by R L Medina
“Right. Thanks.” I nodded.
His eyes narrowed.
“Professor Cassiano.”
Lips pursed, he continued to eye me with interest. I fought the urge to squirm under his watchful gaze.
He clasped his hands. “Very good. We will meet again tomorrow morning. First thing. 6:00 a.m.”
My eyes widened. No way in hell.
“Six?”
“When one is at a disadvantage, one must work extra hard.”
He lifted a shoulder and waved me toward the exit.
“But… tomorrow is Saturday.” I let my voice falter.
I picked up my tablet and phone and trundled past him, grumbling under my breath. I knew the school wasn’t going to be easy on me, but I had no idea it would be so torturous.
“And next time, I suggest you use a locker for your belongings. That includes your gym clothes,” he called after me.
Once outside, I sucked in the fresh air and released it as the breeze blew against my sweat-soaked skin. My nose scrunched. I really needed a shower before dinner.
Oh, crap. I’d forgotten to respond to Tía Teresa. I pulled out my phone and glanced at the message again. It was almost three? How long had she been waiting at my dorm? I typed out a quick apology and let her know that I was on my way and I’d be staying on campus for dinner.
Another message caught my eye. From Shiloh and one from Javi. Typing out a quick reply to both, I started retracing my steps back toward House Dragon. I glanced back and forth, making sure no cars were coming before crossing the road.
Once at the building, I scanned my key card to let myself in. The front room was empty, but noises drifted from deep within. Somewhere music played, a soft classical piece that instantly reminded me of back home. Papi always preferred Spanish ballads, but our cook, Marta, loved classical piano music. She always commented on how she felt she missed her calling by not pursuing music. That story always made me sad for her and remembering it now, was twice as depressing.
Would I ever see her or anyone else I knew again? I hugged my arms around myself as I stood in the giant empty entryway. Even if I could go back and pretend I was normal, how long would that last? Would my old friends still accept me if they found out the truth about me and my family? It was too crazy for me to believe and I was living it.
A ping came from my phone, snapping me back to the present. Tía Teresa was done with my room. I frowned. What did that mean? She didn’t go through all my stuff, did she? Putting away my phone, I headed for the elevator and pushed the third-floor button.
I’d gotten through the day, now just a few more hours before I could crash in my bed. A bed that was in a room shared with someone else, I remembered.
Perfect. Now I have an audience to watch me break down.
Taking a steadying breath, I forced the emotions away. By the time the elevator stopped, I would be able to face them all again.
I got off and headed for the room, but when I got there, I paused. I didn’t get the room key from Javi. Before I could knock, the door swung wide open. My tía and Shiloh welcomed me in with warm smiles.
“Rosa, I put your clothes in the closet and all your bathroom stuff away. If you need more of your things, we can send for them. Shiloh tells me you two already have plans for dinner tonight?”
I glanced at my new roommate. She adjusted her glasses and grinned. “There’s a little place right on the beach. The school’s private beach.”
“Sounds good to me.” I nodded.
Tía Teresa smiled. “How nice. I got you a new student ID card with money loaded. Do you need cash as well?”
My eyebrow arched. I still had what was left in my wallet, but a girl could always use more cash. “Sure?”
She dug into her purse and handed me a wad of cash along with the ID card. If Shiloh was shocked at the giant wad, she didn’t show it. Maybe she was just as rich or maybe she was just that polite.
“Gracias, Tía.” I took the money and card.
Rose instead of Rosa greeted me and there was a more updated picture of me. It was one Papi took on my birthday in January. I stared at my smiling face, my heart growing heavy.
You thought you were going to have the best year. Ha.
My tía’s dark eyes searched my face. “Todo bien, Rosa?”
No. How could anything be okay given the circumstances? But I wasn’t going to open up to her right here in front of a stranger.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Just a busy day.”
She frowned, but thankfully didn’t push the issue. Shiloh turned away and was focusing on some papers at her desk.
“If you need anything, you’ll call?”
I nodded. No.
“You can come to the house anytime you need to. Your friend is welcome too.” She glanced at Shiloh.
“Okay. Gracias.”
Tía Teresa fiddled with her purse, peering around one more time before she looked back at me. “Okay. Well, goodnight, girls. Rosa, I’ll be in touch.”
She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek before waving to Shiloh. I shoved my cash and new ID with my updated name into my messenger bag hanging in the closet. The sight of all my clothes, shoes, and accessories made me pause.
This was real. This was my home now.
I glanced at my bracelet, angry tears pricking my eyes.
“How were your classes?” Shiloh’s voice called behind me.
Blinking away the tears, I straightened and turned back to her. “Fine. I got to change to online courses for the freshman and sophomore classes. Oh, and I met my mentor.”
Her eyes widened. “Who is it?”
I made a face. “Professor Cassiano.”
She blinked. “Really? That’s… I’m surprised.”
My eyebrow arched. “Why?”
Her cheeks reddened. “Well, he doesn’t take many students on for mentoring. Something happened with one of his old students a long time ago… they went psycho or something and he felt responsible. He’s… a great teacher but very strict.”
I snorted. “Yeah, I got that.”
We fell silent.
“So, I gotta shower and change. I don’t have to wear this uniform for dinner, right?”
She smiled. “Oh, no. You can wear whatever you like. It’s super casual.”
My body relaxed. A casual meal on the beach sounded good to me. I glanced down at my bracelet.
Wait… would it let me go? How was I supposed to explain that to Shiloh? Grabbing my tablet, I typed out a quick message to Javi.
Shiloh and I are going to the beach to eat. Can you tell your dad not to zap me with the bracelet?
His reply came right away: Sure. But I’ll have to come too. To keep an eye on you :P
I rolled my eyes and didn’t respond before turning back to Shiloh.
“Hey, is it okay if Javi comes with us? Sorry, I forgot he wanted to do dinner together.”
She stiffened. “Oh. Okay. Sure, no problem. I don’t care if he comes.”
Her face was turned away from me, but her body language said it all—she definitely cared. Curiosity piqued, I debated asking her outright how she felt about my cousin, but decided I was too tired to get into it. If we were gonna be roommates, there would be plenty of time.
“Thanks. I’ll hop in the shower before Ashley’s turn.”
She turned to me and smiled. “Okay. Take your time.”
And I did. The hot water worked its miracle on me, making me feel refreshed. Or maybe it was the gorgeous, sleek-stoned shower. Was this how rich people felt all the time?
The stress of the day washed away along with the dirt and sweat, but I couldn’t get my encounter with Grayson out of my mind. Him and those blue, steel eyes.
So not what I needed to think about.
After I was done in the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and went to the closet to pull out some comfortable clothes. It was probably colder on the beach, so I opted for ripped black jeans and baggy black sweater. When I looked over at
Shiloh, I noticed she changed too. A stark white long sleeve dress with high heeled tan boots.
So much for casual. Was my cousin’s presence influencing her clothing choice?
She pulled a giant brown poncho from her bed post and put it on over her dress. Noticing my stare, she glanced up at me and flushed.
“Too much?”
I bit back a smile. “No. You look great.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
I snorted. “Thanks.”
“So, am I going to be in trouble for showering off schedule?” I asked her as I hunted down my makeup.
“No. It’s your first day. And I don’t think they’re even here. A lot of students like to go to the city on the weekend.”
“The city?”
She looked up from putting in her contacts. “LA.”
My eyebrows shot up. “We’re allowed to go to LA on our own?”
That seemed surprising for a school that didn’t allow you to eat food in a garden.
“Yeah, one of the biggest offices is right in the city. There are a lot of GRIMMs stationed there. It’s a pretty big hub for extraordinaire.”
“You mean like… shifters and things?”
She blinked at me. “Yeah. Do you… I don’t mean to pry into your business, but most of us have grown up with the protocols and stories drilled into us. Did your parents teach you… the history?”
A sharp, bitter laugh escaped me. “No. They didn’t.” I sighed and glanced away. “My mom died not long after I was born and my dad… he didn’t want me to become a GRIMM. But now that he’s dead… I guess I don’t really have a choice.”
Shiloh’s eyes widened. “I am so sorry, Rose. This must all be so confusing and horrible for you.”
I shrugged, unable to meet her gaze and see the pity I knew I’d find there.
“I’m giving it a year. A year at the academy to see if… I fit in, I guess?”
She nodded. “I promise I’ll do whatever I can to help. Ask me all your questions if you want.”
I smiled. “Thanks. Right now, I just want to eat and pretend the world is normal and not filled with monsters.”
“Oh…” Her face fell.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“It’s just… the owner of the beach shack… she’s a witch.”
“A witch?”
Shiloh’s eyebrows knitted together. “Yes. But they’re not monsters. Not all of them. Gloria is really nice.” She hesitated. “But if you’re not up for that, we can eat on campus instead.”
“No. That’s okay. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“What time did you tell Javi?” she asked.
For some reason, the nickname sounded funny coming from her.
“He says he will be ready in an hour so that probably means two.”
She smiled. “Time to finish some homework, then. Perfect.”
I snorted. It was obvious she, unlike me, was a good student. I glanced at my tablet and made a face. Instead of getting to work, I looked over the tablet, trying to figure out all the icons and schedules.
Before long, the sky was darkening, and a knock sounded on our door.
We turned in unison. “Come in.”
The door opened and my cousin stood on the other side, definitely dressed for a date and not beach casual. His dark jeans and dressy half opened shirt screamed for attention and his hair was slicked back.
He smiled at us. “You ready? I’m starving.”
I side eyed Shiloh to see her reaction. Her face was flushed, but she nodded.
“Are you gonna drive?” I asked him.
He was staring at Shiloh. “You look great, Shy.” He gave her an appreciative grin.
“Thanks. You too.” She glanced away.
My eyebrow arched at the exchange. Well, this wasn’t going to be awkward at all. Playing third wheel while my cousin made his moves and my roommate politely rebutted them.
“Aren’t you grounded from driving?” I broke their stare.
Javi’s ears reddened and he flashed me a dirty look. “No.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but quickly shut it. Whatever.
Grabbing my black studded messenger bag from the closet and slinging it over my shoulder, I followed Javi and Shiloh out of the room and toward the elevator. His cologne was so strong I had to turn my head to cough. Shiloh didn’t seem to mind it. We passed by other students who glanced curiously in our direction.
“So glad we got out of family dinner night,” Javi muttered to me inside the elevator.
“Me too,” I agreed.
I had no desire to eat with my tío. My eyes fell on the bracelet, the familiar anger returning but instead of the raging fire I felt before, a smaller, dimmer one had taken its place.
Had I already grown comfortable with my shackles? That thought drove fear inside me. I couldn’t let them win that easily. I needed to hold on to whatever was left of my old life. Didn’t I?
“So, what did you think of your first day?” Javi broke the silence.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened before I could answer him. We filed out and headed toward the back of the building. More and more students milled about. Some dressed to go out and some shuffling around in sweats and yoga pants. Javi seemed to know everybody and we caught the eye of more than one person.
By the time we made it outside to the car, I had met more people than I cared to. Shiloh stayed quiet. Quiet and polite. I didn’t know her that well, but she seemed to be the opposite of Javi, who wouldn’t shut up for more than one second.
“I hope Gloria made her coconut shrimp!” he exclaimed, eyes flashing with excitement.
Shiloh smiled. “With that delicious secret sauce?”
He nodded emphatically. “So good. Rose, get ready to be mind-blown.”
“Over some shrimp?”
“You’ll see.” He waggled his eyebrows, making Shiloh flush.
The drive was quick. Their private beach was right across from the academy itself. Javi pulled up to a small shack. I blinked in surprise. The Beach Shack was literally just that—a shack. Sun stripped wooden boards stood slanted against the sand; the roof caved in and various gaping holes covered the building.
Javi laughed. “Look at her face, Shy.”
I frowned at him. “What about my face?”
“Wait until you see the inside.”
13
My nose scrunched up as I undid my belt and stepped out. We were in the middle of the beach, parked on the sand and there were no other cars.
Was this some kind of joke? I really hoped not, because I was promised mind-blowing shrimp and if Javi didn’t deliver on that, my hangry side would surface.
“It’s warded. The parking lot and the shack too,” Shiloh explained.
I stared at her.
“Invisibility ward. So, the ordinaires can’t see anything… well, all they see is the shack, but it’s warded with rune locks too so they can never get in.”
Javi chuckled. “You should see them trying. Hi-lar-ious.”
“That seems kinds of mean.”
He frowned at me. “So, what, we should tell them all our secrets? They wouldn’t be able to handle the truth.”
“Some might.”
He paused and gave me a frustrated look. I could sense an argument coming.
“Yes, I agree. Some would, but some would not. The last time the ordinaires knew about the extraordinaire well… it led to a war,” Shiloh interrupted.
“How come no one remembers this war?”
Javi scoffed. “Because of the GRIMMs.”
Shiloh frowned at him. “And the extraordinaire. Without them unifying and using their magic, we wouldn’t have been able to perform such a huge spell.”
She turned to me. “The ancient fae created a rift for all the extraordinaire to leave this world to find new homes and those that chose to stay, agreed to the GRIMM laws.”
“And the ones that refused to leave and were determined to destroy us were ki
lled or imprisoned,” Javi added.
“There’s a lot of events that happened that led up to that,” Shiloh agreed.
“And I’m guessing I’ll have to learn all this history?” I groaned. “So unfair. I already learned U.S. history and now I find out it’s all BS. I have to relearn it all!”
Javi opened the door for us, and a waft of warm bread and seafood hit us. My stomach rumbled in anticipation.
A curly haired middle-aged woman glanced up from the bar. “Welcome. Come in and find a seat. Someone will be with you.”
“Thanks. Gloria, you got the coconut shrimp tonight?” Javi shouted over the noise.
The woman grinned. “Of course.”
My eyes widened. The place was huge. Huge and packed. Javi led us past the front tables to a booth in the back. I slid in and glanced around. The shack was spacious with a beachy feel. What you would typically find in a beach restaurant—seashell decorations, a pretty pastel theme, and island music playing.
But there was something else, too. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something felt… different.
“The magic. You feel it?” Shiloh noticed my scrunched-up face.
“I… I don’t know.”
She closed her eyes and lifted her hands up. “I feel it too. Gloria and her staff all have their conduits, so the magic is more concentrated here.”
I gaped at her. “What do they use the magic for?”
“They shouldn’t be using it for anything,” Javi cut in.
Ignoring him, Shiloh looked at me. “Magic can be used legally for all kinds of things as long as it doesn’t endanger or expose an ordinaire. They have a protection spell over the shack, that much I can tell.”
“To keep out the vamps.”
My eyes snapped to Javi. “Vamps as in vampires? Here?”
“Yeah, vampires live everywhere. Even Malibu.”
The words left me feeling shaky. I mean, of course, I knew there had to be more than shifters roaming around, but the idea of blood thirsty Draculas running loose too made me never want to go out in public again.
Someone walked by carrying a tray full of mouthwatering dishes. Fish and fries, fresh salads, and lots and lots of shrimp. Fried, grilled, steamed all varying dishes and smells. When our server came, I ordered the fried shrimp and special sauce they raved about.
