The Ruby (The Hidden Gems Book 1)

by R. Getsee

  I felt a grim smile cross my face as I skimmed the index, looking for a short chapter to read, which would hopefully take my mind off the torture I’d be heading into soon.

  Chapter 1: An Introduction to Elemental Infinities.

  Chapter 2: Fire.

  Chapter 3: Water.

  Chapter 4: Earth.

  Chapter 5: Air.

  I grunted. This wouldn’t take my mind off of the test; in fact, it was just stressing me out more. I was about to snap the book closed, thinking about taking a nap or something until it was time to leave, when a title caught my eye. Chapter 20: The Fifth Element?

  Well, that was new. Growing up, I’d never heard of a fifth element, and they definitely hadn’t spoken about it in my last school’s curriculum. I skimmed the index to find the right page and flipped to one of the last pages in the book and read:

  It was of great speculation if the fifth element did indeed exist, as no one in living memory had ever seen proof of it. Little was known about the powers and talents it provided. Some of the traits that were said to manifest with this power was the ability to glimpse into the past and future and many other physical and mental powers.

  Due to the lack of evidence this so-called affinity provides, most believe it was purely based on myths and legends, and should not be thought of as more than simply that.

  Huh? Since it was pretty much spelled out that anyone who believed in its existence was an idyllic moron, it assuaged the panicked feeling trying to creep up on me about completely missing the knowledge of another elemental affinity.

  A light knock startled me out of my musings and had the book whizzing across the room to land in the corner with a heavy thud as I leaped up. I cringed; I didn’t think I’d thrown it that hard in my shock and my head swam, blood rushing to it from my new position as my mom poked her head around my door.

  “Alexia, you need to finish getting ready or you’ll be late,” she chided softly from the hall.

  “I’m already up, Mom,” I said, tensing in preparation for the usual argument.

  She took the last couple of steps into my room, appraising my outfit with a furrowed brow. “Alexia Morgan, you can’t wear that to the academy!”

  I rolled my eyes, taking a couple of steps to the side as if to bar her entrance to my closet. My mom was lucky; Nyssa always had a little extra in the stunning beauty and grace department, with the perfect hourglass figure, accented by an elegant black wrap dress, flawless pale skin, and thick, curly, black hair that flowed down to the middle of her back.

  Honestly, the only reason you could tell we were related was by the jet black hair and gem bright green eyes that mirrored my own. That my sisters also mirrored her beauty made me feel like the ugly duckling of the family who never turned into a swan.

  Mom opened her mouth, probably to start on her ‘You should dress like you’re part of this family,’ tangent, but I held up my hand, silencing her progress.

  “I’m comfortable in this. I’m not going to change just so I don’t embarrass the family,” I said.

  “It’s not a case of embarrassing us, sweetheart. You’re so beautiful, and you need to stop acting so human if you want to fit in at the academy.”

  My heart sank at her words. I knew my mom loved me and only wanted the best, but her words hit a little too close to home today.

  “Well, at least when I’m classed as Void I’ll have a head start with the whole blending in as a human thing.” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice, but from the pitying expression that crossed her face, I knew I’d failed.

  Mom put a hand on my arm in comfort. “You don’t know that you’re Void, honey, and even if you are, we would never love you any less.”

  I turned my back on her, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Maybe my parents would still love me, maybe even my brother, Jared. But we all knew there was no room for a Void in our world, and anyone who publicly stood by me would have to join in my unofficial segregation.

  I heard my mom sigh and tried to ignore the twinge of guilt which shot through me as I heard the door close behind her with a soft click. My mother was one of the few vamps I knew who was openly caring. Many saw it as a weakness and they often challenged her for her compassion. Of course, she was also one of the strongest vampires around the country, equal to my dad, which is why they were members of the Council—basically royalty—who governed vampire clans around America and the heads of our clan.

  This was why so many people secretly rooted for our family’s name to take a dive, hoping for a scandal to knock them off their thrones. A scandal like having a Void in the family…

  Ugh! I shook off all my anxious thoughts as I stomped downstairs, finding my family all sitting at the kitchen table. They all looked up as I entered and a breeze picked up out of nowhere, flicking my hair around my face as high-pitched giggles floated toward me.

  “Torah!” My father shot a warning glare at my sister as she giggled gleefully, watching me spit hair out of my mouth. “We don’t use our affinities against family!”

  “Just thought I’d show her what vamp magic could do, since she’ll never know once she’s officially a Void.” Torah and Rhea, her slightly less evil twin, giggled again.

  I took a breath to calm myself at her words as Jared glared at her. Fighting her only made her more vicious—something I found out early on in life. While venom burned like acid in my veins, I stifled the need to punch her in the face, adopting my ‘meek’ persona that I’d perfected around her as I stomped out the door to my Jeep.

  I turned on my ‘90s grunge’ playlist before backing out the driveway, white-knuckling the steering wheel as I tried not to let her words run laps in my mind.

  2

  Alex

  I didn’t get off to a great start when I arrived on campus. As I entered the large, imposing gates, I tried not to stare up at the huge, stone, castle-like building that looked like it belonged in a movie.

  The practicalities of having such a cavernous building as a school—other than to win some kind of architectural pissing contest—was completely lost on me as I tried to navigate my way through the maze of hallways, getting chewed out by teachers when I arrived late because there’s no pity for the new girl.

  Luckily for me, I didn’t miss anything important. Unfortunately, vampires still needed math in their lives, so the first half of the day was set aside for ‘human’ classes. The second half of the curriculum revolved around affinity training, martial arts and weapons training, and vampire history.

  I was currently sitting in the most boring algebra lesson in history, doodling absentmindedly in my notebook, trying not to fall asleep as I heard the teacher rattle on about how to get some letter from a bunch of numbers. Yeah, math was so not my thing.

  I finally noticed I’d been sketching him—the face of the guy I’d seen in my weird headache-induced hallucination. His dark hair was shorter on the sides with more length on top, and there was a small scar on the corner of his chin, along with a little scruffy stubble like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, which gave him a more rugged look.

  Damn, my imagination was too good… A guy like this couldn’t exist. I chuckled to myself quietly as I found myself getting lost in his eyes. Yes, it was crazy, but while the pen I used was black, I still saw the impossibly intense electric-blue eyes as if they peered into my soul.

  Ugh, I needed to get a good night’s sleep. I sounded like a simpering schoolgirl, which I was definitely not. Strong, independent woman over here… Well, maybe not, but a girl could dream, right?

  I jumped as a bell trilled, jolting me out of my thoughts as I scrambled to get my things together, shoving them roughly into my bag before throwing the small leather backpack on my shoulders, and trying to figure out a route to the dining hall for lunch.

  I mentally patted myself on the back as I walked through the large double-doors into the opulent room. Well, more like a five-star restaurant because no vamp would ever let their kid eat in a reg
ular, lowly high school cafeteria. I wasn’t really complaining; the food was usually amazing in our schools.

  Grabbing a tray, I loaded it up with food, I definitely wasn’t the type to only eat a salad and fuss about being in the same vicinity as carbs. I scanned the heavily crowded room, searching for an empty table, my eyes landing on my brother who was joking with some guy lounging on a seat with his back to me.

  I thought about joining him for a moment before I decided better of it. Jared and I may actually have a close relationship, but I definitely didn’t want to test that out in public. Sighing to myself, I resumed my search for an empty seat, my gaze traveling to a pair of glass doors which led out to a courtyard, lit with old-fashioned wrought-iron lampposts and filled with yet more tables, though these were more sparsely occupied.

  Letting out a breath of relief, I grabbed an empty table by an outcrop of trees, away from the noisy crowd, and set my tray down in front of me. I straddled the wooden bench and leaned back on my palms, staring up at the stars that glinted above me. I had always loved the night sky, always felt more at home under the soft glow of the full moon.

  A shadow fell across me, startling me out of my peaceful thoughts. I looked up to see a familiar-looking girl with silver-gray eyes and long brown hair, who I was pretty sure was in my algebra class looking down at me.

  “You’re in my seat,” she sneered, an arrogant expression plastered across her face.

  I looked down slowly before meeting her gaze. “I don’t see your name on it.”

  I was a little shocked by my attitude, to be honest. Sure, the thoughts crossed my mind when someone was being an asshat, but I didn’t usually speak them out loud. That was asking for more trouble than it was worth, so I’d trained myself to remain quiet while being picked on. I was even more shocked when the girl in front of me let out a tinkling laugh before she plopped down on the bench across from me.

  “She’s got sass, I think I’ll keep you,” she said, thrusting a hand toward me. “I’m Emalia, but you can call me Emi.”

  “Alex,” I said in response, grasping her outstretched hand lightly as we both relaxed in our seats.

  “So, are you a first-year, too?” she asked, studying me with interest as she took a bite of her pizza.

  “Yup,” I replied, not going into any more detail.

  “Well, welcome to St. Vlad’s. The name isn’t super tasteful, the course load is supposed to be pretty impossible, and most of the students are actually certifiable, but other than that, it’s supposed to be a great place to be.”

  “Well, after such an amazing pep talk, I know this place won’t totally suck.” I snapped open the top of my soda can before I met her gaze. “So most of the students are crazy, huh? Do you fall into that category?”

  She grinned. “Totally, but only the best kinds of crazy.” A solemn expression crossed her face as she continued, “Seriously though, you need to be careful who you get mixed up with here. Most of the guys are your typical knuckle-dragging jocks, but some of them can be kind of dangerous, so never let yourself be backed into a corner with one of them. And the girls here are like a sociopathic, violent version of the plastics from Mean Girls, so you really don’t want to cross them, either.”

  The reference to the old classic was so unexpected that I spit out the mouthful of Pepsi I’d been trying to swallow, causing Emi to roar with laughter and toss me a few napkins as I spluttered and choked.

  “So you know anyone else here at Vlad’s?” she asked once I’d gotten my coughing under control.

  “I have a brother and two sisters who go here, but you’re the first person I’ve met otherwise.”

  Her eyes sparkled in curiosity. “Anyone I’d know?”

  As I opened my mouth to respond, I hear a familiar voice call my name in the nearly deserted courtyard. Emi’s mouth dropped open in surprise and her cheeks flushed a pale pink as a blush spread across her face. I turned to see Jared walking toward us.

  “Hey, Emi,” he said, his voice raising an octave as a blush crossed his cheeks. I arched my brow at him, clearing my throat softly, and he jumped as if he forgot my presence. “Uh, I see you’ve met my sister.”

  She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes widening as she looked back and forth between the two of us, trying to spot the similarity. Like I said, if not for a slight resemblance to my mom, I would have thought I was adopted. His copper hair and warm brown eyes were a complete contrast to my dark hair and green eyes, though we did share the same high cheekbones and slightly upturned nose.

  “So what’s up, Jare?” I asked as he sat down next to me, his eyes never leaving Emi’s.

  I groaned quietly, kicking him gently under the table to get his attention. He grunted, tearing his gaze from the girl in front of us. I suspected I wasn’t the only reason he’d come over to say hi. Typical.

  “Just wanted to check to see how you’re doing,” he mumbled, his cheeks flaming as I grinned.

  “Jared!” I jumped as a voice shrieked across the courtyard and noticed my brother pale.

  I whipped my head around to the source of the inhuman screech. My gaze found an impossibly gorgeous, leggy vampire who was making her way toward us, tossing her chestnut-colored hair over her shoulder as she strutted closer. I was actually impressed she didn’t once stumble since she wore the highest pair of heels I had ever seen—seriously, they made me shudder and my feet cramped at the sight of them.

  “Hey, Athena.” Jared could barely suppress the groan in his voice as the newcomer reached our table, throwing on what I assumed to be an attempt at a sultry pout.

  I nearly spat my soda across the table again. So this was Athena Michaels, Torah’s best friend and the chick who had been practically stalking Jared for the last year, refusing to take the hint he wasn’t interested.

  “You and Roman never came to say hi,” she pouted, pushing her chest out a little as she wrapped her hands around his arm.

  I fought back the urge to gag at the girl’s over-the-top attempt to flirt. Jared had vented to me all summer about how she would not take no for an answer, thinking they were destined to be together no matter how many times he rebuked her advances.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out her obsession with him was mostly due to our family’s status… and what that status would do for her.

  My pained expression drew her attention to where Emi and I sat.

  “Oh no, did the freak take you hostage?” she asked, a malicious smile curving her candyfloss-pink lips. “You should learn to stop trying to date above your pay grade, Emalia. Jared may be too nice to say anything, but your obsession with him is really becoming a problem.”

  I couldn’t help the snort that came out, and all eyes darted to me in surprise. Athena shot me a distasteful look as she checked me out. Her almond-shaped eyes—carrying the weight of far too much makeup—scanned me up and down.

  “So, the loser finally made a friend?”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but the snarky girl held up a hand to cut me off, flipping her hair over her shoulder once again.

  “I really don’t care… Losers always seem to find each other; Jared and I are going to find some people who actually matter and leave you two to whatever lame crap you do.”

  She smiled at Jared expectantly, her hand still wrapped tightly around his arm, giving him a slight tug as if she thought he would follow her. She really didn’t know my brother as well as she thought she did. He absolutely hated bullies and wouldn’t want to hang out with anyone after they were such an asshat to someone who did nothing to deserve it.

  Emi, who had been staring at Athena with absolute hatred in her eyes, perked up, a mischievous smile blooming across her face. “Actually, Jared was planning on having lunch with his sister, weren’t you, Jare?”

  Relief spread across his face as he nodded eagerly, shooting a hard smile at Athena.

  “But Torah and Rhea are already at our table, sweetie.”

  “Wrong sisters.” I smiled brightly, gi
ving her a small wave.

  A camera would have been a great investment at that moment when the realization dawned on her face. “Oh, so you’re her. Torah told me about you.” A small snort flew from her before she noticed Jared’s expression, warning her to continue.

  With a slight huff, she turned her back and stomped back to the main building.

  “Alex, she didn’t mean—”

  “I know exactly what she meant, Jare,” I said with a sigh. There was no doubt that Torah had told her all about the shame of having a Void in the family.

  Emi looked like she was about to ask what the heck that was about. She probably wondered how a member of the Morgan family let someone disrespect them like that, but obviously thought better about it.

  I scrambled through my brain, trying to think of something to say to ease the tension that was now thick at the table, when I noticed yet another person heading toward our table.

  It was my turn to let out a breath as light from the lamps crossed his face, highlighting a face that belonged to the hottest guy I’d ever laid eyes on. Though he looked different from my drawing—his jaw was smooth and there was an absence of the scar on his chin—there was no mistaking the dark hair and shocking blue eyes. It was him.

  The literal guy from my dreams was here, and he was walking over toward our table.

  3

  Alex

  I watched with my mouth open as the guy strolled over to us with ease and fist-bumped my brother as if they had been friends for years. Then, he flashed a killer smile to Emi and me, while I tried to regain feeling in my face.

  Emi helped by reaching over to me with one finger and slowly lifted my jaw off the table. I shot her a smile in thanks and she just winked at me.