Echoes (10 page)

A shiver went down my spine. Because the moment that little piece of information clicked for me, so did one of my own memories.

It was of Ethan pressing me up against the side of my house the first night he saved me from the Upyri, staring deeply into my eyes, much as I’d just witnessed him doing with Bree. It had felt intimate then, as if he’d been about to kiss me instead of just talk.

“Forget, Olivia,”
he’d said.

Something really wrong was going on here.

“Bree, you still remember what Upyri are, right?”

She nodded. “Of course. Upyri hunting’s in my blood. And you—you said they’re back.” She frowned. “Funny, I almost forgot that for a moment.”

“Do you remember, in anything you’ve heard or read before about them, do they have the ability to hypnotize their victims?”

Her expression turned thoughtful and she nodded. “It’s one of their weapons along with major strength and accelerated healing. You should never, ever look directly into the eyes of an Upyr. Very bad idea.”

I glared at her. “Why didn’t you tell me that before? You know they’re after me, don’t you?”

“Sorry.” She shrugged. “But obviously you’re still alive. No harm done. Have you seen another one lately?”

“Yeah. Yesterday.”

“Seriously?” Her gaze shifted. “Oh, there’s Ethan now.”

I tensed and looked over my shoulder. Ethan stood by his locker, leaning his back against it. His expression was open and our eyes met.

Upyri could hypnotize a human. Make them defenseless. Make them not fight back.

Make them
forget
.

Oh, my God. Was I actually giving this ridiculous theory the time of day? Ethan was
not
an Upyr. It didn’t make any sense at all. Ethan had been the one to
save
me from the Upyri who’d wanted to kill me. That was the evidence right there that my imagination was getting away from me.

I turned to Bree. “Listen, can we get together later? Just you and me? I need your help.”

She eyed me like I’d grown another head. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. I’m serious.”

“Why would I want to help you?”

I hissed out a breath. “Look, as much as I’d like to debate our messy history and why you should hate me or I should hate you, I really don’t have the time or energy. I need to get more information on Upyri and I think that you might have it, whether or not you currently realize that. So it’s either a yes or no.”

“Gosh, you make it sound like so much fun. Of course. Yeah. We can get together and talk about the monsters who want to suck you dry.”

“Fine. Good. I’ll call you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Hooray.”

I turned away from her and fixed my full attention on Ethan. I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other as I crossed the hall to stand in front of him.

“Morning.” He gave me a grin that nearly smashed every single doubt that had just crystallized in my mind.

“How are you feeling?” I asked, twisting the chain of my silver locket tightly around my finger.

He touched the back of his head gingerly. “Better.”

“Good.”

His smile held. “I talked to Bree a minute ago.”

I wanted to tell him that Bree didn’t happen to remember this particular conversation, but I held my tongue. “Oh yeah?”

I glanced over my shoulder to see she’d already taken off; all I saw was the back of her head as she disappeared into a nearby classroom.

“It’s weird, though,” he said. “She doesn’t remember any journal. Do you think maybe you heard her wrong yesterday?”

I shrugged and gripped my books tighter to my chest. I tried to keep my voice steady. “Maybe. I thought she said there was a journal, but she’s a bit of a flake. Always has been. If she doesn’t remember it today, that doesn’t give me a ton of confidence in her ability to help us figure anything else out.”

“Which leads us right back to square one.” His jaw tightened. He drew closer so no one would hear us. “My plan is still to trap an Upyr in that locked room so we can question him after his strength starts to fade. When he’s so desperate for blood he won’t have the energy to lie to us. He’ll tell us everything.”

I went silent for a long moment, my brain racing. Desperate times called for desperate measures. “You’re right. We need to do that. And...I can be the bait.”

He looked uneasy at the suggestion. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought. When that Upyr shows again, we lead him in there and slam the door behind him.”

He mulled this over. “I don’t know.”

“We could go back to the warehouse today after school and see if he comes for me again.”

“Today?”

“I don’t want to wait any longer. It makes me feel like they’re the ones in control. That I’m helpless, just waiting and watching. It’s driving me crazy.” My grip on the books grew tighter.

His expression tensed. “I swear I won’t let anything happen to you, Liv.”

“I’m kind of counting on that.” I didn’t pull away from him when he brushed my hair back from my shoulder. He was close enough that I could feel the heat from his body. He smelled good, warm and clean. I closed my eyes, leaning against him, and tried to pretend just for a moment that everything was okay.

“Uh-oh,” he said.

My eyes snapped open. “What?”

“Problem.”

I glanced over to the other side of the hallway.

Peter stood there flanked by two of his friends, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his eyes narrowed into slits.

He looked mad as hell.

Uh-oh, indeed.

“So it’s true,” Peter said.

My stomach sank. I moved away from Ethan and put myself protectively in front of him, much like he’d done yesterday with the Upyr.

“Peter...”

“Shut up,” he snapped.

My eyebrows went up. “Excuse me?”

His gaze moved to me and narrowed even further. “I can’t believe this. I don’t understand what’s going on right now. Ethan Cole? Seriously? That’s the loser you decide to cheat on me with?”

I cringed. “Peter, let’s talk about this in private.”

“You’ve been pushing me away all week. Now I know why. You know, I’ll admit that throwing you in the pool was a stupid, but this?” He shook his head. There was no sadness, only outrage in his expression. “You two have made me look like a total idiot around here. Everyone’s laughing at me right now.”

“Peter, nobody’s laughing. Just try to relax.”

“And you.” He glared at me. “I’ve given you time to get over your issues about your stupid scar. I haven’t pushed you into anything you didn’t want to do. I’ve tried to be good to you, and this is how you treat me?”

His words stung like a slap. “You don’t understand.”

“Get out of the way, Olivia. Now.”

He wanted to fight with Ethan. Right here in the middle of the hallway at nine in the morning, right underneath a banner advertising junior prom tomorrow night.

He walked right up to me and when I didn’t move on my own he shoved me out of the way.

Ethan’s attention snapped from me to Peter and his eyes narrowed. “Shouldn’t have done that.”

“She can’t protect you,” Peter snapped. “This is between you and me now.”

“Walk away.”

Peter snorted. His friends snorted. “Is that what I need to do? Thanks for your opinion, asshole.”

Peter hit him, his fist connecting solidly with Ethan’s jaw, making his head snap to the side. Ethan still didn’t make a move to defend himself, but when he looked at Peter again, there was zero friendliness or understanding left in his gaze.

“Don’t.” It was a warning this time, like the growl from a waking lion.

“You know what, Cole? You’re a loser. Have been since the day I saw you hiding in the corner of the cafeteria in ninth grade eating the lunch your mommy packed for you. I liked it better when you hid in those corners like the other cockroaches around here. Otherwise, I need to start squashing you.”

Ethan just glared at him. “You always talk out of your ass like this? Or am I just special?”

Peter’s eyes flashed with anger. “You need to stay away from Olivia.”

“No. Don’t think I will.”

Peter stepped closer until there were only inches separating them. “Let me make this a bit more clear. Stay away from her or I’m going to kick your ass.”

This time Ethan was the one who snorted. “Good luck with that.”

Being mocked was just enough to push Peter over the edge he’d been precariously balancing on. What had come before was his version of a gentle warning. People usually did what they were told and stayed out of his way. He had twenty pounds and a couple inches on Ethan. He was into sports. I honestly didn’t know if Ethan had ever been in a fight at school before.

“Both of you,” I snapped, “stop this right now.”

“Shut up, slut,” Peter growled at me.

Then he swung at Ethan again, but Ethan caught his fist before it made contact. Then Ethan grabbed hold of Peter’s shirt and shoved him backward.

It was no normal shove. Peter flew across the hallway and slammed hard into the wall. Ethan pushed back his sleeves and moved closer as Peter scrambled to get back up, gasping for breath.

I just stared at all of this with shock. Ethan grabbed Peter, pulled him up to his feet, and slammed him against the lockers.

“Don’t come near me again,” he growled. “Or you’ll be sorry.”

Peter’s buddies gathered him up and the three of them disappeared down the hall without another word spoken. I was speechless as well. Finally Ethan looked directly at me and he had the grace to look guilty.

“I didn’t want that to happen,” he said and raked his hand through his dark hair. “I’ll—I’m going to go to class now. I’ll see you later.”

I just nodded as he turned and walked away.

Peter’s reaction to learning me and Ethan had been spending time together hadn’t been all that surprising. It bothered me that it had led to a scene like this, but it wasn’t what scared me so deeply that I could barely move as everyone disappeared from the hallways leaving me standing out there all alone.

And it hadn’t been Bree’s odd forgetfulness and how she’d confirmed that Upyri had the ability to hypnotize someone to forget about something like a journal. Or an entire conversation.

It wasn’t because Ethan had shoved Peter so hard that nobody without some kind of supernatural strength could possibly do that.

No, I was frozen in place because of something I’d just seen.

Or rather, something I
hadn’t
seen.

When Ethan rolled his shirt sleeves up, I’d gotten a glimpse of the skin beneath. The wound, the one from the knife the Upyr used yesterday, the one that had bled so much I thought he’d need stitches to close it up...

It had already healed.

There had to be another explanation. There
had
to be.

But the longer I thought about it, the fewer explanations I could think of. There really was only one possibility left staring me in the face.

Ethan was an Upyr.

He had the strength, he had the knowledge, and he had the healing ability. It’s very likely he’d hypnotized Bree into forgetting about that journal—a journal he might have found personally threatening. Maybe it said something important, something that her great-great-grandfather knew about fighting against Upyri.

I was so distracted by all of this that Ms. Carlson even pulled me aside in English and asked if I was ill. I shrugged it off but she insisted I head to the nurse’s office. Instead I sat in the hall by my locker for twenty minutes with my knees pulled up tight to my chest.

By the end of the day I had managed to compose myself. At the very least, when I stared at my reflection in the girls’ washroom, I didn’t look like I was ready to freak out.

I looked calm, controlled. I had to remain that way or I was in big trouble.

Bigger
trouble.

In both classes we shared, I studied Ethan’s face, trying to see any sign that he was blatantly lying to me, using me, lulling me into a false sense of security before he killed me and let one of his friends take over my body.

I tried to pretend I hadn’t started to piece things together until they began to resemble an ugly Frankenstein monster.

Ethan wanted to go to the warehouse after school to try to trap a monster. I’d offered to be bait.

As far as I was concerned, the plan was still on.

“That Upyr might not come back this quickly,” he warned. “He’s off finding a new shell. That could take time.”

“It’s worth a shot.” I forced the words out.

“I agree.”

“Where are the other Upyri? Still trapped somewhere?” I looked around nervously, a line of perspiration sliding down my back.

“Yeah, probably. We’ll find out where when we get some answers from the Upyr. I’m guessing that they’re waiting for a certain time to help the others escape. The only question is when? And how can we stop that from happening?”

I swallowed. “Good question.”

I heard a buzz and pulled my phone from my bag, glancing at the screen and grimacing at what it said.

It’s over.

Just two words, but I knew exactly what they meant.

“You okay?” Ethan asked.

There was a loaded question if ever I’d heard one. “Peter just officially dumped me.”

There was silence for a moment. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I was going to break up with him anyway. It’s better that he did it first.”

He didn’t reply to that, but I felt him watching me.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. The sight of the abandoned warehouse looming in the distance filled me with icy apprehension.

I shifted the strap of my bag to my other shoulder, trying very hard to stay strong and look relaxed. “So tell me what I should do if I’ve got one of them chasing me. Walk me through it.”

He looked uneasy. “I’ll be with you the whole time.”

I shook my head. “No, you need to stay hidden.”

“Yeah, fine. Okay.” He glanced around at our surroundings. “So if you can get him here, run in through these doors.”

I followed him into the unpleasant but familiar dark, damp and dusty interior of the warehouse. He reached up to flick on the single light, which cast the room in spooky shadows. The thick metal door to what we’d be using as a prison had a small open window on it, about four inches square at eye level. The key hung on its chain next to it.

I took this all in with a sweeping glance, my heart pounding hard and fast.

“So how am I supposed to get him in the room?” I asked.

He moved toward the door, looking inside, before glancing at me. “A firm shove should do it. And don’t worry, I’ll be able to help once you get him this far.” He pulled out a knife from the bag he carried. “I’m armed now. Silver blade. I swear I won’t leave this at home again.”

He placed the knife and bag on the table next to me.

“Do you have a phone on you?” I asked. “My battery died right after I got Peter’s text and I want to call my mom and let her know I won’t be home for a bit.”

“Sure.” He fished into his pocket and pulled out his phone and handed it to me.

“Thanks.” I looked up into his face trying to find the answers I knew wouldn’t be there.

“You’re trembling.” His expression shifted to concern as he stroked a long strand of dark hair off my forehead. “I swear, it’s going to be okay, Liv. I won’t let them hurt you. No matter what I have to do, I won’t let that happen. Try not to be scared.”

“No?” I swallowed hard. “I’m standing in a dirty warehouse with a boy I barely know, getting ready to trap a monster who wants to kill me. You don’t think I should be scared?”

He grinned a little at that. “Well, when you put it that way...”

I drew up on my tip toes, slid my hand behind his head, and kissed him. He inhaled sharply as if he hadn’t expected this, but wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me closer to him.

“You keep surprising me,” he whispered when we parted.

“Do I?”

“Yeah.”

“Good surprises or bad surprises?”

“Good ones.”

I exhaled shakily. “I’m sorry, Ethan. If I’m wrong about this, I’m so, so sorry.”

His brows drew together. “Sorry? For what?”

I braced my hands against his chest and shoved him backward with every last ounce of my strength. He staggered the couple of steps into the room behind him. I grabbed the door and slammed it shut. He grabbed for a handle that didn’t exist on his side of the door. His wide eyes appeared at the tiny window.

“Liv, what are you doing?”

I was shaking all over, but I grabbed the key from the side of the door and put the chain around my neck so the key hung next to my locket. My lips still tingled from the kiss.

“Olivia! What are you doing?” he demanded again.

I turned my back on him and went to the table, shoving his knife into his bag and throwing in the cell phone along with it.

“I said I was sorry. I meant it. But I don’t know what else to do right now.” I grabbed my own bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a wrapped sandwich that I’d bought earlier in the school cafeteria when I’d prepared for this, moving close enough to the door to shove both items through the small window.

He looked very confused. “Olivia, let me out of here. We need to talk about this.”

“Are you an Upyr?” I was barely able to get the sentence out since it hurt my throat so much.

His eyes widened. A heavy pause wrought with his surprise hung between us. “What? I’ve been helping to fight against them. I’ve been telling you everything I know about them. Why would I do that if I’m one of them?”

“I honestly don’t know.” I shook my head, feeling my brain rattle around inside. “I don’t know, I don’t know. But there have been too many things...too many weird things that I can’t figure out. You made Bree forget about the journal—I don’t know how, but you did! And you shoved Peter so hard this morning—nobody has that kind of strength. Nobody
human
.”

“Olivia—”

“And your knife wound...the one from yesterday. It’s already healed. I saw it, Ethan. Explain that to me if you can.”

He stared at me through the small window, his gaze fixed in shock and confusion that I would trick him into a locked room with a kiss.

“There’s an explanation, Liv. There is.”

“What? That you’re a special kind of vampire hunter? One who heals up all nice and fast? Maybe you’re, like, half-Upyri and you use that strength inside you to fight the monsters. I think I’ve seen that movie before. It’s fiction. And this is...I don’t know what the hell this is, Ethan. But there’s only one way for me to find out. Besides, this was your plan in the first place. If you’re human, then that water and sandwich should be enough to last you for a day. If you’re not—then it won’t be.”

Anger replaced the confusion in his gaze. He slammed his fist against the metal door. “Damn it, Olivia. Let me out of here right now!”

I moved closer to the tiny window, but not close enough that he could reach through it and grab me. “I have no choice, don’t you see that? If I’m wrong, then you have every right to hate me for doing this. But if I’m right—if you killed the real Ethan and stole his body, then I hate you. I hate you so much I’ll want to watch you burn.”

The sound of him yelling my name echoed in my ears as I ran out of the warehouse.