Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1) (19 page)

“What did Headmaster Pratt say? What’s your
punishment?” she asks resignedly. Apparently Anya is well aware of
his dislike for affluent students, although they are the bread and
butter of the institution he so loves.

“It’s not that bad,” I tell her, surprised
that she hasn’t asked about the dreams. “He gave me work detail for
a month and revoked my off campus privileges.”

“Could’ve been worse, I guess.” She seems a
little surprised that my punishment wasn’t more severe. “What’s the
work detail?”

“Helping out in the stables two days a week.”
I neglect to mention that he couldn’t have given me a better
punishment. Anya doesn’t need to know of my developing friendship
with Keegan. That’s Shaye’s secret to keep.

“Figures. He probably loves the idea of
Aldo’s niece shoveling manure,” she says in exasperation. Our eyes
meet, and we both burst into laughter. I’m surprised at Anya’s
candor. Then I remember that she was like this before. It’s me
who’s put up the walls and created the tension that usually
disrupts our sessions. If only we could stay on lighter topics like
Pratt’s punishment.

“I won’t keep you long tonight,” she says.
“But I do have a surprise for you.”

“Oh?” I ask, wondering what it could possibly
be. I watch curiously as Anya opens the coat closet and pulls out a
nondescript dress bag.

“Lissette wanted to make sure you had
something appropriate to wear for the New Year’s Eve ball.” Anya
gives the bag a little whirl for show and gracefully lowers the
zipper.

“Appropriate? That dress is amazing.” I’m
stunned. It’s a deep shade of emerald green that I know Anya picked
to compliment my eyes. The dress is a fitted one-shoulder style
that flares at the bottom. It will show off my figure nicely. I’m
glad to see that, although the back is cut low, the front is a bit
more modest. The dress is simple and yet sophisticated. There are
no sequins or rhinestones. I admire the understated style and the
way the fabric falls from the hanger. I just hope I can pull off a
dress like this. Anya may have me way out of my league.

“I don’t know what to say, Anya. Thank
you.”

“I had hoped you would like it. I know that
these events aren’t exactly your thing,” she begins. Talk about the
understatement of the century. “But they are important, and, with
Aldo attending the ball, it’s essential that you are seen as
well.”

“I know,” I sigh, reaching for the dress. I
offer her the one assurance I know she’s expecting. “I’ll be on my
best behavior.”

“One last thing before you go, Katia.” She
pulls the dress bag back from my grasp, refusing to turn it over to
me until she’s said her piece. “You look tired. I’m worried about
you. Are you sure you can handle everything?” She pauses. “Let me
help you. I can get you waivers for your midterms.”

“Yeah. That will go over real well with
Pratt,” I return, brushing off her suggestion and unsuccessfully
reaching for the dress again.

“He doesn’t know half of what goes on at this
school,” Anya tells me fiercely. “Say the word and I’ll make it
happen.”

“I appreciate the offer Anya. I do. But I can
handle it. I don’t want any special favors, and I don’t need any
help. Thank you again for the dress. I really do love it.” I grab
the bag from her hands and head for the door.

“Katia, I’m not the only one who will be able
to see it,” she calls to my back. “Aldo will see it too.”

**********

I feed in my room Saturday morning finishing
off two pouches of blood before I head out to the stables to
fulfill my work detail. I’ve scoured my closet and am dressed in
the most appropriate clothes I could find: jeans, a sweater and a
pair of sneakers. There wasn’t much to choose from. Apparently
Lissette and her personal shopper hadn’t foreseen my need to do
manual labor.

The morning air is cold and crisp, as I exit
the warmth of the dormitory. I trudge through the snow to the
stables not bothering to follow the path. No one is going to see
me. The morning sun hasn’t risen yet and the rest of the students
and faculty are probably still asleep. No one in their right mind
would be up this early on a Saturday if it wasn’t required.

I ignore the snow that soaks through the
thick fabric of my sneakers and remind myself that, although this
is supposed to be a punishment, it’s also an opportunity to get to
know Keegan better. I’m not bothered by the thought of the work.
Pratt may think it’s demeaning, but I don’t care. It won’t be the
first time I’ve gotten my hands dirty.

“Hello? Keegan?” I call as I enter the
stables. Not much has changed since the last time I was down here.
Same horses, same smells, same everything. I kick thoughtlessly at
a pile of hay sending a few pieces floating into the air.

“Katia?” Keegan rounds the corner looking
confused. His confusion quickly turns to worry. “What are you doing
here? Is everything alright? Is Shaye okay?”

“Shaye’s fine,” I assure him. “I’m here for
work detail. Didn’t they tell you?”

“Aye, they told me. But they didn’t say who
it was. Pratt doesn’t see fit to bother with details like that,” he
says bitterly. “I’m just supposed to be thankful for the help. Most
of the eejits they send down are more trouble than they’re
worth.”

“Well, I promise not to be a pain in the
ass,” I tell him, tucking my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.
“Just put me to work. I’m up for anything.”

Keegan takes off his work gloves and wipes
his hands on the front of his flannel shirt. “Never in a million
years would I have guessed it was you,” he laughs. “A full month of
work detail is a pretty hefty punishment. What did you do
anyway?”

“Fell asleep in class. Mouthed off to
Professor Lynch. And worst of all, had the audacity to disrespect
Pratt.”

“Aye? Wish I could’ve been there to see it
myself.”

“Hey, it could happen again,” I say. “Keep
the faith. You might get your wish.”

He laughs again, harder this time, and hands
me his gloves. “You’ll need these.” I suspect the gloves are more
for cleanliness than comfort. Keegan shows me how to clean out the
stalls and handle a pitchfork. The work is easy enough once you get
past the fact that it’s dirty and smells rank.

We work silently for the first few hours, but
I grow bored. The stables are quiet and provide the ideal setting
for personal reflection. However, I’m not interested in thinking
about my own problems today.

“So, how did you end up at Crossroads?” I’m
not sure he’ll tell me or if I have any right to ask, but I figure
it’s worth a shot.

“Why do you ask?” His face is blank. It gives
nothing away, and I have no idea what he’s thinking right now.

“No reason really. You’re close to Shaye, so
I’m naturally curious about you. I can see that you love these
animals, but it’s obvious the politics of this place rub you the
wrong way. I know why you stay, so I guess I just wondered what
brought you here in the first place.”

“Aye,” he replies evasively. Keegan returns
to his work without another word. Discouraged I return to my own
stall. If he doesn’t want to talk about it, I can’t make him. Nor
would I try to. Of all people I can respect the desire for
privacy.

“I was born in a small village in Ireland,”
he says breaking the silence. “Grew up there. Lived all my human
days there. As a man I wasn’t the best or the worst, but I was
definitely misguided in my youth. I moved around a lot. Took odd
jobs where I could. Stole and hustled when I couldn’t find work. I
spent a lot of time in the boozer getting drunk, fighting, and
arguing politics. I had an opinion on just about everything back
then. I was a real arse,” he says smiling. “One night I got into a
fight with a bloke who was bigger, stronger, and faster. He made a
bloody mess of me. Literally. Belted me good, he did. The barkeep
dragged me out back and left me in the alley for dead.”

I’m fascinated by his story, and the way he
slips back into his native diction. Keegan seems so quiet and mild
mannered. It’s difficult to picture him raising hell in the streets
of Ireland.

“I was easy prey,” he says simply. “There I
was lying in a dark alley with my blood pouring out into the
streets when Gabriel found me. I thought he was going to rob me at
first, maybe kill me after. But I was wrong. He drank my blood
right there in the alley, lapping it up with a sick smile on his
face. I was out of my mind crazy. I didn’t know what was
happening.”

My heart goes out to Keegan. It sounds
horrific. I can only imagine the terror he must’ve felt.

“I was too weak to fight him,” he continues,
his eyes clouding over. “Then Gabriel bit me, infecting my body
with his poison. He didn’t have to do it. He did it because he
enjoyed it. Gabriel was a sadistic creature. I learned just how
twisted he could be over the next couple of years. Unlike born
vampires, we don’t always have the freewill to do as we please.” He
leans on his pitchfork, allowing it to support the weight of his
body.

“Gabriel had sired others before me. He had a
strong mind, and his grip on my psyche was strong. He knew every
time I even thought about running and punished me for it.
Eventually I learned to shut him out of my mind. And when I did, I
killed him. It wasn’t easy. He was a pureblood. He was older than
me and stronger than I could ever hope to be, but I had help.”

I’m shocked by this revelation. Not that
Keegan had killed his sire. I could care less about that. Keegan
probably did the world a favor from the sounds of it. But what
about this psychic connection? Could this be true? How is it I’ve
never heard of this before? It has to be bunk. But Keegan doesn’t
look like he’s messing with me. I decide to ask Aldo about it when
I call him later.

“Anyway, the rest is history. I came to the
United States and drifted around for a while. I found out the hard
way that it’s not easy for a lone vampire who’s accustomed to city
living to come by an easy blood supply. Not without killing. When
the job here presented itself, I couldn’t say no. It gave me the
opportunity to return to the trade I’d learned as a child and easy
access to fresh blood. As you said, you know why I stay.”

I lean my pitchfork against the wall and take
a seat on a nearby bale of hay. “I don’t know what to say.”

“What’s there to say? You wanted to know my
story and now you do.”

“The world can be an ugly place,” I say
somberly. I wish I could share something back with him, but there’s
nothing I can share that would compare to his story.

“Aye, it can. That’s the one thing that
hasn’t changed in all my years. Probably never will.”

**********

“Katia?”

It’s Lissette who answers the phone. I’m
disappointed. I’d wanted to speak with Aldo. I need to ask him
about the stuff Keegan told me. I can’t very well ask Lissette such
things. “Yes, Lissette. It’s me.”

“Darling! It’s so good to hear your voice. I
feel like we haven’t talked in forever.”

“I know,” I say sincerely. “I can’t wait to
see you and Aldo over the holidays. When will you be arriving at
Crossroads?

“Bad news, Katia.” She sounds deflated. This
can’t be good. “The Council has been unusually active the last few
weeks. I’ve barely seen Aldo myself. He’s been travelling a lot and
plans to visit each of the Elders personally before the end of the
year. We’ll be there for the New Year’s Eve ball, but I don’t think
we’re going to make it in time for Christmas. I’m so sorry.”

She sounds disappointed. Lissette probably
wanted us all to spend the holiday together as much as I did.
Mentally I run through the home locations of the other twelve
Elders: New York, L.A., Rio, Cairo, Beijing, Milan, Athens, Berlin,
Paris, London, Tokyo, and Saint Petersburg. Yes, Aldo would be
quite busy. I wonder what is so pressing that personal visits are
required.

“Don’t worry about it,” I tell Lissette,
trying to hide my own disappointment. “We’ll be together soon
enough.”

“I’m so looking forward to it,” she tells me,
her voice perking up. “Did you get my surprise?”

“I did, thank you. I should have called
sooner. The gown is beautiful. Anya has excellent taste as it turns
out.”

“Good! I can’t wait to see you in it. The
boys will be beside themselves.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I say smiling. That
is so Lissette. Of course her first concern is my love life or,
rather, lack thereof.

“Have you met anyone?” she asks suggestively.
Lissette is an open book. It’s difficult for her to understand my
need for detachment or privacy.

“No one special. Is Aldo around? I’d like to
say hello to him before I get back to studying.”

“No. He left yesterday for a meeting with the
Paris coven.”

It seems my questions will have to wait.

It’s
Sunday afternoon, and I’m feeling very productive. I’ve finished my
work detail with Keegan, fed, studied for my Anatomy midterm, and
now I’m ready to train. I’ve been warming up, practicing with the
bo as I wait for Nik. He’s running late which isn’t like him.

“It’s about time,” I tease when he finally
shows up. I’m the one who’s not sleeping, and I always manage to
get here on time. “What gives?”

“Sorry,” he calls out, heading straight to
the wall for his bo. “I was packing. Anya and I are leaving this
evening for the holiday break. We’re meeting our parents in
Boston.”

“We could’ve cancelled. I didn’t realize you
were leaving.”

“Neither did I,” he says. “That’s why I’m
late. It’s just like my parents to spring this on us at the last
minute. I wasn’t expecting to see them until New Year’s.
Fortunately, I finished all of my midterms this week.”

I stand at the ready. I know that Nik could
end this conversation and attack at any moment. The distance
between us is nothing. I’ve seen him leap the entire length of the
mat with a good running start. Just another advantage of vampire
strength. I have to be prepared.