Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series) (20 page)

           
As I fell to the floor, I thought I saw fire leaping up in front of me.
 
A moment later, Simon wrapped a burning coat around Joshua and heaved him into an even brighter blaze.

           
Simon hauled me to my feet.
 
"Come on, Katie, we've got to get out of here."

           
As Simon dragged me toward the door, Joshua pushed ahead of us and ran outside, his entire body engulfed in flames.

           
We followed him outside.

           
Joshua's blazing figure soon vanished, but his screams continued to echo in my ears even after he had disappeared from my sight.

Chapter 7.

"Are you okay?"

           
Simon had asked me that question about ten times so far.
 
We were sitting in plastic chairs in the emergency room, waiting to be seen.
 
We had already talked to the police, and the fire department had put out the fire at the house.
 
Charisse, Branden, and Mrs. Graebel had been removed from the house, and they were currently resting in rooms in another part of the hospital.

           
I smiled at Simon, who was without his coat, and tried to sound reassuring.
  
"I'm fine, really."

           
"You're sure?"

           
"Yes," I said.
 
"Are
you
okay?
 
You had a really rough time back there, and your hands don't look so good."

           
Simon glanced down at his hands.
 
"The burns are pretty superficial.
 
I'll be fine."

           
He reached out then and touched my neck gingerly.
 
"Those bruises look bad."

           
"My neck's a little sore," I said.
 
"But I'm still breathing.
 
Thanks to you."

           
Simon frowned.
 
"You know, oddly enough, I don't think Joshua was trying to kill you—at least not right away.
 
I think he was just trying to put you out.
 
If you press on that group of blood vessels there, you can induce unconsciousness.
 
I think that's what he was trying to do."

           
I shivered.
 
"He may not have been trying to kill me, but I can't imagine that what he had planned would have been any good for my health.
 
I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up when you did.
 
I'm really lucky you were there."

           
"Yeah, well, I was there because of you.
 
I knew Branden had gone over to Charisse's house, and when you asked if he was planning to call, and I had to admit that he wasn't, I figured that I'd better go over and check things out myself.
 
And I'm really glad I did."

           
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to take any of the credit for that," I said.
 
"This all belongs to you.
 
No one would ever have seen me again if you hadn't shown up.
 
You saved my life.
 
You're a hero.
 
You'll have to accept that."

           
Simon smiled and looked down at his hands again.
 
As he did so, his smile faded.
 
"Do you think Joshua is okay?
 
I had to stop him, but I didn't want to hurt him seriously.
 
Burns can be dangerous, even fatal, and if he knows the police are after him, he may not—"

           
I interrupted him.
 
"Joshua will be fine.
 
Trust me.
 
His wounds will heal quickly.
 
He's not a normal person."

           
Simon looked at me sharply.
 
"He wasn't normal, was he?
 
I hit him, and he just stared at me.
 
And his strength.
 
He threw me around like a rag doll.
 
It was like nothing could stop him.
 
That's why I did what I did after you said to use fire.
 
I found a lighter and lighter fluid in the kitchen, and I just reacted."

           
He paused.

           
"How did you know fire would work on him?"

           
I took a deep breath.
 
I wanted to tell Simon the truth, but I doubted he would believe it.
 
I stared at the floor and tried to think of what to say.

           
"Katie?" Simon prompted.

           
"Did you happen to notice his teeth?" I asked.

           
"Yeah.
 
They were super sharp."

           
I gave Simon a significant stare.

           
"And you said to use wood or fire against him," Simon said slowly.
 
"Wood as in a wooden stake."

           
Simon ran a hand over his hair.
 
"You think Joshua's a vampire."

           
I made no reply, and Simon sighed heavily.

           
"You know, Katie, your imagination has really begun to run riot over the last few months."

           
I was glad now that I hadn't said anything outright.
 
Even allowing Simon to work things out for himself hadn't convinced him.
 
He couldn't even trust the evidence of his own senses.

           
But Simon wasn't finished.
 
"Katie, there are people—weird people—but regular human beings nonetheless, who get their teeth filed down to give them a vampiric appearance.
 
Sometimes there are perfectly normal explanations for things that seem out of the ordinary."

           
"Then what about his strength?
 
How do you explain that away?" I asked.
 
I couldn't help pointing that out, though I doubted it would do any good.
 
"You said yourself that he was unstoppable.
 
And you were right—no normal measure would have stopped him.
 
And how did he put three people into a trance?
 
You saw them when they were carried out—that wasn't normal."

           
"Katie, it's possible to drug people.
 
Don't make this out to be more than it is."

           
"But you did notice he wasn't normal—you just said that."

           
Simon shrugged.
 
"Maybe that was drugs, too.
 
I've heard people can do crazy things when they're whacked out.
 
I've heard sometimes bullets won't stop them."

           
He gave me a serious look.
 
"Please don't mention vampires to the doctor.
 
I don't want you to get committed."

           
I sat back in my chair.
 
Every time Simon seemed about ready to listen, he pulled back.
 
I supposed I couldn't really blame him.
 
I had been forced by circumstances to accept a lot of unusual things.
 
Simon simply hadn't seen all that I had seen.

           
Not long after, Simon and I were both called to be examined, and we were swept into separate curtained-off compartments.

           
I had some cuts and bruises, but basically I was fine.
 
I could hear Simon's doctor talking to him and asking him questions.
 
Simon had some burns that needed to be treated, and the doctor warned him to be alert for signs of concussion, but I was relieved to hear the doctor say that once he had spoken to Simon's parents that Simon would be free to go.

           
GM and Mrs. Krstic showed up soon after that.

           
GM rushed into my compartment, sweeping back the curtain with energy.
 
She sat down next to me on my creaking cot and gave me a hug.

           
"Oh, Solnyshko.
 
You have not had much luck these past few months.
 
Tell your grandmother what has happened."

           
I had a feeling the police had already filled her in on the facts, but it was something of a relief to tell her myself.
 
The horror of the whole situation and the knowledge of just how close I had come to being Joshua's victim overwhelmed me as I spoke.
 
I felt tears running down my cheeks, and GM ran her hands over my hair.

           
"That's all right, Solnyshko.
 
You have every reason to be sad.
 
I don't know what this town is coming to."

           
I was careful, of course, not to mention anything about Joshua Martin's true nature.

           
When I was finished with my story, and I was feeling calmer, GM patted me on the shoulder.

           
"They told me that your friends are upstairs, and that they are awake now.
 
Would you like to go up and see them?"

           
"Yes, I would."
 
I thought of Charisse, Mrs. Graebel, and Branden lying strangely motionless on the floor.
 
It would be a relief to see for myself that they were okay.

           
Simon and Mrs. Krstic were still talking with Simon's doctor, so GM and I decided not to disturb them and to just go ahead on our visit upstairs without them.
 
We left the emergency room and went into the main body of the hospital.

           
The whole place was highly polished and smelled strongly of antiseptic.

           
As we waited at a bank of elevators, GM turned to look at me.
 
To my discomfort, she continued to stare.

           
"GM, please," I said, after some time had passed, and the elevators had stubbornly refused to put in an appearance.
 
"You're making me nervous."

           
"You know, Simon Krstic is a remarkable boy," GM said.
 
"And he has certainly proved today that he cares about you.
 
Perhaps he even loves you."

           
"I know," I said.

           
"And yet that is not enough for you to love him in return," GM said ruefully.
 
"I'm sure you think I'm being a busybody.
 
But I know something of these matters."

           
"I suppose you're thinking of William and my father again," I said.
 
"But William's not a bad influence.
 
He really isn't.
 
Like I said, he wants me to stay away from danger—not go out and look for it."

           
GM gave me an odd little smile.
 
"Actually, I was thinking of my own life.
 
I loved your grandfather very much.
 
But sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision.
 
It is easy to fall for the man who is exciting and mysterious.
 
Sometimes it is just as easy to overlook the man who is quiet and dependable.
 
His love is no less strong just because it is not showy."

           
There was a chime, and an elevator finally opened up for us.
 
We stepped inside, and I looked at GM in surprise.

           
"What do you mean?" I asked.

           
She shook her head.
 
"It doesn't matter any longer.
 
I have to keep reminding myself of that."

           
GM refused to say anything further, and when our elevator came to a stop, she led me on through the hospital's highly polished halls.

           
We stopped by Branden's room first, but he was already surrounded by a crowd that consisted of his divorced parents, both of their spouses, and an assortment of siblings and half-siblings.
 
We decided not to interrupt, and we moved on.

           
In the room next door, we found Charisse and Mrs. Graebel, who were separated by a curtain as Simon and I had been down in the emergency room.

           
GM stopped to talk to Mrs. Graebel, and she waved me over to Charisse.

           
"Go and talk with your friend.
 
I'm sure the two of you would rather not have me hovering over you."