“That’s okay,” Arianna said cutting her aunt off. “I normally sleep with one of them every night.”
Lilly’s mouth hung open in shock. “I raised you better than…” she began to get angry, but Devin cut her off.
“She means she literally sleeps with one of us. Since she changed, her hearing has increased tremendously. Night humans are attracted to the sound of a beating heart.” Devin explained from behind her. Lilly cringed at the word. “We found the only way she can sleep is by listening to a heart beating to block out additional sounds.”
“Oh,” Lilly replied, her anger subsiding slightly.
“What did you think I meant?” Arianna asked.
“Well, you said you were sleeping with them,” Lilly replied, blushing.
Arianna playfully hit her aunt. “You think I’m that type of girl?”
“Turner, you stay here with her,” Devin directed. “I need to go talk to Molina about all the arrangements.”
Turner remained frozen in the doorway. Arianna hurried over to him and grabbed his hand, dragging him into the room while Devin headed back to the open apartment doorway where Molina stood.
“Aunt Lilly, you’ve already met Devin, but I don’t know if you’ve met Turner. This is Turner Winter,” Arianna introduced him. “He goes to my school back at grandfather’s place.”
Lilly eyed the tall, good-looking boy. Nodding, she replied, “I can see it. You’re Lord Winter’s son, correct?”
“Yes, I am his youngest son,” Turner replied. Arianna smiled as Turner sat uncomfortably under Aunt Lilly’s gaze. There weren’t many places he could go without people knowing his father and older brother.
“Well, you better get to sleep,” Lilly said, turning from Arianna and Turner to leave the room. “You don’t have much time, since school starts in a few hours.”
“Actually, she’s going to take private lessons at school. We’ve arranged it so that she doesn’t have to be there until the ten o’clock class,” Devin explained, stepping into the room in time to follow Lilly out of it. Turner motioned for Arianna to join him and she complied while easily falling instantly to sleep.
Waking from her peaceful dream, Arianna reluctantly sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was happy to be home, but now she was beginning to worry. What will I tell my friends? What private classes will I have? Who is my new teacher? Who was the man I left at grandfather’s estate? Would he be safe there alone with him? Automatically, Arianna closed her eyes and began to search. Her senses passing over the hundreds of miles between her and her grandfather, she found what she was listening for: the steady beat of grandfather’s heart as he sat in his office. He was fine. Arianna opened her eyes and sighed.
“Ari?” Turner repeated, as he tapped her face.
“What?” she asked, swatting as he continued to tap.
“What were you doing?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“I just wanted to make sure everything was alright with my grandfather,” she replied, looking on the floor for her shoes.
“You listened all the way to Randolph Manor?” Arianna nodded, and Turner sighed.
“That’s what phones are for,” he replied, picking up one of her shoes.
“I suppose,” she thought, grabbing the second shoe on the bed. “I didn’t think of that. It just comes natural to hear everything.”
“How much blood did you use up?” he asked, knowing she couldn’t answer.
“I’m fine,” she replied, trying to move her legs over the side of the bed to stand. Arianna stared as her legs did not move.
Turner instinctively picked her up and placed her on his lap. “You need to feed.”
“But,” Arianna complained, but it would make no difference. Turner and Devin knew more about her new body than she did.
Arianna complied and bit down gently on Turner’s neck. By taking only a little blood, she was able to move again. She hurried to get dressed, and make it outside to the waiting car before Devin could yell at her for being late. As the door opened to the tinted-window car, Arianna smiled, moving to sit beside her uncle.
“You were listening to your grandfather?” he asked. Arianna nodded, ready to be scolded again. “That’s a pretty good range,” he added with a smile, as Devin and Turner sat in the front of the vehicle. Gabriel lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “You need to feed more,” he said quietly. “Take as much as you need,” he said setting his own wrist on her lap. “I can always get more blood. I’m not picky.”
Devin grunted up front to cover his laugh.
As predicted by Devin, they were late. Walking into the empty hallways, Arianna smiled. She really was home. Though she disagreed with all the strict rules of her private school, it was still home.
“Your lessons will be in the auditorium,” Devin said, directing Arianna across the empty school common room.
“Don’t I need to tell them I’m here?” Arianna asked as they walked past the front office windows. No one rose to stop them or ask for a late note.
“No,” Molina replied. “Your tutor is waiting.”
Arianna opened the large doors and stood in shock in the doorway. “Mr. Wallace?” she asked.
Mr. Wallace, one of the youngest teachers in the school, sat on the stage dressed in his normal plaid sweater vest and wire-rimmed glasses. When he noticed Arianna, he quickly stood up and hopped off the stage.
“Hello, Miss Arianna,” he replied with a slight bow. “And Turner.”
Arianna turned around and stared at Turner. “You know him, too?” she asked both men. Arianna turned back to Mr. Wallace. She could faintly smell the scent of dearg-dul blood. “You’re a dearg-dul?” she asked. Arianna hadn’t returned to school since she had changed. Closing her eyes, she looked around the school. Mr. Wallace wasn’t the only night human. “And there’s more?”
“I’m glad you have at least figured out how to tell people apart,” Mr. Wallace commented. “So, should we begin today’s lesson?”
For two hours, Arianna sat in the dimly-lit auditorium with Mr. Wallace and Turner. Carefully they explained how to tell how powerful a night human was. Arianna found all their lengthy explanations useless, as she still couldn’t understand. As her lesson was finishing, Mr. Wallace made one last attempt.
“Why don’t we make this very simple? Let’s just compare Turner and I,” he explained. “You already know which one of us is more powerful, but is there any other way you can tell the difference? They don’t have to be the same ways we see things. I’m beginning to see you have your own way of doing what the rest of us do.”
Arianna stared at Turner, seated on her right, and Mr. Wallace, on her left. There were many differences she knew immediately: dearg-dul or wolf, younger or older, brown hair or blond, glasses or no glasses. Arianna closed her eyes. They were not trying to have her find an outward difference, but rather, some sort of internal difference. Who is more powerful? Arianna continued to keep her eyes closed as she thought. Dearg-dul and lycan were different based on the scent of the blood. Arianna concentrated harder and compared the blood.
The ringing bell easily brought her back to reality.
“Well, we will continue this tomorrow,” Mr. Wallace added.
“But don’t I have another lesson this afternoon?” she asked.
“Not with me. I was told you have a second tutor coming after lunch,” Mr. Wallace replied.
As Arianna followed Turner back down the auditorium rows, she stopped and turned around, searching for a very soft sound she heard near the stage door. Glancing around the room one last time before leaving, she couldn’t find the person she thought she just heard enter. All the doors were shut, but Arianna was sure of what she heard.
Outside the auditorium, the commons room was beginning to fill with students heading to lunch. Arianna hurried over to her two best friends. Standing beside Tish, Arianna sighed. It was good to be home. Tish reached up and hugged her friend, sighing herself at finally getting the third wheel back to their trio.
“Devin talked to my grandfather and arranged for me to come back here three days a week, and spend four days a week with him,” Arianna replied.
“You look beat,” Tish replied, patting her friend’s head. “You need a nap.”
“We flew in this morning,” Arianna sighed. And I drank too much blood, she wanted to add.
“Are you going to tell us all about those two cute boys with you?” Mary Ellen pointed to Devin and Turner, who were sitting on the edge of the room, glancing over the students filling the room.
Arianna yawned and nodded. “Where should I start?” she asked, laying her head on the table.
“Are they available?” Tish asked, smiling and waving to Turner as he approached.
“Ari?” Turner asked quietly. “You should get some sleep before your next lesson,” he suggested. Tish and Mary Ellen stared at Turner, who was bent over Arianna whispering closely into her ear.
“But I want to stay here with my friends,” Arianna complained. “It’s been weeks since I’ve seen them.”
“Ari,” Devin whispered, and she nodded as she stood. Unfortunately, Devin was always right.
“You guys have to come back with me after school. Maybe then I can answer your questions,” she said, as she was dragged away by Turner, down the hallway to the choir and band rooms. Tish and Mary Ellen just winked and smiled at Arianna, who began to blush at their reactions.
“But why the music room?” Arianna asked, as Devin opened the door for her.
Arianna peered in the room. She hadn’t taken any music classes, and had never actually entered either the choir or band rooms before. In the corner of the room, four boys sat quietly talking. Scowls crossed their faces at the sight of Devin, who didn’t seem to care or notice. As soon as Arianna followed behind him, their faces changed from anger to curiosity. Arianna hurried to follow Devin, turning past the director’s office and into a dim hallway.
“Soundproof rooms,” Devin explained, opening the door to a practice room and pushing Arianna and her newly appointed keeper inside the room. It was safer for him to keep watch with his experience around baku being greater than Turner’s experience. “Of course they won’t be soundproof to you, but it should help some. I’ll be outside the main doors. You should be safe here. Molina and I will stand guard outside the rooms. I don’t exactly trust all the students here. Get some rest. You’re tired.”
TWENTY-ONE
Turner softly closed his eyes and lowered his heart rate. In the choir room outside, the four boys that they had passed were still sitting and waiting. One was a purebred baku, and the other three his guards. Turner kept the information to himself as he didn’t want Arianna to be unable to get some rest. His heartbeat slowed until it was near the rate of a sleeping person. Turner had only been successful twice before in being able to fool people into believing he was asleep, but Arianna didn’t need to be fooled, just comforted. Arianna relaxed and was instantly asleep. Turner tried to relax along with her but was intent on listening to the choir boys.
With a slight creak, the door to the practice room opened. Turner kept his eyes closed and relaxed as the person neared. Turner could barely hear the boy move. Suddenly, Turner reached in front of his own face. The air had been broken.
Covering Arianna’s ear to keep her asleep, Turner held her in his arms as he glared at the student standing, leaning against the wall, just out of Turners grasp.
“What do you want?” Turner whispered. “Isn’t it taboo to feed on a sleeping baku?”
“Oh, you know your lessons. Glad they still teach about my kind in your private schools,” he replied. “I only want the same as you, to touch and hold such a beautiful creature. She’s absolutely magnificent.”
“Arianna isn’t a creature- she’s a person,” Turner replied. “And she’s not for you to touch.”
“You’re pretty good,” the boy said, moving from one side of the small room to the other in the blink of an eye. “So calm. I suppose one little yell, and her guard will come running. The question is, do you think you could get a yell out before I get you?” the young man taunted Turner.
“If all you wanted to do was mock me, save it for later. Arianna needs to get some sleep.” Turner closed his eyes again, ignoring the boy standing in the room. The school was neutral grounds. The baku wouldn’t start anything here.
“Do you feel it?” he asked. “Even at your level?”
Turner opened one eye and looked at the student. Although the boy’s dark, curly hair flopped over his face, Turner could see the expression of awe across it.
“She’s truly amazing. I didn’t know that after she became a dearg-dul that her power would increase so much. I wonder what will happen when she becomes baku?” The boy moved closer and squatted in front of Arianna, who was still sleeping. He was now close enough for Turner to touch, but Turner ignored him. Turner kept his arm around Arianna. The boy wasn’t going to harm her. “We have all been anxious to meet her.”
“Well, your kind and our kind don’t mix too well, so I hope you won’t be disappointed,” Turner replied.
“You think you can keep her to yourself?” the boy asked, instantly bouncing back to the door. He moved as silently as Gabriel. “You know, I also do a little dearg-dul studies on the side. Doesn’t the blue-eyed legend state she must have five companions: each a different race?” Turner tried to not pay attention him, but it was true. “Oh, so you do know. Someday, whether you like it or not, she will choose someone of my race to stay beside her. And even worse, she’ll have to choose a tengu also. Can you handle that, wolf? Your sworn enemy as a friend to your precious savior? She doing to him what you wish she’d do to you?” Turner couldn’t stop the anger starting to rise in him.
Arianna’s finger’s slightly tickled Turner, subsiding his anger. Yawning, she opened her eyes. “Is nap time over?” she asked Turner, ignoring the boy standing in the corner. Turner looked at his watch.
“I guess so,” he replied. Arianna sat and stretched, cracking several spots in her back. “I guess I was more tired than I knew.” Turner quickly buttoned his shirt as Arianna continued to ignore the third person in the room.
“It’s not polite to stare,” she finally said to the boy. “If you keep following people around, staring at them, they might get the wrong impression.” His quiet steps were the same as she had heard in the auditorium. Arianna turned to the dark, curly-haired boy whose name she didn’t know. He smiled as he knelt.
“It’s so great to finally meet you,” he said, as he continued his bow.
Arianna turned to Turner for an explanation, and he shrugged.
“Um, thanks,” she replied, following Turner as he led her out of the room. Arianna stopped in the doorway as she turned back to the boy. Smiling, she instantly changed into her dearg-dul form. “This is what you wanted to confirm, right?” she asked, as he smiled back at her and nodded. “And the answer is yes.”
“What?” Turner asked, as they walked down the hallway into the choir room.
“He wanted to know if I really was a dearg-dul. He can tell I’m a baku, but he couldn’t believe I was a dearg-dul,” Arianna explained as she led the way out of the practice rooms.
“How did you,” Turner began. They could barely get her to understand that night humans were all different in strength, yet she could easily read the boy’s mind.
“I dunno. I just knew,” Arianna replied. Arianna followed Turner and Devin across the empty hallway to the auditorium. The bell had already rung for the beginning of class, thus Arianna didn’t have the chance to see
her friends before her next lesson.
“Why is Gabriel hiding?” Arianna asked Turner. Turner glanced around the room. He couldn’t find anyone else besides Arianna’s guards.
“Where?” Turner asked.
“Next to you,” Gabriel replied, appearing next to Arianna and Turner, just inside the doorway.
“How,” Turner began to ask, but quickly stopped. Gabriel was the enemy in the eyes of everyone Turner had ever known. He had never seen Gabriel until he had shown up this morning to escort Arianna to school.
“Who is my tutor for these lessons?” Arianna asked, leading the way into the room.
“No one for today. We can’t have baku lessons until you are a baku,” Gabriel ushered Arianna to the front row of seats so that he could sit on the stage and face her as they talked. “You seemed to have trouble with your lesson earlier this morning, yet you had no trouble finding me, or even Andrew, as he watched your lesson.”
“Andrew? The rude, curly-hair guy in the choir room?” Arianna asked. Gabriel nodded. “The whole power thing is so confusing,” Arianna complained. “They all said it’s best to compare other night humans to your own strength. But my strength is never constant. Sometimes it seems like Turner is almost equal to me and sometimes it feels like I’m ten times stronger. Besides, how am I supposed to compare when I haven’t found anyone stronger than me?”
“I understand,” Gabriel said. “Then how about comparing everyone to Turner? If we were to put Turner on a scale one through ten, he would fall just about a nine. Where would Molina fall?”
Arianna glanced across the room and then looked back to Turner. “A six?” she guessed.
“That would be about right. Strength wise, Molina is only a little stronger than average, but her speed and quick thinking are well above all of us,” Gabriel explained. Molina nodded at the compliment. She was growing more used to the old baku.
“So, power isn’t the only thing to judge someone by,” Arianna observed.
“No, this lesson was more or less to get you to see how your power is fluctuating. Since you are a purebred, you are able to regulate the power coming out of you. Turner and Molina are always at the power you see now, but you, like me, can change it if you choose.” Gabriel sat and waited for Arianna to understand. “That’s how I can get by Turner without him noticing. Some of us can actually turn our power down to zero.”
The Legend of the Blue Eyes Page 17
