by Anita Oh
I raised my eyebrows. "Sure," I said, stepping back from her. Althea had always been super nice to me, and now I understood why. She had played me like a fiddle, pretending to be my friend so I'd protect their secret.
"Don't be so sensitive," Tennyson said, then grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me toward the door. "Do you really think my family would have any qualms about getting you out of the way if we didn't place any value on your life?"
I rolled my eyes, but I found his words strangely comforting. Tennyson Wilde never sugar-coated anything, never pretended to be nice. It was one of the things that infuriated me the most about him, but at least I knew he was telling the truth.
"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," I told him as he swung the door open.
He went to swoop out the door but ran smack into three cheeky little eavesdroppers.
Hamish stared up at Tennyson with hearts in his eyes.
"Have you come to take Lucy away and make her into a princess?" he asked.
Tennyson opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Hamish went on.
"If Lucy is a princess, will you buy me a bike? A red one with racing wheels?"
He grabbed Tennyson around the middle and hugged him tightly. Tennyson stood frozen, as if he was afraid to move.
"Ham, get off him, you weirdo," I said. "He's not buying you a bike. Go put some clothes on and get your stuff ready for school."
He stepped back from Tennyson, and gave me a suspicious look. "Are you going to school?"
I sighed and glanced at Althea. She gave me a hopeful smile. Tennyson's hand tightened around my wrist. Even Liam had stopped glaring at me.
"I suppose I have to, since everyone is so set on it."
But, although I tried my best to sound grumpy about it, part of me couldn't help but feel pleased.
Chapter 2
My trip to school was very different from the year before, when it had taken days and a bunch of transfers and long waits.
I sat silently during the limo ride to the airport, trying not to second-guess myself. It was hard to believe that this was the right decision — leaving the safe familiarity of home to go back to a place that had only caused me misery.
I was sitting beside Althea and opposite Nikolai, who were both busy on their phones. Sam kept sneaking glances at me from the opposite corner. I ignored him. I didn't even know how to talk to him anymore, no matter how much I might want to.
The limo was unlike any other car I'd ever been in. The seats were so soft and spacious, it seemed like the car shouldn't even fit on the road. And it was so quiet. Not just the engine; all the outside noise was dimmed, people on the street and other cars. It hardly felt that we were moving at all.
We got to the airport in next to no time, which I guess is what happens when you don't have to take the bus. Instead of our going through the airport and checking our bags and all of that, the limo drove right out onto the tarmac to where the plane was waiting. That didn't seem particularly safe, and I wasn't even sure it was legal. Weren't there security measures in place? Just because someone was super rich didn't mean they didn't have evil plans. Rather, it meant they had the means to carry out their evil plans. Still, it was convenient just getting out of the car and getting right onto the plane.
The plane was even more swanky than the car had been. The seats were massive recliner armchairs that were the comfiest thing I'd ever sat on. There were only a few of them, arranged facing each other, rows of two on each side of the plane. I took a window seat on the left, thinking Althea would sit next to me, but she sat opposite with Tennyson, so Sam took the seat beside me. My legs twitched instinctively, and I wanted to get up and move away from him, but I forced myself to stay there. There was no point in making a fuss just to sit a few extra feet away. Nikolai sprawled out across the remaining seats, put in his earphones and was asleep before the plane even took off.
I hated flying. I hated it a lot. Sure, it was nice to be in a comfy seat and not crowded in with a bunch of strangers, but flying was still unnatural. Maybe if I'd understood a bit more about aerodynamics, it wouldn't be so terrifying, but I didn't, and so it was. I dug my fingers into the arms of the seat as we sped down the runway, and I squeezed my eyes shut. If I just pretended it wasn't happening, I'd be fine. I wasn't on a plane; I was safely on the ground, in a bakery full of delicious cakes. There were all sorts of cakes: tiramisu and mud cake and shortcake, all the delicious cakes.
It didn't work. The plane went faster and faster, bouncing along the runway. My entire body was tense, waiting for that moment when we would leave the ground, when the plane would inevitably explode.
Something warm covered my hand, and I opened my eyes to see Sam's fingers tangled in mine. I turned my hand over and pressed our palms together, marveling at how such a small thing could bring so much comfort. Then I looked up and met his gaze, and for a moment, I wasn't angry with him. He was my Sam again, and everything was okay.
"I'm glad you came with us," he said, so quietly that I had to lean in to hear him over the noise of the engines.
I hadn't been that close to him in so long that my breath caught in my chest. His eyes were clear and bright, like liquid amber. He smelled lemony fresh. Without really meaning to, I shifted closer to him.
"Are you okay now?" he asked.
"Huh?" I said, distracted by the closeness of him.
"We're in the air," he said. "Are you okay?"
I'd completely forgotten about the plane. I'd forgotten about everything that wasn't Sam.
"I'm fine," I said, pulling my hand out of his. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He smiled at me and gave a little shrug. "No reason."
I shifted as far away from him as I could get in my seat. Althea and Tennyson were both giving me a funny look. When I looked back, Althea smiled and pulled out her book to read, but Tennyson just kept staring. He was creepy like that, so I didn't pay much attention. I needed to start reading as well.
Because I'd decided not to return to Amaris, I hadn't bothered with any of the holiday reading we'd been assigned, which put me way behind. My marks had been okay last year, but not nearly as good as I'd hoped. I'd been aiming for first, which had gone to this girl Fatima — I knew that because she'd posted her marks up on the school message boards with a note that said, "If anyone has beaten this, tell me so I can end you." Nobody had replied.
For a while, Fatima and I had been neck and neck with our marks, but then things had happened to distract me from final exams, and my grades had taken a nosedive. If I had to return to Amaris, I'd need to keep up my marks. They didn't give out scholarships to B students.
I hadn't even made it through the second act of Hamlet when the plane started its descent. I hated the landing part nearly as much as the takeoff, but I forced myself to play it cool and not show any weakness. Even if the plane exploded and we all died, that was way better than getting all swoony over Sam when I was still angry at him.
The plane dipped, and I wanted to scream or maybe hide under the seat and whimper, but I kept my eyes on Hamlet. The words made no sense, but I kept staring at them anyway.
Something moved in my chest. I startled, worrying I was having a heart attack from freaking out over the plane, but then I realized it was nothing physical. It was in the same place that I'd felt that weird sensation earlier, when I'd been making the toast. It felt as if something warm had reached out and was holding on to me, holding my heart, just as Sam had been holding my hand. Straight away, I felt myself relax. Logic started to work in my brain again — it was highly unlikely there was anything wrong with the plane, so I was as safe here as I would be anywhere.
That warm feeling held on to me as the plane touched down and rolled to a stop. As far as coping mechanisms went, it was kind of weird, but I figured there were much worse.
The late afternoon sun glared in my eyes as I walked down the steps of the plane. It was good to be on the ground again, but as I followed the others across the tarmac,
I realized my relief was to be short-lived. A helicopter was sitting a short distance away, propellers spinning into a blur.
"You'll be fine," Sam said, falling into step beside me. "We don't go very far off the ground, and because it's so small, you can kind of feel how it's staying in the air."
I wanted to say something to make it clear that I hadn't forgiven him for betraying me, but he moved ahead of me before I could think of anything.
The pilot loaded our luggage into the undercarriage of the helicopter as the five of us climbed in. I was squished between Sam and Nikolai and hastily put on the earmuffs hanging over the back of the seat so that I wouldn't need to worry about any awkward conversations. Nikolai smirked at me and shuffled closer so that I was pushed right up against Sam, so I elbowed him in the ribs. He laughed at me, and I jolted as the helicopter door slammed closed. It was probably just the vibration from the engine, but it felt as if something had smacked against my leg really hard. Tennyson stumbled into his seat, and Althea asked if he was okay. He nodded but winced as he reached down to rub at his leg, in the same spot where I'd felt the pain. Some sort of weird helicopter-related thing, I figured, then forgot all about it as we lurched up into the air.
The island was much closer to the mainland than I'd expected, so it didn't take very long for us to get there. Because I was stuck in the middle, I couldn't see much of what we were flying over, but as we began to circle down, the forest and the school buildings came into view. The day was drawing to a close, and it reminded me of that first day last year, when I'd first seen the four of them arrive and had been struck by how glamorous and untouchable they seemed.
I supposed they still were, in a way. Glamorous and untouchable and otherworldly, with their enhanced abilities and mountains of money. But I’d seen Nikolai fall asleep in weird places and drool everywhere. I’d seen Althea with dark circles under her eyes when she stayed up all night studying. And Tennyson — well, I’d lived in his body all that time, and that kind of took the mystery away from a guy. Strangely enough, the one who seemed most unreachable to me now was Sam, the boy I’d grown up with.
As we came in to land, my stomach started churning. Not because of the flying, but because of school. Last year had been awful, even aside from the magic and the werewolves. The people at this school were mean. It was all well and good for Althea and Tennyson to say I'd be safe, but that was because nobody would ever dare to bully them. I was an easy target, poor and nerdy and not pretty. Everyone hated me, and I had no reason to think that would be any different this year.
We touched down in the clearing behind the school, and the helicopter engine whirred to a stop. Sam said something to me, but I couldn't hear him properly, and I realized I was still wearing the earmuffs.
"Sorry. I couldn't hear you," I told him.
He smiled at me. "I said, 'You're still wearing your earmuffs.'"
"Funny," I told him.
I thought maybe I'd throw up.
Tennyson pulled the door open and stepped out gracefully. Althea followed him, then Sam. I didn't move.
"I could climb over you, but you'd get the wrong idea and say 'Nikolai!' in that scandalized voice that I never deserve."
"Sometimes you deserve it," I told him, forcing myself to stand up. "Most times."
"You wish I deserved it," he said.
"That doesn't even make sense."
I laughed as I began to climb out the door, but my foot caught and I slipped backwards. Nikolai caught me by the arm just before I would have fallen and helped me down safely.
"Thanks," I told him.
I turned to get my luggage, and that was when I noticed what looked like the entire student body gathered up by the fountain at the back of the school, watching us. The others didn't seem to have noticed them, but I saw that there were a lot of nasty looks being thrown my way, and I could just imagine what people were muttering to each other, seeing me arrive there with the students from the elite Golden House.
"I think I'll get going," I said, picking up my suitcase.
"You're not coming for dinner?" Sam asked, looking concerned.
I shook my head. "I'll grab something from the house kitchen. I'm pretty tired. It's been a long day."
It was the truth, but mostly, I didn't want to go into the dining hall with them, not with all those jackals watching. It was going to be bad enough as it was.
"Thanks for the lift," I told them, then I turned and walked down the path toward the Red House.
It felt lonely to walk away from the four of them and go off by myself. Even though I wasn't like them and would never really belong with them, they were the closest things to friends that I had.
I hurried through the gardens as fast as I could, wanting to get safely to my room before everyone else arrived back from dinner. The Red House was all lit up as I approached, and I rushed inside, stopping only to grab some sandwiches from the kitchen. I took the stairs two at a time up to the sophomore floor. I hadn't checked what room I was in, but I figured it would be around the same spot as last year, since roommates were organized alphabetically. I found my name on the brass plate outside the room directly below the one I'd had last year.
I stopped and stared at the name plate. I should've expected I'd have a new roommate, of course. Hannah wasn't around anymore. Still, I hadn't considered the reality of it, and what's more, this particular roommate shouldn't have been mine. The name plate said "Lucy O'Connor" and "Katie Canterbury". That wasn't alphabetical. It gave me a chill for reasons I couldn't really justify.
Probably, it was just because everyone else was already settled with their roommates and so I was the only one with a free spot. There probably wasn't anything funny going on at all. But, then, no harm ever came out of being too suspicious, and trusting people had never worked out that well for me. I'd trusted Hannah, and she'd put all sorts of weird spells on me. I'd trusted Sam, and he'd betrayed me to my father. I'd trusted my father, and he'd walked out on us. Clearly, being paranoid was the safest course of action.
I swiped my student card and opened the door. The room was the same layout as last year's, with a living area and a raised area in the corner that was the bedroom. Only, it looked completely different. It wasn't just that Hannah wasn't there, or any of our stuff, it was that everything seemed unnaturally clean and sterile. There was a strong smell of disinfectant that made my eyes water, and everything was lined up at right angles.
A tall girl with dark skin was standing in the kitchenette area, wiping down the sink, even though it looked pristine.
"Hi!" she said, smiling as she rinsed out the cloth. "I'm Katie!"
She placed the cloth in what smelled like hospital-grade bleach and walked over to me. She was super beautiful, with big eyes and an infectious smile and hair so long she could probably sit on it. I didn't trust her one bit.
"Lucy," I said, then walked past her and lugged my suitcase up into the bedroom area. I noticed she'd claimed my bed, the one farthest from the window.
"When you didn't arrive yesterday, I thought I'd be stuck here all alone," she said, following me up to the bedroom. "I'm so glad you're here!"
I didn't answer her. It wasn't as if I owed her an explanation. I hauled my case up onto the bed and began unpacking.
"It's so strange being the new girl at a school like this, isn't it?" she said.
I shrugged.
"I've met a couple of people, of course, but everyone already knows each other."
She prattled on as I put my clothes in the cupboard and my books on the desk, trying to sound friendly, but she wasn't fooling me. She had some nefarious purpose in being here. No way was I falling for the friendly roomie routine two years running.
"I'm going to have a shower," I told her.
I rushed to the bathroom and locked the door, just in case she decided to follow me in there to keep talking. She'd gone nuts cleaning in there too. I supposed it was better than her being messy, but it made me feel uncomfortable, as if I'd mess
things up without realizing.
As I undressed and turned on the water, I wondered where she was from. Was she here of her own accord, or had somebody sent her? Did she have magic, or was she some sort of weird creature? There were probably tests I could do to tell; I'd have to read up about it. If I knew what she was, I could guard against her powers.
I let out a hiss as I stepped into the shower and looked down at my leg. It was the strangest thing, but I had a bruise forming on my shin, where I'd felt the pain in the helicopter.
Where Tennyson had knocked his leg.
Chapter 3
My main goal in life became avoiding Katie Canterbury. She'd clearly decided we were going to be BFF and wouldn't stop chatting at me. I put on my headphones and pretended to be asleep, and eventually she stopped talking. The next morning, I got up super early and snuck out for breakfast while she was still asleep.
The sun was just rising as I walked up to the school, and there was a slight chill in the air. Birds had begun to sing, and everything looked fresh and new. The school was always so much nicer when there were no people around. I took my time wandering through the gardens, as I wasn't even sure if the dining hall would be open yet. Just for a moment, I let myself pretend that everything would be okay. Maybe Katie wasn't evil. Maybe nobody would bully me this year. Maybe nothing bad would happen at all. Everything didn't have to suck all the time — that wasn't a rule or anything.
Eventually, I got too hungry and made a beeline for the dining hall. No matter what else was bad about Amaris, the food couldn't be faulted, and that was a fact. I'd just started daydreaming about bacon and omelets and danishes when I spotted Sam sitting by the fountain. I could circle back around and get to the dining hall from the front of the school, and I'd just turned to do that when he spotted me. He stood up and started walking toward me. I couldn't exactly run away, so I figured I might as well just go to the dining hall directly. If he wanted to talk to me, he could do it while I was eating.