“What if you can’t use your ability?” I asked, feigning nonchalance.
Her eyes widened. “You haven’t—”
“No, I have. I just mean, what if you can’t use it? Like, you have it, but can’t use it,” I said, trying to get it through her thick skull.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve only been taking Supernatural classes since last year. The middle school only does preparation classes for what to do when you manifest.”
“What if you manifest earlier?”
“That’s not possible. Manifesting in the sixth grade is rare enough, and no one’s ever manifested before that.”
My heart stopped.
Panic rose, and my eyes flashed to Alexandra, who was looking pale and tense as she stared at her food.
We’d all manifested before sixth grade. Alexandra was nine, and Lily ten. They were so jealous of me growing up because I was only five years old when fate decided to screw me. It suddenly made sense why I hadn’t seen any children here. That Blair had only been here four years. If nothing happened before sixth grade, there was no point in bringing them in sooner.
“Something wrong?” the idiot girl asked me.
I had no time for her. “Nothing. I’ll be right back. I have to use the restroom.” The words fell out of my mouth too sloppily to be a proper lie, but I hoped she still bought it. I stood up so fast that several kids looked over from their conversations as I hurried to get out of there.
“Uh, so do I. We’ll be back in a minute,” Alexandra said apologetically as she followed me.
I pulled my cellphone out and hit two to speed dial Lily. She picked up on the second ring as I pushed the door open to autumn air.
“What are you calling me for? You’re right across the”—she paused, and a chair scraped in the background. “Where are you two?” she demanded. “Don’t tell me she’s already done—”
“Listen to me. Stand up and tell your friends you need to take this call. Walk outside to the front of the cafeteria. Don’t ask why, just do it.”
It was risky for all three of us to leave abruptly—it could cause questions—but for now let them ask. I had bigger problems than high school gossip.
Lily burst through the door, looking more pissed off than I’d ever seen her. “What’s wrong? Why did you just interrupt our first dinner here? I mean—”
“Shut the hell up, Lily,” Alexandra scolded.
Lily’s face flamed as she whirled on Alexandra, and glared at her. “What is your—”
“Just shut up for a minute, and let me explain.” I started pacing. We’d been through worse. At least they didn’t know . . . yet. Right? And they wouldn’t find out if I could pull this off—I just had to get through to her. “We were talking at dinner, and this girl said that middle schoolers didn’t have supernatural classes, only classes to prepare them for manifesting.” My voice was deadly quiet.
“But I was in fifth—”
“I know. But here . . . no one has ever manifested before sixth grade. It’s considered a safe age so that our secret is never discovered. Even manifesting at eleven and twelve is regarded as rare.”
The night wind slapped our faces and chilled our bones. The reality of the game we were playing set in.
“How . . . how is that possible?” she choked out as she struggled to breathe.
“I don’t know.” I lifted my fingertips to her cheek and tried to comfort her. “I knew I was early, Lily, but I had no idea how early. I didn’t know that the average kid started in seventh or eighth grade when we were teasing you about starting late in fifth.” I so desperately wanted to apologize for how things had turned out. If our parents had never died, we would’ve known this by now, and we wouldn’t have been here.
“Well, I like it here, and we don’t fit in anywhere else. I know we’re not exactly in the loop, but we could be. If they all find out about this . . . I don’t know what they would do. Shun us, maybe. I don’t want to take that chance. I don’t want to be different anymore.” Though she was talking to me, Lily sounded more like she was trying to calm herself. I could feel her hysteria building and decided not to mention my revelation.
This was why we were never sent to Mariana. This was what our parents were trying to hide. Me. Me and my ability. Lily hadn’t manifested yet, and Alexandra only had the year before they died, but I had. If no one ever manifested before sixth grade, I was the reason that made them gamble we were safer with humans than our own kind. I was the reason we’d suffered all those years. This was all my fault.
“Okay, that’s what we’re thinking. God, you’re, like, so slow if you just came to that realization.” Alexandra threw her hands up in exasperation.
“You know what—”
“Enough, both of you.” I pushed them apart. “Here’s the deal. Now that we’re all on the same page, this is what’s going to happen. We’re going to go back in there and act like nothing happened. While we’re here, not a word about this comes out. If somehow it comes up, lie. Lily, if you want to stay here, you’re going to need to come up with a cover story, because you can’t slip up. None of us can, or we pack up and leave.”
Lily nodded desperately, happy that we could stay.
“Alexandra and I will go back in first—our excuse was that we had to use the bathroom. Lily, once you see us seated, you come in but don’t look at us. If anyone asks where you were, say that Mariana called to check on how you were doing, and you couldn’t hear in there.”
“How do you come up with these things?” she said gratefully.
“Years of practice,” I said and disappeared into the cafeteria with Alexandra following close behind me.
I made sure there was no hint of our recent discussion on my face as we took our seats. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily enter, and hoped she could handle this little lie compared to the big secret she had to keep. If anyone found out when we’d manifested, and knew the extent of our abilities . . . there went their chance of being normal, even here.
“Your sister disappeared after you went to the bathroom. What’s up with that?” Hannah asked us.
Now she’s decided to be perceptive . . .
“I don’t know. We didn’t see her.” I shrugged and fake-smiled.
“Huh. Oh well. So where do you guys come from?” She smiled back, taking the hint and moving on.
I was prepared to tell her it was none of her damn business, but Alexandra quickly answered. “We move around a lot, but we’re originally from Montana.” She was telling the truth, for the first time in a long time. It used to be hard for any of us to talk about our time here, which had made lying easier. When had she gotten past that and decided to move on?
“It must be nice to be back up here in the mountains, then,” Hannah said.
It would’ve been nice if it didn’t remind me so much of what I’d lost here, or the guilt that threatened to suffocate me. Once again, I’d cost my sisters a better life.
“It’s okay,” Alexandra lied, probably thinking along the same lines. She was so convincing. I wouldn’t have known she was lying if she hadn’t been playing with her hair. She always did that. It was her tell.
“What about you? Where are you from?” I asked, only to get the attention off us.
It ended up turning into an hour-long conversation about Washington D.C., her hometown, and how she’d landed modeling jobs that led to her discovering that she was a Supernatural, along with a bunch of other stuff I didn’t care about. She and Alexandra were still talking when I excused myself for the night.
Outside, the air was cool and felt good against my skin. The night was lit up by the full moon, which looked so close I could’ve almost plucked it from the sky. I strolled down the pathway until I reached my building and sighed as I walked into the still-crowded hallway. I made my way upstairs and went to my room, thinking about Lily, who was probably still up and would be the demon sister from hell tomorrow—a side effect of sleep deprivation.
My stuff had final
ly arrived and was set up in my corner, so sparse in comparison to the abundance of crap my roommates had brought. Amber was sitting on Tori’s bed, and from the sound of it, talking about boys. I stifled my groan. I quietly made my bed and slipped into sweatpants before retreating to my music for the night—or, at least, until they went to sleep. Hours later, on Tori’s nightstand, a bright red 3:57am glinted in the dark of the room. Forcing myself to relax, I started to drift off into an unknown place.
My toes sank into the dirt. There was no wind or sound, only a cold that chilled my bones. The trees in this forest were scattered, but the fog was so thick I couldn’t see my feet. I looked in every direction for another living being, but was only met with silence, and the never-ending woods. So I walked, and my unease grew. There had to be catch. There always was.
It was quiet. Too quiet. I scanned the forest for someone, anyone. I waited—for the paranoia to go away, to wake up . . . but I didn’t. A shadow moved in my periphery, and I panicked. I needed to get the hell out of here.
Something was watching me.
It wasn’t until I heard a twig snap that I knew I wasn’t imagining things. It was following me, hunting me like prey. I screamed, but there was no one to hear it. Closer. It was closing in. I ran away from my nightmare. Away from problems. My fears. Away from myself.
Chapter 9
I bolted straight up.
Tori’s alarm clock was making a godawful sound. I slipped out of bed and flipped the light on.
“Turn the damn light off,” Amber groaned, chucking her pillow at me.
“Get up, and it won’t bother you.”
“Tori!” she yelled.
“I got it,” she muttered, and the annoying beeping stopped.
I went over to my suitcase and looked at my uniform: a pair of loose-fitting black slacks and a white button-up blouse with cuffs that went to my elbows. I carried it into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I turned the shower on and groaned when I caught my reflection in the mirror. My hair was chaotic and puffed up like an eighties hairdo gone bad. I would need a lot of conditioner for this mess.
I stepped into the shower, trying not to fall over all the crap in the bathroom. There were multiple shampoos and conditioners, gels, creams, sprays, and anything else you could think of. I’d forgotten to buy shampoo, so I just used theirs. I mean, they wouldn’t notice, would they?
I let the water do its work as it pounded into my back, easing another rough night of sleep from my muscles. Banging on the shower door made my eyes narrow, and I had a good idea who it was.
“What is taking you so long? It’s six-twenty. We only have twenty minutes before breakfast, and other people have to use the bathroom. Hurry up!” Amber yelled.
“Get out! I’ll be done in a minute,” I yelled back. I would need to remember to lock the door from now on.
Once the door shut, I turned the faucet off and climbed out. Hastily dressing for my first day of school, I ran a comb through my hair while I tried to wipe the condensation off the mirror and brush my teeth.
“Selena, if you don’t hurry up—” Amber shrieked through the door.
“I’m almost done,” I shouted as I tried to quickly blow-dry my hair. When I thought I wouldn’t freeze to death, I opened the door and stepped into the room.
“Finally,” Amber said in her irritating voice. She was wearing a very short, black plaid skirt with a peter pan blouse and heels. I doubted the uniform was supposed to be taken that route, but whatever. She looked completely ready, so I didn’t see what the big fuss was about. Nonetheless, she walked into the bathroom and started primping.
I rolled my eyes and turned my back on her.
“Uh, Amber, we only got two minutes before we go. You might wanna hurry up with that,” Tori said as Amber came out with her makeup and hair done. I guess being super-fast had its advantages. I hurried out the door, leaving the other two behind.
This morning, there were no screaming girls running around, and I slipped quickly through the silent hallway, down the stairs, and out onto the grounds. The sun was just starting to rise, but the sky was still dark. I hurried across the grass to the pavement and found my way to the cafeteria. When I opened the door, the room was full of surprisingly alert teenagers. I mean, it was the first day of school and everything, but it wasn’t even seven yet.
I made my way across the cafeteria to my sisters, who were actually sitting together. Well, Alexandra was sitting; Lily was half-asleep on the table. I took my usual place between them.
Just how it should be.
“Hey, Selena. Wanna go get us some breakfast?” Alexandra said as she lounged back in her chair.
“Not particularly,” I told her.
“Please? I need brain food. Heck, I just need food,” Lily begged.
“Lazy much?” I told them but got up to get it anyway.
“Thank you,” Alexandra said as I walked away.
“Love you,” Lily called.
“I’m sure,” I muttered as I stepped into line.
I picked up a tray then just started piling on food—bacon, yogurt, fruit, juice, an extra helping of eggs and toast. If it was there, it was on my tray. I walked back to the table, and set the tray in front of them. Lily glanced up, and I swear you could see her eyes come alive. I took an apple then let them have at it.
“How late did you guys stay up?” I asked nonchalantly a few minutes later.
“Three in the morning,” Lily croaked.
“Like, four,” Alexandra said as she closed her eyes.
“Hmm . . . you know better. Both of you.” I scolded them in my own way—most of the time, my sheer disapproval was enough.
“We’ll be fine. Food makes up for lack of sleep.” Lily smiled languidly at the tray.
“I’ll settle for cold water,” Alexandra murmured and sipped from one of the bottles.
A bell rang as we grabbed our things to leave. Lily finished off her toast and followed us.
“Who do you have first?” I asked Lily as we reached the pavement.
“Ummm . . . ” She shuffled through some papers. “Brighton. Professor Brighton in Building One,” she proclaimed in the middle of the path.
“Well, what a coincidence,” I said. “So do we.”
“Yeah, great. Like, who cares? It won’t matter if we don’t know how to find the damn building.” Alexandra sneered.
“Excuse me, I couldn’t help hearing. Are you lost?” a cute boy with blond hair and dimples asked.
We nodded.
“Where are you looking for?” he asked, falling into step between me and Alexandra.
“Professor Brighton, for languages . . . ” Alexandra smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.
“Well, that’s perfect, because that’s exactly where I’m headed.” He grinned.
“What a coincidence that you just happened to show up, then,” I muttered sarcastically, but only Lily heard me.
“I’m Michael. And you are?” he asked Alexandra.
“Oh, give him a break. He seems like one of the nicer ones,” Lily whispered.
“They all seem nice until they get you alone,” I said.
“Alexandra.” She gave him a smile that said, hello, new boyfriend, and he gave her one back that said, marry me.
“Ew, Selena, don’t go there,” she almost screeched.
“I’m just saying.” I smirked.
Foreign languages wasn’t exactly boring, like normal classes, but it wasn’t great either. Professor Brighton wasn’t that awful. He was extremely strict and sarcastic, but he had a sense of humor—even if it was slightly twisted.
We each had to choose between Russian, Spanish, French, German, and Mandarin. Alexandra and I chose Russian since our mother had been fluent, and we’d been bilingual since birth. Lily decided to be an overachiever with her friend Bella and take Mandarin—a choice that came with a lecture about cheating by taking a language you already knew. Fortunately for me, she didn’t get to finish it thank
s to the professor. Brighton caught Alexandra in the middle of a response twice, and he wasn’t too pleased. She kept her mouth shut for the rest of his introduction and didn’t respond to his taunting, like a good girl, which led to us being partners for the next year in what would now be considered Russian Class. Unfortunately, Alexandra couldn’t keep her mouth shut for the entirety of the class and got us both afterschool detention at 4:30. I mentally slapped her for that one.
My next class was different again. Neither of my sisters were there, but I didn’t mind. Professor Anderson was the—and I’m not exaggerating when I say this—epitome of boring. He looked like he was in his forties, with thinning hair and glasses so thick I could’ve used a ruler to measure them. His face was plain and his features dull, just like his voice. After he called roll, he started a lesson I couldn’t even hear because of all the noise. He shut them up eventually, but by the time anyone could hear, it was already time for my third period.
Science had never been a favorite of mine, but I’d never disliked it either. It was just there. Professor Monroe changed that. She was the meanest, most spiteful teacher I’d ever known, with beady eyes and a rude attitude. It was almost like she was only teaching to punish kids. If you answered a question wrong, it was detention, and speaking out at any time was at least a week’s worth. By the time lunch rolled around, at least half the class had detention, and I was relieved not to be part of that half. Skipping detention on the first day probably wouldn’t go over so well.
When the bell rang, I was the first out of there, not wanting to get stuck in the mob of students. Despite my attempts to stay ahead and avoid people, some were very persistent. Two boys asked me on a date, a group of girls wanted me to sit with them, and I was given an invitation to join equestrian studies, tennis, and cheerleading. All of which I declined without a second thought and continued toward the cafeteria. Only a few tables were occupied, but people were filing in rapidly. After grabbing a salad for lunch, I took a seat at one of the empty tables and pulled out my science assignment—I had a feeling my sisters would be eating with their friends today. I’d only completed half a page of annotated notes before I was interrupted.
Daizlei Academy Omnibus Collection Page 6