The cafeteria was alive with the vibrant hues of midday, the beams of sunlight creating a shimmering effect over specs of dust. Alive with the chatter of students, it almost felt like I’d stepped into a whole other universe. Nothing about this room screamed the certain sense of sadness I felt. Mostly, I felt frustrated over the fact knowing Elijah was being treated like some kind of criminal. It had been two days since we were alone, and at the rate things were going, I wouldn’t get to spend time with him anytime soon, either. There was always a guard trailing after him, scrutinizing his every movement and intervening each time he tried to communicate with anyone. Though they allowed me to talk to him in passing, exchange a few words here and there, but of course, everything we said was observed by a guard. And believe it or not, the guard would take notes of the conversation transpiring before him, recording every word spoken in his presence. I had the stinking suspicion they w
“Good afternoon class. Today we’re talking about ancient tomes and the lore evolving them,” our history teacher, Mr. Barnes, announced, followed by low, dismissal groans from students. “Now, now, why the long faces? Learning about our ancestry is by far the most exciting thing! We get to learn about where our bloodline originated, and all the other events evolving it. It’s all about those tomes!” More groans followed. I sighed, flipping open my notebook and picking up my pen. It was drawing close to exams, so I took every opportunity to take notes on everything so I wouldn’t miss anything. It was a strenuous task and so unlike me, but I had to give my everything if I didn’t want to fail. Things weren’t looking too good already. I was having a hard time keeping up in class. “We’re starting with the tome of life,” Mr. Barnes pressed on, dragging the overhead projector trolley closer to the whiteboard and positioned it to point forward. When he clicked it on, an image splashed across
I had to sit through three more excruciatingly long classes before it was lunch break. Ariah called me over at the end of Numerology class, but I waved her off and rushed out to track down Elijah. It took me another few minutes, before I found him standing by the announcement board with a frown on his face. My eyes lifted onto the board, where a clear picture of both Katie and Lila, asking students to come forth if they had any information that might lead to an arrest. “Hey,” I walked up to him and the guard that had been shadowing him, turned, crossed his arms to his chest and glared at me. Elijah shot the guard a dirty look, then peered at me. “Hi.” He wasn’t smiling, which bothered me a great deal. “Is there something…” My voice trailed and I peered uncomfortably at the guard. Elijah’s jaw ticked. “I’d tell you, but I have a dimwit following me everywhere.” My mouth fell open, thinking the guard would retaliate, but he just stood silently, still eyeing us with intent. “He do
I made my way toward the library with my book bag thrown over my shoulder like a bat straight out of hell—wings on fire. I almost rammed into a few people along the way. I was late, courtesy of the one student in physical who turned wolf and lost control of herself. At first she tried to pull her own fur out, then turned her own frustration on the rest of the class and our teacher. It was chaos. By the time the period was over and we tried to leave, we had to clear up the mess she left behind after getting escorted out by a flurry of guards. After that display, I was growing apprehensive over the idea of transforming into my wolf for the first time. What if that happens to me? My heart was loud in my ears as I made a beeline for the library, almost ramming right into Dibella. “I'm so, so sorry I’m late. There was an incident in physical—” Dibella tutted with a smile and waved me off. “Not to worry, love. I'll reheat the kettle. Why don’t you get settled by my desk and start worki
“Okay, so, I’m going to take a wild guess that you want something from me?”The ghost girl swooped through me, momentarily dazing my body with an unpleasant, cold, and stuffy feeling. I shot her a glare. “I don’t like it when you do that.”She shrugged. “It’s nice for me. The living feels homey and warm.”I ignored that statement, noticing that half the library was staring. I turned my face away so they couldn’t see me when I murmured, “What do you want from me?”“A favor.” She clasped her hands against her lap, swaying sideways, smiling sweetly. “A teeny, tiny favor.”“And what does this favor entail?” I dropped the cloth I used to try and salvage the mess, accepting defeat. There was no way I would be able to rescue the damaged books. My first salary was down the drain. I sighed. “I need you to keep a door open for me tonight.”I blinked. “You can just go through it?”“It’s not for me. It’s for a friend. A living friend.”I crossed my arms, suspicion rising inside me. “If it’s a li
Luca's POV. I sat back on a chair in the far corner of the cafeteria, chomping down on a cold, stiff fry; my gaze zeroed in on Elijah, definitely up-to-something Ledger. There were guards stationed at every exit of the cafeteria and one between the boys' and girls' toilets on the other side of the room, but they seemed…distracted. More accurately, two of the three guards were eyeing the ceiling, their eyes following something I couldn't see, and the third one, by the main exit, seemed like he had a serious case of fleas. He'd been more focused on scratching various parts of his body, his attention everywhere but on Elijah. And the man in question? Well, he'd been watching the guards with a questionable smirk on his face like he was in on a joke only he was privy to. I bet all the cold fries on my plate that he had something to do with it. But, I was most interested in why he was so intent to get them off his case? I'd have bet he wouldn't mind a chance for some alone time with his
The vent was a tight fit. But, when I finally got to the second open vent and slid out, a great sense of relief took over. Being squished and unable to breathe wasn't on my 'to-do' list. I was scarce on my feet, when I could hear footsteps heading in my direction. I ducked behind piles of boxes, pulling on a scrap of material dangling over me to hide myself. It was thick with dust and I had to fight not to have a coughing fit right then and there, which would give me away. Based on what I could see, I was in some storage room. Though, I didn't spend much time mulling over it, as Ledger himself stepped into the room, carrying a small, wooden box. He placed it on top of a shelf, sending specs of dust dancing into the beam of light provided by the small lightbulb which was close to retirement. I leaned to the side, hoping to get a better look, but Elijah turned his back to me, blocking the view to whatever he kept inside that box. Not a few seconds later a grunt sounded, followed by
Hailey’s POV. “Stupid, freaking insufferable, top class, cow!” Nate hissed over his shoulder at Valerie as she offered us a saccharine sweet smile from her table in the center of the cafeteria. “One day, I swear—” “Nate, it’s okay. Just leave it, please.” I pressed four fingers to my temple and sighed. “Karma will get to her…Eventually.” “And when will that be?” he retorted as Celeste grabbed him by the arm, steering him toward the cafeteria exit with Ariah and me on their trail. “When she’s old and shriveled up like a prune?” “Honestly, that would be karma in itself. Her being all vain and that,” Celeste snorted a laugh. “I mean, it’s just juice,” I persisted. That, and my dignity along with it. When Nate paused dead in his tracks to shoot me one of those looks only Nate could pull off that said, ‘Oh yeah?’ with an attitude, I knew he wasn’t going to drop it. “Okay, fine. Then what do you suggest I do about it?” “Hmmm. Let me see.” Nate tore his arm from Celeste’s hold, eyeing
"Someone is following you," Elijah repeated with a stern expression on his face. "At first I thought it was Lucian—""Okay. But he's being weird," Ariah added. "Well, he's generally weird. But he told Hailey that—""Why did you think it was him?" I interrupted Ariah, not wanting her to tell Elijah what Luca had told me. "And why does it sound like you changed your mind?"Elijah's brows furrowed as he peered between me and Ariah. "What did he tell you?"Of course, he wasn't going to let this fly. I sighed. "He thinks you're up to something."Elijah released a snort. "Says him, of all people. He's up to something." I crossed my arms. "Yeah, I figured that much.""You need to be careful, Hails. Something's going on around school.""Like what?""I…" his voice trailed. The stern look morphed into concern. "I can't explain. But someone is watching you.""Who?" "I don't know.""How do you know someone is watching me?" I pressed.He placed a hand on each of my shoulders, moving closer. "I k
"Good night!" Ariah called after Nate and Celeste, turning toward our bedroom door to unlock it.I rubbed my arms, peering down the hall as students dispersed in all directions toward their rooms, then remembering I had promised Tilly, the ghost girl, that I'd leave the door to the courtyard open for her friend. I also wanted to check and ensure there was a cat named Ginger. I didn't want to risk helping someone when they were about to do something devious, like murdering someone.Tilly seemed harmless, but I wasn't taking any chances. By the time I turned back, Ariah was already inside our shared bedroom. I stuck my head through the doorway. "Hey, I forgot to take care of something. I'll be back in a few minutes.""Need me to come with you?" Ariah spun around, a mug in hand. "It's pretty late already.""Nah. It'll be quick, don't worry.""Kay. Want some coffee?" she asked, switching on the coffee machine."Before bed?" I snorted a laugh. "No, but thanks though."She waved me off, and
Hailey’s POV. “Stupid, freaking insufferable, top class, cow!” Nate hissed over his shoulder at Valerie as she offered us a saccharine sweet smile from her table in the center of the cafeteria. “One day, I swear—” “Nate, it’s okay. Just leave it, please.” I pressed four fingers to my temple and sighed. “Karma will get to her…Eventually.” “And when will that be?” he retorted as Celeste grabbed him by the arm, steering him toward the cafeteria exit with Ariah and me on their trail. “When she’s old and shriveled up like a prune?” “Honestly, that would be karma in itself. Her being all vain and that,” Celeste snorted a laugh. “I mean, it’s just juice,” I persisted. That, and my dignity along with it. When Nate paused dead in his tracks to shoot me one of those looks only Nate could pull off that said, ‘Oh yeah?’ with an attitude, I knew he wasn’t going to drop it. “Okay, fine. Then what do you suggest I do about it?” “Hmmm. Let me see.” Nate tore his arm from Celeste’s hold, eyeing
The vent was a tight fit. But, when I finally got to the second open vent and slid out, a great sense of relief took over. Being squished and unable to breathe wasn't on my 'to-do' list. I was scarce on my feet, when I could hear footsteps heading in my direction. I ducked behind piles of boxes, pulling on a scrap of material dangling over me to hide myself. It was thick with dust and I had to fight not to have a coughing fit right then and there, which would give me away. Based on what I could see, I was in some storage room. Though, I didn't spend much time mulling over it, as Ledger himself stepped into the room, carrying a small, wooden box. He placed it on top of a shelf, sending specs of dust dancing into the beam of light provided by the small lightbulb which was close to retirement. I leaned to the side, hoping to get a better look, but Elijah turned his back to me, blocking the view to whatever he kept inside that box. Not a few seconds later a grunt sounded, followed by
Luca's POV. I sat back on a chair in the far corner of the cafeteria, chomping down on a cold, stiff fry; my gaze zeroed in on Elijah, definitely up-to-something Ledger. There were guards stationed at every exit of the cafeteria and one between the boys' and girls' toilets on the other side of the room, but they seemed…distracted. More accurately, two of the three guards were eyeing the ceiling, their eyes following something I couldn't see, and the third one, by the main exit, seemed like he had a serious case of fleas. He'd been more focused on scratching various parts of his body, his attention everywhere but on Elijah. And the man in question? Well, he'd been watching the guards with a questionable smirk on his face like he was in on a joke only he was privy to. I bet all the cold fries on my plate that he had something to do with it. But, I was most interested in why he was so intent to get them off his case? I'd have bet he wouldn't mind a chance for some alone time with his
“Okay, so, I’m going to take a wild guess that you want something from me?”The ghost girl swooped through me, momentarily dazing my body with an unpleasant, cold, and stuffy feeling. I shot her a glare. “I don’t like it when you do that.”She shrugged. “It’s nice for me. The living feels homey and warm.”I ignored that statement, noticing that half the library was staring. I turned my face away so they couldn’t see me when I murmured, “What do you want from me?”“A favor.” She clasped her hands against her lap, swaying sideways, smiling sweetly. “A teeny, tiny favor.”“And what does this favor entail?” I dropped the cloth I used to try and salvage the mess, accepting defeat. There was no way I would be able to rescue the damaged books. My first salary was down the drain. I sighed. “I need you to keep a door open for me tonight.”I blinked. “You can just go through it?”“It’s not for me. It’s for a friend. A living friend.”I crossed my arms, suspicion rising inside me. “If it’s a li
I made my way toward the library with my book bag thrown over my shoulder like a bat straight out of hell—wings on fire. I almost rammed into a few people along the way. I was late, courtesy of the one student in physical who turned wolf and lost control of herself. At first she tried to pull her own fur out, then turned her own frustration on the rest of the class and our teacher. It was chaos. By the time the period was over and we tried to leave, we had to clear up the mess she left behind after getting escorted out by a flurry of guards. After that display, I was growing apprehensive over the idea of transforming into my wolf for the first time. What if that happens to me? My heart was loud in my ears as I made a beeline for the library, almost ramming right into Dibella. “I'm so, so sorry I’m late. There was an incident in physical—” Dibella tutted with a smile and waved me off. “Not to worry, love. I'll reheat the kettle. Why don’t you get settled by my desk and start worki
I had to sit through three more excruciatingly long classes before it was lunch break. Ariah called me over at the end of Numerology class, but I waved her off and rushed out to track down Elijah. It took me another few minutes, before I found him standing by the announcement board with a frown on his face. My eyes lifted onto the board, where a clear picture of both Katie and Lila, asking students to come forth if they had any information that might lead to an arrest. “Hey,” I walked up to him and the guard that had been shadowing him, turned, crossed his arms to his chest and glared at me. Elijah shot the guard a dirty look, then peered at me. “Hi.” He wasn’t smiling, which bothered me a great deal. “Is there something…” My voice trailed and I peered uncomfortably at the guard. Elijah’s jaw ticked. “I’d tell you, but I have a dimwit following me everywhere.” My mouth fell open, thinking the guard would retaliate, but he just stood silently, still eyeing us with intent. “He do
“Good afternoon class. Today we’re talking about ancient tomes and the lore evolving them,” our history teacher, Mr. Barnes, announced, followed by low, dismissal groans from students. “Now, now, why the long faces? Learning about our ancestry is by far the most exciting thing! We get to learn about where our bloodline originated, and all the other events evolving it. It’s all about those tomes!” More groans followed. I sighed, flipping open my notebook and picking up my pen. It was drawing close to exams, so I took every opportunity to take notes on everything so I wouldn’t miss anything. It was a strenuous task and so unlike me, but I had to give my everything if I didn’t want to fail. Things weren’t looking too good already. I was having a hard time keeping up in class. “We’re starting with the tome of life,” Mr. Barnes pressed on, dragging the overhead projector trolley closer to the whiteboard and positioned it to point forward. When he clicked it on, an image splashed across