Learning to Soar (White Dove Book 3)

by Maya William

  “Remind me to talk with Archie to get you winter wear. We don’t want you to get sick,” I tell him.

  Rasputin agrees with a bark.

  “Or would you rather we speak with Barb and allow her to get it?” When I raise my eyebrows, my little friend jumps up and down.

  Oliver laughs at our small interaction.

  “You work rather quietly on everybody,” he jokes.

  Work quietly? He probably means walk quietly, but honestly, it took a lot of practice with Mother Superior and Sister Agatha. The time it took to learn this skill earned me my private spot at one of the church’s benches.

  My confused expression makes him snicker. He opens the door and motions for me to go out first. He closes it behind us and gestures for me to lead the way.

  When we reach the corner, he says, “You know, like you, I’m also a newcomer to the group. A few months back, my uncle assigned me to work with them in the bullying investigation. In the beginning, they spent half the time working and the other half of their time picking at each other and arguing.” He sighs loudly and shakes his head. “Except for Kellan, who keeps things neutral for the sake of his relationship,” he explains. “After you got here, things changed. Although the altercations still exist, you’ve managed to get them to work together on certain things. In the future, I expect them to see themselves as a team.”

  My head cocks to one side as I think over his words. “For me, there are no teams, you’re all one happy flock.” I shrug. “And the majority welcomed me as part of it.”

  Except for Abigail. Of all the members, she remains the coldest and most distant from me.

  The corners of his eyes crinkle. “You chose us. Therefore, we choose you as well.”

  My options were kind of limited at the time, but I don’t regret a thing. Thank you, Big Guy, for shipping me here.

  “I do hope you can learn to trust us in the future.”

  Confused, I slow my stride as I turn to glance at him, not knowing exactly where this conversation is heading.

  He stares at me, forehead wrinkled.

  “Whatever do you mean?” I ask innocently. “I do trust you.”

  To be honest, not a hundred percent, and only in certain matters.

  “Really?” He turns and gets ahold of my arm, gently stopping us, much against Rasputin’s protests.

  Darn it! He caught me lying.

  His eyebrows shoot up, and he cocks his head to one side. “Care to explain Thursday’s incident?”

  Was it the day I went scavenger hunting for my personal items? No, that was Friday. Shoot, perhaps it was the day Anya river danced on my phone? How does he know about that? Did they install cameras inside the locker rooms?

  “This afternoon, I reviewed some of the security tapes from the library,” he explains. “Some interesting footage came up that showed a small kid being cornered by two big guys.”

  Phew! He means the whole singing-inside-the-library situation. Thank you, Big Guy. At least that’s easier to explain than the other two.

  “We couldn’t identify the boy since he kept his face down, but we got an excellent look at the two bullies.” He releases my arm. “However, they quickly disappeared before they could inflict any damage on the small kid because a famous hymn interrupted them. The singer’s timing couldn’t be more perfect.” He chuckles. “It appears as if somebody was at the right place at the right time.” He turns his head toward me, an amused smile on his lips.

  No, no, no, physical evidence exists of my terrible singing skills.

  “Uhm, uhm.” I try to get the words out, but my mouth can’t seem to function properly.

  Oh, come on Samantha, you tried to tell the story more than once to the entire family. Now, when I get the chance to set my story straight, my mute system activates. Excellent timing!

  He crosses his arms over his chest. “Care to explain the whole situation, Little Dove?”

  Shoot! Not the best timing to get all shy.

  He lowers his head and slowly shakes it. “Okay,” he says then presses his lips together tightly.

  No, no, no. A little help, BG?

  My eyes slam shut, and I breathe in and out a couple of times. “I was in the next aisle searching for something,” I whisper.

  Good, I can do this. Keep it up.

  “Potter O’Flannagan came in, and these guys followed him. They said something about him giving them the wrong answer for a test. They accused him of doing it on purpose and started getting rough with him. I panicked and sang to get the librarian’s attention, earning myself detention for my performance.” My body suddenly feels lighter.

  When I open my eyes, Oliver’s expression softens. “But, you do realize you saved Potter from being beaten up?”

  Slowly, I nod.

  One corner of his lips quirk up.

  Here it comes, I’ll probably be grounded some extra days for lying.

  He continues walking, and I join him at his side. Rasputin is happy as a clam to see the party moving on.

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Oliver asks, keeping his eyes forward. “Abigail and Zach wouldn’t have grounded you if they knew why you did it.”

  “They wouldn’t listen to me when I tried.” I shrug and avert my gaze to the ground. “Abigail couldn’t get past the fact I’d gotten detention, and Samuel worried about Monsieur Pietro’s reaction because I’d be late for practice.” I loudly sigh, replaying every single time they interrupted me in the cafeteria. “Zach sided with our sister to calm her. After several attempts, I gave up trying to explain and accepted my punishment.”

  “But, why didn’t you try again? Abigail grounded you when they all got home.”

  My head snaps up, and I turn to face him. “I did! But nobody would listen to me. Samuel didn’t want me to miss the family dinner, Abigail wanted to teach me a lesson and not be disruptive, and Zach agreed with her. There’s no point in arguing if nobody listens.”

  His hand flies to his forehead. “I need to have a talk with all the team.”

  I shake my head vigorously.

  “No, please!” I stop dead on my tracks. “Abigail will be furious if she knows I didn’t speak up. I don’t want Zach to be disappointed because I didn’t trust him, and Samuel is going to feel miserable about never asking me to tell him the real reason.”

  My fingers nervously fiddle with Rasputin’s leash. “Plus, I got to do a lot of things while being grounded.” I lift a finger to mark each item. “Archie taught me how to drive. Lyra taught me how to shoot and helped me study for the physics exam, plus, I finished all my late homework. Let’s call it a win-win situation.”

  “What they did wasn’t right.” He rubs the middle of his forehead. “I’ll probably have to ground the whole lot.”

  “Please!” I put my hands together in a prayer pose. “I don’t want to cause trouble between all of them. You said they’re working better together. If you ground them, Joy and Barb will end up paying the price. After all the hard work she’s done for the party, she’ll get upset, and Kellan might not be so amicable with either one of the teams.” My breath comes out faster, while my brain quickly processes some additional excuse. “We’re talking about avoiding a big mess here. Plus, Samuel needs to continue practicing before he leaves. They meant no harm.”

  Oh! Now, I can find my words.

  Oliver sighs.

  “You’re starting to show your true colors, Little Dove.” He bites his lip, his eyes studying my face while his brow furrows.

  My heart continues pumping fast as I wait for his decision.

  “I won’t tell them.” His words return the air to my lungs. “But if this ever happens again, I want you to scream to make yourself heard. We don’t want you hiding in a corner and taking unnecessary punishments. Agreed?” He lifts his eyebrows.

  I nod.

  We continue walking, and a new question pops into my head. “Am I still grounded?”

  He cackles. “No, you’re not. I’ll tell Abigail you already
did your time.”

  “Does Zach know about this?” I ask, remembering he accompanied Oliver to review the footage.

  Thankfully, he shakes his head.

  “When I came across your concert,” he explains, laughing, “Zach was reviewing footage from another part of the library.”

  My face immediately turns bright red.

  Big Guy, why, oh why, can’t I sing better, like Darcy?

  My pity party doesn’t last long, as Oliver’s words distract me. “Samantha, I’d like to ask you to join us in the family meetings from now on. It seems you might be more aware than some of us about some situations going on at the junior level. I’d like your input about it and about anything else you notice that looks suspicious.”

  His request takes me by surprise and dumbfounds me a little.

  What would Abigail think about this?

  “Now, let’s go inside and have dinner.” He points in the direction of the house.

  If he only knew how much I know.

  The List

  On Monday morning, the tension inside the house could be cut with a knife. At first, I thought I was imagining it because of how nervous I was about the physics test, but it seems everyone else is, too.

  Barb constantly mumbles at Joy about some details concerning the birthday party. Kellan keeps a close watch on them, making sure they don’t splurge on unnecessary items. Abigail snaps more often at Archie, especially when he proposes I should drive to school so I can get some practice. Her mood goes from bad to worse when Oliver backs Archie up.

  The worst part is that Samuel seems to be avoiding me. Perhaps I overstepped my bounds with the choreography yesterday.

  When Archie hands me the keys and leads me to Zach’s car, I’m surprised when the rest don’t join us. Either they appreciate their lives too much to risk them with me behind the wheel, or they don’t want to risk being late to school.

  Archie, however, doesn’t seem worried about either possibility. He happily opens my door and encourages me to drive my chariot to school and impress the rest of my classmates with the fact I’m now a cool kid since I can officially drive.

  His encouraging words distract me from my nervousness. He guides me through some less crowded streets, never pressuring me to speed up, which makes me feel more secure behind the wheel even if it takes us almost double the time to reach school.

  When I park, an overwhelming sense of joy fills me. Especially when the car ends up perfectly centered between the lines.

  Nailed it!

  Life gives me a small reward when Anya stops in front of the car and does a doubletake. Her mouth falls open as she notices me behind the wheel. Her eyes then move to Archie as he walks around to open my door, carrying my bag like the perfect gentleman he’s proven to be.

  Ha-ha-ha. In your face you big, bad wolf.

  My mood dampens when I arrive at the chemistry lab, though. Darcy’s cold and distant, as if fearing to injure me if she dares to touch me.

  We finish the lab, and I follow her out of the classroom, making sure to copy her stride, not allowing her to escape.

  “Darcy, are you feeling well?” I ask, full of concern.

  “Sure, Samantha, everything’s just fine.” Her gaze fixes on the books she carries as she walks. “Why did you ask?”

  The fact she called me Samantha rather than Sammie puts me on alert. “You seem different.”

  She shrugs.

  “Is this about what Portia said on Friday?”

  She flinches but quickly recovers.

  Yep, that’s it.

  “Of course not. I just…” She eyes some girls passing us, giggling and pointing at her. She shakes her head and bites her lip. “I need to go.”

  Nope. I want my friend back.

  “Darcy, wait up!” I hurry to catch up. “I have exciting news.”

  She glances at me, curiosity getting the better of her. Unfortunately, this small distraction comes with a price. Her shoulder crashes against one of the lockers. The lock traps her blouse, and because of her movement, it pulls a few strands from the fabric. She stops before she tears the fabric.

  “Hold steady.” I move to her side to help release her blouse. When it comes off, I stretch the fabric, helping the few strings that came out of place to return.

  She bites her lower lip, her beautiful green eyes brimming with tears.

  “Come with me.” I take her hand and pull her into the nearest empty classroom, closing the door behind me. My arms fold in front on my chest. “What’s wrong?”

  “I…” She starts to cry. “I-I-I can’t believe it. I always knew I was clumsy, but…well…it…seems it has…worsened.” She tries to keep talking, but she can’t get any more words out.

  My heart clenches at seeing my friend breakdown over something she can’t control. I touch her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

  “I don’t want my clumsiness to get you, too, and—I don’t know—break your leg, and afterward you and the rest of the school would hate me for ruining your dancing career.”

  “Darcy, honestly, the likelihood of that happening—”

  She pulls from me and takes a step backward. “I already ran you over with my bike, managed to cut you during Chemistry lab, and tripped you the other day in the hall. It’s only a matter of time before something terrible happens, and I break your leg.”

  Honestly? She thinks all of this is her fault?

  “Darcy, you’re nuts. Those are called accidents.”

  She sniffs while madly shaking her head.

  “The bike incident was both our fault.”

  Her head moves tentatively from one side to the other.

  “During Chemistry, a guy tripped Andrea. You had nothing to do with it. In fact, you got injured because I accidentally crashed into you.”

  Her eyes widen, and her back straightens, her brow unfurrowing.

  “And frankly, we can blame Portia for me falling in the hall. She stopped suddenly, and I ran into her.” I step closer to her.

  She sniffles and rolls her eyes.

  “You know, three of the times Bennedick mishandled Gotham were my fault.”

  She scratches the back of her neck and looks away from me.

  “And the rest were his. Believe me, I witnessed at least two of them.” I shudder, remembering the sound of the carriers crashing against the lab door.

  She shuts her eyes and turns her head upward. “I just wish I was more coordinated.”

  “And I wish I could sing as beautifully as you do. It probably would have saved me from detention the other day,” I say, imagining the librarian clapping at such an incredible performance instead of giving me detention. “But we can’t change who we are.”

  She shrugs.

  “And thank God for that.”

  Her head snaps up, her eyebrows raising.

  “Imagine how terrible things would be if we hadn’t crashed into each other a month ago. Thanks to you, I attend Calvary and not a school far away from here.” I imagine all the different what-ifs.

  Her head jerks back as if she thinks I’m lying.

  “Darcy, you have no idea how much that accident changed my future. Talking to you that day made me ask myself what I wanted for my future,” I try to explain. “Believe me when I tell you, I owe you a lot.”

  She rolls her eyes again.

  “You might think your clumsiness is a curse, for me, it’s been a blessing. You accepted me as your friend without knowing anything about me.”

  She shakes her head a second time. “You don’t need me, Sammie. You’ll have tons of friends. Portia and Anya will make sure of it. I’m doing you a favor by stepping away and not dragging you into one of the unpopular groups.”

  Yeah, right. Anya. If you only knew how much she hates my guts.

  I shake my head. “I’d rather be your friend than Portia’s.”

  She scoffs.

  “With the big pile of homework and all the ballet classes afterward, I know I haven’t been the best o
f friends. But maybe we can hang out more together?” I ask.

  She chuckles and nods. “I’d like that, Sammie.”

  I take a leap here without checking with Barb or Joy, but Zach will probably thank me. “In fact, we’re throwing Joy a costume party this Friday because it’s her birthday. How about you join us?”

  Her face lights up, and she eagerly nods. “I’d love to!” She steps closer, her previous mood forgotten as my old Darcy returns. “We can discuss costumes ideas during lunch!” she adds excitedly as she takes my arm and we walk out of the classroom.

  At lunchtime, after acing the physics test, I sit with Darcy at a table. She pulls a notebook from her backpack, opening it to a list she created of potential costumes we could wear.

  “You should be Ariel,” I suggest, studying the options she put together. “With your red hair and amazing voice, you could totally pull it off.” I laugh. “Plus, you’re almost a mermaid, you do swim.”

  Darcy laughs out loud at my nonsense, but it quickly dies when Portia walks up to our table carrying a tray full of food. Her eyes move from Darcy to me, one eyebrow shooting up.

  “Hi, Samantha.” She plasters on a toothy smile. “We’re sitting over there,” she says, but it sounds like a command more than a statement.

  “Oh! I’m sitting here with Darcy today,” I reply. “We need to work on an out-of-school project.” I avoid giving her the exact reason since I don’t want to sound rude for not inviting her to join us.

  Her eyes go straight to Darcy’s list, and she tilts her head to read.

  “And what’s this about?” She deposits the tray on the table and takes hold of the notebook. “Black Widow? Mystique? Kim Possible? Ariel? Merida?” A slow smile builds as her eyes move from Darcy to me. “Is this for a Halloween party?”

  Darcy and I share a look.

  Portia’s been kind to me during the last week, but something about her seems phony, unlike with Darcy, whose quirky personality clicked with mine immediately.