by Cameo Renae
“You won’t. I promise.” I couldn’t help but groan at my own stupidity.
He walked forward and held out his hand, so I pulled my student ID from my jeans pocket and offered it to him. He held it up to the light and examined it.
“Why are you out here alone, Miss East?”
“I got stuck at a friend’s house and had to walk back alone.”
“Mm-hmm,” he hummed with a skeptical look on his face, so I went with more of the truth.
“I went to a party with a girlfriend, and she decided to stay over. So, I was left on my own. I didn’t realize the time.”
“Come on,” he said, gesturing for me to follow him. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
I was thankful for his service, and would never reference him as Bob the Glob anymore—the nickname he was given by most of the students. Bending down I picked up my can of pepper spray.
“What’s that?” His flashlight pointed at my hand.
I held it up. “Pepper spray.”
“Do you know how to use that?”
“Aim for the face and press the trigger?” I already knew it worked.
“Pretty much.” He laughed. “But if you stick to the rules, you won’t have to use it.”
“I know,” I sighed. “Thanks.”
We walked until we reached the first step, then he stopped.
“Next time, make sure you have someone with you at night…before curfew.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Bob waited outside until I was safely inside the dorm building and locked the door. I took the stairs two at a time, up to the third floor. I unlocked the door, which was designated for the junior and senior females of Brindle Hall. Freshman and sophomores were on the right side. The same set up was for the males, but on the second floor.
I proceeded down the hallway to my room. Once inside, I closed the door and locked it, pressing my back against it. Thank God, with the decline of students this year, I didn’t have a roommate.
Heading into the bathroom, I couldn’t wait to take a hot shower and clear my head. My mind was reeling.
Slipping out of my clothes, I stood under the hot water and let it pound on my head and shoulders. My body was shaking uncontrollably. I tried to relax, tried to get rid of that putrid stench that now haunted me.
In the past six months, a lot of unexplainable things had started happening to me—this wasn’t the first oddity, although it was the most insane. For starters, when I was a toddler, I’d been diagnosed with a rare blood disease. Then five months ago, at my last check-up, they said I was miraculously cured. Specialists were called in, completely baffled, knowing my disease had no known cure. That day, marked the start of even more miracles.
Since the third grade, I’d had to wear glasses. Then one morning, about three months ago, I woke up with perfect vision. My sense of smell was off the charts too. In fact, everything I tasted, touched, and heard was ultra-magnified.
Yet, while all these wonderful things were happening, my abilities also came with a list of negatives.
For example, I now had insomnia. And some of the things I could smell, especially in a co-ed dorm, were far from fragrant. Body odor was the worst.
Yet, with so many crazy things happening, my mother insisted I finish school at Brindle Hall, in the most secluded place in the state of Washington. Not by choice, either. I was an only child, being raised by a single parent. And now that I was cured, she thought putting me in a top private school would make me feel settled.
It didn’t. If anything, I was more unsettled than ever before.
I’d never known my father. My mother said he was handsome, and perfect in every way, but he was also a one-night stand, and after their encounter, she never saw or heard from him again. I’d known exactly what “perfect in every way” meant, especially if she’d only known the guy for one night. Gross.
But Mom made sure I was smothered with more than enough love. For the first five years of my life, we lived with my grandparents, who endlessly doted on me. I was their only grandchild, so I could practically get away with murder. I was spoiled, but not to the point of being a brat. I had lots of chores and responsibilities and was given countless discussions on life from my Pawpaw.
At the age of twelve, Mawmaw passed away, and a few months later, Pawpaw joined her. Everyone knew it was from a broken heart. They’d been childhood sweethearts, and after sixty-three years of marriage, he literally couldn’t live without her.
After they had passed, it was a dark time for my mom and me. We’d lost two of the most important people in our lives, just before my teenage years.
Mom tried her best to stay strong for me, but in those following years, I rebelled and wasn’t the easiest person to live with. That’s when she threw herself into full-time work and saved up enough money to send me here. I didn’t blame her. Not anymore. If I were in her shoes, I would have done the same thing.
With the memories of my past flooding back to me, my eyes started to burn, and my simple shower turned into a sob-fest. When I exited, my nose was stuffy, and my eyes were red and puffy.
Wrapping a towel around me, I realized I’d forgotten to bring in a change of clothes. As I walked out of the bathroom, I stepped right into a strong smell. It was strange, but definitely not putrid. Actually, it was wonderfully pleasant.
Chapter 3
Alex
As soon as I stepped through the portal, I knew Ephraim sent me somewhere other than where I had expected. No wonder he’d had a smirk on his face as I stepped through.
The portal exited into a small dorm room, and by the frilly décor, it was owned by a girl—I could only assume who.
I sniffed the air for danger, but it was clear. No hints of Darkling or Fallen.
The only light in the room was cast from cracks of a closed door. Behind the door were sounds of running water mixed with soft sobs. I knew it was her. Eden.
Where the hell was my escort?
The shower turned off, and there was shuffling behind the door. Glancing around, there was no real place to hide. As the doorknob rattled, I did the only possible thing I could and dove under the full bed against the wall. I barely fit, and as I pulled my head under, I whacked it on the metal frame. Pressing my hand against my skull to diminish the sting, I bit my lip to avoid cursing out loud.
The door opened, and I froze as bare feet tread across the wood floor. The girl was humming. Her long legs looked soft as silk, and her toenails were painted a dark, blood red. As she sat on the side of the bed, it pressed my face to the floor. This situation was moving way past uncomfortable.
She applied what appeared to be lotion on her legs and body. And when she stood again, her towel was gone. She strode to her dresser across the room, and I found myself moving a little closer to the edge, admiring the perfect view of her backside.
There were so many scents in the room, it was throwing me off. But I did catch one in particular. It almost smelled angelic, but I wasn’t completely sure.
I knew I was in trouble when she left the bathroom door open. It left me with no option but to stay hidden until she fell asleep. Waiting was a pain in the ass. I hated it. I had things to do. I had to prepare myself for tomorrow, not be stuck under some bed.
I could hear her humming as she brushed her teeth, but couldn’t see her from my position. When she came back into the room, she stopped by the bed, probably looking out the window, trying to spot the Darkling, wondering if it was real or not. Maybe even wondering who she should tell.
Finally, after a few moments, she shut off the lamp and hopped into bed, pounding my chest into the floor. Thank God she wasn’t any heavier or I wouldn’t have been able to get out.
I could hear her exhaling, then she began tossing and turning, which made the damn bed bounce, slamming my fac
e and shoulders into the floor.
I was going to kick Ephraim’s ass for sending me here and putting me in this predicament.
As I waited, I heard her sweet voice, softly begging.
“Sleep, where are you?”
Dammit. I couldn’t lay here all night.
Slowly and carefully, I inched my way out from under the bed and peeked above the mattress. She was turned in the opposite direction. Her scent though. There was something about it, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. There were just too many smells disguising it—soaps, sprays, and even a nightlight which had scented wax melting in it.
I needed to get out of here, and the only way I could was with angelic magic. We could put mortals to sleep with a spoken word, so I leaned toward her and whispered, “Sleep.”
I knew she heard my voice because, after a few seconds, her head twisted in my direction. I ducked just in time, and in another few moments, her breaths were deep and even. She was finally asleep.
I quickly made my way toward the door, and as I exited, a dark figure stood directly across the hall. I went on guard until I realized it was Isaac…the Watcher I should have met a few hours ago.
“Alexander,” he spoke in a deep tone.
“Yeah.” I was tired, and my answer came out in a snap.
He gave a nod. “Come with me. I’ll take you to your room.”
“Finally.” I exhaled softly and heard him chuckle.
I shook my head. You would think angels would be kind, caring, and good to one another. Most, yes. But when it came to Midway and the Guardians, pranks and good-humored ribbing were the norm.
I followed Isaac down the dimly lit hallway, then we exited a door to the stairs. Stopping at the next level down, the Watcher used a magical key which could open any door on Earth. Every Watcher had one because they needed access to anywhere they were assigned to watch.
After walking down another hallway, we stopped halfway, at door eleven.
“Here’s your room.” Isaac handed me a non-magical key. “Your things are inside, along with your file. And don’t worry about the girl tonight. I’ll keep watch.”
“Thanks.” As soon as the words left my mouth, he was gone.
That was a Watcher for you. They didn’t like to be in the open, where mortals could see them. They preferred to watch from afar, and in the shadows.
I didn’t blame them. I also preferred assignments where I remained invisible. Dealing face to face with mortals wasn’t exactly my thing. Not as much as Dom or Thomas. They loved interacting with mortals. Dom, as much as any of us hated to admit it, was damn good at being around mortals and blending in. But he was also a peacock and couldn’t resist flaunting his angelic assets.
This assignment sucked. I hated schools. Being a new face in a boarding school would warrant extra eyes and everyone, especially the girls, would try and squeeze as much information out of me as they could. It was draining, to say the least.
But I had a personalized script about my fake mortal life which I was made to memorize when I first started as a Guardian. It had details and names of my fake parents, birthdates, former schools, where I was born and raised, and places we’d moved.
According to my file, I was born and raised in a small town in Arizona, before we moved to California. I had no siblings, which was the standard spiel for all Guardians. That, and most of our parents were in business and traveled abroad. It answered the questions as to why we were alone most of the time.
It was a great cover and never raised any suspicion.
Of course, our last names always changed to keep our anonymity.
After unlocking the door, I stepped into the room and gave it a quick glance. It was small, but not too bad for a dorm. Against the far wall was a desk which held a stack of books, a laptop, a cell phone, and a black duffle bag.
My bed was made up with plain dark-blue bedding, and matching curtains. On the nightstand sat a clock radio.
I ambled over to the desk and picked up the file which held my new assignment information. As soon as I saw my assigned last name, I felt anger rising inside.
Alexander West?
Freaking Ephraim. He’d assigned me the last name because the girl I was guarding was Eden East. He would so pay for this.
“Such an ass,” I exhaled loudly, wanting to crunch the file and throw it across the room. Instead, I quickly read through the rest of it.
At least I didn’t have a roommate. That was one of the perks of being a Guardian. Not that I’d be in my room for most of the assignment.
I glanced at the clock. The time was 1:32 AM. I should rest, even though I didn’t need to sleep. Resting helped us heal, and with my prior injury—an immortal blade to my abdomen—I needed it.
I ran my fingers over the scar. It was still tender. They said it would never fully heal, and I’d have some pain for the rest of my life. It sucked, but at least I had bragging rights—a battle scar from an immortal blade from which I survived. And from Lucian, nonetheless; the once great leader of Lucifer’s Fallen army.
I grabbed the clothes from my duffle, threw them into the dresser drawers, then set the alarm and plopped on top of the bed. It was hard as hell, but I just needed a few hours of shut-eye.
As I closed my eyes, the vision of Eden strolling toward her dresser filled my mind. I was anxious to meet her, which wasn’t my norm. But this girl—this assignment—felt different. And I couldn’t seem to pinpoint what it was.
I guess I’d have to wait and see why Eden East made my insides stir. Hopefully, our connection would be easy. If not, I’d just have to win her over with my angelic charm.
Chapter 4
Eden
Rolling over, I slapped the alarm off. I didn’t want to open my eyes. It was a Monday morning, and there was never a decent hour to wake up on a Monday.
Slowly peeling my lids open, everything seemed so clear. Clearer than usual. It always took a few minutes to focus, especially after a rude awakening. But as I sat up and stretched, I didn’t feel the normal Monday exhaustion. I felt rested and I couldn’t think of the last time I’d awakened feeling so refreshed. Come to think of it, I didn’t even remember tossing or turning. I’d slept like a log, which was another unusual occurrence.
As I stood from the bed and opened the curtain, the bright sun illuminated the gorgeous landscape. A perfectly manicured lawn came into view, along with trimmed hedges, beautiful trees strategically placed throughout the grounds, and in the center, a giant statue of a Phoenix. Its wings were spread wide, and its head was turned upward. It was an impressive sculpture of our school mascot.
I had to admit, even though the school was in one of the eeriest and out of the way places, Brindle Hall was a gorgeous campus. The buildings looked castle-like, built with ashlar gray stones. On the roof were four statues of gargoyles overlooking the grounds. Two towers sat on either side of the school building, with a battlement running along the top, leading from one tower to the next. We’d only used the towers a few times for star-gazing in science class.
In the front, flanking the doors, were two arched, stained glass windows. Inside, the ceilings were constructed with beautiful wooden coffers and painted to look like the days of the early Renaissance. The hallways and main rooms were made of oak paneling. All others were just plaster, painted with rust or gold, and adorned with reproductions of old paintings and tapestries.
The right side of the main building was designated for the dorms. The center was the Grand Room, used for assemblies, and an extensive library. On the left, the cafeteria was situated on the bottom floor, for those of us who needed caffeine to climb stairs. The top floors contained all of our classrooms.
Outside, paved walkways were lined with several layers of wood chips, multicolored flowers, and manicured shrubbery.
As I scan
ned the grounds, the run-in with the creature came flooding back to me.
Was it a dream? It couldn’t have been.
I had gone out with Megan, and I had walked back to the dorms alone at nearly midnight. I remembered the stars and the crickets, as well as that offensive smell. Not to mention the fear I’d experienced, which almost paralyzed me. I could still see the creature in full detail, how it whispered to me, and how I barely survived. All thanks to my pepper spray and Bob the security guard.
Shaking my head, I made my way to the dresser, pulled out my uniform—black skirt and white knit shirt—then headed toward the bathroom. An hour later, I exited with makeup on and my hair straightened and pulled into a ponytail.
I pulled on my knee-high socks and slipped on my black converse shoes, then threw on my black cardigan with the Brindle Hall patch affixed to the left side. After slinging my bag over my shoulder, I tucked my cell phone in my pocket and headed out the door.
Breakfast was in ten minutes, and I wanted to be early for once. Kimi and Trissa were sticklers for being on time so they could be at the front of the line, and I wanted to surprise them with my early arrival.
Ever since Kimi saw a student sneeze, then touch an apple and not take it, it scarred her. From that day on, she and Trissa vowed to be first in line, where they would get dibs on untainted food. I, however, was okay with sleeping in a few extra minutes. I usually got the mini boxed cereal and container of milk anyway.
Sebastian, the fourth member of our oddball gang—if you called four misfits a gang—could care less about breakfast. He always had a coffee and a blueberry muffin, without fail. Being late was his chance to make his entrance every morning, flaunting his new hair or clothing styles.
As I walked in, Kimi spotted me first. Throwing a hand over her heart, she inhaled sharply. “Pinch me. This can’t be real.”
