And then she was gone.
It took me a full five seconds after the door banged shut–and echoed after–to realize how completely silent the rest of the cafeteria had gone. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to notice whatever had gone down at the head table, or the Ice Queen melting down long enough to shed a liquid tear.
Slowly, the noise returned and the volume built back to normal. Over at the table by the window, Demi sat straighter than before, and all the boys huddled closer to her than the others.
Had we just witnessed a power shift?
“What the hell do you think that was?” Cambria asked, still staring at the door Victoria had exited through.
I looked back at her and Logan. “Her parents were taken. She found out last night,” I said.
“Seriously?” Cambria’s eyes went wide. “How?”
“That pack of Werewolves that’s been targeting alumni,” I said.
Logan stared hard at the door, as if he could will Victoria to reappear. “That’s horrible,” he said.
Cord pushed back from her chair and headed for the door without so much as a backwards glance.
“Where’s she going?” Cambria asked.
“To find Victoria, I think. They know each other.”
“How?”
“They didn’t say. The kicker is that they actually like each other. Still trying to figure that one out,” I said.
Logan stood and grabbed his tray as the bell rang. “I’ve gotta…” He was gone before he could finish.
Cambria and I shared a look and headed for class.
*
Cord didn’t show up for my first two classes. Neither did Victoria. Demi was there, and from the glaring look she gave me she seemed to be up to the challenge of ‘head bitch’ just fine. On my way out of Chemistry she blocked my path up the aisle. I stopped and waited for her to finish whatever point she thought she could make by standing in my way. I was not in the mood for this.
She ended our silent standoff by hissing one word. “Dog.”
A couple of jocky guys that were lined up behind her laughed and began barking.
I rolled my eyes. “What’s your name again? I keep calling you minion number one,” I said.
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s Demi Johanssen, mutt. Don’t forget. I’m in charge now.”
“Whatever,” I said.
“And tell you’re freak friend she shouldn’t feel bad. Most girls wouldn’t be able to handle someone like Phillipe. Then again, I’m not most girls.”
“You’re with Phillipe?” My brow went up. Cambria had said she’d seen them together, but how any guy could pick Demi over Cambria was too unbelievable.
“I would’ve thought that was obvious, judging from the intricate position she found us in.” Demi flipped her hair, her lips twisting at the corners.
I didn’t give her the satisfaction of a response. Besides, what do you say to that kind of sexual reference anyway? Um, gross.
When it was clear to her that I wasn’t going to respond, she spun on her heel and left.
I watched her leave and realized my assumption had been correct. Whatever had happened at breakfast had been big. Power shifting big. And Victoria was out.
I slid through the door to Defensive Maneuvers as Professor Flaherty reached over to close it. The rest of the room was empty.
“Cutting it close,” she said.
“Sorry, Professor.”
Someone knocked on the door behind me, and I stepped aside so Professor Flaherty could open it.
“Can I help you?” Professor Flaherty asked.
“Hi, I’m Cord, your new student.”
“Nice to meet you, Cord. Come in.” Professor Flaherty stepped back and let Cord enter. “I was told you’d be arriving today. You’re from Frederick Falls, with Tara, right?”
“I’m from there. Not with Tara, though,” Cord corrected.
Professor Flaherty glanced between us, looking a little confused at Cord’s answer, but she let it pass. “Well, we’re glad you’re here. Is this your first time at a Hunter school?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll do great. Tara’s adjusting just fine so I’m sure you’ll have no problem. The rest of the students are assembling down the path for drills. Tara can show you where it is. I’ll be along in a moment.”
Cord nodded, and I led her out the back door and onto the path.
“How’s Victoria?” I asked. I wasn’t sure exactly why I was asking, but basic compassion seemed to require it, and there was a part of me that did feel bad for her, in spite of everything.
“She’s a wreck, of course,” Cord said with a shrug.
“Demi must’ve really known what button to push to break her like that,” I said.
“Demi.” Cord spat the word like it made her mouth hurt to say it. “Not a fan.”
“So, is Victoria going to kick her ass and take her spot at the top again?”
Cord gave me a look that reminded me of the way my mother looked at me when I did or said something wrong. “Her parents were kidnapped, genius. I don’t think she cares about being Miss Popular right now.”
I bit back my retort because maybe Cord didn’t know Victoria as well as she thought. Maybe she knew some other version of Victoria that I didn’t know existed.
“Then what’s she up to?” I asked.
“She’s talking to Headmaster Whitfield about what comes next.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s all up in the air since her parents were a big political deal. They can’t decide whether to keep it quiet until the pack can be tracked down and held accountable or hype it up so more Hunters will want to join the search for the guilty party. If they decide to hype it they want Victoria to be a spokesman of sorts.”
“How do you know all of this?” I asked.
“Vera told me.”
“Vera told you?”
She shrugged. “I’m in the loop. I guess you’re not.”
I gritted my teeth because she was right. For some stupid reason. She’d been here less than a day, and already she knew more than I’d been told my entire time here. I wanted to know more, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask and further reveal how little everyone told me compared to her.
We joined the rest of class, and I drifted away from Cord and huddled up with Logan until we broke up into pairs for sparring. Cord stayed next to Professor Flaherty for most of class, watching like I had done the first week. I concentrated on my partner for the day, Justin. I hated to say it, but he wasn’t exactly skilled at combat, and it was almost too easy to move and block his thrusts and kicks. I went through the motions of the moves I’d finally gotten the hang of, and concentrated on perfecting the rhythm of my body as I executed each one. I had to bite back a grimace each time I twisted wrong and upset the scratches that ran the length of my back.
Halfway through class, I glanced up to see Cord fall into a fighting stance in front of another student. Professor Flaherty said something to the student and he stepped up to meet Cord’s advance, crouching in a way that spoke of over-confidence and grinning recklessly. Levi.
I blocked Justin and danced away, making sure to keep him at an angle so I could watch the fight beginning across the clearing.
Cord advanced toward Levi, who was still crouched but a little too relaxed. He was obviously going to let her make the first move and go way easy on her. A couple of his friends had given up their own sparring and were drifting closer to watch. Cord didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were fixed on Levi, her lips pressed together in a tight line. Levi held up a hand and beckoned to her with his fingers. She charged.
Her expression never even changed as she whirled a leg through the air and brought it up sideways against his cheek.
Levi was thrown to the left and his face went with him, like he’d been slapped. He stumbled and turned back to Cord with wide eyes.
Professor Flaherty said something and motioned for them to continue. She was smiling.
I held up a hand to Justin as Cord and Levi faced off again. This was getting good. The rest of the class must’ve been thinking the same thing. Everyone else had stopped their session and drifted closer to the main event. Justin shrugged and fell into step beside me as we crossed the clearing to get a better look.
A round of cheers went up, and I broke through the wall of bodies in time to see Cord drop down into a crouch and throw her foot out, clothes-lining Levi at the ankles. He went down on his back with a thud, and I heard the breath whoosh out of him. He stared up at Cord, stunned.
She, on the other hand, looked down at him completely satisfied.
“Nice!” Logan appeared beside me and offered his hand to Cord for a high five. Cord smiled and slapped his palm, stepping over Levi to do it.
“Well done,” said Professor Flaherty, stepping into the circle. “All right class, that’s all we have time for today.”
She offered Levi a hand. He ignored it and rolled over, pulling himself up knees first and looking dazed. The crowd broke apart and everyone drifted back into the woods, headed for school. I followed behind Logan and Cord, sulking over how easily Cord had gained the acceptance of an entire class, while I was still treated like a scarlet letter.
*
“You really don’t have to tag along with me everywhere I go.”
“Yes, I do,” Cord said, from beside me.
I was on my way to meet Alex and was already running late thanks to Cord’s newfound popularity. The entire junior class had heard about Cord beating the crap out of Levi, and she couldn’t walk down the hall without someone stopping to talk to her. A few had even attempted to include me in the conversation, like being seen with Cord cancelled out my otherwise nonexistent social status.
“Woot Woot!” Cambria came up behind us, smiling at Cord. “I heard about the take down. Looks like new girl can hack it.”
“More like jock-boy can’t,” Cord replied.
Cambria nodded appreciatively and simple as that, the connection was made. Cambria was officially off the fence and had huddled up on Team Cord’s side.
I glared at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Traitor,” I muttered.
She shrugged, feigning innocence.
“I’ve got training,” I said. I shoved out the door into the courtyard, leaving Cambria behind.
I was making sure to walk fast enough that Cord and I were single file instead of side by side.
“Wes invited you here to help me with Miles, not be the big sister I never wished I had,” I said over my shoulder. A hand closed over my arm, yanking me to a stop. I whirled so I was face to face with a glaring Cord. “What is your problem?” I demanded.
“If we’re being technical, Wes invited me here to babysit you,” she said. “Which we both agree isn’t one of his best decisions. But I’m here. And we can either make the best of it and find a way to take Miles out, or kill each other in the process. I don’t really care which way it goes, but I would prefer the first. Personal reasons.”
“Personal reasons? What does that even mean?”
Cord didn’t answer. I could feel my temper rising. Not the slow building kind of way that would be normal, but the fast-moving, body shaking kind that left me feeling a little less than human. A big part of me wanted a fight and didn’t care what I had to say to get one.
“You don’t even like me,” I said. “Are you sure you don’t want to skip to the kill each other part and see where that takes us? If you win, you’re free to hunt Miles down on your own.”
I struggled to stay in control. I knew that one word from her would send me over the edge. I wasn’t exactly sure what waited for me there.
“Tempting,” she said, and for a second I thought she was going to take me up on it and tackle me. I felt my muscles coiling. But then her shoulders dropped a few tiny inches and her expression relaxed enough for me to see she wasn’t going to do it. “You’re right. I don’t like you. But only because you’re getting it all handed to you. I had to work for mine. Just remember what a sweet deal you’re getting.”
Her unexpected answer was enough to lower my body temperature. I felt my temper fading. “What does that mean?”
Cord sighed. “It means you’re lucky. Everyone’s already put you on a pedestal, with respect to go with it. I had to earn mine, fight for it. And it wasn’t pretty, or character building, or any of the things that might have made it okay.
“What pedestal?” I asked. “You do realize everybody here hates me.”
“I’m not talking about them,” she said, looking disgusted. “Vera’s vision. Automatic pedestal.”
I tried to think of something to say to that but came up empty. I didn’t feel like Vera’s vision gave me any sort of extra respect or hand-outs. If anything, it made things more complicated. Apparently, Cord didn’t see it that way. “Are you saying you could be my friend if it weren’t for Vera’s vision of me?”
Cord shrugged. “I’m saying that if you don’t abuse your position, maybe I won’t always want to trip you when you walk by.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
She shrugged again.
I shook my head and continued up the path, trying to figure out what had happened. Was that Cord’s version of a truce?
Alex was waiting in the clearing and looking extremely pissed. He held a water bottle in one hand, and when he saw me he threw it down and stalked over.
“Where have you been?” He didn’t even look at Cord.
“Uh, I got caught up,” I said.
“Caught up,” he repeated. “I’ve been here for almost a half hour already. I thought –” He stopped and pressed his lips together. “I thought you –”
“You thought she, what?” Cord asked.
“You thought Miles got to me,” I finished.
Alex eyed Cord. “Who is this?”
“Alex, Cord. Cord, Alex. She’s the newest addition to the babysitter’s club. You two should coordinate schedules.” I walked away to see if there were any water bottles left in the cooler. Alex followed.
“So, went sre back to this? I’m your babysitter again?” His voice was quiet but there was an edge. I’d offended him.
I turned to face him. “Look, I’m just stressed.”
“And I was worried.” He brought his hand up and brushed hair back from my face. Something I probably wouldn’t even have noticed if Cord hadn’t wandered over at that exact moment.
I froze – and so did she.
Alex noticed but not until he’d completed the gesture and the damage was done. “What is it?” He looked at Cord and then back to me again. “What?” he repeated.
“Alex, Cord is here at Wes’ request. She’s a part of The Cause, and she’s here to help us deal with Miles.”
Alex tensed as soon as I mentioned Wes. No one said anything for what felt like a year.
“Wow. Awkward moment.” Cord dropped her bag and crossed her arms. “I can get the details later since no one’s in the mood to share right now. I’m pretty sure you two supposedly train together around this time, so whenever you’re ready to start...”
“Your orders are to watch over Tara, correct?” Alex asked.
“Sure,” said Cord.
“Good. The best view is from twenty yards back. Let’s get going.” He turned and gave me a pointed look before jogging towards the trail. I hurried to catch up and fell into step next to him.
Alex waited until we were well onto the path to speak again. When he did, his voice was hushed. “He can’t be here himself so he sent you a stalker?”
“Alex…” I glanced back at Cord, following us at a distance. Her expression was hostile.
He shook his head. “Don’t answer that. Are you really going along with this, though?”
“I don’t have a choice. She’s here.”
“Give me a break, Tara. There’s always a choice.”
I couldn’t respond to that because something i
n his tone told me he was talking about more than Cord, and I wasn’t ready for that conversation. Besides, it was easier to keep up with Alex if I didn’t waste my breath on talking.
“She knows about Miles?” he asked, a few minutes later.
“Yes, Wes told her.”
He snorted. “And this is his solution.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means he doesn’t trust you to handle yourself, obviously.”
“You think he loves me less because he sent her?”
“You think he loves you more?”
Was there a safe answer to that question, especially when I was having this conversation with Alex? Not to mention the fact that I might agree with him. “We should talk about something else.”
“Fine. Miles. What are we doing about him?”
Alex’s tone was all business; no hint of emotion or a clue about the conversation we’d been having remained. I wasn’t sure whether it was a point for or against him that he was able to switch gears like that.
“I don’t know. It’s not like we can leave school to hunt for him. I think all we can do is wait for him to come for me.”
“You really trust Cord to have your back for that?”
“In a fight? Yes, I trust Cord for that no matter how much she doesn’t like me.”
“Why doesn’t she like you?”
“She thinks I’m spoiled.”
Alex looked at me and then threw his head back and laughed.
“What?” I demanded. His answer was to laugh harder. “Shut up,” I muttered.
He managed to get himself under control, and by then, we were back to the clearing. Cord brought up the rear. Alex threw her a water bottle from the cooler when she emerged from the trees. She caught it and tipped it in our direction as thanks before uncapping it and drinking deeply.
“So, what’s on the schedule for tomorrow?” I asked. “Please don’t say more running. I’m willing to tolerate Cord as long as we don’t run.”
Alex chuckled. “Fine, no running tomorrow. I’ll think of something equally torturous, though. Especially if you bring her.” He nodded at Cord, and I made a face. “I almost forgot, we’ll have to meet in the morning. I have a security meeting in the afternoon.”
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