The Sunlight Slayings (8 page)

Bane's face changed in an instant, clenching into a menacing frown. His arms shot out and shoved Oliver. “What, are you following me now?”

Oliver toppled backward through the curtains of another Codex. He gathered himself and stepped out of the chamber to find Bane storming down the hall, his boots cracking on the metal floor.

“Hey!” Oliver called, rushing to catch up. He reached Bane at the elevator. His headphones were already back on. “What were you just doing?” Oliver hissed at him.

Bane glanced at him but just bobbed to his music like Oliver wasn't there.

“What were you doing in there?” Oliver asked as they crossed the loading dock, but Bane remained silent for the rest of the night.

Chapter 7

In the Cafeteria

AFTER A DAY SPENT
tossing and turning over unanswered questions, Oliver met up with Dean on the way to school the next evening. He explained about the master location rite.

“That's great!” Dean smiled. “When can we try?”

“Well, we have to get a few supplies. We need something from Désirée.”

“Oh, boy,” Dean murmured, “her again.”

“Yeah … I'm not sure when we can go. My mom's still worried about me going anywhere alone. We'll get there soon, though,” Oliver assured Dean.

“All right. Thanks for finding out that stuff.”

Oliver looked up to see Dean smiling and looked away quickly.
Just get it over with!
Oliver thought. He needed to tell Dean that everyone thought it was Oliver who was responsible for killing him and then raising him as a zombie. But now he realized why he hadn't said it yet: He didn't want to ruin his friendship with Dean. The thought that he and Dean would end up as friends would have sounded funny to him a couple months ago, but now Dean seemed like the only person Oliver could be himself around. Dean wasn't expecting him to be someone he wasn't.
Though he probably doesn't expect me to be his killer
. True, there was that.

“That should be our reason to go see Emalie,” Dean continued optimistically, “don't you think? She could help with finding my master.”

“Well …” Oliver wasn't sure what to say about that.

“I know you're worried she's involved in the sunlight slayings, but if it's putting her in danger, you seem like the best person to stop her. I mean, she might be mad at vampires for killing me, but you're proof that vampires aren't all bad, right?”

“We'll see,” Oliver mumbled. “You know, she's probably not even the one doing it. Maybe it was just a coincidence she was at the park.”
Because how would she really have time
, Oliver thought,
when she's already busy trying to mess with my dreams?
Oliver wondered: where had Emalie learned how to enter dreams when she didn't even know she was an Orani? Maybe Oliver had just created that dream. Maybe his brain was being crazy all on its own.

“It would be good to see her,” Dean said thoughtfully. “So, any info on the Scourge?”

“Oh, right.” Oliver was relieved to change the subject. “Nothing. Get this, the information was missing. I think the Half-Light Consortium took it so that the rest of town can't find out what's going on.”

“Huh. So that means they're pretty worried about it.”

“Yeah.” A thought occurred to Oliver. “Dean, if you have a chance tonight, maybe check in on Emalie and just make sure she's home in bed?”

“Oh, can't do it,” Dean replied. “I got homeschool tonight. My mom found another zombie kid, named Autumn, and then a human kid named Sledge who's been kicked out of, like, every school in Seattle. Anyway, Autumn's mom is homeschooling us. She's a zombie, too, and studying to be a shaman. She totally keeps us in line.”

They'd reached the edge of the school yard. “All right, well, we should check on her soon,” said Oliver.

“Cool. Later.” Dean headed off into the night.

Inside, Oliver found Theo standing in the classroom doorway. “Nocturne!” he called while simultaneously sticking out his foot and tripping little Berthold Welch as he tried to duck by into class. “Tie your shoes, Welch.” Theo grinned.

“Hey, Theo,” Oliver said as he walked by, still expecting the same tripping treatment as the other unpopular kids, but instead he got a too-strong pat on the back.

“Hey,” was all Theo said. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Oliver was just about to go to his desk when he started to notice the hush in the room, the slight snickers that were escaping from the corners.
What now?
he wondered gloomily. He reached his seat. The snickers twisted into giggles. Oliver looked down—

There was a dead animal on his desk. A small brown rat, freshly killed, its eyes still glistening. Oliver knew what it meant at once: the unnaturally twisted head, the red smear on the fur around the neck—it was a valentine.

There was a tiny red bow tied around one of the hind legs, with a scrap of paper attached. Trying to keep his cool, yet feeling the eyes of the entire room on him, he flipped up the paper. Delicate script handwriting read:

How short would be forever
,

if we were together?

A faint scent wafted from the animal, that of its killer.… With his stomach lurching queasily, Oliver glanced across the room to see Monique peering out from her clique of friends—and they exploded into laughter.

Oliver burned. The worst part was that this wasn't a joke. This girl whom he'd barely even spoken to had marked him as her valentine—why? Why did this have to happen?

It only got worse at lunch. Oliver tried to avoid it: He made sure he was at the back of the line for his tray of strawberry shortcake. Then he lingered as long as possible at the blood variety machine, before finally deciding on raccoon. He even visited the snack cart, getting a package of gummified centipedes. He finally headed toward the tables—

“Nocturne!” Theo called from nearby. “Sit!” Oliver reluctantly slid into a seat beside Maggots, at the end of Theo's group.

He looked up to see Theo staring at his plate like he was trying desperately not to laugh. “What?” Theo just shook his head. “C-come on,” Oliver stammered. “What?”

“Switch!” Theo shouted, and all the boys instantly stood up from the table.

“What are you—” Oliver began, but then, across the room, he saw Suzyn, Monique, and their friends doing the same. “Wait, Theo, no—” Oliver scrambled to pick up his tray, but his centipedes scattered. He grabbed at them and was just standing up, when a cool hand fell on his shoulder.

“Oliver,” a confident voice said. He looked up to see Suzyn sliding into the seat across from him. She was almost a foot taller than him, with long, straight black hair. “Sit,” she said with a devious smile. Oliver wondered briefly if those were the first two words she'd ever actually said to him. Another girl, Kym, was sitting down beside her. And then Oliver sensed someone sitting next to him. He turned to find Monique. She only glanced at him for an instant, then looked shyly down at her tray.

“So,” Suzyn continued importantly, “we've been talking …” She said it with so much weight to her words that Oliver thought he might be crushed. “And we've decided that if neither of you are going to make the first move, we will.”

Suzyn was smiling devilishly. Oliver just stared at her.

“Oliver,” Suzyn nagged, sounding frighteningly like his mother, “you haven't thanked Monique for her thoughtful valentine.”

“Oh,” Oliver stammered, “oh, right. Thanks,” he mumbled, barely getting the word out.

“Monique,” Suzyn instructed, “your turn.”

“You're welcome,” Monique said in a mouse-quiet voice.

Oliver risked a glance at her again and found her eyeing him halfway as well. She flashed an apologetic smile. Maybe she was as sick about all this as he was.…

“So it's settled. You two are valentines,” Suzyn continued. “And now, Oliver, I'd like to invite you to my Valentine's Day party this weekend.”

“Huh?” Oliver said. He'd lost the ability to use words.

Suzyn went on anyway. “But in order to come to the party, you have to bring a date.”

She was like an enormous spider, wrapping him up slowly. “O-okay,” he said. Across the room, Theo and his buddies watched with wide smiles.

“So, who will your date be?” Suzyn was still staring at him expectantly.

“Um, Monique?”

“Correct.” Suzyn rolled her eyes. “So you need to ask her to be your valentine.”

“Now?” Oliver gasped. He thought he might turn to dust.

Suzyn nodded.

Oliver felt hot all over. Even his amulet wound was starting to ache.
Just get it over with
, he told himself. He looked over to Monique, his vision swimming with dizziness. Pain shot up and down his side. “Monique,” he began miserably, “will you be my … valentine?”

There was an explosion of laughter from across the room.

Monique didn't answer. She was looking down at her tray. Oliver waited. His side was absolutely burning. Monique didn't look up; in fact, her eyes were closed. Maybe she hated this as much as he did. Maybe they could just be friends, and band together against Suzyn.…

Kym huffed, “Monique, come
on
.”

Through the din of the cafeteria, Oliver heard a very slight sound. He realized it was coming from Monique. He was the only one close enough to hear it. Was she moaning? “Monique?” He reached forward and touched her shoulder.

“Nice!” Theo called from across the room.

Monique flinched sharply, her entire body convulsing. Her eyes snapped open—

And beams of sunlight sprayed across the cafeteria.

There was screaming, diving to the ground, trays and food flying in chaos. Monique lurched to her feet. Oliver threw himself off his chair as her head thrashed in his direction, the beams of sunlight scalding his forearm as he raised it in defense, and setting his shirt on fire.

Oliver hit the ground and his side screamed with so much pain that he wasn't even sure he could move. He managed to claw his way under the table. From here he could see other students ducking for cover, Berthold with his pants smoldering, Theo with slashes of burn across his face. Suzyn was lying on her back in front of him, not moving, smoke trailing up from her. Oliver watched the tender trails of smoke as they rose in the chaos—

And for only a moment, he found himself staring at one of the tiny windows high on the cafeteria wall. It was level with the pavement of the playground outside. There was a figure there, wrapped in a clutching black mist. Despite the eyes shut tight and the brow furrowed in concentration, Oliver knew the face.

Emalie.

Her hands were clenched together in front of her, fingers interlocked, with sunlight escaping from the gaps. Her mouth was tight, her face deep in concentration, because she was making the Scourge … again.

“Oliver!” He glanced back over his shoulder to see Seth edging along the wall toward the doors. “Get out of there!”

Oliver felt a rush of heat. The table burst into flames above him. Chunks of burning wood rained down. He dragged himself toward Suzyn, daring to look up at the window again—

Emalie was gone.

Oliver fell forward on his stomach. The pain from his side was overwhelming. It was like his legs and his left arm no longer even worked. With all his strength, he pushed himself up on his right elbow and flopped onto his back.

On the other side of the collapsed table was the faint outline of Monique, standing within an orb of pulsating sunlight. Wind whipped around the room. Oliver felt the heat on his face.

“Uhh,” Suzyn moaned from beside him. Oliver tried to reach toward her but fell back. He stared at the charred ceiling. This was it. Emalie had gotten her wish. Oliver felt the fire spreading on his clothes. He was practically blinded by the extreme light in the room—

All at once, it winked out. Monique was gone. There was the faintest sound of ash raining down on the floor.

Some darkness returned, but there were fires glowing everywhere.

“Don't move,” a gravelly voice murmured. Oliver looked up to see Mr. VanWick beside him, his coat balled in his hands. He stamped out the fires on Oliver, then picked him up. Oliver noticed another teacher, Ms. Estreylla, lifting Suzyn.

He heard the moans and murmurs of classmates as they were rushed upstairs. Oliver felt cool tile as he was laid down in the first-floor hallway. The green blindness in his eyes slowly gave way to grotesqua dancing above him.

He heard Mr. VanWick nearby, talking with the other teachers. “Call Half Light. They're going to need a team over here to make this look like a kitchen fire.”

“The parents should be on their way already,” said Ms. Estreylla.

“Whoever did this may still be outside,” Ms. Nikkolai said worriedly.

“We'll evacuate through the sewers,” Mr. VanWick added.

Oliver couldn't believe the pain from his amulet wound. It was commanding even more attention than his burns. He tried to sit up and caught a glimpse of maybe ten other students who were lying in the hall with him, their clothes smoldering. A sour smell filled the room.

Oliver laid back, the world blurring. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard Phlox. “Oliver!” She rushed over and began lifting him. “Oh, no …”

“I'm all right,” Oliver said weakly, staggering to his feet.

“Let's get you home.” Her voice shook as she moved Oliver's arm across her shoulders.

They started slowly down the hall. Other parents were rushing by to collect their kids. As they passed Mr. VanWick, Phlox leaned toward him. “Thank you,” she said. “And don't worry, my husband will find whoever did this.”

“Let me know when he does,” Mr. Van Wick muttered darkly, his eyes flaring with a lavender glow.