I then remember the corsage in my hand. I can’t believe I didn’t drop it when I was dry humping Daisy.
“Here, I got this for you.” I take the flower out.
“Oh, thanks.”
I wrap the corsage around her wrist and then offer her my arm. “Shall we?”
DAISY
I don’t know what possessed me to almost fuck Phoenix before the stupid ball. I’ve been so good at avoiding him and the others for the past two weeks, but damn, the boy looks fine in his tux. Thank heavens for Rosie and Toby’s interruption.
I can sense her staring at us the whole way toward the gymnasium where the party will take place. In hindsight, I should have told her about Phoenix, but I honestly didn’t want her to grill me about him or why I wasn’t going with Bryce. What would Rosie think if she knew I’m involved with three guys at the same time? Would she think I’ve lost my mind? Sometimes I do.
The path toward the gym is illuminated by twinkling lights that have been placed on the trees skirting the edges. It’s kind of romantic, and it makes me feel giddy. Or maybe it’s the sexy-as-hell guy next to me who’s awakened the butterflies in my stomach. I never thought I’d feel anything for Phoenix besides hatred, but somehow I fell for his charms, and I don’t even know when it happened. Maybe I’m just attracted to broken things, and there’s no denying the boy is broken. God, I have to help him somehow.
When we enter the gym, my jaw drops as I gawk at everything. I can’t believe they managed to convert a sweat-smelling, boring gym into a high-class ballroom. It has a chandelier and everything.
“This is so pretty,” Rosie says.
“Indeed,” I reply.
“Do you guys want anything to drink?” Phoenix points at the refreshments table, which seems kind of desolate.
“No one is drinking the punch,” I say.
“No one has spiked it yet. That’s why.” He winks.
“What’s the point of spiking anything?” Rosie asks. “You guys are immune to alcohol.”
“That’s not really true,” Phoenix replies.
“It isn’t?” I arch my eyebrows. “I was always under the assumption that Idols were immune to almost everything.”
“Don’t look so shocked, sweetheart. Your spirits don’t affect us. We have our own special brew. So, going once, going twice….”
“Yeah, okay, I’ll have a drink,” I say.
“Me too,” Rosie adds.
Phoenix turns to Toby. “Wanna help, buddy?”
“Sure.” He looks nervously at Rosie.
“Relax, dude. No one will touch them while I’m around,” Phoenix says.
“Go. We’ll be okay.” I shoo him away.
No sooner are we alone than Rosie grabs my arm and pulls me closer. “I thought you liked Bryce. What are you doing with that blond? Wasn’t he an ass to you?”
“To be fair, they all were in the beginning. But Phoenix is not who I thought he was.” I glance at him, so tall, handsome, and strong, but also so vulnerable.
“Oh my God. You’re falling in love with him!” Rosie says loud enough that she draws other people’s attention.
“Shhh. I’m not.”
I better not be falling for him, because then it means I’m also falling for the other three. Even Morpheus, who so far I’ve kept a platonic relationship with, has carved out a place in my heart.
She puts her hands on her hips. “I know that look.”
“Oh yeah. Why? Is that what you see in the mirror every day?” I cross my arms in front of my chest.
Blush tinges her cheeks. She looks in Toby’s direction and sighs. “I think so. Toby is so cute and attentive and nice. It sucks that I only get to see him on the weekends.”
“Good grief. You just turned into a ball of goo. Do we need to have the talk again?”
Rosie whips around to face me with round eyes and lips parted. “Hell no. I don’t need Sex Ed lectures from you.”
Someone whistles next to me. Phoenix. I didn’t even sense his approach. Toby isn’t far behind, looking redder than a tomato.
“Oh my God. Kill me now.” Rosie drops her chin, resting her forehead in her hand.
“I happen to know Daisy could be an exc—”
I elbow Phoenix’s stomach, which is akin to hitting a brick wall. His abs are made of solid steel. But at least I got him to stop talking.
“I cannot believe this,” a cruel masculine voice says from behind us, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Immediately, Phoenix wraps his arm around my shoulder and brings me closer to him.
“Hello, Father.”
The cruel Idol glowers at us with so much hatred that I feel it in my bones.
“I thought I was clear the last time we spoke.”
He means the last time he tortured Phoenix. Motherfucker. Fury unfurls from the pit of my stomach, leaving me shaking.
Phoenix hisses, hunching forward a little.
“Mr. Westbrook. I didn’t realize you were coming tonight.” Principal Fallon joins us, staring hard at the man. Bryce and Rufio are next to her. By their closed-off expressions, they must sense the tension in the air too.
“Since when do generous alumni need to RSVP to stupid school events?”
Her nostrils flare, and her gaze narrows. “I don’t care how much money you donated to the school. You won’t cause trouble under my watch.”
He chuckles. “So feisty. I see Jonathan wasn’t able to tame you at all. Don’t worry, I’ve seen enough.”
He walks away, but not before he spares one more hateful glance at Phoenix. A look with the promise of retribution.
As soon as the man’s gone, Phoenix steps aside and loosens the tie around his neck.
Principal Fallon turns to her sons. “Remember what I said. No shenanigans.” She strides across the dance floor, disappearing from view soon after.
The band begins to play a lively tune, and Toby, bless his heart, invites Rosie to dance. When they’re gone, I check on Phoenix, who’s looking quite pale now. On a hunch, I drop my eyes to his wrist. His tattoo isn’t glowing, but that doesn’t mean his father isn’t hurting him another way.
“Dude, are you all right?” Bryce asks.
“I need some fresh air.”
He staggers forward, walking like he’s drunk.
“Did he take anything?” Rufio watches him go.
“Don’t just stand there,” I demand. “Can’t you see he’s in agony?”
I follow Phoenix out of the gym, pushing people out of my way roughly. He’s already in the hallway when I catch up with him, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. His face is twisted into a grimace.
I touch his face. “Phoenix. Talk to me.”
He opens his eyes and glances down. “Fuck. I hate that man.”
He grunts and closes his eyes again while a faint glow comes from his wrist.
Son of a bitch. His father is torturing him again.
47
Morpheus
I feel it when I’m halfway to the gym building. I was the last to leave the apartment, and when the first telltale signs that I’m about to have a vision manifest, I realize I forgot my cell at home. Fuck.
Grunting, I focus on putting one foot in front of the other. It’s not only the headache that’s bothering me; the shadows decided to have a party too. With each passing moment, the pain increases to the point that it turns my vision blurry.
It takes me double the time to walk to the gym, and when I finally enter the building, I’m about to throw up. Ambling forward and clutching my stomach, I hope to get to an empty room where I can lie down.
The band has already started to play, but there are still students milling about in the hallway. I catch a few glances in my direction, but no one tries to help me. I wouldn’t either. I round a corner and bump into someone who was running in the opposite direction. The impact almost knocks me down. I brace against the wall and glare at the culprit.
She glances at me
for a fleeting moment, but I recognize her nonetheless. Cherise, Drusilla’s minion. What the hell is she doing here? Expelled students aren’t allowed on campus grounds. She disappears down the hallway, but it’s not like I can follow her.
White-hot pain splits my skull in two, and a roar comes from deep in my throat. I clutch my head while I slide down to the floor. Then the vision comes. The ballroom, Toby and Daisy’s sister dancing, a giant chandelier, then shards of crystal all covered in blood.
My eyes fly open. Fuck. I need to warn them. My world is still spinning. I’m also cold, so very cold, but I attempt to get up anyway. I don’t have much time. Laughter sounds in my head. His odious laughter.
“You’re too late. There’s nothing you can do,” the god says.
I hear a loud crash in the distance. The music suddenly stops playing and is replaced by a bloodcurdling scream.
DAISY
Phoenix is still panting in pain when a crashing sound comes from the ballroom. The music stops suddenly, and then the screams take its place.
“Rosie!”
I’m running before anyone can stop me. Once inside, I push through the throng of people who have already formed a circle around something. When I finally manage to get to the front, I find Toby in Rosie’s lap, staring at the ceiling. A random crimson stain slowly spreads through his white tuxedo shirt. No. There’s a piece of broken glass sticking out from his abdomen. Shards of glass surround them. It takes me a moment to understand they’re pieces of the chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling.
Rosie lifts her tearstained gaze to mine. “Daisy….”
“Someone call an ambulance!” I yell through the lump in my throat, then crouch next to them.
Toby begins to spit out blood, and I know he doesn’t have much time left.
“Out of the way, Daisy. Let me help.” Bryce crouches next to me.
I clutch his arm and beg, “He doesn’t have much time. You have to heal him. Please.”
With round eyes, Bryce nods. He didn’t know he could heal before, and I’m not sure if he can summon his healing powers at will, but I’m hoping he can. He’s Toby’s only hope.
Bryce touches Toby’s chest and closes his eyes. At first nothing happens. A great sense of doom takes hold of me. I’m sobbing, crying my eyes out.
Strong arms circle my shoulders, pulling me into a hug. I recognize Rufio’s cologne immediately.
“It’s going to be okay, Daisy,” he whispers in my ear.
Finally, light pours from Bryce’s hand and spreads over Toby’s body. Rosie lets out a gasp, but she vanishes from view when the brightness spreads to encompass all of us. A minute or less goes by before the light begins to fade. I blink several times to adjust my eyesight.
Bryce is sitting on the balls of his feet now, his shoulders sagging forward and his chin dipped low. He looks spent.
“Toby, talk to me.” Rosie touches his face.
He turns to her and then sits up slowly. The piece of broken glass sticking out from his belly is gone, but the bloodstain on his shirt remains.
“I’m okay.”
She reaches for his torn shirt and spreads the fabric apart. There’s no gash where one should have been. “You’re healed.”
Toby touches the area gingerly, almost as if he can’t believe it’s gone. He turns to Bryce and says, “You healed me. I can’t believe it.”
“You’re welcome.” Bryce sways on the spot and then topples sideways.
I gasp, but he doesn’t fall onto the broken glass. Phoenix is standing just outside the circle with his hand raised. The grimace of pain hasn’t left his expression, but he was strong enough to come to his friend’s rescue.
We lock gazes, and there are so many emotions exchanged in that connection that I can’t begin to put it in words.
Mayhem ensues soon after when the adults finally join us. Principal Fallon blanches when she sees Bryce passed out and starts issuing orders. Other teachers soon join us and begin to clear the room out.
I’m still reeling from the experience when Rufio urges me to stand up. Bryce is now being carried out of the room by Phoenix, and my impulse is to follow, but I have to make sure Rosie and Toby are okay first.
“What happened?” I ask.
“The chandelier fell on us. Toby pushed me out of the way, and the rest you saw.” She’s clutching her boyfriend for dear life, and who can blame her? She almost witnessed him bleed to death.
Nurse Ellen materializes out of nowhere. “There you are. Toby, you need to come with me.”
“What about Bryce?” I ask.
“I’ll check on him too. Phoenix is taking him to the infirmary as we speak.”
“Come on, Daisy. Let’s go,” Rufio says.
We begin to follow the nurse out, and it’s then that I realize I haven’t seen Morpheus anywhere.
“We need to let Morpheus know about what happened,” I say.
“He should be here already.” Rufio pauses and glances at the destruction in the middle of the room.
I don’t like how his jaw becomes tense. “Do you think something happened to him?”
He looks me in the eyes and says, “A chandelier doesn’t simply drop from the ceiling, Daisy. So yeah, I’m worried something happened to him.”
As if I couldn’t get more worried than I already am.
Toby and Rosie stop when they notice we’ve fallen behind. “Daisy? Is something the matter?”
I’m torn. I want to stay with Rosie and make sure she’s okay, but at the same time, I can’t ignore the apprehension I saw in Rufio’s eyes.
“I don’t know yet. Stick with Ellen. She’ll make sure you’re safe. Rufio and I have to find Morpheus.”
Rosie watches me without blinking for a few seconds before turning away. But it was enough for me to read the hurt in her eyes. I just put an Idol before her. Guilt stabs through my chest, making me want to cry again.
“Daisy, are you okay?” Rufio asks.
“No.” My answer comes out as choke. “Everything is wrong.”
“Everything will be fine. You’ll see.” He smiles at me, a vain attempt to infuse me with positivity. But I can see right through his bullshit. I’ll give him points for trying though.
“Let’s find Morpheus.”
We don’t find him. He actually finds us as we’re coming out of the room, agitated as hell.
“Please tell me he was lying. Please tell me I didn’t fail,” he says.
“Whoa. Slow down.” Rufio holds his friend by the shoulders.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“I had a vision of the chandelier falling on top of Toby and your sister. I tried to come warn you, but I was too late.”
“Everything is fine now, Morpheus. Bryce healed Toby, and they’ve all gone to the infirmary.”
Despite the good news, Morpheus doesn’t seem relieved.
“Is there more you’re not saying?” I ask.
“Yes. Cherise was here tonight.”
Rufio and I trade glances. I can imagine what he’s thinking because I’m doing the same. She shows up on school grounds on the same evening someone tries to kill Toby and my sister. That can’t be a coincidence.
48
Daisy
When we get to the infirmary, Ellen has finished checking on Toby. Bryce, however, is lying on the examination table with his arm over his eyes. When he healed me, it was almost like his batteries got completely depleted. It seems the same happened again. But I can’t go check on him before speaking with Rosie first.
“How are you?” I ask her.
“How do you think?” She glares. “My boyfriend almost died tonight.”
“But I didn’t.” Toby pulls her toward him and kisses her cheek. She melts into his embrace, only it does nothing to erase the angry expression aimed at me.
“Are you coming home?” she asks.
I blink several times without answering. I wasn’t planning on doing that, but it’s kind of obvious that she would
assume I would. Tomorrow is Sunday, and she was almost killed along with Toby. She must be feeling pretty shaken after everything.
“Oh my God. You aren’t?” she shrieks.
“I didn’t say that. It’s been a long evening. Why don’t you just stay here with me?”
Any other day, I’d go with her without a second thought. So why am I hesitant to leave school grounds tonight? It’s almost like a strange premonition is telling me I’ll be needed here.
“Hell to the no. I refuse to sleep under the same roof as these ruthless Idols. I want nothing to do with them.” She sneers.
I wince because I sense her outburst is also a criticism of my dating choices. A couple of months ago, I’d be completely on her side. Now I’m just a mess of contradictory emotions.
“You should go with your sister, Daisy,” Bryce says from the examination room.
He’s attempting to sit up with Rufio’s help. Ellen orders him to lie back down.
“I’m fine, Ellen,” he counters. “I just need to sleep this off in my own bed.”
“Let me scan you one more time, at least,” she insists.
“You already did and found nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Toby, can you drive? I want to go home.” Rosie starts to walk out of the room.
“Rosie, wait.” I grab her arm. “I’ll come with you.”
She pulls herself free. “Don’t bother. I’d rather spend time with someone who truly cares about me.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Hey, hey, girls. Please don’t fight.” Ellen moves in between us. “It’s been a stressful evening, and you’re all still reeling from it.”
Rosie turns to Toby. “Can you sleep over?”
“He can’t stay with you, Rosie. Are you crazy?” I raise my arm in a pleading gesture.
“You’re not my mother!”
It’s not the first time she’s told me that, but tonight the punch to the gut is much harder.
“Stop it! Seriously. Daisy, I know where you’re coming from, but maybe it’s best if Toby spends the night with Rosie. I’m sure nothing besides sleeping will happen.” Ellen looks pointedly at Toby.
Ruthless Idols: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 2) Page 26