Mr. Yates ignored my request. He tapped his fingers on his arm. “I wanted to meet you and be very clear with you that the safety of our Blackburn Academy students is the Hawthorn Group’s top priority.”
“I know,” I said.
Director Yates peered over at me, looking disapproving, but I wondered if perhaps that was just the set of his features. He was as tall as his son, but his build was much leaner. His hair was a mousy brown color and shorn close to his scalp. His eyes were brown, and flinty like little invisible sparks were lighting from them. He had straight lips, large eyes, and a prim, chiseled nose. He reeked of an acidic cologne, but the nostrils I was looking straight into were so small that I wondered if it restricted his ability to smell himself.
The silence was dragging on, so I added, “Thank you?”
“The safety of our children is essential, and that’s why I cannot fathom why my predecessor agreed to house a dangerous supernatural right on the ground floor with our most valuable students.”
My stomach dropped, and I took a step back and away from the stethoscope the medic was moving to press to my chest.
“If you could stay still, Miss Moore,” the medic said as he pressed the cold metal disc to the skin exposed in my V-neck.
There were so many things that I wanted to snap back at this tall, flint-eyed director, but words caught in my throat. All I was able to say was, “I’m not dangerous.”
“The details of your case are being examined by experts within headquarters. My position as the interim director of the Hawthorn Group may only last until the end of December, when the Elite Council will make a final decision determining the next CEO, but if I get a single report from Blackburn that you endangered anyone in any capacity, whatsoever, I will make sure to prioritize transferring you to Alderwood Reformatory before I leave office. That is, if I leave office. Is that understood, Dhampir?”
“January,” I corrected. I took another step back and raised a hand to block the medic who was trying to touch my neck. “Stop touching me. You don’t have my permission. You all need to get out of my dorm room now, Mr. Yates. I’m seventeen, and I am absolutely positive that I need a parent or guardian present for this type of conversation.”
“The council has yet to decide who your guardian is, so provisionally, that would be me, Miss Moore. I am completely within my rights to be here. However, I’m on a time schedule.” Mr. Yates’ watch chimed, and he raised a hand. The soldier behind him opened the door. “Now I’m going to ask you to get ready and attend the emergency assembly that will be held today in one hour in the school’s chapel. I will be providing information that everyone—especially you—need to hear.” With that, the group filtered out of my room, leaving me still scrabbling for a response.
The unfairness of it all was churning my stomach, making me feel sick. Hawthorn Group agents had conspired to hurt me. I had been used and abused, and now I was being maligned based on something entirely beyond my control. Their organization kept endangering me, and now I had to watch my every step so I didn’t appear like a threat to someone who viewed me as a threat with absolutely no basis.
I was pacing around my room, fuming and too upset to eat or get dressed, when another loud knock came at my door. Bailey, who was trailing behind me back and forth around the apartment, turned tail and bounded over towards the door, her whole butt wiggling. The knock came again, and I ignored it as I stood there, hugging my arms. My body was shaking, but I wasn’t sure if it was my anger or because under my anger, I was terrified to my core.
The thumping came again. First it was two short beats and then three long ones, then someone started playing a pattern on my door that suspiciously sounded like Queen’s “We Will Rock You.”
I opened the door a crack. “I’m fine, Mitch. You can go away.”
“No can do, Dirtbag. I’ve been appointed as your babysitter once more.”
A new surge of annoyance filled my gut, and I swung open the door. “So, Justin’s back a week, and he’s already making decisions about my life without consulting me.”
“I come in peace.” Mitch held up his hands in surrender as he entered. He stopped by Bailey and absently scratched her on the head. “Why does your room stink?”
“It’s Mr. Yates’ scent trail,” I muttered as I continued to pace. “Mark’s lovely father paid a visit to my room and casually threatened me.”
Mitch opened my hallway door and swung it back and forth. “Damn, open your windows before it embeds itself in your furniture. He shook my hand at last year’s New Year’s party, and I had to throw away my tux.”
I turned on the vent fan in my kitchenette, as it was the closest thing I had to a window that opened. My eyes were stinging, and I blinked rapidly.
“Hey…” Mitch closed the door and crossed the room to tower over me. “Why did Stink show up here?”
“Apparently, I’m a dangerous Supernatural among all these valuable Blackburn Academy students, and the moment I step out of line, I’m going to be shipped off to where I belong—Alderwood Reformatory.”
“That fuck.” Mitch crossed his arms and glared at the closed door. “I thought they were just doing room checks to catch students in other people’s rooms and hand out this shit.” He reached into his back pocket and handed me a crumpled sheet of paper.
On it, were the words:
All students who live on campus are required to attend an emergency meeting in the Blackburn Academy chapel at 11 AM. Attendance will be taken.
I handed it back. “Oh, they checked my room and told me to come to that meeting too.”
“Good fucking thing that Justin and I headed back to my room last night,” he muttered darkly, glaring at the door once more. “The last thing you need is to get in any kind of trouble.”
I startled at his words, staring at his profile. He didn’t remember last night? Actually, it sounded like he had a whole separate set of memories. Had that witch Sam done something with her spell? When I considered the possibility, it made sense. Now Mitch didn’t need an explanation for why he fell asleep in my room and woke up in his, and I didn’t have to tell him about my visit with the Alderwood students.
“Good thing,” I said after a few beats of silence.
Mitch worked his jaw back and forth and then crumpled the paper in his fist. “I was going to say fuck this shit, let’s go to breakfast, but it sounds like you need to toe the line.”
I was turning back to my room when all of a sudden, I remembered that Mitch was probably way more affected by what happened last night. I was so caught up in my own problems this morning, I completely forgot that Mitch’s brother had just come back from the dead. Not only that, his beloved sister’s murderer just confronted him in front of the dorm. Turning on my heel, I headed back across the room and offered him a hug. “Uh, Mitch…”
His eyelids narrowed at me. “What’s this?”
I couldn’t possibly tell him it was an empathy hug, he’d hate me for that, so I said the next true thing, “It’s an apology. I’ve been an asshole to you this morning, and you’re a wonderful friend that I shouldn’t mistreat.”
His dark brows rose. “Okay, yeah, fine.” His arms wrapped around me, and he squeezed me tight for a few seconds before breaking away. “Now get dressed and brush your teeth. You smell like shit.”
“I’m surprised you can smell anything over your day-old booze breath.” I flipped him off on the way to my room because I was pretty sure that was, “I’m here for you, friend,” in Mitch speak.
The chapel overflowed with confused, anxious students. It was almost surreal seeing everyone in street clothes, though most looked more polished than they did in their uniform. Girls dressed in designer dresses and rompers, boys dressed in jeans and button-downs.
“January, over here!” Susie called, but I had no idea where she was in the chaos.
I peered over the crowd to find one of the only other short girls at Blackburn Academy. Actually, Susie and I weren’t all that shor
t. Everyone else here was just so freakishly tall. She was leaning halfway in the aisle. Her curly dark hair bounced as she beckoned furiously. “Come on before someone takes your seat.”
For being in such a big crowd, Mitch and I moved through the group easily, and that was one-hundred percent due to the fact that everyone was in a hurry to move out of the path of my surly and silent companion.
As we headed through the crowd, Susie made her way to the other side, where her boyfriend sat at the end in his wheelchair. Beside Susie were a slew of freakishly tall people, including Zack and Lucas, the burly dark-haired twins who were identical in all but personality and the other members of the Bad Boys Club. Mitch gave me a look as we took a seat on the end.
“Go sit with your friends,” I said, gesturing off the last row of seats where the Elites sat. They took up two rows. A few even had their legs or backpacks on open seats even though there were people standing in the aisles, jostling for chairs.
Mitch gave an exaggerated yawn and laid his head on my shoulder. “I could give a fuck where I take my nap.”
“You’re not sleeping on me, Mitch. You weigh like four times what I do.”
“Stop moving,” he grumbled.
“Even your head is heavy… which is actually kind of surprising.” He raised his head to shoot me a glare, but maybe he saw how nervous I was in my expression, because the side of his arm pressed into mine, and he turned to the stage.
It was weirdly a comfort that Mitch smelled a little like day-old booze. He’d showered, but I was guessing that it was coming out of his pores. It smelled like home growing up. How fucked up was that? I was taking comfort in the fact that my best friend here at Blackburn smelled like my alcoholic mother.
There was clearly something wrong with me.
I covered my mouth with a hand.
“You okay, January?” a guy asked with the slightest twang to his voice.
I turned to find Braiden to my other side. Braiden had sandy blond hair and purple eyes that practically shone from his handsome features. Just a couple months ago, I had been actively trying to make myself be attracted to him so I could stop being infatuated with Justin. It would have been so easy if it were possible, but I’d already been too far in love with the jerk.
“Hey, Braiden…” I tried to smile, “Long time no see.”
Braiden nodded. “Too bad we’re in opposite classes. How’s Blackburn been treating you?”
How to answer?
The teachers treated me like I was a special snowflake until they realized I was years behind even the freshman. The Elites treated me like I was beneath them, and everyone else treated me like I was the enemy because I was an Elite.
Aside from Justin, who popped in and out of my life at random, I could count my true friends on the fingers of one hand, and they were all in the other class schedule. Basically, the only friend I had with me on the regular was Mitch, and all he did was sleep, growl, and eat mass quantities of whatever food he could get his hands on. I had powers I couldn’t use or control. I was considered a threat. My father might be dead. My whole family’s safety was at the whim of the Hawthorn Group, and the new director thought I was an abomination.
“Great,” I said. “How about you?”
Braiden shrugged. “Training has been hard. They’re really whipping the soldier trainees into shape for Midterms.”
I groaned. “Midterms. You guys have those?”
“Sorry.” He grinned. “Hey, since we never see each other on campus, do you ever want to hang out at a movie or something.” He gave me a sheepish little smile. “I mean as a group.” Braiden’s gaze skipped over from mine and caught on something behind me.
I looked back over my shoulder to see Mitch glaring at Braiden like he was about to punch him in the face.
“Do you mind?” I held up a hand between the two guys, hoping to break their gaze, before turning back to Braiden. “Yeah, sure. I’d love to do a friend thing with everyone, but I’m not sure I can leave campus. Would you guys ever want to do like a movie night in one of our rooms?”
“Sure. Let’s do this,” Braiden said. “Next Friday?”
“Won’t work,” Mitch said from behind me. “Party at Justin’s.”
It was a rude, asshole thing to say to Braiden who used to be one of Justin’s best friends. Braiden wouldn’t be invited. He couldn’t. Justin’s parties weren’t an excuse to have fun. Both Mitch and Justin hated parties, just as much as I did. They threw them because they believed that we were under surveillance by the Hawthorn Group at all times. If Justin was throwing a party, it was because we needed to have a conversation that the Hawthorn Group couldn’t eavesdrop upon.
“What about Saturday night?” I asked. “We can do it in my room. The new floor five guard is actually cool about daytime visitors, and I have this huge TV in my room. It has all these apps on it like a phone…” I grimaced, “I think there are movies on there. Okay, I haven’t actually figured it out yet, but I don’t think it would be that difficult for someone who grew up with modern technology to master. I can also order food on my fridge—that, I have used. A lot.”
Braiden grinned, more with his eyes than his lips, and it was really charming. “Sure. Let’s do this.”
“Great! Let’s invite the whole BBC,” I said, somehow feeling a hell of a lot lighter from this idea. “I’ll order up a bunch of junk food.”
“Sounds awesome.”
“Is it going to be a problem if I invite Justin?” I ventured with another grimace.
Braiden sucked on a tooth, and I could see in his expression how much he wanted to say hell yes it would be a problem, but he said, “Yeah, sure. Everyone is welcome, right?”
Braiden sounded far from certain, but I would take it.
Mitch grabbed my wrist and shifted it down. Over my splayed fingers, he pointed at his eyes and then at Braiden.
“You really can bring out that certain stabby quality in a girl, Mitch Holter,” I said as I twisted out of his hold. He let me go, but he was still motioning that he was watching Braiden past me. I was pretty sure that he was just doing it because Mitch found himself way too amusing, but then I wasn’t completely sure. Mitch was a strange specimen.
A hush fell over the crowd, saving us from any more conversation, and Principal Chambers took the stage. Our headmistress always reminded me of Mary Poppins, though it could have just been her straight back, prim look, and posh English accent.
“Good morning, students.” She leaned over her podium, which somewhat resembled a preacher’s pulpit if you ignored the fact that the chapel we all sat in had paintings with gory depictions of battles with monsters and the iconography around the space didn’t belong to any of the modern religions. After clearing her throat, Principal Chambers visibly forced a smile over her lips. “Last night there was a minor non-threatening breach into the campus that was handled quickly by the Hawthorn Group. We enacted safety protocols as a precaution, and as a result, the dorm staff caught several students in rooms that didn’t belong to them past curfew.”
Whispers rolled through the crowd. Several students giggled, and there was a catcall or two.
Principal Chambers held up a hand. “This behavior is unbefitting of Blackburn Academy students, and it will not be tolerated. As we would have to suspend a large percentage of the student body, we are having the students face other consequences, but in the future, there will be a no-tolerance policy. If a student is caught in your room or you are caught in another student’s room after nine o’clock curfew, there will be an automatic suspension. Two such infractions will mean immediate expulsion.”
Mitch leaned in. “That’s always been the fucking consequence. Chambers is just making shit up because a bunch of Elites were caught by dorm guards, and the school won’t suspend them.”
I nodded but kept my gaze on the Principal as she continued.
“As many of you know, Mr. Roberts has recently retired as CEO of the Hawthorn Group, the agency that protects h
uman lives from the supernatural threat. The Organization is in the process of selecting new leadership, and during this process, one of the leading candidates, Mr. Yates, will be standing in as the interim CEO. He’s come to give us a much-needed reminder of safety.” She stepped back and clapped slowly, and the teachers on the stage joined her. A lackluster applause rolled through the crowd, and I peeked over my shoulder to see if I could spot Mark.
I found Mark Yates sitting in the rows with the other Elites. As far as Elites went, Mark was a decent person. Humble was never a word I would associate with the salon-perfect, rock-star looking guy that always wore designer everything. I got the distinct feeling that whenever there was an opportunity to show off, Mark was there. That was why it was so strange that right now, he looked like he was doing his best to melt into his chair.
Someone tapped the microphone. “Attention up here.”
We all focused on where Mr. Yates now stood at the pulpit with his gaze scanning the crowd. He leaned into the microphone again. “I don’t like to repeat myself. Be quiet, or the staff here will remove you.”
Down the row, Zack leaned out a little and met my gaze. I could clearly see, “What the fuck?” written all over his expression, but I only grimaced and looked back up to the front. Honestly, it was a little comforting to know that Mr. Yates was an all-around asshole, and the way he acted with me wasn’t some kind of anomaly.
The crowd was held captive in the kind of silence where everyone seemed afraid to breathe too loudly as the tall, thin man examined us. “We do not live in a normal society. We are an army with a deadly and organized foe,” Mr. Yates said, “Look to the person to your left and now to the person to your right. These are the people who are either going to save your lives or cost you your lives. If you are not gaining the skills to save lives, then you will be costing your neighbors their lives. Is that what you want?” He slashed a hand through the air. “It doesn’t matter what you want. Not here. Not during this war. It matters what Blackburn will accept, and that is not disobedience. It is not insubordination. The people with the determination, skill, and ability to keep their neighbors alive will rise above the rest. They are our officers. Sometimes those positions are earned. Other times, those positions are inherited at birth.”
Broken Elites (The Vampire Legacy Book 3) Page 4
