"I'll get a new one." I head for my room, done with the scene.
"Where are you going?" Rufio asks.
"Take a guess, Sherlock," I reply without looking in his direction.
"There's been another incident involving a Fringe and Silver-voltage," Morpheus says out of the blue.
I pause and then slowly turn around. "And we should care because…?"
Morpheus’s blood drains from his face. He glances away, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm not saying we should give a rat's ass. I was—"
"Gossiping." Phoenix chuckles. "Who do you think is supplying Silver-voltage to those Fringes? That shit ain't cheap."
"Who cares? If they’re stupid enough to take the drug knowing it’s dangerous to them, I say good riddance." Rufio reaches for the cigarette pack on the coffee table and fishes one out.
“Alicia Stones is dead,” Morpheus says, trying to sound nonchalant, but the timbre of his voice is slightly different, tighter.
“What? When did that happen?” Phoenix plops on the couch and steals a cigarette from Rufio.
“Last night. Her sister texted me to let me know.” Morpheus walks to the window, not making eye contact with any of us.
“So you’re chummy with the Fringes now, huh?” Phoenix jokes.
“Shut up, blondie,” Rufio snaps.
Phoenix lights the cigarette and flips Rufio off.
Morpheus looks over his shoulder. “My parents are Fringes, or have you forgotten?”
Phoenix looks genuinely surprised. “Oh yeah. That’s right. I actually did forget.”
I stare at the ceiling. “Fuck a duck. I’m surrounded by idiots.”
“I thought you were leaving?” My brother raises an eyebrow.
“I am. I’m losing brain cells hanging out with you lot.” I continue toward my bedroom. Phoenix makes another asinine remark, but I block him out. It’s easy to do when my brain is overloaded with information.
All of a sudden, we’re all acting out of character. I don’t know what’s most bizarre: Morpheus showing concern for Fringes, which he never did before; Phoenix being excessively cruel in his pranks; Rufio exerting self-control; or me losing my mind over a Norm.
And the catalyst of it all? Daisy Woods.
I don’t believe in coincidences. She’s here for a reason, even if she doesn’t know it yet.
I have to find out why.
21
Daisy
I’ve somewhat forgotten the humiliation I suffered at Phoenix’s hands. I have other things to occupy my mind. Who gave me that dagger and for what purpose? I hid the Idol-killing weapon together with my father’s diary, but out of sight definitely doesn’t mean out of mind.
I’ve been staring at nothing for the past few hours. Not even the weird power outage distracted me from my troubling thoughts. When the loud knock comes at my door, I jolt from my seat on the bed.
“Daisy? Are you there?” Principal Fallon asks.
Shit. What is she doing here?
What do you think, genius? You bailed class in your first week. She’s probably here to tell you to pack your bags and leave at once.
“Yes, just a second.” I get out of bed with a jump and attempt to smooth the wrinkles on my uniform before letting the woman in.
With a deep breath, I stride toward the door. The knots in my stomach tighten when I take in the scowl on the principal’s face.
“H-Hi, Principal Fallon. How can I help you?”
“May I come in?”
“Sure.” I open the door wider and move out of the way.
Principal Fallon enters my small room with measured steps, not turning to me until she reaches the end of my bed. I close the door with a resounding click and stay near it in case I need to bolt in a hurry. After today’s events, I’m leery of all Idols.
“You walked out of English lit class today, Miss Woods.” She emphasizes my fake last name. “Were you ill?”
I drop my gaze to the floor, ashamed for being so weak. “No. I wasn’t ill.”
She clicks her tongue, a sound I immediately associate with disapproval. “I heard you caused a disruption in Mr. Amaro’s class.”
My face is on the verge of bursting into flames.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Daisy, look at me.”
I do as she said. She’s watching me intensely, but at least she’s no longer glaring.
“I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer me truthfully,” she continues.
“Okay.”
“Did Phoenix give you a vision?”
My jaw drops. “How did you know?”
The corners of her lips curl upward. “Child, it’s my business to know what each and every student of mine is capable of.” She links her hands behind her back. “So, I take it the vision he gave you was of the sexual kind?”
“Yes,” I reply, still maintaining eye contact with her. It’s an effort, though. I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
“I see. Well, Phoenix has always had a penchant for dirty jokes. Most of the time, his ‘victims’ don’t mind his invasion.” Principal Fallon uses air quotes when she says the word victims.
I snort. “I bet they don’t.”
“What’s most puzzling to me in all of this is your reaction. I thought you had more backbone, Daisy.”
Her criticism ruffles my proverbial feathers. “I have backbone. It’s just… well, he caught me by surprise, that’s all.”
“I’d hate it if you squandered your chances at Gifted Academy because of an immature boy,” Principal Fallon continues as if I hadn’t spoken.
“I’m not going to let him or any of those hateful students derail me from my goal.”
The woman nods. “Good. Normally I’d have to punish you for missing class, but since it was your first offense, I’ll let it pass.”
“So ditching class warrants punishment, but invading your office doesn’t?” I ask, referring to the incident on my first day.
Principal Fallon narrows her gaze. “You’d better watch your tone, young lady. Don’t forget who made your scholarship happen.”
I hang my head. “Sorry.”
“Anyway, I just stopped by to make sure my efforts weren’t in vain.”
“No, not at all. I’m glad to be here.”
“Good.” She veers toward the door, and I step out of the way. She pauses just as she’s about to open it and glances at me. “There’s nothing I can do that will make Phoenix stop pestering you, but there might be a way for you to block his mind invasions.”
“Really? What?” I ask, surprised. Dad’s diary talks briefly about the kind of gift Phoenix possesses, but it doesn’t mention a way for Norms to shield themselves from it.
With a smile, the principal replies, “You know, there’s this wonderful place where knowledge is at the tip of anyone’s fingers. It’s called a library, and ours is one of the best.”
She slips out of my room with that parting comment. I flip her off in my head, not daring to actually make the gesture. For all I know, the Idol might have a pair of eyes in the back of her skull.
I lock the door and then lean my forehead against it with a shuddering breath. I was weak today, and no matter how many excuses I come up with, I can’t forgive myself for it. Principal Fallon’s visit just made me madder at myself.
I push off the door with a brisk movement. I hate to admit it, but I let my guard down today, not only with Phoenix but also with Rufio earlier. I forgot for a second what powerful Idols like them did to my family. I need the anger to fuel my resolve, to build my shield.
My phone rings. It’s Rosie calling. I curl my fingers around the ancient device and wait a few more seconds before I answer it. I need to control my heartbeat. I can’t let Rosie know I’m rattled.
“Hey, Rosie,” I say.
“Hi. How was your second day?”
“It was good.” I sit on the edge of my bed.
“Good? Really?” Her tone is incredu
lous. “You want me to believe those Idols left you alone after only one day?”
I spoke to her yesterday and told her about Phoenix catching me half naked in Principal Fallon’s office, but I skipped the part when he gave me that R-rated vision. She doesn’t need to know.
“Yup. Maybe they want me to get comfortable, you know, let my guard down.”
Which I already did.
“Well, they can wait forever.” Rosie laughs. “They don’t know who they’re messing with.”
Shame takes over me. If only she knew how pathetic I was today.
“How is everything with you? Is that stupid Fringe still giving you trouble?”
“Actually, he died.”
I jump out of bed. “What? How?”
“He overdosed on some stupid Idol drug.” Rosie’s tone is dismissive. I can’t blame her for not feeling sorry that her bully is dead.
“Was it called Silver-voltage, by any chance?”
“Yeah, I think so. Why do you ask?”
“Some Fringe girl here also got sick taking that drug.”
“Really? Do you know what it does?”
Alarm bells sound in my head. “Listen, Rosie. You stay away from Silver-voltage, okay? It’s super dangerous—fatal, actually, to Norms.”
“Jeez, will you relax? I’m not stupid, okay? I don’t even smoke pot.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Can we please drop the subject? You’re getting too motherly for my taste.”
I wince. I’ve had to play the mother role often with Rosie, which makes me sad and angry at the same time. She should’ve had a real mother—we should’ve had our mother with us. Instead she got me, a damaged, ill-tempered sister.
“Sorry that I care,” I mutter.
“Anyway, I called to ask if it’s okay if we change Felicity’s surprise birthday party location.”
Shit. Her party is this Saturday. I had completely forgotten. With everything that’s happened, who could blame me? And I was the one who had the idea.
“Why do we need to change the location?”
“Because the Los Tres Amigos restaurant got shut down by the health department. Apparently they had a roach problem.”
“Gross. So we don’t have a choice, then.” I begin to pace. We’ve been planning Felicity’s party since last month. It took me a really long time to find a place where she didn’t have history with an employee or the owner.
“Poppy says he knows a place.”
“Poppy? When did you speak with Poppy?” My voice rises to a shrill. It’s one thing for me to work with him, knowing his true identity, but it’s quite another for Rosie to have any relationship with the guy.
“When I heard about Los Tres Amigos. Anyway, the place he suggested is a sports bar in Emelton.”
“That’s almost outside of Saturn’s Bay.”
And too close to Unearthly Desires.
“I know, I know. But it’s the only place we can get so last minute. It’s either that or we have to cancel the party.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “No, we can’t cancel the party.” I sigh. “Fine. Tell Poppy it’s a go.”
“Awesome! This is going to be great. And I can’t wait to see you Saturday.”
I smile tightly, glad that Rosie can’t see my face. I want to be happy. Hell, I should be over the moon to see my sister and friends after a week that’s shaping up to be hellish. But my chest is so heavy right now, and I don’t know why.
22
Daisy
“So, did Principal Fallon give you any clue as to what we should be looking for?” Toby whispers in the middle of one of the library’s aisles.
He heard about what had happened in English lit and sought me out to check if I was okay. It’s still mortifying that the entire school knows about the event, but fuck if I’ll let them know I’m still bothered by it. Now I just have to find a way to block Phoenix from entering my mind.
“No. She just said there might be a way to prevent Phoenix from broadcasting porn straight to my head.” I read the titles on the book spines on my right while Toby checks the books on the left.
“Maybe you can build a special helmet or something.”
“I hope not. Can you imagine me wearing a homemade helmet to school?”
Toby laughs. “Shit, I just did. A helmet made out of a pasta strainer and plastic straws.”
“Shut up.” I hit his arm playfully.
We continue searching in silence for another minute before I speak again. “So, you’ve never told me what you can do.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know. What’s your gift?” I look over my shoulder, finding Toby frowning.
“Oh, I’m a low-level Fringe. I can’t do anything exciting.”
“Come on. It’s better than not having any power at all. Don’t tell anyone, but sometimes I wish I had some ability.”
“Really? I thought you hated Idols.”
“I didn’t say I wanted to be one. But it would be cool not being so helpless.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” He pulls a book off the shelf, reads the title, and puts it right back. “True, I’m a Fringe, but I’m still at the bottom of the food chain here.”
“I hear ya.” I pivot so I’m facing him. “Hey, something just occurred to me. Principal Fallon said there was another Norm student here, but I haven’t met them.”
Toby blinks a couple of times without answering. He seems a little tense.
“What is it?” I ask.
“He’s gone.”
“Gone as in he left the school, or gone as in he’s…?” I drag my index finger across my neck.
“Oh, he’s not dead. He couldn’t handle the pressure and transferred back to his old Norm school.”
“Oh, I see.”
Toby switches his attention back to the books. He’s definitely on edge now. But I need to know what drove the other Norm away from Gifted Academy.
“What happened? Did someone—” I look around, then move closer and whisper, “Did someone hurt him?”
Toby glances down at his watch. “Oh shit. Look at the time. I have to be somewhere.”
He takes off before I have the chance to utter another word.
That was strange. Why didn’t he want to talk about the Norm kid? Were they friends?
I nibble on my lower lip. I bet the Norm was bullied relentlessly and couldn’t handle it.
I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and check the time. It’s almost eight. I’d better head to class too. It’s unlikely I’ll find anything useful in these books by myself anyway. This is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.
Shouts nearby put me on high alert. I leave the aisle and peer in the direction the noise came from. Morpheus is holding a student by his neck while he lifts him off the ground. The guy kicks his legs as he attempts to break free from the choke hold.
Other students are watching the scene, frozen in place. No one shows any inclination that they’re about to intervene.
What the hell is wrong with those people?
“Let him go!” I take a step forward.
Morpheus looks over his shoulder and his dark gaze connects with mine. He drops his victim in the next second and turns his entire body in my direction. A large lump gets stuck in my throat as I feel the weight of Morpheus’s deadly stare.
Oh shit. What have I done?
Fear like I’ve never known pierces my heart like a cold steely dagger. I clutch my chest in a vain attempt to massage away the sudden pain there. It feels like I’m about to have a heart attack.
“Mr. Malek!” A middle-aged woman runs toward the scene, mouth agape and eyes wide.
The terror gripping my heart slackens until it returns to the regular anxious feeling I carry around.
Morpheus slowly turns toward the woman. “Yes, Mrs. Wilkins?”
“We do not tolerate violence among our students in Gifted Academy. Head to Principal Fallon’s office at onc
e.” The woman points to the library’s exit door.
The Idol doesn’t reply to the lady; instead he looks at me with a sneer on his face. “To be continued, Daisy.”
He whirls around and strides out of the library. The small audience of students that was more than happy to let Morpheus choke their peer to death begins to talk all at once. I can’t discern what they’re saying, though, not when there’s a loud buzzing in my ears.
Holy crap. I can’t believe I challenged Morpheus like that. I do have a death wish.
“Wow, that was nuts.” A guy with a blue Mohawk approaches me. “You’re pretty ballsy for a Norm.” He leans closer and covers the side of his mouth with his hand. “That was pretty sexy too.”
I stand up straighter. I don’t trust guys who spew leering compliments as if they were doling out candy.
“Mr. Armani, I’d suggest you head to class or you’ll be joining Mr. Malek at the principal’s office,” the librarian says.
The guy takes a step back. “What did I do? Isn’t conversation with my classmates allowed anymore?”
“Inane conversation was never allowed. This is a library.”
I begin to head for the door when the librarian switches her attention to me.
“Miss Woods, I’d like a word with you.”
Shit. Am I in trouble now? The librarian is an Idol, so there’s a high chance she’s not in my corner.
“Okay,” I say.
“Follow me.” She whirls around and heads toward the back of the library, leading me toward an office space with a big window facing the bookshelves. She opens the door and waits for me to enter first before shutting it and closing the blinds. Obviously she doesn’t want anyone snooping on this conversation.
I’m a little nervous about being alone with the woman, to be honest. And her severe facial expression is not helping me calm down one bit.
She walks around her desk and points at the chair facing her. “Take a seat, Miss Woods.”
“Is this going to take long? I don’t want to be late for class.” I fix my skirt nervously as I sit down.
“Not at all. I just want to commend you for standing up to Mr. Malek. Foolish, but admirable.”
Wicked Gods: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 1) Page 12