Chapter 50. Lorena
lorena
Thursday morning, William does not show up for breakfast. I expect Director Minaro to ask me where he is, but she never does.
I wonder if he compelled her.
“I want to make a quick announcement about the phones,” says the director, addressing us all while we eat.
“The phone line cut out overnight, and we are working on getting it fixed. Hopefully you all have your travel plans set by now and do not require further coordination, but if you do, come see me after breakfast so we can figure it out.”
Our table is unusually quiet, the empty sixth chair a stark reminder of why we are silent. Trevor and I keep looking at each other, but we don’t say anything.
Last night, William told me he trusted Trevor with the truth, and I was beyond shocked. Especially when he said that Trevor would be my bodyguard. But it’s better than the vampire messing with my friends’ minds.
Except that now, Zach is the only one who doesn’t know the truth.
“Everything ready for tomorrow?” asks Ms. Floreville, startling me.
I’m pretty sure we’ve all forgotten about Time Period Day.
“We’re ready,” says Tiffany. Once our teacher walks away, she looks at me. “Aren’t you going to tell the school about my psychotic break?”
Instead, I look at Zach. “Tiffany is telling the truth. William is a vampire.”
Zach stares back at me, expression unchanged. “I know.”
Tiffany looks relieved, and when I meet Trevor’s gaze, he nods at me slightly. He must have confirmed it to Zach.
“What weapon did William give you?” I ask Trevor.
“Weapon?” echoes Salma, frowning at him.
“Don’t worry about it,” says Trevor, and I notice how he brings his bag closer.
“You have it with you?” I ask in shock.
“We don’t know when they could show up.”
“Who?” asks Tiffany, looking between us.
“The vampires are coming for William,” I say in a low voice. “He’s gone to head them off and will agree to whatever they want in exchange for our safety. Just in case, he left Trevor a weapon for our protection.”
Tiffany and Zach look stupefied. “Why would he trust you?” Tiffany asks Trevor.
“Because he knows I won’t hesitate.”
“Look, there’s something you need to know, too,” Zach says to me. “It’s about our newsletter for tomorrow.”
“Zach, don’t,” warns Tiffany.
“We could all be about to die,” Zach says to her, “so our best chance is to work together. No more secrets.”
“I think Zach is right,” says Salma, and I realize I haven’t really looked at her since yesterday, when she told me she was dying.
And that I’m letting it happen.
Doesn’t matter. I don’t care how Sal feels about me—when we get home, I’m talking to Ma, and we’re going to figure out a plan. I won’t let my best friend give up on herself.
“She told you, didn’t she?” asks Tiffany, looking between Salma and me.
“Who told what?” asks Trevor.
“None of your business,” snaps Salma, and she turns to Zach. “What about the newsletter?”
It’s only now that it hits me why Salma has been so cold with Trevor since break. It’s not that she doesn’t like him. It’s that she doesn’t have the luxury of time. She’s trying to make things easier in her own way.
“We didn’t base it on the history we learned in class,” says Zach, “but on the timeline on the LUB’s ceiling.”
“You outed the vampires?” I ask in whispered outrage.
“Why the fuck should they have our protection?” asks Tiffany.
“And if any vampires happen to show up tomorrow, and they see newsletters all over the school spilling their secrets, what do you think they’re going to do?” I ask. “Because I can only think of two options: Alter everyone’s memories, or kill us all and fake some kind of gas explosion.”
“Well, it’s too late to change the newsletter,” says Tiffany.
“Then get rid of it,” I say.
“No. The people have the right to know.”
Salma, Zach, and Trevor don’t get involved, and I have no idea what to do. I wish William were here so he could just compel Tiffany to change her mind. Then I’m disgusted with myself for the thought.
After all, whose side am I on?
The whole school day feels unfocused, like everyone is already in vacation mode. Director Minaro makes her class a free-for-all where we can bring up anything we want about any of the three books we read this term. My friends and I don’t offer a single opinion the entire hour.
“You five must be really nervous about tomorrow,” she says near the end of the hour.
Again, I expect her to ask about William.
“I am ending class a few minutes early,” she says instead. “See you at dinner!”
Trevor sticks to my side when we leave, and he and Zach escort my roommates and me to our room. The two of them even check under our beds for any sign of intruders before letting us come inside. Trevor holds his bag close to him, and I wonder what kind of weapon William gave him.
“You can go now,” says Salma, plopping down on her bed. “We can defend ourselves.”
“You can barely stand upright,” says Trevor. “You just collapsed on your bed as if we’d climbed Everest.”
“Fuck off,” she snaps back, but Tiffany and I lock eyes, and for an instant, our combined concern outweighs her hatred. Then my roommate looks away.
“We’re staying with you,” says Trevor, and Zach leans against the wall, like he’s not going anywhere. “Then we’ll go to dinner together.”
“Are you seriously so deluded that you think any kind of weapon is going to do anything against a vampire?” asks Salma, shaking her head.
“Maybe not,” says Trevor, slumping down in her desk chair, “but at least the distraction will give your weak-ass legs a chance to run.”
Salma sits up, like she’s ready to fight him, but I also see how she registers that he’s risking his life to protect us.
“Trevor, you don’t have to do this,” she says, all the fight gone from her voice. “Why would you listen to William anyway? You hate the guy.”
“I’m not doing this for him. I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do.”
He doesn’t mention the Legion or his vampire-hunting heritage. He’s clearly very serious about that confidentiality contract. Yet Salma already knows because I’ve told her, and I wait to see if she’s going to bring it up.
“Well, if we can’t get rid of you,” says Salma with an eye roll, “let’s at least do a final rundown for tomorrow.”
BY DINNERTIME, none of us seems to have much left to say to one another, so we have a nearly silent meal.
Then Trevor and Zach escort us up the stairs to our rooms, earning strange stares from our tower-mates. They go in first again, and they search everywhere before declaring the space safe.
I walk in behind Salma and Tiffany, when I feel someone take my hand. I look up at Trevor, and when he frees my fingers, I feel something wedged between them.
A note.
I wait until Salma and Tiffany aren’t looking to read it. The paper is tiny, and it only says one word:
Midnight.
I STAY up late reading, wearing a sweater and stretchy pants under the covers, so I won’t make noise getting dressed.
Even if it weren’t for Trevor’s note, I doubt I would get any sleep tonight. I keep thinking of William, and whether he’s facing off with the others yet. Worst part is I may never know what happens.
I may never see him again.
At midnight, I shake off my sheets and quietly climb down from the top bunk. I open the door carefully and find Trevor waiting for me on the landing.
He has his school bag with him, but I doubt he’s lugging around books. I follow him downstairs without a word, and we stick to the walls until we arrive at an unfamiliar room. When he opens the door, I see computers, a heavy-duty printer, and newspapers piled up everywhere.
“The newsroom?” I whisper.
Trevor doesn’t answer. He walks over to twin stacks of papers that are not newsprint. The paper is thicker, and it looks like it’s been artificially yellowed to look old. I examine a copy:
THE HUNTER DECEMBER 19, 1775
IN DEFEAT, VAMPIRES DEPART
This is the most triumphant day in world history. Humanity has won the war against the vampires, securing a safe future for our descendants and ensuring that bloodsuckers will never prey on us again.
It was not just our bodies the vampires attacked but our minds. They used their powers of hypnosis to get whatever they wanted. They have been feeding on us since time immemorial, until humanity fought back with an equally ancient weapon—fire.
We must never forget the danger they represent, and we must forever be on guard for their return.
A brief history of the major milestones in the Human-Vampire War:
· Massacre of the 1300s: Most of the human population was wiped out in a vampire feeding frenzy that set off the war.
· The Treaty of Mutual Survival of 1449: This truce was an attempt to keep the peace and end the war.
· The Immortal Registry of 1670: Humans tried to create a registry of vampires, which set off a new round of fighting.
· The Great Fires of the 1700s: Humans went to war with the vampires again, ultimately defeating them with fire.
· The Spell of 1775: Earth was officially declared vampire-free.
I set the paper down. Tiffany and Zach must have used their imaginations to fill in whatever they didn’t know, but these are still pretty good guesses.
“Grab that stack, and I’ll take this one,” Trevor instructs.
“Where are we going?” I ask, but he’s already marching to the door, and he holds it open for me.
The stack is tall and heavy, which makes it a bit unwieldy, and I can’t move too quickly. When we’re passing a common room, Trevor stops abruptly and ducks behind a couch, so I do the same.
I hear the footsteps approaching, and neither of us moves until Mr. Torres has passed.
Trevor leads us in a direction I haven’t explored yet, and we arrive at one of the red ropes with a warning sign. He slides it over so we can get through.