Grounded

by Constance Sharper

  Leela opened the bathroom door and they both walked out.

  As a boarding school, Mayweather Academy came equipped with everything that six hundred students sixty miles north of nowhere would need to stay entertained. A decked out movie theater with stadium seating, surround sound, and free popcorn were some of those things. A recent blockbuster would be showing tonight and the theater was packed.

  It took considerable weaving to maneuver through the jittery crowd. They slipped through the tiny lobby and snaked around a cream colored hallway to where the thick line began. Leaning against the wall, lingering in a wide empty berth, was Nate. He wore his classic leather jacket, short and slicked back hair, and sideways smirk. His brown eyes lit up immediately but he didn’t let his facial expressions change.

  “Leela.” He grinned to his girlfriend but only sent a passing glance Avery’s way. Walking up immediately, he wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in for a sickeningly wet kiss. After a minute, they finally broke apart.

  “I thought it was date night. Why’d you bring her? I never see you anymore,” He asked Leela while holding onto her. Leela rocked backwards, holding his hands but putting some distance between them to stop the overload of PDA.

  “She sees you plenty.” Avery injected, though she’d asked her friend the same thing when Leela invited Nate.

  “Bull crap. I haven’t seen her all week and I don’t like being ignored.” Nate snapped harshly.

  Avery opened her mouth but hesitated when unable to find a quick retort for that. While any other time she’d relish the idea that Nate and Leela failed to spend time together, she couldn’t understand where Leela’s time got burned up either. She never considered who Leela was going to all those parties with but apparently it wasn’t Nate. That was probably the problem with being so high on the social hierarchy. Leela didn’t explain. Rather, she squeezed Nate’s hands and gave him a careful, small smile.

  “Tonight will be fun okay? Just chill out. Anyways, I think I’ll get us some popcorn. I can’t stop thinking about it with the smell in the air.” Leela said.

  The atmosphere was thick with buttery popcorn and hot mozzarella sticks. A few breaths of it and Avery’s mind couldn’t think about anything else either. Stomach churning with emptiness, Avery added, “I’m down.”

  “Okay. I can get it. Stay in line or we’ll get busted for cutting again.”

  Leela didn’t give room to argue, turning and disappearing into the colorful crowd without a look backwards. Avery wrung her hands for a moment before inevitably having to face Nate. He gave her a dark glare when she did.

  “You know, I put up with you because you guys are roommates but stay out of my life. I don’t need you telling Leela to stay away from me anymore.” He stood at his full height, only five inches over

  Avery and not that intimidating, but the body language was clear. She heard a hush fall over the other people in line. Despite knowing the crowd could overhear, Avery didn’t forfeit the escalating argument.

  “I can’t help it. You’re a jerk off, and she may not realize it now, but you’ll end up showing her your true colors.” Avery had once been with Nate herself and knew it never ended well.

  “No, I only treated you badly because you were a bitch.” His words cut deeply and Avery backed off for a second.

  The crowd had fallen into silence, no doubt listening to their show down in the middle of the hallway. She didn’t pay attention to that. Memories triggered, she recalled when she’d been with Nate. Granted it wasn’t as official as Leela and Nate, they still had something. Avery fell for the pretty boy hard and he shoved it back in her face when he went out with somebody else. Eyes burning, she still remembered the heart twisting, heavy emotion. Avery honestly had moved on, but hearing him disregard her like that wasn’t easy.

  “Drop dead Nate.” She said, unable to conjure an appropriate retort to voice her rising frustration.

  Nate opened his mouth but paused. Eyes darting behind her, he watched someone.

  “Yea, I think the movie is going to blow too.” He said abruptly, his tone dropping into something polite but forced.

  Avery only understood once she realized that Leela had returned.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Leela asked lightly, offering the popcorn around with a circular motion.

  “Nothing. Just about how pretty little Avery looks today.” Nate said, sarcasm dripping so heavy in his voice, it was painful to hear.

  “You know, I told her to lose the jacket.” Leela said. Then in a second, it happened. Leela yanked the jacket straight backwards and it slid off of Avery’s shoulders before she even had time to react. Shoulders and arms bare, Avery wrapped her arms around herself but the damage had been done. The graying magical mark stood out predominantly against her lily white skin.

  “Ugh, that’s hideous.” Nate spoke first and most harshly, his tone twisting with palpable disgust.

  Cheeks reddening, Avery backed up, twirled to face Leela, and held out a hand to retrieve her jacket.

  “Is that a tattoo?” Leela asked. Her brown eyes were glued on the mark and she dangled the black jacket absently in her arms. “Was the ink always that light?”

  “No and no. I mean yes. It’s just stupid. Gimme please.” Avery finally nabbed the jacket and immediately covered up her arms before she could bumble more. That wasn’t a rumor she wanted getting around.

  “You never told me about that! You’re supposed to tell me everything.” Leela insisted.

  One look at Leela’s wide eyes and Avery knew her friend wouldn’t let it go.

  “I’ll explain it later, okay?” Avery said. Well, she’d explain something.

  The line finally began to move, a slow progression inside the dark theater. Avery backed up, about to walk when a body smacked into her from behind. She whirled, ready to tell someone off when she froze. Before her stood a harpie. He was tall with wide shoulders—the biggest give away about the species—and he wore a heavy trench coat to hide his wings. He had gold skin that shone too much to be normal and dark black eyes. His hair was trim and short around his ears but it complimented his thin angular face. He looked over her and then gave her a blindingly white smile.

  “Hey, you are a sweetheart. And here I thought I was getting roped into a crappy favor. This could work.”

  Dumbfounded, Avery struggled for words. Finally, she caught on. Mason had said someone was coming to protect her. During Avery’s momentary hesitation, Leela pushed around her and faced the stranger.

  “Are you Mason?” Leela asked eagerly.

  His dark eyes danced over Leela next, taking her in so blatantly that even Avery was embarrassed. Ready to end the situation, she didn’t let him speak.

  “No, he’s not.” Avery said and pushed him backwards-- no easy task when he didn’t want to move, but she managed to isolate him in a corner. The line had continued to file inside the theater leaving the hallway mercifully desolate.

  “Rough and pretty.” He grumbled when she gave one last shove that sent him smoothly into the drywall.

  Bright pink now, she shook her head. Avery had managed to put a hearty gap between Nate, Leela, and themselves. Able to talk more freely, she spoke quietly.

  “You’re the new-- you’re Mason’s friend?”

  The playfulness drained from his face and was replaced by a more serious and bored look. He folded his bulky arms over his chest and shrugged.

  “Adalyn’s friend,” he pointed out. “But yes. I was sent here to be with you.”

  Luckily he didn’t use the word “babysit” but he didn’t need to since it amounted to the same thing. Avery cast a quick glance backwards. Nate, clearly uninterested, already began to walk for the movie’s red entrance doors. Leela hovered between the doors and the hallway, looking between the two. Surround sound booming, the vibrations of the movie already beginning reached into the hallway.

  “Look, I appreciate it but you can’t be here. People can’t know you are here
.” Avery said.

  He wasn’t a member of the high school-- in fact, he looked much too old to be in high school.

  It wouldn’t take long for her classmates to put the pieces together and start asking questions. His eyes slid around like he was looking for a visual explanation.

  “How am I supposed to watch you if I can’t be here?”

  “Look.” Avery stopped herself. “Just give me a second and go stand outside. Just outside.” She pointed out the window where a few benches rested underneath a large pine tree. White snow piled on the concrete pavement but the weather had warmed and sitting outside wouldn’t be a burden. His black eyes followed her index finger to where she’d indicated.

  “I don’t want to. And you can’t make me.” He said shortly.

  Avery let out a frustrated growl and the pressure behind her eyes grew.

  “Please.”

  He seemed to consider that. After a moment he smiled slyly.

  “I’ll do it for the pretty girl then.”

  Avery gratefully watched him go. Her headache had grown and her cheeks burned when he kept dropping the pretty girl statement. He wasn’t like Mason-- that was for sure. Unable to mull on it, she turned and caught up with Leela.

  The small girl vibrated with excitement and the dying need for a good bit of gossip. Brown eyes wide, she looked between Avery and the door outside. Avery could hear it open and shut with a firm clack, indicating that the harpie was officially out of earshot.

  “Who was that? And what was up with him?” Leela demanded to know.

  “He’s just a friend that’s visiting for awhile.”

  “While Mason is out of town? Wow, what are you doing?” She pressed a hand against her painted lips but Avery could tell she was grinning.

  “It’s not like that. Anyways, I’m going to have to skip out on the movie. Nate will appreciate it.”

  Leela shrugged, uncaring. She kept pressing for

  answers.

  “Okay. But will you tell me more about the new guy? I’m in the need-to-know.”

  Avery glanced behind her. Outside the doors, he hovered by the benches. His wings twitched making his trench coat shake conspicuously as he paced around the giant trees.

  “I don’t know much about him myself. He’s just visiting while Mason’s out of town.”

  Leela pouted but fell back a step.

  “Okay, fine. Talk later?”

  Avery nodded and then split off, hurrying outside to where the new harpie hovered. Luckily, the courtyard remained desolate. The air was chilly but not too cold. Avery drew her cotton jacket around her shoulders.

  He’d finally settled in the corner of the courtyard, head tilted upward toward the sky. The Northern Lights, vibrant colors, danced and twisted in the dark sky. Usually too polluted by city lights to be visible, it was the first time they’d shown up in awhile and likely the first time the harpie had seen them.

  “This place is strange. It’s strange to really be outside again after so long.” He admitted after finally dragging his eyes away.

  “It’s different, but you’ll get used to it. Look, I didn’t mean to make our first meeting awkward but humans aren’t too keen on the whole harpie thing.” She stuck a hand out. “My name’s Avery.”

  He eclipsed her hand in his own and squeezed.

  “My name is Patrick. It is a pleasure to meet you.” He dragged out the word “pleasure” a bit too much. Swooping down, he shifted her hand and kissed her open palm. In romance books, that gesture was endearing but in reality it played out a bit creepier.

  Avery finally took her hand away and quickly stuffed it into her pocket.

  “I didn’t have high expectations for this job. But now it seems like a shame that I won’t be able to stay here longer.” Patrick said.

  Avery tried to ignore the continuous undertones. Rather, she focused on the first part of his statement.

  “How long are you going to be here for?”

  He shrugged.

  “Two weeks tops.”

  Relief washed through her body.

  “Mason’s coming back in two weeks?”

  A shadow flashed across his face but was gone before she could study it. His posture suddenly altered and he shifted foot to foot. The entire change was small and virtually unnoticeable but something about it caught Avery’s attention. Concern mildly piqued, she waited for him to answer.

  “I don’t like the snow.” He said, changing subjects. The white flurries falling from the sky had increased in number. Avery let the bad feeling go. Instead, she jerked her head towards the center of campus.

  “Come on. We’ll go inside.”

  Three

  Avery crossed the campus in a hurry with Patrick by her side. The wind picked up and the temperature had inevitably dropped. Students still lingered by the marble water fountain and the wrought iron gates of her dormitory, Crepuscule Hall. Patrick already stood out and she didn’t like attracting more eyes. Drawing the hood of her jacket up, she pointed him down the long staircase that led to the entrance of her home.

  “Down there, to the left. The staff shouldn’t be around so we can warm up inside.” She said though strongly suspecting that Patrick didn’t care either way.

  Since they’d left the theater, his eyes picked out every aspect of the campus. He particularly seemed to enjoy the massive mountains in the back drop and the green ivy that crept up the walls despite the frosty season. The place was extremely different from the harpie home base-- a place that Avery had the pleasure of seeing a few months back. Where Mayweather Academy had bomb shelter worthy brick buildings, the harpie island had tropical huts and little roofing to block out the sky. Where the harpies valued openness, Mayweather Academy harvested gates and locked doors to keep them cut off from the world.

  They made it down the steps in a hurry. Patrick’s long strides made Avery jog to keep up. They crossed over the lawn and reached the door. Inside the halls remained silent and thankfully empty. Avery snuck in quietly but Patrick couldn’t manage to keep his mouth shut.

  “What’s the deal with the gates? Are you guys locked in here at night?” His voice cut sharply through the silent halls.

  “It’s not a prison.” Avery said while jimmying the knob. Patrick fidgeted oddly, despite what she’d said. Trying to force a reassuring smile, she finally opened the door to her room, ushered him inside, and hit the light. The room illuminated and the heat pumped through the vents. Avery gestured to the desk chair but Patrick sprung onto her bed. Folding his legs, he sat contently.

  Avery knew Leela would be at the movie for at least a few hours so they had time to chill. Letting him have the bed, she sat by her desk.

  Patrick suddenly spoke.

  “So, what is Mason to you?”

  Taken off guard, Avery double took.

  “What?” She spit out as an instant reaction.

  “Don’t stress. I’m not going to tell Adalyn.” He held his hand to his heart and gave her a sideways smile.

  “I’m not worried about that. Mason and I aren’t anything.” She said immediately. She managed to keep her tone down but didn’t care to look at Patrick anymore. Eyes floating toward the right, she spotted some overdue homework. Grabbing a pen, she began to write out a few absent thoughts-- honestly anything to keep busy. She could feel his dark eyes flutter over her form and see his broad shoulders draw into his body.

  “So you’re telling me he stays here with a pretty girl like you and you guys are just friends. Really really?” His tone remained high with some hint of amusement and intrigue weaved into his voice.

  Avery refused to look at him, hoping he’d stop if she continued to ignore him. She’d had people ask her a million times about her relationship with Mason. She hadn’t grown used to it, just sicker of it. Scrawling on the paper, she gave the weakest and most unconcerned shrug she could.

  “Really really.”

  “Are you sure you’re not holding out to be something more?” He abruptly got of
f the bed and inched closer. So close, she couldn’t ignore him. Avery finally looked up at his towering form.

  “Why won’t you get off this?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to embarrass you, girl. I’m just trying to see if you’re available. I’ve been out of the game for a long time and now I’m testing my options. Interested?” He smiled again, more slyly. Lowering his eyelids and giving her a stare that cut all the way down to her bones, he posed his body forward until every one of his muscles became apparent against his tight shirt.

  She didn’t need a psychology degree to do a quick evaluation of his character. Patrick didn’t know her but hit on her relentlessly. He even eyed Leela in the theater with the same appraising look he gave her now. Major playboy, Avery decided, and she wouldn’t go for that type.

  “Look, I think you’re getting the wrong idea here. I’m not, this isn’t-” Avery forced herself to stop and take a breath before she could stutter more. “No thanks.”

  “So you just don’t date. Saving yourself or just crushing on another guy?” Patrick was quick to question her logic.

  More flustered than she would have liked, Avery turned away and kept at her paper. The black pen she wrote with began to dry up. Knowing it wouldn’t last her another second, Avery stood and trashed the pen.

  “Hey, I don’t know you well enough to have a moment here! Anyways, it’s neither!” She said to him, having to maneuver swiftly so she wouldn’t bump into him.

  Reaching for her desk, she dug around for a pen. Her desk had been stacked high with paper, broken pencils, and empty soda cans. Hands shaking, she shifted chaotically through the mess. Cursing her luck, she backed up. Her eyes shifted toward Leela’s desk and she acted on it without thinking. Leela’s wooden desk remained spotless. Papers had been filed carefully with blue and purple paperclips to divide up the stack. Avery couldn’t spot pencils on top so she went for the drawer. Grabbing the handle, she yanked.

  “If you can’t give me a good answer, then I don’t have to leave you alone about it.” Patrick said childishly.