Reapers - Thirteen Brothers

XXI - Surveillance

“What part exactly of Applegate being a dork do you want me to comment on?”

“No. Look at his eyes,” I turned his head toward the front row. “I think he’s in contact with wraiths.”

When he saw the Carter’s creepy left eye, Vincent’s expression darkened. “I’ve always wanted to ransack his room anyway. Get ready. Tonight, we’ll pay your boyfriend a visit.”

I just bit my lower lip. It was getting tiresome arguing with him all the time. “He’s not a dork. He’s just smart. And he’s not my boyfriend, for your information.”

He opened his mouth for a retort, hesitated, then nodded without another word. Miraculously, he stopped making snide remarks after that. He even ditched all his subjects to sit in my classes. Like the first two periods, some students still threw inconspicuous looks at us when they thought we weren’t aware.

I just looked down and ignored them.

Vincent just stayed quiet the whole time which gave me the idea that maybe something was wrong.

When I placed my hand over his forehead to check if he had the temperature, he backed away as if I had some contagious skin condition. His face flushed after that.

Maybe he had a fever or something.

I concentrated on Carter.

So far, he had been behaving relatively normal. But there were moments when I caught glance of him glowering at Vincent, or me. I couldn’t really tell. It was really difficult looking at him straight in his bad eye without my nape prickling.

The hours seemed to drag. The clock was ticking and I felt like a burned out match, trying to think what horrible things wraiths could do to Carter and his family.

We gave Vladimir the details during the drive back to Sinclair Manor.

Despite the mansion's sheer size and out of place grandeur, I was surprised that it could be thoroughly hidden in the woods. I wasn’t able to spot it until we were directly in front of the gigantic willow tree in the courtyard.

Without further ado, the masters darted into the house. As we moved along the leftwing corridors, Vladimir paused unblinking for a few pensive moments.

“I could swear that no one in the Applegate household is due for expiration for the next few years, but just to be sure, Vincent—“

“On it,” Vincent replied too quickly, as though sensing his brother’s apprehension.

Without being told, I followed him to a narrow hallway that looked more like a dungeon. At the end of it was a massive arched stone door that seemed too impossibly heavy to budge. Vincent pressed his right arm against the concrete, his number thirteen Roman tattoo glowing blood-red underneath his sleeves.

A straight crack appeared in the middle of the enormous door before it split in half and slid sideways with a grinding noise. The air smelled of dust and old books. Rows upon rows of towering bookcases lined the seemingly endless hall. I just stepped in the hugest library in the Milky Way.

“What are we looking for again?” I asked Vincent as I gaped and marveled at the two-story building high bookcases. Noticing that there were no ladders lying around, I gulped.

“The latest Master List for the month of December,” Vincent announced louder than expected.

Before I could tell him off that I have no hearing problem, a two-foot long cylinder wriggled from the top case three rows from where we stood. It zoomed past me, virtually hitting me on the head before it veered to Vincent’s direction. Deftly, he stretched an arm and caught it.