to be human again?” Kyle yelled, slamming Aidan’s back against the wall. “Why
on earth would anyone want that? Go back to walking instead of flying? Go back
to being weak and defenseless? The girl has powers beyond her imagination. Mark
my words, being turned will have been the best thing that ever happened to her
and she will kill anyone who tries to take it away.”
Aidan whimpered
and shook his head.
“You’re wrong,”
he stammered. “Scarlet’s not like you. She wants to be good.”
“And yet she
still feasted, didn’t she?” Kyle barked. “She still killed!”
He raised the arrowhead
to eye level again and Aidan yelped. A bead of sweat rolled down the old man’s
forehead.
“Now, I’m losing
my patience with you,” Kyle said. “Tell me where the girl lives or I’ll make
sure you never get to read one of your precious books again.”
Tears began to
streak down Aidan’s cheeks. Kyle held the dart a mere millimeter from his eye.
One slip, and the old man would be blinded.
“All right!” Aidan
cried at last, his voice etched with agony. “I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you.”
Kyle let him
down. The old man was trembling all over. He wobbled over to his desk and
pulled out a leather-bound book. He flung it across the room at Kyle.
“It’s in there,”
Aidan said, his voice drenched with regret. “That address will lead you to
Scarlet Paine.”
Kyle clutched
the address book in his hands. Just to make sure the old man hadn’t tricked
him, he flicked to the correct section and scanned the page. At the top, in
neat, flowery, academic handwriting was the word Paine . Several names
and an address were scrawled beneath.
Kyle snapped the
book shut.
“Good man,
professor,” he said. “Don’t worry: one day I might just turn you, too.”
He turned and
swirled out of the office, leaving Aidan a hunched, weeping heap in his office
chair.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Scarlet didn’t
know how long she’d been ascending the stone staircase. Shadows ebbed and
swelled around her as she took one careful step after the other, her hand
running along the rough stone wall to help keep her balance. After having
followed the tendril of light inside the tower, she’d found herself in an
empty, chamber-like room, with nothing but a zig-zagging staircase before her.
With no other options, she’d begun to climb.
As she went, it
occurred to her that the tower shape and strange, winding staircase design made
it impossible for her to fly. She wondered whether it had been designed that
way specifically; a vampire-proof structure, built to ensure that whatever—or
whomever—was residing at the top would have plenty of time to prepare for the
approaching intruder.
The further up
Scarlet went, the darker her surroundings became, until it was so black she couldn’t
even see her hand in front of her face. The only sounds she could hear were the
soles of her sneakers scuffing against the stone steps, the squeaky noise
mingling with her ragged, anxious breath. She had no idea what would be
awaiting her at the top of the staircase, though every instinct inside of her
told her that the uncertainty and fear would be worth it in the end.
Suddenly,
without warning, there was no extra step to take. Scarlet’s foot plunged to the
leveled ground, filling her with a horrible falling sensation. Though she
couldn’t see a thing, she knew that she had finally reached the top of the
tower.
She took another
step forward and stretched her hands into the dark, empty expanse before her.
All at once, she heard the sound of a roaring wind striking up outside of the
tower. It sounded like a fierce storm had sprung from nowhere, though Scarlet
had seen no indication on the journey here that one was brewing. Scarlet
couldn’t help thinking that something mystical was afoot.
The wind continued
to howl. Then, suddenly, the tower lurched and began to sway. Scarlet’s stomach
flipped as she felt the floor move beneath her. The walls
on earth would anyone want that? Go back to walking instead of flying? Go back
to being weak and defenseless? The girl has powers beyond her imagination. Mark
my words, being turned will have been the best thing that ever happened to her
and she will kill anyone who tries to take it away.”
Aidan whimpered
and shook his head.
“You’re wrong,”
he stammered. “Scarlet’s not like you. She wants to be good.”
“And yet she
still feasted, didn’t she?” Kyle barked. “She still killed!”
He raised the arrowhead
to eye level again and Aidan yelped. A bead of sweat rolled down the old man’s
forehead.
“Now, I’m losing
my patience with you,” Kyle said. “Tell me where the girl lives or I’ll make
sure you never get to read one of your precious books again.”
Tears began to
streak down Aidan’s cheeks. Kyle held the dart a mere millimeter from his eye.
One slip, and the old man would be blinded.
“All right!” Aidan
cried at last, his voice etched with agony. “I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you.”
Kyle let him
down. The old man was trembling all over. He wobbled over to his desk and
pulled out a leather-bound book. He flung it across the room at Kyle.
“It’s in there,”
Aidan said, his voice drenched with regret. “That address will lead you to
Scarlet Paine.”
Kyle clutched
the address book in his hands. Just to make sure the old man hadn’t tricked
him, he flicked to the correct section and scanned the page. At the top, in
neat, flowery, academic handwriting was the word Paine . Several names
and an address were scrawled beneath.
Kyle snapped the
book shut.
“Good man,
professor,” he said. “Don’t worry: one day I might just turn you, too.”
He turned and
swirled out of the office, leaving Aidan a hunched, weeping heap in his office
chair.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Scarlet didn’t
know how long she’d been ascending the stone staircase. Shadows ebbed and
swelled around her as she took one careful step after the other, her hand
running along the rough stone wall to help keep her balance. After having
followed the tendril of light inside the tower, she’d found herself in an
empty, chamber-like room, with nothing but a zig-zagging staircase before her.
With no other options, she’d begun to climb.
As she went, it
occurred to her that the tower shape and strange, winding staircase design made
it impossible for her to fly. She wondered whether it had been designed that
way specifically; a vampire-proof structure, built to ensure that whatever—or
whomever—was residing at the top would have plenty of time to prepare for the
approaching intruder.
The further up
Scarlet went, the darker her surroundings became, until it was so black she couldn’t
even see her hand in front of her face. The only sounds she could hear were the
soles of her sneakers scuffing against the stone steps, the squeaky noise
mingling with her ragged, anxious breath. She had no idea what would be
awaiting her at the top of the staircase, though every instinct inside of her
told her that the uncertainty and fear would be worth it in the end.
Suddenly,
without warning, there was no extra step to take. Scarlet’s foot plunged to the
leveled ground, filling her with a horrible falling sensation. Though she
couldn’t see a thing, she knew that she had finally reached the top of the
tower.
She took another
step forward and stretched her hands into the dark, empty expanse before her.
All at once, she heard the sound of a roaring wind striking up outside of the
tower. It sounded like a fierce storm had sprung from nowhere, though Scarlet
had seen no indication on the journey here that one was brewing. Scarlet
couldn’t help thinking that something mystical was afoot.
The wind continued
to howl. Then, suddenly, the tower lurched and began to sway. Scarlet’s stomach
flipped as she felt the floor move beneath her. The walls
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