by C. R. Jane
“Before he did what? Drank my energy, or whatever the hell he was doing to you?”
“No.” She whirls back to face me again, drying her eyes with the back of her hand. “He was pulling your skirt up to rape you, Adi. To fucking rape you as he fed on you.” Her words are like a punch to my chest.
That fucking bastard. I’m shaking all over as an image of him over me on the floor assaults my mind.
“Did he do it? Did he try raping you too?” I whisper with a shaky voice, my skin crawling with the thought.
She’s shaking her head and relief crashes through me. “No, he never has that I can remember. But thank god, Connor burst into the room and they got into a huge brawl. I passed out after that and then woke up in the nurse’s office early this morning. After I found out you were okay, I made the decision to leave. And maybe you should do the same, Adi. Something’s wrong here. Something evil is in these walls.”
“Connor saved us both?” I don’t know why but hearing it was him surprises me.
Mercy’s words carry the same trepidation as Connor’s when he warned me about not trusting anyone. My emotions are swinging like a pendulum between the monsters in this school to the way my heart flutters for the five men who’ve captivated me. And leaving them seems impossible. An ache settles deep in my stomach to the point of nausea at the thought of leaving them.
“It’s my fault, Adi, and I can’t do this anymore.” More tears fall and she shuts her bags, zipping up her belongings before she tugs the suitcases off the bed.
What am I supposed to say? Stay when it’s clear she’s terrified and in danger? A tremble skitters down my spine. “Will you keep in touch?”
Instead of answering me, she leaps into my arms and she’s crying, full on bawling her eyes out. I hold her tight, and my eyes are tearing up again at hearing the agony tearing through her. Sorrow creeps into my heart, and my throat swells with the strongest desire to cry. I don’t want my friend to leave but asking her to stay is purely selfish on my part.
There’s a long pause before she pulls from my arms and breaks into a half chuckle. “I must look like a mess.”
“You look perfect.” I find a sliver of courage to smile.
She takes a deep breath and nods. “I better go. Dad is picking me up from reception any minute now.”
“Come, I’ll help you.” I reach out with an unsteady hand and take one of her bags on wheels and roll it out of her room.
My chest is burning up, and I quickly wipe the hot tears escaping from the corner of my eyes at the thought of losing my friend. But I don’t want her to see me like this and feel worse.
“Message me every day,” she says, and I nod.
“You better do the same. I want daily updates on what school you go to, if you find any hotties, and photos.”
Her mouth curls upward with the mischievous look on her face I’ve grown used to seeing every day. “You want me to take photos of hot guys without being seen? A bit stalkerish, but doable.”
“I’m going to miss you so much, Mercy. Even your crazy conspiracy theories.”
“I'm going to miss seeing your gorgeous face so much.”
There are so many things I want to tell her, to confess somehow how conflicted I’m feeling. How the guys think I’m an angel, how I had freaking sex with my teacher. But I hold all those words and feelings back. This isn’t a moment about me but about Mercy doing what she needs for her sanity.
By the time we reach reception, she’s half bouncing on her toes like leaving has been on her mind for longer than just after this incident and she’s desperate to get out of here now that she’s so close to escape.
A tall man in tailored pants and a white business shirt waits near the reception, talking to the principal.
“Dad,” Mercy calls out, her voice wavering, clear she’s missed her parents. It reminds me of mine and how much I want to see them. But I also remember that the reason I’m here is to help pay for Dad’s medical costs, and I’ll stay here for as long as it takes if Dad heals from the sickness wracking through his body.
Both men turn toward us, and Mercy’s dad’s eyes light up at seeing his daughter. He strolls over and takes her into his arms.
I’ll lie if I say I’m not jealous at seeing them. It just makes me miss my parents desperately, to hear his words that everything will be alright. I can’t tell them about anything going on at the academy though or they'll force me to return home despite needing the help for Dad’s health bills. And for that reason, I’ll stay here and will make it work somehow.
“Let me take your bags to the car. I’m parked just outside.” Her dad offers me a gentle smile, and I see the similarities. Same almond-shaped eyes. Both wearing dark framed glasses, and there are small waves in his short hair, just like Mercy’s curls.
She turns to me as her dad takes her bags.
We hug for the longest moment, and I try to remember how it feels to have her hold me so hard I can barely breathe, how she always smells of lavender and sandalwood, and how I’ll no longer have my friend by my side.
“Well, I better go,” she says as she breaks away. “I’ll be in touch, and please, Adi.” She lowers her voice. “Be careful. This school is a lot more dangerous than it seems.”
People keep telling me that but when her gaze softens like she might cry again and she doesn’t even know half of it, I squeeze her arm. “You better go before your dad comes searching for you,” I joke, but in truth, I’m struggling to hold myself together.
She walks away, her curls bouncing over her shoulders, reminding me of the first time we met in the girls’ toilets where I hid from Clarissa. We shared a common element… we were outcasts but fighters.
Now, tears are running down my cheeks. A pang of guilt washes over me that she left because of me.
I turn and run to my room. There I’m pacing back and forth, the wrath of my emotions pulsing through me, and I let myself cry hard. Anything to stop the pain of losing a friend on a day I was convinced would be a new start.
Dropping onto the bed, I bury my face into a pillow and have no idea how much time passes before I finally roll onto my back, my eyes stinging from the endless crying.
I am going to miss her dearly, and there is nothing I can do to change her leaving.
Standing, I reach for my phone in my pocket and dial home.
It goes to the voicemail, and I sigh, half contemplating to hang up, but I don’t.
“Hey Mom and Dad, it’s me. Just calling to see how you’re both doing. Wanted to hear your voices. How are Dad’s new medicines working? Anyway, I miss you and I’ll try to call again later. Love you.” I hang up and instead of moping around any longer, I get up and grab my toiletries before I head to the bathroom to apply as much foundation and makeup as needed to hide my puffy eyes and not show the world I’ve been crying all morning.
The first few classes of the day pass in a blur and I do my best to concentrate on the lessons, thinking endlessly about Mercy leaving. Heaviness surges through me and over lunch, I can barely stomach my meal, so I push my chicken tenders away.
“Not hungry?” Nyx takes the seat across from me in the food hall and gives me the sweetest smile that eases the sorrow riveting through me.
I adore the way he looks at me like all the people and noise around him don’t distract him and it’s only me he sees. He reaches over and runs a thumb over my cheek. “There’s so much sadness in your eyes today, gorgeous. What’s going on?”
I’m biting my lip in concentration, glancing up at him and the words spill out. “Mercy left Raven Academy today. She’s gone back home.”
Looking down, I blink hard to bat the tears away. I don’t want to cry again, not in front of everyone or Nyx. “I just miss her so much.”
His hand slides across my back, his touch captivating, his fingers rubbing the small of my back in small circles as he shuffles closer. “I’m sorry, baby girl. I heard about the attack and I’ve been looking for you to find out how you are
.”
“I’m dealing. I’m more upset about losing my friend to be honest.” Mercy’s words came to me about Dixon, and I swivel in my seat to face Nyx, those pale blue eyes are striking against the thickest, darkest lashes. His deep brown hair looks ruffled and I reach out to tame down a few wild strands on his head.
He catches my wrist and brings it to his lips. I’m buzzing all over at how gently he kisses along my palm and the tip of each finger. “I’m so sorry we weren’t there faster to stop that bastard from touching you.”
I naturally push myself closer to him and he kisses me deeply. Just a heartbeat of a kiss, but enough to leave me fluttering on the inside as an overwhelming surge of desire sweeps through me. Already I feel a little better.
“He won’t touch you again, my little angel.”
I meet his gaze; well aware his angel comment has everything to do with him agreeing with everyone else that I’m an angel. I want to believe and accept that because maybe then I will have the power to somehow bring more love to this world, to stop those like Dixon and Clarissa from ever attacking others again.
Nyx is on his feet and pulling me by a hand to join him. “Come with me.”
My body moves, obeying his request, reeling me toward him, and I don’t resist him because I want to be with him.
We traipse down the hall and outside where the morning sun had slipped behind heavy clouds that now darken the sky. A cold wind blows through my hair. Nyx holds me against him, and we’re moving with haste across the lawn.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“I want to show you something.”
His words intrigue me, and there’s something exciting with how he wants to surprise me. I settle against him and we fall into a rhythm of steps, making our way past all the buildings and to the rear of the school grounds. Trees crowd closer here, shadows dancing amid the trunks, and the grass grows wild. Up ahead is an old rundown four story building, charred black like it had been burned.
“I’ve never been here before.”
“It’s the original school building where all the classes used to be held. But a huge fire broke out after something went wrong in a science class, and the powers to be never rebuilt it.”
“Did anyone get hurt?”
“Not sure.” We move closer to the building, trampling over the long grass, and we step through the front opening where the doors are lying on the ground. A lock and chains are smashed and tossed aside on the ground in front of us, rusted from long ago.
The place is gutted, with no furniture or decorations. Just the walls charred black, ash and dirt littering the ground, the ceiling peeling.
The smell is rancid and carries with it a burning smell. “It stinks in here.”
“Yeah, but it’s worth it, I promise.”
He pulls me quickly toward the stone staircase, and we rush upstairs, past the animal droppings. Up on the top floor, the hallway is dark and there’s a terrifying zombie-vibe going on here.
“This place is freaky. Where did you say we’re going again?”
“I didn’t but you can trust me.” His grip slightly squeezes my hand, and I trust him completely as he takes me down a hall then through the fire escape door, and up more stairs.
Finally, he pushes a door open and bright light from outside beams over me. I squint and step outside onto the flat roof where there are plastic chairs and tables set up, a few trashcans, and even several strings of fairy lights cross over our heads. The place looks cleaned up, showing no sign of the fire that has swallowed the rest of the building.
“Is this place used for parties?” How come I don’t know about this spot?
Nyx is at my back, his arms looping around my stomach, his mouth on my neck, leaving a trail of kisses up to my ear.
Heat rises through me, and my skin ripples with excitement. I’m at his mercy, softening against his chest.
“This isn’t what I came to show you.”
He turns me on the spot slowly and walks me to the side of the building. We pause feet from the edge made of a small lip. Below is a straight drop to my death. Shivers grip me. I’ve never loved heights, and up here, the wind is blustering against me. It feels like I’m on the edge of the world. My heart is in my throat and I try to step backward, but Nyx holds me in place.
“I’ve got you.” His hold tightens, a playful tone in his voice. “Now look straight ahead for me.”
I reassure myself I’m safe and he won’t let anything happen to me. The cool air calms me as does Nyx’s arms that hold me in place. I lift my gaze and stare out over the tops of the forest that encases Raven Academy and into the distance where white water cascades down from a cliff’s edge and rocky outcrops, giving the impression that there are multiple waterfalls. The sun in that area seems to hit the water at the right angel, creating a rainbow arching over the river.
“Wow. I didn’t know that existed so close to us.”
“It’s gorgeous isn’t it?”
I’m mesmerized, and I hold onto Nyx’s arms, not from fear of falling, but the contentment washing over me.
“This is insanely beautiful,” I say, smiling over my shoulder at him. “It’s perfect.”
“No one comes here during the day, so I sit here when I want time away from everything, when things feel like too much.”
“I appreciate you sharing your hideaway with me. That means a lot to me.” I can’t stop staring at the beauty of the falling water, at how divine nature is. It reminds me that the simplicity of life in the face of something so powerful.
“You’re welcome to join me here anytime. It can be our secret place.”
Nodding, I turn in his arms to face him, and soft prickles dance over my flesh, my breaths racing. Somehow amid the chaos around me, Nyx has found a way to help me find peace in my heart.
With us so close now, all I can think of is the hardness of his body against mine, and I draw my eyes up to meet his.
“I’ve wanted to bring you here for a while,” he explains, but my breaths are caught in my chest as I study how incredibly handsome he is from those perfect lips calling to me, to the sharp cheekbones, and the faint shade of stubble along his jawline.
His hands splay across my back and he pulls me against his solid chest for a kiss. I grip onto his strong arms, rising myself on tippy toes. His tongue surges into my mouth, and I take him, taste him, give myself to him. A soft moan slips from my throat, and his grasp tightens around my back.
“You have no idea what you do to me, Adi,” he groans into my mouth, staring at me intently.
I press myself closer to the mass bulk of him, nestling close, embracing him. He holds me, and we stay like that for a while, I needed a hug more than I realize. I don’t want to let him go or leave this place, ever. My heart beats steadily, and we hold each other while the world fades around us. There’s something special about a quiet moment without the distraction of words but knowing I’m not alone.
It isn’t long before the school bell shatters the peace to announce the end of lunch.
Nyx pulls away, his hand sliding into mine, our fingers intertwining. “Should take you back,” he announces, and I sigh in protest.
He laughs in response, and I adore the sound so much that I let myself just stand there and watch how incredibly gorgeous he is, how the lines at the corners of his eyes crease, how he throws his head back slightly, how his hands gently draw me closer. Everything about him, about this moment is so perfect. I capture it in my mind, store it away for when the world feels like it’s going to hell around me.
I take his hand and he walks me back. “I’m definitely getting you to keep your word and bring me back here,” I say.
“I don’t doubt it for a moment, and that was my plan. Up here no one will hear your sweet moans.” He looks at me with so much desire in his eyes and hunger, that I can’t stop the blush from creeping over my face.
“I have so many more things I want to show you,” he adds as he sees me back to class, and all I
can think is that somehow I’ve let myself fall for five guys, given my heart to each and I worry that somehow I’ll end up heartbroken and devastated. My worst fear is I’ll end up losing all of them.
The rest of the day flies by and I keep wondering how I can sneak dinner to my room and eat myself into a coma to forget how much I miss Mercy.
Out in the hallway as I leave a classroom, I join the masses to make our way toward the dorms, when someone grabs my arm and yanks me out of the river of students.
I stumble on my feet and twirl around just as Clarissa shoves me backward and into an empty hallway.
My hackles rise at seeing her in my face.
“Well, well, well,” she murmurs, her hand shoving into my shoulders, sending me reeling backward until my back finds the wall. “We get you’re a whore and sleeping with half the school, so you don’t need to parade it in our faces while we’re trying to eat. It’s sickening, and you know everyone is talking about you, right? How many more guys are you going to add to your harem? Ten. Twenty?”
Her words startle me until I remember my quick kiss with Nyx in the food hall. She must have been watching me, hating me with the same loathing and jealousy lashing over her gaze right now.
“Leave me the hell alone, Clarissa, I don’t have time for you.” I go to move, but she pushes me back.
She snorts in a gasp of air. “It’s funny that you think you can get away from me, bitch. I’m the shadow you can never escape.”
I can’t help myself and burst out laughing. “Is that supposed to scare me? Who even says things like that?”
She lunges at me, coming so fast, I don’t react quick enough. She jams her forearm up against my throat, driving me back, holding me still. She’s so freaky strong and fast, and threads of fear coil in my gut.
I shove my hands against her, but she doesn't budge.
“Why do you think Mercy really left? Because you ignored her to get yourself dick! You’re a bitch and a shit friend and soon enough even the guys will tire of you. Then you can crawl back into whatever hole you came from and die.”