Ignis (Book 2, Pure Series) (24 page)

           
"GM, what about what Irina said?
 
She seems to think that our families are enemies.
 
And she seemed to be accusing you of doing something terrible."

           
GM waved a careless hand.
 
"Irina is a young girl.
 
Young girls often say things they don't mean—no offense to you, Solnyshko.
 
I am sure the two of you will be friends again very soon.
 
I will go get dessert."

           
GM walked around me, and I was resigned to the fact that—for the moment, at least—she wasn't going to tell me anything more about our past with the Neverovs.

           
But I was relieved that I would be able to go to Bryony's party.
 
At least I had managed that.
 
After GM and I had both had dessert, which was actually just fruit—GM didn't approve of sweets—I ran up to my room and threw myself on my bed.
 
I texted both Bryony and Charisse to let them know I was going to the party.
 
And then I texted Simon to let him know about the party too.

           
He called me immediately.

           
"Hey, Katie."

           
"Hey, Simon."

           
"So there's a party for Bryony tomorrow?"

           
"Yes.
 
I'm sorry about the short notice.
 
It's in the afternoon, so I hope it won't interfere with any plans you have for Saturday night."

           
"No, it's no problem," Simon said.
 
"I'd love to go."

           
He paused.
 
"Is
he
going?"

           
"You mean William?"

           
"Yes."

           
I felt a sharp stab of pain.
 
"No, William's not going."

           
"Oh, okay."

           
I could hear relief in Simon's voice.

           
I gave him the rest of the details, and he sounded happy and excited as he said good night.

           
Afterward, I sat for a long time just holding the phone.

           
What I'd told Simon about William was true—as far as I knew, he wasn't going.

           
But I did hope to find William out in the Old Grove.

           
I didn't know why he'd disappeared.
 
I still had some hope that there was a very simple explanation for why he was gone, but that hope was a little shaky.

           
If I managed to find William tomorrow, would he be happy to see me?

           
Would he send me away?

           
When I'd come up to my room, I hadn't turned the light on, and I continued to sit, watching the daylight dying through my window.
 
Eventually, darkness stole over the room, and night was fully upon me.
 
There was something soothing about the darkness, and I found that I wanted to breathe it in.

           
I went to the window and opened it.
 
Then I pulled the chair from my desk up to my window, and I sat down, leaning on the windowsill and letting the cold night air wash over me.

           
There was something soft and inviting about the night.
 
It seemed as if I were listening to a melody that I could almost hear—a melody so beautiful that it didn't belong to this world.
 
I saw myself wandering out into the night, out into the delicious cold to find the source of the melody.

           
I remembered that I had felt the night calling to me once before—right before I had met William.
 
But that feeling had been feverish and disturbing—it had clouded my mind.
 
This feeling was serene and inviting.
 
It occurred to me that if I could find the source of this almost-heard melody, that along with it I would find peace.

           
A car drove down the quiet street below, and I stirred.
 
I remembered vaguely that someone had given me a warning—it was hard for me to force it forward in my thoughts, and I decided it didn't matter.
 
I wasn't going anywhere anyway.
 
I was just going to sit by the window and listen to the night.

           
And so I listened.

           
I couldn't tell how long I had sat by the window, or if I might even have fallen asleep, but suddenly my vision was flooded with light, and I felt warm hands on my shoulders.

           
"Katie, what are you doing?"

           
I turned in my chair, blinking.
 
Someone had turned the light on in my room.

           
GM was leaning over me.

           
"Solnyshko, you are absolutely frozen.
 
Come away from the window."

           
It seemed to me that GM sounded alarmed.
 
I allowed her to pull me out of the chair, and I jumped when she shut the window forcefully.

           
I was suddenly alone—bereft of the beautiful music I could almost hear.

           
The lovely spell of the night had been broken.
 
I held my hands to my head.

           
"I am surprised at you," GM was saying.
 
"You won't make it to the party tomorrow if you make yourself ill.
 
Surely you have better sense than that."

           
I looked around at GM.
 
She seemed angry.

           
"Come now," GM said, pulling me toward the door.
 
"You're going to take a warm shower to bring your core temperature up, and then you're going to bed.
 
If you are sick in the morning, you're staying home.
 
No argument."

           
She steered me into the bathroom, and she turned on the water in the shower.
 
After a moment, she drew her hand back.

           
"There.
 
That should be all right.
 
Keep the shower warm, not hot.
 
I'll bring you some nightclothes."

           
GM left the room and returned a moment later.
 
She handed me a small pile of clothing.

           
"Now, take a shower like I said and get to bed."
 
She stared at me for a long moment.
 
"Sometimes, Katie, I swear I don't know what gets into you.
 
You really scare me.
 
You remind me of your—"

           
She broke off.
 
"Just take your shower, Katie.
 
And no more foolishness tonight."

           
GM left the room, closing the door behind her.

           
I watched as the mirror slowly fogged up, and as the air filled with steam my mind began to clear.

           
I looked down at my hands, which were bright red and starting to sting.
 
My throat was sore too, and the warm, damp air was soothing.
 
Like GM, I wondered what I had been doing.

           
I undressed and got into the shower, and the water seemed to wash the remaining cloudiness from my mind.
 
I figured I had just let all my worries overwhelm me.

           
I stayed in the warm water until felt myself thaw completely, and then I dressed for bed.
 
I went back to my room.

           
My room was still a bit chilly, but I could see that GM had put the heat on.
 
I was about to climb into bed, when I realized that I wasn't wearing the cross William had given me.

           
I found it and held it in my hands for a moment.
 
Looking at it always made me feel calm—perhaps because it made me think of William.
 
The iron charm was cold to the touch, but I knew that it would warm up after I had worn it against my skin for a little while.

           
I put it on and went to the window, but I wasn't going to open it again—I just had a sudden idea that I might glimpse William.

           
I supposed it was unlikely, but he had said that he would watch the house and make sure that it was safe.
 
Once again I realized that although William would no longer see me, I did indeed feel safe—I did believe that he was watching over me.

           
I had a feeling that William still kept his lonely vigil.

           
I peered into the night, but I didn't see any sign of William.

           
As I turned away from the window, I thought I saw a figure out of the corner of my eye—a figure of a man—tall and starkly white.

           
I turned back quickly, but there was no one outside.

           
I shook my head to clear it.
 
I seemed to be catching things at the edge of my vision all the time now—I figured I must have imagined it.

           
I climbed into bed and turned out the light.
 
I curled my fingers around my cross and thought of William until I fell asleep.

           
I woke up early, dressed quickly, and hurried downstairs.
 
Every nerve in body was tingling at the thought of seeing William again.
 
The days I'd spent without him had felt like an eternity.
 
I didn't care at the moment why he'd disappeared—I just wanted to see him.

           
GM was in the kitchen when I came down, and she was just pulling something out of the oven.

           
"Brownies?" I asked in surprise.
 
GM was always very vocal in her disapproval of sweets, and I hadn't actually realized that we had all the ingredients necessary for brownies in the house.

           
GM set the pan of brownies on the stove and shut the oven door.
 
She looked at me searchingly.
 
"How are you feeling this morning, Solnyshko?"

           
"I'm fine.
 
I slept really well—after I warmed up."

           
"You really are well?
 
Really and truly?"

           
"Yes, really and truly," I said.

           
"Well, then."
 
GM waved a hand clad in an oven mitt toward the brownies.
 
"I know parties are not the same as they were when you were very young, but I still thought it would be nice for you to have something to take to the party this afternoon."

           
I gave GM a hug.
 
"Thank you.
 
I'm sorry about last night.
 
I don't know what came over me."

           
GM pulled off her oven mitt and brushed the hair off my forehead.

           
"Don't think about it, Solnyshko.
 
You have had a very trying week.
 
I am very grateful that you got away from that horrible man unscathed.
 
You have actually taken everything that happened very well.
 
I suppose something like this was bound to happen—it must have been a reaction to the trauma."

           
I wondered if GM was right—had my odd frozen trance of the night before been a delayed response to the attack by Joshua?
 
I supposed it was possible.

           
But something tugged at the back of my mind—something I was forgetting.
 
I tried to force the thought forward, but it was elusive.
 
I figured it would come to me if it were important.

           
After breakfast, I worked on homework until it was time to leave for the party.
 
As I went out to the car with GM, cradling a container full of brownies in my arms, I felt a pang of nervousness.
 
I was going to be able to search for William soon.

           
I scolded myself then and told myself to think of Bryony first—she was the real reason I was going out to the Old Grove.
 
Seeing William would have to come second—after all, a few more hours would not change whatever reason he had for avoiding me.