Morning came around before I knew it. Groggy, I went through the motions of my routine and was out of sorts as I stepped into the mailroom to see Lucien there, sitting at a table with a cup in hand.
"Good morning, Miss Tate."
Yawning, I threw my hand in a wave. "Morning."
"Come and sit," he said, gesturing to the chair across from him where another cup steamed. I sat and peered into the mug, wondering if he was drinking the same drink. He was a vampire. Would it be rude to look? "Tea."
The cup warmed my fingers as I took hold of it, and even though I didn't like tea, I took a sip. It wasn't all bad, and not anywhere near as hot as expected. Maybe I never had a decent cup. "Thank you."
Lucien nodded and stared. He stared like I was a puzzle he couldn't figure out. In a way, I felt like one. Knowing his cousin intended to use me against him was puzzling. I shifted under his gaze, wondering if I should say something, when he finally stood.
"Take your time as you deliver mail. You'll be moving up and down staircases."
"Sir," I said, catching him before he could depart. "Do you think it would be better if I left? I can't help but think I'm putting myself in unnecessary danger."
Lucien faced me from the door, his expression impossible to read. "If you leave, there are no wards to keep her from you. I cannot say what her intentions are, but she never leaves loose ends. If you lose your usefulness, she will kill you."
My shoulders sagged with a mixture of relief and worry. On one hand, it was nice knowing I didn't have to leave and that the university afforded me some protection. On the other hand, it unsettled me to know I was on my way to being murdered. What would happen when she realized I couldn't be controlled? That alone made me sick to my stomach.
"Do not think of it," Lucien said. He had somehow crossed the space between us without me noticing. His hand fell upon my shoulder, almost uncertainly. It was a far cry from flirty so I wasn't worried as he gave it a soft pat. His eyes though, were steeled with determination. "I will do everything in my power to keep her from harming you."
Ashamed, I dropped my gaze. There had been moments where I doubted this man, and here he was making solemn promises. "Thanks."
"Drink your tea and get to work."
When he was gone, I sat at the table a short while, sipping until the liquid was lower. I didn't want to drink the last of it, where all the leaves clumped, no matter how beneficial that may be. I wasn't a tea person, after all.
The mailroom wasn't overloaded with mail or anything, but I had to stamp each envelope and package with a red seal-of-approval and sort it by floor and dorm. It was a great thing the room came with a handy little binder that listed who stayed where, because I didn't want to wander the halls all day. I delivered mail to the first floor first, knowing no one would be awake for a little while.
My logic, there, was that a freshman student would be unlikely to assist in the breaching of the wards. Not only would it be impossible to hide that level of talent, it would be hard to believe a freshman could learn the layout of the wards. Naturally, I wanted the skilled upperclassmen.
On the other three floors, I went door-to-door knocking instead of just shoving mail through the chutes. I claimed the headmaster wanted to know if anyone was unsettled or if they saw anything. My investigation was a double-whammy of failure because I didn't get a lot of useful information and nearly all of them wanted to tell me something. I wrote down anything even close to pertinent and went on my way.
Early into the afternoon, shortly after I finished, my legs were wobbly from being up and about all day. I slumped into the mailroom, leaving the door open, and sat at the table to review what information I'd acquired. The only semi-useful information I'd gotten were student locations at the time of lockdown. If Lucien were feeling ambitious, he could fact-check them or something. Otherwise? Useless.
A knock sounded from the doorway. Blake grinned and waved as I looked up. "Heya. How's it going? You're not pushing yourself too hard, are you?"
"No. Just taking a break."
"What are you looking at?"
"Headmaster wanted me to take a survey."
"Ah. Hey, um, how do you feel about Professor Lacroix?"
That was a random question if ever I heard one. I shrugged. "I don't know. I like him well enough. Why?"
Blake shrugged, too. "I thought I might ask him for help with my senior project. You get to spend a lot of time with him. Think he'd help?"
"I don't see why not. He's offered to help me and he is a professor." I climbed to my feet, legs still wobbly. "But I should take this to the headmaster before it gets late."
"All right." Blake grinned and slapped the doorframe. "See you in a bit."
The morning of initiation came upon us as I was roused from a comfortable slumber by Blake. Naomi was awake, too, and looked as sleepy as I felt. But Blake? She didn't look like she'd been asleep at all. She was bright-eyed and brimming with excitement. Ugh. She was either a morning person or she and the seniors had gotten up way earlier to set their devious plots into action.
"Initiation, remember?"
It was impossible to forget, but I didn't think it would be so harsh. We were ushered out in our pajamas, given no time to change or grab shoes. I thanked the Goddess I was wearing a sweater to bed because the morning air was damp and gave rise to goosebumps.
It was only us girls on the forest path, grouped up like cattle. We weren't allowed to use magic or speak, either. The seniors stood around us, silent, dressed in black robes with carved, wooden masks.
"Welcome, ladies, to initiation!" One senior stepped forward, dragging a sack, and pulled her mask and hood off. It was Jessica Garcia, her flawless black hair rolling free. I wondered if she knew a spell that made her hair so perfect. "I know you're cold and your feet might hurt, but remember our history and be thankful for the opportunities you have today. Our ancestors were not so fortunate."
It was quiet a moment as the weight of her words settled. I was too cold to care and it took everything in my power not to use the Warmth spell—consequences be damned.
Jessica opened the sack and passed out a bunch of white robes. "Put on your robes. Leave any clothes you don't want ruined here."
Uh-oh. By the looks of the robe, my scar, in all its hideous glory, would be on full display. As much as I wanted to cover my neck, though, sweatshirts with high necks were hard to find. Reluctantly, I tugged my sweatshirt off and changed. The linen robe was thinner than my sweatshirt, but longer than my shorts. It would do.
Like clockwork, seniors stepped forward to bind our wrists with scratchy rope. I wasn't sure who tied my hands, but they did it harshly until the rope was tight to the point of burning. Then they moved on to another student.
If that wasn't bad enough, the blindfolds came next. Jessica stopped before me with a blindfold, mouth opening until her stare fell to my neck. Her face scrunched so overtly I couldn't stop myself from covering it with my bound hands.
"Do you mind?"
"Sorry," Jessica whispered, averting her stare. It might have been because she felt uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything else as she tied the cloth around my eyes and at the back of my head.
The cloth was sheer enough that I could make out figures, but not enough that I could really see. It was beginning to feel like the start of a bad story and I didn't like it one bit. I supposed, though, that the seniors wouldn't just let anything happen.
"Vera," a voice whispered beside me. I assumed the hand that nudged my arm belonged to them, and I was pretty sure it was Naomi.
"Yes."
She didn't speak again.
"I'll remain here with the group until the last of you is taken down the path," Jessica said. "You'll be led, one at a time, to our destination. You're not in any danger, but we're required to stop if any of you feel unsafe. If so, just tell your senior and they'll help you remove your bindings and escort you back to the school. Otherwise, stay on the path."
More than anything, I wanted to claim my curse made this too hazardous and go inside for some much-needed sleep. It would be so easy. The only thing keeping me there, I supposed, was what Naomi would think.
"For now, silence."
The group of us stood in an eerie quiet, listening to the creaking forest and the crunching of dry leaves as freshmen were randomly spirited away. Someone tugged at my hand and pulled me with them. I followed, hesitantly, but they were moving so fast I had to hurry to keep up. Everything was fine until we moved from the path onto wet grass.
Alarm bells rang in my mind and my insides twisted with warning. We were supposed to stay on the path. Jessica has just said it. I ripped my hand from the senior's and reached for the blindfold. "I'm done."
Before I could lift the thing, something stuck me across the face. I crumbled to the ground, seeing squiggles and stars, and the person yanked me into their arms. I wasn't super heavy or anything, but hauling me off the ground was no small feat.
"Let me go!" I screamed, or tried to. My voice didn't come. A spell, surely. Fussing against them, I stabbed my nails into whatever I could grab onto. The girl hissed and warm liquid sank beneath my nails. Blood. But she still wouldn't let go.
Time to kick it up a notch. I pressed my hands to whatever skin I could grab and cast Shock the same way Professor Waters had. Well, I tried to. Lightning popped at my fingers, visible enough to see through the blindfold, and burned into my flesh. While it hurt, a lot, it must have hurt my assailant just as much because I hit the ground as she shrieked. Just as I slid the blindfold down, I had barely a moment to register the narrow boot that struck my face.
Then I was falling, my vision spotty. It was a longer fall than expected. That was a bad sign. I braced myself for pain and screamed as I slammed into something hard. Wood? My left side felt like I broke everything. Something creaked above me and slammed shut. A lid. An unnaturally rapid dusting of dirt fell atop it. A coffin, I realized.
Someone was burying me alive.
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