“Do they really think that it was a person?” I asked as I tapped the combination in on my locker door.
“I’m not sure they’ve figured out what it was, but they want us to be safe. So, I’m making that my job, to keep you safe.”
“I’m sure you will.” I couldn’t help smiling to myself. Really, it should be me keeping him safe.
“I’m just in shock that it’s happened at all.” He sighed and wrapped his arms around me. “I love you, Dawn.”
There it was again. And once again, I couldn’t think what to say. So instead I gave him a smile and a pat on the arm.
Chapter 8
Helen
“Have you met the new guy?” I asked Adam after school that day.
“New guy? I’ve seen him, but nope, can’t say that I’ve had the honor.”
“He’s a complete prick,” I grumbled, picking up a chip from the plate that was sitting between us.
We were in his kitchen in one of our regular attempts to get our homework done. Though he was a year behind me, Adam was quite helpful with my senior courses. If it weren’t for him, in fact, I would probably fail my senior calculus class. I put down my pencil and glared at the wall.
“One of the girls in my Physics class said he was quite dreamy,” he confided in me, grinning.
I groaned. “She’s sadly mistaken then.”
“I take it you didn’t hit it off with him today?” he asked.
“Oh, we hit it off okay. I ran right into him.” I rubbed my nose as if remembering it still hurt.
“That could be a problem then,” he said, glancing at me with his soft brown eyes.
“I suppose it could be. I just don’t understand how people can be so unpleasant for no reason.”
“Because some people are inherently unpleasant, I suppose.”
“What do you think about Noreen McDonald?” I asked, changing the subject.
“It’s sad. My dad called me at lunch to talk to me about it. Said that her throat was torn out or something.” He shook his head. “Her parents are distraught, of course. Said she went to bed at ten last night. About two in the morning they heard this loud bang. They went to her room, and she was gone, but her window was open. Two hours later they found her body in the woods.”
“What do the police say about it?”
“Dad said they suspect an animal attack. They questioned her boyfriend though. She was supposed to sneak out and go to his place that night, but never made it.” He shrugged.
Adam’s dad owned and ran the local diner. He usually heard the police gossip before it reached the ears of the rest of the general public. Mr. Snyder had also been an active member of the city for several decades, and his diner was the hang-out spot for the local department. It was no surprise that he would know more about the incident than the rest of the town.
“Do they think that she snuck out and got killed on the way?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I just find it odd that there was no blood in her body. It sounds like she was attacked by a vampire or something.” He laughed.
“Why do you find that so funny?” I queried.
“Vampires don’t exist, Dawn,” Adam said, shaking his head.
Our eyes met. For a moment I thought I felt something, a pull deep in me, and I longed to just wrap my arms around him and let him tell me that everything was going to be okay. However, our moment, no matter how deep it was, was interrupted by a knock on the front door.
“I’ll get that,” he said, hurrying from the kitchen.
When he returned, he wasn’t alone. Standing with him was a brunette with penetrating green eyes. Adam looked like he was in a state of shock as he ushered her into the room. She gave me a warm smile, and her face lit up like the sun. She was beautiful.
“Dawn,” Adam choked, “this is Helen Price.”
My mouth dropped open. She was here! She was standing right in front of me, in the flesh! I felt a power in me surge that I had never felt before. It was warm, and the fire felt as if it was about to explode out of me. This must be how I knew when I was in the presence of another Warden.
“The Helen Price?” I asked, standing up. I had this impulse to hug her but decided to keep myself in check. I had no idea who she was aside from what Adam had told me.
She let out a laugh and put out her hand.
“Yes, that’s me. You’ve heard of me then.” She winked.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, actually,” I said, taking her hand in mine, and shaking it.
“Adam,” she began, not taking her eyes from mine, “can you give me a second to speak to Dawn?”
Adam looked taken aback. He glanced between the two of us with wide eyes, seemed about to say something, then nodded and retreated from the kitchen without saying a word. Helen waited until he had gone and turned to me. I began to wonder what was going through Adam’s mind. It must have been a shocker for her to ask to be alone with me so soon after arriving. At the same time, I was also wondering how she had persuaded him to leave us without him making so much as a murmur.
“How do you know Adam?” she asked, taking a seat at the table, and speaking low.
“He’s my best friend,” I answered, following her lead.
“That’s amazing! But it’s odd that the two of us should be drawn to the same boy.” She smiled sweetly, but I sensed that she wasn’t quite at ease about it. I suspected that she wasn’t altogether comfortable that I should have befriended a boy she had feelings for.
“Right now, everything that would normally be considered
