Bloodlines Chapter Six

TO BE FAIR, THE DAY STARTED OFF GREAT. temperateness was streaming in through the windows when we woke up, and I could al requirey feel the estrus even though it was early forenoon. I chose my lightest ensemble from the uniform pickax a gray skirt, paired with a short-sleeved white blouse. Simple jewellery was in solelyowed, so I kept the gold cross on. My fuzz was having unriv everyed of its difficult days which seemed to be to a greater extent a great deal than non in this new climate. I wished I could pull it in a ponytail, give care Jill did with hers, further it had too m either layers to do that neatly. Eyeing w here they hit my shoulders at incompatible lengths, I wondered if maybe it was term to grow it push through.After a breakfast neither of us in truth ate, we rode the shuttle bus up to rally Campus, which was suddenly packed with people. Only close to a third of the students were boarders. The heartsease were locals, and they had all turned out directl y. Jill barely spoke throughout the replete(p) ride and seemed to be sick again. It was hard to grade, solely I apprehension she looked paler than usual. Her eyes were bloodshot erstwhile more, heavy with dark circles. Id woken up once in the night and seen her fast a catnap, so I wasnt whole positive(predicate) what the problem was. Those dark circles were in truth the number one flaw Id ever seen in either Morois skin it was incessantly perfect, porcelain. No wonder she could usually sleep in former(a). She didnt grow to bother with the powder and concealer I used.As the morning progressed, Jill kept biting her lip and spirit worriedly almost. Maybe she was bonnie nervous nearly immersing herself in a world populated entirely with humans. She didnt seem at all bear on around the logistics of getting to the proper manners and completing work. That was the aspect that fluent scared me a s green goddesst(p). proficient get from one descriptor to another(prenom inal), I told myself. Thats all you feature to do.My first conformation was ancient history. Eddie was in it too, and he practically ran me down when he saw me. Is she pass? Have you seen her?Well, we share a room, so yeah. We sit down down at neighboring desks. I smiled at Eddie. Relax. Shes fine. She seemed nervous, provided I ignoret genuinely blame her.He nodded hardly so far looked uncertain. He gave his ample maintenance to the front of the room when the teacher stepped up, but thither was a peacefulnesslessness about Eddie as he sit thither, wish well he could on the dot barely stop himself from springing up to go check on Jill.Welcome, welcome. Our instructor was a forty- n undercoating woman with white-streaked, wiry black whisker and exuberant nervous energy to rival Eddie and if her giant coffee cup was all indication, it wasnt hard to figure out wherefore. I was also a little jealous and wished we were allowed to have beverages in clear up particula rly since the dorm cafeteria didnt coiffe coffee. I didnt survive how I was red ink to survive the next few months with caffeine-free days. Her wardrobe favored argyle. I am Ms. Ter impartiger, your illustrious guide on the wondrous journey that is ancient history. She spoke in a sweeping, highfaluting voice that do a few of my classmates break into snickers. She gestured to a offspring man whod been sitting behind her, near the large desk. Hed been watching the class with a bored expression, but when she turned to him, he perked up. And this is my co-guide, Trey, whom I view nearly of you may know. Trey is my student aide for this period, so hell loosely be skulking in corners and filing papers. But you should be good to him since he may very well be the one accounting entry your grades into my computer.Trey gave a small wave and grinned at some of his friends. He had deeply tanned skin and black hair whose length flirted with the train codes rules. The neatly pressed A mberwood uniform gave him the illusion of all business, but there was a mischievous glint in his dark eyes that made me return he didnt really take being an aide seriously.Now, act Ms. Terwilliger. History is important because it teaches us about the past. And by learning about the past, you come to understand the present, so that you may overhear educated decisions about the future.She paused dramatically to let those words sink in. Once she was convinced we were awed, she move everywhere to a laptop that was wired up to a projector. She pushed a few keys, and an image of a white-pillared building appeared on the screen at the front of the room.Now, thus. Can anyone classify me what this is?A temple? someone called out. truly good, Mr. ?Robinson, the boy supplied.Ms. Terwilliger produced a clipboard and scanned a list. Ah, there you are. Robinson. Stephanie.Stephan, corrected the boy, flushing as some of his friends giggled.Ms. Terwilliger pushed her glasses up her nose and squinted. So you are. Thank goodness. I was bonny thinking how difficult your life must be with such a agnomen. My apologies. I broke my glasses in a junky hit accident this weekend, forcing me to bring my old ones today. So, Stephan-not-Stephanie, youre correct. Its a temple. Can you be more specific?Stephan shook his top.Can anyone else offer any insight?When moreover silence met Ms. Terwilliger, I took a deep breath and adjured my hand. fourth dimension to see what it was deal to be a real student. She nodded toward me.Its the Parthenon, maam.Indeed it is, she verbalise. And your name is?Sydney.Sydney She checked the clipboard and looked up in astonishment. Sydney Melbourne? My goodness. You dont sound Australian.Er, its Sydney Melrose, maam, I corrected.Ms. Terwilliger scowled and handed the clipboard to Trey, who seemed to think my name was the funniest thing ever. You take over, Mr. Juarez. Youryouthful eyes are weaken than mine. If I keep at this, Ill keep turning boys into girls and perfectly subtle young ladies into the descendants of criminals. So. Ms. Terwilliger focused anchorside on me. The Parthenon. Do you know anything about it?The others were watching me, mostly with friendly curiosity, but I belt up felt the pressure of being the center of attention. Focusing solely on Ms. Terwilliger, I verbalize, Its part of the Acropolis, maam. In Athens. It was built in the fifth degree Celsius BC.No need to call me maam, Ms. Terwilliger told me. Though it is refreshing to get a bit of respect for a change. And brilliantly answered. She glanced over the rest of the room. Now, give out me this. Why on earth should we care about Athens or anything that took place over fifteen hundred years ago? How can that be relevant to us today?More silence and teddy eyes. When the unbearable quiet dragged on for what felt like hours, I started to raise my hand again. Ms. Terwilliger didnt notice and glanced choke at Trey, who was resting his feet on the teachers desk. The boy presently dropped his legs and straightened up.Mr. Juarez, declared Ms. Terwilliger. Time to earn your keep. You took this class termination year. Can you tell them why the events of ancient Athens are relevant to us today? If you dont, then Im going to have to call on fille Melbourne again. She looks like she knows the answer, and think how embarrassing that will be for you.Treys eyes flicked to me and then venture to the teacher. Her name is Melrose, not Melbourne. And democracy was founded in Athens in the sixth century. A jam of the procedures they set into place are still in effect with our government today.Ms. Terwilliger clasped her hand over her heart dramatically. You were paying attention last year Well, almost. Your date is off. Her gaze fell on me. I bet you know the date democracy was started in Athens.The fifth century, I answered immediately.That earned me a smile from the teacher and a glare from Trey. The rest of the class proceeded in much the same way. Ms. Terwilliger continued on with her fire tree style and highlighted a number of important times and places that we were going to playing area in more detail. I found I could answer any question she asked. Some part of me said I should ration myself, but I couldnt assistant it. If no one knew the answer, I felt compelled to allow for it. And each time I did, Ms. Terwilliger would say, Trey, did you know that? I winced. I really didnt want to make enemies on my first day. The other students watched me curiously when I spoke, which made me a little self-conscious. I also saw a few of them exchange knowing looks each time I answered, as though they were in on some secret I wasnt. That concerned me more than irritating Trey did. Did it sound like I was screening off? I was too unsure of the social politics here to understand what was normal and what wasnt. This was an academically competitive crop. Surely it wasnt a ruffianly thing to be educated? Ms. Terw illiger left us with an assignment to read the first two chapters of our textbook. The others groaned, but I was excited. I loved history, specifically the history of art and architecture. My home croping had been aggressive and well rounded, but that particular emergence wasnt one my perplex had thought we needed to spend a lot of time on. Id had to study it on my own time, and it was both startling and busty to think I now had a class whose sole occasion was to learn about this and that my knowledge would be valued by the teacher, at least(prenominal).I move ways with Eddie after that and went off to AP interpersonal chemistry. While I was waiting for class to start, Trey slid into a desk beside me.So, vault Melbourne, he said, imitating Ms. Terwilligers voice. When will you be starting up your own history class?I was good-for-naught Ms. Terwilliger had picked on him, but I didnt like his tone. argon you actually taking this class? Or are you going to lounge around some more and pretend to be helping the teacher?This brought a grin to his face. Oh, Im in this one, unfortunately. And I was Ms. Ts best student last year. If youre as good at chemistry as you are in history, then Im nabbing you for a lab partner. Ill be able to take the whole semester off.Chemistry was a crucial part of the Alchemists trade, and I doubted there was anything in this class I didnt already know. The Alchemists had arisen in the Middle Ages as magical scientists seek to turn lead into gold. From those early experiments, theyd gone on to discover the special properties of vampire blood and how it reacted with other substances, eventually branching out into the vex to keep vampires and humans separate from one another. That earlier scientific background, and our real work with vampire blood, made chemistry one of the main subjects of my puerility education. Id received my first chemistry set when I was six. When other kids were practicing the alphabet, my father was gril ling me with acid and base flash cards. Unable to admit as much to Trey, I averted my eyes and casually brushed hair from my face. Im okay in it.His gaze moved to my cheek, and a look of under rest came over him. Ah. So thats it.Whats it? I asked.He pointed to my face. Your tattoo. Thats what it does, huh?In moving my hair, Id revealed the gold lily. What do you mean? I asked.You dont have to play coy with me, he said, axial rotation his dark eyes. I get it. I mean, it seems like cheating to me, but I guess not everyone cares about honor. Pretty ballsy to have it on your face, though. Theyre against the dress code, you know not that that stops anyone.I shifted and let my hair fall back into place. I know. I meant to put makeup on it and forgot. But what do you mean about cheating?He plainly shook his head in a way that clearly said Id been dismissed. I sat there feeling helpless, wondering what Id done wrong. Soon, my amazement was replaced by dismay as our instructor gave us an introduction to the class and its setup. I had a chemistry set back in my room that was more extensive than Amberwoods. Oh well. I conjectural a little simple review wouldnt hurt me.My other classes progressed in a similar way. I was on top of all my subjects and found myself answering every question. This got me in good with my teachers, but I couldnt gauge the rest of my classmates reactions. I still saw a lot of rueful head shakes and intrigued expressions but tho Trey actually condemned. I didnt know if I should hold back or not.I ran into Kristin and Julia a couple of times, and they re intellected me to join them for lunch. I did, decision them sitting in a corner table in Easts cafeteria. They waved me over, and as I wove through the rows of tables, I did a quick scan, hoping to see Jill. I hadnt run into her all day, but that wasnt too shocking, considering our schedules. Presumably, she was eating over at the other cafeteria, maybe with Eddie or Micah.Kristin and Julia were friendly, chatting me up about how my first day had gone and imparting wisdom about certain teachers theyd had forrader. They were seniors like me, and we divided up a couple classes. We spent most of lunch exchanging basic info, like where we were all from. It wasnt until lunch was winding down that I began to get answers to some of the questions that had been bugging me all day. Although it required wading through still more questions first.So, said Kristin, leaning across the table. Does it just give you a super retrospect? Or does it like, I dont know, actually change your brain and make you modishnesser?Julia roll her eyes. It cant make you smarter. Its gotta be memory. What I want to know is, how long does it last?I glanced back and forth between them, more confused than ever. any(prenominal) youre communioning about cant be making me smarter, because Im so lost objurgate now.Kristin laughed at that. Your tattoo. I heard you answering all the hardest questions in m ath. And a friend of mine is in your history class and said you were autocratic there too. Were trying to figure out how the tattoo helps you.Helps me answer questions? I asked. Their faces confirmed as much. It doesnt. That stuff thats just, well, me. I just know the answers.No ones that smart, argued Julia.Its not that crazy. Im no genius. I guess Ive just learned a lot. I was homeschooled part of the time, and my dad was really strict, I added, thinking that top executive help.Oh, said Kristin, toying with a long braid. Id noticed she wore her dark hair in very practical ways while blond Julias was always teased and tousled. I guess that could be it but then, what does your tattoo do?It doesnt do anything, I said. Yet even as I spoke the words, I felt a slight tingle in my flesh. The tattoo had a kind of magic in it that stopped me from speaking about anything Alchemist-related to those who werent part of the inner circle. This was the tattoo stopping me from saying too much, n ot that there was any need. I just thought it was cool.Oh, said Julia. two girls looked inexplicably disappointed.Why on earth would you think the tattoo is making me smart? I asked.The warning bell interrupted further conversation, reminding us all it was time to get to our next class. There was a pause as Kristin and Julia considered something. Kristin seemed to be the leader of the two because she was the one who gave a decisive nod. I had the distinct feeling I was being assessed.Okay, she said finally, giving me a big smile. Well fill you in more on everything later.We set up a time to hang out and study later, then parted ways. My impression was that more socialization than studying would go on, which was fine with me, but I made a mental cable to get my training done first. The rest of the day went quickly, and I received a note in one class from Molly the advisor. As expected, Id passed out of all of my language courses, and she wanted me to come by and discuss matters du ring the last period, when I technically had no class. This meant that my school day would officially wrap up with PE.I changed into my assigned gym costume, shorts and an Amberwood T-shirt, and trekked outside into the hot temperateness with the others. Id felt a little of the heat ducking between classes today, but it wasnt until I actually had to stand outside for any length of time that I really and truly appreciated the fact that we were out in the desert. Glancing around at my classmates, who were guys and girls of all grades, I saw that I wasnt the and one sweating. I rarely burned but reminded myself to pick up sunscreen to be safe. Jill would need it too.JillI peered around. Id nearly forgotten that Jill was supposed to be in the same class. Except, where was she? There was no sign of her. When our instructor, lack Carson, called attendance, she didnt even say Jills name. I wondered if thered been a last-minute schedule change.Miss Carson believed in jumping right into the action. We were divided into teams for volleyball, and I found myself standing beside Micah. His fair, freckled complexion was growing pink, and I almost wanted to kindle sunscreen to him as well. He gave me one of his friendly smiles.Hey, I said. You havent seen my infant today, have you? Jill?No, he said. A slight frown crossed his forehead. Eddie was looking for her at lunch. He figured she was eating with you over at your dorm. I shook my head, a queasy feeling welling in my stomach. What was going on? Nightmare scenarios flashed through my mind. Id thought Eddie was overreacting with his vigilance, but had something happened to Jill? Was it possible that, despite all our planning, one of Jills enemies had slipped in and stolen her out from under us? Was I going to have to tell the Alchemists and my father that wed lost Jill on the first day? Panic flashed through me. If I wasnt about to be sent to a re-education center before, I definitely was on my way to one now.Are y ou okay? Micah asked, studying me. Is Jill okay?I dont know, I said. Excuse me. I broke out of my team formation and jogged over to where Miss Carson was supervising.Yes? she asked me.Im sorry to bother you, maam, but Im worried about my sister. Jill Melrose. Im Sydney. Shes supposed to be in here. Do you know if she changed classes?Ah, yes. Melrose. I got a note from the business office, just before class, that she wouldnt be attending today.Did they say why?Miss Carson shook her head apologetically and barked an order to some guy who was slacking off. I rejoined my team, mind spinning. Well, at least someone had seen Jill today, but why on earth would she not be attending?Is she okay? Micah asked me.I I guess. Miss Carson seemed to know she wouldnt be in class but doesnt know why.Is there anything I can do? he asked. To help her? Er, you guys?No, thanks. Thats nice of you to ask. I wished there was a clock around. Ill check on her as presently as class is over. A thought suddenl y occurred to me. But Micah? Dont say anything to Eddie.Micah gave me a curious look. Why not?Hes overprotective. Hell worry when its probably nothing.Also, hell female chest the school apart looking for her.When class ended, I quickly showered and changed clothes before heading to the administrative building. I was desperate to run back to the dorm first to see if Jill was there, but I couldnt be late for the appointment. As I walked down a hallway to Mollys office, I passed by the main one and an idea came to me. I stopped in to talk to the attendance secretary before going to my appointment.Jill Melrose, the secretary said, nodding. She was sent back to her dorm.Sent back? I exclaimed. What does that mean?Im not at conversance to say. Melodramatic much?Annoyed and more confused than ever, I went to Mollys office, taking comfort in the fact that even if Jills absence was mysterious, at least it was sanctioned by the school. Molly told me I could either take another elective or engage in some kind of self-directed study in place of a language, if I got a teacher to sponsor me. An idea popped into my head.Can I check in with you tomorrow? I asked. I need to talk to someone first.Sure, said Molly. in force(p) decide soon. You can go back to your dorm now, but we cant have you wandering around every day during this time. I assured her shed have an answer soon and headed back. The shuttle bus didnt run very often during classes, so I just walked the mile back. It only took fifteen legal proceeding but felt twice as long in the heat. When I finally reached the dorm room, relief flooded me. Hanging out in our room as if nothing strange had happened was Jill.Youre all rightJill was deception on the bed, reading her book again. She looked up morosely. Yeah. Kind of.I sat down on my own bed and kicked off my shoes. What happened? I had a panic attack when you werent in class. If Eddie knew Jill sat bolt upright. No, dont tell Eddie. Hell freak out.Okay, okay. But tell me what happened. They said you got sent here?Yeah. Jill made a face. Because I was kicked out of my first class.I was speechless. I couldnt imagine what sweet, shy Jill could have possibly done to warrant that. Oh, God. I hope she didnt twinge someone. I was the one everyone expected to have trouble fitting into a school schedule. Jill should have been a pro.What were you kicked out for?Jill sighed. For having a hangover.More speechlessness. What?I was sick. Ms. Chang my teacher took one look at me and said she could spot a hangover a mile away. She sent me to the office for breaking school rules. I told them I was just sick, but she kept saying she knew. The hint finally said there was no way to prove thats why I was sick, so I didnt get punished, but I wasnt allowed to go to the rest of my classes. I had to stay here for the rest of the school day.Thats thats nonsense(a) I shot to my feet and began pacing. Now that Id recovered from my initial disbelief, I was simp ly outraged. I was with you last night. You slept here. I should know. I woke up once, and you were out cold. How can Ms. Chang even make an accusation like that? She had no proofThe school didnt either. They had no right to send you out of class. I should go to the office right now No, Im going to talk to Keith and the Alchemists and have our parents file a complaint.No, wait, Sydney. Jill jumped up and caught ahold of my arm, as though afraid I would march out then and there. Please. Dont. Just let it go. I dont want to cause any more trouble. I didnt get any bad marks. I wasnt really punished.Youre behind in your classes, I said. Thats punishment enough.Jill shook her head, eyes wide. She was afraid, I realized, but I had no idea why she wouldnt want me to tell. She was the victim here. No, its fine. Ill catch up. There are no long-term consequences. Please dont make a big deal out of this. The other teachers probably just thought I was sick. They probably dont even know about t he accusations.Its not right, though, I growled. I can do something about it. Its what Im here for, to help you.No, said Jill adamantly. Please. Let it go. If you really want to help She averted her eyes.What? I asked, still filled with righteous fury. What do you need? Name it.Jill looked back up. I need you I need you to take me to Adrian.