Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)

by J.J. Bonds

  **********

  We file off the bus and stand around in clusters waiting for Professor Lynch and the other chaperones to break us into groups. The younger vamps, the ones who don’t have regular off campus privileges, have to stay with the chaperones in case they get thirsty and are tempted to break the rules. Older students like Shaye and me will be free to roam as we please.

  I’m disturbed to learn that Shaye forgot to mention the maze covers twelve acres of fields. This might not be quite as easy as she made it sound. The corn stalks tower over us, and I begin to understand the attraction for humans. They love to be scared on Halloween, especially in a controlled environment like this where there’s no real danger. We hear squeals of delight and terror, as one rambunctious group after another enters the maze, flashlights in hand.

  Professor Lynch herds us into the maze with a half dozen or so of our classmates. Shaye and I quickly pocket our flashlights. The moon shines brightly on the maze tonight, not that it matters much. We’d be able to see the path regardless.

  “It’s best not to stay with the group,” Shaye advises in a hushed tone as we approach the first fork in the maze.

  “You’re the expert,” I return, stepping aside so that she can take the lead. It’s uncomfortable following, but I’m no fool. I’ve never done this before, and I don’t always have the best sense of direction when it comes to things like this. Besides, I’m hoping she has a strategy.

  We stay left as the rest of our group goes right. It seems intuitive to go right, and I wonder if we’re making a mistake already. I have to remind myself that I’ve agreed to let Shaye lead.

  “Just be sure to stay alert,” she instructs me. “If we hit a dead end, we’ll have to back track, and that’s when it’s easy to get turned around.”

  “I think you mean lost.”

  “Semantics,” she giggles, smiling at me over her shoulder.

  “Hell’s bells. This could be a long night,” I joke, rolling my eyes. The gesture is wasted on Shaye, who’s already returned her attention to scouting the path ahead. Her enthusiasm is infectious and I find myself getting swept up in the excitement despite my best efforts to remain cool and detached.

  We walk for about fifteen minutes before hitting our first dead end, which I think is pretty good although I have no basis for comparison. The silence between us is good. It allows us to focus on our surroundings, making it easy to retrace our steps when we do hit a dead end. We are not alone in the maze and occasionally pass other groups, some human, and some vampire. We seem to be making good time, but I’m a little unnerved as the maze has gotten eerily quiet around us. I hear the shouts and screams in the distance, but it all seems so far away now. Perhaps it’s a trick of the maze. I’ve certainly never spent any time on a farm and have no idea what to expect.

  We hit another dead end, and Shaye stomps her foot in frustration. “We could just cut through,” she says, her eyes lighting up hopefully. The silence must be eating at her too.

  “What fun would that be?” I challenge her. “Come on. If Jade can do this, so can we.”

  “Yeah, but she’s probably got Nikolai to lead the way,” Shaye says, scowling.

  “Yeah, well you’ve got me!” I return, grabbing her arm and dragging her back the way we came. I can’t blame her for wanting to cut through. Every stalk of corn looks the same. It’s impossible to tell if we’re actually making progress or if we’re walking in circles. We continue on for another ten minutes or so when I begin to hear voices. Encouraged, I pick up the pace, still dragging Shaye behind me.

  What I see when we burst into the clearing makes my blood boil. We must be at the halfway point. There’s a small bonfire burning and benches have been placed all around it offering an opportunity for a little R&R. I notice a natural spring, which probably comes in handy when it’s time to douse the flames, and an abandoned station with marshmallows and roasting sticks. It looks like the maze workers have been called away, leaving the scene before us.

  I spot Jade first, fangs bared, looming over a human girl who can’t be more than twelve or thirteen years old. Lexie and Blaine are with her. They’re taunting the girl, hissing and laughing, feeding on her terror. She’s crouched alongside the corn, her face stained with tears.

  “Leave me alone! Please!” she cries. They laugh in response and creep closer, which only makes the girl wail louder. I can’t say I blame her. The fire casts an eerie glow making the appearance of her leather clad tormentors even more demonic as shadows slant across their faces.

  I charge forward without thinking, slipping between Lexie and Blaine and placing my body between the cowering girl and the three monsters assailing her.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I shout as I catch the lingering scent of the girls’ fear. A new surge of anger bubbles up from the pit of my stomach and I feel my fists clench, instinctively preparing for battle.

  “This is none of your concern,” Blaine growls, assuming a defensive position. “Get lost.”

  “We’re just having a little fun,” Lexie drawls, her accent sounding more sinister and disgusting in the firelight.

  “Well now you’re done,” I tell them firmly, meeting Jade’s heated stare. Lexie and Blaine are puppets. It’s Jade who pulls the strings.

  “But we’re just getting started,” she tells me. “It’s Halloween. And we want to play.” The way she draws out this last word makes my stomach twist in disgust.

  “This isn’t a game,” I respond, curling my lips back to reveal my own teeth. I may just have a taste of Jade’s blood yet. I lick my lips in anticipation as anger courses through my veins. “Let her go.”

  “Why don’t you make me?” Jade replies, as she steps forward menacingly.

  She doesn’t have to ask twice. I pounce immediately, knocking her to the ground, the weight of my body pinning her to the dry earth. Her reflexes are sluggish compared to my own. Either she’s not as dedicated to her physical training as I am or she didn’t think I’d dare lay a finger on her. Apparently she has me confused with someone who’s worried about rules.

  Blaine and Lexie watch in shock. Neither moves to intervene on Jade’s behalf. As we struggle I see Shaye rush across the clearing and grab the human girl by the hand, pulling her to her feet and leading her swiftly toward the back half of the maze and safety.

  “Bitch!” Jade snarls scratching at my face with blind fury. She gets a handful of my hair and pulls with all her might. I never imagined hair pulling could hurt so much! She’s got a death grip on my ponytail, and I swear I think I’m going to be scalped. I struggle to free myself from her grasp, and we roll to the left, inching closer to the spring.

  Jade drives her fist into my stomach and climbs to her knees in a weak attempt to crawl away. The blow to my stomach hurts, but not enough to slow me down. I recover quickly and grab her from behind, dragging her back to the ground and dunking her face first in the nearby water.

  She thrashes wildly, but I’m unconcerned. It’s not like she’s going to drown, after all. I figure the cool water will help her calm down and be more reasonable. Like me.

  “I think she’s had enough, don’t you?” Nikolai. I wonder how long he’s been watching. I never saw him enter the clearing, but there he stands, hip cocked and arms draped casually over his chest.

  I resist the urge to tell him that she started it and simply shrug in reply. I release Jade, and she scrambles to her feet seething with anger.

  “You’re going to pay for this!” she promises, pushing her soggy hair back from her face. She’s a hot mess. It kind of makes me smile. Her makeup is running. Her designer sweater is torn and her leather pants are covered in mud. I probably don’t look much better. The difference is that I don’t care. “You’ll be kicked out of school!”

  I hesitate briefly before calling her bluff. “I’ll be kicked out of school? You were the one terrorizing human children! If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were about to feed from that girl.
I’m sure Professor Lynch would love to hear all about it,” I return. “Actually, I probably saved her life.”

  I’m fairly certain that Jade wouldn’t have bitten the girl, but that isn’t the point. What they were doing was despicable, preying on the weak. The girl probably won’t sleep for days, not without nightmares anyway.

  “Alright girls, you’re both pretty,” Nikolai cuts in, stepping between us. We both stare daggers at him.

  “You will be sorry!” Jade shouts at me as she storms out of the clearing. Lexie and Blaine follow still looking stunned. I’m not worried though. Shaye has a good head start. I decide it’s best to give them a few minutes before following. I’ve had about as much fun as I can stand for one evening.

  “Have you learned nothing?” Nikolai asks, looking me over.

  “Excuse me?” I answer, shucking a clump of mud from my hair and refastening my ponytail.

  “Garcia would be disappointed.” He shakes his head in dismay before continuing. “Hair pulling? You’re better than that.” He’s making fun of me again. He’s got that gleam in his eye, and, from the way his shoulders are shaking, I’m pretty sure he’s suppressing a laugh.

  “Shouldn’t you be catching up to your friends?” I ask raising an eyebrow questioningly.

  He ignores me and continues down the same antagonistic line of commentary. “Frankly, I think you can do better. You have excellent teachers. And your form is good. Do you know what your problem is? You lack imagination. Your fighting style is predictable.”

  “Predictable? That’s one thing I’ve never been called before.”

  “Well, I don’t want to split hairs here, but I didn’t say you were predictable.” He smiles, as if he thinks showing his swoon-worthy dimple will soften me up. “I don’t know you well enough to say that... yet. Your fighting style is predictable; the way that you string the moves together,” he clarifies seriously.

  “Thanks for the insight,” I reply pushing past him. I don’t need to stand here and listen to this garbage. His whack-job friends are terrorizing humans, and I’m the one who’s getting a lecture? I don’t think so.

  “I could help you,” he calls out. “Just say the word.”