me, Iâm sure of it,â she added with conviction.
âHow many girls did they take?â I asked. I imagined Samuel, debonair and fresh from a night out. Heâd be wearing cologne and a tux, with his hair slicked back and his necklace tucked underneath his starched white shirt. I imagined him and Henry stealing into the girlsâ dormitory and choosing the ones they were to feast on as if they were pastries at a buffet. I imagined the girlsâsleepy and terrified, heavy-footed under the veil of compulsion, following them down the rickety stairs to the laundry and offering their necks, feeling pain radiate through their bodies as Henry and Samuel drank their fill. I shuddered.
âFive. Maybe six. It was hard to tell.â Cora masked her face with her hands, as if even remembering the scene was far too much for her to bear. âThey took Winnie and Evelyn, and Louise, and I think they took a little girl named Clare as well. She was Irish, so of course I was hoping to look out for herâ¦â Cora trailed off. When she spoke next, it was in a tiny voice: âI followed them.â
âYou did?â I asked, impressed.
Cora nodded. âI tried to be so quiet. I know how you and Damon hear things that normal humans donât. Iâve noticed it,â she said, smiling to herself. âI notice a lot of things,â she added. âBut they never looked back. They brought the girls down to a room next to the laundry. There are a lot of rooms down there, a long hallway of doors. Iâm not sure where they lead.â
I nodded, encouraging Cora to continue her story. I could feel the anticipation; we were onto something here, getting closer to Samuel. Despite the horrors she was describing, I was excited.
âThey took the girls into one of the rooms, what looked like an office, and they started feeding. But it wasnât like the time you ate that rat. That seemed all right. This ⦠theyâd sink their teeth deep into the girlâs neck. I could see blood drip down their backs as they drank. At first I almost screamed. But thenâ¦â
âWhat?â I asked. I laced my fingers in hers and gave her hand a small squeeze. It was so small and fragile, and made me feel as if I were holding a baby sparrow.
âSamuel would lean down and whisper to them. Almost as if he were being sweet on them. But Henryâ¦â Her face hardened. âHenry had no mercy. Would say that screaming wouldnât do anything, and this was all they deserved. That no one would care if they died and he was doing them a favor. It was terrible to watch. Because all I could think was, what if he was had been doing that to my sister?â
âHeâs not. Violetâs a vampire. She can look out for herself now.â It was cold comfort, but it was something.
Cora nodded. âI know. But I couldnât watch anymore. I thought, it would be just my luck, and so stupid, if I were to get caught. Iâd be no use to Violet after that.â
I squeezed her hand again. That was the problem we all faced: We were in this together. And although death might be easier, we needed to survive, for each other.
âThis morning, the girls were back in their beds. I tried to talk to Clare at breakfast, but Sister Benedict yelled at me. She rapped my fingers. I hadnât gotten that type of punishment since school,â Cora said wryly. She loosened my grasp and showed me the back of her hand. Indeed, a faint bluish bruise was spreading across the white skin. I winced.
âItâs all right,â Cora said. âIâve learned my lesson. Weâre supposed to devote breakfast to silent prayer. And itâs not that bad. Some of the girls are nice. Thereâs one, Elizabeth, who used to work at a tavern even worse than the Ten Bells. And Cathyâs been kind enough to show me around. Iâll be all right, Stefan,â Cora said.
I wanted so badly to believe her.
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