by ERIN BEDFORD
I busied myself with my food, moving the green beans on my plate from one side to the other. “Yeah. My mom died.”
There was a collective inhale before an arm went around my shoulders.
“Joash, no!” Ayden cried out as my senses were overcome with the vision. My fingers dug into the side of the table as I struggled to breath. Water clogged my throat. My lungs. I couldn’t scream, or even fight back. Steam filled the water around me, leaving my attacker a murky figure with long shadows spreading out around them.
I coughed and grabbed my chest, my mind thrown back into myself all at once.
“Geez, are you okay?” Coral gasped, a small sound that made me hold a hand up.
“I’m fine. Just give me—” I gasped, my throat raw and lungs still aching. “Give me a minute.”
“Damn it, Joash.” Ayden threw a piece of broccoli at him over me. “I told you not to touch her. She’s gonna think we’re a bunch of insensitive assholes.”
“Which is why she should be sitting with us.”
I blinked rapidly, my breathing finally coming back to normal as I slowly turned toward the new voice. A girl about mine and Ayden’s age stood with two others. She wore the same uniform as Ayden, except her necktie was purple versus the red of Ayden’s. I hadn’t really noticed the color coordination until now. Looking around the table, I saw that each student wore a color coordinating with what their power was. Red for fire. Blue for water. I guessed brown was earth, and green for air? I didn’t know how they figured that, but then again, I wasn’t planning on staying long enough to find out.
The girl before me and her friends wore purple. Was that what I was going to be reduced to? A color? I didn’t even like purple.
“I’m Charity. This is Bishop and Dharma.” She nodded her silvery hair covered head toward the two next to her. The guy, Bishop, had black hair that hung over half of his face, hiding a stoic expression. The other girl had pale strawberry blonde hair. Her blue eyes stared into me as if she were trying to read my soul. I immediately wanted to run and hide.
“Elle.” I jerked my head to her. “Why should I sit with you? Is it some rule?”
Taken back by my question, Charity’s mouth dropped open before clamping shut. “No. It’s just the way it is. Elementals,” she gazed around the table with clear disdain, “don’t understand. They have no boundaries, and will only cause you further pain. We,” she gestured to her and her friends, “can help you reach your full potential, and we know a thing or two about the hazards of our abilities.” She gave me a knowing look.
“Hey, we can be helpful too,” Zephyr argued, his brows furrowed as he glared at Charity.
“That’s so sweet,” Dharma purred, her eyes locking onto Zephyr. “I’m sure she’ll think that when you try to go in for a kiss and end up shooting your dirty thoughts all over her.”
Zephyr’s face turned beet red, his fingers curling into fists. “I would not.”
“It’s no use arguing with them.” Ayden sighed and shook her head. “They’ll be three steps ahead with anything you try to say.” She turned to me. “It’s up to you, Elle. I can’t make you stay. And Charity is probably right.” She shrugged. “I can’t even begin to help you figure out your powers. I can be a friend though.”
Ayden reminded me of Nikki. A less in your face Nikki, but nonetheless someone I wanted on my side.
Looking to Charity, I offered her a chilly smile. “I’ll take my chances, but thank you for your concern.”
Charity gaped as if she hadn’t seen that coming. Apparently, they couldn’t read everyone’s mind, because it was clear as day that I wasn’t going to go with her. I tucked that little nugget away for later.
“Come on,” Charity sniffed, tossing her silvery hair over her shoulder. “She’ll change her mind. They always do.” She and her friends slinked away.
Turning back to my plate, I decided I wasn’t hungry anymore. I pushed my plate away and stood.
“You’re leaving?” Ayden’s voice went up an octave. “I can’t believe you’re going to those crazies.” She huffed and clanked her fork against her plate. “Just great.”
I paused. “Chill. I’m going to my room. Not changing sides.” I rolled my eyes and stuck my hand in my pocket searching for the other cigarette I’d tucked in there before. “I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m on my own side.”
Ayden nodded. “I get it. We all do.” She jerked her head around the table, and the others copied her agreement. “You need time to adjust. Besides, tomorrow is class. You’ll feel better about it then. This time next week, this will seem like the new normal.” She smiled brightly. I had no plans on being here that long, but I couldn’t bring myself to break her spirit just yet.
“Yeah. I’m sure you’re right.”
A GRIMACE MARRED my face. My nose scrunched up as I took in the uniform that had been left for me the night before. The plaid of the skirt lay spread out on the bed, the lines of it mocking me as if to say this is your life now.
I'd prayed to whatever god was listening for years to make my time in high school shorter. To make me suddenly smarter and able to jump grades and be out of the massive hallways crowded to the brim with adolescents. As usual, no one answered my prayers.
The rage of hormones alone set my teeth on edge, but the brush of each of my classmates against me was almost too much for me to bare. Nikki had been my only solace, and I barely had her. I was always last to leave and last to get to class, choosing to wait until the final bell had rung and the hallways were empty before making my way to my locker and then to my next class. I spent more time in detention for being late than anywhere else, but it gave me plenty of time to work on my schoolwork and less time having to worry about running into anyone after school.
It made sense that just the sight of a school uniform would bring back the anxiety of my thirteen years stuck in a death filled prison. Not that I ever had to wear a uniform, thank God for that. But I didn't see myself staying here long, and since I already had avoiding people down to a science, it shouldn't be too hard to fall back into old habits.
Or so I thought.
A knock sounded on my door.
The door opened before I could answer, and Ayden popped her flaming red head of hair into the room. "You're not dressed yet? We're going to be late for first bell." Without asking for permission, Ayden pushed into the room and shut the door behind her. She walked over to my bed and bounced down onto the mattress.
Normally, I would have thrown her out by her pleated skirt, but for some reason she reminded me of Nikki, and if I was going to get out of this place, which I hoped would be soon, I needed an ally on the inside. Better to be someone with some fire power, no pun intended, than no one at all.
"I'm always late," I commented without explanation. I grabbed the skirt and pulled it on over my pajama shorts, then shimmed the shorts out from underneath. Chunking my shirt, I slipped the white button-down shirt on over my bra and painstakingly slowly buttoned each button. When I reached for the necktie, Ayden snatched it from the bed before I could touch it.
"So, they put you in the mind squad." Ayden's lips twisted to one side as she twirled the purple tie around her finger.
I arched a brow and reached for the tie. "Why wouldn't they? My power is more mental than physical."
She jerked it out of my reach with a smirk. "I don't know. You have something about you." She glanced over me with a curious spark in her eyes. "You've got the manic-depressive thing going on, and that is totally something the mentals have down pat, but I heard you in the office the other day." Ayden pulled the tie tight between her hands just out in front of her, her amber gaze locked on mine. "You have far more rage in you than they do. Perhaps your father had a bit of fire in him as well?"
"Who knows?" Not wanting to talk about my dad, I snatched the tie from her hands before she could stop me and tossed it onto the desk. I'd probably get in trouble for not being in full uniform, but fuck them. I wanted to get kicked out an
yway.
I shoved my feet into my combat boots and stalked to the door. Ayden didn't seem put off by my action, and simply followed after me with a particularly gleeful skip in her step.
"Why are you so cheerful?" I finally asked, no longer able to handle her skipping.
Ayden grinned from ear to ear, her hand coming out in front of her to bounce a little fire ball in her hand. "Oh, no reason. Just Professor Rufus is going to blow a gasket."
"Who?"
"Your first class, Intro to Enoch," she explained as we turned down a hallway and then a set of stairs. "Every new student has to take it. It's supposed to answer any and all questions we have about who we are and where we come from." She scoffed and rolled her eyes, the ball in her hand almost tumbling to the ground before she caught it. "As if one class is going to answer all of life's mysteries? Certainly not ours."
"Right."
I let her continue to rattle on until we reached my first class. Ayden had a different class to get to, but if she cared about being late, she didn't show it. Definitely, not like Nikki, who was always on time to everything. She'd be on time to her own funeral if she could. Fuck, I missed her.
After saying goodbye to Ayden, I opened the door to a classroom full of students dressed in similar outfits to mine but of all different ages. Some were closer to Ayden and my age, but others were so much younger that they barely fit in the desks they were assigned to sit in without slipping out of the bottom. A man in his mid-forties stood at the head of the class with a book in his hand. He seemed to be in mid-sentence when I entered, and paused to give me the most aggravated glare.
"And you are?" The slightly stiff tone to his voice, which only came off more annoyed laced with his British accent, made me believe Ayden had been right about him.
"Elle Richmond."
Something flickered across his face—recognition and a careful curiosity I didn't understand. He snapped the book shut and turned to me, holding the book against his waist. "Well, Miss Richmond, class starts at eight and it is now eight ten. Tell me, did you get lost? Alarm not go off? Please tell me, because I am eager to know what catastrophe has befallen you to not only be late to my class, but to not be in full uniform as well."
Wow, does this guy have a complex.
Every eye in the room settled on me, just as eager to know what I would say to their professor's condescending questions. However, I'd been up against people like him before. This wasn't my first asshole with a school backing him, and it seemed like he probably wouldn't be my last.
At my old school, I would have given them some snarky remark about meeting my dealer or getting in a gang bang between classes, anything but the truth—I didn't want to end up in a mental institute, after all—but I could be honest with Professor Rufus, and that was exactly what I did.
Adjusting the books in my hands, I stared down the crotchety man and blandly stated, "I didn't particularly feel like having a multitude of deaths shoved into my being by brushing up against every member of the student body on my first day, but if you would just let me touch you, I'd be happy to tell you how you die." I held my hand out to him, expecting him to laugh me off or give me detention, but the fear in his eyes...that was new.
"N-No. No, thank you." Clearing his throat, Professor Rufus lifted his book up once more and then nodded toward an empty seat. "Well then, let's get on with attendance. Eleanor Richmond."
I arched a brow, but then muttered “Here” before sauntering over to my chair. Sitting down, I opened my book up to the page number written on the board. While Professor Rufus finished up roll call, a boy no older than thirteen leaned toward me.
"That was fricking awesome."
I smiled. "Thanks."
"I'm Trevor." He held his pale freckled hand out toward me, his bright green eyes and dirt brown mop of hair on his head screamed earth elemental, even if the tie around his neck hadn't been the same shade of brown.
I stared at the hand for a moment, then quirked another brow at him. "Seriously?"
Trevor glanced down at his hand and then back to me, his face going shock white before flushing a deep shade of red. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."
"It's fine," I muttered, blowing out a breath of air and flicking through the pages of my book. Angels falling from heaven. God smiting them for their hubris. Lucifer taking control of the angels cast down to earth. It was all very doom and gloom. Not like I didn't have enough of that in my life.
"So, why didn't you wear your necktie?" Trevor whispered, turning back to me when Professor Rufus gave us his back. "You're a mental, right?"
I didn't know what to say to that. I guess that was what they pegged me for, but like Ayden had explained earlier, I didn't feel like one of them. Their whole it’s-the-end-of-the-world-everything-has-to-be-taken-seriously vibe was so not me. Sure, my power sucked. Who wanted to know exactly how everyone around you died, let alone feel it? That didn't stop me from being the best sarcastic asshole I could be. I certainly wasn't going to be one of those five-seconds-away-from-slitting-her-own-wrists kind of girls.
I gave Trevor a flat look. "I didn't like the color."
Trevor stared at me for a long minute and then snort laughed so loud that Professor Rufus whipped back around. "Mr. Carlton, is there something funny about the battle of the giants?"
Trevor choked on his laugh, and one of the others behind him smacked him on the back as he struggled to breath. When he finally caught his breath, Trevor shook his head. "No. Nothing funny."
"I didn't think so." Professor Rufus stared him down, his hand holding the marker he was using to write on the white board. "I would think you would have more respect for your heritage than that."
"Why?"
Every turned to stare at me. Even I was surprised that the word had come out of my mouth.
Professor Rufus almost had an aneurysm by my question. “Wha...what do you mean why?” He stepped around his desk and met my gaze for the first time since I walked into the classroom. “It is your legacy, our legacy. If we don’t learn from our past, we are doomed to repeat it.”
I leaned back in my chair and cocked my head to the side. “Repeat what? The giants don’t exist anymore, do they? I mean,” I lifted my arms out to my sides and glanced around the room, “I haven’t seen any giants walking about, have you?” I huffed a laugh. “It’s be a bit hard to hide that kind of thing, don’t you think?”
The classroom erupted into a scatter of chuckles. Looks like at least here I was funny. My old classmates weren’t that entertained by me. Though, I wouldn’t have bothered to argue with the teacher like I was now. Maybe it was something about Trevor? The poor kid didn’t deserve to be talked down to like that, and Professor Rufus seemed afraid of me for some reason or another.
“Well, of course not,” Professor Rufus tried to bring the class back to his side. “The giants were taken out thousands of years ago, but the point of the lesson isn’t about the giants. It’s about not repeating the past.”
“And the past being that the Nephilims grew too powerful and the angels had to put them down?” I fiddled with my pencil spinning it between my fingers. “What kind of lesson is that? Stay in your place or our mommies and daddies will give us a right spanking?” I snorted as the class chuckled once more.
Professor Rufus didn’t argue with me this time. He slapped his book down onto the desk with a resounding thump. “Precisely.”
The pencil flipped out of my hand and skittered across the floor. I didn’t bother to go after it.
The class quieted as I leaned forward and listened to what the good teacher had to say.
“You might think you’re all something special. More than human, but not quite divine.” His gaze stayed steady on mine before sliding across the attentive classroom. “But the point of this lesson, as Miss Richmond has so politely pointed out, is that there are angels, real honest to God angels, who have powers beyond your wildest dreams.” The whole room was in a hush as we all sat on the edge of our seats. “If you get
out of line, think you are more than you actually are...” He slammed his hand down on the top of his desk, making the entire room, including myself, jump in their seat. “They will squash you like the bugs you are.”
If anyone was breathing in the room, I couldn’t tell. My attention was focused completely on the man at the front of the room. A bug, huh? That was a new one. I’d have to remember that for the next time I had a face to face with dear old daddy. That should be fun.
I HAD PHYSICAL education after this class, which skipped completely. Didn’t like it in high school, wasn’t going to take it now.
After an uneventful lunch, I told Ayden I had to go to the bathroom so I could have an excuse to sneak a smoke. When I came out of the bathroom, I found Charity waiting for me. I took one look at Charity and turned the opposite direction.
"Where are you going?" Charity’s Mary Jane's clacked on the stone floors as she rushed to catch up with me.
I dug my hand into my bag and pulled out the cigarette I'd stashed their earlier. "To have a smoke."
"We have the next class together,” Charity stated, as if that were enough to stop me.
"So?"
To my surprise, Charity grabbed my bag and jerked me to the left. "So, if you don't want to get caught and be on time, you'll go this way. They do field practice on Mondays."
I surveyed Charity. What was her deal? She didn't have her little minions with her this time, and she'd made sure to grab my bag and not my arm, which was no doubt the easier of the two. Plus, she was helping me get away with breaking the rules.
Deciding to see where this went, I jerked my head toward the hallway. "Alright then. Lead the way."
I followed Charity, acutely aware of my surroundings. It wouldn't be the first time I'd trusted the wrong person and ended up battered and bloodied behind a dumpster. Evidently though, I wasn't the only student who needed their nicotine fix. Or their high, if the scent in the air was anything to go by.