KIngdom of Embers (Kingdom Journals Book 1)

by Tricia Copeland

  “Good.” I bit my lip. “Do you have seventh period off? That’s the only free time I have.”

  “I have study hall then, but you could hang out there.”

  “Okay.” I agreed hoping he wouldn’t want to meet every day.

  The teacher called the class to order and handed out our textbooks. Elizabeth and Mother were born in fifteenth and sixteenth century Ireland and France, respectively. Orm, born in the 1300s to Vikings, grew up in what became Norway, so I figured the class wouldn’t be one I’d have trouble with. Calculus and physics might be challenging but not European history or literature.

  When it was time for the next period, I followed Nick to our math class. As the bell rang at the end of the lesson, he tapped my hand.

  “What do you have next?”

  “European Literature.”

  “I’m out. Catch ya later.”

  “Okay.” I smiled at him.

  Finding my way to the room, I again found a seat near the door. Surveying the other students, I found none I recognized. Clapping sounds and a whistle from across the room caught my attention.

  “Well, what do we have here?” The boy approached me and picked up my ponytail. “A smart cheerleader? You must be new.”

  I steeled a grin to my face, thinking I’d like to rip his head off. “Cheerleaders can’t be smart?” I stood and tugged my hair from his grip.

  He held his palms up. “I don’t know. We’ll see.” He spun away from me and then back again, his finger aimed at my face. “You know this is an advanced class, right?”

  “Okay, Mr. Ganby, that’s enough,” came a voice from the front of the room.

  Placing my hands on the desk in front of me, I let the cool smooth surface calm my nerves. If he knew what I was capable of, he’d have thought twice before picking on me. I hated kids like him.

  The teacher started the lecture, and I willed the anger out of my brain. I wished I had a better comeback for him. Blend in, I reminded myself.

  After literature, I found Nick in my physics class and took a seat beside him. When the lecture was over, he asked if I wanted to join him and his friends for lunch.

  “Wow, thanks for inviting me.” I raked my hair behind my ear. “But I have this food allergy, so I’m heading to this sushi place down the street.”

  “Sushi, sweet. The team eats together, so I have to hang with them. Let me get your number so we can meet up to study.”

  “Sure.” I told him the digits, and he punched them into his phone.

  Walking through the hall and down the stairs, I released my breath. As if it weren’t bad enough being new, I had to deal with my weird diet restrictions. On the flip side, the fact that I couldn’t eat cafeteria food got me out of the building for an hour.

  Orm and I had scouted out a sushi place two blocks away. Before I reached the sidewalk, I checked my phone for messages. Reading Sophie’s text, I turned in the direction of the restaurant.

  HOPE YOUR DAY IS GOOD. WILL MISS YOU AT LUNCH.

  ONE NICE PERSON, ONE NOT NICE PERSON. THEY BALANCE EACH OTHER OUT I GUESS. NICE GUY NICK -FOOTBALL PLAYER - IS IN 3 OF MY CLASSES.

  COOL. C U THIS AFTERNOON.

  Remembering to focus on my surroundings, I walked the couple of blocks to the cafe. It was packed with customers, but the hostess showed me to a seat at the bar and left a menu on the counter. When the waiter brought a warm towel, I let the warmth from the soft fabric penetrate my hands and ease my tensions. I’d made it through four classes. The teachers had been nice, and I’d sort of made a friend. The likes of Mr. Ganby would see soon enough that cheerleaders could be smart.

  When the attendant returned, I ordered my favorite roll and scrolled through my other messages. Seeing one from Kaylie, I read it first. AT LUNCH, MISS U. I replied and checked the cheerleader group chat. None of it was for me, save Nick had told them he’d invited me to lunch. I was sure it was met with an eye roll. I got the feeling Hannah and her gang thought I lied about my food issues to appear aloof or special. Like it would win me friends? Being different made me stand out, but not in a good way. I got categorized in the special bucket, then they moved on. Not many people looked deeper especially when you moved every other year.

  I jutted my chin out. This was my last year of high school. Then I’d choose my college, and my life would be my own. Picking up the fish roll in front of me, I finished my meal and exited the restaurant. I spied a familiar vehicle and shot across the street.

  The dark window opened to reveal Orm.

  “Checking up on me?” I asked.

  “Mother’s orders.”

  “You didn’t even try to hide.”

  “You shouldn’t be whisking across the road like that. How are you doing?”

  “I’d like a nap, but fine. I only wanted to kill one person, and I think I made a quasi-friend. He wants me to help him with European History.”

  “A boy? Your mother—”

  “Yeah, yeah.” I pounded on the roof. “Okay, I’ve got to get back to school. You go do whatever it is you do when I’m gone.”

  “Elizabeth is making your favorite for dinner.”

  “Sweet.” I smiled at him. “Bye.” I waved and spun to the sidewalk.

  I popped my ear buds in to listen to music on the walk. As I approached the building, the bell rang, and I checked my schedule to find the correct room for French. Since Mother and Elizabeth had lived in France for many years, I’d learned that language with English. We spoke both interchangeably at home, so even the advanced placement courses weren’t challenging. When we lived in Miami, Mother introduced me to Spanish, and I’d taken lessons in elementary school, so Spanish wouldn’t be hard for me either. They were just courses to make my transcript look as good as it could.

  Finding the French room, I took a seat beside the far windows. Seeing the Ganby kid enter, I pulled a notebook from my pack and started doodling. The teacher called the role. As it was a small class, and I was new, he invited me to introduce myself. I hated public speaking but walked to the front of the class.

  “In French?” I asked the instructor.

  “Preferably.”

  Taking a deep breath, I fixed my gaze on a spot at the back wall. Speaking in French, I began. “My name is Alena Scott, and I moved here from San Ramon. It’s across the bay from San Francisco.”

  “You have a good French accent.” The teacher commented in French. “Have you been to France?”

  My face flamed with embarrassment, and I tucked my braid behind my ear. “My mother was born outside Paris, so we visit every summer,” I told him, continuing in French.

  There was a loud cough from the area the where the Ganby kid sat. Meeting his gaze, I did my best to shoot him an if-looks-could-kill stare.

  “Thank you, Miss Scott. We’re happy to have you.” The instructor motioned for me to take my seat.

  He reviewed the syllabus and had us team up to review the prior year’s material.

  The girl in front of me introduced herself as Annabelle, and I was more than happy to stay far away from Ganby and his gang.

  “Sorry about Ganby. He stopped maturing in sixth grade,” Annabelle said as we started the lesson.

  I shrugged off the thought of pushing his head into the floor. “There’s always one, right?”

  Following French, my Spanish class met next door. Inside the room, students filled almost every desk. Finally finding an empty seat, I checked my messages. Sophie and Kaylie had both texted me again, and I replied to them. The teacher called the class to order, and I stowed my phone. The class went much like French, with the instructor going over the syllabus and breaking us up into groups for practice.

  When the bell rang, I felt grateful to have made it through my day without too much attention drawn to me. Figuring the library would be a good place to hang out for an hour and possibly catch a nap, I made my way to the opposite side of the school. As I took out my apple, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

  “Hey, Alena.”


  “Oh, hi, Nick.” I covered my mouth mid-bite.

  “Want to come to study hall with me? We could get our European History homework finished.”

  “Okay, sure.” I needed rest but didn’t want to be rude. Plus, if someone was being nice to me, I wasn’t going to ignore them.

  Finishing my apple, I followed him into a classroom filled with the football players Hannah’s tribe hung out with. I backed into the hall.

  “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?”

  “Yeah, come on.” He grabbed my hand.

  “Hey.” I snatched it back.

  His palms went up. “Sorry, I was just going to tell coach you were studying with me.”

  “Okay.” I nodded and waited beside the door as Nick spoke with the coach.

  Straining to hear Nick’s words over the conversations in the room, I caught the word new. The coach looked up at me and back to Nick, nodding. Turning to me, Nick shot me a thumbs up.

  “We’re good. Let’s get a table.” He cocked his head to the far side of the room. When I chose the seat opposite him, he leaned across the table. “Personal space is kinda big with you, I’m guessing?”

  My face flushed, and I imagined it turning deep red.

  “No biggie.” He plopped his backpack on the table.

  The bell rang, and the room fell silent. The coach called roll and explained the rules of the study session.

  “Hey, why does he get to have a girl here?” a guy at the next table asked. There were rumbles of agreement throughout the room.

  The coach stood and hiked his waistband up. “Nick is using his resources wisely. Something you could all learn from.”

  Nick tapped on his notebook. “So, we have an hour. Think we can get through European history, calculus, and physics?”

  I rolled my eyes. “No.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t think so either.”

  I pulled out my book, fighting a yawn. We’d been assigned to read and answer questions for chapter one. I scanned the text and started on the questions. Nick had the opposite approach, turning to the questions first. Even though I could’ve completed the task faster alone, I liked working with him. I spent the summer in near isolation, save cheer practice and the visit from Kaylie, so it was nice to connect with someone even if it was over homework.

  “What are you better in, calculus or physics?” he asked.

  “Calculus.”

  “Me too. Should we work on physics then?”

  “Sure.” I took a deep breath to avoid yawning again. I normally napped after lunch, and the eight-hour day had pushed the limits of my attention span.

  When the bell rang, we had one physics question left to finish. Storing my books in my backpack, I slung it on one shoulder “Thanks for the study session.”

  He crossed to stand beside me. “I moved here my sophomore year. Being new sucks.”

  We walked with the other team members to the gym, and he pointed to the boy’s locker room door. “This is me.”

  “Thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yep.” He smiled.

  As I continued to the girl’s locker room, Sophie caught up with me. “Hey. Were you walking with Nick?”

  “Yeah. He was nice to include me in their study hall.”

  “Be careful, I found out Melody likes him.”

  “It’s not like that, I mean we were doing schoolwork.”

  “All I’m saying is that she likes him. You don’t want Melody or Hannah mad at you.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that twice. I’d be stuck on the bottom of the towers for the whole year.”

  “And that would be a waste.” She tugged on my braid as we entered the locker room.

  I changed into the practice uniform, stretching out my legs after pulling on my shorts. Sitting to slide on my sneakers, I noticed Hannah and Melody sauntering over, eyes fixed on me. Wondering if they could be any more predictable, I stood as they reached me.

  Hannah put a hand to her hip. “Were you with Nick today?”

  “We were studying.”

  Melody took a step forward. “You knew I liked him.”

  “I didn’t know that, but we were studying. You guys know my mother doesn’t let me date anyway.”

  “Who listens to their mother?”

  “Four guys asked me out over the summer. Have I gone out with any of them?”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “How would we know? So, what’s your deal? You going to become a nun, or do you like girls?”

  I projected my voice so the whole room could hear. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I do like boys. I trust my mother to know what’s best for me. I want to focus on my grades. I’d like to cheer in college, so I train a lot. I would never steal a boy from one of you. I thought we were a team. Teammates should trust each other, right? Did this summer count for nothing?”

  We’d been to camp together and practiced five days a week for the past month. Maybe people like Hannah and Melody never learned. Obviously, they were still bullying their way through life at eighteen. But if I could change the attitude of the rest of the group, we would work better together. I liked feeling like a part of something positive. With continuous tension, the year would be miserable. I’d stated my position and stood shoulders squared in front of her.

  Stepping back, Hannah bobbed her head. “Melody likes Nick, got it?” She looked to Melody. “You good?”

  “Good enough for me.” She shrugged.

  Hannah lifted her chin into the air. “Let’s go, ladies.”

  Sophie grabbed my arm, and when I tensed it, she let go. “I can’t believe you did that. I haven’t ever seen anyone stand up to Hannah.”

  “Well, it was about time. I’m not going to walk around scared of her all school year.” That’s what I said, but Hannah didn’t frighten me. Even with the four inches she had on me, I could take her in my sleep. My only concern was what she could do to me socially.

  Sophie and I followed the rest of the girls out to the field, and I took my position beside Hannah. We stretched and then ran for thirty minutes. Next, we did core exercises and filed into the gym for a half hour of weight training. Our cool down consisted of going through our cheer routines and walking a lap of the track.

  “I don’t get how you’re never breathing hard,” Sophie said as we made our way back to the locker room.

  “I told you. I run an hour on the team’s rest days.”

  “I guess. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to running.”

  “Everyone has their thing. You’re really flexible.”

  We changed and made our way outside. Sophie pointed at a bus on the street. “That’s me. I’ll text you tonight.”

  “Okay, bye.” I waved to her as she jogged away. Seeing the familiar black sport utility vehicle in front of me, I ran to it. I opened the back door and slung my pack onto the seat, lowering myself onto the cool leather. Every cell tingled with anxiety. I’d held it together all through practice, but I didn’t have a drop of psychological energy left.

  “Rough afternoon?” Orm asked as he pulled away from the curb.

  “How long is the drive?”

  “Twenty minutes.” He held a bag of my favorite organic trail mix out to me.

  “Thank you.” I snatched it and tore open the bag. Picking out the nuts first, I let my body relax into the soft bench.

  “Anything out of the usual? Or does the normal cheerleader drama have you on edge again?”

  “It was like cheerleader drama on crack. Mix them with the masses and they magnify their hive behaviors. I stood up to them though. I think they’ll leave me alone now.” I popped a raisin into my mouth.

  “Did you make any new friends? Anybody stand out?”

  “No one you or Mother would be interested in.” Looking at him in the rearview mirror, I rolled my eyes for effect. “Melody likes the boy who was nice to me so that’s why she was bent out of shape.” I held my finger up. “And don’t even say it. I know Mother won�
�t let me date. I told you Melody likes him. He was being nice. I’m taking a cat nap.”

  “Good choice, miss.”

  Closing my eyes, I imagined floating above the city. I appreciated that Orm listened to my teenage drama. Mother and Elizabeth had no tolerance for it, and sometimes I needed to vent, of late it had been daily.

  Within a block, I heard sirens and opened my eyes to see three squad cars in front of the sushi place I’d been to for lunch. Police tape hung across the front door.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know.” Orm pushed the power button on his police radio.

  Voices rolled off several codes, and then I recognized a name. “Shogun Sushi suspected one-eight-seven,” dispatch announced.

  “One-eight-seven.” I hit Orm’s shoulder. “Someone was murdered. I ate lunch there, and someone was killed in the same spot.” My stomach turned, and I covered my mouth with my hand.

  “Focus, Alena. I will call your mother and see if she is following it. Murders happen all the time in LA.”

  “Welcome to the City of Angels, I guess.”

  “Gymnastics will help you clear your head.” Orm stopped in front of the gym.

  “Thanks, Orm.” I shot him a smile and heaved the car door open.

  “Miss?”

  “Yes.” I poked my head back into the vehicle.

  “Here.” He tossed me a small bottle of clear liquid. “It will help with focus.”

  Catching the mixture, I twisted off the cap and took a big whiff. Recognizing Orm’s energizing mixture, I released my breath and drew in another, already feeling renewed.

  Even exhausted, I looked forward to my private gymnastics sessions. Nothing beat the feeling of flipping through the air. I changed and met my instructor on the mat. She had me go through warm ups and helped me stretch out. My mind kept looping back to my lunch, but I focused as well as I could on the fifteen minutes on bars, then beam, and the floor routines.

  “You’re off your game today. Everything okay?” she asked as I finished my floor stunts.

  “There was this crime scene at the sushi restaurant I ate at for lunch. It kind of freaked me out.”

  “That’s hard. I’m sorry. Don’t let this city get to you though. We’ll do vault on Wednesday.”