Dreams (Sarah Midnight Trilogy 1) (16 page)

Nothing. Nothing, except some dry, sweet-smelling dust.

“What is it?”

“I think it’s … dry leaves.” Instinctively, Sarah took a bit of it between her fingertips, and smelled it.

“Thyme. Of course – I know where the diary is!” she said, running up the winding stairs, followed by Harry. She ran down the corridor and opened the heavy wooden door. The cold night enveloped her and chilled her to the bones, but she didn’t care. She ran down the stony steps and on to the gravel. Her bare feet were hurting her, but she couldn’t go back and get a pair of shoes, she couldn’t wait. She had to find the diary.

She ran to the back of the house, across the garden, and towards Anne’s patch. She kneeled on the damp soil, and started digging under the thyme bush, careful not to hurt its roots.

She felt something warm and soft around her shoulders. Harry had brought her the white woollen cardigan, and had kneeled beside her.

The new moon was watching them, a baby moon in the sky beyond the garden, shining on the moors and on the whole of Scotland. Harry took everything in, the beauty of that clear night, and Sarah’s face, determined, impatient, anxious, with her black hair like a silky waterfall on her shoulders. The light of the moon was reflected in her skin – he had often thought that Sarah was like the moon, white, luminous, distant.

Untouchable.

“There it is!” Sarah took out a parcel wrapped in oilcloth, tied with string. She opened it carefully. Inside, there was a blue book.

Sarah cleaned her hands on her bare legs, took the diary out, and opened it with reverence. Page after page of her mother’s writing. Pictures, drawings, samples of dried herbs in little transparent bags … spells, stories, recipes, all in Anne’s graceful script. She felt tears of joy pouring down her cheeks. Harry held her in his arms, and she let him. She closed her eyes, lost in silent joy, her face against Harry’s chest, his arms around her waist, and her mother’s diary cradled between them.

Watch over me as I go

Watch over me though you can’t be there

Sarah woke slowly, peacefully, after a deep sleep. She came back to the surface, blinking, feeling she’d been sleeping for days, when it had only been three hours. She caught a glimpse of the clock on her bedside table.

Half eight!

She jumped out of bed, disturbing Shadow, who leapt up with an outraged miaow.

Sarah had only half an hour to wash, get dressed and run to school. Impossible.

“Oh, no,” she moaned, rubbing her face with her hands. She’d spent most of the night reading her mother’s diary, and had fallen asleep well after dawn.

She couldn’t wait to be out of Trinity. At least at the RCS she was going to have a bit more freedom on how to organize her work … if she managed to get in. And considering what the Midnight way of life was – well, she was going to need a lot of freedom.

She had a quick shower, dried her hair and put her uniform on, very, very carefully. She looked at herself in the mirror, and immediately she felt breathless. No, that wasn’t
right
. She sighed in frustration, undid the buttons of her shirt and did them up again – a hurried version of her morning rituals. There was no more time. That would have to do. She noticed deep blue shadows under her eyes. Like a vampire.

I look like the living dead.

Sarah sighed. She didn’t like the feeling of make-up on her skin, but this was an emergency. She grabbed some concealer and spread a bit of it under her eyes. She looked at herself critically. Not much better.
Oh well, I hope I look alluring, as opposed to just exhausted.

“Sarah, it’s late! I’ll give you a lift!”

Harry
. Hearing his voice gave her an involuntary, sudden bout of joy.

“Coming!” she called. With one last smoothing of her tights, she ran downstairs.

“I made you some toast and jam.”

Immediately Sarah looked at the toaster, anxiety forming a knot in her stomach already, but Harry had picked up every single crumb. She breathed deeply.
Thank you.

“I’m not very hungry, and it’s late.”

“Sarah, you’ve got to eat. I’m going to sit here until you finish at least one slice.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “You’re worse than Aunt Juliet!”

He laughed. A dimply laugh, Sarah noticed.

“You learnt to use the coffee machine? Well done!” she said mischievously.

“Not sleeping has its advantages.”

“Do you often not sleep?”

“Pretty much. I’m an insomniac; I have been since I was a child.”

He was wearing a checkered shirt with its sleeves rolled up – he always did that, rolled his sleeves up, Sarah thought fondly. She caught a glimpse of his scar, whiter than the rest of his arm. The sun streaming from the window made his blond hair shine.

He looks … strong. Yes, that’s the word. Strong and luminous, like a warrior of the sun.

And there it was again. Another little bout of joy. How long had it been, since she’d woken up happy? Long, long before her parents’ death.

“Will you be at school with me?”

“Yes. You won’t see me, but I’ll be there.”

Sarah nodded. She was safe, then. She put the last bit of toast in her mouth, and cleaned her hands.

“Ready,” she said. They ran out, with Sarah barely stopping to straighten the coats in the entrance.

“Oh, and Sarah?” he said casually, as they were walking down the gravelly path.

“That boy you were talking to, yesterday …”

“Jack.”

“Well, whatever his name, he’s not for you.” Harry’s tone was deliberately casual.

Sarah’s cheeks grew scarlet. “That is up to me, Harry.”

Harry smiled arrogantly. “I know. And I know you’ve already decided.”

“How would you know that?”

“I saw how you looked at him.”

“And how did I look at him?” She crossed her arms.

“Like you look at Aunt Juliet.” Harry opened the car.

He’s right. Still, how dare he!

They got into Harry’s car, a newly bought black Fiat Bravo. He’d said he wanted to keep the Land Rover for Sarah, that it wasn’t fair for him to use it. Sarah loved the Bravo. Its design was exquisite, both inside and outside, so much nicer than her parents’ Land Rover, big and intimidating like an army tank. Sure, it wasn’t very roomy, but her cello sat comfortably in the back, and that was enough. Harry noticed her looking around with satisfaction, and it pleased him, in a childish way.

“What do you have on today?”

Sarah was still sulking after his comment about Jack.

“Have you not checked my timetable?” she retorted.

Harry smiled placidly. “Not for today, no.”

“I’m going to spend most of the day practising with Mr Sands.”

“A good day, then.”

“Yes. What will you do? I mean, apart from following me around like a creepy stalker?”

“Ha ha. I need to speak to some friends.”

“Those mysterious friends who seem to know everything?”

“Those ones, yes.”

“And who would they be?”

“They prefer it if people don’t know about them.”

“Men or women?” asked Sarah. Harry stifled a smile.

“Men.”

“Right. Did you hunt with them?”

“Maybe.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. She didn’t like hearing about those friends of his. They reminded her of his life before her, a life she didn’t want him to go back to.

“Harry?”

“Mmmm.”

“When all this is finished, you
will
work as a doctor, won’t you?”

Harry looked at her quickly, before bringing his eyes back on the road.
It’ll be a long time before it’s finished. A lot longer than you imagine. If it ever finishes, and if we’re alive to see its end
.

“What brought this on?”

Sarah shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll keep hunting, just because I love it.”
I have no choice. It’ll be a long time before we’re free. If ever
.

“No,” she whispered.

“No?”

“I mean, don’t do it. Don’t do what my parents did.”

“It’s what I’ve always done.”

“I don’t want … I don’t want you to …” she stumbled.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I can look after myself!” laughed Harry.

Sarah was upset, and she didn’t say a word for the rest of the journey. They arrived at the school in silence.

“Are you OK? You’re quiet.”

Sarah nodded, and she got out of the Bravo. She took her cello from the back seat.

“Harry …”

“Yes.” She looked like a child, her face full of worry, her cheeks flushed.

“Don’t go hunting at night. Stay with me,” she said, and walked away quickly, without giving Harry time to answer, and without looking back.

Harry was still for a while, holding onto the wheel, following the splash of her purple cello case through the car park and up the steps, until it disappeared.

“Your hands are better,” said Mr Sands.

“Yes.”

“Are they less sore?”

“Yes.”
Everything is a little bit less sore, these days
.

She wondered where Harry was, if he was watching her right now, if he was listening.

At the end of the school day Sarah hurried out, nearly running. She stood at the top of the stairs with Bryony, Alice and Leigh, looking around the car park, until she spotted Harry’s car.

“Bye girls!”

“Sarah, wait! Are you coming to my house tonight?” asked Bryony.

“I can’t, sorry, Mr Sands gave me lots to do. I’ve got to go, there’s Harry.”

“
That’s
your cousin?” exclaimed Alice, looking at the tall blond man leaning on his car with his arms crossed. Sarah rolled her eyes.
Here we go again
.

“Does he have a girlfriend?” Alice added, and then, as Sarah was trying to pretend she didn’t hear, “You’ve
got
to introduce us, Sarah.”

Sarah frowned, and stormed off. Alice could be such a pain in the neck.
I’ll leave them to gossip in peace
.

“See you tomorrow, Sarah!” she heard Leigh calling.

“See you, Leigh!” Sarah called back, feeling a bit guilty for having walked away so abruptly. Leigh was a sweetheart.

“Hello. So, the red-haired one is Bryony, then?”

“Yes, why?” answered Sarah irritably.

“Nothing, just that I’ve heard so much about her. The blond one is very pretty. Who would that be?” he added. Sarah knew he was winding her up, but she couldn’t help rising to the bait.

“Alice,” she said crossly. “She’s too young for you!”

“I’m only twenty-two,” he retorted, putting Sarah’s cello in the back, carefully.

“Harry!”

“I’m just teasing you. I’m not looking for a girlfriend.” He laughed, and got into the car.

“Did you not have one in New Zealand?” asked Sarah, trying to keep her tone casual.

“I did. Mary Anne. She wasn’t the one.”

Mary Anne. The one who carried a knife in her bra. Ugh.

“Did you tell her that?”

“She sort of knew. Especially when she read my note. That made it pretty clear.”

“Your note? You left her with a
note
?” Sarah was horrified.

“The plane to London was about to leave. I didn’t have time to call her.”

“Right.”
What a gentleman. Poor Mary Anne
, thought Sarah, but she didn’t say anything.

“It was one of those things.”

“A girlfriend is not just ‘one of those things’, Harry!”

“Yes, well, I’m still to find the right one.” His words echoed between them like ripples of sound.

The right one.

Sarah looked away.

“Anyway, four days, and still nothing. I think they’ll attack soon.” Harry quickly changed the subject.

I think so too, I think they’ll be on us again very, very soon. And I know that tonight I’ll dream. I feel it in my bones.

Just thinking of another vision made Sarah shiver. But there was no way to avoid it. There was nowhere to hide, her dreams always found her. If they had something to tell her, they would, mercilessly.

“I read of a spell, yesterday, in my mother’s diary. I want to try it as soon as we get home.”

“What is it?”

“My mum calls it the sapphire’s song. It should tell us if someone is trying to get into the house.”

Harry nodded. “It sounds good.”

“Yes, hopefully I can make it work. Harry, I was wondering … why did my grandmother not teach my dad and Uncle Stewart her spells, but she taught my mum?”