by E Hall
“Anything,” I mumble. “I’ll do anything for you.”
“Let’s skip.”
My words feel jumbled, but I say, “I probably shouldn’t miss any more classes.”
“You won’t learn anything here that I can’t teach you. In fact, I daresay you’ll learn more from me, Leajka.”
My mind is like a sponge in his presence.
“They don’t matter. None of them,” he says.
“What does matter?” I ask.
“You. Me. I think it’s time we say goodbye to this place.” He smooths his fingers down my arm.
“Do you mean go to the quad?”
“I mean leave RIP Jr.”
“Are you asking me to run away with you?” I rock back on my feet. My stomach turns queasy. Did I eat too many sweets?
“We have to get you away from Tyrren.”
The name penetrates my awareness, lighting something up inside of me. “But he’s my best friend.”
“He was your best friend. He’s nothing to you now other than a danger.”
“We just did the Rjoklund Games together. He helped me when a demon attacked,” I say, fighting through what feels like a fog for my words, my awareness.
Emeric rubs his lips together. “Kiss me, Leajka.”
I lean closer, captivated.
He runs his hand along the edge my jaw, pulling my chin toward his. I do want to leave, but I’m afraid of where we’d go and what would happen. I’m afraid...but not of Tyrren. Images of him by my side through the challenge, through the best and worst times of my life filter through my consciousness like a highlight reel.
“You want to be with me, Leajka,” Emeric says.
He and I are a breath apart.
“If Tyrren knew the things you’ve done he wouldn’t want you anyway. But I do. It’s okay. I understand. I’m like you. I’m bad, right down to my core,” Emeric croons.
I try to shake the fuzz out of my head, inhaling deeply. “What do you mean?” I ask weakly. This isn’t making sense. My thoughts and his words repeatedly crash into each other.
“I want you to come with me— on my side and working for me. You’re perfect. Every bit as reckless and crazy as I’d hoped.”
“What?” I ask, pushing myself onto my heels.
“Lea, you’re the poster child for our cause.”
I blink a few times, hoping my surroundings sharpen and my head clears. “Emeric, you’ve lost me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I get to my feet, scanning the woods, trying to remember what path led us here.
“Come with me. We’ll leave now. I’ll get you a fast car to match mine. We can drive cross country, leaving nothing but flame and devastation in our tracks.” He leans in to kiss me, his hair cascading over the muscles in his shoulders. “I know you want me. I know you want to kiss me.”
I can almost taste his lips in the air between us.
“Allow yourself to have your desires. You don’t need to reform. There’s nothing wrong with you. A good girl? It’s not who you are. You’re Leajka, wild and free. A girl like you doesn’t answer to professors and stupid trials or a loser named Tyrren.”
Whether I’m bad to my core or not, something rises up from that place and breaks the spell. “I’m not the kind of girl who’ll be told what to do. I’ll be free on my own terms, thank you very much.” With my arms folded across my chest, I stomp through the undergrowth, putting space between us so I can get my head clear.
Emeric isn’t making enough sense for me to give myself over to temptation and his intoxicating lips. Twigs snap and leaves crunch as he crashes through the woods after me.
“You could be great. This isn’t about RIP anymore,” he calls, catching up to me.
I stop short. “I’ve heard enough riddles. Explain.”
“You know what I’m talking about. Deep down. You know.”
I wait to hear what he has to say.
“You remember the rain and the alley on that late-spring night?”
Stale breath hisses in my ear, a memory of that dark night sophomore year. A quaking sensation starts in that deep down place inside of me. I force myself not to trip over his comment. It can’t be true.
“I’ve wanted you for a long time. I’m paving this planet with destruction so we can finally be free. Anarchy, liberty. You could be a part of the revolution instead of a victim to it. There’s no way they’re going to be able to clean up the mess we’re going to make. Rip Jr trashed. School, over. Have you really ever liked school? No more empty pleases and thank yous. Say goodbye to the superficial reality you’ve put up with.” He extends his hand to take mine. “You and I, leading this fight, we’re going to take over. You won’t have to answer to anyone.” Temptation threads through his voice.
“Who do you answer to?”
Emeric clears his throat. “Myself.”
I don’t believe it.
“Who sent you here? Why me?”
“You? Because you’ve been robbed, imprisoned by loss. You know what pain feels like. Because you’re fierce, fearless, you want to be free.”
“Are you behind all the X-Crew crimes?”
He smirks. “I want you to help lead. You’ll have anything, everything you want. Cars, money, a sweet crib.”
“Cribs have bars.”
“A house. Leajka, listen, whatever you want, name it.”
“What I want can’t be bought. I can’t be bought.”
He grips my wrist tightly.
The iron bracelet that Tyrren made presses into my skin.
“I want you.” He holds me fast.
“You paint a pretty picture. You are a pretty picture. Almost a fantasy. But I’m not the person you’re looking for. Your gang, causing havoc all over the country, it’s not my game. Yes, I like to drive fast, I enjoy a spot of trouble sometimes, but you can’t buy me. I’m not for sale.”
I try to get loose from him. He doesn’t let go. My hands form fists. Rain starts to fall.
“I’m trying to do this the easy way. But I have to take you back. You’re the face of the future.”
I pry his fingers off me.
“And you sound drunk on bad ideas.” Again, I start walking, more quickly.
He follows, trying out new ways to convince me to join him, just on the outside of pleading.
He grabs my arm, turning me toward him. I try to twist away, but his grasp gets tighter. Sophomore year slams into my mind. The attack. The knife. The threat. Emeric repeats my name and this time I feel myself getting pulled under, like a wave, a curtain, a veil of enchantment. Part of me begs to give in. But no, something’s not right. I swat his arms away, taking him by surprise.
“Let me go,” I bark.
“Only if you come with me.”
I kick him hard and take off running on the rain-slick ground. Branches whip my arms as I crash through the woods. I suddenly feel like I’m going the wrong way. I veer right, but the ground starts to slope. I’m lost.
Emeric limps behind me, quickly closing the space between us. His wet hair lashes behind him like angry snakes.
The thin trees and long windswept grass doesn’t look familiar. I keep running and gulping air. The wind stings my eyes as they become blurry with tears. Emeric closes in behind me. Nothing on land or in the sky orients me back to campus.
“Leajka. Stop now. Make this easier on yourself. One way or another I will get you.”
I don’t fully understand what’s at stake or the specifics of the game Emeric referred to, but I need answers.
I look over my shoulder and just as I take another step, my feet slip on loose rocks. My head hits the ground hard and everything goes black.
Chapter 16
Tyrren
Whatever was left of my heart broke when Lea fell into Emeric’s arms after the Rjoklund Games. I started wandering off to the dorm like a sad sack, but something sharp and sure stopped me.
I trailed them back to where Emeric was announced the winner. I hung in the
shadows while Lea filled a plate with sweets. I followed them at a distance when he led her back to the woods. I listened while he filled her head with lies.
Lea has always been the smartest and toughest girl I know. Why would she buy into the garbage coming out of Emeric’s mouth?
There’s no time to try to understand. What I do know is that he’s behind the X-Crew crimes. He wants to recruit Lea and she’s in danger.
So that neither one of them saw me, I hid behind a rock then a tree as they argued. Now they’re on the other side of the island.
Silhouetted by a pair of headlights, Emeric carries Lea, limp in his arms, toward the vehicle.
I hurry after them until I can go no farther without being seen. He lowers her into the car. I have to stop this now or she could be lost to me forever.
“Emeric, whatever you’re doing, stop,” I shout.
He turns to me, eyes dark, muscles tense. I sense turbulence. Without hesitating, he grabs a handful of my jacket and tries to throw me to the ground.
Considering he has a car waiting, clearly violating RIP Jr rules, I brace myself for fae magic to blast me or whatever it does. Instead, he’s unexpectedly strong, as hard as stone.
He grips my arms as I move to get him in a hold. “Let go of me,” I growl, knowing my request is futile. Are fae usually this strong?
I manage to get a leg up and kick him hard. My toe hurts.
Our eyes meet. His are dark. Obsidian in the night. Familiar.
“You,” I snarl. “You’re not fae. You’re the vampire who turned me.”
His lips peel back in a grim leer. “Not as dumb as you look, are you, Tyrren?”
“Why? What do you want with Lea?” There’s no reasonable answer to those questions.
“This is much bigger than you can imagine. The violence and vandalism on the city streets? That was just me playing. Now that Lea is mine, the big show happens back in Borea.”
He moves to get in the car.
Pent up jealousy, righteousness, and anger funnel through me. A cyclone of energy pushes me to the edge of reason. I don’t answer. Instead, I swing. My fist crunches against his perfectly sculpted cheek. He drives his shoulder into my stomach. My back rubs up against the slick exterior of the car—a Jaguar. I push Emeric away from the vehicle and Lea, managing to land a punch to his jaw. With every blow, jab, and kick, I feel the pain doubly like I’m beating myself up. He’s been at this vamp gig a lot longer than me.
How did he trick the fae? Does the administration know? He’s right. This is bigger than I imagined.
Emeric clutches his nose, staring at me on unsteady feet. “Is this the part when you demand answers?” He tilts his head back and laughs.
My body aches. “You had Lea under some kind of spell,” I say. The vampire ability to mesmerize.
He wears a cocky smirk. “No, I just told her the truth. Won her heart. Became her boyfriend. The lucky guy who got the girl. The owner of this slick car,” he answers, goading me. “And who are you? No one. Nothing. Your body will wash up on the banks of the river and you’ll be forgotten. One less vampire to torment the poor people of Terra.”
I roll my shoulders. “You’re going down,” I say, startled by the sound of my own threat. I launch myself at him.
We go to war, grappling, holding, fighting. But we’re both vampires. It’s pointless.
Lightning strikes. Thunder claps. The headlights of the car brighten and speed closer. I burst from Emeric’s hold and slide over the hood, landing on the ground at the same time a sickening thud comes from where I’d just been.
The car reverses, the passenger door opens, and Lea calls for me to get in.
“You could’ve hit me,” I say.
She nods. “You’re a vampire. You would’ve survived.”
I chuckle. She has a point. “Just like Emeric. He’s a vampire too.”
“He’s more than that. A mage.” Her voice is scratchy as she bombs down a dirt road. A high fence looms to one side.
“Where are we? Where are we going?” I ask.
“There’s no way we could get off this island. Not even in this car. Whatever Emeric had going on, he was working with someone on the inside. Everyone here, the fae especially, are in danger. I want to know who’s involved. Never thought I’d say this, but we’re going back to RIP Jr.”
“Never thought I’d be happy to hear you say that.”
The campus buildings glow in the distance and we must still be inside the grounds since there’s no gate barring our way. I’d expect Lea to drive away in a blaze of glory. Instead, she slows and parks the car in the faculty lot.
I tilt my head back. “There is no denying the X-Crew is somehow connected to RIP.”
Lea’s profile is a smooth line against the night. “Emeric told me.”
“I know. I was hiding in the woods. I heard everything. Someone’s angling to abuse power, to twist and exploit the abilities of the fae. I don’t know why. But Emeric is involved.”
“Why did you follow us?” Water drips from her hair.
“I’m not jealous, not really. Go ahead be with other guys, at this point, it isn’t about that...” I trail off. Giving life to these words stings more than I expect them to.
She’s quiet for a beat. “He was making me perform the acts of vandalism. He had me under some kind of spell.”
“Vampires can do that.”
“But it wasn’t so he could bite me. Believe me, I know enough about vampires to write a book. It was something else. It was like he was compelling me to action. Felix and Cole were involved too. Emeric would just whisper orders in my ear. They’d be my accomplices.”
“I liked it better when I was your accomplice.”
She turns to face me. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I ask, suddenly afraid she’s going to declare that she’s going to join Emeric.
“I’m sorry for not being a better friend. For denying that you’ve always been the one who’s there for me. That we’re so different.”
“Well, we are.” That gulf between us isn’t as wide as before and I’d always do anything for her, but I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to bridge the gap.
She blinks a few times and I imagine she has raindrops in her eyes instead of tears.
“I want to talk to Felix and Cole, bring this to the administration. I don’t want anything to—”
Two students approach on the sidewalk.
We both slouch down.
The kind of idea I wish I’d had during the long hours of lying in bed in my dorm pops into my mind. “As of now, no one other than Emeric, you, and I know what just happened in the woods. He’s probably going to contact his connection on campus soon. I think we should play it cool. Act as if nothing happened...and infiltrate the broken system from the inside.”
Lea tilts her head from side to side. “You mean to gather information. Learn what we can?”
I mention the file again.
“Where is it?”
“My room. I can get it for you if you want proof,” I offer.
She nods.
I’m slightly disappointed that she doesn’t believe me.
She goes on, “I’m going to give them to each of the students. They have to be warned. Emeric was right. This is big. You have to get to Cole and Felix before him. Tell them you’re ready to join their team. Get whatever info you can.”
I mock-salute her, relieved. “Then what?”
“Whatever we find out, hopefully, that will help us know what to do next.”
I clear my throat. “Lea, I don’t want anything to happen to you. Despite everything, I still care about you.”
“I know,” she says. For now, those two words have to be enough.
We slip from the car and hurry to the dorm to grab the file.
The CA’s shift changes and Lea waits by them, asking about something random.
When I slip unnoticed into my dark dorm room, a hand slides over my mouth, another around my shoulders
and chest, and a knife pierces the outermost layer of the flesh on my neck. I really have to learn to turn on lights before I enter a room.
A scream catches in my throat.
“Don’t say a word if you want to live another day.” I recognize the voice immediately.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper, safe with the knowledge that I will, in fact, live another day.
I twist free, but Aaron slants the knife at me, shunting me away from the door.
“I see you tidied up in here.” His voice is thin.
The light on my desk clicks on, emitting a soupy glow while the bulb warms up.
“As long as you keep quiet, nothing will happen to her.”
“Her, meaning Lea?” We’ve been apart for thirty seconds. Did Emeric ambush her? No. I realize this was part of his failed plan. He intended to drive away with her in the car for an unknown destination. Aaron’s move was put in place before I intervened.
His smiling response is hollow, his eyes empty.
I play along. Maybe I’ll get more information than I expected. “She’s been causing trouble. All I can do now is to try to keep her safe. If my silence will do that, then I won’t say a word,” I tell him automatically.
“Good,” he says.
I meet his hazy eyes, afraid of what I might see there. “Aaron, I found your ethics book.”
“I don’t care.”
“I think you do. I think there’s a little part of you that cares. It’s not too late for you.”
“That’s the thing about losing your shadow. You don’t care about anything.” His shoulders droop.
“You must, considering you’re pointing a knife at me.”
“And I’ll drive it through your chest if I have to.”
I click my tongue. “Ah, is that how they destroy vampires these days? Did you learn that in class or elsewhere?”
He chuckles. “This reform school is a joke. It’s a sham.”
I raise my eyebrows, eager for info. “How so?”
“No one is who you think they are.”
“Such as? And don’t worry, I’m not going to say anything. You and your friends run along and tear the world apart. I know, it’s a game. I’m supposed to pick a side. I’m bound to live for all eternity. I’m just curious to know who’s playing. Give me info and I’ll give you what you want.” I reward him with a grin.
