by W. J. May
“Where’s Jason? I thought you two were standing together.”
She froze where she stood, too slow to think of a good lie. “He was, uh...I think he went back to the dorms. Said he was feeling sick.”
Gabriel’s eyes flashed towards Joist with automatic concern. “Should I call Alicia—”
“No, he’s not really sick.” Aria shook her head quickly, trying to rally her senses. “I think he was a little upset by the funeral. Normally I’d go talk to him—but he wants some time alone.”
Gabriel’s fingers paused over the screen, then the phone floated back into his pocket. “You sure?” he asked, ready to head over to the dorms. “I could stay—”
“I’m positive,” Aria interrupted, flashing a quick smile. “He just needs a little space.” She clapped her hands with false enthusiasm. “Let’s get some lunch, I’m starved.”
Devon stared down at her, always seeing more than he should. “Chinese, huh?”
She avoided his eyes. “Chinese sounds great.”
LUNCH STRETCHED INTO a movie, which stretched into ice cream, which stretched into an early dinner. By the end of the evening, the entire gang had joined them from all over the city. Julian had picked up Lily on his way into London. Luke, Molly, and Benji showed up in time for dessert.
It was one of those beloved family evenings that Aria had adored since she was old enough to remember, yet she found herself too distracted to appreciate it now.
Why did he take off like that? Why did he hold my hand? Was it just the agents that spooked him at the funeral? Was he still angry I didn’t turn down Alexander when he asked about the dance?
It was the dance, she decided. After replaying every recent moment they’d had together, she kept circling back to the day at the benches. The look on his face when Alexander had asked her to be his date. The way he’d taken off, muttering how curious he was to hear her answer.
It’s that—it has to be.
There were a lot more serious things happening but, strangely enough, none of those had really gotten under his skin. He was excited about the prospect of conducting their own private investigation. He’d stood up to the agents without a second thought.
But we still haven’t really talked. She bit her lip, staring vacantly at her glass. Not since—
“What’s wrong? Didn’t like your fortune?”
She glanced up to see Lily smiling at her from across the table. The candlelight flickered in her ivory hair as she held up the crumbled remains of her own cookie.
“Oh, I...I haven’t even looked.” Aria cracked open the shell, extracting the little slip of paper. “Why—what did you get?”
“I will find peace and happiness in a far off land.” She leaned over the table to see down the row of chairs. “What do you think, Dad? Does that sound accurate?”
Julian lifted his head, deep in conversation with Gabriel. “What’s that?”
“My fortune.”
The psychic rolled his eyes with irritation, waving away the little slip. “You know how I feel about those things.”
James cracked his own open, paled, then dunked it into his water. The second the ink faded off, he turned to Benji. “What does yours say?”
“Your pet is planning to eat you.”
He let out a bark of laughter, reaching across the table. “Give me that—”
Benji held it up with a grin. “I swear it’s true!”
Honey, is everything okay?
Years ago, Aria would have jumped in surprise at the telepathic message. Now, she just glanced across the table at her mother—who was staring at her with concern.
I’m fine, it’s just...school was weird today. Then we had the funeral.
Rae nodded slowly, ignoring the laughter around her.
I was surprised when you wanted to go back so quickly. Are you sure it’s the right time?
Aria paused for a moment, considering. She thought of James and Lily and Benji. Thought of their ongoing investigation—the quest for the registry. She thought of Dorian’s lecture about how they must live in the moment, before they were relegated to the past. Then she thought of Jason. Even now, he was sitting alone in his dorm. Staring out the darkened window...
“Yeah, I am.” She said it out loud, pushing to her feet. “I think I’m actually going to catch a cab back to school. I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”
Devon looked up in surprise. “Honey, are you sure? I’d be happy to drive you.”
She grabbed her coat off the back of the chair and swept towards the door, kissing his cheek as she walked past. “I’m sure. Thanks for dinner. As usual, I have no money to pay.”
He flashed a grin, but stared with a worried expression as she set off into the night. The second the door closed behind her, he glanced instinctively at Julian—whose eyes were already fading back from white. The psychic froze for a moment, processing what he’d just seen, then he pushed back his hair with a little smile.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” He picked up the bottle of wine and poured Devon another glass. “You’re going to need this...”
LESS THAN AN HOUR LATER, Aria was banging on a locked door. She hadn’t thought twice before sneaking into Joist Hall—even though the penalties were monstrous should she get caught. Thanks to a handy bit of invisibility, she’d made it up to the top floor without anyone noticing she was there. Granted, that stealth had vanished somewhat when she began pounding on the door.
“Come on—I know you’re in there! It’s me! Open up!”
There was a quiet shuffling on the other side. A moment later Jason pulled open the door, freezing in a halo of golden lamplight. “Arie? What are you doing here?”
“Let me in before I get another detention.”
The door opened wider and she slipped inside.
Considering the place was banned to people of the opposite sex, she’d still been there many times. Jason and Benji had shared a dorm since they’d started at Guilder, and there was hardly a night when they weren’t either hosting a secret party or in the girls’ dorms themselves.
But it looked different tonight. Cleaner. The kind of thing that could never have happened if Benji was there himself. The boys were both messy, as teenagers were prone to be, but Jason had inherited his father’s compulsion to tidy things up. Especially when there were things on his mind.
“What happened in here?” Aria joked. “I can actually see the floor.”
Jason smiled self-consciously, raking back his hair. The trashcans were overflowing and a tiny bottle of citrus cleanser had been hastily shoved into his desk. “Figured we were going to attract rats. Probably time to take a stand.”
She laughed softly, then lifted her eyes. “We missed you today. Ended up at The Golden Dynasty in the city—stealing each other’s fortunes and watching our parents slowly empty the place of wine.”
He flashed a faint grin. “I can imagine.”
“Your dad was worried after the funeral,” she continued. “He almost came over here. I was...” She caught herself quickly. “I told him you needed a little space.”
A strange look came over Jason’s face and he turned quickly to the window. “Thanks.”
So it’s going to be like that, huh? You won’t even talk to me?
A silence fell over the room as Aria shifted self-consciously, wondering why she’d decided to come. He obviously didn’t want to talk about it. There obviously wasn’t anything to say—
“Was there a reason you—”
“I’m sorry about the thing with the dance,” she blurted.
He froze in surprise, taking a second to switch gears. “...what?”
“The thing with the dance,” she repeated, blushing furiously. “When Alexander asked me, I was never going to say yes. I was just caught off guard and I—”
“Arie,” Jason held up a hand, fighting back a smile, “it’s me. I’m not mad about the dance.”
She paused immediately, all that momentum turning on a dime. “...y
ou’re not?”
He shook his head, perching on the edge of his desk. “If anything, I was kicking myself. I didn’t even remember it was coming up.”
A wave of relief swept over Aria. That was the Jason she knew. Carefree, charming. Finally, they were getting back on solid ground.
Then her eyes flickered to the card on his desk and the relief vanished.
“Yeah, well...I guess you’ve had a lot on your mind.”
He followed her gaze, seeing Maize’s scribbled phone number, before picking up the paper and tossing it into the trash.
“It’s not about Mr. Dorf either.” He stopped himself abruptly, staring almost fearfully into her eyes. “I know that sounds terrible. I mean...I’m so sorry for what happened to him. It’s just...”
She held up her hand, eyes drifting past the card to what was buried underneath. “...you’ve been thinking about your mom.”
The entire desk was littered with the initials EH, scribbled on the back of napkins and text books and crumpled gas station receipts. Benji had to think he was going crazy. Although, on second thought, Aria imagined he was careful to do it whenever his roommate wasn’t around.
Jason blushed, fighting the urge to push them all out of sight. “Pretty stupid, huh? All she left me were two letters, and eighteen years’ worth of memories that I should have had. But I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Aria stepped closer, shaking her head. “It’s not stupid at all! It’s the first clue you’ve ever gotten about your biological mother. Of course you’re obsessing over it.”
It was quiet for a few moments before she went out on a limb.
“You didn’t tell your dad?”
Jason shook his head, staring hard out the window.
“Do you want to?” she offered gently. “We could catch a cab back to London—”
“I want to find out who killed Dorf,” he interrupted suddenly. “I want to get that registry.”
She stepped back in surprise, then nodded slowly. “Okay...we’ll do it tonight.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
They stared at each other for a moment, twin looks of mischief dancing in their eyes. After a moment, she headed back to the door. “Let me just get changed out of this ridiculous dress—”
“Aria...will you go to the dance with me?”
She froze in surprise.
Then their eyes met with a twinkling smile.
Chapter 14
They didn’t wait for the others to get back. In fact, they were so excited they didn’t even wait for Aria to change. She simply ditched her blazer and threw on one of Jason’s jackets before the two headed out together into the night.
“So how are we going to do this?” she whispered, her breath billowing in front of her like a cloud. “Just break into the guy’s house? I don’t even know his ink—”
“He’s a shifter,” Jason answered swiftly. “Turns into a bird or something.”
She glanced up in surprise. “How do you know that?”
He tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps and quickly pulled her behind a tree. “He told me during my orientation.”
The two peered out from behind the leaves and saw a trio of teachers slowly walking back to the cottages. While it wasn’t the best idea to be out past curfew on an average day, it was even worse to try it when the whole school was on high alert after the death of a teacher. Aria glanced into the shadows. It was a miracle they hadn’t been caught already.
“Maybe I should do this by myself—invisibly.” She turned to face him, her back pressed against the tree. “If anyone asks, I could just say I went out after the funeral—”
“Not a chance.” Jason towered over her, flashing a pearly smile. “You think I’m going to let you take credit all by yourself? We’re in this together, Wardell. You and me.”
She stared up at him, barely breathing. Had he always been so tall? The top of her head barely brushed his chin. And had he always been so handsome? She couldn’t tear her eyes away.
“All right,” he whispered, peering out from behind the branches. “I think they’re gone—”
She didn’t think. She just kissed him.
One second, he was talking. The next, she grabbed him by the collar and pressed her lips against his. He froze in surprise, eyes shooting wide open—before they snapped shut a second later.
A second after that, she was in the air.
Yes, they were supposed to be careful. Yes, they had snuck out for a reason. But that isn’t the kind of thing that often crosses the teenage mind. Hands tangled in hair as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His tongue crept into her mouth as they slammed backwards into the tree.
She let out a quiet gasp as the air knocked out of her, holding both sides of his face. One hand was sliding up the back of her shirt. The other was wrapped around her thigh. Her heart raced and a part of her wanted to suggest that they go back inside—then a twig snapped behind them.
Holy crap!
For the second time, she didn’t think. She turned invisible.
“Jason?”
He stumbled backwards in alarm—alarm that tripled when the girl he was still holding vanished from his arms. For a split second he was unable to do anything more than stand there, panting softly, staring straight through her translucent skin.
Then he looked past her to the pair of students standing in the dark.
“Oh, uh...hey guys,” he stammered, discreetly shifting Aria higher on his waist. “What are you doing here?”
Milo and Lisette stared back at him, each holding take-out bags from a different place. They shot each other a quick glance, lips quirking with the same smile, before turning back to him.
“We just got back from dinner,” Milo answered slowly. “Met up in the parking lot.” His eyes danced as he fought back a grin. “What are you doing out here?”
Jason tried to shrug, but Aria’s arms were still wrapped around his neck. Instead he stepped backwards, awkwardly leaning one hand against the tree. “Me? Nothing. Just getting some fresh air.”
“Fresh air?” Lisette repeated, her eyebrows shooting into her hairline. “You’re breaking curfew for a little late-night stroll?”
Aria buried her face in his neck, shaking with silent laughter.
“Yep.” He tried to shift her away, grimacing. “You know me. Don’t know what to do with myself when Benji’s away.”
Benji, huh?
In hindsight, it wasn’t the kindest thing to do. But her legs were wrapped around the guy’s waist and Aria had never been one to play fair...
“He went out after the funeral?” Milo asked. “You didn’t want to go with him?”
She leaned in quietly, pressing her lips to his neck. He sucked in a quick breath, trying to control his expression, then his hand tightened almost painfully on her leg.
“Nope,” he answered in a voice much higher than his own. “Lots to do back here.”
Lisette shook her head blankly. “Like what? The funeral’s over and they cancelled every class.”
With a secret smile Aria crept higher, letting her lower lip trail upward before pressing a soft kiss to the hollow below his ear. A shiver swept over his entire body. He wetted his lower lip.
“Sorry...what about the funeral?”
Again, the two friends exchanged a quick glance. This time Milo turned back with interest, scanning around the darkened lawn. “Dude, are you sure you’re okay? You’re being really weird.”
Aria traced a finger across his lower lip, stretching up to bite his ear. She nearly giggled out loud.
“Yep. Totally fine.” He not only released her leg but ‘stretched’ his arms in the process, attempting to push her to the ground. “You two should get inside. Don’t want to get detention.”
“Yeah,” Milo muttered, heading towards the dorms, “you either.”
Jason flashed an almost apologetic smile, waving as Milo vanished inside. Lisette followed along behind him before sudden
ly doubling back.
“Actually Jason, there was something I wanted to talk to you about...”
Aria froze in the process of climbing up his back. Oh yeah?
“Oh yeah?” Jason echoed her words without meaning to, reaching up to loosen Aria’s grip from his shirt. “What’s that?”
The girl blushed, looking abruptly shy.
“It’s about the dance...I was wondering if you were going.”
In a flash Aria released him, standing mutely by his side. If it was any other day, she might have found the timing funny. As it stood, she felt guilty for having to intrude.
“The dance,” Jason repeated, buying himself some time. “Uh...yeah, actually. I was planning on going with Arie. You know...unless someone strangles her before it happens...”
Lisette blushed even deeper, mortified to have brought it up. “Oh, never mind then. You two should totally go together,” she said with a forced smile. “You’ll have a ton of fun.”
Jason winced apologetically. “Sorry, Lis. I didn’t know you—”
She held up her hand, quickly backing away. “Don’t even worry about it. I’m serious—you guys will have a blast.”
Okay, I’m a jerk for hating on her.
With a bright smile, Aria began climbing once more—careful not to disturb his clothing by anchoring her feet directly on his hips. The second she was high enough, the kissing began anew.
“You never know,” Jason managed. “She’s actually kind of a pain in the ass.”
Lisette flashed a grin, backing towards the dorms. “There’s always Spring Fling, right?”
He smiled and waved above his head—holding the position until she vanished into the shadows. At that point, he grabbed Aria by the wrists and flipped her onto the ground.
“Are you crazy?!” he demanded. “What the heck are you thinking?!”
She leapt to her feet with a giggle, dancing invisibly beyond the reach of his hand. At once he stopped reaching, shaking his head with a dangerous grin.
“Oh, I get it. You think this is really funny, don’t you?”
She giggled again, this time popping up on his other side. “It isn’t not funny...”
