I glared at the door for one long moment before marching toward it and heading back into the restaurant. I didn't look his way as I strode back to the table and dropped into my seat, my pulse everywhere.
“Where's our drinks?” Sofia slurred with a pout but Tory shushed her, looking at me intently.
“What happened?”
Call it a twin thing, but we could tell when the other was upset. No matter how hard we tried to hide it. Not that I was trying that hard right then.
“Orion,” I said in answer and quickly rattled off an explanation, leaving out the part where my knees had trembled like I was in a grade five earthquake.
Sofia laughed. “Come onnnn, he's a teacher. You guys are getting waaay too caught up in conspiracy theories.”
Diego shook his head, his expression serious. “They could be right. The evidence points his way.” He shot a glare at Orion and I spotted him leaving the restaurant with his date. Who maybe wasn't his date after all.
Relief spilled through me as he left and I glanced over at the cluster of Professors on the other side of the room. Of course he wouldn't have attacked me here in a public bathroom. How could I have thought he would? Because he had his psycho eyes in place, that's why.
I didn't know Orion, for all I knew he could be the type of guy who chopped people up in women's bathrooms on a regular occasion.
“Do you want to go home?” Tory asked me, frowning in concern.
I ground my jaw, shaking my head. “That's what he wants.”
“Well we can't do that then,” Tory agreed with a grin and my mood brightened by a mile.
“He's gone now anyway,” Sofia said, standing and starting to dance to the background music playing in the bar. She started dancing provocatively with her chair and my mouth parted.
“Sofia!” Diego gasped, looking alarmed and Tory cracked a laugh.
Sofia stumbled into the table and knocked over a small vase at the heart of it. Diego cast a gust of air from his hand to direct the water away from pouring all over us.
Tory steadied her, glancing at us. “I thought she said she could handle her drink,” she teased.
“I caaaaan,” Sofia slurred, clutching onto Tory to stay upright.
“It was only a few shots,” I said in confusion.
“Maybe she doesn't drink often,” Diego said, rising to his feet. “I should take her home.”
“No.” Sofia planted her hands on her hips. “I'm fiiiine.”
Diego looked to us. “I think it'd be best. There's a shuttle bus that runs back to the Academy at the end of the street. Do you mind catching it home?”
“Yeah that's fine,” I said as Sofia reached out, trying to grab hold of Tory's arm while Diego led her away. She quickly gave up and clutched onto Diego instead, looking up at him with dreamy eyes. “Your hat...I like your hat. Can I wear it?” She reached for it and he chuckled as he caught her hand in his, holding it as he led her out of the door.
The waitress appeared, planting two glasses of some bright pink cocktail down in front of us. “From your friend over there.” She pointed at the group of professors and Washer grinned at us, licking his lips and wiggling his fingers. He was jammed up against Astrum who threw us an apologetic smile.
I couldn't even disguise the disgust on my face.
Tory clucked her tongue.
“Ergh Washer is such a pig,” she muttered, but picked her glass up and held it out to me anyway. “From this point on, this night is going to be about having fun without any creeps.”
I grinned, picking up my cocktail and clinking my glass to hers. “To no creeps.”
She whooped. “To no creeps!”
A TELL-TALE vibration came from my clutch and I pulled my Atlas out, hoping it was Diego letting us know that he’d gotten Sofia back okay.
Falling Star:
New information has come to light.
Can we meet?
I raised an eyebrow in surprise and nudged Darcy to draw her attention away from trying to summon the barman again.
“Why are they so keen to meet us all of a sudden?” Darcy asked curiously.
“Only one way to find out, I guess,” I replied as I tapped out a response.
Tory Vega:
When?
Falling Star:
Ten minutes.
There’s an alleyway behind the bar.
I’ll see you there.
A shiver raced along my spine as I read their response and I snapped my head up, scouring everyone around us to see who had their Atlas out. Whoever Falling Star was, they knew where we were, which meant they were here somewhere. The restaurant was thronging with people and plenty of Zodiac students had come and gone.
Was it a coincidence? Or was Falling Star following us? The idea gave me the creeps.
“Are we sure we should trust this stalker?” I muttered as I narrowed my eyes at a group of sophomores who were laughing loudly in a booth behind us.
Darcy cast her eyes around the restaurant too. “I don’t know. But they seem like one of a very few people who are actually trying to help us in this place. Even if they are annoyingly cryptic.”
I bit my tongue, glancing down at the message again. Was it completely insane to trust an anonymous stranger who wanted to meet us in a dark alley at night? Yes, probably. But was I curious enough to take the risk? Apparently so.
“I want answers from this weirdo and I don’t think we’re going to get any unless we meet them. So I say we do it,” I said firmly.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Darcy asked hesitantly.
“Honestly? No. But I still think we should do it.”
“Okay,” Darcy agreed, chewing on her lip. “I’ll order us some Dutch courage.”
I grinned as she finally snagged the bartender’s attention and ordered us a round of drinks.
As it drew nearer to our arranged meeting time, I tried to keep an eye on anyone who was getting ready to leave but it was pretty hard to say. Quite a few of the students were heading on to some of the other bars down the street now that they'd finished their meals. I guessed we’d be finding out soon either way.
“Are you ready?” I asked as I placed my empty glass down on the bar.
We’d planned to head onto another bar soon anyway, neither of us mentioning the fact that Geraldine was meant to be coming back to meet us. I felt a little guilty knowing we were ditching her but I only had to think about those goddamn ass badges and I knew that it had to be done. No way I was spending my time hanging out with people who happily branded themselves as an ass.
“Let’s see what they’ve got to say for themselves,” Darcy agreed as she pushed her stool back and got to her feet.
She led the way outside and the cool evening air washed around us, making promises of the winter to come. I should have worn a jacket but I’d been tricked by the warmth of the sun before it had set. I wrapped my arms around myself as my thin cami did nothing to protect me from the Elements and wondered why I always sacrificed my comfort for fashion choices.
We headed along the sidewalk, falling into silence as we reached a narrow alleyway between the bar and a dark store which occupied the space beside it.
I offered Darcy a reassuring smile before taking the lead into the alley.
The music from the bar faded to a muffled thump of bass as we delved into the darkness and goosebumps rose along my skin. Yep, we were definitely heading into a serial-killer's wet dream and I couldn’t help but question our sanity a little as we failed to turn back.
Behind the bar, the alley widened out and a row of dumpsters kept company with a questionable puddle. There was no one waiting in the shadows and a sense of unease settled on me as we glanced about.
“This seems like a pretty shady place for a meeting,” Darcy muttered, eyeing the alley we’d used to get here in a way that suggested she wanted to go back.
“Agreed,” I said, rubbing my hands up and down my arms to try and coax a little warmth back into them. “So how long are we
going to wait for our mystery man?”
“Or woman,” Darcy added and I nodded vaguely, though our current position in a darkened alleyway definitely had me imagine a hulking man coming for us, jagged knife in hand, backpack full of rope and duct tape...
“I don’t like this,” I breathed. “Maybe we should just leave?”
My Atlas buzzed again and I quickly pulled it out.
Falling Star:
The Shadow is moving closer. I can’t risk a meet now.
You should find away to safety before the darkness claims you!
Darcy leaned close to read the message too and I cursed our stupid mystery messenger for leading us out here for nothing.
“We should get out of here,” Darcy said, her voice low as she glanced around.
“Come on,” I agreed, taking a step towards the alley we’d used to get here.
A dark shadow moved to block the light from the street beyond and I fell still. Darcy bumped into me as she failed to notice that I’d stopped and I caught her arm to prevent her from falling.
“Who’s there?” I called hesitantly, wondering if Falling Star had decided to turn up after all.
The silence echoed for several long seconds then a deep rattling noise came as the shadow drew closer.
My magic flared in response as I backed up a step, driving Darcy back with me. She tried to move to my side to get a better look but I wouldn’t let her, keeping my body between her and whoever the hell was blocking our exit.
Ice trickled through my veins and I tried to draw on my magic to light a fire in my palm.
Heat swelled along my fingertips just as that rattle sounded again, deeper this time, louder.
My magic stuttered. A small flame sprang to life then died as if someone had sucked it away.
My heart lurched with panic as the figure took a step closer and we took another step back.
I could feel my magic swarming like a tempest beneath my flesh but I couldn’t draw it out.
“I can’t summon my power,” Darcy breathed, her voice tinged with fear.
“Me either,” I whispered.
Was this whole thing some trick? Were we about to be surrounded by the Heirs, ready to spring some new horror on us?
The third rattle was so loud that my limbs trembled in response to it. I didn’t know what it was but it felt like it was forming a cage around my power and locking it up tight. The next step I took felt weighted with lead and I sucked in a sharp breath as I realised that the noise was starting to harness my limbs too. If we didn’t get out of there quickly, I was sure we wouldn’t be able to escape at all.
“Run!” I yelled, snatching Darcy’s hand in mine and spinning in the opposite direction.
We broke into a sprint, our stilettos made it difficult but we refused to let them slow us.
Darcy’s grip on my hand was tight as we shot past the row of dumpsters and that rattle sounded again. For a terrifying moment we slowed despite our intentions and the sound of pounding feet closed in behind us.
I released a scream, throwing every inch of my resolve into placing my feet down as fast as I could.
Darcy stumbled and I caught her arm, righting her as I shoved her ahead of me. I whirled towards the nearest dumpster and snatched a large sack of trash from the top of it before launching it back towards whoever the hell was chasing us just as that rattling started again.
The noise cut off with a muffled grunt as I managed to hit my target and power surged in my fingertips.
A rush of air slammed past me as Darcy unleashed her magic. The wind carved around me like it was made of stone and barely even pulled at my hair before crashing into our stalker with the strength of a tornado.
The shadowy figure was thrown back and I staggered to Darcy’s side with my eyes wide as I tried to draw on my own magic to join with hers.
Before I could, the rattling came again and all access to my power was snatched away once more.
The figure stood again, shadows seeming to cling to them as if they were drawn by a magnet. It concealed everything about them apart from the certainty in my gut that there was something horribly wrong with them.
Darcy whimpered as she caught my arm and dragged me back.
We started running again, fear lending strength to our limbs as we raced down darkened alleys, one after another.
I could feel the shadow drawing closer with each step, imagine their breath on the back of my neck.
The rattling began again and I clapped my hands over my ears, not understanding what the hell it was but knowing that it was doing something to me each time I heard it.
Darcy staggered as the force of the rattle hit her but I urged her on and we managed to sprint even faster as adrenaline spiked through my limbs.
A warm light illuminated the end of the alleyway ahead of us and relief spilled through me as I spied the exit.
We leapt forward and ran straight out onto a well lit street before a busy bar. Tables were sat outside it full of students who were laughing and drinking.
I was too afraid to care about the surprised looks they were shooting us and we darted straight across the street to join the safety of the crowd without slowing at all.
As soon as we were surrounded by warm bodies I spun back to face the alley, my eyes wide as I attempted to spot whoever had been chasing us.
Darcy leaned in close beside me, her arm brushing against mine as my galloping heartbeat thundered in my ears.
The alleyway was empty. Just a dark space between two innocent looking buildings. But the fear knotting my insides was real.
A hand landed on my shoulder and I flinched as I looked up to find Max Rigel smiling at us. He was dressed in the kind of flashy shirt which probably cost more than a week’s rent in our old apartment and his mohawk was slicked back stylishly.
“What’s got our two little Vegas so worked up?” he asked kindly and I could feel the call of his power urging us to divulge our fears to him.
I glanced at Darcy, unsure whether or not to tell him. On the one hand, letting him take some of this fear from me didn’t sound like the worst idea in that moment. On the other, I was probably only terrified at all because one of his dumbass friends had been chasing us.
But as that thought crossed my mind, I spotted the other Heirs lounging at a table to our left. They all had drinks underway and showed every sign that they’d been sitting there for a while. Besides, I still hadn’t taken my eyes off of that alley and no one else had emerged from it.
“There was someone chasing us,” Darcy murmured, giving in to the call of the Siren’s power.
“Really?” Max asked with interest, sliding his arms around us so that we were pulled closer to him. I knew what he was after but I definitely felt safer here than I had in that alleyway. And considering the fact that we were currently surrounded by a bunch of douchebags who I knew wished us harm, that was saying a lot.
“They were trying to hurt us,” I muttered, feeling the pull of Max’s magic as he drew some of mine into himself alongside a sliver of my fear. Sirens would probably make a killing as psychiatrists; who wouldn’t like someone to suck the misery out of them every now and then?
“That sounds like a good story to be told over a drink.” Max steered us between the crowd of students towards the other Heirs. I threw a concerned glance at Darcy and her eyes widened in response but before we could voice any objections, we found ourselves at their table.
The other Heirs looked up at us in surprise and I frowned, wondering why the hell I’d let Max drag us over here.
“Look who I just found running from shadows,” Max announced with a wide smile, his hand dropping down my back until it was in danger of skimming my ass.
I shrugged him off before he could manage it.
“We weren’t running from shadows, someone was chasing us,” Darcy said defensively as Seth leaned forward with a wolfish smile.
“You really must be scared if you thought we were a better option,” he said.
“They are. I can taste their fear,” Max said enthusiastically. “And they were just about to tell me all about it.”
Caleb released a breath of laughter as he ran a hand through his tightly curling blonde hair, his eyes darting between my sister and I.
Max dropped into the only free chair at the table and yanked Darcy down into his lap, pulling her against his chest as he leaned close to her ear.
“What was the worst part?” he asked and I could feel his power tugging at me even though he wasn’t touching me anymore. Darcy was snared in his magic and her lips parted to answer his question automatically.
“They kept making this horrible noise,” she replied. “Like a growl or a rattle...”
Darius leaned forward, his brows lifting with interest as he surveyed my sister and me.
“We aren’t staying,” I said sharply, leaning forward to pull Darcy out of Max’s grip so that we could make our second escape of the evening.
“Hold on a moment.” A large hand encircled my wrist before I could pull her to her feet and my blood raised in warning as Darius kept hold of me. I turned to meet his dark eyes and couldn’t help but skim my gaze over his white shirt which was almost too tight over his muscular frame. “What if we call a truce on our issues? For one night only,” he offered.
“Why would we believe that?” I asked dismissively.
Darcy was frowning, trying to push her way out of Max’s grip half heartedly like she was vaguely aware that she didn’t want to be there. He unleashed a wave of reassuring power which brushed against me as Darcy relaxed again.
“We just want a fun night,” Caleb piped up. “We can leave our political situation out of it.”
“Our political situation?” Darcy echoed with a frown.
“Yeah, you know. The little issue we have with you rocking up out of nowhere to steal our birthright and upset the balance of power in the entire kingdom,” Caleb teased.
“We don’t want your stupid birthright,” I muttered.
Darius still hadn’t released me and I tried to reclaim my hand by jerking it back. He smirked at my effort then tugged me forward so hard that I fell into his lap.
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening: An Academy Bullymance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts Book 1) Page 25