by Rachel Jonas
The soles of our gym-shoe-clad and sandaled feet squeaked against the new tile. This place still smelled like fresh paint and plastic. Too new for anyone to call it home, but home it was. For now, anyway.
“May I have your attention please?” It was the exquisite one again. She hadn’t been on the elevator with us, so I guessed there was one specifically for staff.
She tossed her dark mane behind her shoulder while waiting for all eyes to find her. I tried to fight the urge, but glanced over to Liam, hating how it felt when I caught him staring right at her.
Again.
Intense. Thoughtful. Anxious.
Only, this time, I turned quickly enough to catch her gazing right back at him. The hint of a smile ghosting on her mouth as she conveyed something to him with her eyes. I couldn’t place it at first, but … did she know him? Was that what I was sensing? Familiarity?
Before I could analyze the two any further, she looked away, focusing on our entire group instead of just one.
“You should have all been given ID tags before exiting your busses. If you’ll flip those tags over, you’ll find our Damascus Facility logo etched onto the back. Not everyone’s logo will be the same color. There are six: black, silver, gold, red, green, and blue.”
I flipped mine over—gold. Beth did the same—blue.
“If you look around, you’ll find those same logos in their respective colors posted beside each of the six hallways.” The woman gestured in a circle from where we stood at the center of a hub of elevators. Surrounding us, six hallways that stretched far like spokes.
“Please form a line in front of whichever hallway matches your badge,” she went on. “We’d like to move things along quickly because there are several others waiting to be brought down to get settled.”
It sucked Beth and I wouldn’t be in the same group. And I’m sure it sucked even more for her because she and Roz were headed for the same line. In fact, just as I thought it, she rolled her eyes when realizing that very thing.
Tucking my thumbs behind the straps of my backpack, I stood near my area, watching as the others filled quickly. But it was only me and two others beside the gold logo. More of that special treatment Liam mentioned the other night, I was sure.
The kid in front of me had his nose so far in the air I was worried a bird might fly up it. The one behind me, a girl, was only concerned with the fact that her phone didn’t get service down here in the basement of all basements.
No, seriously. I’m pretty sure Hell was a few floors up. That’s how deep we were.
That gentle tug in my chest made me aware of Liam again and my eyes went straight to him. To my surprise, he wasn’t eyeing the brunette again. This time, he was conversing with one of the suits who’d come out to gather us from the busses. After speaking to Liam, the guy went to two others who weren’t students and motioned for all three to follow him. My guess was they were being taken to their quarters as well. The small group walked toward me where I stood at the gold emblem hallway and, when passing, Liam tapped his temple discreetly and I knew right away what he meant.
Our built-in communication system, unlike cell phones, was in full working order even here, in Middle Earth.
The next instant, I was inside his head.
“Yeah?” There was a tone to the question and it caught me off guard even though I was the one who asked. It sounded like I was giving him attitude, and I don’t know, maybe I was.
“They’re showing us to our spots,” Liam informed me. Not out loud of course; just in his thoughts as he disappeared around a corner up ahead.
“Yup. Figured.” Ugh … there it was again. The snark. The attitude.
He didn’t respond right away, but when he did, I knew he heard and felt it too. “…Something bothering you?”
I had to get it together. Deep down, I knew where all this was coming from. It was the way he looked at the woman. I guessed her to be an instructor or maybe the facility’s director, but her position here was irrelevant. They—she and Liam—weren’t strangers. I felt it in my gut. And no matter how many times I tried to tell myself not to care; no matter how many times I reminded myself I had no right to care, I did.
I cared.
Because I freakin’ suck and I couldn’t seem to keep my feelings in check when it came to him.
It was, literally, out of my control. The attachment was there, and I could do nothing about it. I suppose, after centuries of existing together, after centuries spent loving one another, the remnants hadn’t faded and maybe never would. My body and mind might not have remembered, but my soul certainly did.
Being mindful of how I responded, I tried to smooth things over. I had no right, one way or another, to worry about who caught his attention. In this lifetime, he and I were nothing more than friends. Albeit close ones, but friends nonetheless.
“Everything’s fine,” I lied. “Just tired from the drive down.” That was kind of true.
He seemed to accept my answer. “I’ll check in later.”
I gave no response, and when I was pushed out of his mind, I knew he wasn’t expecting one.
The lines were finally full and mine still had the least—five including me. At the head of our section stood two of the stuffy suits. One guy, one lady. Both wore kind smiles that made me leerier of them than if they’d been scowling. The woman locked gazes with me and I had to smile back. They were all so perfect, like being attractive was a requirement for being hired to work here.
Our female guide and her male counterpart were both of Asian descent. Looking closer at the tag pinned to her jacket, I read her name—Mei. The guy was Randall. Apparently, we were all going to be on a first name basis here, unlike Seaton Prep. Headmaster McNulty had been all about order and knowing our place when it came to being under subjection to the authority figures on campus. It wasn’t that easy to convince me this place was cool, though. Only time would tell.
“If you five would follow us, we’ll escort you to your quarters,” Mei announced, broadening her grin.
We took to the hallway and, veering left, heavy, stainless-steel doors came into view. We stopped at the first and a small piece of paper was taped in the space where a nameplate was meant to go.
“Errol Cohen, this is your stop,” Randall said. “The other students will all be four to six to a room, but I think you all will be pleased to know none of you will be sharing your space. You’ll each have your own, private sleeping quarters as well as private restroom facilities.”
The other kids breathed a sigh of relief after being informed of our isolation, but not me. I was actually hoping I’d have someone else to bunk with, someone to keep me company.
Errol stepped out of our small crowd—a tall kid with a severe case of bed-head. He either didn’t care how messy it was, or he’d taken one heck of a nap on the way here and didn’t realize it needed combing. He gave a cheeky salute to the rest of us as he shut his door, and when he did, I picked up on his scent when it wafted toward me.
Lycan.
We dropped off two more and then came to the last door where my own name was written on a sheet of paper. When I eyed it, Mei felt the need to explain.
“The paper is temporary. Had we been expecting to open so soon we would’ve been prepared, but, considering the circumstances, we had to make do.”
I laughed a bit because she didn’t owe me any kind of explanation whatsoever. I was a nobody. A nobody whose only real requirement was a TV somewhere in my room.
“It’s fine,” I assured her.
“It’s just that … we know the parents of the kids in this area paid a considerable amount to ensure that their children have the best of the best here at Damascus.”
“Not mine,” I blurted.
At first, both Mei and Randall seemed confused, but it was Mei who recouped and straightened her expression first.
“Oh … well, we just assumed as much when the director added you to the Gold Sector. That’s how the others managed to acquire
these rooms. They made it clear you were to be well taken care of,” she added. “In fact, I purposely put you in the room near mine so I could listen out for you.”
This was all getting out of hand. Everyone had suddenly become members of my own, personal Secret Service. I was glad the other kids were already in their rooms. This was so embarrassing.
“That’s really not necessary,” I assured them both. “But thank you all the same.”
Mei seemed disappointed that I wasn’t overly excited about this. Stepping aside, she opened the door to my new room. “The rest of your belongings will be brought down to you shortly. As soon as everyone’s been shown to their rooms.”
I nodded, but didn’t even go in to inspect my new space. Instead, I made a request I hoped my perceived clout would make come true.
“Is there any way I could get a roommate?”
Again, Mei was confused. I was sure most of the other kids would kill for a private room, but I had a different perspective, I guess.
“A … roommate?”
I nodded. “Yeah, and I already have someone in mind. Beth Chadwick. Is that possible?”
She swallowed, glancing toward Randall before meeting my gaze again. “I’ll certainly see what I can do.”
—Chapter Seven—
Evie
I let my backpack slip off my shoulders and onto the floor beside an empty bookcase. The white and stainless-steel décor was carried over into the sleeping quarters as well. Everything from the corridor leading to the elevators, to this very space, was a careful arrangement of clean lines and minimalism. A small bed dressed in white linen was pushed against the far wall beneath what was meant to appear as a window. Frosted glass hid the clever lighting behind it, designed to make it feel like we were above ground. There was even a twinge of coral across the top, simulating the oncoming sunset.
Someone put a lot of thought—and a lot of money—into this place.
I walked the perimeter slowly, taking it all in. A sleek dresser with a rectangular pot of faux grass had been placed in the center beside a lamp. Next, a walk-in closet with fresh laundry bags folded on a shelf with instructions on top. Apparently, we weren’t expected to do our own washing; there was staff to take care of that on weekends.
Impressive.
Just outside the closet door, a large, complex intercom system with more instructions posted beneath it. Some other time, I’d figure out how to use it, but for now I at least read that we were able to call from room to room, like a hotel.
I moved on, dropping down onto the edge of my bed. This was home. It’d take a bit before that didn’t feel so strange.
I took a deep breath, and while wondering how the others were settling in, I also wondered if Nick’s family was any closer to finding him. He should have been here, right alongside the rest of us. Having him here would’ve made things easier for a number of reasons. For one, I missed him. And there was also the fact that I was worried out of my mind; not only about his physical wellbeing, but his state of mind. More than anything right now, I wanted to see him. Unfortunately, even if he did attempt to reach one of us, we were in an absolute cell phone dead zone.
A short knock startled me and I hopped up right away. At the door, a small screen had been installed beside it. A blue button labeled ‘press before opening’ caught my attention and I did just that. The second my finger mashed it, an image of Beth standing on the other side with her backpack in tow brought a huge grin to my face.
After struggling with the array of locks and deadbolts, I finally got it open and rushed her inside.
“I wasn’t sure they’d let you come,” I squealed. “I mean, you’re cool with being my roomie, right? I guess I should’ve checked with you first. I just thought—”
“Are you kidding me right now?” she cut in. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be unpacking my things in a room with five other girls, one of which being Roz, so … I actually owe you a huge thank you.”
I smiled. She was just as happy about this as I was.
“Mei … I think her name was?” I nodded to confirm when Beth made a guess. “She said a second bed would be brought down for me within the hour. They’re pretty swamped trying to get everyone settled, so it’s not a big deal.”
I agreed. For now, we could just chill.
The space was decked out, but sort of empty. Beth set her bag down beside mine and followed the same path I did when first walking in, letting her fingers trace the surfaces she passed.
“Dude, I thought my first room was nice,” she said with a smile. “But it has nothing on this one. Apparently, you saved me from the slums.”
I laughed, settling on the edge of the bed again as I watched her explore. “I was afraid it’d get lonely, so I asked if it was okay to bring you in.”
Beth shook her head. “I have no clue how much money your parents had to come off of to make this happen, but God bless them.” When she smiled again, I looked away. The reference poured salt in a fresh wound.
She stepped into the large closet, skimmed the same letter I had about laundry service, and then ended her tour in front of me where she propped her elbow against the ‘window’ sill.
Still scanning our new space, she spoke my very thoughts aloud. “This place is nice, but kinda weird, right?”
I nodded. “Thought it was just me.”
She shook her head. “Definitely not. I mean, I’m looking forward to classes and training and stuff, but the whole ‘living underground’ thing is what I think is throwing me off. Don’t get me wrong, I get that they need to hide us while we learn and all, but …” she shrugged. “Just seems a bit extreme.”
During the bus ride, the rest of us had so many questions. However, every time, it seemed like Beth was the one with all the answers.
“You’re probably the most enlightened out of us all.”
One corner of her mouth tugged up when she smiled. “I suppose. My parents seem to be the anomaly. They never hid from me what I am, what I’d one day become. And I don’t think I fully appreciated that until we all shifted early, and I saw the damage it did to the other kids.”
She zoned out for a moment, thinking about one of the many things we discussed while we rode. Apparently, they all shifted the night I did and we all had a hard time with it. With twenty being the typical transitioning age, most parents thought they had time to let their kids in on the secret, only to find out otherwise.
“I know most are blaming The Sovereign, but that’s only part of the problem. Had the adults taken the approach my parents took, we wouldn’t be here,” she said, not bothering to hide the chill in her tone. “While, yeah, the initial shift might have still been a shocker, we could have at least been learning our limitations, our abilities since childhood.” I noted the frustration in her expression. “It’s all about control,” she added. “If we can master that, that’s all we need. The rest will come about naturally.”
I let that sink in. Control. I think I was beginning to realize that before she said it, but it stuck with me. I was probably looking at shifting in the wrong way, thinking it controlled me, and not the other way around. Like Liam said, our shifted forms were the biggest part of who we were, but it was still us. Not some outside force we needed to bring under subjection. We could control it just like we could control our physical bodies.
I had so much to learn.
A soft growl stole our attention and Beth laughed before I did. It wasn’t a warning of impending aggression like when she made the sound at Roz. This came from someplace else.
Her stomach.
She reared her head back. “Come on! They know we eat like an army of grown men since we shifted. Why the heck are they making us wait so long to get food?”
I didn’t have the answer to her question, but I could help her survive the wait a bit more comfortably. She watched as I stood and walked to my backpack. Unzipping the side, I pulled out two candy bars and tossed her one.
Her eyes lit up and the look of
gratitude on her face made me crack up. “Woman, you are like … my godsend today. I swear!”
I pealed back the wrapper as I sat again, taking a bite. The second I did, I was reminded of the conversation I had with Liam. He said that, physically, I was exactly like he remembered, and I still had a thing for sweets. But, other than that, I felt like a completely different person. It was that disconnect that made me question whether I’d ever hone in on whatever abilities I had before.
Beth and I were polar opposites, which I suppose is why we got along so well. She was so strong, and I wanted confidence in my abilities like she had. There was a regality she carried with her, and here I was, supposed to be queen or something.
Oh, the irony.
I was just getting ready to ask what she thought our classes and training would consist of, but another knock interrupted. I stood, hoping it was the rest of our things so we could get unpacked; however, a press of the blue button beside the door made my heart leap.
Liam.
I hesitated. With Beth here, I was nervous to answer because … she might see.
The feelings I try to hide.
The way Liam looks at me, through me.
The connection.
All of it.
“You gonna get that or do we have a butler somewhere I haven’t seen yet,” she joked.
I faked a smile and, realizing there was only one option, I opened the door. Liam stared back and I drew in a deep breath. In his black tee and dark denim, he looked like every girl’s dream, every father’s nightmare. Right down to the tattoos and that devious look that always lurked beneath the surface of whatever expression he wore. I was almost positive Beth was staring unapologetically from over my shoulder. I imagined it, mouth wide and everything. When Liam’s eyes went there, behind me to where she stood, I knew I was right.
I forced a smile and shoved my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. “Hey.”
He smiled back—easier, more natural. “Hey. I’m just checking in.”
Of course he was. I hadn’t been in this room more than twenty minutes and he was already worried. My mouth moved with a smile again, and this time, it was a real one with a quiet laugh trailing behind it.
