“Hey, are you alright?” The Tank squeezes my hand, breaking my train of thought.
“What?” I blink, shaking the cobwebs from my head. “Ya, sure, I’m fine.” I pull my hand free and shove it in my jacket pocket. Isn’t this class over yet? I glance at the clock again. Fifteen minutes to go. I can do this. I just need to keep calm and not think about everyone gossiping about the “incident”. Focusing on the Tank, I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. “So a theft sounds good. How do we want to work it?” I can feel the Vampire’s glare, but I ignore him. Careful to keep my eyes locked on the Tank.
“What does your schedule look like?” the Tank asks. “Jared and I have study hall for 5th period. If you’ve got a different class, we can meet up in the library after school.”
“I’ll be in 5th period study hall. That’s my last class of the day.”
“Perfect,” He grins at me. “Let’s all come up with some ideas, and we can talk about it and finalize our outline when we meet back up. That work for you?” His smile is impossible to resist, and I find myself smiling back.
“Sure, that sounds great. I’ll see you there.” I glance at the clock again. Oh thank goodness, only five minutes left. I pull my hand away from the Tank and grab my bag to put away my notebook. With a final glare in my direction, the Vampire spins his desk back into its original position.
“Don’t mind Jared.” The Tank whispers in my ear. I suppress another shiver at the combination of his energy and his breath tickling my ear. How did he get so close without me noticing? “He’s got his own issues to work out.” I look over at him, but he’s already moved back into his original spot, casually leaning back in his chair with his large arms behind his head. I peak over at Jared, who’s studiously ignoring us at this point. Normally I’d probably be curious, but at this point I’m not sure it’s worth the effort to wonder about his issues.
When the bell rings, I’m out of my seat and in the hall before either of them can move. Making a sharp left, I weave into the steady stream of students. Careful to avoid touching anyone, I duck into the safety of the ladies room. I look myself over in the mirror; at least I don’t look as flustered as I feel. I turn on the sink and quickly wash my hands. It doesn’t matter if people know about the “incident”. I’m here. I’m ok. The “incident” is in the past. I consider hiding in the restroom for lunch hour, since I’m not sure I’m ready to test myself in a crowded lunchroom. But hiding in here isn’t going to solve anything either. I need to find a safe, quiet place to wait out lunch. I take a deep breath and steady myself, ignoring the looks of the girls coming in and out.
Shutting off the water, I glance at myself one more time. Outwardly I still look good at least. Ok I’ve got this, I can handle whatever happens.
I manage to slip out to the parking lot and eat lunch in my car while listening to ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ from Nine Inch Nails. So what if it’s old, it’s still awesome.
The next class is pretty uneventful. There was a substitute teacher, so after taking roll call, we were told to read the first two chapters of our Fashion Construction text book. It was pretty boring and I didn’t bother to hide my yawns. The book was putting me to sleep. Without visual aids to show what they were talking about, it was all gobbledygook to me.
When the bell rings I grab my bag and just barely manage to fit the text book inside. I’m going to have to make a trip to my locker soon. Stepping into the hall, I debate if I want to hit the locker now, or just not bother. Since I’ve only got one more hour to go, I can probably get away with skipping it till after Study Hall. Carrying two books and my chorus binder really isn’t that bad. I’ll just bring a bigger bag to use tomorrow and keep it with my books in my locker. Decision made, I head towards the library. I can probably finish my mystery novel by the time study hall is over.
“There you are,” a deep voice rumbles. I look over to see the Tank fall into step with me. Damn, I forgot about our group project. I try to mask my disappointment at not getting to goof off during study hall. It’s not his fault his friend is so unpleasant. I don’t have to see him to feel him lurking nearby.
“Oh hi there. How’s it going?” I smile at him, ignoring the Vampire completely.
“It’s been good, just coming from Jazz Band.” He says grinning at me. “You looked a little confused though. Did you forget about our group project?”
Laughing that he’d already figured me out, I give him a shrug. “Umm… Possibly?” His rumbling laugher joins mine; maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
“Come on Trouble,” the Tank says, grabbing my hand. The familiar burst of protective energy rolls over my skin. “We’ve got work to do.” His massive frame parts the crowd as he pulls me along behind him. The prickling sensation at the back of my neck lets me know that the Vampire is following us. He doesn’t release my hand until we make it to the double doors of the library.
The bell rings right as we get check in with the class monitor stationed at the information desk. Looking around, I’m shocked at the size of the school library. It’s huge, which seems strange considering the size of the school. Why would a school on such a small island need such a big library?
“This is the public library for the island, not just the school.” A velvety voice whispers near my ear, answering my unasked question. I turn to see who’s reading my mind and find myself falling into the most amazing pair of hazel eyes. Everything but his eyes goes blurry and out of focus. There’s this overwhelming feeling of intimacy, like he’s looking into my soul. Suddenly he turns, breaking the connection. With a nod to the Tank, he disappears into the stacks. I blink rapidly, trying to clear my head. Wow, what the hell was that?
“Come on, let’s get this over with,” the Vampire grumbles, and I shake my head to clear the lingering fog from Mr. Mystery.
“Sure, where do you want to sit?” I ask, motioning towards the empty tables around us.
“Not down here,” the Tank answers, motioning for us to follow. He heads deeper into the library, his massive frame surprisingly graceful. I can’t help but admire the way his ass looks in his jeans as he heads up the stairs to the second floor. Damn, no one should look that good. I mentally shake myself at the thought, the last thing I need is to be crushing on this guy. Once we finish this project, I doubt will be hanging out.
We reach the back row of free standing book shelves, where more tables fill the space. But it’s the guy in the corner with his nose buried in a book that catches my attention. He’s curled up sideways in a high back chair, one leg hanging over the arm as he reads. I blink rapidly to make sure I’m not seeing things. If I didn’t still feel the steady push of the Vampires animosity behind me, I’d have thought he’d gotten a haircut and beat us here. Wow, identical Vampire twins. Except the new guy gives off more of a sexy nerd vibe with gold framed reading glasses perched on his nose. Thank goodness they have different hairstyles; otherwise I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. The Nerd’s hair is just long enough on top to brush against those sharp cheekbones, but its cropped short on the sides. It looks like its dyed purple, but under the library lighting I can’t be sure.
The Tank tosses his backpack on the closest table, and I slide into a chair that gives me a view of both the Tank and the Nerd. The Nerd looks up, and acknowledges the guys with a wave. The Vampire moves past me, his arm brushing against my back. His energy is like being doused in ice cold water and I shudder in response. He stalks across the room to the Nerd. Leaning down, the two have a whispered conversation. Seeing them together, there isn’t any doubt that they’re twins. And I can’t help but notice both of them keep looking over at me. I roll my eyes, are they really over there talking about me? Ugh, guys are so not subtle. I pull out my notebook and turn to the page I’d written all my ideas on for the story.
Hopefully we can get this over with quickly. At this point I’m just exhausted and really want to get home.
“Emily, hey Emily.” Fingers snap in front of my face and I b
link, looking over at the Tank. “Are you ok? You totally zoned out there.”
I consider making an excuse, but why. “Sorry your right, I zoned out.”
“You know we don’t have to do this right now. Or better yet, you and I can decide real fast, and I’ll just tell Jared when he finishes talking to Ian.”
“You sure he won’t don’t mind?” I ask, feeling bad about not contributing, but now that it’s hit me, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open.
“Of course not,” he waves his hand at my notebook. “Are those your ideas?” I nod, hiding a yawn behind my hand. Why am I so tired?
“Maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a minute,” I mumble, laying my head down on my arms. I can hear the Tank flipping through my notes. Letting my mind drift, I can hear conversation around me but I don’t have the energy to focus on the words.
A mixture of vibrant yet reassuring energy rouses me from my half sleep. I bury my head deeper in my arms, not ready to be awake.
“Is she ok?” a deep voice asks softly.
“Probably wore herself out trying to avoid us.” Answers a similar deep voice.
“Jared…” the softer voice chastises.
“What? You know it’s the truth.” The deeper voice bites out.
“Cut it out Jared,” a third voice rumbles. “We’ll figure it out later. We need to focus on our project. Read what Emily and I have come up with so far.”
“Ya ya, pass it here.”
The rustling of pages soothes me back to sleep.
Tuesday, August 25th
∞
I still can’t believe they let me fall asleep in Study Hall yesterday. I didn’t wake up till the bell rang. The Tank was the only one still there when I managed to pull myself together. He walked me back to my locker and went over the final idea for the project, even leaving me updated notes. I thanked him before making a hasty exit. I wanted to get home as soon as possible. I’d passed out as soon as I made it to my room, only waking up when my alarm went off this morning.
I grabbed a pair of jeans and a Tinkerbell shirt and got ready as quickly as possible. I’m surprised Mom didn’t wake me up for dinner last night, but her schedule has been all over the place lately. Who knew volunteering could keep you so busy. She wasn’t in the kitchen this morning, so I grabbed a quick glass of juice before heading out.
Making sure I’ve got my energy barrier up, I head into school early again. The Angel met me at the Art Room door with yet another introduction, managing to make me smile. He filled me in on island gossip until the bell rang, forcing him to silence. Once class was over, I head straight for the Chorus building. Even if the teacher didn’t care, I didn’t want to cut it as close as I did yesterday.
Grabbing the seat next to Shy Girl again, I give her a quick greeting as I pull out my book. As soon as the bell rings, Mr. Morison calls up the next student for their placement test. He’s only on the D’s, so I’ve probably got another day before he gets to me. The upside being I get to read my new urban fantasy book in class. Shy Girl quickly realizes I’m not interested in talking today and pulls out a book of her own. It’s probably rude of me, but I’m just not in a chatty mood at the moment.
As I read, I still have that constant feeling of being watched, but I refuse to waste my time trying to figure out who it is. Who knew being the new girl would be so much like being the new exhibit in the zoo. It’s really pretty cowardly really. It’s not like they can’t come down here and talk to me. The teacher made it clear that he doesn’t care what we do or where we sit at the moment, as long as we do it quietly and don’t disrupt his testing.
I’m right at the point where the hero finally professes his love to the main character when a brush of energy slices through my shield. Blinking I look up to see a retreating back. He must be up next for testing because he stops at the piano and has a quiet conversation with the teacher before the music starts again. I can’t stop myself from watching as he does the test. The way he’s standing, I can’t get a good look at him. From the back I can tell he’s shaved the back and sides of his head, leaving the top three or four inches long and dyed a bright magenta. He’s wearing a black leather jacket and tight black jeans that hug his nice ass. Not that I noticed of course. His voice is fantastic; a rich tenor that sends chills down my spine. If he didn’t get chosen as a soloist, then there is something wrong with the teachers hearing.
Finishing up, he turns back towards the class. Damn, he’s breathtaking. With defined cheekbones and arched brows, there’s something beautifully exotic about him. Even the piercings in his eyebrow and nose don’t detract from his appeal. He looks like a Rock Star with his tight black tee-shirt under the leather jacket. His eyes lock on mine for a moment, stealing my breath away, before he looks past me and starts moving towards the guys section. Thankfully, he doesn’t pass close enough for me to feel his energy this time. Where do they find these guys? That’s five guys now that more than rival the male models I’ve seen online.
“Alright class, we’ll continue the placement tomorrow.” The teacher breaks my musing just as the bell rings.
I grab my bag and wave a quick goodbye to Shy Girl, before rushing out of the room. I’m actually glad I have an appointment with the psychiatrist today. They’d given my appointment schedule over to the office when we’d registered so I could leave at lunch time on those days. My phone had been vibrating my pocket off and on since I’d gotten to school. Mom’s probably worried I’ll skip my appointment. She doesn’t realize dealing with the psychiatrist is better than being at school. With the exception of the Angel, the Tank, and Shy Girl, everyone pretty much ignored me yesterday, which actually isn’t that bad. And sorry but the Vampire and his shitty attitude don’t count in my book. I just want to get through this school year and figure out what I’m going to do afterwards. I’m sure I had plans before the “incident”, hopefully more than going to Stanford. Being engaged to the Sleazebag certainly didn’t count as plans in my book.
I need to drop my part of the group project off to the Tank and the Vampire, then I can get out of here. I fish my phone out of my pocket, heading down the hall. There are the expected texts from my Mom, an automated reminder from the psychiatrist’s office, and surprisingly a text from Sebastian. Somehow he even got his picture added so I can see he’s the Angel from Art class. Good thing too or I wouldn’t have remembered who he was. I pull up his contact and update the information so I don’t forget. But since I just saw him an hour ago, I don’t know why he would be texting me. I pull up the thread.
Angel Sebastian: Come to lunch with me Sprite.
I roll my eyes at the silly nickname he’s started using, which is only slightly better than Rainbow Bright. I probably don’t have the right to complain about nicknames, but at least I don’t call him Angel to his face. I put my phone back in my pocket for now; I’ll have to answer him later. It only takes me a few minutes to check in with Mr. Christy and verify he knows I won’t be staying for class. Thankfully the Tank and the Vampire aren’t here yet, so I leave copies of my part of the assignment on their desks. I’m in and out before the five minute warning even rang, perfect.
I slip out the nearest exit and head around the outside of the building to the parking lot. Once inside my car I pull out my phone and go back to my text messages.
Me: Sorry only here half a day. Leaving now
His response comes through before I even get my seatbelt on. Apparently he’s not worried about texting during class. Clicking the seatbelt in place, I check to see what he sent.
Angel Sebastian: Does that mean I have to wait till tomorrow to see you?
Me: Fraid so
Angel Sebastian: my heart is breaking
Me: I’m sure you’ll live LOL
Angel Sebastian: Lunch tomorrow then!
Me: LoL we’ll see
Angel Sebastian: I’ll make it worth your while ^^
Me: Now I’m just scared! Got to go, have fun in class!
A
ngel Sebastian: Yay right! lol see ya tomorrow.
Shaking my head, I start the car and get moving.
Twenty minutes later I’m pulling up at the house. I’m surprised to see Mom’s car out front, I’d expected her to be out again. Grabbing my bag, I head in.
“I’m home!” I yell, shedding my jacket in the front hall. Mom pops her head out of the living room.
“Perfect, there is soup in the pantry if you get hungry.” She rambles, running back and forth between the living room and kitchen. Just watching her is exhausting. “I’ve got to head down to the church for a fundraising event, don’t wait up.” I blink. Really? Don’t wait up? For a church event? It’s not even noon yet. I shake my head, she is seriously crazy. Winding down from her frenzy, she air kisses my cheek before disappearing out the door.
“Nice to see you too, Mom.” I mutter to myself. “I had a great day at school, thanks for asking.” Since I’ve already learned that soup in the pantry equals a can of soup I can heat up myself, I leave it for now. TV shows really have this whole motherhood thing wrong.
Instead, I head up to my room to get ready for my appointment. Settling in at my desk, I turn on the laptop and take off my boots. Then log into the secure website, checking the time. Five minutes to go. I pull up the To Do list on my phone, there was something I wanted to add, what was it... I look around the room for inspiration. I had it just this morning, ugh. My eyes hit the mirror and I look at myself for a minute. Hmm, oh yay that’s right. I need to look for a hairstylist! I add that to my To Do list just as the laptop dings to alert me to the incoming video call.
“Good Morning, Emilienne. How are you doing today?” The psychiatrist asks. I swear she’s got a script in her head she follows every time we talk. Oh crap, I didn’t pull out my notes with her name. Oh well, maybe next time.
Something Stolen, Something Found (The Magic Catalyst Chronicles Book 1) Page 7
