Pure (Book 1, Pure Series)

by Mesick, Catherine

  William picked up the lid of the stone tomb and let it fall back into place heavily.

  Gleb was finally gone.

  My strength gave out at last, and I fell to the floor. The clear fire vanished.

  I felt William lift me up and carry me out of the tomb. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes.

  Where he was walking, I didn't know, but I could feel the fever and the pain in my limbs returning with even greater force. I felt the world around me waver.

  After a few moments, I heard gasps, and I opened my eyes. William had brought me back to the Mstislav ball, and we were moving through a crowd of well-dressed people, all of whom were staring at us in shock.

  I imagined that the two of us looked pretty bedraggled – I had probably ruined Odette's beautiful red dress.

  William set me on a delicate-looking curving couch and sat beside me still holding me close.

  I thought to myself that being in William's arms was the best place in the world to be.

  Then everything went dark.

  Chapter 20.

  Two days later, I was reclining on the couch in the living room at Odette's house, propped up on some pillows.

  The night of the Mstislav ball, I had been rushed to the nearest hospital. GM had joined me there. My fever had broken the next morning, and I had been pronounced fit and allowed to leave. GM had brought me back to Odette's house, where she had fussed over me and worried about Odette.

  Odette had not returned to her own house, and the last place anyone had seen her was at the Mstislav mansion.

  "I can't imagine what could have possessed Odette to drag you to that ball," GM had said over and over again.

  I had not told GM what Odette had become, nor had I told her that Odette was the one who had attacked Galina. GM hadn't told me much about what had happened at Galina's, but from what I had gathered, the Leshi had been frozen by Odette, and then Odette had thrown Galina around just enough to shake her up and make her reach out for help. Galina had not seen who had caused all the mayhem – Odette had been moving too fast. GM had not described the events to me that way exactly, but that's what I had pieced together. GM seemed to be completely unaware of Odette's involvement.

  As for William, he had seen that I was taken to the hospital, and he had let people know that there were prisoners in the tunnels. Then he had disappeared. The police arrived at some point and freed Irina, Aleksandr, and James. William must have freed the Leshi from the ashes – no one mentioned seeing a man with green hair and a green beard at the Mstislav mansion. Irina, Aleksandr, and James had been questioned, and then allowed to go home – Irina and James had flown home this morning – and I was questioned at the hospital. From what the police had determined Timofei had kidnapped the four of us and planned to kill us, and we had been rescued by William – our stories all matched. William was still a person of interest to the police, but of course they had been unable to find him.

  Timofei's body had been found down in the tunnels and buried in the Mstislav crypt.

  The police had not believed Irina, James, or Aleksandr when they had told them about the horror that had kidnapped them – the reanimated Gleb Mstislav. To them, Gleb was lying silently in his tomb just as he had for the last eleven years.

  I didn't even mention him when I talked to the police. I knew they wouldn't believe me.

  GM and I were staying on in Krov for a few days. I was feeling better, but I think she wanted to be sure that I was truly better before she moved me. I knew she was also hoping that there would be news of Odette. Irina, James, and Aleksandr hadn't been able to give a clear account of what they had seen of her down in the tunnels. The current rumor was that Odette had been murdered by Timofei and her body hidden. I wished I could tell GM that Odette was still alive – after a fashion – but my news of Odette would not have been comforting or believable to her.

  I wondered if Odette was in the Pure Woods. I wondered if William was there, too. I felt a dull ache when I thought of him. I hadn't seen him since the night of the Mstislav ball.

  GM walked into the living room carrying a laptop. "I have something for you, Solnyshko."

  GM set the laptop down on a nearby table and turned it on. "I know you don't have your phone with you, so I borrowed this from Aleksandr. Your friends at home will surely know by now some of the things that have happened here, and they will just as surely have heard some wild tales that are not at all true – rumor is often swifter than fact. I thought you would like to let them know that you are all right."

  "Thanks, GM."

  "Would you like some tea, Solnyshko?"

  "No!" I said, far more sharply than I had meant to.

  GM looked at me in surprise.

  "I mean, no thank you. No tea. I don't think that alosa tea of Odette's is good anymore. I think it's spoiled. You should probably throw it away."

  GM patted me on the knee. "I will bring you some water, then. You should continue drinking liquids. I am sure you are not properly hydrated after your fever yet."

  GM left the room, and I logged on. I seemed to have about a hundred messages. The messages from Simon and Charisse jumped out at me. Simon seemed to be pretty panicked – he said he hoped I was okay. Charisse said the same thing – and also that she was sorry about our argument. She said she and Branden had decided not to get married – they'd realized it was a bad idea, and she'd give me the details later.

  I felt incredibly relieved.

  Quickly I wrote back to them. I was really looking forward to seeing them again.

  Looking over the other messages, I was also warmed by how many people were concerned about me.

  GM came back into the room. She set a glass of water down next to me. Then she sat down in a nearby chair with a cup of tea, and I felt a brief flash of panic. It subsided when I spotted the tea's pale amber color and realized it was only the chamomile she had purchased accidentally.

  I looked back at the laptop screen. While I was looking forward to seeing Simon and Charisse again, my thoughts drifted back to William. Though he had taken care of me on the night of the Mstislav ball, he hadn't been looking so great himself. I feared that his injuries might have proved too much for him.

  A sudden strange hope rose in my heart – maybe he was okay – maybe GM had even seen him and just didn't know it.

  I darted a glance at GM. "GM, did anyone stop by at the hospital or here at the house and ask to see me? Maybe while I was asleep?"

  GM looked at me over the top of her teacup. "I was wondering when you were going to ask about that. I didn't know who he was, but I had a feeling that you would."

  "He?" I asked eagerly.

  "Yes. How did you manage to meet a boy here in the last few days? I could have sworn I never left you alone long enough for something like that to happen. He never said anything to me, but I did see him haunting the halls in the hospital near your room. And I saw him on the street here yesterday morning."

  I caught my breath. "How did he look?"

  There was a knock on the front door.

  GM rose. "I'll get that. I have a feeling you may get the answer to your own question."

  I got up and followed her. The mere possibility that William had been nearby had set every nerve in my body tingling.

  GM opened the door.

  William was standing on the other side.

  "William!" I cried. Only GM's presence stopped me from rushing forward into his arms.

  "So, you are William, are you?" GM said. "It's nice to know your name."

  "GM, this is William Sursur," I said. "William saved my life down in those tunnels."

  "And Katie saved mine," William said.

  GM didn't seem too impressed by our announcements – instead she seemed resigned. Perhaps she thought the police were the ones who had done the real saving. "You may as well come in, William," GM said. "I am Anna Rost, Katie's grandmother."

  GM and I went into the living room, and Wi
lliam followed us.

  We all sat down. I looked at William, and he looked back at me. Neither one of us spoke.

  "Oh, very well." GM picked up her tea and rose. "I'll be in the kitchen so you two can talk, but I will not be far away. The two of you should keep that in mind."

  GM left the room.

  I looked William over. His skin still had an unhealthy pallor, but he was no longer ashen. The red marks I remembered seeing still ran across his face and neck, but they were much muted. And the black circles under his eyes had disappeared.

  "You look better," I said.

  "So do you," he replied.

  "GM – my grandmother – said someone was haunting the halls of the hospital near my room. Was that you?"

  "Yes."

  "Why didn't you talk to me?"

  "I knew I shouldn't."

  "Why?" I asked.

  "Why?" William repeated, disbelieving. "Katie, you know what I am."

  "I never wanted you to stay away," I replied. "I was worried about you. You looked bad to begin with, and then after you fought that creature—"

  A shiver ran through me. "I was afraid you were hurt or even killed. I wanted to know that you were okay."

  "I'm sorry," William said. "It never occurred to me that it would matter to you."

  "Of course it matters to me," I said. "What changed your mind? Why did you come here today?"

  "I had to see you one last time before you left."

  "What if I don't want it to be the last time you see me?" I asked.

  William shook his head. "It has to be."

  "The other night," I said slowly, "the night before the Mstislav ball, you took me home. I looked out the window at you, and you looked really deeply unhappy. Why was that?"

  "Because I knew I was going to go after Gleb. And I knew that I would never see you again if I succeeded in destroying him. But I certainly couldn't hope that I would fail. Gleb was too dangerous to let go for even a day."

  "So, you were going after him," I said, "but you let me believe that you wouldn't go after him."

  "I had to," William said. "The alternative was to let you be used as bait for Gleb. I couldn't do that."

  "William, everything you've said makes it sound like you really do want to see me. And I want to see you, too."

  "Katie," he said. "I'm the only one like me – and I can barely remember most of my life."

  "I'm the only one like me, too," I said. "And I didn't even know what I was until I got here."

  William shook his head. "Katie, though you have Sídh blood, you're really human at heart. You deserve a normal, happy life with your own kind."

  "What could be worse?" I asked suddenly.

  "What do you mean?"

  "What could be worse than what we've already been through?" I asked. "You say you're cursed. Well, maybe I am, too. I'm not entirely human, and I had a crazy, murderous undead creature after me. Maybe I'm just as cursed as you are. Cursed people should stick together."

  William couldn't help smiling, and I felt hope stir in my heart.

  "You have a point," William said. "We have been through a lot together in a very short time. But you live in another country – you have a home and school and a whole life in front of you there. I live here in the Pure Woods. There's no way we can see each other again."

  "There are woods not far from my house in Elspeth's Grove," I said. "You could live there."

  William laughed, despite himself. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"

  He stood. "Katie, you are very young. And though I look young, I am not. You don't really understand what you're saying. You think that you're in love with me. And at your age, love flares up like a lit match and then goes out. You will forget about me completely in a few months' time, and that's exactly the way it should be. I only came here to say good-bye."

  I jumped to my feet. "But you do feel something for me, don't you?"

  "Yes, I do," William said. "But this can't be."

  He kissed me on the forehead and then turned to go.

  "William—" I began. Words failed me.

  He stopped and looked back at me. Then he walked out.

  I sat down on the couch. I felt unpleasantly like I was drowning.

  GM returned a short time later. I figured she must have heard William leave. She took in the expression on my face and sat down next to me.

  "Things did not go well with your young man?" GM asked.

  I decided to give her the abbreviated version. The full version was too complex. "He said he lives here, and I live in another country, so we can't be together."

  "He's the same one, isn't he?" GM said after a time. "He's the one who got us out of the house in Elspeth's Grove."

  "Yes," I said. "He followed Gleb to the U.S. That's how he knew to get us out."

  "So, he had a mission when he came to our country. But his home is here?"

  "Yes," I said.

  "Then it is true, Solnyshko. The two of you will have to be apart."

  I did not reply.

  "I'm sorry, Solnyshko. In time things will look brighter to you, though I'm sure that doesn't seem possible now. You have been through a very trying experience, and your emotions are running high. Please just give yourself some time."

  I nodded and rested my head on GM's shoulder.

  That night at dinner, GM announced that we were leaving.

  As she buttered a slice of bread, GM gave a despairing shake of her head. "I had hoped to hear news of Odette before we left, but that doesn't seem to be likely to happen soon. The poor child. I hate to leave her like this."

  She looked at me. "But you have to get back to school, and this is not where we live – not anymore. Galina has said that she will keep me apprised of any developments."

  "Are you and Galina getting along better now?" I asked. "First you borrow Aleksandr's laptop, and now Galina is going to keep in touch."

  "Yes, I think so," GM said. "Of course there are things we will never agree on. But maybe the past does not need to be a complete blank."

  She looked around the kitchen. "We should give the kitchen a good cleaning tonight. We don't want Odette coming back to an untidy house."

  Later that night, I climbed the stairs to my room to pack. We were going to drive back into Georgia, and then take a flight to the U.S. the next day.

  I paused on the landing and looked toward Odette's door. On impulse, I went into her room. Her closet was still standing open, and there were dresses lying on the floor. In amongst the tangle, I spied something dully gleaming. I bent to pick it up. It was my iron cross.

  I curled my fingers around the charm and stood up. "Come back, Odette," I whispered.

  I looked around her room, which was still a little girl's room.

  I hoped she would come back to it again after we were gone. She could live in this house forever now – forever young and forever beautiful.

  The next morning, GM and I left for Georgia, and the morning after that we left for the United States. I was back to speaking English again.

  On my return home, I had police to deal with once more, but Irina, James, and I all had matching stories, and Mr. Del Gatto's body was properly identified. Large numbers of people from the school turned out for his funeral.

  Gleb's smoke had disappeared from the town and my house, something for which I was grateful.

  In a few days, I was back at school. Charisse and I were friends again, and Charisse and Branden were back to normal dating – there was no more talk of marriage or illegal documents. Simon was happy to see me, and I was happy to see him, but I kept a bit of distance between us. It wasn't fair for me to let him think we could be any more than friends – especially when my mind was always on someone else.

  The days passed and soon it was Halloween. I agreed to go to a Halloween party in a group with Simon, Charisse, and Branden. I thought it would be a good distraction – I was spending entirely too much time thinking about William. I thought about calling him,
but I was afraid he wouldn't come.

  In addition to the party being a distraction, I had another reason for going – it was being hosted by Irina's father. It was well known in Elspeth's Grove that Mr. Neverov held a Halloween party every year. But this time he was allowing Irina to invite guests, too, and she invited my friends and me. Irina and I were getting along better than we had in a long time. The party was going to be a pretty formal affair, but we were still encouraged to wear costumes.

  While I waited for Charisse to pick me up on Halloween night, I helped GM give out candy to trick-or-treaters. GM always enjoyed dressing up for Halloween, and this year was no exception – she was 'raining cats and dogs.' She had a yellow raincoat on and an umbrella with stuffed dogs and cats hanging from it. Every time the doorbell rang, GM would bring out the umbrella, and the children at the door would giggle.

  It had been years since I'd had to come up with a Halloween costume, and unfortunately all the easy ones I could think of were kind of creepy – ghost, witch, vampire. I'd had enough of darkness lately – I really didn't want to go as anything scary. I'd managed to find an old pair of wings that had been part of a sugar plum fairy costume that I'd worn one year. I found a dress in my closet that was pretty close in color to the wings, and I was going as a butterfly. I wanted to keep things light.

  The doorbell rang once again, and GM answered it, her umbrella at the ready.

  Instead of a group of children, it was Charisse, Branden, and Simon – we were all going in one car. They were all wearing coats, but I could see that Charisse was holding a bouquet and was wearing a veil and a long white dress, Branden was a green-faced Frankenstein's monster with bolts in his neck, and Simon was impersonating Abraham Lincoln with a drawn-on beard and a stovepipe hat.

  GM flourished her umbrella anyway and was rewarded with a laugh.

  "Don't you three look adorable," she said. "Surely, you deserve some candy."

  "No, thanks, Mrs. Rost," Charisse said. "Is Katie ready to go?"

  I peaked under GM's umbrella. "I'm ready. I'll just get my coat."

  Putting on a coat while wearing wings turned out to be tricky, so I ended up taking off the wings and carrying them. Then I went outside.