Gothikana

A stunned Corvina watches as Vad, furious, berates Ajax for revealing his ownership of Verenmore. Ajax reveals that the last woman to disappear at a Black Ball was Zoe, Ajax’s ex-girlfriend, then leaves. Corvina flinches away from Vad, feeling she does not know him. She flees, pleased when he chases her. He flirtatiously insists that they aren’t strangers. They have penetrative sex, during which Vad insists that he is her “madness.” He calls her a “witch” and himself a “devil,” indicating that this makes them suited for one another. She agrees to giving a relationship a try so long as he doesn’t lie to her again. He agrees, promising to tell her everything the following day.

Vad explains that his ancestor kept the Deverell name separate from the Verenmore brand after the disappearances started. He promises that he is trying to defeat the “evil” of the castle; he is not the source of it. Corvina heads to bed, eager to learn more about Vad’s mysterious past.

An image shows a raven on the righthand side as it flies away from a full moon. A photograph shows the ruins of a structure with damaged, vaulted windows and doors. A quote from Louisa May Alcott’s A Long Fatal Love Chase reads, “Mine first—mine last—mine even in the grave!” (234).

The next day, Corvina wakes from a “bizarre, horrific, yet erotic dream” (235) that combines elements of Dracula with her experiences at Verenmore. In it, Vad turned into a beast while they had sex during the Black Ball. In class, Vad lectures about the focus on taboo female sexuality in Dracula. Corvina lingers after class, while Jade goes to the school’s medical facilities, describing vague symptoms.

Vad explains his history. His parents did not want him and “dumped” him in the group home where he was raised. On his deathbed, Vad’s father admitted to Vad’s existence. Vad’s grandfather sought Vad, not out of affection, but because he wished for an heir. As an adolescent, Vad became obsessed with the idea of inheriting Verenmore. When Vad turned 18, his grandfather told him about the Slayers. As a student, his grandfather dated a girl who claimed to be a witch. They tried to use her magic to control one of the maids at the castle. The girl died, but the students enjoyed the power of killing. They became the Slayers and continued murdering villagers on full-moon nights. Vad’s grandfather eventually turned on his friends, leading the group that killed the Slayers. As she died, his girlfriend cursed him, claiming that “the slayers would hunt all their killers from beyond the grave” (241). Vad’s grandfather never returned to Verenmore; he attributed the Black Ball disappearances to the curse.

Vad neither admits to nor denies killing his grandfather, who only confessed his sins as a very old man. Vad keeps his connection to the castle’s history a secret to better investigate the mysterious goings-on. When he was a student, he asked Zoe, Ajax’s girlfriend, to help him uncover the truth, as she had found something in the woods, which Corvina recognizes as the shack she encountered with Troy and their friends. Zoe mysteriously disappeared. Vad also believes that Alissa and Troy did not die by suicide, but that their deaths were “staged.” The piano in the woods was Vad’s grandfather’s, as the Slayers played music while they murdered villagers.

Vad explains that the group home where he was raised was called the “Morning Star Home;” it’s owned by the same company as the psychiatric institution where Corvina’s mother lives (245). Three years prior, he saw a photograph of Corvina’s mother, and due to her purple eyes and Zelda’s prophecy, he went to see her. She urged him to safeguard “her little raven girl” (246). Corvina was also at the institute, being evaluated at her own request; Vad saw her. Corvina feels validated that Vad has always known about her history of mental illness and still desires her. They kiss.

A photograph shows a full moon in the upper lefthand corner; it shines down on rocky hills. A quote from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights reads, “Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad!” (248).

Corvina checks on Jade, who seems content in the medical wing. Corvina sneaks through the dark toward the faculty wing, climbing pitch-black stairs by feel alone. Vad is furious that she walked the dangerous, dark incline. She initiates a sexual encounter for the first time, which they both recognize as a “test” of their relationship. They have penetrative sex, which Corvina finds intensely pleasurable. They take a bath together, looking out over the mountain through an enormous window.

Corvina admits to feeling that Vad is her foundation in the self-image she is building. He encourages her to do so. He pushes her to tell him about her dream; she denies wanting to have public sex, as represented in the dream, but does like the idea of the risk of being caught. As they head to bed, Corvina reflects that this is the first time in her life that she has felt “not alone.”

An image shows a raven in the upper righthand corner banking toward a full moon. A photograph shows a statue of a woman, bent over in apparent sorrow. A quote from Lord Byron’s The Giaour reads, “Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey” (262).

Corvina has another nightmare about the dark-haired girl in the water. When she tries to get to the girl, something grabs her and drags her underwater. The rot-scented voice insists Corvina can “hear us.” Corvina sees bodies floating toward her, then sees Vad holding her underwater. She looks up at the floating girl and sees herself. The bodies urge her to “join [them]. There is no other way” (264).

Corvina wakes as Vad comforts her. She wonders if her newfound certainty that the Slayers’ victims are in the lake means she is “going crazy.” She hopes he will dismiss her dream, but he suggests she call her psychiatrist instead. He will get the school board to dredge the lake. Corvina insists on going there herself first, and Vad accompanies her. She worries that she has been unwise to trust Vad. She thinks of Mo encouraging her to stay with Vad, as well as the things they’ve experienced together, and decides she does still trust him. Vad, pleased, says he will “never let [her] go” (268), and Corvina swears to haunt him if he abuses this trust and kills her, something he finds amusing.

They follow a tunnel in the woods. Corvina is alarmed to see hundreds of bats hanging in the tunnel. The tunnels cross Verenmore, but few know about them. Vad sealed the one that the Slayers used to kidnap their victims. Vad describes himself as a “preternatural believer”: If there is something he doesn’t understand, he credits this with a heretofore undiscovered explanation. The crows swarm Corvina and Vad when they emerge from the tunnels, seeking the treats that the pair have been providing.

At the lake, Corvina feels the rot-scented presence. She senses that bodies are hidden under the bridge, though she’s uncertain how she knows this. Eventually, they return to the castle, where they encounter Kaylin. Corvina is surprised that Kaylin doesn’t seem upset at seeing them together. Vad explains she knows that he is a member of the school’s board, but not his ownership of the castle.

Corvina leaves a message for Dr. Detta, explaining her recent hallucinations. Vad encourages her to remember that she’s no longer alone with her fears and urges her to ask him for help and comfort. He promises to stay at her side for the rest of their lives and to help her, even if she ends up diagnosed with schizophrenia.

A photograph shows a lake, covered in mist. A tree without leaves grows on the banks, titling toward the water. A quote from Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho reads, “Her mind, long harassed by distress, now yielded to imaginary terrors” (qtd. on 276).

The students gossip about the plan to dredge the lake. They puzzle over the timing of this action. Corvina feigns ignorance. Jade wonders if the school is trying to avoid a disappearance during the Black Ball. The group plans to see what is happening at the lake and reminisces about Troy. They find Vad and Ajax overseeing divers. Ajax knows about Corvina and Vad’s relationship, but agrees to keep it a secret. Nothing has been yet found in the lake.

Vad recounts a legend that contends that the lake’s water is so dark because a powerful sorceress trapped monstrous snakes there after they bit and killed her lover. The darkness in the water is alleged to be her hair, which holds the snakes captive. Though the students find this story haunting, Vad laughs that this is just one of many legends about the mountain. The students leave for class, but when they return to the lake later, the divers have found bones, which were weighed down with something tied to their feet, which parallels Corvina’s dream.

Vad professes relief that his grandfather’s crimes have been at least partially uncovered. He hopes that this will “lift some of the curse off this castle” (282). He hopes that the disappearances will end. It takes days for the divers to recover all of the bodies. They find 14 skulls. Corvina ceases hearing the rot-scented voice.

A photograph shows a stack of leather-bound books with stamped patterns on their sides. The titles are not visible. The topmost book lies open, its pages splayed. In the background, shelves are filled with similar tomes. A quote from Dracula reads, “I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not confess to my own soul” (284).

Several weeks pass as Corvina studies for exams and spends time with Vad. She enjoys the increasing closeness—both emotional and physical—between them. The students avoid the woods more than before, while stories of seeing ghosts around campus abound. Corvina doesn’t hear more voices, but feels mounting dread as the Black Ball approaches. Ajax identifies 10 of the 14 bodies; Corvina frets that the 15 graves mean that one victim remains missing. Corvina journals, then burns the poem that she writes about sensing death coming.

Jade and Corvina discuss the upcoming ball. Jade considers attending with Ethan, as they have connected over missing Troy. Corvina will attend alone. The friends stroll through the garden, and Jade sees the large hickey on Corvina’s shoulder. Corvina admits to seeing someone, but doesn’t admit it is Vad. When Jade assumes it’s another student, Corvina doesn’t correct her.

Jade asks Corvina to do a tarot reading about whether she should attend the ball with Ethan. The cards encourage it. Erica approaches and asks for her own reading. Corvina has to fight to hide her jealousy when Erica asks the cards if Vad is interested in her. She’s pleased when the cards discourage Erica. Corvina is gratified by the acceptance of her classmates, as they gather around her asking for a reading, though she feels this is less important to her than it once was. She attributes her self-acceptance to Vad. Vad approaches and, in a veiled message, asks if the woman he is “in love with” (294) feels the same. Corvina confirms that she returns his affection.

A photograph shows a worn set of stone steps. A quote from Stephen King’s Wolves of the Calla reads, “It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright” (qtd. on 296).

Neither Corvina nor Vad discusses their mutual declaration of love. Vad spends several days away from Verenmore for work. When he returns, he asks Corvina to meet him at midnight in the tower where they first encountered one another. They gaze at one another, with Corvina calling him “an enigma.” They begin to have penetrative sex against the high-up windows, enjoying the possibility of being seen, but Corvina hears a chilling voice that angrily insists it has not yet been found and that, if Corvina doesn’t find it, she is “next.” Corvina panics, attributing these voices to a subconscious assembling of clues.

Vad comforts her and suggests she ask Mo for aid. She tries, but cannot speak to him. She suddenly recalls a legend about the “Ink Moon,” which happens once every five years—the same date as the Black Ball. Corvina was born on one such moon, which her mother described as “the most powerful full moon on earth, one that spiritually had the power of many eclipses” (304). They wonder over a possible supernatural aspect to the disappearances.

A photograph shows columns leading to an arched stone ceiling; the rear wall of the structure is brick. A quote from Edvard Munch’s letters reads, “From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them, and that is eternity” (306).