‘I see. And what sort of personal problems would these be?’
Again, April found herself on the back foot. No teacher at St Geoffrey’s would have dared to probe into her - or anyone else’s - ‘personal problems’ for fear of having to listen to tales about bad periods or abusive parents.
‘I had an argument with my dad.’
‘Indeed? And this was enough to keep you from discussing the works of John Wyndham with the rest of the class?’
‘Yes.’
Mr Sheldon nodded, seeming to mull this over for a moment. ‘You are, of course, aware that Ravenwood is a school for gifted pupils?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ said April.
‘Well, as you’ll imagine, Ravenwood gets some of the most spectacular results of any school in the country and, consequently, children are lining up to attend. Now, some strings were pulled to get you into this school.’
April made to object, but Mr Sheldon held up a hand. ‘There is, of course, nothing inherently wrong with that. Plenty of pupils have paid their way into the school or have parents with influence. Your family has - shall we say - more influence than most.’
April looked up in surprise, but Mr Sheldon was ploughing on.
‘We do, however, have a reputation to uphold and if a pupil isn’t meeting our exacting standards, please believe that, however influential their relatives, we will ask them to leave. Is all of this clear?’
‘Yes,’ said April quietly.
‘Splendid, then we understand one another,’ he said, putting his key into the ignition.
April opened the door and climbed out. As she walked around the car, the driver’s side window buzzed down. ‘One last thing, April,’ said Mr Sheldon, beckoning her back over. ‘You’ll be aware that it is standard teacher practice to conclude one of these little talks with something along the lines of “if you’re having any difficulties or want to talk about anything, my door is always open”.’
April looked at him and was discomfited to see that his intense eyes were even more powerful up close. She was reminded of a science experiment in middle school where they had explored the attraction and repelling properties of magnets. For some reason, his eyes reminded her of the small, powerful magnets they had used that day.
‘Personally, I couldn’t think of anything worse than having an office full of teenagers snivelling about how their boyfriend has run off with someone else,’ said Mr Sheldon. ‘But in your case, April, I do feel I have a certain responsibility to you.’
April shook her head. ‘Why? Because of what happened with Marcus?’
For a moment, Mr Sheldon looked at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about. ‘No, not because of that - although you can rest assured that that particular issue has been dealt with in the strongest terms. The strongest possible terms. I won’t allow that sort of behaviour in my school. However it is perhaps an object lesson in the dangers of spreading malicious rumours, whatever the provocation.’
April gaped at him, a slow blush spreading across her face.
How the hell does he know about that?
‘The thing to do would be to take it to a teacher, don’t you think? We don’t encourage vigilantism at Ravenwood.’
‘But I don’t see ...’ she began falteringly. ‘If it’s not that, then why do you feel you have to look after me?’
The teacher looked at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. ‘Good Lord, they haven’t told you, have they?’ he said as he twisted the ignition key and fired up the engine.
‘Haven’t told me what?’ asked April over the roar.
Mr Sheldon paused, as if weighing something up, then when he spoke, there was a half-smile on his face. ‘That I’m an old friend of the family,’ he said.
Chapter Eighteen
Caro was waiting for April when she came out of the school gates.
‘Lizzie Welch told me Hawk was telling you off, so I thought I’d stick around.’
‘Ah,’ said April, distracted. She was still reeling from the conversation with Mr Sheldon. She had pressed him further about the ‘family friend’ comment, but he had simply said, ‘Perhaps you should ask your mother.’
‘Gabriel was waiting for a while too, looked a bit pissed off about something, but he seems that way most of the time. I didn’t like to ask if he was waiting for you, anyway.’
April nodded and they began to walk slowly up Swain’s Lane, heading towards the coffee shop on the High Street.
‘So what’s up? Did he tell you off for cutting classes? Or was it about that git Marcus? What’s going on with him anyway?’
‘Mr Sheldon gave me the impression that he had dealt with Marcus pretty harshly.’
Caro shivered. ‘Ugh, I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that - not that a bastard like Marcus doesn’t deserve all he gets.’
‘He had the cheek to say that I should have taken “my problem” to a teacher instead of “provoking” Marcus. He might as well have come out and told me I was asking for it.’
‘But that’s ridiculous!’ said Caro. ‘That just shows how out of touch teachers are. They have no idea how things work at school. God, I hate everyone in that damned place.’
‘I know what you mean,’ said April, with feeling. ‘Anyway, it wasn’t about Marcus, it was about missing lessons this morning.’ April sighed. She had been reluctant to go over the whole sorry mess of her row with her dad and its aftermath at lunch, especially when they’d had the Layla incident to discuss, but now she found she wanted to talk about it. So she told Caro about finding the job-offer letter and the vampire note and how she had confronted her dad. She even told her about the fight between them before she stormed off into the rain.
‘I was so mad,’ said April. ‘He just didn’t seem to see that there was anything wrong with bringing your family to an area you believe might be full of bloodsucking killers.’
Caro pulled a face. The vampire issue was still a sore point between them; they hadn’t discussed it since their fight after the party. April had apologised for overreacting, of course, but she had subsequently avoided talking with Caro about the supposed vampire thing, partly because so much had happened in the past few days and partly because, crazy as it was, April was embarrassed by her father’s investigation into the undead. It was one thing for a conspiracy nut like Caro to believe in monsters - she was an excitable sixteen-year-old, after all—but it was quite another thing to have your forty-something father fall for such an idea. April was used to her dad’s eccentricities, but this was quite a different story: she didn’t want to admit that, if he really did think Highgate was dangerous - and to be honest, recent events seemed to be proving him right - he was knowingly putting his family at risk for his story.
‘I can see your point,’ said Caro thoughtfully. ‘I mean, you expect your parents to make sound, rational decisions, don’t you? But then my dad spent all his life savings on one of those enormous Winnebago motorhomes last year. We can’t afford to get the boiler fixed, but he’s got a mobile chemical toilet parked outside in the street.’
April giggled despite herself.
‘The point is, adults can be idiots too,’ said Caro. ‘Your dad might well have come here to research his book, but I doubt he really thought it was dangerous. Maybe he bit off more than he could chew, no pun intended.’
‘I guess.’ April smiled. She was glad she had shared her burden with Caro; maybe she was right, maybe he had expected the vampire story to be another silly hoax like crop circles or something and then, with the murders, sensed he might be on to something big. April shook her head. It was hard to see your parents as real people; she wasn’t sure she liked the idea much.
‘Actually, that reminds me of something odd Mr Sheldon just said.’
‘Odd?’ asked Caro. ‘What did he say?’
‘He said he was a friend of the family.’
‘Ugh. That sounds more creepy than odd. I wouldn’t want Mr Sheldon babysitting me.’
‘Well, it’s even more odd because I’d never heard of or seen him before last week. I’d remember those eyes. And then when I asked him about it, he went all mysterious, like it was some big secret.’
‘You’re right, that is odd. Better ask your dad.’
April pulled a face. ‘Might not be the best time to have a cosy chat with my dad right now. I did just tell him that I hated him.’
‘Oh yes, I was forgetting.’
They walked a little further up the lane. April always made sure they stuck to the left-hand side, away from the cemetery railings, but the white gravestones still looked ominous in the failing light, poking out of the undergrowth like elbows and fingers.
‘So no texts or calls from Gabriel?’ said Caro.
April shook her head. ‘Actually, I’d forgotten all about it. I mean, you’ve got to move on, haven’t you?’
Caro looked at her with a sly smile. ‘Really?’
April tried to smile, but couldn’t. ‘All right, so I’ve only checked my phone every five minutes or so.’
The truth was, she had thought of almost nothing else. A few short hours ago, she had been so sure of Gabriel Swift and his feelings for her. He had come to her, with doughnuts, and said he wanted them to be together, however difficult it got. The way he had spoken to her - his reluctance, his awkwardness - she had believed those words were coming from his heart. It was the most romantic date of her life, not that that was saying much. He had been gallant and sexy and kind. And now, ever since Layla had stuck her claws in, it hurt even to think of him. For that one bright, shining moment Gabriel had been the best thing in the world and now ... now the memory was like a blunt knife in her heart.
She took a ragged breath. ‘I just feel so stupid,’ she said. ‘I thought all that stuff with the coffee and the pebbles at the window was him being spontaneous and lovely, but the truth is he’d probably just had a fight with Layla or something and was looking for a back-up. I guess that’s all the stuff he couldn’t explain - why he said it would be difficult.’
‘Hey, don’t beat yourself up, honey,’ said Caro, rubbing her arm reassuringly. ‘You can’t help it if he’s a two-timing rat, can you? It was pretty romantic. I’d have been swept off my feet too and you know how cynical I am.’
April shook her head. ‘Anyway, the reality is I’m not going to hear from him if he’s with Layla, am I? Unless she suddenly decides to become a nun.’
‘Not likely,’ said Caro.
‘And even then, do I really want to be second best?’
Caro smirked. ‘He
is
pretty fit.’
April managed a wan smile. ‘Maybe I’d consider it. We’ll have to see.’
They were passing the main gates to the cemetery now and April couldn’t help peering in, half-expecting to see some weird apparition with dark eyes lurking in the shadows or beckoning her in with a bony finger.
‘You okay?’ asked Caro.
‘Yeah, it’s just that ... no, I’m not. I know it sounds silly, but after that evening with the fox, and then Isabelle’s murder, I don’t like walking past it.’
‘Don’t be daft, of course it’s not silly. Something like that would shake anyone up.’ She grabbed April’s hand and ran across the road and into the park, pulling April along behind her.
‘What are you doing?’ April laughed as she was virtually dragged up the hill towards the pond.
‘I’m saving you!’ shouted Caro. ‘Now come on, we have to get to Americano before they run out of that squirty cream.’
They ran through the park, cackling with laughter, past the aviary and the tennis courts before dashing out onto the High Street, completely breathless.
‘Stop! Stop! You’ll kill me!’ shouted April, bending over with her hands on her knees, panting. Caro trotted back to her and hooked her arm through April’s.
‘Lightweight.’ She grinned. ‘You’ll never make the Ravenwood track team.’
‘Does Ravenwood even have a track team?’
‘No, I don’t think it does.’ Caro laughed as they headed up the hill, peering into the shops and catching their breath.