Chapter Twenty-seven
Kylie, taken by surprise by Della's aggressive move, stood there a second before she realized Della could be in danger. With the vamp a few feet in front of the man, Kylie bolted out of the woods and stopped about three feet behind him.
Della took a defensive step toward the man. He jumped back and slammed right into Kylie. He swung around, a growl escaping his lips, but the hood still obscured his face and prevented Kylie from knowing who and what she was up against.
"Who are you?" Kylie asked. Feeling the sizzle of protective power, she went to yank off the hood from his head.
He ducked and moved a few feet backward-closer to Della. "Stop this!" he demanded.
"You stop," Della ordered.
He pulled off the hood of his sweater. "Is this the way you treat your teachers?" Hayden Yates asked.
Della, being Della, didn't back down. "If they go sneaking around in the shadows, dressing like some criminal, then yeah, that's the way we treat 'em."
Kylie held up her hand to Della, hoping to calm her, not that Kylie felt all that calm. Her power was on full alert, her adrenaline set on high.
"Since when is taking a walk sneaking?" He used his teacher's voice.
"Since you sneaked up on us," Della smarted off.
Logic lessened Kylie's adrenaline. "I ... we ... You scared us," Kylie said.
"I wasn't scared," Della snapped.
Mr. Yates frowned. "Next time, try saying hello instead of attacking when someone walks up."
"That was hello," Della said. "If we'd attacked, you'd be bleeding ... or dead."
"We overreacted," Kylie intervened, and then remembered that she didn't particularly like this guy. He seemed to be somehow secretive and his dark clothes and concealed face seemed to confirm it. However, Kylie's manners and respect for authority mandated she behave a certain way. "We apologize."
"We do?" Della asked sarcastically.
Kylie motioned for Della to start walking.
Della shot the teacher another frown before turning around. And the moment they were several feet ahead, Della whispered, "I don't like him."
"Me either," Kylie said, yet she couldn't put her finger on why.
"You think he's working with Mario?" Della asked.
"No. I ... don't know," Kylie said. "Let's not jump to conclusions."
They arrived at the clearing where the office and dining hall stood. Kylie noticed the lights were on in Holiday's office. Then she noticed the dead silence. Not a bird or even the wind dared to make a sound. The fact that Della had stopped walking and her eyes glowed bright green told Kylie she wasn't imagining the sense of danger. Someone was here.
"Everything's fine," a voice, a strange voice, spoke behind them.
Both Kylie and Della swung around. The man, in his early thirties, wore a black suit. A quick check of his pattern told Kylie he was vampire. The way he held out his hands, palms exposed, told her he wasn't looking for trouble. Then again, he was a stranger and on Shadow Falls property. Who the hell was he?
"It's okay." His at-peace stance had little effect on Kylie, and even less on Della.
"I'll be the judge of that." The glow from Della's green eyes spotlighted her extended fangs.
The man pulled his suit coat back and flashed the badge attached to his belt. "I'm Agent Houston, FRU, a friend of Burnett's." The way he said "friend" seemed to mean something, though Kylie wasn't really sure what. "Burnett asked me to stand in for him while he went to pick up a suspect."
"Stand in for him for what? Suspect for what?" Della asked, or more like demanded.
The agent's gaze shifted to Kylie, as if he knew she'd understand. And she did. Burnett had brought his man to watch over Holiday, and obviously he'd gone looking for Blake. But understanding didn't make this stranger her ally. Sure she trusted Burnett, but the badge Agent Houston had just proudly flashed did him more harm than good when it came to her.
"I can't go into details," he said, "but you're going to have to trust me. Kylie knows."
Trust? Not likely, Kylie thought, but when his heartbeat didn't appear to be lying, Kylie looked at Della. "He's telling the truth."
"I know," Della said as if annoyed, but the color change in her eyes said she'd backed down. Or she had until she had Kylie alone, and then no doubt she'd verbally bludgeon Kylie for information. Della didn't like to be in the dark.
"I'm going in to see Holiday." Kylie looked at Della.
"She's popular this morning," Agent Houston said.
Kylie looked to the window and saw a male figure. "Who's in there?"
"One of the new teachers," Agent Houston answered.
Kylie tensed. "Hayden Yates?" She looked at Della. How had he gotten ahead of them? Della's expression matched Kylie's.
"No," the man said. "A Collin Warren. He said he was the new history teacher. Is there a problem with him?" The agent's voice deepened as he took a small step toward the office.
"No," Kylie said. "He's fine." But right then, footsteps echoed from down the path.
"You expecting someone?" the agent asked.
"Not really," Kylie said, but she suspected who it might be.
And she was right.
Hayden Yates, his hood back to covering his head, stepped into the clearing. "Good morning." He lifted his chin, his gaze on the tall FRU agent standing defensively.
"You know him?" the agent asked Kylie.
Mr. Yates squared his shoulders as if insulted.
"He's a new teacher," Della said, but her tone said more. It said she didn't like him, and the agent picked up on it. He took another step toward Mr. Yates.
Mr. Yates didn't back away. He held his ground, and she thought they might come to blows. Then Hayden's gaze shifted to her as if reconsidering his stance. "I mean no harm, just taking a walk," he told the agent in a resigned voice.
Kylie still felt something ... something not right, something not honest about the man.
Hannah's warning rang in Kylie's ears. And the day I was at Shadow Falls, I sensed he was close. I felt him and I knew. I knew I went to Shadow Falls because of him.
Could Hayden Yates be Hannah's killer? Could he have applied for the job here just to get to Holiday? It seemed unlikely, but Kylie wasn't taking any chances. And as soon as Burnett got back, she planned on sharing her concerns.
* * *
Kylie waited in the office's entrance for Mr. Warren to finish his conversation with Holiday. In a few minutes, both he and Holiday stepped out. Mr. Warren nodded politely and offered her a soft-spoken "Good morning."
"Morning." Kylie sensed again that he was as shy and unsure of himself as she was. Maybe even more. Sort of a male version of Helen. And yet he'd chosen to teach. No doubt his love of history pushed him down this path. For that, she had to admire him.
When he left, Kylie looked at Holiday and instantly went in for a hug.
They held on to each other for a second longer than normal.
"You okay?" Kylie asked.
"I will be in time," Holiday said.
Kylie heard Mr. Warren speaking to the agent outside. "Is this his first year teaching?" She nodded toward the window.
"How did you guess?" Holiday sighed. "He was recommended by a friend of a friend. He's not so bad when it's one on one. I hope you guys don't chew him up and spit him out."
Kylie grinned. "Perry might consider it."
Holiday frowned. "Promise me you'll not let that happen. He really seems like a nice guy and I think he'll make an excellent teacher. I'd appreciate it if you'd sort of take him under your wing."
Kylie chuckled. "Again, Perry might do that."
Holiday's grin, while a little forced, surfaced. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "You're up way early."
"Couldn't sleep," Kylie said.
"Did Hannah come by?" Grief snuck into Holiday's voice and Kylie's own chest swelled with the emotion.
"No. Sorry." There was a pause. "Is that coffee I smell?"
"Yeah, I ... normally don't drink it, but this morning I figured I could use it. Grab a cup, and then I want to hear how the whole vampire transformation happened."
Oh, crap, Kylie thought as she went to collect her coffee. It was either time to come clean or to get busy burying herself in lies. She could probably come up with a story that Holiday would believe-a story that didn't include her sneaking out of Shadow Falls to meet her grandfather. But lying to Holiday of all people felt wrong.
* * *
"You did what?" Holiday asked, setting her coffee on her desk when Kylie started her explanation a few minutes later. "How many times do I have to explain to you that as a protector, you have no powers-zero-to protect yourself? You didn't even know the e-mail was from him."
"I knew," Kylie said.
"How?" Holiday leaned forward.
Kylie bit into her lip. "He was the fog."
"He was what?"
"My grandfather and my great-aunt, they were the fog. They somehow transformed themselves into fog."
"How..." She let go of a deep breath and let the confusion settle around her, and then said, "You still can't just disobey rules."
"I was following the main rule. The one you've told me dozens of times." She paused. "To follow my heart."
Holiday stared at Kylie as if debating the issue. "You could have asked someone to go with you."
"They wouldn't have met me."
"You don't know that," Holiday said.
"Yes, I do. They left when Lucas showed up."
"Wait, Lucas went with you? He knew about this?" There was a reprimand to her voice.
"No. He and Perry followed me, but I ... detained them and took off. When Lucas caught up with me, my grandfather and aunt disappeared. They don't trust anyone here because of the FRU involvement with the camp. Considering everything that's happened, you can't blame them for that."
"I can blame them if they encourage you to put your life in danger." Holiday fell back into her chair with frustration.
"They don't even know about Mario. And look at me. Nothing happened. I had to go. I had to know the truth."
Holiday closed her eyes and kept them closed. When her lids finally fluttered open, Kylie saw most of her frustration had faded.
Her shoulders relaxed. "And what's the truth, Kylie? What did they tell you?"
"My dad was right. I'm a chameleon."
"And what, exactly, is that?" Holiday asked.
"I have a blend of all the supernaturals and I maintain the DNA from all."
Holiday shook her head. "But that's not possible. The dominant parent's is the only DNA that passes to the child."
"That's what makes us different."
Holiday leaned back in her chair, her expression one of bafflement. "That's ... huge." She tweaked her brows at Kylie's forehead. "So what constitutes the pattern you show?"
"I don't know ... exactly. He said it usually took years before a chameleon learned to control it. That it takes a while to learn to do it. But then he said something that led me to believe that I can change it according to the powers I need."
"So he changed you into a vampire?"
"No, I ... he said I must have done it instinctively. When I was trying to get away from Lucas and Perry, I just kept telling myself to move faster. So maybe that's how it happened."
"Have you tried to change it again?" Holiday arched a brow in curiosity.
"No." Kylie shook her head. "The last time you had me try to do something that I wasn't sure how to do, Burnett nearly wound up sterile."
Holiday chuckled. Seeing Holiday smile was so good that Kylie smiled back.
"What else did your grandfather say?" Holiday asked.
Kylie's heart gripped. If Holiday was vampire, she'd hear the lie forming on her lips. Telling Holiday that Kylie's grandfather wanted her to leave Shadow Falls seemed like giving Holiday a reason to dislike him-a reason to insist Kylie stay away from him. And she couldn't stay away.
Taking a breath, she fought the guilt swelling inside her, because Holiday might not hear the lie in her heartbeat, but she could read her emotions. Squaring her shoulders, she met Holiday's eyes. "Not much else. Lucas showed up and ... they left."
"Who left?" Burnett asked.
Kylie inwardly flinched. She'd been so busy trying not to feel guilty, she hadn't heard him approach.
"Did you find him?" Holiday sat up, tension pulling at her shoulders.
Kylie had suspected Burnett had been looking for Blake, but it surprised her that he'd told Holiday. "Find who?" Kylie asked, to be sure she'd been right.
"Blake," Burnett answered. "And no." He looked at Holiday. "I've left messages at both his work and cell that we need to talk."
"Should I call him?" Holiday asked.
"No," Burnett clipped. Shifting his shoulders as if to push off the stress, he looked back at Kylie. "Who were you speaking of when I walked in? Who left?"
Holiday glanced at Kylie and she could see the message in the camp leader's eyes. She left it up to Kylie whether to tell him ... or not.
She appreciated that, and when she imagined Burnett's reaction to her disregard for the rules, Kylie almost went with the "not." But realizing the position she was putting Holiday in by lying to Burnett, Kylie reconsidered. She didn't want to be the one to cause even a ripple of discontent between them. Not when her goal was to get them together.
"You're going to be upset," Kylie said.
"How upset?" He frowned.
* * *
It turned out Burnett had been quite upset. Kylie had been relieved when, an hour later, Derek showed up and the four of them left for the cafe to see if they could find out anything about Cara M.
When Burnett and Holiday walked into Cookie's Cafe, Derek held her back and let the door close. "Is everything okay?"
He'd obviously picked up on Burnett's cheerful mood. Although Kylie didn't know if it had everything to do with her, or the fact that he'd been unable to run down Blake.
Looking up at the glass door and seeing Burnett staring back at them, she recalled some of their earlier conversation.
"The FRU is not the enemy," he'd insisted, when Kylie reminded him her grandfather had a reason to distrust Shadow Falls.
"You're not the enemy," Kylie had said. "But I'm still not sure about the FRU. And while I know you don't want to admit it, you wouldn't have hidden my grandmother's body and wouldn't be keeping some facts from them if you completely trusted them."
Burnett hadn't argued with that, but Kylie pointing it out hadn't done much to improve his mood. He was obviously torn between his loyalty to Shadow Falls and his loyalty to the FRU. Not that Kylie worried. She trusted him. Getting her grandfather and aunt to trust him was another matter.
Derek cleared his throat to get her attention. He wore his favorite jeans and dusty green T-shirt. "Did something happen?"
"Not really," Kylie whispered to Derek, slightly bothered by how close he leaned into her, brushing her shoulder with his. Or was she bothered by how aware of his touch she was? Pushing that thought aside, she reached for the glass door.
But she got the craziest feeling that someone was watching her. She swung around, but Derek blocked her view of the street.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No." She still shifted to see around him. But the brief sensation she'd gotten was gone. Were her grandfather and aunt close by? She glanced all around, left and right. The old houses lining the street had been turned into gift shops, and an old red caboose now served as a concession stand. What she didn't see was anyone peering back at her. No one. Nothing.
So she turned back and walked inside the cafe packed with a chattering crowd.
The smell of bacon flavored the air in the old house that served as a cafe. She didn't find the smell the least bit tempting. The downside of being a vamp. The room held wall-to-wall tables, filled with hungry people who looked like vacationers. The sound of forks clinking against plates echoed with the voices.
Only one table stood empty and Holiday led the way. A server came out of the back, carrying a tray of food that smelled like cinnamon rolls.
"Is that the same uniform?" Derek asked as they sat down.
"Yeah." Kylie's heart lightened with hope that this would lead them to the killer.
Another waitress, Chris G., according to her name tag, stopped in front of their table.
"You guys ready to order?" Before they spoke, she waved at another table. "One minute."
"Actually," Burnett spoke up, "we're here hoping to get some info on a Cara M., a waitress who-"
"Oh." She walked away.
"Oh, what?" Burnett frowned as she took off. She stuck her head through the door and called out, "Hey, Cara, someone wants to talk to you."
Burnett, Holiday, and Derek all turned and looked at Kylie.
"She can't be alive," Kylie said. "Trust me. She's dead."
Then a pretty blond, with a name tag that read CARA M., walked out of the back. "She looks alive to me," Derek said. "And even kind of hot." He blushed.