“Angela Petrovsky was attacked. The Guard found her unconscious while they were clearing the storm debris.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Mrs Kanumba exclaimed. “The poor child.”
“She’s at the hospital now. My dad said she’s stable, and they’re already out looking for her attacker.”
“Let’s hope they’re found and put to justice,” Rebecca said, a perturbed look on her face.
“That’s not all,” I went on. “They think she was attacked by the same person who killed Mr Williams.”
“Why do they think that?” Belinda asked, stepping forward.
I frowned as I met her gaze. “She was bitten, her blood drained. Luckily, the person who attacked her left a scent that’s being traced as we speak.”
“That’s good,” Anna said, coming to put her arm around Belinda, who shrugged her off. Clearly, she still hadn’t forgiven her for what was revealed during Truth or Dare.
“When will we be able to leave the school?” Sophia asked.
“Soon. My dad said the road is almost cleared.”
Are you okay? Peter asked when everyone returned to their seats to wait.
I met his gaze. Not really. I should’ve been looking out for her better.
You do look out for her.
Not well enough, obviously.
Guilt, anger, and agitation ate away at me. I just needed to get to Angela. I needed to see her with my own two eyes before I could relax.
Want a hug?
I’m not sure that’s wise, given our current audience.
Yeah, you’re right. There was warmth in his voice, a tender fondness that touched my heart.
Thanks for offering, though.
Peter held my gaze, his eyes full of empathy. I sat down on the window ledge, and he lowered himself onto a nearby chair. It took a moment to contain my anger because I wanted to go out and destroy the world. I wanted to kill whoever put their hands on Angela. Hopefully, when she woke up, she’d be able to give us a description of her attacker.
I think she was being stalked because of me, I said to Peter, and his eyes lifted. He didn’t say anything, just waited for me to continue. A few weeks ago, she thought she saw someone standing in her back garden, but when she went to investigate, they were gone. What if it was the demon? What if they were trying to kill Angela to get at me, to make me weak without my blood donor?
Peter scratched his chin. I don’t know, Darya. You could be onto something, or it could be a completely unrelated attack.
There’s no reason for someone to want to attack Angela. She’s the sweetest person I know.
Predators don’t care about that. They just want someone to hurt.
I’m going to hurt them when I find them, I said, then glanced out the window as lights approached the school. I recognised my dad’s SUV, followed by several others.
They’re here.
Do you want me to go to the hospital with you?
No, that’s okay. My dad is going to take me. And I promised Nic a ride home.
I sensed Peter’s disgruntlement in the set line of his jaw at my mention of Nic. He didn’t say anything, and I turned my attention back out the window, watching as the cars parked outside. His words from earlier echoed in my mind, making me shiver.
I hated you kissing him.
Those five little words had shocked, surprised, and delighted me. The thought of Peter Girard not being quite so indifferent towards me as I thought was a heady drug. The way he kissed me certainly indicated his attraction.
Wanting to use the bathroom before we left, I headed out of the teacher’s lounge and down the hall. Something caught my attention on the floor, and I glanced down to study the wet, muddy footprints leading into the staff bathroom. I opened up my senses and heard a hand dryer running inside.
I frowned. Everybody who’d been stuck in the school was back in the teacher’s lounge, which begged the question, who was in the bathroom? Hanging back, I waited quietly to see who would emerge. A minute or two ticked by, and then the door finally opened. My pulse sped up, my eyes widening in surprise when Ren Tanaka stepped out.
His hair was wet, his clothing, too. His shoes were filthy with mud and dirt. He looked like he’d been traipsing through the woods in the middle of the storm.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, and he turned around, a startled expression on his face.
“Darya! You almost gave me a heart attack,” he exclaimed.
“Answer the question, Ren,” I said, folding my arms.
His eyebrows jumped at my gruff response before he motioned to his soaked clothing. Some parts were dryer than others. He’d obviously made a vain attempt to dry off with the hand dryer. “As you can see, I got caught in the storm. I wanted to borrow some books from the library after class and ended up leaving school a little late. I got caught in the rain and was halfway to the bus stop before I had to trek back here because the road was flooded.”