Blood Ties (Darke Academy)

by Gabriella Poole

  Sighing, she closed her eyes. The cosy darkness enveloped her, and after a moment, she forgot the film – forgot most things – as she found herself concentrating only on Ranjit’s closeness. The intoxicating smell of his body through his shirt. The rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She felt her fingers clutch his tightly. If she stopped over-analysing everything, she might even forget her worries altogether …

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Cassie swore under her breath and considered for the fifth time whether hurling her monitor through a seventeenth-floor window would be considered grounds for expulsion.

  At the start of term, the new computer science teacher Mr Jackson had seemed a soft touch. But now, a few weeks in, he’d turned into a monster. Their latest project – designing a new section of the Darke Academy website – could have been fun as well as interesting, had Mr Jackson not insisted on including such a complex sequence of animations and graphics. Cassie had always been a dab hand at web design, but she was sick of the sight of Dreamweaver. Her own dreams were trouble enough.

  Estelle’s nocturnal visits were getting more frequent – three in the last week – and although there had been no repeat of the melting photo frame incident, Cassie couldn’t shake the notion that the two events were somehow connected. She had considered asking Ranjit about them, but she knew that he found it disturbing that Cassie could hear Estelle’s voice, and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

  Cassie sighed, refocusing on the screen in front of her. Perhaps Jake could help – the boy seemed glued to his laptop these days, whether in or out of class. She’d never had him pegged as a computer geek, but maybe …

  She slipped out of her chair and hurried silently across the room, keeping low to avoid the roaming gaze of Mr Jackson.

  ‘Hey, Jake, can you—’

  ‘Cassie!’

  Jake practically jumped out of his skin. Flushing red, he scrambled to minimise the window on his screen, but not before Cassie’s astonished eyes had caught the words stamped across the top of the page.

  THE DARKE ACADEMY STUDENT RECORDS – CONFIDENTIAL

  ‘Jake, what was that?’ demanded Cassie.

  ‘Hell, Cassie,’ Jake replied, trying to laugh it off. ‘You gave me a shock and a half.’

  ‘You’re supposed to be designing the front page, not hacking into the school records system.’ Cassie sighed in exasperation as she tugged the mouse from his hands. ‘What are you doing anyway? Trying to fiddle your chemistry grades?’

  ‘Hey, don’t—’ protested Jake. ‘Aw, Cassie …’ He threw up his hands in disgust as Cassie pulled open the window.

  Her stomach turned a backflip. She turned to Jake, but he was staring at the tabletop and wouldn’t meet her eye.

  ‘Jake, do you have any idea how much trouble you could get into for doing this?’ Cassie demanded. ‘This is Katerina’s personal file! What the hell are you playing at?’

  ‘Just leave it, Cassie. It’s none of your business.’

  ‘None of my business? She tried to kill me, remember?’

  Jake’s eyes blazed. ‘Yeah, well she did kill my sister. Remember that? Did you think I was just gonna let that go?’

  ‘Jake, we’ve been through this—’

  ‘She admitted it, Cassie! She told us she killed her, and she laughed. And all Darke did was expel her. Is that fair? Well, maybe it is for the Few, but I don’t subscribe to their idea of justice.’

  Cold fear clutched at Cassie’s bowels. ‘You’re not thinking of going looking for her, are you, Jake? Tell me you’re not.’

  ‘Ask me no questions, Cassie, I’ll tell you no lies.’

  ‘Jake, listen to me.’ Cassie struggled to keep her voice as reasonable as she could. ‘Promise me that you’ll stop this. Please. We both know that Katerina killed Jess, but there’s no way of proving it, even if you find her.’

  Jake sighed bitterly. ‘At this moment, I’d settle for just finding her, Cassie. And that’s easier said than done. The address in this file is in Sweden and I’ve already checked it out. The Svenssons sold the place a month ago and left. No forwarding address.’

  Relief swamped her. With the Few’s network of connections, surely there was no way Jake could find Katerina if she didn’t want to be found.

  ‘Please, Jake. I know it’s hard, but you have to let this go.’

  Jake’s gaze was apologetic. ‘I can’t, Cassie. I owe it to Jess. I’m going to find Katerina. She’s going to be punished for what she did. I swear it.’

  ‘Mr Johnson? Miss Bell? I wasn’t aware that you were working on this project together?’

  Cassie started at the teacher’s voice.

  ‘Um, no … sorry, Mr Jackson, I was just asking Jake about editing HTML code,’ she mumbled.

  ‘Well, call me traditional, but I think it’s usual for questions in class to be directed to the teacher.’

  ‘Yes, sir,’ muttered Cassie, gritting her teeth.

  ‘So why don’t you come on back to your seat and I’ll see if I can help.’

  As she made her way across the classroom, Cassie shot a final pleading look at Jake, but he seemed to be concentrating on his own screen. He looked determined. As determined as she’d ever seen him. This was going to be trouble …

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘You know, I’ve never had a date in a railway station before,’ said Cassie.

  Ranjit grinned. ‘You don’t know what you’ve been missing.’

  No kidding. Cassie was really pleased when Ranjit had suggested a bit of sightseeing together earlier that afternoon. She’d felt as if a distance had opened up between them after their spat in the common room, and Cassie had been hopeful that his suggestion of an afternoon alone could be enough to change that. However, when he brought her to a train station she wasn’t quite so sure it was going to be the romantic reconciliation she was hoping for after all.

  Luckily, it didn’t take long to change her mind when Ranjit led her up to the Oyster Bar. Even with her limited experience of such matters, Cassie had a glimmer of hope that the crustaceans might provide an early-evening aphrodisiac …

  ‘Good, aren’t they?’ Ranjit looked up from under his long, dark lashes and grinned. As he returned to his plate of expensive shellfish, Cassie eyed her fellow diners. The three women at the next table were animated, laughing at some juicy piece of gossip. She watched their mouths, sniffed delicately at the scent of their breath. Their lively auras were almost more appealing than oysters, but she wasn’t afraid of attacking them. Not yet. Inside her, the hunger was quiet. The Tears of the Few were still doing their job, thank goodness. She still had time.

  ‘You’re all right, aren’t you?’ Ranjit asked, reaching a hand over to touch hers.

  Her skin tingled. ‘Absolutely.’ As if to prove it, she swallowed another oyster, and leaned contentedly back in her chair. The ceiling above her was stunning: vaulted and tiled and glowing with light. ‘What a beautiful place.’

  ‘I know it sounds weird, but the main terminal’s even better.’ He laughed. ‘Are you finished? I’ll get the bill and we can go upstairs.’ Dropping his napkin on the red checked tablecloth, he nodded to a waiter. Handing over a shiny black credit card, he paid without checking the amount. Cassie gave a short, private laugh. The casual wealth of the students at the Darke Academy never ceased to amaze her.

  Ranjit walked around and helped her into her coat, and she smiled as he rested his hands on her shoulders for a fraction longer than necessary.

  ‘Hey, is everything cool with you and Jake?’

  Cassie hesitated, surprised at his question – and on guard after what had happened when he’d brought up the subject of Richard. ‘Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?’

  ‘I don’t know. I just haven’t seen him hanging out with you as much as usual recently. I know he’s not exactly thrilled with the idea of us being together. And after what happened to Jess, I can’t imagine he’s happy about you feeding on Isabella either.’

  Cas
sie silently cursed his perceptiveness. Jake had indeed been keeping his distance since their ‘chat’ in computer science. But how much could she tell Ranjit? She wasn’t ready to let anyone else know about Jake’s one-man campaign to bring Katerina to justice, that was for sure.

  She bought a little time by knotting her scarf carefully. At last she gave Ranjit an apologetic grin. ‘Yeah, you have a point. Things have been a bit … tense. But actually, he doesn’t know about the feeding thing yet.’

  He raised his eyebrows. ‘Really? Well, maybe that’s for the best. But how long do you think you can keep it from him? Jake isn’t stupid.’

  ‘I know.’ Cassie made a rueful face. ‘But we haven’t actually done anything yet, so it’s not like we’re actually lying. And Isabella really, really doesn’t want him to know.’

  ‘Yeah. I can believe that,’ Ranjit said. ‘Still, that’s a pretty amazing friend you’ve got there.’

  ‘She’s very brave,’ Cassie replied quietly. ‘Braver than I’d be. Anyway, we’ve got an appointment with Sir Alric tomorrow. Isabella and me. He’s going to give us our first … um, tutorial.’

  ‘Good. It will be much easier for you to get used to the idea of being one of us once you’re surer about the feeding.’

  She shifted uncomfortably at his choice of phrase. ‘One of us’. The reminder that Ranjit was as much a member of the Few as those sinister figures who had lurked, hooded, in the shadows during her ritual. He had spoken a little about the dark nature of the spirit inside him, the ‘personality clash’ they had – a bad spirit in a good person. Like Cassie and Estelle, perhaps. Was she falling for a monster?

  Was he?

  Of course not, my dear …

  Cassie tensed. As they walked towards the stairs, Ranjit sensed her discomfort.

  ‘Cassie … I know things are a little different for you, and it’s going to take some getting used to, but I promise you, it’s not all bad.’

  ‘That’s easy for you to say – you don’t have your spirit interrupting your thoughts at random intervals.’ She turned and gave him a half-hearted smile, but couldn’t keep it up. She was suddenly on a downer.

  ‘I mean, you’ve got more of a sense of unity, even if you do struggle with your nature. I’m an outsider even amongst the outsiders. And I’m nothing like any of you lot. You’re all rich, suave, privileged. I’m a Scholarship, for God’s sake, on top of everything else …’ She trailed off and stopped at the top of the stairs, taking a ragged breath. People brushed past them as they stood facing one another. Ranjit reached over and took both her hands in his.

  ‘You …’ he leaned in towards her, ‘need to stop worrying so much. I may not be able to talk to my spirit, but I’m still on your side. I do have some idea what you’re going through. Believe it or not, I don’t just breeze through life without a care, despite what you might think.’ He seemed to be trying to comfort her, but there was a faint edge to his voice. He paused for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut as if trying to block something out. Without opening them, his lips found hers. Then after what seemed like forever, he pulled away. A small whimper escaped from Cassie’s mouth. Or was it just inside her head …?

  Finally, wordlessly, he grabbed her hand and guided her down the stairs. For a moment all thoughts of their problems went clean out of her head as they came to a halt.

  ‘Oh, wow,’ Cassie breathed.

  They were standing in the main concourse of Grand Central Station, below its iconic clock. Around them, commuters and tourists swarmed through the huge space, but she could only stare at the colossal arched windows, the elegant stonework, and most of all, the extravagantly beautiful painted ceiling. Once her attention was caught, she couldn’t look away.

  She turned, dizzy with staring upwards. ‘It’s the zodiac.’

  ‘Yes.’ Ranjit had his hand on her elbow, steadying her. ‘Painted the wrong way round. See?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know. Is it?’

  ‘By mistake, yes. The Vanderbilt family commissioned the work early last century. When the error was spotted, they said it was deliberate. They said it’s as if we’re looking down on the stars. A God’s-eye view.’

  Slowly, Cassie turned around again, taking it in. ‘I like that,’ she murmured. ‘A God’s-eye view. How appropriate.’

  ‘All right, Cassie Bell. So now we’ve got the first awkward date out of the way …’

  ‘Mmm?’ Awkward was right.

  ‘Please can I take you out again?’ His words rushed out. ‘Properly?’ His sheepish grin ruined her. ‘Valentine’s Day?’

  Cassie took a breath. She’d never had a real Valentine’s date before: in fact, if it hadn’t been for the hearts-and-flowers displays in every shop front, she’d have forgotten the day was approaching.

  ‘OK,’ she said slowly, suddenly feeling hot.

  He cocked an eyebrow, and the expression of mock outrage on his face made her laugh out loud.

  ‘Sorry – yes. Yes, I’d love to.’

  ‘Wonderful!’ His smile lit up his whole face, making him look altogether different. Cassie couldn’t help wishing she could give him that look more often.

  ‘So am I allowed to ask where we’re going?’

  ‘No, absolutely not. It’s a surprise.’

  ‘Great.’ She squeezed his arm mischievously. ‘It’s not as if I’ve had enough of those.’

  ‘Ha ha. Hey, it’s still pretty early. Want to go and take a look at the trains?’

  She slipped her hand into his as they moved through the hurrying crowds. ‘So, what have we got here? Thomas? Percy? The Hogwarts Express?’

  He laughed and squeezed her fingers. ‘Bog-standard Metro-North trains. But you never know. Keep your eyes peeled.’

  They walked slowly, taking in the sight of thousands of New Yorkers and tourists. She took a moment to just enjoy being with Ranjit, and not being in a hurry to go anywhere. ‘It’s like a dance. How can this many people never bump into each other?’

  ‘I never thought of it that way. You’re right, it is pretty amazing. What else can we do here? Do you want to take a look at the shopping concourse?’

  ‘Ha! I get enough of that with Isabella!’ Cassie chuckled, over the whistle of a train about to depart.

  ‘I confess, that’s a relief.’

  Letting go of Ranjit’s hand, Cassie backed away and looked upwards, craning her neck. ‘Who’d believe a railway station could be this entertaining?’

  ‘Well, you know, they nearly demolished— CASSIE!’

  Out of nowhere, a figure was sprinting towards the departing train, shouldering Cassie violently aside. Taken completely by surprise, she stumbled sideways with a cry of shock.

  She was aware of a train pulling in, of the deafening noise of it as she teetered on the edge of the platform, and the high shriek of what might have been a whistle or a terrified onlooker. Her arms flailed wildly in the air as she fell towards the track.

  Then Ranjit snatched hold of her, his iron grasp dragging her desperately back to safety. As he clutched her wrist and finally pulled her clear, she felt the rush of wind in her hair from the train, the solid platform under her feet, and the tight grip of Ranjit’s arms.

  ‘It’s fine. She’s fine. Thanks.’ Pale with shock, he waved away a few concerned commuters, and in seconds they were left alone, the crowds once more sweeping past. Cassie could feel his muscles trembling beneath his coat.

  ‘Thanks, Sir Galahad.’ Her voice shook.

  ‘Jeez, that was close.’ Ranjit held her tighter. ‘Who was that idiot?’

  ‘Dunno. Bloody New Yorkers. Late for a meeting, I guess.’ Cassie managed to choke out a laugh.

  The train the figure had caught was pulling away. Ranjit gave it a last glare, then hugged Cassie again. ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’

  ‘Yeah. Honestly.’ She shivered, and he pulled her coat tighter around her.

  ‘Know what? I think we’ve had enough sightseeing for today.’

  ‘I agree. Railway stati
ons, eh? Entertaining, but dangerous too.’ She smiled shakily. ‘Let’s go back.’

  CHAPTER NINE

  Cassie didn’t sleep well that night. Every time she began to drop off, she’d feel the rush of the train, hear the shriek of its whistle. And in the uneasy half-dreams, there were no hands to seize her and pull her away – instead she reached out, pulling Ranjit down with her. In the dreams, she just kept on falling, falling, Estelle’s voice ringing in her ears …

  Yet again, she started awake, breathing hard. It was still night outside, but she fumbled for her watch and peered at it in the faint city glow. She groaned. Feeling hopelessly sleep-deprived, she swung her legs out of bed for fear of falling back into a doze. That would be just typical.

  ‘Time to get up. Hey, partner. Wakey, wakey.’

  Isabella snored on until Cassie pummelled her awake, and then she tried to burrow back under the covers. ‘Cassie, no …’

  ‘Cassie, yes. Get up, girl. We have to go and see Sir Alric, remember?’

  ‘Tomorrow. It can wait till tomorrow …’

  ‘It is tomorrow, Isabella!’

  Finally, Cassie resorted to the tried and tested trick of pulling her roommate out of bed by the ankles. Isabella only woke properly when she thudded to the floor. Cross and bleary, she blinked up at Cassie through her tangled mane, then shoved it out of her eyes.

  ‘Oh, yes. Of course. Sorry. We have an appointment, don’t we?’

  By the time they were both dressed and heading for Sir Alric’s office, Isabella irritatingly seemed almost as bright and breezy as always. If she was feeling tense, she covered it well. It was Cassie who felt heavy with tiredness and brimming with nerves.

  As she raised a fist to knock on his door, it opened. Cassie recognised the smiling Few boy who was leaving the office.

  ‘Hi, Paco. Hi, Louis.’ Isabella smiled at his roommate behind him.

  ‘Morning!’ Paco seemed absurdly lively for the early hour. His eyes fairly sparkled and he glowed with energy. Louis, though, was yawning. He gave Cassie and Isabella a sleepy smile.