The Harrowing by Sokoloff Alexandra

Author:Sokoloff, Alexandra [Sokoloff, Alexandra]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Murderati Ink
Published: 2011-12-08T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

On the north edge of campus, just before the woods, lay the overgrown ruins of sunken gardens. Low walls rimmed a crumbling stone plaza; dead vines crawled up the twisted columns of an arbor. In daylight, it was a haunted forest, in moonlight a dryads’ circle, a place of ghosts and broken hearts and fever dreams.

Being of no obvious practical use, in comparison to a sports facility, for example, the Columns had long ago fallen into disrepair. The regents saw no reason to funnel money into rebuilding the structure. But students knew and loved the Columns for their desolate privacy, and found any number of illicit uses for the spot, as evidenced by the glitter of broken glass, the wrinkled ends of smoked-out joints, the pale deflated balloons of used condoms.

As if by some mutual unstated agreement, the five of them had all gone over separately. Patrick was there alone when Robin arrived. She stood in the dark of the arches, watching him sip from a flask as he tended a small fire he’d built in the middle of the flagstones.

She stayed back, hidden by a tangle of vines, and watched as the others appeared, materializing one by one in the arches of the arbor, pale in the darkness, like ghosts themselves. She knew their shadows instantly: Lisa, with her wild mane of hair; Martin’s small stooped silhouette; Cain, moving between the weathered stones with lanky, catlike grace.

Then Patrick looked up the wide, low steps as if he’d known all along Robin was there. She stepped forward with a surge of excitement and anticipation.

None of them spoke as they gathered in the dancing light of the fire. But their eyes met and held, a silence more intimate than words.

Patrick looked around at them in the ruined courtyard. His voice was flat. “Things are still happening, right?”

“Yes.” Robin spoke first, and Lisa echoed her.

“Oh yeah.”

Martin nodded once, and Robin frowned toward him. He’d said nothing had happened to him. Had he lied to her? Or was he just going along to encourage the others to talk?

A cold breath of wind gusted through the courtyard. Robin shoved her hands deep in her pockets and shivered.

Cain turned toward Robin with that direct gaze of his. “What happened with you?”

Robin thought of the grove, the feeling of being touched.

She knew she was blushing and looked toward Lisa, who was crouched beside a granite column, smoking. “Yesterday we were in the kitchen…with my roommate…”

Patrick looked quickly across at her in the firelight.

Cain shot an oblique look at him. “His girlfriend.”

Patrick bristled at Cain’s accusing tone. “Yeah, so?”

Robin continued hastily, hoping to defuse them. “Waverly was arguing with Lisa—and the coffeepot shattered in her hand.” She looked at Lisa, who leaned back against the granite pillar and smoked without speaking, veiled and withdrawn.

Something’s wrong, Robin thought. What?

Cain sounded skeptical, as usual. “I’ve seen glass break on hot plates before.”

“Hell of a lot of stuff breaking,” Patrick retorted.

Cain ignored him, turned back to Robin in the shadows.

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