“I’m bloody well here for you,” Austin said, rubbing where I smacked him.
“Well, you won’t be if you get shot!”
He reached up to touch my cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I’m a fast runner.”
“So am I. I’m going with you tonight.”
“No. You’ll stay. I’ll find a way to get you out. Summon your patience.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not very patient.”
“Please try to be this once,” he said, slowly moving his lips toward mine.
In his kiss, I sensed his real fear for me. When he pulled away, I wrapped my arms around him, not wanting him to go. He untangled himself from me and planted a kiss on my forehead before turning away. As he closed the door of the carriage house, he glanced back at me one last time, eyes glittering.
He didn’t say I love you, but I felt it in that look just the same. I was his and he was going to protect me. It was going to be hard to be patient with all the worry swirling around in my heart and head. I just wanted us to be together, away from this awful place.
I waited until Austin’s footsteps faded, and then I pushed open the carriage house door. His boot tracks led toward the front of the school, but snow was falling again and would cover them before long. I retraced my steps to the kitchen. Once I had my snow clothes off and stowed in the girls’ bathroom again, I tiptoed down the hallway to my room. As I got under the covers, Marie-Rose moaned in her sleep but didn’t wake up.
I shut my eyes and tried not to think about all that had happened. About all the danger we were in, about how this school, this whole thing, had been a big setup. I focused on Austin, on the fact that we’d be together soon.
And my eyelids were softly closing when I heard the first gunshot.
***
In nightgowns and pajamas, every girl at Steinfelder crowded into the living room and tried to peer out into the darkness. Several of the girls came from families with private security forces and knew all too well the sound of high-powered rifles. There had definitely been shots fired.
As gossip buzzed around the room, I sat away from the group, in an armchair, shivering under a blanket. I couldn’t get warm. I was too worried about Austin. The shots had to have been directed at him. I tucked the blanket tighter around my legs, willing my shaking to stop. I just knew that he was out there in the frigid night, bleeding or worse. And I was probably the next target.
Madame LaCroix, wearing a bathrobe that looked like a Chinese tapestry, set down the walkie-talkie in her hands and clapped to get our attention. “All right, girls. Back to bed! I’ve had a report from Hans at the guardhouse that all is well. You are all safe. I repeat, you are all safe. Now, let’s go.” She made a shooing motion, as if that would wrench the girls from their posts near the windows.
“But what happened?” asked Patricia, frowning at her. “I mean, aren’t you going to tell us what the shots were about?”
“Hans saw an intruder,” Madame said. “Whoever it was is long gone.”
“And did he hit the intruder?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“There was blood at the scene,” Madame said with a curt nod. “The local police will be out here to investigate tomorrow morning. We will learn more in the daylight and relay to you students the need-to-know facts. The important thing is that you are all safe and sound. No need to request calls home. No need to write worried letters. Everything is fine.”
But I knew it wasn’t. All I could think about was Austin. I got up from the chair, the blanket still wrapped around me. Our tired-looking teachers prodded us up the stairs. I paused at my doorway, but Mrs. Lemmon put a hand on my shoulder and guided me inside. She gave me a last look before she turned out the light and closed the door.
The barest hint of moonlight filtered through the window. I glanced up at what was left of that big full moon that had led me to Austin a few weeks ago, and I couldn’t stem my tears any longer.
Marie-Rose perched on the edge of her bed, looking for a moment like she wanted to say something. Maybe she wanted to tell me the truth about what was going on with her. Or maybe she wanted to ask me why I was I was crying. But after a moment of sitting there, she got under her covers and turned out the light.
She had the decency to let me begin my night of worried, dreamless sleep.
Chapter Ten
I woke up with a feeling of dread in my bones, deeper than anything I’d ever felt before. I was filled with the fear that I would never see Austin again.
I hadn’t slept but a few moments the whole night. And my dreams of running after prey and singing to Mother Moon were replaced with dark, tumbling nightmares wherein I was trapped in a wolf’s body with no knowledge, no home, no guidance. Those nightmares led to paralyzing realizations as the morning dawned.
I was going to be a werewolf orphan. I was going to change alone. And then what would I do? I had no access to serum. I didn’t even know where, exactly, Austin’s family castle was. Would I just show up in Muldania in the hopes that they would help me?
I went down to breakfast, moving as slow and fecklessly as a zombie. Seated in front of my bowl of cereal, I ignored the gossip flowing through the room and buzzing around our table. It felt like my life was over. Really over.
Around eight o’clock, when most of us were hanging out in the living room again, Madame LaCroix swept in with Hans and a handsome, blond man in uniform.
“Girls, we have a report on the incident,” she announced, and then she turned to the policeman, smiling. “Herr Eppler will give us an overview, so that if any of you, or your parents, have questions, you will know what to say.”
Of course Madame LaCroix’s main concern was for Steinfelder’s cash flow. One whiff of a shooting at the academy and all of us would be gone, along with our parents’ money.
Herr Eppler cleared his throat. “There is no imminent danger. Security detected an intruder and fired his weapon to deter the perpetrator.”
“I sent off several warning shots,” interjected Hans.
The policeman gave Hans a pointed look. “On investigation, we found a blood trail. The perpetrator was hit at least once.”
Blood trail. The words echoed in my mind. Was Austin out there hurt, hiding in the woods? Had the shock of the bullet forced him to change into his wolf self? Was he even alive? Panic rose in me like a terrible wave. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine he was out there, recovering from a mere graze, but the truth was that he could be dead. And my fears of losing him, of losing us would be coming true.
Next to me, Patricia raised her hand. “Who was it? This perpetrator?”
“I saw a dark figure,” Hans said. “A man, I am pretty sure, moving fast near the fence.”
I couldn’t help but ask, “Was he armed?”
Hans glowered at me. “There are clearly posted signs for several kilometers around the perimeter of Steinfelder, warning intruders they will be shot. This has always been a deterrent, up until now.”
“You shot an unarmed subject?” Patricia gave him a funny look. “I don’t see how that is ethical.”
Madame LaCroix tut-tutted. “This is private property. Trespassing is not taken lightly here.”
“We Swiss have well-armed citizens. Our right to defend ourselves is an important part of maintaining our neutrality,” said Herr Eppler.
“If we’ve exhausted all the questions, I think we should return to our normal activities,” Madame LaCroix said.
“Just stay away from the fence,” I muttered.
Hans gave me a sideways smile. “Exactly.”
“Gentlemen, thank you. Teachers, let’s have a brief meeting in the staff dining room,” Madame said, before stalking off.
The gathering dissolved, some girls retreating to the library, others going to hang outside for awhile. I curled into one of the armchairs near the living room fire, pondering my options. There were three choices as far as I could see. I could go out into the woods to search for Austin and possibly get shot
by the overzealous and now probably paranoid Hans. I could rally some help from the outside—Muldania. Or I could run away from Steinfelder altogether. Maybe I would do all three.
For my second and third options, I needed to get to a laptop or a cell phone and my passport. All of those things were in Madame LaCroix’s office, and she and the teachers would be wrapped up in a meeting for the next few minutes. I glanced over to Marie-Rose, who was helping Patricia with a crossword puzzle. I didn’t know if she was watching over me for Austin or the bad guys, but I didn’t need a shadow now, not when it really counted.
I got up with my water glass, pretending to walk to the kitchen, but took a turn down the administrator’s hallway. As I passed the display case of Duke Steinfelder’s collection, I shuddered with the knowledge that the silver dagger must have been used to kill werewolves.
When I reached Madame’s office, the door was open. I ditched my water glass and went straight to the desk. It was tempting to try the laptop first, but I figured finding my passport would be pretty easy. One of her desk drawers was locked. I tried to picture her key ring in my mind. I didn’t remember there being a small key like the one this drawer called for, so it had to be hidden nearby. Madame definitely underestimated her students’ bravery. She’d assume no one would be dumb enough to break into her office and rummage in her desk.
I pulled open the unlocked drawers and felt for keys taped beneath them. Nothing. And then my eyes lit on the candy jar on the desk. I found a tiny key there, taped to the bottom of the lid. When I opened the locked drawer, I found the typical contraband: chocolate bars, some cigarettes, and a couple of cell phones. I pocketed one that looked like it could be mine and relocked the drawer.
“Where are you, passport?” I murmured, moving out from behind the desk.
Against the far wall, beneath another portrait of the duke, stood a file cabinet. That might make more sense for official documents. The drawers were locked, of course. I tried a few more hiding places for a key, but came up empty. Then I spied Madame’s very sharp mother of pearl letter opener. I’d learned many things at Red Canyon from the kids on the brat camp circuit, but picking a simple lock was by far the most useful. The important thing was to try to damage the lock as little as possible so that no one knew you’d worked it over.
By the time I jimmied it open, the lock’s keyhole was a little bent around the edges, but still worked fine. I rifled through the drawer. There were thick files of notes on all the students, and I was really tempted to pull mine, but there wasn’t time. At the back of the manila files, I found a shoebox filled with passports. I slid mine into my pocket and relocked the file cabinet drawer just in time to hear someone coming down the hallway. I’d never been more thankful for my improved senses.
“What are you doing skulking around here?” Mrs. Lemmon said, meeting me near the glass cases in front of the office. Her tone wasn’t unkind, but there was an edge to it.
“Oh, me?” I glanced up into her wrinkled face, willing her not to ask any more questions. “Just bored,” I said.
Mrs. Lemmon cocked her head and gave me an appraising look. “This is a section of the building where you could get into real trouble. I should report you to Madame LaCroix right now.” She walked over to Madame’s office and pulled the door shut with a click.
“But you won’t, right?” I asked softly.
“Locke!” Miss Kovac stalked up to us, her eyes narrowed. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Lemmon said. “I caught Locke lollygagging around the glass cases.”
My mouth dropped open at the lie. Mrs. Lemmon was covering for me.
“The dagger!” Miss Kovac whirled around to check it was still there, which, of course, it was.
“I didn’t touch it. Really,” I said.
Mrs. Lemmon pointed at me. “Off with you now, before you get into mischief,” she said. “You don’t want to miss the shopping trip to town today.”
Behind her, Miss Kovac gave me a tight smile.
I rolled my eyes, as any annoyed kid would do, and walked way.
“If ever someone deserved that dagger,” I heard Kovac mutter.
“Now, now,” Mrs. Lemmon replied. “None of that talk in front of the students.”
The hair on the back of my neck stood up, but I didn’t turn around. I didn’t even pause. The last thing I wanted either of them to know was that I’d heard anything at that distance. No matter how awful it was.
When I got around the corner, I pulled the stolen phone out of my pocket and hit the power button. I need to try to call someone, anyone, for help. My first thought was my friend Ariel, whose family knew Austin’s. Even if she didn’t know the family’s dark secret, maybe she’d have their number in Muldania.
I glanced down at the screen of the phone again, waiting for the power to kick in, but nothing happened. My heart sank as I realized the thing was completely out of power. And the charger was probably at the bottom of Madame LaCroix’s drawer.
***
A few hours later on our shopping trip into the town of Steinfelderburg, I stared up at the Departures sign in the tiny train station, looking for any name that could be Muldania written in German. I needed to get far enough away from school so I could figure out my next move. And with any luck, I’d be able to find a cheap phone charger in town before I left.
I felt the small bundle of bills in my pocket again. We’d each been given the money sent by our parents for Christmas shopping. My dad had only sent a hundred Euros. It wasn’t nearly enough to buy presents and pay to ship them back to the states, but a hundred Euros might save my life, and maybe Austin’s.
I walked up to the ticket window. “Hi, do you speak English?”
“Of course,” the man said, reluctantly turning down the page of the paperback in front of him. When he shut the book, I saw it was an American romance novel.
“So, uh, I need to buy a ticket to Muldania,” I said.
He squinted at me. “What did you say?”
“Muldania—it’s by Yugoslavia.”
“Yes, I know where it is, Miss.” He turned to a keyboard and typed away. “There is one train. It leaves tonight. The price is two-hundred-and-five Euros.”
“Oh. So, what other trains leave today?” I said in as casual a tone I could muster. “I have, like, a hundred Euros,” I admitted.
He wrinkled his nose. “Do I understand that now you don’t want to go to Muldania?”
“Yes. I mean, where can I go for one hundred Euros?”
“One hundred?” he said, scratching at his stubbly chin. “There is a train to Salzburg, Austria. It departs in one hour. Eighty-five Euros one way.”
I glanced at the map behind his head. Austria was, at least, in the right direction. “That’s good. I’ll take it.”
“So to confirm, you want to go to Austria, not Muldania?” He raised his eyebrows at me. “You’re sure?”
“Yeah. My, uh, grandma has a house in Salzburg,” I fibbed. “She wants me to come there for the holidays. She’s pretty lonely and I don’t get to see her often.” I shoved the money through the little slot and gave him a smile.
He shrugged like he didn’t really care, printed out my ticket and then went back to reading his book. I sighed with relief. In a little while, I’d be on my way out of town.
The train station’s gift shop looked out toward the town’s main shopping drag. There were a few students milling about outside the beautifully decorated window, but I kept out of sight. Unfortunately, their technology section was pretty crappy. Not a charger in sight. When I got to Austria, it’d be morning in America. I’d find a pay phone and try to phone my friend Ariel, whose family knew Austin’s dad. Maybe she’d be able to help me get in touch with him. It was worth a try, anyway.
Near the door, I paused in front of a Christmas display, thinking about my dad and what kind of present I would have sent him if I hadn’t been forced to spend my gift money on a train ticket. I picked up a snow globe that fe
atured Santa Claus and a sack of gifts and shook it, watching the sparkly flakes swirl around and land at his booted feet. My heart constricted in my chest. I wasn’t going to see Dad for the holidays, and when he found out I had run away from school, who knew what he’d think of me, or where we’d stand. Then again, how was he going to feel when I told him I was a werewolf?
I sucked in a deep breath and stepped out onto the street.
Marie-Rose stood near the door, eating something from a paper bag. “You didn’t buy the snow globe? It was really pretty.”
“Nah.” I shrugged.
“I bought some cookies for us. I feel badly about the last few days. I want us to be friends.” She held out the bag, and I got a whiff of gingersnaps.
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