Pure (Book 1, Pure Series) Read online

  I wondered if he would come again if I called.

  The sound of GM's footsteps in the hall roused me from my reverie, and I glanced at my bedside clock. It was getting late. Reluctantly, I set the charm down next to my phone and switched off the light. I settled under my covers.

  After several moments lying in the dark, my eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, and I turned to look at the charm on my table. A thin shaft of moonlight filtered down over the charm, causing it to shine dully. I lay still, gazing at the charm until sleep came to claim me.

  In the morning, I awoke just a minute before my alarm sounded, and I quickly switched it off so I wouldn't have to hear its insistent beep.

  I stretched, feeling strangely full of hope. Today, I would talk to Simon, and then if he agreed, the two of us would investigate the disappearances of James, Mr. Del Gatto. and Irina. I would have to tell him about Gleb Mstislav, and though I'd been planning on doing that all along, it had only just hit me that the whole Gleb thing would sound unlikely to say the least. I hoped Simon would believe me – at the moment I didn't have a lot of proof to offer him.

  I hurried to get ready for school, and as I was leaving my room, I caught sight of the cross charm.

  I slipped the charm on over my head and hid it under my sweater. I had a feeling that GM might object to it. I'd keep it hidden until I got to school.

  I picked up my backpack and ran down the stairs. As I walked down the hall toward the kitchen, I was surprised to hear GM talking to someone on the phone in hushed, tense tones.

  "Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. It is necessary to take precautions. Thank you for letting me know. My granddaughter will not leave my sight this morning."

  I walked into the kitchen. GM was standing with her back to me.

  "Yes, thank you," GM said. "Goodbye." She clutched the phone to her heart.

  I walked closer. "GM? What's wrong?"

  GM whirled around. Her face was pale, and she was still clutching the phone in one hand. Her other hand was closed tightly over the silver cross she always wore.

  "You are not walking to school today," GM said firmly. "There will be no argument."

  I was surprised by the fear on her face and in her voice. "Sure, GM, if that's what you want. Did something happen? Who was on the phone?"

  "Oh, Katie," GM said, "that was the secretary from your school. She said two students and two teachers have gone missing. She said they fear that the school's staff and student body are being targeted, so they are warning all parents and guardians not to let their children go anywhere alone. Katie, I am going to drive you to school and everywhere else. I could not bear it if something were to happen to you."

  "Don't worry, GM," I said. "Nothing will happen to me. And I'll be happy to have you drive me anywhere."

  GM threw her phone onto the table and dropped her cross. Then she put her hands on either side of my face and kissed me on the forehead. "You have always been a good girl. I should have known not to worry about your making a fuss."

  GM stepped back and held both of my hands. "I shall make you breakfast. What would you like?"

  I smiled. "Thanks, GM, but I don't want to risk being late. A bowl of cereal and a glass of juice is really all I need."

  "I will pour it out for you, then," GM said, shooing me toward the table. "Sit! Sit!"

  I sat down. I couldn't help but be amused. "Thanks, GM. You really don't have to."

  "I want to!" GM exclaimed. She quickly furnished me with everything I needed for breakfast.

  "Thanks, GM," I said again.

  GM sat down across from me and watched me anxiously as I ate my cereal.

  "I won't disappear right in front of you," I said.

  GM waved a hand. "I know."

  She continued to watch me.

  I finished my breakfast as quickly as I could and moved to clear the dishes away.

  "Just leave everything where it is," GM said, rising. "I will take care of it later."

  "But, GM, it'll just take a minute," I protested.

  GM interrupted. "No. Leave it. Now we go to school."

  I picked up my backpack and followed GM out of the house.

  As I settled myself into GM's red sports car, I couldn't help glancing into the side mirror, hoping to see William's face there. I knew I wouldn't see him, since the visions in the mirror had stopped after he'd appeared in the flesh, but I wanted very badly to see him. I had no idea when he might appear next. But as I'd expected, William wasn't in the mirror, and I sat back, leaning my head against the headrest.

  The driver's side door opened, and GM slid in behind the wheel, pulling the door closed with a solid smack. She threw her purse into the back seat and pushed the key into the ignition. The car purred to life.

  GM pulled on her seatbelt, looked over at me, and smiled. "Just for you, I will drive slowly."

  I resisted the impulse to giggle. GM never drove slowly – she had a drawer full of speeding tickets in her desk. I doubted she could slow down, even on a day on which she was worried. If anything, I figured the worry might make her go faster.

  Her eyes flashed to the rearview mirror to make sure the way was clear, then she backed down the driveway swiftly and expertly. She pulled out onto the road and then shot forward, the engine purring as GM shifted smoothly and pushed the accelerator to the floor.

  I couldn't help but smile to myself. I was right – GM was driving even faster than usual.

  I rested comfortably in my seat, watching the neighborhood fly by, and thinking over what I would say to Simon. I wasn't worried about the speed – GM was an expert driver and had unusually quick reflexes. As we halted at a stop sign, I marveled as I always did at the way GM could bring the car down from its great speed and ease it into a stop so smooth that I could barely feel it. I would be taking Driver's Ed. soon. I hoped when I learned to drive that GM would teach me how to do that.

  In the span of a few minutes, GM brought me to school, and I was just getting out when GM stopped me.

  "Katie!"

  I leaned back into the car. "Yes, GM?"

  "Go into the school. Right now. I will watch from here."

  "But, GM, there are plenty of people out in the schoolyard," I protested.

  "There are also plenty of people missing," GM replied. "Two students and two teachers. Go inside. If you do not, I will escort you in myself. And give me a call when you're ready to come home tonight."

  I sighed. "Yes, GM."

  I shut the car door and headed into the schoolyard. I looked over toward the picnic table, and my heart sank as I saw that Charisse and Branden were absent once again. Simon stood nearby, though, his shoulders hunched, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He looked tired, but he smiled when he caught sight of me.

  As I walked toward him, GM's parting words suddenly came back to me. Had GM said two students and two teachers were missing? I was pretty certain that that was what I'd heard at the car and in the kitchen, but it hadn't really sunk in before. The two students were James and Irina, and I knew one of the teachers was Mr. Del Gatto. Who was the other one?

  Simon hurried over to me.

  "Hey, Simon." I was glad to see that he was looking a bit better than he had yesterday. He looked like he might be up to hearing about my plan. "We'd better get inside."

  Simon blinked in surprise. "Okay. Why?"

  "GM is watching me from the car. She received a call from the school this morning about all of the missing people. Your parents probably got the same one. She told me to go straight into the school or she'd walk me in herself."

  Simon's eyebrows rose. "Oh." He turned and spotted GM's red sports car. He knew it well and had admired it on many occasions. He raised a hand in a wave. "I guess we'd better get inside, then."

  We both headed toward the school.

  "How did you sleep last night?" I asked.

  Simon gave me a wan smile. "Not great. You can probably guess that we've had no news about James."

  "He's smart," I sa
id. "We've always known that about him, no matter what he got up to. And he's tough, too."

  "That's true enough," Simon said wryly.

  "What I mean is, if anyone can find his way home again, it's James. He won't give up."

  Simon nodded. "I hope that's enough."

  We passed through the large double doors at the front of the school.

  "Do you mind if we go to the cafeteria?" I asked. I suddenly felt nervous. I had no idea how Simon was going to take what I had to tell him. I thought my plan was good. But what would he think of it? "I have to talk to you about something."

  Simon shot me a worried look. "What's this about? Is it something about us?"

  "No," I said, "it's not about us. It's about James, Irina, Mr. Del Gatto, and me."

  Simon frowned a little. "Okay. I don't know where you could be going with that, but sure. We'll talk."

  "Oh! And who's the fourth person? Do you know?"

  "What's that?" Simon asked.

  "GM said the school secretary told her four people were missing – two students and two teachers. I know Mr. Del Gatto is one of the teachers – but who's the other one?"

  Simon's brow cleared. "Oh yeah. I heard about that before you got here. It's a sub named Mr. Hightower."

  I felt a ripple of shock run through me. "Mr. Hightower?"

  "Yeah, do you know him?"

  "Yes," I said. "He's been the sub for Mr. Del Gatto. How did you find out?"

  "I was talking to Travis Ballenski – I think you know his dad's a cop. Apparently, it happened last night. Hightower's house was pretty messed up."

  I took a deep breath and fought the chill that stole over me. Things were getting scarier. Simon and I had to do something.

  We reached the cafeteria, and I led the way to a table in an unoccupied corner of the room. At tables closer to the kitchen, students sat eating breakfast and talking. I could smell eggs and toast.

  I shrugged off my backpack and sat down. Simon did the same, seating himself next to me.

  I looked around the cafeteria one last time, just to double-check that no one was nearby. As I did so, I thought I saw a pair of eyes floating in the air. I blinked, and they were gone. It was just my imagination. I shook my head and turned back to Simon.

  As I looked at Simon, I felt my nervousness getting worse. I knew that what I had to tell him was pretty strange. I did care about him, and what he thought of me mattered.

  I steeled myself and looked into Simon's eyes. "Simon, I need your help."

  Simon's brow creased with concern. "Of course, Katie. Anything you need. You can depend on me. Always."

  Simon's concern for me warmed me, and it made me feel brave enough to go on. "Simon, strange things have been happening to me. And I think there may be a connection between what I've been going through and the people who have gone missing, including James."

  "Go on." Simon's tone was encouraging.

  I plunged into my tale, starting with the night calls, the visions in the mirror, and the fact that the visions had become real and I had met William – I omitted some of the details about William, though. I told him about the fact that two visitors from Russia, Galina and Aleksandr, had shown up suddenly on Sunday night. I told him that Galina believed my mother had been killed by a man named Gleb Mstislav, and that Gleb was dead. I also told him that both Galina and William seemed to believe that Gleb had returned from the dead. And I told him that I believed that Gleb was behind the disappearances.

  While I was speaking, Simon had sat quietly, listening. From time to time confusion and disbelief flickered across his face, but he didn't interrupt.

  "So, that's everything," I concluded.

  Simon sat back in his plastic cafeteria chair. "That's quite a story, Katie."

  "GM can back me up," I said. "On parts of it, at least. Simon, you and I have to work together. We have to investigate this. You and I are the only people who know about Gleb Mstislav – apart from GM and William. GM refuses to believe there is a problem, and William insists on doing whatever he is doing on his own. We have to help James and the others because no one else can."

  Simon rubbed his chin. "You say you've been seeing things, and these things have become real."

  "Yes," I said firmly. "I'm really not crazy. And the only reason I'm bringing this up at all is so that we can help the people in this town."

  Simon looked down at his hands. His face was unreadable.

  I waited nervously. He had yet to say whether he would help me.

  "If I understand you correctly," Simon said slowly, "you believe there's a man out there named Gleb, who died and came back to life in Russia. And he may have killed your mother there, for reasons which are not very clear, but may have something to do with visions or some kind of powers. Gleb may be here in the U.S. now, looking for you so he can destroy you, too. And he may have taken everybody who's missing so far in this town while looking for you. And you believe all this because two strangers named Galina and William told it to you."

  "Yes." Simon's skepticism was not lost on me. At the same time, a chilling thought struck me. "Simon, you've explained it well, and you've made me realize something – I know everyone who's disappeared."

  "So do I," Simon replied.

  "You don't know Mr. Del Gatto."

  "I know who he is, even though I've never had a class with him," Simon countered.

  "You don't know Mr. Hightower," I said. "He was a sub, and I've never seen him before as a sub in any other class. He may be completely new to our school district."

  "It's true that I don't know Mr. Hightower," Simon said. "But Charisse does and so does Branden. They also know Mr. Del Gatto, Irina, and James. So do a lot of other people in your English class."

  "But Charisse and Branden haven't had visions," I said in frustration. "And my visions led me to a specific person who gave me information – though it wasn't much, and he was reluctant about it. From what I've heard, the police don't have any suspects or any lines of inquiry. I've at least got a place to start from. Let's forget the supernatural stuff for a moment. Let's just say my mother knew a bad guy back in Russia. Even GM acknowledges that he was real and a criminal. She said, too, that my mother tried to stop him. Maybe he didn't really die – maybe he just hid out or something. Maybe he didn't kill my mother and she did just die of a fever. But maybe she knew something, and this guy Gleb thinks I know it, too. Galina and Aleksandr did come all the way from Russia to warn me."

  Simon stared at me for a moment, then he looked away and sighed. "When you put things that way, it does sound more likely."

  Simon thought for a moment and rubbed his chin again. "But if this Gleb guy is after you, why is he taking other people? Why hasn't he come for you?"

  "Maybe he doesn't know where I am," I replied. "My mother's married name is Wickliff, and my last name is Wickliff. But GM's last name is 'Rost' If you looked in the phone book, there would be no Wickliff listed. I don't think there are even any other Wickliffs in this town. And if you did a search online, you certainly wouldn't find me. You know I'm allergic to social media."

  "Then why did Gleb, if he is here, even come to Elspeth's Grove if he doesn't know for sure that you're here? And like I said, why take other people?"

  "Maybe he followed Galina and Aleksandr when they came here to warn GM and me." As I said the words, doubt tugged at the back of my mind – Galina and Aleksandr seemed to believe that Gleb had preceeded them, not followed them, but I pushed the doubt aside. I didn't want to ruin my argument. "Maybe once they were all here, Gleb lost track of them and didn't know which house they went to. And even though I know everybody who disappeared, I don't know why Gleb is taking other people. That's why we have to investigate."

  Simon continued to look skeptical.

  "Simon," I said, "the disappearances started right after Galina and Aleksandr came to my house."

  Simon smiled a little. "Okay. You've made a good point. I'll give it to you that your visitors and their news do coin
cide with the beginning of the disappearances. It's possible that you may be onto something."

  I felt hope flicker in my heart. "So, you'll help me investigate?"

  Simon sighed. "Yes, I'll help you investigate. And for what it's worth, I don't think you're crazy. At least not all the way. At least not yet."

  "Oh, Simon!" I jumped out of my chair and leaned over to hug him where he sat. "Thank you, Simon! Thank you!"

  Simon looked up at me. "I don't like the sound of this William guy, though. I think you should stay away from him."

  My stomach did a little flip at the mention of William's name. "I really haven't seen him all that often."

  "Good," Simon said firmly. "You should keep that trend going."

  I sat down again.

  "So where do we go from here?" Simon asked.

  I felt some of my earlier nervousness returning. I had to ask Simon to do something that I knew would be difficult for him. "It's possible the police aren't telling us everything," I began carefully.

  Simon snorted. "It's more than possible, Katie. It's certain. The police can't tip their hand if there's a psycho out there."

  "Yes, exactly," I said. "Simon, I need you to find out everything you can about James's disappearance – everything the police may not be telling you."

  Simon's brows drew together. "I don't know about that, Katie."

  "Simon, I know this won't be easy for you, but I'm only bringing it up because I want to get James back. I want to save him and Irina and the teachers. And I want to stop this from happening to anyone else."

  Simon ran a hand over his face. "What do you need me to do?"

  "Talk to your parents. See if there's anything they know that they haven't told you. Talk to the police. Talk to Travis Ballenski, even. Find out if he's heard anything. Anything at all. Maybe there's a clue in there somewhere."

  Simon smiled. "Okay. I'll go looking for clues. I assume you're hoping I'll find something that will point toward this Gleb What's-his-name?"

  "Yes."

  "And what about you? What are you planning? Nothing too dangerous, I hope?"

  I took a deep breath. "I'm going to talk to Irina's parents – carefully, of course. I'll see if they've heard anything. It sounds like Mr. Del Gatto lived alone, and I don't know anything about Mr. Hightower. I don't know how to investigate them at the moment."