Dark Night (16 page)

“May I?” He asked. Suddenly I heard music,
slightly turned up. It was a melody that I had never heard before.
We started dancing slow. I had my hand on his shoulder, while he
held the other one. I felt a strong shock of something, thru me. It
was powerful, I couldn’t resist it and Robert leaned into me
feeling it too. But before I got overexcited, he gave me a quick
kiss on my right cheek, and my stomach sank. I felt empty, but
whole all at once.

“Why does it have to be like this?” I asked
looking into the dim lit sky.

The music stopped and he gave me a hug, like
a friend would.

“Things can only be like this. But you need
to know that you’re in danger at the Dark Night Institute, not just
you, the whole school is. I don’t know anything, just that some
rebels are out to take down the King and Queen. They know they will
soon arrive, and they’re waiting. I want you to be careful, because
I’m not there to take care of you like I promised but I’m here to
let you know. We can’t make any other kind of contact, and when you
wake up you will still think this was just a dream but don’t be
fooled.. Follow your instincts.” It was the strangest dream that I
had ever had, It almost seemed real and his warning… I was
confused.

I wanted to stay there with him for some
unknown reason but I knew I couldn’t. “Why can’t you come back? You
know what’s happening and…” I couldn’t tell him, that in a very
bizarre way I missed him, “and your little sister what about her?
You can’t just leave her. You should take care of her more than
anyone else.” I pushed trying to make my point knowing that it
probably wouldn’t work.

He smiled sadly. “Yes. I have warned her
already, she’s strong. Delilah can take care of herself. You
however are not experienced enough for this… you may break you down
that’s why I had to meet with you. But to my surprise it seems like
you have been doing a lot better since I left, that’s why I can’t
come back right now, Mia. Close to when the time comes…” He started
to whisper, he stepped closer and closer, he was only an inch away.
“I’ll protect you… I’ll always protect you… my lady….” Before his
lips could touch mine, he disappeared.

I woke up. The room was dark and it took a
minute for my eyes to adjust to it. I glanced at Mereily’s clock on
the wall and it was nine-thirty. I looked around the room and
apparently I was alone. I found a note on the bed that said:

“Sorry, didn’t want to wake you. It’s okay
to come out now. We’ll meet you in the lobby at ten.” - Mereily

I went to my room and changed clothes, I was
too anxious to take my time, taking a shower. I wore regular jeans
and a maroon blouse. I combed my hair and brushed my teeth and then
headed downstairs.

It was only nine forty-six.
I searched for my cell phone in my purse and couldn’t find it to
call my friends. The lobby was empty. I took a moment to look
around the hall, what Jack and Payton had said were bloody red
walls appeared to now be navy blue. I wondered if their imagination
made them see things that weren’t there. But then I remembered the
strange dream I had. How I talked to Robert and he warned me about
the school being in danger.

I ran quickly to the auditorium hoping to
find the whole school in an assembly or meeting, but found nothing.
I sat in the back row. It wasn’t completely dark, because of the
stage light. To a normal person it would have given goose bumps. I
thought about my friends lives and how little I’ve been here. I
wasn’t prepared to lose it. Not after everything I had lost in my
life, I had lost my parents, then my life in London, after that my
hideaway with the small group of people who I shared my life with
for five months now the school that finally seemed like a home to
me, because I was a city away from my hometown. Tears began to well
up in my eyes as I thought about each thoroughly and I glared at
the stage. There was no one I could take out my frustration on or
tell my problems to, it was me and the loneliness, emptiness. Of
course I had my friends, but I believed they wouldn’t understand,
not only was I ruining their lives but putting more stress into
them as I did to my own.

Finally I thought that I could speak with
Illyanne about the school being in danger as well as the King and
Queen. Let her figure out what to do, and as for the safety of
myself I would train harder and harder, to prepare myself for
whatever I was going to face. Robert was not here to protect me
anymore, no one would. Jack was my boyfriend and even he wasn’t
close to finishing his training. It was up to me to come up with a
plan, I was on it.

Just then a shadow out of the darkness
appeared a few rows from where I sat. A man, I couldn’t make out
who it was, but he was walking in my direction. I pretended to
ignore him, and when he reached me he paused and sat beside me.

“Hello.” He said. I couldn’t
see his face clearly, but I could tell he was charming. I had a
strange good feeling. He wore sunglasses and a complete black
outfit, with a hoodie over his head. He wasn’t old, about my age.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt but, I saw you thinking here, all by
yourself… is there something wrong?” He had a British accent.
Still, his voice was sweet and I smiled like an idiot.

“No. I just needed a moment alone. Away, you
know?” I pulled some hair behind my ear to get a better view of
him.

Nodding he said: “ I know.” He smiled,
showing his white teeth.

“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before…” I
had to ask, I would have remembered him if I had seen him.

“I have some business I have to attend to. I
am not a student if that’s what you mean. I just like the dark.” He
looked at the stage and I studied him.

Weird I thought, “Do you have a name?”

He didn’t answer right away, he turned to
look at me but I couldn’t see his eyes because of the sunglasses.
“I go by.. Blake. Not my name, but I was always called that.” He
thought for a moment. He had his arms crossed across his chest, he
slouched on the seat and tilted his head to the ceiling, smiling.
“I like to hang out here. It is peaceful when there aren't others
around.” He said and turned to gaze at me.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take over…
I’ll leave right now.” I got up gathering my purse and turned. But
Blake was standing in front of me within a second.

He was tall. “Don’t go. I like company, don’t
get company very often.” He walked around me to sit back down as I
followed him. I didn’t sit right away when I looked at him and
noticed something very interesting.

I looked him over trying to figure him out,
then I just blurted: “You’re not the guy that broke into the
school last night are you?” God I hoped not.

He laughed and then recovered. “No. I was not
here when that occurred, or believe me I would have caught that
person.” His tone changed to a more upset one.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” I sat down.
“It’s just that…” I didn’t know if I could confide in a stranger
but for an odd reason that I couldn’t explain it felt like I could
talk to a person who didn’t know me. Perhaps he would understand.
“I know why they broke in. That’s why I’m in here, thinking to come
up with a plan to keep the school safe.” I blurted out.

“You need help. You can’t do it all by
yourself.” He straightened up.

“Why did they break in?” He asked
curiously.

“To kill the King and Queen Stuart,” I
honestly told him.

“Where did you get this information?” He
asked very seriously. That’s when I thought quickly. I couldn’t
tell him who or how I was told because then I would sound like a
complete loony. Instead I ignored his question.

“That’s not important. What is… is that I
need a plan. Fast, before they try to attack us, like they did at
Knightdale.” Okay maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but too
late. I ignored the look he was giving me.

“Why don’t you tell Illyanne. I’m sure she
could help.” He suggested and leaned back on his seat.

I released a breath of
frustration. If only it was that easy I thought. “I am. But she
probably already knows, more than I do anyway. If she does then
what else can I tell her? Nothing, I need to have my own back up
plans. I’m going to train harder and learn about the enemies. I
need to find out what I’m dealing with here.” I was going to
hyperventilate if I didn’t relax for a minute. I lay back on the
chair and took a deep breath.

He looked me over again and shook his head.
“It’s going to be fine, you’ll see.” He slightly smiled, from what
I could see.

“I hope so.” I paused for a second. “So… Are
you going to be around?” It was kind of funny the fact that here I
was telling a stranger, a guy, things I wouldn’t even tell my close
friends. Yet somehow that was the comforting part knowing that I
could leave them out of this for their own good and having someone
to talk to that wasn’t necessarily involved in this situation.

He looked around. “Here. I like the dark,
it’s nice sometimes. I am not staying long, and now that you
discovered me… it is going to be hard for me__”

“I’m not going to tell anyone, if that’s what
you’re afraid of. If you’re allowed to be here, then it’s none of
my business.”

“Really?” He asked and I nodded. “I suppose I
could trust you. No one is to know I was here, but if you say you
won’t say a word then I believe you.”

He stood up and stretched.

“Blake, do you mind if I see you again? I
mean I don’t want to invade your personal space but sometimes I
like to have company and for some odd reason I feel like I can
trust you.” I admitted to him. He stared at me for a long moment. I
guessed he didn’t take his sunglasses off for anything.

“Of course, I know what you mean.” He smiled
crookedly.

“Do you always wear those?” I pointed at his
glasses.

He looked up at the ceiling. “Um.. Yes.” He
simply said. He turned to leave as I stood up.

I didn’t really know what to say but: “It was
nice talking to you, see ya.” I said leaving the auditorium, when I
glanced back, it was empty.

As I made my way back to the lobby I thought
about the weird encounter I had with Blake. I thought about the
conversation I had with him and Robert and that one thing that they
both had said was what the three of us agreed on. I had to talk to
Illyanne.

“Mia!” Mereily out of nowhere called me and I
jumped.

“Hey.”

“We’ve been waiting for you.” I glanced
behind her and saw the rest of my friends walking towards us.

Not good I thought.“ I’ve been looking for
you.” I lied. She stared at me.

She knew something was up but didn’t question
me. Either because she thought I didn’t want anyone to know, or
because she didn’t think it was something to make a big deal out
of. “Huh... We had lunch outside, you missed everything.” She
said.

“I’m not hungry anyway.” I really wasn’t the
thought of breakfast made my stomach twist. Ugh.

“That’s not what we mean.” Delilah said while
she held hands with Payton. Jack gave me a quick hug and stood by
my side.

“What do you mean?” I asked, studying each of
their faces.

Jack was the one that spoke up. “Goddess
Illyanne told us that our school was going to be surrounded by
guards, gods and goddesses by tonight. The King and Queen have
delayed their flight here until they catch whoever is trying to
hurt us. It was just paint that was on the walls last night, not
blood they already painted over it, that’s why there wasn’t
anything this morning. That’s all we know.” This was not good.

A few days passed, and nothing had happened
since the incident. The campus was crawling with creepy guards. Our
Gods and Goddesses followed the students around like we were their
puppets, it was irritating. Finally, Illyanne announced that we
were safe enough to not need the escorts. Today, we didn’t have
classes but we were having the elections. Anna and I had been
talking more, and more. Basically we were friends, though she would
kill me if I said it out loud.

We were having a group discussion, “What are
you wearing?” Delilah asked. For once, the guys didn’t join us. It
was just me, Delilah, Mereily, Anna, and Sophie.

“Something formal…” Mereily
suggested.

“No,” she paused, “how about black?” Anna
said flatly.

Sophie rolled her eyes. “Always black with
you….” Sophie murmured and Anna giggled. “It’s like you’re in
mourning.” Anna didn’t even smile at that instead she ignored
it.

“Seriously? How about we wear our school
uniform, the nicest one we have.” Mereily said, as she looked
through a Seventeen magazine, then threw it on the bed.

“That makes sense. It is a school election.”
Delilah agreed. She was looking through a Cosmopolitan magazine.
While, Mereily and Sophie searched their closets. Anna and I were
doing some homework.

“So? We all agree?” I asked. They all replied
with a, “Yeah” and nods.

…
It was Thursday in the mid
sixty‘s. Sort of breezy and it felt nice. The election was held
outside this time. I was standing in a line by Delilah, Mereily,
Anna, Genevieve, Payton, Marcus, Jack, and Jordan. Abi spoke while
I looked around at the garden filled with students.

“The student who will represent our school
is..” She was about to say who won the election, when her face went
blank. Students broke the silence and started to get restless
because Abi was not speaking. She only stared at the piece of paper
that she held in her hand. Her eyes were wide and her face, paler
than ever. Payton, who was standing closest to her asked her what
was wrong. When she didn’t respond, he took the paper from her hand
and looked at it himself. His face was just like hers, I didn’t
know what was going on, but I was going to find out.