Chapter 19
The rest of the term passed in a whirl for Sarah. The Watcher's Council had not been expecting the situation at the Tiernsee to be cleared up so quickly, and so had not yet arranged for another Watcher to take over Sarah's training. When the new Watcher was appointed, they were not able to take over the responsibilities until the start of the summer due to other commitments, and so Rosemary had persuaded the Council to allow Sarah to remain at the Chalet School for the rest of the term.
As she knew she would be definitely leaving at the end of the term, Sarah felt more comfortable being friendly with her classmates. Sticking to the story they had formulated before they arrived at the Tiernsee, Sarah explained that she and her Aunt would be moving on at the end of term, and explained that she did not know where she was going, so was unable to provide an address. Nonetheless, she became friendly with several members of her form, and promised to send them postcards whenever she could.
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"I really think Sarah Fredericks has settled in." So said May Carthew to her colleagues in the Staff Room. "At least, she certainly seems to be joining in with the rest of the form more."
"I do hope her work isn't suffering, though." This from Mollie Maynard. "She's an intelligent girl. It's just a pity that she'll be leaving us at the end of term."
"It is a pity." May agreed. "But she does still seem to be concentrating on her work. I must say though, her mood for the last two weeks or so, well, it's almost as if a weight has been lifted from her."
Nell Wilson, the Geography Mistress, looked up from the work she was marking. "Sarah has certainly been more lively since the incident with Cornelia. Considering Sarah wasn't in school at the time though. I thought that maybe it was something her aunt told her."
"You could be right, Nell." Hilda Annersley, the English Mistress remarked, all the while cringing at her friend English. "I imagine that Sarah was simply missing her aunt. After all, Mrs Kitwood is the only family Sarah has."
"You're probably right." Mollie agreed. "But I'm glad to see she's settled in."
Then there was the sound of Nell closing the last book, and the conversation turned to upcoming events.
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"Have a good time in Innsbruck." Sarah called loudly, waving to her classmates from the platform in Spärtz. "and you'll have to tell me all about the wedding when you get back."
She watched the train until it had gone from her sight, then sighed, her head dropping.
"You wanted to go, didn't you?" Rosemary placed her hand on Sarah's shoulder as she asked the question, feeling that her charge had been hiding her true feelings.
"It would have been nice." Sarah replied, turning to her Watcher. "But there's David's Christening next week, and then Wanda's wedding two weeks after that. Besides," she shrugged, "There's something that I have to do here."
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There was indeed something that Sarah had to do, and this was the reason she and Rosemary found themselves in the graveyard in Tiernkirche that night.
Sarah sat on the ground, her back to the fence, looking up at the myriad of stars that were visible, it being a moonless night. "It's so... They're all so beautiful." She said quietly, her voice full of wonder.
Rosemary looked at her charge, a little puzzled by her words. "It is beautiful." She agreed, turning her head to follow Sarah's gaze. "But they're up there all the time, and yet you sound as if you've not seen them before."
"I'm not sure that I have." Sarah's voice sounded older than her 14 years, and Rosemary's neck almost cracked with the speed she turned it. Sarah gave a small smile as she looked at her Watcher. "Wherever I go, it seems that I'm always out at night, but I never get the chance to look at the stars." She looked down, fixing her gaze on her feet. "There's so many... and... and it almost seems as if there is a God who's created the world and everything in it. But then..."
She stopped abruptly as her quick ears caught the sound of scrabbling on wood. With a sigh, she rose to her feet and walked over to a fresh grave, the earth piled as if it were a small hill, where she knelt.
Within a minute, a hand rose from the earth, followed by the arm, head and torso of Bernhardt Arnolfi. With unerring aim, Sarah plunged the stake into his heart before the vampire had time to take in his surroundings, granting rest to the man who had been an unwitting pawn in the games of those, Sarah had no doubt, who were truly evil.
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Sarah rose to her feet after resettling the earth. Ensuring that no-one would ever discover that the grave of Bernhardt Sigismund Arnolfi contained only an empty coffin, or that his body was now dust, floating on the light breeze which blew in the Tiern Valley.
Rosemary walked over to where Sarah stood. "I understand, Sarah." She said with a small smile, knowing that she shared the girl's lack of faith. "It's hard to believe in God when we know there's so much evil in the world. But yet." She smiled down at the ruby on her finger, reminding her of her fiancé. "Don't give up on him completely, he may yet surprise you.