buildings. Like the student center.” She angled off slightly, as if she was heading past the quad, and then led them closer, glancing over at the police tape surrounding the grass, pretending to be surprised by the activity next to them. Elena and Bonnie fol owed her lead, looking around wide-eyed.
“Can I help you ladies?” one of the campus security men asked, stepping forward to block their progress.
Elena smiled at him appealingly. “We were just on our way to the student center, and we saw everyone out here.
What’s going on?”
Meredith craned her head to look past him. Al she could see were groups of police officers talking to one another and more campus security. Some officers were on their hands and knees, searching careful y through the grass. Crime scene analysts, she thought vaguely, wishing she knew more about police procedure than what she’d seen on TV.
The security officer stepped sideways to block her view.
“Nothing serious, just a girl who ran into a bit of trouble walking out here alone.” He smiled reassuringly.
“What kind of trouble?” Meredith asked, trying to see for herself.
He shifted, blocking her line of sight again. “Nothing to worry about. Everyone’s going to be okay this time.”
“This time?” Bonnie asked, frowning.
He cleared his throat. “You girls just stick together at night, okay? Make sure to walk in pairs or groups when you’re out around campus, and you’l be fine. Basic safety stuff, right?”
“But what happened to the girl? Where is she?” Meredith asked.
“Nothing to worry about,” he said, more firmly this time.
His eyes were on the black velvet case in Meredith’s hand.
“What have you got in there?”
“Pool cue,” she lied. “We’re going to play pool in the student center.”
“Have a good time,” he said, in a tone of voice that was clearly a dismissal.
“We wil ,” Elena said sweetly, her hand on Meredith’s arm. Meredith opened her mouth to ask another question, but Elena was pul ing her away from the officer and toward the student center.
“Hey,” Meredith objected quietly, when they were out of earshot. “I wasn’t done asking questions.”
“He wasn’t going to tel us anything,” Elena said. Her mouth was a grim straight line. “I bet a lot more happened than someone getting into a little trouble. Did you see the ambulances?”
“We’re not real y going to the student center, are we?” Bonnie asked plaintively. “I’m too tired.” Meredith shook her head. “We’d better loop back behind the buildings to our dorm, though. It’l look suspicious if we head right back where we came from.”
“That was creepy, right?” Bonnie said. “Do you think”—
she paused, and Meredith could see her swal ow—“do you think something real y bad happened?”
“I don’t know,” Meredith said. “He said a girl ran into a little bit of trouble. That could mean anything.”
“Do you think someone attacked her?” Elena asked.
Meredith shot her a significant look. “Maybe,” she said.
“Or maybe something did.”
“I hope not,” Bonnie said, shivering. “I’ve had enough somethings to last me forever.” They’d crossed behind the science building, down a darker, lonelier path, and circled back toward their dorm, its brightly lit entryway like a beacon before them. Al three sped up, heading for the light.
“I’ve got my key,” Bonnie said, feeling in her jeans pocket. She opened the door, and she and Elena hurried into the dorm.
Meredith paused and glanced back toward the busy quad, then, past it, at the dark sky above campus.
Whatever “trouble” had happened, and whether the cause was human or something else, she knew she needed to be in top condition, ready to fight.
She could almost hear her father’s voice saying, “Fun time is over, Meredith.” It was time to focus on her training again, time to work toward her destiny as a protector, as a Sulez, to keep innocent people safe from the darkness.
5
The sun was way too bright. Bonnie shielded her eyes with one hand and glanced anxiously around as she walked across the quad toward the bookstore. It had taken her a long time to fal asleep after getting back to their room the night before. What if some crazy person was stalking the campus?
It’s broad daylight, she told herself. There are people everywhere. I have nothing to be afraid of. But bad things could happen during the day, too. Girls got lured into cars by horrible men, or hit over the head and taken to dark places. Monsters didn’t just lurk in the night. After al , she knew several vampires who strol ed around during the day al the time. Damon and Stefan didn’t scare her, not anymore, but there were other daytime monsters. I just want to feel safe for once, she thought wistful y.
She was coming up on the area the police had been searching the night before, stil blocked off with yel ow tape.
Students were standing nearby in groups of two or three, talking in low voices. Bonnie spied a reddish-brown stain across the path that she thought might be blood, and she walked faster as she passed it.
