The Blood Bracelets: Blood Bound

THE BLOOD BRACELETS

Blood Bound

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © S.J.H. Novels, 2013

www.stephanieholder.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher/author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover art by A. Phong

www.claparo.blogspot.com.au

Smashwords Edition, License Note

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

"Heaven and Hell suppose two distinct species of men, the good and the bad. But the greatest part of mankind float betwixt vice and virtue."

David Hume

PROLOGUE

He picked off the hardened demon blood that was marring his torn sleeve. It was embedded into the material like thick paint, and though he knew his efforts were in vain he still did it anyway as he walked up the street toward a backpacker’s hostel near the corner of King Street. With an irate sigh he gave up, relenting to the fact that he would be throwing out more clothing.

He paused, looking back over his shoulder to the east where the sun was beginning to crest Melbourne City’s high-rise buildings. He had missed a whole night’s worth of sleep, and his body was beginning to notice.

It was a typical late-autumn, early-winter morning in Melbourne. The rising sun was shining through thin clouds and even a little mist, but Melbourne’s weather was notorious for its unpredictability so despite the sun making an appearance now, it was very likely the sun wouldn’t hang around long.

He approached the hostel’s door, glancing at the blacked-out windows beside it. There was no sign on the hostel’s front awning, or anything on the door to signify what it was, but that was on purpose. The owner wasn’t advertising vacancies, even if he did have a few, because this hostel was only for a select group of people that had put a lot of effort into making the owner actually trust them.

Above the door handle, however, was a small ‘Z’. It was scratched into the wood, and anyone who didn’t know it was there wouldn’t notice it.

He turned the handle and stepped inside to the front reception, which opened into a communal lounge with bookshelves, couches, a television mounted on the wall, and even a vending machine. No one filled the room though.

His body getting heavier by the second, he let out a tired sigh and crossed the lounge to the staircase on the other side.

‘Kael.’

He stopped and turned, finding an older man standing at the archway into the kitchen that adjoined the lounge. He had a five o’clock shadow and slight-greying hair that he knew was beginning to annoy him because of its scruffiness, and though he was older and was showing signs of crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, his gaze was as sharp as ever – just like his canine fangs, when they wanted to be.

‘Zed,’ Kael replied in greeting. ‘The rusalka is dead. What it was doing all the way here in the Yarra River, we’ll never know.’

‘Nor do we care,’ added Zed lightly. ‘I’ll arrange for payment and get you your share this afternoon.’

Kael waved his hand at him in acknowledgment and began heading upstairs, but was stopped again by Zed’s sharp ‘Oi!’

‘What?’ Kael called back impatiently. ‘I’m tired, Zed.’

‘I don’t doubt that, but I want you to know that if you’re up for it tonight I’ve got another bounty for you,’ Zed responded, leaning against the edge of the archway.

Kael could’ve declined, but then Zed would have given the bounty to someone else. ‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘Wraiths.’

Kael’s brow lifted in surprise. ‘Who the hell ordered a bounty on wraiths?’

‘The Immortals,’ Zed replied, his expression turning sour at the mention of the God-loving, demon-hating race. ‘Guess these wraiths pissed off the wrong people. You accepting it or not?’

‘I suppose. Where are they?’

Zed scoffed. ‘No idea.’ He turned back into the kitchen. ‘You’re the bounty hunter; it’s your job to find them, not mine.’

Kael would’ve rolled his eyes, but he was too intrigued by the idea of a bounty being placed on a group of wraiths, considering they were nothing more than demonic messengers.

Whatever the reasoning, Kael suspected this would be an interesting job.

Chapter One

There was so much noise around her. Laughter and conversation, and people rushing past like blurred images. She stood amongst it all, eyes wide as if seeing the world for the first time, all bright colours and sounds, whirling about her in a plethora of activity. Where she was exactly wasn’t known to her, but it didn’t feel unfamiliar. The sky above was a dizzying blue, endless and bright, and she blinked up at it with a smile.

Moving her feet, she began walking amongst the hustle, feeling the breeze, the sun on her skin, and she walked down the long street — it seemed to touch the horizon – with no direction and no expectation. She just walked.

The breeze picked up, gently pushing into her back as if it was urging her forward. She glanced over her shoulder to look down the lively street – but found it empty. The people had left; the sounds had quietened. Everything had disappeared. Only ghosts of what she had walked by, of the conversations and laughter she had overheard, remained.

Her feet came to a slow stop, no longer wanting to carry her forward. The breeze grew stronger yet again, carrying icy fingers that grazed over her skin. She shivered.

Ahead of her the street had emptied too and as the sky became grey, dark clouds rolling in from each direction to swallow up the sun, chills spread across her skin. But it wasn’t just from the wind.

There was something else.

When it became so dark, almost as if it were night, she froze. There were street lamps around her but even though they were on there was no column of light hitting the asphalt below. Darkness seemed to smother them.

She still didn’t recognise the street and the shops either side of her, but now they no longer held any familiarity, any sense of safety. Everything was strange to her. The shops had their windows blacked out and their signs were blurred as if someone had smudged them while the paint was still wet. There was no one in sight.

Darkness closed in around her, thick and constricting, stretching out like spider legs to wrap around her ankles, her wrists, her fingers and she couldn’t move. It held her in place. The darkness was strong, its grip tight, she felt it on her skin like a vicious swatch of sunburn, throbbing and scorching, right through each layer.

It urged her to give in, tempted her with the idea that this was normal, that she was supposed to let this happen, but some other part of her wanted to resist. She tried to pull, tried to free herself, but it was too strong.

Then it swallowed her, consuming and powerful.

She never stood a chance.

And then Taryn hit the floor.

She gasped, her head snapping up and pulling a muscle in her neck at the same time, making her wince. For a moment she didn’t realise where she was – until she recognised the coffee stain on the carpet staring at her.

Groaning, Taryn rolled onto her back and pulled herself up by her bed. It was still dark, she could see the night sky through her window since she’d forgotten to close the curtain, and a quick glance at her alarm clock told her it was only 1:23 in the morning.

She stumbled back into bed and slipped under the covers. Her nose was throbbing, her head was throbbing and her eyes were aching with tiredness – but there was another pain plaguing her.

Frowning, she reached over to her bedside lamp and flicked it on – blinding her for a few seconds – then blinked back the light to have a look at her wrists where the pain was coming from.

And there, circling her wrists like bracelets, were rings of red skin – like she had been burnt.

‘Now, I sincerely hope you’ve all been paying attention and taking notes, since the religious myth of Lucifer and how it is interpreted throughout the ancient cultures will be in your next assignment, which makes up for forty per cent of your grade.’

There was a despondent murmuring through the lecture hall, and Taryn lowered her head with a sigh, admitting defeat already. As much as she loved the subjects she was studying, she wasn’t all that good at paying attention. In the beginning, she had chosen Ancient Worlds studies because of her interest in it, not really knowing whether she’d turn it into a career, but now her interest was becoming hard work. Studying had taken all the fun out of it.

Mike, one of the few lecturers she actually liked, continued to go over the main points they had just covered, giving the students a second chance to take notes. Taryn scribbled down what she could, glancing over to Seth who was sitting back with a smug look on his face, his page filled with neatly written lecture notes. Taryn stopped scribbling.

Seth looked over at her. ‘Yes, you can borrow my notes.’

‘Oh, thank god,’ she whispered, dropping her head again.

Mike dismissed the class on a cheery reminder that the upcoming assignment was going to be harder than previous ones. The class filed out of the lecture hall both relieved class was over and terrified of the next one.

Seth nudged Taryn as they walked outside. ‘Did you actually listen to any of that?’

‘Of course I did,’ she said, ‘I just don’t remember it. I’ll remember it later, though.’

‘Later as in the night before the assignment’s due?’

She gave him a smile. ‘But by then I’ll be looking over your notes and handing in a perfect assignment while you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you helped out a friend – happy ending for all.’

‘You and I have very different concepts of happy endings, then,’ Seth said.

They met up with Emmy as they walked through the campus, having just come from one of her psychology classes. She was stuffing her thick textbooks in her bag when they found her sitting on one of the benches outside her building, looking flustered as usual.

‘Is it safe to approach, Emmy?’ asked Seth.

Taryn elbowed him.

Emmy looked up, a huff blowing strands of light brown hair out of her face. ‘I’ve told you before I don’t appreciate your sense of humour, right?’

Seth just grinned.

Taryn crouched down in front of Emmy and helped pack everything into her bag, which felt as if it were loaded with bricks rather than books, and then they continued on through the campus.  Students were gathered around the seats and benches, studying or slacking off, sitting under the shade of large trees or on the wide steps of some of the older, gothic-like buildings that had vines weaving up the corners of the walls.

She had only been studying at the university for four months and fortunately for her the first set of holidays were fast approaching, which made her suspect the upcoming assignment was going to be over the holidays too.

‘I’m starving. Who wants lunch?’ Seth asked, patting his stomach as if to emphasize the point. When Taryn and Emmy both didn’t reply, he added, ‘My shout.’

‘We’re in.’

Melbourne University was right on Swanston Street, so an easy tram ride down had them at their favourite cafe in Degraves Street; a cobbled blue stone laneway packed with chairs and tables, buzzing with wait staff and music from the cafes and bars that sat shoulder-to-shoulder, looking remarkably small and narrow but were, in fact, quite long and sometimes even two-storey, with quaint apartment lofts on top.  It was one of their favourite spots to hang out, and Taryn was often fascinated by the variety of people she found milling about the street.

A man named Rafe ran their favourite restaurant-cafe, which was called, quite simply, Rafe’s. It had an interior that could change from something like a lodge you’d stay in at the snow, to a chilled beachside lounge during the summer. Since it was nearing winter, fireplaces were lit around the room, deep red couches around rosewood tables and four-seater booths set up around the walls. The bar was in the middle of the room, set up like a square island, with the kitchen in the back. The restaurant-café was one of the larger ones in the street, and Taryn’s favourite for more reasons than just the good food.

Their regular visits to Rafe’s meant Taryn knew most of the wait staff’s names. She sat with Emmy and Seth in their usual booth, and it didn’t take long for Rafe to come striding over, probably being told by one of the staff that they were here.

Rafe was in his late thirties, but acted as if he were a hundred years old and had seen everything, knew everything, and couldn’t understand the ways of the younger generations. There was something else to him that Taryn noticed, and she wasn’t sure why, but he had an air about him that made it seem as if he had an entire army at his back, ready to defend in a moment’s notice. She supposed it was simply confidence.

‘Don’t you kids have lives?’ asked Rafe as he stopped at their booth, his jaw set firmly, brown eyes raised in question.

‘Every now and then,’ Seth quipped.

Taryn shrugged. ‘It’s becoming less frequent though.’

‘It’s a bit of a worry,’ added Emmy.

‘Smartasses,’ said Rafe. ‘The usual?’

‘Yep,’ they said in unison, and Rafe turned away, shooting a sharp whistle between his teeth. One of the staff looked over, saw Taryn, Emmy and Seth, and nodded in understanding.

‘I think we come here too much,’ Emmy said.

Their meals were brought out quickly, and they ate as Emmy told them about the psychology lecture she had had that morning, jumping between complaints about her classmates and talking excitedly about the things she was learning. Taryn was used to Emmy’s up-and-down personality now, which was a huge contrast to Seth’s happy-go-lucky attitude, nothing ever bringing him down except for when maybe she or Emmy were upset. She’d known Seth since high school, but they had met Emmy in university and despite her erratic moods, they survived each other just fine.

‘What about you guys?’

Taryn blinked out of her thoughts and looked across to Emmy. ‘Hm?’

‘Assignments,’ Emmy repeated exasperatedly. ‘I was saying I’m going to be buried under assignments over the holidays.’

‘We’ve got a few,’ Seth said, ‘but fortunately for Taryn she has a walking, talking text book to tell her the answers. Whose name is Seth.’

Emmy rolled her eyes. ‘Still slacking off, Tarry?’

‘It’s not slacking off,’ she protested. Though she knew quite well that it was slacking off. She wasn’t sure why her focus had started slipping, especially from a topic she had such interest in. She could blame it on how studying took the fun from her interest, she could even blame it on the lack of sleep she was experiencing, or she could be honest and admit that she was doing exactly what Emmy had said – slacking off.

Taryn looked up from her meal suddenly, catching a familiar face over Seth’s shoulder. ‘Isn’t that Mike, our lecturer? I didn’t know he knew Rafe.’

Seth and Emmy turned as well, peering over the back of their booth seat to see the young lecturer talking with Rafe by the entrance, a serious expression on both their faces. Taryn was too far away and the cafe was too noisy for her to hear what they were saying, but whatever it was must have been private because in that moment Rafe took a look around the room, and then gestured to Mike. She watched them cross the café and disappear into the kitchen. 

‘Small world,’ Seth said, turning back to their table.

‘Guess it’s not surprising; Rafe seems to know everyone and everything,’ Emmy added.

She thought it an odd combination if they were friends, since Rafe was a brash, rough-around-the-edges kind of person, while Mike seemed to be quite the opposite – which was why he was so lenient with her when she forgot assignments or turned up late to class. She couldn’t imagine what it’d be like if Rafe were a teacher; he’d probably terrify every student into getting good grades – or quitting.

Emmy headed back to campus after lunch since for her late afternoon lecture, while Seth walked her to the tram depot outside Flinders Street Station after they finished lunch. It reminded her of when they first started high school together; having stayed back late after school, she’d been nervous enough to walk to the station on her own that Seth had offered to walk with her, even though it was in the opposite direction of where he had lived then.

‘I remember that,’ said Seth, after Taryn had voiced the memory.  ‘You were such a little wimp.’

‘Hey!’ she retorted, shoving him in the side.

Seth stumbled slightly, laughing. ‘You didn’t let me finish. I was going to say you were such a little wimp but I didn’t mind, still don’t. We wouldn’t be such good friends if you had been as tough then as you are now.’

She grinned. ‘Tough, huh?’

Seth slung his arm around her shoulders. ‘You learned from the master, though,’ he said. ‘The master being me, obviously.’

‘Obviously.’

‘I don’t know many eighteen year olds who can happily walk the streets alone at night,’ said Seth. ‘Emmy can’t stand it even when it’s the three of us.’

Taryn shrugged. ‘There’s nothing to be afraid of. I know you hear horrible stories on the news, but it’s all about common sense. You know, don’t walk down dark alleys, don’t talk to strangers, stay where it’s public – just common sense.’

‘Don’t walk down dark alleys?’ said Seth, feigning shock. ‘I knew I was doing something wrong all these years.’

She shoved him again. ‘Good, because you better not expect me to come save your sorry arse next time you walk down a dark alley.’

Seth grabbed her, pulling her into a headlock as they walked. ‘Hardly. You’re the damsel; you’ll need me to save you one day.’

Taryn stepped on his foot and he yelped, letting her go. The pedestrian crossing flashed green and the crowds crossed Swanston Street, some splitting to file onto the tram platform and others crossing right over to where Federation Square loomed up like the side of a small mountain.

Taryn saw a tram already heading down the track toward them, so she turned back to Seth, shifting her bag on her shoulder. ‘Thanks for lunch, Seth.’

‘You say that like it’s the first time I’ve bought you lunch,’ said Seth, giving her a look.

‘Are you keeping tabs?’ she asked.

‘No?’

‘Then I can pretend it was the first time, can’t I?’

A bell rang behind her. Taryn glanced back to see the tram pulling up to the platform, people already crowding the edge so they could steal a seat.

She turned back to Seth and found him watching her. ‘What?’

‘Let’s have dinner this weekend,’ he said.

‘Sure, I’ll ask Emmy if she’s free,’ Taryn replied, walking backward to the tram. ‘Rafe’s?’

‘What about just the two of us?’ Seth called.

The tram’s bell rang again and she realised it was leaving, so she turned and jogged ahead, throwing a grin back at him over her shoulder. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow!’

As impatient as every other tram driver in town, the doors closed the moment Taryn stepped up inside. She shot an annoyed glare at the driver, who sat stoically behind the sheet of thick plastic that protectively sealed him in front of the controls, and then looked back out the windows to see Seth. He waved as the tram jerked to a start, then began to walk away.

Taryn, fortunately, lived in the heart of the city, just off City Road near Southbank. It was a quick tram ride across town, but Taryn had to compete with the corporate crowds who were rather pushy when it came to getting on a tram.

Taryn had expected that she’d hate living in the city after being so far out in the suburbs until she was thirteen, but in fact she preferred it. Despite the noise, even at night, and how expensive the city was, she couldn’t imagine not living up in her apartment with a crappy view of the building next door.

It wasn’t a tall building either, with only five floors and since the apartments were rather large there were only two or three on each floor. Taryn had a key that unlocked the entrance, which only tenants were allowed, and then she climbed the staircase – since the elevator was still broken – to the third floor.

‘Hi, Mr Hughes,’ she said, finding their elderly neighbour slowly unlocking his apartment door. No doubt it had just taken him several hours to climb the stairs, which was why she wasn’t surprised to hear him make an irritable, grumbling noise under his breath. Taryn took that as a hello and went to her apartment at the end of the hall.

The door swung open the moment she approached it.

‘I knew it!’

Julian, Taryn’s uncle, stood in the doorway with a victorious grin.

‘Knew what?’ asked Taryn on a sigh.

‘That you’d be coming home this exact moment. My instincts are sharp, you know,’ said Julian, stepping back to let Taryn in.

Taryn kicked off her shoes inside the front door and walked through to the living area. Her uncle believed he had spectacular instincts – Taryn just believed Julian was spying on her.  Nevertheless, Taryn had lived with her uncle for her whole life, so she was used to this sort of behaviour. Julian had always been protective, but his protectiveness had eased greatly when Taryn grew older and more independent. Much to Taryn’s relief.

‘You’re home from work early,’ said Taryn, dropping her bag onto the armchair. The apartment had an open plan, the kitchen and living area merging as one while the two bedrooms were beside each other on the back wall, offering the view of the brick building beside them, and the bathroom in between.   It wasn’t necessarily a modern apartment; the floorboards were old and even scratched, and the white walls seemed discoloured under direct sunlight, but Taryn wasn’t bothered. It was home.

‘Of course I’m home early,’ said Julian, rounding the kitchen bench. ‘When you’re as great a lawyer as I am, you can get away with this sort of thing.’

That wasn’t necessarily true, but Taryn didn’t argue.

‘How was your lecture?’

Taryn shrugged.

'That thrilling, huh?’

‘You know how university is,’ she said, sinking down into the plush brown lounge chair.

‘I know how you are,’ Julian replied, as if that explained everything. In some ways, it did.

Taryn refused to admit that though. 

She flicked on the television, cutting short the topic of her studies, and saw Julian disappear into his bedroom from the corner of her eye. She flipped through the channels, landing on the 5o’clock news, and saw a report about a backpacker’s hostel being broken into. She turned the volume up and caught the tail-end of the police chief commissioner giving a public statement, looking as immaculately groomed as ever. She remembered when he was instated a few years ago; the shock of someone so young and unknown taking the position had caused quite a media buzz. His name was Christian Xavier.

Taryn had only paid attention to it because she’d overheard her friends saying he was attractive. She supposed he had the typical clean-cut blonde hair, blue eyes appearance, but there was something about him Taryn didn’t like, and that was only through seeing him on television. She didn’t pay much attention to the news otherwise.

She picked up the remote and flicked channels again, nestling into the couch in preparation of doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the night.

Taryn didn’t realise she had dozed off until she woke up with a jolt, the image of herself tripping into a black hole burning against the backs of her eyes for just a moment. She looked around, momentarily forgetting where she was, and realised she was curled up on the couch with the television still on. Outside it was night, the curtains open to let the city lights shine through while the rest of the living area was lit by the tall floor lamps in the corners of the room.

She glanced around, but Julian wasn’t in the kitchen anymore. Had he gone to sleep? It was strange for her uncle to go to bed so early, even on a weeknight, but the apartment was silent – unnaturally so. That was when she realised the television was muted, so she grabbed the remote and turned the volume back on, taking strange comfort in the sound that filled the apartment.

She stood up and walked over to Julian’s bedroom, stopping outside the closed door. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so anxious, almost making her go back to the couch and fall asleep again. Ignoring the feeling, Taryn grabbed the door handle and turned, pushing open the door quickly so it swung back against the wall. The room was empty, dark but the curtains drawn, and there was something unnerving about the darkness in the corners of the bedroom.

Taryn took a step back – and then something pushed her from behind and she fell forward. The ground opened up and she tumbled into a gaping black hole, tendrils of wispy darkness shooting out to grab her. She screamed, and then there was nothing.

Until she hit the floor.

Taryn jolted upright with a gasp and found her uncle standing over her, giving her a strange look. ‘Nightmare?’ he asked.

‘Huh?’ was all she said, confusion still clouding her thoughts. She managed to pull herself up onto the couch though, once she realised she was wedged between the couch and the coffee table. She ran a hand over her face, trying to clear her head.

‘If you’re that tired then go to bed,’ said Julian, turning back to the kitchen. Taryn only then noticed her uncle was in the middle of cooking dinner, but at the thought of food her stomach did a nauseating turn.

Taryn stood up and went straight to her room, but before she closed the door behind her she threw one last look at her uncle’s bedroom. The image of the black hole flashed in front of her eyes.

Without saying goodnight, Taryn shut her door.

Chapter Two

‘Tarry.’

She made a noise at the back of her throat, something caught between annoyance and acknowledgement. Then there was a jab to her arm, urging her to open her eyes, but she simply rolled over.

‘Tarry!’

Her eyes snapped open, morning light stabbing them rudely, and she turned over to find the source of her annoyance hovering over her, his lackadaisical grin lighting his features. Taryn had always envied his complexion. The even contrast of his golden-brown hair and hazel-bronze eyes, as well as the natural tan his skin always soaked in during the sunny seasons were the envy of most girls, as well as earning their admiration.

‘Morning,’ said Seth pleasantly.

She glowered. ‘Who let you in?’

‘Your uncle, since it’s his apartment.’

‘No,’ said Taryn slowly, ‘who let you in my room?’

Seth waved his hand absently at her bedroom door. ‘You left your door open, and since I know you’re not a morning person I won’t be too offended by your attitude right now.’

‘Aren’t you a saint,’ she mumbled, pulling her blanket up over her head to shut out Seth and the light behind him. Her night had been plagued with a restless sleep, jolting awake every time her subconsciousness was about to throw her into another nightmare, as if somehow her mind knew what was about to happen and so quickly woke her to stop it. Now that the sun was up and the darkness had faded from the corners of her room, Taryn thought she might be able to sleep without jumping at every shadow.

She felt the mattress dip as Seth sat beside her, so she pulled her blanket down and peered out from under the edge. He was waiting patiently, as if he were happy to sit there for as long as it took.

Taryn sighed. ‘Now you’re making me feel bad.’

‘I’m a genius at that,’ he said. ‘Guilt trips are my speciality.’   

She couldn’t help but laugh then, because Seth had a marvellous ability to strip away her sour moods. ‘What time is it?’ she asked.

‘Eleven a.m.,’ he replied. ‘Did you forget I was meeting you before class?’

Taryn made a face. ‘Maybe.’

‘Fortunately, I know you too well,’ he said.

‘How is that fortunate?’

‘Because it makes you incredibly predictable,’ replied Seth as he stood, ‘and when we first met, you were one of the most unpredictable people I knew. Get changed, I’ll wait out in the lounge.’  

Taryn dragged herself out of bed and found clean clothes hanging up in her wardrobe. A quick glance outside told her it was going to be fairly cold, so she grabbed a jacket as well.

‘Is Emmy meeting us?’ she called through the walls.

‘She’s working, remember? Aren’t you seeing her tonight for dinner anyway?’

Taryn paused, brow furrowing. Was that tonight?

‘The answer is yes, by the way,’ added Seth.

She laughed, pulling on her jacket, and grabbed her bag from the bottom of her wardrobe. Checking that her books were packed, she walked out of her bedroom. ‘Who needs a day planner when I’ve got you?’

Seth was lounging on the couch, his arms thrown over the back of it. ‘And my purpose in life reveals itself.’

They took a tram across town, and while they stood between the commuters who were stepping on and off the tram at different stops, Seth asked, ‘Did you get any study done last night?’

She gave him a look. ‘What study? You know I don’t study.’

‘You used to,’ he said.

Taryn wrapped her arm around one of the poles lining the aisle, keeping her steady as the tram jerked along. ‘I’m trying, Seth.’

‘I know,’ he said. ‘Emmy told me you haven’t been feeling well, but have you been to the doctors?’

‘She’s going to make a terrible psychologist, you know,’ said Taryn. ‘Can’t keep anything to herself.’

Seth chuckled. ‘Only when it concerns you, though.’

Taryn looked out the window for a moment. The dizzy-spells had started a few weeks ago, right about the same time her nightmares had. She hadn’t told her uncle about them, knowing how much of a worrier he was.

‘I’m fine,’ she finally said, answering Seth’s question. ‘Just tired a lot, maybe I need more iron in my blood or something? Anyway, it’s not a big deal. Emmy needs to stop being a drama queen.’

‘Emmy will never stop being a drama queen.’

Their conversation was cut off when Taryn saw Mike, their lecturer, step up into the tram through the doors behind Seth. He was dressed in a casual suit, open charcoal blazer over a light grey collared shirt that wasn’t too tightly tucked in. She understood why some of the girls blushed and fawned over him, since he was only in his late-twenties and had one of the most disarming faces, which made students think he'd let them get away with anything if they were polite enough about it.

Mike noticed her as well, and carefully crossed the tram carriage toward them. ‘On your way to class?’

'We’ve got a class with Mrs Willis,' she said, almost cringing at the thought.

Mike gave a small laugh and nodded. 'I see. She's a little old-fashioned, isn't she?'

'A little historical, more like it,' she replied, and then quickly covered her mouth in shock. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to say that!'

Seth shook his head, laughing.

He dismissed her apology with a charming smile. 'It's all right; just don't let her catch you saying that. I hope students don't say things like that about me?'

'Of course not!' she said quickly. 

'You'd probably tell me the same thing even if they were though, wouldn't you?' Mike said, smiling easily. 

She offered a laugh, albeit a nervous one, but was saved from replying by the tram as it stopped outside the university and majority of the passengers stepped off, most looking like students. A few of the campus buildings lined the