I sit up straight as the eyes of my classmates dart to me, glad they're not receiving his ire. “No.”
Professor Williams crosses to the edge of his dais, arms crossed, peering up at where I sit in the amphitheater seating.
“Tell me who I mentioned five minutes ago.”
Shit. I blink.
Catherine the Great.
I take a chance and repeat, “Catherine the Great.”
A minuscule grin turns up the corner of his lips, and he resumes the lesson. No doubt satisfied that I was paying attention.
He’s a pompous little ass, isn’t he?
It pains me that I stifle a laugh at the comment. I’m losing it. Goosebumps race across my arms, standing the fine hairs on end. The voice is coming more frequently, and what if it’s more than anxiety? Maybe I need a therapist.
My phone vibrates with an incoming text, and I glance at it while Professor Willams—ironically—carries on about life before technology.
“Need to see you,” Simon says in his message.
I text back that I’ll meet him at the campus coffee shop after class and tuck my phone into my bag to focus on the professor’s lecture.
After class, I pop in my AirPods and blast music to avoid hearing the voice again as I rush to Brewed Awakening. I step inside and spot Simon at a corner table in the back.
“Allison, hi,” he says when I drop down in the seat across from him.
“Is everything ok?” I ask, observing his glum appearance. His soft blue eyes are almost gray with sadness. Even his sandy-blond hair is strewn about and not in his usual gelled-to-perfection look.
He shakes his head. “There’s been a… situation… with my family, and I’ll have to travel back home immediately.”
I touch his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
“Will you come home with me?”
My eyes widen. “Um, I… uh…” My days blend as I try to think about everything I need to do. “For how long?” I ask.
“Just a few days, possibly a week.”
“What’s going on?”
“My uncle.” He sighs. “It’s a long story, but my whole family is in a state of emergency.”
“What kind?”
He glances over his shoulder as if he needs to ensure no one is listening. “I’d rather not discuss it here.”
“I understand.” My schedule flies through my mind, and I figure out what I can push around. It’s not an ideal time, but he needs me, and a break from everything might be what I require to clear my head of its unwanted visitor. “I just have to make sure I’m back in time to turn in my paper.”
Simon dips his head in agreement, looking like he’d offer to conquer foreign lands if it would assure I go with him. “Definitely. Thank you for coming with me. My uncle has kept our family together for ages. He’s like the glue, so if he needs me, I have to go.”
I don’t ask questions, instead I try to focus on things I can grasp. “Where are we going?”
“Transylvania.”
I lean forward. “Did I just hear you correctly?”
“Yes, we’re from Transylvania.”