Page 14 of A Song in the Night

Since I don’t have enough money to pay for a cab, I make the journey on foot. Many storefronts I pass are either shuttered or in the process of closing, but the city isn’t sleeping yet. Not even close. The bars are still open, and every so often, I hear a shout or a door slam echo down the street. The pink sky is quickly turning to day, and I keep to the shadows, my skin prickling with discomfort—I have enough vampire blood in me to be affected by light.

By the time the boardinghouse looms into view, its pointed rooftops casting shadows onto the street, the sun is visible on the horizon.

During the time I lived here and worked in the sewer sector, I never hesitated to walk in without knocking. However tense things were between me and the other tenants, no one questioned my place after that speech I’d made over breakfast. Now it feels as though I’m starting from scratch.

Taking a brief, fortifying breath, I lift my hand and knock.

The door opens a crack, allowing me a glimpse of one bright, suspicion-filled eye. I’m blinded by a flash of déjà vu. “Hey, Penelope,” I say softly.

She just makes a disgruntled sound, opens the door a bit wider, then turns away. I resist the urge to roll my eyes and slip inside, unable to banish the irrational feeling that making the slightest noise will cause Ada to change her mind.

“Charlie. Hello.” As if the thought summoned her, Ada appears farther down the hallway. She inclines her head to the wide doorway beside her. “Would you like to join us?”

“Sure,” I say with a cautious smile. Without another word, Ada strides back into the dining room. I follow her at a slower pace, and the moment I appear in the doorway, everyone sitting at the table looks at me. Clarissa’s eyes widen. My hold tightens on my backpack straps, an involuntary movement.

“As you can see, Charlie has returned to us,” my aunt says briskly, seating herself. Her chair creaks. She reaches for her wine glass, then realizes I’m still in the doorway. “Well, don’t just stand there, girl. Serve yourself before the food gets even colder.”

There’s an empty chair at the other end of the table. Trying to hide how nervous I am, I nod and hurry toward it. Ada murmurs something to Penelope, and this seems to be a signal of some sort, because conversations slowly resume. Silverware clinks and chair legs screech over the floor. Holden stands with an empty glass in his hand. Returning his courteous nod, I slip my backpack off and set it on the floor.

I recognize most of the people around me, but there are new faces, too. Though I haven’t been gone long, it doesn’t surprise me—people die every day in this city. I’m always seeing those eerie undertaker vehicles moving soundlessly through the streets.

At least some things stay the same. Another smile tugs at my mouth when I spot the stack of clean plates in the middle of the table, accompanied by a gleaming pile of forks—that’s the system here at Ada’s boardinghouse. I claim a plate for myself, pretending not to feel the stares, and dish some pasta onto it. I haven’t eaten since Noah tossed a turkey sandwich at me six or seven hours ago, and the sight of the food has my stomach rumbling.

Then my gaze lands on Drew’s chair, and I barely hear Ada’s next words. My heart beats slow and steady, but it aches, too. I miss the boy who used to sit in that chair. I miss walking with him through the dark, gleaming streets of New Ve. Eating meals together every day. Sitting in the living room, watching movies with people all around us, while we pretended not to notice how our shoulders touched.

Suddenly my appetite is gone and my eyes are stinging. It’s my first night back, but suddenly I want nothing more than to eat in my room, where I can grieve without an audience. Hoping to avoid drawing attention to myself, I pick up my plate and get up, pausing to fetch the backpack, too.

“I assume you still know the way to your old room?” Ada murmurs as I pass.

I nod, and the vampire’s focus promptly returns to her meal. No one else at the table seems to notice our exchange. Relieved, I head for the kitchen to wash my plate. Once it’s in the drying rack, I walk quickly to the stairs and will myself not to encounter any more memories.

An impossible task, I realize moments later, as I pass the door to Drew’s room. I can’t stop myself from reaching for that familiar knob. It turns without any resistance.

The room is awash with light, dust motes glittering in the sunbeams. Nothing has changed since the last time I was here—not even the smell. Like old wood and air during a rainstorm. I blink rapidly and quickly close the door, walking the rest of the way to my room.

This time, there’s no cat resting on the windowsill, and I set my backpack down with a wistful sigh. After closing the curtains, I settle my weight onto the old mattress. Right on cue, the springs moan. I look around, thrilling in the fact that, unlike the first night I spent here, it feels more like home. Maybe I’ll actually get some sleep today.

My tentative sense of peace shatters when someone slams their fist against the door. It’s so hard, so abrupt, it can’t be called knocking. I swallow another sigh and stand. Somehow, I know who I’ll find on the other side before I’m even reaching for the doorknob. Not because I catch her scent or hear her voice, but because it was inevitable.

Nina lifts her head the instant I open the door. My heart sinks at the sight of her face—she’s been crying. She tried to wipe the tears away, but there are still trails of wetness extending from the corners of her eyes. Her skin is tinted pink and slightly puffy.

I wait, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she steps forward and pushes me. I was ready for it, though, and I hardly budge. Nina’s jaw clenches. She draws her fist back, preparing to slam it into my face. Using what little energy I have left, I retreat in a spurt of vampiric speed, and the girl’s arm freezes as she realizes this.

“Fight me back,” she says through her teeth.

I lift my chin, hoping she doesn’t see how I’m trembling. Within me, the monster rouses. Her lip curls and I know she’d like nothing more than to do exactly what Nina wants. “No.”

The girl glares through a fresh sheen of tears, and as I meet her gaze without flinching, one more wave of déjà vu crashes over me. The last time we were in this room, I didn’t think—I reacted. I was everything the humans in this house believed me to be.

When Nina rushes at me, I use supernatural speed again to evade her. The action will cost me, I know, because I’ll need to feed sooner now, but the alternative is to let her ruin my face. She stumbles past, and by the time she recovers, I’m already halfway down the hall. The monster is snarling, rattling the bars of her cage. She wants to rip Nina open from neck to navel and feed.

Near the stairs, three humans argue over the shower list. I join them, angling my body so that I’m mostly behind the one I think I remember Ada calling Jack. He’s so heated in his conversation that he doesn’t seem to notice. Nina comes out of my room and starts toward me, her expression stormy. She realizes that we’re not alone and slows. I watch as she regains some control. Her eyes promise that we’re not finished before she disappears into her room.

I wait another beat to make sure it’s safe. Without a word to Jack—he’s still insisting he should get the coveted slot since he killed a weeper last week, and I briefly hope it’s not the weeper who tried to warn me about Leo—I pad back to my room.

As I lean against the door, making it click shut, I consider the other glaring problem I’ve been avoiding. If I’m going to stay here and make use of the feeding facilities, I’ll need money, regardless of Ada’s generosity. Sylvia and Noah never mentioned a salary, and considering I’m already in debt for what they paid at the auction, I can’t bring myself to ask for one. But I don’t exactly have any spare time to get a second job. No matter what angle I look at my situation from, there’s only one obvious solution. It makes my stomach churn.

Slowly, I take my new phone out—a loan from Sylvia, in order for her and Noah to contact me—and type Valerie’s number in, then a brief message.

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