Cold as Ice

by Jayme Morse;Jody Morse

  “Why are we hiding from them?” Lexi whispered. “Aren’t we supposed to be vampire hunters? We should be vampire hunting.”

  “We need to make sure they’re not in the school before we do anything,” Anna replied. “The school has a protocol for what to do when there’s a massive vampire attack.” She paused. “I don’t know how many of them there are, but there’s obviously enough for them to sound an alarm.”

  Lexi held her breath. “Do you think they’re in the school?”

  Anna shook her head. “No, there’s a different alarm for that. I’ve never heard it before except during our practice drills, but . . . I think they must be outside still. Besides, they’re going to have a hard time getting past the guards.”

  Lexi nodded, remembering that there were werewolf security guards who manned the school to make sure that no one suspicious got on campus. She knew that the werewolves were really strong, but what if the vampires brought silver bullets or whatever else could kill a werewolf with them? She didn’t even want to think about that possibility.

  Anna pulled a bag out of her closet and handed something to Lexi. It took her a moment to realize it was a stake. She didn’t have to question Anna about it; if one of the vampires came near her, she was going to have to use it. Luckily, she had done pretty well in Stakeology class and her family had a history of vampire hunters, so she felt pretty confident in her ability to kill a vampire by piercing his or her heart.

  “All students are to report to the auditorium immediately,” a voice said over the loudspeaker.

  Lexi and Anna climbed out of the closet and, meeting up with Austin in the darkened hallway, scampered off in the direction of the auditorium. A swarm of other students followed them, the looks of panic on their faces obvious.

  “Why do you think they’re here?” Austin whispered to Lexi and Anna. “Do you think they know?”

  Lexi wasn’t sure if he was referring to her being at Huntington High, or if he was talking about the fact that he was still alive (since his parents were still supposed to be clueless about it). After the run-in he’d had with Mayor Lawrence’s friends, he had been panicking about his parents finding out the truth in the near future. Not that it really mattered. They had tried to kill him, after all, and he was somewhat safe within the boundaries of Huntington High.

  Anna shook her head. “I don’t know. They might know.” Even though she was standing up taller than usual lately, Lexi couldn’t help but notice that she, too, looked more nervous than she normally did. It was obvious that she was just pretending to be strong—whether it was for Austin’s benefit or her own, Lexi didn’t know.

  Wrapping her arms around herself to try to keep warm, Lexi noticed that goose bumps had shot up all over her skin. The auditorium was mostly empty, so they sat in the front and watched as the rest of it filled up with students and teachers.

  And just as suddenly as the alarm had blared through the school’s walls, it was quieted.

  Chapter 9

  People began to whisper, unsure of what was going on. Lexi simply looked around, wondering what was happening.

  Had the alarm stopped because Greg Lawrence, her aunt, and uncle were inside the school? What if they had somehow been able to stop it from ringing in an attempt to trick everyone at Huntington into thinking that the coast was clear?

  “Ahem,” a person said from the stage in front of them. It was a man, who hovered over the crowd; he had to have been at least six foot five, or possibly taller. It was someone who Lexi didn’t recognize as one of the teachers at Huntington.

  “My name is Beck Palladino, for those of you who don’t know me,” the man said into the microphone. “I am the head of security here at Huntington High.”

  “He’s a werewolf,” Anna hissed, loud enough for Austin and Lexi to hear her.

  “We had an incident tonight,” Beck continued. “Vampires came near our territory; there was a line of them staring at our school. It was no coincidence that they were here tonight. They were here for a reason, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of why. We think we may already know the reason, and we are going to do our best to control the situation.”

  Lexi could have sworn that he met her gaze with his dark brown eyes, but she wasn’t sure if she was just being paranoid or not. Maybe she only thought he was talking directly to her.

  “We are going to heighten our security over the course of the next few days,” Beck went on. “We will not be allowing anyone into or out of the school, no matter what the circumstances may be.”

  Austin’s hand shot up, and Beck nodded him with his chin. “You have a question?”

  “Gabe—Gabriel Marshall—left Huntington to find his mother. We’re hoping that he’ll be back here really soon. Will he be allowed back in?” Austin questioned.

  Beck shook his head. “Unfortunately, no, he will not be allowed back in over the course of the next few days. I’m terribly sorry, but it’s just too risky for us to allow anyone—visitor or student—back into our school right now. Likewise, you all must remain inside the building. We don’t even want you venturing into the courtyard.”

  Lexi could feel her own face fall. She loved spending time in the courtyard. It was one of the only peaceful places she could go to think on campus and now even that was off-limits.

  “I’ll pay!” a voice called out, her voice echoing throughout the auditorium.

  “Excuse me, ma’am?” Beck asked.

  Lexi turned around and realized that the one who had spoken out was the strawberry blonde-haired girl who had been watching her in the hallway the other day. What did she want to pay for?

  “If you let my lover, Gabe Marshall, come back into Huntington, I will pay you,” the girl said.

  “Oh, God,” Anna whispered to Austin. “Rhonda.”

  “Rhonda?” Lexi asked, confused. “You know that girl? Why did she call Gabe her lover?” she asked, trying not to gag.

  “She’s Gabe’s new offspring,” Anna told her gently.

  Rhonda smirked at Lexi, obviously aware that she was looking in her direction, and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “So, what do you say? Let my love come back to Huntington, and I’ll make a hefty donation to Huntington.”

  Beck hesitated. “We will consider making this one exception. If anyone else can name specific cases of students who have left, please let us know and they will also be considered. From this point on, however, anyone who leaves Huntington will not be allowed to return until we return to our previous security measures.”

  Lexi rolled her eyes, annoyed that Beck was so easily convinced by Rhonda’s bribery. And why hadn’t Gabe told her about Rhonda? Did that have anything to do with why he had been so distant lately? Maybe he didn’t want her to get mad at him for creating new offspring, especially when he wasn’t able to make her a vampire when she wanted to become one.

  Actually, come to think of it, Lexi wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She was going to have to badger Anna with questions later to get the specifics about why Gabe had created new offspring.

  The opportunity to ask those questions was only a few moments later, after they all flooded out of the auditorium and through the halls until they were back to their dorm room.

  “Tell me about Rhonda,” Lexi said, as she climbed back into bed.

  Anna’s chocolate brown eyes lit up with surprise. “Are you sure you want the details?” The tone in her voice was hesitant.

  Lexi nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  Sighing, Anna explained, “Gabe turned Rhonda because he fed from her while you were gone.”

  “He did?” Lexi’s stomach twisted into knots. It made her jealous to think that he had drank from someone else; she always figured that she would be the only one he would ever drink from again. That was probably a dumb thought on her part because there was that chance that they wouldn’t work out, or that he would turn her, and then he wouldn’t be able to feed from her anymore. Even so, she hadn’t expected him to go drinking from someone else
while she was stuck in the 1800s. Not that she’d been the most innocent person while she was gone, either, she thought, remembering the near kiss she’d had with Dan.

  Anna nodded, pulling her hot pink highlighted hair into a bun on top of her head. “He had one of his visions. Actually, he had several. Drinking from someone was the only way he would have lived.” She paused. “Promise you won’t be mad at me if I tell you something?”

  Lexi shrugged, even though she hated making promises she wasn’t sure she would be able to keep. “I don’t know how to take it when you ask me like that, but I’ll try not to get mad.”

  “He also drank from me,” Anna replied quietly. “I’m sorry, Lexi. It made me really uncomfortable because you know I have feelings for Austin, not Gabe. And I’m not going to lie—it felt good. Not as good as it feels with Austin, but it definitely didn’t suck, either. I didn’t want to do it because of you, but at the same time, I knew I had to do it because of you because you never would have forgiven me if I had just let him die without trying to save him.”

  Lexi forced a smile, trying to ignore that Anna said that it felt good when Gabe drank from her. “It’s okay. I understand. I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes.”

  “Well, anyway, when he drank from Rhonda, he thought he was going to kill her. He almost did. He took too much blood from her and she was dying so he felt guilty and turned her. The thing is, he would have been better off just letting her die,” Anna murmured.

  “Why do you say that?” Lexi asked, genuinely surprised by Anna’s statement. She had never known Austin’s girlfriend to say or do anything mean to anyone. She was normally one of the sweetest people Lexi had ever met. It was so out of character for her.

  “I just think she has a screw loose,” Anna replied.

  Lexi waited for her to explain further, but when she didn’t, she decided it was probably for the best. She didn’t want to get to know Rhonda in the first place, but now that she knew that even Anna thought that the girl had issues, she wasn’t planning to be anywhere near her.

  There was a knock on the door.

  Anna pulled it open. “Speak of the devil.”

  “You were talking about me?” Rhonda questioned, an odd smile on her face.

  Anna nodded. “Yup, we were talking about your outburst in there.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet of you!” Rhonda grinned. She glanced over at Lexi. “Hi, there. I’m so glad I finally got to meet you tonight.”

  “Um, it’s good to meet you, too,” Lexi muttered. “Except I’ve never heard about you before tonight.”

  “Well, don’t worry, I’m pretty sure we’re going to be the best of friends,” Rhonda replied, smiling again. She turned back to Anna. “Look, I kind of lied in the auditorium. Well, technically, I didn’t lie. I just spoke before I thought about what I was saying.”

  “What are you talking about?” Anna asked, raising a pierced eyebrow.

  “I said I would pay if they let Gabe come back to Huntington, but the truth is . . . I don’t have the money to give them. I was just speaking out of my ass. So, I was wondering . . .” She trailed off.

  “If I have the money to loan you,” Anna filled in the blank.

  “Exactly! Oh, I love how we think so much alike,” Rhonda replied with a giggle. She came into the room further, standing next to the computer desk. “It’s just that I know you come from money. Gabe mentioned it to me. So, I figured if anyone can help me out, it would be you.”

  Anna rolled her eyes, which were framed by lime green eyeliner. “If you need to pay, then I guess I can help you. But just remember that I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for Gabe.”

  Rhonda nodded. “Thanks so much, girlie. I owe you one.” She turned to Lexi. “So, how funny is it that every girl in this dorm room has had their blood drank by Gabe?”

  “Hilarious,” Lexi muttered sarcastically.

  “Do you girls mind if I hang out in here for a while? My roomie is getting on my nerves,” Rhonda told them, rolling her eyes and sighing dramatically.

  Lexi was about to tell her that she couldn’t, but Anna said, “Yes, it’s fine.” What the hell was Anna thinking? This girl was absolutely annoying. Actually, scratch that. She was more than just annoying. She was cruel. It was obvious that she wanted Gabe, and she wanted to rub it in Lexi’s face. Well, Lexi wasn’t about to let Rhonda win.

  Instead of giving Rhonda what she wanted—which was obviously to get under Lexi’s skin—Lexi climbed into her bed, throwing her blanket over her head. She grabbed Anna’s iPod from her nightstand and shoved the ear buds in her ears. There was no reason for her to listen to what Rhonda had to say.

  She wished seven times that Dan would come back. Seven was her lucky number, so she hoped the extra luck would help bring him back. When nothing happened, she rolled over onto her side and fell asleep to the sound of Christina Perri singing about waiting for someone for one thousand years.

  Chapter 10

  When Rhonda got back to her own dorm room, she smiled at herself in the mirror. She had gotten exactly what she wanted.

  It was easy to see that talking about Gabe—or more specifically, talking about Gabe drinking blood from other girls—bothered Lexi. The bitch was probably so self-centered that she thought she was the only one whose blood was good enough for her precious little Gabe.

  Well, Rhonda was going to prove a point. Gabe might not be able to drink from her anymore now that she was a vampire, but she would prove that she loved him more than Lexi ever could.

  Gabe didn’t really matter at that moment, though. Just thinking about drinking blood was beginning to make her thirsty—thirstier than she had been since she’d become a vampire in the first place—the night she had killed Michelle, and that was a thirst that, at the time, felt unquenchable.

  Climbing out of her bed, Rhonda knocked on one of the dorm room doors across the hall. She had been watching one of the guys who lived in the room from afar, and he was a hottie. Not only was he just a hottie, but he was a hottie who smelled really good.

  She’d been thinking all day about how good his blood would probably taste. Even better, she was pretty sure that he had his own private dorm room, which meant that she didn’t have to deal with any roommates who would be suspicious of her intentions.

  When the guy opened the door, he stared back at her with wide eyes.

  Kiss me, she commanded the guy in her mind, hoping that mind control would work on him.

  “Come inside,” the guy whispered.

  Rhonda took a step closer, but she wasn’t even through the door when the guy leaned into her and, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressed his lips against hers, kissing her hungrily and passionately.

  Let me drink from you, Rhonda thought, her eyes wide open as she kissed him back. She dug her fangs into his skin, drawing a tiny amount of blood from the open wound.

  The guy allowed her to come inside and, closing the door behind him, tilted his neck so that it was exposed to her, the smell of his flesh filling her nostrils as she inched closer to him.

  Rhonda sunk her fangs into his skin, catching the blood that poured out of his vein with her tongue. The guy moaned, which urged her to drink more from him.

  Once she had her fill of blood, she gave him one last kiss on the lips before leaving him alone, lying lifelessly on his bed, and went back to her dorm room to finish plotting what she was going to do about Lexi.

  Chapter 11

  When Lexi woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was glance around the room to see if Dan was back. He wasn’t.

  Her eyes fell on the spell book. It was left open, which was strange because she was positive she’d closed it. Her eyes hovered over the empty spot next to the spell book.

  The jar of potion was gone.

  “Anna,” Lexi called.

  Her roommate, who had to have been the lightest sleeper ever, rolled over and cocked one eye open. “What?”

  “My potion�
��s gone,” Lexi said. She was out of bed by now, searching around the room frantically. “I don’t see it anywhere!”

  “What?” Anna asked, climbing out of bed and sliding her feet into a pair of Ugg slippers. “What do you mean it’s ‘gone’?”

  “I mean, it’s not in our room anymore,” Lexi replied, yanking drawers out of the dresser, searching in between clothes and underwear. As she suspected, the potion hadn’t been tossed carelessly into a dresser drawer by her roommate.

  “I’m texting Austin,” Anna announced, tapping away on her phone, as Lexi tossed pillows and blankets to the floor and searched under the bed. There was nothing but empty space, the tiled floor was bare. She let out a loud sigh as the door clicked open.

  “The potion’s gone?” Austin asked, rushing towards her. “How could this happen, Lexi?”

  Lexi shook her head, her eyes filling up with tears. “I-I don’t know.”

  “When’s the last time you saw it?” Austin asked, beginning to search the room himself.

  “I-I think it was yesterday,” Lexi said, trying to recall the last time she’d seen it on her nightstand. “I don’t know.”

  Austin glared at her. “If this potion gets into the wrong hands, it could be really bad. Who knows what the outcome would be. You should have had it with you at all times!”

  “You’re right, I should have. But I didn’t, okay?” Lexi cried. “It’s not like I tried to lose it! I just want us to find it now.”

  Anna cleared her throat before speaking up. “I think I know who took it.”

  “Who?” Austin and Lexi both asked at the same exact time.

  “Rhonda,” Anna replied. “She came into our room last night to hang out, remember? I just have this feeling she took it.”

  “That’s right.” Lexi hadn’t even considered that Rhonda could be responsible for this, but it made perfect sense. How coincidental was it that she had noticed the potion was gone the night after Rhonda had been in their dorm room?