What the hell?
I cover my ears with my hands to no avail. It was already hard to concentrate before, but now it’s impossible. There’s only one thing I can do. Fuckity fuck. That’s just what I need, to antagonize another one of the special kids in this school. Well, there’s nothing for it. It’s either make the noise stop or forget getting any homework done.
With a clench of my jaw, I march out of my room and head to my neighbor’s door. I knock on it as hard as I can, hoping whoever is inside can hear me banging over the loud music. I must have spent at least a minute outside, hammering on the wooden surface, before it finally opens.
My jaw drops. Standing in front of me, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, is Bryce. His hair is wet, and drops of water glisten on his wide chest. Of course he goes here too. My throat becomes dry, and I lose my ability to speak.
“Yes?” he asks, sounding bored.
“Uh, your music. Do you mind turning it down a notch?”
He frowns. “Yes, I do mind.”
He begins to shut the door on me, but I brace my hand against it, keeping it open. Well, only because he let me. I’m sure he could shut it—and break my arm in the process—with the bat of an eye.
“Please. I’m trying to study,” I say.
“Wear noise-canceling headphones.” He sounds exasperated.
“I don’t have noise-canceling headphones,” I say through clenched teeth, quickly losing my patience. My bad temper will definitely be the death of me.
“You’re kidding, right?” His eyebrows arch, and I don’t think it’s a gesture of mock surprise. He sounds genuine.
“Do I look like I’m kidding? I was waiting tables at a diner two days ago. Do you think I can afford fancy electronics?”
The guy lets out a loud exhale, then runs his hands through his hair. My eyes drop to his chest and his washboard abs. My gaze keeps going south until it lands on that V that makes women go gaga.
Shit. Why am I ogling this Idol, for crying out loud?
Because you have blood pumping in your veins and aren’t blind.
Shut up, whore.
“What did you say?” He cocks his head to the side.
Wait. Did I say those words out loud, or did he read my mind?
What if he did? Shit. Then he knows I find him attractive and that I wish his towel would drop to the floor.
Daisy, stop thinking.
“Stay here.” He turns around and disappears inside his apartment, leaving the door semi-open.
Curious, I push it back and stick my head in. Whoa. This is much bigger than my room. Not that I’m complaining about my new accommodations, but this is nice. He even has a small kitchen and TV room. There are four doors, two on each side. Maybe he has roommates.
He walks out of one of those doors, totally catching me snooping. I jump back into the hallway, no doubt looking hella guilty.
“Here.” He hands me a pair of expensive-looking headphones.
“What is that?”
“Compromising. You want to study, and I want to listen to my music as loud as I can.”
I take the headphones with care, afraid they’ll electrocute me. “Thanks. I’ll give them ba—”
“Don’t bother. You’re going to need them more than once.”
“Why are you being nice to me?” The question bursts out before I can stop the words.
He blinks a couple of times and furrows his eyebrows. “I’m not sure.”
At least he’s honest.
“Well, thank you.” I take a step back.
“You’re welcome.” He gives me an impish grin, and then the towel around his waist drops right before he closes the door.
Son of a bitch. He did hear my thoughts.
It doesn’t matter. Holy cow. I’m going to need a cold shower now.
14
Daisy
One thing I never skipped on, not even in our darkest days living in the streets, was my morning run. When you live in a world where there are people so much stronger than you, you have to hone any skill possible. To me, it was learning to fight and improving my endurance. I always dragged Rosie with me on my runs, even though she’d much rather stay in bed. I sure hope she doesn’t start to slack off now that we don’t live together anymore.
Before the scorching sun of Saturn’s Bay is up, I slip out of the dorm building and go on an exploratory run. Toby gave me a map of the campus grounds yesterday, so at least I have an idea of where I’m heading.
The midnight blue sky is beginning to fade into orange. The early birds are chirping, and the air is still cool. I take a deep breath and put my headphones on—not the ones Bryce gave me since they’re not compatible with the prehistoric CD player I have. After a quick stretch, I take off, loving the feel of the wind on my face.
I circle around the entire campus a couple times first, which takes me roughly an hour. Then I aim for the sports center, which is comprised of four large fields and a gym where the indoor sports are held. They also have a swimming pool. I’m curious about it. My old school didn’t even have a gym, much less a pool.
Breathing hard, I try the front door. It’s unlocked. The janitor is probably already here. I don’t have much time to explore the entire building—sunup is around the corner, and I need to shower and grab some chow before heading to class—so I aim straight for the swimming pool, naturally.
It’s down the hallway, and before I pass through the double doors, I can already smell the chlorine. Inside, the humidity level is off the charts. It’s also pretty warm, which is mind-boggling considering the weather is still nice out. I approach the edge of the pool and drop into a crouch to stick my hands in the lukewarm water. Man, a swim right now would be nice. If only I had the time.
The sound of something crashing scares the crap out of me. I uncurl from my crouch and go investigate. There are a bunch of chairs stacked up and pushed against the wall, but I don’t see anyone.
“Hello? Anyone there?”
No reply.
You’re probably hearing things, Daisy. Or maybe it’s one of Phoenix’s hallucinations.
I hope not.
I’m about to turn around when a girl jumps from behind a column to my right and falls on top of me.
“Help me,” she cries out.
Her hair and clothes are disheveled, and there’s blood oozing freely from her nose.
“What happened to you?”
“Please, you have to help me.” She’s shaking, and her terror is clear in her red-rimmed eyes.
“Okay. I’ll take you to the nurse.” I begin to drag her toward the exit, but she digs her nails into my arms.
“No, no nurse.”
“Are you crazy? You’re bleeding from your nos—”
Her eyes roll back into their sockets, and she becomes lead in my arms. She’s out cold. My muscles strain against her weight, but I manage to keep her off the floor.
“Help!” I yell.
No answer. Fucking great. What is this girl doing here all by herself, and what happened to her?
No time to figure out.
With the best of my ability, I lift her into my arms and walk out of the building. I’m in good shape, but I’m not strong enough to carry someone all the way back to the main building. It’s at least a fifteen-minute stretch. I also don’t know if I have enough time. What if she’s having a stroke or overdosing on something?
When my arms are about to fall off, a dark figure steps on the path, coming from behind a couple of tall bushes to my left. The sun has already made its appearance on the horizon, so there’s no mistaking who it is.
Morpheus.
He seems surprised to see me there, and not because I’m carrying a half-dead girl in my arms. His gaze didn’t even register her. No, his dark eyes are glued to my face. When he doesn’t move or say anything, I take action.
“Please, I need help. I can’t carry her anymore.”
He blinks a few times and finally strides my way. H
e stares at the girl’s face for a couple of seconds before he grabs her wrist and checks her pulse.
“Stupid Fringes,” he mutters. “Hand her over.”
I transfer her to Morpheus’s waiting arms, and before I can blink, he takes off, moving faster than a speed runner. He disappears down the corner before I can catch up. There’s only one place he can take her, so to the nurse’s office I go. But once I’m inside the school building, I can’t remember which way the infirmary is. I haven’t had a chance to memorize the entire map yet.
I look at the clock on the wall. Crap. It’s already six thirty. I gotta go back to my room and get ready.
On the way, I can’t help the anxiety swirling in my chest. So far, my first twenty-four hours at this school have been everything I expected they would be and nothing like it at all. I hope Morpheus got to the nurse in time.
I glance down at my white tank top. It’s bloodstained in the middle. Not the biggest of my concerns right now.
I’m lost in my turmoil and distracted when I sense the presence of someone nearby. Before I can lift my gaze, a rough hand encircles my forearm and whips me around, shoving me against the wall. Morpheus.
“What are you doing? Let me go.”
“Where did you find Alicia Stones?” His tone is cold and hard.
“By the pool. Just let me go already.” I struggle against his hold to no avail.
“Did you see anyone else there?”
“No. What’s with the ten thousand questions?”
Instead of answering or releasing my arm, Morpheus moves closer and wraps his hand around my neck.
“You’re not even here a day and have managed to cause trouble. I know exactly who you are, Daisy.”
My heart skips a bit, and it feels like I swallowed a hundred lead balls. He can’t possibly know the truth, unless…. Did he already break into my dorm room and find my father’s diary? I made a cut in the bottom of the mattress and hid the diary inside, but I suppose if someone was really looking for something, they’d find it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Morpheus’s brown eyes darken and narrow until they’re nothing but slits. “Why are you truly here?”
“I was offered a scholarship. Didn’t you get the memo?”
Morpheus squeezes my throat tighter, seriously impairing my ability to breathe. If he keeps going, I’ll be the one passing out.
“Don’t be a smart mouth. You have no idea what I can do to you.”
“What? Do you want to kill me? Get in line. Your buddy Rufio already called dibs on Saturday. Before he tried to cop a feel, of course.”
Morpheus finally releases me and I wheeze, trying to get air in. I touch my throat, which is tender now.
“You don’t simply go from waitress and stripper to Gifted Academy material. Someone important wanted you here, though to what end, I don’t know. But trust me, Daisy. I will find out.”
Yeah, someone important, like your own fucking principal, you moron. I want to shout the words in his face, but I can’t. Principal Fallon didn’t ask for secrecy, but I do know this is not information I should be tossing out to the wind. I’m not even aware of what her agenda is.
“Why does it bother you so much that I’m here? I’m a Norm, irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, but you sure go out of your way to pester me. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Because you don’t know your place.”
“And where is that? Oh, let me guess: serving greasy food and taking off my clothes. Is that it?”
Morpheus’s lips curl into an ugly grin. “Precisely.”
“Well, sorry to disappoint you, buddy. Despite my circumstances and the fact that I’ve had to work several jobs since I was ten in order to survive, I’m still a top student. If you think your antics and bullying will force me to abandon my dreams, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’ll be your funeral, then.”
I laugh derisively. “Do you think death threats scare me? Boy, you know nothing.”
My heart is thundering. I’m bluffing big-time now. I’m scared shitless of this guy. His power is coiling around his body like a snake, tight and ready to be unleashed. I’m positively certain he can do terrible things to me.
He smiles, a chilling gesture on his angry face. “Not for long.”
He whirls around and leaves me standing in the hallway with my heart stuck in my throat. I wait until he disappears around the corner to exhale.
And then I realize I didn’t ask about the girl I found in the pool area. He said her name was Alicia Stones. I’ll have to go check on her later. I got the impression that Morpheus knew exactly what happened to her. If there’s something suspicious going on here, I have to find out.
15
Morpheus
I’m chilled to the bone by the time I reach our secret hangout spot, a massive tree house atop one of the tallest trees in the forest surrounding the school premises. This is the place Rufio, Phoenix, and I come to when we want to relax. Bryce knows the location, but he never comes here. I’ve known him almost my entire life, but the guy is still an enigma.
The shadows, a side effect of my premonition gift, are stronger than ever today. The ancient Egyptian bracelets I wear in order to keep a leash on the power I can’t control yet are barely effective right now. As a matter of fact, the shadows have been relentless since I crossed paths with Daisy, which only makes me more certain that she’s bad news.
I’m not surprised when I find Rufio and Phoenix already lounging in the comfortable chairs in the main area of our recreational hideout. Sure, we share an apartment, but Bryce frowns upon certain things we do to entertain ourselves, such as the use of Silver-voltage, our drug of choice. The stronger we are on the Idol power scale, the less susceptible we are to most drugs. Silver-voltage is the only thing that affects us.
“Where have you been?” Phoenix looks at me before he sprays Silver-voltage on his shirt sleeve and brings it to his nose.
“Dealing with a fucking situation.” I drop into the empty chair and grab the fleece blanket that was lying on the floor. The fucking shadows always make me cold.
“What situation?” Rufio watches me intensely, toying with the bottle of Silver-voltage in his hand.
“Alicia Stones overdosed on Silver-voltage.”
Phoenix shakes his head. “Stupid bitch.”
Rufio narrows his eyes to slits. “And how was that your problem? Please don’t tell me you were the one who gave her a dose.”
I give him a droll stare. “When have you ever seen me mingling with Fringes? No, I didn’t give her Silver-voltage, but I ended up having to take care of the girl anyway thanks to Daisy.”
Both Rufio and Phoenix sit straighter in their chairs.
“What does Daisy have anything to do with Alicia?” Rufio asks.
“She found her in the pool area. She was carrying Alicia to the infirmary when I bumped into her.”
“Wait, Daisy was helping Alicia? Why?” Phoenix asks.
“Don’t fucking know. But I’ll tell you one thing, she’s definitely not your garden-variety Norm, and that’s not my gift talking. That girl doesn’t intimidate that easily.”
“She was immune to your powers?” Phoenix raises an eyebrow as he offers me the Silver-voltage bottle in his hand.
“Didn’t test that yet.” I spray the clear liquid on my shirt and take a deep breath of the fumes. It’s like inhaling cheap perfume. Almost immediately, the shadows retreat and my body temperature returns to normal. The tension in my limbs vanishes too.
“Why not?” Rufio asks.
His question gives me pause. I could’ve easily scared the girl this morning and sent her packing. But something held me back. Maybe it was morbid curiosity.
“I want to see how far we can push her before she caves. Using my power on her would be too easy,” I reply.
Rufio snorts, which earns him a curious look from Phoenix.
&nbs
p; “I’ve been meaning to ask you. What the hell was that all about in math class?” Phoenix asks.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Rufio’s expression reveals nothing.
“Really? You wanted to kill the girl a few days ago, and yesterday you were more than happy to lend her your tablet,” Phoenix continues.
“I didn’t think she’d be able to solve that math problem.” Rufio’s lips curl into a wicked smile. “Are you jealous, bro?”
Phoenix laughs. “Jealous? Of you? Give me a break. I’ll have little Daisy wrapped around my finger by the end of the week. You should’ve seen how turned on she was when I sent her a little preview of what’s to come.” The idiot wiggles his eyebrows up and down.
I shake my head. I have yet to see a girl, be her a Norm, Fringe, or Idol, who’s resisted his charms.
Rufio leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Do you want to put money on it?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Are you really going to do that again? See who can sleep with the fresh meat first?” I roll my eyes, sinking down farther in my chair.
Phoenix shrugs. “Why not? It’s always fun to trick an idiotic girl into believing we care.”
“No, that’s not what I’m talking about,” Rufio says. “Seducing a Norm chick would be too easy. The game is making her fall in love.”
“And why do you think that would be a challenge? Girls fall in love with you two every day,” I point out.
Rufio leans back in his chair, smiling smugly. “I’m a pretty good reader of people, and Daisy hates us as much as we hate her.”
I watch my friend through narrowed slits. “So, is that going to be your revenge against her? Breaking her heart? I have to say, it’s a little tame for you. Where’s the blood?”
“Oh, don’t worry. Once the vipers in school learn Phoenix and I are vying for little Daisy’s attention, they’ll bring the stick and stones.” Rufio laces his fingers behind his head. “All I have to do is sit back and watch.”
My chest feels tight all of a sudden. I recognize the reaction immediately for what it is, my premonition gift manifesting. If I hadn’t taken Silver-voltage, I could be having a vision right now. Thankfully it’s been months since I last had one.
Wicked Gods: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 1) Page 8