by Alex Dafney
Rocking my weight to one side, I stick my hip out, placing a hand to it. “I’m not some fucking prize the cockiest asshole is going to win.” Moving my eyes to Colton, I narrow my gaze at him. “I didn’t want you to kiss me last night or any other night. I look at you as a friend and nothing more.”
He has the decency to look embarrassed as Jet snickers beside him.
Moving my eyes to Jet, I scowl at him. “And you have no reason to be giggling like a schoolgirl. You’ve ignored me for weeks, and then suddenly, when someone else shows me any attention, you swoop in like a hero to save me. Nuh-uh. I’m not interested in games, and I won’t jump through hoops like a damn poodle.”
I fling my hair over my shoulder, spinning away from them and leaving them standing with their eyes full as I move toward the stairs to get to class.
Chapter Nine
I force myself to keep my composure as I walk through the door to Ryan’s class, finding a few faces from the crowd last night already seated at the tables. Ryan’s eyes meet mine as I slide into a chair, giving me a curt nod.
I give him a small smile as I pull my notebook out of my bag, my eyes moving to the doorway as Colton strides in.
He takes his usual seat beside me, leaning toward me and whispering. “I’m sorry about last night. I look at you as a friend too, I just, I don’t know. You’re a lot hotter than most of my friends.”
I give him an exaggerated eye roll as he chuckles. Moving my eyes back to the board that Ryan begins to make notes on, I wait for him to start the lecture.
“For those of you who have decided to make your first appearance, welcome to Introductory to Investigation. In this class, you will learn the basic skills needed to be a field agent with the PEA.”
I place my pen on my notebook, sitting back in the chair. I’ve already taken all of these notes on the first day of class.
“In the event you don’t want to be an agent, you will still need a core knowledge of the…” He trails off, looking over to the door as it opens.
“Sorry I’m late. Briar kept us out all night.”
My mouth drops open as the football captain strides into the room, giving me a wink and a snarky smile.
“Class starts at eight sharp, Mr…”
He waves a hand toward the teacher in nonchalance. “Ben, no, Mr.”
Ryan gives him a pointed look as he moves toward the table Colton and I sit at, taking the vacant chair to my left.
“Very well. Ben, and everyone else, class starts at eight. Do your best to make it on time.” He picks up where he left off in the lecture, looking over as the door opens again. “What can I do for you, Mr. Langburne?”
Jet ignores him completely, moving toward the table where I’m sandwiched between the two football guys. Dropping his hands to the edge of the wood, he leans toward me, a charming smile on his face. “Go out with me tonight.”
I give him a puzzled look.
“Out of my class, Langburne. You can consort another time.”
My cheeks heat, feeling all the eyes in the room on me, including Jet’s intense gaze as he ignores our teacher.
“Why?” I whisper between us, not that it matters; everyone is focused on us.
His lip hitches up to one side. “I want to spend some time awake with you. I love you being in my bed, but you can’t really consider that a date.”
My cheeks flame as everyone in the room giggles and chuckles. “No.”
He draws his brows together in amusement.
“I’ll go out with you! And crawl in your bed. Damn, girl! What is wrong with you?”
I glance over my shoulder to look at the girl who sits at the table behind me. She waves her hand in a flirty manner, blowing Jet a kiss as she winks.
Rolling my eyes, I face forward, scowling at him. “No. Get out of my class.”
He pushes off the table, stepping backward toward the door. “I’ll be by your room to pick you up at six. Wear something casual.”
I shake my head in astonishment. “Are you hard of hearing? I said, no!”
He gives me a grin as he steps out the door, grabbing the handle, and starting to close it behind him. “But your eyes say yes, babe.”
My cheeks burn as the door closes; everyone’s gaze still on me.
“If there are no more Casanova gestures to be made, I’ll get back to the lecture at hand.”
I slide down in my chair, wanting to disappear into thin air as Ryan goes back to the lecture. I can’t help the small smile that pulls onto my lips. Jet was right. My eyes were saying yes.
An hour later, Colton and I walk out of the classroom side by side. I glance around in surprise as students mill around the hallway outside of the classrooms.
“I think your meeting worked last night.”
Colton bumps his shoulder into mine playfully as I shrug.
“A few students aren’t going to get us to the Bowl.”
He tilts his head to both sides rapidly, making a mocking face as I smack him in the arm with the back of my hand.
“It’s a start.”
I twist my lip to the side, nodding my head in agreement.
The girl that sat behind us in class saddles up to my side, thrusting her outstretched hand toward me. “Briar, right? I’m Lana Kingsley. I’m a freshman as well.”
I pause to shake her hand, giving her a kind smile. “Nice to meet you. I’m glad you decided to join us.”
We drop hands, and she flips hers toward me, rolling her eyes. “I’m only here to meet the cute boys. I don’t mind going to classes, but I don’t think I’d be an adversary for the competition.”
Colton nearly pushes me out of the way, stepping between us with a charming smile on his face. “Colton. I’m the cute buy.” He gives her a wink as she giggles while I roll my eyes.
“You’re no Langburne, but you are cute.”
He lets out a sigh of annoyance, tilting his head back and shaking his head toward the ceiling.
Lana reaches her hand toward him, slipping her fingers around the back of his arm and pulling him toward her. “I’m just kidding, handsome.” She gives him a flirtatious smile, followed by a pucker of her lips.
Looking between them down the hall, I see a very agitated Angie walking straight for us. “Shit,” I mumble as I avert my eyes away.
“She looks pissed.”
I glance over to Lana, pointing at myself behind Colton’s back.
“Yeah. At me.” I whisper.
“You think hiding behind this idiot is going to stop me?”
I peek around Colton’s tall frame, finding Angie standing with a scowl, her arms folded over her chest.
“I told you to stay away from Jet. He already belongs to me, and I refuse to share.”
Lana takes on a sassy stance, looking Angie up and down. “Jet, as in, Jet Langburne? The guy who just barged in our class and asked Briar out? Yeah, no, I don’t think he belongs to you.”
Angie’s eyes widen briefly, soon narrowing to slits as she tries to kill me with a simple look. She takes a menacing step forward, and Lana lifts her hand, palm facing outward.
“Whoa there, buttercup.”
She drops her hand, drawing a circle out in front of her with her finger. “This is my area. You do not step foot in my area unless you’re ready to throw down.”
Angie looks up at the tall girl, giving her a look of disdain. “My problem is with Briar, not you.”
Lana gives her a shrug of one shoulder. “If you have a problem with Briar going out with Jet, then you’re the only one with the problem. Take your ass back to wherever you came from and hide your head like the jealous fool you are.”
My mouth drops open as I look between the two of them glaring at each other, neither backing down.
“Step aside, freshman.” Angie narrows her eyes at the tall girl with red curly hair.
Lana gives a slow shake of her head, a sarcastic smile pulling to her lips. “Looks like you need to step aside. Jet doesn’t want you. We’ve
all watched you follow him around like a pitiful little puppy. Take the hint before you embarrass yourself any further.”
Angie’s cheeks burn with anger, her eyes moving to mine. “I warned you.” She spins away from us, stomping down the hallway, pushing students out of her way as she goes.
Lana turns to me, giving me a once nod. “That should do it.”
I shake my head at her, not knowing what to say. “Thanks,” I mutter eventually.
We start to move down the hallway as a group, Lana bumping me with her elbow to get my attention. “So that you know, you owe me one.” She juts her chin toward Colton, giving me a wink.
A smile crests my lips as I nod to her, taking the less than subtle hint.
“I’m going to visit the harem this class.”
I roll my eyes as Colton moves toward the stairs.
“What’s the harem? I’m in.” Lana bounds to his side quickly, linking her arm through his as he gives me a strange expression.
I shrug one shoulder. “Take Lana with you. Everyone should get a dose of Mistress Aurelia.”
He looks between the two of us, giving me a shrug, and turning to head up the stairs with her on his arm.
I continue down the hallway, stopping at Mistress Penelope’s room. I’ve been to her class a few times over the last few weeks, and I have to admit, the idea of spending the next hour listening to her talk about slime and spells, seems exactly like what I want to do. Pushing the door open, I stop in my tracks.
The entire room is packed with students. Some sit in the desks that scatter the room, while others stand, all are looking to the front of the where Mistress Penelope stands over a large caldron of bubbling blue goo.
She glances over to me, waving me in with one hand without breaking her words. “With the right amount of magic, a witch can decide to help or hinder a person with a simple spell.”
I move to join the other students who line the wall, dropping my bag to the floor as I watch her with a warm smile on my lips.
“You.” She lifts her bony finger, pointing to a girl who sits in a desk in front of her. Curling her finger upward, she motions her toward the cauldron.
The girl slides from her desk, hesitantly moving to stand beside her. Mistress Penelope waves her hand around in a circle above the pot, a small bubble floating from inside and hovering over the girl who looks up at it with a scared expression.
“Cindy has taken an interest in my spells, haven’t you child?”
Cindy nods her head, still keeping a wary eye on the bubble that hovers over her head.
“Pop.” Mistress Penelope says, exaggerating the p at the end, and the bubble pops, sending a spray of bright blue butterflies swarming around Cindy’s head.
She smiles, holding up her hand to let them land on her before they too pop, disappearing.
Cindy moves back to her desk as Mistress Penelope waves a boy in a letterman jacket forward. He stands facing the room, folding his arms over his chest with an arrogant smile on his face.
“Andrew here has mocked my slime making in the past. Haven’t you, child?”
He doesn’t flinch as the giant blue bubble slowly rises from the cauldron, floating to rest above him.
“It is not simply making slime. My potions and spells are all different yet equally entertaining.” She lifts her hand, poking the spongy bubble with her finger until it pops.
Andrew yelps as a bolt of lightning zaps him in the top of his head, dropping to the ground and covering himself with his hands as everyone snickers. “Damn! That’s cool, but it hurts!”
Mistress Penelope helps him to his feet, waggling her finger at him. “Spells are nothing to scoff at. A single one can leave a PEA agent incapacitated or dead. I will teach you the dangers and joys alike, and arm you to know when to run.”
The rest of the hour goes by the same: a student, a bubble, a surprise from inside, and lots of laughs.
As class comes to an end, I catch Mistress Penelope motioning me toward her as the other students file out of the room, all speaking excitedly about the show we just witnessed.
I hike my bag on my shoulder, stepping over to where she stands next to the giant pot. “Yes, Mistress Penelope?”
She glances up from the bubbling goo, giving me a worried look. “You should proceed with caution.”
I draw my brows together in confusion. “Uh, what?”
She waves her hand over the pot, a giant bubble coming to the surface, but staying in place. I look down at the bubble, finding a scene playing in slow motion.
Jet and I walk hand in hand, him smiling down at me as we move through what looks to be a pasture of sorts with wildflowers. Looking up to the sky, my brows draw together with concern as a storm moves toward us quickly. The sky flashes with lightning, thunder rumbling loudly. A bolt of light hits the ground right before us, knocking us back, his hand sliding from my own.
The bubble pops, effectively ending the scene I was watching, still not understanding.
“You have angered someone powerful child. You should proceed with caution.”
I stare down at the bubbling blue mess, my lips turning downward. “Is it about Jet? How do you know this?” I look up to her when she stays quiet.
She gives me a simple shake of the head. “I don’t know if it has to do with the Langburne boy or not. One of the few witches outside of the PEA that I remain in contact with has glimpses of the future. I had spoken to her about your dreams to compete in the Academy Bowl when I learned of them. She knew I could warn you.”
I nod in understanding, even though I don’t. Hoisting my bag higher on my shoulder, I give her a small smile. “Thank you for the warning.”
She tilts her head to the side, giving me a barely-there smile. “You are stronger than you know, Briar. You have brought together the students of this facility with your mere words. Continue to do greatness, and great things will come to you.”
I’m still baffled by her words, and warning, but I smile at her, turning to move toward the door.
“Cation, Briar.”
I glance at Mistress Penelope over my shoulder as I dart out of the classroom. Walking through the empty hallway, I’m not sure of where I should go next. Knowing I need to attend another class for the day, but not knowing which one I should go to, especially now that I’ll be late.
I head toward the stairs, moving down slowly as my knee and hip aches with every step. Instead of going to class, I decide to take a walk around campus alone, trying to dissect the strange warning I just received. Pushing the button next to the main entrance, I wait as the doors slowly move, slipping out through the crack and walking toward the stairs that lead down to disappointment drop-off drive.
At the sound of a growl, I glance upward, finding the lone gargoyle above the door, giving me the evil eye. I let out a sigh, facing Rufus fully and throwing my hands up to my side. “Why don’t you like me? I’ve never done anything to you!”
He turns his head from me, effectively ignoring me.
I shake my head, starting to move down the stairs. I look over as a tennis ball bounces down the steps next to me, rolling to a stop at the curb. Glancing over my shoulder, I find the gargoyle with his head still turned, but the corner of his eye watching me intently.
Moving over to the ball, I bend at the waist, picking it up and tossing it a few inches in the air, catching it in my palm each time. Rufus tries to ignore the movement, but eventually faces me fully, watching the bounce of the ball intently.
I bend at my knees, tossing the ball high into the air above me. My eyes widen as Rufus flies from the ledge of the building, his concrete wings flapping quickly as he snatches the ball from the sky, flying back to land on his perch. He drops the ball from his mouth, it falling to the platform and bouncing down the steps toward me.
I move as quickly as I can to stop the ball, catching it with one hand and narrowing my eyes up at him. “Last one, bud. I promise I’ll come back and play again tomorrow. If you can be nice, that i
s.”
I toss the ball as high as I can, him leaving the ledge and fetching it quickly, returning to his designated spot, dropping the ball beside him. I give him a small wave as I move toward the edge of the woods.
Against Jet’s warning, I make my way into the dark forest, wanting the solitude of the trees and dimness. As I spot a bench along the trail ahead, a ghostly figure appears before me, stopping me in my tracks.
“Hey! Where did you come from?”
Another forms next to the small girl. “What did you have for lunch? Was it sandwiches? I loved sandwiches when I was alive!”
I shake my head quickly, lifting my hands to cover my ears as more and more ghost children appear. “Hold on! I can’t talk to everyone at once.” I gingerly slide my hands down, looking among the crowd that has formed around me. Pointing over to the bench, I give them a small smile. “Let me sit down, and I’ll answer some of your questions.”
They vanish before my eyes as I make my way to the lone concrete bench that rests on the side of the dirt pathway. Sitting with a heavy sigh, I wait for them to reappear. The small girl that I encountered first, slowly comes into view, hovering a few inches above the ground with her legs crossed as if she were sitting.
“What’s your name?”
“Briar Knotwood.”
She scrunches her nose up, my eyes moving along the ghost children that join her.
“I don’t like briars, they hurt.”
I chuckle lightly, crossing my leg over the other and dropping my elbows to my knee. “My mom was gazing at a briar bush when she realized she was pregnant with me, or so the story goes.”
A chorus of chatter begins, and I hold one hand up, palm facing the shadowy figures around me as I shake my head. “Can we please talk one at a time? I can’t hear any of you when you begin to speak at once.”
Listening to my simple plea, they raise their transparent hands in the air, waiting to be called on.
I point to a young boy who sits over to the edge of the group, a dark stain lining his lips.