I GAVE MS. TERWILLIGER a full report on our trip to the inn the next morning. We met at Spencer's, and in a rare show of early rising, Adrian joined us. "I've got a study group meeting soon," he explained. His mood was a lot better, with no mention of yesterday's . . . indiscretion.
Even though there wasn't much to tell, lines of worry creased her face as she heard our story. The true panic came when I mentioned my dream. Ms. Terwilliger's eyes went wide, and she gripped her coffee cup so tightly, I thought it would break.
"She found out," she murmured. "Whether it was that Alicia girl or some other way, Veronica found out about you. I should never have sent you. I thought you'd slip underneath her radar if the other girls were charmed, but I was wrong. I was selfish and naive. It would've been better if she knew I was on to her from the very beginning. You're sure you were masking Sydney's appearance?" That was to Adrian.
"Positive," he said. "Everyone we talked to, all the girls and even Alicia . . . none of them would have a clear idea of what Sydney looks like."
"Maybe she's been spying on you," I suggested. "And saw us together. I haven't been in disguise around here."
"Maybe," Ms. Terwilliger conceded. "But we also know she was active in Los Angeles. She would have to spend considerable time stalking her victims, which wouldn't give her the chance to come here and watch me extensively. Even with her powers, she can't teleport." Her expression hardened with resolve. "Well, there's nothing to be done now but damage control. She doesn't seem to know exactly where you are yet or that you're even connected to me. I'll make you another charm to try to boost this one, but it may not work if she's found a way to reach out to you. And in the meantime, don't worry about offense anymore. You need to focus on defense - particularly invisibility spells. Your best protection against Veronica at this point is for her simply not to find you if she comes looking around Palm Springs."
I'd continued reading the advanced offense spells, despite her warnings. With this new development, though, I knew she was right about defense being more important. Still, I couldn't shake the worry that Veronica had discovered me by watching Ms. Terwilliger, which in turn made me fear for my teacher's safety. "You keep saying she's not after you . . . but are you really sure?"
"She'll avoid me if she can," said Ms. Terwilliger, sounding confident. "I have the power but not the youth and beauty she's after. And even she would draw the line at taking on her sister. It's the only remnant of human decency she has left."
"Will she still have that attitude when you confront her?" asked Adrian.
Ms. Terwilliger shook her head. "No. Then anything goes. I'd like to meet with you tonight to practice a couple other defensive tactics."
I eyed her carefully. "Are you up for that? No offense, ma'am, but you already look exhausted."
"I'll be fine. Meet me at the park again around ten. I'll get Weathers to let you go. We must keep you safe." She stared off into space for several moments and then focused on me again. "In light of this development . . . it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to find some, ah, more basic means of defense as well."
"Basic?" I asked, puzzled.
"She means like a gun or a knife," supplied Adrian, catching on to what I hadn't.
Ms. Terwilliger nodded. "If you ever confront Veronica, it'll most likely come down to magic fighting magic . . . but, well, one can never say. Having something else for backup might prove invaluable."
I wasn't a fan of this idea. "I have no clue how to knife fight. And I don't like guns."
"Do you like being put into a coma and aging before your time?" asked Adrian.
I shot him a glare, surprised he'd be on board with this. "Of course not. But where would we even get one on such short notice?"
From the look on his face, he knew I had a point. Suddenly, he became enthusiastic again. "I think I know."
"I'm sure you two will figure it out," said Ms. Terwilliger, her mind already moving to something else. She glanced at her watch. "Almost time for classes."
We all stood up, preparing to go our own ways, but I held Adrian back. I couldn't imagine how in the world he would know where to get a gun on no notice. He wouldn't elaborate and simply said he'd meet me after school. Before he left, I remembered something I'd wanted to ask.
"Adrian, did you keep my cross?"
"Your - oh." Looking into his eyes, I could practically see yesterday's events playing through his mind - including us rolling around on the bed. "I dropped it when - ah, well, before we left. Yo u didn't pick it up?"
I shook my head, and his face fell.
"Shit, I'm sorry, Sage."
"It's okay," I said automatically.
"It's not okay, and it's my fault. I know how much it means to you."
It did mean a lot to me, but I almost blamed myself as much as him. I should've thought of it before we left, but I'd been a little preoccupied. "It's just a necklace," I told him.
This didn't comfort him. He looked so dejected when we parted ways that I hoped he wouldn't forget about us meeting up later to visit his mysterious gun source. There was nothing to worry about, though. When classes ended, he was outside my dorm in the Mustang and looked much more upbeat, with no more mention of the necklace.
When he told me his gun plan, I was shocked, but after a few moments of thought, I realized he might be on to something. And so, a little less than an hour later, we found ourselves far outside the city, driving up to a forlorn-looking home on a large, barren piece of land. We had reached the Wolfe School of Defense.
"I never thought we'd be here again," I remarked.
Wolfe's house had no windows, and there were no cars in sight as we walked up to the door. "He may not even be home," I murmured to Adrian. "We probably should have called first."
"Wolfe never struck me as a guy who leaves the house very much," said Adrian. He knocked on the door, and almost instantly, we heard a flurry of barking and scampering feet. I grimaced. Wolfe, for reasons I would never be able to understand, kept a herd of Chihuahuas in his house. He'd once told us that they could kill a man upon a single command.
We waited a few minutes, but the barking was the only sign that there was any sort of life inside. Adrian knocked one more time (driving the dogs into an even greater frenzy) and then shrugged. "I guess you were - "
The door suddenly opened - just a slit - and one gray eye peered out at us from underneath a chain. "Oh," came a grizzled voice. "It's you two."
The door closed, and I heard the chain being unlocked. A moment later, Wolfe slipped outside, careful not to let any of the dogs out. He had a patch over his left eye, which was probably just as well since his other eye alone seemed to peer straight through me. "You should've called," he said. "I nearly turned the dogs on you."
Wolfe was dressed in his favorite pair of Bermuda shorts as well as a T-shirt showing a bald eagle riding on a monster truck. The eagle held an American flag in one set of talons and a samurai sword in the other. That seemed a weird weapon choice for such a patriotic shirt, but we'd long since learned not to question his wardrobe. That had come after he'd kicked a woman out of our class who'd dared to ask if he only had one pair of shorts or several identical ones.
"What do you kids need?" he asked. "Next classes don't start until after New Year's."
Adrian and I exchanged glances. "We, um, need a gun," I said. "I mean, just to borrow."
Wolfe scratched his beard. "I don't lend them out to students who haven't taken my gun class. Safety first." I found it promising, however, that he lent out guns at all. It was a sign of his character that he didn't even bother asking why we wanted one.
"I've already had training," I said. That was true. It was mandatory for all Alchemists. I'd done well in it, but as I'd mentioned to Adrian, I really didn't like guns at all. At least a knife had other uses. But a gun? It was only there to injure or kill.
Wolfe arched an eyebrow, the one over his good eye. Clearly, he didn't believe me. "Can you back that up?"
"Do you have a shooting range?" I returned coolly.
He almost looked offended. "Of course I do."
He led us to a building beyond the garage we'd trained in. I'd never been inside this building before, but like his house, it had no windows. The door was covered in enough locks to meet with Alchemist security standards. He let us inside, and I gaped when I saw not only a practice range but also a wall covered in various types of guns. Wolfe gave the small holding space a once-over.
"Earmuffs must be in the house. Be right back."
I continued staring at the wall, knowing my eyes were wide. "There's no way those are all legal."
Adrian's response was unexpected. "Did you notice his eye patch?"
I dragged my gaze from the arsenal. "Um, yes. From the day we first met him."
"No, no. I mean, I swear it was on his other eye last time."
"It was not," I said immediately.
"Are you sure?" asked Adrian.
I wasn't, I realized. Words and numbers were easy for me to memorize. But other details, like clothing or hair - or eye patches - were sometimes easy for me to miss. "That doesn't make any sense," I finally said. "Why would he do that?"
"He's Malachi Wolfe," said Adrian. "Why wouldn't he do that?"
I couldn't argue against that.
Wolfe returned with ear protection. After examining his wall, he selected a small handgun and then unlocked a cabinet containing ammunition. At least he didn't leave a bunch of loaded guns around.
"I'll do that," I told him. I took the gun from him and effortlessly loaded it. He made a small grunt of approval. He gestured toward the far end of the range, to a large paper cutout showing a human silhouette with various targets marked on it.
"Now then," he said. "Don't worry about hitting the - "
I fired, perfectly emptying the clip into the most difficult targets. I handed the gun to him. He handed it back. Behind him, I could see Adrian staring at me with enormous eyes.
"Keep it," said Wolfe. "You passed. You've gotta buy your own ammunition, but as long as you fill out the rental agreement, you're good to go."
As it turned out, the "rental agreement" was a piece of paper where he wrote the gun type on one side and I put my initials on the other. "Really?" I asked. "That's all I need to do? I mean, I'm glad, but . . ." I didn't really know what else to say.
Wolfe waved off my protests. "You're a good kid. If you say you need a gun, I believe you. Someone giving you trouble?"
I slipped the gun into my messenger bag. "Something like that."
Wolfe glanced over at Adrian. "What about you? You need a gun too?"
"I'm good," said Adrian. "Besides, I haven't had the training. Safety first."
Wolfe opened up the ammunition cabinet again and produced a long wooden tube and a sandwich bag of what looked like small darts. "You want to borrow my blowgun? Not much of a learning curve on this. I mean, you'll never be able to match the skill and cunning of the Amazonian warriors that I stole this from, but it can get you out of a pinch."
"Thanks, but I'll take my chances," Adrian said after several long moments. He almost sounded as though he'd considered it.
I was still hung up on Wolfe's other words, not sure I believed what I'd heard. "You were in the Amazon?"
This time, Wolfe arched the eyebrow above his eye patch. "You don't believe me?"
"No, no, of course I do," I said quickly. "It's just, you've never mentioned it before."
Wolfe gazed off beyond us. "I've been trying for years to forget my time there. But some things, you just can't escape."
A very long and very uncomfortable silence followed. At last, I cleared my throat. "Well, thank you, sir. We should get going. Hopefully I won't need the gun for very long."
"Keep it as long as you need," he said. "If I want it back, I'll find you."
And on that disturbing note, Adrian and I left. Although I understood Ms. Terwilliger's reasons for "old-fashioned" defense, I was in no way comfortable having a gun around. I'd have to keep it in my car in case school authorities ever did a search of my room and discovered it. My Alchemist and magical kits were already a liability. I was pretty sure there'd be no talking my way out of a gun.
Adrian returned me to Amberwood. I started to open the door and then paused to glance over at him. "Thanks," I said. "For everything. Going to the inn. Suggesting we see Wolfe."
"Hey, that was worth it just to know Wolfe owns a blowgun."
I laughed. "Actually, I'd be more surprised if he didn't. See you later."
Adrian nodded. "Sooner than you think."
"What's that mean?" I asked, suspicion rearing up in me.
He dodged the question and reached underneath his seat. "I called Alicia," he told me, producing a small box. "She couldn't find your cross. Her housekeeping service had already gone through and cleaned the room, but she says she'll check to see if it got caught up in the bedding. Oh, and I also asked about Veronica. She hasn't been back."
That was disheartening news, but I was touched he'd called. "Thanks for trying."
He opened the box and pulled out a necklace with a tiny wooden cross on it. "I got you a replacement. I mean, I know there's no real substitute, but I wanted to get you something. And don't start about not being able to accept some fancy gift," he said, guessing the protest I was about to make. "It cost me five dollars from a street vendor, and I'm pretty sure the chain is brass."
I bit off my words and took the necklace from him. The cross barely weighed anything. Studying it more closely, I could see a tiny pattern of silver flowers painted on its surface. "The vendor didn't do that. That's your handiwork."
"Well . . . I know you're into simple stuff, but I've always got to have some embellishment."
I ran my finger over the cross's surface. "Why'd you choose morning glories?"
"Because I'm not the biggest fan of lilies."
I smiled at that.
When I returned to my dorm room, I laid the necklace out on my dresser. I gave it one last fond look and then tried to decide how best to spend the rest of my day. Our trip to Wolfe actually hadn't taken that long, so I had plenty of time to catch dinner and make sure I was up to date on my homework. I actually ate with Kristin and Julia for a change, which was kind of a nice break from the drama of my other friends. Of course, most of the meal consisted of Julia gushing about "Dave." By the end, both she and Kristin were demanding to know when I'd bring him by again.
As the evening pushed on, I began to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Terwilliger. I wasn't sure what kind of magic we'd be practicing outdoors but figured I should be ready for anything. I packed a wide variety of items from my kit and even had the foresight to bring a granola bar for post-magic fuel. Once everything was in order, I headed back downstairs. I was nearly out the dorm door when Mrs. Weathers called out to me.
"Sydney?"
I paused to glance back. "Yes, ma'am?"
"Where are you going? It's nearly curfew."
Frowning, I walked over to her desk. "I'm doing an assignment for Ms. Terwilliger."
Mrs. Weathers looked troubled. "Yes, I know you do that a lot for her . . . but I haven't received authorization from her to let you out after hours today." Her expression turned apologetic. "I'm sure this is all on the up-and-up, but, well, rules are rules."
"Of course," I said. "But she said she'd let you know. Are you sure you didn't get anything? A note? A phone call?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. I'm sorry."
"I understand," I murmured, though I wasn't sure I did. Despite her perpetually scattered nature, Ms. Terwilliger was usually good about this sort of thing. Mrs. Weathers assured me she'd let me go if Ms. Terwilliger gave the okay by phone, so I returned to my room and attempted to call her. I went straight to voice mail, and my text went unanswered. Had something happened to her? Had that magical confrontation I'd been dreading finally gone down?
I kicked around my dorm room for the next hour or so, letting all my worries eat at me. Veronica. Marcus. St. Louis. Ms. Terwilliger. The dream. Over and over, I kept imagining the worst outcome for all of them. Just when I thought I'd go crazy, Ms. Terwilliger finally returned my call.
"Why didn't you show up?" she asked as soon as I answered. I felt relieved. She'd gone to the park. That explained the lack of contact since there was no signal out there.
"I tried! Mrs. Weathers wouldn't let me out. You forgot to give me permission."
"I most certainly didn't. . . ." Her words trailed off uncertainly. "That is, I thought I did. . . ."
"It's okay" I said. "You've had a lot on your mind."
"It's not okay." She sounded angry but it was at herself, not me. "I need to be on top of this."
"Well, you can call Mrs. Weathers now," I said.
"Too late. I'm already back home. We'll have to attempt this again another time."
"I'm sorry," I said. "I tried."
Ms. Terwilliger sighed. "I know you did. It's not your fault. It's mine. I'm letting all of this wear me down, and now I'm getting sloppy. I've already taken too many risks at your expense, and it's put Veronica on your trail. I can't let her get any farther."
A chill ran through me as I thought of those comatose girls - and the possibility of me joining them. I'd been able to stay cool and collected while investigating, but last night's dream had driven home the dangers I faced. That image of the girl in the newspaper hovered in my mind as I held the phone and paced my room. I stopped in front of a mirror and tried to picture myself like that, aged before my time. I squeezed my eyes shut and turned away. I couldn't let that happen to me. I just couldn't, and I needed Ms. Terwilliger if I was going to stay safe. Maybe I was a prodigy, but I was nowhere near being able to take on someone like her sister.
"Get some rest, ma'am," I said at last. "You sound like you need it."
"I'll try. And you be careful, Miss Melbourne."
"I will."
Being careful was the only thing I could do on my own for now. I just hoped it would be enough.
When we got off the phone, I didn't want to sleep again. I was afraid to, and it wasn't just because of the sheer terror I'd felt in last night's dream. Ms. Terwilliger had explained there was a type of searching spell that sought people in their sleep, and I worried that if Veronica reached out to me again, she might get a fix on my location. The problem was that after last night's sketchy sleep, I was now even more exhausted. My usual coffee and distraction tricks failed, and before I knew it, I was asleep.
I don't know how much time passed before I dreamed. One moment I was lost in the oblivion of sleep. The next, I found myself standing in the room that had hosted Sonya and Mikhail's reception. It looked exactly the same: flowers everywhere, tables covered in white linen and crystal glasses . . . The only difference was that the room was empty and silent. It was eerie, seeing all that richness and glamour with no one to enjoy it. I could've been in a ghost town. I looked down and saw that I wore the same dress from that evening as well.
"I could've made it red, you know. That's a better color for you - not that blue looks bad on you."
Adrian strode toward me, dressed in the same dark blue suit. Understanding hit me. I was in a spirit dream. It was another of that element's incredible feats, the ability for a spirit user to intrude on someone's dreams. No - not intrude. The user was actually able to create the dream itself, controlling every detail.
"It's been a long time since you pulled me into one of these," I said.
"And look at the progress you've made. Last time you were kicking and screaming." He held out a hand. "Want to dance?"
"No music," I said, not that I had any intention of dancing. He had a point about my reaction, though. I hadn't exactly been kicking and screaming, but I had kind of freaked out. I'd been in full possession of all my fears about vampires and magic, and being surrounded in a world completely constructed of that magic had left me frightened and unhinged. And now? Now I had apparently become so comfortable that my biggest concern was that he'd put me in this dress. I gestured to it.
"Can you change me out of this?"
"You can change yourself out of it," he said. "I'm letting go of the control. Just picture yourself the way you are in reality."
I did exactly that, and a moment later, I wore jeans and a pale blue knit top. This obviously disappointed him. "That's what you sleep in?"
"No." I laughed. "I was trying not to sleep at all. It didn't work. Why'd you bring me here?"
He strolled around and picked up one of the crystal goblets, nodding in approval as though he were some sort of glassmaking expert. "Exactly that reason. I saw how much that dream bothered you. I figured if I pulled you into one of these, it'd keep you from one of Veronica's."
I'd never thought of that. Vampire magic was certainly preferable to hers. Looking around, I gained a new appreciation for the room. It became a sanctuary, a place where she couldn't reach me. At least, I hoped not. We really didn't know how her magic would work against Adrian's. For all I knew, she might come walking through the door, carrying Sonya's bouquet.
"Thank you," I said. I sat down at one of the tables. "That was nice of you." It was another one of those incredible moments when Adrian had had the insight to guess my thoughts - or in this case, my fears.
"Well, it was also selfish. I wanted to see you in the dress." He reconsidered. "Actually, I wanted to see you in that red Halloween dress again, but I figured that would be pushing my luck."
I looked away as an image of that dress returned to me. Lia DiStefano had created the costume for me. She'd loosely based it on an ancient Greek dress and ended up with a gauzy confection of red and gold. That was when Adrian had said I was the most beautiful creature walking the earth. It had happened before he expressed his feelings for me, but even then, his words had undone me. I thought about what he was doing for me now and decided to give him a small compensation. I focused again on my clothes, and the blue dress returned.
"Better?" I asked.
His face lit up in a way that made me smile in return. "Yes."
Hoping I wasn't setting myself up for some suggestive answer, I asked, "So what are we going to do?"
"You sure you don't want to dance? I can make some music." My silence spoke for me. "Fine, fine. I don't know. We could play a game. Monopoly? Life? Battleship? Twister? Whatever we do, I am not playing Scrabble with you."
We warmed up with Battleship - I won - and then moved on to Monopoly. That took a little work to set up because Adrian could only create things that he could imagine. He couldn't remember all the streets and cards, so we made our best attempt to re-create them. Neither of us could remember one of the yellow streets, so he named it Jet Way.
We proved surprisingly well matched, and I became engrossed in the game. The power shifted back and forth between us. Just when one of us seemed to have all the control, the other would seize it back. I had no doubts about my ability to win - until I lost. I sat there, dumbstruck, staring at the board.
"Have you ever lost a game before?" he asked.
"I . . . yes, of course . . . I just didn't think . . ."
"That I could beat you?"
"No, I just . . . it doesn't happen very often." I looked up at him and shook my head. "Congratulations."
He leaned back in his chair and laughed. "I think beating you just improved your opinion of me more than anything else I've ever done."
"I've always had a high opinion of you." I stretched out, surprised to feel kinks in my body. It was strange how these dreams could have such a realistic physical component. "How long have we have been here?"
"I don't know. It's not morning yet." He appeared unconcerned. "What do you want to play next?"
"We shouldn't play anything," I said. I stood up. "It's been hours. I'm asleep, but you aren't. You can't stay up all night."
"I'm a vampire, Sage. A creature of the night, remember?"
"One who's on a human schedule," I chastised.
He still didn't seem worried. "Only one class tomorrow. I'll make it up."
"What about the spirit?" I began to pace restlessly as more of the implications hit me. "You have to be using a lot of it. That's not good for you."
"I'll take my chances." There was an unspoken for you at the end of his sentence.
I returned to the table and stood in front of his chair. "You have to be careful. Between this and the Veronica hunt. . . ." I suddenly felt bad. I hadn't thought twice about asking him to help with that. I'd forgotten the risks. "Once we've stopped her, you need to lay off the spirit."
"Don't worry." He grinned. "Once we've gotten rid of that bitch, I'll be celebrating so much that I won't be sober for days."
"Ugh. Not the healthiest way to do it. Have you ever thought about antidepressants?" I knew they helped some spirit users by blocking the magic.
His smile vanished. "I won't touch those things. Lissa took them and hated them. Being cut off from spirit nearly drove her crazy."
I crossed my arms and leaned against the table. "Yeah, but using it will drive you crazy too."
"No lectures tonight, Sage. It mars my stunning Monopoly victory."
He was far too casual for such a serious matter, but I knew him well enough to recognize when he wouldn't yield. "Fine. Then let's end on a high note. Send me back, and get some sleep."
"You sure you'll be okay?" His concern was so intense. I didn't think anyone had ever worried about me that much. Well, maybe Ms. Terwilliger.
"Probably she gave up for the night." I really didn't know, but I couldn't let him keep exerting himself. The thought of Veronica reaching out again terrified me . . . but the thought of Adrian endangering himself almost scared me more. He'd risked so much for me. Could I do any less? "You can check on me tomorrow night, though."
Adrian's face lit up as though I'd just accepted a date. "It's a deal, then."
And like that, the reception hall dissolved around me. I returned to peaceful sleep and just barely heard him say, "Sweet dreams, Sage."