She turned around and headed back through the gloaming to the church.
The pool of golden light that had illuminated the churchyard earlier was gone now, and as Allie walked through the gate, the chapel door loomed open like a leering maw.
Taking a deep breath, she hurried to the door and pushed her weight against it. It didn’t move at all until she realised it was held open by a black metal hook that fixed it in place. Even after she’d freed it, though, the door was incredibly heavy. She gave it a good shove and it was closing with a reluctant creak when, just for a split second, she saw something move between the shadows inside.
Allie froze, staring into the darkness. Then, as the door continued to swing shut, she sprang into action, grabbing it and digging in her heels to try and hold it open. But the old door had a mind of its own now and nothing she did would stop it. It shut with a resounding clang that seemed to echo through the trees.
Allie’s heart pounded and she stared at the closed door.
Bloody hell, what was that?
A sudden flutter of wings above her head made her jump, but it was only birds flying up into the darkening sky from a nearby tree.
With her hand on the heavy iron ring that served as a door handle, Allie considered her options. Someone was definitely inside – she’d seen them.
Unless it was a trick of the dark.
I should go. Get back to the school, she thought. I’m just spooked.
Then she imagined what Carter would have done if he were here. He would have opened that door without hesitating and demanded to know who was in there.
‘But he’s a psycho,’ she muttered unconvincingly. It didn’t really matter, of course. She already knew what she was going to do.
She turned the ring.
Yanking the door open with effort, she leaned inside without actually stepping through the door.
‘Hello?’ she called. The room was so dark now that she could barely make out the drawings on the wall. ‘Is anybody there?’
The only sound she heard was her own voice echoing back at her. But the silence that followed had a weight to it, as silences always do in ancient buildings, and she felt goose-bumps rise on her shoulders. She was just about to step inside when she heard quick footsteps cross the churchyard behind her.
Spinning around, Allie crouched down as if to avoid a blow … there was nobody there.
There was no sound but the wind blowing in the trees.
Squinting, she peered into the thicket around the church. Every sound made her jump.
You know what? Fuck this.
Using all her strength, she shoved the door to. As the latch was still clanging shut she ran to the churchyard gate, slamming it behind her with a careless bang. Looking neither right nor left she ran down the path, speeding up as her muscles loosened until she was hurtling through the forest. But as she sped around a curve in the dark, she skidded on a stone and went sprawling, hitting the ground with such force that the breath was knocked out of her and she gasped for air, clutching her sides.
As her breathing steadied, she picked gravel out of a scrape on the palm of her hand while building up the courage to look at her knee. Blood oozed from a shallow wound and ran down her leg. She hoped it looked worse than it was.
Air hissing through her teeth, she pulled herself to her feet and experimented to see if her leg could hold her weight. It hurt, but it worked, and she limped down the path, cursing under her breath.
The path seemed endless, now. After what felt like hours, she stopped to rest her leg. It hadn’t taken nearly this long to get to the chapel, had it? Had she taken a wrong turn?
A rustling noise in the trees stopped her fretful thoughts. She held her breath and listened.
‘Carter?’ she asked, tentatively.
After a second, she heard it again, but now it seemed to be on the other side of the path. Allie spun around to face it, squinting as she tried to see through the trees.
‘Hello?’ Her voice shook slightly; she tried to steady it. ‘Who’s there?’
Silence.
‘If this is some sort of a joke, it’s not funny,’ she shouted into the dark.
After a moment, she hurried down the path, limping as quickly as she could.
… twenty-five steps, twenty-six, twenty-seven …
The sharp crack of a breaking twig behind her made her jump. She froze in her tracks. That rustling sound again. But closer. Much closer.
Now, ignoring the pain, she ran down the path, jumping over roots, feeling rocks skitter under her feet but keeping her balance. Her fists pumped the air beside her.
After a minute she turned to look over her shoulder – the path was empty. But when she turned back to the front, someone was standing right in front of her.
She screamed and skidded but Sylvain’s hands caught her and pulled her close.
‘Hey … hey!’ He looked at her with concern. ‘Are you OK? You’re bleeding. What happened?’
Her words came out in broken phrases as she panted. ‘There was … somebody … the church … in woods.’ Her voice was breathless and frightened.
His hands tightened on her arms. ‘Did someone hurt you?’
Allie shook her head. ‘No … fell. But … could … hear someone … nearby. I think he was watching me. I heard him breathing.’
‘You’re shaking.’ Sylvain pulled her into a hug. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’ With his arm supporting her, she hobbled towards the school.
They both heard the footsteps at the same time.
‘Do you hear that?’ Allie whispered.
Sylvain nodded and looked in the direction of the sound, pushing Allie behind him. She peered over his shoulder as Carter stepped out of the woods. His face darkened when he saw Sylvain.
‘I didn’t know you were here.’ Carter’s voice was cold, and he looked at Allie. ‘What’s wrong? Are you OK?’
Stepping out from behind Sylvain, she nodded, feeling like an idiot. ‘I fell. And I could hear something moving in the woods.’
‘Must have been me. I took a shortcut. Or it could have been Ruth – I sent her back to get you.’ Turning to Sylvain he said, ‘We should get her back. Do you want me to take her?’
Sylvain considered this, then shook his head. ‘No, it’s fine. I’ll take her. You have work to do. Make sure there’s nothing out there.’
Allie could sense Carter’s reluctance, but then Sylvain pulled on her arm and she walked with him.
Her leg hurt much more now and walking was increasingly painful. She said nothing, but when a tear trickled down her cheek Sylvain noticed.
‘Is it your leg?’ he asked, brushing the tear away.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I’m being a baby.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he said, and without another word he scooped her up off her feet and carried her down the path.
‘You can’t carry me – I’m too heavy,’ she protested.
‘You weigh only as much as a girl,’ he said. ‘Put your arms around my neck.’
She did as he said. Now that she was off her leg the pain had lessened. He’s strong, she thought, noticing that he wasn’t breathing heavily from the exertion. After a second, she rested her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the oddly weightless sensation of being carried for the first time since she was a child.
They had been closer to the building than she knew, so it was only a few minutes before he was climbing the stairs. Someone opened the door for them and she lifted her head to see Zelazny standing in the lighted entry hall.
‘What happened?’ he barked.
‘She fell in the dark,’ Sylvain answered for her.
‘Of course it was dark. It’s after curfew,’ Zelazny said pointedly.
‘She fell before curfew,’ Sylvain said protectively, and Allie tightened her arms on his neck.
‘Take her to the nurse,’ Zelazny said with obvious poor humour. ‘Somebody else fell earlier – she’s in the dining hall with them n
ow. Join the queue.’
As he walked off she could hear him mutter, ‘Ruddy clumsiness if you ask me …’
‘I don’t need a nurse,’ Allie said, but Sylvain ignored her, taking her straight to the dining hall.
The nurse, who wore white scrubs with the Cimmeria logo, was wrapping the sprained wrist of a girl Allie didn’t recognise as Sylvain set Allie down in a chair. (‘Night tennis gone wrong,’ the girl sighed when she left, her arm in a splint.)
Tutting at Allie’s knee, the nurse cleaned the wound with an antiseptic liquid that stung so much Allie tried to get up and leave (Sylvain wouldn’t let her), and then applied an ointment and bandages so gently she barely felt them at all.
Sylvain stood beside her the whole time, one hand resting on her shoulder.
‘Don’t run any marathons in the next few days, love,’ the nurse chirped as Allie and Sylvain walked out the door, ‘and you’ll be right as rain in a few days.’
Allie thought it must be well after curfew by now – the halls were quiet as Sylvain helped her up the stairs to the girls’ dorm.
‘Do you want me to walk you to your door?’ he asked when they reached the top, his sexy smile turning the helpful offer into something slightly more lascivious.
‘I think I can make it from here,’ Allie laughed. ‘But thanks for rescuing me. Again. This is getting to be a thing with us.’
As she turned to go, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Before she had time to react he leaned down and kissed her. It was a long, deep kiss. When it ended, Allie stared at him, breathing heavily.
‘You’re welcome,’ he whispered.
Surprised, Allie stepped backward too fast, stumbling over her own feet and colliding with the wall behind her. Colour flooded her cheeks as she righted herself.
‘I … so … thanks … Well, good night.’
She could see Sylvain was trying not to smile as she turned to limp down the hallway.
ELEVEN
‘So … what happened last night?’
It was Saturday morning. Allie sat in the quiet common room on the opposite end of a deep leather sofa from Jo. Each wore the same dark blue knee-length shorts and white, short-sleeved shirt, and each held a white mug of tea absentmindedly in her right hand.
They’d headed here together just after breakfast, where Gabe had not joined them.
Jo’s clear blue eyes evaded capture, flitting around the room anxiously before finally coming to rest on Allie. ‘Gabe can be a bit … controlling.’ On the last word her voice was so low Allie leaned in to hear it. After a pause, Jo’s left hand waved the thought away. ‘And I hate that. Sometimes.’
She paused and Allie waited.
‘So.’ Jo sighed. ‘Yesterday he was just acting a bit too much like my dad. Do this, don’t do that. Don’t question me. And if he thinks he can get away with that he’s wrong. And … well, now we’re not speaking. He was in the common room when Carter and I came in …’
She interrupted herself, shooting Allie a worried look. ‘By the way, Carter went back and got you, right?’
Allie nodded. ‘That’s a story too, but let’s talk about this first.’
Jo sipped her tea. ‘Gabe was there, and he was just so up himself. It was all the “I told you not to go out … You should’ve listened” bollocks that makes me just …’ She balled up her right fist and shook it. ‘So I told him what he could do with his advice and went to bed. Haven’t seen him since. I hope you weren’t too freaked out last night. I really didn’t think Carter would leave you alone. That must have been a bit scary – you’ve never been out there at night alone.’
Allie felt a brief desire to blame Jo for her wounded leg, but shoved it back. ‘It was fine. We were worried about you. I … wanted him to go.’
Jo set her cup down on the table and drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees. ‘So what happened after I took off? Were you OK? Carter was totally worried about you and really cross with me for making him leave you alone.’
‘Was he?’ Allie was surprised to hear it – he’d seemed so irritated when he’d come back for her. ‘He did come back. But by then I’d run into Sylvain on the path. And the weirdest thing happened, Jo.’
Allie turned on the sofa so she was facing Jo, and crossed her legs. She lowered her voice to a near-whisper. ‘Sylvain kind of ordered Carter away. He was like, “Go get back to work.” What’s that about? I could tell Carter didn’t want to do it, but he did it anyway.’
Jo rolled her eyes. ‘It’s just some Night School bollocks – Sylvain outranks him, I guess.’
Allie slid down the sofa so that her head rested on the back of it and her legs stretched out towards the table, revealing the clean white bandage.
‘Oh babe, what happened to your knee?’
Allie smiled ruefully. ‘I fell down on the path last night. Like a total klutz.’ She held up her left hand to show the scrape on the palms. ‘Scarred for life.’
‘Oh God, it’s all my fault. I’m so sorry I had a complete flake-out, Allie. Now Gabe’s pissed off and you’re wounded. Jesus. I’m such a mess.’ She looked genuinely contrite.
‘Don’t be silly,’ Allie said. ‘It’s nothing. It barely hurts.’ Then she gasped and buried her face in her hands. ‘Oh God. I can’t believe I haven’t told you yet. Sylvain kissed me.’
‘He did?’ Jo sat up straighter. ‘When? And wherewhyhow?’
Her face still in her hands, Allie’s voice was muffled. ‘And he carried me down the path when my leg hurt.’
‘Oh my God – he so fancies you,’ Jo sighed. ‘That’s the most heroic thing ever. Tell me about the kissing.’
Allie peeked over her fingertips as she told her what happened.
‘And it wasn’t one of those friendly-on-the-cheek things either,’ she concluded. ‘It was a proper kiss. With tongues.’
Jo gave her a joking shove. ‘So? Was it nice?’
‘Yeah, I suppose.’ Allie sank down further into the cushions, her cheeks bright red. ‘OK. Yes. It was definitely very nice.’
‘And don’t you have some sort of date thing tonight?’ Jo nudged her again as Allie nodded. ‘Come to my room after and tell me everything,’ Jo said.
Then she sat up straighter. ‘Hey, that reminds me, the summer ball is in three weeks. Sylvain will probably ask you to go with him tonight! What will you wear? Tell me now.’
She was so irrepressible, Allie had to laugh at her. ‘God, you’re like a child. I don’t know anything about this ball thing. What are you going to wear?’
‘I bought the dress on my last trip home.’ Jo brightened visibly as she described the slim-cut silver sequined minidress and matching sandals she’d found in a boutique in Bond Street.
She gave Allie an appraising look. ‘Have you got a dress?’
Allie squirmed a bit. ‘Well … not exactly. There are a couple in my wardrobe, and one vintage dress that I love. But I don’t know what I’ll do for sho …’
‘You’ll come to my room!’ Jo interrupted her delightedly. ‘I have – God I don’t know – a million pairs of shoes. Problem solved.’ She grabbed Allie’s hand. ‘We can do the whole girls-getting-ready-together thing. We’ll do each other’s hair and makeup. We’ll be gorgeous.’
Allie hesitated, then confessed, ‘Look, I’ve never been to a dance before. Not a real one. I mean, my schools just kind of didn’t do that sort of thing.’
Jo waved her worries away. ‘You’ll love it. It’s old-fashioned, but not … you know, stuffy. Everybody looks beautiful. Even the teachers. You wouldn’t believe how some of them scrub up. It’s really cool. When Sylvain asks you have to say yes.’
Allie, was now nearly flat on the sofa. ‘But what will I do if he doesn’t ask?’
They both sat in silence for a moment, pondering the true horror of potential datelessness.
‘I could always go with Zelazny,’ Allie said finally. ‘He seems nice.’
They both dissolved into laughter.
That night as supper ended, Allie sat in the dining room with Ruth, Lisa and Lucas. Gabe had come to the table to get Jo a few minutes before and they’d all exchanged knowing glances as the two walked away. (‘Massive make-up snogging session ahead,’ Lisa predicted.)
‘I think we should go outside,’ Ruth said. ‘It’s hot in here and it’s such a lovely night. We’ll stay close to the building. We could just sit on the grass and talk.’
Lucas looked doubtful. He opened his mouth but the voice from behind Allie came first.
‘I agree. It’s a good night for croquet, don’t you think?’ Allie turned around to see Sylvain standing behind her.
Lucas looked at him and raised his eyebrow; Sylvain nodded very slightly. Lucas shrugged. ‘OK then. Let’s go.’
When Allie stood up Sylvain reached for her hand and they walked out side by side. He leaned towards her. ‘I think you’ll like it. Croquet seems boring during the day but at night it’s much better.’
His breath tickled her ear and she shivered deliciously. She smiled up at him, then she raced forward coltishly, pulling his hand. ‘Come on then. Don’t dilly-dally.’
He laughed and ran with her. Outside, the others were pulling supplies out of a small storage room near the front door. They all helped to put the wicket hoops in the turf. ‘We need a sixth,’ Lucas pointed out.
‘I’ll go and get Phil,’ Ruth said, hurrying back inside.
Allie saw that Lisa was blushing – she was obviously happy to be Lucas’ partner, but he hadn’t noticed yet. Sylvain interrupted her reverie.
‘While we are waiting for Phil, there is something I need to do.’ His tone was businesslike, and he turned to Allie. ‘Will you come and help me?’
‘Sure.’
He glanced at the other two. ‘We’ll be right back.’
Taking her by the hand he pulled her around the side of the building so quickly she had to run to keep up. When they rounded the corner he stopped.
She looked around puzzledly. ‘Where are we go—’
Without warning, he pushed her up against the stone wall and kissed her hard. In an instant, surprise turned to desire and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him back. He was, she thought, very good at this – she had never kissed anybody like this in her life and she didn’t want it to end.
Night School Page 13