CHAPTER FIVE

Heather

Something creaks nearby, and I stiffen, every muscle in my body going tight. It's like there's a hand around my lungs. I can't breathe. I can't move.

I'm a coward. The lowest of the low.

Biting my lip, I peer through the crack in the ceiling. Several Silver Hunters walk down the top floor hallway, their swords in hand.

So, they're still patrolling the school.

Are they ever going to leave? Or do they just live here now?

Tears fill my eyes, and I shut them, wishing all of this would just go away. None of it seems real. None of it is fair.

What did I ever do to deserve this? I was just sleeping in my bed, minding my own business ... and then came the explosions and the screams.

I tried to go out my dorm window, but there were Silver Hunters in the courtyard. They would have seen me if I escaped that way.

So, I did the only thing I could do. I hid.

The attic crawl space, separate from the main attic, has always been my secret spot. The only way to get into it is through a closet, and even then, the compartment is hard to see. I found it during freshman year, and I used to go up to it to get away from everyone.

Now, I'm using it to hide.

It was my refuge.

But not anymore.

I don't know how long I've been up here, but I'm starting to feel the effects of the lack of food and water. My stomach is growling, and my mouth is dry. The air is heavy and stale, and I'm beginning to feel dizzy.

I'm scared to move. I'm scared to make a sound.

But I can't stay up here forever.

More tears collect in my eyes. Sure, there are students at Hawthorn who don't deserve to be here—people like Wendy. She’s an outsider, someone who didn’t even know a thing about the supernatural world when she showed up at Hawthorn. But I earned my spot in this school. I come from one of the most respected pure-blood families around.

If the Silver Hunters are going to hunt anyone, it should be Wendy and Alec and everyone else like them.

Suddenly, I hear another noise outside the attic. Footsteps. I hold my breath, my heart pounding in my chest.

The footsteps stop, and I hear a voice.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I'm here to help."

I swallow. Is this real?

The voice calls out again. "If you're here, please come out. I'm here to help."

Opening my eyes, I lean towards the crack to get a better look. A girl stands in the hallway, but I don't recognize her as a student from Hawthorn. She's someone I've never seen.

I swallow against the lump in my throat. Where the hell did she come from?

"Hello." She turns around, doing a three-sixty, looking for people.

Suddenly, I realize how odd it is that she's wearing a white summer dress. It's late autumn in Maine.

"The Silver Hunters are gone," the girl says. "You can come out now."

My insides scrunch up tight. Something's definitely not right.

The girl stands there for a minute longer and then she starts to flicker, like she's a projection of some sort.

My jaw drops. Is this a trap?

The girl continues to flicker until she disappears completely. Soon, it's like she was never there at all.

A loud sigh raises the hair on my arms.

"You said you knew how to cast spells." A Silver Hunter comes into view, his hands curled into fists.

"I do know how," a second Silver Hunter snarls. "No spell is perfect."

My breath catches in my chest. Silver Hunters know magic?

Don't they hate magic and everything related to it? Isn't that why they're at our school?

Maybe they're jealous, and that's what this is all about. They want to be able to do the things supernaturals can do.

"You asked for an apparition spell," the second Silver Hunter says. "And I gave you one. If you don't like it, then—"

"Hold on." The first guy holds up a hand. "Did you hear that?"

My heart seizes, and I press my palm to my mouth. Oh my God. Did they hear me up here?

Electricity fires through my veins. There's no second exit to this crawl space. I already looked. If they find me, I'm a goner.

"It came from over there." The first Silver Hunter points to some tall curtains next to a window.

He draws his sword and approaches, and I finally let myself exhale. Thank God.

My relief doesn't last long, though. The Silver Hunter yanks the curtain back, revealing someone sitting on the edge of the windowsill.

At first, I don't know whether or not to trust my eyes. I don't know whether I'm relieved or terrified. I recognize that tall, lean body, though. The way his hair swoops right above his eye.

It's Gregory.

He's alive!

I thought he was dead. Just like I've assumed everyone else in this school is dead.

The joy that spreads through me is indescribable, and I have to stop myself from calling his name. In fact, it just might be the hardest thing I've ever done.

Out of everyone in the world, Gregory is the person I want to see the most. He doesn’t know it yet, but he literally owns my heart. So much of what I do is for him, from helping him study for tests to showing him the video of Wendy going berserk.

Gregory thought that Wendy was the girl for him, but I was only helping him see the light. So what if the clip I showed him didn’t have the whole story attached? Sure, I had to attack Wendy in order to make her crazy come out, but Gregory doesn’t need to know about that part.

He goes to bolt, but the Silver Hunters grab him and slam him to the floor. I let out a little cry and have to slap my hands back over my mouth.

"What do we have here?" The first Silver Hunter—a tall, ass of a person—leans over Gregory and cackles. "You managed to hide for quite a while, didn't you, boy?"

Gregory struggles to get away, but the Silver Hunter puts his boot squarely on his Gregory's chest, holding him in place.

"What are you?" he asks. "Fairy? Werewolf? Vampire?"

"He's trash, that's what he is," the shorter Silver Hunter says.

"I'm not afraid of you," Gregory says.

"Is that so?" The tall one sneers. "Well, you should be. We're here to get rid of all the magical creatures. And you are most definitely one of them."

Gregory struggles again, and he's dealt a kick to the ribs. Wincing, I look away, my heart breaking into a million pieces.

Why is this happening? We did nothing wrong!

"What should we do with him?" the short Silver Hunter asks.

"Take him to the offices." The tall Silver Hunter grabs Gregory by the hair and yanks him to standing. "It might be fun to see how long he can keep this tough act going for."

Nausea rolls up my stomach and chest. I don't even want to think about what they might have planned.

My heart aches with every passing second. I want to do something, but what can I do? I'm all the way up here, and they're down there.

Plus, I'm no match for these guys.

If only I had the relic that I used on Wendy. That would give them a taste of their own medicine. It's in my room, though, under my mattress. I didn't even think to grab it when everything started going down.

Gregory's eyes remain steely, his jaw set tight. "You'll pay for this. You can kill all of us at this school, but more will come. They'll defend us."

I smile through my tears. That sounds like the tough, confident guy I fell for last year.

The Silver Hunter snorts and shakes his head. "You're lucky, boy. We have more important things to do right now. But don't think you're off the hook."

He grabs Gregory by the collar and drags him away. The three of them disappear down the hallway, and I'm left alone in the darkness.

A single tear slips down my cheek.

I want to run after them, but I know I won't be able to do anything. I'm too scared.

But I can't just sit here and do nothing. I need to do something to help.

I close my eyes and sink back into the darkness. I don't know what's going to happen, but I know I have to find a way to get out of this attic and help Gregory—before it's too late.