Draco: Book Two of The Stardust Series

by Autumn Reed

  He chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll let the other teams go first so you can see how it works.” That made me feel a little better. “Plus, we can learn their strengths and weaknesses before our first go at them.” Even better.

  Theo explained the rules and then asked if there were any questions.

  “Seems pretty straight-forward, almost like volleyball crossed with four square,” I said.

  Chase interjected. “You know about four square, Haley?”

  “Yeah, Jess and I had a pretty serious obsession with two square at one point. Although I’m sure four square was even better; I only got to hear about that through Jess—she played with kids at school. I can’t wait to tell her about Spikeball, though; this is like four square on steroids.”

  I bit my tongue before I almost blew my cover on the secret emails with Jess. Since the first contact, I wavered in whether I should tell the guys. Maybe I relished having it as my little secret and worried they would tell me it was a bad idea or unsafe. Sometimes, I hoped it would convince them to lighten up on their “protection” schedule; it was getting to be ridiculous. Not that I didn’t like hanging out with them, but I clearly wasn’t in any danger, and I hated feeling like an inconvenience or even worse, an obligation.

  Theo sat on one of the coolers to watch as Chase and Jackson faced off against Knox and Liam. Theo called the game like a TV sports commentator, assigning the guys funny nicknames and changing the inflection of his voice.

  Ethan and I sat on a towel with Penny sprawled out next to me. I immediately began stroking her plush golden coat; she was such a sweet and well-behaved dog.

  “You’re so pretty, Penny.” I cooed to Jackson’s beautiful dog before turning to Ethan. “Why ‘Penny’?”

  Ethan answered, his focus still on the game. “It’s a nod to Moneypenny from James Bond.” Interesting, another item for my mental file on Jackson. At least he hadn’t selected one of the more ridiculous Bond-girl names for his dog. I’d have to ask whether he preferred the movies or the novels; I had a hunch it was the latter.

  We watched the game in companionable silence while I took notes on our opponents and the game. Knox and Liam made a good team, the strength of Knox balanced with the finesse of Liam. And Jackson and Chase were formidable opponents, Jackson playing a relaxed but focused game while Chase was surprisingly energetic.

  “Do you have any pets, Ethan?” I asked, realizing I had never been to his house, or Jackson’s, for that matter.

  “No, I don’t think my Aunt Jules would approve.”

  “You live with your aunt?” Knox and Theo lived together, and Chase lived with his brother, Kyle, but for some reason I always pictured Ethan living alone.

  “Sort of. I live in the guest house over her garage.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t live alone or with one of the guys.”

  “Yeah, Chase and I are talking about getting an apartment after Kyle graduates next June. For now, my aunt’s house is a good location and the price can’t be beat.” His jaw dropped as one of the guys dove for the ball and recovered it in an impressive move. “Besides, I try to help my aunt when I can; she practically raised me.”

  When Knox and Liam erupted into loud cheers and started high-fiving, Ethan stood and extended a hand to help me up. I brushed my palms together and walked with him in the direction of the game. Chase and Jackson grabbed drinks before heading over to the towel to sit with Penny.

  “Alright,” Theo called out, “next up Haley and Ethan versus Knox and Liam.”

  “Take ’em down, Haley,” Chase called, making me grin in response.

  Liam served first and the ball bounced off the net and into the air. Knowing that Ethan and I had up to three hits to get it back on Knox and Liam’s turf, I jumped forward to strike. Watching the game, the guys had made it look easy, but playing it, I realized how much strategy and energy was actually involved.

  By the end of the game I was laughing and breathless as my braid danced around my shoulders. Thanks to a few lucky shots, Ethan and I had won.

  We smiled at each other as he raised his hand for a high-five. “Way to go!”

  “Thanks, E.” I slapped his hand.

  “And now,” Theo said in a dramatic announcer-type voice, “It’s time for the showdown. On one side, we have our fearless leader and the golden boy versus the Kung Fu fighter and the firecracker. Who will be the winner in this epic battle?”

  I giggled at Theo’s dramatics but quickly focused on the game. There was no way I was losing this round, and the determined look in Ethan’s eyes told me he felt the same.

  I danced around the net, focusing on the game and laughing occasionally. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect day at the beach, and Spikeball was becoming my new favorite game.

  Although Chase and Jackson started out strong, Ethan and I quickly caught up to them. The game was neck-and-neck, neither team able to break away from the other. With a series of “game points” and attempts to score a two-point lead, we were just one point away from the win.

  We volleyed the ball back and forth in a seemingly endless loop before Jackson made a crazy shot. As the ball flew into the air, curving away from the net, I was determined to return it and win the game. I dove for the ball and thrust out my arm, hoping by sheer force of will to return it to Ethan or the net in time.

  Watching the ball bounce off my fist, I almost collided with Jackson before falling in the sand. The wind was knocked out of me, but I didn’t care—the ball hit the net and then bounced to the ground, earning us the winning point.

  Ethan led out a loud cheer and hauled me up from the ground before throwing me over his shoulder. Breathless, I laughed and told him to put me down, but he only gripped my legs tighter. When I reached his sides to tickle him, he finally relented and set me on the ground.

  Liam came up to us and nodded to Ethan. Before I knew it, Liam had grabbed my wrists, and Ethan my ankles and they were carrying me toward the ocean.

  “No!” I cried.

  “But I thought you wanted to go swimming in the ocean?” Ethan asked, knowing full well that I meant in a bathing suit when it was warmer out.

  “Yeah, Haley,” Liam taunted. “I know how much you love swimming . . . and hate the thought of a bikini.”

  Are they seriously going through with this? I wasn’t going to let them get away with it, and I started kicking and writhing furiously. When I realized their grip was too tight to combat, I decided to call in the big guns.

  “Knox!” I shouted in a playful cry for help, knowing he would bail me out of anything.

  “Guys!” Knox barked before he jogged over to us. They started swinging me, acting like they were going to throw me in. We were close to the water, but I felt a little better knowing Knox was nearby; he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

  Liam said, “Fine, you want her Knox? You got her.”

  Liam and Ethan released me and I flew into the air, bracing for impact. Moments later, Knox caught me in his arms and let out a whoosh of air. I felt like my heart stopped in that moment and he clutched me closer to him, reassuring me that everything was okay. Knox looked down at me quickly, his eyes scanning my face as if to confirm I was alright, before shooting his laser-like gaze at Liam and Ethan.

  “We were just having a little fun,” Ethan responded somewhat sheepishly while Knox gently helped me stand.

  “Come on, dumb and dumber,” he said, as he looked at Ethan and Liam and hooked an arm around my shoulder, “Let’s eat.”

  We joined Jackson, Chase, and Theo by the fire pit and spread out on the towels on the sand. There was a small fire burning, and as the sun dipped lower in the sky, I was thankful for the warmth. Flanked by Jackson and Knox, I waited for Liam to hand me a sandwich from the cooler. I opened the parchment wrapping to reveal what I figured would be a ham and cheese sandwich. I should have known better since Liam brought the food.

  “Grilled chicken with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado on toasted ciabatta,” Li
am said before I could even ask.

  “Wow. Thanks, this looks amazing.”

  “Want a drink, Haley?” Theo asked leaning over one of the coolers.

  “Sure, I’ll take a water.”

  Sitting around the fire, we ate our sandwiches as the sun set over the beach.

  Jackson gestured to the two surfers still in the water. “I don’t think I’ve seen them around before. They’re not bad.” Right after he spoke, one of them stood up on his board for just a few seconds before wiping out. The guys all chuckled.

  “Okay, well maybe not so good either,” he continued with a smile.

  “Do all of you surf?” I asked.

  Knox scoffed with a playful grin, “Are you kidding? Can you see Theodore on a surfboard?”

  “Hey!” Theo threw a potato chip at Knox. “Haley can call me Theodore all she wants, but you know it’s off limits to the rest of you.”

  “Whatever you say, Theodore,” Liam said in a high-pitched, chipmunk-like voice.

  The guys laughed while Theo feigned annoyance. “Anyway, it’s not like I couldn’t surf if I wanted to. I just prefer more sophisticated activities.”

  Liam interjected, “I agree. Who wants to spend their free time swallowing freezing cold salt water? Oh right, Jackson does.”

  Chase spoke up. “You and Theo are just jealous because you can’t pull off a wetsuit like the rest of us.”

  Knox, Jackson, and Ethan all bust up laughing, and my jaw dropped in shock. Did Chase really just say that? I’d never heard him say anything remotely insulting to one of the guys, even teasingly.

  Probably hoping to change the subject, Chase dug in one of the bags for something and revealed graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows. “Who wants s’mores?”

  My arm shot in the air. “ME!” Eliciting a chuckle from Knox.

  Chase distributed the s’more supplies, and we stood around roasting marshmallows. Once my marshmallow was sufficiently roasted, I sandwiched it between my graham crackers to fuse the flavors together. When I bit into the s’more, it tasted so good I instinctively closed my eyes and couldn’t help but moan.

  I opened my eyes and realized Knox was staring at me, his emerald green eyes striking in the light of the fire. He looked even more intense than normal, and I could see his hands clutching his thighs. What did I do now?

  The fire had consumed several logs, and the stack shifted as it started to break apart. When the air hit it, the flames suddenly flared. My vision blurred, and I started panting as images of the house fire flashed in my mind. I could feel the panic building within me while I remained frozen to the spot, anchored in a sea of memories.

  I could see the house burning in front of me and felt the despair at wondering where my dad was. The smells, the heat, the sounds flooded my senses. My body broke out in a cold sweat, and I felt powerless.

  When a hand touched my shoulder, I flinched and saw Jackson’s eyes looking at me, filled with concern. He grasped my bicep and pulled me to my feet before leading me away from the group. With my back to the fire, Jackson and I sat down facing each other on the sand before Penny placed her head in my lap. Penny’s calm presence was reassuring, and I could already feel my heartbeat slowing.

  “Do you want to talk to me about what just happened?” Jackson’s voice was uncharacteristically tender.

  Slowly, I caressed Penny’s fur while I considered what to say. Although I was starting to feel more comfortable around Jackson, he was still the last of the guys I would normally confide in.

  When I didn’t respond after a few long moments, he pressed. “Did you have a flashback?”

  Finally looking up at him, I nodded. “I didn’t think about it at first, but when the flames shifted, it’s like I was suddenly back there.” Away from the warmth of the fire and still recovering from the shock, I shivered. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”

  Jackson took one of my hands and held it between both of his. “You don’t have to right now, but I want you to know that I’m here if you want to talk about it. About everything that happened. I know from experience that it helps to unload.”

  Agreeing that I wasn’t ready to go there with him, I just said a simple, “Thanks,” before withdrawing my hand and standing up.

  When we returned to the group, Ethan was dumping sand over the coals and everything had been packed up. Jackson grabbed a cooler with Liam, while Chase and Theo carried various items.

  When I tried to pick up a bag, Knox said, “Oh no you don’t,” before turning his back to me. “Hop on!”

  I didn’t need to be told twice. I jumped up on his back and immediately felt his arms hook around my legs. With my arms over his broad shoulders, I bounced gently as Knox carried me up the sandy hill and back to the parking lot. Worn out from the events of the day, I closed my eyes and leaned my cheek against his shoulder. I let out a contented sigh; Knox always made everything better.

  Unwanted Attention

  I glanced down at my phone, hitting send on the text message before Melissa could sneak up on me and ask who I was texting.

  Me: Good luck on your Spanish exam today! :)

  Chase: Gracias, Haley! :)

  Melissa finding out about the occasional text with Chase was the least of my concerns. But I knew if she ever discovered how close we were, especially our sleepovers, she would kill me. When did my life become so complicated?

  Forcing myself to focus on the task at hand, I surveyed the mountain of paperwork in front of me. After easing into my job at Zenith, Melissa had been giving me more responsibility. I enjoyed the challenge and felt like I was coming closer to earning my over-inflated pay. And it felt good to know that I had a pretty sizeable stash of money in the safe in my room.

  The morning passed by quickly and before I knew it, Melissa popped her head into my cubicle.

  “Ready for lunch?”

  It was only Monday, but I was looking forward to a break from the office, even if it was for a short lunch at the sidewalk café downstairs. After selecting our food and checking out, we carried our trays to an empty table.

  “So, Haley . . . do anything fun this weekend?”

  “Nothing much,” I said, cringing at my own lie, “Just spent some time at the beach.” And talking with Patrick Ross, and playing an intense game of tennis with Liam, and sleeping in a bed with the guy you like, but yeah . . . nothing much.

  “Sounds nice,” she said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

  While Melissa chewed, I decided to be proactive about the course of the conversation and shift the focus off of me. “What about you?”

  “Let’s see,” she tapped a perfectly manicured finger on the table, “Friday was dinner and drinks; Saturday I got a mani-pedi with a couple girlfriends; and, Sunday I caught up on sleep and laundry.”

  “Sounds like a busy weekend.”

  She giggled. “It was pretty tame, actually. I try to hit up a club or party most weekends. Speaking of, you still need to come out with me sometime. You’re way too much of a homebody, chica.”

  “Sure,” I replied non-committally. Hopefully she would forget about her suggestion for a while, or at least until I had more freedom from the guys.

  “Gotta live it up, especially with all the cute college guys around here. I mean, I would totally take advantage of the hot Zenith guys, but you know . . . they’re kinda unattainable.” As usual, she was speaking fast and changing gears even faster, so I was completely taken by surprise by her next question. “So do you think you want to go to college?”

  I shrugged. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I really hadn’t let myself think about it, at least until I found my dad; until then, I was stuck in a sort of limbo.

  “You’re way too smart for your job, Haley.” She took a sip of her drink. “You know that Zenith has a program where they’ll pay for your education if you join a team and commit to working a certain number of years for the company, right?”

  “Really
?”

  “Don’t those guys on Team Jaguar tell you anything?” She rolled her eyes playfully. “Anyway, I’m not security team material, so I work and go to school part-time. I started about a year ago and take online and evening classes. Before I moved here, I took two years at my community college, so hopefully I’ll finish in two more years.”

  “Wow, that’s awesome. What are you studying?”

  “Marketing.”

  “Impressive. Do you want to go to grad school?”

  “Probably, but I’m just trying to survive undergrad first.” She smiled. “What about you; what would you study?”

  “Astronomy,” I answered without hesitation.

  She raised an eyebrow. “So why aren’t you?”

  How was I supposed to answer when I couldn’t possibly explain my situation—no legal identification, lack of proof of my homeschool education or graduation, and a missing father. Most of the time, our conversations were short enough that I avoided difficult topics like this.

  I shrugged. “Maybe someday.”

  Fortunately, I was saved from providing any further details when Tyler walked up to our table, his friendly smile as brilliant as ever.

  “Hello, Haley. Melissa,” he said, his eyes lingering on me. “Have a nice weekend?”

  We both nodded and Melissa chatted away, her bubbly personality on full display. I caught Tyler sneaking glances at me, almost urging me to join the conversation, and by the pleased expression on Melissa’s face, she was taking notes on his behavior.

  I hoped Tyler didn’t think I was being rude; it’s just that while I was relatively comfortable around him when it was just the two of us, I felt awkward and unsure of myself with Melissa in the mix. I’d never told her about my lunch with Tyler, and I didn’t want her getting ideas about the two of us. Too late for that.

  After a few minutes, Tyler told us to enjoy our lunch and he left looking slightly disappointed. Should I have asked him to join us? Ugh, I was so bad at this whole being social thing.

  Melissa whisper-yelled, “OMG, Haley. He’s totally into you.”