Paranormal Public (Paranormal Public Series) (26 page)

“What’d he mean about hanging?” Lough asked me nervously, looking bewildered.

“He meant that students are going to get in trouble tonight,” I told him. “Come on.” I grabbed his arm and propelled him with me. If we were going to be at the dance we might as well enjoy the best part of it: the food.

“What do you think Cruor will be like?” I asked as we got in line for the Chocolate Fountain. All the paranormal types might be very different from each other, have different powers, and even different diet restrictions, but there was one thing we could all agree on: chocolate was wonderful.

“I think it will be dark and scary,” said Lough. “I’ve only ever heard stuff about it, though, I’ve never been in there, of course. This is the first time they’re trying the whole integration program. No other students have been in any of the dorms except their own.”

“So, no one knows what it looks like?” I asked.

“Nope,” said Lough, piling his plate high with strawberries for dipping. “Except the vampires.”

“What do you think they thought of Airlee?” I asked.

“We thought it was too bright,” said Lanca. She’d moved up silently, like she was the mist I knew she could turn into. I jumped. “Tale said everyone was too friendly.”

Lough and I just gaped at her.

“Aww, do I scare you?” she asked. “I don’t bite…things that would taste like cleaning solution.”

“Ouch,” said Lough. “That almost hurt our feelings.”

She glared at him. “Stay out of this, Dream Giver. At least until you can control those powers of yours.” She flipped her long black hair over one moonlit pale shoulder and smiled. Lough blushed.

One of the guys who always trailed after her, tired of her divided attention, said something just then, and Lanca was forced to turn away. I turned to Lough and rolled my eyes.

“Hi,” said Lisabelle, coming up next to us in line.

“Where’d you go off to?” I asked, covering all my strawberries with chocolate.

“Nowhere,” said Lisabelle. Her cheeks were a little flushed.

“You should stay out in the open,” Lough cautioned. “Not in a corner making out with someone.”

“Why?” asked Lisabelle, refusing his offer of a chocolate-covered strawberry. “If I want to make out with someone it’s my own business.”

“Because otherwise they might think you’re summoning demons or something,” Lough growled. The three of us left the line and went to find an open spot along the wall with a good view of the dance floor. I was glad to get away from the vampires, and I still hadn’t seen any sign of Cale or Camilla. She was probably coming fashionably late, I thought sourly.

“Do you see any demons?” Lisabelle asked.

“No,” said Lough, “but we wouldn’t until they were actually here.” Lisabelle just ignored him.

“Hey, Charlotte,” said Cale, appearing at my elbow out of nowhere. He looked good. He usually looked good, but tonight he looked better than good. His red hair was its usual tousled self, and he wore jeans and a blue t-shirt I’d never seen him in before. Even better, Camilla was nowhere to be seen.

“You look great,” he said. I blushed and mumbled something about how he looked good too. Lisabelle smirked. I had wanted to be friends with Cale, but Camilla had made that hard. Now I didn’t know where to look.

“Want to dance?” he asked. I hadn’t been this close to him in a while; he smelled faintly of spices.

“What about Camilla?” I blurted out. Last I’d heard he had dumped her, but that was weeks ago.

Cale didn’t look fazed. “She doesn’t own me,” he said.

“Alright,” I said, eyeing the dance floor. Sip was still out there with Mike. Pixies, vampires, and fallen angels danced around them. Since they were known for their coordination and grace, I’d easily be the worst dancer on the floor. Still, hesitating only for a second, I took Cale’s offered hand and let him lead me onto the floor.

It wasn’t the sort of perfect dance I’d always imagined in my daydreams of special nights. We were in a tent, not a grand room like the one in Astra Dorm. The music was loud and blasting, and I didn’t want to think about what some of the students were busy doing in the dark corners along the wall.

I didn’t care about any of that, though. Cale was there. An old friend, someone I knew from home and who had always been kind to me. It also didn’t hurt that he was really cute and, as long as Camilla wasn’t around, we’d have a great time.

After the first dance ended Cale asked me if I wanted to dance another, and then another. My good mood increased with each dance. It was only dampened at one point in the evening, when I looked up and saw Keller watching us. Tension radiated throughout his body. The blond girl who’d been hanging off his arm most of the night was talking to him, but he didn’t look like he was listening. Seconds later he led her out of the tent and I misstepped and crashed into Cale.

While I got my balance back I felt a pair of furious brown eyes locked on me. Camilla was standing a few feet away, surrounded by her friends.

At the first sign of my faltering, she swooped in.

“Cale,” she asked, her voice too high and too fast, “can I speak to you?”

Cale paused. “Can’t it wait, Camilla?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “Outside.”

“After the dance,” he told her. She looked on the verge of tears as she went back to her friends.

We continued to dance, but the spell had been broken. I knew Camilla would never let us have another dance together, and Cale looked upset. I was so preoccupied with Camilla and keeping track of where my feet were that I didn’t see Kia swoop up next to us. She was dancing with a pixie and looked like she was totally engrossed in what he was saying.

As they passed us, she let out a shrill laugh, and I realized that she’d used the opportunity to stick her foot out, right where my feet were about to go. As if in slow motion, I tipped sideways. This wouldn’t have been so bad, except that Cale and I had been dancing very close to the Chocolate Fountain, and I landed right in it.

I had never wondered what it was like to take a bath in warm chocolate, and I never would again. Unfortunately, the fountain was unstable, and when I hit it, the whole thing toppled over with me. My elbow hit the ground with a bang, and I swallowed a mouthful of chocolate.

I struggled to sit up. Before I reached a ninety-degree angle Camilla was on top of me. Her hands were like icy white sparks alight with pixie dust. They dug painfully into my shoulders.

“Get off her,” I heard several voices yell, but I was too distracted by the crazy pixie trying to kill me to notice that anyone was speaking. I tried to use magic, but, familiarly, not even the most basic spells would come. I gasped for air. Black spots were forming in my field of vision. My hands were locked around her hands that were locked around my throat.

I felt her yank away from me, and then the small amount of weight disappeared from my stomach.

Cale had pulled her off me, but she continued to scream and wail, reaching for me. If I hadn’t been the one on the floor covered in hardening chocolate I would have thought it was funny. Camilla, in a gorgeous white dress now covered in chocolate, just kept yelling.

I found my balance and staggered to my feet. Before she knew what was coming, I had launched myself at her.

At the moment I slammed into her and the hapless Cale, a voice as cold as steel said, “What is this?”

The President walked into the light, her gray hair glinting. I saw other professors flanking her, but I was too dazed to take a good look at them. Camilla shoved me off, and I slipped and landed on the floor again.

Camilla instantly calmed down. Apparently her anger disappeared when confronted with the head of Public. Cale waited a second, then let her go.

“It was an accident,” said Camilla, brushing a strand of chocolaty blond hair out of her face. “She tripped and then I slipped on the chocolate. She was clumsy enough to knock it over and I fell.”

“Which led you to have a screaming fit?” asked the President curiously.

Camilla had the grace to blush. “I was just sad about my dress.” She fanned the white fabric out around her. The jewels stuck into it winked in the light. If Camilla ever wanted to be an actress, she could have the starring role.

“Camilla Van Rothson, you are from one of the oldest and most powerful pixie families,” the President said, walking slowly toward Camilla, her eyes glued to Camilla’s and her hands clasped behind her back. “You have no right to embarrass your family, yourself, or this excellent institution by acting in such a disgraceful manner.”

“But what about her?” Camilla whined, pointing at me. I was trying to get some of the chocolate out of my hair. My legs were covered in brown smears.

“That’s what we expect from Airlee students,” Professor Zervos cut in, materializing out of the crowd. Apparently he was back from his vacation. For once I was happy he had spoken, because I had no idea what to say.

I realized that I had to get out of there, fast, or my hatred of him might show. I tried to stand, but it was useless in the slippery muck. Without so much as a word, Keller came forward, reached down, and grabbed me under the arms. I heard the squelch of chocolate between his hands and my body as he pulled me to my feet. His blue eyes met my gray ones and for the briefest of seconds I forgot that my face was smeared with chocolate. Then I breathed again.

“I could do that too if I were a fallen angel,” I muttered.

“You’re welcome,” he said, still holding me. I told myself that it was for my own balance, which turned out to be true, because when he tried to lead me out of the ever-spreading puddle, I slipped again. He caught me easily and we kept going.

“Ms. Rollins,” the President called after me.

Keller and I stopped. “I expect you in my office tomorrow to discuss this,” she informed me. I only nodded. I should have expected as much.

“If there was an award for the student who visits the President most frequently, you would win it,” Keller said softly into my ear. “You should be more careful.”

I shivered, but the chocolate was warm on my body.

Sip, Lisabelle, and Lough surrounded us, leading me out of the tent. Just as we got to the door, someone blew past us heading in the opposite direction. I recognized him as one of the cooks. He was young and friendly, but he wasn’t a paranormal. He skidded around, his head snapping from left to right.

“Where’s the President?” he screamed. “Where is she?”

The President stepped forward. Everyone else in the tent was too shocked to react. The young man collapsed in a heap on the floor. His breath was coming fast and shallow as he stared up at the President.

“I saw….” he gasped, unable to go on. The President didn’t move. Professor Zervos was about to step forward, but the President stopped him with a shake of her head.

“Spit it out,” said the President. It was the first time I’d ever seen her lose her temper.

“Hellhound,” said the boy. “On the grounds.” He collapsed. And with that, chaos erupted.

Just as Lisabelle and I were about to dash back into the madness that had become the homecoming tent, Sip grabbed us and propelled us quickly away. Her small, purple-painted nails dug painfully into my arm.

“We are going back to the dorm,” she announced. “I will not have either of my friends get detention, expelled, or set on fire by a hellhound tonight.” All five feet of her stomped away, not releasing either of our arms. “Bye, Keller,” she yelled over her shoulder, without looking back.

“Bossy thing, isn’t she?” Lisabelle asked, glaring at the tiny blond head that was leading us away. At least we weren’t alone. Lough was still with us, and we were surrounded by other students. “Besides,” said Lisabelle, “Charlotte here needs to wash before that chocolate hardens and everyone starts trying to lick her.”