Carmilla Read online

  As much as the dean wants to bury this and act like nothing happened, we aren’t going to allow her to do that. We’re in this for the long haul. If Carmilla was in trouble with the dean before, things are about to get a whole lot worse.

  I post the first damning picture. “The Under the Sea party. Here’s Sarah Jane dancing with a half-dressed, totally baked guy. Five feet behind him is Carmilla, my roommate, at a swim team party. She’s not on the team.”

  Then the next. “Now this, the Psychology Department’s wine-and-cheese fest for freshmen. What the hell is a third-year philosophy major doing there?” I zoom in on Carmilla lurking in the background, nursing a drink.

  I adjust the picture, zooming in on Carmilla’s eyes. “Aren’t those the most sinister eyes you’ve ever seen?” To be honest, they aren’t always scary. Sometimes they sparkle like diamonds. I refrain from blurting that fact out loud.

  I take a dramatic pause like they do on network news before adding the third and final piece of evidence. I mean, photo. I’m channeling my inner Veronica Mars. I mean, Lauranica Mars.

  “I give you the final nail in the coffin. Carmilla talking … or is she arguing … with Elsie? You might remember her as the girl I kicked out of my room after I found her in bed with Carmilla.” I thrust my fists above my head in victory. “Bam! This proves that my lazy roommate is up to her eyeballs in vanishing girls on Silas campus. If she is, history tells me that confronting her is about as effective as using bug spray on Voldemort.” I pause for effect. “So do I start stalking her with my webcam? You bet I do. Stay tuned. Signing off.”

  I complete my mission of the night by hitting Post. Can’t wait to see what this one does to my vlog views — they’ve been through the roof this week. Then I rearrange the webcam to face Carmilla’s side of the room and set it to stay on all of the time. I strategically place a Post-it over the red light. She’ll never know. The thing about Carmilla is that she’s too dismissive to stay current on all of my videos — she thinks they’re stupid. If I’m wrong and she’s watching them, then she’ll confront me. She isn’t one to hold back on anything. Either way, it’s a win for me.

  Buckling down with a bag of potato chips and grape soda to do some schoolwork, I’m ready to attack this biology worksheet when shouting from the hallway distracts me. Do I hear a body thump against the wall? Before I can look out to see what the hell it is, Danny bursts in. Disheveled, she rushes to my side and takes my hand. “Are you okay? Have they tried to get you?” she asks, all upset.

  “What? Who?” She’s making no sense.

  “The Zetas. They were trying to escort the women’s swim team home from the gymnasium and the girls called us for help. They wanted to go it alone. You know, a night march in unity. In the melee, someone shoved someone. Now it’s a full-scale turf war for the gym. I didn’t think you were out but I had to know you were safe.”

  I blush. “That’s so swee —”

  Hammering at the door ruins the moment. Wouldn’t you know, I hear Kirsch on the other side. “Hottie Laura, are you all right?”

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” I grumble as I put my hand on the doorknob.

  “Don’t let him in here, don’t open the door,” she whispers.

  I brush her off. “It’s only Kirsch. He’s dopey. Totally harmless.” Ignoring her warning, I crack open the door.

  “I was super worried,” he starts to say.

  But Danny grabs his ear as he comes through the door. “Ow!” he says.

  “Danny, you’re hurting him.” She’s latched on like a gator.

  He stumbles when she lets go, his ear bloodred. “Why are the hotties in this room always so violent?”

  “Because you’re an idiot,” Danny snaps.

  “Not cool, Summer Psycho.”

  “I can’t believe you let him in. He’s probably trying to take over our dorm for the Zetas.”

  So it’s an actual turf war? I have no idea what’s going on here.

  “Am not!” he screams. “We are here to protect —”

  “The only thing we need is for you and your frat buddies to get the fuck away from us.” Not sure who this Danny is, or what set her off, but we need to rein it in here. I thought we were all on the same team.

  I get between them, risking life and limb. “Why don’t we take a breath? Chill out.”

  Kirsch reaches over my shoulder and points at Danny. “If you weren’t so hot and, you know, a girl, I’d kick your ass.”

  Danny shoves him and shows her fists. I can’t believe this is happening. “Bring it, frat douche.”

  Kirsch lunges at her. “I’m not afraid of a girl!”

  She punches his shoulder. “This girl isn’t afraid of you either.”

  I swear this is like being on a playground with six-year-olds.

  The two continue to go at it while the sound of cherry bombs, or something like them, explodes outside of our window. The metaphor isn’t lost on me.

  Kirsch tries to take Danny down in a wrestling move that leaves him in a headlock. She bends his neck and tightens her grip.

  “You’re so mean,” he groans.

  “Stop it, stop it, stop it!” I yell. “I know you both have the same intention to keep the campus safe, but has it occurred to you that while you’re wasting time behaving like children, no one is protecting anyone at all?”

  Danny lets go of his neck. “They started it.”

  “Really, you’re going with that?”

  Kirsch gets back in her face. “We totally did not.”

  “Maybe you two spare me the smackdown in my dorm room and try to talk some sense into the disgruntled students lighting cherry bombs and setting random stuff on fire.”

  “I knew you were smart from that first day in English lit.” Kirsch sings my praises before turning his attention to Danny. “She’s the smartest.”

  “Indeed she is.”

  “And a total hottie. Double jeopardy.” He can never just leave well enough alone.

  That’s enough for Danny. She pivots to Kirsch. “Since you’re taking your newfound job as chief protector so seriously, I think it’s time for you to get back to it. Fight the good fight.”

  Her patronizing tone goes over his head. His mood turns serious. “You’re right. I’m on it.” He slips out the door, leaving Danny and me alone.

  “So I should probably go?” she asks.

  I want to scream, No, stay with me. Put your arms around me. Kiss me.

  But we have to find Betty. She’s been gone for almost a week. My raging hormones have to wait.

  “I should go back to my dorm and regroup. We’re close to finding Betty. I feel it,” she says.

  “Are you sure you’re safe out there?” I ask.

  She laughs. “Yeah, it’s mostly paintballs and a few herrings being thrown. I’ll dodge them.”

  She points to Carmilla’s side of the room. “But what about you? You sure you’ll be okay?” The smell of vanilla oil is so strong that I can’t think of anything else. All I’ve got is a nod. Danny cracks open the door, checks the hall and waves goodbye.

  “Take care,” I manage.

  Once I close and lock the door, I thump my forehead on it. “Oh my God. Take care? Really?” Not that my excruciating awkwardness is important in the middle of the mayhem on campus, but I can’t get her out of my head.

  Camera ready to go, time to catch my roommate in the act. I know it’s early for Carmilla — it’s only midnight. I don’t expect her for hours but I need to be on alert — at least my camera does. I double-check for the umpteenth time.

  I tuck myself in, falling asleep in seconds. When I wake up, I’m entangled in my covers, drenched in sweat. A glance at Carmilla’s bed reveals that I’m alone. Doesn’t look like she ever managed to come home. I wrap my blanket around my neck, whip up some hot chocolate and settle in to wat
ch the footage from last night.

  An empty bed. More empty bed. Zero movement. Much to my surprise and dismay, there’s nothing incriminating there. Hours of nothing. How can this be? I was so certain I would catch her in some evil act.

  I must have fallen asleep again, because I wake up with a start. Was I dreaming? There was something or someone in the room. I was so sure it was Carmilla. There was a noise under the bed, something prowling around on the floor. A dark face, then a little girl crying. I pulled the blankets over me to hide but the darkness started seeping through my blankets like blood. More and more until I was drowning in it.

  I’m wide awake now and wishing I wasn’t. Then I notice a sliver of my door open. The sound of wind is deafening.

  The door slams shut.

  • SEVEN •

  It’s day three with the mother of all night terrors whenever I try to sleep. The dream, more like a nightmare, is so specific that it haunts me. Maybe it’s my steady diet of grape soda and Pop-Tarts? The dreams are frighteningly similar to the one Natalie had before she was snatched up. Am I next? Between lack of sleep and trying to figure out how Carmilla is involved with all the kids that have gone missing, I’m on edge all the time.

  No, I’m full-on freaking out.

  When Carmilla blows through the door, I nearly leap out of my skin.

  “Jumpy much? What’s the matter? Worried your girlfriend is out with the frat boys making it all nice again in the Silas world? Maybe she switched teams?”

  “Danny’s not my girlfriend. We’re hanging out. She’s just cool. Unlike you.” Shit, that wasn’t nice. Carmilla looks like I kicked her. “Sorry, I’ve been having really freakish dreams.”

  “Dreams are supposed to be strange. Happens to me all the time. Like, last night, I dreamed that I was trapped under a bed,” she admits, taking me completely off guard.

  “Wait, you were under a bed?” My stomach is churning.

  “A little girl was hovering above me crying,” she continues. “Blood started raining down the edges of the bed frame until I drowned.”

  “So explicit,” I squeak.

  She brushes me off. “But just a dream. No need for all the twitchiness you’ve got going on.”

  How are we sharing the same nightmare, yet she can brush it off? I wrap the covers around me.

  Carmilla grabs one of my doughnuts and takes it down in two bites. I’ve given up bitching about my food. I’m certain she does it on purpose to get a rise out of me.

  “I’m not twitching.” I’m totally twitching. It’s all the sugar.

  She gets next to me. “Hey. Not teasing you. Obviously this is affecting you. Listen, if you need something to help you sleep, I got your back. I can help you.”

  Is she being nice to me or setting me up to punk me? “That’s sweet of you. And out of character, if I’m being honest.”

  “Don’t get all Hallmark on me. I don’t need you losing your shit in the middle of the night and going postal on me.” She cackles on her way back out the door.

  I flush. “Right. Right.” Now she decides to be a halfway-decent human. Just my luck. The kidnapper is becoming my friend. Irony at its finest. Must keep my guard up.

  LaFontaine pops in. “Where is she headed?”

  I check my notes with her schedule on them. Spying is a full-time job. “Philosophy of Tyranny in the Robespierre Building.” Not one light class in her course load. The more disturbing the better with this one.

  Some quirky guy in a lab coat, carrying a clipboard, appears out of nowhere and blows something into our room. A dustlike cloud disperses.

  “Oh my God, what was that?” I scream. Maybe it’s a drug that renders you helpless. Maybe they’re going to kidnap us next, I’m thinking. Maybe we’re all going to die.

  Casually, LaFontaine ducks. “Just a guy from the Alchemy Club. I think that was spores or something like it.” I’m not sure I’m ever going to get used to Silas. “I’ll shadow Carmilla. Keep an eye out.” LaFontaine darts out after her, taking sleuthing to a whole new level.

  I hear Perry yelling at LaFontaine. “This is insane! Stop this right now!” Perry is not on board with our roommate surveillance project, so the two of them have been on the rocks. Luckily, LaFontaine doesn’t give up easily.

  With the room to myself, I chug down almost my entire mug of coffee, not caring that it’s scalding my mouth. I need to get through this footage and post a new update. All I can do is sigh when I see what my roommate has been up to when I’m in class. Per usual, helping herself to all of my food and drinks. I watch her holding a Luke Bryan CD that combusts in her hand. I have to rewatch that one a few times to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. I mean, not just the disintegrating disk but Luke Bryan? I would never have guessed she was a country music fan.

  I break up my Pop-Tart and dump it in my coffee, spooning bites into my mouth as I view the video. Carmilla lifts her bed up over her head with superhuman strength, reaching underneath to grab a book. Okay, that’s not normal.

  She props herself up on the bed. I zoom in. What the hell? Is she reading my journal? Such a violation of privacy and the unspoken roommate code. I’ve got to get Betty back.

  I watch her fill her soy milk container with a bloodlike substance, then shotgun it like a hungover rock star. She tissues off the residue on her lips, then swipes my new toothbrush off my dresser. I flip out when she uses it to clean the soles of her boots while she laughs, clearly amused at her disgusting antics.

  I knew Silas was odd, but the people here are more than just weird. There’s something ominous hanging in the air, and it’s heaviest right here in our dorm room. Something is up with Carmilla and it’s not good. Like, all signs point to her being the kidnapper.

  Terrified, I know I need to post my update. I don’t bother to change out of my pajamas or brush my hair. I run my fingers through it like a comb and get after it. Update time. Remain calm, I coach myself.

  “Here’s where we are with surveilling the roommate. She’s nocturnal. She’s never up before five o’clock in the afternoon, then she vanishes like a puff of smoke until daybreak. She eats nothing other than my chocolate and chugs that protein mess she keeps in the soy milk container. Also, the girl is a world-class slob.”

  I pause so I can down another cup of joe and take a breath.

  “Silas is so peculiar. No doubt about that, but I’m fairly certain spontaneous combustion, Wonder Woman strength and an all-protein diet are unorthodox even for this place. Add that to Carmilla’s familiarity with all the snatched girls …”

  Carmilla appears in the doorway, scaring the crap out of me.

  “I’m not doing anything!” I screech, freaking out.

  “Harry Potter cosplay on your screen again?” she teases.

  I rush to close all the open tabs on my computer screen so she can’t see that I’m posting another video about her. My fingers zip around the keyboard so quickly that I accidentally open a YouTube video. Music blasts.

  “You listen to Beethoven?” she asks, moving closer to me and the computer screen.

  “Surprise,” I lie, pounding the keys until only my screensaver remains.

  She’s standing there holding a bracelet that looks like a dried bat wing with red beads on it. It’s black and feathery. Quite beautiful, if you like freaky bracelets.

  “I brought you this — it will help you with your nightmares. It should drive them away,” she murmurs so considerately that I think she’s a different person. Like her body has been snatched by aliens. It could happen — especially here. She steps closer to me, taking my wrist in her hand. Her fingers are soft and warm. Unlike Danny’s, Carmilla’s scent is musky, more like a pine tree mixed with herbs. Watching her wrap the bracelet around my wrist, I’m in a trance. I think what I like most is that my roommate thought about me. Kind of nice for a change.

 
“For it to work, you need to wear it at all times. You’re annoying and all, but if you burn out and I lose you, I’ll probably end up with some freak for a roommate.”

  I’m not sure what transpires between us but something does. Enough that I boldly ask, “In the spirit of this new friendship, can I ask you a question?”

  She gazes into my eyes. “You may.”

  Deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Where do you go all night?”

  The smile spreads, her laugh maniacal. “A girl has to keep some things a secret. Don’t you like a girl with some mystery?”

  I think she’s flirting with me. I’ve never been in this position in my life. Not one but two girls kind of giving me attention in a good way? There’s something in the Silas air.

  Carmilla opens the door. “Later, cutie.”

  I fall back on my bed, reviewing what just transpired between me and my not-so roommate from hell. Carmilla was concerned enough to bring me some sort of bat-wing bracelet that wards off evil, so she cares about something sinister befalling me. She got close to me, held my wrist for a lot longer than she needed to and cocked her head while she spoke to me. That falls under flirting. Even I got that. But what does it all mean? What if Carmilla is setting me up to be her next victim by luring me into a false sense of security? She’s such a Slytherin.

  I can’t have this happening. I loosen the bracelet, empty out a plastic container of mini peanut butter cups and store it in there. Sliding it under my bed, I take down all, I mean every last one, of the peanut butter cups.

  Perry knocks, then enters my room without waiting for a response. “Anything new?”

  Show her or don’t show her? Show her, for sure. “Just this.” I cue up the footage and hit Play. Her eyes remain glued to the screen as she watches Carmilla lift her bed like it’s just a few pounds. She gasps.