The Indigo Spell Chapter Six

I FOLLOWED MS. TERWILLIGERS instructions diligently. I neer to a faultk the garnet off, non even when I slept or showered. When give instruction started the next morning, I wore it under my shirt to avoid any questions. It didnt incisively scream magical amulet, provided it was certainly conspicuous. To my surprise, Ms. Terwilliger wasnt in her outset-period history class, making me interview if she was doing near investigating of her own.Ms. T on some secret mission?I flinched and realized Id been lost in my own thoughts. I turned and commence up threesome Juarez kneeling by my desk. Class hadnt started yet, and a confused-looking substitute teacher was trying to make sense of the chaos of Ms. Terwilligers desk. Trey grinned at my surprise.Wh-what? I asked. Had he somehow found out around Veronica? I tested to keep cool. What makes you say that?I was just joking, he said. This is the second year Ive had her, and shes never missed a daylight. He gave me a puzzled look. Unless you re tout ensembley do know something I dont?No, I said quickly. Im just as impress as you are.Trey scrutinized me a few arcseconds. We were good friends here at Amberwood, with alone 1 teeny-tiny problem hanging betwixt us.His family was tied to the Warriors of Light.Last month, the Warriors had tried to polish Sonya in a barbaric execution ritual. Trey had been mavin of the contenders for the honor of killing her, though hed thrown the match at the last minute. Id tried to approach to the Warriors to release Sonya, provided they hadnt listened. She and I were both saved when a raiding party of dhampirs showed up and defeated the Warriors. Stanton had helped orchestrate that raid but hadnt bothitherd to ingurgitate me in that I was being used as a distraction. It was part of what had fueled my distrust of her and the Alchemists.Trey had been blamed for piddleting me involved with the ritual, and the Warriors had ostracized his father and him. simply as I had been pres veritabled by the Alchemists, Trey had had Warrior doctrine drilled into him his whole life. His father was so ashamed of the fallout that he would barely speak to Trey now. I knew how much Trey wanted his fathers approval, so this silence was more painful to him than the Warriors treatment.Our allegiances made things difficult. When Id once tentatively hinted to Trey that we still had unresolved issues between us, hed responded with a bitter laugh. You contract nothing to worry about anymore, hed told me. Im not hiding any secret plans from you because I dont know any. They wont tell us anything. Im not wizard of them, as far as theyre concerned. Ive been cut off forever, and itd take a miracle for them to ever take us blanket. Thered been something in his dark eyes that told me if he ever could find that miracle, hed jump on it. Id tried asking about that, but he wouldnt discuss it any further. I want to be your friend, Melbourne, he had said. I like you. Were never going to resolve our differences. Might as well ignore them since we start out to be to set forthher every day.Amazingly, our friendship had managed to suffer all that drama. The tension was always there, lurking between us, but we tried to ignore it. Although he knew about my involvement in the vampiric world, he had no creative thinker I was taking behind-the-scenes magic lessons with our history teacher, of course.If he thought I was lying about Ms. Terwilligers absence today, he didnt push the matter. He nodded toward the sub. This is going to be a blow-off day.I dragged my mind away from magical intrigue. After being homeschooled for most of my life, some parts of the normal school world were a mystery. Whats that mean, claimly?Usually teachers leave subs a lesson plan, telling them what to do. I saw the one Ms. Terwilliger left. It said, Distract them. Trey shook his head in mock sympathy. I entrust you can handle the wasted academic cartridge clip. I mean, shell probab ly say something like, Work on homework. But no one will.He was right. I wasnt sure if I could handle this. Why wouldnt they?This seemed to amuse him immensely. Melbourne, sometimes youre the only reason I come to class. I saw her sub plan for your independent study, by the way. It said you didnt even have to stick around. Youre free to run wild.Eddie, sitting progressby, everywhereheard and scoffed. To the library?This made both of them laugh, but my mind was already spinning with possibilities. If I really didnt have to stay for my last class, Id be free to leave campus early. I could go into Los Angeles to look for Veronica and no. Adrian wasnt back. For a moment, I toyed with the idea of investigation without his spirit magic, but Ms. Terwilligers warnings echoed through my mind. The hunt would have to wait.But I could still look for Marcus Finch.Santa Barbara was two hours away. That meant I had enough time to pick out up there, do some investigating of Marcus, and still co mfortably make it back by the schools curfew. I hadnt intended to go look for him until this weekend but realized now that I shouldnt waste this opportunity. Ms. Terwilligers task weighed heavily on me as well, but I couldnt do anything about it until Adrian returned tonight.Marcus Finch had been a mystery to me since the moment Id discoered he was an ex-Alchemist. Realizing that I might in truth build some answers today made my heart pound in overtime. It was one thing to amusing the Alchemists had been holding out on me. It was an solely different matter to accept that I might be on the verge of having those suspicions confirmed. It was actually kind of terrifying.As the day progressed, I became more and more resolved to make the deal. I had to face this sooner or later, and I might as well get it over with. For all I knew, Marcus had simply been sightseeing in Santa Barbara and could be gone already. I didnt want to repeat the scrying hitch if I could help it. veritable enou gh, when I showed up for what would normally be my independent study at the end of the day, the sub (looking extremely worn out after a day of following in Ms. Terwilligers footsteps) told me I was free to go. I thanked her and hurried off to my dorm room, conscious of the clock that was now ticking. I didnt know exactly what Id be facing in Santa Barbara, but I planned to be prepared for anything.I changed out of my Amberwood uniform, opting for jeans and a plain black blouse. Kneeling by my bed, I pulled out a large metal box from underneath it. At first glance, the box looked like a makeup kit. However, it had an intricate lock that required both a key and combination. Inside was my Alchemist chemistry set, a collection of chemicals that would probably get me kicked out of school if found since it looked like it was crestable of manufacturing mislabeled drugs. And really, some of the compounds probably were pretty questionable.I selected some basics. One was a formula that was usually used to dissolve Strigoi bodies. I didnt expect to encounter any Strigoi in Santa Barbara, but the compound could also be used to disintegrate metal pretty handily. I chose a couple other mixtures like one that could create a spy-worthy smoke screen and carefully wrapped them all up before slipping them into my messenger bag. Then I locked the box again and slid it back under the bed.After a runty consideration, I took a slurred breath and produced another hidden box. This was a new one in my collection. It contained various ch ordnance and potions Id made under Ms. Terwilligers instruction. Staring at its contents, I felt my stomach twist. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined Id have such a kit. When wed first met, Id only created charms under duress. Now I had several that Id willingly made, and if what shed said about her sister was true, Id need to start making more. With great reluctance, I picked a variety of these as well and packed them up with the Alchemi st chemicals. After a moments consideration, I put a couple in my pocket for quick access.The drive to Santa Barbara was easy this time of day December had cooled off some of southern Californias weather, but the sun was still out, making it seem warmer than it really was. And, as I drove up the coast, the desert gave way to more temperate conditions. Rain increased in the middle and northern parts of the state this time of year, making the landscape lush and green. I really did love Palm Springs and Amberwood, but there were times I wouldnt have minded if Jills assignment had interpreted us up here.Finding the Old Mission Santa Barbara wasnt difficult. It was a well-known tourist attraction and pretty easy to spot once you were nearby. The sprawling perform looked exactly as it had in my vision save that it was lit by mid-afternoon sunshine rather than twilight. I pulled off to the side of the road in a residential inhabithood and gazed up at the beautiful stucco and terra-cotta masterpiece. I wished I had the time to go on a tour, but, as they so very much did, my personal desires had to take a backseat to a larger goal.Now came the more difficult part having to figure out where the studio Id seen might be. The neighborhood I parked in provided a view that was similar to the one Id observed in the spell. The angles werent exact, however, and this street only contained houses. I was almost certain the studio Id seen had been in an apartment twist. Keeping the mission in view, I drove a few more streets over and found what Id hoped for several blocks containing apartment complexes.One looked too nice to have what Id seen. The studio had seemed pretty bare bones and run tear. The other two buildings on the street looked like more likely candidates. I drove to each one and walked around their grounds, trying to imagine what the angle might be when viewed from a higher windowpane. I wished Id had a chance to actually look downhearted to the parking lot in the vision. It would have given me a collapse idea of the knock down. After much thought, I finally deduced the studio had been on the third or fourth floor. Since one of the buildings only had two floors, that gave me a pretty positive hit on the correct place.Stepping inside the building made me glad Id packed hand sanitizer in my bag. The halls looked like they hadnt been swept in over a year. The walls were dirty, their paint chipped. Bits of trash sat on the floor. Cobwebs hung in some of the corners, and I prayed spiders were the only creepy-crawly inhabitants. If I saw a roach, I was probably going to bolt. The building had no front desk I could make inquiries at, so I flagged down a middle-aged woman as she was leaving. She paused, regarding me warily.Hi, I said, hoping I looked non-threatening. Im trying to find a friend of mine, but I dont know which apartment he lives in. Maybe you know him? His name is Marcus. He has a blue tattoo on his face. Seeing her blank look, I iterate the question in Spanish. Comprehension showed in her expression, but once shed heard my entire question, her only response was a brief headshake. I didnt even have time to show her Marcuss picture.I spent the next half hour doing the same thing whenever I saw residents going in or out. I stayed outside this time, preferring a brightly lit public area to the dingy interior. Some of the people I talked to were a little sketchy, and a couple of guys looked me over in a way I definitely didnt like. I was about to give up when a younger male child approached me. He appeared to be about ten and had been playing in the parking lot.I know the guy youre looking for, he told me in English. But his names not Marcus. Its Dave.Considering how difficult Marcus had been to find, I wasnt entirely surprised hed been using another name. Youre sure? I asked the boy. I showed him the picture. This is the guy?He nodded eagerly. Thats the one. Hes real quiet. My mom says hes probably doing bad things.Great. Just what I compulsory. Do you know where he lives?The boy pointed upward. At the top. 407.I thanked him and went back inside, heading up to the fourth floor on stairs that creaked the entire way. The apartment was near the end of the hall, next to one that was blasting obnoxious music. I knocked on 407 and didnt get a response. Not sure if the occupant had heard me, I knocked more loudly and received the same result.I eyed the doorknob, considering melting it with my Alchemist chemicals. Immediately, I dismissed the thought. Even in a disreputable building like this, a neighbor might be concerned to see me breaking into an apartment. I didnt want to attract any attention. This situation was getting increasingly frustrating, and I couldnt spend all day here.I ran through my choices. Everyone said I was so smart. Surely there was some solution here that would work? Waiting around in the hall wasnt an option. There was no telling how long it could take for Marcus or Da ve to show up. And honestly, the less time spent in the dirty hall, the better. If only there was some way to get inside that didnt involve actually destroying Thats when the solution came to me. I groaned. It wasnt one I liked, but it would get the job done.I went back outside and waved hello to the boy as he practiced jumping off the steps. Was Dave home? he asked.No.The boy nodded. He usually isnt.That, at least, would be helpful for this next crazy plan. I left the boy and walked around the side of the building, which was mercifully deserted. There, clinging to the outer wall, was the most weak fire exit Id ever seen. Considering how rigid California safety standards were, I was astonished that this hadnt been reported. Of course, if it had, it didnt seem likely this buildings owner wouldve been quick to act, judging from the rest of the conditions Id seen.Double checking that no one was around, I stood in the fire escapes shadow, hoping it more or less concealed me. From the m essenger bag, I produced one of my charms a necklace made of agate and crow feathers. I slipped it over my head and recited a Greek incantation. I felt the warmth of magic run through me but saw no ostensible changes. Theoretically, I should be invisible for those who didnt know to look for me. Whether that had actually happened, I couldnt say. I supposed Id find out if someone came by and demanded to know why I was arise into an apartment via the fire escape.Once I stepped onto it, I nearly terminated the plan. The entire fire escape squeaked and swayed. The scaffolding was so rusty, I wouldnt have been surprised if it disintegrated beneath my feet. I stood frozen where I was, trying to work up the courage to go on. I reminded myself that this could be my one chance to find Marcus. The boy in the parking lot had confirmed he lived here. I couldnt waste this opportunity.I gulped and kept going, gingerly moving from floor to floor. When I reached the fourth, I stared down in amazeme nt, unable to believe the fire escape was still intact. Now I had a new problem. Id figured out where Marcuss studio was, and it was one window over from the fire escapes landing. The distance wasnt that great, but on the narrow ledge between them would feel like miles. Equally daunting was the fact that Id have to get through the window. It was shut, which made sense if he was in hiding. I had a couple magical amulets capable of melting glass, but I didnt trust myself to be able to use them on the narrow ledge which meant I had to see just how good my aim had become in PE.Still conscious of the unassured fire escape, I took out a small pouch of powder from my messenger bag. Sizing up the distance, I threw the pouch hard toward the window, reciting a spell and missed. The pouch hit the side of the building, throwing up a dusty cloud, and began eating away at the stucco. I winced as the wall dissolved. The spell eventually burned-out itself out but left a noticeable hole behind. It hadnt gone all the way through, and I supposed given the state of the building, no one would probably even notice.I had one pouch left and had to make it count. The pane was fairly big, and there was no way I could miss this time. I threw hard and made contact. The powder smashed against the window. Immediately, a reaction spread out and began melting the glass. It dripped down like ice out in the sun. Now, notice anxiously, I wanted the reaction to go on for as long as possible. I needed a big enough hole to get through. Fortunately, when it stopped, I felt confident I could make it inside if I could get over there.I wasnt afraid of heights, but as I crept on the ledge, I felt like I was on top of a skyscraper. My heart was in my throat, and I pondered the logistics of surviving a four-floor drop. My palms began to sweat, and I ordered them to stop. I wasnt going to come all this way just to have my hands slip at the last minute.As it turned out, it was my foot that slipped. The world spun, and I frantically flung my arms out, just barely grabbing the inside of the window. I pulled myself toward it, and with a surge of adrenaline-fueled effort managed to hook my other leg inside. I took a deep breath and tried to quiet my pounding heart. I was secure. I was going to make it. A moment later, I was able to pull myself up and swing my other leg around the ledge, tumbling into the room.I landed on the floor, my legs weak and shaky as I worked to steady my frantic breathing. That was close. If my reflexes had been a little slower, I wouldve found out exactly what four floors could do to the human body. While I loved science, I wasnt sure that was an experiment I needed to try. Maybe being around dhampirs so much had helped improve my physical skills.Once Id recovered, I was able to assess my surroundings. Here I was, in the exact same studio Id seen in my vision. Glancing behind me, I sized up the mission, verifying I had the same vantage. Yup. Exactly the same. Inside, I recognized the mattress on the floor and the same meager belongings. Across the room, the door leading out had a number of very new, very state-of-the-art locks. Dissolving the outer doorknob wouldnt have done any good.Now what? I muttered. Id made it inside. I didnt have Marcus, but I theoretically had his apartment. I was unsure what I was looking for but might as well start somewhere.First, I examined the mattress, not that I expected much. It couldnt hide belongings like mine could. It could, however, hide rats and God only knew what else underneath it. I gingerly lifted a corner, knowing I must be grimacing, but there was nothing underneath alive or otherwise. My next target was a small, disorderly pile of clothes. Going through someones dirty laundry (because I assumed it was dirty, if it was sitting on the floor) wasnt much better than looking at the mattress. A whiff of fabric softener told me that these clothes were, in fact, recently washed. They were ord inary guy clothes, probably a young guys clothes, which clothe with Marcuss profile. Jeans. T-shirts. Boxers. As I sifted through the pile, I nearly started folding them and had to remind myself that I didnt want to leave any sign of my passing. Of course, the melt down window was kind of a dead giveaway.A couple of personal items sat nearby, a toothbrush and deodorant with a scent inexplicably called as Ocean Fiesta. Aside from a rickety wooden chair and the ancient TV, there was only one other form of comfort and entertainment in the barren room a beaten-up copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Great, I muttered, wondering what it said about a person who owned no other personal possessions. Marcus Finch is pretentious and self-entitled.The studios rear end was claustrophobic and barely had enough space for a single shower stall, toilet, and dripping sink. Judging from the mildew on the floor, a good deal of irrigate sprayed out when the shower was used. A large black spider scurrie d down the drain, and I hastily backed out.Defeated, I went to investigate a narrow military press door. After all my work, Id found Marcus Finch but hadnt actually found him. My search had revealed nothing. I had limited time to wait for him, and honestly, if I were him and returned home to a melted window, I would promptly walk out the door and never return. If he ran, Id have no choice but to keep scrying and AhhSomething jumped out at me as I opened the closet door and it wasnt a rat or a roach.It was a man.The closet was tiny, so it was a miracle he had even fit inside. I had no time to process the spatial logistics, however, because his fist shot out and clipped me on the side of the face.In my life, Id been slammed up against brick walls and bitten by a Strigoi. Id never been punched, however, and it wasnt an experience I wanted to repeat. I stumbled backward, so surprised that I couldnt even react right away. The guy lunged after me, grabbing my upper arms and shaking me a s he leaned close.How did you guys find me? he exclaimed. How many more are coming?Pain radiated through the side of my face, but somehow, I managed to receive my senses. Last month, Id taken a self-defense class with a slightly unstable Chihuahua breeder who looked like a pirate. Despite Malachi Wolfes unorthodox behavior, hed actually taught us some legitimate skills, and they came back to me now. I kneed my attacker in the stomach. His blue eyes went wide with shock as he released me and fell to the ground. It didnt keep him down for long, though. He scrambled back to his feet and came after me, but by then, Id grabbed the chair and was using it to keep him at bay the way a lion unexciting would.Back off, I said. I just want to Ignoring my threats, the guy pushed forward and grabbed one of the chairs legs, pulling it away from me. He had me backed into a corner, and despite some tricks Eddie had taught me, I wasnt confident in my own ability to throw a punch. Nonetheless, I pu t up a good fight when my attacker tried to grab me again. We struggled and fell to the floor. I kicked and clawed like crazy, making things as difficult as possible. It was only when he managed to pin me with his entire body that my flailing got stifled. I had enough freedom to reach a hand into my pocket, however.Who sent you? he demanded. Where are the others?I didnt answer. Instead, I pulled out a small vial and flipped the cap off with one hand. Immediately, noxious yellow vapor with the consistency of dry ice spilled out of it. I thrust it toward the guys face. He recoiled in disgust, and tears sprang into his eyes. The bosom itself was relatively harmless, but its fumes acted as a kind of pepper spray. He let go of me, and with strength I didnt even know I had, I managed to roll him over and hold him down. I drove my elbow into his wrist, and he made a small grunt of pain. With my other arm, I waved the vial with as much menace as I would a machete. This wouldnt fool him for long, but hopefully itd buy me some time to reassess my situation. Now that he was still, I was finally able to get a good look at him and was relieved to see Id at least achieved my goal. He had a young, freehanded face with an indigo tattoo on his cheek. It was an abstract design that looked like a latticework of crescent moons. A faint silver gleam keen some of the blue lines.Nice to meet you, Marcus.Then, the most astonishing thing happened. Through his watering eyes, hed been trying to get a good look at me too. Recognition appeared on his face as he blinked me into focus.Sydney Sage, he gasped. Ive been looking for you.I didnt have any time to be surprised because I dead heard the click of a gun, and a barrel touched the back of my head.Get off him, a voice demanded. And drop the smoke bomb.