“I’m leaving your ass, then.”
The one at the door tossed his hands up. “Two seconds. Give me two seconds. There’s a paper due next week. I need the notes.”
“Get them tomorrow,” the other guy growled. “We gotta go. Besides, Lee’s weird. You know it won’t be two seconds. He’ll talk your ear off about his stupid comic book obsession.”
“Damn, you’re right.” The guy stepped away from the door, and jogged down the hall to meet his friend. Neither of them seemed to care we were there. I was glad.
“Guess we know where Lee’s room is now,” I said.
“Told you we’d figure it out.” Ryan smiled, and I nudged his shoulder.
“That was pure luck, and not because of anything we did.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He locked his fingers with mine and pulled me toward the door with him. He knocked.
“Yeah?” Lee called from inside.
“Uh, it’s Nadia Hazel. We were supposed to meet today.”
A shuffling of stuff came from inside and then footsteps. “Crap, is it three already?” he asked as he swung the door open.
“Yeah. A little after, actually.” I softened my words with a smile. He looked rough. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and a slight amount of stubble across his jaw. Usually, he looked put together whenever I saw him in class.
“Sorry about that. I got sidetracked.”
He motioned for us to step inside. When we did, I happened to notice the way he glanced around the hall before closing the door as though he was making sure no one saw us enter. A shiver slipped up my spine at the oddness of it.
“So, you think you know something about the Elites?” Ryan asked, getting straight to the point.
“Yes. Well, maybe.” He ran a hand through his hair. It was then I noticed he wore a gray t-shirt with some cartoon-looking character printed on the front. He really did love comics. “They’re a large group. One I’m beginning to think includes all houses. You obviously know something about them too, so I’m not crazy.”
Something reflected in his eyes broke me. I hated he thought he was crazy because of all this. “No. Not at all. Is there anything you can tell us about them that would indicate what their plans are?”
Lee thought for a moment. “Have you seen the tattoos? That’s your first clue.””
“Tattoos?” Ryan released my hand to fold his arms over his chest. “What kind of tattoos?”
“Markings. I haven’t figured out what they mean. Well, not exactly. They are a signifier that someone is part of the Elites though.”
“Jackie did get a tattoo over the summer. It’s on her shoulder.”
“Shoulder?” Lee hurried to his desk. A folder sat open. Notes spilled out from it. “That’s a new spot.”
“Okay. So, tattoos. What else can you tell us?” There had to be something more. “Are they good? Evil?”
Lee glanced at me. His eyes darkened. “They’re dangerous.”
“We’ve gathered that much,” Ryan said. I knew he was talking about Jackie having killed someone. “But we need more information than that.”
“There isn’t much more I can say right now.” He glanced at his cell, clearly checking the time. “My roommate, Axel, will be here soon. He’s not into this whole conspiracy, secret-group-hidden-among-us thing.”
“Okay.” Ryan dragged the word out.
“Can we set up another time? Like maybe later tonight?” If he knew something about their plans, he needed to tell us.
“Not tonight, no. I have, um, plans.” He averted his eyes from mine. Was he hiding something? “I’ll have to touch base with you again some other time.”
I sighed. “Okay. Thanks for your time.” I took Ryan’s hand and dragged him from the room. We walked back down the stairs and outside. I pulled in a deep breath to help calm my irritation. “He didn’t seem to know much. That was a waste of time.”
“No. We now know about the tattoos.”
“What point did it prove?”
“That you are really good at what you do.” He put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. “It’s time for you to stop arguing with me about that.”
* * *
“Are you ready to join the Elite?” Jackie tried on yet another dress. This was number five. She wasn’t getting ready for anything Elite related. This evening was for an academy function: the winter party. I still couldn’t believe the semester was over. The time had flown by in a way it never had in high school. Maybe it was true what they said about time moving faster the older you got. Or maybe it had seemed fast because life had been so busy and crazy.
“No.” I ran through spell-check on a paper.
“Nadia.”
“What?” I minimized the document on my computer. “You asked and I answered.”
“Why not?” Jackie put a hand on her hip.
“Because, I still don’t really get what it is I’m being initiated into.”
“You like being a wolf?”
“Yes.”
“You want wolves to continue doing well?”
“Obviously.”
“Then you want to join. I promise.” Jackie returned to the mirror and turned around, checking out her butt.
“You won’t ask me to do things I don’t want to do, are you?” I wasn’t ready to drop the conversation yet.
“Why would you even ask that? I mean it’s me we’re talking about.”
“And you’ve been super mysterious and strange since August. I mean I still haven’t met your boyfriend.”
“Well, you will if you join.” She looked in the mirror and made a face.
“You look beautiful.” I wasn’t just saying that. She did. Although, it had nothing to do with the dress. She was glowing. I didn’t like the idea of Edmund, but evidently, he was doing something positive for her.
“You said that about the last four dresses.”
“Because they all looked beautiful.”
“You just want me out of here so you can work.”
“Maybe.” I smiled. Despite everything, Jackie knew me.
“You have to go tonight.”
“It’s just a party. I don’t have to go to a party.” What I needed to do was finish this paper, so I could save my grade. No, an A- wasn’t the end of the world, but I was a good student. I refused to ruin my GPA if I could avoid it.
“Ryan wants you to go.”
“And that changes what exactly? He can go without me.” Of course I didn’t want him to. The thought of him dancing with anyone else upset me, but he had the right to. I didn’t own him.
Jackie narrowed her eyes. “He’s your boyfriend.”
“So?”
“So. That means he won’t go without you.”
“Jackie, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” She spun in front of the mirror again. “But first, tell me, this dress or the one before it?”
“This one. The purple works for you.” And I wasn’t just saying that.
“Thanks. Okay. Ask away.”
“Would you ever hurt someone?” I knew this was dangerous territory, but I had to ask.
“Hurt someone?” She blanched. “What kind of question is that?”
“I just.” This was when I wished I could get this out. “I was wondering if you’d ever hurt someone.”
Jackie knelt down in front of me. “What aren’t you saying?”
“Nothing. Just forget I said anything.”
“No.” She put her hands on my knees. “I won’t forget you said something. That’s a really weird and pointed question to ask me. I don’t believe it’s random. It came from somewhere.”
“No. It’s random.”
“Wait.” Understanding crossed her face. “You… Oh my gosh.” She stood up. “Oh my God. You… You followed me that night, didn’t you?”
“What? No.” I shook my head. I hated lying. It was one thing to pretend but outright lying was almost impossible for me.
“You
did… I knew something was off with you the past few weeks.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” I looked down at the floor.
“Stop lying, Nadia.” Jackie was pleading with me. “Please listen to me.”
“I’m listening.”
“What you heard…” She looked away. “I only did it because I had to.”
“What?”
“Don’t play stupid. That guy. The one I…” A single tear streamed down her face.
“Terminated.” Jackie knew. She was right. There was no reason to pretend anymore.
“Yes. He killed a pup… I think Dameon is involved, which is why we need your help.”
“There is no way Dameon killed a pup.” So much about Dameon was still a mystery to me, but I knew enough about his character to believe that.
“Not him, but people he works with. You have to trust me.”
“I don’t know who to trust anymore.” And I may have just blown everything. After months of keeping my mouth shut, I’d just completely shown my cards.
“It keeps me up every night.” Jackie wrapped her arms over her chest.
“What does?”
“What I had to do.”
“Why did you have to do it? Why not get the authorities involved?”
“He would have killed another pup. And he would have killed me.”
“I don’t know what I would have done in your situation. It must have been awful.”
“You’d have done the same thing.” Jackie pointed at me. “You wouldn’t have allowed a child to get hurt.”
“It’s impossible to know what I would have done, but I would have tried to help a child. Yes.” I knew that much, but could I have killed someone? I wasn’t sure I had it in me.
I was confused. Overwhelmed really. And there was only one person who could help. But I refused to rely on him. I wouldn’t be that girl who needed a guy. Especially not Ryan Grayson.
“It’s going to be okay, Nadia. We will be part of something big.”
“It’s not supposed to be like this. It’s supposed to be college. Fun times. Maybe some all-nighters studying. Not worrying about the fate of our kind and what side to be on.” I closed my eyes, willing the craziness away.
“You really should come tonight. It’s to celebrate the end of the semester.”
“I’m staying in to work.” For more reasons than not.
“Fine. But if I see Ryan, I’m sending him up. You look really freaked out, and I don’t think you should be alone.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I should be more worried about you.”
“And have you been? Or have you been afraid of me?”
“Maybe a little bit of both.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been afraid of me.” There was real and true hurt on Jackie’s face. “I can’t believe you thought I was capable of killing in cold blood.”
She started to laugh. Like really laugh. Almost fell over laughing. “What? Did you think I was running around hacking people up?”
“I don’t know.” I purposely avoided thinking about any of the details. I knew it wouldn’t help.
“Were you afraid I would kill you?”
“No,” I answered immediately. “I wasn’t.”
“Good.” She picked herself up off the floor. “I’d never hurt you.”
“I know.” And not just because she thought I was useful to the Elites. Our friendship was more akin to family than friends. “I don’t know how I know, but I do.”
“Finish your work, then head out to the party. You have to live a little, you know? We’re only young once.” She slipped on a pair of silver stilettos and grabbed a purse before heading out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
I closed my document and picked up my phone. I texted Ryan immediately.
Please come here.
His response was immediate. On my way.
He must have really been on his way, because my door opened about a minute later. “Hey.”
Relief flooded me. “Hey.”
“You okay?” He leaned on the edge of my desk. “You look kind of pale.”
“I’m fine. I think. But I kind of screwed up.”
“I doubt it.” He pressed his palms into the desk on either side of him. “But what makes you say that?”
“I asked Jackie about the termination.”
He appeared to mull over what I said. “Wow.”
“Yeah. She says the guy killed a pup and was going to kill another.”
“Well, that makes more sense. It fits her and how that group has been acting.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “This stuff all gets more convoluted by the second.”
“She also said Dameon may be involved with them.”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
“Me either.”
He took a seat on my bed. “Ever wish we could just forget this stuff? Even if for one night.”
“Often.” I walked over and sat next to him. Sometimes, I needed us to be close.
“But we can’t.”
“Not yet.” I leaned back on my elbows and looked up at the ceiling. “Definitely not yet.”
“You already have a plan brewing in that beautiful, sexy head of yours, don’t you?” He leaned back next to me.
“Of course.”
“Where are we going?”
“Dameon’s room.” I spit it out.
“Oh, I was hoping you weren’t about to say that.”
“Yeah, me too. But we need to find out more about him.” We’d blindly followed him and his plan. It may not have been a huge mistake, but it was at least a small one. But we’d had no way to find out information. Everywhere we looked, we’d hit dead ends.
Ryan sat up. “I saw him on my way over here. So I know he’s out of his room.”
“Good.” At least we wouldn’t have to come up with a diversion to get him moving.
“You sure about this?” Ryan took my hand in his.
“No. But when has that ever changed anything?”
Ryan
Dameon’s door was locked. Not that I was remotely surprised. He was hiding things, and we needed to get to the bottom of it.
“How are we getting in?” Nadia let go of the doorknob after she established for herself that the knob was not turning.
“This way.” I made quick work of the lock and pushed the door open.
“How did you know how to do that?” There was something akin to awe on her face.
“Eh, just something I know how to do.” I shrugged it off. No need to go into some of the adventures Finn and I had had.
“That isn’t an answer.”
“No, it’s not. But that’s okay.”
I walked in first, and Nadia stayed close by my side. The window by his bed was open, letting in a cold breeze.
“So what are we looking for exactly?” I flipped on the light switch. His room looked pretty normal. It was large, but no larger than my room. The only difference was he didn’t have a roommate.
“I don’t know.” Nadia rested her chin in her hand. “We’re looking for something. Anything.”
“That’s real specific.”
She shrugged. “I’d be specific if I could.”
We were careful. Very careful. If we did find what we needed, there was no reason to alert Dameon to it.
“Oh my God.” Nadia held up a small object. She turned it around, and I saw it was an ID.
“That’s Dameon.” I took the small card from her. “But that’s not his name.”
“You think?” Nadia took the ID back. “Marshall Martin? And it’s an Arkansas driver’s license. Isn’t he supposed to be from London or something?”
“It’s got to be fake.”
“Unless his whole Dameon story is.” Nadia sat down on the edge of his bed. She picked up a book. It was super old and the cover was half off.
“Isn’t that one of the books from the soundproof room?”
“Maybe.” Sh
e handed it to me. It was open to a page. There was a list of names with red lines through them written on a piece of paper. “Do you think that’s a kill list?”
“I’d say yes, but we fell for that kind of thing before. No more jumping to conclusions.”
“But did you see the title of this book?” She closed it to reveal the cover.
“Warfare.” I read the script font. “Okay. So something that Jackie said rings true. Dameon isn’t as innocent as he wants us to believe.”
“I don’t even know what to do.” She pulled the book close to her chest.
“Maybe we should stop.” I didn’t want to be the one giving up, but I also didn’t want to be the one encouraging us to keep pushing ourselves deeper into a mess. “At least temporarily.”
If it were just me I wouldn’t have cared, but this wasn’t just me. It was Nadia. And I knew I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to her.
“We can’t let this go.” She held out the book. “Or that.” She pointed to the door, and I assumed she meant Jackie and the Elites. “Or this!” She held up the ID.
“This is too big.” It seemed too big for everyone.
“Which is precisely why we can’t let it go.”
“You won’t drop this no matter what I say, will you?”
“No. But you can. I’ll be fine.” She flicked the piece of paper with the red lines again.
“Are you kidding?”
“I’m fully capable.” She put a hand on her hip.
“I know you’re capable. Hell, you’re more capable than I am. That doesn’t mean I’m leaving you to handle this alone.” I wasn’t ditching her. No question about that.
“We have to do this, Ryan.” Her brown eyes were so wide. “You and I both know that.”
“But not alone. We are in over our head. We have to get help.”
She nodded. “I know. We’ve done what we could do.”
The door swung open, and Dameon walked in. “Well, hello there. I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Uh, hi.” Nadia tried to hide the book behind her.
Dameon laughed. “Okay. You know I saw what’s in your hand, and I know why you’re in my room.”
“You do?” she asked.
Wolf Born: Lunar Academy, Year One Page 12