Maverick (Maverick Academy Series)

by Layman, Tate

  “I’ve never really liked being the center of attention. I tend to be shy, I guess,” Whit explained.

  “No problem, I’m sure you’ll find something you’re interested in here at Maverick. How about we head out toward the gym, which is where you’ll have Movement Performance. I think I remember reading in your file that you were an athlete at your previous school, is that correct?”

  “I wouldn’t really call myself an athlete, I just ran cross country. Running relaxes me. I also used to ride my bike every day, not that I competed in races. I just rode for fun.”

  “Maverick has many athletic teams and clubs, including a running and biking club. Joining these types of activities will help you become part of Maverick quicker, and make some friends,” he said with a smile and a nod of encouragement as they entered a large building at the front of the campus.

  Whit remembered this building from her first tour. It looked like a normal gym. The last time she was here, students her age had been playing volleyball, but today some smaller kids, around third or fourth grade, were playing dodge ball. Whit rolled her eyes and thought that no matter what school, dodge ball seemed to be a staple for all PE classes. After exiting the gym, Mr. Tolman herded Whit into a room that looked more like a warehouse. Whit had a dim recollection of the assistant dean hurrying through this room on her tour without explaining the purpose. She remembered that Mona had asked, but hadn’t received an answer. It made her curious.

  “So what’s this room Mr. Tolman?” Whit asked before Tolman could successfully leave the warehouse room. She looked around, waiting for an answer. Currently, they were walking on a breezeway that overlooked the whole room, and it was large. There were ropes hanging from the ceiling in places and obstacles of various sizes placed around the room. There was also an area along one side that looked like a maze of hallways. It was small, but Whit immediately recognized it as the scene from her dream the night before. Seeing this, she realized that the dream was probably going to happen right here in this room. She waited for Mr. Tolman to answer and glanced in his direction when he didn’t say anything.

  “Mr. Tolman, what’s this room used for?” she repeated, thinking maybe he hadn’t heard her.

  He immediately looked like he didn’t want to answer. “Ah … this room is actually used in a type of game … um … I mean competition,” he responded uncomfortably.

  “What type of game exactly? It doesn’t look like a sport I know.”

  “No, you wouldn’t know about this game. The game is called Dark Conquest. It’s similar to hide and seek.”

  “That actually sounds pretty neat. Does the school have a team that competes against other schools in the area?” she asked, turning to look back at the room. That would certainly explain the odd equipment in here.

  Again, he took his time answering. She could tell that he didn’t want to discuss Dark Conquest, but she was really interested in hearing more about it. She knew that Rory or Ellie would tell her more, and they wouldn’t hold back like Tolman was. He was still struggling with his answer.

  “The school mostly has in-school competitions, but sometimes we compete against other schools similar to Maverick.” Then he turned and hurried towards the exit. He glanced at his watch and continued to follow the path that led from the gym to the main office area. Evidently he was finished answering questions about that game, because he now changed the subject.

  “Well, Whit, I know that tour was brief and didn’t cover everything, but I’ve found that most students adapt quickly. I want to apologize for all the subjects I didn’t go over with you, but you’re scheduled to take your placement exams in ten minutes. We want to make sure you get to your afternoon classes – Biology, Mind Study, and Movement Performance. We’ve already decided about your English and Math courses, of course, but we don’t know what level you need to be enrolled in. These qualifying exams will give us that answer. Mrs. Audley will be giving you these tests in her office to complete at your own speed. Please don’t stress over these tests, just do the best you can. Have a good first day, and if you need any help, feel free to come and see me.” He turned and walked through the main office to a door labeled assistant dean.

  Whit followed him, frowning at the sudden rush. Still, if she had to take these tests to get into her classes, she might as well get them over with. When she entered, she saw that the assistant dean’s office was exactly what she’d expected from the tidy British woman. It was extremely orderly and neat. A student desk had been set up with the needed materials. Whit sat down and looked at the items on her desk – paper, pencil, pen, and calculator. Mrs. Audley placed a test booklet on Whit’s desk and quickly explained that there was no time limit. She just needed to work until she finished.

  Whit gulped and got started. She worked for a solid ninety minutes before she felt good about her test. Then she glanced at her watch. It was 11:36, and time to get going. After she organized her papers, she walked to Mrs. Audley’s desk.

  “I finished, Mrs. Audley. What do I need to do now?”

  Mrs. Audley focused on the clock for a second and then opened a folder. “It’s almost your lunch period, but I think it would be okay for you to go on a little early. You may also go to your dorm room if you prefer, to wait for lunch to start. Biology doesn’t start until 1, so you certainly have some time. Do you think you can find your way to cafeteria or your room? If not, I’ll be happy to get Darby to walk you back. She’s our office assistant during this class period.”

  Whit shook her head quickly, saying she could find her own way, and exited the office to walk past the main office area. As she turned to leave, she caught sight of Darby sitting on a stool behind the counter, typing something into a computer. Whit was once again stunned by how much Darby looked like a model from a magazine. As she continued to look at her, Darby glanced up and smiled, although it seemed forced.

  “Hello, Whitni. How’s your first day going?” she said with an expression full of mischief that Whit didn’t fully understand.

  She got the impression that Darby didn’t like her for some reason, though she couldn’t really understand why. It wasn’t like she’d done something to her without even realizing it. Surely Darby wasn’t still upset about her eating supper with Nolan. That would be ridiculous.

  “My day has been okay so far. It’s a lot to take in, you know?”

  Darby nodded seriously. “So what classes do you have this semester?” she asked.

  “I have my schedule but it has some holes in it still. I haven’t been enrolled in Math or English yet.” Whit began looking for her schedule so she could show it to Darby, but was stopped by the clicking of Darby’s fingernails on her keyboard.

  “No need, I can pull your schedule up on the computer. Yeah, here it is.” Darby scanned the list of classes and her eyes seem to narrow when she saw something she didn’t like. “I see you have Biology with me during fourth phase,” she said plainly.

  Whit really didn’t know how to respond to that comment, so she just opted to leave as fast as she could with the excuse that she needed to get something from her dorm room before she went to lunch. Darby just seemed so fake, and why did she get that pinched look when she looked at Whit’s classes? Whit shook it off and decided it wasn’t something that needed to be worried about. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t anything to do with her.

  As she left the office, she glanced at her watch. 11:45. She could go to the cafeteria and eat some lunch before she went to her room, thank goodness. She was starving, and thought there might be a chance that Ellie or Rory would be there. Or she could get food, then go back to her room and hang out alone. She backtracked past the office and headed for the cafeteria, thankful for the tour with Tolman earlier. Without it, she’d probably be lost already.

  Lunch was in full swing when Whit entered. She looked from table to table, hoping that Ellie or Rory were around, but no such luck. Shrugging, she wandered over to the sandwich line and waited patiently for her turn to order.
She was so focused that when someone tapped her on the shoulder, she jumped and gave a little squeal. The tapper was so surprised by her squeal that he jumped back from her like she’d zapped him. Whit caught sight of her assailant as she whirled around. It was Nolan.

  “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he said as a small laugh escaped.

  “Yeah, it sounds like you’re sorry. Are you laughing at me?”

  “Maybe just a little. I mean you turned on me like I was a monster trying to attack you.”

  Whit thought that was probably a possibility at this school. Before she could answer, the worker asked Whit for her order. She glanced back but Nolan was gone, so she just shook her head and placed her order, then scanned the cafeteria, looking for a good place to sit. A waving hand grabbed her attention and when she focused, she recognized Ellie.

  “Hey Whit, come over here and sit!” Ellie called out from her table.

  Whit grabbed her sandwich and maneuvered through the maze of tables to Ellie. She glanced around at Ellie’s companions before she sat down. Some she knew from the day she’d moved in, but many were new faces. Ellie motioned to the chair beside her and Whit sat down with a smile.

  Ellie immediately started asking about her day and what classes she had. Whit started to answer, but Ellie had already moved on to the next question. Whit sputtered as she tried to keep up, but finally just gave up and let Ellie ramble. She glanced around, but the other students sitting at the table just laughed and shook their heads.

  “Hey Ellie, why don’t you shut up so the poor girl can answer?” A boy with long brown hair said while patting Ellie’s shoulder. “Sometimes our Ellie gets a little too excited for her own good, and has trouble controlling her enthusiasm,” he whispered.

  Suddenly Ellie paused, realizing that she’d been talking over everyone. “Oh Whit, I’m so sorry. I didn’t introduce you to everyone. You already know Tavis and Darian, so that just leaves Anthony and Rosco,” she said with a huge grin.

  Whit sat in a stunned silence for a moment because Ellie was beautiful when she didn’t smile, but Ellie smiling took your breath away. When the silence continued, Ellie’s smile dropped and she focused on the table, avoiding Whit’s eyes. Whit immediately felt ashamed for staring and became uncomfortable. Before she could apologize for her rudeness, Ellie looked up and started explaining.

  “Sorry about that, Whit, I forget sometimes. It’s definitely stronger on people that haven’t been around people like me,” Ellie explained with a wince. “You know, vampires.”

  “Okay, I’m confused Ellie, why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.” Whit said, bewildered.

  “Yes, I did need to apologize. You just didn’t understand what was happening. Sometimes I just can’t control it,” she said with a frown. “So let me ask you a question, what was your reaction to my smile a few minutes ago?” The table became quite as they waited for Whit’s answer. Several looked uncomfortable with the situation and the topic of discussion.

  Whit shrugged. “You have a really pretty smile. That’s it. I just noticed how dazzling you are when you’re happy." She felt uneasy and confused. Why was it such a big deal?

  Ellie sighed deeply. “Whit, vampires have the power to mesmerize. My kind can use their eyes to lure in prey. Sometimes I forget and accidently use it on people who aren’t used to me. The more you’re around me, the less affect my eyes and smile will have on you.” Ellie looked sad as she explained.

  Whit’s curiosity was piqued and she wanted to ask questions, but thought maybe it’d be rude. Her expression must have given away what was going on in her head, though, because Ellie started answering all her unasked questions. She started by explaining that vampires weren’t allowed to feed off students because of the after-effects. Those being that the “victim” suffered from obsession or addiction after the fact. Feeding also gave vampires the power to compel their victims to do whatever they wanted. Ellie continued by describing examples of cases that had occurred at the school and out in the world. One of the more tragic stories had occurred at Maverick when a girl had fed off her boyfriend. He became so enthralled with her that he couldn’t stand to see her talking to others, boys or girls. His behavior eventually escalated to using violence to keep others away from her because he wanted to have her all to himself. In the end, the boy almost killed the girl’s best friend because she stole her attention from him. Both students were punished and sent away. No one knew what happened to either of them, or if the boy’s behavior and mindset could be reversed.

  Ellie went on to explain that there was nothing to fear these days, because the vampires here at Maverick were forced to feed daily as part of their training class. It kept any incidents like that from happening.

  Whit sat in silence. She knew there was more to know about vampires, but she didn’t want to know the rest at the moment. She glanced down at her sandwich and noticed for the first time that it was torn into multiple pieces, showing her nervousness. The table continued to be silent, waiting for Whit’s reaction.

  “Okay, that’s a lot to know. I don’t really know what to say,” she finally said.

  “I know,” said Anthony. “I’ve only been here since the beginning of this school year. It does get easier once you accept that the people are different here. Not scary, just different.”

  “So Whit, how was your day so far?” Ellie asked, changing the subject.

  “It was okay. Mr. Tolman told me –” Whit stopped talking when someone scooted a chair up next to her and then hooked an arm around her waist. She was surprised to see Nolan occupying the seat.

  “Hey, you disappeared from the line before I got to find out about your day so far,” he said as explanation for his appearance.

  There were several eye rolls and laughs in Nolan’s direction. Whit looked around puzzled, but Ellie leaned in close and whispered an explanation. “We’re just laughing at Nolan, you know, quite the flirt. Already hitting on the new girl and it’s only your first day. Just wanted to make sure you knew we weren’t laughing at you.” Ellie grinned.

  If she hadn’t know before, she definitely knew now that Nolan was quite the ladies’ man, with quite the reputation. She peeked up at him and found him scowling at Ellie. He winced as he dropped his arm away from Whit, then starting eating his sandwich.

  “You okay?” Whit whispered in his direction. She knew she sounded more concerned than she actually felt, but he had just looked so upset for a second that she couldn’t help but ask.

  “Yeah, of course. Just hungry,” he replied tensely. “So how’s your day been so far?”

  Whit told the table about her morning with Mr. Tolman. As she talked, she realized this was the most she’d spoken to anyone her own age in months. The real shocker was that she felt somewhat comfortable. As lunch progressed, she learned that Ellie and Rosco were kind of a couple. Rosco was also a vampire, and unbelievably handsome with his black hair and Mediterranean complexion. Whit thought they were cute together, even if they looked like complete opposites. Anthony was an interesting fellow. Since he was also a recent arrival, he seemed to understand Whit the best. She found out that like herself, Anthony was gifted in mind, though he explained that he was something called a mindbender. Whit thought that sounded dangerous and scary. The power allowed the bender to confuse and manipulate what someone could see, smell and hear, basically making people believe illusions. She was glad she didn’t have that type of power, which seemed like manipulation.

  The table’s discussion then turned to things that seemed completely normal for any high school students. They gossiped about different couples at Maverick and pointed out several in the cafeteria, and complained about homework and assignments for class. Whit was surprised that these people were so different, and yet acted just like the teenagers from her old high schools. She smiled with this revelation.

  “What has you smiling?” Nolan asked.

  “Nothing, just thinking that even though everyone here’s so different, they’re act
ually still just teenagers. Makes me feel a little bit better, that’s all,” Whit said continuing to smile.

  “We aren’t monsters, we’re just extra special teenagers,” Ellie said after overhearing Whit’s comment to Nolan. She smiled and started gathering up her trash as the bell rang.

  “Back to the grind,” Rosco said as everyone at the table got up to head to class.

  Chapter 12

  Ellie walked beside Whit as they headed to the science end of the main hall for Whit’s first class at Maverick – Biology. Science had never been her favorite subject, but this was a new place, so Whit was going in with an open mind and positive attitude. Ellie pointed toward a classroom on the left side of the hall and hurried toward the stairwell for her own class.

  Whit entered the science room and immediately made her way to a short, stocky man sitting at a desk. According to her schedule, this was Mr. Shepherd. She wondered if all the teachers were gifted as well, or if some were just regular teachers. He seemed completely normal in assigning her a seat and lab station number. Whit sat down and looked around the classroom, noticing the students covertly watching her. She spotted Nolan and Darby sitting in the back of the room together. Nolan waved, while Darby snarled in her direction.

  Whit turned back toward the front just as a guy with brown hair slid into the seat next to her. He turned toward her and she recognized him from the cafeteria the previous night.

  “Hey Whit, remember me?” he said, grinning. “Mark, from last night.”

  “Of course,” she smiled. “I see teachers assign seats here just like in most schools. Or did you choose to sit here?”

  “You’re just lucky to be assigned to the seat beside me,” he teased.