Chapter 19

VALERIA I don’t want to blame Eden for the bad timing, but I have to admit that I feel pretty bummed. Stefano didn’t contact me again right after that, which makes me think that maybe he asked Eden to do that. But it might just be my annoyed brain making stuff up. It’s Sunday now, and I’m more determined to get his help one way or another. I find Stefano eating breakfast like a zombie at the hall, and I want nothing more but to seize him by the collar and demand him to come with me to the library. However, before I can even decide what exactly I want to do to him, Celeste sweeps in out of nowhere and talks to him. And from afar, it seems like a pretty serious conversation. Only with touches and batting eyes and flirtatious smiles. For some reason, that makes my heart constrict. I like to believe that it’s purely from annoyance, but I can tell there’s an emotion there I hate to name, and that is jealousy. Clenching my fists, I avert my gaze and focus on my eggs and toast. I don’t notice that I’m bashing my utensils too loudly until Eden sits next to me and holds my wrists. “Easy on the eggs,” she says with a frown. “I’m sure that’s not going to turn into a chick anytime soon, so you can relax.” “I am relaxed,” I growl at her. “Right.” She lets out a laugh, then she follows my line of sight. Her frown eases and now she’s smiling at me knowingly. “You don’t need to be jealous. Celeste is the head girl. She and Stefano are together a lot, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m sure he’s quite taken with you, considering that he had to break school rules just to spend time with you in our dorm room. Although I have to say, you could have picked out a better dating spot.” “We are not dating,” I tell her through gritted teeth. “We were studying.” “Right,” Eden says again, but the knowing smile on her face is still there. “Hey, you know you can tell me, right? I can help you navigate your way through dating and this school.” I turn to her in confusion. “What? She lets out a sigh. “Okay. Look, I really want us to be friends, Valeria.” I open my mouth to retort, but I find that I’m pretty much blank. I can tell that she’s honest, and even though we didn’t start off at the most perfect note, I have to admit that I do like what she’s proposing. I do want a friend. “Well,” I begin, but then I see her eyes going wide. She’s looking at something--or someone--behind me. I wheel around to look at what she’s staring at, and to my absolute horror, it’s Auric. I jump to my feet, which is pretty dumb, but I immediately compose myself and stare back at him. He looks nervous, which is new, and I notice that he’s also looking at Eden uncertainly. “Can we talk in private?” he asks. “About what?” He glances at Eden again. “Well, I can’t tell you now.” “You know what, I’m going to excuse myself,” Eden mutters with a nervous giggle. When she passes by me, she whispers, “Two of the most popular guys in school? Really?” I want to tell her that neither situation means anything, but she’s already running away. I look around me self-consciously and see that both Celeste and Stefano are watching us. Celeste looks like she wants war, and Stefano’s expression doesn’t seem far off from hers. I don’t know what that is all about. All I know is that I don’t want to talk to Auric in such a public setting, just in case it elicits another stupid rumor. “Okay, let’s talk in private,” I tell Auric. With that, I exit the hall and head to the school grounds. There’s a small patch of land in the garden that doesn’t seem to be occupied by anyone, so I take him there, sitting on the bench and waiting for him to talk. He sits beside me. At first, he’s really close, but when he sees that I gave him a stern look, he scoots away. For a while, we sit there in complete silence, but I’m running out of patience, so I face him. “Well, talk.” “Okay,” he mumbles. “I just want to apologize for the things I said to you that night. The accusation was just so absurd for me, but I understand. And I’m sorry for dismissing you.” “Alright.” He waits for me to talk more, but when he realizes that I have nothing else to give, he continues, “And well… there’s a school event this weekend. It’s called Lunar Campfire. Students gather at the lawn to celebrate the full moon. We usually go in pairs and I was wondering if you want to come with me.” I freeze. Literally, it seems that every function of my body stops for a while. Not because I’m touched or anything —although I hate to admit that my heart did a little flutter—but because I’m utterly confused. Auric is Celeste’s ex boyfriend, and I have a feeling they’ve been somewhat of a power couple in this school. What’s he thinking, trying to ask out a girl who’s been accused of murder just days ago? Something about this doesn’t feel right. Maybe I’m just being paranoid or dumb. Either way, I don’t feel comfortable. “I will think about it,” I just say. “Now you can go.” Auric opens his mouth as though to say something else, but in the end he just gives me a curt smile and walks away. I sit there mulling things over for a while, then I decide to head back to my dorm room to regroup. However, before I can reach the entrance to the building, I spot a familiar figure standing by the gates, looking uncomfortable and antsy. “Stefano?” I blurt out. “What are you doing here?” “We need to talk.” I open my mouth to celebrate because that’s what I’ve been wanting, but he takes my hand and leads me to the side of the building, looking around frantically. His grip is way too tight, and he doesn’t let go even when we’re pretty far away from anyone. “Let me go,” I complain, and he does, but he looks so distracted that it’s starting to worry me. “Are you alright?” Stefano takes a deep breath and says, “I think you might be right about Celeste.” The first feeling that rises in my chest is relief. Relief at being right. Relief at not being the idiot that everyone else pretty much thought I was. But then, horror follows closely behind. That means that the school is not safe. That means a vampire has infiltrated what everyone thinks is a safe space. Suddenly, I’m the one leaving a small section for denial. “Are you sure? What’s your proof?” “Her school pin is gold instead of silver, and everyone including you, a half werewolf wears silver.” His words flow out in a rush. When I just look at him blankly, he rolls his eyes impatiently. “Silver is dangerous to werewolves and vampires, but vampires more so. Werewolves have their human forms to protect them. Vampires don’t. Also….” He trails off uncomfortably. I motion him to continue. “Go on.” “Well, she tried to ask me out for this campfire thing we have next weekend,” he says, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “It’s this thing that—” “I know, Auric just asked me out too.” Stefano and I stare at each other. “Celeste almost made me say yes,” he says slowly. “It’s strange that Auric is asking you out. He never took anyone else but Celeste, even after they broke up.” I bite my lip. “Do you think it’s their plan?” “It could be.” Stefano looks down at his shoes. “I was… I was going to ask you.” My throat tightens. Did he really have to say that now when we just arrived at something solid? Now my mind is all messed up. I just clear my throat. “We have to play this smart. You go with Celeste, and I go with Auric.”