“Yep.” She narrowed her blue eyes as she wagged a finger in my face. “Girl, please don’t tell me you are going to try to fail. What is back home that’s so great that you are willing to throw in the towel so quickly?”
Nothing. I had nothing. “I just don’t want to kill.”
She shrugged. “Then don’t, but I can guaran-damn-tee that if a demon is clawing at your throat, your tune will change.”
“Maybe. But don’t think for one second that the commander won’t use the most powerful of the students to go and do his killing for him.”
“I don’t know the commander well enough to pass judgment on him, but of course the best of the academy will go out to hunt demons and the darken. It’s a war, baby. All of us will eventually have to fight, but until then, just chill. Remember, whatever you are, you still have a choice if you want to become that person.”
But would I? I hadn’t had a choice in whether I came here or not.
“I know that there is a war raging on earth and the humans are stuck in the middle, but I’d like to know more. Like how it started and when it’ll end.”
“And I promise we can go all Nancy Drew tomorrow. I solemnly swear as your new B.F.F. to get to the bottom of these mysteries, even if that means I have to tie up the commander and torture him. As your diva-in-arms, I will take one for the team by seducing him. Now, it’s your first night here, so can we, like, not be all mopey? Especially since there is a ton of people here who need us to make fun of them because they are the worst.” She pointed to the open closest and a hot pink flamingo cosmetic case. “There’s my makeup bag. Grab it and get yourself cleaned up, and then we will go down to the mess hall, and I’ll gossip with you about all the people that I loathe. I’m not really a people person, so that leaves a lot of potential for us. Let’s have a little fun before Friday.”
“What’s Friday?”
She swiveled her head my way so fast that I thought she was going to break her neck. “Okkkurr, girl, someone must’ve dropped the ball on explaining orientation. So, the last Friday of each month is when any newbs, such as yourself, go to a welcoming orientation to learn more about who you are and what line you come from. It’s your official first meet and greet. It’s kind of a big deal.”
I didn’t plan on being here by Friday. “Gotcha. I’ll mark it on my calendar.”
“Ew, sarcasm. Me like.” She flopped down on her unmade bed. “I’m out of energy. I pulled so many pranks on those nasty bitches in that room down the hall. It was hilarious but exhausting. You’ll have to grab the bag and do your own makeup. Normally, I’d do it for you because I can do the best smoky eye, but I need a nappy.”
I was smiling as I went in the bathroom to wash my face. When I exited the bathroom, I was met with snoring. I silently laughed at Remy, who was sprawled out on her bed. There was no way I was waking her up.
Smiling, I flipped the light switch and crawled into my bed.
Maybe I didn’t want to be here. Maybe my future looked bleak. But one good thing was I had a kick-ass roommate who might help me escape, so not all was bad. I was a survivor, and I’d survive this, too.
Like a zombie, I rolled out of bed, finding a customized backpack and a stack of uniforms that had somehow managed to find their way into my room. I sifted through the bag. There were a couple of pants that were pleather. I ran a hand over the rubbery material. They had a million-dollar budget for gardens but couldn’t afford real leather? I shuffled through the rest of the stack that consisted of half a dozen T-shirts in black and white with the academy logo on them. Did I want to conform? Nope. I’d thumb my nose at the world and wear my hand-me-downs. I refused to relinquish the last little bit of control I had over my life.
I was smirking as I shuffled myself to the dining hall. I could feel tons of eyes on me, and it wasn’t my imagination that the hall had grown quieter. Without making eye contact with any of the students, I snagged an apple and a banana then headed to the classes on my schedule. I wanted to ask Remy if she’d walk me to my first class, but she was still passed out and twitching like a puppy dreaming about chasing bunnies. It was super weird and mildly cute.
I hadn’t given up hope, but I knew that every day that went by, it would be harder to escape. Therefore, today, I would casually scout my surroundings. Staying here wasn’t an option. If what I had seen in some of my dreams about this place were true, I could possibly not make it out of here alive. My life hadn’t necessarily been great before, but dammit, I had been living.
I sat in my first class of the day. All the students stared as I walked in. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I had been the new kid multiple times. Sometimes, the students were welcoming, and sometimes, they were just asses. It looked like I was going to be dealing with asses. Yay, me!
I went straight for a seat in the back, ignoring all the eyes that clung to me like tacky glue. I sat down and faced the front, reading the words that were written on the dry erase board. “Archangels 101.”
I went from learning geometry, advanced science, and American history to this? It was a little jarring. Why did anyone need to know about the archangels in order to fight demons? And how the hell was I supposed to fight demons? Distract them with billowing trees in the middle of a battle? I was slowly building a steady list of “what the hells?” when it came to this school.
The teacher came in, wrote her name on the board, and then went right to teaching in a very monotone voice. She must’ve been at least eighty. She had short, white hair and saggy skin, the color of snow. Her voice droned on and on as she started listing the angels one by one.
I looked around to see if anyone else was struggling to pay attention. Not one person was asleep. Huh, overachievers.
“Gabriella? What is the answer to the question?”
I shook myself out of my thoughts in time to see that the entire class was staring at me, waiting for my response to Mrs. Fields’ question.
Meeting her stony stare, I apologized, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Fields, I don’t know the answer.”
She pushed her glasses on top of her curly white hair and huffed. “Perhaps it’s because you don’t know the question.”
I heard a couple of kids snicker, making my cheeks flush.
Before I could offer another awkward apology, the bell rang, saving me from further embarrassment. I let everyone file out of the classroom before standing.
Mrs. Fields had her back to me, cleaning the dry erase board. I didn’t owe her an explanation for not being an attentive student. I wasn’t here by choice, and her purposefully embarrassing me in front of the class was a douche move. I was hoping that one of the teachers would feel sorry enough for me and help me to escape. I seriously doubted it would be this one, but a girl had to try. I hefted my backpack on my shoulder and made my way to her desk.
With her back still to me, she said, “Miss Arien, do you have something to say to me, or are you going to just stand there all day?”
Excellent. The woman had eyes in the back of her head, and she had no intention of making this easier on me.
“Mrs. Fields, I just wanted to say—”
“I know what you are here to say, Gabriella, and I don’t want, nor do I accept, your apology,” she interrupted me. “If you want to make it up to me, how about you start paying attention in class and strive to actually understand why you’re here?”
I actually wasn’t here to apologize, but I decided not to anger the beast any more than I already had. “Mrs. Fields, today—”
The look on her face made me halt my explanation. She didn’t care that I was here against my will. She didn’t care that today was my first day.
I gave her a nod. “I will try my best from here on out.”
She threw her eraser down, and with a malice that I didn’t fully understand, she turned to face me. “In my class, trying your hardest means nothing to me. Do you understand? Some grow up with parents patting them on the back, saying, ‘Well, you tried your hardest, and that’s all that c
ounts.’ Out there in the real world, everyone gets a trophy, whether they deserve it or not. It doesn’t work like that here. You will not get a high-five from me for trying, Gabriella; you will get a failing grade. Do I make myself clear?”
I clenched my jaw to keep from saying so many things that were hovering on the tip of my tongue. However, I took the high road and mumbled, “Yes, ma’am. Sorry.”
“Tomorrow, make sure that you are dressed to code.”
Turning on my heel, I walked out of my history class without so much as a glance back. I needed to get the hell out of this school. I just had to get along with everyone until I figured out a way to leave the academy. Where I’d run to, I hadn’t a clue. No family and no money would present lots of problems, but I’d cross that bridge when I got to it. Right now, I needed to keep under the radar. That meant not drawing any unwanted attention to myself and keeping my eyes open for an escape.
I looked at my watch to see I had four minutes until the next bell rang, and I had no clue where the gymnasium was located.
Lost in my own thoughts, I accidentally bumped shoulders with a pretty blonde girl. She was one of the two that I had first seen upon my arrival. Straight, blonde hair cupped her chin in a perfect bob, and her blue eyes danced with delight, as if she enjoyed us colliding with one another. Forget the standardized T-shirt, she was wearing an academy sweater with the school colors of white and black. She was obviously proud to be here. You’d never catch me wearing the school merchandise.
I went to offer my second apology of the day but was cut off with her loud clapping.
Her voice rose high in the crowded hall. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please? Not only does the new girl smell of sour laundry and dresses like she is the proud owner of a secondhand shop, but she is also clumsy. Please, for everyone’s safety, if you see her heading in your direction, move to the other side of the hall to avoid injuries and, of course, the horrible stench.”
The crowd who had now gathered to bear witness to the embarrassing encounter started laughing.
Trying to avoid further torment, I put my head down and began to go around the evil chick when a beefy boy with a broad face said, “Hey, I would still tap that!”
I swiveled my head toward him as I gave him the same look the blonde girl was currently dishing out. My eyes were slits. These people disgusted me.
Seething, the girl asked, “Oh really, Devon? Since when is picking up an incurable disease on your top ten list?”
Devon slung an arm around the girl. “Oh, come on, Marlie-Beth. Don’t go all dragon queen on me. You know that there is only one girl for me.”
I darted my eyes away from them when they leaned into each other for a kiss, in fear that I might make my day even worse by throwing up from their gross public display of affection.
Just when I thought I was out of the range of fire and my humiliation might be coming to an end, another girl pushed me from behind, causing Marlie-Beth to snicker. I turned around to see a girl with curly, dirty-blonde hair in a high ponytail, her eyes glistening with hatred, an emotion that had my brow furrowing.
Oh, goody, it was the other girl who had sneered at me last night, and it looked as if they were besties and had decided to prove their friendship by being nasty to me. Yay, for me.
“Don’t you have somewhere to go, skank?” she shouted while pointing at me, just in case anyone was confused about whom she was referring to.
Marlie-Beth high-fived the girl. “Angelina, you’re so funny.”
I rolled my eyes. “Totes. Like, lol.”
They both glared at me. Obviously, they didn’t think I was funny. Shame.
I didn’t know how Mrs. Fields didn’t hear the commotion going on out in the hall, but I was thankful she hadn’t come out to add to my embarrassment.
Marlie-Beth balled up her fist, and it didn’t take a psychic to know she was just warming up. She planned on putting on a show for the students.
I took a deep breath. I had never been in a fight before. This should be at least mildly interesting.
Suddenly, a stranger who stood a good head taller than everyone else in the gathered hall started breaking through the crowd, pushing students left and right. At first glimpse, the boy looked a little old to be a first-year resident. My guess was he was nineteen. He was hella hot with shaggy brown hair and big brown eyes. There wasn’t an ounce of fat to him, just long, chiseled muscles. By the size of him, he was probably infected or, as the commander liked to say, fully blessed by someone grand. This was just great. He probably wanted his turn to humiliate me, as well.
I tilted up my chin, giving him my best “bring it on” look as I waited for his assault on my character, too. So, I was a little taken aback when he went right past me and stepped between Angelina and me with his back to me. Um, well, this was unexpected. What was I supposed to do?
He stood there in front of me, totally blocking my view of Angelina, but I could still hear her purr, “Why, hello, handsome.” She elbowed Marlie-Beth. “We have another newbie.”
I tried not to gag.
He just stood there, completely silent.
The other kids standing around started looking at each other with a question in their eyes. The same question that I was asking myself. What’s going on?
After a long, awkward silence from all parties involved, the stranger turned to me and said in the sexiest southern drawl, “Come on, beautiful; I’ll walk you to your class.” Grabbing me by my arm, he forced me out of the circle of gathered students.
We walked a couple of steps before Angelina yelled at our retreating backs, “Be careful; she might be contagious.”
Still dragging me along beside him, the stranger said loudly for all to hear, “I’ll take my chances.”
I couldn’t help the smile that crept up my face. “Thanks.” The stranger had just saved me from getting my ass kicked.
“So, upon my arrival last night, I heard those students back there actually give their little group of friends a name. They labeled themselves the crew.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Well, that’s entertaining, if not overwhelmingly pathetic at the same time.”
The cute boy laughed. “Agreed.”
“What gives them the right to act the way they do?”
“My best guess is they are fully blessed.”
“Well, their darken side is showing.” I looked over at him. “So, they think they rule the school, huh?”
His scan of me made me blush. “I guess they miscalculated that one, huh? Give it a week. I have a feeling you’re going to be queen of the castle.”
“Just a hunch, huh?”
He gave me the cutest grin. In return, one lit my face as we walked outside toward a building that was located at the corner of the U-shaped architecture. I was still trying to wrap my brain around what had happened back there.
Thanks to being touched or blessed—whatever they were labeling me as—I’d always been able to read people. Marlie-Beth and Angelina hated me, and I wasn’t talking about can’t stand onions on my hot dog kind of hate. I was talking loathing. I had a bad feeling that the other newbie had just put himself in that group’s crosshairs by defending me. Maybe he didn’t truly understand the ramifications of his actions.
“You know that group might cause a lot of trouble for you.”
He smiled down at me. “Since when does the devil not know trouble?”
I admired his attitude. “What’s your name?”
He dropped his hand from my arm, and I immediately missed the warmth. “Trev, and I got to tell you, I thought today was going to be a real bust.” He gave me a half-smile. “But it’s starting to look up.”
I laughed. “Yeah, well, I personally think today still sucks.”
He skimmed my body with his eyes. “Maybe you’re not viewing what I’m seeing.”
Oh, he was a flirt, and a good one.
The bell rang and I
stopped walking. “I’ve made you late. Really, I can walk myself to hand-to-hand training.”
He put a hand on my back and steered me down the narrow hall. “Trying to get rid of me already? First of all, I said I was going to walk you. Secondly, I’m the new kid. What teacher is going to scream at me if I said I got lost on my first day of school? And last but not least, it just so happens that my second class of the day is hand-to-hand training, too.”
I seriously doubted this guy was lost. After all, he was leading me.
“So, how come you’re just now enrolled at the academy?” He looked at least three years older than the recruiting age of sixteen.
He gave me a smirk. “How come you’re just now enrolling?”
That was fair. “I guess life got in the way.” There was no way I was admitting to anyone that I had dodged the testing. I needed to keep a low profile.
“Yeah, I reckon that’s my reasoning, too.”
I had a feeling he was lying just as much as I was, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to call him out on it.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him what he was, but I hesitated. That might be a rude question. Truth was this was all new territory to me. I wasn’t sure what topics were taboo.
“What’s your name, beautiful?”
“Gabriella.”
He took all of me in again. “That fits.”
Stopping at our classroom door, he made a motion for me to go before him. “Ladies first.” We walked into the gymnasium, where everyone was milling about.
Before I could head to the girls’ locker room, Trev said, “You know why that group was singling you out, don’t you? Jealousy. You’re gorgeous—”
“From what I’ve seen, most of the blessed are more than moderately attractive.”
He shrugged. “Some more than others. And”—he leaned in to smell me—“you are either suppressing your powers or you’re weak.”
“Um, thanks?”
He laughed. “Girls like them are going to assume that you’re just hiding your powers, and they’ll be out for blood.”
Blessed: Academy of the Seraph Page 4
