best for him. It’s what’s best for all of

them.”

“I’m not so sure that is right,” he said.

“Would they have wanted you to sacrifice so

much for them? How will they deal with your

absence?”

“I… I never thought about that. I just wanted

to protect them. Liam… I miss them so much!”

“There, there,” he said, smoothing my hair.

“I’m certain they miss you, too. But I will be

here for you, as your friend, for as long as you

need me to be. At least you will never be alone.”

“Thank you, Liam. I…”

I was interrupted by a crashing sound, and I

heard Alexi’s voice shrill and booming in outside

the door.

“Where is she?” he demanded. “Alice! Alice!”

“Alexi…” I gasped.

“What is the meaning of this?” I heard

Barnabas’ voice echoing in return.

“Where is she, Father? What have you done

with her?” Alexi demanded.

I flew across the room and threw open the

door to the music room. Alexi turned to face me,

and he smiled slightly in recognition.

“She is here of her own accord, Alexi,”

Barnabas said. “I told your brother to inform you

that you were to have no contact with her until

further notice.”

“I am sorry, Father,” Liam said suddenly. “I

didn’t have a chance to contact him, yet.”

“Liam. I should have known,” Alexi spat. “I

should have known you’d betray everything I

believe in.”

“No!” I shouted. “Don’t blame Liam. It’s not

his fault. This was
my
choice, Alexi, not his.”

“Why would you
do
this?” Alexi demanded.

“You left without even saying goodbye!”

I could hear the pain in his voice, and I looked

at him apologetically.

“Enough!” Barnabas boomed. “You have seen

that she is well, and she is here of her own

volition. You have no further need to be here. I

must ask you to leave immediately.”

“Alice…” Alexi whispered.

“Just go, Alexi,” I told him gently. “Please.”

“You don’t have to do this…” Alexi said, his

lower lip quivering.

“Yes,” I told him. “I do.”

“I will not ask you again,” Barnabas warned,

his eyes narrowing. “Leave the premises.”

Alexi clenched his teeth and looked back at

me. “Why, Alice?”

“Please…” I begged. “Go.”

He shook his head slowly.

“Everyone is worried about you. They miss

you.
I
miss you.”

“I’ve had enough of your insolence!”

Barnabas shouted. “Veronica!”

Veronica

immediately

appeared

behind

Barnabas, and behind her were the two I’d seen

her with when I first arrived.

“Yes, Elder Barnabas?” she asked.

“Please escort my
son
off the premises,” he

instructed.

“As you wish,” she agreed.

I saw her step toward Alexi, but he backed

away from her.

“I’ll go,” he said quickly. “But this is not

over!”

Alexi turned to me, his chin trembling. His

lips parted as if he wished to speak, but the

words would not come. He bowed quickly to me

and disappeared out the door, his cloak billowing

dramatically behind him.

I exhaled sharply, and I clutched Liam’s arm

to steady my balance. My knees were weak, and I

was trembling.

“I’m sorry about that,” I apologized to

Barnabas.

“It is not your fault,” Barnabas said. “Liam,

please take her to her room.”

“Yes, Father,” Liam returned with a quick

bow.

Liam took my elbow in his hand and directed

me toward the back hallway, which led to the

stairs. We went straight to my room.

“Can you stay with me?” I asked him when we

got there.

“I’m afraid not,” he answered. “My father will

wish to speak with me, I’m sure.”

“Okay,” I said. “Can you come back later?”

“I will try,” he replied.

With that, he turned and left. Once again, I

was alone. Not only was I alone, but I knew that

everyone who cared about me was worried, and I

was facing a kind of uncertainty I could never

have imagined. I had no idea what would happen

to me, but I knew I was doing the right thing. I

had to protect them all – no matter the cost to

me.

*****

Chapter Eleven – Training

I’m not sure when I fell asleep. I had lied

down to try to calm myself, and I guess I finally

gave in to exhaustion. I was awakened by a gentle

tapping at my door, and I stretched and yawned. I

padded across the floor and opened the door.

“Good morning, Alice,” Liam said. “You’ve

been assigned a Keeper.”

“Oh? And when will I meet him… or her?”

“You’re looking at him.”

“You?”

“Yep. Father apparently thought you would

respond best to training if it came from someone