The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven

by Jessica Miller

  “Fine,” I grunted.

  “I heard you and Lucas put on a show today.”

  Okay, that happened not even twenty minutes ago. How the hell this stuff floated around so fast I had no idea? “Ms. Whitney asked us to demonstrate for the class, no big deal,” I said nonchalantly.

  “No big deal,” she said aghast. “Arianna told me your eyes glazed over and it was like you two were in another world.”

  “Something like that,” I said a little frustrated. I still didn’t know what happened today, but I was going to find out. “I got to go,” I said, abruptly running out the door.

  I caught up to Lucas outside the cafeteria. “Hey, what was that all about?”

  He scrunched his brow in confusion. “Helping Ms. Whitney?”

  “No,” I shook my head. I pulled him away from prying ears. “The dance, when we danced, we…we went somewhere else.”

  “I’m touched that you feel like I took you someplace special, but really Ella, it was just a dance.” I opened my mouth to retort, but at the thought of sounding crazy I kept it shut. I knew I didn’t imagine it and either I was the only one or Lucas was hiding something. “See you later,” he smiled and held the door for a few freshmen who giggled at his charming smile.

  I wanted to run after him and demand he admit he saw it to. There was no way I had imagined all that on my own. Instead of questioning him, I decided to do some digging on my own. I had to be smart about it. So I decided at practice I would dig into that little head of his and find out the truth.

  I decided to skip lunch and just grab something from the social room. Zane had called me and told me he thought Lucas’s idea of incorporating dance into training was a good idea and that he agreed to give up training us for the week in order for us to work on new techniques in dance to improve our moves. I tried to argue that Gabe wouldn’t like the idea, but he said he already talked to him and he agreed.

  Damn it!

  This sucks.

  I fell back on my bed and let my phone drop. I laid there for about half an hour before I rolled over on my stomach and snacked on some chips and a KitKat I grabbed from the social room and then downed a Cherry Coke on my way to the studio. When I got there, I wasn’t surprised to see some of the people who needed some help with the lessons.

  Dean was one of them and so was Roman. Josie was there too, although I believed it was just to spend more time with Lucas because I knew she was not a bad dancer. “Ella, Lucas, would you like to demonstrate again for the class?” Ms. Whitney asked.

  “No, I think we’ll be good,” I quickly jumped in.

  “Alright then, Ella you can start with Dean and Lucas you can –”

  “I’ll go first,” Josie said, jumping forward. Lucas smiled sweetly at her and Josie melted.

  I grabbed Dean and pulled him out onto the dance floor. “Let’s just get this over with,” I said.

  “Please, I know how to dance,” he scoffed.

  “I’ve seen you dance and no you don’t.” I went over the steps with him several times. “Didn’t you do this last year?” I complained at his lack of grace.

  “It’s a different dance every year,” he carped.

  “Well you think you could stop stepping on my feet?”

  He stomped on my foot and I kicked him in the shin. “Damn it, Ella.”

  “You asked for it. Now concentrate.” He glared at me. “Didn’t mom make you and Xander take dance classes when we were little?”

  “Shh,” he whispered harshly, afraid someone would over hear. He looked around the room and then back at me. “Yes and if you tell anyone I will kill you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Then how are you so bad at this? I mean, really Dean?”

  “Maybe you’re just a horrible teacher?”

  “It’s not me it’s you,” I growled.

  “Look, I can dance when I don’t have to think about it. Remembering all these steps and counting throws me off.”

  “When then don’t think about it,” I said. He narrowed his eyes at me and continued to count. I watched his lips move with each step and I had to stifle my laugh.

  After twenty minutes of trying to keep my anger in check, Dean was finally starting to get the hang of it. In the meantime, I decided to try and peer inside Lucas’s head. I couldn’t get through and the harder I tried the harder it was to pay attention to Dean. “What are you doing?” Dean grumbled when I bumped into him.

  “Nothing,” I said and went back to trying to get in Lucas’s head. I sighed frustrated. I was getting nowhere with Lucas or Dean. What the hell was the point of this power when half the time I couldn’t use it? “What’s Lucas’s power?” I projected to Dean.

  “I don’t think he has one or it’s something that can’t be detected.”

  “Why couldn’t it be detected?”

  “It could be new or unknown or maybe he’s not willing to share.”

  “How can you find out?”

  “Ask him,” he said simply.

  “If I wanted to ask him I would have done that already.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Why do you care?”

  “I just… something about him.”

  “Do you have a bad feeling?”

  “I don’t know yet,” I said honestly.

  “If you want, I know someone whose power is detecting other powers. I could ask her to check it out. You know, on the D.L.”

  “You would do that, for me?”

  He sighed. “Ella, you’re my sister, of course I would. But only if you promise to stop kicking me.”

  “Yeah, don’t think I can promise that. You kind of deserve it sometimes.”

  He laughed and nudged me in the ribs. “Okay, what are you two talking about that is so secretive?” Josie asked.

  “We weren’t even saying anything?” I looked at her suspiciously, wondering if this was some special angel power she had.

  “It was written all over your faces. Clearly you two were communicating telepathically. So what’s the big secret?”

  “Dean decided to come out of the closet,” I joked.

  “It’s about time,” Josie said.

  “Please shrimp, you know I would never crush that little fantasy you have of me and you together,” he said, flicking her chin.

  “Ugh, please Dean. I do have standards.”

  “That’s not what I heard.”

  And that’s about when I walked away. I knew Josie and Dean would be at this for hours and I was not in the mood to participate. I sat down to change my shoes as I watched Ms. Whitney help Roman learn the steps. She wasn’t having any better luck than I was. “I think we’re done for today. I will see you all tomorrow,” Ms. Whitney said, limping to a chair and rubbing her feet.

  “Hey, I could give you a private lesson if you like?” I offered Roman.

  Hey smiled wrapping his arms around my waist. “Would this be a topless dancing lesson?”

  I laughed and kissed his lips. “If you’re lucky, I might wear just these heels and nothing else.” He lifted me up and turned to walk out the door. I threw my head back laughing. “Put me down,” I said, hitting his chest. He smiled and planted my feet back on the floor. I turned to grab my stuff. On my way out I found Lucas carefully watching me and once again I found myself shivering under his stare.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  I stared at my dress hanging on the closet door. I was nervous about tonight. Josie had already warned me if anything big was to happen she would know about it, but everything was clear. “Ella, relax and have fun tonight,” she had said.

  Lately relaxing was not something I knew how to do well. With Jack still out there and no new news from Billy, my mind was constantly on edge. Plus, the weird vision I had with Lucas, and wondering why Mackenzie was keeping her distance made me think something was waiting in the wings, something bad. I wasn’t complaining, but the silence just made Mackenzie more terrifying.

  Something in my gut told me tonight was going to change everything. I was goin
g to have to face my demons. Something told me tonight I was going to have to fight.

  “Hey, where are you?” Josie asked.

  “Huh?” I said, looking over at her on the bed.

  “I can tell you’re somewhere else. So what’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing and everything,” I groaned. “Did you ever wish you could go back and change it all?”

  “Change it how?” She sat up, looking concerned.

  “This, all of this.”

  “Ella, I’m an angel, and that’s not something a lot of people can say,” she winked. I bit my tongue. “I mean, I wish I could go back and see what it was like to be a vampire a little longer, but this life, I wouldn’t give it up for the world.”

  I looked back at my dress and hung my head low. “I wish I could say the same,” I whispered.

  “Hey, enough of the sourpuss face,” she said, resting her chin on my shoulder. “If you want, I can ask Kyle to help you feel better?”

  “And how exactly is he going to do that?” I asked wearily.

  “It’s this thing he does, part of his angel thing. He has a way of making people feel better.”

  “Like my mom does?” She nodded. “Couldn’t you just do it though?”

  “I wish, but nope. Only Kyle can.”

  I wasn’t surprised. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. This isn’t something you can just wave a magic wand and poof all better.”

  “Ella, we’re angels. We don’t have wands,” she smiled.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I have a better idea,” she said, skipping out of the room. The look on her face said she was up to no good.

  A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. I answered to find Lucas on the other side. “Hi,” I said surprised. He was the last person I expected and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous with him there.

  “I’m dropping this off for Josie.”

  I looked down at the large box he was carrying and quickly waved him in. I gestured for him to just put it on the bed. “What is all that?” I asked.

  He smiled coyly at me and opened the box. Inside was a huge supply of liquor, beer, and soda. “I hope this is enough,” he said.

  “Uh yeah, it’s more than enough. Josie does tend to overindulge. Thank you,” I said, hoping that was enough to get him to leave. I didn’t feel comfortable being alone with him.

  “Is this your dress?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “I think red is more your color,” he smiled, walking out before I had the chance to comment.

  I stood there with my mouth open as Josie reentered. “Practicing for later tonight? Here’s a tip, you don’t need to open that wide,” she giggled.

  I came out of my daze. “What? Wait, no that’s not what I was…”

  “Uh-huh,” she giggled again.

  I looked back at the door where Lucas was just moments ago. He said red was more my color and I was wearing a red dress when we danced. He knew. He saw it too. I wasn’t crazy, but why did he deny it and why did he say that? Was he dropping hints? What was the game he was playing? “Hey, space cadet?” Josie snapped her fingers and I turned my attention to her. “What is up with you?”

  “Sorry, just got a lot on my mind. So what’s your plan for tonight? Besides obviously getting loaded.” I pointed to the box.

  She leaped from the bed. “Awesome, he came through.”

  “You plan on having a kegger?”

  “I didn’t think of that,” she said, tapping her finger on her chin and I could see the wheels turning in her mischievous little head.

  “Don’t even think about it,” I warned.

  “You’re no fun,” she pouted. “Ella, you need to –”

  “Live a little, yeah I know.” Taking Josie’s advice for once, I searched through the box of poison. The first bottle I pulled out was whiskey and instantly put it back. After Deirdre’s whiskey I never wanted to touch the stuff again. I tried for another and pulled out rum this time. “Ahh, good old Captain,” I said smiling. I needed just a little something to take the edge off. To keep my mind from wandering to all the horrible things that could happen tonight. All the things my mind cooped up. I told myself I was just being paranoid and I had to relax and I thought this would do the trick.

  Josie tossed me a cup and a cherry coke. “Oops, I forgot the ice. I’ll be right back.” Josie popped out and not a minute later I heard a scream. Josie popped back in with a bucket of ice. “I never get tired of scaring people,” she giggled.

  I poured myself a drink and began to get ready. “So what time is everyone meeting?”

  “Everyone is coming here around six. So that gives us a few hours to get ready,” Josie confirmed by checking her cell.

  We managed to get Josie a dress when we went shopping for school clothes. It was a hot pink, chiffon dress that grazed the floor. The top tied around the neck and cut low in the front. Josie liked anything that was low cut. She always said if you got’em, flaunt’em.

  Josie helped me with my hair and I helped her with hers. I smoothed out her hair into nice waves and let her borrow one of my barrettes to pin on the side. We curled my hair and piled it on top, letting loose tendrils fallout all over the place. By the time we were ready to get dressed I was already on my third drink and having a hard time getting into my dress. “Suck it in Ella,” Josie complained, trying to tighten the corset part of my dress. She was sitting on the bed with her one foot on my behind, pushing to pull the strings.

  “Josie, I need to be able to breathe,” I gasped as she pulled at one of the strings.

  “Do you want to breathe or look good?”

  “It’s not going to do me any good if I die from lack of oxygen.”

  “If your face turns blue then it will at least match your hair and dress.”

  “Just loosen it!” I yelped. It started to pinch my skin it was so tight. She cussed to herself and began to pull out the strings when Cameron knocked on the door, letting herself in.

  “What. The. Hell. Are you two doing?” she asked, looking at us disturbed.

  Josie still had her foot on my behind and was sitting in her bra and underwear. “Glad you’re here, now you can do this while I finish getting ready,” Josie said.

  “Wait, I think you bruised a rib,” I said, taking off the dress.

  “Stop being a baby.”

  I made a drink for Cameron while Josie did her makeup and I regained my breath. I skipped the next drink and opted for a snack instead. I was pretty buzzed and didn’t want to be too tipsy or worse…sick. “If you keep stuffing your face you’ll never fit into that dress.”

  “Shut up Josie,” I said, throwing a pretzel at her. “Alright Cameron, the boys should be here soon so I need you to help me back into this dress.”

  Thankfully Cameron had not tied it as tight as Josie and I was able to breathe. Just as we finished, Austin, Justin, and Riley showed up with Brennen in tow. “I hope you don’t mind I tag along,” Brennen said, looking like he felt like the annoying extra friend who couldn’t find a date.

  “The more the merrier,” I said, hoping to help him not feel like a third wheel. I offered him a refreshment and he dug into the beer, feeling better. Riley looked beautiful in her bright orange dress and by the looks of all her curls, I could tell Sienna had her hands in Riley’s hair.

  Sophia had joined us with Kyle as her date. He looked incredible in a tux. He looked just like he did the day we went to prom. The only difference was now he had a glow to him, one that only I could see. “Hi,” I said.

  “Ella, you look…beautiful.”

  “Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself,” I said, adjusting his tie for him.

  He blushed slightly. “Thanks.” I smiled at him feeling my cheeks get hot. I was about to walk away when he stepped in front of me. “Hey…I’m sorry about the way I acted at the party.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. Friends fight, it happens.”

  “
Friends, yeah,” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

  I quickly turned to Sophia wanting to avoid the awkwardness. “Love the dress.”

  “Thanks,” she cheered. “Sienna let me borrow it.”

  “It suits you perfect. You guys can help yourselves to anything. If you’ll excuse me,” I said, making my way over to the door, but Kyle grabbed my arm to stop me.

  “Save me a dance?”

  I relaxed and smiled. “Yeah, I can do that.” He squeezed my arm once before he let go and this time his smile was genuine.

  Sienna showed up with Reagan and then finally Lucas and Roman. “Wow, how did I get so lucky to have the prettiest girl in the room as my date?” Roman gloated.

  I stifled an eye roll. “Maybe it’s because I’m so nice I took pity on you.”

  “Ha-ha,” he said, placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

  “Dude, if you’re going to date my sister how about keeping your hands to yourself when I’m around.”

  “Dean, get over it already.”

  “Gladly,” he said, taking a sip of my drink.

  “What is Mackenzie doing here?” I scoffed. She stood in the doorway looking disgusted. Like she couldn’t believe she was subjecting herself to this kind of torture.

  “She’s my date and before you start I asked her because I wanted to. It has nothing to do with your twisted plan so save it,” Dean projected, walking over to Mackenzie and offering her a drink.

  I couldn’t believe Dean asked her to be his date. Of all people he could have gone with, why her? He could have taken anyone. “Whoa, who pissed you off?” Roman asked, wrapping his arms around me.

  “You really have to ask?” I said, looking in the direction of Mackenzie.

  “Don’t let her ruin your night.”

  “I can’t believe Dean asked her. What was he thinking?” I said, fuming.

  “Ella, it’s Dean, he doesn’t think.”

  “But that…”

  Roman turned me to face him. “Ella, calm down. Let’s not let Mackenzie ruin tonight. Tonight it’s just you and me,” he said, pressing his lips to mine and pushing away any unwelcomed anxiety I was feeling a moment ago.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.