Another benefit of being invisible. “Ruby, it’s me, Imogene!”
“What was that?” Fritz asked.
With one touch of a button Ciaran quashed Imogene’s hopes that she could be heard, if not seen.
“My watch alarm,” Ciaran explained, pressing a tiny button on the side of his watch. “Sorry, Ruby, can’t be late for swim tryouts.”
“Do you, um, need someone to walk you back to your dorm later?” Fritz asked, hoping he didn’t sound too obvious.
Smiling, Ruby replied, “Saoirse’s picking me up, and we’ll head to St. Joe’s for dinner.”
Without anything else to say and knowing that Blakeley would have their heads if they were late for tryouts for the new season’s team, Ciaran and Fritz left Ruby with her book and newfangled device and rushed out of St. Joshua’s. They had no idea that they weren’t leaving her alone.
It was so good to see an old friend and be out of that gloomy, damp cave that Imogene didn’t even care that she couldn’t be seen or heard. She didn’t understand why, since others could see her. The only explanation she could come up with was that Brania and Nakano had played major roles in the events that had led up to her death, so she somehow remained connected to them. Whatever the reason, it was obvious that she was changing yet again. And Imogene really didn’t care; she just wanted to sit next to the girl she had once called her friend. However, it wasn’t a simple task.
Imogene tried to pull out the chair next to Ruby, but once again her hand went right through the wood. It didn’t matter, as long as she could be somewhere other than that cave. When Brania yelled at her just a few moments ago, Imogene didn’t know where she’d wind up after she disappeared. She assumed she materialized here in the library because it was one of the places where she had always felt safe. Her head ached trying to make sense of it all, so she stopped. She wanted to enjoy every second of this respite for however long it lasted. Curious, she watched the blind girl’s fingers dance over the raised bumps at an incredible speed and was overjoyed when she saw Ruby look up at her.
Although Ruby couldn’t see Imogene and Imogene couldn’t make physical contact with Ruby, it was clear that they were each aware of the other’s presence.
Imogene thought it was a good feeling, safe and familiar. Just as familiar as the scent of fresh roses that suddenly and inexplicably filled up the room.
chapter 10
The overpowering smell of chlorine filled up St. Sebastian’s, which could only mean one thing: swim team tryouts were about to begin. Blakeley liked to add extra chemicals to the pool on the first day of tryouts to set the mood, let the kids know that even though they and the school were firmly planted on land, for a few hours at least, water reigned supreme. It was something Michael and Ronan already knew.
Breathing in deeply, Michael found the smell invigorating. Chlorine wasn’t as intoxicating as salt water, but it was a close second. Ronan couldn’t concentrate on anything other than Michael and how he looked in his swimsuit. “Crikey!” Ronan gasped. “I forgot how good you looked in your swimmers, love.”
Smiling impishly, Michael didn’t disagree. He had grown another inch over the summer and had worked hard to put on a few more pounds of muscle, so he knew he looked pretty good standing there in nothing but his Speedo. He had also noticed that a few dark-blond hairs had sprouted in the cleft of his chest and in a vertical line that started just below his belly button. Ronan had told him that even as a vampire his hair would continue to grow and his body would continue to show signs of improvement; he just didn’t really know what to expect. Michael liked the changes. He knew they didn’t make him human, but the connection to his old species was somehow reassuring. He felt even better now that Ronan had finally noticed them too. “You have to start paying closer attention,” he joked.
Not to be outdone, Ronan made sure he had the last word. “I’ll just have to remember to keep the lights on tonight.”
Running out of the locker room, Ciaran joined them just in time to catch Ronan wink and Michael blush and figured he had stumbled headfirst into a private conversation. “Should I do a one-eighty and leave you two alone?” he asked warily.
“No!” Michael said, laughing and grabbing onto Ciaran’s arm to ensure that he stayed put. “We could use a distraction.”
Ciaran could handle that. After all, he was able to distract Ruby from focusing only on Fritz; surely he could entertain Michael and Ronan for a little bit. In fact, standing next to Michael he found it easy to relax and have some fun. Over the course of the last year he had learned that it was possible to celebrate the positive aspects of his life and not just dwell on the negative. It wasn’t his natural tendency, but with practice it was getting easier. So was being silly for absolutely no reason.
Bowing regally, Ciaran said in a voice worthy of a character on one of those
“What news do you bring forth from the hinterland, brother?” Ronan asked, in an equally aristocratic voice.
“The
Shrugging his shoulders, Ronan replied, “Leave me alone. I’m playing along!” Resuming his role, Ronan spread his legs farther apart and crossed his arms to face Ciaran. Despite being clad in nothing but a skimpy bathing suit, Ronan still managed to look like a king addressing one of his subjects. “Tell me the news, Lord Eaves, and pray, speak only words that will glorify your tongue.”
Unable to hold his own tongue, Michael groaned, “Oh blimey!”
Ciaran slapped Michael on the shoulder, making it clear that he was enjoying the improvisation.
Truth was he was simply enjoying the playful repartee with his brother. “On the breeze of the late summer wind comes news that one of our fallen soldiers will reenlist to fight for the sovereign once more.”
This time Ronan couldn’t hold his tongue, but it wasn’t to mock his brother, it was to praise him.
“Actually I was imitating
Ronan’s eyes bulged even wider. “Good for you, mate! ’Bout time you read something other than a textbook.”
Clearing his throat, Michael interrupted. “Looks like the fallen soldier is entering the battlefield.”
All three turned toward the locker room entrance and saw Blakeley marching into the gym, followed closely by Nakano, who was once again wearing the official swim team bathing suit—a navy blue Speedo with gold A’s on both hips. Ronan was more impressed than ever with Ciaran. “Blimey!
You weren’t just being literary,” he said. “You were being literary
Ronan might have been in high spirits, but Blakeley was even more pumped. Although Nakano remained at the far end of the pool, the coach took his one-man parade all the way around the pool, addressing the students without breaking a stride. “Mr. Kai here has come to his senses and decided to rejoin the team,” he announced.
Every head in the room turned to look at Nakano to gauge his expression. Was this true? Was this some dumb joke? Was the volatile student going to freak out again, tell everyone to sod off, and run from the room? Just when the silence was becoming deafening, Blakeley spoke. “What do we think about that?”
No one except Michael noticed that Blakeley directed his comment toward him, as an obvious warning that he didn’t want Michael to repeat his actions of last year, which had led to Nakano’s abruptly quitting the team.
