Shades of Valhalla - Inner Origins Book One

by Ellis Logan

Chapter 15

  The next day I woke up early and went for a run, followed by a round of punching on my speed ball. After I showered, I stood looking in my closet. I really wasn’t in the mood to wear anything other than my pajamas and was tempted to stay home from school. Too bad I was already several weeks behind in school. I supposed I should catch up before I started ditching.

  Resigned, I pulled on some jeggings with a long grey and black camo cami and my silver sk8-hi Vans. I looked in the mirror, brushing out my damp hair. It was already starting to curl up around my shoulders, and I really wasn’t in the mood to do anything so labor intensive as blowing it dry.

  I huffed a strand out of my eyes, annoyed at its unruly ways. Braids or a ponytail? I remembered what my mom had said about the Valkyries and grinned. Oh yeah, definitely braids.

  I finished up quickly and headed into the kitchen, where I guzzled down the fresh pink juice my mom had left out on the counter for me with a note to have a nice day. It tasted like papaya, lemongrass and strawberry. Not bad. Then I grabbed a couple bananas from the kitchen to eat on the way to school in the car.

  On the way to school, I went over what had happened the day before again in my head. Could we really be fae?

  It seemed like some sort of dream.

  Thinking about the visions I’d had, I guessed it was as good an explanation as any. My mom wasn’t exactly the fantasy type. That was so more my thing. Mom liked to watch action movies and go over the tactical errors the characters inevitably made. Even in training, she never pulled any punches, and she had never been anything less than straight with me.

  Well, unless you thought about the fact that she’d managed to hide our family origins from me for seventeen years. Aunt Jade, indeed.

  Going on autopilot, I barely registered the fact that I had driven all the way to school and parked. I blinked a few times, clearing my head, and looked around the student lot.

  So many normal kids. Just doing their thing.

  I’d always envied them the life they had. Growing up in one place. Knowing where they belonged.

  I’d had no idea how different I really was.

  I hopped out of the Subaru and made my way inside with everyone else. Suddenly, someone bumped into me hard from behind, making me drop my bag.

  “Nice braids, Heidi,” Emelie sneered at me, passing by as I bent down to retrieve it.

  Seriously, what had I ever done to her? What a jerk. A rush of irrational hatred flooded through me.

  “Thanks, Emelie, nice heels.” I flashed her a sweet, innocent smile. “Want one through your eye?”

  “What?” She stumbled a little and her eyes widened in surprise. “What-ever, freak. Go back to where you came from, flatlander.” She flipped her hair and walked away quickly.

  When I got to my locker Rowan was leaning there waiting for me again. God, he was gorgeous. And he clearly wasn’t even trying. Today he was wearing dark jeans and a faded black tee from some Indie rocker band. His short, blue-tipped hair was sticking up in several directions and it took all my self-control not to reach up and run my fingers through it and fix it. Or just grab it and bring his well-formed lips down to mine. Either way would be a win-win, as far I could imagine. My stomach flopped in that weird way it did whenever he was nearby. I made a concerted effort to look away from his mouth and up into his eyes.

  Those deep blue, starlit eyes.

  I really had to get a grip.

  He smiled down at me quizzically.

  “Dude, what did you say to Em? She sounded wicked pissed.”

  Ah, apparently he hadn’t noticed me staring. Thank. God.

  “Oh nothing,” I answered breezily. “I just complimented her shoes.”

  “If you say so.” He eyed me with just a hint of disbelief. He drew himself up to his full height, away from the lockers, and looked down at me with concern.

  “So, what about you? Are you sure you are well enough to be at school today?”

  I don’t think anyone other than my mother or aunt had ever looked at me with that much concern before now. Well, aunt, grandma…Whatever. Still, I didn’t usually have any friends that were close enough to really care about my actual well-being. Then again, I couldn’t recall ever being sick, beyond the occasional sniffle, so I suppose no one had ever had the opportunity to show me if they cared. I enjoyed his concern.

  “Siri?” He looked down at me, waiting for an answer.

  “Hey, what are you trying to say?” I smiled up at him coyly. “Do I look sick?”

  His eyes gazed into mine, then traveled down the length of my body. Slowly, they made their way back up and I felt my face glowing with what I was sure deep, dark red. So much for coy. I cursed my fair Viking heritage. Wait, were we even Norwegian at all? I would have to ask mom about that.

  Rowan locked his eyes back on mine and he leaned in slowly, touching his forehead to mine.

  “No,” he whispered. “You look fine. Really, really, fine.”

  I giggled and he drew back, kissing me lightly on the nose. “Still, I’m keeping my eye on you. Can’t have my best girl getting sick on me.”

  “No?”

  “No. Who will give me such great pizza tips if you’re not eating?”

  Pretending mock outrage, I elbowed him in the abs. He doubled over, cracking up and protecting his stomach at the same time.

  “Come on, joker, we’re gonna be late.” I turned and sauntered away. Rowan followed, still laughing. I did my best not to reach up and rub my elbow where I’d ribbed him. It was actually smarting from the contact with his rock hard abs. I’d never felt a set like that, not even in tourneys with other champion mixed martial artists. That boy was in shape, almost freakishly so.

  Not to mention freakishly nice, awesomely funny and hella hot. Or wicked hot, as the local kids said.

  I could get used to living here. I really could.

  Oh, who was I kidding.

  I was already head over heels in like with a guy, and had a pretty awesome gal-pal in the making with Rose. Everyone here was uber-nice. Well, with the exception of Emelie, but honestly, I was so used to girls like her it didn’t really phase me.

  “And what the hell does flatlander even mean, anyway? Is that, like, some Game of Thrones thing or something?” I remembered to ask him as we arrived at my class.

  “Nah, it just means you’re not from Vermont. And honey, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He swatted me playfully on the butt and strolled off to his first class. Still laughing. Jerk.