Night School Part 6

"Yeah, you should stay!" Mara pleads. "I've made way too much food-even taking into account the boys' appet.i.tes."

"You can't go back now anyway," Leanna interjects. "You'll get caught by the patrols for sure. We're far enough out not be noticed here, but go any closer and you're sitting ducks."

"Yeah," Peter adds. "You're stuck with us 'til at least two. That's when Johan takes his twenty-minute snooze."

I'm about to retort that Johan can stick his twenty-minute snooze up his a.s.s, but Sunny suddenly cuts in. "Fine. We'll stay," she says, breaking away from me and plopping down on one of the log stools. I stare after her. What is she doing?

Corbin flashes me another one of his annoyingly s.e.xy grins. As if he's won somehow.

"Fine. I guess we're staying." I shrug. "But for the record? I'm still completely p.i.s.sed off at you and I will get you back for this."

"Fair enough," Corbin replies with another smirk. He hands us each a can of beer and I take my seat next to Sunny at the fire. "I shall look forward to bearing the brunt of your revenge, Little Slayer."

I roll my eyes and turn my back to him to address my sister. "You okay?" I murmur.

"Yeah," she whispers back. "Just more ... embarra.s.sed than anything."

"Yeah. Imagine how I feel. I'm supposed to be the big bad vampire slayer here. And I got tricked by a bunch of amateurs." I sigh. "If only I thought I could take on all five at once ..."

"Don't even think about it," she admonishes me. "Besides, as jerky as they might be, they aren't the bad guys here. They're your fellow slayers and you don't want to be all getting in trouble with Slayer Inc. on top of everything else. Besides," she adds, "we're going to have to postpone the escape plan anyway. Otherwise one of them might report us to the headmistress and we'll miss our head start."

She's right, I know. We can't trust these guys as far as we can throw them. (And without vampire powers, that's admittedly not very far at all.) Still, it sucks we're stuck at school for at least another day. Not to mention stuck out in the woods for the next two hours with the Alpha-bets.

"Who knows," Sunny adds. "Maybe they can help us in a way. You heard what they said about the guard Johan. They may know other useful stuff like that."

"Right." I sigh, reluctantly agreeing with her. "You see, this is why you're so much better at navigating the various high school circles of h.e.l.l than me. You're way more diplomatic." I take a sip of slightly warm beer. As a vampire I can't eat, but I can drink my weight in alcohol and not get the slightest buzz from it.

The others settle around the fire and Mara starts placing uncooked burgers on a small grill plate. The sight and smell of b.l.o.o.d.y meat a.s.saults my senses and it's all I can do not to beg her to put a drip tray underneath and let me drink all the greasy droplets that fall into it. Unfortunately, I recognize that kind of odd request would just make things awkward.

"So, um," Sunny says brightly, obviously straining to come up with conversation with our archenemies. "How did you guys all find out you were destined to become slayers?"

Five pairs of confused eyes look over in her direction. "Destined?" Mara repeats doubtfully. "No one's just destined. We all chose to become slayers." The others look at one another, nodding in agreement.

"Wait, what?" I interject. "I thought you had to be born into the whole thing. Once a generation there is a girl, etc., etc."

"You've obviously seen one too many Buffy episodes." Varuka sniffs haughtily. "In real life, no one's born to be a slayer. It's a choice they make when they turn twelve. You apply, take a test, go through boot camp, and if you make it, then you can come here and start your training."

They get to choose? Man, that's so unfair. Why can't it work that way in America? I mean, then at least they'd get slayers who really wanted the gig to begin with-instead of forcing unwilling girls like me to take the job and threatening to kill them if they refuse.

"Is something wrong, Little Slayer?" Corbin asks sweetly. "You look a little pale. I mean, more than usual."

I can feel Sunny staring at me, but I can't bring myself to meet her questioning eyes. Instead, I swallow hard and force myself to turn the questions back on the group. "So what made you decide to join up then?" I ask.

"Well, I got in some trouble at school," Peter confesses. "And my dad told me it was either Slay School or juvie." He grins. "And slaying vamps just sounded way cooler. Now I'm just like Blade!" he adds, launching into some sort of strange looking kung fu pose I'm positive the real Blade never used.

"Well, I'm a direct descendent of Van Helsing," Varuka snottily adds. "So vampire slaying is in my blood."

I don't have the heart to tell her that according to the Blood Coven files I've read, Van Helsing wasn't the great slayer that Bram Stoker made him out to be. In real life, he was secretly seeing Mina (when her fiance, Jonathan, was overseas visiting Count Dracula) and when Dracula showed up and chose Mina to be his blood mate, Van Helsing got p.i.s.sed off and vowed revenge.

Mara looks up from her book. "I've just always been Team Jacob." She shrugs. "It was so unfair that Bella chose that sparkly piece of stalker c.r.a.p instead of him."

"But that's just a-" Sunny starts. I kick her. After all, we have no idea whether the Twilight saga is fictional or not. Why not a Cullen coven?

"And what about you?" I ask, turning to Corbin. "Are you Team Jacob as well?" I tease.

He scowls. "I'm Team Corbin and that's it," he snarls. Rising to his feet, he storms off into the woods.

I look at the rest of the Alphas, puzzled.

"It's a sore subject for him," Leanna whispers. "His parents were killed by vampires."

I raise my eyebrows. "How?"

"We're not sure," Mara says with a shrug. "He never talks about it. He was only a little kid when it happened though."

"Becoming a Slayer is his way of getting revenge against the vampire race," Leanna adds. "And he takes his role very seriously. That's why it was such a big deal that you got the best of him yesterday."

"His goal in life is to kill every vampire on the face of this Earth," adds Peter. "Whether they're good, evil, or totally Switzerland neutral."

Wow. I stare after Corbin, a mixture of pity and unease warring through my insides. Pity, because he's obviously had a rough life. I can't imagine how I'd feel if my parents were drained dry. Unease, because I'm thinking if he ever finds out what I truly am, stake practice may suddenly turn deadly. And I don't know if I can guarantee I'll beat him every time-especially once he has added motivation.

"Yeah, vamps, along with any other otherworld creature he manages to track down," adds Varuka helpfully. "Werewolf, leprechaun, Santa Claus. You name it: If it's supernatural, Corbin's ready to kick its a.s.s."

"Um, awesome?" I mean, what else can I say to that? Sunny reaches over and squeezes my hand comfortingly. I give her a rueful smile, suddenly very glad she's here.

"So what are you two doing out here tonight, anyway?" Peter asks. "Trying to go AWOL from Slay School?"

"Of course not!" Sunny interjects, with far too much force to be believable. Once again the "actress" in the family is the worst liar ever. "We're just ... um ... exploring."

The Alphas laugh. "Sure you are," Varuka says patronizingly. "'Cause there's so much to see at midnight."

"Don't worry, we won't tell," adds Leanna. "We've all tried it once or twice."

"Yeah, I'd say most new recruits get the idea after a day or two of training," Peter agrees. "They suddenly aren't sure what they've gotten themselves into. But Riverdale hasn't lost a student yet. The outside world is just too far to get to on foot. The nearest village is probably a hundred and fifty miles away."

Sigh. So much for my great navigation skills. I swear, it looked so close on the map!

"The only way to get out is by helicopter," Leanna says. "And, unfortunately, they keep that locked away, up on the roof of Night School."

"What's the deal with Night School anyway?" Sunny interjects curiously. "We pa.s.sed the building and it looks all creepy and stuff."

The Alphas glance uneasily at one another. "Um, well, we're not entirely sure," Mara says. "We just know that they only accept a small graduating cla.s.s of the best and brightest slayers."

"When you graduate, you're given one of three a.s.signments," adds Leanna. "A field job where you're commissioned to go slay vampires out and about, a desk job at Slayer Inc. headquarters in some kind of administration position ..."

"Or," Varuka b.u.t.ts in, "if you're really lucky, you can go on to Night School. A continuing education program reserved for the top six slayers of each graduating cla.s.s."

"And what happens to them?"

"We don't ... know exactly," Mara says, after a pause. "But they're like top-secret ops. A Secret Slayer Service."

"I heard they even do plastic surgery on their faces," Peter adds. "So no one will recognize them. That's how big a deal it is."

"Really?" Sunny makes a face. "And people willingly sign up for this?"

"It's the greatest honor a student here can be awarded," Leanna says reverentially. "Everyone wants to sign up. But only six are chosen."

"And this year, it's definitely going to be us." Varuka smiles smugly. "They don't call us Alphas for nothing. We're the best this school has to offer."

"Hey, maybe you'll be our sixth!" Mara adds, excitedly, turning to me. "If you play your cards right. After all, you're amazing out in the field-"

I'm about to say no thank you, but my words are cut off as Corbin bursts through the forest into the clearing, his eyes wide with fright.

"Someone's coming!" he cries.

The Alphas are on their feet in an instant. "Is it Johan?" Peter asks.

Corbin shakes his head. "No," he says, his voice hoa.r.s.e and scared. "Definitely not Johan. In fact ... I don't even think it's human."

11.

The camp erupts in a flurry of activity as the Alphas scurry to grab knives and stakes and other a.s.sorted weaponry they have lying around the fire. I had no idea they came out here packing so much heat. How dangerous are these woods anyway?

"Stay close," Corbin commands, motioning for everyone to stand on the far side of the fire. "Keep quiet."

We huddle together in silence. The only sound, the sizzling of now-overcooked burgers. So much for dinner. My stomach growls and Varuka shoots me a look. I shrug apologetically.

Then, suddenly, I hear it: a weirdly familiar buzzing sound. At first I can't place it. It's low-pitched and burning, almost like the beating of- Oh my G.o.d. I look over at Sunny, who, I realize, is looking back at me with terrified eyes. They've found us. Somehow, some way, they've found us.

Corbin notices our exchange and shoots me a hard stare. "What?" he demands in a hoa.r.s.e whisper.

"I think it's ... Oh G.o.d." I swallow hard. This is so not good. "I think it might be ... fairies."

The buzzing grows louder. How did they find us here? This can't be just some random attack. Did the janitor guy sell me out? Headmistress Roberta? Who else knows we're fairies? I reach for my stake, but Corbin stays my hand and offers me a razor-sharp knife instead.

"Go for their wings," he whispers. "That's the sweet spot."

Just the idea makes my own winglets ache a little, but I accept the knife gratefully. Beside me, Sunny's now gripping her own dagger and I can only hope she's far enough back from the action that she won't have to use it.

I open my mouth to tell her to stay behind me, but they're on us before I can speak, dive-bombing into the camp. Just like at Dad's condo, though there's at least ten of them this time. All, once again, looking just as handsome and plastic as a platoon of winged Ken dolls armed with swords. (Thankfully, these particular ones are not flaming or we'd have a serious forest fire on our hands.) They descend at high speed, releasing an ear-piercing shriek on approach. I ward the closest off best I can, slas.h.i.+ng at his chest with my blade, then following up with a sound kick to his groin. He staggers backward, dropping his sword to clutch his privates.

I take advantage of his momentary weakness and throw myself forward, knocking him off balance. Together we crash to the ground. I stamp my foot down on his wings, so he can't get up, then reach down and slice one clean off. He howls in pain as blood fountains from the wound, splattering my legs. It's all I can do not to puke in his face.

"Behind you!" I hear Corbin shout and I whirl around, just in time to dodge an arrow spinning in my direction. It misses me and pierces a nearby tree trunk. From a few feet away, I see Corbin take the archer down.

I glance around frantically for Sunny, but can't locate her in the fighting and confusion. I pray she's all right-that the other Alphas have protected her or led her to safety.

Suddenly I hear a fairy shriek. I look up and realize one of them has taken flight again, preparing to dive-bomb Corbin. The Alpha is busy helping Peter with another fairy and doesn't see him coming. Realizing I have to do something, I leap into the fray, tackling Corbin and throwing him off target. A moment later, the fairy slams into me instead, the force knocking the wind out of me. He rolls me over, his sword slicing at my stomach, and I scream in pain.

Corbin responds. On his feet already, he stabs his sword into the fairy's back. The fairy falls on top of me, his weight crus.h.i.+ng my wounded stomach. Corbin kicks him off, and kneels to examine my wounds.

"You're bleeding badly," he says, his voice betraying his fear. "I need to get you out of here."

"No!" I protest weakly as he picks me up like a baby in his arms. "I can't ... Sunny ..." Pain stabs at my belly and I moan in agony.

"You won't do her any good in this state," Corbin scolds. "The other Alphas will guard her. Now stop struggling."

I give in. The pain's so fierce I can barely manage to take a breath, never mind start fighting again. Corbin runs through the bushes, carrying me as if I weigh nothing at all. A few moments later, we reach a small cave, tucked into the hillside and hidden by green, leafy vines. If you didn't know to look for it, you'd never find it in a million years. A perfect hideaway.

"Inside," he instructs as he lowers me gently to the ground. I manage to drag myself in and then collapse onto the cool dirt floor. He bites his lower lip. "I should stay ..." he hedges.

"No! Please!" I beg. "Go back. Make sure my sister is safe!"

After a moment of indecision, he finally nods and disappears. I can hear his quick footsteps through the brush and pray he's not too late. If only Sunny and I had that telepathy thing twins always seem to have in the movies. Then I could know for sure that she was all right.

I won't die myself. After all, I'm a vampire. But let me tell you, that doesn't mean my stomach doesn't hurt like a freaking mother. I try to put pressure on the wound to stop it from bleeding, but it doesn't seem to help. I've already lost a ton of blood. And without any Blood Synthetic to replace what I've lost, it's going to take me a long time to heal.

I wait for what seems an eternity, my mind racing with worst case scenarios. I see Sunny's bloodied body lying twisted and broken by the burned-out fire. I see her tied up and taken away-dragged back to fairyland to become their captive queen. Oh G.o.d, why did I have to go and get hurt?

I freeze at the sudden rustling in the bushes outside. A moment later, Corbin pokes his head into the cave and I let out a sigh of relief. "It's just me," he says, crawling in alongside of me, having to duck from the low cave ceiling. He s.h.i.+nes a flashlight over my body. "How's your stomach?" he asks, his voice laced with concern. Gone is the big, bad Alpha arrogance he displayed earlier. I guess a near-death-by-fairy experience will do that to a guy.

"Sunny ... ?" I manage to question hoa.r.s.ely.

"She's fine," he a.s.sures me. "They found her hiding in a nearby bush and are taking her back to school. She's got a few cuts and bruises but that's it. I think she's more scared than anything."

I let out a sigh of relief. Thank G.o.d. If anything had happened to my sister ...

"So we beat the fairies?" I ask, realizing that the battle must be over.

"Oh yeah," Corbin says, his c.o.c.ky grin returning. "Guess they weren't expecting us to kick so much a.s.s. We wounded three of them and that was enough to send them running. Well, flying," he corrects. He shakes his head. "Man, I can't stop shaking. That was a lot more intense than the sims."

"Sims?"

"You know," he says. "The simulation rooms back at school. Where we practice our slaying."

I stare at him. "Hold on a second. Those vampire kills you were bragging about were glorified video games?" I cry. I start to laugh, but stop as my stomach protests.

"Well, of course," he says, looking offended. "How else would you ... ?" He stops short, looking at me with wondering eyes. "Are you saying those two kills you made ... those were real vampires?"

"Duh."