When he smiled, it was gentle and gave him the most adorable dimples. I was a sucker for dimples. His blue eyes shone brightly and crinkled at the corners. I could tell from the wrinkles around the eyes that he was a smiler. “Keegan, at your service.” Oh, and apparently a joker.
Nodding my head, I turned back to Kyler, the apparent leader of the group. “This doesn’t explain why you are sitting with me.” I lifted my book. “I was a little busy. No time for chit chat.”
Kyler barely gave the book a passing glance before looking at the others. “We decided to be the welcoming committee for the new kid?”
“That sounded more like a question. Are you asking me or telling me? Still doesn’t explain why you are bugging me since my brother also started today as well.”
Rhydian turned in his seat. “Yeah, but that guy had no problems making friends on his first day.”
“I didn’t want to make friends. I like being alone.” Shrugging my shoulder, I reopened my book, flipping through, trying to find the last place I remembered being at.
Rhydian put his face into my line of sight. “But that sounds really lonely. I’d hate to be alone all the time.”
“I’m not alone all the time. I have my brother and my mom. Probably won’t be here long anyway.” I muttered the last part to myself, hoping they didn’t catch it when it slipped past my lips.
No such luck, of course. Branden heard, sticking his elbow on the table and resting his head on his hand. “Why would you say that?”
Shrugging again, I avoided all their eyes. No need for a pity party. “It’s just been my luck.” Everything was getting too deep for me, so I packed up my lunch and closed my book again. “See you all later.” Getting up, I stalked out of the cafeteria, and of course, turned right into a group of ladies.
Screams echoed through my ears, causing them to ring at the shrillness. When I looked at the one in front, she was waving her hands in the air and about to hyperventilate. Brown liquid covered the front of her skintight, white sweater that hugged her every curve. I reached into my bag and pulled out the cloth, napkin my mother always packed with my lunches. Trying to reach forward to dry her, she swatted at my hand.
“You’ve done enough damage, new girl. Do you realize how much this sweater costs? Probably not since you look to be wearing thrift store finds.” Ouch, I thought but decided against responding. I knew girls like this. The ones who thought they were so much better than others and preferred to tear them down to feel better about themselves. It was girls like this that had me backed into a corner and made me lash out at my last school.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.” Stuffing the napkin back into my bag since she was too good for my help, I turned to go.
“You obviously didn’t see me. If you got your head out of the clouds, then maybe you would have before spilling my mocha all over me.” Her voice was even grating on my ears. Well, actually it was a very beautiful voice, like songbirds, but I was choosing to think in my head that she had a screechy voice to make me feel better.
Turning back around on her, I lifted an eyebrow. “Did you just call me an airhead?”
She raised her snooty nose at me and wrinkled it like she smelled something bad. Her blue, hate-filled eyes glaring daggers. “If the shoe fits.”
“If you didn’t have your head so far up your own ass, I might think that was worth a response. But I’d rather walk away now before I say something as hateful and black as your soul.” With a bitchy smile covering my face, I flipped back around, my braid flying out behind me. I pictured it hitting her in the face.
4
RUNNING AWAY
Kyler
I couldn’t help but watch Kirsten leave. She was definitely something else, and I wanted to find out what. The power coming off her made even my skin sizzle with the intensity. I turned to look at Dylan as he finger-combed through his hair. Only he could get away with hair just past his shoulders and still look good. “Did you feel that?” He was our resident witch in the group and quite powerful. But whatever she was, she topped him by a thousand-fold. I don’t even know if she knew. She certainly didn’t act like she did.
Nodding his head between his arms as he pulled it back into a bun, he looked thoughtful. “She is very powerful. I’d say a witch, but I’ve never heard of a witch that powerful. Even the ones barely above my power level end up frying their brains because it’s too much. I think I am the only one who has made it this far without even a blip on my brain. If she was a witch with that kind of magic, she is lucky she hasn’t fried her whole body yet. But I can ask my parents. See if they have any more information. If they don’t, they can do some research.”
Rhydian cracked a smile. “She is definitely a witch. I could smell it. As for power level, that I know nothing about except it felt like static electricity was zipping across my skin. It was pleasant.”
Now I understood the grin on his face. He was enjoying himself. “So, are we in agreement? We find out why her family moved here and go from there.” All I got were nods all around.
Kirsten
I couldn't believe how those guys were just acting like they were all nice. Usually, that meant they wanted something. I had too much experience in being used by guys, thinking it was going to get me to be left alone by the mean girls in that school. But all it did was leave them laughing behind my back and mean I lost my virginity at fifteen, way before I was ready. That was a horrible story all on its own. I went to a party with my then-boyfriend, and he had slipped me something. I was taken advantage of, raped while all I could do was lay there, drowsy and unable to stop them. My pleas were barely heard. After he was done, he let his friends come in, one by one. When I came to, I ended up knocking half that house down in one of my magical meltdowns.
Shaking my head to clear the memories from my thoughts, I stormed to my locker and shoved my lunch bag back inside, my appetite gone. Pulling my scarf and mittens from my locker, I slammed it shut and left the school, not caring that I was leaving in the middle of a school day. I didn't notice I had someone following me as I stuffed my fingers inside the gloves, then wrapped the scarf around my neck. My zipper went all the way up to my chin, and I pulled my hat out of my bag, shoving it far down my head. I trudged through the thick snow as it started snowing again. The soft, white flakes fell from the cold, gray sky in thick pieces, landing on my jacket and face, melting and causing my face to get colder. The bite in the air wasn't as bad as this morning, but it was still colder than I was used to.
I stepped around the fence that surrounded the school property. Now I knew I was officially off-campus. It felt good to just leave it all behind me and take a deep breath of the clean, albeit cold, air. I squeezed my hands closed, getting my gloves to fit comfortably on my slim hands. Finding gloves that fit on my hands was always a chore. That’s why I loved these. My brother got them for me for Christmas last year, and they were custom made.
Hitching my bag up higher, I kept walking. I needed to be as far away from that dreaded building as quickly as possible. I couldn’t stay there another minute. It was all too much. I was feeling very overwhelmed by it all. When things started to become a little hard for me to handle, I tended to lash out more than usual. So, I was escaping. It wasn’t a great way to cope, but it is what it is.
When I turned the corner, I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye. It was humanoid in shape, but it quickly ducked out of sight when I focused my attention in that direction. I paused mid-step, trying to figure out who would be following me. Considering going back to see, I stared in the direction I came from. It was a good thing I did because I saw a head poke out from behind the red brick building it had disappeared behind. Squinting my eyes, I recognized the man bun sitting on top of the brown hair.
“Dylan! Get your ass over here!” I turned fully towards him and crossed my arms over my chest, squishing my boobs up. I watched as he tumbled out from behind the building, landing in the snow before scrambling up, his jeans dusted
with spots of white snow that were quickly melting into wet splotches against the material. His dark, heavy snow jacket was the reason I spotted him so easily, even out of my peripheral vision. Shaking in anger by the time he got to me, I lashed out verbally. “Why are you following me? And why make it look like you aren’t? It’s childish and uber creepy.”
Dylan’s shoulders sunk in defeat. “Kyler asked me to keep an eye on you. He was worried about you. Especially after your escapade with Elena. She can be a real treat.”
I rolled my eyes at his description of the girl he called Elena. “You may call her that, but I call it as I see it. She is a bitch.” That caused a snort of laughter from him. “Doesn’t explain why you are following me off-campus. You all barely know me, so you can’t be worried about me, especially not enough to skip classes.” My hands moved to my hips. “I don’t appreciate this. I don’t like being mocked, given fake attention or insincere words. It’s just another tactic for bullies. I prefer to be straight with everyone and them with me. So, if you are doing this for Elena or any other mean girl group, you can turn back around and go back to school. Or something bad may happen, and I won’t be able to stop it.” When Dylan opened his mouth, I interrupted him. “Not a threat, it’s a warning.”
Dylan stepped closer to me. “How many times have you gone through that? Being bullied, I mean. You seem very jaded and distrustful.”
Throwing my hands in the air, I turned away from him. “For good reason. Every school I’ve been to has been nothing but the same. I am the outsider, the new kid who is seen as unusual, the easy target. So, I have every right to feel the way I feel. It’s been the same at every school. Why should this one be any different?” I flipped back around, glaring at Dylan.
“Maybe because this time, you’ll have people going to bat for you? Have you had any friends at any of the previous schools?” When I did a half-assed shrug, his face became sad looking. “This time will be different. You’ll have Kyler, Branden, Rhydian, Keegan, and me.” He wrapped me in a hug.
“But why?” I mumbled into his jacket. I leaned back to look up at his face. I was only chest high on him, and I wasn’t even short. “Why me? Why would you do that? You don’t know me.”
Dylan smiled, and it transformed his face, making his handsome face even more so. “Because there is something special about you, and we are all about the underdog.”
5
RESTLESS SPIRIT
Kirsten
I left Dylan on the sidewalk, not knowing how I felt about the group of guys who were trying to adopt me. It was too much attention when I was used to only negative vibes being sent my way. I was being thrown off again, and this time it didn't feel horrible.
Home was empty when I got there, which wasn't a surprise. Kian was still in school, and Mom would be at work for another few hours. So, I had the house all to myself for about two or three hours. I climbed up the stairs to the third floor, which only had my room and the adjoining bathroom, and made my way to my desk. Laid open across the top of the surface was a spellbook I was browsing through, trying to find some spell I could work with that wouldn't go haywire. My spell work was spotty at the best of times, and with the stress of yet another new place, it wasn’t the worse, but it was a close second. Only the bullying and running topped that list. Dropping my school bag on the floor next to the desk, I plopped down and let out a sigh of annoyance. I rested my head on my hand as I idly flipped through the pages, not seeing what was written on any of them, just giving my hands something to do. When my mind couldn't focus on that, I slammed the cover closed with a resounding thud that echoed through the entire room.
I winced at the sound as it vibrated through my skull. I rolled my chair back and got back up from the desk, pulling off my gloves one finger at a time. Then I unwrapped my neckscarf and threw it all on top of the cluttered desk. I flopped back onto my bed as I whipped my hat off my head, sending it flying as I bounced on the mattress. Today was a weird day, and it wasn't even over yet. I didn't know how I felt about Kyler and the gang, but something struck me with them. Yeah, I was a bit defensive towards them, but I was like that with everyone. But it was something that I felt but couldn't figure out. Kian might be able to help me organize my thoughts with that, with him being the perfect witch and all, but I'd have to swallow my pride to ask him first. Grumbling at the fact I'd have to go to my big brother for help, I turned onto my side and started tracing my finger along with the pattern on the quilt. My nail kept catching on the thread that held the pieces together, and it entertained me for a while, but I eventually got bored of that and climbed back up out of bed.
Snatching my gloves and fuzzy, black scarf back up off the desk, I stomped down the stairs, restless and going stir crazy as I stayed indoors. I needed to be back outside, even if it was starting to blow snow around heavily. I didn't care if there was a storm outside; I would still be heading out into the wide-open spaces. Claustrophobia was making me feel panicked and stifled. I swung open the door and was blasted with a face full of white, fluffy flakes that instantly started melting as it touched my overheated skin. A shiver ran across my skin, but I pushed it down deep before stepping outside and slamming the door shut.
Keegan
It was my turn to keep an eye on her when Dylan texted, letting us all know that she made it home safe. I barely made it there when I saw her open the door and step outside. She was missing her hat and hadn't put her gloves or scarf back on, but she looked safe. I could smell the anxiety on her from across the street, though, it was that strong. My eyes tracked her as she strode down the street like her fine ass was on fire. I didn't know where she was going, but I kept a further distance away from her than poor Dylan did. His eyes weren't nearly as strong as mine. But I had more advantages than a poor witch, even one as powerful as Dylan.
If it weren't for the fact that Kyler wanted to know more about this girl, like who she was and what she was, we would not have to be out in this coming storm following her. I just hoped we figured it out soon because even with my spirit animal's ability to withstand the cold a little better than most supes, I was still freezing my ass off.
The girl, Kirsten, just kept walking. It didn’t look like she had a plan in mind when she stepped out, she just left, and she was still walking. My brain kept thinking she was going to freeze to death as she walked. It wasn’t the type of weather to be out for a stroll. I could have at least taken my truck in case she got too cold, but stupid me left it parked down the street from her house. I couldn’t follow her scent if I were stuck in the truck.
Just as I was about to catch up to her and have her walk back, she turned and crossed the street, heading towards a coffee shop. I stepped off the curb and crossed behind her, following her in at a distance.I winced as the bell chimed cheerfully overhead, announcing a new customer. Kirsten turned her head and motioned me over to her. Her cheeks and nose were a deep, rosy red from the bite of the cold outside. Her gloves and scarf still hung out of her jacket pocket, so her fingers were probably freezing too.
“If you are going to follow me in this snow flurry, might as well bring you in from the cold.” She smiled, amused at me.
I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped from my lips as I watched her. Her spunky personality was one of the reasons I felt drawn to her—not that I’d tell her or Kyler that. He didn’t want us being more than friends with her since we knew next to nothing about her. “A hot beverage sounds nice. How about you? Aren’t you cold?” I reached out and touched her cheek, where it still hadn’t gone back to her normal olive tone. My heart made a weird flip-flop move when she briefly leaned into my palm.
I could feel her hum in approval as her eyes drifted shut. “Your hands are so warm.”
One side of my lip quirked up in amusement. “Yours would be too if you wore your gloves instead of carrying them around.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Too much hassle. I needed to get out of the house.” When it was our turn to order, she didn’t order a
nything fancy, just a black coffee in a large cup. Then she turned to me. “What would you like? It’s the least I could do after putting you through that.”
“Just a coffee, two sugars, please.” I stepped closer to her when I noticed the barista behind the counter checking her out. I wanted to start growling, to defend what was mine, but was she really mine? Instead, I gave the guy one of my glares that had his eyes bouncing from me to her and back to me before looking down in defeat. I had to admit I still had it in me after burying my animal side for so long.
Kirsten pulled out her wallet from her jacket pocket and gave the guy a ten-dollar bill, letting him know to keep the change. It was more than I would have done for him, but I don’t think she caught onto the fact that he had the hots for her. Most girls didn’t, but Kirsten seemed even more clueless about it just from what I observed at school. She was a knock-out and didn’t even know it. Her long, black hair swished around her ass, drawing attention to the fact that she could probably bounce a quarter off it. She had long, slim legs that were built for running and seemed to go on forever. Her body seemed to be in peak physical health, but she still had a nice set of breasts, or as some guys would say, a nice rack. They looked to be the right size to hold a whole handful of in one hand, perfect for palming and kneading. And don’t get me started on that face. Her soft jawline was delicate, her long neck graceful. She had gorgeous blue eyes framed with long, thick eyelashes. Of course, I would notice because I had a class with her right before lunch, and I probably spent more time staring at her than listening to the lecture. Not that you could blame a guy.
We waited in silence for our drinks, her twisting her braided end around in her hand and me watching as she fiddled nervously with her hair. I just really wanted to reach out and grab her hand, showing her that I was here for her, but I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be welcomed. We had only just met, not even a couple hours ago. We didn’t know enough about each other to know what was okay and what wasn’t. But she did look like she needed something, so I put my hand on her elbow, drawing her out of her mind.
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