by Ruby Vincent
Were these faceless monsters going to kill me?
“Let me go!”
“Valentina?!” The tiniest thread of hope broke through when I heard him.
“Jaxson? Jaxson! I’m here!”
The cry was barely out of my mouth before they stopped.
“Untie me, you crazy—”
“Let me make something very clear.” That dreadful, unnatural voice stopped me cold. “It’s been fun playing this little game, but it’s over now. You’re done at Evergreen Academy. You do not come back next semester. If you do, you’ll go the same way as Walter McMillian. Goodbye, Valentina Moon.”
I opened my mouth to curse them when the hands reared up and sent me flying through the air. I screamed as I splashed down into the bayou. Water rushed into my mouth and nose, choking me as I sank below the depths.
I scrambled to get my feet under me. My knees found purchase on something hard and I burst from the water in time to hear him.
“Valentina, where are you?!” Twigs snapped as he crashed through the brush. “Talk to me!”
“I’m over here! I’m in the—”
I cut off as I felt something brush against me.
“Jaxson! Jaxson!” Terror brought my screams to an inhuman pitch. I scrambled up and tried to run. I made it one step and slipped, sinking into the murky depths.
Something clamped down on my hands and hauled me out of the water. “Baby, it’s me. I’ve got you.” He ripped the cover off and I buried my face in his chest, sobbing my eyes out as he held me. “It’s okay,” he crooned. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
Chapter Eight
The clock read three a.m. but sleep was a far cry. In five hours, we would be getting on the bus that would take us home.
A bus with the people who did this to me.
The pillow crumpled in my fist. If I was in my room, I would have gotten up and crawled into Sofia’s bed. We both had one hell of a night, and enduring it together was infinitely better than being here alone.
Eek.
I shot up when a sliver of light escaped through the opening door. “Who’s there?!”
“Shh. It’s me. We don’t want to wake her.”
I relaxed as Jaxson eased the door shut and padded across the room in the dark. The bed dipped as he slid in next to me. “What are you doing here?”
“You know why I’m here.” He put his arm around me and I burrowed into him, clutching him tightly.
“You’ll get in trouble,” I whispered into his chest.
“It’s worth it.” Jaxson gently stroked the shell of my ear. “I understand why Markham moved you into her room and posted herself outside the door, but you shouldn’t be alone—not tonight.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as tears threatened to leak out. “Is she still there?”
“She’s sleeping on a cot in front of the door. I had to step over her to get in.” He laughed. “Not so great as a bodyguard, but that’s why I’m here. I’ll protect you, baby. You can get some sleep.”
I don’t know how he knew I was sitting in the dark, too afraid to close my eyes, but that it worried him enough to bring him here broke me. The tears spilled out hot and fast.
“I was s-so scared.”
“I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you.” Jaxson kissed along my forehead and down my cheek. “I’ll always be there when you need me.”
“Who did this? Markham rushed me inside and made me shower and go to bed after I told her what happened. Please tell me you caught them.”
“I want to, but the entire class ran out looking for you. It was chaos with all of us tromping around in the dark. Ryder and I separated from Maverick and Ezra. We ended up on our own. Markham and Patchett freaked, of course. They shouted at us all to go back inside and then I finally heard you, but when we came back, there was no telling who came from where.”
“What about Eric? Is he okay? It sounded like they hurt him.”
His grip on me tightened. “The last I heard... they still hadn’t found him.”
I choked on a sob. “I was so stupid. I never should have followed him out there. If I had responded when you were calling to me, you would have gotten to us before they could.”
“This is not your fault.”
“Yes, it is. I’m a fucking idiot who thought she could take down a psychotic secret society that’s existed for over a hundred years. They were ready for me.”
“You’re not an idiot. They are the idiots because they’ve made their last mistake. I’ll make them pay for what they did to you tonight.”
“If you hadn’t saved me—”
“I’ll always save you.”
“There was something in the water,” I cried. “I thought I was going to die, Jaxson. Alone in the dark with no one to help me like I’ve dreamt so many times before.”
Jaxson pulled back until he was looking me in the eyes. Gently, he brushed away my tears. “Next time, I’ll be there sooner. But I’m hoping there won’t be a next time. I can’t stand the thought of anything hurting or scaring you. I... love you, Valentina. I love you so much.”
Those beautiful words reached deep inside of me and ignited a place fear couldn’t touch. “I love you too.”
My tears had stopped when our lips met. Our clothes came off beneath the sheets, and I gave myself over to him completely. Jaxson made love to me slow and passionate and soon I drifted to sleep in his arms.
Hours later, the sun woke me. A beam of light cast directly over my eyes, blinding me as I squinted at the clock.
10:45
I shot up like the bed was electrified. After ten meant the bus left over two hours ago.
How could they leave me? The boys and Sofia wouldn’t just ride off without me.
I hurried into my clothes, shoved my feet into my shoes, and threw open the door.
Markham blinked at me with her hand poised to knock. “Ah, you’re awake. Do you feel up to some breakfast?”
“Breakfast? But the bus—”
“The bus left hours ago. There were loud protests, but I sent them on ahead. I did not think you would be able to handle the ride back after what happened.” She held up a hand when I opened my mouth. “Don’t worry, your mother has been contacted. She knows you will be late and why.”
I slumped against the doorframe. Markham was right. The last thing I wanted to do was get on a bus I knew was filled with my attackers, but how would I explain this to Mom?
“Come. We are the only ones left in the hotel and Mrs. Fountaine made you a special breakfast.”
“Um, okay. That sounds nice.”
I followed her out into the hall and fell in step beside her. I asked her the question plaguing my mind. “How’s Eric? Did you find him?”
She kept her gaze ahead, but I noticed the tightening of her jaw. “Mr. Eden is still missing.”
I swallowed hard. Visions of my old friend floating facedown among the things that lurked in the swamp flooded my mind until tears threatened to fall again.
“That is another reason I stayed behind,” she continued. “The police and Mr. Eden’s parents are on the way.”
“Is he the only one missing? You know they took him. They—”
“Everyone else was accounted for.”
“Why did you let them leave?” I demanded. “They all need to be questioned.”
“You told me last night that you could not identify the people who took him. If I tried to keep those students here, I would have a million parents and their high-priced lawyers threatening to sue me.”
“So you just—”
“I know what you are going to say, and you’re right.” There was a hard edge to her voice that quieted me. “I do not like this either. I’m trying to keep my students safe and... I’m not doing a good job.”
No more passed between us on the way to the dining room. My thoughts were spinning through my head too fast for me to hold on to one of them. What had they done to Eric? Ace used him for a pawn and then attacked
him when he tried to tell me the truth. They couldn’t have killed him. He never got a chance to tell me anything that I could use against them. He—
I stopped dead on the polished hardwood as one thought slowed down enough to penetrate. He didn’t get a chance to tell me, but he did bring the yearbook. No wonder he was acting so squirrelly. He did not want to risk his Spade friends finding out he was giving it to me. He truly turned on them
And he paid for it, another voice countered.
But it doesn’t have to be in vain if I find out what he was trying to tell me.
“Professor Markham.”
She glanced over at me as she took her seat at the dining table. A lovely spread had been laid out for us—complete with a plate of chocolate biscuits. This charming scene was so out of place with the horrors that went on last night.
“Yes, Miss Moon.”
“Eric’s things. Are they still here?”
“Of course. The police will no doubt want to go over everything. His room hasn’t been disturbed.”
“Okay, okay,” I mumbled as I took a seat. This was good news. He took the yearbooks off the bus. They would be in his room and I would get them the minute we were done here.
“Please, eat.” Markham reached for the teapot and tipped the steaming hot water into my mug. “And drink this. Irish Breakfast tea is very strong. It’ll help.”
I gazed at her while she fussed over me. There was a kindness in the lines of her face—often hidden under disapproving scowls and furrowed brows. I could believe in that moment that she truly cared about me. Maybe that was why I said what I did next.
“Professor, tell me about Nora.”
The hand stirring the tea stilled. “Excuse me?”
“Nora Wheatly. Tell me what happened to her and Walter. There’s no reason to hide anymore. I know about the Spades and the thirteen families—”
Her eyes bugged. “Don’t say that. You—”
“We’re alone. It’s just you and me so let’s stop this already. Tell me why he was killed.”
She looked away, lips pinched. “What does it matter? It was over thirty years ago.”
“It matters for the very fact that people keep trying to pretend it didn’t matter. Why will no one face this? I know you were there, Elizabeth Fairchild.” Her head whipped around at the name. “You were in their class. You must know why this started.”
She lifted her chin. “It seems like you know quite a bit yourself. How?”
“I saw your yearbook at Eric’s house. It was also the day Wilhelmina Eden told me Nora was a common slut. Why would she say that?”
Her lips twisted. “Of course she would say that. Harsh woman.”
I sat back, waiting. Markham looked from me to her cup and then back to me. She seemed to be trying to make up her mind.
“Nora was my friend,” she finally said. “Even though she was everything I wasn’t. Wild, free, bold, and beautiful. She sat down next to me during assembly and that was it.”
“Why was she marked?”
Markham gazed into the depths of her cup. She didn’t look at me as she spoke. “I told you Nora was wild and beautiful. Guys fell at her feet and she was happy to pick a few of them up. By sophomore year, she was dating multiple guys, but unlike your case, they did not know about each other.
“The grades were just as separate as they are now. It was easy to keep them apart and she used to brag to me about having lovers in every grade. Her biggest catch was the Knight: Andrew Eden.”
I sat up in my seat. “Eric’s father was with Nora? Was he the one who—”
“Please, Valentina. Let me finish.”
Slowly, I nodded and settled back down.
“As I was saying, she had many boyfriends, but the one she truly came to care for was Walter. He was kind to her. Sweet and charming while one of the others wasn’t.”
“One of the others?”
She bobbed her head. “She wouldn’t tell me who, but things turned sour with one of her boyfriends. They became possessive, mean, and on occasion, violent. She showed up to class one morning with a black eye.”
“Oh no,” I breathed.
“I wanted her to go to the headmaster, but she refused. She promised me she ended things with him and that everything was fine. She had bigger things to worry about after discovering she was pregnant.”
My mouth fell open. “Pregnant? Was that why...?”
“Yes, that was why she was marked. She kept it quiet for as long as she could, but then the baby began to show and the card appeared in her locker soon after she confirmed it.”
I shook my head. Disbelief colored my tone. “Of course it did. Pregnancy may not be an expellable defense, but it sure doesn’t look good to parents to find out kids are running around getting knocked up at Evergreen.”
“Precisely.”
It all made sense. It all made perfect sense. “So Walter stood up for her and paid for it. Was he the father?”
“No.” Markham paused to take a steadying sip of tea. “She would not tell me who it was, but she assured me it wasn’t Walter. They were together for the first time weeks after the baby was conceived.”
“But do you have any idea who it was?”
“I have ideas. I suspect Nora ended up in the bed of someone with the power to make her go away.”
“A Spade.”
“Yes. That seems almost certain now.”
“The same guy who hit Nora. The same guy who killed Walter.”
She inclined her head. “You do not know how Walter died, do you?”
“No.”
“He had asthma—a very bad case. He was found on the floor of his room, clearly having suffered an attack, but his inhaler lay inches from him. It might have been declared an accident if it wasn’t for the clear signs that there was a struggle and he had been pinned down.”
“How awful,” I hissed. “He was only trying to do the right thing.”
“His loss broke Nora. She left the school without a fight and we lost touch.”
“So you never found out who fathered the baby or marked Nora?”
“Never.”
“What about the baby? Did she have a boy or girl? Where—”
“I know nothing about the child. Nora’s parents would not give her the phone when I called, and one day, I found the number disconnected. I have no idea what happened to her or the baby.”
I shook my head. “Why would you come back and teach at that school after everything that happened? You know that nothing has changed. The Spades are still free to destroy lives and Eric told me it’s even bigger than a few students.” The words were tumbling from my lips. “They are backed up by their parents, and money, and maybe the headmaster himself! That’s why he does nothing but sit in his office all day—”
“Valentina.”
“You know the school is some kind of brain farm. They’re looking at all of us as the beings who will turn around and make them money one day.”
“Valentina.”
“They made Maverick Technologies a reality, and what does a grateful Marcus do? He moves in down the street, fits the school with the best computer system, and then sends his genius son there. It’s a vicious cycle and no one sees it for what it is because they haven’t broken any laws. They let their children handle everything and then step in on graduation day saying ‘let’s talk about your future.’”
“Valentina,” she broke in. “Take a breath.”
I tried but my breathing was shallow. I couldn’t take it all the way in. “It’s just wrong. It’s painted as kids being kids, and bullying that normally crops up in schools, but it’s actually an organized system to make the rich get richer.”
“That is what all things are about in the end.”
“I’m going to stop it,” I announced. “They can’t do this to people.”
“So you will be returning to Evergreen next semester?”
“I—” My reply lodged in my throat.
“You’
re done at Evergreen Academy. You do not come back next semester. If you do, you’ll go the same way as Walter McMillian.”
Tear prickled behind my eyes. “They’ll just keep doing this. They’ll never stop.”
“We don’t know who they are. We can’t fight an enemy we can’t see.”
“Someone has to try.”
“That someone does not have to be you.” Markham reached across and laid her cold hand on mine. “You must stop now. The Spades have destroyed too many good people. I could not stand to lose you too.”
I said nothing. I couldn’t. I did not know what to say. I knew even less what to do. After a few minutes, I went back to sipping my tea.
“THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING with us, Miss Moon.”
I rose with the officers. “You’ll find him, won’t you?”
“We’re organizing a search party as we speak. We’ll find him.” The uniformed women in front of me sported stern, but confident faces. I wished I shared that confidence.
“I wish I could do more to help.”
“You’ve done all you can. You should go. I believe your teacher is waiting to take you back home.”
“Okay.” I shook their hands one last time and left the room. I didn’t go outside to the waiting car.
This is my chance before they search his room.
I thought this hotel cute and charming when I arrived. Now the eerie silence roared in my ears. The creak of the floors beneath my feet ratcheted up my heartbeat. I needed to hurry, get those yearbooks, and get out of this place.
Eric’s room was at the end of a short hallway. I quietly let myself in and went over to the bed with the green backpack. I knew that was Eric’s.
I gazed around the room. Now to find the brown duffle bag.
I peeked under the bed, looked in the closet, searched the bathroom, and even took the cushions off the couch. After scouring the place twice, I accepted it.
The duffle bag was gone.
DUSK HAD FALLEN OVER Evergreen when the car pulled up to the gates. Markham parked behind a beat-up four-seater. Mom climbed out of the car as she turned off the engine.
“Thank you,” I said softly.