by Liz Botts
Riva frowns. “But why do you all call it The Hun? Like, where did the name come from?”
Malcolm grins. Clearly he enjoys imparting this knowledge. “The architect was obsessed with Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula, so he designed the interior as an exact replica of the castle where Vlad was imprisoned. The governor was so impressed he let the architect choose the name. He named it after the original castle, Hunyad.”
“And all of us townies call it The Hun,” I add.
“Right. So in 1890 the first commencement ceremony, which was scheduled to be held on the front lawn, was interrupted by a freak storm. As everyone ran for shelter, lightning struck one of the gargoyles, sending it crashing to the ground.” Justin pauses, gazing out the window toward the castle, as if he is imagining the event.
He is quiet so long that I jump in. “The freakiest part was that the gargoyle wasn’t even hurt. Not even a chip out of the stone façade.”
Justin nods. “So they put it back up. Things were fine until the spring of 1927 when lightning struck again. Administrators discovered that this was the same gargoyle that fell off in the original incident, they decided to stick it in the garden courtyard and not risk it getting struck again.”
“So how did it lose its head?”
We all look toward The Hun, even though the floor-to-ceiling windows reflect the light from the lobby and we can’t actually see out into the dark night. We know it is there. The headless gargoyle sitting in the courtyard just beyond the castle. The other gargoyles still stare down from their perches with big stone eyes, following everything silently. They lean forward slightly as if they are ready to jump at any moment. They are terrifying, especially at night.
“That’s where the curse comes in. No one knows for sure who came up with the idea, but a group of fraternity boys dared each other to take the gargoyle’s head as a prank,” Justin says, clearing his throat.
Suddenly the ornate entry doors burst open. A girl rushes in, her face white. Her eyes frantic. She stops halfway through the lobby, looking over her shoulder. Justin’s voice has faded into oblivion. He gets up from the chair and makes his way toward her. When he reaches out to touch one of her arms, she shrieks and jumps away.
“Hey,” Justin says, his voice calm. “I just want to know if you’re okay. Come over here with my friends.”
The girl collapses against Justin’s comforting arm and he leads her to where we are sitting.
“What happened?” Riva asks, leaning forward again.
“The…the…the Vampire,” the girl stutters. She holds out her arm, which is shaking wildly, covered with a torn sleeve of her blouse, matted with what looks like…blood. “I…I…I think he bit me.”
Justin and I exchange a glance. Riva jumps out of her seat and into Malcolm’s arms. He pulls her into a strong embrace, his hands dangerously low on her backside. Given the situation their sudden snuggle seems highly inappropriate, although Riva does do a good job pretending to be freaked out. She simpers, covers her eyes, and says things about how she knew we shouldn’t have come out tonight.
The truth is this is exactly the sort of thing Riva hoped would happen. She wants action. She wants excitement. She wants danger. I, on the other hand, wish that I had stayed home in bed. Why did I let her convince me to do this?
Justin peels back the shreds of blouse sleeve, moving with slow deliberation. He cares about this girl he just met. The realization hits me like a flash of lightning. I watch more closely as he examines the wound, speaking softly to the girl. There is nothing flirtatious in his actions, just simple concern. My heart twists a little.
I’ve spent so much time over the past year being angry with Justin, I think I might have forgotten why I liked him in the first place. This is why. Justin was—is—the most caring person I have ever known. Suddenly I have to look away. My carefully arranged defenses are cracking, and if I am going to survive the night I need them to stay intact.
“I don’t think this is a bite.” Justin replaces the sleeve and pats the girl’s knee. “It looks more like a scratch. Still, you need to go over to the Health Center and let them check it out. Would you like us to walk you there?”
The girl’s eyes shine like Justin is her hero. Are all girls so stupid? Yes, I know I just said he is caring, but come on. Justin didn’t fight off The Vampire and save the girl’s life or something. And now she seems willing to do just about anything he suggests. I wonder how she would feel about him if she knew he was in high school. I just want to get on with this dumb search so I can go home and curl up in front of some hideously produced horror movies from the ‘Eighties.
Stepping through the doors of the law library, icy wind blasts us. I pull the knit hood of my sweater up, covering my ears against the cold, but shoving all my hair forward in the process. My backpack suddenly feels like it weighs a ton. I try shifting the weight around as we walk toward the Health Center, which thankfully happens to be on the other side of The Hun.
Riva walks with Malcolm, gripping his arm and chattering brightly. Justin keeps the hurt girl beside him with a hand placed lightly on her back to guide her through this dark, treacherous night. Gag me. I’m left to bring up the rear. Maybe The Vampire will pick me off and put me out of my misery. Or maybe he’ll turn me into a vampire. I laugh to myself, a small, snorty chortle that’s carried away in another round of howling wind.
The Halloween concert has probably started by now. Digging my gloves out of the side pocket of my backpack, I wish I had thought to wear an actual coat. My sweater felt plenty warm when I put it on at home, but now I can feel the bite of winter-like weather through every microscopic hole. I force myself to focus on the goose bumps pricking my skin so I don’t have to think about the fact that The Vampire might be lingering in the shadows. I stare at the pavement as we walk not letting my eyes drift into the darkness. Even if the guy isn’t a real vampire, clearly he’s a menace and dangerous.
While Justin walks into the Health Center with the girl to help explain what happened, Riva, Malcolm, and I huddle in the entryway enjoying the heat.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Riva says, sliding her hand back through Malcolm’s arm and hooks them together. “Do you think we’ll meet The Vampire tonight?”
“Geez, Reev,” I groan, wrapping my arms tighter around myself. “It’s not like the guy is a celebrity or something. He’s dangerous, obviously. Did you see what he did to that girl’s arm?”
Riva frowns at me. She hates when I point out the facts of a situation. And I hate it when she romanticizes stupid things. We do not live in a movie. I bite my tongue. Riva splutters to Malcolm about her rationale for wanting to meet this villain. I swear, that’s actually what she calls him. Malcolm’s a good sport and listens intently to her blathering. I zone out, peering into the main area of the Health Center and am relieved to see Justin striding toward us. Alone.
“Margaret’s all taken care of,” Justin says, pulling a knit cap out of the pocket of his leather coat. He pulls it on while heading toward the front door. He doesn’t stop for questions; he just walks out into the night leaving us scrambling after him.
Riva lets go of Malcolm and rushes to catch up with Justin. “What happened? Did she tell you more? Where are we going next?”
I hang back as questions pour out of Riva. Justin jams his hands into his pockets, a tiny frown tugging at his lips. I know the look on his face. He always used to get it when one of the popular girls would try getting his attention. Knowing that he’s irritated gives me a small rush of pleasure, although I’m not sure if it’s because he is annoyed in general or because he’s just annoyed with Riva.
“We should go home,” Justin says.
Riva’s face falls.
“But…we just got here,” Riva protests. I can tell that she’s irritating Justin. He shifts his jaw impatiently from side to side, something I’ve noticed him doing countless other times.
Justin shakes his head and glances over at The Hun. “I didn’t say we were
leaving. I said we should. This vampire guy is getting dangerous. The nurse thought he must have used some sort of knife on Margaret. Luckily she only needs a few stitches. But we shouldn’t be messing around on campus tonight.”
“Then why are we staying?” I ask, feeling a level of exasperation I have never felt before.
Finally Justin looks at me. Our eyes meet in the dim streetlight. The intensity of his gaze nearly knocks me off my feet. “I just have to know.”
I know exactly what he means, and he knows that I know. He knocks the wind out of me with that look. Slumping against the brick wall of the Health Center I shrug my acceptance. The cold from the bricks seeps through my sweater and a violent shiver races through me.
“Let’s go get some coffee,” Justin says so quietly we all stare at him blankly. “We can work out our plan then.”
We trudge toward the student union. The night sky holds banks of thick, dark blue clouds, bunching chaotically together, threatening rain. I hope the weather holds for now. Nothing would spell swell evening like adding soaking wet to the frigid temps.
Clumps of happy, chattering students pass by. Some are dressed in costume, all seemingly oblivious to the dark menace lurking in the shadows. I find myself glancing over my shoulder, hoping no one is following us. Riva clings to Malcolm, casually leaning her head against his shoulder as they walk. I quicken my pace to keep time with Justin.
We fall into a comfortable pace, not speaking. I still enjoy the safe, warm feeling of being beside him. The student union has so many nooks and crannies that I would get lost if I hadn’t been raised here.
The Coffee Spot serves some of the weirdest varieties of coffee drinks I have ever seen. Still all contain caffeine, and the place is open twenty-four hours a day. We order and mill around the counter while we wait. Riva starts explaining the dynamics of getting her hair perfectly straight every morning. Justin runs a hand through his hair, studying the menu intensely. Malcolm tries following along but as Riva waxes lyrical about hair gel, his eyebrows knit together.
When we finally sit down, Justin stares at his coffee for a long time. The rest of us stay quiet waiting for him to continue his story, even though I know the details by heart. I still love hearing Justin tell it. There is poetry and reverence in his voice when he talks about the Legend of the Hidden Door. I love that about him.
“I guess you probably want to know what happened after those fraternity guys took the gargoyle’s head,” Justin says, swirling his coffee.
“How did they even get the head off?” Malcolm asks.
Justin taps the tabletop with his fingers. “No one knows for sure,” he says. “Regardless of how they did it, I’m sure that they regretted their actions immediately.”
“What happened?” Riva squeaks, and then swallows. Is she scared? No way. Like I said before, this girl lives for stuff like this.
“Horrible accidents, failed relationships, flunking out of the university. Some people have said that all the things that happened to these guys—there were seven of them total—were just coincidences. But the sheer number of things makes it impossible for me to believe that.” Justin takes a long swig of his coffee then continues. “So after months of bad things happening to them, the guys got together and decided they had to do something.”
“What could they do?” Riva leans forward so suddenly that she knocks against her coffee, sloshing it onto the table. Justin and I reach for napkins at the same time, our hands bumping. I let Justin mop up the mess before he continues.
“At first they thought they would just put the head back on, but then they realized that they couldn’t or they might be caught. That’s when they decided to hide it forever.”
“Forever?” Malcolm leans forward, clearly caught up in the drama of the story. Maybe it helps that some creep is skulking around campus, terrifying people. I don’t think a guy like Malcolm would ever really be caught up like this.
Justin nods. “Forever. One of the guys, his dad was a professor here. He knew the buildings inside and out. He swore to the other guys that there was a door to a room that never got used. Maybe it was a storage closet. I don’t know but what I do know is that they put the head of the gargoyle in the room and locked the door. No one has ever found it. The Legend says that whoever does find the head and replace it will be granted luck forever.”
We all sit contemplating the door. I’ve never understood where this door could be that no one has ever found it. And what about the key? Even if we find the door tonight it’s not like we can open it. I voice my concerns.
“That’s my ace in the hole,” Justin says, touching his jacket. I know there’s an interior pocket there. He used to let me wear that coat when it was cold and we were out searching for the door. What’s in that pocket now is a mystery to me, though.
“So what are we going to do tonight?” Riva asks, back to her usual, exuberant self.
Justin chews his lip, the first real sign of indecision I’ve seen in him tonight. “We’re going to search all the old buildings for the Hidden Door. Just like we planned.”
“Will the buildings be open?” Malcolm asks. “We can’t get in trouble or anything.”
I laugh. “It’s Friday. All the buildings stay open until eleven. Don’t worry about that. But…”
My laughter trails off as I think about The Vampire. Clearly he’s not some mythical undead man, but worse. He’s real and dangerous. Justin catches my eye and shakes his head.
“We won’t run into any trouble,” he says firmly.
Something in his tone makes me desperately want to believe him. Still, when I think about that girl, Margaret, and the look in her eyes, and the gash in her arm, I shiver. Did he use a knife? The girl had just babbled on the way to the Health Center about fangs and claws. Riva had listened with rapt fascination. Malcolm and Justin hovered reassuringly. I made sure to stay back just enough that I could roll my eyes without being rude to her face. I mean, I know she was scared and all, but who actually believes they have been attacked by a vampire?
I squirm thinking about it now, though. Because no matter what the girl thought happened to her, she was attacked by someone. But why? And how are we going to keep ourselves safe when we are voluntarily going out and searching for legends and trouble?
Justin must be thinking something along the same lines because he repeats that we will be fine as he drains the last of his coffee then crushes the cup in his hand. He always used to do that and it drove me nuts. I was constantly nagging him to stop. Little drops of beverage would splash out on me. Just gross. As he does it now, though, I find myself pining for those days. I can’t even say anything jokingly now because the joke will come out flat and make me look weird.
“Let’s get going,” I say, standing up purposefully. “I want to get home before midnight.”
“Will you turn into a pumpkin?” Riva teases, scooting out of the booth behind me. She tosses her half-full cup of coffee into the trash. She really isn’t a coffee drinker. I think she just got something to fit in.
I ignore her comment and start walking to the exit, leaving the rest of them to follow me. Suddenly I am yanked back, and find myself caught in Justin’s fierce glare. I have to blink at the fury I see there.
“We can’t be stupid tonight,” he says in a low voice. “You know there is something dangerous out there. We buddy up. You and me. Riva and Malcolm.”
I tip my chin up and glare back at him. The steady look he gives me takes all the wind out of my sails and I swallow my snide retort. Instead I nod my agreement, and am surprised when Justin keeps his hand on my arm as we leave the building.
“Where to first?” Malcolm says with a smile. I realize he thinks this is all a big game. He’s just been playing along for Riva’s sake because he knows that’s how he’ll get with her.
A protective feeling races over me. This isn’t a joke to Justin. He has been searching for this door his whole life. No one understands the importance of this mission more than me
. I’ve heard his dad talk about the importance of the legend in the history of the university. Justin’s determination used to awe me and scare me equally. I can feel his urgency even now.
“I want to check some of the older buildings first,” Justin says. “Then we’ll hit up the law library and the castle again.”
Recently the university started a project to beautify the campus. They have been replacing all the light fixtures. Even though they should all work because they are new, there are still long stretches of sidewalk lingering in darkness. As we enter one such section I am so glad for Justin’s presence, sticking close by his side.
A clanging noise causes all of us to jump. Instinctively I grab Justin’s arm. Just as I am about to let go, he reaches out and readjusts my arm to draw me closer. My carefully built walls wobble. This is just for safety, I remind myself. As soon as we come to the next splash of lamplight I pull away. Justin frowns, shoving his hands into his pockets.
Before I can analyze any of this, the wail of police sirens fill the air. We turn toward the nearest street as four campus police cars go whizzing by in a blur of red and blue lights. The four of us step closer together, out of fear or guilt or…something else entirely. Riva and Malcolm don’t look so sure about this little endeavor anymore. I know the only reason Malcolm’s here is to get with Riva. The two of them have been dancing around their attraction for months. And as much as Riva craves excitement, she doesn’t really want to get in trouble or be in danger.
“Maybe we should split up,” I suggest. “You know…cover more ground.”
Malcolm jumps on this immediately, taking Riva’s hand and nodding his agreement. “Me and Riva will go look in that law library. You guys can meet us there. You’ve got my cell number.”
Before we can protest or make any other plans, the two of them hurry off—Malcolm looking relieved and Riva giggling. This is exactly what she wanted.
“We won’t be seeing them again,” Justin says arching his eyebrow and smirking.