Even though Fritz knew that Michael’s heart belonged to Ronan and he couldn’t possibly be a rival for Ruby’s romantic affection, he also knew that gay boys and straight girls could develop powerful friendships that were incredibly difficult to break. Might as well make a preemptive strike and declare his intention before anyone else had the chance. “I know a great way to show you around campus, Ruby. Let’s go on a double date,” Fritz suggested, though his tone sounded more like an order. “Me and you and Saoirse and her new boyfriend.”
Three heads snapped in Saoirse’s direction. Michael, Ciaran, and especially Ronan were surprised by this pronouncement, and their shock was so palpable even Ruby could sense it. “Lawks!” she cried.
“Something tells me Saoirse’s kept news of her new boyfriend under lock and key.”
“That’s because I don’t have a new boyfriend!” Saoirse protested.
The three boys studied Saoirse’s face for signs that she was lying, but unfortunately Saoirse had become such a good liar that they couldn’t tell if her protestation was based on truth or a ploy to cover up a revelation she preferred remain undisclosed. Ronan hoped it was the former, because even though Saoirse was sixteen, he felt that she was too young to have a boyfriend. In contrast, Michael thought she was lying. It now made perfect sense to him that the reason she ran off into the woods when he saw her while he was driving was because he had caught her rendezvousing with her secret boyfriend.
And all Ciaran could think about was the fact that his little sister might already be in a relationship and, thanks to Fritz’s intrusion, it looked like he might never be.
“You do too have a boyfriend!” Fritz griped. “That blond bloke I saw you with.”
Once again Saoirse’s response was inscrutable.
“Oh is that what they’re calling it these days?” Fritz asked. He laughed so loudly at his own joke that he hardly realized he was the only one laughing.
“You have to watch out for that one, Ruby,” Saoirse said confidentially. “Your brother wasn’t the only one who liked to make up stories.”
For a split second the smile left Ruby’s face, and her expression hardened. “Don’t worry,” she responded, her voice deeper, her British accent thicker, less reserved. “I may be blind, but I’m far from dumb.”
When Saoirse laughed everyone joined in except Michael. He knew her comment wasn’t meant to be a joke. Like the white light, it was meant to be a warning. And how appropriate that one warning should follow another.
“I’m so glad you’re all getting to know one another and reconnecting after the summer break, but if you dawdle any longer you’ll be late for class,” David announced. “And that’s hardly the way to begin the new year.”
“Right you are, Headmaster,” Fritz replied, his voice dripping with respect in an attempt to impress Ruby and not the person he was addressing. When David smiled approvingly, Fritz decided it was a path worth continuing. “Headmaster, would it be all right if I walked Ruby to her class?”
David smirked. “Mr. Ulrich, you’re proving to be a gentleman, if not a scholar.”
“Thank you, sir.” Fritz beamed, completely missing David’s barb. “I’ll take over from here, Seersh.”
Saoirse tried to catch Ciaran’s eyes to let him know that she was sorry; she had no choice but to hand Ruby over to the enemy. But Ciaran was staring off to the side, looking across the gym at nothing in particular, just anything other than watching Fritz take Ruby’s slender arm and enfold it within his. He had witnessed defeat often enough; no need to watch it again.
Fritz led Ruby outside and on her way to her first class of the semester, an advanced elective in horticulture that Fritz had absolutely no interest in, but claimed to be fascinated by. Grabbing Ciaran’s hand, Saoirse gave him a tug as if to yank him back to reality. His melancholy only lasted a moment after seeing his sister’s smiling face. “C’mon, Ciar. Let’s follow them and eavesdrop,” she ordered.
“Betcha five pounds Fritz blabbers on about the Venus flytrap who devoured half the school in issue seven.”
Ronan watched his siblings depart the gym and was happy that they had each other. It was important to have someone who always made you feel good even when you were unsure of yourself. It’s what Michael did for him. Sometimes, however, it worked the other way around.
“She’s dangerous,” Michael said.
Crinkling his forehead, Ronan was surprised by Michael’s comment and even more surprised by the serious look on his face. “She’s just a kid,” Ronan countered. “Saoirse’s a handful, but she’s harmless, you know that.”
“I’m not talking about Saoirse,” Michael replied. “I’m talking about Ruby.”
“Ruby?” Ronan asked incredulously. “We were just introduced to a vampire doctor who looks more like a demon and you’re worried about a blind girl?”
Michael looked at Ronan and was surprised that he didn’t share his concern. “Trust me, Dr. Sutton we can handle,” he said. “But that girl is dangerous.”
Crossing his arms, Ronan tilted his head and examined Michael. He was completely befuddled by his behavior. “Why in the world would you think Penry’s sister is dangerous?”
“Because she’s not Penry’s sister,” Michael declared. “And whatever she is, she isn’t human.”
chapter 7
Michael closed part of his mind so Ronan could no longer communicate with him. He was surprised how easy it was to do, since only a few weeks ago he had still been struggling with telepathic conversation. It was almost as if when he stopped trying to make something work he was successful.
He’d have to remember that when practicing the rest of his vampire skills—stop thinking about doing them and just let his new natural instincts take over. He wished he could adopt the same strategy with his classes. But as a student he had, for the most part, to respond like a human, which meant he had to read his assignments, take notes, study, and listen to lectures. Even when he knew they were wrong.
“The only true immortal creature is God,” Professor Joubert proclaimed. “The rest of us have an end date.”
Standing in front of the class, Joubert didn’t have to make such outrageous proclamations to look impressive. He was so tall, almost 6’5”, that the top of his head was only a few inches below the stone ceiling. The theology building was one of the oldest on campus, but also one of the smallest. Joubert looked like a giant, intimidating, powerful, but even still, he wasn’t beyond reproach.
“According to the Bible, didn’t Abraham live for like seven hundred years or something loco like that?”
Michael didn’t see who asked the question, but he knew the voice belonged to Diego Fuente, the chubby Spanish kid, whose shirt was always wrinkled, who always sat in the back corner no matter what class he was in, and who always interrupted a lecture. The professors had learned to take his interruptions in stride, and Joubert was no different. “Seven hundred years or something
“What do you mean?” Diego replied, evidently unable to follow Joubert’s reasoning. “Father Faz teaches math.”
“He means because he’s a priest, you dumb clot!” Nakano barked. He didn’t mean to be so snarky, but when he saw Michael smile at his comment he was glad he hadn’t censored himself.
When the classroom chuckling subsided, Joubert continued. “As most priests believe, whether they’re teaching something non-secular or something as mundane as math, the only viable alternative we can hope for is
