Eden's Playground: Graystone Academy Book One

by BE Kelly

  “Where did you two find clothes?” she asked.

  “Stole them from some bloke’s dorm room,” Anson said. “Caught us red-handed and we had to knock him out.”

  “So much for any of us going unnoticed,” she grumbled.

  “Tell me you didn’t run into your father,” Duff said.

  “No,” she said. “I ran into some guy in the hall on my way out. Apparently, Graystone Hall was an all-male dormitory and had very strict rules about women spending the night. Luckily, I didn’t have to knock the guy out who found me,” she teased. “I just threatened to make everyone in that dorm believe that I was being attacked by him. He let me go after I started screaming.”

  “That’s our girl,” Anson said.

  “Hey—isn’t that Bianca?” Duff asked, pointing to the beautiful brunette she remembered so well from the pictures her mother showed her. Her aunt was a stunner and her mother said that Eden looked like her, even though she was having a hard time seeing it now.

  “That is her—but who’s that with her?” Bianca was with a tall man and she looked to be willingly holding hands with him. “That’s not your father, is it?” Eden asked.

  “No, it’s not,” Duff said. “Didn’t Glory say that Bianca was seeing our father behind your father’s back?” he asked.

  “That’s the story I remember,” Eden said. “But the letter we found in your father’s office said she wouldn’t wait forever for him. She threatened to move on without him unless he contacted her. Maybe she’s moved on with that guy.” Bianca smiled up at the guy and damn if she didn’t look happy to be with him.

  “From the looks of it, my aunt was two-timing your father,” Eden breathed. Her aunt and the guy disappeared into the woods and Eden panicked.

  “Why does that guy look so familiar?” Duff asked.

  “It’s Head Master Simmons,” Anson whispered.

  “Shit,” Duff breathed. “You’re right, it is. He must have been teaching here when father was a student at Graystone.”

  “So, my aunt is having an affair with a teacher?” she asked. “She’s only a first-year student. Is that even allowed?”

  “It’s not allowed in our time and I have a feeling it’s not allowed now. That’s why they are sneaking off to the woods,” Anson said. “We need to go in after them.” He turned to his brother. “Isn’t Head Master Simmons a wolf shifter?” he asked.

  Duff nodded to his brother and Eden felt her stomach sink. “Oh God,” she breathed. “He’s in our time too. What if he’s the one who’s killing girls at Graystone?” she asked.

  “We need to find out,” Duff said. He grabbed Eden’s hand and Anson took the other one. “Stay close to us,” he ordered. “If we have to shift, stay out of the way. Find a good hiding place and stay put.” Eden nodded and followed them into the woods.

  “There they are,” she whispered, pointing to a big oak tree. Head Master Simmons had her aunt pushed up against a tree and was kissing his way down the column of Bianca’s neck. “Are my aunt’s eyes purple?” she asked. Bianca’s eyes looked as though they were glowing purple.

  “Yes,” Anson agreed. “I believe they are.” Her aunt pushed Head Master Simmons from her body and he stood back, looking her over as if she lost her mind.

  “What the hell, Bianca?” he asked.

  “She’s going to use a spell to kill him,” Eden said. She let go of both Anson and Duff’s hands and took off for her aunt. She knew the spell well; her mother had taught it to her. It was a protection spell that could end up killing the attacker if not properly controlled. She had only seen one other witch use the spell, her grandmother when she was just a little girl.

  They were out shopping and some asshole had jumped her and her grandmother, demanding their money and shopping bags. Her grandmother was furious and Eden remembered her eyes glowing purple, just like Bianca’s were now. Her grandmother made a bubble of protection around her and by the time she finished with their attacker, he was dead. All Eden remembered from that day was her grandmother’s glowing eyes and the way the purple light transferred from her hands to the guy’s chest, knocking him out cold. At least, she thought he was just knocked out, but she found out later on the evening news, that he was found dead in the alley where she and her grandmother left him. She made a promise to her grandmother never to tell anyone what she had seen that day and Eden kept her vow.

  “Eden, no,” Anson shouted. He and Duff were running for her and she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Head Master Simmons shift and attack her aunt. Bianca fell to the ground before she could finish her spell and by the time the guys had caught up to her, her aunt was dead. She watched as her once glowing eyes faded to darkness—her life force drained. Her aunt was gone and there was nothing she could do to save her. Duff wrapped his arms around her and pulled her behind a tree before they could be noticed.

  “He killed her,” she whispered.

  “He had no choice,” Anson said. “She was conjuring some spell—you saw her. What was she trying to do?”

  “Kill him,” Eden admitted. “It’s a protection spell but when it goes too far, and the witch’s eyes start glowing purple like that, it’s deadly. She would have ended up killing Head Master Simmons if he didn’t act as he had.” Admitting the truth didn’t make her feel any better.

  “We need to get out of here. We need to stop our father from entering the woods and finding her body. If we can do that, your father won’t blame him for Bianca’s death. He’ll know the truth,” Duff said.

  Eden pointed across the forest to the man who hid behind one of the trees, “My father already knows the truth,” she said. “He saw the whole thing happen, just as we have. He knew that your father was innocent this whole time.”

  “You’re sure it’s him?” Anson asked, peaking around the tree. Her father was hidden well, but she’d know him anywhere. His dark hair fell over his forehead and his signature thick rimmed glasses didn’t hide the terror in his dark eyes. It was him and he had seen everything, just as she had.

  “I’m sure,” Eden whispered. “Stopping your father won’t help. We need to stop my father from going to the authorities. He’s the one who knows the truth and blamed an innocent man. He ruined your father’s life—I’m so sorry,” she breathed.

  “None of this is your fault. We just need to make sure that we stop our father from being blamed in all of this, and make sure that the right man stands trial for his crimes—both past and future,” Anson growled. Eden knew he was thinking of his friend Geneva and she wondered if he could be right. If Head Master Simmons killed Bianca, there was a chance he killed Gen in the future. Stopping him now might be the only way to help change all of their fates—for better or worse.

  Anson

  “What do we do?” Eden asked.

  “We follow your father. I have a feeling that if we can stop him from spreading lies about our father, we can change the future,” Anson said. At least, that was what he was hoping for. All those years of watching his father fail at everything—being a lousy husband and dad, drinking himself half-blind, and not giving a shit about anything but his failed past. It could all be changed by wiping out one little lie.

  “I’ll find Dad and make sure that he doesn’t go into the woods,” Duff said.

  “How will you do that without him seeing you?” Eden asked.

  “I’m not sure. I’ll lock him in a broom closet if I have to. But I’ll make sure that he doesn’t go anywhere near the woods until the authorities find the body,” Duff said.

  “Eden, you find a phone and make an anonymous call to the authorities about there being a dead woman in the woods. Tell them that you saw the whole thing and that Head Master Simmons was the one who did it. That will help take away some of your father’s credibility when he tries to accuse our dad,” Anson said. “I’ll follow your father and see what he does next.”

  “Wait, how will you find us when this is all done?” Eden asked. “I still need to cast the spell to take u
s home.” Anson pointed to his head and smiled.

  “I’ll find you, Honey,” he promised. “I’ll find you both. Now, go,” he ordered. The three of them went their separate ways and Anson waited for Theo Graystone to move from his hiding place behind the thick brush and trees. He wasn’t sure how Eden had even seen him back there.

  Anson watched as Head Master Simmons shifted back to his human form and covered Bianca’s lifeless body with leaves. He remembered finding Gen like that—lifeless, gutted, and covered in leaves. He’d give just about anything to forget how he found her and even more, to change her fate. He just needed to keep his eye on the prize and remember that that’s what the three of them were trying to do together. They couldn’t change Bianca’s fate—she was the one who decided to attack a wolf shifter. She provoked him and what he did was in self-defense. But if that was the case, why would Simmons attack Gen in the future?

  Mr. Graystone wiped his eyes and turned to leave the woods when he seemed to realize that Simmons was leaving. Anson found his way back to the tree line, deciding not to go traipsing across the forest to follow Mr. Graystone. The last thing he needed was a confrontation with either Head Master Simmons or Mr. Graystone. He found his way out of the woods and almost ran into Simmons and Graystone talking in front of Graystone Hall. Simmons nodded and motioned for Mr. Graystone to follow him into the building and Anson ran across the lawn, not wanting to miss what was about to happen. Had Mr. Graystone confronted the Head Master about what had just happened?

  Anson quickly entered the building and panicked when he couldn’t find either man. That was when he heard Mr. Graystone shouting and the Head Master shushing him. They were standing in a dark corner near the staircase that led down to the basement. Anson got as close as possible to the two, without being noticed.

  “She attacked me, Graystone. I admit, I was having a relationship with your sister, but I’d never intentionally hurt her. You say you saw what happened?” Simmons asked.

  “Yes,” Graystone hissed. “All of it—including the way you gutted my poor sister and left her in the woods for dead. You were having a relationship with a first-year student, Professor Simmons, and that isn’t allowed. I wonder how the board will feel when I go to them with this information.” Graystone’s threat was met with Simmons’s laughter.

  “You don’t stand a chance against me, Graystone. I’m on track for Head Master and you and your witch sister won’t stand in my way. Besides, what if I told you that there was a way that you could have everything you’ve ever wanted?” Simmons asked.

  “What is it you think I want, Professor?” Mr. Graystone questioned. He sounded so cold, so smug. The man had just witnessed his sister’s murder and he didn’t sound at all upset.

  “Why to have the Kirkpatrick name erased from Graystone Academy’s history. I know how you feel about your sister seeing that Kirkpatrick boy. I also know that they are tied to your family. Some even believe that this academy wouldn’t be what it is today without the Kirkpatrick’s help building it. I’m sure that you see that the buildings with the Kirkpatrick name outnumber the Graystone buildings on campus. You can make all of that disappear and everyone will believe you. Just tell them that Dugan Kirkpatrick was with your sister today and that he was the one you saw kill her. You’ll be rid of him and no one will have to know that your sister tried to murder me, protecting the Graystone name. That is what you ultimately want, isn’t it, Theo? To protect your family’s name,” Simmons asked.

  “Yes,” Mr. Graystone breathed.

  “How do you think everyone will react when I tell my side of the story—the part where your sister conjured a spell to end my life and that what I did, I had to do, to save myself? I’m betting that the Graystone name will be the one to disappear from campus. Your poor grandfathers will roll over in their collective graves,” Head Master Simmons taunted.

  It took every ounce of willpower Anson had not to storm into the stairwell and demand justice for his father and the Kirkpatrick name. They were plotting to destroy his family’s name to save their own asses. How could he just stand by and do nothing? He couldn’t—and that was the problem.

  “Listen, Graystone,” Simmons almost whispered. “All you have to do is lure Dugan Kirkpatrick to the woods. Have him be the one to find your sister’s body. It will only add to him being a suspect when the authorities arrive. I’ll call the police and give them an anonymous tip that there’s been a body found in the woods and when they get here, they’ll find a grieving, heartbroken Dugan sitting by Bianca. No one besides the two of us will ever have to know the truth.”

  “The only reason I’m agreeing to any of this is to save my sister’s reputation. You destroyed that by asking her to go into the woods with you, Professor.” Once again, Simmons’s laughter echoed off the stairwell walls.

  “Your sister did that to herself when she conjured a spell to kill me. You’re lucky that I’m keeping that little secret for Bianca. The only reason I’m agreeing to not dragging her name, and yours, through the mud, is because I genially cared for your sister, Theo,” Simmons said.

  “Yeah—it looked like you cared when you shifted into your beast and ripped out her guts. That was a nice touch,” Mr. Graystone spat.

  “Just do what I told you, Theo, and no one will be the wiser. Go find Kirkpatrick and get him to the woods. I’ll give you a five-minute head start before I call the authorities and phone in an anonymous tip,” Simmons said.

  Anson ducked out of sight, knowing that if he stayed where he was, they’d find him eavesdropping on their conversation. Head Master Simmons pointed to his wristwatch, “Five minutes, Graystone,” he reminded. Theo Graystone shot the Head Master the finger and for just a minute, Anson liked the guy. Simmons chuckled and turned to go up the stairs. If Anson remembered correctly, the staff used to have offices on the second floor of Graystone Hall. He waited for Simmons to disappear up the stairs and followed Mr. Graystone out into the quad. He found him walking across the lawn to the library and Anson knew that he was going to find his father. His poor dad wouldn’t have a clue as to what was about to happen to him and he just hoped like hell that Duff did his part.

  Did you get Dad? Anson thought, hoping that Duff would pick up on his thoughts.

  Yep. Locked him away in the lavatory in his dormitory. Duff thought. Anson laughed, loving the thought of their father being locked in the toilet. His brother sounded quite smug about it too. Now, all he had to do was find Eden and make sure that the authorities found Bianca’s body in the woods before his father found his way free and stumbled across her. Then, the three of them could go home to a future that was hopefully brighter than the one they had come from.

  Anson closed his eyes and tried to listen for Eden and when he found her, he inwardly cursed. She was with her aunt’s body, trying to figure out why she attacked the Head Master and if the authorities found her there, they might never find their way back to the future. He had to get to her before the cops showed up. Otherwise, the three of them would be trapped in the past forever.

  Duff

  Duff wasn’t sure how he had gotten so lucky, finding his father in the bathroom at the dormitory. He first had to remember his father’s stories from his time at Graystone, and then remember which dormitory he had stayed in. Stumbling across his dad in the bathroom was just a bonus.

  His father walked into the lavatory just after he had and Duff ducked his head, hoping that his dad wouldn’t notice him. Even though he hadn’t been born yet, he worried that on some level, his father would be able to recognize him.

  “Evening,” his father breathed. Duff didn’t turn around to face his dad, rudely giving him his back and simply nodding. His dad chuckled and started the shower, waiting for the water to heat. He unrobed and stepped into the spray, pulling the opaque shower curtain and Duff took that as his cue. He grabbed the robe and towel that his father had hung on the hook outside of the shower and took off for the door, saying a little prayer that the bathroom door ha
d a lock.

  “Hey, come back here,” his father shouted from the shower stall. He poked his head out from behind the curtain and squinted at Duff through the shampoo that ran down into his eyes.

  Duff didn’t bother to turn around to see if his father was following him. He left the lavatory and saw that there wasn’t a lock—just his damn luck. Duff quickly searched the closest open room and found a chair that he could prop under the door’s handle, effectively locking his father in the bathroom. “That should hold you for a bit,” he whispered to the door.

  He could hear his brother trying to reach him telepathically and he smiled. He took great pleasure in telling his brother that he had locked his father in the lavatory. Anson’s laughter filled his mind and Duff started out of the dorm.

  His brother’s mood quickly shifted and Duff wondered what was up. Shit—meet me back at the woods. Our girl is about to do something stupid. Anson thought.

  Duff sprinted across the quad, heading to the woods when he ran into Theodore Graystone. “Shit,” Duff grumbled.

  “Is that how you address someone after you run them down?” Mr. Graystone shouted.

  “I’m sorry, Sir,” Duff said, ducking his face. It was ridiculous to worry that he’d be recognized by Mr. Graystone since they had never met, but he didn’t know how their run in would screw up their future and he knew to proceed with extreme caution.

  “Just get out of the way,” Theodore Graystone ordered. He tried to side step Duff and seemed agitated when he couldn’t get around him. “What’s your name?” he asked. “I don’t remember seeing you around campus.”

  Duff realized that he and Mr. Graystone were around the same age. In fact, he was probably a few years older than Eden’s father. He believed Duff to be a student and that worked in his favor.

  “I’ve just transferred in,” Duff lied. “I’m new around here. My name is Patrick Duff.” It was an alias he had used before and even though it didn’t roll off of his tongue, Mr. Graystone seemed to believe his lie.