Juliet Immortal (26 page)

“It’s fine. I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“The car’s underwater.”

“I know, we saw it on the way in, and I thought …” She swallows and smiles through the tears that still stand in her
eyes. “It doesn’t matter what I thought. You’re okay.” She bites her lip. “Did Victor tell you about Nancy?”

“He did.” The tears that rise to my eyes aren’t forced. I only met her for a moment, but Ariel’s memories of Nancy are of a tirelessly good woman. Nancy was extraordinarily kind; she was a gentle soul who has been stolen by evil. Whether Romeo is the evil responsible I mean to discover as soon as possible.

Ben appears at my side and gives Melanie a shy wave. “Hi, Mrs. Dragland. I’m Ben Luna.”

After the slightest pause, Melanie smiles. She isn’t sold, but she’s obviously trying to keep an open mind where the boy I’ve confessed to loving is concerned. “Hello, Ben.” I watch them and a sick feeling swims through my stomach. Why did I say what I said?

I know why. Because I didn’t guess the truth in time, didn’t dare to believe. But now, the last thing I want is for Ben to become any more ingrained in Ariel’s life. I can’t stay in this body. I have to leave, and to keep him safe I need him to leave with me.

The thought makes me shiver as one of the policemen wraps a big blue blanket around my shoulders. What if I find some way to work the spell, but Ben doesn’t realize I’ve left Ariel’s body? What if I’m wrong and he doesn’t see soul-deep? What if this skin—and a nice girl inside it, who will remember him as her new boyfriend—are enough for him?

And what about Ariel? Will she grieve the loss of Ben if he
does
realize his soul mate has shifted bodies? Will I have made her life worse, when I set out so determined to improve it? What am I doing? How can I—

“Don’t worry,” Ben whispers as we follow the policemen and Melanie to the barn door. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

I turn to look at him. How did he—

“It is.” He reaches out, takes my hand. “I promise.”

I slip my fingers through his, praying he’s right.

T
he flag at the school flutters at half-mast, waving mournfully in the harsh wind of yet another storm.

Nancy Kjeldgaard wasn’t a head of state, but she served coffee, hot chocolate, pastries, and sandwiches to three generations of Solvang High School students. She listened to their stories and slipped extra treats onto their trays and offered kind words and encouragement when they were needed most. To the kids slumping into school today on the worst Friday most can remember, she was more important than a president. She was someone who loved them.

From my chair in the office waiting area, I can see the flag and the concrete path beneath, watch people on their way in
pause beside it and look up, fear and sorrow mixing on their faces. It’s the biggest reaction I’ve seen out of most of them. It makes me wonder what Solvang High School would be like if there were more people like Nancy here.

But at SHS, most of the adults are as disinterested as the students.

Even Mr. Stark seems more bored than angry to be starting his day with a disciplinary meeting. He sits in the principal’s office with Mrs. Felix, awaiting the arrival of the superintendent, nursing an extra-large coffee and staring blindly out the window. Mrs. Felix answers an endless stream of phone calls, not bothering to stifle her yawns as she assures one parent after another that the campus will be locked down tight during lunch until whoever murdered Nancy Kjeldgaard is caught. But even murder doesn’t seem to arouse her interest. Her finely wrinkled face sags with exhaustion, and her brown eyes remain as dull as dirty pennies.

Melanie is the only adult who seems truly awake. She fidgets next to me, thin fingers laced together, her hands resting on one bouncing knee. We’re fifteen minutes early. Ben and his brother have yet to show and there’s no sign of Dylan or Gemma.

I wonder if Romeo will even bother. If he killed Nancy, there has to be some reason. I know she wasn’t a soul mate, but …

Another horrible thought drifted through my mind as I lay awake for the few hours left in the night by the time Melanie and I arrived home: What if Romeo found a way to work the spell to reclaim his body alone? What if Nancy was a blood sacrifice for some dark ritual? What if Romeo achieved his goal
without me and is now free to roam the earth in his own body? What will I do if my chance has passed me by?

I try not to jog my heels, almost grateful when Gemma arrives, giving me something else to focus on. She breezes into the waiting room in a black turtleneck and black jeans, the diamond chandelier earrings dangling from her ears the only break in her mourning gear. She sighs and claims a seat on the opposite side of the room.

Melanie makes a
humph
ing sound but doesn’t dignify Gemma’s arrival with a greeting. I don’t either. I narrow my eyes, letting her see the fight in me. Last night, on the way back to town, Ben told his brother and Melanie that Gemma almost ran me over. Melanie was livid and insisted we press charges.

Ben and I have a date to give our statements at the police station Saturday morning. I don’t think it will result in any real punishment for Gemma, but I want her to know she isn’t getting off the hook. Melanie called Gemma’s mother this morning and warned her to expect a call from the police about Gemma’s “dangerous and insane behavior.” Her mother threatened a lawsuit and hung up.

Gemma, however, seems unperturbed. She ignores Melanie’s grunt and my glare and stares at the ceiling, her aura blazing crimson, sipping orange juice as if her conscience is blissfully clear. Her gaze doesn’t waver until Mike walks in, and then she offers him only the barest nod. He nods back, lifts a nervous hand in my direction, and claims a seat a careful distance from both of us.

I give him a hard look, wondering if he had anything to do with Nancy’s death, but the suspicion vanishes before it can fully form. Suddenly the truth is as clear and bright as the
fluorescent lights glaring down on the waiting room. Mike isn’t the Mercenary working with Romeo; he’s a man in love. True love.

My eyes widen as I home in on his chest, on the rosy glow that certainly isn’t coming from his black polo shirt. Holy … 
crap
. There it is. Not quite as bright as it should be, but it’s definitely there, the telltale glimmer of a soul mate.

Why didn’t I see it before? Why didn’t I guess?

Because I haven’t seen him in the light. Mike has his break during my English class. I’ve only seen him after school, in the shadowed wings of the theater. The backstage lights aren’t on during rehearsal, and the stage lights aren’t bright enough to illuminate someone standing outside the action. Then yesterday, when we were outside, it was dark under the awnings covering the walkway. Still, I should have seen it. I
would have
if I’d been focused.

Every word he’d said yesterday had been a dead giveaway.

I don’t know what you’ve heard. Did you tell Ben? If you tell …

I close my eyes, feeling like a fool. Mike’s hand on Gemma’s back, the way he stood up for her at rehearsal, their shared laughter as they put away the props, her talking about his “hotness” that night at my house—it makes sense now. Ben said Gemma had another “friend” she was unwilling to name, probably because a relationship with him is forbidden. Mike can’t be more than twenty-two and Gemma’s eighteen and legally an adult, but he’s still a student teacher at this school and she a student. He’ll be in a big hairy mess of trouble if they’re found out.

Another Romeo and Juliet
, I think wryly as I open my eyes.
Damn it
. And now …

Well, who knows if I’ll be able to bring these two together?
Their love is practically illegal, fraught with complications, and Mike’s aura isn’t exactly on fire. But then, the consequences if they’re caught are a lot more serious for him. He’s probably aware of that and—

My cell bleeps in my backpack, pulling me from my thoughts. I reach for my bag, but Melanie stops me with a hand on my arm. “I think they’re almost ready for us.” She points toward the office, where Mrs. Felix and Mr. Stark have risen from their chairs.

“But the superintendent isn’t here,” I whisper. “Neither are Ben and his brother or—”

“Wait!” A breathless Romeo appears at the door, dark circles under his eyes, a tattered brown scarf wrapped around his neck. He looks even worse than he did yesterday, more dead than alive, but no one else seems to notice. Melanie shoots him a menacing look and Mike ignores him altogether as Romeo steps inside, spoiling the energy in the room. My stomach pinches, relief and dread twisting my insides until it feels like I’m being turned inside out. I hate him, but I need him. Like it or not, my future lies partly in his hands.

I brace myself for eye contact, but he doesn’t look my way. Instead, he goes to Gemma. “We can’t do this. We can’t lie. Ariel and Ben didn’t do anything wrong.”

Gemma’s eyebrows shoot up and her eyes flicker to me for half a second. Just long enough for me to see the fear inside her. “What are you talking about? She told me she was going to kill you. I heard—”

“You didn’t hear anything. You know you didn’t.”

Gemma points an accusing finger at Romeo’s chest. “Don’t you dare start changing your story now, Dylan. You’re the one—”

“Dylan, Gemma, let’s save it for the meeting,” Mike says in his teacher’s voice. He doesn’t sound like a man who’s talking to a rival, but I don’t miss the hint of jealousy in his eyes when he looks at Dylan.

Romeo ignores them both and turns to me. “I’m so sorry,” he says, his expression holding the perfect mix of fear and regret. There isn’t a spark of mischief, not a whisper of an evil agenda. He seems
truly
sorry.

God
, what is he up to now? Why the sudden change of plans? What can he have to gain from playing nice other than …

He still hopes I’ll help him with the spell. That
has
to be it.

Maybe it isn’t too late.

“I’m going to tell Mrs. Felix the truth,” he says. “I’m—”

“Okay, we’re ready for you.” Mr. Stark appears at the principal’s office door and stops to scan the waiting room. “Dylan, where’s your dad?”

“He couldn’t make it.” Romeo’s gaze doesn’t waver from mine. I hold his eyes, even when my blood runs cold. There’s something awful in his expression, lurking beneath his yellow skin. What’s happened to him since we parted yesterday? Has he seen the specters again too? Or is he haunted by something worse?

Mr. Stark sighs. “Dylan, the note you took home expressly said that you would be expelled if your father didn’t—”

“He doesn’t care if you expel me, Mr. Stark.” He faces Mr. Stark, the picture of a penitent come to plead for forgiveness. “But I’m here because I do care, and I want to do the right thing.”

“Yeah, right.” Gemma snorts. “You’re
insane
, is what you are.”

“Gemma, please.” Mr. Stark sighs again. “Okay. Fine. Let’s just get this over with.” He waves his hand and Mike, Gemma, and Romeo move forward. Melanie stands beside me.

“But Mr. Stark, what about Ben and his brother?” I ask, casting a glance back at the door. “Shouldn’t we wait?”

“They’re not coming,” Mr. Stark says. “Mrs. Felix filed the paperwork to expel Ben from school yesterday.”

My jaw drops. “What?”

Mr. Stark shrugs. “He’s been in trouble before, Ariel, and we have a strict no-tolerance policy for repeat offenders.”

“But he wasn’t in trouble at school,” I say, ignoring Melanie’s hand on my arm silently urging me to keep quiet. Defending Ben is instinctive, imperative. “And not at
this
school. Please, Mr. Stark, I—”

“Ariel, it’s not my decision. I had nothing to do with it.” Mr. Stark backs toward the principal’s office, where Romeo, Gemma, and Mike have already found seats. “Anyway, it’s decided. Ben’s brother came and cleaned out his locker this morning. I think he also picked up a study guide for the GED. Ben can still get a diploma if he passes the exam.”

I shake my head. Anger flashes through me, followed closely by a spark of hope.

This will make it easier for me to convince Ben to leave. He isn’t going to be able to finish senior year at SHS. There’s nothing to keep him in Solvang but his family, and life with his brother hasn’t exactly been smooth. He might jump at the chance for a fresh start.

But a fresh start with a girl he doesn’t know? Or doesn’t think he knows? With no money and not even a high school diploma between us? It’s me and Romeo all over again. Ben and I probably won’t starve to death or be killed by highwaymen,
but our future won’t be a bright one. Not at first. Maybe not ever.

In the cold light of day, without Ben’s arms around me, the challenge of convincing him that the soul of the girl he loves has shifted into another body seems far more daunting. Not to mention the fact that I’ve yet to accomplish the shift. What if the spell doesn’t work? What if Romeo is right and loving him is the only way? What if the high Mercenary watching him finds a way to stop us before we reclaim our old forms? What if—

My cell trills again. Ben. It has to be him, trying to let me know he won’t be coming back to school. I reach for the zipper on my bag.

“Come on, Ariel. Let’s go.” Melanie tugs at my sleeve. “We’ll deal with Ben later. It’s time to think about
your
future right now.”

I
am
thinking of my future.
Ben
is my future. At least, I hope he will be. I long for a tomorrow with him with a need that’s terrifying in its intensity. I want to run from this place. I want to go to him and hold him and promise him that everything will be okay, the way he promised me last night.

Instead, I follow Melanie into the office.

Everything isn’t okay. Everything is awful and time is running out.

Gemma and I received a week of after-school detention, while Dylan—as a detention regular—was ordered to report every afternoon for the rest of the year. I lied and said Dylan and I had had a misunderstanding, Gemma refused to say anything at all, and Romeo apologized so many times Mrs. Felix
finally asked him to be quiet. No one was expelled or suspended. Not even Dylan, who’d allegedly earned a mandatory suspension for hitting another student. But he’s playing Tony in the play, which opens tonight. Mr. Stark told Mrs. Felix the production would have to be canceled if Dylan was banned from campus for a week, and she didn’t want to punish everyone who’d been working on the play.