by J. R. King
Aria thumbed through the filing cabinet quickly. “Not missing out on an opportunity.” She closed the drawer sharply, opening the next one down.
“Look, given the circumstances, I’m not sure this is smart.”
“This is probably the best time for me to risk getting in trouble, actually. I mean, how much worse than ‘placed at a crime scene’ could it get?”
He frowned agitatedly. “I’m not sure that’s a valid reason for… whatever this is.” He watched her close the second drawer, allowing his worry and frustration to double.
It was by drawer three that Aria found the R’s. Christian’s file was a slim, unassuming folder. It was nothing compared to the monstrosity located between the M’s and the O’s.
“Oh god,” she whispered. Aria pulled the folder out to get a look at the name. “This is Rome’s.” It had to be at least three times as thick as everyone else’s. She could barely maneuver it out of the drawer. Dallas muttered, ‘Unbelievable,’ behind her back, and she slid it back into the cabinet, extracting Christian’s file instead.
Dallas glanced at the name. “Are you insane?”
She flipped through the paperwork, unfazed. “The school keeps extensive records on each of us. That might include medical history, criminal history… birth certificates.”
Dallas was at her side in an instant, closing the folder before she could rifle all the way through it. “Stop,” he said. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you’re going to get us in trouble, and you’re not going to find what you’re looking for.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do, okay?”
“Dallas, they could be back any minute.”
He removed the folder from her grasp before placing it back into the cabinet. “You’re not going to find his birth certificate because someone’s gone out of their way to make sure it isn’t found, alright?” He inhaled deeply, charting the lines creasing her forehead.
“Dallas, what do you know?”
Dallas faltered, looking for an impossible escape. His options were down to one. “Joseph Hayes left a little more than just money problems behind,” he said. Dallas took a breath, searching for the strength to continue. “My father had an affair.”
Ariahna’s reaction was one of daze. “What are you saying?”
“…Christian’s my brother.”
Chapter Fourteen
The Truth Sets You Free
Vardel Academy was a deadly hornet’s nest. The last thing it, or any of its students needed was more ammunition – more things to gossip about. Yet it seemed that that was exactly what they were going to get. Christian stepped into the cafeteria, fully prepared to aggravate the horde. Finding him certainly wasn’t difficult; Dallas was already seated at his usual table, surrounded by his usual people. He slipped into the chair across from him, sliding the keys wordlessly across the tabletop. “I figured you’d want those back,” he said.
Dallas couldn’t have looked more provoked if he tried. “Thanks,” he said. “Oh, and thanks for telling me that you involved my car—and my friend—in a crime. What did I say about Aria, huh?”
Christian kept his eyes low.
“I had to talk to the police,” Dallas said.
“I know… I was listening in from the roof.” He watched the realization hit Dallas like a soaring brick. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he said.
“There was just… never an opportune time.”
“I could think of a few times, Dallas.” Christian sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t get it. You knew, and you didn’t think twice about what something like that would mean to me?”
“How was I supposed to just drop a bomb like that? You would have flipped.”
“You just man up and do it. Because if you don’t, someone might think you never planned to tell them at all.”
Dallas sighed. “That’s not fair…”
Christian stood. “Neither is keeping me in the dark.”
“Maybe this is why I didn’t want to tell you!”
“No, you didn’t want to tell me because you’re a coward.”
“Would you care to say that again?” Dallas said.
“You heard me. You are a coward.”
Dallas stood slowly. “Keep your voice down.”
“Why, afraid of what people might think?” Christian dropped into a wicked little whisper. “What am I saying? Of course you are. You know, maybe he took off because he gave up the wrong son.”
In the span of a second, Dallas’ fist was sailing towards Christian’s face. His knuckles connected with a snap, and the den erupted in a wave of chaos. Christian lunged at him from the floor, sweeping Dallas off his feet. They scuffled in the midst of the crowd as onlookers shouted both insults and praise. A sharp jab caught Dallas in the ribs, and he was on his back by the time someone stepped in to break them up.
“Alright,” Rome said, “that’s enough!” He watched Christian and Dallas hesitate as students milled around them. “Go mind your own business,” he said, chasing away the crowd.
A teacher moved through the dissipating group of students then. “The dean’s office,” she said. “All of you. Now.”
Christian and Dallas sat with ice packs pressed collectively to their face and ribs. Between the dean’s silence and their sideways glares, Rome felt oddly compelled to explain. “I think this was just a big misunderstanding,” he said.
The dean looked at him curiously. “Mr. Navarro, were you actually involved in the altercation?”
“Not unless you count breaking it up.”
“Next time I suggest letting my staff handle it.”
The dean excused him and Rome filed out of the room. They were on their own, and consequently, so was he. The lock had barely clicked when a hand came to rest upon his shoulder. Rome turned, finding himself unsure of the man smiling back.
“I’d like to have a chat,” Richard said.
Rome recognized his voice instantly. “What about?”
“We haven’t been introduced yet. Richard VayRenn. I knew your mother. Quite well, in fact. We went to school together, once upon a time.” He led Rome towards the stairs, eyes downcast in contemplation. “When you’re young, it’s easy to feel like you’re invincible. Like nothing can touch you. Time, and history have proven otherwise.” Richard stopped him near the steps. “Our families have maintained a… troubling past. You might look into that sometime, if ever you’re curious where the folly and negligence of youth can end.”
Chapter Fifteen
The Sound of No One
Rome sat in his open window, one leg draped over the edge. The sun was setting over the trees, giving way to a magnificent orange sky. He wondered just how far he’d have to run to find something else beyond those trees – something other than Redwood Bay. His entire life felt like it had changed the instant he’d walked into this school. It had felt like an entirely different world then, and it felt like one now. What he couldn’t figure out was if this world was any better than the one he’d unknowingly left behind.
Those thoughts carried him well into the night, keeping him awake as he lay in bed. Resting his eyes seemed to be all he could get as of late. It didn’t help that the school was unnervingly quiet at this hour. The only sound left to fill the void was the shrill whistling of the wind.
Rome opened his eyes to darkness, watching unearthly shadows dance across the ceiling. All he could see were archives, newspaper clippings and headlines. Richard had planted a seed, and Rome was now far past the point of reasonable doubt. Soft, unsettling noises were keeping him just shy of sleep. But it was the slow strum of the guitar that made him jolt upright in bed. His curtains swayed gently against the hardwood, giving him just enough pause. Rome moved to latch the window. It was that or a dream, he decided. Through the weathered glass, he couldn’t help but notice the fog. It blanketed the grounds, disappearing into the tree line. Although it wasn’t uncommon for this time of year, it did little to ease his mind.
> “Kaleb?” he said, pausing near the wall. “You awake?”
Two slow knocks moved through the plaster.
“Do you know anything about curses?” he asked.
Rome frowned at Kaleb’s silence, deciding to take up space on the mattress. He was quiet for a time, contemplating what to say – where to start. He settled on the museum, on the old man and his perfectly woven tale. Rome couldn’t recount it with quite so much antiquity, but he got the point across.
“…Do you think it’s just a coincidence, or does it all add up to something?” Kaleb didn’t reply again, and by now, Rome was starting to feel a bit ignored. “I know I’ve asked a lot of you lately, but would it kill you to engage me a little?”
He tapped his knuckles against the wall, receiving the same slow knocks as before. “Will you quit it? You’re freaking me out,” he said. “Anyways, Danny says his cousin’s got a private collection of books on this stuff. I just have to wait until he gets back into town. I know I should avoid her until then, but it doesn’t feel like I can. Not that we’re studying together anymore. Her dad made quick work of that. Can you believe he practically threatened me today? And he’s staying at the school. Apparently they realized Vardel wasn’t exactly doing its job after the four of us snuck out the other night.”
Rome fell back against his pillow. “I am sorry about that. What happened was… unexpected. And I’ve been thinking about what you asked me. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea, but I am considering it, realistically. I figure, you need food, right? And I know I owe you.”
“Who are you talking to?” Kaleb asked.
Rome’s eyes flicked over to the now open door. “You,” he said. “Just get in here already. I’m tired of messing around.”
Kaleb stepped inside, lingering near the entrance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I was in the lounge when I heard you babbling to yourself.”
“What?”
“I wasn’t in my room.”
“Then who was—” Rome dropped into an inaudible whisper. There’s someone in your room, he mouthed.
Kaleb frowned at him, traipsing out into the hall. When they opened the door, his room was empty. He flicked on the light, peering around inside. “Nope,” he said. “You were just talking to yourself.”
“I know what I heard.” Rome stepped into the room, taking a tentative look around. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. “I can’t believe you didn’t hear anything I was saying.”
“I heard you. You’re in love with a girl you just met.”
“That—that’s not what I was saying at all.”
Kaleb shrugged. “Close enough.”
“If you heard all of that, then you had to of heard the knocks,” Rome said.
Kaleb shook his head.
“Why didn’t you come tell me sooner, then?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt.” The look Rome gave him was brimming with quiet annoyance. “So what was it you were saying about reconsidering? I am feeling rather famished…”
Rome watched the mattress dip under Kaleb’s weight. “I should have realized that’s why you walked up.” He leaned against the footboard, trying to suss out what he’d heard still. “I guess I just have a few questions. Like what that could do to you, or me for that matter. I can’t imagine there haven’t been accidents.”
Kaleb set him with an insistent stare. “There’s no harm in it, to my understanding. Unless you’re saying you don’t trust me to stop?” He noted the hesitation in Rome’s eyes. “I wanted to talk to you first anyways, about what happened the other night—what you did.”
“I was wondering if you were going to bring that up.” Rome sidled over to the window, taking a look out at the sky. “I can shift whenever I want,” he said, “regardless of the moon. I thought that you knew that.”
“It would have been nice had you divulged that little detail,” Kaleb said. “That means you pose an even greater threat than I initially thought. Had I known you could lose control whenever, I might have reconsidered a few things.”
“I don’t lose control,” Rome said. “I can’t stop the shift on a full moon, but I’m not mindless either.”
“The stories I’ve heard, just being near each other might become a problem. It could take over, you know; instinct.”
Rome took a deep breath. “I salivate more around you, and my stomach tends to growl, but I’ve never felt the urge to hurt you. If I did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He paused, hesitating before taking a seat at his side. “What is it that you feel, exactly?”
“Heat,” Kaleb said. “Like needles across my skin. There’s a pull I can’t describe. The need to get closer…” He touched Rome’s knee. “Even though it’s clear I should stay away. And you smell… insanely good.”
Rome stared down at Kaleb’s hand. He realized now he’d asked the wrong thing. “So not like wet dog, then?”
Kaleb chuckled. “Not at all, though I wasn’t as fond of you post transition. To say my hairs were standing on end would be an understatement. It made me hostile, being around you after.”
Rome sat up straight, deciding to let his thoughts spill out. “Do you know what I see when I look at us? I see the potential for change. We’re more than the result of a misguided few. We’re everything they are, and everything they fear, all rolled into one.”
Kaleb was grinning at him. “You should go to bed,” he said.
Rome sighed. “What I’m trying to say is that if we can make this work, then we stand a chance at getting you home alive. That is what you want, isn’t it?”
Kaleb watched him extend his arm, offering his wrist to him silently. His hand cupped the underside, drawing it closer—staring at the rhythmic veins beating shallowly beneath the skin. With his gaze, he was searching for permission.
“Just don’t make me regret it.”
Kaleb’s teeth punctured the surface, tearing softly into Rome’s wrist. Blood oozed across his tongue, filling his mouth as he soaked in every sensation. It would be difficult to let go. He could already tell the final seconds of this encounter might turn into a fight.
“It’s different, watching you do that,” Rome said. Kaleb’s hand squeezed momentarily around his wrist, easing his discomfort. “How often do you think we should do this?”
Kaleb was drawing blood from him greedily, wet lips tickling across tanned skin. Not having eaten in days, he was eager to pull as much as Rome would allow. And he’d feed from him as often as offered. A free meal that didn’t come in a bag and didn’t complain… it was hard to ask for more these days. He pulled away to answer.
“Every day,” he said.
Rome twitched. “Don’t you think that’s a bit… much?”
Long hair shifted around his shoulders as Kaleb shook his head. “No.” His smile was smeared in red. “You’ll be fine.”
Rome pulled back before Kaleb had a chance to latch on again, licking his wounds closed. “I should probably get back to my room.”
“What’s your hurry?”
“I didn’t want to overstay my welcome, I guess.”
Kaleb smiled. “You’re free to linger as long as you’d like.”
“And be completely useless for class tomorrow.” Rome hummed, wondering what they could even talk about. “You could tell me about what it’s like where you grew up?”
“Something I’m sure you’d regret asking.”
“Why?” Rome said.
The lines worrying Kaleb’s forehead deepened. “There’s plenty to love about it. But the war has gotten ugly. Made people turn the same. So often you see slaves being sold, people beaten and bloodied, marched through the streets and made an example of. I think if none of us were there, it would be a fantastic place to live. The open world, inviting forests—minus the creatures living within them that would like to kill you, of course. It’s a harsh land, and the vagabonds and monsters it keeps make it all the harsher. The safest places are in the cities, which usua
lly have dangers of their own that must be avoided. Though I talk of course of political dangers, of the backstabbing flock that follow you around, and those that oppose even my father in his own court; disorder which little can be done about.”
“Sounds like medieval times.”
Kaleb let loose a laugh. “I suppose it would seem medieval to you. Though any civilization cut off from the rest of society would struggle to survive, never mind progress. We had to learn a new land when our people arrived. Find out how to exist together without killing each other. Obviously, that one still requires some work. My point is,” he said, “it’s a rough place to live, even for the son of a king. And being what I am hasn’t made it any easier.”
“I won’t pretend to know what that was like for you, but prejudice exists wherever you go. It used to astonish me how many people walk around judging everyone else, making them feel ashamed for things they can’t control. What I realized, though, is that the only opinion that matters is my own. And I don’t have to change who I am just because someone else has a problem with it.”
Kaleb frowned at him. “Unless of course their opinion means you get to face death because of that hatred. There is a real chance of that there, for us both. I’d be lying if I tried to deny that there are those within my own household who would rather see me in shackles or strung up with the wolves than on that throne. And not just because I’m a bastard,” he said, “but because of what I am. Because of what the two of them made me… A witch.”
Rome propped himself up on his elbows, choosing his next words carefully. “You can’t expect to change the opinions of others, at least not while you’re harboring a secret hatred for yourself. You have magic. It’s in your blood, and it’s a part of who you are. It might even be the reason you and I have found some common ground.”
Kaleb locked eyes with Rome, feeling anger and some other emotion he refused to acknowledge. “I shouldn’t have a heartbeat,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to eat food. I shouldn’t be able to walk in the sunlight without getting sick. I should be faster, and stronger. And you and I, we’re supposed to be enemies. The reason we haven’t killed each other yet—the only reason—is that I’m less than I should be.