Afterlife

by Claudia Gray

  The rest of our family reunion wasn’t as heartwarming as I might’ve wished. When Mom and Dad weren ‘t sick with anger at Mrs. Bethany, they were angry at themselves for coming to Evemight Academy in the first place. Instead of reminding them that I’d been against this plan from the start sometimes “I told you so” isn’t the best thing to say, even if later events have proved you totally correct — ! told them what my friends and I were planning. They agreed to serve as chaperones for the Autumn Ball, the better to make sure that the rest of us would be able to leave and return easily. Although they were thrilled that Balthazar and Patrice were playing a role in this, they both went very quiet anytime I mentioned Lucas. Rather than force the issue, I hoped they would wind up talking to him on the night of the ball. By cooperating on a common goal, maybe they could find a way to 194 be civil to each other.

  Because of that, I started looking forward to the ball — the dance, the hunt, everything. By the time the night arrived, I was way too excited to just lurk in the great hall until everyone arrived. I dedded to enjoy some vicarious glamour by visiting Patrice’s room and helping her get ready for the dance.

  The envy almost did me in. Her ball gown looked like it cost more than some cars. The ice blue sheath was beaded from straps to hem, and her shoes were embroidered in fine crystals. “Why couldn’t I appear in a dress like that?” I said wistfully, helping to hold back the rest of her hair as she worked on the last few fine braids. “It’s sort of a wraith — y color. Way more angelic than these stupid pajamas.”

  “They’re cute pajamas, and thank goodness.” Patrice squinted at the mirror. Like most vampire girls at the school, she’d cut back on her blood to look thinner and hungrier at the dance; however, that meant she no longer reflected in a mirror very well. “If you ‘ d died in one of those old T — shirts you used to sleep in sophomore year? I shudder to think.”

  “Even if these were the cutest pajamas in the world, an evening gown would have to be better.”

  “True,” Patrice said. Her smile was luminous. There was nothing she liked more than dressing up. Or was that maybe not the only reason she was glowing?

  “So, you and Balthazar,” I began. “just friends?”

  She snorted, the least ladylike thing I’d ever heard her do. “I told you before, remember? Not my type.”

  “Yeah, I remember.” Poor Balthazar was going to have to wait a little longer for romance. At least Patrice was having fun getting dressed up.

  No wonder, given that her clothing was this expensive and beautiful. Her drop earrings glittered with diamonds, as did the fine bracelet she wore. She’d coiled her thin braids into an elegant twist.

  Once she was getting done, I said, “I’m going to head on, okay? I’ll try to say hello during the dance?”

  “Are you headed down already?” Patrice wore only her lacy underthings as she curled her eyelashes; the ice blue dress waited on a hanger upon the closet door. “What for?”

  “Urn, I might actually be going to watch Lucas pick up Skye.”

  Patrice shot me a sidelong look. “You know nothing’s going on there, right?”

  “I know. But she gets to go to the party with my boyfriend, and I don’t. So if I go right now, after seeing how amazing you look, I’ll feel as though she’s totally average by comparison. It helps, you know?”

  She laughed, pleased as ever by flattery. “Sure, go ahead.”

  I drifted down to the base of the stairwell, where most girls would be come down to find their escorts for the evening. Ranulf and Vic had just met up with their dates; the glamorous Cristina snuggled on Ranulf’s arm happily enough, but Vic and his date regarded each other suspiciously.

  No sooner had they walked out of the common area than Lucas walked in. He’d managed to rent or borrow an evening suit. I knew him well enough to know he hadn’t paid much attention to the process, but somehow the suit fit him perfectly, outlining his shoulders, his waist, and his hips. His dark gold hair was combed back, something he rarely did. The style made his hair seem darker, giving him a slightly older look. I’d never actually seen Lucas dressed up before; this might have been the first formal occasion he’d ever attended in his life. But his rugged good looks turned out to work just as well in midnight black as they did in jeans and flannel. He could ‘ve been in a Cary Grant movie. No — he could’ve been Cary Grant himself.

  I can’t wait to see him after this and tell him how amazing he looks, I thought dreamily. Oh, I wish we’d been able 10 go to this dance together just once.

  My giggly delight at Lucas’s appearance lasted until Skye appeared on the stairwell.

  Every guy in the room went quiet. Even the girls had to stare, including me. Skye’s dark brown hair, which normally hung straight, had been swept into a soft bun that left little tendrils free to curl around her oval face and exposed her long, slender neck. Her one — shouldered dress had a richly embroidered band just beneath her breasts, from which the chiffon material rippled to the floor. The deep wine color set off her skin and her pale blue eyes.

  On the average day, Skye looked like a cute girl. This was not the average day. When she wanted people to notice her, it turned out nobody would 196 be able to look away.

  Sick with jealousy, I wanted to dart from the room that instant, rather than see Lucas offer her his arm. If I did that. though, I’d torture myself wondering what he’d said to her, what she’d said back, everything. Though I knew Lucas loved me, I couldn’t help feeling insecure when comparing myself to a beautiful girl who had such a gorgeous body — heck, even one who just had a body, period, all of tile time.

  So I stayed put to see Lucas walk up to her. His smile was appreciative, but something else, too. Uncertain, maybe? “Hey. Wow, Skye. You look amazing.”

  “Thanks.” She seemed to wilt; why would a compliment have made her feel so awful? But then she caught a bit of the chiffon between two of her fmgers. “Some dress, huh?”

  “You can say that again.”

  “I bought it to sweep Craig off his feet. Craig, who is now dating a girl named Britnee. With two Es. Somehow the two Es make it worse.” There was no flirtation in her, I realized; her exquisite appearance tonight was like a battle flag — a symbol of her refusal to surrender, though her heart was broken.

  “Don’t let it spoil your night,” Lucas said quickly. “Forget about that jerk, okay?”

  Though her shoulders still drooped a bit, Skye nodded, and I relaxed. There wasn’t any reason to be jealous of her. Well, except for that awesome dress. “I’m done crying over him. Tonight I just want to hang out with my friends and dance.”

  “I can oblige.” When Lucas offered his arm to her, I found I didn’t mind.

  The Autumn Ball was always a spectacle — something out of another century, harkening back to the grander events so many of the vampire students remembered from when they were young. Instead of a OJ or a band, a small orchestra played classical music, which turned out to be a lot more danceable than you’d think. Instead of glittery lights or modern decorations, the great hall was illuminated with hundreds of candles, many set in place in front of hammered brass or old — fashioned, smoky mirrors to reflect the light throughout the room. Every guy wore an evening suit or a tux; every girl wore a floor — length dress, and some of them had gloves to match. It was the kind of grand occasion every girl — and more of the guys than 197 would readily admit it — wanted to be a part of at least once.

  I’d attended twice with Balthazar, and had loved my dresses, the dancing, and everything else. However, it turned out to be just as much fun to watch, from above, where I darted amid the hanging chandeliers lit by candles. Sometimes I laughed, either watching Lucas carefully navigate Skye through the waltz, almost visibly counting one — two — three, or Vic and his date, keeping each other at full arm’s length and obviously both plotting an early escape. Other times, I watched in admiration; some of the dancers were clearly expert and eager to show off their many years of experience. Bal
thazar and Patrice were the most beautiful of all, moving gracefully at the heart of the dance. And, of course, every once in a while, one of them would slip out to continue the hunt. My parents would always nod at them as they went past — Mom pretty in a cream silk dress I hadn’t seen before.

  Lucas went most often, as much as everyone else put together. Was that because of his crazed drive to do something productive? Because Skye excused herself frequently to goof around with her friends on the outskirts of the dance? Or because he didn’t trust himself to be in such close proximity to a human? All of the above, I suspected. Each time he went out, he walked by my parents, and the three of them would get very tense. But they were acknowledging each other now, Mom and Dad getting over their anger, and I hoped it was a positive sign.

  Everything was going perfectly, until I felt a chill — and the visions began.

  My mind filled with image after image of the humans below, people I’d never known well but now felt an intimacy with that was as powerful as love. Different faces, different emotions, different ages: Every human being down there felt precious to me now. And above this, a darkening veil of terror for those humans’ safety, and hatred of the vampires who danced in their midst.

  The wraiths. The Plotters, to be exact. Suddenly I could feel them over the entire dance, gathering like storm clouds. Was this how the attack had begun a year ago? “What are you doing?” I whispered, safe that I was far enough above the crowd for the orchestra to drown out my words.

  The images changed to violence: vampires being set aflame, being frozen within blocks of ice, being caught in the kinds of traps that Mrs. Bethany set for ghosts. No one plan took form, but I could tell what it meant. These ghosts feared for their anchors’ safety, and for their own. And they wanted revenge on the vampires below, for Mrs. Bethany’s plan.

  Those people are safe, I promised. If you want to move on, you know that I can help you.

  I expected surprise, happiness, maybe a rush to depart. Instead I felt only a deeper wave of fear. Honestly, I wasn’t much less frightened myself, and I didn’t yet know how — or if — I could perform the wonders Christopher claimed. So how could I make them any promises?

  Yet I felt that, if they would follow me, I had to try. If I was able to usher several of the wraiths away from Evernight Academy in one swoop, that would be as effective at stopping Mrs. Bethany as anything else we could do.

  But a hard rush of refusal hit me, like a hard — breaking wave on the shore in winter. And then a rising tumult of energy. aimed downward, in points like a hundred arrows — What’s happening?I thought. I looked wildly at the crowd; Balthazar and Patrice were off hunting traps, but everyone else I cared for was down there dancing. There was no time even for a warning.

  The energy streaked toward the floor like thunderbolts, and I expected a rain of ice or snow. Maybe ghostly apparitions. I didn’t expect every single human in the crowd to instantly collapse, unconscious.

  The orchestra’s music snarled into something unrecognizable as instruments stopped, one by one, and the vampires began to react. A few of them were obnoxious enough to laugh, but most of them were worried — either about humans they cared for, or because something obviously dangerous was happening. Lucas knelt on the floor, two fingers at Skye’s neck to check for a pulse. Ranulf held Cristina in his arms, though she was completely limp, her head flopping backward. Vic lay facedown, his arms and legs splayed awkwardly like an abandoned rag doll.

  And then he moved — or. I should say. his body moved. Because I knew from the first moment that whatever was rising wasn’t Vic.

  I realized: I Wasn’t the only wraith with the power to possess humans.

  The other humans began coming to as well, but their eyes were clouded — a milky greenish color all over, with no pupil or iris. Yet none of them were blind. Their movements were slow and awkward, as though they had not moved in a very long time. Lucas drew back as Skye, or something that looked like Skye, stared malevolently at him from her place on the floor.

  Vic squared his shoulders as he pulled himself fully upright. If I hadn’t already sensed that Maxie Wasn’t among the attackers, I would have known that she wasn’t the one possessing him just from the expression on his face. It was so unlike Vic, so strange for him, that it took me a while to recognize the emotion I saw — cruelty.

  He shouted, “Mrs. Bethany!”

  It wasn’t Vic’s voice. It was a hoarse rasp that made me instantly think of someone whose throat had been cut. I wished desperately for a mirror to free him — but would the traps work if a wraith was possessing a human being? Remembering how securely armored I had felt when I’d possessed Kate, I suspected not.

  Mrs. Bethany stepped forward. She didn’t look scared. Just mildly interested. Her long, starched dress of lace was stark white.

  “Free our kind,” Vic said. The crazy raspy voice seemed to make the entire room shiver. “Free us. Or we shall strike, and your kind will perish.” Smoothly she replied, “If you force me to exorcise you from your anchors, they will suffer terribly. Some might die.”

  The mask of cruelty on Vic’s face didn’t waver. “You have been warned.”

  Then, suddenly, as if the marionette strings had been cut, all the humans collapsed again — but this time, only for a second. Within moments, they were up, rubbing their heads if they’d fallen, confused about what had just happened. Nobody seemed to remember exactly, which was probably a mercy for everyone involved.

  I tried to take hope. We were collecting most of the traps tonight. Once we figured out how to act safely, we’d be able to free the wraiths ourselv·es. Given time, I could probably convince many of them to leave this realm with me, if they could no longer remain safe here.

  And yet I sensed that something terrible had already been put into motion — something we might not be able to stop.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE I WENT ALL EVIL.” VIC SAT ON the steps of the gazebo, where we’d gathered after the chaos had died down. Although it wasn’t yet midnight, the Autumn Ball was definitely over. “Did I shoot ftre out of my eyes or something cool like that?”

  “No, you were just scary as hell.” Lucas leaned against the gazebo railing. He’d loosened the tie of his evening suit and undone his collar, a view I wished I had time to appreciate more. Skye, like most of the human students and plenty of the vampires, had long since retreated to their rooms for the full — scale freakout that evidently followed a mass possession. “They just wouldn’t listen to you, Bianca?”

  “They listened, but they were afraid.” I sat on the railing next to him, all but solid; nobody outside our group was around to see. “Whatever they’re planning, it’s coming soon. If we don’ t free the wraiths quickly, I’m scared they’ll start hurting people — humans, vampires, everybody.”

  Patrice, who hadn’t witnessed the possessions and, as such, was thinking more clearly than most of us, began analyzing our position. “We were able to sweep most of the areas we wanted to. A total of forty — seven traps are in the records room. It stands to reason that we didn’t find every single one of the traps, but we must have the majority of them by now. So if we’re able to do that, it should change the wraiths’ minds, right? Or at least give them some reason to hope, and show them that we’re on their side.”

  My mother shifted on her feet, and my dad slipped his arm around her shoulders in a half hug. I knew she found it difficult to think of herself as being on the side of the wraiths, but she hadn’t fled; she stood here with us.

  “We have to free the trapped wraiths,” I said. “And after that, destroy the traps we’ve got, to stop Mrs. Bethany from using them again.”

  “It is unlikely that anyone so determined as Mrs. Bethany would allow herself to be stopped by the destruction of a few traps,” Ranulf pointed out.

  I nodded. “But when we’ve freed the trapped ones, the wraiths who have traveled to Evernight will stop being so afraid. I can convince some of 201 them
to leave then, maybe.”

  “And maybe it’s not a bad idea to start tipping off the human students,” Balthazar said, catching on to the idea. “The hauntings didn’t scare them off, but possession might.”

  Lucas added, “And if possession doesn’t, vampires certainly will. I’m not above showing my fangs if it will get some human students out of this school for good.”

  “So we can really shut her down.” I began to get excited; for the first time in far too long, it felt like I was getting the upper hand over Mrs. Bethany. “Destroy the traps, empty the school of anybody except the vampires who need to be here.”

  My father looked wary. “When we destroy the traps, we’ll disrupt the deep magic inside. It’s going to be an enormous release of energy. Nobody will be able to miss it.”

  Lucas grimaced. “In other words, Mrs. Bethany’s going to know we’ve messed up her plan. Not later, when we start telling the human students right away.”

  From his place within the gazebo, where he sat on one of the long benches, Balthazar said, “And she’ll act. Immediately. When we do this, we have to be ready for the repercussions.”

  “She Wouldn’t actually kill — ” Another vampire, I wanted to say, but I couldn ‘t, not after seeing what she’d done to Samuel Younger. Mrs.

  Bethany had nurtured this plan as her dearest wish for two centuries, and she wouldn’t hesitate to destroy anybody who got in her way. When I looked at my father, he nodded once in confirmation.

  “She would,” Dad said. “And she’s played favorites a lot this year — among the faculty and the students. I suspect other vampires are in on her plan. If we don’t want to get staked or worse, we need to get out of here as soon as we’ve set the wraiths free.”

  Lucas turned to my parents — the first time I’d seen him directly speak to one of them since that initial altercation with my mother at the top of the school year. “Any chance she’s going to be gone for a while anytime soon?”