K, this is part 2 of chapter 15...

About a half-hour later after I’d returned to the common room, Julia came storming in, huffing and puffing and looking extremely irritated. I just ignored her when she stopped right next to the chair I was in. I continued to just stare into the fire.

“What the hell, Emma?” she asked, furious. That got my attention. I looked at her, my eyes wide, shock and confusion plastered across my face.

“What are you talking about?” I hissed.

“I’m talking about: Where were you at dinner? They took a roll call and you and this other kid, Michael, were the only ones not there.”

“Why did they take a roll call?”

“You’re avoiding the question,” she pointed out.

“What question?”

“Why weren’t you there?”

“I wasn’t hungry,” I answered, simply. Because I hadn’t been hungry. For all I knew, I’d never be hungry for regular, human food ever again.

“Well, okay then…” she trailed off, relaxing a bit at hearing the blatant honesty in my voice.

“What?” I asked, suspicious.

“Well, of course, Emma, people were talking…”

My eyes narrowed. “About what?” I muttered through clenched teeth.

“Well, some people saw you with that Michael kid yesterday, and, well…there was a notice on the board to come to dinner, and, when you both were the only two not there…”

“Are you kidding me?!” I howled.

She stumbled back. “Sorry. Sorry.” She raised her hands, palms forward, signifying innocence. “I told them that probably wasn’t what you were doing, but, you know people…they like to blow things out of proportion…”

I groaned. Great. One more thing to add to people’s lists of, Why Emma Garett is Suspicious.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t see the note on the board.”

“That’s fine. The headmistress mostly just talked about our schedules and our classes and such…nothing crucially important.” Julia shrugged.

“Oh.”

Julia glanced around, still seeming a bit uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you, Julia,” I apologized.

“That’s fine,” she sighed. “I probably would’ve reacted the same way if it was me they were talking about.” She smiled hesitantly and I smiled back at her. She walked over to the couch she’d been curled up on this morning and grabbed Wuthering Heights off the coffee table, opening to her page and plopping back down on the dark brownish-red leather sofa.

I sighed and turned my face back to the fire to watch the flickering orange and ashy cinders. After about fifteen minutes, my phone rang, alerting me of a text message. My heart sped up as I thought of Ryan. I eagerly flipped open the LCD screen. NEW MESSAGE: JAY. My heart beat even faster at that one. My fingers trembling, I opened the message.

‘Emma Garett. Answer your emails.’ Was all he had written. I sighed, debating whether or not I wanted to go back down to the library.

‘Fine.’ I typed back, sighing inwardly. I couldn’t even imagine what my friends had written in their sure-to-be numerous emails they’d sent me in the past couple days.

BBRRRRNNNNGGGG. BBRR— I flipped my phone back open and came face-to-face with another text. ‘Good.’ Jay had responded.

I snapped my phone shut and stuffed it back into my pocket, hauling myself out of the cushy chair. “When’s curfew?” I asked Julia, as I reluctantly shuffled over to the door.

“Uh, we’re supposed to be back in the dorms by ten, I think. Why?”

“I just wanted to go back over to the library for a while…”

“Oh. Okay. Have fun, I guess,” she mumbled, as she turned back to her book.

“Getting any good?” I asked her, a smirk forming on my face.

She sighed in defeat and smiled. “Yeah. You were right, Emma.”

“Sweet.” I quickly searched for the green candle I’d used last night during my secret expedition to the east tower, and found it right where I’d left it. I stuck it in the fireplace and a small flame licked its way up the wick. “See ya, Julia,” I muttered, as I pushed open the Level IV Girls’ Dorm door.

I stepped out onto a dark landing that quickly burst into light as I held my candle up. I made my way down the five flights of stairs, and was happy to discover that there were, indeed, electrical lamps scattered on the walls. They were elegant and looked antique, but they were each burning with a small, round bulb.

Finally, I hopped off the last stair and over to the huge, wood doors. They creaked open and I walked out into the blisteringly cold night. Don’t worry, Emma, I told myself. Ryan said the cold won’t affect you, soon. But, for now, it did. I pulled my hood up and zipped my green hoodie up the rest of the way, then tucked the hand that wasn’t holding the candle into my sweater pocket.

Just as I made it to the cobblestone path, a sudden, fierce gust of wind whooshed by, blowing the hair that was sticking out of my hood into my face and extinguishing the delicate candle flame.

“Damn it,” I hissed. Since it was the middle of winter, the sun had set completely about an hour ago, so, now, since my candle had gone out, I was in complete and total darkness. I squinted into the night, searching for one of the blazing, decorative torches. My eyes finally rested on one halfway between where I was standing and the main courtyard—about thirty yards away. I groaned and shuffled towards it, feeling along the wall of the school as I did so, so I wouldn’t stumble off the path. My heart started beating faster as I felt the wood of the headmistress’s office door. I quickly searched for the comforting brick on the other side.

When I was directly under the flaming torch, I stopped and looked up at it. It was about two and a half feet above my head. “Great,” I muttered. I knew I wouldn’t be able to reach it, but I stretched my arm up, with the candle extended towards the flame. As I’d already figured, the wick of the candle was about half a foot short of reaching the base of the torch. I jumped, leaning towards the fire—and ended up smacking my nose on the stone wall.

“Ow,” I muttered, prodding my nose gingerly. It hurt, but nothing was coming out. I wrinkled it a bit and leaned my back against the wall, closing my eyes on the pitch-black night.

BBRRRRNNNNGGGG. BBRRRRNNNNGGGG. I dug in my pocket for my phone and pulled it out, flipping it open. My eyes narrowed, reacting to the bright light from the screen. I opened the message.

‘I thought u were going 2 answer ur emails…’ Jay’s message read. What, was he waiting at his computer for me to email him back? I sighed. Knowing Jay, he probably was.

‘I’m working on it,’ I typed back. ‘I have to get to a computer first.’ I didn’t even bother closing my phone. I knew Jay would—

BBRRRRNN—I clicked the OKAY button. ‘Hurry up…’

I tried very hard to refrain from grinding my teeth together in irritation. I needed to get this damn candle lit. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk through the courtyard and find the right door into the school without a light. I was preparing to jump again, when I heard footsteps on the path behind me. I froze. Oh no. Was it the headmistress? Was it Rebecca? I really didn’t need a confrontation right now. I was busy.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart accelerated as the footsteps got nearer. I couldn’t move. Crunch. Clack. Crunch. I listened carefully and could tell that whoever was behind me was wearing tennis shoes. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief—that probably eliminated Ms. Lunding.

The footsteps sped up—it almost seemed like the person was running, now. I wanted to see who it was, but I couldn’t force my body to turn and face them.

“Emma?” a questioning male voice called. Oh my god, Emma, you idiot. I turned around and could tell that someone was jogging towards me, but couldn’t see them exactly; they were dressed in all black. I could tell, however, that their bright green eyes were glowing like a cat’s.

“Emma?” he called again, as he got closer. When he was a few yards from me, I could see his pale face illuminated by the flame of the torch. “Emma, what are you doing?” he asked me, confusion in his voice.

“Uh, I was going to the library, but my candle went out, so…”

“So you were trying to relight it,” Michael finished for me, raising an eyebrow and smirking slightly.

“Well, yeah. I don’t exactly want to trip and fall on my face between here and the second floor because I couldn’t see what was right in front of me.”

“Why wouldn’t you be able—?” he began, but then froze. His eyes widened.

“Huh?”

“Uh, n-nothing. Never mind,” he stuttered, shaking his head.

“Okay…” I drawled. “So what exactly are you doing out here?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Actually, I was heading for the library, as well.”

“Really?”

“No, Emma. I’m lying to you.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “Yes, really.”

I scoffed, irritated. “Sorr-ee.”

He hid a smile. “It’s fine. Do you want to walk there together?”

“We don’t have a light,” I pointed out, nodding toward my candle and then looking at his empty hands, confused as to how he even got over here in the first place.

He opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut, stopping himself from saying whatever he’d been planning on saying. “Uh…” he cleared his throat. “I could help you light yours if you want.” He looked down.

“Okay. How exactly are you going to do that?” I asked, my tone skeptic. Michael was about two inches shorter than I was, and if I couldn’t reach the flame…

He flitted his hand at me to get out of the way, and got down on his hands and knees next to the building.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Obviously, neither of us can reach that flame,” he said, condescendingly. “If you stand on my back, you should be able to reach it.”

“What?” I gasped. “I can’t stand on you!”

“Why not?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Michael, you probably weigh less than I do,” I pointed out. “I’ll hurt you.”

He scoffed. “I doubt it.”

“Doubt what?” I asked. “That I weigh more than you do, or that I’ll break you?”

He sighed. “Both. Now get on.” He turned to face me. His medium-length, spiky black hair obscured his eyes and forehead, but I knew he was rolling his eyes beneath his hair.

“Are you sure?” I asked, hesitantly stepping closer to him.

He dropped his head in exasperation. “Yes, I’m sure. Just hurry up.”

I looked at his back, judging how long I’d be able to stand on it before it collapsed.

“Emma,” he urged.

“Sorry.” I leaned forward and slowly lifted my left leg up, gingerly placing my foot on his lower back. I pressed my hands against the cold, damp, stone wall for balance and quickly hopped up, sticking my other foot between his shoulders. “Are you okay?” I asked, nervously.

“Yes, Emma. I’m fine. Just light the candle.”

I extended my right hand up, aiming the long, green candle at the torch. I left one hand on the wall, hopefully preventing myself from falling. I stretched my arm up and stuck the tip of the candle in the flame. After a second, I pulled it out. The wick was on fire and wax was eagerly dripping down the candle, a couple drops landing on my hand. I winced.

“Did you get it?” Michael asked, not sounding strained at all.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Be careful when you get down. You don’t want that flame to go out again.”

“Right.” Watching the flickering wick carefully, I slowly took my hand off the wall and hopped down off of Michael’s back. I stood, waiting for him to get up.

Two seconds after I’d stepped off him, he popped up, looking unfazed.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.

“Emma,” he groaned. “You didn’t hurt me, okay? I’m not that delicate,” he pointed out.

“That’s not what I meant. I just—you’re just…”

“Tiny,” he finished for me, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

“Well…”

“Right.” He took a deep breath in. “So, are we going to the library, or what?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled, and continued down the stone path. Michael stayed just behind me until we reached the courtyard. I held my arm out and turned, shining the candle in each corner, then at the hallway between the courtyard and the school. I walked forward, through the stone archway. I couldn’t remember which of the four doors led to the stairs to the second floor. Michael walked up behind me.

“It’s the second from the left.” He nodded toward it, then looked at me.

“What?”

“You have the candle. Why don’t you lead,” he suggested.

“Oh.” I shook my head. “Right.”

He rolled his eyes as I started towards the door. When I was a few feet away, Michael sped forward and pushed it open. It squeaked anciently as he stepped inside and held it for me. I slipped inside the small stairway and he closed the door quietly behind me. Michael led the way up the stairs where there was a single torch lighting our way, along with the candle in my hand.

We stepped out into the hall, opposite the library. It was empty except for a couple gargoyle statues that sat in the corners, staring menacingly at us. We hurried down the hallway, passing closed classroom doors, several paintings, and four small lamps that jutted out of the wall.

Stepping inside the dimly lit library, there was an old, spectacle wearing, gray haired woman sitting at a chair behind the information desk who looked up at us. “Can I help you, dears?” she asked, looking up from her book. Her wispy hair was in a loose bun at the top of her head, except for a few strands that hung in front of her face.

“No thanks,” I said, cheerfully. “I just need to use a computer.”

“And you?” she asked, gazing at Michael.

“Uh, no. I’m fine,” he muttered.

“Okay,” she murmured, in her high, grandmotherly voice. She went back to reading her book. Michael turned away from me and headed down a long line of tall bookshelves. I walked through the center of the library, searching for the computers I’d seen earlier that day. I found them against the back wall, surrounded by shelves of reference materials—dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauruses, almanacs, etc. Every computer looked to be brand-new, shining black against the light wooden tabletop. I set my candle down, and then plopped down in one of the simple, metal-backed chairs and clicked open the internet. It opened to the Arborson homepage. Curious, I scrolled down, reading the different headings above the pictures. The website, of course, was just like the informational packet—fake. I quickly lost interest in the hoax site and typed in the address of my email site. I logged in and had to wait less than a second before my inbox popped up. High-speed internet. Nice. Jay had left three emails, Laina two, and Kelley and Jessi each, one. I figured I’d start with, most likely, the least menacing first.

Hey Emma! How’s it going? What’s your new school like? I hope it’s better than Gunn High.

Miss you. Call me soon.

xoxo

-Kelley

I clicked open Jessi’s email, which was pretty much the same, except for maybe a bit less enthusiastic. Then, I opened Laina’s.

Emma! I miss you! It’s so sad to not have you in chem. with me:(

Please call me soon.

Hey, guess what? Andrew asked me to the spring formal! It’s in March. Do they have dances at your school? They do, right? I’m sure they do. That would suck if they don’t. Meet any cute guys yet? lol. Make sure you tell me when you do!

Call me. Miss you.

-Laina ^_^

I opened Laina’s second email.

Emma, why haven’t you called or emailed me back? What’s going on?

-Laina

Geez, it had only been a couple days—no reason for them to get their britches tied in a knot. I sighed and reluctantly clicked open Jay’s first email.

Hey Emma! What’s it like at your new school? Are you settling in okay? I hope so. I wish you hadn’t had to leave us. I hope it doesn’t suck where you are…then again, I don’t think anywhere could suck as much as Gunn High. Call me soon, Emma. Please. I want to know all about your new school:)

-Love,

Jay

I opened Jay’s next email.

Emma, what happened to you? Call me.

-Jay

I prepared myself for the blow, and opened up Jay’s last email.

Emma Garett, don’t you answer your emails anymore? It’s been, like, two days. What is happening? I’m beginning to worry about you. Are you okay? Please respond to this. And please call me.

-Jay

I sighed and typed a quick response.

Jay,

Chill out. I’m fine. I’m sorry I haven’t responded, but it HAS only been two days. It’s taken a while to settle in and I haven’t had the chance to check my email until now. Classes start tomorrow. We had today to check out the campus. It’s HUGE.

So, has anything happened with you guys?

I’m in the library so I can’t talk on the phone right now, otherwise I’d call you.

-Emma

I hit, SEND and then went back to quickly respond to Laina’s, Jessi’s, and Kelley’s emails, as well. A few minutes after sending my response to Jay’s, my phone rang. I hastily flipped it open and saw that Jay had texted me.

‘Thnx, Em. I was just worried. I’ll talk 2 ya l8r.’

I flipped my phone shut without responding and clicked out of the internet, not even bothering to check whether or not Jay had sent me another email—which he probably had. Then I got up from the metal chair and looked around, scanning the library for Michael. I spotted him far off in the opposite corner, flipping intently through a thick book. I grabbed the green candle and made my way over to him. When he saw me, he hurriedly snapped the book shut and stuffed it back on the shelf.

“Hey, Emma,” he said, turning towards me and plastering a fake smile on his face. “Ready to go?”

“Are you?” I asked, eying the bookshelf suspiciously.

“Huh? Uh, y-yeah,” he stammered, sliding quickly past me, heading for the door. I looked at the bookshelf. There was a sign near the top that read: VAMPIRE PHYSIOLOGY. I looked over the shelf in front of me, searching for the book he had put back. There was one, thick, leather-bound tome that was sticking out slightly. I pulled it out and read the cover. In black calligraphy, it read: The Change: What to Expect.

That pretty much did it for my suspicions about Michael. I quickly put the book back and ran over to where he was waiting by the door.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Sorry. I got distracted,” I explained.

“Oh,” he muttered. “Okay. Let’s go.” He led me out of the library and walked swiftly down the hall, turning right at the staircase leading to the courtyard.

We stepped out into the cool, night air and he continued through the courtyard and around the perimeter of the school. When we reached the split in the cobblestone path, he diverted directions and headed for the boy’s dorms.

“Michael!” I called after him.

“Huh?” He spun around and faced me, an innocent and anxious expression on his face.

“Thanks.” I’d wanted to confront him about the book, but I figured it really wasn’t the best time.

“For what?” he asked.

“Uh, for helping with my candle. And for coming with me.”

“Oh,” he mumbled, looking down. “You’re welcome.”

I let a quick burst of air escape my lips. “Right. I’ll see you later, then.”

“Okay,” he said, looking up. “See ya.” He turned back around and headed for the boy’s dormitories, while I just stood on the cobblestone path, waiting. I waited until he closed the large, wooden doors, then pulled out my phone and checked the time. I still had a little less than an hour before I had to be back in the dorm. I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and spun around, once again letting the flame of my candle light my way back to the courtyard.

I walked through the cobblestone-paved area and through the second door on the left. I hurried up the stairs and down the second floor hall. When I walked through the library doors, the librarian greeted me with a curious expression.

“Back so soon?” she asked. “Where’s your friend?”

“He had to go. I just wanted to look at a book again,” I explained.

“Oh,” she said, sounding a bit excited. Her eyebrows rose. “Which one?”

“I don’t remember what it’s called,” I lied smoothly. “It’s over there somewhere.” I waved my hand in the direction of the book.

“Well, do you need any help?” The librarian asked.

“No. I’m fine, thanks.”

“Okay.” She smiled.

I turned away from her and headed for the Vampire Physiology section. I found the spot where Michael and I had been, and searched for the leather-bound book called, The Change: What to Expect. But I couldn’t find it. I walked up and down the bookshelf, scanning for it. It was gone. I huffed and put my hand on my hip.

“Is something the matter, hon?” the grandmotherly librarian asked.

“Did someone come in here after me and my friend left?” I asked.

“Hmm.” She crinkled her lips and her eyebrows shot down in concentration. I thumped my fingers against my side. “Yes,” she finally concluded. “Another boy. If I recall, he picked up a book out of that section.” She nodded towards me. “He’s right over there.” She pointed to a circle of large, cushiony chairs against one wall of the library. I couldn’t see the boy so I walked around the bookshelf I was at so I had a view of the rest of the chairs.

“Thank you,” I shot in her direction, already beginning to walk towards the chairs.

“You’re welcome,” she called back.

I came up behind one of the olive green chairs—the one the mahogany haired boy was sitting in. I cleared my throat and he jumped slightly, turning around to face me.

“Emma,” Ryan breathed.

I walked around his chair and sat in the one directly opposite him, setting my candle on the small table in the middle of the chairs. “What book are you reading?” I asked.

“Uh…” he looked down at his book, marked his page, then handed it to me, a somewhat nervous look on his face.

I took the heavy, leather book from his hand and read the title. The Change: What to Expect.

“I, uh, thought I’d do some research,” he began, nodding towards the book in my hand. “You know, see if I could find out exactly what’s going on.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, handing the book back to him. “Me too.”

His eyebrows knitted together. “I haven’t been able to find anything yet, pertaining to your situation. And I honestly doubt I’ll be able to.” He sighed and took the book from my hands.

“Well, it can’t hurt to look,” I encouraged.

“True. Have you done much research yet?” He asked.

“No. I just came back and was looking for that book,” I nodded towards his hands. “But, well, you had it.”

“Back?” A look of confusion crossed his face.

“Yeah. I was here with Michael a few minutes ago,” I explained. “He was looking at the same book you’re looking at. So I came—

“…That proves it!” Ryan interrupted. He looked ecstatic. “He was looking at a book on what’s normal during the Change. That proves that he’s like you!”

My eyes widened as I gave him a warning look, then glanced toward the ancient librarian who sat in her chair, thankfully still distracted by her small paperback.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

I smiled a half-smile. “Well, that’s what I thought. But, we can’t jump to conclusions.”

“What?” He leaned forward. “I don’t think we’re jumping to conclusions. It’s obvious that”—

I cut him off. “…Okay, it might seem obvious, but we can’t just go up to Michael and be like, ‘Hey, so…you’re transformation was a little wack, huh?’ What if we are wrong?” I asked. “What if he was just curious?”

“Emma, come on.” Ryan leaned back, exasperated, then leaned forward again, whispering fiercely. “You saw his eyes, his aversion to sunlight, his lack of appetite…What else could it be?”

“I’ve just been thinking…Well, rationalizing, really. I mean, I don’t remember if his eyes weren’t green before. And, well, he told me he didn’t like the sun, and maybe he just wasn’t hungry. He could’ve gone to dinner yesterday and I just didn’t see him. We could be all wrong about this. Michael could be completely normal. Well, under the circumstances,” I added.

“Yes, Emma. But what are the chances of such coincidences?” Ryan asked, almost condescendingly. “What are the chances that—

“…A guy who wears all black wouldn’t like the sun?” I interrupted. A gust of air blew through Ryan’s lips and he swiveled his head to the side, and then back to me. “That he just wasn’t hungry? A lot of people do have green eyes,” I pointed out. “A lot of people that aren’t Vampires. I had green eyes before I changed. They’re just greener now.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow. “His eyes are as green as mine are—bright emerald. Plus, I saw the specks of metal. They’re definitely Vampire green—just like mine, just like yours.”

“Oh my god,” I realized, suddenly.

“I told you,” Ryan said.

“No, it’s not that. Ryan,” I began, leaning in farther. “Will the teachers notice my eyes—and Michael’s? If they’re actually the Vampire green eyes, that is.”

Ryan gasped, then quickly composed himself. “They might,” he stated simply, staring me in my bright green and copper eyes. “Just, uh, try to get seats near the back of the classrooms, and try to make as little eye-contact as possible without looking suspicious.”

“Okay. What if someone asks, though?”

“They shouldn’t. But if they do, just say that your eyes have always been green. I don’t think anyone would press the matter further.”

Ding dang dong. The clock chimed, interrupting our conversation.

“It’s a quarter till,” Ryan said. “You need to get back to the dorm before ten o’clock.”

“Right,” I sighed, getting up. He did the same, and then walked over to put the book back on the shelf. “What about you?” I asked when he was back by my side.

“I need to head back, too. The teachers—the headmistress, really—doesn’t like anyone wandering the halls after ten; the curfew isn’t just for the students.”

“Wow. Strict,” I noted, grabbing my candle.

“Tell me about it,” Ryan sighed, turning and leading the way out of the library. “Goodnight Mrs. Housman,” he called to the librarian.

“Goodnight kids,” she called back to us.

“Suck up,” I muttered, once we were through the library doors.

Ryan laughed and grabbed my hand. He brought it to his lips, looking me straight in the eye, and kissed it. “Yes,” he said, matter-of-factly.

I giggled and he smirked playfully. He draped his arm over my shoulders and led me to the stairs on the opposite end of the hall. We hurried down them, rushed through the courtyard, and around the school, our shoes thumping on the cobblestone.

Just as we were about to step into the grass, a door creaked open nearby.

“Miss Garett,” Ms. Lunding’s voice sounded from her office doorway. I jumped and looked around me, searching frantically for Ryan. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Uh, n-no. I just, uh”—I cleared my throat—“No, nothing’s wrong.”

“Very well. You best get back to your dorm,” she advised. “It’s nearly ten.”

“Yes ma’am.” I nodded once, turning around and heading for the girl’s dorms.

“Emma,” she called after me.

I spun around. “Yes?”

“You weren’t at dinner tonight. I made an announcement.”

“Uh, yeah. I heard. Sorry.”

“Is everything alright?” she asked. I could see a small hint of suspicion in her eye, but for the most part, there was only concern.

“Yeah.” I shrugged uncomfortably. “I guess I wasn’t hungry.” I smiled hesitantly.

“I didn’t see you at lunch, either,” she continued.

I froze, then gulped and continued down my list of lies. “I got distracted. Checking out the campus and all…” I smiled a bit, realizing that that wasn’t a complete lie.

“Right. I suppose that would be distracting,” she agreed, no hint of malice in her voice.

I stayed silent, not wanting to unintentionally start up another uncomfortable conversation.

“Okay, well, you better be off,” Ms. Lunding said, suddenly. “Sleep well, Emma.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, faking another shy smile. I turned around and headed, once again, for the dorms. After a few seconds, I heard Ms. Lunding’s door click shut. A few seconds later, I felt a gust of wind and Ryan was walking next to me.

“Geez,” I gasped.

“Sorry.” He chuckled.

“I just about had a heart attack back there.”

Ryan coughed to hide a laugh. “Technically, Emma, you probably wouldn’t have been able to actually have a heart attack,” he pointed out. I scoffed in his general direction. It was so dark out, I could barely see him.

“How’d you get away so fast?” I asked.

“The same way I just appeared.” I heard a smile in his voice. “I kicked my legs into high gear and ran for it.” I laughed, and he joined along with me—even if it was only a whispered merriment.

Eventually we reached the girls’ dorm building. Ryan walked me to the door, like a gentleman, but he didn’t open it. We stood on the top step facing each other. The flame of the candle reflected off his bright green eyes, making them look cat-like. I lowered the candle a little to stop the affect, but so I could still see his face, illuminated in the faint, orange glow.

Ryan looked into my eyes and slowly reached his hand up to gently caress my eyelids. “Your eyes are beginning to glow,” he informed me.

“And that’s another Vampire thing?” I asked, softly.

“Yes,” he murmured, dragging his fingers across my cheek and down my neck. My eyelids slid closed and I concentrated on his cool skin against mine. “Your skin is cooling, as well.” I shivered as he traced my collarbone with his fingertips before letting them slide a little ways down my chest. Then he dragged them back up my neck and gently clutched my chin between his thumb and first finger. He tilted my head up, then leaned down and gently kissed my lips. Heat coursed through my veins at even the lightest of kisses. “Goodnight, Emma,” he murmured, his cool breath tickling my lips.

Thump. We were thrust into complete darkness as the candle slipped out of my hand, crashing to the stair. “Crap,” I muttered, snapping quickly out of the daze Ryan had put me in. I bent over to pick it up, but before I could extend my arm, Ryan was holding it out for me to take. “Thanks.”

He chuckled quietly. The next thing I felt was his lips on my forehead. “Sweet dreams,” he murmured. Then he was gone. When I regained my composure, I saw him zooming across the frost-covered grass and up the stairs to the boys’ dormitories. I smiled to myself, slightly breathless, and opened one of the massive doors, stepping into the entryway of the girls’ dorm. I closed the door quietly behind me and hopped over to the stairs, then quickly snuck up the five flights of a dimly lit spiral stairway to the fifth floor landing.

The door to the common room creaked open and I slipped in, quickly closing it behind me. I put the unlit green candle on a table near the door. The fire was almost out, but a small end table lamp was still turned on. It was shining on Julia, curled up on the couch, sleeping, her book wide open. I walked over to her and pulled the book out of her hands, marking her page and setting it down on the coffee table. I gently shook her shoulder, and eventually she woke up.

“Thanks, Emma,” she mumbled, as I helped her off the couch and led her to her room. She slipped under her covers and I closed the door on her, then walked to the other end of the hall into my room. I undressed and put on my pajamas, then set my alarm clock for noon and curled up under my crimson and black lace comforter.

The bed was really comfortable, and I was really tired. My day had been long and exhausting—both physically and mentally. I had so many things that I had to think about—Ryan (of course), Michael, Ms. Lunding, Rebecca, my friends, researching the Change—plus I was so anxious about having class tomorrow I was practically twitching.

I wanted to replay the day in my head—the good parts, anyway. I wanted to replay the crystal room, talking with Ryan, running, Ryan’s goodnight kiss—I wanted to make sure I’d remember it all forever; so many things about today had been so perfect. But I couldn’t think about any of it for long, because a few minutes after getting into bed, I couldn’t help but fall asleep, deeply exhausted.