"Complicated," Bonnie scoffed. "More complicated than never being sure if somebody likes you or not? More complicated than having to wait by the phone to see if you have a date for Saturday night or not? I'm ready for complicated. Did you know that forty-nine percent of col ege-educated women meet their future husbands on campus?"
"You made that statistic up," Meredith said, rising and picking her way toward her own bed, careful not to smudge her polish.
Bonnie shrugged. "Okay, maybe I did. But I bet it's a real y high percentage, anyway. Didn't your parents meet right here, Elena?"
"They did," Elena said. "I think they had a class together sophomore year."
"How romantic," Bonnie said happily.
"Well, if you get married, you have to meet your future spouse somewhere," Meredith said. "And there are a lot of possible future spouses at col ege." She frowned at the silky cover on her bed. "Do you think I can dry my nails faster if I use the hair dryer, or wil it mess up the polish? I want to go to sleep."
She examined the hair dryer as if it were the focal point of some science experiment, her face intent. Bonnie was watching her upside down, her head tipped back off the end of the bed and her red curls brushing the floor, tapping her feet energetical y against the wal . Elena felt a great sWellof love for both of them. She remembered the countless sleepovers they'd had al through school, back before their lives had gotten ... complicated.
"I love having the three of us together," she said. "I hope the whole year is going to be just like this." That was when they first heard the sirens.
Meredith peered through the blinds, col ecting facts, trying to analyze what was going on outside Pruitt House. An ambulance and several police cars were parked across the street, their lights silently blinking red and blue. Floodlights lit the quad a ghastly white, and it was crawling with police officers.
"I think we should go out there," she said.
"Are you kidding me?" Bonnie asked from behind her.
"Why would we want to do that? I'm in my pajamas." Meredith glanced back. Bonnie was standing, hands on hips, brown eyes indignant. She was indeed wearing cute ice-cream-cone-printed pajamas.
"Well, quick, put on some jeans," Meredith said.
"But why?" asked Bonnie plaintively.
Meredith's eyes met Elena's across the room, and they nodded briskly to each other.
"Bonnie," Elena said patiently, "we have a responsibility to check out everything that's going on around here. We might just want to be normal col ege students, but we know the truth about the world - the truth other people don't realize, about vampires and werewolves and monsters - and we need to make sure that what's going on out there isn't part of that truth. If it's a human problem, the police wil deal with it. But if it's something else, it's our responsibility."
"Honestly," grumbled Bonnie, already reaching for her clothes, "you two have a - a saving-people complex or something. After I take psychology, I'm going to diagnose you."
"And then we'l be sorry," Meredith said agreeably.
On their way out the door, Meredith grabbed the long velvet case that held her fighting stave. The stave was special, designed to fight both human and supernatural adversaries, and was made to specifications handed down through her family for generations. Only a Sulez could have a staff like this. She caressed it through the case, feeling the sharp spikes of different materials that dotted its ends: silver for werewolves, wood for vampires, white ash for Old Ones, iron for al eldritch creatures, tiny hypodermics to fil with poisons. She knew she couldn't take the stave out of its case on the quad, not surrounded by police officers and innocent bystanders, but she felt stronger when she could feel the weight of it in her hand.
Outside, the mugginess of the Virginia September day had given way to a chil y night, and the girls walked quickly toward the crowd around the quad.
"Don't look like we're heading straight over there," Meredith whispered. "Pretend we're going to one of the buildings. Like the student center." She angled off slightly, as if she was heading past the quad, and then led them closer, glancing over at the police tape surrounding the grass, pretending to be surprised by the activity next to them. Elena and Bonnie fol owed her lead, looking around wide-eyed.
"Can I help you ladies?" one of the campus security men asked, stepping forward to block their progress.
Elena smiled at him appealingly. "We were just on our way to the student center, and we saw everyone out here.
What's going on?"
Meredith craned her head to look past him. Al she could see were groups of police officers talking to one another and more campus security. Some officers were on their hands and knees, searching careful y through the grass. Crime scene analysts, she thought vaguely, wishing she knew more about police procedure than what she'd seen on TV.
The security officer stepped sideways to block her view.
"Nothing serious, just a girl who ran into a bit of trouble walking out here alone." He smiled reassuringly.
"What kind of trouble?" Meredith asked, trying to see for herself.
He shifted, blocking her line of sight again. "Nothing to worry about. Everyone's going to be okay this time."
"This time?" Bonnie asked, frowning.
He cleared his throat. "You girls just stick together at night, okay? Make sure to walk in pairs or groups when you're out around campus, and you'l be fine. Basic safety stuff, right?"
"But what happened to the girl? Where is she?" Meredith asked.