by Jarica James
"Damn, I'm a little jealous of these internal thoughts," Tristan mumbled, making Evander give a wide grin. One corner of his mouth tilted slightly higher than the other, making his fangs poke out more. He looked so damn pleased with himself, that I couldn't help but laugh, before wincing at the sudden pain again.
"Alright, my turn, I can't handle this anymore. I'm a mage, and my specialty is healing. Can you come lay on the bed, so I can heal whatever is causing you to make that pitiful face?" Aeson asked in a rushed, pained voice, coming over and reaching a hand down to help me up. I took his hand, reluctantly letting go of my bear friend. He's a person, Lennox, not a new pet, I reminded myself. Don't get attached.
I walked over to the closest bed and laid flat. I debated whether to close my eyes or not, but I opted for keeping them open, wanting to see what he could do. Aeson smiled down at me, his hands hovering about a foot over my body. He closed his eyes, and a soft, white glow formed under his hands and slowly flowed over me. The magic tickled along the top of my skin, a tingling sensation that had every hair standing on end. The feeling that washed over me was a calming one, filled with a warmth that relaxed every muscle and ache within me. Each breath hurt less and less, until the pain was completely gone. I let out a deep sigh of relief, not realizing how tense and painful every muscle in my body had been, how labored every breath was.
"Fuck, your magic could be addicting," I mumbled, shaking out my limbs as I sat up and stepped out of bed.
"Now, tell me what I am."
March 18
Morning
Evander
"Full disclosure... we don't know. You seem to be a siren, but sirens have tails. They're a variation of what humans call mermaids. So you're either half human or mixed with another supernatural creature. For now, we aren't positive," I said, bracing myself for her disappointment.
"So I'm half fucking mermaid?" she asked, her eyes going wide. "I remember gills on my neck, and scales on my arms. The cold water filled my lungs, and I thought I was going to die." She wrapped her arms around herself, as if holding in the painful memories.
"We'll figure it out," I reassured her, stepping forward before I realized what I was doing. When I held my arms open for a hug, she gave me a small smile and cautiously curled into my embrace, resting her head on my chest. I took in a breath of her berry vanilla scent, liking her in my arms way more than I should. We were her mentors, not her potential boyfriends. I needed to remember that. But fuck, I want to be her boyfriend more than anything.
'She feels nice in your arms, doesn't she?' Tristan projected into my head, opening up the connection.
'She does, too good,' I sent back, squeezing just a little tighter.
'Is she doing alright?' Lachlan asked, a growl to his internal voice.
'She's taking it fine, better than I expected. She wants alone time, but doesn't want to go to her room. We need to update her. Her thoughts keep going back to the letter though.' I didn't even know what we could do about that part, but fuck if I was going to let these assholes push her ever again. She's ours, she just doesn't know it yet.
She finally pulled away, her strength shining through again. She gave one last sniffle, the sound tearing at my heartstrings. She never deserved all this, and the fact that it was done by one privileged bitch made me even angrier.
"How did you guys learn what you are?" she asked, retreating back to her spot against the wall with Lachlan. He didn't make a move to change back, so she eventually put her fingers back in his scruff, a small smile playing on her lips. Jealousy started to flare, but also an odd sense of acceptance and hope. My vampire side’s possessiveness wanted her to myself, and the other, more rational side of me, knew she belonged with us all. We’d make a damn good team.
"We actually go to a similar academy, just one meant for our kind. Obsidian Cove Supernatural Academy," Tristan explained, moving to his desk and pulling out his phone. He found a picture of the school and showed it to her. A hint of hope lit up her eyes before her eyebrows furrowed.
"Did you find out recently?" she asked quietly.
"No. Most of us come from lines of supernaturals. It's rare to find someone who doesn't know what they are," Aeson said in his soothing voice, trying to break the news gently. The issue is you can't just tell someone that they didn't have to go through all this shit, that they should have known what they were, and not have it sting a little. Lachlan grunted as her fingers tightened in his fur.
She was silent in the moments following Aeson’s response, and Tristan’s eyes started to grow wider, an indicator that he was getting concerned by the thoughts she was projecting.
"That's bullshit," she said angrily. "How did a whole fucking community fail me?! I didn't have to grow up with parents that fucking hated raising me! I didn't have to stay at this hell on Earth!" she raged. Not one of us had anything we could say to help. She wasn't wrong, the community had failed her. The supernatural government was supposed to keep track of those living among humans. Unfortunately, sometimes kids slipped through the cracks, hence why they sent us after them.
"I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, Lach made the headmaster pee his pants for not stepping in sooner," Calev said quietly. His face was still stoic, but I could see his jaw was tensed, a surefire sign he was struggling to control his power. All we needed was for the gargoyle to go into a rage, destroying everything in his path. She hadn't noticed that he kept quiet, but I had a feeling she'll demand he show her too. Even among supernaturals, people were terrified of his kind. He didn't want to scare her more than she already was at this point.
She let out a strangled laugh at the headmaster's expense, before it turned into full laughter with wheezing and tears. It’s sad that she almost looks surprised to feel this little bit of joy. We need to bring more laughter into her life. We eventually joined in, unable to not laugh at the sound of her cracking up, and the tension in the room lessened again.
"You did that for me?" she asked, looking down at the bear. He gave a happy grunt, and she giggled, leaning down and planting a kiss on his snout. "Thank you."
"So when do you want us to take you there?" Calev asked as gently as he could manage, which still sounded intense.
"I realize they may be able to help, but I'm already starting at a disadvantage. Can we hold off until we know more? Or at least until we know what I am?" she asked, before pausing and looking at Calev. "What if I decide not to go?"
"Then, that's your choice. We aren't the only school around, but ours is the best. Think of it as a supernatural college. We learn the skills we need to control our powers, and how to apply them in our community," he explained, though I could see the jaw clenching again.
'Is she really considering it?' I projected to Tristan again.
'No, she wanted to see what we'd say.' his response was immediate. Relief flooded me, I didn’t know what I'd do if she left. I can't just stalk her, but fuck if I was letting her just walk away from me unprotected. We may not be as vile as humans could be, but there were some bad characters in our community too. The guys weren’t kidding when they joked about how possessive my vampire side could make me, and for some reason, it was making me feel like she should be ours to keep.
"What kind of jobs does the supernatural community have? Government? Currency? How do you stay separate from humans to buy and own your stuff? Is it a separate community they don't know about?" I could tell she had more questions but was holding herself back.
"You know what, why don't I get you some information you can look over, and you can read it instead of us boring you. In the meantime, you have a new room assignment. Let's run for some takeout and process, get you some rest today, and then we can make decisions later?" I tried, hoping to give her time to process while also giving her a distraction.
"Well, that would be fine if I wasn't chilling in this t-shirt dress,” she said, gesturing down at her form. I took a moment to scan my eyes over her, the lacy outline of her bra visible through the thin shirt. My c
ock pressed against my jeans, reacting to her sexy curves. She smirked at my obvious scan of her body, slowly crossing her arms in front of her chest. But I didn’t miss the way she clenched her thighs together, the smell of her arousal drifting over me. “Where's my new room?" she asked warily.
"Next to ours, we hijacked part of the faculty suites. You even have a shared bathroom with us, so no more humans. We brought your stuff up while you were sleeping. Your roommate loved us moving all of it around at two in the morning," Tristan said with a chuckle.
"Through here?" she asked, pointing at the other door. I nodded, and she walked over, opening it and walking through to her room. We all smiled as an excited squeal rang out right before the door closed.
Maybe we can make this work, after all.
March 18
Midday
Lennox
I had been ready for twenty minutes, yet there I was, sitting on my bed and contemplating all the crazy shit I had just learned. Part of me was excited, because wasn’t this what every girl dreams about? Five sexy guys coming to sweep you away from your miserable life to a new world. Yet there I was, doubting and dragging my feet the whole time. But who could blame me? It all sounded so damn crazy.
You know what you saw and felt. You breathed underwater, you had gills and fucking scales. What they're saying is true, and you can't deny it. So pull up your big girl panties and face this. Get to know them, and then decide what to do.
With that little pep talk, I took a deep breath and stood up, heading for the joint bathroom. It wasn't locked, so I let myself in. Lachlan was standing at the mirror, putting gel in his copper hair. Not wanting to make him move, I hopped up on a dry part of the counter and watched him. He didn't say anything at first, just continued his routine and waited for me to break the silence, his eyes darting over occasionally.
"Thanks for keeping me calm," I said quietly, staring at the mosaic tile on the ground. Heat flared across my cheeks, as I felt his eyes boring into me.
"You really weren't scared of me?" he asked quietly. I peeked up from under my lashes at him, giving a soft shake of my head.
"Not really, it was still you. You don't give me the serial killer vibe, so I think we're good. I mean, I may sleep with my door locked, but I didn't think you'd just eat me," I rambled on before catching myself.
"I wouldn't have. He's like a companion. I'm there, but he's in partial control when I shift. But he liked you, too," he said with a shy grin. A soft “that’s an understatement” was whispered under his breath, making me flush with pride. I’d be lying to myself if I said I didn’t feel the connection with him… with all of them.
"I liked him too. But, don't go thinking you get scratches and back rubs like he does," I joked, giving him a wink.
"That's just not fair, I'm a good boy too!" he joked, his smile finally reaching full capacity, a small dimple showing on his left cheek. Their easy acceptance of me made that loneliness ebb away, but that voice in the back of my head kept reminding me that true colors always show eventually. It was just a waiting game to see what theirs were like.
"Stop waiting for us to fuck up. We aren't perfect, but we won't treat you like those assholes," Lachlan said quietly, clearly picking up on my mood change and calling me out. I hate that they can see through these doubts I have so easily. "Come on, I'm starving. Anything sound good?"
"Not cafeteria food?" I quipped, taking his offered hand and hopping off of the counter. He led me out of the bathroom, not dropping my hand until we were in the other room. The others stopped talking when we entered, but it didn't feel awkward, more like they were surprised to see me. "Did you think I ran away?"
They relaxed at my joke, smiles and grins forming as they stood up and grabbed their coats. "I thought you might have. This shit is nuts," Evander joked back, shrugging into his black pea coat.
"It really is, but so is growing scales and gills," I mumbled, fixing my scarf around my neck and pulling my gloves on. "What's good in this town?"
Tristan's eyes narrowed on me for a moment before he spoke, his words laced with confusion. "You're a senior and never had food outside of this school?" I gave a shrug, nobody wanted to go out to eat alone. I spent enough time feeling like a loser, no need to make it worse. Plus, the idea of running into Clara wasn't too appealing.
"Well then, I say we wine and dine the lady," Aeson said, using a fake snotty voice. "Well, spoil and dine her since we aren't old enough to legally drink."
"Alcohol doesn't do anything for us anyway," Lachlan grumbled before turning to me and explaining. "Supernaturals have a higher metabolism and different internal structure, so alcohol works for less than five minutes."
"No drunken parties, got it," I said, a smile playing across my face. It felt so natural with them, that it made me excited to go to this school and check it out. Yet there was still this small whisper of doubt, the undeniable fact that something was holding me back. I think it was the fear that I would be an outcast yet again. Maybe Evander was right, I just needed to know more first. I wanted to know more about who I was before I went and joined them, too. "Wait."
They all stopped and turned to me, but now that I had their attention, I had to stop and think how to word it. Finally, I turned to Tristan for help. I gave him a pleading look before his eyes unfocused, and I sent all my jumbled thoughts and fears to him.
"She wants us to wait until she wraps her head around this, and figures out her powers before we tell the school we found her. AKA, she's asking us to stay here with her until then, and help her figure this out. Right, kitten?" He turned to me for confirmation, his grin full force since he’d elaborated a bit.
"For the most part, yes," I confirmed, shaking my head. "Why kitten?" I asked, confused as to why he would call me that if I was supposed to be a siren. He grinned brighter and chuckled to himself.
"Kittens are cute and adorable, but when they are cornered, their vicious side comes out. We heard about that right hook," he explained. I actually really liked that name, it was fitting. I'd take being unassuming to most until I'm pushed. I couldn't hide the smile at his explanation, letting out a little laugh and shrugged.
"I'll take it," I agreed, "Now, are you guys okay with waiting?" I got us back on track, wanting their confirmation before I agreed to go anywhere with them. My mistrust must have shown because a mental connection opened, their thoughts flooding my mind. It was startling and overwhelming, so I closed my eyes and tried to sort through it all. I could hear each of them thinking over the answer, mainly conflicted between hating this place, but wanting to be near me. It helped calm my nerves, knowing that they were genuine and had no idea I was listening in. It was surprising to hear that their mental voices were the same as their normal voices. I could tell because of Evander's Hell yeah! I'll take spending time with a hot girl, over going back and having to share her attention with the new school.
"Fair enough, let's go," I said, and they all turned to Tristan at once with accusing glares. He didn't even bother to look sorry, instead walking through the crowd of annoyed faces and holding out his arm for me to take, a small smirk on his face. I didn't miss the noises of protest Evander and Lachlan made, as I hooked my arm through his.
"Do you like seafood?" he asked as he led me out and through the school.
“Hell yeah! I can eat the shit out of some shrimp...huh, I guess it all makes sense now,” I said, laughing at myself.
“What does?” he asked, clearly not getting it.
“Well, I’m a siren, wouldn’t I want to eat seafood?” I joked, his eyes rolling instantly.
“Isn’t that like, cannibalism?” Lach joked behind us, making me snort.
“No, they aren’t tiny mermaids, any more than a chicken is a tiny person,” I shot back, shaking my head.
“Great, now I want chicken,” he whined, his stomach rumbling loudly as we made our way down the stairs. Technically, it was a school day, but there was no way in hell I was going to sit through class today. The bell ra
ng as we wound our way through the corridors, the students spilling out around us. I reveled in the feeling of their shocked eyes on me, jealousy replacing the usual hate. Until we saw Clara. She was in the Headmaster's office, being yelled at about expulsion, tears streaming down her face. Of course, he left the door wide open like the asshole he was. We slowed as we walked past, and Clara turned her watery eyes toward us. She glared over at us, the hate now mixed with fear as she took us in, my arm still hooked in Tristan's.
"Well, I don't think you'll ever be having a sleepover with her," Aeson muttered behind us. The others snorted, and Tristan picked up the pace so we didn't have to look at her any longer than necessary. Walking between these five and knowing that I was no longer like the humans, gave me that extra boost of confidence to keep my head held high.
When we stepped outside, I realized that we had no way to really go into town. Most students didn't have cars unless they weren’t from the cape, though at this point I probably shouldn't doubt them. They seemed to get away with a lot more than the average student. And knowing what I do now about them I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a magical element to it all.
"Our car is over here," Tristan said with a laugh, reading my thoughts again. That was definitely going to take some getting used to.
Aeson snorted and walked up to my other side, putting his arm around my neck and whispering dramatically, "It's weird at first, but he grows on you."
"Hey! I am a handy teammate to have, thank you very much," Tristan countered with a playful glare. "See how you like sleeping alone from now on."
"You can't resist me, but go ahead and keep trying to convince yourself," Aeson countered with his confident swagger.
Tristan scoffed before laughing and shaking his head at his boyfriend, "You're lucky you're sexy, brat."
"So, how long have you two been together?" I couldn't help my question, my filter had been gone for years. They didn't seem bothered at all, just giving each other a small smile before Tristan answered.
