by R L Medina
“Really? You’re afraid I could hurt you? I thought you were a big tough GRIMM.” I laughed.
His eyebrows knitted together. “I’m not immune to a stabbing.”
“I’m not going to stab you, Javi.” I swished the sword again.
His scowl deepened. “You’re not taking this seriously, Rose.”
“What do you want me to do, Javi? Should I be all stiff and robotic like you?”
His eyes flashed. “Forget this. This was a bad idea.”
I grunted. “Fine.” I wanted to tell him he was just as bad as his dad, but I stopped myself. That was taking it too far.
The room fell quiet.
He ran his fingers though his hair, something I was beginning to understand that he did when he was frustrated. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s just… I’m tired of you making fun of everything.”
I winced. Yeah, I had been kind of an asshole about it, but what did they expect when they literally forced me into all this?
“Look, Javi. I’m not making fun of you… I just… I’m mad. I never asked to be a GRIMM.”
He scoffed. “Nobody asks for it, Rose. But it’s our duty to protect the humans. We are the only ones who can.”
Now he sounded even more like his dad.
“Sure, you feel that way, but why do I have to join? Why can’t I choose to walk away from it? Like my mom?”
His eyes widened. “Your mom turned to the dark side, Rose. Is that what you want?”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Dark side. He got mad at me making fun of him and yet he went and said things like that?
“I want to make my own choices about my life.”
His jaw tightened. “Well, you can’t. None of us can. Don’t you realize what’s at stake? Without us, our world would be overrun with creatures. Humanity could cease to exist.”
At that, I did roll my eyes. “So dramatic, Javi.”
Anger flashed on his face. “It’s the truth. Do you want hundreds of shifters roaming free with no one to keep them in line? Let them tear apart more people?”
That one stung. I scowled at him. “Of course not.”
“Well okay then. You should be proud to be a GRIMM.”
Heat rushed through me. “Enough! Just stop. Whether I join the GRIMMs or not should be up to me. Not you. Not your dad.”
His lip curled. “You don’t get it.”
My fist clenched. “No. You don’t get it.”
Stubborn ass.
“That’s enough. Both of you.” Tía Teresa’s firm voice made me jump.
7
Javi shook his head and fell silent. She stood in the doorway and stared us down. Marching toward us, she motioned for Javi to return the sword.
My fingers twitched as empty air replaced the cool metal. I curled them in, pushing away the strange emotions of disappointment and desire. What did I care about some stupid sword?
Her eyes studied us. “You are family. I expect you to start acting like it.”
I snorted. “Isn’t that what family does? Fight?”
She frowned at me. “Argue, fight, yes, but at the end, we forgive. We learn to listen and empathize.” She turned her stare at Javi.
“She’s the one who won’t listen,” he muttered.
If my tía wasn’t standing right there, I would have given him the finger. So freaking stubborn.
“You both need to listen and accept each other’s position. You might not agree, but you can at least respect each other.”
“Yes, Mama,” Javi sighed.
They looked at me expectantly. I nodded. “Okay.”
She smiled. “Good. Now your tío called. He’s going to meet you at the school. I have to go pick up the girls for dance. You can take the GT.”
Javi’s eyebrows flew up. “So, I’m not grounded from driving anymore?”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “You’re still grounded, but today is an exception. Only today, Javi.”
He sighed. “Okay.”
“I won’t be home until later so why don’t you and Rosa eat lunch on campus today? Be back in time for dinner though.”
“Okay. We will.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and led me out to the hall.
“Be ready in like ten minutes?” He smiled.
I glanced down at my rumpled clothes. “Uh. Maybe I should shower first?”
His eyes took in my messy hair and clothes. “Yes. Please. And wear something nice.”
“Like what? I don’t have to wear a dress for this tour, do I?”
He shrugged. “No. I don’t know. Wear some nice jeans and maybe not so much… black.”
I scoffed. “I’ll wear what I want, Javi. Isn’t it bad enough I’m being forced into this?”
His hands came up in an appeasing gesture. “Okay. Okay. Sorry. You can wear whatever you want.”
I stared at him. He opened his mouth, but snapped it shut quickly, deciding not to say whatever it was he wanted to. Flashing another smile, he walked me toward my room and continued past to his own.
Throwing my backpack onto the bed, I took a deep breath. My head was still spinning with all the past events. I did want to see the school. My curiosity was piqued. Maybe I could learn more about my mom and her past. Find out a way to keep the witches away and escape my tío.
“I can do this. Right, Papi?”
Steeling myself, I went to the bathroom to shower. It was by far the nicest shower I’d ever stepped foot in, and I spent way more time under the hot water than was necessary, but I couldn’t help myself.
Apparently forcing me to follow basic hygiene on a daily basis wasn’t part of the curse my tío had placed on me. Maybe he assumed I wouldn’t need to be prompted to do the bare minimum to take care of myself.
After dressing in some fresh clothes and brushing my teeth, I felt better. I applied heavy makeup and smiled at my reflection. The tight, black, long-sleeved shirt with metal studs along the collar went perfectly with my ripped, black skinny jeans.
Javi was going to flip.
As if on cue, a knock sounded on my door. I swiped on more mascara and put it away before I went to answer.
Javi’s eyes bulged at the sight of me. I smiled.
He stood, gaping. “I… uh… you sure you want to wear that?”
My eyebrow arched. “Yes. Why?”
He shook his head and muttered something under his breath as he turned away. Something that sounded suspiciously like ‘my cousin is a freak.’
My smile widened. “Yup.”
I learned long ago people were going to talk about you behind your back no matter what you looked like, so why not give them something exciting to talk about?
Javi led me down the hall and stairs and back to a part of the house I hadn’t been in yet. When he opened the door, the outside greeted us. I glanced up at the blue sky and breathed in the sweet, beachy air.
Freedom.
I scanned the area. A basketball hoop stood on one end looking strangely out of place against their giant mansion. We crossed the long driveway and walked toward a separate building. Garage, probably. In the distance, their massive, meticulously sculpted yard stretched out. A high black iron fence surrounded the property.
My shoulders sank. There was no way over that. Not unless I sprouted wings and flew over, and given the craziness of my current situation, I almost believed that could be a possibility.
“This way.”
I picked up my pace and walked with him to the white building. He punched some numbers on a pad outside and the door opened for us. I followed him and blinked in the darkness.
“Lights. On,” Javi shouted.
Bright light flooded the room. My eyes widened at the sight before us. So. Many. Cars.
Not just any cars either. No. I didn’t know much about autos, but I knew that these were hella expensive ones.
“Jeez. You really are like freaking Batman.”
Javi frowned. “What’s wrong with Batman? He’s awesom
e.”
I scoffed. “He’s a fictional character, Javi.” I whipped back toward him. “Wait… isn’t he? There’s not really like… superheroes, right?”
He broke into a grin. “Yeah, Rose. All of them are real.” He laughed.
My cheeks flamed. “Shut up. It was a plausible question.”
Still chuckling, he led me toward a red sports car in the middle of the room. His eyes lit up as he patted the hood lovingly.
I snorted.
He ignored me and went to a lockbox where he punched in some numbers and took out a key. I peered over his shoulder, trying to get a look at the code, but couldn’t see anything.
Besides, even if I did manage to steal one of their cars, they probably had GPS or some way to track it that would lead them right to me.
“Are you coming?” Javi’s voice snapped me to attention.
I shoved down my disappointment and climbed into the passenger seat.
Javi flung himself into the driver seat and shut the door. He opened the middle compartment and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He took his time putting them on and checking his appearance in the mirror.
It occurred to me then, that on the outside, my cousin was the stereotypical rich and arrogant guy. I wondered if he showed others his more sensitive side or if he reserved that only for family. There was still a lot we didn’t really know about each other, but we were close at one point. When we were younger.
A loud beeping interrupted my thoughts. I covered my ears and winced as the garage opened, letting sunlight pour in. Javi glanced at me and flashed a smile before turning the car on. The engine roared to life, startling me.
His smile deepened.
Great. My stomach rolled with unease.
“You… you actually have a license, right?”
He gave me a flat look and pushed a button. Music blasted—loud and jarring. I covered my ears and scowled at him. The music lowered as he drove out of the garage. The door closed behind us.
“You don’t like this song?”
“No. Actually, I don’t.”
He scoffed. “What do you listen to? Punk rock?” he mocked.
“Sometimes.” I shrugged.
His head turned slightly toward me. “Hmm.”
I couldn’t judge his reaction with the big black sunglasses covering his eyes. Deciding to ignore him, I turned to watch out the window. My heart leapt as we pulled out onto the main road.
We drove too fast for me to get a good look at the neighbor’s mansions. Did any celebrities live on the same street? Not that I was one to go fan girl crazy, but the idea of any of them seeing me outside in my pjs made me blush. Before long, we were driving along the coast; the sparkling beaches and blue water in sight.
Javi finally slowed as we took a turn onto a long dirt road off the main road. It led us to a giant white gate. A guard stepped out of the gatehouse, armed with a gun. Woah. Paranoid much?
He waved at Javi and stared at me. “Do you have a pass for her?”
Javi opened the middle console and pulled out two cards and handed them to the guard. He took them, eyes flicking to me before handing them back.
“All right. Good to go.” He waved us forward.
I grabbed the cards before Javi could put them away. ID cards. One for me and one for him. My eyes widened as I saw my face printed on the plastic.
“What the hell? Where did you get this? This is my old school photo!”
I cringed at the awkward smile and failed attempt at curls.
“My dad made it for you. So, you could come on campus. But we’ll have to get an updated photo because that doesn’t really look like you anymore.”
My face reddened. “It was from last year! Why do I need a freaking ID pass just to come look at the school?”
He gave me an incredulous look. “Uh… because it’s GRIMM Academy. We have the highest security at our school.”
I frowned. Of course they did. They had oodles of money and could probably afford top security. I turned the card over and stared at the strange red signature.
“I didn’t sign this.”
“I know. It’s my dad’s signature. Giving you the highest level of clearance.”
My lip curled. I didn’t want to be cleared. High clearance meant that I was already in too deep. They’d have eyes on me and that was the last thing I wanted.
Rosa. My tío printed my name as Rosa and not Rosita.
“Wait. This is wrong. It should be Reyes Vasquez. Not Perez. Why did you give me your mom’s name?”
He sighed. “Yeah. That’s the other thing. You can’t be Vasquez here.”
Anger rose inside me. “Why not? You’re Vasquez.”
“Yeah, but my dad didn’t leave the GRIMMs to join a coven. No one can know about your mom, Rose. Or that you’re related to her.”
“So, what? We’re gonna pretend we’re not cousins?”
“We’re cousins. But from my mom’s side. My dad made up a sister in Spain who didn’t get the sight but passed it to her daughter. You. Rose Reyes Perez.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. If they didn’t want me at the school, why was my tío going to such lengths to lie about my past just so I could tour it?
“You can’t tell anyone. You have to promise.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “This isn’t my lie to keep.”
He gave me a side glance. “This is serious, Rose. You could be in danger. Promise you’ll go along with the charade.”
My nostrils flared. Not only did I have to do this against my will, now I had to agree to some bogus story.
“Fine,” I bit out.
We drove past the gate and I sucked in a breath as the campus came into view. There were multiple buildings. Most of them gigantic with Spanish stucco. This was where he went to school? Where were all the students or teachers? It was like a ghost town.
“That’s the guard house there. Where the security lives and that’s the upperclassmen dorms.”
“The garden.” He nodded toward a sculpted lawn and slowed the car.
“That’s the training hall and gym. And here.” He stopped the car. “House Dragon. My dorm. I live on campus most of the year.”
I looked to where he was pointing. A massive black stone building stuck out among the others. As we pulled closer, I noticed the giant red dragon eye on the top of the structure.
I shuddered. “That’s not creepy at all.”
Javi laughed. “Yeah. We call it the eye of Sauron.”
“Of course you do.”
He drove to the back of the building and parked. I was surprised to find his car wasn’t the only one in the lot that was probably worth more than our house in Sonoma.
“Do you have a car?” His question caught me off guard.
An ache spread in my chest. “No. Papi was going to buy one for me for Christmas.”
Javi swore under his breath. “Sorry.”
I shrugged.
He rubbed his neck awkwardly before taking off his sunglasses and putting them back in the console. He snatched the ID cards out and handed me mine before shoving his in his pocket.
I did the same and waited for him to check himself out in the mirror once more. After a final check, he turned to me and grinned. “Ready?”
My stomach churned. “Sure.”
Though I was curious, a part of me grew apprehensive. I was about to see their secret operations and that meant being brought into the fold of whatever it was they did. Was I ready for that?
I followed my cousin to the parking lot. He stopped suddenly, making me bump into him.
“What?”
He frowned. “We should save this for last. You know save the best for last? Let’s start with the lame stuff first.”
I gaped at him. “But we’re already here.”
“It’s fine. We can walk to the lecture hall. It’s right over here.”
Groaning, I caught up to him.
“I should have drank coffee this morning,” I grumbled.
He smiled brightly at me. “There’s a café in the student lounge. Come on.”
The prospect of a hot cup of deliciousness lifted my spirits. I quickened my pace to meet his long strides.
My eyes hurt taking in all the lavish display of money. The sidewalks were paved with bright white stone that was almost too white to look at. It was how I envisioned heaven would look like with all the whites and golds. This wasn’t a school. It was its own little town.
Lush greenery dotted the path as we walked to the end of the block. Javi pointed out all the buildings we passed.
“That one is House Phoenix.”
I looked to where he pointed. A giant red brick building towered over us. At the top of the doorway was a giant bird made of flame carved into the plaque.
“And behind these houses, House Pegasus and House Centaur.”
I couldn’t see anything past the giant brick building. Turning to him, I shook my head. “No House Unicorn?”
His eyes narrowed, calculating if I was being sincere or a smart ass. “No. It got voted down.”
My lips quirked into a smile. “So, where’s the quidditch field?”
He frowned. “This isn’t Hogwarts, Rose. GRIMM Academy is the top school for GRIMMs. It’s not a joke. We do serious training here.”
“Okay. Okay. Sorry.”
We came to the end of the block and Javi led me across the road to the other buildings. I stifled a yawn as I matched his strides. A pit was growing in my stomach. Why was he showing me the school now? Deep down, I suspected they were going to try to enroll me.
That wasn’t happening. I needed to find a way out before then or maybe the school would be my way out? I could escape the campus and be free without them knowing. I glanced in the direction of the guard house. Was that just wishful thinking? Could I really do it?
“Rose?” Javi had stopped in front of the giant stucco building.
I pushed away my thoughts and followed him toward the entrance. We walked up the long wide stone stairs. A cool breeze swept across us, making me glad for the long-sleeved shirt I’d chosen. The white colored stucco of the building and tan tiled roof was beautiful and probably cost them a small fortune. Spanish architecture was common in California, but there was something different about seeing it here amidst the lush landscape of the sandy white beach. It didn’t feel familiar to me.
