by ERIN BEDFORD
Charity brought us out a side door into a small courtyard hidden between two stone buildings. A handful of students all around my age leaned against the walls and slouched on the ground. Some of them wore the purple necktie and others didn't. It seemed the so called them versus us line Ayden and Charity had drawn at dinner didn't apply to this place.
"Come on," Charity took a joint from one of her purple neck tied friends and inhaled deeply. "We only have about fifteen minutes before the hallway rounds come by again."
She didn't have to tell me twice. I shoved the butt of my cigarette in between my lips and flicked the lighter I'd made sure to remember this time.
Taking a deep inhale, I scanned the little hidden alcove and harrumphed.
"What?" Charity arched a brow, taking another drag of her joint before passing it back to her friend.
I shook my head and laughed. "Nothing. Just didn't expect this is all."
She smirked. "You think that since we're Nephilim we're not also teenagers? We still drink. We smoke. We fuck. Just because we have holy blood doesn't mean we're not still part human. Besides..." She glanced away from me and stared off into the distance. "If any of us have a right to need an escape, it’s us. You know?"
I flicked the end of my cigarette and nodded. "Yeah. Right."
We stood there in not so awkward silence, filling our lungs and heads with anything but what we were and what this life meant we had to be. No one moved until an alarm went off, making everyone jump.
“Relax.” The guy Charity had been sharing a smoke with pulled his phone out and hit a button on the side. “It’s the five-minute warning alarm. We better clear out of here.” He exchanged a look with a Charity, who nodded and kissed him on the lips.
She walked past me and held the door open. “Come on, we have one more class before lunch break, and this one, you won’t want to miss.”
Taking a final drag of my cigarette, I tossed it on the ground before stubbing it out with my boot. I blew the smoke out the side of my mouth as I followed her inside.
“Why are you being so nice today?” I finally couldn’t hold the question back.
Charity gave me a sideways look. “What do you mean? I wasn’t being mean at dinner. I was stating facts.”
I rolled my eyes. “You say po-tay-toh, I say po-tah-to.” When Charity gave me a confused frown, I elaborated. “You were being kind of a bitch. I should know. It’s kind of my thing.”
“Oh.”
She didn’t say anything else about the matter as she led me through the hallways, taking paths I would never have thought to take, but it kept me from bumping into anyone on the way to our next class. When we reached the door, she stopped me with a hand once more on my bag and not my body.
“You don’t have to keep your guard up so much here. Just so you know.” She locked eyes with me, her face full of understanding. “We won’t call you a freak or beat the shit out of you for being different. And believe me,” Charity crossed her arms over her blouse and glanced down at the ground, “we all have our defense mechanisms to keep people at arm’s length. I’m sure the others told you we didn’t all come here at birth.”
“Yeah. So, I’ve heard.”
Her gaze lifted from the ground, and a small smile played on her lips. “So, don’t be so hard on yourself. The world already does that, no reason for us to add to the burden.”
I found myself smiling back at her as I nodded. “Got it.”
Letting Charity walk into the classroom first, I scanned the room slowly. This one wasn’t anything like the last classroom where the desks were organized in neat little rows. There weren’t even any desks. Cushions lay about the room, and yoga mats were piled off to one side. My brows drew down as everyone began to take a seat. Charity offered me the cushion next to her, and I gratefully took it. Her minions—friends—Dharma and Bishop took the seats next to us.
The bell rang just as a familiar tall, dark, and handsome man came into the room. His head was down, reading something on his phone as he walked, so he hadn’t noticed me yet. I took that moment to check him over.
His clothing was much different than the first time we met. Charcoal colored slacks covered his long legs, and a dark blue sweater stretched across the muscles of his chest. The V-neck of the sweater showed off a hint of the dark curls on his chest, and a sexy scruffy of hair decorated the expansion of his jaw.
Dex paced the front of the room, enraptured in whatever it was he was reading and not paying much attention to the class. Though, the way he held himself above the others told me this guy was a teacher.
Anyone else, and they’d have been worried that their teacher had not only seen them smoking on campus, but had also helped them light the damn cigarette. Not me. If I had plans to stay, then I might have been a little concerned. More for the fact that the sexy mystery guy Dex was my teacher than being caught smoking. I so couldn’t be getting hot and bothered for the administration.
When those long dark lashes flickered up from his phone and around the room, they promptly landed on me. His brows furrowed and confusion pinched his forehead before those delectable lips pressed tightly into a frown.
“You must be Eleanor.”
It wasn’t a question. The tightness of his words clearly stated he wasn’t happy about it.
“Elle,” I corrected him, not letting him think seeing him here affected me. It didn’t. Not in the least.
“Very well.” He nodded and then turned to the rest of the class, our moment over and done with on all accounts. “We will be practicing memory retrieval today. It is a delicate process that requires concentration and complete control of your abilities.”
The others in the room murmured with excitement.
Except me.
I didn’t know how to do that. I couldn’t do that. That wasn’t even in the realm of my abilities. Why was I even in this class?
“Partner up with the person next to you,” Dex continued, not giving me the chance to interrupt. “You will hold hands, since touch is essential for this to work, and then take turns pulling a memory. A single memory from their head.” He gave the students a lopsided smile that made something in me tingle. “And be kind. No embarrassing caught-with-your-pants-down kind.” He waved a hand carelessly in front of him. “And go.”
Bishop turned and grabbed Charity’s hands before I had the chance to pick her, leaving me with no other choice than Dharma. Not that I could, since I couldn’t do this. My powers didn’t go that far, and I certainly wasn’t about to let someone I didn’t know poke around in my brain. I thought of all those memories of death and pain buried deep in the metal box in the back of my brain. It was too big of a temptation for anyone to be faced with, let alone this girl who had a weird sort of eagerness to her face as she held her hands out to me.
I stared down at them. “I’m not touching your hands.”
“Why not?” Dharma asked, cocking her head to the side dreamily. “Afraid of what I might find?”
“Not for me, for you.”
“What’s the problem here?” A shadow fell over the two of us, and the rest of the class quieted to see what the commotion was about.
“She won’t do the assignment,” Dharma told Dex, throwing me completely under the proverbially bus.
I glared at her. “Not won’t. Can’t.” My eyes jerked to Dex’s. “I’m not that kind of mental.” I struggled with an explanation. “I can’t read minds.” I waved a hand at the others in the room. “Move things without touching them. That’s not what I do.”
Dex squatted down next to the two of us and fixed his gaze on me. “Azazel believes you belong be in this class. Are you what she claims you are, or do you want to tell her that she’s wrong?” There was a hint of accusation in there that had nothing to do with the class and everything to do with our little encounter in the courtyard the other day.
I gritted my teeth, and, knowing I wouldn’t get anywhere with that boobed up bitch, I snapped, “Fine. Let’s do this.”
“Good.” Dex stood and walked a short way away, but I could still feel his eyes on us.
Locking eyes with Dharma, I slapped my hands into hers, flinching against the pain of her death. Wings. Feathers. Swords and spears. Just like all the others. If I’d learned anything from Professor Rufus today, it was that history had a way of repeating itself, and it seemed that the Nephilim in this school were just a few short years away from that very lesson becoming real.
DHARMA SEEMED A bit less eager to get into my mind than before. Good. She should be.
The fact that she was probably going to poke around where she wasn’t wanted was bad enough. Now that I had her death in my mind, she just very well might find out more than she bargained for. To be fair, it would all be on Dex and Azazel to blame.
Dex for being a dick.
Azazel for thinking she knew best when she didn’t really know me at all. Neither did my dad for that matter, but they were about to find out very soon.
But first...
“Think of a single memory in your mind.” Dex’s voice went over the room, instructing us but keeping his focus on me. The touch of his gaze caused an itch between my shoulders. Something I couldn’t shake, no matter how much I tried.
“The more you narrow down the memories, the easier it will be for your partner to extract it from you.”
“What exactly are we supposed to be doing with them once we have them?” asked a student near Dex’s looming form.
His lips quirked up at the question. “Don’t worry about that today. This is just practice. None of you will actually be able to accomplish the task just yet.”
“But what if they do?” I couldn’t help but prod. A part of me was happily giddy at the annoyance that covered his face.
“You won’t.”
“But what if they do?” I countered once more. “Shouldn’t they know what to do with it before we get to that point? I mean, I don’t want my memory just dancing around in her brain for the rest of time.”
“Gah, no.” Dharma made a disgusted face.
“My point exactly.”
Dex rubbed his face and clenched his jaw. “If you are able to successfully extract a memory, the memory will be transferred to this.” He held up a small clear box with an ornate clip keeping it closed. “These are memory boxes.”
The class giggled.
“Not those ridiculous ones that humans make filled with junk.” Dex held the box in his hand, showing it around the room. “It is made out of glass from the silver city itself. Nothing can break it, and no one but the owner can open it.” His eyes landed on me as he finished.
Ignoring his look, I turned back to Dharma. “Don’t go poking around. You won’t enjoy what you see. Stick with the fluffy memory I’m going to bring to the front.”
Dharma’s hands squeezed mine, her gaze narrowing. “I don’t need your help. Just relax and let me in.”
I snorted as she closed her eyes. “That’s what they all say.”
“What?” Dharma’s eyes snapped back open.
“Nothing.”
Sighing with reluctance, I closed my eyes and brought forward a memory that wouldn’t scar poor Dharma for life. Not anymore than it did me, in any case.
The memory I chose was one of the only birthdays from my childhood that I enjoyed. It was a bit hard to have birthday parties when none of the other students wanted anything to do with you. Nikki hardly counted for a full house, as much as I loved her to hell and back.
My mom had rented out the carousel for an hour for me and my friends. Except the only person who showed up was Nikki and me. So, we rode the carousel for the whole hour just the three of us. Over and over again, just so my mom felt like she got her money’s worth. I barfed up all the cake I’d eaten right before hand too. All over the pretty brown horse I’d chosen and the floor beneath. My mom rushed to my side and ended up slipping in my mess, making her feet fly up in the air in the most hilarious manner.
“Wow, your family is so fucked up,” Dharma commented.
My eyes flipped open to glare at the disgusted look on her face. “Screw you.”
“Shh, I’m trying to concentrate.”
Lifting my gaze to the ceiling, I huffed and closed them once more. I pushed the memory back to the front of my mind, feeling a little tingle, an itch really, in the back of my brain.
Something was wrong.
Dharma wasn’t going for the memory I’d provided for her. I didn’t know much of anything about psychic abilities, but shouldn’t she have come in closer to the memory? Why do I feel her in the back of my mind and far too close for comfort to the metal box?
“What are you doing?” I tried to pull my hands away from her, but Dharma dug her nails into my skin, keeping me from wrenching my hands away and breaking her connection.
“Just relax.” Dharma pushed further inside, and this time, that little itch was more of a twang. “I’m almost there.”
“Stop it.” I tried to envision a wall, forcing it up between the metal box and Dharma’s mind. But no matter how many walls I put up, the tiresome bitch kept getting through. Out of all the mentals I’d met, I would not have pegged Dharma as the one with the real power. In any case, that real power was about to bite off more than she could chew.
“I’m warning you,” I bit out, fighting against the prodding. It was giving me a headache, and I was losing ground fast.
“Almost there,” Dharma murmured, not even paying attention to my threats.
“You’re going to regret this,” I told her before finally giving her exactly what she wanted. I relaxed.
“There we go,” Dharma cooed, her mind waltzing into the depths of my mind and caressing the metal box. She tapped the locks and demanded, “Open it.”
My lips ticked up. “Fine.”
If Dharma had been smart, she would have realized that I was letting her into my mind far too easily. That the secrets she was trying to get her greedy little hands were being hand delivered.
The chains fell, and the door creaked open. I braced myself for the onslaught of images and feelings that were about to pour out. Poor Dharma didn’t have a chance.
Her screams filled the room. The hands that had latched onto me tried to pry themselves away, but I held on tight. In the distance, through the roar of the screams and cries of pain and terror, I could hear someone calling our names. A hand on my shoulder only brought a new image. A new death to the downpour that rushed right into Dharma.
“Eleanor.” A deep penetrating voice reached through the noise. “Elle. Let go.”
My head angled to the side toward the sound. Then a warm coarse hand touched the back of my hand. I braced myself for the next onslaught of pain, but the sensations going through my body caused an unexpected moan of pleasure. Lips captured mine. Fingers trailed along my skin, leaving hot rivets of need in their place. A gasp ripped from my throat, startling me so much that I released Dharma’s hands.
My eyes flew open and met Dex’s dark brown eyes. I swallowed thickly and backed away from him and the sight of Dharma whimpering on the floor, her eyes squeezed tightly closed.
“What happened, Elle?” Dex tried to reach for me. I flinched back and scrambled to my feet.
I took in the looks of horror and terror on those who had claimed I could relax with them. That I was one of them. I was home now. No need to worry.
Fuck that.
No one was like me.
“I...I have to go.” I left my bag where it was and darted out of the room, letting the door slam behind me.
Dex shouted after me, but didn’t chase me down.
With classes still in session, I didn’t have any issues avoiding people. The hallways were empty as I raced down them. The only sound in my ears was the pounding of my heart and my combat boots beating the ugly blue carpet spread out beneath my feet. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know what had happened exactly.
One moment, I was giving Dharma exactly what she was asking for, an
d the next, I was having the most amazing experience of my life. I paused in the hallway, leaning against the wall as I breathed in and out slowly.
My hands traced my neck. I could almost still feel the touch of his lips against my skin. Dex’s fingers brushing along my bare flesh, and heat pooling in my core.
What the actual fuck?
I’d never had a vision that didn’t include someone dying. To have one of a sexual nature? How? Why?
All important questions, but they didn’t overshadow the fact that I’d practically melted Dharma’s brain. I’d wanted to teach her a lesson. Give her exactly what she wanted, but I never meant for it to go that far. I guess I was the only one who could really handle that kind of blood and carnage on the reg.
What the hell had I been thinking?
I should have left as soon as I got here. I didn’t need this Percy Jackson Harry Potter hell hole. I was missing dorm room set up with Nikki. I didn’t have time to play whatever this place was. My dad would just have to get over the fact that I was a big girl and could take care of myself, because I was not staying here a moment longer.
Pushing up off the wall, I started navigating through the massive halls back to my room. I needed to get my phone and my purse at least. I’d hate to leave all my clothes behind, but I couldn’t very well bring them with me. I had to travel light. It was going to be hard enough trying to figure out how to get past the barrier that enclosed the school, but they had to open it at some point to let deliveries in and out. I just had to be patient and wait.
Rounding the corner to my room, the sight of Azazel waiting by my door brought me to abrupt halt. Damn it.
“Miss Richmond.” Azazel hummed, lacing her fingers together in front of her. She was once more wearing one a suit, this one black, and thankfully, she was wearing a shirt beneath it—or rather, a vest, but still a step up.
“Ugh.” I tried to walk around her, but she stepped into my path. “I’m leaving.”
“Now, you know I can’t let you do that.” Azazel clucked her tongue and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Your father entrusted me to protect you, and I’m not about to be the one that brings Batariel back here looking for someone to blame when his precious daughter gets squashed like the bug she is.”
