Bonds That Blind (Daughters of Anubis)

by Kelli Kimble

  “Stop. We’re already friends. And I hope you’re strapped in because we are going to have some serious adventure this year.”

  When I finished putting up her hair, she wrapped a pretty scarf around the rags and got dressed. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, but she slid into a pair of slacks and a sleeveless button down blouse. She put on her watch, checking it as she clasped it. “Looks like we’ll be right on time for dinner. What’s the food like? Any good?”

  “It’s terrible,” I said. “I’ve been eating a lot of sandwiches.”

  “Huh. Good thing I like sandwiches. Let’s go.”

  She opened the door, and the scent of humans was overwhelming. Other girls were clumped in groups around the hall, and two were walking by as we came out. The girl closest to us curled up a lip, giving Siggie a stink-eyed look and continued past.

  “Do you know her?” I asked. For the first time, I made sure the door was locked before walking away.

  “Nope.” Siggie pressed her lips into a thin line. “I’d hoped I wouldn’t see so much of that here.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll find a niche.”

  “So long as it isn’t in the same niche as them,” She said it loud, loud enough for them to hear. Just as they turned to look back at us, we ducked into the stairwell, giggling.

  In the cafeteria, we pushed our trays through the line. I advised her of a few things to avoid and even though the main entree looked a little dubious — something they called swiss ham — we decided it might be safe enough to eat. It wasn’t until we turned from the line to take our seats that I felt the strange vibration in the room.

  Even though the number of students had swelled and there were plenty more tables stacked in a corner and space for them to be set up, the number of tables to eat at had remained the same. The tables set up were already quite crowded. Siggie didn't seem to notice. She forged ahead into the crowd, aiming towards a spot where two chairs were available together near a group of girls.

  "May I?" She plunked her tray down without waiting for an answer. The others at the table looked up but nobody made a move to stop her. Reluctantly I took the empty seat beside her.

  Siggie smiled. “How’re you?” Her canine teeth were showing, and the girl seated across from her shifted her eyes to Siggie’s mouth.

  “Very well, thank you.” She turned back to her meal without inquiring after either of us.

  Siggie stiffened at the slight, then shifted her body towards me and smiled. “Do you have any classes starting tomorrow?”

  “Yes, two. Economics and an American history class. What about you?”

  “Oh. I have an economics class, too. Does it meet at ten?”

  “Yes.”

  “I bet it’s the same class. I’m glad I didn’t get the eight o’clock session. Getting up early is not my thing.”

  A boy came over behind the girl who’d brushed off Siggie. He tweaked her ponytail and dodged out of her vision when she turned. He touched her on the opposite shoulder and dodged to the other side when she turned that way. She screwed up her face and turned once more, catching him this time.

  “Hey, doll,” he said. “What’s for dinner?”

  “You,” she said, giving him a mock pout. “That’s no way to treat a lady.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t see one.” He leaned in close and waggled his eyebrows.

  Siggie let out a snort.

  “I beg your pardon,” the girl said, giving Siggie a cold look.

  Siggie momentarily composed herself, at least until the girl looked away. Then she bit her lip in an obvious attempt not to laugh. Something about it was funny, and I covered my mouth with my hand and tried not to laugh. Only, Siggie noticed me struggling and then she started to turn red.

  The boy had an amused expression, but he was pointedly keeping his eyes on the girl.

  “Now, Sam. Why do you have to go and tease me like that?”

  “Maybe because you didn’t even save me a seat.”

  She flicked her eyes at Siggie. As soon as she saw how hard Siggie was trying not to laugh, she all but exploded. “What do you think you’re looking at, vampire girl?”

  My fork clattered to my plate.

  Siggie’s face fell. “What did you call me?”

  “I said, you’re a vampire girl. Why don’t you go bite off something your own size?”

  “Hey, Trixie. There’s nothing to get upset about,” the boy said. “She’s just laughing at my little joke is all.”

  “But I already told you, Sam. I don’t like being teased and I certainly don’t like being laughed at by this little freak of nature.”

  The table grew silent, and all around the room, attention was turning towards us. Siggie looked like an escaped convict caught in a spotlight. Her face was starting to flush red, and her grip tightened on her fork. I thought for a moment she was going to stab the girl with it or throw it across the table at her, but then she set it down.

  “You know,” I said. “I think this ham isn’t quite agreeing with me. Would you mind if we went back to the dorm?”

  The girl smiled. “Yeah, vampire girl. Take your little minion back to your dungeon.”

  “Trixie, you don’t have to be like that,” the boy said.

  “Didn’t you see her teeth? Smile for us, vampire. Show us those teeth.”

  My vision flashed red. I stood so quickly that my chair fell to the floor behind me. If we didn’t have everyone’s attention before, we had it now. Everyone’s eyes were on me. I leaned forward over the table, and the girl Trixie drew back. I slowly peeled my lips back, revealing my own sharp teeth.

  “Yeah, Trixie,” I said, emphasizing her name. “Don’t be like that.”

  Trixie’s face paled. Her eyes were fixed on my teeth. She pushed her chair back.

  “Holy mother of Mary, are you two related?” Sam asked.

  I shifted my eyes to him. Trixie jumped out of her seat and moved to cower behind Sam.

  “Nope.”

  Someone touched my shoulder. “Maybe we should go.” It was Siggie.

  I straightened and gathered my tray. “I do apologize, Trixie. I’m not feeling myself since I tried that ham. Maybe you should avoid eating your helping, as well.”

  We walked through the dining hall with our backs straight and our heads high. Most people had returned to eating their food, but a few pairs of eyes watched us. We exited out to the hot summer evening, the air balmy and oppressing— but I felt light. I’d never had the confidence to stand up to anyone who’d teased me for my odd teeth before, and I’d certainly never had the opportunity to stand up for someone else. I wanted to skip and sing, but instead, I laughed.

  “Did you see the look on her face?” I asked.

  “Iris, I don’t get it. What happened?”

  Professor Cane’s warning whispered through my mind. Siggie was studying me, her eyes searching my face. The scent of anxiety and fear came from her.

  “The best way to beat a bully is always to stand up for yourself,” I said. The urge to sing was fading with the misdirection. “A jerk like Trixie just doesn’t know what to do when someone shows a little bit of moxie.”

  “Right,” she said.

  “If you don’t mind my asking,” I said, borrowing a phrase from her. “Did something happen to your teeth?”

  She ran her tongue over her front teeth, and it lingered at the tip of one of her canines. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  I pulled back my lip to show her mine. “Mine have always been this way.”

  She brightened. “They have?”

  “Yes. Once, when I was small, a dentist accused me of using a tool to sharpen them. I thought my mother was going to rip his tongue out.”

  Her shoulders relaxed and her scent changed. “Everyone in my family has them.”

  “Mine, too. It’s just some hereditary thing. It’s nothing.”

  She ducked her head, and we resumed walking.

  “You showed her your teeth
, then. That’s what she was afraid of.”

  “It was nice for them to be useful for once.”

  We were back at the room before she spoke again. “Kids at school liked to call me Dracula’s daughter. Sometimes they called me Bela. Like the actor?”

  I sighed. Oh, Siggie. If you only knew the truth.

  Chapter 8

  Her hair turned out in gorgeous red curls when I took out the rags in the morning.

  “I thought you said your hair always looked a mess?”

  “According to my mother it does look a mess,” she said, fluffing it. She carefully added a barrette on each side to pull the hair back. It had the effect of softly framing her face. It was the sort of hairstyle I’d always envied but could never quite get my hair to conform to.

  On our way to class, I saw more than one boy cast an admiring glance at her. I wondered what the boys in her own hometown were thinking that they’d never thought anything of her. When we arrived in the classroom, I noticed the unmistakable scent of home. Anubian. The room was filled with students, and I scanned the crowd trying to figure out who it was. But then the smells started to sort themselves, and I realized it wasn’t just me and Siggie. There were at least two others, maybe more.

  My heart rose up into my throat. I wanted to tell Siggie that we weren’t alone. I wanted to jump up and down and tell the others that we could be friends, that we would be friends. I wanted to do more than just sing and dance.

  But I couldn’t do anything.

  I had to mask my joy and sit down and pay attention and pretend like everything was just the way it had been before I entered the room.

  I followed Siggie as she found a seat. The only empty desks were at the front of the room. I tried to compose myself. Siggie was opening her notebook and getting ready for class to begin. A man strode to the front of the room and opened a leather satchel. He extracted a stack of papers and started handing them out. He gave me a group and told me to take one and pass the rest back. The paper felt textured under my fingertips instead of smooth. I did as he asked and looked down at the paper, but I was too excited to read it. My eyes passed over the words, but nothing got into my brain.

  Siggie nudged me. “This is a lot of work.”

  I nodded and refocused my efforts. I finally managed to absorb the title: ‘Syllabus - Economics 101 Fall Semester 1963.’

  “Did you buy any of these books? This is going to be expensive.” She was chewing on her lower lip, her eyebrows drawn together in concern as she studied the paper. “My parents are already strapped sending me here.”

  At the mention of money, my joy was stifled. I looked at the paper again. The top half of the page was required reading and the source where we could access them. Four of them were available only through the bookstore. I suppressed one of my father’s miserly growls.

  “Maybe we could each buy two and share,” I said.

  “You would do that?”

  “Of course. I have a budget too.” How far would the twenty-five dollars that Mr. Anu had sent go? Could I buy two books with that much? And what about the other three classes I hadn’t attended yet? I took a deep breath to calm myself. You haven’t even been in the bookstore. You have no idea how much these books will cost. I’m sure they’re reasonably priced. We’re students, after all.

  The professor cleared his throat and began talking but, my mind was still on the money.

  After class, Siggie and I parted ways. I headed off to history, which thankfully was taught by Professor Cane. He passed out a syllabus as well, along with a separate resources list. Like the previous class, some of them were freely available to us in the library. But there were six books listed from the bookstore. My heart sank.

  He began class, first going over the resources list and then the syllabus. My eyes almost shot out of my head when I realized that we had to read an entire book and write a paper on it by Friday, even though it was already Tuesday. And I didn’t even have a copy of the book! Panic was rising up my throat. I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t going to be able to cut it in college. Professor Cane caught my eye and nodded with a smile. Calm down. He can probably smell your fear.

  He asked me to stay after class. One of the boys made a big show of wiping his nose as he passed me. “You’ve got something, right there.”

  I ignored him. He was human, anyway.

  When everyone was gone, I went up to the podium where he was collecting his things.

  “Hello, Iris. I’m sorry if it made you worry to hold you after class. I just wanted to see how your classes are going. Have you had others, yet?”

  “Yes, I had an economics class. To be honest, I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.”

  “Totally normal. Yes, normal. I’d say most of your fellow students are feeling much the same.”

  The knot forming between my shoulders loosened a tiny bit. “There are a lot of books on the syllabus. I didn’t expect there to be more than one textbook for each class.”

  “Also, normal. Most classes require three or four purchased resources. And many students don’t expect that expense. Shall I inform Anu that you require more funds?”

  “Oh, no. That’s very kind of you, sir. I think I can manage.”

  “If you’re sure. I’m glad to hear that you’re not having any difficulty. You’ll let me know if you are? Anu is most insistent on you understanding that I’m a resource for you.”

  I cocked my head at the curious phrasing. Resource? “Before you go, I just wanted to say thank you. When I went into my first class, I was so relieved to find other Anubians there.”

  He nodded. “Yes, and your roommate. Sigourney, I believe? She’s Anubian as well.”

  “It was just nice to find others like myself. There were some in this class, too.” I gestured towards the desks to indicate the class we’d just had. His eyebrows rose and gathered together, forming a salt and peppered caterpillar across his forehead.

  “Really? And how could you tell? I didn’t call out names.”

  “Their scent. Can’t you smell it?”

  He frowned. “I . . . no. I can’t. Tell me, what does it smell like?”

  “It smells like dirt and grass and something I can’t name.” I shrugged and cast around for something else to compare it to. “It smells like home. Like Mr. Anu.”

  “It does? Fascinating.”

  “You really can’t smell it?”

  “No. Anu never endowed me with all of your,” he paused and licked his lips. “Gifts.”

  “Oh, excuse me. I thought you’d been married.”

  “What would that have to do with it?”

  “Finding your Anubian partner is part of reaching your potential. So long as you find them before you are fully grown. For most, it’s somewhere between eighteen and twenty-four.”

  “We didn’t meet until I was in my late twenties. She was young, though. And also a historian. She and I met when I took a class to study abroad in Egypt. She was assisting a professor there who was performing an archaeological survey of a newly discovered tomb.”

  His eyes drifted into the middle distance and lost their focus. “I miss her. I wish she hadn’t died so young. Though she didn’t get along with Anu; that was a sticking point in our marriage. He’d done so much for me. I refused to give up contact with him.”

  Something about that struck me as odd. “Wasn’t she Anubian?”

  “Oh, yes. Quite. She didn’t know what she was, though. When she took such a violent dislike to Anu he asked that I not tell her. Anyway, it would have been quite the shock. Her sensibilities were already starting to decline due to her disease.”

  I turned that over in my head. I thought Anubians had a much longer life expectancy than humans. Why would she have had a disease? Didn’t our partial-god status exempt us from that?

  He mistook my expression for sympathy. “It’s all right, dear. I don’t mind talking about her at all. The pain once was almost too much to bear, but now it is so faded and dull I almost don’t e
ven notice it anymore.”

  I nodded. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

  “Well, this has been a lovely chat. But I’ve got to get to my next class. Don’t forget to bring your paper on Friday. Come to my office hours if you have any questions. Eight to nine, every morning.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

  I walked back to the dorm. Siggie was sitting on her bed going through her notes from class. She looked up and smiled. “Hey. I was wondering when you’d get back. I was hoping we could head to the bookstore.”

  “That would be great,” I said. “I have a book I need to read and write a paper on before Friday.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  “What’s this?” Siggie was holding up a piece of paper I’d used as a bookmark in our joint economics book.

  “It’s just a stray piece of paper,” I said. It was folded and I opened it up and smoothed it out. It was the paper Professor Cane had given me with activities and groups that were supposed to attract Anubians. When he’d given it to me, I hadn’t really believed that many Anubians would come here. But it turned out that I was running into them everywhere. One of the group names on the list caught my eye. “Hey, have you thought of joining a sorority? I bet it would be fun. We should join one.”

  “Really? I’ve been thinking of joining one. But I thought it seemed like a snobby thing to do.”

  “No, I heard that Alpha Nu is a good one.” I folded the list and put it aside. I didn’t want her to ask questions about it.

  “Yeah, that’s what I heard, too. They’re having an open house tonight.”

  We spent the afternoon agonizing over what to wear. Usually Mother would have told me what was appropriate, but in her absence, I turned to Siggie. She wasn’t doing much better than I was; she had three dresses hanging on her closet door, and two pairs of shoes to go with each. She also had an array of accessories spread over her unmade bed.

  “What if this is more of a skirt affair?” I asked.

  “No. This is definitely something that requires a dress. A nice one.” Siggie was hanging necklaces over the hangers of her dresses. She had a string of pearls over one, a gold necklace with a paste jewel charm over another, and a third of green beads.