Criteria (YA Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria)

by Leyton, Bisi

  “You’re lying!” Brian raged.

  Fi swallowed hard. This was what Jack didn’t want her to see. Following her best friend, Fi moved into the cellar. She moved past the stacks of tinned food and ammunition they’d scavenged over the years.

  The room was lit up with a series of candles. Peeking around a pile of cartons, she spotted four teenagers, kneeling on the ground in front of Jack, their hands behind their backs. Surrounding them were five of Jack’s inner circle of friends, including Monty and Brian. These were the guys who ran things at Lady Luggard’s.

  “Fine.” Sporting a black bruise on his right eye, Prince Michael's sneered. “Believe whatever you want.”

  Fi had to admit, the guy did look a little like the royal. He had Prince Michael's curly brown hair, grey eyes and square jaw, but he was clearly too young. Plus he wasn't that cute.

  “Don’t talk to him. They clearly don’t understand English,” a plump girl with long braids joked.

  “Don’t play with me.” Brian grabbed the girl’s braids. “I can make you talk.”

  “Go for it. Bigger, nastier people than you have tried and failed,” she seethed.

  “She’s just trying to get you upset.” Jack stopped Brian. “Let her go.”

  “I told you the truth,” pleaded the other new girl, a stunning blond with sapphire eyes. Her rich, wavy locks shook across her face as she spoke. “Please, don’t hurt us.”

  “Two healthy, well-dressed kids with guns and knives show up at the only place in miles with food, water, and weapons? You expect us to believe it was a coincidence?” Jack asked.

  “Yes, it—” the blonde girl continued.

  “Amanda, don’t,” the brown haired boy whispered.

  “Please, just let us go. We got lost,” Amanda, the blonde, implored as tears streamed from her eyes.

  “Why? So you can tell your people where we are, and then they’ll come and take our home?” Jack’s gaze was locked on the blonde girl as if she was some deep puzzle he was trying to figure out. “No, you aren’t going anywhere until you tell us the truth.”

  “We were looking for safety. Nothing more,” the girl with braids defended.

  “And, if you want be in our group, then you need to meet the conditions. The first one being, we need to know you’re not a threat.” Jack’s intense gaze was still fixed on Amanda.

  “You’re an idiot if you think you can keep us.” The girl with braids laughed.

  “Wisteria, don’t—” Amanda muttered.

  Brian grabbed Wisteria’s neck. “You think this is a joke?”

  “It is if you expect us to meet some impossible standard.” Wisteria winced.

  “Impossible standard? What would the people in your camp do if a bunch of us showed up armed, like you did?”

  “They’d probably do what you’re doing now, or kill you.” Wisteria grunted with the pain of his hold. “But, we didn’t come here because we thought there was a camp. We thought the place was deserted.”

  “Stop lying,” Jack warned.

  “You’re hurting her!” The brown haired guy tried to charge at Brian, but his hands were chained behind his back. He was easily stopped by Monty, who knocked him down.

  “We got separated from our group and needed rest. We saw the fences and hoped this place might be secure for the night,” she continued. “I suppose if we knew there were psychos in here—” She choked as he tightened his grip.

  “Let go of her!” Amanda wailed. “Steven, do something!” she pleaded to the blond guy.

  Steven didn’t move. He just knelt there motionlessly. It was almost as if he was in a trance.

  “Garfield?” Amanda hurried over to the brown haired kid, but was unable to offer much to help, as her hands were also bound behind her back.

  “Tell me where your group is and how many of you there are, or he’ll make your girlfriend suffer.” Jack turned his attention to Garfield.

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” Garfield groaned as tried to get back on his knees.

  Steven looked up at Fi and gave her curious look. “If you’re going to kill us, just do it. Like she said, you’re not going to listen to anything we say, right?”

  “Jack, what is this?” Yumi walked past Fi into the group. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “This is none of your business.” Letting go of the braided girl, Brian marched up to Yumi and attempted to force her back out. “Leave, girl.”

  “Brian, seriously.” Yumi twisted his arm around his back and kicked him aside.

  A few of the other guys chuckled.

  “What are you trying to do?” Yumi approached her boyfriend.

  Jack walked up to her. Slipping his arm around her, he muttered something into her ear.

  “No.” Yumi wriggled out of his grasp. “Listen—”

  He drew her back to him with increased force.

  Seeing Yumi and Jack this close made Fi’s stomach turn—she needed to leave. When she turned she was startled to see Monty standing behind her.

  “If you can’t stand seeing them together, then maybe you should leave him alone.”

  “Or you should mind your own business,” Fi retorted coldly. “And stop creeping around me!”

  “These people are spies!” Jack exclaimed. “We can’t take the risk of letting them go back to their people and come back to take over our home unless we’re sure. We can take care of four kids, if they’re the right kind of people, but the devil knows how many more of them are out there.”

  “Aren’t you being a bit melodramatic?” Yumi chuckled. “I mean, they could’ve just stumbled across us. The school is pretty big.”

  “No, Yumi, this place is way off the beaten path. Someone would have to specifically be looking for the school to get here,” Jack reminded her. “That’s why you were sure we wouldn’t be bothered here and we haven’t been.”

  “Yes, but come on, other kids went here too. Maybe they were banging girls at this school back in the day,” Yumi teased.

  Jack glared at her. “Can you try to be serious?”

  Yumi’s already narrow eyes squeezed into slits. “What? Just because I don’t think you should beat them, I’m not being serious? Okay boss, what are you going to do? Because it doesn’t sound like they’re going to tell you anything.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Jack’s gaze scanned across the four kids and stopped when he came to Amanda. “I’ll get my answers—somehow.”

  “Yumi, just leave and take Princess Fiona with you,” Monty called. “We’ll let you know when we’re done here.”

  “I’m in the inner circle too, so I get a say about this,” Yumi snapped. “I have—”

  Jack spoke into her ear, and then nodded in Fi’s direction.

  Yumi turned pale. “This isn’t over, Jack.” Storming back to the stairs, she grabbed Fi’s arm.

  *****

  A few hours later, Fi found Jack standing on the roof of the school, looking out as several biters staggered past. “So, what are you going to do?” It had been hours since she last saw him in the cellar and she wanted a chance to talk to him herself about what happened.

  “You shouldn’t be up here. I don’t want any more aggravation with Yumi.” He didn’t look at her.

  “She’s arguing with Brian because he was strangling that girl.” Fi wrapped her arms around his back. “She won’t be up until she breaks his arm.”

  He stood there, wooden. “I need to think.”

  “Okay.” She kissed his neck. “We—”

  “Fi, stop.” He shrugged her off. “I need to be alone right now.”

  Since when did he not want her around? Before she could stop herself, hot tears ran down her face. “Okay.”

  “Come on.” Exhaling loudly, he cupped her face with his hands. “I’m not going anywhere. I just need to decide what to do about those people.”

  “Can’t we just let them stay?”

  “Even if they’re telling the truth, I’m not sure they’ll fit i
n here. I don’t see them doing what they’re told, or working the way we need them to work. Especially that curly hair ass.”

  Funny, Fi thought it was the girl in braids who seemed especially difficult. “We can give them a chance. See if they fit?”

  “What happens if they don’t? It will be harder to deal with it then. What if they try to hurt you? I wouldn’t survive if anything happened to you.” With that, he stroked her lips with his. “I can’t allow that to happen.”

  “Am I going to see you at all tonight?”

  “Once Yumi is asleep.” Gently, he kissed her lips.

  There was something off about Jack’s kiss and Fi couldn’t figure out what. Normally, his kisses sent tingles through her, causing her to need him more. Desperately, she wanted to be with Jack, but she desired more than just being the girl he kept on the side. She couldn’t figure out what had changed. Maybe deep down in her heart, she knew Jack was considering something very brutal for the four kids, if he decided they couldn’t stay at the school.

  Suddenly feeling numb, she backed away from him and went into the house. Returning to her room, she lay down, trying to decide how to proceed with Jack, when someone else came into her mind. Steven? His blue eyes were intense and something about the way he looked at her made her want to burst into flames. It’s because he’s the first cute guy aside from Jack you’ve seen in years. You’ll get over it once Jack gets here.

  But, three hours later, Jack hadn’t come down and the visions of Steven’s pink lips on hers loomed in her mind.

  Chapter Two

  An hour later, Fi decided she needed to see Steven again. Getting out of the bed and making her way down to the cellar, she found Monty and Brian standing guard at the door.

  “You’ve got to be joking?” Monty remarked when he saw her approaching. “You aren’t going anywhere near those people.”

  “We’re bringing food.” Yumi appeared behind her with a box and a lantern. “For you and the prisoners.”

  “Jack never said anything about feeding them,” Monty responded.

  “He also didn’t say we should starve them,” Yumi snapped back.

  Monty unbolted the door. “Give me the food.”

  “Nope, just take your soups because I know if I leave it, you boys will eat it all yourselves.” Yumi handed him a glass jar containing tomato soup, and then gave another one to Brian.

  “I hope it’s better than the last one,” Monty sneered as he reached to collect his soup.

  “Don’t worry—I spat in this one personally.” Yumi dropped the jar but caught it before it hit the floor.

  “Hey!” Brian yelled. “You waste it and you’ll eat it off the floor.”

  “Whatever.” Yumi pushed past him and entered the cellar. “Come on, Fi.” The door closed behind the two girls and the lantern lit the way before them. “I’m surprised you came down here,” Yumi murmured.

  “I wanted to make sure they were okay,” Fi lied. Okay, it was more a half-truth. “The guys were pretty rough on him.”

  “Right,” Yumi’s replied dryly.

  “No, I’m not going anywhere with you!” Amanda’s voice wailed from out of the darkness.

  “Just leave—oh you?” Wisteria stepped out into their path. “What are you doing down here? Did Jack send you?”

  “I thought they chained you?” Yumi glanced down at the girl in shock, and then started to back away. “How did you break out?”

  “Jack unchained us.” Wisteria shrugged her shoulders and looked at the box.

  “We should leave.” Yumi placed the box on the ground and backed away. “Get back to the door, Fi.” Yumi and Fi fled to the door.

  Steven appeared in front of them. “Thank you for the food.” He smiled down at her.

  How was it possible for a man to look this incredible? Fi found she couldn’t move. “You’re welcome.”

  “Come on Fi.” Yumi took her arm.

  “Wait, Jack didn’t tell you he unchained us?” Wisteria called out. “You should know why he did it.”

  “I don’t want to know.” Yumi tried to force her way past Steven.

  “He said it was a gesture of good faith,” Wisteria stated unemotionally from behind them.

  “You tell him to go to hell!” Amanda continued to bawl. “He can take his gesture and stick it up his—”

  “Jack isn’t one for making gestures, so be grateful that he did this time,” Yumi replied.

  “You should tell him the truth,” Fi whispered to Steven. “Then he’ll let you join us.”

  “Are you really that naïve?” Amanda wept.

  “No, she’s just young.” Wisteria turned to her friend.

  “I’m seventeen; I’m no kid.” Fi wanted Steven to know that.

  “Oh.” Wisteria gasped.” You look like a little kid.”

  “You honestly don’t know why Jack took off the chains?” Garfield asked from the darkness. “Then why are you back down here?”

  “Food--I don’t want you starving. We don’t have much, but I wanted to help,” Fi replied.

  This made Steven smile at her.

  “I suppose we would be a good source of protein,” Garfield remarked. “Makes sense for you to fatten us up.”

  “We aren’t cannibals,” Yumi fumed. “But if you are, I won’t worry about anymore food for you. You can eat each other.”

  Fi jumped as she felt Steven’s hand slip into hers. Holding on to him, even in the midst of the increased madness, felt right to her.

  “Thank you for the food, but we don’t want it.” Wisteria moved back into the darkness.

  “So you want to starve?” Yumi exclaimed.

  “The boys are dead anyway,” Wisteria said coldly. “Soup won’t change that.”

  “Why do you say the boys are dead? If Jack’s the monster you think he is, he’ll kill you all,” Yumi retorted. “No, we’re going to find a way for you to be part of our group.”

  “I’m guessing there’re more boys in your group. A lot more,” Wisteria countered.

  “Yes, there about twenty-three guys and eleven girls. So?” Fi didn’t like where she was going with her theories.

  “You think he’s going to kill the boys and let the girls stay?” Yumi grimaced.

  “You don’t expect us to believe that.” Fi’s heart skipped a beat. “We’re not monsters.”

  “Wisteria, we shouldn’t get them involved in this.” Steven ran his hand up her back. “This isn’t their fight.”

  Fi shook her head. “You must’ve misunderstood him. Jack would never do that.”

  Wisteria walked up to Yumi. “You worship him, don’t you? I’ve seen this before but never among humans.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Fi fumed back. “We all trust Jack and if it weren’t for him, we would’ve been dead.”

  “What’s your name?” Steven whispered into Fi’s ear, as Wisteria and Yumi exchanged bitter words.

  “They call me Fi,” she whispered back.

  “Steven,” he replied.

  She didn’t know how, but he’d managed to get her alone in a darker corner of the cellar. “Jack isn’t going to kill you. He’ll just send you on your way, if he thinks you can’t stay,” Fi tried to reassure him. “He’s a good guy—”

  Cutting her off her with a heated kiss, Steven wrapped his arms around her slim body, forcing their bodies together.

  While his almost sugary taste consumed her, she gripped his waist and pressed her fingers into his hard sides. The boy was just pure muscle. Running her hands up his chest and reaching her arms around his neck, she kissed him more fervently. She was instantly in love with him. It wasn’t like it was with Jack. Her feelings for him had taken months to surface, but with Steven it was love. Fi used to scoff at the notion of love at first sight, but deep down she knew that was the most powerful kind of love.

  “I’m sorry.” Steven broke the kiss. “I just needed to do that.”

  Fi wanted to die as he pulled away. “No, don’t stop.
”

  “You might be the last girl I ever get to kiss.”

  Touching her lips, she stared at him, still giddy.

  “Fi, we’re leaving now.” Yumi stepped up behind her. “What are you doing to her?”

  “Nothing.” Torn, she extracted herself from Steven’s sweet, warm arms. “We should go.” She’d find a way to get back to him.

  *****

  “And you’re sure they didn’t hurt you?” Jack poked his head through the crack of Fi’s door later that night. He’d come to see her once he learned she’d gone down to see the visitors.

  “I’m fine. I’m guessing Yumi’s asleep now.”

  “Yeah, what? Is that why you won’t let me in?” He pushed at the door. “You’ve never left me out here before.”

  “I’m really sleepy and if you come in, I won’t get much sleep.”

  “Isn’t that the point?” he smirked.

  Right now, he was making her skin crawl. “Maybe you should spend some time with Yumi. If you keep sneaking out each night, she’ll get suspicious.”

  “I thought we agreed, this isn’t about Yumi. This is just us. You and me.”

  “But she’s your girlfriend and my best friend. We can’t keep doing this to her. What if I get pregnant? How am I going to explain that to her?”

  “You won’t get pregnant.”

  “I’m not an idiot, Jack. We ran out of birth control three weeks ago.” That hadn’t bothered her until that night. Everything changed with Steven’s kiss and the notion of being with anyone else suddenly sickened her. “Just go.”

  “Fi, we’ve discussed this already. We’ll cross that bridge if it happens.”

  “Let’s talk about it tomorrow. I’m tired.” Trying to shut the door, she felt him push it open.

  “The whole Yumi thing isn’t going to be forever. I swear to you.” His voice softened. “I love you, not her.”

  The sweet tone of his voice almost broke her heart. “Then why are you with her?” She’d asked this a thousand times and he’d always said the same thing.

  “Because I know she’ll kill herself if I leave.” His old excuse just sounded weak. “I’m with her to protect her from herself. She’s so unstable.”