by Jaymin Eve
By the time I got back into my box my head was spinning. Stockholm syndrome … screw off. You are not welcome here.
9
I managed to drift off for a few more hours, which were thankfully dream free. Lexen kept his word, waking me by dropping a school uniform on my chest, along with a new toothbrush. Rubbing my tired, slightly swollen eyes, I stumbled off to the shower. By the time I got downstairs – without the help of my jailer, surprisingly – everyone was already standing around the kitchen island bench.
“Good morning!” Star sang. She looked beautiful, her long hair straight and shiny; her uniform fit her perfectly. She had on high black knee socks and heels to finish the ensemble.
Meanwhile I looked like someone who’d slept only a few hours and had been crying all over a dude who hated me. Lexen didn’t even glance my way. Pretty sure we both just wanted to forget last night even happened.
“Morning. Thanks for the uniform.” I returned her smile, before I turned toward Lexen. “I’ll need to grab my bag before we go. My Daelight security card and school identification are in it.”
Lexen flicked a look at Jero. “Go with her. We’ll meet you by the gate. Everyone in one car today.”
Jero held out a hand for me. I didn’t even think twice before placing my palm into his. “Let’s walk, pretty girl.”
I snorted. “It’s Em-ma…”
He just winked at me, completely unfazed. Our silence was comfortable as we walked along their long drive. When we closed in on the imposing fence, I asked him: “How come you get to bastardize the uniform and not get into trouble? I got slapped with a pretty hardcore set of rules when I enrolled.”
He wore part of the uniform, the dress shirt and slacks, but he had his own suit jacket on, a different tie, and of course, expensive dress shoes.
“Rules don’t apply to us,” he replied simply.
“Is that why none of you take books to class?” I shot back. “Do you pay for grades?”
He shook his head, a half-smile tilting up the corner of his mouth. The scar was very visible in the light, but it really didn’t detract from his devastatingly handsome face at all. Maybe he was right last night: chicks dig scars. Those crystal blue eyes locked on me.
“We don’t pay for grades. We’re just really fucking smart.”
I hadn’t heard them curse much. For some reason, in their accent it kind of made me want to laugh. Normally they sounded so cultured, European or something. Drop a swear word in there and the culture disappeared. Kind of. They pulled it off anyway.
As we crossed the road, my eyes immediately zoomed in on my driveway, hoping like anything that our old clunker would be there. That my guardians were just lost and had somehow found their way home last night.
It was empty. My throat got tight; my heart clenched. They had to be okay. I couldn’t lose another family. I wouldn’t survive it.
I must have made a distressed sound because Jero slung an arm around me. “I’d cry too if I lived in a dump like this. You should probably just move in with us.”
His arrogance was enough to snap me out of my sadness. “Yeah, right. Lexen would absolutely love me being around permanently. And … it’s not too bad.”
Total lie, but I felt the need to defend our little shack. It did the job it was required to do. For the most part. We were dry, and warm … ish.
I’d run out last night without locking the door. When we stepped inside it looked like everything was exactly as I left it. “Wait here,” I said to Jero. He was looking around our dingy kitchen and lounge room. It all seemed that much smaller and shabbier after being in the beautiful mansion across the street.
It is fine!
I couldn’t afford to start acting like a snob. Literally couldn’t afford it.
Crossing the five steps to my room, I shut the door behind me. I quickly changed my underwear, putting the borrowed ones into my laundry basket. I’d wash them and give them back to Star whenever I was released from the kidnapping program I was currently in. I also grabbed my makeup bag, and using the mirror above my dresser added a bit of powder, mascara, and lipstick to try to brighten my drawn face. I looked stressed, my eyes surrounded by dark circles. My hair went into a bun; it would keep it out of my way for most of the day. And that was as good as it was getting today. I picked up my mom’s necklace, slipping it on over my head, feeling like I needed her support.
Snatching up my backpack from where I had thrown it last night, I checked inside to find my wallet and cards all accounted for. I slipped the provided dress shoes on, and then left to join Jero.
“You can’t live here,” was the first thing he said to me. “There’s no coffee maker. There’s no food in the cupboards.”
I shrugged. “We manage. I’m sure this is going to come as a surprise to you, but a coffee maker is not an actual requirement of survival. Oxygen, water, food, coffee maker … one of these things is not like the others.”
He narrowed his eyes on me, brow furrowing. “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound right to me.”
I chuckled, pushing him toward the door. “Come on, let’s get out of here. You don’t want to catch poor.”
He shuddered, like the very thought was horrifying.
Stepping outside, I locked the front door, ignoring Jero’s snort. I was going to lock up, no matter how crappy our stuff was. An SUV was idling out the front of the quiet street. I knew it well since I had watched it drive past for days. The dark tint now was a relief. I’d be hidden from prying eyes once I was inside.
Jero opened the front passenger door. I expected him to climb in, so I was already moving to the back. He caught my arm. “You’re in the front.”
I tripped over my feet as I tried to change direction. “Are you sure? I’m happy to get in back. I’d actually prefer it.”
“Get in the car, Emma.” The growled command came from the darkened interior.
With a sigh, I stepped around Jero, and grabbing the handle pulled myself into the seat. My bag was dropped on the floor and seatbelt clicked on before I allowed myself to relax into the plush leather. For once the sun was out and actually hot, but I still felt the chill coming from the driver’s side of the car. I didn’t glance Lexen’s way. Part of me was still annoyed that I’d cried on him last night. He was the absolute last person I wanted to show my vulnerabilities to.
Something landed on my lap, and since I had been so determinedly staring out the window I jumped about a foot. Glancing down, my heart beating slightly faster than normal, I gasped at the wrapped sandwich.
“You didn’t eat.”
My eyes moved to Lexen, and I had to stop myself from reaching out and touching him. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice almost failing me.
He turned back to watch the road, but it almost felt like a little of the awkward between us was gone.
Star leaned forward, her face lit up. “Lexen got one of us into each of your classes! We’re going to keep an eye on you, you don’t have to worry.”
I smiled back, my fingers already busy unwrapping the food. “Have you ever been to school before?”
She actually bounced in her seat and my smile turned into a chuckle. “Never. I can’t wait. I watched a few movies about it last night.”
“It’s not really like the movies…” I started to say, but cut myself off. It wasn’t my place to burst her school bubble; she’d learn soon enough. And, really, what did I know? For the elite, it might be exactly like the movies, with them playing the role of the popular clique. “I’m really glad you’ll be in my classes,” I said instead.
Star surprised me by leaning forward and giving me a hug.
I didn’t even flinch. I relaxed into her embrace and let myself enjoy her warmth. It was funny. I had no idea where she was from, what race she was, or how she’d stepped through a doorway of light. But I liked her. I actually liked all of the Darkens. Except Lexen. He was staying under the category of asshole.
Who provided food. And occasional comfo
rt.
On the drive to school I wolfed my sandwich down. It was delicious: fresh bread, chicken breast, sundried tomatoes, and some creamy pesto sauce.
That was it, it was decided … I wanted to be rich. Just for the food and clothes.
We passed one of the school buses and I wondered if Cara was on there. She was probably wondering where the hell I was. I had no idea how I was going to explain this to her today, showing up with the Darkens.
I decided to ask the ones used to keeping secrets.
Marsil answered first: “You can’t tell her the truth. Our council takes security very seriously. There are humans who know about us, of course – quite a lot, but it’s not general knowledge. They want to keep it that way.”
“How is that possible?” I asked, my thoughts from last night returning with full force. “In this day of technology, it’s hard to keep a small secret, let alone something of this scale.”
Jero let out one of those drawling laughs. “Trust me, there’s not a piece of technology we can’t manipulate. Any information to hit the net about us is destroyed before it can be viewed.”
And yet, somehow, things got through to Michael. Definitely a setup.
“So what do I tell my friends when they ask?” Because they were totally going to ask.
There was a beat of silence. “Tell them we met on Daelight Crescent, that we hit it off and are now best friends,” Star suggested, shrugging. “That’s true, as far as I’m concerned.”
I nodded. “They’re going to grill me hard about you four. The elite are a big topic of conversation among the lower class.”
“Lower class?” Star sounded astonished.
“We’ve been segregated,” I told her, my voice flat. “We even have different colored cards so that no one can miss it.” I whipped out my scholarship ID.
I heard her huff, and turned in my seat to see her glaring at Lexen. “That better not be your idea, Lex.”
He indulged her in one of his rare, slow smiles, and I almost died. Legit, it was touch and go there for a second as my heart went into some sort of tachycardia rhythm.
“Humans like to know their place. It gives them a sense of purpose to understand how everything works. There are only a few who don’t follow the path of the rest. We don’t segregate them. They do that all on their own.”
I translated that to “humans were sheep.” The school was probably run by humans, and these supernaturals reaped the benefits of their stupidity. We were always the makers of our own destruction. History showed that, over and over again.
Pulling into the parking lot now, I wished there was a way for me to sneak inside without the full attention that was going to come from a scholarship kid hanging with the elite. They had rules. I had broken one of them last night when I crossed the street, and now the entire balance was thrown off.
I was probably going to destroy the school somehow.
Lexen pulled into the same spot as yesterday. His spot, no doubt. Which, by the way, did not have his name written on it, but I would bet it was always free for him. When the car was off, he turned to address everyone: “Emma is our mission today. We do not let her out of our sight. One of us must be with her at all times. The council was adamant that we keep her safe until we find the guardians. Am I clear?”
Three heads gave a single nod. I crossed my arms, trying not to let my annoyance rise to my face. I knew I didn’t have a say, but that didn’t make me any less frustrated by the babysitting duties. Plus, part of me was kinda relieved that I had backup in these uncertain times. Something had happened to my family, and I was in no position to deal with these “bad” supernaturals. Whoever they were.
Truthfully, I had no reason to complain about being stuck with the Darkens. My belly was full, my clothes were clean, and I had a ride to school for once. If they could find Sara and Michael, then my life would be pretty darn awesome.
When Lexen opened his door, the rest of us followed. Eyes were on us immediately – eyes were always on the Darkens. The moment students realized I was in their midst, I felt the shock ripple through the crowd. Even avoiding their gazes, I couldn’t unhear the gasps.
I kept my head down, staring at my feet as we walked along the front path and into the main building. I didn’t notice at first, because my feet were so fascinating, but Marsil and Jero had closed in on either side of me, protecting me with their bodies. Lexen was behind, and I could feel him there at my back. Star was chatting away, walking a little in front of me.
“Humans are fascinating,” she chirped. “Lexen was so right. Look at the way they congregate in their little groups. They even look alike.”
She was pointing at a small group of kids who, despite the uniform, still managed to show their emo slash goth fashion tendencies with thick eyeliner, black nails, and somber attitudes. I quickly reached out and grabbed her forearm, pulling it down to her side. “Maybe … don’t point straight at them. Humans…” I lowered my voice dramatically, “don’t like being pointed at like that.”
Marsil chimed in then, his voice tinged with humor: “They also don’t like being referred to as humans.”
“Yeah, it kinda gives away your otherness—”
Lexen interrupted me. “Enough talking about this now. We need to blend.”
Good luck with that, giant model-type dude.
There were a lot fewer students inside, which was to be expected since the first bell wouldn’t ring for another twenty minutes. It was nice not to have so many eyes burning a hole in my face.
“I need to go to my locker,” I told them all. “Since, you know, I require textbooks to pass classes.”
Jero grinned at me, and I just shook my head.
“Star needs to check in officially,” Lexen said, looking between his brothers. “So we might have to split up for now.”
“We’ll go with Emma,” Marsil replied. “Meet back here in ten.”
For the first time since I’d cried in his arms, Lexen met my gaze fully. “Is that okay with you?”
I blinked a few times, momentarily stunned by the fact he seemed to be giving me a choice. And was looking right at me, which was always disconcerting.
I ended up blurting out, “That’s fine. I’m happy to go along with whatever is easiest.” One day I would act like less of an idiot. But seriously, for a bookworm, homebody, loner sort of human – as the Darkens would say – this was a lot. All at once.
You’re doing it for the Finnegans, I reminded myself.
Lexen and Star turned to enter the main office and I jumped on the moving sidewalk with the remaining Darkens. No one spoke as we rushed along the arterial that would lead to my locker area. I remained grateful for the lack of students in here. Gawking was definitely to a minimum.
“I thought this was the storage facility,” Jero said, staring around in confusion as the sections flashed past us. “Are you telling me there are student things back here?”
Raising one eyebrow in his direction, I didn’t bother to answer him.
“My stop is next,” I warned them, preparing myself to dismount.
This time I landed somewhat cleanly. Improvement! The boys waited silently on either side of me while I opened my locker and rifled through for the books I’d need that morning. I had to check it off against my schedule, which I hadn’t memorized yet.
“Okay, I’m good to go now.”
I hefted the heavy pack onto my back, hoping my old bag would survive the weight. Why did they need to make textbooks so freaking heavy? Yeah, yeah, lots of information to teach. Surely it wasn’t all important. Learn to condense it down or something.
I must have been muttering as we jumped on the sidewalk, because Marsil gave me a look, his eyebrow raised as he smiled. “I thought you liked to read. What’s with all the textbook hate?”
“How did you know I liked to read?”
He shrugged. “Jero mentioned that you had a lot of books lying around your house. We managed to deduce the rest from there.”
/> I looked between the two of them, confusion creasing my forehead. Must have been part of a whispered conversation in the back that I missed.
“The only school-type books I enjoy reading are history and archaeology. I love diving into stories of the past, hoping we can learn things from it. Otherwise I read sci-fi and fantasy.”
“Like … aliens?” Jero let out a low chuckle, and I zeroed right in on that.
“Exactly like aliens. So are you guys ali—?”
My question was cut off by Marsil wrapping his hand across my face and mouth. I swallowed hard, and winced a little at my mistake. I had almost said that out loud, and we were back in the main part of the school now, the bell about to ring; a lot of students were around.
“Sorry,” I whispered, when he removed his hand.
He winked at me. “No worries. Just … watch it around Lexen.”
They acted like their brother was a big bad scary dude. Which he was. But for some reason he just didn’t really scare me. Frustrated, for sure. Intrigued, oh yeah. But there was no fear. Maybe I was just too stupid and naïve to see it.
We had to wait a few minutes out front of the office, which was a fun experience. The three of us leaned against the wall and watched the numerous students trip over their own feet when they caught sight of me between the two Darkens.
“Knees,” Jero said, as a leggy blonde walked past. “Definitely knees.”
I elbowed him, and he laughed. “What? I meant she was going to land on her knees when she tripped.”
Seeing his cocky grin reminded me of yesterday in class, and the redhead who had been glued to his side. “So … who is Aria?”
He tilted his head in my direction, a smirk creasing his lips. “She’s a Royale. Old family friends.”
I laughed. It burst out before I could stop it. “Are all of you elites ‘old friends?’”
He sobered up a little then, his expression falling into more neutral lines. “No, we aren’t. Royale and Darkens are allies. Leights are generally a neutral third party. The Imperials … they’re mostly the enemy.”
