Reflection

16

"You want to do what?"

"Look," Adam said. "I know it sounds crazy—"

"Ya think?" Ellie snapped, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"I'm in if Scarlett is," said James, who had been quiet. Everyone looked at him, Adam and Ellie looking angry and me shocked. "What?" James asked.

To break the silence, I said, "Ellie?" She took a deep breath, hesitating for a moment. "Okay. What do we do?"

"Well, the sun's coming up, so we should rest until tonight. Then we go to the castle. In the meantime, get some rest."

"What do we do when we get to the castle?" James asked.

"We sneak in," I answered. "And find my dad."

Adam nodded. "Then we get out."

"How do we do that?" Ellie asked.

Adam smiled. "We wing it."

"Oh, c'mon, don't be ridiculous," Ellie said. "That'll never work."

"I guess we'll see."

Suddenly a wave of fatigue passed over me, and I realized just how tired I was. I hadn't slept in a while, and so much had happened since I'd been awake. The fear, the worry, the shock. I stumbled ever so slightly, my head sagging and my eyes fluttering.

Adam put his arm around my waist. Well crap, I thought. I hadn't wanted him to notice. I didn't want him to see me as weak. But then again, the time between this world and mine are so confusing I couldn't keep track, so I wasn't sure how much sleep I had gotten in the past two days.

"Are you alright?" Adam whispered in my ear. I was slightly aware of nodding my head, of mumbling, "just tired."

"Get some rest," Adam told the others. He started to lead me out of the room, but James said, "Wait. I can take her."

I wasn't sure what kind of look Adam gave him, but it had to have been venomous, because there wasn't another word from James.

I was half-asleep when we started walking down the hall—well, not so much walking, more like Adam dragging me and me still managing to trip on my own feet. Adam finally got tired of this method and swept me into his arms like he did on the way to the party. He took his time on our way to my room, which was strange. He could've ran just as easily. When he stepped through the door, I was fading in and out of consciousness.

The room was completely dark, the thick velvet curtains blocking any light from shining through. Adam was uncharacteristically gentle as he lowered me onto the bed.

"So, I see James is into you," he said.

"Maybe I'm into him," I mumbled sleepy.

Adam chuckled softly. I couldn't see him, but I could feel his closeness, could see the faint outline of his silhouette. "No, silly. Little Red Riding Hood doesn't get a prince," he whispered, his cold breath tickling my cheeks. "She gets a wolf."

Something soft pressed against my forehead, something that felt suspiciously like a kiss, but then sleep pulled me under its grasp, and the world faded to blissful blackness.

•  •  •  •  •

"Ellie!" Adam whisper-shouted, pounding on her door. "Let's go!"

"I'm coming!" Ellie snapped viciously. Adam, James, and I were all standing in the hallway, waiting impatiently for Ellie to finish getting ready so we could leave. A few seconds later, Adam started banging on her door again. "Jeez, Ellie. We're not going to the freaking prom!"

Ellie threw the door open in exasperation. "Alright, I'm ready!"

"It's about time!"

She was wearing black leggings, a royal blue sweater, black combat boots, and a designer book bag slung over her shoulder. I glanced down at my own outfit: denim skinny jeans, a baggy black t-shirt, boots like Ellie's, and a worn, faded green backpack.

"Okay, Reuben should be going to sleep about now, so stay quiet."

I remembered what Ellie had said about vampires being graceful as we stepped through the dark corridors. That was certainly not true for me. I somehow managed to find a step to trip on, a table to bump into, a vase to knock over, and a cat to step on.

"Oh for the love of-" started Adam as the cat screeched and ran off.

"Sorry!"

"Shut up!" hissed Ellie.

There was a small creaking sound. "Hello?" Reuben called. Glad for the darkness, we all froze. "Is someone there?"

I felt someone tug my arm. We slowly crept on, Adam keeping his hand on my arm to make sure I didn't make any more loud noises. After a few seconds, we heard the door shut and all exhaled in relief.

We finally reached a large double door. Adam pushed through it without a moment's hesitation. The air outside was cold and crisp, the harsh wind biting at my nose and cheeks.

I gasped and shivered. "Why's it so cold? It was summer in New Orleans!"

The side of Adam's mouth quirked up in a half-smile. "Seasons are reflected, too."

"Here," Ellie said, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a soft black jacket and threw it at me, then pulled out another one for herself.

"How do you have room for all that?" I asked curiously.

"I had Serenity bewitch my bag."

"Oh." Looks like being friends with a witch comes in handy, I thought bitterly, remembering the searing pain Serenity had inflicted with an involuntary shudder.

Just then the door opened and closed again. "Well, speak of the devil," James said.

There stood Serenity, dressed all in black, her hair twisted into a careless braid. I snorted. "Devil is right."

Serenity ignored me. "I'm coming with you," she said.

"No," I replied, raising my chin. "No way, witch."

"Look," she said. "You may not want to admit it, but you need my help."

"Why?"

"How do you plan on getting in? How are you going to find Cain in that big castle? How do you plan to find your father? Do you even know where the castle is?"

"Fine," I snapped, wondering dully how she knew all that. "But keep you're witchy little hands away from me."

Just then a sleek black van swiveled up to the curb. "Ladies and gentleman," Adam announced, "our ride."

We all piled into the car, with me stuck in between James and Adam, and Serenity and Ellie each in their own rows, comfortably stretched across the seats. I tried not to look jealous.

The van was clean, with four rows of black cushion seats and not a crumb in sight. The driver was a tall man with slick black hair, who wore a black suit and sunglasses, despite the darkness.

"Thanks again, Anderson," Adam said.

"I owe you one," the driver replied.

Anderson pulled away from the curb. "And we're off," Adam announced.