“Trust him,” Elle added, squeezing his hand.
“Let’s go,” Will said and proceeded to lead the two out of the club and to the waiting golf cart parked out front.
“I thought you left,” Sophie said as she slid into the passenger seat while Elle got in the back, keeping an eye on Jane. “Did you stop at the school before coming here? How did you know we needed you anyway?”
“I called him,” Elle answered from the back. “With Aiden’s cell phone. We were in his office the whole time. I found him and we went to his office to talk. I-I wanted to help but I wasn’t sure what I could do.”
“You did fine,” Will said and glanced at Sophie as he started the cart. “I always set up the camp for the Change, so I need a golf cart in order to take all the supplies over. Sophie, I know you had a rough night, but since Elle was in the office and both Jane and that girl are unconscious, I need you to tell me everything that happened.”
“Her name is Brielle, by the way, but everyone calls her Brie.” It was nice, comforting to Sophie to fall back into their old routine. After a small smile touched her features and then disappeared, she proceeded to tell him how she and the group somehow got separated and Michael Rochester asked her to dance, how he told her he knew what she was and that he was a physical too. He wanted her to come with him so they could be powerful over the panpi and peculiars, then Michael instructed everybody to get out of the club. Michael claimed to have spies in AckPec. Sophie explained the best she could how someone—she couldn’t see who—had broken a bottle over Brie’s head and that was why she was unconscious, and that if Jane hadn’t been there to cause the chandelier to collapse on top of Michael and Justin, Sophie probably would have been taken.
Just after she finished, Will pulled into the garage. Ethan was waiting. His normally warm blue eyes were tainted with a seriousness Sophie—her arms full of Brielle once more—had never seen. Those eyes took in each individual in a manner of seconds, and yet in even such a short amount of time, Sophie had the feeling that he knew everything he needed to know, and what he didn’t, he’d find out later.
“I’ve informed Dr. Kessler that it was highly probable his services would be required after you called,” Ethan said, addressing Will as the group made their way in the building. “Daryl is waiting in the nursing station as well.”
“Why?” Will all but growled.
“He, too, has a stake in this,” Ethan said vaguely. Before anyone could ask him what that stake was, the dean continued. “How did Miss Cabot and Miss Hale sustain their injuries?”
“Bottle to the head,” Will said, nodding at Brielle. He stopped when he looked at Jane. “Soph, what happened to Jane?”
“I don’t know,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “All I remember is seeing the chandelier crash and then Jane fainted. I don’t think anyone hurt her. She just fainted.”
This didn’t seem to surprise Ethan as much as it had when Sophie saw it.
“Don’t forget about Aiden’s club,” Elle piped up, her blue eyes on Ethan. “It’s in ruins, and we sort of left him there without any information on how to contact us. He’s all by himself.” Suddenly, her voice got corrupted with worry. “He’s going to be okay, right?”
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Ethan said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’ve dispatched security to check the premises and they’ll also keep an eye on your Aiden. However, I highly doubt that your attackers will be back. Michael Rochester might be a physical, but even he needs time to recuperate after having a chandelier fall on him. Tomorrow, I plan to personally go down and talk to Aiden about the damages. First and foremost, I think we need to make sure everyone is all right.”
38
When he saw Will bring Jane’s unconscious body into the nurse’s station, he could feel the blood drain from his face. Daryl knew something bad had occurred when Will called Ethan. Ethan told Daryl everything. In fact, he was halfway out the door when Ethan stopped him, saying she would need him here. He didn’t have to clarify which ‘she’ Ethan referred to.
Something had changed between him and Jane that morning. He couldn’t explain what that was, but now, when he noticed little things about her, they had a deeper meaning to them. Like how her eyes were predominantly green but they were outlined in blue and had gold flecks that only grew brighter as she went off on someone or something. Like how her hair would be classified as blonde but a subtle red would come out during winter. Like how his favorite action had quickly become pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face.
He wanted to kiss her that morning. It was wrong and he’d be abusing his power had he done so, but he desperately wanted to place his lips on hers and learn first-hand if her lips were as soft as they looked. He had never been attracted to a student before. Many girls had come through his office at odd hours in hopes to seduce him. Whether it was for better grades or to attain the thrill of seducing the cold, unsocial professor, it didn’t matter. He never fell for it. And yet, here he was, some fool for a girl who wasn’t trying anything. Her actions enchanted him, especially when they were innocent. Like when she would tug her bottom lip into her mouth with her teeth. Like when she would wear her hair up, exposing the graceful slope of her neck. Like when she raised her eyebrows up and down while smiling mischievously. And who could ignore the fact that her skirt was an inch too short? It was the only uniform-challenge he never punished.
What has she done to me? he wondered.
While waiting for them to return, he found he couldn’t sit still, pacing the empty waiting room of the nursing station where the rumored grouchy physician snapped at him. Apparently, the good doctor was tense too.
Daryl only stopped his movement when he heard noises in the hall. He could hear Will, Ethan, and female voices, but not Jane’s. Not his Jane. And then Will walked into the room with Jane in his arms, crowded by his followers. He could only see Jane. Always only Jane.
“What happened?” he asked Will as the shifter walked past him into an exam room. Daryl tried to keep the shaky anger out of his voice, but was failing miserably. He didn’t care. “Is she breathing? Is she all right?”
“Calm down, Daryl,” Will said in his growly voice as he placed Jane on the horizontal chair. Daryl normally hated when Will addressed him as such, but right now, he didn’t even hear it. Will turned and gave him a level stare. “She’s breathing. She’s fine.” He furrowed his brow, his gold-green eyes scanning Daryl’s face. “From what Sophie said, Jane saved the day. By causing a chandelier to fall on their attackers. Now, I’m not one to know every single status of every single student in my hall, but I seem to recall that Jane’s an animus. She can’t move things with her mind. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Daryl ignored Will’s insinuation. “What of the attackers?” he asked, hope evident in his silky voice. “Are they dead?”
Will gave him a look that showed he was somewhat startled at Daryl’s desire for the two culprits to be dead. “No, actually,” he said. “Sophie said they ran off before I got there.”
“Ethan,” Daryl said. “I need to speak to Ethan.”
“I’m right here,” Ethan said, surprising Daryl. Daryl had been so wrapped up in getting information from Will to notice the dean had even entered the room. “I was assisting Miss Harper with placing Miss Hale in the second exam room. What did you want to speak to me about, Daryl?”
“I’m going to check on the rest of ‘em,” Will said as he headed out the door. Daryl didn’t notice his departure.
“I told her not to go,” Daryl insisted. He was so flustered, his words, tainted by his Russian accent, came out nearly incomprehensible. “I told her to stay here.”
“She’s a teenager, Daryl,” Ethan said in a patient voice, smiling. “She’s going to go out and have fun, especially when you tell her not to.”
“But she is not a normal teenager. She is not even a normal peculiar. She needs to be safe, Ethan. She cannot participate in
normal activities because she, herself, is not normal.” He ran his fingers through his hair as a way to alleviate his frustration, mussing up his hair even further. He didn’t care.
Ethan hid a smile. “And what do you suggest we do to keep her safe, my friend?” he asked the Southern.
“I-I don’t know.” Daryl rarely, if ever, stuttered. He had no reason to. His words were carefully thought-out in his mind before speaking. He always knew what he wanted to say, and he always said he what he meant. But now he was flustered, his mind too busy trying to filter through the onslaught of thoughts. Certainly he was going to get grey hairs because of this girl.
“Professor Depogare,” Sophie said, bursting through the door without the pretense of knocking. “Ethan. I’m glad you’re both here. I, uh, I’m not sure if Will said anything, but you both should know as soon as possible that Michael said he wouldn’t be coming after just me.” Her eyes locked on the unconscious girl. “He’s coming after Jane as well.”
That set Daryl off.
He proceeded to take the next five minutes to string together broken sentences and curse words all in his heavy Southern dialect that no one could comprehend. He didn’t care that a student was in front of him, witnessing him at his worst. He didn’t care that Ethan knew everything he was saying. His only concern was for Jane, his Jane, still unconscious, and would probably be this way for the next few days at least.
Ethan waited patiently for him to finish, and when Daryl did, he nodded at Sophie, silently dismissing her. Daryl dropped his face in his hands. His heartbeat slowed tremendously, not because he had calmed down but because each beat reminded him that he had failed her, that she was not only harmed but in perilous danger, and it was all because of him. Even worse, he had no idea how to save her.
“I don’t know what to do,” he admitted to Ethan, his black eyes looking at his superior for some kind of guidance. “What do I do? If they know of her … I don’t want to even think of what will happen to her. But if they are after her, they will do absolutely everything to get her. Only I can protect her. Only I understand what it is she’s going through. Will is too consumed with watching over Miss Harper. I must be able to—”
“Hush, Daryl,” Ethan said, interrupting the uncharacteristically disheveled professor. “We will talk of what needs to be done to ensure Jane’s protection later. But first, Jane needs to wake up. Right now, we wait.”
Daryl nodded, but refused to leave. Not yet. He took a seat next to Jane in an uncomfortable chair and, as Ethan left, reached out and placed his hand over hers. Maybe his touch would help her, even in her unconscious state.
“You care about her.”
“Yes.” He didn’t even look up at Elle as she leaned against the doorframe, didn’t even sound surprised. If anything, he sounded as exhausted as he probably looked.
“Why?”
A pause. A long pause. “I don’t know,” he replied finally.
“Do you love her?”
A longer pause and then, “I don’t know.”
She seemed surprised by his honesty. He was too. For whatever reason, he couldn’t find it in him to lie about his feelings for Jane. Not even to some silly Ignis teenager who might blab about it to her. He would take his chances.
He turned to regard the blonde staring at him. She seemed to be trying to figure something out, perhaps how someone like him could love someone like Jane. She was beautiful, intelligent, and cared about people more than she should. He was ugly, more intelligent, and cared about nothing and no one but himself. And her. He found he cared about her more than he cared about himself. This feeling didn’t scare him, exactly, but it confused him. Angered him at times, because somewhere deep down he knew this girl could never love him.
Eleanor Moyer kept her frame leaning against the door as though she was maintaining a safe distance between the professor and herself. He watched as she pressed her lips together—she was probably mad that he had feelings for his student—and then asked, “Is that why you’re holding her hand?”
Daryl continued to look at Eleanor, his eyes narrowing. “I am holding her hand because it calms her down,” he told her in a low, barely distinguishable voice.
She furrowed her brow. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” He was getting annoyed now. He didn’t want to continue to answer mundane questions. He wanted to be alone with Jane.
“Is it possible that she can read minds and move stuff with her thoughts?”
His eyes narrowed even further. He watched as she stiffened. “How do you know about this?” he hissed.
“I saw her,” she replied, her voice suddenly shaky. “She moved a book with her mind. I told her to talk to Ethan about it.”
“Have you told anyone about it?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I haven’t told anyone about it. I haven’t even talked to her about it. Or, well, I guess technically, she hasn’t talked to me about it.” A look crossed her face, as though she just had an epiphany. “You told her not to say anything to me, didn’t you?”
“I told her not to say anything to anybody,” he corrected through clenched teeth. “I don’t think you realize the gravity of the situation, Miss Moyer. Your friend is in grave danger. If word about what she is gets out …” He clamped down, pressing his lips together so they formed a thin line. “That’s already happened though. In order to save you and your friends, she revealed herself. She is in grave danger. Don’t you understand? She could die, or worse.”
“Why?”
Was she trying to be cute or was she serious?
“Why? Why?” His voice was rising with each word and he dropped Jane’s hand in order to stand. “Her kind isn’t supposed to exist. Someone who can read minds and move objects isn’t supposed to exist. She’s more powerful than your friend, the physical.”
He watched as Eleanor paled, but he did not regret his harsh tone.
“For Jane’s sake,” he said in a soft voice. He was standing directly in front of Eleanor, needing to get away. If she wouldn’t leave him alone with Jane, he needed to get away. “Keep your mouth shut.”
39
It was almost time.
Sophie stood in her closet, looking over every flaw the full-length mirror revealed. This wasn’t what she wanted to look like for her first school dance. There were bruises on her throat from where Justin had choked her after finding out she had indirectly killed Kat. Her sapphire eyes looked lifeless, consumed with all the guilt the sky could hold. They were hardened but wiser, and while she was happy to attend tonight—especially since Jane couldn’t go in her condition—the excitement had waned. She hoped it wouldn’t last, hoped she’d go back to the way she was before. Somehow, though, she knew nothing would be the same.
Her dress was strapless and short, with pinks, purples, golds, and leopard prints. The layered skirt resembled a ballerina tutu kaleidoscope filled with various colors. The bust-line was beaded and the back was left open. It was a tad eccentric but Sophie loved it the moment she laid eyes on it, and when Mamoru told her they had it in her size, she bought it instantly. It would be easy to dance in and she paired it with a pair of golden, open-toe heels. She left her hair down, and with the help of Elle, who decided not to go to the dance, curled the ends. Her face was made up, and though both girls tried, makeup didn’t fully mask the various cuts and bruises that littered her body.
As she stared at herself in the mirror, her thoughts drifted back to the previous night, after Elle had gone up to their room. Will had held her back, asking if she could come to his room so they could talk. Sophie was happy to agree because they really did need to talk.
Once they were in his room, Sophie had no idea what to say. Will’s hands were jammed in the pockets of his just-tight-enough jeans, his hair messy. She stared at his blue and yellow plaid shirt. He was always wearing plaid. The consistency comforted her.
And then she knew what she wanted to talk about. “Why did you leave without telling me?” she asked him
. It was easier than she expected to meet his eyes. She wasn’t as shy anymore.
Will sighed through his nose. It sounded like a horse’s snort. “Kid, I—”
Sophie interrupted him. “Why would you tell Dianna about leaving and not me?” she asked.
“Dianna fills in for me,” he explained. His eyes looked tired, a dull, hazel color. “I had to tell her. To make sure you were looked after.”
“I don’t want her to look after me,” Sophie said. “I don’t need you to look after me. I’ve been fine on my own long before you showed up.”
“And what about your training?”
“My training? Do you want to know how I’ve been training the past couple of days? I don’t run anymore. She takes me to the gym, makes me do every single piece of equipment, and then records my stats in her phone. That’s my training.”
Will furrowed his brow. “That’s odd,” he murmured more to himself than to her. He was silent for a long moment, staring at Sophie’s bare feet. She had no idea where her heels had gone at that point. She didn’t really care. “Look, kid, as cliché as this sounds, you should get one thing straight: I’m a lone wolf. I don’t depend on anyone but myself, and I don’t expect anyone to depend on me. That’s never going to change.”
“Is that why Dianna dumped you?” She knew she probably shouldn’t have asked that. It was petty and none of her business. But the burden the night placed on her shoulders was weighing down on her and she couldn’t shake it off, whether she wanted to or not.
“What?” he asked. Though he didn’t take a step toward her, his voice had a hint of danger to it.
She didn’t care, though. She wasn’t about to back down. “You heard me. You and Dianna. Is that why you guys broke up? You kept running away when things got tough?”
Those dull, hazel eyes bronzed as he snapped his teeth together, revealing his canines. “You want to know the truth about me and Dianna?” he asked. “Do you? We fucked a couple of times but it never got serious. Did you want to hear that? Is that what you wanted to know? I told her from the very beginning that I wasn’t looking for anything and she agreed. Until she didn’t. The minute she wanted to go on an actual date, it was over.”
Stranger Series Box Set Page 25
