by Kasi Blake
“Wake up, sleepyhead!” Bay-Lee forced her eyes open a slit and found the pixie-girl hovering over her... again. Tessa—was that her name?—started talking faster than the speed of light. “If you don’t get up, you’ll miss breakfast. You already missed morning workout, but don’t worry. Van sent word that we should let you sleep in today.”
It was Monday morning, her first official day of school. She only had one class today. This school was so contrary from every other school she’d attended that it made her head spin. What was she supposed to do the rest of the time? Too bad her mentor was a jerk and wasn’t around to enlighten her.
She thought about her conversation with Nick. After dropping a bomb on her (his mom had tried to kill him) he had walked away without another word. At the time she was too stunned to speak and couldn’t think straight. Now she wished she’d demanded he finish the story.
“First shopping and now this.” Tessa continued her cheerful speech, oblivious to the fact Bay-Lee was only half-listening. The girl shook her dark head and brown curls bounced. “Students haven’t even met you yet and you’re already the most unpopular person here. Well, maybe the second most unpopular. None of them like Nick Gallos either for obvious reasons, maybe for the same reason. You know, I never really thought about it before, but Nick lives in Van’s castle. The man practically raised him so naturally he treats Nick differently from everyone else around here.”
Bay-Lee’s breath caught in her throat. “Nick grew up in Van’s home?”
“Oh, you didn’t know that? It’s common knowledge around here. Ask anyone. Nick’s parents didn’t want him, so your father gave him a place to live. He didn’t adopt him or anything. From what I heard, servants raised Nick, and Van led his own separate life, but they were in the same castle so they probably grew close over the years. That would explain why Van gives him special treatment. Maybe that’s why the kids don’t like him, because he gets away with stuff. I don’t know why students are mad at you though. I could have told them Van Helsing would make allowances for you. Why wouldn’t he? You’re his daughter. If their fathers were in charge of this school, I dare say they’d get special treatment. I bet they wouldn’t be complaining then.”
Bay-Lee’s blood chilled. The last thing she needed was Van putting a spotlight on her. She’d have a talk with him, make sure he understood her situation. It was bad enough having a mentor who wasn’t doing his job without Van adding to the problem. Not wanting to cause any more of a stir, she jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. Her roommate rattled on the whole time about everything and about nothing.
Once she was ready Tessa showed her to the cafeteria. The girl ran off to join her friends while Bay-Lee stood in the open doorway, frozen. This cafeteria didn’t look like any she’d seen on her travels. A large room, it had dark brown carpet instead of linoleum and square wooden tables instead of long Formica ones with four to six chairs at each to create an intimate setting and candles under glass in the center. The food had been set out buffet-style and you served yourself instead of waiting on a lunch lady.
Before entering the cafeteria Tessa had told her how the whole thing worked. Unlike public school, students here had a three hour window of opportunity to eat breakfast. It was up to them when they wanted to have their meals. Lunch and dinner were the same with people cooking throughout the day, keeping it hot and fresh, and there was always a large selection.
A hand grasped her arm just above the elbow, startling her. Keisha smiled, a look of wide-eyed innocence on her face as she announced, “You’re eating at my table.”
Relief flooded Bay-Lee’s system. At least she didn’t have to deal with trying to figure out where to sit or who to sit with, and it was nice to know Keisha didn’t resent her for being Van’s daughter. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Bay-Lee gestured to Nick. “My mentor is still ignoring me.”
“Sorry, but I’ve got some good news for you.” Keisha posed like a model on a magazine cover, head tilted slightly to one side. “Van asked me to step in until he can find you another mentor.”
“I thought they couldn’t be replaced.”
“Normally, no, but Van is making an exception in your case.”
Bay-Lee wanted to scream in frustration. The other students already resented her. If Van kept changing the rules for her, there would be trouble. She could deal with not having friends, sure, but enemies could make it difficult for her to train. They could sabotage her. “I thought you didn’t want to be my mentor. You told me you were too busy.”
“I am.” Keisha shrugged. “But it isn’t every day Statler Van Helsing asks you for a personal favor. He’s going to pull some strings, get the instructors to lighten my workload for a while. And he has promised me a year of missions regardless of my place on the list. It was too good an offer to pass up. It’s like I got a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
So Keisha was getting special treatment from Van. Bay-Lee wondered if the other students would resent her. Probably not. Keisha was one of them. Until she proved herself, Bay-Lee was just an outsider.
Keisha lifted her hand and flashed Bay-Lee’s locket at her.
Bay-Lee’s hand went to her throat and found it bare. She grabbed at the necklace. Snatching it away, she said, “Stop doing that.”
“Sorry.”
Keisha pulled her to a crowded table and introduced her to four boys. “These are the guys I was texting when we were shopping. They’re curious about you.”
Apparently she didn’t have any female friends, unless you counted Bay-Lee. Keisha motioned for her to sit after introductions were made. The names got lost quickly in the jumble of thoughts clouding her brain.
There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the boys at the table. They were roughly the same age, somewhere between seventeen and twenty. Average was the word she’d use to describe them to other people. As far as she was concerned, none of them were cute, just average. Connor would love them.
Keisha asked a couple of the boys to get them some food. They immediately complied as if she was their reigning queen. They went to the buffet, each grabbing a plate, piling them high. It was a good thing Bay-Lee wasn’t picky because no one bothered to ask her what she wanted. One of the boys returned to the table and set a plate in front of her. He’d chosen scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and some fruit. Her stomach grumbled, suddenly hungry.
“We got a professional cook working here,” Keisha said. “Van Helsing only hires the best.”
Things were looking up. Maybe life at Van’s school wouldn’t be as difficult as she’d imagined. She could hardly wait for her first class. Her nerves tightened. She set her fork aside, losing her appetite. It would be easier if she knew what to expect, but Van had told her next to nothing about the workings of the school, and her mentor wasn’t helping.
The boy who had brought her food returned with a glass of orange juice. He smiled, big grin, and she realized he was attracted to her. Not going to happen. Even if he was super cute, she still wouldn’t be interested. She’d made a vow to herself long ago. Love would get in the way of her plan for revenge, so she wasn’t going to allow it into her life.
As soon as they were all seated, the questions began. The boys were curious about her, about her life as Van Helsing’s daughter. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell them much without endangering Avery. She fielded the questions like a seasoned politician.
“Did Van Helsing personally train you?”
“Sometimes. My uncle helped.”
“Why aren’t you living at the castle?”
“I guess he wants me to get the full school experience.”
“Does he allow you to date?”
“He allows a lot of stuff.”
The questions kept coming, so fast she barely had time to answer them. Finally, Keisha sliced the air with her hand. “Enough. Let the poor girl eat. This isn’t Celebr
ity Talk Show.”
Given time to think and observe, Bay-Lee allowed her gaze to slowly travel the room. Jonah was sitting at a nearby table, asking students a ton of nosy questions. By their expressions Bay-Lee could tell they didn’t appreciate his curiosity. Her eyes continued to sweep the room until they found Nick Gallos. Alone at a table in the far corner, he read a book while munching on cold cereal. She noticed the way other students avoided him. Were they afraid of him?
Maybe they just didn’t like him because he was a jerk.
Keisha saw the direction her gaze was pointed and nudged her with an elbow to the ribs. “Forget him. Nick Gallos might be a hunter, a Warrior even, but he doesn’t want anything to do with us. Do yourself a favor and steer clear.”
“Why is he so angry?” She wondered how much the girl knew about his past, about the mother who had tried to kill him.
A weird sort of quiet fell on the table. Keisha stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth, and the boys gave each other strange looks before staring at their own plates. It was obvious. They knew something she didn’t. Secrets made her stomach twist into painful knots.
Her eyes returned to Nick.
He looked up and caught her staring. There was no point in pretending she wasn’t watching him. While maintaining eye contact, Nick tossed his book aside. He rose from his seat and approached. She sat up straighter. Tension put a steel rod in her spine. She refused to look away as he swaggered over.
What was he going to say?
She tried to come up with a few things to say in return, indifferent things that would prove she didn’t care what he did or didn’t do.
He strode past the table without the slightest hesitation. Her eyes followed. He continued to the doors and through them. A terrible thought hit her. If she wanted to achieve her goal, she needed to be trained by the best. Was the best walking out the door? Bay-Lee turned to the boys and asked, “Out of all the students here who is the greatest hunter?”
They replied in unison, “Nick Gallos.”
Keisha shot them a dirty look. It encompassed the entire group. The boys lowered their gazes. For some reason Keisha didn’t want Bay-Lee to know Nick would be the best mentor for her.
But the answer hadn’t surprised her. She’d known what they were going to say before she’d asked the question. Without excusing herself, she hurried to the door and followed Nick Gallos into the hallway. Somehow she was going to convince him to mentor her.
