by SF Benson
“Your attitude for starters.” Samantha crossed her legs. “Do you have a problem with Cyrena’s enthusiasm or is it an issue with the school?”
I kept my mouth shut. My beef with my sister wasn’t anyone else’s business. Besides, messing with my sibling was my birthright. As far as the school was concerned? Samantha didn’t want to hear my opinion.
“May I call you Lily?”
“No.”
Her eyebrow lifted.
“No one calls me that. Not even our mother.”
“Okay, Lilith. I was going to say that your stay here will be more pleasant if you make an effort.”
“Whatever,” I mumbled.
The woman studied me for a long uncomfortable minute before dismissing me.
I bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Unfortunately, I didn’t watch where I was going. I didn’t look up until I hit a hard body.
“Where’s the fire?” a deep masculine voice said.
My eyes trailed up a pair of ripped jeans and over a pastel-blue Polo shirt. When my gaze met his, my heart skipped a beat. I was expecting some sort of preppy dude. The long dark hair was anything but conservative. And then he smiled, and his dark eyes sparkled.
I was so caught up in drooling over the eye candy that I didn’t hear a word he said. Finally, he touched my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Um… Yeah… Sorry.”
“Name’s Nico Constantine, and you are?” His voice was inviting.
“Hot.” Crap. Whenever I became flustered, I said whatever came to mind.
Nico cocked his head to the side.
“I’m hot. Really, really hot.” I fanned my burning cheeks. “Are you hot?”
“Oh, leave the girl alone, Nico. You’re making her uncomfortable,” said a female voice. “I’m London, his sister.”
I dragged my gaze from the hot guy. A tall girl with frizzy fiery-red hair and turquoise-blue eyes stood behind him. Slowly, my heart returned to its normal beat along with my ability to form a real sentence.
“Hi, I’m Lilith.”
London whacked the back of Nico’s head. “Don’t you, like, have some place to be?”
“Yeah, yeah. Catch you later.” He bounded down the steps and out the front door.
“Don’t mind him.” London linked her arm with mine and dragged me up the stairs. “He’s taken by the way, but don’t tell Nico that.”
“Huh?”
“There’s a phoenix on campus who has her eye on him. I think they’re like destined or something. Your room is across from mine.”
Man, London was a motor mouth. The entire trip upstairs she rattled on and on. Did she talk in her sleep?
As we continued toward the top floor, the girl kept speaking. I learned more than I needed in a matter of minutes. Like, the vamps were a bunch of entitled mean girls, and the only guys worth dating lived in the south quadrant dorms. Instead of stopping at my room, London tugged me toward her door where the sounds of Rainbow’s Since You Been Gone blasted into the hall.
“You’re going to love my bestie.” She burst into the room. “Sybil!”
A dark head peeked out of a closet. “Hey!”
“Sybil Nakamura meet Lilith Martin.” London beamed like she’d just announced the arrival of the queen.
Sybil turned off the music and stopped in front of me. The girl was an Asian beauty with flawless skin and gorgeous black hair. Then I realized who she was. My jaw dropped, and it took me a few seconds to compose myself.
“Are you related to the Nakamura Demons?” I squeaked out.
“One in the same.” She held out her hand, and I shook it. “How do you know about my family?”
“Thankfully, I’ve only heard rumors.”
“I assure you they’re all true.” Sybil smoothed her uniform skirt before perching on a desk chair.
Everyone in our world had heard of the Nakamuras. They were demons who ran the Toraiado—a supernatural version of the Japanese Triad. Mafia connections. Deadly connections. I’d have to remember to stay on Sybil’s good side.
As I stood there, nervously fidgeting with the edge of my blazer, London began laughing hysterically. A few seconds later, Sybil added to the uproar. The girls clutched their sides.
Was I the butt of some joke?
I turned toward the door.
London shouted, “Wait! It’s not about you?”
Gripping the knob, I said, “Explain.”
Sybil was still snickering, but she managed to say, “It’s about my family. Not all of the rumors are true.”
I whirled around. “Then why would you say they were?”
The girl shrugged her thin shoulders. “Having a little fun? Come on… We don’t get too many opportunities for it. Have you seen what we have to wear?”
I glanced down at my uniform. “Yeah. No way can I walk out like this.”
London held up a pair of scissors. “We can fix that. Take off your jacket.”
As I did, Sybil added, “The shirt too. It’s so not you.”
Thankfully, I had on a tank beneath the blouse. I tossed the ugly garment to London who immediately hacked off the sleeves. She went to a drawer and removed a black long-sleeve mesh T-shirt. “Here. Put this on and then the blouse. Knot it in the front.”
Before I could do anything, Sybil pulled me before a full-length mirror with a black frame. I slipped on the clothes and then her hands went to my skirt. She rolled down the waistband, instantly shortening the garment.
“Lose the socks and shoes,” Sybil said. “I think we wear the same size. London, grab the boots.”
London went to the closet while Sybil rummaged through another drawer. When they were done with me, I was so much more presentable—short skirt, mesh shirt peeking from beneath the blouse, black lace tights, and black combat boots. Finally, Sybil teased my hair into a high ponytail.
The girls smiled, and Sybil said, “Welcome to the Lilin Posse.”
“Posse?”
“It’s what we call ourselves,” London stated. “You’ll meet Torin and the McKinley brothers tonight.”
Sybil added, “And don’t forget the Vamp Squad.”
My gaze bounced between the roommates.
“When you meet them, you’ll see it,” she said. “Kamila is the head bee with an itch. She looks like a pale Barbie doll.”
I made a face and shook my head. “Wait, don’t all vamps have dark hair?”
London dropped to the floor and pulled her legs in. “Kamila’s roots are dark.”
The girls giggled.
“She’s Miss Vamptastic!” Sybil rolled her eyes. “Seriously, the girl makes me want to barf.” The demonic Lilin waved her hand. “Enough about the Vamp Squad. Tell us about your sister and you.”
“We met Cyrena,” said London. “She’s a little young to be on this floor. Usually succubi who come in their freshman or sophomore years stay downstairs.”
Cringing, I hoped my sister didn’t say or do something embarrassing. “I guess she caught a break since we’re sisters.”
“I suppose,” Sybil agreed. “She’s very giddy. We offered to hook up her uniform, but she declined.”
“Actually, Cyrena is a big fan of the whole matchy-matchy look. Her closet at home is crammed full of plaid miniskirts.”
“Explains it,” Sybil and London said together.
“So, do you, like, have a boyfriend?” London asked.
“Had.” My mind drifted to Austin. For a brief moment, I missed him. Okay. Maybe longer than a moment. “As soon as he found out I was coming here, he ditched me.”
“Jerk face,” London and Sybil said.
“Do you two do that all the time?”
“Do what?”
“That! Talk at the same time.”
They laughed.
What had I gotten myself into?
§
Hours later, we were getting ready for the Meet and Greet. Samantha sent around a flash message—a quickie notification sent by o
ne of the House Gremlins—letting us know that we could dress casually. The event was being held at the library.
Cyrena announced, “I’m ready.”
“No, you’re not,” I said.
My sister had on a yellow plaid miniskirt with a matching cropped jacket, yellow vest, and a white blouse. The white knee socks and Mary Janes were a definite no.
“What’s wrong with my clothes?”
“It’s bad enough our uniforms are plaid, but do you have to wear it all the time?”
Cyrena swung her perfectly straight dark locks over her shoulder. It was a look that only took my sister an hour to achieve. Me? I couldn’t come close to perfection even with twice the amount of time. So I didn’t bother. People weren’t going to like me based on my appearance.
“I’m not changing. One of us should care about her appearance.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
My sister swept her finger up and down over my ripped jeans, Rolling Stones T-shirt, jean jacket, and red high-tops. “First impressions, sister.”
“Yeah. So?”
“When people look at me, they’ll see a totally awesome succubus. My style says that I’m trendy but put together. People know to take me seriously.” Cyrena frowned and folded her arms. “Your look says that you don’t care.”
“Whatever.”
“Exactly. I could loan you—”
“Not even!”
Cyrena shrugged and picked up her tiny designer shoulder bag. I shoved our room key into my pocket and walked out.
As we headed down the stairs, we met up with Sybil and London. The roomies were dressed in ripped jeans and T-shirts too.
The two guys talking to our new friends, however, looked like they were ready for a Ralph Lauren photo shoot. Both of them were tall and on the thin side with brown hair and glasses.
London waved us over. “Meet the McKinley brothers!”
The guys smiled as we approached.
“Alistair and Abbott McKinley, meet Cyrena and Lilith Martin,” said London.
The brother wearing Clark Kent-style frames and his hair parted on the right grinned. “I’m Alistair.”
Making eye contact with the one with his hair parted on the left and wearing wire-framed glasses, I said, “Guess that makes you Abbott.”
He nodded.
“Torin said he’ll meet us at the library,” said Sybil.
London leaned closer to me and said in a low voice, “Sybil’s into Torin but won’t admit it. Don’t let on that you know. They had a bit of a disagreement earlier.”
“Okay.” I’d file that under information that I didn’t need to know.
Although Sybil should have been the one in charge, it was London who seemed to be the leader. She whistled loudly, and the various clusters standing around the lobby quieted down.
“Most of you know how this goes down. We go over as a group to the library. Newbies look for one of us with either a pink or a purple bandana.”
I glanced around the room. A lot of the students either had the scrap of cloth in their hair or wrapped about a wrist or ankle. Except for the McKinleys. If someone needed them, they stuck out like a sore thumb—just like Cyrena.
The other conspicuous person in the room was Samantha. She stood in front of the commons area simply watching. London looked over at the adviser and then sighed.
“Listen up, Amatory Hall. The Meet and Greet is your opportunity to introduce yourselves to the rest of the campus. Rise above those who want to bring you down. How you behave tonight will dictate how you handle adversity in the future.”
Was she serious, or was she delivering the trite message for Samantha?
If it was the latter, someone should tell our adviser that we were teenagers. Nothing we did on that campus had to leave the campus. If we were smart—which many of us were despite what our families believed—we’d do just fine in the human world. We just had to stay in control of our emotions instead of following some archaic program.
Chapter Three
Living in Amatory Hall gave us a shorter walk to the library and classes. For all I knew, the distance could have been the same for the southern quadrants of campus. We had the advantage of not having to cross the rock wall.
On our way over, I learned that London and Sybil came to Lorelei’s in their freshman year. The former was a fountain of information, and I was willing to drink my fill.
“What can you tell me about the headmistress? Is she a vampire or a witch?” I asked.
“Honestly? We don’t know,” admitted London. “Some say neither. One rumor has it that she was a witch who had her heart broken. Supposedly, she was in so much pain that she jumped into the ocean. The Guardian of the Sea rescued her but cursed Mistress Lorelei for her stupidity over a man.”
Cyrena asked, “He was human?”
“That’s the tale,” chimed in Sybil. “Anyway, she kept her powers but forever carries the pallor of death. She created this school to keep others from repeating her mistake.”
That actually made a lot of sense. The Guardian of the Sea must have been a vindictive female or a hateful male.
London shouted, “Here we are, neophytes!”
We stopped at a massive building. In that moment, I was grateful that Cyrena was the architectural fanatic in our household. She was always mentioning the pointed arches and flying buttresses of buildings in and around Falls Creek.
Who would place a library in a Gothic cathedral? It seemed like a huge waste of money to me.
“Take this,” London whispered and passed a pink bandana to me. “You’re officially part of the Posse. Wear it with pride.”
Wow! Just like that I’d breached the coveted inner circle. I tied the scarf around my neck.
Honestly, the same thing happened to me when I started at Falls Creek High. I had that knack, which drew in people. The best part? I didn’t have to work at it as hard as Cyrena did. She didn’t believe that people would choose to like you based on who you were on the inside. Not because of the clothes you wore or how you styled your hair.
While the other Lilin shuffled passed us, London pulled me to the side. “If anyone asks you anything, send them to me. There are those inside who like to test newbies. Don’t let them faze you.”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious, Lilith. We’re about to enter a supernatural zoo. Unlike the Vamp Squad, Lilin don’t discriminate. We value our own.”
“Thanks.”
“But that doesn’t mean there isn’t someone wanting to rock the boat. Just keep your eyes open.” London didn’t wait around for questions. She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the entrance.
On the other side of the heavy wood doors, different groups of students milled about the stone pillars. Instead of pews in a church, there were rows of desks. Stations with new Apple Macintosh computers were on one side near a wall. Where an altar should have been stood Mistress Lorelei. She still wore her black lace gown.
From an unseen location, a gong sounded, and everyone stopped talking and faced the front. I anticipated that the headmistress would speak into a microphone, but I didn’t see one set up.
“Thank you all for being on time for a change.”
Her dark gaze landed on a group of dissimilar students. I studied their various auras, but the predominant brown let me know there were wolves in the group. I assumed there were random shifters nearby.
“Tomorrow is the first day of classes for the semester. I trust all the new students are settled. Unlike last semester, there will be no exceptions made for tardiness.
“New rules will be enforced. If you are late, the instructors have been informed to lock their doors. Missed work will have to be made up during your free time. Students who are late for the same class more than once in a week will be placed on probation. Your assignments will also be collected daily. Fail to turn it in, and you’ll face the Tribunal.”
I leaned closer to London. “What’s the Tribunal?”
“Student government.”
As the headmistress’ voice droned on, I lost my focus and began looking at the variety of students. Mom did a good job of teaching us about supernatural species and auras—it was the best way to tell who was who without asking. The flickering blue coming from the front of the room belonged to the Vamp Squad. An inky black vibe emanating from a corner by the computers screamed reaper. Then a brilliant orange aura snagged my attention.
When I looked toward it, I saw Nico standing beside a beautiful girl with dark hair and huge chestnut-brown eyes. Nico and the girl were trying hard not to appear as a couple, but every now and then her hand would brush his. His silvery-red aura kept nudging her brilliant one. Whenever it happened, the pair seemed to glow. Absolutely beautiful!
Suddenly, someone nudged my side. My head whipped around. “London!”
“Shh! What’s so interesting?” she whispered.
“Who is the girl with Nico?”
“A phoenix named Becca. She stays in Metamorph Dorm.”
I rolled my eyes. Once again, who named the buildings? That was such a derogatory term for shifters.
“Now to introduce our instructors.” Mistress Lorelei turned to the people behind her. “Those of you taking Scareology may remember Professor Charles Wu for Human Vulnerabilities.”
Professor Chucky!
I snickered as the lanky Asian male took the platform. He smiled and gave a quick wave.
“We’re delighted to have Mr. Nelson Bates returning. He was gone for a semester to tend to the family motel business.”
Was she serious? Norman had a brother!
Next up were Mallory Cole teaching the Art of Deception, Professor Malachi teaching Politics, and Damien Dark for Lilin History. Cyrena, standing near a group of mages, soaked it all up. Thankfully, London pulled me toward the back of the room. The rest of the Posse were there plus someone I hadn’t met yet.
He was tall and blond with mesmerizing blue eyes and an easy smile. “I’m Torin Murphy. You must be Cyrena.”
“Wrong sister. I’m Lilith—the fun one.”
The McKinley brothers murmured something between them. Sybil narrowed her eyes and balled her fists. Crap. Torin was the guy she liked.
My bad.