Fall For Me ((The Tate Chronicles #1)) (5 page)

Seth seemed to get his kicks from making trouble for us. While Archer and I spent our time fighting the forces of evil, Seth was out there egging them on. If I was on your right shoulder encouraging your conscience to prevail, he would be on the left persuading you to do the opposite. Still, I wasn’t sure if I believed he was a complete lost cause.

It looks like you’ll be joining me soon,
Seth popped into my head.

Not a chance,
I shot back.

Oh come on, Grace, you can’t fool me. Admit it, we’re too much alike.

I am nothing like you, and I would never join you.

We’ll see.
Seth’s laughter rang through my mind.
You know you can’t stay away. That’s the beauty of us, Grace, we have forever.

Archer spotted Seth across the room and predicted our exchange. He could see I was a little rattled and put his hand on my arm.

“Just ignore him. We’re better than he is.”

I gave my brother a tentative smile. “I know. He just gets under my skin sometimes.”

Around us everyone was talking about the recent break up. Josh and Abby were both popular people and let’s face it, what was high school without gossip?

“Ok, Arch, as much as I love you and want to spend every moment with you, I’m going to find Emma before class starts.”

“Are you ok?” he asked as I pushed my chair back.

“Seth is nothing, you know that.”

“No, I mean Josh.”

I didn’t know what to tell him on that subject. We both knew the rules.

“I saw the way you two were looking at each other before,” he said.

“Nothing could possibly come of it, so why think about it?”

“Just don’t do anything stupid.”

I chuckled and shook my head as I walked towards the cafeteria doors. If anyone was going to do anything stupid in the Tate family, it would be Archer.

When I reached the door Seth and his two creepy sidekicks, Ivan and Blake, were staring at me again. I knew they were also fallen angels, but there was something different about them I couldn’t quite put my finger on. The only difference I could see was Seth wore a ring on his right hand, like all angels did, but Ivan and Blake had no rings and I was yet to work out why.

With no regard for school rules they all wore ripped black jeans, black T-shirts and the white school shirt unbuttoned over the top. I guess actually wearing the school shirt was a step in the right direction, if these boys could even go in the right direction. We’d all been at Hopetown Valley since the seventh grade, and I was actually surprised they hadn’t been expelled for one reason or another. They earned their bad boy label at an early stage, and most students steered clear of them for obvious reasons. They were just plain creepy.

I wouldn’t let Ivan and Blake intimidate me though, or Seth for that matter, they were not as tough as they made themselves out to be. I think Ivan and Blake were too caught up with the image of being bad they weren’t smart enough to realise how Seth couldn’t give a damn about them. I walked out the door and cringed, not because they scared me, because they disgusted me.

My knuckles rapped on the door to room number nine in the girls’ dorm, and I waited for my best friend Emma to answer. The first bell for the day rang and the hallway went from silence to mayhem instantly. I raised my hand to knock again and before my knuckles connected Emma’s door swung open.

“Hey, Grace, how’s your morning been?” Emma rushed out, slamming the door behind her.

“Just great.
We had a visit from Annie…”

“
Ugghh
,” Emma shuddered.

“Then Josh and Abby broke up.”

“Oh … well that’s interesting. What’s it been, like three years?”

I nodded but didn’t say anything further. I definitely was not a gossip girl.

We didn’t waste time talking about the Christmas break. I’d taken the two and half hour drive to Emma’s place at least twice a week, and she’d come to the shed a couple of times as well. Instead, as we crossed the yard to class, she told me about the new girl in the dorm. Emma was in the middle of a detailed description when something hit me on the shoulder and sent my bag flying. A normal person would’ve been rattled but I’d copped worse. It was really only a tap. I turned to tell the person nicely to watch where they were going, but faltered when I saw who it was. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks as I looked at the very person who could be my undoing.

Josh stared at me, his navy and gold school tie hung casually around his neck. His dark brown hair swept across his brow, and the strong chiselled features of his face were even more overwhelming up close. I still couldn’t believe he’d been thinking about me. I felt like a love sick school girl. Oh wait, I was one!

After apologising and picking up my bag, we discussed our first day timetable. I’d forgotten Emma was standing beside me until she cleared her throat. I hadn’t even heard the second bell ring. We hot-footed it to our English class and Mr Martin wasn’t overly impressed with our lateness. Archer had saved seats in the back for Emma and me.

“How come you’re late?” Archer whispered.

“Emma and I ran into Josh in the yard, literally.” I gave him a sheepish smile.

Archer shook his head then looked to the front of the class where Mr Martin had begun the lesson.

Shakespeare, but more importantly, a choice between
Macbeth
and
Romeo and Juliette;
I was tingling all over at the thought of it. Mr Martin dropped a copy of
Shakespeare’s Complete Works
on my desk and I held it in both hands, marvelling at its beauty. So much was written on those pages. Through my lashes I noticed Josh stealing a glance at me and it made my heart skip. I heard him thinking he didn’t like Shakespeare, or rather didn’t understand it.

“We will start with
Macbeth
,” Mr Martin said as he put the DVD in the player. “This movie is a modern representation and runs for almost two hours. We will watch as much as we can today. You may think this is a nice relaxing start to the new school year, but please pay attention,” he finished as he dimmed the lights.

The credits for the 2007 Australian version of
Macbeth
danced across the screen. I sighed and made myself comfortable, making sure I had an unobstructed view of Josh. He was resting his chin on his hands and already looking a bit baffled.

I let my mind wander, imagining what it would be like to have Josh hold me, running his hands through my hair and down my back, caressing my soft lips with his. A shiver shot down my spine and I shook in my seat. Of course this could never happen, and I quickly snapped out of my fantasy.

With one eye on Josh and the other on the screen, I rested my chin on my hands as well and went back to watching the movie. I knew it by heart but still loved it, and when I heard Archer stifle a yawn I looked at him disapprovingly.

He mouthed at me,
What
?

Pay attention. You’re supposed to be able to understand this version!

He rolled his eyes.
I don’t care how modernised it is, it’s still Shakespeare.

What was it with boys? Could they not appreciate good literature? I shook my head. Emma was doodling on her note pad and paying no attention either. Great, I’d be doing triple the work for this subject.

When the bell signalled the end of class I picked up my bag and walked with Archer and Emma across the yard. The school hummed around us with a pleasant vibe, and the heat of the summer sun was shining through the clouds. We entered the cafeteria for morning break while having a heated discussion about the movie so far, and I was losing two against one. I must have been naïve to think Emma and Archer would enjoy the contemporary version with guns blazing. It seemed the dialogue was still lost on them.

“The only thing I give it credit for is Sam Worthington and his hair,” Emma said, laughing.

“And the witches,” Archer said. “Hot.”

I groaned and gave up, accepting defeat. Today’s world was just too far removed, so I decided to change the subject.

“Who’s this new girl everyone’s talking about?”

“There’s a new girl?” Archer asked, putting his arm around my shoulders.

“Yeah, I saw her this morning,” Emma said.
“Blonde, tall and gorgeous.
Just what we need, another good looking sort to put the rest of us to shame.”

Emma was a little touchy about her looks. I couldn’t see the problem, she was pretty. She wore her mouse brown hair in a straight bob and her hazel eyes always had a nice sparkle. I tried not to listen to her thoughts too often, but I knew she was self-conscious about her glasses, and the bit of extra weight she carried. Curves were nice; too many girls were stick thin these days.

I didn’t continue with the new girl questions because I didn’t want to upset Emma. Instead I quickly looked in her head, just for a glimpse of this girl. I could have looked in anyone’s head to find out about her, but I’d been too preoccupied with Josh. What I saw almost stopped me in my tracks, but I pulled myself together just in time as a ripple of shock surged through me. Archer felt it and tightened his arm around my shoulders. The familiar dark eyes and strawberry gold hair, that perfectly pale face, floated into my head. It was the girl Archer and I saw at the property. Now I was really confused.

“You guys better get to class,” I said, ducking out of Archer’s embrace. “I’ve got a free. I’ll see you at lunch.” I quickly grabbed a muffin, picking at it as I walked away. Archer would have more questions now, and I just didn’t have the answers yet.

The students were mostly expected to spend their free time studying, but few of us did. There was a special place I liked to go to think, or just exist, without any interruptions. I strolled across the school grounds to the sandstone outer wall and followed it until it finished in the far corner. No one really went down there much, it was too out of the way, which is exactly what I wanted.

I skirted the edge of the trees, found the path I was looking for and ambled down the narrow worn trail. It opened out to my favourite spot and I dumped my bag, taking a seat on the rock ledge. I gazed out across the valley at the contrast of the blue summer sky against the browns and greens of the landscape. The school sat on a beautiful country hillside on the outskirts of Hopetown Valley, with the coastal town of Macquarie Cove about an hour’s drive to the east.

I twirled a twig between my fingers and recalled the image of the blonde girl. I wasn’t exactly sure how she could be at the school, she was a vampire and the vamps in my world didn’t come out during the day, but I had a theory. Archer was not going to be happy when I told him why we couldn’t kill her. He was so focused on ridding the world of as many vamps as possible.

With my attention back on the beautiful view, I decided to change the course of my thoughts. At the outcrop I didn’t need to have any problems, I could just be. An image of Josh formed in my mind and I sighed, closing my eyes. Imagining his touch on my face, how warm it would be, sent a quiver through my body. But the realisation my desire could never be fulfilled saddened me, and a tear rolled down my cheek. I was marred with the curse of an angel on earth, able to offer unconditional love, but forbidden to receive a deep passionate love in return. My purpose was to protect, not get involved with trivial human experiences. I needed to pull myself together and look at the big picture, continue the fight. But I was sick of fighting. If I had known how much fighting was to come, I would have run.

The sound of a twig snapping sliced through the silence and my eyes flew open. If I could die, I would have done so on the spot. Josh stood at the mouth of the path. I inhaled sharply, scrambled to my feet and took a step away from him. What was I supposed to do? There was no security of having other students around. I felt exposed and vulnerable. We were completely alone, and I didn’t know if I could control myself, but I guessed there was only one way to find out.

JOSH

E
nglish passed in a blur. I attempted to pay attention to the movie but I didn’t try too hard, it was so boring. The contemporary Melbourne setting didn’t fit with what was coming from the actor’s mouths, and with no solid understanding of Shakespeare, I was lost. There was that, and the fact I couldn’t stop thinking about Grace.

By the time class ended I was out of sorts and very thankful I had a free next period. Back home I loved to go walking in the paddocks to clear my head, and fortunately Hopetown Valley had its very own beautiful landscape. After ditching my backpack I ambled out into the grounds. The walk to the outcrop took less than ten minutes but I walked slowly.

The country side was glorious at this time of year. I loved the heat of summer and the way the sunlight glinted off everything. With my hands in my pockets I found the first path that lead out to the rock face. Lost in my own world I walked the trail until I came to its end. I heard a little gasping sound and looked up to see Grace sitting on the outcrop. She hastily got to her feet, and it looked as if she’d been crying. Despite her eyes being a little red she was absolutely radiant.