A sharp tap on the window startled me back to reality. Alexandra’s red head peeked out before she scrambled on top of the roof next to me with the grace of a baby giraffe.
“What are you thinking?” she said after several minutes of sitting there.
“If we stay here, we have no choice. We’ll be walking into an unknown situation where I can’t control the outcome.” That was the part that scared me.
“I know. I know that’s what worries you. It’s the reason you froze at dinner and take three hour-long showers . . . I know. You have to let it go.” She sounded so wise for someone who, not twelve hours ago, had set fire to the dining room table.
“I can’t,” I whispered.
“It’s going to destroy you if you don’t,” she said quietly, taking my hand.
“Alexandra, I don’t know how. Control is everything. It’s all I know. If I let that go . . . I don’t know what will happen,” I said, choking on my own words.
“That’s life. There are no guarantees, remember? You taught me that,” she said with a sad smile.
I didn’t respond. Instead, we sat in silence until the sun was nearly on the horizon.
“You know, if we do this, there’s no going back. Like it or not, when we get there, we’re stuck. If we leave for any reason, there are no relatives left. It will be us on our own, for good.” I could only hope that the path we were taking led us to a future together, whether it was alone or among three thousand. The odds were never in our favor.
“What choice do we have? It ends the same, so why not try it?” she said finally, and there it was. She’d made up her mind. Silence expanded between us, and my options weren’t good.
“You want to go?” I asked softly. It sounded more like a statement.
“Yes.”
I didn’t like it. We were already going, but, hearing her now, I was surer than ever that we were on the cusp of something. It was terrifying, exciting, foreboding, and reckless. I didn’t know if I wanted whatever this something was, but like it or not, I had a duty.
Chapter 7
Fear. It’s a tactic in war, and a feeling I was very well acquainted with. I’d used it for years to clean up the messes my sisters left behind, but what did you do when others stopped fearing you?
The more time that passed, the more confusion set in. Lily was gaining a backbone as we grew older. Alexandra was gaining an edge. And me?
I didn’t even remember what it felt like to be alive anymore.
I was so far gone that the lines of reality were blurring, and my glasses were nowhere to be found. It was moments like these when I could feel myself sinking deeper, retreating more, crawling so far under my skin that it was a wonder I was still here.
Why would the world fear me? I was a hollow shell of the girl I’d once been.
Three sharp knocks startled me.
“What?” I spluttered under the shower. Burning hot water ran down my skin like the tears I would never shed.
“We’re leaving in an hour, Selena. You can’t hide in there forever.” Alexandra spoke as quietly as if we were talking face-to-face—my unnaturally good hearing was the only reason I could even make her out over the thundering water.
“I’ll be out in five. Is your stuff packed?” I already knew the answer, but anxiety made me double check.
“Yes, for the fifth time. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
Her footsteps faded as I switched the faucet off.
I sighed, wrapping my hair in a towel. I’d spent all yesterday up on the roof like a hermit, calculating everything. Anything. I counted down the seconds for eighteen hours until I fell into a disturbed sleep. I dreamed of a funeral where I died a thousand deaths because I’ve relived it a thousand times. Three little girls in matching black dresses laid roses on a grave. Then I woke up, only to lie in bed for six hours, counting down the time. Always counting.
I wrapped myself in a plush orange towel and brushed my teeth for the second time. I tried to look away from the eight-foot mirror of cleanliness. Yet, standing in a room made of porcelain it was impossible not to see my reflection. I looked different today—too pale, even for me. My hair was so dark against my ghastly white features. Purple bruises surrounded my eyes, and my lids refused to completely open. My cheekbones were far too prominent, the skin stretched so tight across my face it might split. I looked more ghoul than girl.
I flung the door open and cringed when it went through the wall.
“Shit.” I pulled it out again.
I walked into the closet and jumped to grab a stylishly frayed pair of jeans off the top shelf. Half the stack fell on me, and the orange towel was nowhere to be seen underneath the pile of clothes.
I cursed, flinging them to the side as I tugged a pair on. I had to open eight different drawers before I finally found t-shirts, and even then, they were all emblazoned Daizlei Academy for the Prodigies of Tomorrow and Home of the Gifted. I rolled my eyes and threw on a blood-red shirt with Daizlei written in black, gothic letters.
“Well, look at you, all Daizlei’d up, and you aren’t even there yet. I must say, I thought it would take longer.”
I spun around and came face-to-face with my brunette cousin. “You,” I said by way of greeting.
“I go by Elizabeth.” She gave me her characteristic smirk.
“Elizabeth,” I corrected with a tight smile.
She laughed. “Cheer up, cousin. It’s not half as bad as the t-shirts.” She motioned to the one that said Home of the Gifted.
“Very reassuring,” I responded dryly.
“I like you. You’re not all stuck up Blair’s ass and buying into the bull my mother preaches. Lighten up a little, and we can have some fun,” she said, offering a wicked smile.
“You’re very flamboyant for someone raised in your sister’s shadow,” I said.
“You’re very observant for someone with nothing to hide,” she quipped back with flashing gray eyes. So there was a spark of something in her. Maybe it was her nonchalance that was misleading.
“Touché.”
“I’m not here to unearth your secrets, cousin. My mother wants to do a final run-through to make sure we all have everything before we leave.” She rolled her eyes at the mention of Mariana.
“Okay.”
She looked me up and down once before turning to lead the way. “Are you nervous?”
I didn’t need to ask to know what she was talking about. “No,” I said. What a lie, my subconscious mocked me.
“I would be, if I were in your position.” She shrugged.
“There’s no reason to be nervous. We’re going whether I like or not. I’m prepared.”
“I can see that. What are you going to do about your sister?”
“Hope that she can get her act under control.” Even thinking about Alexandra made me apprehensive. She was the joker in a stack of cards.
“You’d be surprised what the school does to you. I can’t really explain it, but it changes you. Have a little faith.” She sounded optimistic.
I released my hold on my hair and let my hands fall to my sides. Why was I talking about this with her? I hardly knew her . . . and yet, it felt like we were friends. I’d never had a friend before, apart from my sisters. Most days I was more like their parent than their sister. I couldn’t always share my concerns with them. Maybe I could with her. Not all of them, by any means, but some—the safer ones.
“You’re such a smartass, I don’t know when to take you seriously,” I said.
“That’s the beauty of it, Selena. Neither do I.” She smiled cheerfully.
Against my better judgment, a chuckle escaped my lips before I heard footsteps behind me.
“Mom wants to talk to you in the kitchen,” Blair said to me through gritted teeth.
I looked over at Elizabeth, who shrugged it off. Figured she wouldn’t know anything. I picked up the pace downstairs.
“You wanted to talk to me,” I said, rounding the corner of the kitche
n.
“Yes, I wanted to give you these.” Mariana motioned to the three phones on the counter. Each was a new iPhone with different colored cases.
“Why?” I asked, dumbfounded.
“You’re going two thousand miles away, you’re in high school, and I would like to have a way to get hold of you if I need to. Besides, I am your guardian, and both my daughters already have one, so you should too,” she said.
“Thank you,” I said with hesitation and picked up the one with a purple case.
“You’re welcome. Where are your sisters?” She sounded impatient and even a bit flustered compared to her usual self.
“Alexandra’s in the car. I’ll give her hers.” I tried to keep the sour note out of my voice as I picked up the red one.
“Thank—Ah, Lillian! There you are. This is for you.” She beamed as she handed Lily the last one. Really?
“Really?” She echoed my thoughts.
“Yes. Blair insisted I get you one so that you can stay in touch.” She smiled fondly.
My mouth dropped open before I turned on my heel. “I’ll be in the car,” I muttered. Elizabeth’s carefree laugh followed me all the way.
~.~.~
“Goodbye, girls. I’ll see you in a few months. I love you!” Mariana was still calling to her daughters as we went through security.
“Walk through,” the woman ordered.
I stepped through the metal detector, barefoot.
“Clear.” She allowed me to pass with a wave of her wand.
I grabbed my shoes and phone from the conveyer belt. “What gate?” I asked Blair.
“89A,” she said as she handed us our tickets. Amusingly, half her daring attitude had disappeared along with Mariana.
I glanced over mine. “That can’t be right . . . ” I murmured.
“What?” She didn’t look up, clearly not caring in the slightest.
“89A is on the other side of the airport, and our flight leaves in ten minutes.”
Her head shot up, turning to the departure board. “Goddammit.”
I’d never heard her curse, and judging by Elizabeth’s expression, she didn’t do it often.
“Our flight has been bumped. We have to run,” she breathed, grabbing her purse.
“Which way?” I asked.
“Left,” the sisters said at once.
I took off down the hall, careful to keep it at a humanly possible speed. 16A . . . 34B . . . 49A . . . 61C . . . 74B . . .
“Final call for flight 89A to Denver. Final call for flight 89A to Denver,” the overhead speaker cracked shrilly as I ran right up to the desk.
“Here’s my ticket.” I handed it to the girl.
She pursed her lips and gave me a look but scanned it anyway. “Your plane leaves in five minutes. I’d advise you to hurry, miss,” she said with a smile so fake she could’ve been a Barbie. “You really should be going, ma’am,” she continued when I didn’t leave.
“I’m waiting for—”
“Here! We’re here!” Blair called, running up to the counter with her ticket in hand and the other three girls trailing after her.
She rolled her eyes as she took their tickets. “You have three minutes to be seated before the door closes,” she said, handing Lily back her ticket.
I hurried down the stairs and outside to the runway where our plane waited.
“Welcome. Thank you for flying Delta.” The captain greeted us far more nicely than the harpy flight attendant had.
I stepped into the cabin and looked over our seats.
“Blair and Lily can take the two seats on the left, and the three of us can sit on the right,” I instructed, without asking for their opinions.
“Window seat!” Alexandra called, slipping by like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in her four-inch wedges.
“Why on earth are you wearing heels?” I demanded.
“Because she’s an attention-seeking whore,” Blair breathed.
I stepped forward to block the blow as Alexandra turned and swung. It caught me square on my left eye, and I had to take a step back to absorb the impact. “Fuck.” That was going to leave a bruise. “Sit your ass down,” I said, pushing her back two feet.
She glared viciously over my shoulder but did what she was told.
I turned around. “Keep your comments to yourself, or next time I’ll let you play punching bag, and I won’t stop her,” I hissed under my breath.
She looked utterly shocked as she nodded once and took her seat.
I sat in the aisle seat and leaned back into the chair.
“That was quite a hit you took there,” Elizabeth said quietly.
“Better me than her,” I muttered, closing my eyes as we started to move.
This was going to be a long flight.
~.~.~
There was only one word to describe a plane trip that was five hours long, with four other girls, three dead cellphones, Blair and Alexandra on the verge of killing each other, and one outrageous migraine. Depressing.
My terrible attitude kept Blair and Lily quiet on their side of the cabin, and Alexandra was just smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Once, when Alexandra got up to get her bag out of the overhead compartment and “accidentally” dropped something on Blair, I had to straighten it out. When the flight attendant came around, Alexandra’s drink was frozen solid. In turn, Blair’s started boiling. I swear they were going to start World War III right there. My death glare managed to keep us all intact until Denver, but landing couldn’t have come soon enough.
I was the first off the plane and had to wait ten minutes for them, which I did without being impatient . . . mostly. When we bought lunch, we all sat at the same table and they didn’t talk to each other.
Our plane to the school was on a back runway with no official schedule or destination. As it turned out, Daizlei Academy was nestled in a valley in the mountains of southern Montana. I’d missed Montana, but this wasn’t what I’d had in mind.
On the way there, I played cards with my sisters and Elizabeth. Alexandra paid me twenty dollars to keep my mouth shut about her gambling habits. Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, my sister was quite good at counting cards, and she never lost. It cost Elizabeth one hundred and eighty dollars.
As much as I wanted to stay on this plane, people came and went, as did the time.
~.~.~
I was standing in the middle of a train station. Around me, everything was either going by in fast forward, or I was in slow motion. Maybe both. My parents were there; my sisters, cousins, everyone I’ve ever known. I tried to speak, to call out to them, but they just kept walking past me as if I weren’t even there. The train was loading. They were leaving. My parents and sisters were leaving me again. Where were they going? I ran after them, but with every step I took, it seemed they were two ahead of me. I screamed for them, but no one heard. Why couldn’t they hear me? Did they not see me? My parents boarded the train. Sweat trickled down my back as I tried to catch up to them before it was too late. I was going to be too late. Even as I reached the loading platform, the train was already pulling them away. Far away from me, where I would never find them. I screamed in rage, and slammed my fists into the ground. They were gone. They’d left me. Cracks of light burst from my fists as the ground shattered. Consuming the train station, my vision, me. My blood pounded in my veins, sweat coated my skin, and my body trembled. A voice called to me, telling me to wake up, wake up, wake up . . .
I jumped to my feet before I was even awake.
“What?” On high alert, I looked around the cabin, but all I saw were bewildered stares.
“Whoa, there. I was just waking you up. We’re almost there,” Elizabeth said calmly.
I glanced out the window as I settled back into my seat.
We were flying low in an open valley and crossed over a town in the middle of nowhere. The town was small and on a crossroads in the mountains. We didn’t stop there and continued flying farther north and to the west until I saw it.
&
nbsp; Reconstructed Victorian buildings greeted me with dramatic gothic architecture. Tall and majestic. They were protected by a stone wall. Black metal ran through it and formed spikes at the top. Despite its lethal intent, it was beautiful. The largest building was in the center: the clock tower. Displayed there in the tower was a stained-glass clock so huge it could’ve easily been the size of two of my aunt’s SUVs. As we got closer, I could see people walking along the stone pathways and waving from the balconies. We were here.
The jet landed inside the stone walls, coming steadily to a halt. The stairs lowered, but I stood waiting until the very end, with Elizabeth on my left and Alexandra on my right. Even Lily left Blair’s side to squeeze between my cousin and me, taking my hand. I didn’t have to look to know she was absolutely terrified.
People poured out of the buildings onto the sidewalk around us. The crowd was growing as people came to say their hellos, and the sheer number was staggering. It wasn’t just my claustrophobia this time. Lily’s social anxiety had to be having a field day right now, and even Alexandra looked tense. The crowd continued to grow louder and louder as people swarmed the campus . . . then we stepped out.
Chapter 8
Everyone stared, and a hush fell over the student body. I could sense the curiosity of a few. Many looked on challengingly, and I met their stares with a cold gaze of my own. I squared my shoulders. This was a test, just like any other. We were with our own kind now, and it was about time we started acting like it. I gave Lily’s hand a gentle squeeze before dropping it as we faced the masses.
Girls looked on with envy while boys gawked with predatory gazes. Unintentional or not, it was repulsive. Little did they know who the real predator was. My redheaded sister basked in the spotlight. Which of these weak-minded fools would fall prey to her charms? My pride made me smile. I would not look weak. I would not show my slightly shaking hands. I would show them the animal inside. The one whose gaze inspired fear in grown men.
I walked fluidly down the steps with my head held high, my sisters on either side of me. Blair and Elizabeth trailed behind, something that didn’t go unnoticed. We were the outsiders here, and anyone who said differently was a fool. I waded through the parting crowd of whispers, thankful for the breathing space when we broke free of the crowd. I took a deep breath, and relished the cool mountain air I’d missed so much. Perhaps being back in Montana wouldn’t be so bad.
Daizlei Academy Omnibus Collection Page 4