Chapter Eight
I tried to break free from my prison while Tabitha slept that night, even though I was sure it was useless. I was going to be trapped in my own mind until either Beth or Annie could figure out what was wrong. Without help, banishing Tabitha from my body was not going to happen anytime soon. I would have to sit and bide my time, and maybe do as much damage control as I could.
I hadn’t been able to talk her out of poisoning Tanya, but maybe I could use our grandmother’s visit to guilt trip her into behaving for awhile. It wouldn’t be easy, and I was sure I would feel awful about manipulating her, but if it could help save lives, I was willing to give it a try. I had to remember that Tabitha’s feelings weren’t as important as the lives of my friends, and as long as I didn’t forget it, it would all work out fine in the end.
It had to.
While Tabitha slept, I decided to try something I was surprised I hadn’t thought about before. If Tabitha could force herself into my body, perhaps I could force myself out of mine! I was trapped in this prison, but I still had access to some of my power. If I could project just enough of it for Beth to notice, she might take a closer look and see that something wasn’t right.
When Tabitha stirred in her sleep, I held my breath, even though I knew it wouldn’t affect her anyways. She rolled over and went back to sleep, and I closed my eyes and got to work, deciding not to waste anymore time.
I didn’t have to look far for my power; it was in the same place as it always was. My power—which resided at my very core—grew in response to my call. I took a deep breath and let it fill me from my toes to my fingertips, sighing at the rush of power as it flowed through my body. I loved the feeling of using my power, which was strange considering how terrified of it I used to be. It was a part of me that I had started to accept, and even though I would have liked to have a different kind of power, even I had to admit this one certainly had its uses.
I slowly cast my power outward, searching for anyone in the compound that could help me. My first choice would have been Annie, but I wasn’t sure if she was back yet or not. Since she hadn’t stopped by to see me and tell me how things had gone, I assumed that meant she was still out in the field looking for Beth’s brother. When I found no traces of Annie’s power, I moved onto the next best thing.
Beth.
Her room was beside mine, and I could feel the power emanating from it. She had a very distinct presence in my mind—light blue with a tinge of gray. That gray part of her wasn’t dark, but it wasn’t light either, meaning there was a war going on inside of the young girl, and when I got out of this situation, I was going to make it my personal goal to help her through whatever dark thoughts might be worrying her at the moment.
When I locked onto Beth’s power, I took another deep breath, and tried to detach myself from my own mind. I had a moment of hesitation as I wondered if I would ever be able to reattach myself, but I couldn’t stop to think about that right now. This could be my only chance to get free of Tabitha before she hurt someone else, and even if I couldn’t get back into my body, I had to stop her.
So, instead of bombarding the barrier in my mind with power, I shoved against it, trying to ease my way through without alerting Tabitha. I wasn’t sure if it was because she was still asleep or if I had just tapped into more of my power, but I could feel myself start to slowly leave the prison of my mind behind. Soon, I would be nothing more than a wandering spirit, with nowhere to go and possibly no way to get back.
Just as I was about to breach the barrier of my own mind, I felt Tabitha go still, and I knew that she was awake. For a minute, neither of us did anything. I remained where I was, caught half in and half out of my mind, waiting to see what she would do. I couldn’t be sure since I wasn’t a mind reader, but I was nearly positive that Tabitha was doing the exact same thing. She was waiting to see if I was brave—or stupid—enough to make a run for it.
Finally, she acted. The barrier came slamming back into place, sealing me back into the prison. My power faded from me slowly, leaving me alone in my mind once again. “Caught me off guard, didn’t you? I guess I’ll have to make a stronger prison for when I’m asleep. We can’t have you wandering around looking for help, can we? That would ruin all of my careful planning.”
I snorted. It’s not that careful, Tabitha. You didn’t factor Annie possibly coming home into your plans, and you haven’t factored Beth into them now. I’ll find a way to alert her to the danger my friends are in. Just you wait and see. You won’t get away with this.
“Watch me,” Tabitha said gleefully. She got to her feet and dressed in the dark, never bothering to turn on the light for a minute. As she slipped out into the still dark hallway, I felt my stomach drop.
Tabitha, where are we going? It’s so early, nobody will be up yet. What are you doing? The thought that she might be going back to the infirmary to finish off Tanya crossed my mind, and I tried to swallow past the fear that caught in the back of my throat.
You’ll see where I’m going. Just keep your mouth shut and behave or you’ll make me angry. And trust me; you won’t like what I do to your friends when I’m angry. Ah, here we are! Tabitha stopped in front of a supply closet, quickly looked over her shoulders to make sure nobody was around, before she opened the door and slipped inside. She closed the door quietly behind her, and flicked on the light switch, illuminating a tiny room filled with an assortment of cleaning supplies.
For it being a supply closet, I had been expecting more normal things. Instead, I saw wire, long and sturdy wooden boards, all different kinds of tools, and even some metal chains. For a minute, I wondered why all of this stuff would be in a supply closet, but then I remembered how this place had gotten even more fortified after Andrew’s attack. Finn had been working for hours with some of the other supernaturals here to make this place easier to defend in the event of another attack.
These supplies must have been the leftovers.
Tabitha maneuvered her way through the boxes of supplies and grabbed a long length of metal chain, complete with a lock. She wrapped it around herself so the chain wouldn’t drag against the ground. I wondered what she was planning to do with it, but before I could ask, she reached over into a nearby box and grabbed a container of some kind of liquid. I couldn’t see the name on the front, but I did see the huge warning at the bottom: highly flammable!
Tabitha, what are you going to do with chains and highly flammable liquid?
You know one of the best ways to kill a vampire? Tabitha asked. She didn’t wait for me to reply. You set it on fire and watch it burn until there’s nothing left but ash. The chains are to make sure that bitch stays in her coffin and can’t escape.
Tabitha, please don’t do this. You’re better than this.
Here we go again, Tabitha thought as she made her way to the door, careful not to disturb anything. You can give it a rest. Nothing you can say is going to magically make me see the error of my ways. You’re not going to stop me.
Tabitha—
Why do you always call me by my name? It’s like you say it every chance you get and I don’t understand. It’s like you keep trying to get my attention, but you already have it.
That’s not why I do it, I thought. Tabitha, I call you by your name every chance I get to remind you that you’re still important to me. That you’re still a human being with feelings. To remind you that I haven’t forgotten who you are, even if you have. I guess I just hoped that if I could just point those things out to you, you would come to your senses.
Tabitha stopped in the middle of the hallway, frozen in either shock or anger. I couldn’t tell, but it felt like a mixture of both. She was battling with herself about something, but I couldn’t tell what it was. How dare you?
Tabitha?
You want me to believe I’m important to you? You killed me! You stabbed me and let me choke on my own blood! You don’t care about me, and you never did.
I was worried where this conversation was
going, and tried to intervene. Tabitha—
I tried not to see it for so long. I told myself that you just needed time to come around, that you weren’t ready to admit you were like me and dad. Even when you refused to help me with his plans, a part of me hoped you were just confused. I wanted to believe you cared about me, that you would be on my side, but in the end, you didn’t. You never did!
She set off down the hall at a brisk jog, hurrying to carry out her plans before everyone started to wake up. It was still early morning—barely light out—but people would start getting up for breakfast any minute. And Holly was a late sleeper. She would probably still be alone in her room when Tabitha entered, and nobody would be able to save her. She found Holly’s room immediately, making me think that she had done her research.
Without hesitation, Tabitha slipped into Holly’s room and closed the door behind her. When she turned around, I noticed the sleek, black coffin resting in one corner of the room. It was propped up against the wall in an upright position, which surprised me. I knew that vampires slept in coffins like they did in the old school movies, but I had no idea they slept standing up.
“Perfect,” Tabitha said quietly.
She unwound the chains from her shoulders, and moved closer to the coffin. She tiptoed across the floor, trying to keep from waking Holly. Tabitha wrapped the coffin in chains—which I just now noticed were silver—as silently as she could. Every time they clacked together or jangled, Tabitha would pause and hold her breath for a second, making sure that Holly hadn’t been alerted to her presence.
When Tabitha had the chain in place, she snapped the lock in place, securing them to the coffin. She uncapped the flammable liquid and began to splash it all over the front lid of the coffin. It dripped to the floor and began to pool on the ground, and Tabitha took a quick step back to avoid having the bottoms of her shoes soaked in the harsh smelling liquid.
She set the can with the remaining bit of liquid on the ground, reached into her sweater pocket, and pulled out a green plastic lighter that I recognized as the one from my dresser. It had once belonged to Finn, and I had even pulled it out of his pocket. That was the night that Finn and I had started to really bond, and it held great sentimental value to me. Even though I had zero use for a lighter, I had kept it in my pocket at all times, carrying it with me to remind myself of my relationship with Finn.
Tabitha, please…
Sorry, Ronnie.
I heard the click, saw the flame flicker, and watched in horror as she lowered her hand to the coffin. The liquid caught instantly and spread at the speed of light, engulfing the entire coffin in fire in a heartbeat. Tabitha didn’t linger to watch her revenge in action. Instead, she tucked the lighter back into her sweater pocket, ducked out the door and ran down the hall, trying to put as much distance between herself and Holly’s room as she could. Before she got far, the screams began.
Tabitha paused just long enough to listen to one frightened, agony-filled scream before making her way back to my room. She made it there without a hitch, and she shoved my lighter under my mattress, where nobody was likely to find it even if they did suspect me. Then, Tabitha flopped down on my bed and closed her eyes.
I could tell she wasn’t asleep. She was far too excited to sleep now. I could feel her joy and excitement, and it made me feel sick to my stomach. While she waited in my room for someone to come and get her, I fought the urge to be sick at the thought of one of my only friends being burnt to a crisp. I tried to keep from picturing it in my mind, but I could still hear that one scream echoing in my brain, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get rid of it.
*****
Tabitha didn’t have to wait long for someone to come rushing in. Finn didn’t even bother knocking. He just threw open the door so hard it slammed against the wall and started to bounce back until he caught it and pushed it back open. He was breathless and his eyes looked crazed. Tabitha jumped off the bed. “Oh, my god! Finn, what happened? What’s wrong?”
“Come on, I’ll explain on the way!”
Without waiting for a response, Finn grabbed Tabitha by the wrist and dragged her out the door, assuming she would go with him without a fight, which I would have done. “Finn, what’s going on?” Tabitha asked as he dragged her down the hall at a pace so fast Tabitha was nearly tripping over herself.
“Somebody wrapped Holly’s coffin in chains and set it on fire! Lisa needs us in the infirmary.”
“Wait…she survived?” Tabitha asked, actually sounding surprised.
“She’s holding on for now, but nothing is for certain yet. Lisa needs us there in case something happens.”
“How did she survive?” Tabitha asked as they reached the infirmary. She and Finn were both breathless, and Finn looked down at her.
“I was on my way to see you before breakfast, and as I was passing her room, I heard the screams. Ezra was on his way to see Tanya in the infirmary, and he used his powers to break the lock, then I unwrapped the chains and hauled her out.” Tabitha looked down at Finn’s left hand, which was coated in blisters and burns. I could make out the imprint of the metal chain where it had burned away his skin in an oval pattern as he ripped it off the coffin.
Oh, Finn…
“It sounds like you two were in the right place at the right time.”
“Yeah, we were.” Finn nudged open the infirmary door with his shoulder, careful not to touch anything with his burned hand. Tabitha slowly followed him across the infirmary, dragging her feet all the way up to Holly’s bedside, and my heart nearly stopped at the sight of her.
Holly’s normally flawless dark skin was charred beyond recognition. Large patches of it were beginning to peel off, and I could see flaps of burnt skin stuck to the bedding behind her, probably from when she had to sit up and the skin just ripped away. Every single movement she made caused her agony, judging by her labored breathing and the tears in her eyes. She was in visible pain, and I had to deal with the knowledge that it was my fault.
“What can we do to help her?” Finn asked.
“Holly needs fresh blood to help the healing process speed up, and our stored blood is good, but it’s not great. She needs to feed, to get fresh blood in her system.” Lisa beckoned to Tabitha, who went to stand by her side without question. “I need to ask you something, and it may make you uncomfortable.”
“What is it?” Tabitha asked apprehensively.
“Will you let Holly bite you?”
“What?” Tabitha asked, backing up a step.
“I would ask Finnley, but many vampires do not like the blood of werewolves and others who can take the shape of animals. The optimal blood for her would come from a fairy, as their blood is full of magic and power, but the only fairy that would be willing to donate is still in a coma. And demon-tainted blood is no good. That leaves only you. Will you do it?”
Fear slammed into Tabitha’s gut, and I could feel every bit of it. She was clearly terrified of the thought of letting Holly feed from her, and I knew she was going to turn Lisa down. I couldn’t let her do that.
Holly is one of my closest friends, who has been by my side through everything. I would do this for her in a heartbeat. You’ve already hesitated too long. Better hurry up or you’ll look suspicious.
Tabitha clenched her hands at her sides and tried to keep from shaking. “What do I have to do?” Her voice sounded strangely young and vulnerable, and I was more than a little curious as to why she was so terrified to do this. It wasn’t like Holly had ever hurt her in the past. Maybe she was just scared of vampires, which didn’t make any sense since she had control over them.
Despite being friendly with Holly, I knew that deep down she was still a threat. No matter how nice she was to me and our other friends, there was still the fact that she needed to survive on the blood of others. She still drank the life force of a living person. She was still a deadly threat to anyone in the compound, and there weren’t many people that would be able to stop her if she went c
razy.
And now there she was, lying in a hospital bed with her skin melting off. She was about to be presented with fresh, warm blood that would make her feel better. What if she didn’t stop? What if she couldn’t control herself when Tabitha bared her neck to Holly? The thought sent shivers up my spine, but I kept my thoughts to myself, knowing that Tabitha wouldn’t need much prompting to convince her to back out now.
Tabitha slid onto the bed beside Holly, trying not to look her in the eyes. Part of me wondered if she felt any guilt or remorse for what she had done now that she was being confronted with the consequences of her actions. If I had to look at Holly’s wounds, knowing that I had been the cause of them, I would have been sick with guilt. But then again, I wasn’t a psychopath like Tabitha.
Knowing her, she probably didn’t feel anything for the girls she had tried to murder.
“Pull your hair back,” Lisa instructed.
Tabitha took a deep, slow breath before sweeping her hair back over one shoulder. It was strange seeing everything Tabitha did but not being a real part of it, and this was the first time I was more curious about it than angry. I wondered what it would feel like to be fed on, knowing that I wouldn’t really feel it. Or would I? It was still my body, even if I wasn’t in control of it. Surely I would feel something.
I heard the nearly silent click of Holly’s fangs sliding into place, and I braced myself for any pain I might feel. For a second, nothing happened. Then Holly pounced. She wrapped one arm around Tabitha’s neck and tilted her head to the side, gaining easier access to the veins in her throat. I could feel Tabitha’s terror, and I knew by the look in Holly’s eyes that she could feel it, too. Tabitha’s heart was racing like a frightened rabbit’s, and I almost felt sorry for the young girl.
Dark Heritage Trilogy Page 47