A Vision of Green (Florence Vaine #2) (26 page)

On my way into school the next day I feel a certain frenzy in the atmosphere. All of the students I pass by seem to be having whispered, serious conversations about something. I try to listen in to a group of girls walking in front of me but all I can pick up are phrases like “it's so frightening” and “it must be so horrible for her mum and sister”. I shake my head, deciding I'll probably end up finding out what's going on once I talk to Caroline, as she's never one to let a bit of gossip pass her by.

Only I don't get as far as Caroline, because as I'm walking by one of the empty Science labs, somebody tackles me from the side and pushes me in the door. I catch sight of his shaved hair, just before I realise it's Josh. My lungs seize with panic at the memories of the last time he dragged me into an empty room with him.

“
What the hell?” I grumble warily. “You almost g-g-gave me a heart attack.”

He looks wired and stressed, all of this I pick up on without looking at his aura. He trails his palm over his entire face and asks, “Have you heard what's happened?”

I lean back against one of the counters and reply, “No, but I had a feeling something odd was going on since everyone seems to be gossiping like c-c-crazy.”

He steps up close to me, eyes on mine, when he blurts out, “Ingrid's missing.”

I suck in a breath. “What do you mean she's missing?”

Josh kicks the side of a nearby stool, almost causing it to topple over. “What do you think I mean Flo? She's gone on a fucking holiday? She never came home last night after leaving the study group, then early this morning her car was found about half a mile from John Danson's house, in the opposite direction of the town. The driver's side door had been left open and the car was completely empty.”

I hold in the loud swear word that wants to come out of my mouth and fall back into the counter. “So they haven't a single clue as to where she is?”

“
No, but the police are putting together a search team. Shit Flo, after all the weird stuff that's been going on, I just don't have a good feeling that they're going to find her. And in a way it's my fault, because I didn't leave with her when she asked me to last night.”

Guilt and fear pulses through his aura, and it beckons me to him. I have this need to eradicate it. I put a hand on his shoulder. “Of course it's n-n-not y-your fault. How could you have known anything was going to happen to her?”

Josh visibly relaxes at my touch, sort of like when I calm Frank, but not as strongly. His eyes lock in on me, and in them I can see all of the hurt and insecurity that he's normally so good at hiding. He truly feels guilty for Ingrid's disappearance, and he'd been on the verge of a melt down up until I'd touched his shoulder. A big brown worry spot shifts across his arm, and I wipe it away until it fades to nothing.

Josh breathes deeply. “How are you doing that?” he asks, his voice low. He leans in even closer to me. Uh oh. Not a good sign. I'd only been trying to make him feel better, but he clearly thinks I had something else in mind.

“
I'm n-not doing anything,” I mutter.

His eyes widen. “Liar. You so are, I can feel it. Do it again. Please. It feels amazing.”

Scanning his aura, I spot another patch of negativity. Self-hate. Oh God, why do I have to be able to see that all the bullies are really hurting deep down? Sometimes even more so than the rest of us. I'd simply prefer to think that they act cruel just for the sake of it. Josh's emotions suck me in, and I can't prevent this need in me to heal him, so I wipe away all the bad bits I can possibly find, sort of in a trance. I feel nothing in this moment, because I'm lost in the colours, encouraging wounds to heal. Replacing grey with light blue.

The next thing I know, Josh has one hand around the back of my neck, the other flat out on my cheek and his mouth moves closer and closer to mine. His lips meet my lips before I can think straight enough to know that something wrong is happening. There's a connection between us in this moment, probably because I'd been working on his aura, and even though Josh is the last person I want to be kissing, I'm too wrapped up in him to push him away. His tongue slides along my bottom lip, then forcefully invades my mouth. He sighs into me, pushing me hard against the counter.

When I finally come to my senses and struggle out of his grasp, he steps back, panting. All I can see is red, red, red. It makes me feel slightly woozy.

“
You really shouldn't h-have done that,” I tell him firmly.

“
I don't regret it,” he answers back. “I already told you I like you. I think that somewhere in the back of your mind, where you don't want to admit it, you like me too.”

I laugh half-heartedly, still in shock from having him kiss me. Ingrid's been abducted and Josh is making seduction moves, I feel like I've just been dropped into the twilight zone.

“
I don't like you,” I retort.

Josh slumps back a little and sits down on the stool he'd previously kicked out of anger. “Wow, you really know how to burst a guy's bubble Flo.”

He looks hurt, which makes me feel bad, so I back peddle. “Look I don't h-hate you or anything. I just don't have any interest in you that way.”

He smirks and steeples his hands beneath his chin. “Why not? You'd get used to me. I like the way you taste and I have every intention of tasting you again. Soon.”

“
I'm going,” I say, embarrassed by the way he's talking to me. I mean, who talks like that? At least when Frank's being overtly sexual it's sort of romantic. Josh just makes everything sound so crude.

Just as I'm about to pull open the door, Josh says, “My dad said my hair made me look like a faggot, that's why I shaved it. He made me do it. Stood over me in the bathroom, making sure I got it all off.”

I let my hand fall to my side and turn back around to face him. “Why are y-you telling me this?” I whisper.

Josh shrugs and lowers his gaze. “I feel like I can tell you stuff and you won't go off spreading it around. I can trust you with my secrets.”

I walk back over to him. “You better n-not be doing this as some ploy to get me to feel sorry for you.”

He grins, but there's no joy in it. “Flo, your pity is the last thing I want. You know, I forgot to mention it, but your dad and his girlfriend showed up at my house the other night looking for my dad. They wanted him to go drinking with them.”

I raise an eyebrow in surprise, then say, “Yeah, my dad did mention something to me about him and your d-d-dad being buddies in their school days. What night was he there?” I ask.

“
Sunday, I think. My dad got all pissed off and told them they needed to leave. Nearly got into a fight with your dad, who was shouting all over the place saying my dad thought he was too good for him now.”

That sounds like Dad all right, unnecessarily losing his temper as per usual. That was the same night he and Sal came home and had their argument. Perhaps the row with Josh's dad was what set them off. Even though the man might be an arsehole, I can still understand why he wouldn't want Terry Vaine and his cheap tart girlfriend showing up at his well to do, middle class home.

“
S-s-sorry about that. My dad's not exactly...well you met him, you know what he's like.”

Josh snorts. “My dad's the same, he just can't see it. He hides behind his flashy job and expensive car, but he's still a waste of space. What sort of father tells their son they look like a faggot?” He says, a lost look on his face.

“
A bad one,” I tell him, the two of us sinking into the misery of our individual parental woes.

Josh sighs and gets up from the stool. The bell rings, signalling there's five minutes before the first period begins. We stand there staring at each other, in total understanding.

“
Well, I have to get to class. And by the way, I'm sure Ingrid will show up eventually.” I say to reassure him.

He just shakes his head and moves by me, out into the crowded corridor. My reassurance is empty, and we both know it. Ingrid might be a girl who likes to live on the wild side, but the way in which her car was found isn't a good sign. My heart constricts as I wonder what might have happened to her. Did that manticore somehow lure her into the forest, with its rows of sharp teeth and scorpion's tail? Or perhaps it was the N
ø
kken, entrancing her the way it had entranced me. I shudder and make my way to class.

Over the course of the day all of the students who had been in contact with Ingrid before she disappeared get called into the principal's office for questioning. Me being one of them. I recount for them how I saw her at our group meeting for CSPE, but that she left before anyone else and that's the last time I saw her. Even though I wasn't on the best of terms with her before she went missing, my heart still hurts for her. Wherever she might be. Alex and Frank are waiting outside when I leave the office. I make eye contact with Frank, and he holds my gaze for a long moment, grabbing my wrist and squeezing it as I walk by his chair.

The entire week passes, and still there's no sign of Ingrid. Missing posters are made up and hung all over the place. Police go from door to door seeking information. They comb every part of the town and beyond. A search team is even deployed to go into the forest. Strangely, they all emerge unscathed, but find not a trace of the girl they seek. I wonder why Green George and his creatures didn't take advantage of so many humans venturing into their territory. Perhaps they're trying to keep a low profile, or maybe the Nephilim kept watch over the humans as they searched through the woods, ensuring their safe passage.

Friday is the last day before the mid-term break. Layla and Ross are heading off to France to visit Layla's parents, and I'm preparing myself for an entire fortnight alone in the house with Dad. I'm not looking forward to it. Although saying that, the atmosphere at school has been awful so I can't say I'm going to miss it. People are scared and anxious over the mystery of the missing popular blond girl. Caroline's not her usual self either. She's been taking Ingrid's disappearance hard, since it's so similar to what happened to her cousin Lauren.

At one point she's absent from class and when I go to look for her I find her in the toilets, crying her eyes out in a stall. It's horrible not being able to tell her that whatever has happened to Ingrid, it's not the same as what happened to Lauren. I pull her close, hugging her tight, and also surreptitiously getting rid of some of the worry spots from her aura.

At the end of the day on Friday I stand by Frank's van with him, Layla and his brothers. Layla caught me on my way out of my last class, linked her arm through mine, and determinedly told me I was going to walk her out of school since she wouldn't see me for two weeks. To be honest, I don't really think it's that big of a deal that we aren't going to see one another, but she seems to picture me as some kind of a saviour ever since the stand-off with the witches. She's been sitting beside me at lunch each day since she's been back, making a huge effort to be my friend.

She pulls me in tight and gives me a hard, squeezing hug. It almost takes the wind out of me. Then she goes to say goodbye to the younger boys, Kevin and Benji. As she's doing it, Ross sidles up to me.

“
She likes you, you know,” he whispers into my ear. It takes me by surprise, because of all Frank's brothers, he's probably the one I talk to the least. I think it's because we're both shy, silent types, which means we don't have a lot to say to each other.

“
She does?” I ask.

Ross nods. “Yep. She has since she first met you, she's just not very good with girls. Layla's always been better at befriending guys, so I don't think she knows how to deal with having girls as friends. And she can come across a little cold at times, but don't let it fool you, that's just her way.”

“
Okay,” I reply, not knowing what else to say. We stand quietly side by side for a minute. “I h-hope you have a nice time in France,” I finally manage.

He smiles, but it doesn't seem to reach his eyes. “You know, I'd been really looking forward to it up until this whole mess with Ingrid. Now I'm worried that if I leave something bad will happen to John or Hayley or one of the boys.”

“
They'll b-b-be fine,” I tell him. “Besides, they have Sam and the Nephilim watching their backs. Half angels as protectors, how much better c-c-can you get than that?”

He smiles again, this time it's amused rather than forlorn. “Did you just touch my aura there?” he asks.

I shake my head fervently, but I can't seem to hold back my grin. “Nope.” I did. I wanted to provide him with a little going away present, so I'd tried to take some of his worry away. Unfortunately, he caught me in the act.