by S. J. Black
“I beg your pardon?” His face broke into a hilarious grin. “Are you...trying to bargain with me?”
“Don’t act coy with me.”
“Who do you think you are to be ordering me around?”
“Zara," she said simply.
“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”
“Yes, it should.”
“God,” He chuckled under his breath, standing up suddenly.
Zara jumped slightly, moving backwards from him. Everything about this man gave her whiplash. One minute he was grinning with gleeful amusement at her comebacks, and the next he was quietly ripping his own hair out in frustration, astonished at her audacity to fight back. Talk about walking on eggshells.
“You infuriate me.”
“Pot, kettle,” she scoffed.
“You know what? Do you want to know what it’ll take for all this to go away?” He said suddenly, his eyes ablaze with determination.
“Enlighten me,” she crossed her arms.
“Leave,” he said simply.
“What?” She winced.
“Leave. Leave the school and I’ll leave you be.”
“No,” she snapped instantly. “No!”
He didn’t get to decide to like that. She would be a fool to bow down to them.
“That’s the offer. No negotiations.”
“You can fucking leave, you prick,” she hissed, picking up the book from the floor. Jasper bent down to stop her hand, covering his palm over the top of Zara’s hand, both of them jolting slightly at the contact.
She looked up, mortified at her reaction. “What are you doing?”
“I’m giving you a lifeline, Haife. Leave, just leave and you’ll save yourself a year of unnecessary torment because if you stay…,” Jasper paused, licking his lips. “I won’t let you out of my sight. You have my word.”
His expansive, silver eyes bore into hers, almost imprinting his threat into her mind. Gritting her teeth, she tried to grab the book, but his grip halted all movement.
“Let go.”
“There’s no Angel to save you here, Tess.”
Her eyebrows furrowed at his reference.
She didn’t know he even picked up books, let alone read them.
“Wow, profound.”
She gave him a flat, blank stare, hardening her hold on the spine of the book, pulling it back. He loosened his grip, allowing to take the book and stand up, drifting away from him. He didn’t release her stare once. She turned, ready to go when she heard him murmur something.
“See you around, Tess.”
“Oh, fuck off,” she said without turning back. She stuck her middle finger up, striding out of the library.
“I love a challenge!” He cried tauntingly, laughing as Zara strode further away until his echoes became nothing but shrill, ghostly whispers.
Chapter Four
“Leave her alone already, mate,” James drawled.
“You’re one to talk,” Jasper raised his eyebrow. “I don’t remember you giving Annie her space.”
“That’s different. I actually liked her unless...this girl has you -”
“Don’t even fucking finish that sentence,” Jasper warned.
Theo and Tristan chuckled loudly, snickering at the insinuation and laughing even harder when Jasper shot them menacing, death stares.
“That girl is fucking mental,” Jasper said hotly. “Who the fuck does she think she is?”
The Barons were lounging in the Leviathan common room, right before dinner started. Winter season was over. The new year had started. They were back in their second home again.
Barcourt.
A school for the gifted.
A purgatory for the poor.
A playground for the rich.
A necessary evil.
Til death do us part.
“She’s a fucking pain in the arse, James. Someone needs to remind her exactly where she belongs.”
“My, my, that sounds awfully familiar,” Tristan quipped.
Theo sniggered, a twinkle of amusement alighting his honey golden eyes. “History has a habit of repeating itself.”
“Got something you wish to share with the class?” Jasper kicked Tristan’s armchair.
“Is that how I used to act?” James whispered under his breath.
“Yep,” Theo nodded. Tristan smiled in agreement.
“Excuse me?” Jasper lifted an eyebrow. “Am I invisible here?”
“God, James was a lovesick puppy on steroids,” Tristan ignored Jasper, addressing James directly. “Because you actually wanted to date Annie, the hostility made sense. So all of that ‘put her in her place’ shit would never work for you.”
“True,” James said.
“In Jasper’s case though...I’m not sure,” Tristan murmured thoughtfully.
“Put a sock in it, Montgomery. We’re the Barons - our job is to make sure everyone falls into line,” Jasper interjected. “James, I know you’ve found love and all that lovely romantic spiel - really, we’re happy for you mate - but I feel like the only one who’s committed to our reputation. I hate to say it, but you’re going soft.”
“We’re getting old, mate,” James yawned, stretching his arms. “Maybe it’s time to retire. Time to live a little.”
“Do me a favour,” Jasper scoffed. He walked away from their circle, moving towards the fireplace, brooding over the angry flames.
“Mate,” Theo called out lightly.
“Fuck off,” Jasper said curtly.
He laughed, moving to stand near his friend. Theo gave him a sincere, amused look, his eyebrow raised. “She really wound you up there.”
“If you’re here to laugh some more, kindly piss off. This group is embarrassing the Baron name.”
"Hey -”
“At least I take our role here seriously,” Jasper squared up to Theo, a glint of hard edged steel lurking beneath the surface.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Theo frowned.
“When I say someone has crossed a line, it’s not for us to question it. We just fucking act. No disrespect. No nothing.”
“Then what do you want us to do, Jasper?" James sighed, walking up to the duo. He perched his brow up. “You want us to scare the girl away?”
“I want us to fucking terrify the girl!”
“It’s a bit complicated," James said pointedly. “Annie -”
“Annie’s got nothing to do with this,” Jasper said tightly.
James exhaled heavily, warring with the arguments at hand.
Jasper leaned forward, a look of determination on his face. “We’re not losing our touch. Not when the whole school is watching.”
Theo watched silently, unsure of what to do. He turned to James, glancing at the conflicting emotions on his face.
It seemed like Jasper’s argument took hold as James nodded firmly, tilting his head with a small displeased scowl. “Alright.”
“Alright?” Jasper repeated firmly. “Just alright?”
“If that’s what you want,” James confirmed.
His tone was grave, missing the usual feisty hunger that started the Barons. Jasper noticed this, but chose not to push it further. He had a plan to follow, and it was going to happen. It didn’t matter if his friends had reservations; Zara Haife had made her choice.
Jasper had to follow through with his threat.
∞∞∞
Later that night, Zara tossed and turned in her single bed, anxiously forcing herself to sleep. No matter what she did though, her body was wide awake. Something was keeping her up and fuck knows what it was. Zara glanced around her small room, taking in the moonlight as it illuminated her desk.
Piles of untouched song books and scribbled notes. She couldn’t come up with a song, no matter how hard she tried. Composing songs, writing lyrics - they were her passion. And her inspiration for it had died ever since she arrived back to Barcourt.
Sitting up, she rubbed her tired face, running her hand through her tangled hair. She fe
lt and probably looked like shit.
She knew what was bothering her. During supper, as she sat in the dining hall with Heidi, she felt those cold, haunted eyes burn into her skin.
Jasper had been staring at her again.
Only this time, his motley crew had kept sending her brief glances here and there, as they murmured amongst themselves, carefully surveying her area. It was suffocating. They were obviously talking about her, but God knows what the subject matter was. The whole evening had made her paranoid.
Were they planning something?
Jasper had given her a threat that was plain as day; he was going to torment her.
That was a promise. So all she had to do was sit in nervous anticipation, constantly be on the lookout for any sign or inkling that she was being ambushed or hauled off somewhere.
And here she was; nervous, restless and exhausted.
A light tapping interrupted her train of thought.
She stilled, careful not to make a sound.
Was it them?
The tapping returned, becoming more insistent with each thud. She flipped over her blanket moving towards the door, cautious not to make a sound. Leaning forward, she tentatively placed her ear on the wooden door, waiting for another sound.
The thudding returned after three seconds. Zara jumped slightly, putting a hand over her wild heartbeat. Breathing slowly, she opened her mouth to say something.
“Who’s there?”
No sound.
Creaking the door open, she peeked through the gap. There was nobody there. The hallway was empty, only the soft, golden lighting of the lamps showed life outside.
Zara weighed the options; she could hide under the covers and pretend none of this was happening, or she could do the brave and stupid thing and go outside.
Sighing heavily, she stepped outside, silently shutting the door behind her. As she took a step forward, her heart thumped painfully inside her chest, screaming that this was a trap.
“Hello?” She called out tentatively.
God, she wanted to kick herself.
This was a classic horror movie fail. The naïve female protagonist calling out to the shadowy expanse, expecting her attacker to reply with an amiable greeting? Not likely.
She closed her eyes briefly in annoyance before taking a few more steps forward. Further down the hallway she walked, moving past the other bedrooms of her classmates who were oblivious to her nightmare.
THUD!
A loud bang echoed behind her, jolting Zara into a nervous wreck.
“Who’s there!” She cried in panic.
Nothing.
Not a response. Not a sound.
The painful silence did nothing to assuage her nerves. Somebody was playing a cruel trick on her, and they were enjoying every minute.
As quick as the thought came, the lights in the lamps suddenly switched off, extinguishing Zara into complete darkness. Only the slivers of moonlight that trickled through the arched windows gave her any source of light.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
“Stop it!” Zara shouted angrily.
SMASH!
Something fragile and delicate had smashed to the ground, the pieces of glass pinched around her feet, trapping her.
Anxiety creeped into her breathing, suffocating her lungs. It terrified her. Zara wouldn’t admit it, but her body and mind were in complete shutdown mode. She felt her hands shake uncontrollably, frightened and paralysed.
Somebody was definitely fucking with her head, and they were doing a pretty good job at it.
“Stop,” Zara trembled. She didn’t know who she was calling out to in the darkness, but her plea was born out of pure desperation. Crouching down to the floor, she covered her face with her trembling hands, blocking out the scene. “Just stop it.”
CLICK
The lights switched back on.
She knew the lights were on, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t. Anxiety had kept her in that protective position, rocking her into a false sense of security.
A few moments walked by until she felt she had some sort of control. Opening her eyes, her gaze rested on a pair or tall legs covered in casual black trousers, a tall figure looming over her crouched body.
Looking up, her brown molten eyes clashed with silver.
“You,” she whispered.
Jasper gave her a hard, unreadable expression, watching her with a severe intensity that threatened to shatter her nerves.
“You did this,” she rasped.
“What on earth are you talking about?” He lifted his brow.
The ruckus had woken up the girls, some of them spilled out of their rooms, glancing between Jasper and Zara. Matron Peters quickly appeared, running up the stairs haphazardly in her oversized cotton pyjamas.
“What on earth is the meaning of this?” She commanded. Her flustered expression turned to Jasper with a weight of accusation. “Mr Rashford, I forbid you from entering the ladies’ dorms!”
“I apologise, Miss Peters,” Jasper said charmingly. His most apologetic, woeful expression softened up his harsh, chiseled features. “I...It is wrong to be here. I came for Zara and - I’m sorry, we got carried away with ourselves. Forgive me.”
Forgive me.
Forgive me?
What.
The.
Fuck.
Zara’s eyes widened in horror, a wave of fury overtaking her body. She stood up suddenly, not mindful of the glass around her feet. “You what!” She screamed loudly.
The flurry of whispers and shocked gasps from her roommates did nothing to calm her down. She simply wanted to kill the man in front of her.
“It’s okay, Zara,” he breathed, granting her an alien look of affection. “I shouldn’t have come. It’s not appropriate.”
“Liar!” She hissed.
She stepped forward, not paying any mind to the shards of glass that pierced her feet until the pain teared through her skin, causing her to break into a pained shout.
Jasper’s mask dropped as he rushed forward, stopping her from moving any further. “Stupid girl,” he commanded harshly under his breath. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Don’t touch me!” She growled at him, but he held onto her fighting grip.
“Miss Haife, you must go to the medical office!” Matron Peters exclaimed. “Mr Rashford, please you must escort her there! Addie, ensure that the two are taken safely,” she nodded to Addie Khan, the captain of the women’s football team.
“Of course,” Addie nodded, moving towards Zara.
Intending to walk, Zara pushed Jasper away until she took her first step on the marbled floor, wincing loudly as the burning sting pushed into her foot. Stubborn as she was, she was determined to push through - that was the plan until she felt her someone pick up her body, gathering Zara up like she was nothing but a temperamental toddler.
Her enraged gaze turned to Jasper, who walked unabashedly down the corridor with Zara in his arms.
“What the hell are you doing?” She whispered in shock.
“Taking you to the medical office before you sever both your limbs, stupid girl,” he growled.
“Put me down.”
“No.”
Addie, who had been walking next to Jasper, raised her eyebrows at their conversation. Zara exhaled heavily, turning to address her. “Addie, please help me get down.”
“Addie will do no such thing,” Jasper bit back.
“Addie has a mind of her own, thanks,” Addie grunted under her breath. “As much as I’d love to put Jasper straight, you can’t walk right now. You’re hurt and walking will make the injury worse.”
“I’d rather crawl than have your hands over me,” Zara hissed.
Jasper glanced down, giving Zara an impenetrable glare. “Don’t tempt me.” To emphasise his point, he loosened his grip, creating a shaky balance for Zara as she quickly latched onto the lapels of his outer jacket. He smirked slightly, rolling his eyes at her quick
change.
They had finally reached the medical office, to which Addie headed in first, finding Mr Pottage, the school medic. As Addie began discussing with Mr Pottage about the situation, Zara noticed that Jasper’s grip had remained firmly on her body, holding her close, almost afraid that she would run away from him.
She shifted uncomfortably. A faint blush burned her cheeks. She felt Jasper’s stare burn into her face but she didn’t dare turn to face him; there was enough to feel mortified about already.
“What’s all this about?” Mr Pottage came to where they stood, assessing Zara in Jasper’s arms. “Is this your doing, Mr Rashford?”
Jasper smirked, tightening his grip. “Not exactly.”
“I need to know what happened,” Mr Pottage admonished. “Take her over here, please.” He directed the pair towards a white bed, decorated with medical machinery. Jasper, to her surprise, gently placed her down.
Zara refused to thank him.
“A lamp burst,” Jasper said coolly. “It may have overheated and the shards of glass scattered to the floor. Zara very cleverly walked into the glass. She may have got a little overexcited, you see.”
“Overexcited? You know damn well that you’re responsible for all this! You broke that lamp, trying to scare me! Dickhead!" She growled.
“Excuse me,” Mr Pottage gave Zara a hard look. “You can’t swear here, do you understand?”
Zara pouted slightly, averting her furious gaze. “It’s his fault.”
Mr Pottage leaned down, assessing the damage to her foot. “That may be, but my job is to heal you as soon as possible. You’ll be resting here and you will have to miss classes until further notice. This will require several stitches.” He turned to Addie, handing her a document. “Go to Matron Peters and have her informed of Miss…?”
“Haife,” Zara gritted out.
“Miss Haife’s condition and that I will inform her parents,” Mr Pottage finished. “She will be in the medical facility until fully healed.”
“Yes, sir,” Addie nodded. Before she turned to leave, she nodded to Zara, granting her a sympathetic look. “I’ll come visit you and see if you’re better.”
Zara sent her a small grateful nod. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Addie left the room, leaving Jasper and Mr Pottage with Zara. Mr Pottage cleared his throat, turning to Jasper. “I must clean the wound and assess if there are any shards of glass within her foot and measures will be taken to prevent infection. Mr Rashford, if you could wait outside, please.”
