Mutant Academy (The Fundamental Society Book 1)

by Yumoyori Wilson

  He sat down on the bench beside me, and when his knee brushed up against mine, it sent me over the edge. I took a leap of faith, leaning in and pressing my lips to his. I was immediately slammed with a euphoric sensation as if I was bouncing through the clouds.

  Much to my relief, Liam’s response was positive. He softly ran his fingertips through my hair and tenderly stroked the side of my cheek. I was tingling all over and elated that he wanted to kiss me back.

  I probably should have told myself to slow down, but I was thrilled to be on such a wild, adventure-filled ride.

  29

  Nick

  My friends and I were playing a friendly game of touch football in the open fields behind the school. The sky was a perfect pastel blue and there were only a few fluffy, cotton ball clouds floating above our heads.

  It was a perfect afternoon to enjoy some quality outdoor time and downtime after a grueling schedule of classes. Even Mutants needed to let lose every now and then.

  Liam threw the pigskin in a perfect spiral to me and I caught it and kept it in a bear hug down by my belly. I started running as fast as I could toward the end zone.

  That’s when the distraction of seeing Tara approach caused me to slam directly into one of my opponents, smacking onto the ground. I let out a grunt and my fingers went slack on the ball. It tumbled from the death grip I once had on it and swirled like a top on the green grass.

  I winced and tried to stand up, finally managing it after the second attempt. I spit on the ground and clutched my aching side.

  “Sorry.” Mack, my classmate and friend, said with a look of regret on his face. “I didn’t think I was going to hit you that hard. I actually thought you were going to slide right past me.”

  I shook my head as if trying to loosen my fragmented thoughts and somehow piece them back together. “It’s…” I trailed off and chuckled, giving him a look of chagrin. “It’s really fine. I just saw something that distracted me, that’s all.”

  Mack’s gaze trailed across the yard and locked on the target. When he saw it was Tara moving in our direction, he began to grin.

  “Her?”

  “What?” I cleared my throat and crouched down to pick up the football once again. I was doing my best to appear casual, but apparently I was failing miserably.

  “The new girl?” Mack abstractly pointed at her.

  “She’s a friend.” I scratched my elbow.

  “I’ll bet.” Mack’s smile widened even more, stretched to its limit.

  I rolled my eyes and tossed him the ball. “Keep playing without me.”

  “You’re going to leave the game?” Mack cried with bafflement. “That’s messed up, dude.”

  “I need a break anyway,” I said and rubbed my side. “You nearly charged right through me.” I chuckled so he would know I was only giving him a hard time.

  “All right, be a loser and walk away.” Mack grinned. “I’ll catch up with you for the next game.”

  “Sounds good.” I gave the rest of the group a little wave and nodded in the direction of Liam, Jude, Pete, and Gabriel. I gestured for them to follow me and meet Tara halfway.

  I noticed there was a slight urgency in the way she was trotting across the field, as if she had something important to relay to us. Once she got close enough for me to see her face, my heart dropped.

  Tara approached us with a worried expression on her face. Her eyebrows were knitted like tiny little caterpillars and her hair was askew as if she had been aggressively running her hands through it. Her eyes were larger than normal, almost as if she was paranoid about something.

  She licked her lips when we walked up next to her. “Hey,” she said in a soft whisper.

  “Hey,” I said and gave her a hug. She was petite yet muscular. “What’s going on?”

  I could read other Mutants like a book and I had an alarm going off that something was wrong, even though I didn’t know what it was yet.

  “Can I, um…talk to you guys in private for a second?” Tara glanced around the group with a pleading look in her eyes.

  I exchanged a look with Liam and the others and then focused my attention back to Tara. “Of course.”

  “I have a blanket,” Gabe said. “In my backpack over there.”

  “I also have some waters and a few granola bars,” Jude said.

  “Perfect.” I nodded in agreement. “Why don’t we set up a little picnic over there?” I pointed to the perimeter of the fields that bordered the school.

  “Thank you.” Tara breathed out a sigh of relief. “You guys are amazing.”

  I didn’t know what to expect from this little meeting. Obviously, she was troubled by something, but I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might be.

  I wondered if it had something to do with the paranoia that we all felt about having outsiders among us, betrayers sleeping in our dorm halls and traveling with us to our classes. There were some who were probably working for the enemy scientists; we just didn’t know how to prove it or establish who they might be. That was probably why Headmaster Atticus wasn’t doing anything about it yet.

  Gabe pulled the blanket out of his backpack and we all sat down. Jude handed Tara a water. She unscrewed the lid and began chugging it as if she had just trekked a hundred miles in the desert.

  She began wringing her hands together and I noticed that she was a little jittery. She bobbed her crossed knees up and down in a specific rhythm and nibbled on her bottom lip.

  She was undoubtedly nervous, but it was puzzling because I didn’t know why.

  “Are you okay?” I cut right to the chase and decided to be the first one to ask.

  “Uh…” Tara chuckled but then her face faded to somberness again. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

  I frowned. “Trouble? What trouble?” I was slipping down the rabbit hole of confusion.

  Tara tucked a strand of her silver hair behind her ear and sighed dramatically. She continued to fidget for a few seconds as if she wanted to communicate something but didn’t know where to begin. She hesitated, on the cusp of spewing the contents of her mind but not quite there yet.

  I decided to take a leap. I cupped my hand over her bouncing knee. “It’s okay,” I said in a soothing voice. “Whatever is bothering you, you can trust us and tell us.”

  “Yeah,” Liam chimed in. “I think you probably already know that, or you wouldn’t be here trying to talk to us now.”

  A flicker of recognition began to glow in Tara’s red eyes. “I guess…”

  “Maybe we can help you,” Pete said and squinted through his glasses, inspecting her.

  “You guys know about my past…” She peered at us and played with a loose thread on the edge of the blanket.

  “Yeah?” I said and everyone else nodded and continued to look at her expectantly.

  “Well, you know I have literally no experience with the outside world whatsoever,” Tara admitted.

  “That’s okay.” Liam smiled gently. “We understand that it takes some time to adjust to being out of that constricting environment.”

  “There’s a problem, though.” Tara glanced down at her legs and I noticed her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink as if she was embarrassed to spill the next part.

  “What is it?” I was practically hanging on the edge of my seat.

  “I am starting to have strong feelings for all of you,” she blurted. Her eyes panned the group.

  “That’s not such a bad thing.” Jude shrugged. “Remember how we talked about it before?”

  Tara had a squirmy look in her eyes, as if she needed more convincing. “I just…don’t know how to deal with it.”

  “Just follow your heart,” I said. I thought it was decent advice.

  “It’s true that I did talk to Jude about relationships allowed at the school.” She met his gaze and smiled. “And he did ease my mind somewhat, but—”

  “There’s always a but, isn’t there?” Pete grinned and Tara visibly seemed to relax after tha
t.

  “I’m still worrying about it,” she said.

  “The procedures aren’t really defined,” Gabe said. “But the school does allow relationships. Headmaster Atticus is lenient to a certain degree.”

  “Yeah,” Pete nodded and pushed his glasses up as he always did. “We have never heard of any issues.”

  “But,” Liam interjected and raised his finger over his head. “Getting another Mutant pregnant is grounds for expulsion.”

  I saw Tara’s face drain of color.

  “But you can’t get pregnant,” I reminded her quickly. “You’re too young.” A female Mutant under the age of twenty-five did not have mature eggs or reproductive organs yet.

  “I’m only twenty-two.” Tara sighed with relief.

  “See?” I smiled. “You don’t have to worry about it for three more years, and by then you’ll be graduating.” I doubted it would ever be an issue, but my heart raced with excitement knowing that she was exploring her sexual options with us.

  “Yeah.” Tara nodded and continued to pick at the blanket’s threading. “I guess it’s good this school doesn’t discriminate against ages.”

  “All are welcome,” I said. You could enroll here at any age. “As long as you are a Mutant, or at least half.”

  Tara seemed to be satisfied with our advice and feedback. She propped her arms up behind her and gazed fondly at the cobalt sky. Her hair billowed gently around her neck and chin. She looked beautiful, ethereal.

  “Are you feeling better now?” Liam asked.

  The color had popped back into Tara’s cheeks. “Yes, a lot better.”

  “We can just take things slowly,” I told her. “There’s no pressure. Just do what you’re comfortable with and we will see where things lead.”

  “You don’t have anything to worry about,” Liam said.

  Tara nodded. “Sorry. I just had to get that off my chest.”

  “It’s always better to talk about things than hold stuff in until it bubbles over,” Pete said.

  Tara smiled. “I guess that’s true.”

  “We enjoy spending time with you,” I reassured her and patted her on the knee again. I loved embracing the warmth of her slender body. “There’s no need to worry about anything right now.”

  “Good.” Tara beamed as if her mental state had significantly improved.

  “We might get back in the game,” Liam said. He stood up and gave me an eager look. “Are you in?”

  I glanced at Tara. She still looked like she needed a little time to process everything and I didn’t want to leave her alone with her thoughts.

  “I think I’m going to stay here and keep Tara company. But we can watch.” I gave her a curious glance. “Would you like that?”

  Tara grinned from ear to ear. “I would love that and welcome the distraction.”

  I was grateful that the others in the group decided to go back to the game with Liam. I was craving some alone time with Tara, and now was my chance. I would make it my mission to assure her that she had nothing to worry about, and that as long as she stuck by our sides, she would be in safe hands.

  30

  Nick

  I looked over at Tara. She gazed fondly at the guys playing football in front of us. Her knees were tucked behind her, she had an ethereal expression on her face, and the sun created a sparkling shimmer in her hair.

  I wanted to make sure she was comforted and had found reassurance in our conversation.

  “How are you doing?” I asked gently.

  Tara had appeared distracted, lost in the moment watching the others play the game. She turned to me with a contented smile on her face. “Hmm?”

  “I just wanted to make sure you are doing okay after our little talk.” I offered a friendly grin.

  “I’m doing better.” She nodded and returned my smile. “Thanks for asking.”

  “I am a firm believer that if you just allow yourself to drift with the natural flow of the universe, then everything will work out in your favor eventually.”

  Tara gave me a humored grin. “The only problem with that is that I lack patience.”

  I laughed. She was cute and witty. The whole package, in my opinion. “Me too. I know exactly how you feel on that one. Do you want to take a walk with me? Clear our heads and get some fresh air and exercise?”

  Tara pondered on my offer, but it didn’t take long for her to agree. “Sure. Why not?”

  I stood and extended my arm to help her get up. I couldn’t hide my excitement. “Great.”

  I took her hand and was surprised when she didn’t immediately want to break away. She seemed comfortable with me, which I took as a good sign. She had, after all, just confessed to us that she was experiencing feelings for all of us, but I didn’t know how deep those feelings ran.

  “There’s nowhere to really escape to around here aside from the water,” I joked.

  Tara smiled. “That’s fine with me. Honestly.”

  “Okay, good.” I nodded and chuckled as we wandered closer to the shore.

  Once we arrived at the beach, we walked for a few minutes, relishing the salty sea breeze and listening to the lulling sound of the waves slamming against the shore. We took our shoes off and let the water lap at our feet, dipping our toes into the sand.

  I took her hand again and felt an instant connection flood me. The chemistry between us was exhilarating. A rush of pleasure rippled through my entire body and it began with just the simple touch of her hand clasped in mine.

  I wanted to be forthcoming with her, to begin this new relationship with honesty.

  “My brother Liam and I have trust issues too,” I said. “Him, more so than me, but we have learned to relax since being here.”

  Tara gazed at me with intrigue. “What did your issues stem from?” Then she chuckled and blushed. “I’m sorry if I’m being too forward. I mean, if you don’t mind telling me—”

  “It’s absolutely okay,” I interjected, reassuring her. “We were locked in a Home Base camp, too.”

  Tara’s mouth dropped and hung open for so long I wondered whether I should gently push her jaw closed.

  “You guys were in a…Home Base camp too?” She winced as if she hated even saying the name of her captors.

  “We were.” I nodded, plucking a seashell from the damp sand and twirling it between my thumb and index finger. “For a year.” I looked at her and I knew what she was thinking. “I know it probably sounds trivial, but—”

  “I understand. Even a single day feels like an eternity.”

  I cupped her knee with my hand. She didn’t flinch. She was so warm and feminine, yet feisty and spunky at the same time.

  “I can’t imagine what it was like for you having to actually grow up in a horrifying place like that.”

  “It was no picnic.” Tara chuckled and shifted her weight as we sat in the sand together.

  “You are the bravest Mutant I have ever met,” I said.

  “Tell me how you escaped,” she said, locking eyes with me. “I always love a good breakout story.”

  I laughed. “Well, um…” I scratched the back of my head. “As you know, the gates are heavily guarded…”

  “Oh, trust me.” Tara chuckled ironically. “I know all about that.”

  I smiled and peered at her. I was experiencing immense amounts of joy in her presence.

  The conversation between us clicked and flowed. There were no awkward silences. It was as if we were soul mates but had only just met and realized the potential of our relationship.

  I knew that she had feelings for my brother and my friends too. I didn’t mind that. I couldn’t explain it, but it was almost as if I would rather share her than have to live without her. I just wanted her to be happy. She had been through hell and somehow overcome watching her entire family die in front of her and spending years in captivity.

  She was nothing short of a remarkable inspiration, a Mutant to admire.

  I squeezed her knee and she gave me a heartfelt sm
ile that warmed my insides.

  “Liam and I made friends with a guard,” I said. “He wasn’t like the rest of the guards there. He wanted to help the Mutants. He had told us over and over again that he thought that what the scientists were doing was wrong. He said that it was disgusting the way they treated us like lab rats. One day we convinced him to let us through the gates while no one was looking. He was so overcome with guilt for working at the camp as a guard that he decided to go through with it.”

  Tara stared at me with bafflement. “He…just let the two of you…go? Just like that? No strings attached?”

  “No.” I shook my head and glanced out at the sea. “He let ten of us go that night, including my brother and I. We are forever indebted to him, if we ever see him again. It kind of worked out for him though. There was a riot that night at the camp and he was able to easily get us through without anyone noticing.”

  “Was the riot planned in advance?” Tara asked.

  “I’m not sure.” I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Wow.” Tara shook her head in disbelief. “Let’s hope you don’t run into him again any time soon, even though he helped you like that.”

  “I hope that he never got caught,” I admitted. “The poor guy risked his life to save ours.”

  “Sounds like a real hero,” Tara said. There wasn’t any sarcasm in her voice. “But the riot sounds like it was conveniently timed.”

  “So, yeah.” I nodded and rubbed my hands against my knees. “That’s my breakout story.”

  “You were lucky to have a guard you could build trust with,” Tara said. “I never had that.”

  “I still feel like they are looking for me,” I admitted. “The scientists, that is. I feel like I constantly have to look over my shoulder.” I met her gaze and smiled. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, you aren’t the only one who feels like they have a target on their head. I feel hunted too. All the time.”