The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven

by Jessica Miller

  It took me only about thirty minutes to unpack my things – so much for killing time. I thought I’d take a tour of the school despite them giving us one later. I figured I could venture more on my own this way. I grabbed my IPod, pulled up the hood on my sweatshirt, and set out to tour the school. I took the steps two at a time down to the first floor. I didn’t bother to check out the other floors, I figured they were all the same plain, brown tile floors, beige walls, and the same wooden doors that all the rooms had.

  When I reached the bottom, I pushed open the cool metal door receiving a frigid blast of air to my face. I flinched at first not used to this cooler climate. I braved the cold, cranked up my tunes, and headed down the small shoveled path. There was a large building to my right, which I learned from the map I studied on the way over here, held the classrooms. Another building not far to my left was the teachers’ dormitory followed by the gymnasium, auditorium, and dining hall. In the distance was another building. I assumed it was another set of dorms since it wasn’t listed or marked.

  Fighting the bitter chill, I continued with a light stride, absorbing everything I could. The grounds were fairly large and in the middle of everything stood a three tied fountain. There were several tables with chairs and benches spread throughout the garden. Giant oaks lined the school’s massive barrier. I scooted carefully across the snow, taking in the different structures and agriculture. I had apparently reached the end of my tour when I stumbled upon what looked like an entrance to a maze. “Cool,” I said to myself. There were two angel statues on either side followed by wooden benches that sat in front of the towering hedges. I thought it odd to have a maze like this at a school.

  I moved closer, letting my curiosity get the best of me. I took a step forward ready to check it out when someone grabbed my arm. I instantly tensed and turned around ready to strike. My attempt was cut short when the person blocked my punch. “Gabe?”

  “Sorry Miss Ella. I didn’t mean to startle you. I called your name. But when you didn’t answer me I thought something was wrong,” he said.

  I took out my headphones showing him why I didn’t respond. “I was just going to check out this maze,” I said.

  “I know. That’s why I stopped you. With this weather, it’s not a good idea to go exploring. It’s tricky in there and I wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

  I looked back inside the maze. He was probably right. With this snow and ice it would be hard to walk through, not to mention I had no idea how big this maze was or where it led to. If I couldn’t find my way out I might freeze to death. “Thanks Gabe. I’m really glad you’re here,” I smiled at him. At least then Dean wouldn’t be the only one I knew.

  “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” he asked. “Why isn’t Dean with you?”

  I gave him an, ‘are you serious’ look. Even he had to know that was a dumb question, but by the expression on his face I would guess not. “I’m meeting up with him for dinner. Didn’t want him cramping my style,” I said, getting Gabe to crack a small smile. Most of the time Gabe was in serious guardian mode but every now and then I could get him to relax and get a smile out of him.

  “Understood,” he nodded. “You should head back inside. It’s getting dark and that’s when the real chill sets in. I’ll walk you back.”

  I mumbled thanks as we headed back to the dorms. Gabe had left earlier than we did. He had more on his plate with helping out and everything so he wanted to get a jump start. In a way I was glad Gabe was here. Even though the school had its own guardians, I felt better knowing Gabe was close by. Before we parted ways, Gabe told me he would have his cell phone on him at all times and if I ever needed him don’t hesitate to call. I waved goodbye and shot back up to my room to wait for Dean to come get me for dinner.

  I walked into an empty room. If this was any indication that my roommate wouldn’t be around much I think I might like her. Happy to have the room to myself for the meantime, I did a little spying. I wanted to get a feel for what my roommate was like. You know, just making sure she wasn’t some crazy vamp out to get my powers.

  I didn’t find much except for a bunch of stinky, expensive perfumes, a lot of Mac cosmetics, and a few style magazines. I stopped my snooping and sat down on my bed. I wasn’t sure what time dinner was, so I laid back on the bed, and listened to my music until Dean came and got me.

  I ended up falling asleep and by the time I woke it was almost seven. I cursed at myself and checked my phone. I had two missed calls and one text from Dean asking where I was and why I wasn’t picking up my phone. He also said he was leaving without me but would save me a seat if I ever decided to join him. That was over an hour ago. I called him to see where he was at. He said he was still in the dining hall and would wait for me.

  I grabbed a couple bucks from my purse, slipped them in my back pocket, and made my way to the dining hall. Dean gave me simple instructions on where it was. It wasn’t that hard to find, I probably could have found my way here on my own.

  I opened the doors to the dining hall and stepped inside to a fairly crowded room. I half expected it to be empty by now. The room looked like any other lunch room I’ve been in. Black and white tiled floors, round and square tables spread out everywhere and filled with students. Over to my left were large glass windows that showed an outside patio filled with benches and tables covered with umbrellas. I’m guessing the students would sit out there when it was warm.

  I made my way into the line and searched my options, which wasn’t much. There were a few cold sandwiches, veggie snacks, and basically nothing I would eat. “Out of the way freak,” said Mackenzie, the girl who knocked me over earlier.

  She bumped me so hard I almost fell face first into the coleslaw. I opened my mouth to come back with what was hopefully a witty retort when I was stopped short. “Let’s just get through the first week without me having to come to your rescue all the time,” Dean said, pulling me to the other side where there was a whole different option of foods.

  “That is the second time that bitch –”

  “Ella, I’m trying to help you out here the best I can. Now just shut up and trust me,” Dean said, but he didn’t speak the words out loud. He said them inside my head so only I could hear. I knew his power was to project thoughts, but knowing and having him actually do it was still a shock to me. He rolled his eyes and pulled me through the line. I learned there were two different sections, one for cold food and one for hot. This side had tacos and I was more than thrilled.

  I stuffed the shells with meat, leaving out all the lettuce and stuff, because, you know, that just leaves less room for the gooey good stuff. I grabbed an icy tea and followed Dean out to a table. He gestured to the seat next to him and even pulled out the chair for me. I’m pretty sure he was just showing off for the girls at the table.

  I pulled my hood down and got a few startled glances from the people around me. I didn’t understand what they were staring at and was starting to feel uncomfortable. “Your blue streak,” Dean said in my head. “You were quite the topic of conversation earlier.”

  “Why?” I asked out loud, causing everyone to look at me. I forgot I was the only one who heard what Dean said.

  “I’ll tell you later,” he replied, rolling his eyes. “Ella this is Sienna and Cameron,” he said, pointing to a petite blond across the table and a slightly taller brunette. They both smiled politely and gave a quick wave. “And this is Reagan, Blake, and Austin,” he gestured to the other side.

  The three boys looked like a bunch of preppy, stuck up fraternity boys. I just put on my best fake smile and pretended to be nice. “Really Dean, since when did you volunteer to be a guide for the handicapped?” Mackenzie snickered. She sat down at the table across from me followed by two blonds flanking her side. I glared at her. I wanted to leap across the table and scratch her pretty brown eyes out. Seriously, what was this chick’s problem?

  “Come on Mackenzie, you know I never volunteer for anything,” Dean said, fl
ashing his cocky smile. “And this is Ella, my sister,” he continued in a cold tone, making it clear not to mess with me or you would have to deal with him. Everyone at the table took another collective stare. Looking at me as if they now understood why Dean was hanging out with someone like me.

  “Sister?” Mackenzie smirked, looking me over.

  “Well, not everyone in the family can be as good looking as me,” Dean said, getting a laugh from the table. I just ignored him and started to eat my dinner. As soon as I sunk my teeth into my taco, Roman Ashby sat down right in front of me. I was taken aback by his beauty. It was easier to see him now without the sun glaring in my eyes. He ran a hand through his wavy black hair making it puff and stick out slightly to the side. His strong facial features made him look more like a man than a boy, and his eyes. His eyes were like a deep dark pool of ocean water. When I looked into them I felt like I was getting swept away. There was something about this boy, his hair, his eyes, his strong facial features. He reminded me a lot of Tristan. I quickly looked away feeling a pang in my chest at the thought of him. Afraid I might lose it in front of everyone, I kept my eyes down, and took a breath. When I managed to get a grip, I looked back up to see Roman’s eyes looking back into mine. I understood why I thought I saw Tristan earlier when he helped me up. Their similarities were uncanny, but then again lately every guy with dark hair and blues eyes reminded me of Tristan.

  I must have not realized I was staring until Dean told me to ‘stop staring’. When I came to, I saw Roman had a weird, uncomfortable look on his face and Mackenzie was scowling at me. I quickly put my head back down, embarrassed that I was staring like that – adding more to my weirdness factor. “Ugh! How can you eat that?” Mackenzie asked giving me a look of disgust.

  “You mean…tacos?” I asked, unsure if I heard her right.

  “It’s so fattening and piggish,” she cringed. Not caring what Dean had said to me earlier, I thought I’d make it a point to let her know she couldn’t get to me. I took a big bite out of my taco, causing juice to spill over the side. I wiped off the grease that slipped down my chin and then licked it off my fingers. Mackenzie and her two friends gave me revolted looks. I got a laugh from Dean and Roman which pissed Mackenzie off even more. “Come on girls, let’s go. I’m suddenly not hungry anymore,” Mackenzie said, standing up from the table. “Roman,” she turned her eyes on him.

  “I just sat down,” he said. Mackenzie glared at him with her hands on her hips. Roman sighed, swiped his sandwich and drink, and left with her.

  Cameron moved over to sit in the seat next to me. “Don’t let her bother you,” she said.

  “Yeah, we’re just waiting for the doctors to invent a surgery to remove the stick from her ass,” Sienna smiled sweetly. I smiled back thinking I might actually start to like these girls.

  “So, you’re Dean’s sister, lucky you,” Cameron smirked.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Dean asked, pretending to be offended.

  Cameron laughed. “Oh come on Dean, you know I love you,” she said, blowing him a kiss.

  “Hey,” Austin complained.

  “I love you too baby,” Cameron told Austin.

  “This is your first day?” Sienna asked. I nodded. “What do you think so far?”

  “I haven’t really done much to gather an opinion yet,” I said honestly.

  “Dean, you didn’t show her around?”

  “Hey, she’s a big girl, she can handle her own,” Dean said defensively.

  “I’ll give you a tour Ella,” Blake offered and winked at me which made it look more creepy than coy.

  “You’re not going anywhere near my sister,” Dean declared.

  “What?” Blake said all innocent. Dean threw a roll at him causing Blake to chuck one back.

  “Ignore the Neanderthals,” Cameron said. “If you want Sienna and I will show you around.”

  “Thanks, but you don’t have to do that,” I politely declined.

  “We insist,” Sienna smiled.

  “Go, you’ll like them and they’re nothing like Mackenzie,” Dean said in my head. “You can trust them.” I turned to him and he nudged me, encouraging me to go. “Okay, yeah, thanks,” I said.

  “So what’s with the blue streak?” Cameron asked abruptly.

  “Cameron!” Sienna scolded.

  “What? Oh come on, like you weren’t thinking the same thing?”

  Sienna just looked down, a little uncomfortable.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Honestly, I don’t know. It just kind of showed up after I got my powers.”

  “I think it’s neat,” Sienna said, making me feel a little better about it.

  We finished up our dinner and then Sienna and Cameron took me on a tour of the school. They said I’d do this again at orientation, but was better to have someone who had been here show you around. I learned the ins and outs of the school and the premise, including my tour guides.

  Sienna was a petite blond with very soft facial features and naturally rosy cheeks. Her hair was chin length with Shirley Temple curls. She had a crush on Reagan, but he was currently dating one of Mackenzie’s friends. According to Cameron he was only dating her because she put out, which made him a total dick and Sienna should look elsewhere.

  Cameron was the opposite of Sienna. She was tall with straight brown hair, steel gray eyes, and caramel colored skin. She seemed to be straight forward and laid back while Sienna tended to be more over-eager and always hyper. The girls had also told me not to believe everything I read in the brochures. They said a lot of stuff was glamorized to entice people to come here.

  “Awesome,” I thought.

  They also told me students ages here ranged from thirteen to thirty, but the majority was sixteen to twenty-five. Surprised at the stretch in age, Cameron explained that some blossom late and the school didn’t want to discourage anyone from coming because of their age. I had remembered reading something similar to that in one of the pamphlets. This also explained why we had to wear uniforms. Because of the big age range, they said it was to help tell the difference between students and teachers.

  Cameron also said that they have a program for rogues who want to go straight and for those who were born into this and abandoned, leaving them helpless. Sometimes that’s how I felt.

  After the tour, the girls dropped me off at my room and told me about a party the dorm was having tonight and insisted that I come. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. I told them I would check it out. Cameron took my phone to punch in her number then she handed it back and told me to text her later. I waved goodbye to the girls and headed into my room, happy to have met some normal people.

  CHapter Eight

  When I opened the door to my room I got a big surprise.

  Roman was lying on the bed closest to the window. I stepped back out and checked the room number on the door to make sure I was in the right room. Yep, room 510, my room. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  Before he could answer, Mackenzie stepped out of the bathroom. “What the hell are you doing in my room freak!” she screeched.

  “This is your room? You’re kidding, right?” This had to be some kind of joke. Yep, someone was playing a joke on me. The world couldn’t be that cruel.

  “Does it look like I’m kidding?” she said, glaring at me with her arms crossed.

  Just my luck.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose feeling a headache coming on. Seriously, why am I being punished? Haven’t I suffered enough? “Lucky me, I’m your new roommate,” I said sarcastically.

  “Like hell you are. I’m not rooming with you,” she spat.

  She looked me up and down like I had some incurable disease that she could possibly catch. I rolled my eyes at her. “Look, I’m not any happier about this then you are –”

  “Please,” she cut me off. “Anyone would kill to room with me,” she said, like I should feel privileged just being in her presence. I never thought I would meet someone more co
nceited than Dean, but she definitely takes the cake. “I’m going to the head master right now to fix this,” she finished. The look on her face said she would plow down anyone who got in her way.

  “Kenzie, relax, deal with it later,” Roman whined. “Besides, headmaster Callahan won’t be back until tomorrow,” Roman said, reaching for her and making me want to cringe.

  She stopped glaring at me long enough to let Roman pull her down on top of him so he could kiss her. “Do you mind?” Mackenzie sneered.

  “You want me to leave?” I asked annoyed.

  “Yes,” she said, like it should have been the obvious answer.

  “This is my room too. You can’t kick me out just so you can make out with your boyfriend.” The last thing I wanted to see was these two get it on, but this was my room too.

  Roman sat up. “You’re more than welcome to stay and watch. I’m not really one for an audience, but I might make an exception this time,” he said, flashing me a cocky smile, once again reminding me of Tristan. Mackenzie glared at him, pushing him back down. I didn’t even respond. I just turned around and left. I hadn’t even been here twenty-four hours and already I hated it here. I thought about texting Cameron, but then changed my mind. I decided I needed to be alone for a little and clear my head. I zipped up my vest and flipped up my hood, bracing myself for the cold.

  I had no particular destination in mind, so I just walked. I found myself by the fountain. The one I saw earlier today when I decided to tour the grounds myself. It was a lot larger than I originally thought. I had to crane my neck to get the full view. The fountain itself you could tell was old with all it’s wear and tear. There were a few cracks in the foundation with some pieces missing. Dirt was busting through the holes with ivy creeping its way up and trying to take over. No one caring enough to keep up with its maintenance. I sighed at the crumpling fountain. Somehow I could sympathize with it.

  I dusted off a spot on one of the benches and took a seat. I pulled up my legs and turned on my IPod, tuning out the rest of the world. I tried to relax and forget about all the negative things about this place, which only lasted about a second. I knew someone was there before I even opened my eyes. I could also sense they were harmless. I let out a breath and looked up. I blinked back in surprise. Standing in front of me was a very handsome, tall man with short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked too old to be a student and too young to be a teacher, but then again there was a large age range so who knew.