by Elise Noble
“I’m just tired.”
All or nothing. Either I’d be right, or I’d end up calling him a liar. Brock Keaton aside, I wasn’t bad at reading people, so I decided to take a gamble. Asher’s defensiveness reminded me of Lenny when he’d been doing something he didn’t want me to find out about, usually illegal substances.
“I don’t think so.”
“Think what you like.”
“Do the Rosenbergs know?”
I almost said “your family” instead, but that wouldn’t have gone down well.
“Will you drop this bullshit?” Asher growled.
“No, because I’m a tenacious little bitch. I’ve been told it’s one of my worst qualities.”
He began pacing in jerky steps. “No, they don’t know, okay? Nobody fucking knows. Now will you leave me alone?”
I took a seat on the piano stool. When I pressed the keys, it sounded as if the thing was being run over by a dump truck.
“Where I come from, we don’t abandon our friends.”
And I guessed Asher had sort of become a friend. I didn’t mind hanging out with him, and we’d spent enough time together for me to know he was no Brock Keaton. To start with, I’d felt slightly edgy in his presence, but I’d been secure in the knowledge that I could kick his ass thanks to Rafael and his gruelling gym sessions. But fast-forward to today? Today I felt safe enough to be alone with Asher in this music room without my chest going tight.
“Where I come from, we don’t have friends.”
That… That was super sad. Even in London, I’d had Lenny and the parkour crowd.
“People don’t have friends in San Diego?”
“In the circles I ran in, you were only worth what you could do for people.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m my grandma’s pity project. Don’t turn me into yours too. I see the same look in your eyes.”
“That’s not pity.” A little guilt, maybe, because I’d been working out how I could use him. “I just want to pass chemistry and biology, and since we’re working together… My motives are purely selfish.” When he didn’t say anything, I pivoted to a different subject. “Are your parents still in San Diego?”
“Side by side in Mount Hope Cemetery.”
Oh. Shit.
“I’m so sorry. You must miss them.”
“In some ways.”
“Ask if he wants to talk about it,” Rune whispered. “That’s what my therapist does.”
Shit, I’d almost forgotten she was there. This was one hell of a violation of trust. I wanted to turn off my comms system, but I could hardly stick my finger in my ear without Asher thinking I was a right weirdo.
“Uh, do you want to talk about it?”
The silence stretched for so long I thought he wasn’t going to answer, but finally, he spoke.
“Do you know, you’re the first person who’s ever asked me that.”
My heart ached for him. I was beginning to understand that Asher Martinez wasn’t the man I’d thought. Most of the time, he wore a better mask than Emmy.
“What’s the answer?”
“I’m not sure where I’d start,” he admitted. “I guess… I once told my mom I had trouble reading and writing, but she said that it didn’t matter, that I had an artist’s soul.”
Asher sat down next to me, nudging me over so we each had half of the stool. Then he began to play again, this time a depressingly beautiful melody that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. He might have had trouble writing, but the music spoke for him. His pain was all too obvious. When he finished the piece, he let out the longest sigh.
“Come on, Chem. Guess we should finish this poster. You’ll help with the words?”
I nodded, the lump in my throat making it hard to speak.
“Promise I won’t fly off the handle at you again. I just didn’t want you to think I was stupid.”
“So you’d rather I thought you were a prizewinning prick?”
“I didn’t say I’d thought it through.” His fingers brushed my arm, the lightest of touches. It felt as if he’d seared me with a Bunsen burner. “Thanks for putting up with me.”
“Hurry up and get back to work, Shortcut. I need some sleep tonight.”
“What the hell happened?”
Vanessa kicked the door to our room shut behind herself and leaned against it, her breath coming in pants. Blood ran down both of her knees, and when she raised a hand to swipe at her eyes, I saw grazes on her palm too.
“I fell.”
“Over Deandra’s hockey stick again?”
“This time it was her foot.”
Oh, that did it. Hadn’t the frog been enough? Or was Deandra stupid enough to believe it really had escaped from the lab as Asher suggested?
“She tripped you intentionally?” I asked, just to confirm.
“I walked around the corner, then someone pushed me from behind and I fell right over her.”
“Who pushed you?”
“I didn’t see.”
Three guesses. Literally three. Tiffany, Meaghan, or Carlie. Why couldn’t they act like the adults they were about to become? I might have worked for a group of assassins, but they were so much more civilised than these high school brats.
In my ear, Emmy sighed. “I know what you’re thinking, and I agree. Fucking playground bullies. Deal with the one you know and leave the other three. Separate her from the pack and go in hard, but don’t leave any marks.”
I nodded my agreement, then realised she couldn’t see me. Thankfully Vanessa didn’t notice either, probably because she was wiping her eyes with a blood-streaked tissue. Deandra could wait. First, I needed to take care of my roommate. My friend.
“We need to wash the grit out of these cuts and clean them.”
“I-I-I don’t have any antiseptic.”
“I do.”
Bradley had helped me to pack, so I practically had my own ambulance. Bathrooms in New Hall were shared—each floor had five individual toilet stalls and five individual showers—so I helped Vanessa along to the nearest shower and had her stand barefoot while I rinsed her hands and knees with the handheld sprayer. Ouch. Deandra had done a good job. The grazes criss-crossed Vanessa’s skin and the blood kept seeping out for a good ten minutes after I finished cleaning them, and with every drop that dripped into the damp shower tray and spread out to a pale pink, my anger grew until it ran hot in my veins. Vanessa winced when I finally dabbed antiseptic cream onto the broken skin.
“Any idea why Deandra did this?”
“The singing teacher said she wanted to put me forward for another contest. I should have stuck to art.”
“Never give up on your dreams, especially because of one spiteful little witch.”
“Easy for you to say. It’s not you that she hates.”
Give it a couple of hours. I’d soon change that.
“You should probably lie down for the rest of the evening. Any movement’s going to make your knees start bleeding again.”
I helped her back to our room, and she walked stiff-legged like a wooden doll. Even getting onto the bed was difficult for her. I had to haul her backwards by her armpits.
“Where are you going?” she asked when I went to leave.
“We’ve got a biology test on Saturday, and I promised Asher I’d study with him this evening. I’ll stop at the dining hall on the way back and sneak some food out for you. Any requests?”
“Chocolate. I need chocolate.”
“I’ll do my best.”
My best involved skulking around the school for almost an hour before I found the four Britneys holding court in an empty practice room in A-block. Tiffany and Meaghan were sitting on top of a grand piano, swinging their legs, while Deandra shared the stool with Carlie. A gaggle of adoring freshmen were clustered around them, hanging on their every word, and they’d brought drinks and snacks, which weren’t allowed in any of the classrooms. I was tempted to report them, but that would be letting those
bitches off too easy.
Carve Deandra away from the pack, Emmy had said. How the hell did I do that? I didn’t have her phone number, so I couldn’t lure her out with a text, and if I set off the fire alarm, they’d all rush outside. I was puzzling over the conundrum when Deandra gave me the answer herself. She left the room, turning right into the hallway and heading for the nearest loo.
At Greenfields Comprehensive, a common punishment for lesser mortals was to have your head flushed down the toilet. How did I know? Because when I was twelve, it had happened to me after I bumped into a sixth-former and spilled her Fanta. My lips curved up in a smile as I fell into step behind Deandra. She was so self-absorbed that she didn’t even notice me following.
But she sure as hell noticed when I shoved her into the bathroom with one arm twisted up behind her back. I used a leg to sweep her feet out from underneath her, and she practically fell into the toilet bowl. Perfect. The glorious sound of her choking as I flushed was music to my ears.
“That was for Vanessa,” I hissed, just to make sure she got the message this time.
Then I was gone. No marks.
“Nice job,” Emmy said in my ear.
It was, wasn’t it? And since I’d kept Deandra’s back to me, she couldn’t even be certain who had done it, although I was sure she’d be able to make an educated guess.
Now, where was that chocolate?
CHAPTER 27 - SKY
ONCE I EXPLAINED to the staff in the dining hall that Vanessa had accidentally tripped and hurt herself, they packaged her dinner onto a tray to go, including a slice of chocolate cake.
“Hungry this evening?” Asher asked, falling into step beside me as I hurried out the door.
“It’s for Vanessa,” I explained. “She fell over earlier and—”
I didn’t get to finish the sentence before Ezra Rosenberg blocked my way. “A word, please, Sky.”
“Can’t it wait?” Asher asked. “She’s taking dinner to her roommate.”
I’d never seen Asher interact with one of the Rosenbergs before, and it was clear there was no love lost between them. Ezra’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t chastise Asher for speaking to him in that manner.
“No, it can’t wait. A few minutes ago, I had a very serious incident reported to me, and the complainant alleged that Sky was involved.”
“Involved with what? We haven’t heard about any incident.” Asher shrugged. “Although we’ve been studying together in the library this evening, and the gossip doesn’t always get that far.”
“You’ve been with Sky this evening?”
“Didn’t I just say that?”
“All evening?”
“Since five o’clock. We’re lab partners, and we have a biology test on Saturday.”
When Rosenberg stood there, unmoving as he processed that little snippet of news, Asher took another jab.
“What? You keep telling me to make friends and study harder, and now that I am, you’re complaining about it?”
Uncle Ezra gave his head a little shake. “Not at all. I see now that there’s been some kind of a mistake. Sky, I apologise for interrupting your evening.”
I almost sagged with relief. My heart had begun racing, but I didn’t realise quite how fast until Ezra strode off towards A-block, and in the remaining silence, I heard the thump-thump-thump in my ears. And Emmy. She was there too.
“Interesting exchange. Why did Asher cover for you?”
I had no idea.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“Did you do it?” Asher asked.
“Do what?”
He just stared, his gaze locked onto mine, and those big blue eyes dragged the truth out of me.
“Of course I did.”
His laughter was…unexpected. But nice.
“Come on, you’d better take that food to Vanessa before it gets cold. Did Deandra hurt her badly this time?”
“Scraped up her hands and knees. Were you really in the library?”
Asher snorted. “Of course not.”
“Then where were you?” I asked before I could stop myself. What Asher Martinez did in his spare time was none of my business. But at that moment, I realised I kind of wanted it to be my business. The revelation hit me like a punch to the gut, and I would have walked into the door of New Hall if Asher hadn’t opened it for me.
“I snuck out to buy cigarettes. Don’t worry; nobody saw me.”
Cigarettes? He had cigarettes? I really, really needed a puff right now. “Can I bum one?”
“You smoke too?” Asher asked.
Ah, shit. Emmy was still listening, wasn’t she?
“Not often. I mean, not at school.”
“I’ll wait here for you. We’ve both broken enough rules tonight without me sneaking into a girls’ dorm.”
True. I jogged up two flights of stairs, careful not to drop Vanessa’s food. The last thing I needed was a bigger mess. This should have been such a simple job—get in, record some video, plant some bugs, get out—but it was turning out to be more complicated than I ever imagined. Why? Because of people. People turned even the best-laid plans into mayhem.
“Here you go. Mac and cheese with triple chocolate fudge cake. How are you feeling?”
“You brought cake? Now I’m feeling much better. Wait, you’re not staying?”
“Haven’t finished that study session. Mitosis is a bitch.”
I slipped out the door before she could ask any more questions. I was all out of answers tonight. But before I went downstairs, I locked myself in one of the toilet stalls and sat on the closed lid.
“Emmy?”
“What are you doing, Sky?”
“I have no idea. Isn’t that obvious?”
“I’m not your mother. I’m not going to give you a lecture. But just remember you’ll be leaving Shadow Falls in a few weeks. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, especially you.”
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt either, but I need to stay on good terms with Asher. If he hadn’t stepped in tonight, I’d be in Ezra Rosenberg’s office right now, getting a bollocking.”
“I understand that.”
“And do you know how awkward it feels, having to have these conversations with people, trying to form bonds and cultivate relationships with somebody from Blackwood listening in the whole time?”
“Yes.”
“So what do you do in that situation?”
“Simple. I turn my microphone off when things get heavy.”
“I didn’t realise that was an option.”
“Trust goes both ways. If we’re asking you to trust us, then we have to trust you as well. If you feel it’s safe to go dark, just let whoever’s monitoring you know there’ll be radio silence for a while.”
“Okay.” I hesitated for a moment. “Aren’t you going to scold me for smoking?”
“If I told you off for having a cheeky cigarette, I’d be the biggest hypocrite on the planet.”
“You smoke?”
“Very occasionally. Don’t you dare tell Black.”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Asher’s waiting for you.”
“Uh, so I guess I’m going quiet for a while.”
“Just check in with me later, all right?”
I removed the earpiece and turned the tiny dial to switch off the microphone, but I left the speaker on. That way, I could still hear Blackwood, but they couldn’t hear me. Then I jogged downstairs to Asher.
“Hey.” With the radio turned off, I’d expected things to feel less awkward, but it turned out the opposite was true. “Where are we going?”
He put a finger to his lips and headed for a running trail that led into the woods. When the lights from the dorms had faded away, he turned on a small torch.
“I can’t smoke in my apartment. One of the housekeeping staff would smell it and report me.”
“You have an apartment?”
“One of the few perks of being related to the Rosenbergs. Ezra was going t
o put me in a regular room, but Grandma overruled him and gave me a staff apartment. Officially, I’m meant to be the student liaison for Linton Hall, but things run pretty smoothly over there. It’s geek city.”
The ground was slippery after today’s rainfall, and when Asher cut right onto a smaller path that climbed steeply uphill, he offered me a hand. I took it. It would have been rude not to, right? And then we found ourselves in a small clearing with a tumbledown wooden shack at the far end.
“What is this place?” I asked.
“Not sure. It might have been a toolshed once, but now it’s full of old junk.” The door hung off rusted hinges, and he led me inside. “I don’t think anyone comes here now except me.”
No one but spiders, anyway. A cobweb tickled my face, and I knocked it out of the way only for another to take its place. Yeuch. The moonlight that filtered through the filthy window cast creepy shadows over the inside of the shed, and Asher’s torch lit up half a dozen broken chairs, a rusted spade, and a pile of old newspapers. The place smelled damp and musty with an underlying hint of what could have been a dead mouse.
“Do you bring all the girls here?” I asked.
“Can you imagine Tiffany or Meaghan in a place like this? They’d both have run screaming by now.” He grew more serious. “No, you’re the first girl I’ve ever brought here.”
“You really know how to make me feel special.”
He studied the collection of chairs, dragged out the two that looked the most intact, and wiped them with his sleeve. A cloud of dust billowed into the murky light.
“Take a seat. Don’t say I never spoil you.”
I forgave him when he offered me a Lucky Strike from the packet in his pocket. “Thanks. Do you smoke a lot?”
“Not often. Only when I’m stressed.”
“Why are you stressed? Is it the test on Saturday?”
“Partly.”
“Partly? What’s the other part?”
He didn’t speak. Avoiding the question? Or just considering his answer?
“Asher?”
“I’m deciding whether or not to be honest.”
“Why wouldn’t you be?”
A match flared in the darkness, and Asher lit my cigarette and then his own. I inhaled deeply and quickly regretted it when I began coughing.