Darkness Before Dawn (10 page)

“Save it for the vamps,” he says in a commanding voice.

“She started it,” Lila whines.

I just roll my eyes. Unbelievable.

Mr. Timmons shoves me toward the dummies. “Stake practice!” he yells.

I wrench free of his hold and head toward the torsos that line the wall. Kids are shuffling out of my way, and I know my movements and expression are telegraphing,
Don’t mess with me
. The only one who dares to follow is Michael.

“Why didn’t you tell Timmons that Lila attacked you first?”

“I have more important things to do than worry about her.” I walk past the dummy and grab a stake from the wall where they are neatly stored. I pick a nice, heavy metal one. I plunge it into the dummy. A direct hit to the heart. I know because red gel begins to ooze around the stake.

A vampire’s heart bleeds out so fast that nothing can stop it. As long as the stake is held in place, the wound can’t heal. Within four to five beats, the vampire dies. Bullets can’t do the trick. Too small. The heart will heal, pushing any bullet out or sealing up after it if it passes through. That’s why stakes work. The first hit stuns them, weakens them just enough for the human to hold them down while they bleed out.

“You ever think about doing that to Valentine?” Michaels asks quietly.

To Valentine and now Victor. I’ve never been on a first-name basis with vampires. I don’t like it. “All the time.” As a delegate, I’m supposed to be neutral, the perfect arbitrator between vampires and humans. An image I’m expected to project at all times. But after my fight with Lila, I’m in no mood to play diplomat.

I slam the stake into the dummy again, overdoing it and lodging it deep within its plastic torso. Gripping it, I try to pull it out, but it’s in too far. I’m about to put my foot just below it for extra leverage when Michael takes hold of it.

“Easy,” he says with a smile. “You’re really worked up, huh?”

I take my first real breath since the scuffle with Lila. God, she just gets under every inch of my skin.

Michael twists the stake and slowly pulls it out, then flips it and hands it to me. “Still up for watching the Night Train roll in this evening?”

The Night Train is the
only
train that runs across the country; it moves practically non-stop, twenty-four hours a day. Literally, one train, one track. It was written into VampHu as the only alternative for long-distance travel, now that airplanes are outlawed. It’s slower, bumpier, and less reliable, but it gets the job done. It mainly redistributes blood and other goods among all the cities, taking passengers on and carrying mail. I know, it sounds boring. And during the day, it would be. But at night … rolling across those empty plains, just an inch of steel separating the passengers from thousands of hungry vampires—the thought makes me shudder.

Each city is an island. That is the core plan of the VampHu. Getting supplies from one to the other is hard enough, but passing information is almost impossible. The vampires didn’t want humans to compare notes anymore. We might get an agent once a year who’s making the rounds on the Night Train, updating all the cities on the comings and goings. But besides that, it’s quiet. All news is local news. All radio and television shows are made within the city, for the citizens. Sometimes, it feels like the world outside these walls could simply disappear one day, and it would take us years to notice. The vampires destroyed all means of communicating with others beyond our wall. There’s a tradition whenever people visit other cities: they bring back as many newspapers as they can. Even if they’re irrelevant to us, the news outdated by the time we even read them, it still helps us feel like we belong to a larger world. It makes us feel part of the human community.

The Night Train serves as a symbol that while we may be isolated, we are not alone in our struggles. We are tenuously connected.

Michael and I have a little ritual that began when we were kids: We watch it coming into town together. I’m not exactly sure when it started, but it’s always felt as natural as a heartbeat since.

I smile at him. “I wouldn’t miss it.” I touch his arm. “Or being with you.”

I can tell that he wants to kiss me, but this is the one class where he strives really hard to make a good impression and follow the rules, because without a good evaluation from Mr. Timmons he won’t get to stay in the elite program.

“Me too,” he says. “I have practice after school. Wanna meet at Daylight Grill when I’m finished?”

“Yeah, okay, that’d be great. I have to stay after school to work on a project anyway. Shouldn’t take me too long.”

“Be sure you get there before dark.”

I smile. “Right.” His protectiveness makes me feel warm all over. I know Michael would do anything to keep me safe.

And then, as if to prove his skill to me, he turns and stakes three dummies in a row, each one drawing red ooze. His motions are calculated and efficient.

I have a feeling that if Michael ever went beyond the wall he’d survive … for a while, anyway.

Chapter 10

A
fter defense class, I head to Vampire Methodology, one of my few classes with Tegan. She’s specializing in vampire psychology, the inner workings of their ancient minds. Which means she raises her hand for every question the teacher asks, and when our latest tests are handed back she, of course, blew the curve for all of us. So, all in all, nothing new. When the bell rings, Tegan and I head to the cafeteria.

“It’s all over school that you and Lila got into it this morning in kick-ass class,” Tegan says.

“Who do they say won?” I ask.

“Depends where they stand on the delegate issue. Most are giving the win to Lila, but my money’s on you.”

I grin. “I was still standing when they pulled us apart, so I’d say you’d get paid.”

She laughs, a bubbly sound that always makes me smile, even on my worst days. “She’s such a bitch.”

In the cafeteria, we get our trays and slog through the line. The entrée server places a plump piece of chicken on my plate. “Need to keep up your strength,” she says with a wink.

The veggie lady gives me half a portion of rice and beans—along with a snarl.

Such is my new life as a delegate. I’ve become a love-her-or-hate-her kind of girl.

Tegan takes her tray and follows me to an empty table by the window. Michael usually joins us for lunch, but he’s back in the gym getting in some extra practice, since we have plans for this evening.

As soon as we’re settled, Tegan wastes no time asking the big question, now that we have some privacy. “How was it last night—being alone with Valentine for the first time?”

“Kinda scary, if you want to know the truth.”

“I always want the truth. Especially when it comes to Old Family vamps. Everything they do is so … calculated.”

I think of Victor and know the same applies to him. What was he really after when he came to my bedroom? And why give me advice regarding his father?

“Maybe I could go with you next time,” Tegan says. “Just to see him in person would be so awesome.”

“No way you’re coming.”

“Come on. I could help you. I could even help the Agency. I’ll pick up on things you can’t. I mean, you’re good, Dawn. But you don’t have the understanding of vampire psyches like I do.”

“No, Tegan,” I respond harshly, to shut her up. “You don’t know what he’s like. He’s not a lab rat for you to study. Trust me.”

She’s disappointed, and plays with her chicken, a small pout on her face that won’t get her anywhere with me.

“So I take it you didn’t tell Michael about the hot Night Watchman,” she says after a while.

I stare at her blankly for a moment, then realize she’s talking about Victor. Yeah, right, I haven’t told her yet that he isn’t a Night Watchman. I should tell her. She could do her little psych eval thing and help me figure him out. Then again, she’d tell everyone that an Old Family vamp was in the city; I might as well give her a megaphone to do it. No, I need to control that information and release it when I want and to whom I want. So instead, I hear myself saying, “About that. I sorta promised him that we’d keep our encounter with him a secret.”

“Oh, absolutely.” She leans forward. “But here’s the thing. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I have a little black hole of time. From the time we left the party until I woke up in the car—even allowing for the vamp attack you told me about—it just seems like… I don’t know. Too many unaccounted-for minutes. So what were we doing?”

“Just driving around.” Guilt gnaws at me. Why am I being loyal to Victor and lying to Tegan?

“So you don’t know how we get in touch with him? Seriously?”

“No.”

“Wish we could have him come talk to us—for career day or something.”

Like that’s going to happen.

“Wonder if we’ll ever see him again,” she muses.

“Probably not,” I lie.

A girl can hope, can’t she?

After school, as I scour the few research books our school has, I’m glad I have something to occupy my thoughts. This project should have been turned in last week—but I was spending extra time with Rachel preparing for my first solo encounter with Valentine. Today my history teacher, Mr. Chen, simply handed me the classroom keys and told me to lock up when I was finished.

My report details the major battles during the war. I pay particular attention to the Battle of Lonely Hill. It was the last battle my brother fought in before he returned home and got a job at the Works. My writing isn’t polished, and not all my sources are properly cited. I’ll get a C, maybe a B. But I’ll pass in the end.

I check my watch. I’ve been working on this stupid thing longer than I thought. Sunset should be creeping in. Michael is probably already waiting for me at the Daylight Grill.

I grab my messenger bag, place the paper on Mr. Chen’s desk, and head to the door. As I lock up the room and slip the key into my pocket, I realize the school has become very creepy. I hear footsteps echo every once in a while, maybe another student staying late, wandering the corridors. Somewhere a door slams shut; another creaks open. It’s like being surrounded by ghosts. I can hear and feel them, but can’t see anyone.

A shiver runs up my spine, and I feel ridiculous for letting this place spook me. I deal with Valentine, for crying out loud. But I can’t shake that feeling of being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I amble down a hall with most of the lights off, an attempt to save electricity now that school is out. Just before I get to the doors leading outside, I see that they’re padlocked.

“Unbelievable,” I say aloud as I rattle them.

I’ll have to try to find another way out.

That’s when I feel it: movement, right behind me. I turn around and see someone staring at me from the end of the hall I just came from. He’s wearing a hoodie pulled up, completely covering his face. It’s dirty, covered in black soot. He just stands there, watching me.

I listen for the sound of anyone else, someone who might help me in case this guy is more than just a voyeur. Nothing. Silence fills the hallways.

I quicken my pace and go down another corridor, unsure where it will lead, because I’ve never been down here before. This place can turn into a labyrinth fast, and the deeper you crawl in, the harder it is to get out. I glance behind me and Hoodie isn’t following. That’s a relief, but I quicken my strides until I turn the next corner and…

There he is. Staring at me from down the hall. I would’ve heard him. Even if he knew a shortcut, I would’ve heard him. This guy is either out to spook me or worse.

He isn’t too big, so I might be able to fight him. But I like my chances at running a lot better. I make a break for it. I pick random corridors and run down them, hoping they don’t lead to dead ends.

I’m running full blast now when I slam into a wall. At least, it felt that way. I land on my butt and look up to see Hoodie right in front of me.

I hit him with all my weight and he didn’t budge. He moved so fast I can’t outrun him. He’s completely silent. I know exactly what he is.

A vampire.

Too many shadows cover his face for me to get a good look at him or see the fangs, but I know they’re there. I quickly yank my stake from my boot and scramble to my feet. I balance myself on the balls of my feet for quick movements and grip my stake.

“If you want my blood, you’re going to have to fight for it,” I tell him.

He tilts his head, as if confused or even disappointed. Then he turns around and begins to walk away. The back of his hoodie has a design on it, or it did at one point. It’s eaten away now, faded nearly to the point of oblivion. I can’t tell what the original image was, but the remains look like a giant snake.

Funny how you notice those things even when your heart is pounding a million beats a minute.

I don’t dare follow him. With the right combination of speed and stealth, I might be able to land a fatal blow in his back. But what’s the point? One false move and I’m dead. Maybe when he got up close he decided I wasn’t his type. Some vampires are like that. It has to be A-positive, or B-negative, or O. I might’ve lucked out and gotten a picky one. Or maybe he’s just tormenting me, getting the blood warmed up for later.

I keep my eyes on him until he disappears down the hall. A crack of thunder rolls through the building, a dry storm starting outside.

Making my way through the school, I realize how really flustered I am. It takes several minutes of walking the hallways before I find a janitor to let me out.

“You know a guy who wears a hoodie with a snake on the back?” I ask, hoping it was just some maintenance guy with a demented sense of humor.

“Nope. I just mop the floors.” He unlocks the door, pushes me through onto the steps. The door shuts with a clang that seems to reverberate through me.

Dark clouds are blocking the sun. I start running for Daylight.

Chapter 11

D
ay has shifted into night by the time I arrive at the Daylight Grill. I’m disappointed to discover that Michael’s not here yet. I order a hot chocolate and sit at an empty table near one of the windows. I can’t seem to control my trembling. I wish I hadn’t missed the sunset. It’s strange, but I love watching it, even though it’s a signal for the monsters to come out to play. It calms me.