by Michele Vail
Autumn pointed to the girl next to Daniel. “That’s Barbie Madison.”
Barbie was as far from her namesake as anyone could be. She was short and on the anorexic side of thin. She wore her hair short and dyed a shade of red that looked like congealed blood. Her nose, eyebrows and lower lip were pierced, and she wore a lacey black dress with the words Reap This! scrawled on the front in white. Her pale arms were scarred with thin, puckered lines.
“Welcome to the freak zone,” she offered. “I’m rich, depressed and just another ka heka. Smiley over there is rich, depressed and an ib heka.”
“Whoa.” I looked at Daniel with a whole new level of respect and awe.
“Yeah,” said Daniel. He tapped the side of the sunglasses. “My grandfather had these made. It protects our eyes, keeps us from going all judgerson on people.”
“So you really can see into the heart of someone?”
“Sure. When I want,” he said. “Which is never, by the way. People suck.”
“He’s really fun, isn’t he?” asked Barbie. “Autumn’s a scholarship student, a ren heka and she’s also addicted to caffeine and positive attitudes. Trina over there is nouveau riche, so she doesn’t much impress the legacies.”
“As if I wanted to,” she grumbled. “My daddy owns Ghoul Aid. And like almost everybody else, I’m a ka heka.”
Barbie pointed her fork at me. “What’s your baggage?”
“I’m not rich or depressed, and I’m a ka heka.”
She nodded. “That’s reap.”
Reap? Huh. Also they were really open about their powers, as if it was such an everyday thing. It was weird to be among kids who could do what I could—well, sorta—and have it be normal. Nekyia was a lot cooler than Green Valley High School. I just wished Gena and Becks could be here, too.
Autumn rolled her eyes in a way that suggested she did that often when Barbie spoke. “Like Barbie said, pretty in pink girl is Trina Molina.”
“Yeah, Trina Molina. My dad has this thing about rhymes.” Her skin was the color of mocha, and she wore a pair of pink chinos, a pink blouse and pink lace-up boots. Her hair was a gorgeous waterfall of black braids, interspersed with pink ones. She looked kinda like a walking ad for Pepto-Bismol, though in an actually good kind of way.
“Nice to meet all of you,” I said.
“So why doesn’t Clarissa like you?” asked Trina.
“No clue.”
“Anyone she doesn’t like,” said Barbie, “we like.”
“True,” said Trina. She scooped a chip from my plate and licked off the cheese. “She’s a bitch.”
“I got that impression.” I ate one of the nachos. It looked like Clarissa was responsible for getting me some friends here at Nekyia. I wasn’t surprised that people didn’t like her. Well, other than her minions, of course.
“Okay.” Barbie heaved a sigh. “We must convo. What’s up with all the rumors about the dead girl?”
Autumn shook her head. “It’s so strange! I heard that they found her stuffed in a janitorial closet. One of the ghouls opened it to get a mop or something, and she fell right on him.”
“What’s a ghoul?” asked Rick.
“You’re dating a necro and you don’t know about ghouls?” asked Trina.
“A lot of people don’t know about ghouls,” said Autumn. “It’s not like they’re talked about...except in history books, maybe.”
“A ghoul is a zombie with a soul,” said Barbie. “Sorta. They don’t rot like zombies. Anyway. No one makes them anymore. Even though the process is voluntary. Too much like slavery. Like a SEER, you know?”
I glanced at Rick, who was gazing at me with a dreamy kind of adoration. I smiled, but I have to admit I was getting more weirded out. Eh. What did I know about having a boyfriend? Maybe his behavior was normal. I turned to Barbie. “Soooo...ghouls are like zombies?”
Rick straightened suddenly, and took his arm off my shoulder, and I looked at him, startled.
“Sorry,” he said. He looked at me regretfully. “I gotta go, Mol.”
“Already?” I asked.
“Oh, just for a while. I’ll see you later.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and then he bailed. I watched him hurry through the cafeteria, exiting through the doors that led to the dorm rooms.
“He seems nice,” said Autumn.
“He is,” I said. “He’s from my old high school. I used to live in Vegas.”
“Oh,” said Autumn. “Well, it’s awful sweet of him to visit you. Have you been dating long?”
“Not really.”
“Weird,” said Barbie. Her expression was odd, as though she were putting together some kind of mental puzzle that was taking too much effort. Then she looked down at her plate and sighed. “I hate mushrooms.”
“You shouldn’t keep getting the Stroganoff,” said Daniel.
“Suggestion noted,” said Barbie sarcastically. She flipped him the bird. Daniel sighed and went back to picking at the food on his plate.
“What’s your schedule like for the afternoon?” asked Autumn.
I shoved my plate of nachos closer to Trina, who grinned at me and dove in. “Shoulda gotten these instead of the salad,” she said as she picked up a cheese-covered chip. “Thanks.”
“No prob.”
I grabbed my book bag and dug through it until I found my crumpled schedule. Organized, I’m not. I smoothed it out on the table. “Independent study,” I said, frowning.
Trina leaned over and looked at the paper. “For two periods? Lucky. It’s really hard to get independent study, especially if you’re not a senior.”
“Independent study is a big deal? Why?”
“It’s for hardcore students,” said Barbie. “Necros who’re gonna specialize in some archaic shit.”
“Barbie’s got independent study, too,” said Trina. “But she won’t tell anybody why.”
“Don’t have to,” said Barbie. “So shut up.”
Trina and Autumn shared a look, and they both rolled their eyes. Autumn turned her gaze toward me. “What’s your independent study for?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “I didn’t pick my classes or anything.”
“Oh, sure,” said Trina with a dramatic sigh. “The new girl gets everything handed to her on a plate.”
Autumn giggled. Then she looked over my shoulder, and stilled. “Hey, it’s a ghoul.”
Barbie stopped drawing shapes in her Stroganoff and looked up. “That’s the Briarstock ghoul. Henry. He hasn’t seen the light of day in forever.”
I looked over my shoulder and saw Henry headed toward us in a slow, serious, determined way. I didn’t want Henry to get to the table and bust me. I had a feeling the minute my new peeps found out I was a legacy, it would be the end times.
“Lelia Briarstock is a legend,” said Autumn in a reverent voice.
“Um...really?” I asked. I wanted to know more about my family. It was hard to keep my excitement from showing. I looked back and was suddenly glad at how slow ghouls moved. Still, Henry was getting closer. Ack!
“Lelia Briarstock holds the records here for almost everything,” said Autumn. “Nobody’s beaten ’em, and it’s been like, twenty years.”
Barbie leaned in. “Check it. Her younger sister went here, too. Word is, Cynthia Briarstock banged an instructor...and got pregnant.”
Chapter 13
“The first ghoul was made because a common house slave fell in love with his mistress. Still in his prime, he contracted a deadly disease. As he lay dying, he begged a priest of Anubis to grant him the ability to serve his mistress forever, but in a way that he would still know his own heart. The priest created the first spells that enabled a dead man to carry his soul around and to remember his humanity. Becoming a ghoul is a cruelty only the brave—or the foolish—seek.”
~The History of Necromancy, Volume 6
“She was sent away,” continued Barbie. “The Briarstocks almost imploded from the shame.”
My entir
e insides went cold. My mom’d had sex with a teacher? Was some dude here my dad? “How old was she?”
Barbie shrugged. “She was a senior, I think. She didn’t graduate.”
“Henry’s headed right for us,” said Autumn. “That’s weird. You guys know any Briarstocks?”
“Aren’t any here,” said Daniel.
“Except maybe the illegitimate one,” said Trina with a smirk. “You know, if Cynthia really did have a baby...it’d be old enough to go to Nekyia.”
“And he, or she, would be the sole heir,” added Barbie.
“What?” I asked.
“Cynthia’s kid would be the heir apparent. There’re all these rules about how necro families handle their estates—especially for the Briarstocks, who claim to have blood ties to an original reaper family. Anyway, their wealth and possessions can only pass to someone in a direct line of descent.”
“Then Cynthia would get everything,” I pointed out.
“Oh, they had her excised from the bloodline. I don’t know what she did to deserve that,” said Barbie, “but it’s a big deal. No one has been removed from their family rosters and stripped of bloodline privileges since the Salem witch trials.”
“That Briarstock bastard will get everything eventually,” said Trina. “Lucky.”
“You already own half the world,” said Barbie.
“But I want the other half, too.”
“Oh, y’all!” said Autumn. “Money doesn’t buy happiness.”
They continued good-natured bickering, but I stopped listening.
Holy freaking Anubis.
I was an heir? Derek and Sandra hadn’t told me that. I wondered why. Were they afraid I was like my mother?
I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Henry was nearly at the table, his pinpoint gaze on me.
“I have to go!” I stuffed my schedule into my bag and disentangled myself from the bench.
“But lunch isn’t over,” protested Autumn. “We haven’t exchanged cell phone numbers yet.”
“I’ll meet you here tomorrow,” I said. I gave everyone a huge smile, a way too enthusiastic wave, and then I booked it.
I still had half an hour before I had to attend my mysterious independent study. I figured I’d chill in the room, call for Henry to figure out what he wanted and maybe see if there was some snackage.
Trina had eaten all my nachos.
Finding my room wasn’t particularly difficult since it took up practically a whole floor. I felt kinda guilty about that, which was weird, because it wasn’t like I’d chosen to be a Briarstock.
When I got to the door, I took out the old-fashioned brass key from a side pocket on my book bag. Henry had given it to me this morning.
I went inside and dumped everything onto my bed, then said, “Hey...um, Henry?”
“Yes, miss?”
I screamed, whirled and did a really lame hi-ya kinda of kick.
Henry lifted one gray brow at me.
“Holy crap!” I slapped my hand against my chest, my heart doing the cha-cha, as I stared at him. “How did you do that?”
“I am connected to the Briarstocks by magic. If you call me, I am immediately taken to your location.”
“Oh.” I sucked in a breath. “What if you need me?”
Henry did one long, slow blink, as if he were a computer trying to process the information and getting an error. “If it is necessary for me to give you a message, or find you for another reason, I simply track you down.”
I held up a hand. “Wait. I need you, you’re zapped here by magic. You need me, you gotta hoof it?”
“Yes, miss.”
“Sorry, dude.”
He cocked his head, and his odd gaze flickered. “May I say, miss, that you are delightfully unusual?” He paused. Then he offered, “You remind me a great deal of your aunt Lelia.”
I grinned. “Thanks.” Then I realized the biggest source of information about my aunt and my mom was standing a foot away. “Hey, Henry. Do you know if Cynthia Briarstock really had some Nekyia professor’s baby?”
He stilled, and then looked down at the floor. “I am sorry, miss. I have taken an oath to never reveal information about Cynthia Briarstock’s time here at the academy.” He lifted his gaze. “If you are interested in learning more about the school’s history, may I suggest the Nekyia special archives? As a legacy, you have access to many wonderful rare and archaic texts.”
Okay. Was he saying there was something about my mom there? Or was he suggesting I really needed to do some extra studying? “Any suggestions?”
“Anubis and the Seventh Warrior is an excellent read. You may find it very illuminating.”
“Thank you, Henry.” I crossed the small space between us and gave him a hug. He stiffly put his arms around me and offered a single pat on the back. I withdrew. “Sorry I ditched you in the cafeteria. But my new friends are anti-legacy, you know? They’ll freak if they find out I’m a Briarstock.”
“The truth arrives,” said Henry. “Not always sweetly, either.”
Huh. Henry was kinda poet-y. “I get it,” I said. “But maybe we could keep our relationship on the down-low till I figure out how to tell ’em. Cool?”
“You wish for us to deny knowing each other publicly?” He sounded disappointed, but his voice wasn’t like that of humans, and I couldn’t really tell. His expression was stoic, so no clue there, either.
“Not forever,” I said. “Just for a while.”
“I will do as you ask.”
Because he didn’t have a choice, I realized. Why would anyone ever decide to be a ghoul? I mean, zombies didn’t know they were being bossed around. I felt bad for Henry. Did he hang out with other ghouls? Did he have friends? Did ghouls date?
“I needed to convey a message,” said Henry. “That is why I was in the cafeteria.”
“I really am sorry I ditched you, Henry.”
He acknowledged my apology with a regal nod. “You’ve been invited to attend the Nekros Society Social, which will take place on Friday at 7:00 p.m.”
“Ugh. Is this a regular thing?”
“The Society hosts a social gathering every month.”
“Sounds fun,” I said. “Except not. Is this thing a have-to?”
“Yes, miss.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
“If you leave now,” said Henry, “you won’t be late for your next class.”
“What?” I grabbed my cell phone from the nightstand where it was still attached to the charger. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten it. It was almost like leaving my arm behind. I had ten minutes. Damn. No time for Cheetos and a Coke. I snatched up the phone and my bag. “See you, Henry.”
“Until next we meet.” He offered a half bow, and I offered one back. When I looked up, Henry was actually smiling.
* * *
“You’re late.”
Rath stood in the middle of the workout room, arms crossed. He was dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of black sweats. His feet were bare. He pointed to a door across the room. “You can change in there.”
I stared at him. “Change into what?”
“Appropriate clothing,” said Rath. “For getting your butt kicked, brown eyes.”
Two hours with Rath while he humiliated me with his warrior moves? Uh...time to change classes. “This is my independent study?” I said.
“Yeah, and I’m your instructor.” He spread his arms wide. “Welcome to reaper warrior training.”
So much for getting my schedule changed.
He smirked at me. “If you’re wondering, no one but Ms. Chiles knows about your independent study. And it’s Anubis-approved, brown eyes, so no getting out of it.”
Great. I was stuck here. With Rath. I resisted the urge to flip him off.
I trudged to the door and went inside. It was a large room, with lockers, showers and toilet stalls. I put my bag on a long wooden bench that stretched out between locker rows, and realized I didn’t have anything to change into.
Wait. Henry had packed my bag, and he was Mr. Efficiency. I opened it, and underneath the books and papers I had crammed into it during my morning classes was some clothing. I pulled out a workout bra with a matching set of yoga pants.
I didn’t suffer from low self-esteem, and I guess I was a normal-sized girl. I wasn’t model-thin, because I was raised in an Italian family whose motto was If You’re Not Eating, You’re Dead. But I wasn’t overweight, either. I guess. Still. The idea of wearing tight, show-it-all workout clothes intimidated me.
I put them on and looked down. A wide strip of skin was visible between the sports bra and the pants. I studied my belly. Okay, it wasn’t concave, but it wasn’t rolling out over the band of the pants, either. I poked my stomach. A little doughy.
I could live with that.
I pulled my hair into a ponytail and went back into the workout room. At the edge of the mat, which was huge, black and at least ten inches thick, I stopped and waited for Mr. I’m-a-bad-ass to start his instruction.
It didn’t look like Rath had moved an inch. He eyed me for a moment, but his expression didn’t change.
“First you learn defense,” he said. “Then offense.”
“I can be pretty offensive already...” I joked.
He crooked a finger at me and wiggled it in a “come here” gesture.
I sighed and walked across the mat until I was less than a foot away. “Okay, what do I—”
He swept out his leg and the next thing I knew, I landed hard on my backside. Pain shot up my spine. I glared up at him. “What are you doing?”
“Lesson one, Molly. Always be prepared.”
“You’re a jerk.”
“You’re disrespectful.”
“Respect has to be earned,” I said.
“True. Get up.”
I rolled onto my hands and knees and got back onto my feet. Wary now, I walked back to Rath. I watched his feet, trying to ready myself to jump out of the way.
He shoved me.
I flew backward and landed on my ass. Fury boiled through me. I stood up, marched over to him and...he lifted a leg, fast as a whip, and connected with my knee.