There.
Daryl Novak"s cellular phone number.
She dialed quickly and shut her eyes. Answer. Answer.
"h.e.l.lo," a languid voice said.
Her eyes flew open. "Daryl, this is Gillian. I need you to do me an enormou s favor, and I need you to do it now. And I can"t even explain why-"
"Gillian, are you okay? Everybody"s been worried about you."
"I"m fine, but I can"t talk. I need you to go find Amy Nowick; she"s got"-Gil lian thought frantically-"uh, honors chemistry this period. I need you to tel l her to drive to the corner of Hazel and Appleb.u.t.ter Street and wait for me there."
"You want her to leave school?"
"Right now. Tell her I know it"s a lot to ask, but I need this. It"s really import ant."
She expected questions. But instead, all Daryl said was, "Leave it to me. I"ll find her."
"Thanks, Daryl. You"re a lifesaver."
Gillian hung up and found her ski jacket. Tucking the shoe box under her ar m, she walked very quietly downstairs.
She could hear voices from the kitchen. A low voice-her dad"s. Part of her w anted to run to him.
But what would her parents do if they saw her? Keep her safe and bundled u p, keep her here. They wouldn"t understand what she had to do.
There was no question of telling them the truth, of course. That would just get her another shot. And, eventually, maybe a visit to the mental hospital where her mother had stayed. Everyone would think delusions ran in the family.
She moved stealthily to the front door, quietly opened it, slipped out.
Sometime during the night it had rained and then frozen. Ice hung like dewdr ops from the twigs of the hickory tree in the yard.
Gillian ducked her head and hurried down the street. She hoped no one was watching, but she had the feeling of eyes staring from between bare branch es and out of shadows.
At the comer of Hazel and Appleb.u.t.ter she stood with her arms wrapped arou nd the box, hopping a little to keep warm.
It"s a lot to ask . . .
It was a lot to ask, especially considering the way she"d treated Amy recent ly. And it was funny, considering all the new friends she"d made, that it wa s Amy she turned to instinctively when she was in trouble.
But . . . there was something solid and genuine and good in Amy. And Gill ian knew that she would show up.
The Geo swung around the corner and skidded to a stop. Typical Amy-witho ut-gla.s.ses driving. Then Amy was jumping out, her face turned anxiously toward Gillian"s. Her blue eyes were huge and seemed luminous with tears.
And then they were hugging and crying. Both of them.
"I"m so sorry. I"ve been so rotten this last week-"
"But I was rotten to you before that-"
"I feel awful. You have every right to be mad at me-"
"Ever since I heard about the accident, I"ve been so worried."
Gillian pulled back. "I can"t stay. I don"t have time. And I know how this so unds coming from somebody who hit a pole last night. . . but I need your car.
For one thing, I"ve got to go see David."
Amy nodded, blotting her eyes. "Say no more."
"I can drop you off at home-"
"It"s the wrong way. It won"t hurt me to walk. I want to walk."
Gillian almost laughed. The sight of Amy dabbing her face with her m.u.f.fler and stamping her foot on the icy sidewalk, determined to walk, warmed her heart.
She hugged her again, fast. "Thank you. I"ll never forget it. And I"ll never be the terrible person I"ve been to you again, at least-"
She broke off and got in the car. She"d been about to finish the sentence "-at l east, if I live through this."
Because she wasn"t at all sure that she would.
But the first thing was to get to David.
She had to see him with her own eyes. To make sure he was all right . . . and that he was himself.
She gunned the motor and set out for Houghton.
CHAPTER 14.
She got David"s room number from a receptionist at the front desk. She didn"t ask if she was allowed to visit.
All Gillian could think as she walked down the hall was, Please. Please, if David was only all right, there was a chance that everything could work out.
At the door she stopped and held her breath.
Her mind was showing her all sorts of pictures. David in a coma, hooked up to so many tubes and wires that he was unrecognizable. Worse, David alive a nd awake and smiling . . . and looking at her with violet eyes.
She knew what Angel"s plan had been. At least, she thought she knew. The only question was, had he succeeded?
Still holding her breath, she looked around the door.
David was sitting up in bed. The only thing he was hooked up to was an IV o f clear fluid. There was another bed in the room, empty.
He looked toward the door and saw her.
Gillian walked toward him slowly. She kept her face absolutely expressionle ss, her eyes on him.
Dark hair. A lean face that still had traces of a summer tan. Cheekbones to di e for and eyes to drown in. ...
But no half-quizzical, half-friendly smile. He was looking back at her as so berly as she was looking at him, a book slipping unnoticed from his lap.
Gillian reached the foot of the hospital bed. They stared at each other.
What do I say? David, is it really you? I can"t. It"s too stupid, and what"s he going to say back? No, dragonfly, it"s not him, it"s me?
The silence stretched on. At last, very quietly, the guy on the bed said, "Ar e you okay?"
"Yeah." The word came out clipped and dispa.s.sionate. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I was lucky." He was watching her. "You look-kind of d ifferent."
"And you"re kind of quiet."
Something like puzzlement flashed in his eyes. Then something like hurt. "I w as . . . well, you walked in here looking so deadpan, and you sound so ... co ld . . ." He shook his head slightly, his eyes fixed on hers. "Gillian-did I do something to make you want to hit that pole?"
"I didn"t do it on purpose!" She found herself lunging forward, reaching for his hands.
He looked startled. "Okay . . ."
"David, I didn"t. I was doing everything I could not to. I would never want to hurt you. Don"t you know that?"
His face cleared. His eyes were very dark but very calm. "Yes, I do/" he said simply. "I believe you."Strangely, she knew he did. hi spite of all the evidence to the contrary, he be lieved her.
Gillian"s hands tightened on his. Their eyes were locked together. It was as if they were getting closer, although neither of them moved physically.
And then it was all happening, what had started to happen at least twice befo re. Feelings so sweet and strong she could hardly bear it. Strange recognitio n, unexpected belonging . . . impossible knowing . . .
Gillian"s eyes seemed to shut of their own accord. And then somehow they w ere kissing. She felt the warmth of David"s lips. And everything was warm and wonderful. . . but there was more.
It was as if the normal veil that separated two people had melted.
Gillian felt a shock of revelation. This was what it meant, what Angel had spoken to her about. She knew it intuitively even though she"d never spoken the word before.
Soulmates.
She"d found hers. The one love for her on this earth. The person she was me ant to be with, that no one could keep her from. And it wasn"t Angel. It wa s David.
That was the other thing she knew, and knew with a bedrock certainty that nothing could touch. This was David, the true David. He was holding her in his arms, kissing her. Her, the ordinary Gillian, who was wearing an old gray sweatshirt and no makeup.
It was absurd that she"d ever believed things like makeup mattered.
David was alive, that was what mattered. Gillian didn"t have his death on h er conscience. And if they could somehow live through the rest of what had to be done, they just might be happier than she had ever imagined.
How weird that she could still think. But they didn"t seem to be kissing any more; they were just holding each other now. And that was almost as good, ju st feeling his body against hers.
Gillian pulled away.
"David-"
His eyes were full of wonder. "You know what? I love you."
"I know." Gillian realized she was being less than romantic. She couldn"t hel p it. This was the time for action. "David, I have to tell you some things, a nd I don"t know if you can believe me. But you"ve got to try." "Gillian, I sa id I love you. I mean that. We-"
Then he stopped and searched her face. He seemed to see something that chang ed his mind. "I love you," he said in a different tone. "So I"ll believe you .".
"The first thing is that I"m not anything like what you think. I"m not brave, o r n.o.ble, or witty in the face of danger or-or anything like that. It"s all been -a sort of set-up. And here"s how it happened."And then she told him.
Everything. From the beginning, from the afternoon when she"d heard the cr ying in the woods and followed it and died and found an angel.
She told him the whole story, about how Angel had appeared in her room tha t night and how he"d changed her whole life. About the whispering that had guided her ever since.
And about the very bad things. Her witch heritage. The spell she"d put on Ta nya. The Night World. All the way up to the accident last night.
When she was done, she sat back and looked at him.
"Well?"
"Well, I probably ought to think you"re crazy. But I don"t. Maybe I"m crazy, too. Or maybe it"s because I died once, myself. ..."
"You started to tell me that, that first night- and then the car skidded. What happened?"
"When I was seven my appendix burst. I died on the operating table-and I wen t to a place like that meadow. I"ll tell you the funny thing, though. I felt that rushing thing come at me, too-that huge thing you said came at you hi the end. Only it actually reached me. And it wasn"t dark or scary. It was white-beautiful l ight-and it had wonderful wings."
Gillian was staring. "Then what?"
"It sent me back. I didn"t have any choice. It loved me, but I had to go back anyway. So- zoom-back down the tunnel, and pop, back into the body. I"ve nev er forgotten it. And, it"s hard to explain, but I know it was real. I guess t hat"s why I believe you."
"Then maybe you understand what I"ve got to do. I don"t know what Angel rea lly is. ... I think he may be some kind of demon. But I"ve got to stop him.
Exorcize him or whatever."
David took her by the arms. "You can"t. You don"t know how."
"But maybe Melusine does. It"s either her or that guy Ash at the club. He se emed all right. The only down side is that I think he was a vampire."
David had stiffened. "I vote for the witch-"
"Me, too."
"-but I want you to wait for me. They"ll let me out later this afternoon."