'Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Six\r'

'IT TOOK DAYS for me to fin tot whollyyy f atomic number 18 the upstanding story, both nigh Lee and any(prenominal)(prenominal) how Eddie and Jill had certify apart to the rescue that night.\r\nOnce I had Lee as the missing piece, it was easy to wed the murders of Tamara, Kelly, Melody, and Dina, the kind-hearted misfire hed menti aned. either of them had been killed within the last five years, in either Los Angeles or Palm Springs, and many had document evidence of seeing him. They werent random victims. What littler we could watch come on astir(predicate) Lees history came from Cl bence, though flush that was muddled. By our best guesses, Lee had been turned forcibly into a Strigoi active fifteen years ago. Hed worn discover(p) ten years that itinerary until a intent expendr restored him, such(prenominal) to Lees dismay. Clarence hadnt had totally his wits astir(predicate) him veritable(a) then and hadnt questi iodined how his son had returned home la ter on ten years with kayoed aging. He evaded answering our questions about Lee being a Strigoi, and we didnt hold out if Clarence exactly hadnt kn take or was in denial. desirewise, it was unclear if Clarence k in the buff his avouch son was behind Tamaras death. The far-fetched vampire hunter mathematical action was probably easier for him to stomach than the murderous truth about his son.\r\nInvestigations into Lees college in Los Angeles showed he hadnt actually been enrolled there since forrader he became Strigoi. When hed become Moroi over again, hed handlingd college as an vindicate to bear on in Los Angeles, where he could practically than entire pursue victims †and we suspected there were more of them than we had records for. From what wed ob servingd, hed wiretapently tried and true to drink from a few of each(prenominal) race, in the hopes that one of them would be â€Å"the one” to acquit him a Strigoi again.\r\nFurther investigate into Kelly Hayes had uncover or sothing I should flummox estimation of right forward. She was a dhampir. Shed assisted human, entirely that stellar sports record was the tip-off. Lee had stumbled onto her when see his arrive five years ago. Getting the s ask on a dhampir wasnt easy, which was wherefore Lee seemed to move over up gone to the effort of dating her and luring her in.\r\nNone of us knew anything about the â€Å"bastard conduct history user” whod reborn him, though that was of interest to both the Alchemists and the Moroi. There were in truth few inspirit users on record, and with there withal being so oft un cast alongn about their powers, e rattlingone cherished to learn more. Clarence was adamant that he knew no(prenominal)ntity about this mystery spirit user, and I signifyd him.\r\nAlchemists were in and out of Palm Springs all hebdomad, cleaning up the mess and interviewing everyone whod been involved. I met with a number of them, expecta nt my story over and over, and at last had my last query with Stanton over lunch one Saturday. Id kind of had a perverse interest in recogniseing what had happened to Keith however decided non to bring it up in dizzy of everything else qualifying on. He wasnt here, which was all I cared about.\r\nâ€Å"Lees autopsy revealed nothing that wasnt ordinary Moroi, according to their doctors,” Stanton told me between bites of linguine carbonara. Eating and discussing dead bodies werent mutually exclusive, apparently. â€Å" rightful(prenominal) now then, roundthing… magical wish advantageouslyly wouldnt show up anyway.”\r\nâ€Å" exactly there must be something special about him,” I say. I was precisely moving my experience food around the plate. â€Å"The fact that his aging slowed was consequence enough †further the rest? I mean, he drank from so many victims. And then I truism what Jacque boundary did to him. That should acquire worked . All the correct procedures were followed.”\r\nIt amazed me that I could speak so clinically about this, that I could sound so detached. Really, though, it was plainly that second-nature Alchemist mode winning over. Inside me, the flushts of that night had left a perpetual mark. When I closed my eyes at bed term, I kept seeing Lees death and Jacqueline feeding him the blood. Lee, whod brought Jill flowers and taken us all mini-golfing.\r\nStanton nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"Which suggests that those who are restored from being Strigoi are immune to ever being turned again.”\r\nWe sit in silence for a moment, letting the exercising weight of those words settle over us.\r\nâ€Å"Thats huge,” I utter at last. Talk about an under line of reasoning. Lee presented a number of mysteries. He had begun aging once he became a Moroi again, besides at a more slower rate. why? We werent sure, plainly that alone was a monumental discovery, as was my suspicion that he could no longer use Moroi magic. Id been too freaked out to happen upon anything strange about Lees behavior when Jill had asked him to create murk while we were golfing, merely thinking back, it occurred to me hed actually looked skittish about her requests. And the rest… the fact that something had changed in him, protect him, however unwillingly, from be culmination Strigoi? Yeah. â€Å"Huge” was an understatement.\r\nâ€Å"Very,” Stanton agreed. â€Å"Half our relegating is to stop humans from choosing to sacrifice their souls for immortality. If there was a way to harness this magic, figure out what protected Lee… well. The inwardnesss would be far-reaching.”\r\nâ€Å"To the Moroi as well,” I pointed out. I knew that among them and the dhampirs, being forcefully turned Strigoi was oftentimes considered a fate worse than death. If there was some magical way to protect themselves, it would mean a dish up since they encountered S trigoi far more than we did. We could be lecture about some kind of magical vaccine.\r\nâ€Å"Of course,” state Stanton, though her tone implied she wasnt nearly as concern about that races benefits. â€Å"It top executive make up be possible to prevent the future creation of all Strigoi. Theres besides the mystery of your blood. You state the Strigoi didnt wish well it. That could be a type of protection too.”\r\nI shivered at the memory. â€Å"Maybe. It all happened so fast… its weighty to say. And it was for certain no protection from the Strigoi needinessing to snap my neck.”\r\nStanton nodded. â€Å"Its certainly something to look into eventually. however first we watch to figure out what exactly happened to Lee.”\r\nâ€Å"Well,” I said, â€Å"spirit has to be a key player, right? Lee was restored by a spirit user.”\r\nA waiter came by, and Stanton waved her plate away. â€Å"Exactly. Unfortunately, we have a very limit ed quantity of spirit users to work with. Vasilisa Dragomir hardly has the time to experiment with her powers. Sonya Karp has volunteered to help, which is keen news, especially since shes a former Strigoi herself. At the very to the lowest degree, we fecal matter observe the slowed aging firsthand. Shes besides purchasable for a short while, and the Moroi havent answered my request yet for some some other(prenominal) useful individuals. But if we had another(prenominal) spirit user on hand, one with no other obligations to fend off him from helping us fulltime…”\r\nShe looked at me meaningfully.\r\nâ€Å"Adrian?” I asked.\r\nâ€Å"Do you think hed help research this? somewhat magical way to protect against Strigoi conversion? Like I said, between Sonya and the others, hed have help,” she added quickly. â€Å"Ive spoken to the Moroi, and theyre putt together a small group with estimableise on Strigoi. They plan on sending them out soon. We just need Adrian to help.”\r\nâ€Å"Wow. You guys move fast,” I murmured.\r\nAt the words â€Å"Adrian” and â€Å"research,” my mind had put together images of him in a lab, wearing a white coat, dented over test tubes and beakers. I knew that the actual research wouldnt look anything like that, but it was a hard picture to shake. It was similarly hard to imagine Adrian naughtily focused on anything. Except, I kept having that peck thought that Adrian would focus if he only had something expenditure caring about. Was this important enough? I rightfully wasnt sure. It was too hard to guess what purpose might be noble enough to get Adrians management. But I was pretty sure I knew some less-thannoble perks that might get him on board.\r\nâ€Å"If you shag get him his own place, I bet hed do it,” I said finally. â€Å"He wants out of Clarence Donahues pretty badly.”\r\nStantons eyebrows rose. She hadnt pass judgment this. â€Å"Well. Thats n ot a huge request, I suppose. And actually, were already paying the bill for Keiths old apartment since he took out a year-long lease. Mr. Ivashkov could simply move into there, extract…”\r\nâ€Å"Except what?”\r\nStanton gave a small shrug. â€Å"I was going to offer it to you. After oftentimes discussion, weve decided to simply slay you the Alchemist on point here, in light of Keiths… unfortunate departure. You could leave Amberwood, move into his apartment, and simply deal activities from there.”\r\nI frowned. â€Å"But I thought you wanted someone with Jill all the time.”\r\nâ€Å"We do. And weve actually found a better choice †no offense. The Moroi were able to set a dhampir missy Jills age, who could not only serve as Jills mannermate but also as a bodyguard. Shell be joining the researchers who are approach path out. You dont have to pose as a student anymore.”\r\nThe world reeled. Alchemist schemes and plans, always in motion. A lot had been decided in this week, it seemed. I considered what this meant. No more homework, no more high school politics. exemption to come and go when I wanted. But it also meant removing myself from the friends Id make †Trey, Kristin, Julia. Id stableness see Eddie and Jill, but not to the same extent. And if I was on my own, would the Alchemists †or my father †help fund college classes? Unlikely.\r\nâ€Å"Do I have to leave?” I asked Stanton. â€Å"Can I leave behind the apartment to Adrian and stay on at Amberwood for a while? At least until we figure out if we can get another place for me?”\r\nStanton didnt have words hiding her surprise. â€Å"I didnt expect youd want to stay on. I count on youd especially be elated to no longer inhabit with a vampire.”\r\nAnd like that, all the fears and pressure Id faced before coming to Palm Springs descended on me. Vamp lover. I was an idiot. I shouldve been jumping at the chance to get away from Jill. Any other Alchemist would. In offering to stay, I was likely putting myself under suspicion again. How could I explain that there was so much more to my choice than just a change of roommate?\r\nâ€Å"Oh,” I said, keeping a neutral face. â€Å"When you said you were getting Jill a dhampir her own age, I figured shed be the roommate and I wouldnt have to room with Jill anymore. I thought Id have my own in the dorm.”\r\nâ€Å"That can probably be arranged…”\r\nâ€Å"And honestly, later on some of the things that have happened, Id tint better still keeping an eye on Jill. Itll be easier if Im at the school. Besides, if it takes an apartment to make Adrian happy and work on this Strigoi mystery, then thats what we need to do. I can wait.”\r\nStanton study me for several long seconds, breaking the silence only when the waiter dropped the bill off. â€Å"Thats very professional of you. Ill look into the arrangements.”\r\nâ⠂¬Å"Thank you,” I said. A happy look welled up in me, and I al near smiled, fancy Adrians face when he heard about his new place.\r\nâ€Å"Theres just one more thing I dont understand,” remarked Stanton. â€Å"When we investigated the apartment, we saw some fire damage. But none of you who were there reported any.”\r\nI put on a contrived frown. â€Å"Honestly… so much of its a blur with the blood loss and the setaceous… Im not really sure. Keith had some candles. I dont know if one got lit… or I dont know. All I keep thinking about is those dentition and how terrible it was when I was bit †â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"Yes, yes,” said Stanton. My free was flimsy, but even she wasnt entirely impervious to the thought of being fed on by a vampire. It was pretty much an Alchemists worse nightmare, and I was authorize to my trauma. â€Å"Well, dont worry about it. That fire is the least of our worries.”\r\nIt wasnt the least of my worr ies. And when I got back to campus later that day, I finally dealt with it and hunted Ms. Terwilliger down where she was working in one of the library offices.\r\nâ€Å"You knew,” I said, shutting the door. All thoughts of student-teacher communications protocol vanished from my head. Id been sitting on my anger for a week and could now finally let it out. Id spent my life being taught to respect sources of authority, but now one of those had just betrayed me. â€Å"Everything you made me do… copying those part books, making that amulet ‘just to see what it was like!” I agitate my head. â€Å"It was all a lie. You knew… you knew it was… real.”\r\nMs. Terwilliger took off her spectacles and peered at me carefully. â€Å"Ah, so I take it you tried it?”\r\nâ€Å"How could you do that to me?” I exclaimed. â€Å"You have no melodic theme how I feel about magic and the witchlike!”\r\nâ€Å"Oh,” she said dryly. â €Å"I do actually. I know all about your organization.” She tapped her cheek, mirroring the one my tattoo was on. â€Å"I know why your ‘sister is excused from outdoor activities and why your ‘brother excels in sports. Im very informed about the assorted forces at work in our world, those hidden from most human eyes. Dont worry, my dear. Im certainly not going to tell anyone. Vampires arent my concern.”\r\nâ€Å"why?” I asked, deciding not to detect her outing everything I strove to keep secret. â€Å"Why me? Why did you make me do that †especially if you claim you know how I feel?”\r\nâ€Å"Mmm… a couple of reasons. Vampires, as you know, wield a sort of internal magic. They connect with the elements on a very basic, almost cursory level. Humans, however, have no such connection.”\r\nâ€Å"Humans arent divinatory to use magic,” I said coldly. â€Å"You made me do something that violated my beliefs.”\r\nâ₠¬Å"For humans to do magic,” she continued, as though I hadnt spoken, â€Å"we must wrest it from the world. It doesnt come so easily. Sure, vampires use spells and ingredients occasionally, but nothing like what we must do. Their magic goes from the inside out. Ours comes from the outside in. It takes so much effort, so much concentration and exact computing… well, most humans dont have the patience or skill. But someone like you? Youve been grilled in those painstaking techniques since the time you could talk.”\r\nâ€Å"So thats all it takes to use magic? An ability to organize and measure?” I didnt bother hiding my scorn.\r\nâ€Å"Of course not.” She laughed. â€Å"There is a certain natural talent needed as well. An instinct that combines with discipline. I sensed it in you. You see, I have some proficiency myself. It gives me coven status but is still relatively small. You? I can feel a wellspring of power in you, and my little experiment prove d as much.”\r\nI mat up cold all over. â€Å"Thats a lie,” I said. â€Å"Vampires use magic. Not humans. Not me.”\r\nâ€Å"That amulet didnt light itself on fire,” she said. â€Å"Dont deny what you are. And now that weve determined as much, we can move on. Your innate power might be greater than mine, but I can get you started in basic magical training.”\r\nI couldnt believe I was hearing this. It wasnt real. It was like something from a moving picture because no way was this my life. â€Å"No,” I exclaimed. â€Å"Youre… youre crazy! Magics not real, and I dont have any! Its unnatural and wrong. I wont endanger my soul.”\r\nâ€Å"So much denial for such a good scientist,” she mused.\r\nâ€Å"Im serious,” I said, barely recognizing my own voice. â€Å"I want nothing to do with your secret studies. Im happy to go on taking notes and buying you coffee, but if you keep making these kinds of crazy statement and dema nds… Ill go to the office and demand to be switched to another teacher. Believe me, when it comes to working bureaucracy and administrative staff, that is something I have innate power in.”\r\nShe almost smiled, but then it faded. â€Å"You mean that. Youd really reject this dreadful potential †this discovery †that you have?”\r\nI didnt answer.\r\nâ€Å"So be it.” She sighed. â€Å"Its a loss. And a waste. But you have my word that I wont bring it up again unless you do.”\r\nâ€Å"That,” I said vehemently, â€Å"is not going to happen.”\r\nMs. Terwilliger however shrugged by way of answer. â€Å"Well, then. Since youre here, you might as well go get me some coffee.”\r\nI travel toward the door and then thought of something. â€Å"Were you the one trading Nevermore and asking about vampires?”\r\nâ€Å"Why in the world would I do that?” she asked. â€Å"I already know where to find them.” Great, I thought. Another mystery.\r\nI made it to the cafeteria later that day just as Eddie, Jill, and Micah were finishing dinner. Jill was understandably having a difficult time adjusting to Lees death and all the revelations wed uncovered †including his desire to make her his undead queen. Both Eddie and I had talked to her as much as we could, but Micah seemed to have the greatest soothing effect on her. I think it was because he neer openly addressed the topic. He knew Lee had died but thought it was an accident and naturally knew none of the vampiric connections. period Eddie and I constantly tried our hand at being amateur psychologists, Micah simply tried to distract her and make her happy.\r\nâ€Å"We have to go,” he said apologetically when I sat down. â€Å"Rachel Walker is going to give us a lesson on one of the run up machines.”\r\nEddie shook his head at him. â€Å"I still dont know why you signed up for stitchery club.” That wasnt true, of cours e. We both knew exactly why Micah had joined.\r\nJills face wore the grave look it had had since Lees death †a look she would yield for a while, I suspected †but the wraith of a smile flickered over her lips. â€Å"I think Micah has the makings of a real fashion designer. Maybe Ill fling in his show one day.”\r\nI shook my head, hiding my own smile. â€Å"No modeling of any kind, not for a while.” After the show, Lia and other designers had gotten in touch, all wanting to work with Jill again. Wed had to refuse in order to protect her identity here, but it had made Jill sad to have to do it.\r\nJill nodded. â€Å"I know, I know.” She stood up with Micah. â€Å"Ill see you back in our room later, Sydney. Id like to talk some more.”\r\nI nodded. â€Å"Absolutely.”\r\nEddie and I watched them hurry off. I sighed.\r\nâ€Å"Thats going to be a problem,” I told him.\r\nâ€Å"Maybe,” he agreed. â€Å"But she knows what she can and cant do with him. Shes smart. Shell be responsible.”\r\nâ€Å"But he doesnt know,” I said. â€Å"I feel like Micahs fallen for her too much already.” I eyed Eddie carefully. â€Å"Among other people.”\r\nEddie was still ceremony Micah and Jill, so it took him a moment to pick up on my meaning. He jerked his gaze back to me. â€Å"Huh?”\r\nâ€Å"Eddie, Im not going to claim to be any just in romance, but even I can tell that youre crazy about Jill.”\r\nHe speedily looked away, though his flush betrayed him. â€Å"Thats not true.”\r\nâ€Å"Ive seen it all along, but it wasnt until that night at Keiths that I really silent what I was seeing. I saw how you looked at her. I know how you feel about her. So, what I want to know is: how come we have to keep curse about Micah at all? Why arent you just asking her out and saving us all a lot of trouble?”\r\nâ€Å"Because shes my sister,” he said wryly.\r\nâ€Å"Eddie! Im serious.”\r\nHe made a face, took a mystical breath, and then turned back toward me. â€Å"Because she can do better than me. You want to talk about sociable rules? Well, where we come from, Moroi and dhampirs dont have serious relationships.”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, but thats like a class thing,” I said. â€Å"Its not kinda the same as humans and vampires.”\r\nâ€Å"Maybe not, but with her, it might as well be. Shes not just any Moroi. Shes royal. A princess. And youve seen how she is! Smart and strong and beautiful. Shes apprenticed for great things, and one of them isnt being involved with a controversial guardian like me. Her bloodlines regal. Hell, I dont even know who my dad is. Dating her is not even possible. My job is to protect her. To keep her safe. Thats where all my attention needs to be.”\r\nâ€Å"And so you think she deserves being with a human instead?” I asked incredulously. â€Å"Dancing the line of a taboo upheld by both our rac es?”\r\nâ€Å"Its not ideal,” he admitted. â€Å"But she can still have a fun social life and †â€Å"\r\nâ€Å"What if it was another guy?” I interrupted. â€Å"What if some other human asked her out, and they simply went on a casual figure? Would you be okay with that?”\r\nHe didnt answer, and I knew my misgiving was correct.\r\nâ€Å"This is about more than you not feeling worthful of Jill,” I said. â€Å"This is about Micah too, isnt it? About how he reminds you of mason.”\r\nEddie blanched. â€Å"How do you know about that?”\r\nâ€Å"Adrian told me.”\r\nâ€Å"Damn him,” said Eddie. â€Å"Why cant he be as oblivious as he pretends?”\r\nI smiled at that. â€Å"You dont owe Micah anything. You certainly dont owe him Jill. Hes not Mason, no matter how much they look alike.”\r\nâ€Å"Its more than looks,” said Eddie, growing pensive. â€Å"Its the way they act too. Micahs the same †out going, optimistic, excited. Thats how Mason was. There are too few people like that in the world: people who are genuinely good. Mason was taken away from the world too soon. I wont let that happen to Micah.”\r\nâ€Å"Micahs not in danger,” I said gently.\r\nâ€Å"But he deserves good things. And even if hes human, hes still one of the best matches I know of for Jill. They deserve each other. They both deserve good things.”\r\nâ€Å"And so, youre going to let yourself suffer as a result? Because youre so in love with Jill and convert that she deserves some prince that you arent? And because you feel its your duty to support all the Masons in the world?” I shook my head. â€Å"Eddie, thats crazy. nonetheless you have to see that.”\r\nâ€Å"Maybe,” he admitted. â€Å"But I feel like its the right thing to do.”\r\nâ€Å" the right way? Its the masochistic thing to do! Youre encouraging the girl you want to be with one of your best frie nds.”\r\nâ€Å"I want her to be happy. Its worth sacrificing myself.”\r\nâ€Å"It makes no sense.”\r\nEddie gave me a small smile and a gentle pat on the arm before turning toward an draw close shuttle bus. â€Å"Remember when you said you were no expert in romance? Well, you were right.”\r\n'