The Gray Institute (The Gray Institute Trilogy Book 1) (46 page)

'I'm so sorry, Eve,' He hisses as he reaches me, casting his eyes around the empty hall. 'Can you meet me here tomorrow evening?' 

'I can,' I smile, stepping back from the lift and towards him. 'I'll meet you here.'

'Good, I'll see you...' He pauses, his face suddenly turning serious. I wait, studying his tense features.

'What is it...?'

'Shh!' He hushes me, putting his hand firmly on my arm. I cast my senses out to find the source of his panic. It takes a moment before I feel it, another presence, not far around the corner of the hall.

Light breathing.

The figure senses its discovery and swiftly scurries in the opposite direction, disappearing from my radar.

'Who was that?' I whisper, and Malachy shakes his head.

'I don't know. Make sure you're not followed tomorrow. And be careful in the meantime.'

Chapter Twenty-Six

As day slowly turns to night outside my bedroom window, I listen closely to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. I've always been a bit of a loner – content with my own company – but spending so much time on my own as of late, it would be a lie to say I don't feel the sharp pang of solitude.

The only thing that comforts me is my thoughts of Malachy. I play and replay the events of the day in my mind, lingering a while on Malachy's hands running through my hair, his soft lips on mine. My chest aches to be with him like that again, and I pray that tomorrow I will be. That Malachy's feelings towards me won't have changed.

It's times like this I wish I had someone to share my thoughts with – a girl friend, to help me figure out these emotions and strange impulses I feel around Malachy.

It's times like this that I miss Tia.

I would trust only her with the knowledge that Mal and I had kissed, that he had professed his love for me. Only her.

Not even Diana.

My thoughts are broken by a presence outside the door and I leap up, hoping madly that it might be Malachy. I open the door and blink at Tia herself, standing with hostile eyes in the empty corridor.

'Can I come in?' She asks, her tone pinched. I nod hastily, closing the door behind her and turning to watch her stand awkwardly in the centre of the room. Her old bed has been removed, along with her wardrobe and other belongings. I had nothing to do with the removal but I feel self-conscious about it all the same.

'They came and did that while I was out.' I explain quickly, but Tia merely shrugs.

'I just came to warn you,' she folds her arms across her chest. 'Meredith knows about you and Malachy.'

My mind flashes back to the unknown presence in the corridor – the figure that vanished – and a chill of cold fear creeps down my spine.

'Oh.' I breathe, running my fingers through my hair.

'She saw you together,' Tia tells me what I already know. 'She was hysterical. She's still in our room, threatening to go to Sir Alec, to the Auctoritas... to Lucrezia.' She adds the last name in a whisper – even Tia is regrettable that Lucrezia might get involved.

'Why are you telling me?' I ask, sitting down on my bed to hide my weakening knees. This is bad.

'You're the one with the problem, Eve, not me,' Tia snaps. 'I shouldn't be telling you, after the way you dismissed me. I should be letting you fall flat on your ass. But I'm doing it for Malachy, not you,' She glares at me coldly. 'I've seen the way he looks at you; I don't want him to go through what he did with Aleks all over again.'

'So why not just go straight to Mal?' I frown, feeling hurt at her words though I know I deserve them.

'I can't, he's with Lucrezia tonight. They're visiting the Auctoritas.'

'He's gone?' I squeak, feeling faint.

'They visit their parents overnight every month,' She informs me. 'They'll be back tomorrow morning.'

'Jesus,' I shudder with fear. I'm stuck at the Institute without Malachy, and with a scorned Meredith, foaming at the mouth, ready to report me to Lucrezia the moment she gets back. 'Is she determined to tell Lucrezia?' I ask shakily.

'She certainly wants to,' Tia nods gravely. 'She was pacing the room threatening to go straight to the fourteenth floor. I convinced her to leave it for tonight.'

I jump up, crushing her into a vice-like hug. 'Thank you, Tia!' I gush, kissing her cheek. She stays stone still, but doesn't push me away.

'Yeah, yeah,' She rolls her eyes. 'Just make sure you go straight to Malachy when he gets back. I'll try to calm her down.' She moves to leave, but I call her back and she turns, her expression both angry and sympathetic.

'Did you really do this just for Malachy?' I ask. She hesitates, changing before my eyes back into the Tia I know – my Tia.

'No,' She admits reluctantly. 'I don't know why you dismissed me, Eve, but something tells me you didn't do it to hurt me.'

I shake my head, reminding myself to choose my words carefully. 'I would never deliberately hurt you, Tia.'

'That's what I thought.' She nods, hovering by the door, torn between leaving and staying. I wait patiently for her to decide.

'Meredith is unbearable,' She sighs eventually, crossing over to sit next to me on the bed. I try to hide a triumphant smile and nod sympathetically.

'I wanted to move in with Richard but O'Brien refused to move out. Meredith asked Cheryl Berry to and – you know Cheryl – she just does whatever she's told. At first I was happy to share with Meredith but now... it has its difficulties.'

I tuck my legs up and scoot closer to her on the bed. 'Like what?' I ask, relieved at the opportunity to listen to someone else's problems for a change.

'Well,' Tia leans in, licking her lips. 'If I want to go and see Richard for the night instead of staying in with her, she goes all sulky about it. Or if I feel like reading my book instead of chatting to her, she thinks I don't like her. I have to tread on eggshells around the subject of Malachy which of course, she never drops.' Tia rolls her eyes.

'Eve?' She asks, leaning towards me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. 'What exactly
is
going on between you and Mal?'

I smile, knowing it was only a matter of time before she asked. I decide to indulge her, telling her the events of the last few weeks and embellishing her with details of earlier – her need to know is as great as my need to talk about it.

She gasps when I come to the 'I love you' part and her eyes go wider than I've ever seen.

'Eve, you've got to be careful!' She hisses. 'Mal is broken hearted over Aleks. He might just be latching on to you.'

I frown, folding my arms across my chest. That wasn't the gushing, excited reaction I'd expected from Tia. 'Does Mal seem like the 'latching' type?' I snap.

'Well, no but...'

'He told me it was nothing to do with his feelings for Aleks. He assured me.' I interrupt, my tone final.

'Well, do you love him?' She asks, raising an eyebrow. I hesitate, just a little too long, and she breaks into a smirk. 'If you have to hesitate, I think there's a possibility that you do.'

'It's not that simple, Tia,' I shake my head. 'It's all too complicated.'

'Well,' she sighs. 'For the moment, he loves you, and you like him and you're both happy. If I were you, I'd hold onto that for as long as you can.'

I can't help but think that's not going to be very long.

'Aren't you mad at me for stealing Meredith's undying love?' I ask. She stifles a giggle.

'Please! Mal is never going to be interested in Meredith. We all know that; everybody's just too nice to tell her.'

'Do you think what she feels for him is, you know, real?' I ask, thinking of Malachy's uncontrollable powers.

'Yeah, I think so,' Tia nods, understanding my point. 'He's not around her enough to cast any witchy spell over her. I think she genuinely likes him, though he's never said more than a few words to her.' She rolls her eyes.

'I'd better get back to her, she's probably attempting to slit her wrists right now.' She vacates the bed, heading to the door, her flowery perfume leaving a trail in her wake.

'I'll try to help you and Malachy out as much as I can, but you know how the saying goes; 'a woman scorned' and all that.' 

'I know, thank you, Tia.' I smile as she opens the door, giving me a final glance before disappearing into the corridor.

*

Malachy isn't back before lessons begin the next day, and I sit nervously through Theory, paying no attention and trying to be invisible. Counselling is much worse; in a one-on-one setting, sitting mute in my chair isn't an option, so I answer Islwyn's questions monotonously, trying to ignore the anxious way he's peering at me.

'Eve, are you so mad at me for shopping you to Sir Alec that you won't even allow me to do my job?' He repeats this question twice before I respond, my mind on other – more pressing – matters.

'What? No!' I shake my head. 'Of course not. It was stupid of me to skip class, and even more stupid of me to do somersaults outside your window.'

'Then why are you so forlorn?' He frowns, his never-ending patience wearing thin. 'When you started out at the Institute, I expected great things, Eve, great things. But recently you've just become so... apathetic.'

I snort with laughter at being described as apathetic. I wish I was apathetic. I wish I didn't constantly worry and stress about everything. 'I'm sorry,' I apologise without expression. 'I'm distracted.'

'By what, or whom?' He asks, exasperated.

'Don't worry about me, Islwyn,' I shake my head, avoiding the question. 'I'm fine.'

I leave Islwyn's office in a hurry, anxious to get to the common room as hordes of students infiltrate the corridors, all rushing to make the most of the morning break.

Tia is already there but shakes her head at me when I make a beeline for her. It isn't a good idea anyway; I'm trying to paint Sir Alec a picture of Tia and I despising one another, cosying up to her in the common room wouldn't exactly help. But she has another reason for warning me to stay back. Meredith is, as always, at Tia's side, but so is a far more sinister, familiar blonde head.

Lucrezia is on her knees in front of the tearful red-head, listening intently to what Meredith's saying. Sheer panic grips me before Tia catches my eye and shakes her head again, subtly jerking it in the direction of the door. I understand her message; Meredith hasn't told Lucrezia what she saw yet, but I need to find Malachy quickly.

Meredith stands, linking her arm through Lucrezia's, ignoring Tia completely as the two new 'friends' glide across the room, heading straight towards me. I duck out of sight, hiding behind a second year before darting to Tia's side.

'She told Lucrezia she was upset by something she'd seen. Something to do with Malachy. She didn't tell her what, but no doubt she will in the next few minutes.' Tia's tone is urgent. I turn, bolting from the common room into the corridor.

I have no idea where Malachy will be. He attends lessons like everybody else, but his room seems to be a good place to start. If Meredith tells Lucrezia about us before I can get to him, not only will Malachy and I be in trouble, but it will throw mine and Lorna's plan completely out the window. I catch him on his way down the stairs, crashing into him in my panic.

'Eve,' He smiles, naively delighted to see me until he registers my face. 'What's wrong?'

'Meredith. She knows about us. She's telling Lucrezia.' I babble, eyes wide and manic. His smile fades as he casts his memory back to the presence in the corridor yesterday.

'I'll talk to her.' He says instantly, turning to find her.

'And say what?!' I almost shriek, eyeing the clock on the far left wall. I have to be at Practical in less than three minutes.

'I'll tell her that Sir Alec wants me to use any means necessary to gain information about Lorna, even if that means being involved with you romantically. I'll tell her Sir Alec doesn't trust you...'

'She won't buy it.' I shake my head.

'She will. I'll make out that you have a silly crush on me and I'm just leading you on. I promise she'll buy it. Go to class.' He urges, kissing me quickly before hurrying back up the stairs.

I turn to run to Practical, my mind racing through fifty different things at once, but halfway along the corridor, I stop and change direction. One thought sticks clearly through the haze of so many others; whether Lucrezia buys Malachy's lies or not, we can't afford for anything like this to happen again.

Lorna and I must leave tomorrow.

*

Lorna is overjoyed to see me as I buzz on the intercom for her floor. She rushes to greet me at the door, hugging me tightly, her chocolate brown hair wet from a shower.