I had to force myself not to laugh when Amelia said she expected Ben and me to return to school immediately. I looked at Ben for a reaction, but he kept still. He said nothing about it. He’d just seemed dazed and out of his element since we got back.
I was convinced that I would spend the rest of the night obsessing about what living with the Hudsons for the next few years would be like, when I heard a knock. I sat up in my bed and found Ben pushing my door open.
“Hey…”
“I just…” He seemed genuinely embarrassed to be there. “Do you mind sleeping with me in my bed? I’d rather not be alone…”
I needed no further prodding. I got up, grabbed my pillow and blanket and followed Ben. We snuck through the hallway until we reached his bedroom. We snuggled against each other beneath the sheets, but I couldn’t shake away the thought that it provided me none of the security and comfort that I had with Derek.
Even together, Ben and I stayed up way into the night afraid of the nightmares sleep would surely bring.
“Mom wants to drive to school tomorrow, see what we have to do to catch up…”
“You’re actually willing to go through with this high school thing?”
“I think I owe it to my parents – even to myself I guess – to at least try. Besides, what else are we going to do?”
It was another small glimpse of the Ben I used to know – the Ben who loved his parents and loved being the popular hotshot in high school. To be given the chance to once again see that side of him was the only reason I said, “High school it is then.”
There was a long pause, with both of us mulling over our own muddled up thoughts.
I eventually broke the silence. “Ben?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
He didn’t ask why. He knew. “They did something to you at The Shade, Sofia. I don’t know what, but I hope you eventually break out of whatever they did and finally see sense. I’ll wait until graduation. After that, I’m going to take revenge on the island, and I’m going to do it whether you’re with me or not.”
I didn’t know how he intended to do it, but I knew he meant every word. The coldness in his voice terrified me, but not as much as the fact that I suddenly felt an almost animalistic urge to protect The Shade – no matter what.
It didn’t make sense to me at all, but perhaps Ben was right. They must’ve done something to me at The Shade, because no matter how far away from the island I was, I remained its captive, and it felt like there was nothing I could do about it.
The Shade became a part of me and destroying it felt equivalent to destroying myself.
Chapter 14: Derek
The Great Dome was a large, round hall located at the topmost level of the Crimson Fortress’ west tower. It earned its name due to the dome-like, cavernous structure of its ceiling. It was never officially declared as the main center of all our governmental, judicial and military gatherings, but it became just that over the years.
The dome was designed to show the hierarchy of The Shade’s Elite. Across the large oak doors, right at the front end of the room, the balcony stood. It had four seats – on a pedestal three feet above the ground was my father, the king’s seat. To its right, two feet above was my seat. On either side of mine were Vivienne’s and Lucas’ seats, situated one foot above the ground.
At the very center of the room was a round stage which served as “the stand” for whomever was addressing the council or being placed under trial.
On either side of the stand and facing the balcony were twenty seats that included one representative for each of the Elite’s vampire clans. Above and surrounding the council seats were seventy-five seats arranged in an amphitheater-styled setting reserved for the Elite. Rarely was anyone who wasn’t a member of the Elite brought to the Great Dome – unless to stand trial.
When I first paid the dome a visit, it was easy to see that it had rarely been used over the years, which left a lot to be said about how the kingdom was being run in my absence.
I tasked Vivienne with the responsibility of modernizing the dome, since with all the changes I planned to execute in the kingdom, we were going to use the place a lot more. Given her keen eye for design and knack for getting things done, it took her five and a half days to accomplish the task.
It was the same basic structure, but brought right into the twenty-first century, with flat screen monitors, and updated sound equipment. She completely refurnished the room – the ancient-looking thrones were replaced with comfortable recliners that still looked elegant and regal. Arguably the best alteration to the hall, however, was replacing the staccato roof with clear glass, so that the moon and stars always shone down on the hall.