Free Stolen Night by Rebecca Maizel

Kate’s seat was empty.
    My hands curled nervously into fists. Why did Justin have to pummel my only ally?
    Rhode . . . I said to myself, but it came out as a groan.
    I passed by some silent juniors that I recognized from the year before. My confidence, it seemed, had disappeared along with my fangs.
    I hated the human desire to gossip. Once I was past them, they started up again.
    That’s Lenah. She dumped Justin Enos. Idiot, right?
    Those were Kate Pierson’s best friends.
    Lenah was Tony Sasaki’s best friend.
    Yeah, she is the stupidest person alive to dump Justin.
    ‘Sit with us,’ Claudia called, and moved her backpack off the extra chair. I tucked my hair behind my ear and headed gratefully towards the two girls I hoped would still be my
friends. These girls that had been on the earth a piddling sixteen years. But they had been kind to me when I needed them and were still being kind. I sat down and listened to Claudia talk about
her summer at sailing camp.
    ‘What about you, Lenah?’ Tracy asked. ‘Did you go home to England?’
    I was about to explain I had spent my summer at school when Ms Williams, the over-controlling headmistress of Wickham, tapped the microphone.
    ‘. . . the second you even think about signing out. You must be in twos at least,’ Ms Williams dictated. ‘Off campus? Twos, or lose the privilege.’
    I always admired your greatness , Odette had hissed.
    And your evil . . .
    ‘Security is more important than ever. We have lost a good third of our student enrolment because of the accidental deaths of both Tony Sasaki and Kate Pierson,’ she said with a
frown. ‘So it is our responsibility to reassure the Wickham Boarding School community that we remain vigilant and committed to your safety.’
    Tracy looked down and wiped her eyes but I kept staring forward, pretending not to notice. Claudia reached for Tracy’s hand.
    ‘Kate Pierson,’ Ms Williams continued, ‘died off campus. So, while we’ll miss her, please do not misconstrue the facts. These incidents are not specifically related, nor
are they directed specifically at students. We will, however, maintain our new safety precautions.’
    Mortals will lie about anything to protect themselves.
    I sighed, tuning out her voice. I turned my onyx ring round and round so the silver band rubbed over my skin . Without Rhode, Vicken and I had no chance of fighting more than one vampire
or maybe two. We needed Rhode. His years of experience could really help us now. And as much as I thought I knew about him there was clearly so much I didn’t know. So much he could do.
So much he had kept from me.
    No , I thought and threw my hair back over my shoulders. Don’t go down that road – the pity road, where you dwell on Rhode. He’s gone. He’s gone, and all you can
do is get on with your life.
    But he was alive. Where was he?
    Once assembly broke for the day, the chatter immediately started up again. Most people were discussing the new sign-out policy and pointing at the security guards that stood at the auditorium
entrance.
    ‘I’m so glad you’re back,’ Claudia cried, grabbing me into an embrace. I inhaled fresh soap and a spicy perfume. I couldn’t help looking over Claudia’s
shoulder at Tracy, who watched us with the remnant of a tear in her eye. Claudia pulled away and her eyes too were wet. ‘Especially with the whole Kate thing, you know? Now promise us –
you’re not going anywhere, right? No running off like last year?’
    ‘No,’ I said to Claudia, who had now taken both of my hands into hers. ‘I’m staying.’ Her hands were warm and tight around mine. If I’d still been a vampire,
we would have been in perfect proximity for me to snap her forward and bite her neck.
    I glanced at her wrists. To investigate her veins. It was so shocking that I would still feel the urge to do this, a silent horror overtook me. Immediately I pulled my hands from hers. Must get away from her , I thought.
    It seemed that