by G. Bailey
“Awesome,” I eventually say, sliding off my coat after the bed is done, and pulling out my phone from my bag.
“They are serious about technology and how it’s banned here. I’m just warning you, as a friend, that you should hide that,” she says as I slide the phone inside the pillow case she hands me off the floor, before putting the pillow on the bed.
“I know, but there is someone I need to stay in contact with, secretly at least…and he is worth the risk,” I say, sitting on the bed, and she sits next to me. “Even if I can’t actually tell him anything truthful, I just want to hear his voice.”
“A boyfriend?” she asks, wagging her eyebrows.
“An ex-boyfriend now,” I reply, trying to keep my voice from catching, and she gives me a sad smile.
“What’s his name?” she gently asks me.
“Quinton,” I reply with a tight smile.
“A sexy name, but I’m guessing he is human?” she asks, and I nod.
“Don’t fall for a human,” she says softly, and I laugh humourlessly.
“It’s too late for that. I love him already, but it’s clearly not meant to be between us now,” I say.
“How long were you together?” she asks me, seeming curious now.
“About a year. We grew up together, well, him, me and the four other boys that lived on my street. When the others moved away three years ago, it was just us left, and I can’t lose him now,” I say.
“Okay, Madi, but as long as he is just a friend now, it won’t be a problem. I don’t want you hurt, even if we did just meet. I’m sure your parents told you about the arranged marriage thing,” she says, her eyes hold a note of worry.
“I know…but I didn’t choose this. I didn’t choose to walk away from Quinton, and I need to know he is okay. I need to know he is going to move on and have a life, even if it isn’t the one we planned together,” I whisper, harshly wiping my eyes. “Sorry, we just met, and I’m blurting out my depressing life issues.”
“Hey, I get it. We have all left people behind back home. Look, they have trackers on 24/7 for phones. If you want to use it, go to the roof; it’s the only place that would be safe, and it is difficult to get up there, so they don’t check it. I’m sure your book will help you find a way up,” she says, and I smile, thankful for her advice.
“Thank you, Tavvy. Any other advice I need to know before I go to sleep?” I ask her, desperate to change the subject now because it damn well hurts to talk about Quinton.
“Just one thing. There are four brothers here that unofficially rule the academy. The girls that follow them around will do anything to get their attention. They will make it their mission to destroy you if you mess with the brothers, so it’s best to stay out of their way,” she suggests, “though I’m not too worried, considering you just got out of a relationship. Everyone is waiting to hear who they are going to be arranged to marry. Their last fiancé died recently.”
“Yeah, I’m not looking for anyone right now, and I’m sorry someone died... So, what’s so special about the brothers anyway?” I ask her. She doesn’t need to worry, no one will remotely interest me, not so soon after leaving Quinton.
“They are hot, for one, and extremely powerful. They basically rule the school, and even the teachers are scared of them,” she says. “There are rules for us and rules for them.”
“They sound like assholes,” I mutter, yawning. It’s been a long ass day.
“They are, but I wouldn’t go calling them that. One of them is super creepy, and he can pull you into another dimension he made all on his own. Everyone is scared of him, and he always wins fight class. Well, except his brothers who can beat him when they feel like it,” she chuckles. “Either way, it’s best to stay clear.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about. I will stay away from Mr. Creepy,” I say, and she laughs. She climbs up the ladder and into her bed, then peeks over the edge, still chuckling as I give her a confused expression.
“You haven’t seen them yet. I bet your attitude might change.”
Chapter 5
“Your first class is history,” Lane says as I finish brushing my hair and look over at the open book on my bed. I pull my black hoodie closer around me, hoping that my casual skinny jeans and shirt is the right dress code. Though looking at Tavvy just behind me, I’m guessing it is fine. I don’t know why anyone is worried about the bathroom down the corridor. I went this morning to use the toilet and freshen up with Tavvy, and there was nothing but a slightly old-fashioned bathroom.
“History is the worst class. You should have gotten here yesterday; the first class was Drama where they spend the year teaching you how to act if a human sees your powers. It’s the best class,” Tavvy says as she pulls on her leather jacket which matches her leather leggings she has on. I couldn’t pull that outfit off if I tried, but Tavvy’s skinny waist makes it work. I just threw on my comfy clothes with my trainers, and called it good enough. I’ve never been one to bother with what I’m wearing. I pull my hair up into a high ponytail as I watch Tavvy pick up a book like mine from the dressing table and open it.
“Morning, Tots! What are they serving for breakfast today?” she asks her book. I walk over, looking over Tavvy’s shoulder at the woman’s head in the book. She is bald like Lane and has blue eyes, with a triangle symbol on her cheek. You can only really tell she is a girl by her long eyelashes and high cheek bones. What’s with them all having no hair?
“It is an English breakfast, your favourite. I believe today is the only day they are serving hot food for breakfast this week, so you might want to head over now before it is all eaten,” she says, her voice also old-fashioned like Lane’s.
“Awesome,” Tavvy states and shuts the book before putting it into her backpack. Once her bag is done up, she looks over at me and sighs before walking to the bed. “Here you go. I noticed you don’t have one, and it’s easier to carry things around,” Tavvy explains as she leans under our beds and pulls out a black backpack.
“Thanks,” I say and accept it, closing my book and putting it in the bag.
“Come on, new friend. Let’s go before all the good food and seats are taken,” Tavvy states and links her arm in mine, leading me out of our room. I’m surprised to see it’s empty, and everywhere is very quiet when we walk out. This is meant to be a school…right?
“Where is everyone?” I ask her.
“There aren’t that many students anymore, not like there used to be anyway. Not since…well, I’m sure someone will explain all that to you at some point. Overall, there are a hundred and fifty students, well, a hundred and fifty-one now,” she says, knocking my shoulder as we walk down the very long corridor, and I frown at her.
“Explain what?” I ask her.
“About the dark fairy tale descendants and why there are so few of us left…I will explain tonight if you really want to know and not get any sleep for a while,” she says and smiles sadly at me. I nod once at her and remind myself to ask her about it all later. As I look around, I’m happy to say the place doesn’t look as creepy in the day as it does at night. There is still a silly amount of old paintings of people, and now that I can see, there is lavender wallpaper that is horrible.
“There are only two other students that have a room down here,” she explains to me, “though they are always late to class.”
“There are ten doors,” I comment, looking around as we come into the corridor that joins all the corridors going off it. The stairs going down are in the middle of the corridor, and the stairs going up are next to them. The old and derelict feel of the mansion is the same up here too, and more strange paintings line the walls.
“Yep, each corridor has ten rooms. The floor upstairs is the boys’ rooms, which is a maze of corridors as well. We aren’t allowed up there, but that doesn’t stop some people,” she nods her head to the red-haired girl walking down the stairs, dressed in a small red dress and killer black heels. She stops when she sees us, taking her time to l
ook us up and down before walking over, her heels clanging loudly against the floor.
“The new girl everyone is talking about,” she states when she stops in front of us, raising a dyed black eyebrow.
“Err yeah. Hi,” I say with an awkward wave, and she wrinkles her nose as she looks me over again.
“When you want to learn how to dress, come and find me,” she states. Rude.
“No, thanks,” I reply, and she laughs, wrapping her hand around my upper arm as she leans in close.
“Lose the fake fairy, sweetheart, and come and play with the ones who have actual power and can keep you alive,” she taunts, and I pull my arm away from her.
“Fake fairy? Do you want to say that again?” Tavvy basically growls, and her skin starts glittering green. There is actual green glitter appearing all over her, and green dust falls to the floor. Holy Batman, that is cool.
“What are you going to do, sprinkle fairy dust on me?” the redhead laughs, and I put my hand on Tavvy’s shoulder, making her look at me.
“Whoever this typical high school bitch is, she isn’t worth it,” I tell Tavvy, whose green sparkling eyes freak me out for a second before she sighs and nods. The sound of footsteps drift to us just before three teenage guys around my age come down the stairs, and we all look over at them. They curiously watch us, or rather me, before walking away as more people start coming out their rooms, and the corridor quickly fills up.
“Another time, fake fairy,” the redhead says before walking off, and both Tavvy and I watch her silently until she is gone down our corridor. So that must be one of our corridor roommates.
“That bitch was one of the ones I warned you about last night, Her name is Ella,” Tavvy says, shaking the dust off her so it falls into a puddle at her feet.
“I know it’s rude to ask, but what fairy tale is she from?” I ask.
“You know the Little Mermaid? Well, she is her descendant. Ella is a killer in the water and with her family’s trident. She can also become a mermaid at will and heal herself and others with water,” Tavvy explains to me.
“Doesn’t sound something to be scared of,” I admit.
“No, she is useless on land with no water nearby. Though she has been trained her whole life to fight, like most of us have, and could kill you in a second,” she explains.
“You’ve been trained?” I ask as she links our arms again, and we start walking towards the stairs.
“You haven’t?” she asks, and I sigh. So it seems I’m at a major disadvantage here.
“Erm no,” I reply. Why wouldn’t my parents teach me how to fight if everyone else was taught?
“Well, fighting class is all day Friday, and they take it super seriously. It’s like sixty percent of your year grade. You have to win or at least be able to keep yourself awake for most the day,” she warns me, and I just mentally groan because there is nothing I can say out loud to that. Nearing the bottom of the stairs, we both pause in the middle of the steps when we hear a loud bang coming from just inside a pair of doors nearby. Seconds later, the doors are blasted open, off the hinges, and a man goes flying through the air then slides across the floor. I cover my face with my hands as dust from the broken door flies at us, and then when the dust clears, I see three men walking through the doorway.
Each one of them is stood next to each other, their faces so familiar that it hurts when their shocked gazes meet mine. They are the very last people I expected to see here. When I pull my gaze away to the man on top of the door on the floor, his familiar brown eyes meet mine.
“Madilynn, is that you?”
Chapter 6
Noah, Knox, Tobias and Oisin.
“Shit,” the guys say in unison as I cautiously step down the stairs until I’m stood right over Noah. He looks up at me, and his eyes widen in clear shock as he wipes blood off his cut lip. I haven’t seen him in so long, and I can’t stop myself from just gaping at him.
“Madi?” he asks me again. I try to shake off my shock, watching as he stands up off the door and wipes the dust off his torn shirt that says Geology Rocks. The boy I remember is long gone, and in his place is a guy with giant muscles, handsome strong features and soft brown hair that is shaved short yet looks incredibly sexy. If it weren’t for those light brown eyes I never forgot, I would hardly recognise the boy I grew up with.
“Noah?” I ask, not even trying to mask my shocked tone at seeing him. I turn and look at the others who watch me from the doorway. Again, none of them look like the boys I remember…except for their eyes and the way they look at me like I belong to them. I always did…until they left me. I can’t get over how different they all look, nothing like the boys I remember. Tobias, Knox and Oisin stand still in surprise, their eyes locked onto me with expressions I can’t read past the shock. All three of them scream power and strength now, the geeky boys I remember seeming lost. It’s the look they give me, and I know everything has changed but that one look.
“She changes nothing,” Tobias snaps, his angry gaze meeting mine briefly before he turns and walks out the doorway where the door was once being held. Tobias was always the quiet one of the bunch. What the hell happened to him?
“You guys are still fighting, I see. Is it still over who gets to play on the computer first?” I sarcastically ask, and Noah laughs as I try to smile back at him, but it’s a tense and tight smile at best. I can’t help how betrayed I feel. They left me by choice all those years ago…and I was heartbroken back then. They all must be fairy descendants to be here, and not one of them seems to know what to say as I look them all over. Oisin just runs his hands through his wavy blond hair as he stares at me, his light silver eyes just as playful as I remember. I turn my gaze to Knox who has his massive muscular arms crossed, his dark silver eyes narrowed on me and still as serious as always. I used to play a game where the goal would be to make Knox smile or laugh, and I have a feeling those games won’t work on the guy staring at me like I’m the cause of all his problems now.
“Oh my god, you know the Tale brothers?” Tavvy harshly whispers, shaking me out of my staring, and I look back at her and nod.
“We grew up together, but I haven’t seen any of them in three years because they left,” I say, my words making some of them flinch a little.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Noah says, stepping closer to me and then pulling me into a tight hug. When I wrap my arms around him in return, I can feel the difference in his body since I last hugged him. He feels like all muscle. He smells the same though, like honey. I always loved how Noah smelt, and I used to steal his shirts to sleep in. I still have one in my bag upstairs…and the thought makes my cheeks light up a little.
“Why am I not surprised the Tale brothers are the cause of the mess here? All of you, in my office now!” Miss Noa’s sharp voice comes from behind me. Noah lets me go, running his hands down my arms as I hear Oisin reply to Miss Noa.
“The door fell off on its own. What did you want us to do about it? This place is falling apart,” he says, the lie smooth from his lips, and if I didn’t know the truth, I would almost believe him. I frown at his lie, and he seems to sense me looking his way as he turns his head to grin at me.
“So if I touch this door and use my gift to see the past, I’m just going to see a door falling?” Miss Noa asks as she crosses her arms, and Oisin laughs.
“Fine, fine. We broke the door, but give me a minute before you tell us off,” he says as he holds up his hands in surrender, before coming over to me as Miss Noa protests. But I don’t hear her words as I stare at Oisin. He was always very attractive; he just had this thing about him that any girl would have trouble ignoring. Oisin has pure gold blond hair and matching tanned skin, but now everything is so much…well, more than I remember him being. He looks like he stepped out of an advert off the television. Everything about him is alluring.
“Nice to see you again, Sleepy. You have changed one hell of a lot,” he says and lifts my hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it
, and I raise my eyebrows at him. What’s with the flirting?
“Sin, come on, man. We are already in the shit because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut,” Knox shouts over, and he briefly looks at me before walking off.
“Sin?” I ask Oisin, not remembering that nickname as kids. I always just called him Oisin, like the others did.
“Just like your nickname, Sleepy—it’s what I’m good at.” He winks, making me blush before walking off after Knox, and Noah follows him, with only a brief look back at me.
“You have some explaining to do,” Tavvy suggests as she walks over to me. I look at the broken door and think about how strong Tobias must have been to knock the door down by throwing Noah. Crazy strong. What’s more concerning is how Noah only looked a little winded by being thrown through a door, not knocked out like he should have been.
“Let me guess, they are the powerful students you told me to stay away from?” I ask, and she gives me a sympathetic look.
“Let’s get some food, and we can chat,” she says and walks off with me following. My parents always said to stay away from the Tale brothers…maybe they had a point.
Chapter 7
“Well, out with it…how do you know them then?” Tavvy asks once we sit down with our trays of food on one of the benches outside. There are a few strange-looking students sat around, but I can’t focus on them as my mind keeps picturing the guys over and over. I see the geeky boys who used to chase me down the street in a race to see who could get to the ice cream van first. I think back to the last time I saw them…and how it broke me for a long time. Quinton loved them like brothers as well…we were both crushed when they left.
“Shh, keep it down! My parents might hear you!” I whisper as I try not to laugh as Tobias falls through my window, his lanky body too big for the tiny window.
