Fight For Me, Page 2

  Wind buffeted us as a passenger train rattled past; the lights inside turned the windows yellow against the grey metal carriages. I hunched over, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my dark jeans, and walked the path of the train tracks. The gravel crunched under the weight of my boots.

  Being a vampire was something Lilith didn’t think I was very good at. You think too much, she’d said to me once. Apparently I need to follow my instincts, but sometimes my instincts tell me this is all wrong.

  Another train whooshed past, and the wind made my shirt billow out behind me. Lilith was right; I needed to eat. There was only so much of the burning in my throat I could handle. I stopped, tilted my head to one side and listened. Lilith’s glistening eyes locked with mine and she smiled.

  “Go on,” she said.

  The sound of long, deep breaths came from behind the bushes that lined the railway fence. Slowly, I walked over and pulled a branch back. The leaves rustled. Snores came from the pile of dirty rags and newspapers that lay at my feet. It wasn’t the most appetising meal, but it would have to do.

  As I sank my teeth into the homeless man’s neck, I wondered if this was where I was meant to be.

  TWO

  Grace

  Late Thursday afternoon

  The girl behind the register smiled at Archer, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, or stick my finger down my throat and mimic gagging. Every time we stocked up on groceries Amy had to flirt with Archer. She gushed at him. Yes, my brother was nice to look at, but after a while it got old. I tapped my foot in frustration and Archer threw me a dirty look.

  “What are you doing for the holidays?” Amy asked, oblivious to my annoyance. “Tomorrow’s the last day of term, right?” The checkout beeped as she scanned our items—slowly.

  “Not much,” Archer said. “We’ll probably hang out at home.”

  “What about you, Grace?” Amy looked at me with her friendly brown eyes, and I scolded myself for being so impatient. “Will you be seeing Josh?”

  Ah, Josh. I wished I’d be seeing him, but unfortunately there were a few minor problems, including the fact that he didn’t want to see me, and that he was now a vampire. Okay, maybe not quite so minor.

  Some stuff had happened at the beginning of the year that left me a little jaded. I fell in love, broke some rules, and my best friend died. Finding my way past the pain and betrayal had not been easy, and I wasn’t sure I’d completely recovered yet. It wasn’t a very fun time.

  “He’s been working pretty hard, so I’ll probably let him be,” I said.

  Amy smiled. “Long-distance relationships must be tricky.”

  Yep. They were even harder when there was no relationship.

  When Josh had left, the story was he’d dropped out to go and work in the city. It took a few weeks for the initial shock to die down. When you’re the captain of the school soccer team and a pretty good student, people tended to notice when things were tough for you. I’d taken a trip to the city to try and get him to come home, but that hadn’t gone down so well.

  “Hey, what ever happened to that Seth guy?” Amy asked. The checkout beeped again as she scanned a tin of tomatoes. “I haven’t seen him around for ages. Weren’t you friends with him, Grace?”

  Amy looked at me with seemingly innocent eyes, but her thoughts didn’t match her pretty face. I bet you wanted more, I heard her think.

  I didn’t react to her silent stab. After years with the ability to hear everyone’s thoughts I’d become used to controlling my reactions. I shut her out. If she was going to be nasty I didn’t want to hear it.

  Besides, when it came to Seth, I probably wouldn’t have used the word friend. Enemy, arch-nemesis and pain-in-the-butt sprang to mind. We’d been very close friends a long time ago, but that had changed when he’d made the decision to shut me, and his entire family, out of his life. Seth’s a fallen angel, and sometimes I’m ashamed to admit that so am I.

  At one point Seth and I might have been on the right path to becoming friends again, but then everything exploded in a massive cloud of no, Grace, you can’t ever be happy so don’t even try. Seth had fought by my side, stood up for me and helped me when I needed it, only to be taken away. Angelica, another former friend and Angel of the Light, had captured him and trapped him in his ring. I desperately wanted to find him, but I had no idea where to start looking. Angelica hadn’t shown her face again, so I couldn’t even have it out with her, and there was no chance I could ask the Council. They don’t talk to the fallen.

  Archer clicked his fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Grace? Amy asked you a question.”

  “Sorry, um … Friend isn’t really the right word,” I said. “Besides, I haven’t heard from him, so I can’t comment.”

  I spoke to Archer silently to try and get things moving a bit. At the rate Amy was scanning items we’d be there until midnight. Can yet get her to hurry up?

  Come on, it’s the only time I get to watch her flirt with me, Archer said.

  Why don’t you ask her out?

  You know why, now shut up.

  Archer’s face split into a wide grin, and Amy blushed.

  “I need to go to the newsagent.” I pinched Archer’s arm. I’ll meet you in the car. “See you next week, Amy.”

  Archer was a big boy; he could push the trolley by himself. And I didn’t want to be there any longer in case Amy started asking about Charlotte. She was a touchy subject. Her story was similar to Josh’s, only she’d gone back to the city because she didn’t like country life.

  The automatic doors whooshed open as I approached, and the frigid outside air smacked me in the face. I hated this time of year. The cold and rain made me cranky—I was definitely a summer person. With my head down against the weather, I fumbled in the pocket of my red woollen coat for the car keys. I didn’t see the man until it was too late. My shoulder connected with his arm and I dropped the keys. Some papers slipped from the man’s fingers. They fluttered to the ground, landing in the scattered puddles.

  “Grace, honey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you coming.” Mr Chase put a hand on my arm. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.” I crouched down and helped him retrieve the leaflets.

  Josh’s features blurred as the ink ran through the wet patches of the paper.

  “What’s this about?” I forced myself to tear my gaze away from his face staring at me from the flyer.

  “He won’t answer my calls. It’s been weeks, and I’m worried,” Mr Chase said. “Have you heard from him?”

  “I’m sorry, but no. Josh and I had a bit of an argument, so we decided to keep our distance for a while. But as far as I know, he’s fine … or at least, he was.”

  I balled the wet paper in my hands, throwing it in the bin behind me and grabbing my keys from the ground where they’d fallen. I took a good look at Mr Chase, and didn’t like what I saw. He had purple blotches under his eyes and looked as if he hadn’t shaved for a week. Josh’s mum had passed away when he was young, and now Mr Chase had to deal with the possibility of losing his son as well. A possibility that was too real.

  “He stayed in touch at first,” Mr Chase said. “Then the calls grew further and further apart. He sounded strange. Our conversations were short … and now he’s not answering his phone. All I get is voicemail.”

  “And the police are involved?” I looked at the wad of flyers in his hand, and Mr Chase nodded.

  They’d never find him. Josh was either dead, or he didn’t want to be found. “Have you been to see him?”

  “Yes, but no one answered the door.” Mr Chase handed me one of the dryer leaflets. “The neighbours said there hadn’t been anyone there for a while, and the police found nothing suspicious. Please, Grace. If you hear from him, let me know.”

  “Sure, no problem.” I attempted a smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

  Mr Chase went into the supermarket and I watched him disappear behind the sliding doors. Tears stung my eyes when I l
ooked at Josh’s picture. I hadn’t been lying when I’d told Mr Chase we’d had a fight. I’d followed Josh soon after he’d left in the hope of bringing him home. He hadn’t wanted to see me, and in the heat of our argument, we’d done something we shouldn’t have, even though we both wanted to.

  I’d never in all my existence been that close to someone, and instead of it fixing the rift between us, it had only made things worse. I’d left without a resolution, because Josh was adamant he didn’t want anything to do with me until I’d sorted out my issues with Seth. How? That was the ultimate question. How could I sort things out with Seth when I couldn’t even find him?

  “What are you doing?” Archer’s voice made me jump.

  “I bumped into Mr Chase. He had these.” I showed him the piece of paper.

  “Oh. I thought you knew where he was.”

  “I did, but it looks like I don’t anymore. Mr Chase said he’s not answering his phone.”

  Archer pushed the trolley towards our black Defender, and I fell into step beside him. The rain had reduced to a fine mist that blanketed everything, and by the time we’d packed the car and clambered in I was shivering from the cold. I cranked the heating up and rubbed my hands together.

  “Well?” Archer searched my face. “Are you going to call him?” He turned the key and the engine roared to life.

  “Do you think I should? He made it pretty clear he didn’t want to speak to me until I’d sorted things out with Seth.”

  “And do you think that will happen any time soon? Come on, Gracie. The worst he can do is hang up on you.”

  Archer was right. One phone call couldn’t hurt, just to see if Josh was okay.

  I pulled my phone out and swiped the screen then found his number in my favourites list. It rang a few times before going to voicemail. Josh’s familiar voice travelled to my ear and my heart lurched. It had been too long since I’d heard him speak.

  I left a quick message asking if he was okay, and for him to call me back. If he didn’t, I’d try again in the morning. We may not have been on the best of terms, but something was wrong. I couldn’t wait for the problem to resolve itself, and if he hadn’t returned my calls in twenty-four hours, I was going to go find him.

  THREE

  Josh

  Early Friday morning

  After drinking my fill from the homeless guy I’d felt better, but not for long. The satisfaction had quickly worn off, only to be replaced with self-loathing. It wouldn’t be long before the cycle repeated itself.

  Lilith walked silently beside me.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket—an all too familiar feeling. I’d been ignoring it, and I’d switched it to silent because I was getting sick of hearing the ring tone. Maybe it was time to switch it off. When I took it out, the name on the screen made me stop. I expected to see ‘Dad’, but instead it said ‘Grace’. My thumb immediately went to the ring on my right hand and twirled it around my finger. The call went to voicemail, and for the first time I actually wanted to listen to my messages.

  I swiped the screen and found the voicemail icon, raising the phone to my ear. The recorded message was the most beautiful voice I’d ever heard.

  “Josh, it’s Grace again. Where are you? Please call me back. I’m worried.”

  It was sweet and melodic. And I could have sworn I’d heard it before, but I couldn’t remember anyone called Grace.

  “Who was it this time?” Lilith asked.

  “Wrong number.” I shoved my phone into my pocket and kept walking.

  There was no way I was going to tell Lilith a girl named Grace had called. I was tired of trying to explain or justify things I knew nothing about.

  Lilith returned to her silent state until we reached our hideout. We snaked through the underground tunnels and the city’s sewer network, doubling back a few times to make sure we weren’t being followed by an angel or a hunter.

  In the darkness of the tunnel I found the latch on the trap door and flicked it open. The hole brought us out into the basement of an old, abandoned terrace house. When we’d first moved in the furniture had been covered in sheets, and there was a thick film of dust on every surface. Lilith said she’d known the previous owners. I was curious, but happy to have a place to stay, so didn’t question her.

  At the top of the basement stairs was a U-shaped kitchen. This room we’d left pretty much untouched, for obvious reasons. I hadn’t even bothered to take a look and see what was behind the old-fashioned timber cupboard doors. A large green glass fruit bowl—empty, apart from a layer of dust—sat on a delicate crocheted doily in the middle of the bench, and a rusty toaster had been pushed into the corner by the sink. The old fridge looked as if it had seen better days. It wasn’t running, and I had no idea what was inside. I’d never needed to open it.

  The rest of the house looked as if it had years of stories to tell. The furniture was elegantly beautiful. Queen Anne-style chairs and tables filled the lounge and sitting rooms, while canopy beds furnished the two bedrooms upstairs. Ornate patterned carpets covered the timber floors and the china cabinets were full of porcelain knickknacks and glassware. Once we’d tidied the place up as best we could, everything still looked old, but at least it was clean. It puzzled me why the terrace had been left fully furnished, as if one day someone was here, and the next they were … gone.

  Lilith crossed the sitting room to the large arched window overlooking the street. She adjusted the heavy velvet curtains before the morning sunlight could creep through the crack in the middle. Then she systematically went around the rest of the house, checking all the windows as she did every morning, even though we never opened any of them. It was quite depressing, really. Okay, we would burst into flames if we came into contact with direct sunlight, but no natural light sucked.

  I flopped down into a wing chair by the fireplace, sighed and closed my eyes. This was the part I hated the most, waiting out the day. It would be easier if I could sleep. Lilith could, but for some reason I couldn’t. No matter what I did, or how many times I tried, sleep never came for me. And as much as I was grateful we had somewhere to spend the daylight hours, I couldn’t wait to get outside again. There was something about confined spaces I didn’t like. Being inside suffocated me.

  “Would you cheer up?” Lilith said, sensing my mood.

  She flicked on the lamp beside me then knelt at my feet. She laid her head in my lap and wrapped her arms around my waist. Absentmindedly, I stroked her hair and twirled it through my fingers. Lilith lifted her head and I stared into her charcoal eyes. I wondered what colour they’d been when she was human. She had a perfect heart-shaped mouth and she knew how to use it. She gently picked up my hand and kissed it, but I wasn’t in the mood. I sighed again and pulled my hand away.

  “You can talk. You’ve been in a mood yourself,” I said.

  “Fine.” Lilith got up and walked to the doorway. “If you want to brood, that’s your choice. I’ll be upstairs.” Her ebony hair spun in an arc as she turned away, and she was gone before I could reply.

  I sank into the chair and prepared myself for the wait ahead. Each new day seemed longer than the last, and the waiting got harder every time. For what seemed like the millionth time I wished I could follow Lilith upstairs and stretch out on the bed beside her, but it would be no use, so I settled back as best I could.

  My eyes had been closed for about ten minutes and I’d been concentrating on keeping as still as possible—something I liked to do to pass the time—when I heard a noise. It took me a few moments to realise someone was knocking on the front door. I couldn’t help wondering who on earth it could be.

  With a little hesitation, I rose from my chair and walked the length of the narrow hallway. My head was telling me to let it alone and ignore whoever it was, but my curiosity got the better of me. I reached out to turn the dead bolt and the knock came again, this time a little more forcefully. The front of the house had a balcony on the next level, casting a shadow over the entrance, so I’d
be safe from the sunlight. I flipped the bolt across, turned the knob, and pulled the door open a crack.

  What I saw on the other side was nothing short of astonishing. A girl, tall, slender, and very beautiful, stood on the front step. Her eyes were black, and her wavy hair softly framed her face. A hint of red accented the golden strands. Her skin was pale but luminous, and seemed to glow. My instant reaction was to widen my eyes to take in as much of her beauty as possible, but I kept my composure and scowled at her instead.

  “Can I help you?” I asked.

  “I …” She faltered.

  I looked her straight in the eyes. There was something very familiar about her, but I couldn’t place it.

  “Do I know you from somewhere?” I opened the door a fraction more.

  The girl seemed to hesitate, and a small frown crossed her face. She tilted her head to the side and stared at me for a few moments. I don’t know what she was searching for.

  “Um, no,” she finally replied, raising her hand to her face. “I think I’m lost. Which way is it to the train station?”

  I pulled the door open enough to step onto the threshold. The sun had risen a little farther and the day was awash with dull morning light. Lilith would be angry if she knew I’d gone outside while the sun was up, even if I was protected by shadows. The girl hadn’t shifted when I’d moved towards her, so we stood close enough to touch. Again, I thought I could feel a familiarity about her, but I couldn’t quite place it.

  I gave the girl simple directions. “Walk to end of the street, turn right then first left. That street will take you there.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and placed her hand on my arm.

  I flinched. I hadn’t meant to, but her touch triggered a feeling inside me. I tried scowling a little more to scare her off. It bugged me, not knowing why she was so familiar, or how I knew her. My mind was full of blank spaces, like someone had thrown a sheet over the contents to hide them. I had a feeling we had some sort of distant connection I couldn’t quite put my finger on.