Jamie wasn’t sleeping. The phone call rattled her days after it had been made and it left her seeing shadows at every turn. Where before she was hesitant to have either himself or Cassidy sleepover to keep watch, it had become a requirement for her to remain calm when the hour grew dark and everyone else was off to sleep.
They began taking turns, trying to minimise their absence at their own home but Demetrius knew his mother had grown suspicious. She’d become aware her children were hiding something but hadn’t yet decided it was a matter of urgency that she find out. They were fed, uninjured, and home often enough that she was willing to let them have a few secrets.
He would keep it that way if he could help it.
“Sun’s coming up,” he said, turning to the girl who’d spent the night by her study table. “You sure you didn’t want to try squeezing in an hour?”
“What’s the use? I’m n
The faint scent of familiarity drew him from his slumber. Demetrius eased himself from Jamie’s outstretched arm then slipped from the bed. He thought to throw his shirt on but it was already too late; Cassidy had helped herself into the bedroom. His sister raised a brow at him, displeased by his current condition but for the moment, she didn’t comment on it. “You weren’t at school.” He nodded toward Jamie. “I needed her to sleep.” “Dem, that’s not your responsibility. Look at you.” She gestured to his bare chest. “Have you forgotten what we’re supposed to be doing? You asked me for my help and I’m willing but…what is this?” “You’re overthinking it,” he said. Demetrius reached for his shirt, slipping it on. Despite the cavalier gesture, Cassidy’s words had made him self-conscious. “She’s no use to me dead and her body’s beginning to fail.” His sister narrowed her eyes. “You’re lying.” “Drop it.” “Demetr
“Mom’s home!” A loud banging erupted outside the bedroom door, startling Demetrius who’d been perched atop Jamie’s study table while she did their French homework. “Jamie! Jamie, come on! Mom’s home!” The banging continued for another moment before a set of excited footsteps disappeared down the hall. Jamie was slower on the take. She completed the final sentence in both his and her workbook before closing them and rising from her seat. “Are you coming?” She asked. Demetrius hopped from the table and made for the door, waiting for her to open it. The extra week of waiting had been excruciating and a part of him feared her mother would run into another excuse that kept her out on business. His report was coming up due and he’d so far had nothing of importance to turn in. Rather…he was unwilling to turn in certain pieces of information and was willing to wait for his main target’s return. Demetrius padded his way down the stair
Room 41 was filled with the idle chatter of students but Demetrius’ mind was on the previous night’s meeting. He’d been given an audience with the regional guardian to present the findings of his investigation. Things moved quickly after that. Files were requested, scouts sent out. There had been talks of transferring the case to more seasoned guardians but Demetrius wouldn’t hear of it, not after all he’d done…not when he still had someone to protect. The regional guardian had smiled at him, had patted him on the back and told him he wouldn’t be able to begin to imagine the contribution he’d made. His own father had beamed with pride while the regional guardian sang his praises and Demetrius felt seen. But he felt something else, too. It was a gnawing at the pit of his stomach, an uncomfortable wrenching that he couldn’t shake. He’d done his duty as a guardian and had played his part to keep the realm orderly but he felt wretched. There
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Demetrius walked into the classroom with a defiant look in his eyes. Under any other circumstance, he would’ve ignored the order entirely but the boy couldn’t shake the growing connection this man was attempting to cultivate with Jamie. There was a plan brewing below the surface, one that threatened to spiral uncontrollably if he couldn’t gain a firm grasp on it and it wasn’t a risk he was willing to ignore. “Ah, Finley. Nice of you to join me,” Carlton said, remaining at his desk. “Get to the point; why are you here?” In the absence of his classmates, it became easier to catch the man’s scent. Demetrius bristled at the familiar scent of clandestyne, seeing now that his scepticism had been warranted. “Is that any way to speak to a superior officer?” The man reached into his pocket, pulling out a badge that he tossed onto the desk. “Take it, then address me again.” Demetrius hesitated before reaching for th
Fifth period Math was off to an il-advised. Mr. Adams was out with the flu and the sub was nowhere to be seen. It meant general teenage tom-foolery and little else. Demetrius sat with Jamie perched atop his desk chatting up Megan and Sarah while he pretended to listen. In truth, he was more interested in the pair of boys roughhousing their way across the classroom and creating a general nuisance to those around them. Zane and Ephraim, he couldn’t say he was surprised. Demetrius’ gaze lazily followed them from desk to desk, cringing once when they managed to bump into another group of boys who’d pulled their chairs together to discuss the upcoming game. On they went like a tornado among houses, laughing and shoving their way through. In was an innocuous scene, one no one would be too surprised to witness in the absence of any authority. It would’ve been difficult to predict what happened next. Zane stumbled over a misplaced desk and th
It happened quickly. Without Myles and Ephraim to restrain her, Cassidy shot to her feet. Zane didn’t flinch, not daring to drop his attentive stance while the woman was amongst them. His sister rushed forward but was quickly caught by the neck. An invisible hand held her, squeezing until she began to choke. Cassidy struggled against the unseen force until her body went limp and she slumped to the ground.No one said a word.Head Guardian, Wynona Hawthorne, made her way across the room with deliberately slow steps, looking them each in the face as she moved by them. The only one who didn’t receive her sharp eyes was the one now slumped on the ground having been strangled by her magic.Demetrius’ jaw set, his teeth clenching painfully in his attempt to remain where he was. It was unheard of to get in the way of the woman and her discipline, especially when the person receiving her wrath deserved it. Cassidy may have been out of her mind, but a c
She actually fainted.What should’ve been a clever sleight of hand to get the head guardian off his back had quickly turned into Demetrius having to take Jamie to the nurse with the lie she’d been complaining of light-headedness then passed out. It was easy enough to pretend to be the concerned friend after that without having to give too much away. No matter the question she asked, he responded with a frantic “I don’t know”. It was enough and the woman sought to assure him his friend would be okay.He sat by her bed, insisting he remain there despite the woman’s urging that he go have lunch when the bell rang. It was as much to ensure she didn’t return to consciousness screaming things she shouldn’t as it was to be sure she had a familiar face when she woke up.Jamie began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open but no sooner had they done that, realisation clouded them. She shot forward, raising her hands in defence. &l
They had all taken the day. With one or two missing, Demetrius stood a good chance of continuing the ruse that Jamie had only hallucinated the mayhem that took place during the previous day’s math class. When they’d all collectively decided to remain home to heal their welts, it made the task…difficult.Distraction and redirection were his only recourse and even they paled in comparison to a lie that was backed by action.“What kept you? We thought you’d miss lunch,” Sarah said as Jamie sank into the seat next to her.“Mr. Carlton,” Jamie mumbled.Demetrius lifted his head from the table at once, growing alert at the mention of the man. “What did he want?”“To talk with my mother; he says I failed his French test.”“That’s not possible,” Megan said. “I completely flaked on studying, copied off your paper and got a 96%.”“What?” Jamie asked.“I’m inclined to agree,” Demetrius said. “You netted me a solid 100%.” The perks of impeccable eyesight.Jamie looked between the two, nearly as a
“Hurry up or we’ll miss it!” Megan pulled Jamie through the crowd of students that gathered near the football field. “He’ll be in detention until he graduates, I know it.”Megan shoved and elbowed the pair up into the bleachers where several other students had also managed to climb their way up. All eyes were cast toward the recently manicured lawn—the one the principal had paid landscapers to prepare for the upcoming track events to be held at the school.The entire student body had been abuzz from the moment the rumours first began spreading and those rumours had endured long enough to draw the crowd that they had.In the centre, sitting atop one of the school’s riding mowers was none other than Demetrius Nicholai Finley. He wore the widest Cheshire grin, overly pleased with the work of his hands and the crowd he’d managed to draw. The boy climbed atop the machine he’d stolen from the old shed, facing
“You didn’t tell me you’d be coming over.” Demetrius watched Jamie scale her way onto the roof, taking great care with her footing before she made her way over to him. The boy’s gaze followed her as she took the spot next to him laced with questions he decided against asking. “I’d have come get you; we could’ve walked together.”Despite his extreme vigilance, the boy hadn’t found dangers lurking around each corner. That, however, did little to assuage his anxieties where she, or anyone else in his family was concerned. The boy had allowed himself to drop his guard and that was when disaster had struck.He wouldn’t be making that mistake again any time soon. Jamie shrugged. “It was spur of the moment. I didn’t wanna stare at my ceiling anymore or listen to my mother ask me how I’m feeling for the millionth time.” She looked out at the guard house, its figure silhouett
“You didn’t need to say that.” Scarlet nudged Phoenix further behind her.“I don’t care.” Demetrius turned to face them. “Let my sister go.”“Alexiel…” the queen said, slowly rising from her chair. She shot the prince a sceptical look, uncertain who she was meant to believe. “Is it true…?” she asked Scarlet.His sister dug deep into her silence, choosing to set her eyes on the queen’s middle rather than lifting her gaze for them to meet. In the uncomfortable silence that followed, the woman asked that the chains be removed. Free of these constraints, his sister took her child into her arms but otherwise gave no acknowledge to king or queen…or prince.As was her right.“It can’t be,” Alexiel said, shaking his head.“No,” the queen said, reaching out to take Phoenix by her chin. She tilted the little girl&rsquo
“We’re leaving.” His mother’s words were sharp, final; they brokered no room for argument or negotiation. She’d barely gotten done listening to Demetrius’ account of the night when the women made the executive decision that they were all done with the follies of court and wouldn’t suffer another moment of it.“I need to find him first,” Demetrius said.“You’ll do no such thing,” she said, dismissing the idea the moment it left his lips. The woman turned to her husband. “Get my daughter or I will, but none of us is spending a single night beneath this roof.”His father’s face was drawn, worn thin by the events of the earlier evening and the truths he was forced to face. Demetrius hadn’t, at first, understood why the man wasn’t back in the banquet hall kissing the asses of all present while he begged their forgiveness for his son’s youthful obstinacy. It was
He’d suffered all he could. Demetrius had tried and had made concessions; he’d held his tongue when they screamed hard enough; he played along when they insisted forcefully enough.He was done.Demetrius offered his hand to Jamie, allowing her as much time as she needed to talk it. The girl clung to his hand, drawing close as she sought to shield herself from the piercing gazes that followed the boy from the stage. With her secured, the boy walked across the room to the table set for his family. He momentarily released Jamie’s hand to hoist Phoenix up from the table. He placed her in Cassidy’s arm before taking her free hand and reclaiming Jamie’s.The path to the main door was clear for him, despite the many guests and guards that sat or stood in his way. They simply didn’t matter.“Where are you going?” The presenter called to him from the stage, encouraging back to receive the prestigious award made speci
Applause rang out from within the banquet hall, some guests rising to their feet in exuberance when Demetrius’ name was called. Those seated around him on the stage reached out to give him congratulatory pats on his shoulders or back and a few even hooted in encouragement.The presenter in charge of handing him his reward played up the work the boy had done in the last few months and the impact it had had on the Avendale Tower and wider mythical realm. The man was intentionally vague about his contributions at Central Bureau, but it left the audience no less impressed with what they did get to hear.It was everything Demetrius had ever dreamed of from the moment he first walked into the guard tower with his father all those years ago. The boy aspired for greatness, knowing he would someday be on that very stage by his father’s side. Back then, he knew he would hold his head high and feign modesty while he thanked everyone for their acknowledgements.
Leave it to his father to want to mingle while his family waited for him back in the apartment. Within ten minutes of realising his father was getting comfortable with some of his former partners, Demetrius excused himself from the company of the men and started back. The rehearsals ran longer than he thought necessary, and he could only imagine his sister crawling out of her skin with impatience. In another mood, the idea would’ve amused him enough to slow his steps. He knew, of course, that with his mother around it was unlikely anything would happen, but it did little to quiet the erratic pounding in his chest. “I’m running out of options, Caspian.” Demetrius drew to a dead stop at the sound of the prince’s voice and the mention of the man who managed to keep him rattled despite his extended absence. The boy crept over to the door. “You could try releasing her.” Carlton’s dispassionate response rang as clearly from behind the door. “I’m sure her fa
The palace was beautifully decorated for what would be four nights of ceremonies and celebrations before the prince’s wedding. The halls were filled with guests being ushered to one wing or the other. Those who’d received special invitation to remain within the royal halls for any—let alone all—the days were the most envied.Demetrius thought differently.The moment his family entered the palace, he felt his nerves begin to fry. The boy was openly on edge, looking around every corner for the danger he’d convinced himself would be coming. The servants smiled warmly, welcoming them with platitudes that were no doubt rehearsed weeks in advance. His family returned their smiles with varying degrees of ease, but Demetrius could scarcely coax the corners of his lips to rise. His muscles hurt from the constant tension that ran through them and he could feel the joints of his jaw tightening from the unrestrained teeth clenching, but
“Jerry…what…what’s this about?” “You’ve got some nerve,” he said, pushing past her to enter the living room. Behind him, four other men entered. They all did their best to avoid making eye contact with the woman despite having let themselves into her home. “Who are these people?” “The movers. Get the books off the second and third shelves,” he said. “Honey, I—” “Don’t call me that,” he said, snapping despite the lack of necessity for such hostility. “You don’t get to call me that, not after what you’ve done.” “Daddy,” Valerie tried, too cautious this time to reach out for him. “Where are you going?” The man gritted his teeth. “I’m not your father, despite what your whore of a mother’s led you to believe—the things in the third bedroom from the stairs, too, men. I want the nightstand, the dresser—leave the bed. That slut’s done too many things on there while I was at work. She can keep that for the next time she runs into