by C. L. Stone
Was he rambling? He stuck his tongue to the roof of his mouth, stopping himself from talking any more. He started arranging what he wanted to use to clean her arm, and then looked up, noticing her stare. He looked quizzically at her. Did she know? Could she tell when he lied? He wasn’t sure if he had many tells left, maybe a few, but some people were more perceptive of others. Maybe she...
“...name,” she said, in a soft voice.
He stopped for a second, confused. “Hm?”
“I don’t know your name.”
He started to smile. Of course. “I’m Kota.” She stood quietly, and he found it hard to read her. He released a chuckle. “What’s yours?”
“Uh...Sang.”
There was a short pause, like he expected more to it, or that maybe he’d heard it wrong. “As in, I sang a song?”
She nodded. “I know it’s weird.”
Weird wasn’t the term he would have used. Unique was better. “No weirder than ‘Kota’.”
She smiled, and the subtle change boosted Kota’s confidence. This had to be the right thing. She had to feel safe here. Mr. Blackbourne and the others couldn’t say anything against this.
Part of him didn’t really want to mention it. Maybe he didn’t have to. What if he could talk to her and figure out what the problem was? He normally wouldn’t hesitate to bring anything to Mr. Blackbourne or the other members of his team, but if he could solve it himself quickly enough, or at least provide some support for her, there wouldn’t be a reason to ever tell them.
He wanted to believe, but she was standing in his bedroom late at night after she’d tried to run off. There couldn’t be a simple reason for that. Most girls wouldn’t have followed him home. Most girls would have been suspicious. But this one didn’t seem like most girls.
He prepped a clean cloth with the peroxide quickly. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “And please don’t hate me.”
“For what?” she asked.
He took her arm, and as gently as he could, applied the cloth to her arm. She stiffened hard at first, like it was unexpected, and then started shaking.
Kota grimaced and tried to clean her arm quickly. She turned her head away, and he assumed it might be easier on her if she wasn’t watching what he was doing. The gash was raw, and bled a bit, but looked like it was mostly a surface wound. He could imagine it really stung.
He found a large bandage to cover it. She didn’t say anything, or reach to do it herself, so he went ahead and applied it. “I think you’re patched up,” he said, rubbing the edge of the bandage to make sure it stuck, and then tossed the wrapper away. “Anything else broken or bleeding?” Please say no. Not that he wouldn’t fix it, but the arm was enough to feel guilty about.
She shrugged and shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Kota wasn’t really sure if that was true. She did fall, so he imagined a few more body parts struck the ground pretty hard. Maybe she meant there wasn’t anything scraped up like the arm. If that was the worst of it, then—while it wasn’t perfect—it wasn’t so bad. He nodded. “Okay. Well, Sang, I hope this won’t ruin your impression of me right off.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. She looked...alert. Curious. Her eyes darted around, her body shook. She was nervous, and he understood, but that spark of interest in her eyes captured his attention. She wasn’t too afraid of him.
He thought of an angle he could start from to figure out what was going on. It was on the tip of his tongue to simply be blunt and ask outright, but he got the feeling she might not answer, or might quickly get uncomfortable. It’d be better to ease into it to gain her trust. “I mean we are neighbors, right? Your family just moved in?” It was an obvious question, but he had to start somewhere.
Her eyes widened. Was she surprised by the question? Or surprised that he noticed they’d moved in? Maybe it felt like he recognized her, and she didn’t recognize him. “Yes,” she said. Her head shook a fraction. “No.” Her head moved slightly in a nod. Kota’s training would normally say she was lying, but it felt more like she just wasn’t sure how to answer. “I mean, don’t worry about it. It was just an accident.” She pressed her lips together.
Kota struggled with how to ask, because her lip movement usually meant she didn’t want to reveal too much. Instinct told him she maybe wanted to talk, but wasn’t sure if she should. She didn’t trust him that much yet. Still, he thought if he asked, she’d at least try to answer. “So what were you doing out so late?”
Short pause. Her eyes darted, and Kota knew it was a lie before she even said it. “Just taking a walk. I couldn’t sleep.”
“With a book bag weighing a ton on your back?” he asked. He was trying to be delicate in calling her out. “In the middle of this weather?”
Her cheeks turned red. Her lips twitched like she wanted to say something, but couldn’t find the words.
Worse than he thought. He tried to look sympathetic. “Hey, I’m sorry. Look, it’s personal. Whatever it was, did you have to do it in the middle of the night?”
Her shoulders moved back, her chest expanding as she breathed in. “It felt like a good idea at the time.”
She answered because he’d asked, but she seemed to not want to talk about it.
Then he realized she was still in wet clothes, probably freezing, and really stressed. If he was going to get her talk, she needed to be more relaxed and comfortable first. “Okay,” he said. “Here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to find you something to wear. I’m going to go downstairs to change. I’ll make some hot chocolate, too. If I come back and you’re not here, I’ll understand. If you are, you get to tell me what’s going on.” He moved closer, and slowly, until his head was near hers; he wanted her full attention.
For a moment, he stopped, because those light green eyes stole his attention. It was a delicate cut across his heart, feeling her wanting to trust him, the curiosity still as bright as ever, and then that little twinge of haunted ghosts floating around inside her. She held back because that was how she protected herself.
Take a chance, he told himself. Be honest with her about what you want. “I make a halfway decent friend, if you give me a chance.”
She didn’t say anything, but she nodded. She turned her head to look away.
He studied her for a moment. Was she just trying to appease him for now? If he went downstairs, maybe she’d take her things and go.
He couldn’t make decisions for her. He could only offer to help.
If she tried to run off, he’d have to call Nathan. He’d have to call on the others. He’d follow her, to make sure she was okay. He might not be able to push her to stay, but he wasn’t going to let her run off in the middle of the night without making sure she was safe. The Academy could send in a girl, perhaps, someone she might be more comfortable talking to.
He hoped she’d stick around. The longer he stood there, the more determined he was to figure this out.
He moved to the closet quickly, seeking out some clothes for her to change into. He supposed she might have something to wear in the book bag she carried, but he wanted to offer something.
“It’ll be big on you,” he said as he pulled out a gray T-shirt.
He found some pajama bottoms as well, some a little too small for him. They might actually have been Gabriel’s or Luke’s, but their clothes sometimes got shuffled. Gabriel sorted through them when he got a chance, but they’d all been pretty busy lately.
He folded the clothes over his arm. “These might be too big as well, but at least they have a tie.” He closed the closet and turned. She’d retreated a bit into the bathroom, and he offered them to her. She took them willingly, and he watched her expression. She seemed compliant. She’d gone deeper into the bathroom, not out further into the bedroom, toward the stairs. A good sign she wasn’t going to leave. “Just put your wet things in the bathtub for now. When they aren’t so soggy, we’ll toss them into the dryer.”
Her lips moved, and for a moment,
it looked like she wanted to say something.
Then she smiled.
It was the warmest smile he’d seen from her the entire night, and perhaps since he’d noticed her at all. It lit up her eyes in a way that—in spite of the chilled, soggy outward appearance—struck him as absolutely stunning.
Kota struggled, wanting to smile, wanting to say something. Anything. Tell her she’s pretty. Tell her she’s safe. His words were lost.
What was wrong with him? He’d never felt so jumbled before.
He gently closed the bathroom door and leaned back against it, waiting, listening. If she wanted to leave, she’d turn the handle and peek out to see if he was gone.
Nothing. For a long moment, he didn’t hear anything. Maybe she was considering her options.
He waited for shuffling. When he heard her move, and it wasn’t to open the door, he blew out a breath, relieved.
At least for now, Sang was safe. If he had anything to do with it, that’s the way it’d stay.
He walked away quickly. He wanted to get downstairs to make something warm to drink and get back before she had a chance to change her mind.
As he moved, his heart was racing, pounding. His mind was zipping through ideas, one after the other. He tried counting; he was way too excited.
He shouldn’t feel like this. He was helping someone else, someone in trouble, but the deepest part of him was struggling to control a happy spark inside.
He knew, even if he didn’t want to admit it, that he did want to help Sang, but at the same time, he had a selfish desire to learn everything about her. Those green eyes of hers, that amazing smile... he wanted to see that smile again. He wanted it to stay in place and not disappear.
He swallowed, trying to pull himself together. He needed to focus.
Despite telling himself this, his thoughts settled on that smile. Those lips. Her lips. They managed to melt him in ways he hadn’t expected.
He pressed a palm against his chest, trying to calm his heart, as he hurried to do what he needed to so he could get back to her.
He’d help Sang, no matter what it took.
Bonus – First Days!
Turn the page for a sneak peek at First Days, the next book in The Ghost Bird Series
The Academy
The Ghost Bird Series
First Days
♥
Book Two
♥
Written by C. L. Stone
Published by
Arcato Publishing
For the real “Mike”, who asked me repeatedly to marry him before knowing my name.
Monday
Following The Leader
That Monday morning in August in South Carolina was scorching. I was grateful for the shade of the front porch and the sweet coolness of the concrete on my bare legs. I stared down the mailbox, urging the postman to hurry.
It was the day before the beginning of school. I had an unusual affinity for classrooms and homework and being among other people my own age. It meant I could watch how they interacted and try to understand reality, normalcy.
This year would be different.
A wasp hovered in the hydrangea bushes along the front of the porch. I ducked my head as it flew past my ear and beyond, toward the neighbor’s yard.
The mailman’s truck meandered up to the box. The moments ticked by and I could see him fiddling with a collection of envelopes through the window. I crouched below the barrier of the porch and out of sight. I prepped my knees to get ready to run.
The glass door swung open behind me. “Is that the mail?” Marie asked. My older sister stepped out on to the porch. Her angular eyes squinted at the crisp morning sunlight. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail that hung at her neck, the strands reaching down midway on her back. Her t-shirt advertised a marathon she’d never participated in. Her jeans were long, covering most of her feet except for her toes.
I couldn’t understand how she could wear so much clothing, but I didn’t really expect her to stay outside for long. I thought of how different we looked. I had dirty blond hair, or chameleon hair as Gabriel liked to remind me. He said it changed color depending on the lighting. With my cut off blue jean shorts and a thin pink blouse, I was barely tolerating the humidity.
I turned again to refocus on the mailman. I could still make it.
In that instant, the mailman pulled away from the mailbox for the next one down the street.
I flew off the top of the porch stairs, landing hard on the small sidewalk path that wound around the house and sprinted across the yard. I was halfway across before Marie managed to make it off the porch. When it was clear I was going to get there first, she stopped her pursuit.
I pulled out all the mail, shuffling through bills and junk mail to find an envelope with my name on it. The orange emblem of Ashley Waters High School was printed in the corner. I held on to it, crossing the yard at a slower pace. My heart was pounding from both the running and the thrill of what I held in my hands. A new school, a fresh start, and this time I had an advantage. This year, I wouldn’t be alone.
“Hand it over,” Marie said, meeting me halfway in the yard.
I removed my envelope out of the pile and gave her the rest. She took the cluster of mail and headed back into the house. If she had gotten to it first, she would have kept my envelope and, more than likely, given it to our mother and I would have had to fight with her to get it back.
I remained in the yard, waiting for my sister to disappear. When the front door closed behind her, I spun on my bare feet and sprinted down the street to Kota’s house.
I couldn’t let my sister know where I was going. My family couldn’t learn my secret. Not yet.
The boys were waiting for me.
♥♥♥
Kota’s black rimmed glasses were sliding down his nose a little as he was checking the mail. I called to him from up the road. He looked up and waved to me, pushing his glasses up his nose with his forefinger, masking his exquisite green eyes. “Did you get it?” he asked.
Dakota Lee and I have a tender friendship. Randomly a week ago he brought me into his circle of friends. It was how I came to learn about the Academy, the secret school they held loyalties to. The only problem was, I didn’t know a thing about it, and I wasn’t allowed to ask questions. I was going to keep this promise for the sake of our friendship, and for what Kota said was my own safety. There were dangers around them that I wasn’t privy to. I simply had to have faith when they told me to trust them. It seemed surreal to me, but I kept my mouth shut and my eyes open, hoping to glean, over time, the answers to the questions that buzzed through my head every time they shared a glance or whispered something around me. They were my first friends. My only friends. What else could I do?
I held up my envelope. “Anyone else?” I asked.
“I’m still waiting to hear from Victor and Gabriel. They’re heading over as soon as Victor confirms.” He flicked through the mail in his hands, pulling out an envelope similar to the one I held on my hands.
“Hey!” There was a shout from up the street. Nathan jogged toward us. He was wearing dark running pants and a red tank shirt with a Nike swoosh on the front. I admired the way his biceps flexed as he held up his envelope. “Let’s check them out.”
Kota tilted his head toward the house, inviting us to follow. We entered through the side door in the garage. Kota dropped the rest of the mail off in a bin near the kitchen. Nathan held open a door in the hallway, revealing a set of blue carpeted stairs. Nathan held his hand out, ushering me to enter. I padded my way up the steps to the room over the garage, Kota’s bedroom.
Nathan dropped onto his knees on the blue carpet and started to rip open his envelope. I sat cross-legged next to him, doing the same. Kota went to his desk, grabbing a silver letter opener and cut through his envelope, unfolding the printout inside. I swallowed as I read my schedule for the upcoming year.
Homeroom Room 135
AP English - Trailer 1
0 - Ms. Johnson
AP Geometry - Room 220 - Ms. Smith
Violin - Music Room B - Mr. Blackbourne
AP World History - Trailer 32 - Mr. Morris
Lunch
AP Biology - Room 107B - Mr. Gerald
Japanese - Room 212 - Dr. Green
Gym - Gymnasium - Mrs. French
Seven classes. Barely room to breathe. Now looking at it and thinking ahead to the upcoming year, it seemed overwhelming. Maybe it had been a mistake to be so enthusiastic about this.
“What’s wrong, Sang?” Nathan asked. His head tilted in my direction, a rusty brown eyebrow arching.
I pursed my lips, twisting them slightly. “I was just wondering if this was a good idea.”
Kota looked up from his paper, coming over to kneel next to me and sitting back on his heels on the floor. “May I see?”
I handed it to him. Our fingers brushed as he took it from my hands, but he didn’t seem to notice. None of them ever seemed to notice touching as much as I did. If they grabbed my hand or bumped my hip, they passed it off as if it were nothing. Coming from a family that never touched, there was a lot to get used to around my new friends.
Kota’s eyes scanned my schedule, reading off the list under his breath.
Nathan got up, peering over Kota’s shoulder. “Holy shit,” he said. “How’d you get seven?”
“She doesn’t have a study hall.” Kota pointed to the paper, lifted a brow and then looked up at me. “How did you get into the Japanese class? When did you meet Mr. Blackbourne?”
Nathan’s eyes widened in surprise and looked at me, waiting for me to respond.
I blushed. After everything that happened, I’d forgotten to tell them. “I... well when Dr. Green stopped me in the hall at registration, he brought me to his office. Mr. Blackbourne was in there. They adjusted my schedule.”
Nathan and Kota shared a look between them. The only thing I caught was Nathan’s eyes narrowing. Did they not like this? It was hard to understand their expressions.
