School of Broken Hearts: Academy of Souls Book 2

by C. R. Jane

  “Is that enough time for everyone to be asleep?” I ask, remembering how long Mercy and I had to wait to sneak out the night before.

  “The professors know what’s up,” says Nyx with a grin. “We only have to pretend there’s a curfew tonight. Sneaking out on night two is a Raven Academy tradition.”

  I nod, wondering how a certain professor is going to feel about my companions for the night.

  “Let’s go grab some dinner,” says Finn, standing up and offering me his hand to help me up. I smile gratefully and grab it. As we all walk to dinner, I wonder if I’m even going to be able to take a bite. My stomach is alight with nerves.

  Just me and the four of them. Holy Crap.

  Alexander is waiting for me as I sneak out the back door of the cabin once again. This time I didn’t have to be as quiet since most of the girls were already gone to their own extracurricular activities. We walk silently next to each other back to Alexander’s cabin. Despite the fact that his cabin can hold twelve, somehow the guys managed to get it all to themselves for the whole trip. Which really isn’t surprising at all.

  I’m nervous so I’m glad for the quietness even if I feel a new closeness with Alexander after the day we just spent together. When we get to the cabin, I can’t hear anything coming from inside and I look at him confused. “Where is everyone? Did they fall asleep?” I joke.

  He just gives me a mysterious smile and opens the door for me. “I guess we should wake them up,” he says as I step into the room.

  It’s dark for a second, and then the light is flipped, and I’m shocked to see that there’s balloons all over the room with a giant chocolate cake set up in a table in the middle.

  “What is all of this?” I ask, feeling overwhelmed and so unbelievably touched.

  “We know your birthday is next week, but we thought we could have our own little private party while we were here before we celebrate big next week,” says Nyx, rocking back and forth on his heels like a little kid.

  “Do you like it?” asks Dante almost shyly.

  “Like it? I love it!” I gasp out, still too overwhelmed to be able to say very much.

  Each guy gives me a huge hug and then we cut the cake. I moan when I take a bite since it’s the best chocolate cake that I’ve ever had and the room quiets around me. I open my eyes and find the four of them staring at me hungrily.

  “Do I have chocolate on my face?” I ask, brushing a napkin over my mouth.

  “Just keep eating please,” says Nyx. “Even though it feels like I’m dying a slow death over here.”

  It’s only then that I realize that the sound I just made probably sounded a little bit sexual. Perverts.

  When we finish, I sit down eagerly at a table they’ve set up. It’s empty except for a deck of cards. “Are we playing games?” I ask, thinking that a night spent playing games isn’t what I would expect from the four of them.

  Alexander slides into the seat next to me with a smirk. “We were thinking we would play a little poker for a while,” he says, picking up a deck of cards and expertly starting to shuffle them.

  “I’ve never played poker,” I tell him, watching his hands move in fascination. “You’ll have to help me play.”

  “Not just poker, darlin. Strip poker,” says Nyx, and the way he says it is like he’s challenging me. I can feel all of them watching me, waiting for my reaction.

  My face is doing that annoying blushing thing again as I look down at what I’m wearing. I’m only in a casual black dress and flip flops. Hopefully I can get each flip flop to count as separate items of clothing or the guys are going to be seeing much more of me than I had planned for the night.

  “You’re on,” I say flatly, hoping they can’t hear how my voice is trembling.

  “Excellent,” says Dante as he and the others take seats at the table.

  “Here are the rules,” begins Finn, and I listen raptly as he explains everything.

  We then begin to play.

  It’s quickly obvious that these guys don’t just know how to play poker...they belong on one of those TV shows about the masters of poker. I’m already down my flip flops and my earrings when I lose yet another hand.

  “I’m assuming the dress is next,” murmurs Alexander with a smirk.

  I’m shaking as I nod and stand up from the table. I begin to pull up my dress slowly, well aware of the way that their eyes are devouring every inch of skin that I reveal.

  I’ve just got it up past my bra when the front door of the cabin suddenly crashes open, despite the fact that I saw Finn lock it earlier when we started to play the game.

  Standing in the doorway, looking murderous is Braxton London.

  “What the fuck is going on here,” he hisses, his eyes taking in the scene of me still holding my dress up around my neck and the cards that are on the table. “How dare you four take advantage of her like this?” he says coldly as I hurriedly pull my dress back in place.

  Alexander is suddenly on his feet, his chair crashing to the ground behind him.

  “You’re one to talk, Braxton. She told me all about her strange night last night. You just couldn’t control yourself, could you? You couldn’t stand that I had tasted her, and you hadn’t,” he snarls at Braxton.

  Somehow it didn’t seem that they were talking about Braxton kissing me, but what else could they be talking about?

  My thoughts are interrupted when Braxton suddenly flies at Alexander. The sound of them hitting each other is like two boulders crashing against each other on a mountain. I utter a small scream as Dante pulls me against his body protectively. Finn and Nyx make no move to stop them.

  I watch as they both exchange blows that should have knocked them both out. Tears trickle down my cheeks in torrents as I watch them try and kill each other. Over what? Me?

  I finally break away from Dante.

  “Stop,” I scream. I jump between them right as Alexander goes to throw another punch. I’m only saved from being hit by Nyx grabbing Alexander from behind and pulling him backwards. Alexander’s fist flies in front of my face, missing me by an inch.

  Everyone stops moving after that. Alexander looks like he’s in agony over what just happened. He takes a step towards me. “I’m so…” he begins, but I hold my hand up.

  I walk towards the door, tears still rushing down my face.

  “I don’t want this,” I say stiffly. “If this is what is going to happen...I don’t want any of you.”

  And then I leave.

  Chapter 14

  “One or two sausages?” Dante asks nervously the next morning, his golden eyes glinting in the sunlight. I would usually struggle to focus on anything but his biceps, his muscles clenching with each flip of the meat patties on the barbecue. But at the moment, all I can picture is the scene from last night.

  He’s wearing long shorts and a tank top, and he’s easy on the eyes. With how he looks today, he can easily be mistaken for a surfer… well with exception to his pale skin. I doubt he gets a lot of outdoor time.

  “Adi?” he asks again, a false grin stretching across his face.

  I shake my head. “Sorry, what?”

  “She’ll take four sausages,” Mercy pipes in, pressing against my side, then breaks into a laugh.

  I cut her a glare and sweep my attention back to Dante who rolls four onto my plate. He winks at me sexily, a move I ignore, while Mercy nudges me with her hip to get out of the way. I grab a bread roll and squirt ketchup on my plate while waiting for to grab her lunch.

  “Can’t believe we only have one night left here,” I murmur, guiding us to an empty log by the lake. My mind is filled with last night’s strip poker game, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at the game in the same light again.

  Mercy is yawning and when I really look at her, her face is pale and looks drained of blood. “I can’t believe some students didn’t attend.” She laughs, but her shoulders seem drooped as if she hasn’t slept for a week. Looking around, I see others look
ing similar, tired and dragging themselves around, taking slow steps, faces pale. The opposite of how they appeared on arrival at camp. In the far distance, Clarissa and her gang, including Mr. Dusk, are playing volleyball, bouncing about like gazelles, full of energy.

  It looks like a lot of people overdid it last night.

  Someone steps into my view, blocking the sun. “Seat taken?” he asks, and my stomach sinks.

  “Sure, jump on in,” Mercy says before I open my mouth to reply.

  Connor steps over the log and flops down next to me, knees spread, and takes a huge bite out of his burger, crumbs falling around his feet.

  “What do you want?” I ask and bite into a sausage before dipping it into sauce.

  “You’re so rude,” Mercy chirps. “So, Connor, you went to school with Adi, tells me something about her no one knows.”

  “What! Don’t you dare.” The food suddenly tastes sour in my mouth.

  “Only if you tell me something about her,” he replies before eating more of his burger.

  “She has four lovers,” she blurts, and I almost die.

  “Oh, my god, Mercy. Why do you say that shit?” My face is burning up. I haven’t told her anything that happened last night so she’s still under the impression that I had a hot night last night.

  “Wow, that’s impressive,” he replies. “And super hard for any other guy interested.”

  I meet his gaze, giving him the it’s-not-going-to-happen look.

  “Anything is possible.” Mercy piles two sausages onto her cut bread bun before diving in.

  “No, it’s not possible.” My gaze swings left and right between the two.

  “Come on, girl. How else am I meant to find out about you when you hardly talk about your past,” Mercy speaks with her mouth full.

  “I’ll tell you everything, anything, but not now,” I beg her, pleading with my eyes, and she gives me a nod and backs down. I don’t want Connor to get the wrong impression and start thinking we’re now friends. I’m still not ready to forgive or forget our past.

  “She’s afraid of clowns,” he announces.

  “Am not,” I turn to him.

  “So you didn’t run screaming at the school fair when the clown jumped out at you.” He arches a thick brow, and I remember the event too well, at a time when he made me believe we were friends… maybe more and that he cared. Those were some of my best memories at school, when I was no longer the invisible girl, when people talked to me, when the bullies didn’t target me. Except, Connor played me, left me feeling less of a person.

  “He scared me, that’s all,” I snap.

  Mercy’s hand finds my knee. “That would freak me out too.” Her smile is warming.

  An ear-piercing scream shatters the peace.

  Mercy and I flinch in our seats, a sausage flinging off my plate and splashing into the lake.

  Connor’s on his feet, turning toward the sound and we do the same.

  A silence falls over the camp, everyone staring at each other and then the woods. I search for my four guys, finding them all except Nyx. My heart thumps a bit too hard.

  Another heart pounding scream, and several of the students, including Profession London, sprint into the woods.

  Fear tightens around my chest and I can’t breathe.

  A student runs into the woods after the teachers, and seconds later a dozen others do the same, including Alexander.

  I don’t wait a second longer and dump my plate on the ground, then I’m running with Mercy at my side, both breathing hard.

  “What do you think it is? Snake bite? Wolf?” she huffs.

  My heart gallops and my feet are punching the ground as I race. “No idea.” Please don’t let it be Nyx. I haven’t seen him all morning and after how I ended things last night.... My logical mind insists it’s not him, but the panic strangling me isn’t so sure.

  I’m running faster and we burst into the woods, following the worn path, following its zig zagging through the woods until I see them.

  A group of students huddled around something.

  Sickness stirs in my gut

  I tell myself it’s not Nyx, but fear is blinding me as I rush forward. I shove past the students standing around, staring, staring, staring. Someone is crying.

  When I break past them, I freeze on the spot, trying to make sense of the scene in front of me. My whole body shudders.

  The guy on the floor is lifeless. Fucking lifeless. Creamy brown eyes stare up into the bright sky, his mouth just a gashed line across his pale face.

  It’s not Nyx, and my heart flutters, except I’m drowning at seeing a student dead. A student I recognize. My eyes settle on the jagged scar across his brow.

  He attacked me in the hallway, forced himself on me, until Finn… my gaze sweeps across the crowds until it settles on Finn, his posture heavy, dread crowding in his hooded eyes. He’s in shock with the rest of us… he couldn’t have done this… wouldn’t… would he?

  Dried blood stains the dead boy. So much of it covers him, the ground around him is stained from the dried blood that had soaked into the soil around him. This isn’t a recent kill… even I can tell. Which means it probably happened the other night, at the same time I was in the woods. I remember someone pushed themself on me, being rough, but the more I concentrate, the farther the memory fades.

  Braxton, he saved me… Maybe he remembers who it was?

  Mercy’s clutching my arm, and when I meet her gaze, she’s tearing up. “Do you think it’s Bethanie’s killer?” she whispers, her voice trembling.

  I swallow hard, having no clue. “I don’t know.”

  “Because if it is, then you know what means?”

  I nod but don’t want to admit the truth out loud. The answer is thumping in my mind like a massive migraine. If the same monster who killed Bethanie now took this guy, it means we go to school with them, and worse yet, they’re here at camp with us. A shiver slithers up my spine, and I glance around at everyone, seeing them in a different light.

  I wrack my brain for memories from the other night and kick myself at how foggy my head still feels about that night.

  “Everyone return to camp now,” Professor London bellows, his voice strong and demanding. “Now!” The other teachers are ushering everyone away, and the herd turns, but I slip through the crowd, and burst out, reaching Professor London’s side in no time. Mercy is lost in the river of bodies pushing back through the woods.

  “Adeline, you need to head back.”

  I whisper and lower my head to the side, so he leans closer, “The first night, when you and I were together... someone I think attacked me in the woods. What if it was the killer? Didn’t you save me? Who was it?” I keep shaking my head, trying to reach my thoughts from behind the curtain that seems to cover my memories.

  “You weren’t attacked that night” he insists, his voice harsh, and I rock on my heels. “I found you after you got lost in the woods, and I asked you why you were there. Don’t you remember?”

  I blink hard and concentrate, but so much of the night has faded. I barely remember my time with Braxton. It’s like the harder I think about it, the farther I’m pushing the memories away.

  “You’re just scared,” he murmurs. “Go back to camp and pack. We’re heading back to school one day early.” His hand is on my shoulder, my body arches closer at the touch, except something feels wrong. I feel it in my gut.

  “No something happened that night before you found me. Before you kissed me,” I insist.

  He stares me in the eyes. “Adeline, you just got lost in the woods and I found you.” He glances up to the other teachers returning from camp, the path cleared of students.

  “We’ll talk about it later, go.” Braxton gives me a light shove to move, to get out of here.

  I take one last look at the man who’s hiding something. I know it, I feel it, I just can’t bring myself to remember. But he’s well aware of what’s going on, maybe who the killer is, but for some reason is cove
ring up for them.

  My feet rush over the worn path and I take one last look at the poor guy. He attacked me at school, but I would never have really wished death upon him. Now, grief consumes me, for his family and his friends who have to now face his loss. As much as I try, my thoughts swing to my father, to what I’d do if I lost him. My eyes prick in an instant, and I wipe the loose tears escaping.

  I grab the phone from my back pocket and hastily dial home, but the out of reach signal sounds. As soon as we get back to school, I’ll ring home and check up on how Dad’s doing.

  Students are everywhere across the camp, but I’m looking for Mercy when Connor steps out from a crowd and spots me.

  I turn in the opposite direction, but his footsteps are closing in behind me.

  “Adi,” he grabs my elbow, but I shake him off.

  “Listen to me,” he growls, his face is practically up against mine.

  “Told you stay away from me.” I recoil, but his grip tightens, and he holds me near him.

  “You don’t even know how deep in trouble you are, do you?”

  I bristle and a fiery rage soars to the back of my throat, the bile tasting bitter. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Open your eyes. You’re not safe at this school. Maybe ask your parents to transfer you.”

  I shove a hand into his hard chest and free myself before I stumble backward. “You have no idea what you’re saying. What I do is none of your business.” I’ll face the devil himself before I leave this school at this point. Me being here ensures my dad’s medical bills are paid, and nothing… nothing else is more important. The dead body I just saw reinforces that for me.

  A grimace spreads over his mouth, and he closes the distance between us in two strides, suddenly looking bigger and stronger than ever. He grabs my arm and hauls me closer to the water’s edge, away from everyone. I’m stumbling alongside him.

  “I get it,” he begins. “I fucked up, and I don’t blame you for hating me, but I never wanted you hurt, you have to believe me. So that’s why I’m warning you now. Two people have died at this school already, what if you’re next? What--”