I’ve already made a list of the pros and cons of accepting her offer. Honestly, the only con I see right now is the unlikelihood that I’ll survive the semester.
“Most Idols hate my kind. The incident with those boys at the diner is proof of that.”
“You’ll be safer in the academy than outside. I can control my students while they’re on school premises.” She pauses and cocks her head to the side. “So what’s it going to be, Daisy? Can I expect to see you in my office Monday morning?”
Stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. I’m penniless, soon to be homeless, and have a kid sister to think about. At the end of the day, the only choice I truly have is how I’m going down, swinging or running. I choose swinging. I’m not going to put my sister’s life in jeopardy just because a few Idol assholes have a grudge against me.
“Yes. I’ll be there.”
When I return to the backstage area to collect my things—aka my Poppy’s Joint uniform—Mr. X is waiting for me next to them. It seems all the girls have gone home, so it’s just me and the boss. I’m still only wearing my bra and panties, but his gaze doesn’t wander from my face.
“Did you arrange that meeting?” I cross my arms.
“Yes.”
“When did you call that woman?”
“As soon as I agreed to let you work here.”
“And did you also create that little blackout just as I was about to strip naked?”
“Yup.” He nods.
“Why?” I pull out the chair in front of the lit-up mirror, feeling bone-tired all of a sudden. My reflection confirms that.
“Because you’re a good kid, and you deserve better than to serve greasy food and scrub dirty floors. You definitely deserve better than degrading yourself for a bunch of hateful Idols.”
“You don’t mind that Satine does it.”
Mr. X looks taken aback. “What does she have to do with anything?”
I roll my eyes. “Please. I know you’re sleeping with her.”
“How?” He shakes his head. “Never mind. See, that’s what I’m talking about. You’re smart. Perceptive. I want you to have a better future than the Satines and Felicitys of the world.”
Resting my elbows on my knees, I sag my shoulders forward. “Why are you helping me? And please, I want an honest answer.”
His gaze darkens for a second before he pulls a chair in front of mine and takes a seat. “I can’t give you all the answers, Daisy. You just have to find them out for yourself.”
“What kind of baloney answer is that? You’re helping me for a reason, and I want to know why.”
Mr. X runs a hand through his hair and glances away. “You called me an Idol before. For once, you were wrong.”
“Uh, what?”
He stares into my eyes. “I’m not an Idol, Daisy. I’m a level six Fringe.”
“No way, Jose. I can sense the difference between Idols and Fringes. You feel way more power than a six.”
“An illusion. I’m a Morph. I can not only change my appearance, but I can also project more power than what I have. That’s the reason I want to help you. Sure, I’m a Fringe. Even if I couldn’t fake being an Idol, life would be easier for me than for you. That is, if I didn’t grow up south of the border.”
I stare at him, trying to sniff out the lie, but I catch no sign that he’s being untruthful. “I had no idea.”
“You’re the only person who knows aside from Jodie. So there you have it, Daisy. The reason why I’m so keen on helping you. There’s no secret agenda here, no ulterior motive.”
I stare at my hands, feeling foolish and small. And here I thought I had everything figured out thanks to my father’s diary. It contains loads of information about Idols, Fringes, and even the mysterious Knights. But it read more like a schoolbook, factual. Maybe the world isn’t as black and white as I thought it was.
“Thank you,” I finally say. “For everything you’ve done for me.”
Mr. X smiles and his entire face lights up. “You’re welcome.”
“Just one more question. Which one is your true form? Poppy or Mr. X?”
He snorts. “What do you think, girl?” He runs his hand over his flat belly and puffs his chest out.
“Right.” I reach for my T-shirt, remembering I’m still half naked.
“One more thing before you go home. Whatever you do, don’t ever let anyone know who your father was. I mean it, Daisy.”
I put the T-shirt on and then ask, “Have you always known about my true identity?”
“Yes.” Mr. X curls his left hand into a fist and rests it on the vanity next to him.
“How?” I pay close attention to him. He shared his secret with me, but he’s still hiding stuff. I can sense it.
He doesn’t answer for several beats, then sighs loudly. “Your father was an old friend, and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”
“That’s not fair.”
He laughs without humor. “Since when is life fair?”
Pouting, I cross my arms. “Your friend Jodie knows about my father too. Was she one of his friends?”
“I don’t know, Daisy. Truly. But she’s already one person too many who knows about your secret. You have to be careful.”
A sliver of apprehension lodges itself in my heart. How did the principal of Gifted Academy know my father was Paul Rodale?
“Don’t worry, Mr. X. I know why my father died. I won’t make the same mistake he did.”
8
Rufio
A blinding light penetrates my closed eyelids, and with it, the most excruciating headache. With a groan, I drag the pillow over my head and bury farther under the covers.
Fuck me. How much did I have to drink last night?
The shrieking sound of Phoenix’s alarm pierces my eardrums despite his room being on the other side of the apartment I share with him, my brother, and Morpheus.
“Goddamn it, Phoenix! Shut that thing off!” Morpheus yells from his bedroom.
My door bursts open and someone walks in. That does it. I sit up with a jerky movement and prepare to kill whoever was dumb enough to barge into my room.
“Good morning, sunshine.” Bryce leisurely sits on my desk and takes a bite of the apple in his hand.
“Get out!” I yell, immediately regretting it. White-hot pain shoots across my forehead. I dip my chin and press the heel of my hand against my temple. “Fuuuck.”
“Feeling a little hungover there, little brother?”
“Fuck you.”
“Nah, I’ll pass. I can’t believe you’re still feeling rough. You’ve slept through Sunday. I had to come check on you several times to make sure you were still breathing.” There’s humor in my brother’s voice. Asshole.
“I feel like I’ve been hit by an eighteen-wheeler,” I croak.
“You look like it.”
I flip him off.
“So, what do you remember about Saturday night?”
“I remember wanting to kill the bitch Norm who threw pie in my face and you not letting me.” I lift my chin to glare at him.
He shrugs. “That wouldn’t have been as much fun as you thought. Besides, she didn’t do it. You can thank Phoenix and his telekinesis for that.”
“That son of a bitch.”
I should’ve known, but I was dying to put that waitress in her place, and Phoenix just gave me the excuse I needed—not that I truly need one.
“Yeah, anyway, so that’s it? You don’t remember us going to Unearthly Desires at all?”
Fuzzy memories about the place begin to trickle into my mind. “I remember drinking to the point of alcohol poisoning, so thanks for letting me do that.”
“Stop being a little bitch. Like you’d die of alcohol poisoning.”
He’s right. I wouldn’t. I’m too high up on the Idol power scale for that. But I’m pissed and in the mood to whine.
“Did I at least get a lap dance from Satine?” Here’s me hoping for a positive outcome. T
hat Fringe sure knows how to move her hips.
“Nope.” Bryce takes another bite of his apple and stares out the window.
“Fucking great. Why are you asking me if I remember anything?” I watch him closely. “What did I do?”
Bryce turns to me, his eyes widely innocent, but the corners of his lips twitch upward. “I could tell you, but it’ll be more entertaining to just watch you regain your memories slowly.”
The son of a bitch smirks at me. If I wasn’t so hungover, I’d wipe the grin right off his smug face.
My stomach churns, and bile rises in my throat. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
I throw my legs to the side of the bed and stand up fast, regretting my decision immediately. The entire room begins to spin. Fuck this shit. There isn’t only alcohol in my system. I must have taken something else.
“If you’re going to puke your guts out, you’d better do it fast. Mom would like a word with you before you head to class.”
“I’ll call her later.”
Bryce jumps off my desk and throws his half-eaten apple in my trash bin.
“Damn it, Bryce. You know that’s only for paper.”
He gives me a droll stare. “Mom wants to see you in person, so get ready fast, and don’t run your mouth. I would really like a tranquil week for once.”
“Tranquil? Who the fuck are you? A hundred-year-old sage from China? Besides, you were the one who wanted to visit Normville for pie, not me.”
Just thinking about that fucking diner and that damn waitress makes my blood boil. Fine, she didn’t throw pie at me on purpose, but she was defiant. She didn’t cower like most Norms do, like she should.
Who does she think she is?
“Get ready.” Bryce points his bossy finger at me on his way out.
I flip him off, even though he can’t see the gesture.
The sickness has passed. I guess anger is the cure for everything. When I find that Norm waitress, she’ll learn to never cross an Idol again.
DAISY
My body is shaking and my stomach is tied in knots while I pack my bag for school. Everything happened so fast, I didn’t have the chance to move into the academy dorm yet. I still can’t believe I’m going to Gifted Academy. This all sounds like a dream. Or maybe it’s a trap.
Oh God. What if it’s a trap?
Now I’m sweating.
“You’ve packed and unpacked that bag five times already,” Rosie says from her spot on my bed. She’s hugging her knees with her unbroken arm and watching me with wide eyes.
“I don’t know what to bring,” I say.
“I’d only bring a notebook and pen. I doubt they use the same schoolbooks the public Norm school does.” I detect bitterness in her tone, and my heart becomes even heavier.
“Maybe once I graduate next year, you can get a scholarship. But you need to maintain your good grades.”
Rosie shakes her head. “Hell no. I don’t want to go to that school. Only Idols and Fringes go there. I’d be scared out of my wits. I can’t believe you’re actually going. Those people are monsters.”
I clench my jaw and count to five in my head. Until two days ago, I thought the same thing about Idols. But now, knowing what I know, I can’t honestly put all Idols and Fringes into the Evilest of All category. There’s no black and white in life, only different shades of gray.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime, Rosie. I can’t let fear keep me away from a better future.”
“A lifetime that will for sure be cut short.” She huffs and glances away. “There won’t be a better future if you die.”
I walk around the bed and sit next to her. “Hey. I’m going to be okay, Rosie. We are going to be okay. I promise.”
Her bright blue eyes are brimming with unshed tears. She throws her arm around my neck and holds on to me for dear life, her cast pressing against my chest. “I’m so scared, Daisy. I don’t want to lose you. You’re all I have in this world.”
“You’re not going to lose me.” I try to keep my voice strong, but I choke in the end.
“You’re still going to keep looking for Starlight Island, right?”
I had to tell Rosie about the island, even though I didn’t believe it truly existed. Believing there was a place in the world where Norms could truly live without fear was what kept her nightmares at bay.
I ease out of the embrace and look into her eyes. “Yes. I’ll never stop looking, Rosie.”
Not a lie. I made a promise to Dad and intend to keep it, despite my feelings on the matter.
“Anyway, I paid Mrs. Wilmot the rent that was due plus the rent for the next three weeks.”
Thanks to Principal Fallon’s financial aid advance. I didn’t even have to ask. Once I accepted her offer, she just handed over an envelope filled with money.
“And here is some extra cash for groceries and emergencies. Don’t spend it on junk, Rosie. My scholarship doesn’t allow me to work, so there won’t be more until the end of the month.”
“Okay.” Rosie counts the bills with round eyes. “Wow, it’s more money than I’ve ever seen.”
Her comment makes my heart constrict tightly in my chest. I tried my best to provide for her, but the first few years of life on the road were hard on us. Relatives helped us in the beginning, but staying with them for too long was risky. I knew the Idols who killed our parents were looking for us, so we moved constantly, sometimes staying with friends, other times sleeping under bridges or in abandoned buildings. It was only when we arrived in Saturn’s Bay and I got the job at Poppy’s Joint that things became a little easier.
“I know. But you have to be responsible with it, Rosie. You’re no longer a child.” I pat her shoulder.
She lifts her chin higher and narrows her gaze. “I haven’t been a child since we lost Mom and Dad.”
A lump gets stuck in my throat, and my heart splits down the middle with a loud crack. Rosie is only fourteen years old. She shouldn’t sound like a bitter old woman.
A knock on the door breaks the tense atmosphere.
“Daisy, the school’s driver is here to pick you up.”
“Crap.” I hastily fill my bag with all the stuff lying on the bed. Rosie is probably right. I won’t need most of what I’m packing. “I’m coming.”
I hoist the backpack, now bursting at the seams, and turn around to look at my reflection in the mirror. I don’t have my uniform yet, so I’m wearing the best outfit I own, which is a pair of dark jeans and a white button-down shirt I got at a garage sale two weeks ago. It had major yellow stains on the front, but other than that, it was almost brand new. Bleach took care of the stains, but nothing can be done about the old-fashioned, boxy style.
“How do I look?” I ask.
“Like a complete fish out of water.”
I spare Rosie a glare on my way to the door. “Thanks a lot, brat. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“If you don’t get yourself killed on your first day at school.”
I stick my tongue out, but it’s only to hide the growing fear that’s making me sick to my stomach. I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but there’s a high chance that what Rosie said might come to pass, despite Principal Fallon’s assurances. I’ve heard the school grounds are vast, and the lady can’t monitor her students 24-7. I wish I hadn’t lost Dad’s special dagger on the day he died. I’d feel much safer if I had a weapon that could kill Idols.
Mrs. Wilmot is just outside our bedroom. I wouldn’t put it past the woman to have been eavesdropping on my conversation with Rosie.
“The driver is waiting,” she says, trying to appear innocent.
“Yeah. I’ll be there in a second. I need to grab my jacket. It’s drying in the back.”
“What do you need a jacket for in this heat?”
I ignore the woman and keep walking toward the kitchen door. Once outside, I peer over my shoulder to make sure she’s not spying on me from the window. She’s not, so I walk past the line of clothes drying in the
sun and circle around the old storage shed. I drop into a crouch and remove the stone I used as a marker. Sticking my hands into the warm dirt, I dig until my fingers brush against the plastic I wrapped around my most precious possession: Dad’s diary.
It’s a risk bringing it to a place where I’ll be surrounded by Idols. If anyone finds out who my father was and what he discovered about those powerful beings, I’ll be dead meat for sure. But I can’t part with it. It’s the only thing I have left of him, and maybe I’ll finally be able to make sense of his final entry. The one that got him killed.
9
Rufio
I can guess why Mom dearest wants to talk to me so urgently that it couldn’t wait until the school day was over. I’m sure she heard about our visit to the Norm joint. What I don’t get is why I’m the one being called into a meeting and not Bryce. It was his brilliant idea, after all.
I don’t bother knocking on her door before I walk into her office. She’s sitting behind her desk with her gaze glued to the laptop screen.
“You had quite the evening, didn’t you, Rufio?” she says without glancing my way. The glare from the screen reflects on her pale, wrinkle-free skin. Mom is hitting the Botox needle for sure. Idols, no matter how powerful they are, can’t avoid getting old.
“Eh, nothing out of the ordinary.” I drop on the seat and then tilt it back, crossing my legs at the ankles on top of Mom’s desk.
With a flick of her wrist, she pushes my legs back on the floor and the chair drops forward with a loud thud. Damn her telekinesis. She swivels in her seat and rests her elbows on the desk. Her eyebrows are scrunched together, and the muscles around her mouth are as tense as hell.
“As much as I’d like to give you a tongue-lashing for the commotion you caused at that Norm establishment, I didn’t call you here for that.”
Wicked Gods: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 1) Page 5