Obscure

twenty

TABATHA FIDDLED WITH the hem of her quilt, unsure how to react. Sophie hugged her Naruto plush to her chest and waited. Her roommate gazed at her, her lips pressed together.

"Are you sure you're not just...overreacting about Mr. Wolfe?" Tabatha's tone was gentle.

Sophie flushed. "I guess I am," she admitted. "I just found it weird how he called me aside after class today."

Tabatha nodded. Then she grinned. "I'm glad that you had fun with Eli," she said. She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. "Can I see the tattoo?"

"It's already started to chip away." Sophie held out her wrist. The tattoo had cracked and faded, especially around the edges.

"I think it's cute," Tabatha crooned.

Then a sharp knock rapped against the door. A stilled silence passed over the room. Sophie and Tabatha both shared a grim glance. Sophie's eyebrows pushed together with confusion, and Tabatha seemed grim. The latter pushed aside her quilt and stood. Then she called, "Come on in. It's unlocked."

The door clicked open. Sophie stiffened when Aubrey stepped inside, her eyes cold. Aubrey looked around the room, her nose curled. "Are you ready? It's time for you to move."

Sophie glanced down at the bag again. Her chest clenched; she should have added more to the bag while she talked to Tabatha. Her fingers tugged at the zipper. "What all do I need exactly?"

"Just what's inside the bag." Aubrey sounded annoyed. "It should have the appropriate clothing and items."

Sophie unzipped the bag and rummaged through it. It had bland, dark clothing and the usual toiletries stuffed inside.

With a nod, Sophie shoved Naruto into the bag and then re-zipped it. She shouldered it and then glanced at Tabatha.

Tabatha stepped closer and hugged her. "You've got this," she whispered. "I know you don't want to play, but still. Kick everyone's butt, okay?"

"I'll do my best," Sophie muttered, half-heartedly. Her arms wound around Tabatha and squeezed tight. It would be strange not sharing a room with her for the next week or so. Sophie had just gotten used to Tabatha's light snoring.

Tabatha beamed, and then released her.

Sophie sighed and turned toward Aubrey. "Let's go."

Aubrey led Sophie out of the girl's dormitory, her pace brisk. Then she turned left, down an unfamiliar hallway. Sophie struggled in vain to match the model's pace. The hallway soon morphed into an ancient spiral staircase. Aubrey's navy wedges clicked against each stone step as they made their descent. A stony silence settled between them; it coiled thick like a python, filled with tension.

Sophie looked around. Her stomach twisted tight inside her. The nerves started to build. Then she sucked in a sharp breath. "Where will the games be?"

"The actual location is kept secret," Aubrey answered, stiff. "Only the contestants, House-Heads, and the Headmaster have access to that information. It keeps others from meddling with the games."

"Oh." Sophie fell silent after that.

It didn't take long before the uncomfortable silence shattered again. Only this time, Aubrey wielded the axe. "You seem to be close to Mr. Wolfe."

Sophie stumbled. "Um, what?"

Aubrey shot her a cautionary look from over her shoulder, her expression guarded. "I know you saw. He pulled me aside this morning before I announced that you'd won," she elaborated. "He seemed pretty concerned about you."

"He was?" Sophie flushed.

"Yes," Aubrey said. The annoyance crept back into her tone. "It seemed like he didn't want you to be involved with the games."

Sophie rubbed at her nose. She couldn't imagine why Mr. Wolfe wouldn't want her to be in the games, except that should she win, she would mate Eli. Her cheeks burned an even brighter shade of red. She didn't dare begin to hope that it was because of anything like that.

Aubrey frowned.

"I have no clue why," Sophie said.

"I'm sure." Aubrey's tone dropped a few degrees.

The hairs on Sophie's arms stood straight, and her heart thudded inside her chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Aubrey whirled then. Her hand pressed flat against Sophie's chest, and Sophie's back slammed into the stone wall behind her. The air in her lungs escaped with a sudden whoosh! The hand moved upward, slender fingers curling around Sophie's neck. It didn't hinder her air supply; it was just a threat.

Sophie gasped for air. "What the heck?"

Aubrey glared. Her icy eyes sent a chill racing up and down Sophie's spine. "It means that I want you to stay away from Wolfe, understand?"

Sophie didn't understand. Something in her expression must had betrayed her, for Aubrey's lip curled back over her teeth. She growled, sounding more animal than human. "He's mine."

"You're mated?"

Aubrey stepped back. The sudden release caused Sophie's knees to buckle. She collapsed onto the ground and grunted in pain.

"No," Aubrey said. The guttural twinge to her tone had vanished. "We're not mated. It's impossible for a vampire and a werewolf to mate."

Sophie gaped up at Aubrey. The girl towered over her, illuminated from behind by the moonlight that seeped through the window above. Her hands clenched into tight fists. Her hair fell forward and streaked across her forehead. Her lips pressed into a firm line. Sophie gulped. "What do you mean?"

"Please," Aubrey snorted. "I know you're not that dumb. I've heard the rumors myself."

"You mean, they're true?" Sophie's heart went into overdrive. It pounded inside her chest like a helicopter.

Then Aubrey smiled. It was cruel, and revealed her teeth. The canines had dropped lower, pointed and sharper than her other teeth.

Sophie stared. Her mind stopped working. "I don't want to be a vampire," she whispered.

"Relax. You'll only get turned into a vampire if you win the games," Aubrey explained. Her smile vanished and she started to walk again. Sophie watched her, unable to move.

Then Aubrey said, "I would follow me by the way. I'm not the scariest thing in this castle."