by L J Andrews
Jade listened, her shoulders leaning closer toward me, not further away. She looked to the stars when she spoke. “It sounds like you were looking for something and acted out in order to find it.”
I chuckled, finding my own peace with the stars. One thing about Wyvern Willows, it had the best stars. “That’s deep,” I teased.
“Is it?” Jade asked. “Perhaps I was wrong about you. You aren’t who I thought. But I think you’re like me in a lot of ways. What are you looking for, Teagan?”
My smile slowly faded. Who did she think I was? Jade was studying me again, her eyes connecting to some kind of primitive instinct inside. “I don’t know. I haven’t ever found that place I belong, I guess.”
“Maybe you’ll find it here,” Jade said softly.
“What are you looking for Jade?” I countered. “You said we’re alike. What brings you to the forest at night—don’t say it’s because you like nature. I do too, but I don’t wander around in the dark.”
Jade’s green eyes pierced a hidden piece of my soul when she met my eye again. “I’m looking for my place too. I’m searching for the right road to take—a road that will help those I care about the most. I’ve been lost for a long time, but lately I’ve been feeling stronger and more sure. It’s been since I’ve met you.” She faced me, forcing me to draw in a deep breath when Jade moved her face just inches from my own. “There’s something so familiar about you, but it isn’t like my memory recognizes it, more like my heart.”
Jade had told me that several times, but in the quiet of the night, when the crickets even slowed their song, I began to understand. Jade had this aura about her, something I’d never noticed on anyone else, and it was reeling me in like a fish on a hook, like my spirit had found a missing piece.
Clearing my throat, I wasn’t positive how to proceed with Jade. Normally, I’d be locked in passion with a girl this close to me, but with Jade it was different. I didn’t want to rush anything, I didn’t want to ruin anything. Actually knowing the ins and outs of Jade Drake mattered.
“Glad I could help,” I whispered after a pregnant pause. “So, can I ask you a question? What’s the deal with your bodyguards?”
Jade snorted and turned her gaze to the trees, her shoulders relaxed a little more. “Raffi and Dash? We’ve been friends since the beginning. They get a little protective of me, that’s all. I’ve had a few encounters in the past with people hurting me, so they don’t trust strangers. You’ll have to forgive them, they really aren’t unkind.”
“Hurt you? What do you mean?” I asked, remembering what Jenna had said. Hearing it from Jade caused my blood to boil.
“Nothing to fret over, Teagan,” she chuckled. “It’s all in the past, and I’ve cut ties with those people. Raffi and Dash are like my older brothers. I know people think I’m romantically involved with one or the other, but it’s not like that.”
“Does Raffi know that?” I growled, thinking of the way he had threatened me.
Jade laughed again, reclining back on her palms to watch the moon. “Has he gone and said something to you?”
I crossed my ankles and leaned back too. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Oh, I have no doubt you can handle more than people give you credit for,” Jade whispered. Her shoulder brushed up against mine, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to breathe again. “Don’t let it get to you. Raffi can’t help himself, it’s just in his nature to be protective I guess, so he’s the most outspoken. I should go now.”
Her shoulder pulled away and I thought I might do anything to get it back. “Wait…you shouldn’t go through the woods alone. Let me at least walk you through.”
Jade laughed in a way that set my head into a spin. “Teagan, I’ll be fine. Besides, you’ll get into a lot of trouble. Konrad is stubborn, and I’m not sure I would have the ability to convince him to be lenient. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
I watched Jade slip like a ghost across the lawn. She paused, slowly glanced over her shoulder and waved. We stared at each other for a moment longer, then the black of the forest shadowed her from sight. I flopped back on the roof, my first real smile in so long breaking apart my lips as I greeted the cool shine of the moon with open arms.
Chapter 9
The bus ride was usually uneventful, but this time I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I’d woken that morning filled with an excitement to see Jade, and somewhere along the way I’d spilled the entire encounter to Mitch and Graham.
“Wait, you’re saying Jade Drake came to the house—just to talk to you?” Mitch asked in a low whisper.
I nodded, and Graham lifted his brow looking more interested than I’d seen since joining Wyvern Reform. “What did she say?”
Quickly, I recounted the main points, Graham seemingly interested in the smallest details—even curious about her relationship with Raffi and Dash.
“So they aren’t together?” Mitch asked, his voice husky the lower he spoke.
“According to Jade, Raffi is like her older brother who has ‘protective instincts,’” I responded.
“Sounds kind of like a cop-out for this guy wants me so he tries to control me,” Mitch chuckled.
“My thoughts exactly,” I agreed.
“I still can’t believe Jade Drake came to the reform house,” Graham muttered. “She’s never had the slightest interest in anyone before. But she really said that? Raffi and Dash are protective because someone tried to hurt her?”
“What’s with you?” Mitch asked, shoving Graham’s shoulder. “Isn’t that what he just said? She probably means some guy hurt her—you know, like a broken heart. Nothing violent ever happens here. That’s probably why people have such an issue sometimes with a reform house, we’re heathens.”
I tried to laugh, but when we spilled off the bus it wasn’t humorous how the other students at the high school seemed to intentionally go out of their way to avoid us. Inside the school the air was sweltering. I caught sight of several men with tools latched along their hips inside the ceiling and ducts.
“Ugh, fixing the heaters for winter. They do this every year,” Mitch grumbled. “You’d think they’d work on it in October or something, not when it’s still ninety degrees outside.”
I cursed my choice to wear a baseball-styled shirt and shoved the sleeves up over my elbows as the maintenance crew worked.
“Oh, Mr. Ward,” a silky voice called out my name. I turned around and caught the eye of a woman with raven hair—so dark it was almost blue like midnight. She was pale, but not ghostly white, just enough that the stark contrast of her dark eyes was striking. “I was hoping I could have a moment in my office.”
I glanced quickly at Mitch, whose eyes widened. “Dude, that’s Ms. Drake. You’re busted.”
My heart was thumping like a stampede when I followed after Ms. Drake, leaving Mitch and Graham to watch warily from behind. Ms. Drake strolled into her office, which was lined wall to wall with different sorts of crystals and gemstones and geodes. The light was crashing along the beautiful rocks, glittering rainbowed shadows across her gray walls. I paused simply to admire the impressive collection. Each stone was unique and beautiful in its own way. On the massive desk were four bowls filled with sweets for any taste: licorice in one, gummy candy in another, lollipops, and finally wrapped chocolate in the final bowl. Ms. Drake was beautiful like Jade; there were just those families that bred beauty. She smiled a knowing smile when I took my place in one of the padded chairs at the front of her desk.
“Candy?” she asked, signaling to the bowls on her desk.
“No, thank you,” I whispered. When I swallowed it was as though sandpaper lined my throat.
“How are you adjusting to Wyvern High, Mr. Ward?” she said after a short, deafening pause.
“I think just fine, Ma’am.” Be respectful, this was Jade’s mother.
“Oh, just call me Ms. Drake, that’s just fine. I’ve heard positive things from your teachers. No problems, you’re keeping up alr
ight, yes?”
“I think so,” I said, not wanting to mention how algebra made me nauseous.
“Have you met any new friends? How are the students treating you?”
“Just fine,” I said simply. “I tend to stay with other students from the house.”
“Of course,” she said sweetly. The way she eyed me down her narrow nose, I couldn’t figure yet if she knew I’d spent time in the middle of the night. On a roof. With her daughter. “Wyvern High is a welcoming place, Mr. Ward. We pride ourselves on our community outreach, and that includes the Wyvern Reform School. Mr. Sapphire has done an amazing job. All I ask from you is you respect our school. Do your work, be courteous to your fellow students, and just remember boundaries are what keep our school safe and flourishing. You understand?”
I shifted in my seat when Ms. Drake kept her eyes locked with mine. She wasn’t glaring, she wasn’t sneering, she was still smiling pleasantly. It almost made the discomfort worse. I was almost positive what sort of boundaries Ms. Drake was talking about. “I think so, Ms. Drake.”
“Good, then I don’t expect any sort of problems. Keep up the good work, Mr. Ward. I’ll be sure to let Mr. Sapphire know you’re showing exemplary behavior. You’re free to go to class.”
I nodded. The words weren’t supposed to slip out, but my mouth had a way of spouting off in the face of authority—it was my greatest flaw. “Mr. Sapphire is close with your family, right? Especially Jade. He’s talked with her a few times at night at the house. It’s cool you have such close relationships with your neighbors.”
Ms. Drake’s smile faded slightly and she cocked her head, eyeing me carefully. “It is nice. You know, Mr. Ward, Wyvern Willows is a very close community—it has been since it was founded nearly one hundred years ago. There are also things that don’t require a second look from those who aren’t used to our way of life. We’d rather not stir up any hypothetical problems. Thank you, Mr. Ward. Have a nice day.”
I stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Ms. Drake turn toward the monitor, typing something quickly and turning her shoulders away from me. I left with the feeling I was missing something obvious; a part of my brain was pounding against my senses to simply open my eyes and see it.
Jade wasn’t in class—neither was Raffi—but Dash offered me plenty of scowls to last a lifetime. It wasn’t until I joined Mitch outside on the field that I saw Jade. I held my breath when Jade and Raffi walked toward Dash on the fifty yard line. I could have sworn Jade looked up at the bleachers, but I averted my gaze so quickly I couldn’t know for certain.
“So, did her mom threaten to have you arrested for seducing her daughter?” Mitch laughed through his potato logs.
“No, she didn’t say anything about Jade, directly. But there was that tone, you know. An underlying threat.”
“Sure,” Mitch teased. “You’re a little paranoid.”
“Graham didn’t want to eat today?” I asked, changing the subject when I noticed our only redhead was missing.
“He said he needed some extra help in Biology. The teachers do their best, but with the added student body from the reforms, we usually get tutored during the day instead of before school or after with the regulars. Sometimes they’ll send tutors to the house if there’s enough of us struggling.”
“They want us to mingle with our peers, but not too close to our peers,” I grumbled. Mitch pointed a potato log at me and nodded.
I wasn’t hungry and ended up just picking at a few carrot sticks I’d swiped from the house until something on the field caught my eye. I stiffened as someone cloaked in a black hood was moving swiftly toward Jade, Raffi, and Dash. The newcomer held something in his hand; if it wasn’t completely impossible, I could have sworn it was glowing a poisonous sort of color. Raffi and Dash were just laughing, not even budging to halt the ominous person approaching too close for comfort. My skin, on the other hand, was on fire. I wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, but something whispered most aggressively in my ear this person could not come close to Jade.
“Who is that?” I snapped, pouncing to my feet.
“Who’s who?” Mitch said following my eyes toward the field.
“That guy, he’s moving right for Jade.” I didn’t wait for Mitch to catch up with what was happening. The hooded figure was now darting toward the middle of the football field, and Raffi, Dash, and Jade were doing nothing to get out of his way.
Wyvern High School was not a large school, so in turn, their athletic field was on the smaller scale. Today, I could not have been more grateful. I wasn’t an athlete, but had always had the natural talent to move like one. The hooded figure ran straight for the back of Jade’s body, and I darted even faster, jumping over the small fence serving as a barrier between the bleachers and the track. My blood was pulsing in my head when I kept my gaze locked on the guy in the hood. What was happening? And why for the love of whatever was out there was no one doing anything to stop the guy? He was unmistakably moving aggressively, and after Jade had made mention she’d been hurt in the past, I wasn’t taking any chances.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Raffi and Dash prick to life, but they weren’t focused on the would-be assailant—no, they were shouting at me. They wanted me to stop. It wasn’t going to happen. The hooded creep lifted his bag of glowing stuff he planned to throw at Jade when I slid in front of her. The bag fell against my palm, and whatever was inside scorched my skin. I cursed, but stopped when the powerful electric pulse I’d felt the first time I’d seen Jade burned through my veins. I was locked in vertigo and tumbled to my knees at the same moment the hooded attacker fell backward.
Raffi’s thick arms collided with my body, tackling me to the grass. I was still burning with whatever electric surge of adrenaline was pulsing through my veins and caught Raffi’s fist midair before it struck against my face.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Raffi bellowed, drawing several odd looks from other students while his eyes drifted to my grip still holding firmly against his fist. “I’ll kill you,” he added a little softer.
“What are you talking about? Where were you when that creep tried to throw whatever that is at Jade? I stopped him.”
“Raffi,” Jade’s quivering voice broke his focus long enough that I could roll out from underneath him. Jade was pointing to the black sack, and my hand was still aching from where it had burned my palm. Her voice was hardly a whisper when she spoke, and I truly had no idea what she was talking about. “Zomok pyre.”
Raffi released me, and I scrambled to my knees catching Dash’s curious, stern gaze in the process. “Hey, where did he go?” I shouted pointing at the empty spot in the grass where the shadowed assailant had been. “He was right there.”
“You saw him?” Jade asked.
I nodded and leaned over feeling suddenly out of breath. “Yeah, he was coming right at you. What is that stuff? I think it’s doing something to me.”
“How could you see him?” Dash muttered.
“What are you talking about?” I snapped, wincing through the burn of my arms and hands. I wanted to punch something—Raffi would do if I had the strength to reach him. “He was coming right at you.”
Jade was standing by me when a crushing blow pounded around my stomach. I doubled over, the place where Jade gripped my shoulders burned like frostbite. I couldn’t look at her, not when I was turning inside out.
“That’s not possible,” Dash’s voice was breaking through the confusion on the field. More students were gathering around now, watching as I felt like my insides were exploding.
“Seriously, what is that stuff?” I gasped.
No one answered. “Jade, handle the students,” Raffi grumbled. “Dash, let’s get him out of here. Jade, meet us at the willow in an hour. Go with Eisha.”
I was vaguely aware someone had pulled my arm around their shoulders and was helping me stumble off the field. Hopefully they were taking me to the morgue, just to make it easy, because I was clearly dying.
I groaned when I was tossed into the backseat of a car. The burning was so blinding I didn’t even mind that I was going to miss half the day at school. Someone just needed to cut my arms off.
Time became obsolete. The moment I was tugged out of the back seat of the car and flopped over thick shoulders like a burlap sack, I had no idea how long I’d been slipping in and out of consciousness. The smells, wherever they were—they were spicy and clean and familiar. There were a few steps I was bounced up and taken inside somewhere. I didn’t even try to understand the mumble of dark voices. People were talking, that was enough for me to know. The agony had spread from my arms and encompassed my entire body. I trembled, sharp breaths ripping in and out of my lungs, and there was a hazy fear that soon I wouldn’t be able to draw air back in. Death was coming, I was certain. The voices filtered around me as I swayed back and forth, moving somewhere again, but then it was over. Everything faded as black as pitch.
Chapter 10
My brain was smashing against my skull. It was the only explanation for the wildfire scorching behind my eyes. Rubbing the ache raging in my skull, I blinked several times before opening my eyes completely.
Mr. Sapphire was standing stern and foreboding at the foot of the bed.
His piercing eyes startled me slightly. Sapphire was stiff, his arms crossed over his chest, and his coal eyes were filled with disappointment. “I thought, just for a moment, you were making some headway. That you were starting to see you didn’t need to turn to old habits when things got hard.”
“What?” I grumbled, rejecting the brightness of the sun when I tried to glance out the window.
“Drinking, Teagan! Tattoos. I’ve already called your aunt and explained you’ve been given four demerits. Those aren’t easy to work off. You’ve only got six more and you’re out of here, Mr. Ward.”
