It would be easier to remove the hidden object if the mattress was flipped, but with some bending and twisting, I manage to pull a leather-bound notebook from the opening in the foam.
Once out from under the bed, I open what looks to be a diary. The handwriting is difficult to decipher, and it definitely doesn’t match what I’ve seen from Daisy. After looking at a few pages, I realize whose diary’s this is: Paul Rodale’s, Daisy’s father.
I sit back in my chair and begin to read from beginning to end. The further I get, the more disturbed I become, until I reach one of the last pages and my blood runs cold. I scan the page twice to make sure I’m not seeing things.
No. I’m not.
I rub my face. Son of a bitch. If other Norms have this information, then it’s the end of our society as we know it.
“Bryce?” Daisy asks from her bed.
I lift my chin, meeting her gaze. I don’t know what she sees in my eyes, but after a few seconds, she drops her stare to the diary in my hands and gasps.
“So, this is why you wanted to come here?” I ask, my voice low and hard.
Anger swirls in the pit of my stomach. How could I have been so blind? All this time I believed Daisy was an innocent Norm thrown in shark-infested waters. But she’s far from innocent. In hindsight, I was fucking stupid. She and her sister survived alone on the streets for seven years. She wouldn’t have accomplished that if she weren’t ruthless.
“You don’t understand.” She throws her legs to the side of the bed and attempts to stand up. Her legs are wobbly, so she braces her hand against the wall to remain standing.
“Oh, I understand. Your father discovered a weapon that can kill Idols, and he was killed for it. Do you want me to believe you ended up in Gifted Academy by chance?”
“Your mother offered me a scholarship. I didn’t seek it out.”
“My mother is an Idol-hating woman, just like you.” I spit the words out like they’re poison. And it does make me ill. The pain in my chest feels like someone stabbed me there.
I head for the door, carrying the diary with me.
“Bryce. Where are you going?”
I don’t stop until I hear a thump behind me. I turn around and find Daisy sprawled on the floor. Her hair is a mess, she’s probably still feverish, and she’s looking at me with tear-filled eyes. My heart shatters completely at the sight. I want to help her, cradle her in my arms, and say everything is going to be okay. But it’s not going to be okay. She’s been lying to us since she got here. My vision becomes blurry, and I curse her. She’s going to make me cry again.
No. I’m stronger than these fucking emotions. She won’t trick me with her pathetic weakness. Holding on to my anger, to the sense of betrayal, works in the moment. The rage keeps me in my place. I won’t let my feelings cloud my judgment again.
“Back to my apartment. If I were you, I’d pack my shit and leave. You don’t want to be around when I show this”—I shake the diary in my hand—“to the guys.”
“Please, I’m begging you. Let me explain.”
Another crack and the fissure in my heart expands. Fuck. I gotta get out of here. I walk out the door without another glance back. I’m afraid if I look at Daisy’s pitiful expression again, I’ll give in.
Damn Daisy to hell for making me fall in love with her.
13
Daisy
Through the haze of the fever, I get up. There’s a tear in my heart, a pain so sharp that it makes breathing harder. But the feeling is competing with the immense fear that’s occupying the same space. I stumble around my room, searching for my backpack. My legs feel like jelly, and staying upright is a tremendous effort. There’s no time to collect all my belongings, so I focus on the things I can’t leave without: my wallet, the book I got from the library, and my phone. Bryce took my most precious possession with him, and I’ll probably never get it back.
The dagger. What happened to the dagger that odd couple gave me? I spin around, which in hindsight wasn’t a good idea, as it almost sends me to the floor. I grip the edge of my desk and wait for the dizzy spell to pass. Then I search for the dagger, but I see nothing. Foggy memories emerge. Shit. Rufio took it from me in the treehouse, and after we slept together, I don’t remember what happened. When I came to, I was in my room.
Damn it, Daisy. How could you have been so stupid? You lost two Idol-killing weapons in a matter of days and when you need them the most.
I can’t believe Bryce didn’t kill me just now. He could have crushed me like a bug. But I believe him when he said Rufio and the others won’t be so merciful. I look out the window. The sky is dark thanks to the ominous clouds that are fast approaching. A storm is coming to Saturn’s Bay, and I know I won’t make it to the bus stop in time before it hits the school campus.
Whatever. I’ll take rain anytime over facing four vengeful Idols.
I’m only wearing a tank top and panties. I shove my legs inside the first pair of jeans I find, put on a hoodie, and grab other random clothes that I come across. With a deep, steadying breath, I amble toward the door, afraid I’ll collapse any second. Something red catches my attention in the corner of the room. Rosie’s cowboy boots. My stomach is in knots, and I don’t know if I’ll pass out or vomit first, but still I make the effort to collect them. Bryce took a part of me when he stole Dad’s diary, but hell if I’m going to leave these boots behind. I clutch them to my chest and make it to the door.
It’s my bad luck that I hear a group of seniors about to turn the corner into my corridor. I’m in no shape to bump into anyone; one look at me and they’ll know I’m easy prey. I stride in the opposite direction as fast as I can, then take the stairs. My heart is pounding by the time I reach the building’s side exit.
No sooner do I step outside than the booming noise of thunder sounds in the distance. Shit. It’s coming down soon. I continue on my painfully slow progress, clutching Rosie’s boots as tight as I can, hoping they’ll somehow give me the strength I need to make it to the bus stop. I’m about halfway from the school’s gate when the sky opens in a shower so thick it creates a gray curtain around me.
Worse, my legs are about to collapse, and black dots are appearing in my vision. I can’t pass out in the middle of the sidewalk. Using the bit of strength I have left, I inch toward the cluster of trees nearby, not going much farther into the forest now that I know about Rufio’s secret hideout. I find the biggest tree nearby and lean against its trunk, sliding down until my butt hits the muddy ground.
Hugging my knees, I rest my forehead against them and close my eyes. I could easily fall asleep here and never wake up. I must be delirious. I’ll just wait until the storm is over and then say goodbye to Gifted Academy.
But my body doesn’t want to make things easy for me. There’s the fever, then the pain. Excruciating, white-hot pain that knocks me down to the cold ground and brings forth a yell from deep in my throat that’s mercifully muffled by the pounding of falling rain. It’s like I’m being electrocuted. I’d thrash on the ground if I could, but the agony is too great for me to move.
It recedes after a minute, leaving me panting. My heart is hammering in my chest while I try to grasp what the hell is wrong with me. But my reprieve doesn’t last long. Another wave of torture hits me, stronger than before. It also lasts longer, making me wish for death.
Whatever is happening to me soon becomes a pattern. The pain comes at intervals, and each time is more devastating than the last. My jaw is sore from gritting my teeth so hard. I can’t stay here like this. I need help.
When I catch a break, I roll onto my belly and reach for my backpack. It’s completely soaked and, unfortunately, not waterproof. Fuck. I hope my phone still works.
With trembling fingers, I fish out the device. The screen is lit, giving me hope. But when I flip the phone open, another wave of agony comes, and I drop it in the mud. This torture spell seems to last much longer than the other ones. When it finally retreats, it doesn’t do so completel
y.
Breathing hard, I look for my phone. It’s almost completely buried into the ground. My heart sinks when I see the screen is black.
No!
Fat tears stream down my face as my heart sinks. There’s no calling for help. A great sense of doom descends over me. There’s no escaping my fate this time. I’m going to die helpless and alone.
14
Rufio
I lost count of how many times during the school day I wanted to bolt out of class and run back to Daisy. I got what I wanted. I fucked her senseless, something I’d been jonesing to do since I saw her in Unearthly Desires. She more than met my expectations. If I’m being honest with myself, she blew all my other sexual encounters out of the water.
The need to repeat what we did is messing with my head. She’s a Norm. I should hate her. But everything I’ve done recently is at odds with what I believe. Taught to believe, to be exact. She has a power over us. Phoenix and Morpheus aren’t immune either. Even after the punishment Morpheus received from the god who owns our asses, he didn’t turn against her.
I didn’t text Bryce for updates because I don’t want him to know I’m whipped. But as soon as the last class of the day is over, I’m cruising through the hallway like a race car. I ignore the stares and gossip. From the corner of my eye, I catch sight of Drusilla and one of her minions, Renata. Cherise, the Fringe who tried to drown Daisy, was expelled, or at least that’s what the rumors are saying. Only my mother can confirm that, but I’m avoiding the bitch at all costs.
The sky has opened up with one of the worst storms I've seen in a while. I run through the quad toward the dorm building, getting drenched in a matter of seconds. Once inside, I shake my head and push my wet bangs back. There are other students hanging out in the entrance hall, some clustering close to the vending machine. They all turn to stare at me. Fuckers.
"What are you looking at?" I bark, tired of all the ogling.
I forgo the elevator, opting for the stairs. Taking two steps at a time, I reach the landing of my floor in less than a minute. My heart feels tight all of a sudden, and I can't fathom where the feeling is coming from. I stop in front of Daisy's door and knock hard.
"Bryce. Open up," I say.
There's no answer. What’s he doing? I pull my phone out to call him, but before I press the button, the door to our apartment opens and Bryce appears.
"Get in here, Rufio," he says with an expression that matches the bad weather outside.
I keep the angry retort bottled up until I'm in our living room and the front door is closed again. "What the fuck is going on? I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on Daisy."
Bryce opens his mouth to reply, but in that precise moment, Phoenix and Morpheus walk in.
"Whoa, what's with the scowls? Did something happen to the Norm chick you guys are sharing?" Phoenix jokes, but I sense an underlying anger in his comment.
"Bite me, asshole," I snap.
"Great, you're all here. It saves me the time of repeating the same story," Bryce grumbles.
"You look positively wretched, Bryce." Morpheus frowns.
"While I was in Daisy's room, I decided to do some investigation and found this." Bryce picks up a leather notebook from the coffee table.
"What's that?" I ask.
"A diary from Daisy’s father." Bryce stares meaningfully at Morpheus.
"I take it that whatever you discovered didn't comfort you," Morpheus says.
My brother shakes his head and offers him the diary. "Read the last entries."
I intercept the object before Morpheus can and, with eager fingers, flip to the last pages. I scan the text fast, and by the time I finish, my stomach feels as tight as a coiled spring. Son of a bitch. Daisy's father must have been one of the Norm rebels my father used to talk about at the dinner table.
I lift my head to meet Bryce's eyes. "You think Daisy was sent here to kill us?"
Phoenix lets out a snort. "Come on, guys. Daisy is a fucking Norm. How could she kill us?"
"Her father discovered a weapon that can kill Idols. If this knowledge is widespread among the Norm population, how long until we have a fucking war on our hands?" Bryce replies.
"Even if they have a weapon, we have the power. We can obliterate them with a snap of our fingers," Phoenix retorts.
"God, Phoenix, you're dense," Bryce snaps. "I was kidnapped by the Knights, and they were able to void my powers for hours. Combine that with a weapon that can kill us and the fact that there are way more Norms than Idols…." Bryce stops to laugh ruefully. "We're fucked."
"Can I have the diary now?" Morpheus extends his hand to me.
"Does the diary say what kind of weapon?" Phoenix asks.
"No." Bryce shakes his head.
My nostrils flare when the realization hits me. I go to my room and retrieve the dagger I got from Daisy yesterday. When I return to the living room, I catch the end of Morpheus's reply.
"… your mother must have known about Daisy's past."
I can't offer a response to that. Mom is too smart, and her interest in Daisy is obvious. She doesn't do anything without a purpose.
"So what? She hates Idols," Bryce replies.
Phoenix's eyebrows arch. "Why would she hate her own kind?"
"Because she fell in love with a Norm, and our father killed the son of a bitch."
Bryce's reply feels like a punch to my chest. "You're joking," I say.
"I wish I was. I heard from Mom’s own mouth." Bryce's gaze drops to the dagger in my hand. "What's that?"
"This, I believe, is an Idol-killing weapon. Daisy had it on her yesterday."
Bryce takes the object from my hand with care. He inspects the handle and the peculiar blade, his eyebrows scrunched together. "I've never seen anything quite like it."
"Where's Daisy?" Morpheus asks suddenly.
Bryce lifts his gaze to Morpheus. "I told her to pack her shit and leave."
"You sent her out while she was burning up with fever?" Morpheus's voice rises until he’s almost shouting. "Are you fucking crazy?"
Bryce's expression turns into a scowl. "Why are you giving me a hard time? You've always said from the beginning she was bad news. And then you had that vision of yours."
"What vision?" I ask.
Bryce whirls around and walks toward the window. "Never mind."
"That's what's eating you. You're afraid of what I saw," Morpheus replies.
"For fuck's sake. What did you see?" Phoenix asks, clearly exasperated. I share his sentiment.
"Daisy and Bryce standing side by side, bound by the infinity band."
My eyes widen of their own accord while a deep-rooted pain takes hold of my heart. The infinity band is the ultimate promise an Idol can make to a lover.
"Come on now. You guys must know that vision is bogus. Daisy is a Norm. Only Idols can be bound with an infinity band," Phoenix contests.
"My visions have never been wrong before," Morpheus replies through clenched teeth. "Also, may I remind you that if Daisy wanted to kill either Bryce or Rufio, she had ample time to do so."
Morpheus looks meaningfully at me and my brother. I hear exactly what he's not saying. Bryce and I slept with her; she could have easily plunged the dagger into our hearts while we were distracted.
"When did this happen?" Phoenix asks.
"Maybe half an hour ago." Bryce runs his hand through his hair. He seems torn.
Phoenix pulls his phone from his pocket and places a call.
"Who are you calling?" I ask.
He holds a finger in front of his mouth and then speaks. "Joseph? Phoenix here. Can you tell me if Daisy Woods left the campus grounds?" A pause, and then he continues. "Are you sure?" Another pause. "Okay, thanks, man."
He turns to us. "So yeah, Daisy hasn't left campus."
My eyes immediately veer toward the window and the pouring rain that's coming down so quickly it’s created a gray film, making visibility hard.
"She must have got caught in the
rain," I say.
Morpheus takes his uniform jacket off and grabs a hoodie that was draped over a tall chair.
"What are you doing?" Phoenix stares at our friend.
"What does it look like? I'm going after Daisy." He doesn't wait for our reply before he strides out.
Phoenix curses and rubs his chin. "Morpheus, wait up." He runs to catch up with him.
Fuck. I want to look for her as well, but my ingrained hatred for her kind keeps me rooted to the floor.
"You're not going after her?" Bryce asks without looking at me.
"No. I'm surprised you're not out there. You saved her from certain death, after all."
He turns to me, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't know what to think anymore, Rufio. What if we made a mistake by saving her? What if she played us all?" Bryce chokes up at the end.
Son of a bitch. The impossible has happened. My brother, the coldest motherfucker I've ever known, has fallen in love.
"What's scaring you the most, brother? The possibility that Daisy is a two-faced bitch or that you're fated to bond for all eternity with her?"
Bryce's eyes narrow to slits. "I'm scared of both in equal measures. How about you, Rufio?"
"What about me?" I frown.
"Which one of those scenarios pisses you off the most?"
I know exactly what he’s doing. Does he think I'm in the same boat as him? Lusting is a far cry from loving someone.
"I just fucked the girl. I'm not an idiot to fall for her."
Bryce laughs without humor. "Whatever lies make you feel better."
I’m pissed about his implication, and naturally, I can’t have him have the last word.
“Sick as she was, Daisy can die out there. Are you okay with that?”
The lights in our apartment start to flicker. Bryce’s jaw twitches, but it’s the agony I see shining in his eyes that should give me a sense of satisfaction. Only it doesn’t. The jab hurt him, but I got caught in the whiplash too.
Ruthless Idols: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 2) Page 8
