by L. A. Banks
Tiny fauns scurried between the tables, wiping down the highly polished wood and keeping order as small Fae sprites made off with crumbs. Nymphs refilled platters, while faeries drizzled nectar and honey over sweet rolls and sticky buns. Burly elves were left to the task of methodically reloading fruit trays on ice and replacing five-gallon drums of juice and water as supplies were devoured by ravenous students.
Faculty had its own clearly designated area in the back, but even in the student section she saw only square tables that seated four and round ones that seated up to ten. But of course there wouldn’t be long institutional benches here. This place had been built for the legislative branch of the then-government, so it wouldn’t look like a military camp. It made sense that it had cushioned chairs and gleaming wood tables, along with the fancy food stations, even if it had been designed to feed a horde of eighteen hundred. With only about three hundred students, maybe fifty faculty and a hundred or so support staff, there’d be plenty of seating.
“Sarah!” she heard a voice call. It was Ayana. She was seated at a table with two other girls. The blond Adonis was there, as well, along with his sleazy friend. Sarah waved back, noticing that Tami was practically swooning, and then they all hurried away to get their food. Sarah was relieved that they had someone to sit with at lunch—even if she hated having to encounter Stefan again. Worse yet was knowing that she couldn’t stand her cousin’s friend—maybe boyfriend?—whatever his name was. The guy was a complete jerk, but the last thing she wanted to do was upset Yaya by making a scene.
She filled a plate and started toward Yaya’s table, then remembered that Jessica, Bebitta and Andrea had said they could sit together at lunch. Man, the lunchroom politics were already underway, and it was only day one. Glancing around quickly and relieved that she hadn’t spotted the Blends crew yet, she kept moving toward Ayana’s group. She was just passing Melissa Gray’s table when Allie, coming up behind her, lost control of her talent and zapped Sarah’s glass of apple juice.
In that split second it was impossible to tell whether Allie had just freaked out at seeing Melissa and her girls snickering at them, or if Melissa had somehow caused the spontaneous energy burst. There was barely even time to react. Sarah jumped back, and the juice, the plate of pasta, her sweet roll and salad all came heading toward her sweater, a huge and embarrassing disaster in the making.
“Reverse!” a voice said, and suddenly everything stopped mid-spill and then righted itself on her tray.
She stared in disbelief and let go of the tray without thinking, but it just hovered there in front of her.
“You gotta hold it,” the voice said, and she looked up to see Wil gracing her with a dashing smile.
She quickly reached out and grabbed the tray. “Thanks,” she said, turning crimson.
“Spaz,” one of the Gray gang muttered.
Sarah didn’t care. The most gorgeous guy in the place had just kept her from making a complete fool of herself. She took a quick sip of juice, and then promptly choked on it.
“Hey,” Wil said laughing. “Go easy. It’s still got a post-spell kick to it.”
Sarah blushed even harder and hurried away. She slid into a seat across from Ayana, who reached over and squeezed her hand. Blond Guy didn’t look amused.
“These are my compound sisters,” Ayana said with a wide smile. “This is Sarah…Allie, Tami and Hyacinth—and these are my BFFs Tina and Darlene.”
“So we don’t get no love?” Stefan said in a sexy rumble, looking at Tami like he could eat her alive.
“Stefan, right?” Sarah replied before Ayana could say anything, giving him the evil eye. “I just never caught your friend’s name.”
“When did you two meet?” Ayana said, then turned to the blond guy, who was looking totally bored, and beamed. “This is Brent.”
Yup, boyfriend, Sarah thought.
“Yeah…whatever,” he said, taking a slurp of lemonade. “We already met in the library. But here’s the question, Yaya—why do they have to sit here? I thought we decided to keep our table off limits to newbies?”
“Brent…” Ayana said, her tone soft and pleading. “Come on. They’re family.”
Sarah was speechless. Her adored cousin was pleading with this guy? She couldn’t believe it.
Tina smiled at Sarah and her friends, and then cut a withering glance in Brent’s direction. “The newbies won’t get in the way of your zombie bopping, so leave ‘em alone, okay?”
“Yeah, Brent, come on,” Darlene said with a slight frown.
“Fine, let ‘em stay,” Brent replied in a bored tone, and then picked up a slice of whole-wheat pizza and began chomping on it.
“Zombie bopping?” Tami looked from Sarah to Ayana.
“Takes skill, babe,” Stefan said with a wide grin. “You ever play?” He leaned closer to her. “Better question is, do you wanna play?”
“Oh, no,” Ayana said, laughing nervously. “Back off, bro.”
“See, Tam? I keep trying to get to know you, but your bodyguards keep coming out of nowhere at me.”
“So what’s zombie bobbing?” Sarah said, trying to divert Tami’s attention away from Stefan and having completely lost interest in her lunch.
“Get up on the lingo,” Stefan said with a low chuckle. “ZBing we called it, and we like to keep the instructors none the wiser, so chill.”
“You need a strong seer navigator,” Brent said, giving Ayana a sexy wink, “plus an expensive board—skate, snow, surf, doesn’t matter, as long as you’ve got the tactical juice to make it go a hundred miles an hour without losing your balance. Then you bob in and out of the trees like they’re the frickin’ living dead. The only thing that keeps you from being roadkill at that velocity is some serious athletic ability—and a beautiful mind.” He held up his pizza, holding the group enthralled. “Without a good seer, you’ll wipe out and look worse than what’s on this green pepper and mushroom slice. We used to play up at my dad’s compound in Big Sur. I’m legendary on the boards—boards run in my family. Before the floods, my dad was the best surfer dude in Malibu. It’s all in the DNA.”
Brent bumped Stefan’s fist, and both guys laughed.
Okay, so now Sarah knew it was official. Her cousin was dating a rich, privileged jock who had a little bit of charm, but not nearly enough to override the fact that he was a cocky, thrill-seeking jerk. What was wrong with Yaya?
“You play, too?” Tami said, beaming at Stefan.
“Naw, babe—I’m the only one around here fast enough on the ground to keep up with the boards. I’m a ref,” Stefan said proudly and received another fist bump from Brent.
“So what was up with you guys coming off the Shady Path?” Tami asked outright, just as bold as ever. “Is that how you sneak out of school to go ZBing? It’s more than a rift between dimensions—it’s an exit, isn’t it?”
Tina and Darlene looked at each other, groaned and shook their heads.
Ayana turned on Brent. “You told me you were going to stop doing that!”
Brent leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “Don’t worry, Stefan just wanted to check it out, make sure everything was still cool in case we need to make a quick escape, you know?”
“Leave me out of it,” Stefan said, laughing, and then turned his attention to his pasta.
Ayana looked at Brent with a frown. “Brent…” she said in a warning tone, but Sarah could tell that she wasn’t really angry with him.
Brent smiled. “I only took Stefan because you wouldn’t come with me,” he said, his voice low and intimate. Ayana blushed, instantly flustered.
Sarah frowned. “I don’t get it. With everything that’s going on, students dead and missing, aren’t you guys worried that something really bad could happen on the Shady Path? Why the heck would you risk going in there?”
“Well, if you’re a thrill-seeker like these two, then that’s exactly why you go there—for the danger high,” Tina said, and then arched an eyebrow.
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��And what a lovely high it is,” Brent said with a wide smile.
“Sweet,” Stefan said, nodding with a slightly wicked grin.
“And for others…well, let’s just say it’s a primo make out spot,” Darlene said, lowering her voice and giggling. She winked at Tami.
“The Shady Path?” Sarah asked incredulously.
The older students shook their heads and laughed at Sarah. Ayana slung an arm over her shoulder.
“Not yet, guys, okay?” Ayana eyed Stefan with a smile and then stared at Tami warningly. “These are my little sisters.”
Tami looked like she was about to protest but began picking at her salad instead. Part of Sarah was glad that Ayana had said what she had, but another part of her hated feeling so naïve and new to everything.
“It seemed really scary,” Allie said with a shiver. “I don’t ever want to see the place.”
“I’ll say,” Hyacinth added with a shudder.
Stefan smiled, looking directly at Tami. “I’d be glad to show you sometime.”
Tami blushed furiously. “Any other forbidden parts of the school we should know about?” she asked with a sexy smile of her own. Her vampire half was clearly coming out to play.
Stefan smiled back. “A few.”
Suddenly Al loomed up behind them, breaking the moment—much to Sarah’s relief.
“Hey, Tam,” he said. “Now that we aren’t in the compound anymore, want me to take you up on that offer you made this morning? I believe it was something about, ‘in my dreams.’” He waggled his eyebrows at her and gave her one of his most dashing smiles.
“Al, can’t you see I’m eating?” Tami said, blowing him off.
“Chickening out? Because I figured after all that trash you were talking earlier, Tamara, you’d want to back it up,” Al said, his tone baiting.
“Why don’t you leave the lady alone?” Stefan said in a low rumble, making everyone fall quiet. His gray eyes were focused on Al with a deadly expression.
“Yeah, why don’t you do that?” Tami said.
Why was she egging Alejandro on? Sarah wondered. Was she really so sure that he wouldn’t directly confront an Upper Sphere?
Al stared back at Stefan, their eyes meeting in a silent challenge. “This is between family…just a joke that’s been going since home, man.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Stefan muttered, and then went back to his meal, dismissing Al. “That woman is too fine to be joking with. If she ain’t feeling you…” He looked up at Al without blinking, his intense gray eyes pools of mystery. “You feel me?”
Brent laughed. “Don’t eat the newbie. You know how the young bucks are—gotta come in here and flex.”
Tami looked adoringly at Stefan, pointedly ignoring Al. Then she picked up her fork with a rosy grin and way too much flourish as Al walked away, defeated.
Sarah almost felt sorry for her brother.
“You said there were other scary places,” Allie said nervously, as if the interpersonal drama hadn’t even registered with her. “Like what?”
“Yeah, because I never, ever want to accidentally stumble into a place like the Shady Path again,” Hyacinth said, her eyes squeezed tight, as if to shut out the memory.
Stefan and Brent shared knowing looks.
“On that note, we’re out,” Stefan said, standing.
Allie and Hyacinth stared, blinking and clearly confused. Tami shot them a glare, as if she blamed them for making Stefan leave. Sarah just sat back, watching, taking it all in.
Brent got up and then leaned down to whisper something private in Ayana’s ear. He straightened and added, “Later.”
“Okay,” Ayana said, smiling up at him.
“You said there were other dangerous places,” Allie insisted, turning back to the older girls as soon as the guys were gone.
“Oh, you’ll hear all about them,” Tina said, “when you get one of these bad boys.” She took out a small electronic unit with a touch screen and a couple of mysterious push buttons. “This is a PIU—Personal Information Unit.”
“The librarian, Mrs. Hogan, mentioned that we’d all be getting them,” Allie said.
“It will be your new best friend,” Ayana told her. “Don’t lose it.”
“It’s really cool technology,” Darlene said. “They took old smart phones that had been outlawed and retrofitted them. Check it out.”
They all leaned in, curious and expectant.
“On here,” Tina said with a grand gesture, turning her unit on, “you’ll get your syllabus, class schedule, school code of conduct and your mailbox digital code. It’s also got a GPS chip in it, so if students get lost, instructors can find them.”
“Then how come they couldn’t find the missing students?” Sarah asked quietly.
“That’s the big mystery,” Ayana said, looking around the table. “But, listen, don’t let that spook you. There’s enough day-to-day stuff you need to get under your belts right now. Just focus on that, stay away from restricted areas, and don’t let one of the guys around here talk you into doing something crazy, okay?”
“Right,” Darlene said, nodding rapidly. “If you’ve got Miss Tittle for homeroom, which you do, as first years, whatever you do, don’t be late. Make sure you learn your rosters. She gives out detentions like she’s giving out lunch.”
All eyes remained fixed on Tina as she began to slowly scroll through the menu option on her unit. She looked up after a moment and smiled. “Since the war, with cell phones outlawed, it’s gotten almost impossible to find any more that can be doctored, so treat yours as a very precious resource, and remember that it belongs to the school, not to you. Each unit has been reinforced by a white-light charged quartz crystal to keep from dark side information intercepts. You’ll receive important school broadcasts on these, and you can plug into the PirateNet…we’ve even resurrected Twitter, not just for student-to-student communications, but so you can be in contact with your families.”
“There’s also a facility for downloading outlawed music that PirateNet has saved and archived,” Darlene added, digging into a slab of chocolate cake.
“Sweet!” Allie said, making the other girls laugh.
“Yeah,” Tina said with a smile. “You’ll definitely work hard at this institution, but we don’t have a complete moratorium on fun.” She held up the unit again. “One more thing: This serves as your entry and exit pass—an ID badge—because of the white light and ancient prayers inside it. You’ll need to press it against the lock pad panels beside each bunker exit.” She held the unit between two fingers. “Note the genuine sterling on the case. Know why?”
“So a demon can’t hold it?” Sarah said quickly. “That’s awesome.”
“Right you are,” Tina said, and then moved her finger across the device. “This is your 911 alert button. If you get in trouble—maybe are being pursed—this will alert your Upper Sphere mentor as well as security.”
“Tell ‘em about security,” Ayana said. “Otherwise, if they see Mr. Hubert, they’ll pee their pants.”
The girls looked warily at one another and then focused on Tina.
“Dude is about seven feet tall, midnight blue, with large bat wings and a long, spade-tipped tail.”
“Stop lying,” Tami said.
“For real,” Tina said, casually munching on a piece of garlic bread. “Dude is so cut, his frickin’ hands look like anvils, but he’s got hooked claws on the ends. Red eyes, the whole nine yards.”
“And they wonder what took those missing students?” Tami said, shocked. “Why the hell would they let something like that run around the campus? Shouldn’t they smoke it?”
“Mr. Hubert is cool, came from Nod,” Darlene said calmly. “A hybrid, and luckily on our side. His mom was some kind of maiden who got suckered by a gargoyle or whatever. Anywho… Part of your education will be to discern things with your spirit and your mind, not just your eyes. Looks can be deceiving, and prejudices and assumptions can get you hurt.”
; “Besides, he’s really just a spirit,” Tina said, handing off her PIU to Sarah while she picked at her salad. “He was lost at the battle of Morales, in Mexico, fighting against the Vampire Council and Cain…but as a warrior hybrid, he wanted to come here and help the Neteru squad guard the students. His wife, Sarina, is a teensy-weensy faery. Cute as a button—I don’t know how they do it.”
“He’s married?” Hyacinth said with a grimace.
“Maybe if they’re spirits, they don’t do it anymore.” Sarah said with a smile.
“But at one time they were alive and probably did.” Tami tilted her head to the side and arched her eyebrows. “Just saying.”
“Why are we talking about spirits—or anybody—doing it?” Hyacinth asked, closing her eyes. “I swear, Tamara, that’s all you think about!”
The three older girls laughed.
“Well none of y’all need to be worrying about doing it until you know what you’re doing,” Darlene said, chuckling and polishing off her dessert.
Tina slapped her five, then turned and looked at Ayana. “That means your boyfriend’s ZBing ref can’t be taking Tami on one of his little jaunts into town.”
“Tina!” Ayana said in a low rush. “I know. I’m not stupid. I’m not going to let any of them get hurt or caught up in something they can’t control.”
Sarah and Tami glanced at each other.
Just then Wil walked past on his way over to one of the food stations, and it was all eyes on him. Darlene sighed. “That new Shadow can protect me. I’d go anywhere with him and have no fear.”
Ayana and Darlene laughed, breaking the sudden tension. Sarah had to agree with Darlene on that one. Then she noticed her cousin’s laughter fade as Brent strolled back to the table. His brows were knit into an angry frown. All the girls stopped talking and stared at him, and then at Ayana.
“Shadows ain’t shit,” Brent said with a sneer. “Once inside my head, always there, babe. Don’t forget that.” He picked up Ayana’s glass, throwing back the rest of her juice as if it were a shot of something more potent.