Nightworld Academy: Term One(Nightworld Academy #1)(33)

Nikolai steps aside. "Okay, dude. I wasn't trying to push the issue."

"I was talking to Maeve," he says pointedly. "And you interrupted."

Nikolai and Ash stare at each other and then Nikolai lifts his hands up, palms outwards. "I'll leave."

With a shake of his head, Nikolai heads back to Katherine and the group from Petrescu. The segregation at the party confuses me—why do other houses come here if they don't mingle much?

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ash," I say in a soft voice.

Ash rubs his forehead. "How are you, Maeve? And please don't ask any questions about my brother."

I’m half-glad he doesn’t want me to because I’ve no clue what to say. I've never encountered this situation. "I'm okay. Trying to figure everything out."

"I hear you have special tutoring to get on top of the vision thing." I smile at his words. Vision thing. "Have you had more similar to the day by the rugby pitches?"

My pulse picks up and I shake my head. Ash tips his chin. "You can talk to me if you don't want to talk to your witch buddies about this. I can keep secrets."

"I'd rather not think about the visions, but thanks." His offer surprises me and I relax at seeing his kinder side again.

For a moment, I think he's about to reach out to me, even though we're in the centre of the room. "I know how hard it can be not fitting in. A few of us are misfits here." He doesn't elaborate but surveys the room, which has returned to party mode, although some still watch warily. He chews his lip. "I haven't ignored you, Maeve. You frighten me, that's all."

This powerhouse of a guy is scared of me? My powers must be stronger than anybody has told me. "Really? I'm one of the only people here who don't bite," I joke.

He doesn't smile. "Hidden dangers are worse than obvious ones. That's why I’m scared of a future-sighted witch who has visions she won't tell anyone about."

His words trigger anxiety and the control over my mind that I cling to slips. No. Not now. I focus on the music, on the thud of the bass and voices around, to wipe out the whispering in my mind. I concentrate on the pattern in the girl's dress beside me, following the white spirals.

"Maeve?"

Ash's voice grows distant and I set my plastic cup on the nearby table. "Bathroom," I say breezily.

"Are you okay?" His face swims before me.

"I'll be back in five."

Please don't let me collapse before I leave the room. If I stagger, Ash will follow because he'll guess what's happening. I switch my focus to one foot in front of the other relieved that the ground stays stable as I reach the door. A couple in the hallway outside look up from the tiled floor, where they sit holding hands, talking.

Dropping a hello, I continue my focused walk along the hallway. I'm not staying in the building. Fresh air. Back to my dorm.

The stone stairs spiral down to the ground floor and I carefully negotiate them, holding onto the stair rail, until I reach the building exit. As I step out, I bump into a tall figure who's passing in front of the door.

Andrei.

I step back from where my chest hit his and wait for his snipe, but he says nothing. Before I can take a proper look at Andrei, he grabs his hood and pulls the black material over his head, low across his face. Without a word, he hurries away.

Distracted by him, I lose focus and my vision hits again. I double over as the voices grow and the fog surrounding Jamie thickens. Is the fog in my mind or in the place I'm witnessing? As always, the fog clears and Jamie stands in the middle of the scene, staring back, mouth open as blood pours from wounds in his chest and stomach.

I scream out at the horrific sight and place a hand on the cool wall. You're here. You're not there. This won't happen.

Footsteps approach, and I blink over and over, willing the vision to let me go. Someone grabs me by the shoulders, and the strong grip snaps me back to the real world. Andrei's shrouded face comes into view.

"What happened?" he asks urgently. "Why are you screaming? Is someone attacking again?"

His hands remain on my shoulders as he turns his head from side to side. The tension in the vice-like grip on me travels along his outstretched arms, and he stands straight. Alert.

As he turns his face, light from a nearby window catches him and what I see beneath his hood pulls me from one nightmare into another.

Blood smears his mouth.

I attempt to hide my reaction, but I choke back a shocked sound.

Andrei swears and wipes the back of his hand across his mouth. The fear crossing his face matches that bubbling in my chest.

"I screwed up, Maeve."





Chapter Nineteen





MAEVE



Andrei releases his grip on me and steps back. I slump against the wall in relief and instinctively know I've seen something I shouldn't.

"That isn't animal blood, is it?" I ask in a hoarse voice. "If it was, you wouldn't panic."

He chews hard on a fingernail, eyes bright beneath his swept forward fringe. "Can you forget what you saw?"

"Are you trying to mesmerise me?" I ask, mouth twisting into disgust.

"No. Yes. Crap." He cocks his head, looking to the direction he ran from, as if listening. "I don't have time for this."