by C. R. Jane
Lowering my head, I rush toward one of the empty seats at the rear of the room, glad to be off my shaky legs before I trip and draw even more attention. I dig into my bag and draw out the mythology book, ready to dive into my studies and forget the messed up start to the day.
“Ms. Jones, we’re on page 239,” Mr. Dusk begins. “Amarok. They were once believed to be gigantic wolves that lived in the lands of the arctic. Legends said they preferred to hunt alone rather than in packs like normal wolves. But we know today that long ago, many of the untraveled woods had a variety of wolves living there. And we also know that those animals would have left the forests and come in contact with people, leading to these overexaggerated tales. Similar mythologies also come from across the world. The lore of wolves crosses many cultures, so who can tell me the significance of wolves appearing in so many myths?”
Half the class has their hands up, while I look back down and scan the text to catch up on the earlier discussion.
“Adeline,” Mr. Dusk calls out, amusement in his voice. “What are your thoughts?”
I lift my gaze, Clarissa glaring over her shoulder at me, while most of the class turns toward me. I wrack my brain on everything I know about wolves and say the first thing that comes to mind.
“They symbolize guardianship and loyalty,” I say, my mouth suddenly dry. “But they’re mostly seen as predators and associated with danger. Many cultures also associate them with being a warrior on one hand and the devil on the other. They represent the dangerous aspect of our lives, teaching people to be careful about going into untraveled woods, into the unknown.” I rattle on, spewing out everything I can think of.
Mr. Dusk nods, his lips tight, and goes back to his book. I smile to myself, taking that as a win.
The class door opens, and the class falls silent once more. I lift my head and gasp a bit too loud.
My mind stutters for a moment as I stare at Connor walking into my class, talking to Mr. Dusk. Their words fade behind my heartbeat, thumping in my ears while sickness rises through me.
No, he can’t be in this class… not with me. Panic swirls in my chest and it shouldn’t have, but with him comes memories of my old school, of being pushed around, and I’m trying to leave the past behind here. Stand up for myself, have new friends, work out whatever was going on with my feelings for Alexander and his gang… Well, that includes Professor London if I had to be honest with myself.
“Welcome to our new student, Connor Whitehouse,” Mr. Dusk announces.
I keep my head low, eyes averted, refusing to look at Connor. Don’t sit next to me. Please don’t.
It isn’t long before movement appears at my left. He slumps into the seat, and I cringe on the inside.
I slowly shift my body away from him, not to be seen, not wanting to deal with the past.
The class continues, and I sit in a half-twisted position, trying to be as far away from him as possible within the confines of my desk.
A small piece of scrunched up paper lands on my desk from his direction, and I look up, half expecting Mr. Dusk to have noticed. He doesn’t, and I snatch the paper before unraveling it and flattening it in my palm.
Hey beautiful. Guess who’s just started at Raven Academy? We need to catch up.
Anger coils in my gut, and I glance over my shoulder at Connor. Something about him has changed since I last saw him… there’s an aura of darkness around him while he stares at me with those eyes that have always made me weak in the knees. He has an Italian heritage that shows in his features, making him so damn handsome.
He smirks and winks. A part of him will always have a soft spot in my heart for helping me with my dad, but he betrayed me with Alexia. And as far as I’m concerned, making up is a little too late. I turn away from him and stuff the note in my bag. Nope, I don’t have time for him now or ever.
Chapter 3
I have my textbook stuffed into my bag even before the bell rings, and the moment it sounds, I jolt from my seat and run out, swerving past students to push myself out into the hallway.
“Adeline,” Connor calls out, but I ignore him and keep going.
I don’t want to hear his excuses or have him pretend none of the past happened.
Where’s Mercy when I need her… I scan the corridor flooded with students pouring out of classrooms.
My skin shudders, and my heart thuds louder than I thought possible. He isn’t my ex… we never dated, but I fell for him too hard. And now he thinks I’m supposed to be okay with him acting all friendly. Well, I’m not okay with it. I need him gone, to leave my past just that… the past.
More than anything, I secretly want him to hurt, to crush him like he crushed me.
No. I don’t need him anywhere near me or to be reminded of the fool he’d made out of me.
I glance back over my shoulder and see no sign of him, then breathe a sigh of relief. The school is large enough for us to be able to avoid one another. Though I can’t deny my curiosity to understand why he’s here. Did he get offered a scholarship? He lived with his uncle after his parents died in a traffic accident when he was younger, and his uncle wasn’t made of money.
I don’t want to think about him anymore, so I push those thoughts aside and remind myself calculus is next. I join Mercy in class, she’s already yawning.
“Forget to sleep last night?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes. “I went to bed at nine but I’m still tired. I swear I’m becoming a granny.”
I laugh at her over exaggeration. “Maybe you’re just not sleeping well.”
She shrugs and pulls out her book as the rest of the class streams inside the room, and I hold my breath, praying Connor doesn’t join us. When Ms. Lenuta joins us and shuts the door, I lounge back in my seat and smile.
“What’s going on with you? You look spooked,” Mercy murmurs.
“After the whole assembly thing and me getting paired with Alexander, I bumped into this guy from my old school. He now goes here apparently.”
“What’s his deal? Did you have a crush on him? Or you had a one-night stand? Tell me it’s something juicy.”
I eye her sharply. “I don’t want to remember anything about my old school.” But when she studies me like a scientist examining a bug, I give Mercy a fast rendition of my past with Connor. “He’s an ass who used me for some reason I still don’t understand.”
“Shit, so he’s a jerk.”
“Mhm. And now he’s acting all friendly like it never happened.”
“Gotta just face him and tell him to get lost, or he’ll keep lingering around you like a virus carrying mosquito.”
“Ew, that’s a horrible image.”
She cocks her brow and gives me the you-better-listen-to-me look.
The teacher finally gives one loud clap and glares our way to quiet down. I can’t get Mercy’s words out of my head… maybe she’s right. Deal with Connor now, and then pretend he doesn’t exist.
When Ms. Lenuta starts her lesson, Mercy leans closer and whispers, “I bet your lover boys at school will be jealous of him.”
I scrunch my nose. “Don’t think so. And they’re not my lover boys. Plus, I’m going to tell Connor to leave me alone for good.”
She arches a brow, and I shake my head, focusing on the lesson. After a double period, my eyes are strained from staring at all those formulas. We head out of the class with Mercy yawning again.
“I need a triple strength coffee before I collapse and sleep for a week straight,” she mutters.
When we step into the hallway, someone snatches my arm and hauls me aside so fast, I lose my breath. I spin from the motion and my back hits the wall.
Alexander is there, towering over me, glaring down at me. “You didn’t wait for me,” he snarls.
It takes me several moments to remember what in the world he’s talking about until it comes back to me.
“I-I forgot. But I’m fine.” When he doesn’t move, I shove a hand into his firm chest. He doesn’t budge. �
�Look, I get you’re meant to protect me and all that, but I don’t need to be walked from each class. It’s a bit much don’t you think?”
He doesn’t move but stares down at me with such intensity in his eyes that he leaves me trembling. It has nothing to do with fear, but something about his over protectiveness that leaves me jittery, excited, and all kinds of confused things swirling inside me. He always makes me feel things I shouldn’t. Like an addiction, when he’s near me, I lose myself, my thoughts, my inhibitions.
“You heard the girl,” Mercy pipes in from beside us. “Go be a caveman elsewhere.”
Alexander doesn’t even turn to look at my friend. “I just want to keep you safe, Adeline. Come, I’ll walk you to lunch.” His voice softens and a tenderness crosses his gaze, chasing away the earlier anger. I believe his sincerity and it ignites a small flame in my heart for him. His hand reaches over and touches my arm gingerly. In that split second, every nerve in my body is electrified.
He steps back, waiting for me to take the lead. Mercy loops her arm around mine and drags me down the hall. Alexander’s footsteps sound closer behind us. She leans closer. “He’s taking this whole Guardian thing pretty seriously, isn’t he?”
I nod, not sure what to make of his focus on keeping me safe. “Where’s your guardian, Dixon Hall, right?”
She shrugs and murmurs, “Haven’t even spoken to him yet. But I bet he sounds rough and sexy. Did you see how gorgeous he looks?”
I laugh. “You like your guys rough don’t you.”
She arches a brow. “Don’t we all.” She chuckles, and I swear I hear Alexander laughing softly behind us.
In the food hall, Alexander gives me a small knowing nod before he joins the other guys at the rear of the room where all the beautiful ones spend lunch. Dante is sitting on the table, drinking something, while Finn has his headphones on, and Nyx is staring at me. Clarissa is there too, with a group of others like her, all perfect and bitchy as hell.
Mercy drags me to the food counter, and I take a bowl of clam chowder served in a small bread bowl along with a diet coke. Mercy places a slice of apple cake on my tray.
“It’s the best. I swear I once ate five slices.” She reaches back and grabs another plate of the dessert and piles it onto my tray, then smiles mischievously.
We take a seat on a shared bench with others and dig into our meals.
“That’s Delilah, a new girl to the Academy,” Mercy whispers in my ear. “She’s a bit strange I hear.”
I glance across the cafeteria, following Mercy’s line of sight to a girl sitting alone. She sports a short bob hairstyle, blond with illuminated streaks that seem to almost shine beneath the fluorescent lights. She’s laying out napkins in a row on the table, then placing a spoon and fork on them, followed by her can of soda. Everything is perfectly lined up. She turns and heads back to the food counter, carrying a white bowl in her hand that she fills with peanut satay chicken. She returns a few moments later and places the bowl down on the napkin next to her other items. Nothing touches the table's surface. She delicately picks up her fork and rubs it clean with another napkin before eating. She studies everything on the table in front of her, making sure it’s all in its place, and smiles.
“Hmm she might have a touch of OCD,” I murmur.
“Is that what you call it?” Mercy sniggers in my ear. “Would love to see how she handles the communal showers.”
I almost cringe for Delilah. The shared showers make me uncomfortable most days, which is why I rush through it as early in the morning as possible so I’m alone. “Maybe we should go over there and say hello?”
Mercy’s shaking her head. “If you want to scare a clean freak, going near her while she eats is the best way to do it. My mom was the same, and she ended up eating alone during all her meals because she swore we breathed our germs on her food.”
“That’s sad.”
“It is what it is. Dad and I had fun during the meals, not caring how much of a mess we made. And we purposefully made a mess.” She smirks and stuffs a mouthful of chowder in her mouth. I’m no fool though and I know it must hurt to see her mother that way. My heart stings every time I remember Dad sick in bed. I spoke to him two days ago, and with his new treatment, he already sounded better. I make myself a mental note to call him tonight.
At the end of lunch, Alexander and his gang stroll over to our table, everyone’s eyes are on them. They move like a pack of wolves, stalking their prey, dominating and owning this school. It still baffles me that they want anything to do with me.
They stop at our table and stand there, saying not a word, but I know the drill. Alexander isn’t going to leave me alone. Finn smiles at me, while Dante winks, and Nyx studies me with something devilish washing over his expression. Something that leaves me breathless.
“Looks like your tribe’s here.” Mercy pushes the last morsel of cake into her mouth and gets to her feet, collecting all our plates before taking them to the trash.
“I’ve got P.E. next. Mercy’s with me so you don’t need to walk me there,” I explain, and just as I do, I catch Connor entering the cafeteria. My stomach drops.
Head high, he stalks past the tables, several students, including Delilah, watching him stride like he’s a god walking on water. I don’t remember him ever having this kind of impact on girls back at our old school. Something about him has definitely changed.
“Are you going to change into those tiny shorts?” Nyx asks, while Alexander catches me staring at Connor, and I quickly school myself, not needing that complication.
“Of course,” I murmur, and offer them my cutest smile, feeling stupid as soon as I do.
“Then we’re all going,” he replies too fast and exchanges a smirk with Dante.
Mercy’s at my side and looks up at the four Adonis’ in front of us. “Have any of you seen Dixon today?” she asks them. “He’s my supposed guardian but I haven’t even spoken to him yet?”
Finn steps aside and points to a guy sitting in the far corner on his own, staring down at his drink, solemn. The shadows falling across his face give him a sinister air. “He’s over there.”
“Great, he’s transformed into Marilyn Manson since the assembly. Is it safe for him to be around Mercy?” I ask.
Mercy slaps my arm and pushes in front of me, batting her eyes at Finn. “Introduce me to him. Please.” She’s breathing fast, practically drooling, and I roll my eyes.
“Sure.” Finn is already heading across the cafeteria, and Mercy is smiling wildly. She looks back at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Go without me, I’ll see you in class.”
“Let’s go,” Alexander instructs while I watch my friend fawning over a guy who hasn’t made an effort to look up from his staring match with the table.
Outside in the hallway, Alexander walks beside me, while the two others are at my back. Somehow in their presence I feel nothing but utter protection. Like nothing can touch me.
I cut a glance behind me. “Shouldn’t you two be walking someone under your guard to class?”
“Why?” Dante asks. “We’re only meant to check on them occasionally.”
I look over at Alexander who doesn’t look my way, but he takes my hand in his, guiding me outside where a cool wind curls around my hair. In this moment I know this is much more for him… more than just keeping an eye on me. It’s his excuse to spend time with me again. My smile grows on its own accord, and I don’t hide it when he finally looks my way.
Once we reach the sports grounds, enclosed by a chain wire fence, I hurry into the locker rooms and open my locker before grabbing my P.E. uniform. Girls are around me chatting and laughing, while I’m checking the entrance for Mercy. My stomach is unsettled with worry. Where is she?
I pull off my shirt and unwrap my skirt from around me, then step into my black shorts and drag them up my legs. They sit tight around my hips, revealing way too much leg, but everyone’s in the same gear. I grab my black school tee and yank it down over
my head and arms. With everything tucked back into my locker, I head outside.
The breeze is cold across my flesh, and Mr. Ash is already blowing his whistle, waving his hand over his head in a circle, and I sigh. “Ten laps. Go!”
With a grumble, I push myself into a run, and it’s not long before I find Alexander, Dante, and Nyx lingering near several trees, watching me like I’m some show pony. But instead of being creeped out, I find myself running faster, swinging my hips, sensing their gazes on me. My insides feel like velvet, and as insane as it sounds, I’m reveling in their attention. I can’t deny they’ve grown on me, though I’m not sure about them being everywhere I turn.
“Ms. Richards,” the teacher bellows, and I turn my head to see Mercy rushing onto the grounds in her tiny shorts. “Twenty laps for being late. Go!”
My friend moans loudly and kicks into a run, her curls bouncing over her shoulders as she constantly pushes her dark glasses up her nose. I want to pick her brain and find out all about Dixon, so I speed up around the yard to catch her.
Around the next curve, Alexander hasn’t moved and is still watching me. He slouches against a tree, hands deep in the pockets of his pants, while the other two hover closer to the fence.
Farther ahead, a dark silhouette emerges from the woods, his eyes locked on me. I recognize those dark eyes instantly.
Connor.
My stomach somersaults. Is he stalking me now? The toe of my sneaker catches on a tuft of grass. I trip over my feet, lurching forward, the ground racing towards my face. Panic grips my chest as I fall to my hands and knees, the grass is cold and sharp against my skin.
Several girls are howling with laughter, while someone wolf whistles in the background. I’m burning up, my cheeks on fire, and I can’t look back at the guys after falling.
A quick glance over my shoulder, and Connor is watching me too, not moving, and I want more than anything to punch him right in the face.
