[Lily]
I open my eyes. The light streaming through the trees gives Atticus a golden halo that makes him appear angelic when combined with his god-like smile. I would think I’ve died and gone to heaven except that I know better. Heaven has fewer headaches and sore backs from leaning against a tree for half the morning.
Maybe he’s a fallen angel? That seems about right. Weren't the first demons angels who fell into hell?
“You want me to do what?” I blink at him groggily, rubbing my eyes with one hand while shielding them from the sun with the other.
"Have lunch with me," he smiles brightly. "Off campus," he adds with an outstretched hand.
Against my better judgment, I let him help me off the ground. "What do you mean, off-campus? We aren't allowed off-campus unless we have special permission for family things or field trips."
"I do have special permission," he smirks. "Unlimited special permission."
I notice he's still holding my hand so I remove it from his grasp. I don't trust this idea. Not one bit. It feels like a trap. "How can I trust that you aren't setting me up? What aren't you telling me?"
He looks down at his feet, takes a deep breath, and then looks back at me. "I guess I deserve your distrust. I haven't done anything yet to earn anything else. That's part of why I wanted to invite you out. I thought maybe if I can show you some of the advantages of being a Legacy, you might consider our offer," he pauses, looking away, and then looking back at me, "I could see how uncomfortable you were during breakfast, so I thought maybe if it were just the two of us, you might be more open to hearing what I need to say."
I still don't trust him, but I am also curious about this off-campus experience. "Why should I go?"
"You don't have to," he shrugs. "I just thought you could use a little fun."
"Just you and me?" I ask, still skeptical. "Or the whole Seven?"
"Just you and me," he confirms, nodding. "I don't know about you, but I think being around the other six all the time is just exhausting."
"What about Evie?" I ask. "I don't want her trying to scrape my eyes out because she doesn't want me anywhere near you."
He laughs, not taking my concern seriously. "Evie is a bit...passionate."
I think he means homicidal, but I don't correct him.
We continue to chat, bantering back and forth, with him trying to convince me it is a good idea while I try to argue all the reasons why it could be disastrous. He has an answer for each of my arguments and I realize I am running out of good reasons to argue. Either he has worn me down or I have discovered the secret to his odd logic because I agree to let him take me out to lunch.
And he was right. Nobody stopped us as we got into his convertible, rolled the top down, and drove off campus. The guards even waved. "Have a good time, Mr. Preston."
"I plan on it," he smiled at them, waving as we drove out of sight.
"Is this how it is for you all the time?" I look over at him in amazement. "Breaking the rules like they are nothing."
"I'm not breaking the rules," he explains. "These rules are not for me. They are for the others?" he shrugs nonchalantly as he drives smoothly along the twisty windy path into town.
I think about what he says as we drive down a tree-lined highway road edged with forests blazing in the fire colors of fall. One of the great things about going to school in upstate New York is the amazing natural environment and clean air. It is nothing like being in the city of New York, which is polluted, dirty, and full of angry, distrustful people with melancholy smiles wearing too much black. Here the air is clean, the nature is spectacular, and you don't need to worry about people unless you choose to.
Atticus is watching me gape at the fall leaves, smiling as he sees me marvel at their long limbs weighted down with dew and jewel-like leaves. His expression changes, growing serious for a moment as he watches me. I don't think he realized he was staring until I made a point of smiling back at him.
"So, I had a plan to take you to a fancy restaurant in town but I think I just had a better idea," he announces. "I need to make a stop in town, but then I was wondering if you'd be open to eating out here?" he points to the trees around us.
"This is your party," I say dismissively, although a small smile begins to form around the edges of my mouth. I'd much rather spend time in the woods than in some stuffy restaurant where I'd have to worry about how other people saw me. I always feel so judged when surrounded by fancy people. Despite who my family is, in my heart, I'm just a simple girl from a small West Coast town.
We don't take long in town. Atticus calls ahead so when we reach the 5-star French restaurant a well-dressed man is standing outside holding a large wooden basket. "I hope this is to your standard, Mr. Preston," the man almost apologizes as he hands Atticus what the restaurant prepared as if he was doing the restaurant a favor for even stopping by.
"Thank you, Pierre," he waves after placing the basket in the small backseat of his Porsche.
As we pull out of town and back into the forest I ask, "So you're on a first-name basis with the staff of that restaurant?" I cannot keep the shock out of my voice. "How often do you leave campus?"
"Almost every day," he admits. "Although Pierre isn't just staff, he's the Head Chef."
"You had the head chief of a 5-star French restaurant make us lunch?" I try not to gasp aloud but I am pretty sure I failed based on the laughter coming from Atticus as he drives up to the forest entrance.
"No," he argues. "He offered to do it. Practically begged." As he parks the car and grabs the basket he adds. "In some ways, you could say I was doing him a favor by letting him help me."
Despite finding his arrogance completely offputting, I also begin to wonder what it must be like to live this way. What would it feel like to have people not just offering to help me, but begging to do so? Is this what it feels like to be truly elite?
As Atticus opens the door for me, I feel warm all over at his attention. "Why am I blushing?" I wonder. This guy is fifty shades of trouble. It doesn't matter how hot he is when he's being kind. He might still flip and do something cruel, like leave me behind in the deep dark woods after convincing me to get into some awkwardly embarrassing situation.
"So how do you feel about breaking into someone's private forest?" his lips curl into a rakish grin as he wiggles his eyebrows.
"Are you trying to get us arrested? Or worse, shot?" I demand.
Maybe that's his master plan. Getting me lost in the woods and then sent to prison.
He laughs. "I'll keep you safe if we get caught," he promises as he leans in to unbuckle my seatbelt. His breath smells like minty toothpaste as he reaches across, his lips only inches from mine. "Or I will if you do something for me first."
"What is that?" I can hardly breathe, my heart racing as his eyes lock onto mine.
"Kiss me," he licks his lips. "Kiss me and I'll make sure nobody ever bothers you again."
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[Lily] Atticus leans over the door of his car, inching his body closer to mine in what will end up being a real kiss if I don’t move out of the way. So I pop open the door with a hard thrust, hitting him directly in the center of his well-formed abs. You’d think with abs like his it wouldn’t make a dent, but he hadn’t been expecting it, so he wasn’t prepared. Instead, his body made a satisfying “oof” sound of air being pushed from his body as he fell backward onto the compact dirt of the trailhead. “You weren’t serious, right?” I laugh. “Because I’m not going to be blackmailed into kissing you. If you get me arrested, I’ll have no problem telling everyone whose idea it was. Also, I’d rather go to prison than risk Evie killing me because any part of my body touches any part of yours.” “You’re more afraid of my girlfriend than you are of the police?” He raises an eyebrow in mock confusion as he picks himself up off the ground. He knows how scary she is. How could he not? “Aren’t yo
[Lily]“Nyx! Wait up!” I shout as I follow her back into the school. The lights overhead are starting to glow as the sun slowly sets. I hadn't realized it, but Atticus and I had been gone all day.“I can’t believe I was worried about you! Do you know who told me where to find you? Evie! Of all the people in the damn world to have more of a clue about where you were than your best friend, to think it would be that soul-sucking, foul-mouthed succubus girlfriend of his!”Nyx is out of breath as she spins on her heels, stopping her march just long enough to give me a cold, hard look over her shoulder. “By the way, if I were you, I’d start walking these halls with some type of weapon hidden in your jacket because you’re going to need to defend yourself if she ever gets you alone.”“Shit,” I swear, cursing the name Atticus Preston inside my head. He said he had taken care of Lily. He lied. Of course, he did. It was probably all part of his plan. “He told me it would be okay,” I whined and t
[Atticus] I’m not sure why I took our target into the woods. My goal had been to impress her, while also making her feel so overwhelmed and out of her depth that she’d feel like she had no choice but to cling to me like a life raft in a sea of sharks. That’s why my original plan involved taking her to the La Fleur Bluet and then showing off my wealth with a little high-end shopping. The idea was, that once she realized that she had no choice but to depend on me to know what to do and not look like a fool, I’d have her exactly where I wanted her. She would NEED me. Or at least, she would think that she did. Easy prey. But easy also isn’t fun. What is the point of playing a game if it isn’t fun? The reason I wanted her as the focus for this year’s games is because she has been unbreakable. The ultimate challenge. I like a good challenge. And a challenge isn’t a challenge if you know with certainty that you are going to win. So I did something different. I tried to be her frien
[Lily] There are things in this world that I wish I could unsee. The color of Evie’s thong is one of them. I had come out into the halls in hopes of finding Atticus so that we could clear the air between us. I am so confused about what he wants from me. Is it friendship, or is it something else? And then I turned into the main hall and I got my answer. I also found Atticus. Positioned between her legs, Atticus was grinding himself into her, pressing Evie against the wall to the Legacy staircase as she moaned loud enough to wake the dead. It was such a display I couldn’t help but gasp. I had never seen something so intensely primal before. They were not just making out, they were moments away from rutting like wild animals in front of the whole school. Atticus was so wrapped up in his seduction that he didn’t notice me at first, but Evie…her eyes were wide open and she was looking directly at me. So I ran away. I didn’t tell Nyx about what I saw. I simply curled into bed, t
[Lily] Call it a moment of weakness or maybe a chemical reaction that caused a rush of stupid lust, but I met Atticus behind the gym. It was a stupid move, since again, it is a place where nobody can see us. Anything can happen behind the gym, which is why it is such a popular rendezvous for lovers. Atticus and I are not lovers. Not even close. And we never will be as long as Evie is breathing down our necks and I manage to maintain even the smallest amount of self-respect. But Atticus, to his credit, is a perfect gentleman. “Listen,” he begins his apology. “I’m sorry you had to see that thing between Evie and me. That wasn’t my idea.” He shyly rubs the back of his neck, a nervous trait that I have come to realize signifies discomfort at telling an awkward truth. He chose to wear the traditional school uniform today with the jacket and tie and crisply pressed trousers and as he talks he also fiddles with his tie, which is refusing to stay in place. “Stop,” I order him. The tie
[Lily]On our way back into the main school, Atticus outlines a plan for how we can be friends while also circumnavigating Evie's wrath. It involves a ridiculous amount of subterfuge and feels more like a spy game than a friendship. He is convinced it will work, while I know it is going to fail. "This is a stupid plan," I scoff under my breath, looking up at him from the corner of my eye trying to maintain some form of dignity as we walk through the halls. Unlike any of the times I have moved through these spaces, today everyone's eyes are on me. I'm not just walking to breakfast, I am walking there with Atticus Preston. "You mean it is a brilliant, ingenious, and wonderful plan," he praises himself. "Why thank you, Liliana, for your confidence in me. I promise I will not let you down," he adjusts his blazer as if he was just given an award. I almost expect him to bow and give a speech for his excellent performance. "Evie is an ass, but she isn't an idiot," I hiss, looking over m
[Nyx] *Click* I love Lily like a sister. I would do anything to protect her, even from herself. Seeing her standing on the Legacy stairs just behind Atticus makes my stomach clench. He is up to something, I just know it. There isn’t a kind, considerate bone in his body. This is why I don’t trust his sudden sense of guilt over how he has treated Lily these last three years. Atticus is a snake. Once a snake, always a snake. Last night something happened. I don’t know what exactly but whatever it was upset Lily so badly that she spent the night crying. Asking her about it would not only embarrass her but open up an unnecessary wound. I already have an idea of the source of her misfortune--My old friend Ace. Lily is growing close to him at an alarming rate. He went from Public Enemy #1 to Boyfriend material in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, this means her guard is down, her eyes are closed, and she has no idea she is falling head-first into a den of vipers. It won’t be enough
[Lily] “Are you sure this is necessary?” “Do you want to be a legacy or not,” Atticus laughs. “Trust me, this is necessary.” “But how often am I going to need to walk in 6” heels across a slippery floor,” I try to turn to face him but I can’t. We have been working on my posture for the last three days and each time he comes back with even higher heels. I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen shorter stilts. “The key is to tighten your core and bend your knees,” Madison coaches. “Step on the front of your feet and think tall thoughts.” I am trying so hard to not roll my eyes at these instructions, but I’m also exhausted. I’ve been a legacy for a week, and already I’ve been given instructions on how to dress, how to talk, how to eat, and how to sit. Now it’s how to walk like a circus performer on a tightrope. Okay, maybe not. But walking in these ridiculous heels sure makes me feel like a clown. Especially since the entire Legacy Seven is here to watch me fall on my face. A few of them ar
[Lily]Spending my evening with Link has been a blessed relief. He is just here for me, as a friend who cares, and he has worked hard all night to keep my mind carefree as we talk about everything from favorite books to movies that we hate.It has been a great distraction from the burning stare I feel along my spine. I can feel that Atticus is watching. But every time I start to look nervous or grow sad, Link has sensed it and taken me somewhere else, out of Atticus' path, or found some new way to distract me, to keep me from falling apart, or worse, into Atticus' arms. He even shields me from the spiteful energy radiating off of Evie as she glares at me right before screaming her relationship woes all over the dance floor, spewing hatred at Atticus. I will need to give Nyx a very big hug later. "So I was thinking," Link smiles as we take time to admire the ridiculously ornate and well-stocked food area, "Actually I was wondering if you have any plans for the upcoming holiday brea
[Atticus]It was a relief when Evie finally left me alone. Her presence grates on my nerves, and her kisses leave a foul taste in my mouth like wine turned to vinegar. Loving Liliana has taught me how kisses should taste. Sweet like honey candy, not bitter and cold. But how do I tell her how I feel? Will she believe me?I wouldn't if I were her, not with how I've treated her over the years. Even these last two months, with how close we've become, I could understand why she'd take a moment to pause and consider that it might all be one big trick. The sad thing is, she wouldn't be entirely wrong. This whole escapade started as a cruel way to make a brilliant soul dark, corrupting her fully, before tearing her apart like some kind of pagan sacrifice. We wanted to lift her above everyone else before we took her down so fast and so low that when she hit bottom the pain would be more excruciating.And it was all my idea. And I can't say anything about it or I not only risk my spot as a l
[Evie]"Can you believe the nerve of some people," I grumble in Ace's ear as I pull him into the tent? "Bringing the riff-raff to OUR ball as if...""He's hardly the riff-raff, Evie," Atlas cuts me off, "He's your cousin," he pulls away from me. "You know, if all you're going to do tonight is talk about Link, I'll find something else to do with my time."Ace puts his hands in his pockets and stands there, staring at me, his blonde waves flipped over one eye. He looks bored. Or I should say, distracted. All night he's been looking over at her thinking I wouldn't notice. Fine. Two can play that game. "You know what, Ace," I hiss. "If hanging out with me is so boring, maybe we should BOTH do something better with our time," I take a step away from him expecting him to reach forward and apologize like he usually does. But Atticus doesn't move. He stands there, his face as hard as stone. "Go on then," he urges. "Go bother one of your friends. I don't care what you do with yourself, Evie
[Lily] "Link!" I run around the other Legacies, who all give me strange looks as I ruin the perfect line of their precessional. I don't care about their sneers. I only care about my friend, who I haven't seen since that strange weekend in New York. "Lily," he opens his arms. "I am happy to see that you are happy to see me," he gives me a rakish half smile, before looking down at the corsage in his hand. "I wasn't sure if you'd be happy to see me or not." My face falls hearing the note of uncertainty in his voice. He's been nothing but kind to me, but I've been a terrible friend. Link and I have been corresponding via video chat and email, but I stopped calling when Atticus and I began our nightly study sessions. Part of the reason was because I was just too busy to make the time. But the bigger part, the part that makes my heart stop in my chest, is that it felt like I was cheating. Even though Link and I have never been anything other than friends, I know he likes me, and I gue
[Lily]Atticus has been conspicuously absent this week leading up to the ball. I haven't once seen him enter or exit his room, nor is he taking meals with the rest of the legacies. "Does anyone know what happened to Ace?" I asked the crew the second morning he didn't show up. Nobody responded with words, but Evie gave me a whithering look, and Veronica's eyes opened wide with warning. The message was clear enough, even without anyone saying a thing: Don't ask. That afternoon, I responded to his invitation and slid it under his door. By now, I'm sure he's seen that I will not be going with him, but that I am also not going alone. Instead, I'll be tagging along with Nyx and whomever it is she is taking as a date. Nyx has been so secretive about the identity of this date, that I can't help but bubble over with anticipation and curiosity. I can easily say I am more excited about the idea of who she is taking than I am about whatever little surprise she has in store for me. Friday nigh
[Atticus]I am in no mood for this meeting. Especially not with the way Evie is acting, like she's already won something.She has a plan, I know she does. She hasn't set it off yet, but it feels like I'm waiting for something, something big to happen. I promised Liliana that I'd protect her. But how do I protect her while still following the rules of the game? One of the biggest rules is that we do not tell anyone else outside of our tight circle of seven what is happening.This is why we are meeting in Laz's room, the room furthest away from Liliana's, to have this final meeting before the Equinox Ball."Alright, the first order of business," Laz starts. "Does anyone have anything to report?"Evie is the first to raise her hand. "I'd like to give Simon kudos as far as gluttony," Evie points to Simon who grows very red in the face, I'm not sure if it is from embarrassment or some other emotion. He almost looks mad. "His work at the club was a prime example of gluttony. Of course, it w
[Lily] By now, Atticus knows I received the invitation. There is no way that I didn't not with how everyone else at school is chittering in corners about it. Which is why I'm not surprised to see him waiting for me at the base of the legacy stairs. "Liliana," he stands, reaching for my books. "We need to talk. About the invitation, about everything." "Then talk," I say a bit more gruffly than I had intended as he follows me up the stairs. "Not here," he gives me a meaningful look and I shake my head. There is no way I'm going back into his bedroom. If he gets me in there, I'll end up in his bed, and then he'll find ways to distract me. I need to keep my mind clear and I can't think straight when his hands are on my body. I wish I never knew what it felt like to be kissed by Atticus Preston. "I don't think it is a good idea for us to be alone together," I wait for him to reach me at the landing and then lean in and hiss, "Somebody saw us this morning, Atticus. We weren't care
[Lily]The poor freshman looked terrified as he handed me the invitation. "Thank you, Ms Adare," he bowed as he backed away as if I were some kind of royalty. People are so terrified of Legacies that even a "not quite" Legacy like me is a person to fear. The envelope is cream and embossed with gold and overly fancy like everything else at this school. He must have planned this because my name is engraved on the invitation. That isn't a last-minute detail. This isn't a reaction to my behavior this morning or a way to apologize for being an ass. He had planned to ask me. He wanted me on his arm at the biggest school event of the season. I pause. Was he telling the truth when he said he does care about me? Could it be..."This changes nothing," Nyx insists. "So what if he planned to ask you out before you dumped his sorry ass if you can even call it dumping him since you weren't really in a relationship," she points out. "So what if he wanted you to be his date? You know it probably
[Lily] It doesn't take us long to get cleaned up. I borrow one of his shirts so I'm not naked in the hall, and he gathers up all of our clothing to be washed by his cleaners. I always feel a bit weird after these sessions. I'm not sure if I should be thanking him, or pretending like it didn't happen. While my body is finally relaxed, getting all the pleasure it craves, my heart is more confused than ever. One moment I feel alive, like my whole body is afire. The next, I feel lost and a little ashamed. I let myself become Atticus' dirty little secret. What would Nyx say if she knew? She'd be disappointed. Never mind Link--we aren't technically dating but we do correspond. What would he think of this little "arrangement." Just because we aren't technically having sex doesn't mean this isn't a betrayal of sorts. What am I doing if this means nothing to him? Atticus stops me as I reach for the doorknob. "Liliana, talk to me." It's a struggle, but I make myself turn and face him. "At