Hunting Shadows (Shadow Series #3) (13 page)

Ryan nodded as I explained to him who I had eliminated, his mouth quirking a bit when
I explained why I had ruled out the girls. I felt a rush of warmth when he casually
glanced at my chest and I fought to keep my face expressionless. Instead of being
insulted by his perusal,
I felt my pulse quicken and
I
called myself a fool for reacting
that way.

One of the girls that I had ruled out sauntered over to us but she only had eyes for
Ryan.

“Hi,” she chirped brightly as she eyed Ryan with interest. “Are you guys interested
in the fencing team?”

I nodded as I tried to think of an excuse. I hadn’t expected anyone to approach us.
“Yeah, I thought I’d check the team out.”

S
he
reluctantly
turned her attention to me. “How much experience do you have?”

“None,” I said with an embarrassed laugh. “I
’ve always been interested in fencing
, but that’s about the extent of my experience.”

The girl wrinkled her nose, not sharing in my amusement. “Fencing is a serious sport.
It’s not something you can just pick up in an afternoon. It might not have as much
appeal as football or basketball, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take skill.”

“That’s not what she meant,” Ryan interjec
ted with a wide smile. “She’
s interested in the sport and she heard that Maxwell had an amazing team so we thought
we’d check it out.” He was oozing charm as he looked at her like she was the only
girl that existed in the world. It was a sid
e of him I had never seen
, and I couldn’t help but be slightly disgusted by the way the girl’s whole demeanor
changed.

“My name’s Britney,” she said as she stuck out her hand. I watch
ed as Ryan took hold of it
while he kept
that dazzling smile focused on her.

“Ryan. Nice to meet you.” He glanced over at me, his look turning sardonic. “And this
is Caitlin.”

“Are you a student here, Ryan? I
haven’t seen you around before.
” Britney took no notice of his
introduction
of me
as she reluctantly dropped her hand when Ryan released his grip.

“I’m a little
too
old to be a college student,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a family friend of Caitlin’s
and I’m visiting for a while.”

Britney proceeded to sit down next to Ryan as she flipped her hair flirtatiously.
“Are you interested in fencing too, Ryan?” she practically cooed.

“Sure, but I don’t know much about the sport.”

I listened as Britney spoke enthusiastically about fencing as I tried to pick up anything
that would jar a new detail from my vision. I watched the other fencers as she droned
on, narrowing in on the ones that could potentially be from my vision.

“How sharp are those swords you use,” I interrupted, trying not to notice how closely
she was leaning towards Ryan.

Britney frowned at me but answered, sounding affronted by my lack of knowledge. I
guess it didn’t help that I
had
claimed an interest in the sport. “They’re not called swords. We use three different
kinds of weapons depending on the kind of tournament. There’s the foil,
épée
and saber. None of them are sharp.”

“Which one is that
?” I asked as I pointed to a sword that looked like the one in my vision.

“A saber,” she answered shortly
.

“The edge isn’t sharp?” I asked again. I understood her annoyance when she answered
again in the negative, bu
t it was hard to accept
that the saber wasn’t sharp. The one I had seen in my vision had been sharp enough
to decapitate someone
in one fell swoop
. I shuddered at the thought and tried to banish the gruesome image from my mind.

“Tell me about
the members of
the fencing team,” Ryan requested
with a coaxing smile. Britney didn’t hesitate in answering, not even questioning
why he wanted to know. I guess it was a good thing he was with me
because I doubted she would
be so chatty without him
here
. I listened carefully when she described the three people I was interested in.

“That’s Amanda,” sh
e said as she nodded towards a
tall girl who was talking to one of the other girls. “She’s a senior and has been
on the fencing team since she was a freshman. She’s amazing. Bryce and Justin just
joined the team this year. They’re
both sophomores but they’re
pretty good, especially Justin.” Britney cocked her head at Ryan with a mischievous
smile. “
I’m a senior and I’m twenty-one.
I
ca
n tell you more about me
on a date
tonight
if you’d like.”

I almost guffawed
loud
ly
at her boldness, but I was left speechless when Ryan agreed. I was silent as they
exchanged phone numbers and Ryan promised to call later in the day to figure out their
plans. I couldn’t keep silent any longer when she skipped
happily
away back to her team.

“I didn’t realize you came here to find a date,” I said, unable to keep the tinge
of scorn from my voice.
“She’s a little young for you, isn’t she?”

Ryan looked at me with a slight smile. “She’s the same age as you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, like I said, she’s a little young for you.”

He shrugged although his smile grew wider. “I’m not looking for a romantic tryst.
I figured she was a good way to get access to the fencing team. It didn’t seem like
you two were going to strike up a friendship.”

I couldn’t refute the logic of his argument, but it still irked me. I didn’t
get a chance to respond because
I felt my cell phone buzzing in my jacket pocket. I pulled out my phone and saw that
not only was Simon calling, but
I had five mi
ssed
calls from him
. I cursed myself for accidentally putting my phone on vibrate and forgetting to call
him when I got to the auditorium, as I had promised.

“Simon, I’m sorry I forgot to call you,” I said immediately when I answered the phone.

“I’ve been going crazy here! I was
about to leave to come find you
!” Simon sounded stressed and I felt guilty for making him worry.

“I completely forgot. I’m sorry,” I repeated. I heard him take a deep breath and
he sounded much calmer when
he spoke again
.

“Did you find anything out?”

“Not really.
There’re
three
people fr
om the team that could potentially be
the person
in my vision based on their build, but I still don’t know who it is.” I glanced at
Ryan who was watching the fencing team, but I knew he was listening to every word
of my side of the conversation
.
“Fortunately, Ryan got a little chummy with one of the members and he’s going out
with her tonight to get more information.”

“At least he’s good for something,” Simon said sourly. “Are you coming home now?”

“In a little bit. It won’t hurt to watch the team for the rest of their practi
ce. Maybe
something will give me a clue
to the person’s identity
.”

I hung up the phone after I promised Simon I’d come home as soon as practice was over.

“Kind of keeps you on a short leash, doesn’t he?”

My lips tightened at Ryan’s mocking words. I stared straight ahead as I answered him.
“The topic of Simon is off-limits unless you
have something constructive
to say about him. I won’t warn you again.”

Ryan didn’t answer right away, but when he did the tone of his voice made me turn
towards him. It was full of anguish and his hazel eyes were dark with emotion. “Just
don’t make a mistake that will cost you your life.”

I turned away from him, refusing to answer him since I had told him I would no long
er talk about Simon with him. Ryan
was wrong. I would believe in Simon no matter what, and I convinced myself
that
my faith
in him
wasn’t a death sentence.
I had to believe
that
love was
enough. I was willing to stake my life on it.

Chapter Ten

We didn’t learn anything else at fencing practice and conversation was kept to a minimum
as we made our way back to the apartment.
Simon looked relieved to see me but Sarah and Grant were barely awake, having just
stumbled out of bed.

“As much as I’ve loved bunking with all of you, I think it’s time for me to go home,”
Grant announced. He looked at me questioningly. “That’s oka
y
, right? My vardoger’s gone.”

I paused and glanced at Simon. I had gotten so used to being on high alert the past
few days that it felt odd to let Grant go off on his own. But he wasn’
t in
imminent danger anymore, and I couldn’t spend my life hovering over him.
Making Simon stay back
to watch over them had stemmed from
remnants of fear that were hard to banish. I smiled at Grant.
“Sure. It’s safe now.”

Neither Simon nor Ryan
disagreed, but Sarah was the one to object. “Are you sure? Caitlin’s father is still
out there.” She looked at me sympathetically, apparently having been filled in by
Simon about what I had been doing that morning. “And she’s had another vision.”

“I’ll be able to sense her father’s energy in time so that we’re not taken off guard,”
Ryan said. “And the vardoger from Caitlin’s vision is only a danger to the person
it’s attached to.”

Sarah didn’t seem entirely convinced and she
insisted on going down with Grant
to his apartment.
The three of us were left alone and before Simon and Ryan could get into another
argument, I quickly told Simon in detail everything that had happened while we were
at fencing practice.

“What are you going to do with the girl from the fencing team?” Simon asked.

“I’m not going to
do
anything with her,” Ryan responded caustically. “She’s just a way to get closer to
the fencing team. Right now, we have no idea which of the three
is
the one from Caitlin’s
vision. The best we can do i
s try to get t
o know them better and hope that Caitlin
sees something that tips her o
ff to the identity of the victim
.”

“That’s not going to happen if you’re the one spending time with
members of
the fencing team,” I countered
.
“I should be the one hanging out with them.”

“That can only happen if you have a pathway to the team.” Ryan gestured to himself.
“I’m the pathway.”

“Let’s go to my apartment,” Simon interjected. I cringed at the rudeness of his suggestion
since that would leave Ryan alone in my apartment.

“I think it’s better if we stay here.”

“Why?” he challenged. I glanced at Ryan who looked bemused by our conversation. I
remembered his comment about Simon keeping me on a short leash and I couldn’t help
flushing.

“Even though we’re not in immediate danger, I think it’s best if we stay together.
We want to have as much time as possible to prepare once Ryan feels my father getting
close.” It was a weak excuse since Simon’s apartment was just down the street and
it would take less than five minute
s to travel the distance if we needed to get back
, but I was relieved when he didn’t argue.
I didn’t want to admit that I felt safer with Ryan
around because that would hurt
Simon.

The rest of the day was
more than a little uncomfortable as we spent it together in the small apartment. I
was questioning the wisdom of my decision to spend the day together and decided that
so much togetherness wasn’t needed in the future. I
told myself that I
was no safer with Ryan
around
than I was with
just
Simon.

It was almost a relief when Ryan left for his date with Britney. He had made arrangements
to meet her at the Cove, a local Italian restaurant.
Simon seemed to relax
once Ryan was gone
, smiling at me easily.

“It’s been forever since we’ve been alone together,” he said.
I leaned against him on the couch as he put his arm around my shoulders.
It almost felt like old times as we watche
d mindless television and
cuddled
, avoiding
any serious topics. I almost forgot about Ryan and his date.
Almost.

It was almost ten when Ryan returned, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he and Britney
could have been
doing
for three hours.

“How was it?” I asked casually, not wanting to seem eager for details.

“A little mind-numbing,” Ryan said with a rueful smile. “You’re right, she’s a little
young for me.”

I rolled my eyes although I wasn’t sure how I felt about his answer. “I meant
,
did you learn anything that might help us?”

“Not really, but I got myself invited to a get-together they’re having at her place
tomorrow and she said I could bring some friends along. It’ll be a perfect chance
for you to get to know the members of the fencing team and see if anything tips you
off to the identity of the person in your vision.”

I laughed as I thought about Britney’s reaction to me showing up. “Somehow I don’t
think she’ll be too pleased to see me.”

“I hope she knows you’ll be brin
g
ing more than one friend,” Simon said meaningfully.

“Yes, I know,” Ryan said with a sigh. “You’re coming too.”

Fortunately, no arguments erupted before Simon and I went to
bed but I was disappointed when
I had a peaceful sleep with no interruptions by dreams or visions.

The next morning was clear and sunny despite the cold and we spent the morning trying
to come up with
a
possible way to figure out the identity of the person in my vision, but it was a fruitless
discussion. Sarah had spent the night at Grant’s but retu
rned in the late afternoon. H
er presence helped
to
dispel
some of
the tension between Ryan and Simon
, although that didn’t stop them from
arguing about insignificant details
.

I was on edge from their bickering by the time we l
eft for Britney’s apartment. Her place was only a ten
minute walk from my apartment, and I couldn’t help feeling nervous as we rang the
doorbell.

“Ryan!” she exclaimed as she opened the door. “It’s so good to see you again!” Her
face dropped a little when she saw me, but her expression brightened again when she
saw Simon. “Simon Crewe! I’m a big fan of the Henchmen!”

Simon nodded uncomfortably and Britney shifted her eyes from Ryan back to him, as
if she couldn’t decide who to settle on.
“Come in,” she said enthusiastically and stepped back to let us in.

The rest of the fencing team was already there, and it was a bit of a tight fit in
Britney’s small apar
tment. She introduced us to the group
, as well as going over all their names,
and I was relieved that the rest of the members, including the girls,
seemed friendly
.

“Help yourselves,” Britney said indicating a table full of food. She put her hand
on Ryan’s arm in a
propriet
a
ry
manner, apparently having decided who she would
focus her attentions on, and
led him away.

“Let the games begin,” I muttered to myself as I approached Amanda, leaving Simon
to fend for himself by the food. She was the only girl who could potentially by the
one in my vis
ion since she was tall and flat-chested
. In a uniform and mask I doubted I could tell her apart from a male.

“Hi,” I said cheerfully.
“Amanda, right?”

She nodded with a sincere smile. “Yeah, nice to meet you.”

“You too.” I paused, trying to muster up more bravado than I felt. “Britney tells
me you’re an amazing fencer.”

Amanda raised an eyebrow with a skeptical look on her face. “Britney said something
nice about me? I don’t believe it.”

A genuine laugh escaped me. “Yeah, she
is
a little…intense.”

“You can say bitchy, it’s okay. We all think it
,
even if we don’t say it
out
loud
.”

Amanda’s candor broke the ice and I listened with real interest as she talked about
her passion for fencing.
I found myself actually interested in the sport.

“How did you even get started in fencing?” I asked.

“My father fenced during college, and he got me started at a young age.” Amanda gave
me
a rueful smile. “It was a little hard being different from all the other girls who
were trying out for che
erleading and softball
, but I loved it the instant I picked up my first foil.”

I tried to memorize her build during our conversation
without being
too obvious about it. I hoped
that she wouldn’t notice and think I was checking her out for another reason.
I also tried to learn their practice schedule, but unfortunately she revealed that
they didn’
t have a set practice time
since
a lot of the team members
had conflicting schedules
,
so it was constantly changing.

I spoke to Bryce and Justin as well, who seemed as if they were joined at the hip.
I had a suspicion that they were more than just friends and teammates, and it was
a
relief
that
they wouldn’t take my roving eye
in the wrong way
as I memorized their build
.
They were both perfectly nice, but nothing tipped me off to the identity of the person
in my vision.

I was aware of Britney leading Ryan around as if they were a couple, but I was even
more aware of one of the well-endowed girls, Chrissy was her name, showing Simon more
attention than I was comfortable with. I walked up to them and slipped my hand in
Simon’s.
He turned to me with a smile
.

“Hey. How are you doing?”

“Good,” I said as I smiled at Chrissy
and leaned into Simon
. She seemed to take note of my possessive gesture, something I had never
consciously done before
in my life, and excused herself under the guise of getting a drink.

“We were just talking,” Simon said looking amused.
I shrugged as if I had no idea what he was talking about.

“I know. It didn’t bother me.” I gave him a look that I hoped conveyed that I was
equally amused. “You’re allowed to talk to other girls. I’m not the jealous type.”

“Sure,” he said, although I was annoyed that his amusement seemed to deepen.

“Ready to leave?” Ryan seemed to appear out of nowhere since I had lost track of him,
being too focused on Simon and Chrissy.

“Yeah, we’re ready.” I lowered my voice so no one would overhear. “There’s nothing
left to do except hope I have the vision again
so that I’
m able to figure out who it is.”

We said our goodbyes and made our way home, bracing against the cold December wind.

“I can’t believe it’ll be Christmas soon,” I said to no one in particular. Although
I had never really been a fan of
Christmas
, it woul
d be even more dismal
this year
now that I knew I no longer had a father.

Neither Simon nor Ryan commented and we walked the rest of the way home in silence,
each of us lost in our thoughts. I had a feeling none of us were thinking warm, cheery
thoughts about the upcoming holiday. I would have put money on the probability that
we were all thinking about
the losses we had experienced
,
and how we would cope with the incongruity of a
festive
holiday like Christmas
under the circumstances
. That is, if we survived to see it.