Of course, Allegra would need to be entertained but I knew dozens of “quiet” games which we played when Mrs. Breedlove had a headache and didn’t want to be bothered—which was most of the time. So that would be all right.
By the time the bell rang, all I could think about was going back to the Breedlove’s home and resting.
Little did I know, I was never going to make it there.
24
Ari
I watched her leave the castle as I did every Friday afternoon. Standing at the top of the West Tower, where the Drake Dorm was housed, I had a clear view of the long, low bridge which spanned the lake and led from the castle to the parking area below.
And since I was watching so carefully, I saw everything that happened.
I saw Kaitlyn walking with her friends—a little behind them, actually—she seemed to be dragging her feet and squinting in the strong Florida sunlight. I watched as she and her Coven-mates made their way towards the land. Their feet were tapping on the wooden planks of the bridge, which was little more than a pathway across the water. There were no railings or walls on either side of it—just a long, flat, wooden road over the inky blackness that surrounded Nocturne Academy.
And that was when it happened.
Felix Gomez and Lupe Romero came running down the bridge, pushing and shoving each other and shouting like idiots. They made the bridge sway and jostled several people as they ran, nearly knocking them into the water.
“Cuidado, idiotas!” I wanted to shout as they came up behind Kaitlyn and her friends. But I had no time to speak. Before I could get the first word out, Gomez had rammed right into my little human, who was none-too-steady on her feet to start with.
My heart was in my throat as I heard her high, startled shriek and saw her windmilling her arms to keep her balance. But then, just as she had in our History of Magic class, she was falling.
And this time, I wasn’t going to be there in time to catch her.
25
Kaitlyn
It happened so fast, I didn’t even know what was going on. I had been walking along, head down, just trying to make it across the long bridge which led from the Nocturne Academy castle to the parking area in the orange grove beyond. That day the bridge seemed extra long and the sun was extra bright.
I lagged behind Avery and Megan and Griffin and Emma, who seemed to be feeling much better today. I, however, was feeling considerably worse. I was wobbly on my feet—faint and light-headed, though I was careful not to let my Coven-mates notice.
I didn’t want to worry them for no reason, I told myself. I was just a little off because I hadn’t eaten anything. But then again, I didn’t want to eat anything. The very thought of food made me feel nauseous—it was as though my body had decided to reject even the idea of nourishment. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do about that—maybe the doctor could help me. But at the moment, I just wanted to get across the bridge and sink into the cool, leather interior of the Breedlove’s Benz to get away from the blazing sun.
When we were almost to the middle of the long bridge, I heard shouting behind me.
“Hey, watch out, you jerk!” someone exclaimed and somebody else yelled, “Watch it!”
I started to turn my head, squinting to try and see what was going on that was shaking the wooden planks under my feet. One of the strict rules at Nocturne Academy was no roughhousing on the bridge. That was because there were no guard rails all along its long length. So if anyone ran into anyone else by accident, they could easily be shoved into the inky, matte-black waters below.
Just as my brain processed that thought—rather sluggishly—a broad shoulder rammed into me, hard.
I cried out and staggered, waving my arms to try and regain my balance. But it was no use—I felt myself falling even as Avery and Megan started shouting my name.
I gave a gasp as the black water penetrated my clothing and then closed over my head. It was cold—so cold. You would have thought that being under the hot Florida sun and being so black it would have absorbed some heat. It ought to be as warm as blood. But being in the lake that surrounded the castle was like being in ice water. The freezing chill of it seemed to penetrate right to my bones immediately.
I kicked my legs and moved my arms frantically, trying to get back to the surface. I’m normally a good swimmer—living in Florida you almost have to be, there are so many lakes and swimming pools everywhere, not to mention the ocean—but the inky black stuff around me felt thicker than water somehow. It seemed to drag at my already exhausted limbs and it was so dark I couldn’t tell which way was up.
I had a terrible feeling that I might be swimming deeper into the murky depths instead of towards the surface and my lungs, which had only been about half full of air when I went under, were beginning to beg for oxygen already.
Then, just as I was about to panic, my head broke the surface.
“Oh thank the Goddess, there she is!” Avery was shouting. He was stripping frantically out of his uniform jacket, as though intending to dive in and Griffin was doing the same. “Kaitlyn,” he called, leaning over the edge of the bridge and reaching for me. “Come here—swim for me!”
His voice seemed to come from some distance away and when I shook my wet hair out of my eyes, I was surprised to see how far from the bridge I had somehow gotten. I would have sworn that I
