The Gray Institute (The Gray Institute Trilogy Book 1) (20 page)

Despite the fact that Meredith's hopeless crush on Malachy irks me beyond belief, I can't help feeling sorry for her, and furious at Malachy for his treatment of her. 

'Hi, Malachy!' Tia bellows from across the room, more a threat than a greeting as she, too, witnesses the upset of her friend. The entire common room turns to stare and Malachy hesitates, flickering his eyes to Lucrezia. She gives a snort of amusement and waves her hand dismissively, as though the whole affair is beneath her.

Malachy skulks away from his sister, hurrying over to us. Meredith perks up, sitting a little straighter, a small smile on her face. 

'Tia,' Malachy nods, eyeing each of us in turn, his tone business-like and reserved. 'Eve. Meredith.'

At the sound of her name dripping from Malachy's tongue, Meredith visibly swoons, her eyes large as saucers. There's no mention of mine and Malachy's earlier encounter in the hall with Katy. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that Malachy is deliberately shooting me pleading looks over the top of Meredith's head, silently begging me not to speak of it.  

'How are things?' Tia asks, smiling sweetly at Malachy, her eyes darting back and forth from him to Meredith. I wish she'd stop fuelling Meredith's desire, surely Tia realises she's only setting her friend up for a fall? 

Lucrezia stands five feet away, talking amicably with a fourth year boy. Only I notice that her attention is diverted, that she strains her ears to hear every word of our conversation, that her eyes dart constantly to Malachy's face. She spots me staring at her and fixes her gaze on me. I feel a sharp chill shoot down my spine. The green fire blazes in her eyes and she watches me like a lion stalking a gazelle, her nostrils flared, her limbs poised to pounce. I tear my eyes away as Tia calls my name.

'I said; didn't Meredith do a great job of decorating the ballroom? You know, for the First Year Ball?' Tia frowns at me.

'Oh yes, absolutely, wonderful job, brilliant.' I babble, ignoring Tia's steely glare.  

'Thank you, it was a lot of work. The other members of the committee weren't so keen to help out at first, but once I brain-stormed a few of my ideas, they soon came around.' She beams, instantly looking to Malachy for approval. I watch her face drop, her eyes sadden, and turn to Malachy for the reason why.

My breath catches in my throat as I meet his icy blue eyes, fixed firmly on my face, his expression intense. I scowl at him and he snaps his head up, searching for the tail end of the conversation.

'Well, Meredith, you certainly wowed us all. Didn't she, Malachy?' Tia interjects, hoping to salvage the situation but it appears it's too late. Meredith has shrunk back into her seat and suddenly eyes me with cold, obvious jealousy.

'Yes,' Malachy replies, clearing his throat. 'You did a fantastic job, Meredith. Well done. Excuse me ladies, I've just spotted someone I must speak to.' He adds hastily, avoiding our eyes and moving quickly through the crowd. He bolts straight out of the common room door and Lucrezia frowns, glaring my way.

'Why doesn't he like me?' Meredith wails the moment Malachy is out of ear shot. Tia jumps up to sit on the arm of Meredith's chair, putting a protective arm around her shoulders.

'He's a moron,' She states plainly. 'He probably
would
be interested in you if it wasn't for that fascist bitch.' She nods in Lucrezia's direction, who is now making her excuses to follow her brother.

'She's just his sister!' Meredith cries in desperation. 'I don't know why he lets her control him that way...'

'Shh, Meredith, have you lost your mind?' Tia hisses, her eyes darting around the room for eavesdroppers. 

'And what was all that about with you?' Meredith shoots a pointed glance in my direction. I stutter uncertainly.

'I don't know...'

'Oh, don't be like that, Meredith. Eve didn't do anything,' Tia's voice is pleading as Meredith folds her arms, unconvinced. 'Come on, let's go back to mine and Eve's room. We can talk in private there.' Tia soothes, helping Meredith to her feet as though she's disabled.   

'Eve?' Tia tugs my arm, willing me to come. I glance at her briefly, but my eyes are transfixed on the door Malachy – and then Lucrezia – exited. 

'Yeah, I'll catch up with you.' I reply vaguely, avoiding Tia's gaze as I hurry towards the door. I have no idea where I'm going, no idea who I'm following, all I know is that Meredith is right.

Malachy does allow Lucrezia to control him; I witnessed it first hand that night in the common room. It's a bizarre relationship and gut instinct – which I seem to rely a lot on these days – tells me there are secrets surrounding the Beighley twins. 

When I reach the corridor, Malachy and Lucrezia are nowhere to be seen. The hall is deserted and I slump against the wall, feeling stupid. Don't I have enough on my plate to be worrying about than what the Beighley twins get up to in their spare time? Let them treat the world like vermin, it makes no difference to me. I should be concentrating on Sir Alec's 'request'.

I turn to head back to my room, but quickly remember that Tia and Meredith will soon be reconvening there to discuss the ongoing topic of Meredith's heartbreak. I head, instead, for the grounds, fishing a crushed pack of cigarettes from my coat pocket. 

The halls are dark and eerie, the pale moon casting gloomy shadows upon the walls. As I near the stairwell, heading for the elevator, I sense another presence lurking nearby.

I halt, bending my knees and baring my teeth, preparing myself for attack. A nasal snigger pricks the hairs on the back of my neck as a voice drawls:

'It's just me.'

I take a few careful steps forward until I'm standing in the stairwell, feeling utterly stupid as Malachy appears from behind the wall.

'What the hell are you doing?' I hiss, my voice echoing along the empty hall. Malachy smiles, but it's brief and doesn't meet his eyes.

'I just wanted to thank you.' He replies, a sudden sadness in his voice.

'For what?' I frown, suspicious, sensing a trick. I cast my senses out, listening, smelling for any sign of Lucrezia, of an ambush. 

'For not mentioning what happened with Katy.' He replies, averting his gaze. He seems to have difficulty looking directly at me and each time he does, a strange expression crosses his face – like a wounded animal. He seems to find it easier to speak to the floor rather than my face. 

'Oh, I see. Well, you're welcome.' I nod slowly, shifting uncomfortably as an awkward silence lapses between us. The episode with the elusive Katy has been playing on my mind, and now that I have Malachy – seemingly – alone, it seems an ideal opportunity to fish for information.

'I assumed it was something you wouldn't want to share..?' I raise an eyebrow, keeping my voice light, casual. 

'Correct.' He states simply, his voice firm, final. 'I must apologise for Katy's behaviour.' He continues, holding to the stair rail. He's ten steps above me and I hate the way his stance makes me feel, small, weak and exposed.

'I suppose you won't indulge me as to what she meant by what she said?' I raise an eyebrow, abandoning all efforts to be subtle.

'No,' He smiles, not fooled. For a moment, the wounded expression disappears and his eyes light with amusement, making him appear even more beautiful. 'I'm afraid not.' 

'I didn't think so.' I nod, resigned, before taking two steps towards the exit. 'Anyway, I was just off for a smoke.' I indicate the packet in my hand. Malachy nods.

'Sure.' He smiles, retreating a few steps back.

'By the way,' I call after him, halting him on the stairs. He turns back to face me. 'You should smile more often.' 

He grins, for the first time in my presence, a genuine smile. He reveals two rows of perfectly white teeth and a small dimple in his left cheek. His eyes glow a bright blue and he nods graciously, turning to climb the stairs. As he rounds the corner onto the next floor, he turns back just once to glance at me.

Chapter Fifteen

It's two days before I lay eyes on Lorna Gray again. Lessons are up for the day and I stroll casually along the fourth floor corridor, deciding whether to retire to mine and Tia's room or head over to the common room.

Since Sir Alec banned most of the first and third years from talking about their punishment following that fateful Practical lesson, the common room has adopted a quiet and morose atmosphere. Even Meredith won't tell us what happened, but I know it was a harsh and painful punishment; Cheryl Berry has spoken to nobody since.  

Life at the Institute has quickly settled into a monotonous pattern, lessons are still enthralling and being a part of Tia's world is always dramatic, but the days blend into one, the weeks pass by as the knowledge that life is eternal sinks in. Everything slows down, there's no rush – we have all the time in the world. 

As for my deal with Sir Alec, there is an expiry date, and it looms ever closer as I contemplate the enormity – and indeed impossibility – of my task. I'm both pleased and anxious when I spot Lorna Gray, her back to me, leaning up against the large, oval shaped window at the end of the hall. She stares fixedly at the view, the sea crashing against the jagged rocks below, unaware of my presence.

I stand silently and observe her, wondering how she manages to fill her lonely days. Unable to socialise with anyone but her father, unable to wander the Institute freely at her will and – unlike us – not blessed with the knowledge that she has endless days, endless time.   

Unless Sir Alec can help it.  

I clear my throat unnecessarily, alerting her to my presence, and she jumps, spinning around to face me as a spark of recognition ignites her pale green eyes.

'You're still here.' She states simply, eyeing me up and down. 

'Still here?' I frown, taking a small step closer.

She sighs, turning back to the view below, unfazed by what I am and the advantages I have over her.  

'I didn't think you would be. Not after the Ball.' I hear the smirk within her voice and a chilling thought crosses my mind.

Did Lorna Gray deliberately allow me to approach her at the Ball, in the hope that my doing so would result in my end? 

'Yes,' She nods slowly, her voice strong, confident. 'I know what you're thinking and the answer is yes. I let you approach me in the hope that Alec would dispose of you.'

I take a shuddering breath, alarmed by both her malice and her innate ability to read my thoughts. 

The silence envelopes us as I take slow and gradual steps towards her, making my footfalls heavy, allowing her to sense my distance. I stand awkwardly by her side, waiting for her to flinch or move, acknowledge my progression, but she remains stock still, her eyes focussed on the rocks.

I glance at her from the corner of my eye, marvelling at her natural, un-enhanced beauty. Even as a human she's as flawless as an Immortal, her slender frame, though slouched, is elegant and confident, her long brown hair flows in waves to the curve of her spine. She catches me staring and I look away quickly.

'Nice view.' I note, nodding to the cliffs as she glares at me, her thin eyebrows pulled together.

'I just admitted to you that I deliberately attempted to get you thrown into the Confine, and you want to make small talk with me?'

'I thought you might like some company,' I shrug, feeling stupid. 'You're on your own all day...'

'I prefer it that way.' She interrupts, making no attempt to mask her hostility towards me. The polite, almost timid demeanour she showed me after my attack in Practical is gone, replaced by a cold distance. 

'Why?' I frown, unable to resist the question. 'Because you hate our kind? Because we kill your kind?'

'No, not because you kill 'my kind.' Which for your information, spawned your kind. Without humans you wouldn't exist, perhaps you should try remembering that and showing a little loyalty to your ancestry.' She snaps. I take a step back as she draws in a breath, calming herself.

'I understand your need to eat,' She states, lowering her voice a little. 'Humans kill animals for food, do we not?' Colour floods her cheeks – an alien sight to me now – a beautiful rosy red and I listen to her heart beating steadily in her chest.

The sudden display of mortality alarms me, perhaps because I've had such little contact with humans whilst at the Institute, and through fear of what I may do to the headmaster's daughter, I turn to leave. 

'I won't speak to you because you're all cowards. You can't admit to what you are, not a one of you.' She calls. Her baffling words halt me.

'You spoke to me,' I state, turning back to her. 'After my Practical lesson.' The reminder stops her in her tracks and the colour drains from her face. I've touched a nerve, reminded her that she broke her resolve after that lesson. She spoke to an Immortal, not in order to have them banished, or play a mind trick on them, but out of pure, human curiosity.

'You couldn't understand my choice not to kill an innocent victim,' I state as she remains silent, her expression closed off. 'It must be difficult for you, being forced to watch that.'     

'Of course it's difficult for me,' She huffs. 'It was difficult, even, for most of your class mates. I eat beef, but that doesn't mean I want to watch the cow slaughtered. Would you want to watch your own kind being murdered?'

'I didn't.' I shake my head. She narrows her eyes, broadening her shoulders, ready for a fight.

'Didn't what?' She snaps.

'Eat beef. I was a vegetarian... when I was human.'  

Slowly, the corners of her mouth twitch into a smile and she fights it, attempting to control her face. She turns her head away but I can see her shoulders shaking as she laughs silently.

'Ironic, isn't it?' I ask dryly, stepping forward to stand by her side once again.  

'That's hilarious!' She splutters, finally giving way to explosive laughter. 'How do you feel now, eating humans instead of butter nut squash?' She asks.

'Honestly? I prefer it.' I shrug. She stops laughing immediately, her face suddenly stony and serious. 'I mean, because of my gift I can seek out the guilty ones. All animals are innocent, few humans are.'

'So you'd prefer to dine on a bank robber than a chicken?' She raises an eyebrow. I sigh, feeling insulted.

'Look, who am I to say what the definition of guilty or innocent is? In some countries and tribes it's perfectly normal to rape women, kill people, be a cannibal or a necrophiliac. My gift is based on what I, alone, deem acceptable and unacceptable. Personally, I have no sympathy for child molesters and yes, I'd rather kill one than eat a chicken.'

Lorna nods, seeming to accept my words. 'I'm not sure what I believe in any more.' She sighs, picking at a loose thread in her jeans. 

'Neither am I,' I admit. 'But I guess we all have to live by our own morals, nobody else's.'

'There was this student here,' Lorna replies, perching on the edge of the window sill, seeming to relax in my company. 'She would only kill elderly people. I never spoke to her but I guess her view was that they'd lived a long and full life and were close to death anyway. She's gone now, you can probably guess where.'

I could guess all too well. Immortals weren't supposed to be humane, they were supposed to let go of their human ideals and embrace their feral instincts.

'I can't remember her name,' Lorna admits sadly, casting her eyes downwards. 'But she certainly stuck to her morals. She martyred herself, that's for sure.' 

I nod agreeably as a long silence envelopes us. The rooms either side of us are empty – a relief considering they belong to the Professors – and I wonder if I should leave Lorna alone.

'Your Mentor is Tia Carey,' She states suddenly, the sentence void of emotion or meaning. I nod, frowning, as she considers this. 'I've never spoken to her, but I know she's one of Alec's favourites. It's strange, he usually harbours the students who excel in skill or intelligence. Not that I'm suggesting she's not skilled or intelligent...' She stutters suddenly, backtracking herself as I smirk.   

'I'm just saying, he usually favours students like you.'

'Me?' I frown, feeling a chill down my spine.

'You're skilful, intelligent, you've adapted quickly to Immortal life. You're of value to him.' She shrugs.

Though I know she's right, the realisation that Sir Alec regularly 'harbours' students such as myself comes as no easier to bear. I change the subject, desperate to shift the focus from me. 

'I would think you're more his type. He did choose you as his daughter after all.' I mean it as a compliment but her jaw hardens.

'Believe me, that has nothing to do with me.' She replies through gritted teeth. I'm morbidly desperate to learn more about Sir Alec's choice of daughter – and indeed why he chose an offspring at all – but sensing the subject is taboo, I keep my mouth firmly shut.  

'I've seen you talking to Malachy Beighley,' Lorna muses thoughtfully. How does she manage to see so much when Sir Alec supposedly shuts her away? 'I'd stay away from him if I were you. And his sister.'

'His sister, I can safely say I have no interest in spending time with.' I snort sarcastically. She smiles politely, pausing for a moment.

'And him?' She raises an eyebrow as I shift uncomfortably. I know I should say nothing, insist I feel the same for Malachy Beighley as I do his twin, but I feel the sudden need to tell somebody. 

'He intrigues me,' I admit, feeling the urge to explain myself further. 'There's more to him than meets the eye.'

Lorna nods thoughtfully, her eyes darting. 'He's an Auctorita, of course he intrigues you. But he has a history. A complex one at that.' She says vaguely. It occurs to me that Lorna's loneliness, her solitary roaming of the Institute, may make her privy to a world of information; secrets she ought not to have overheard. Perhaps even Sir Alec tells her secrets he shouldn't.

It seems wrong and out of place to ask, though, and I fear losing her trust and new found openness. They are, after all, the key to persuading her to change. 

'And that's why I should stay away from him?' I raise an eyebrow. 'Because he's an Auctorita?'

'It's a pretty good reason,' She smirks. 'I know I wouldn't want to get caught up in Malachy Beighley's life.' She shrugs, breathing condensation onto the window.

I wonder if she knows of her father's plan to change her. It seems unlikely she doesn't, why would any Immortal – even one as powerful as Sir Alec – keep an under age human for any other reason?

I suddenly feel a wave of guilt wash over me; here I am, having an interesting conversation with a defenceless, lonely woman, pretending to be her friend – her confidante as Sir Alec had put it – and it's all based on false pretences, revolving around my – Sir Alec's – ulterior motive. 

'I know why you're here.' She states, reading my mind once again. I cock an eyebrow and lean confidently back against the wall, interested to hear of her theory. 

'Go on...'

'Alec sent you.' She replies instantly. I stand up a little straighter, a chill shivering down my spine. 

'What do you mean?' I frown, keeping up the pretence, aiming to look baffled and instead appearing scared.

'Please, Eve, you didn't think I'm that naïve did you?' She laughs, tossing her silky hair back across her shoulders. 'He's tried it once before,' She shrugs as violent fear grips me.

'He sent a girl, a student, to persuade me to change of my own free will. It didn't work then and it won't work now. He'll have to drag me kicking and screaming to my transformation.' 

There's no point in protesting, no sense in trying to lie; Lorna Gray has a canny ability to read people, like an open book. It seems an insult to her intelligence – and mine – to pretend otherwise. 

'You realise that's what he'll do?' I ask her, choosing my words and tone carefully but she shrugs carelessly.