by Tamara White
He stands and holds out his hand for me to shake. “If you need anything at all, feel free to come to my office. Now, off to class. Your guardian is getting antsy.”
“My what?” I ask, sure I must have misheard him.
“Your friend, Zane. He’s waiting for you.”
Shit. I feel extra crazy with the way he’s looking at me now. Ugh, why won’t this guardian thing leave me alone?
“Sorry. Thank you again.”
I leave the room quickly, relieved when I see Zane still sitting in the same spot I left him, texting away. “Come on, we can go.”
He stuffs his phone in his pocket and grabs my bag from me, trading me for my class schedule.
“I’ll take you to the car first so you can drop off any books you don’t need. It’s easy enough to get them between classes.”
“Sure,” I agree, following after him out to the parking lot. We make a quick stop, shoving all the books I won’t need for my first class into the car before heading back into the school.
Zane walks in front of me, leading the way, so I take the time to peruse my class schedule. I’m about to ask him what the hell each of them are, because they are unlike any other college classes I’ve seen before, but before I get the chance, a shoulder knocks into me. I’m sent sprawling, along with my schedule and the small pile of papers I had tucked under my arm.
I look up to see who the hell pushed me over and a blonde Barbie doll’s face comes into view, complete with pale blue eyes and a cruel smirk. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you,” she says, clutching her chest in fake shock.
As if. Zane was right in front of me. She would have had to step between us in order to hit me.
Rubbing my shoulder in irritation, I look up at her defiantly and start to get to my feet. But before I can right myself, a pair of arms are scooping me off the ground. I sink into the warmth of the touch for a second before I’m placed on the ground gently. Jaxson turns me around to face him, checking me over for injuries. “Are you okay?” He looks me up and down, as if he’s worried I might be hurt.
His concern is surprising and sends butterflies fluttering in my stomach. But I pull myself together, realizing there’s a small audience building around us. This is totally not what I want on my first day.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just surprised, is all. I mustn’t have been looking where I was going,” I mutter, before glancing over at the blonde bimbo and the group friends who have gathered around her. They’re all pretty much replicas of each other, close enough that I might think they were be sisters or something, except for the fact the other three have serious regrowth happening.
Jaxson studies me a minute longer before letting go of me, and I stumble unsteadily from the loss of his touch. Zane brushes his hand against mine and bends down to help me pick up the papers that fell to the ground. Then Jaxson casually walks directly over to the blonde, getting into her personal space. His fierce expression is at war with his seemingly relaxed stance, making her take a step back. “Joy, let’s pretend I actually believe you didn’t see Valerie standing right there. It’s best you never make that mistake again or we’re going to be exchanging words. Are we clear?”
Her cocky smirk is still in place, despite the anger radiating from Jaxson. “Oh come on Jax, there’s no need for that. It was clearly an accident. Besides, why would you need to get involved at all? She’s a big girl, a bit different from what I’ve heard, but nothing special,” she spits out, before turning to glare at me.
I ignore her, focused on putting the papers in my bag, which Zane holds open for me.
Jaxson takes another step closer and she finally loses her confident expression. “Let’s try this again. Cassandra vouches for her. So does my father. Do you understand yet? Your opinion doesn’t matter. Mind where you step and do not make me repeat myself.”
At his words, Joy pales, nodding hastily. Then she and her friends scurry off down the hall as fast as they can without looking back.
Well, that was weird. And, why would his father vouch for me? This place is freaking weird!
Zane clips my bag shut and Jaxson’s gaze meets mine, his amber eyes burning bright. “You need to toughen up, Valerie. I can’t protect you from everything.” With that, he stalks off down the hall, the crowd automatically dispersing as if afraid Jaxson will turn on them next.
I watch him go, not sure what just happened. Zane tries to explain. “Don’t worry about him. Jax can be pretty abrupt around women. You being around is going to be a challenge for him. Not to mention the whole situation with Joy. She hates anyone who she perceives as a threat. Not that Jax is still going through with the wedding last I heard, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to push everyone away from him. She thinks if she can keep other girls away from him that Jax will have no choice but to take her back. It’s pretty pathetic, really,” he says as we start down the hall.
My mind, however, is stuck on one important fact. “He’s engaged?”
Zane looks over at me, and whatever he sees in my expression causes fear to cross his face. “Uh, maybe this should be something you talk to Jaxson about.”
“Why? You just said something about a wedding. Either they are or they aren’t!”
He sighs, and stops facing me with an intent expression in place. “Fine, yes they were engaged, but it was a very short engagement. Come on, you’ll be late for your first class.”
Zane hurries down the hall—as if he could really escape me. “So, what happened?” I pester when I get alongside him.
“Look, it’s really not my business. If Jax finds out I told you he was engaged, he’ll kill me.”
“Fine. I’ll let it drop... for now.”
We reach an open doorway and Zane leads me into a brightly lit lecture hall. Other students push past us in their hurry to get in on time. Zane grabs hold of my hand and drags me behind him, leading me straight over to the professor.
“Hey, Professor Callin, this is Valerie. My new stepsister.” Zane introduces me and the other students turn to stare. I guess on an island like this, everyone is bound to know when someone new arrives.
Professor Callin is an elderly woman with beautiful ginger-colored hair, which is starting to show the beginnings of age with slight silver streaks running through it. Bright red lipstick is smeared across her lips and has rubbed off on the tips of her teeth, which makes me cringe. I always feel bad when I see women with lipstick smeared on their teeth. It’s such an awkward situation. It’s like, do I mention something, or would that be too embarrassing? Or is it more embarrassing for them if I don’t say anything?
“Hello, dear. Welcome to Light Shadows. I’m your creative writing professor.”
“Nice to meet you,” I murmur, feeling a wave of nerves which makes me queasy. After all, the dean said all the staff know exactly why I’m here. That thought on its own is enough to make me want to throw up.
She smiles at me, as if seeing my internal dilemma. Amazingly, it has a calming effect on me, and I find myself feeling a lot more relaxed in her presence. “I’m sure you’re a little nervous today, but don’t be. You have nothing to be nervous about. We’re all very welcoming here.”
Hmm, she obviously hasn’t met that bitch Joy then.
“If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.” With that, she shoos me off after Zane and we take the steps right to the top row where Jaxson is already seated. Zane forces me to sit next to him, then takes a seat on my other side, so I’m stuck between the two of them.
I pull out a notebook and pen from my bag and Zane does the same, but Jaxson just remains casually leaned back in his seat.
“Jaxson? Would you please come down and assist me?” the professor calls to him. He gets up from the seat beside me and heads down to the front of the classroom.
I look down at him as Professor Callin piles a bunch of papers into his hands and instructs him to hand them out to the class. He reaches us last, placing the last two papers on Zane’s desk before d
ropping back into his chair beside me.
I take the piece of paper Zane hands me, reading over the title.
‘World of the gods.’ Beneath that, is a bullet point list of gods: Ares, Zeus, Poseidon and Aphrodite to name a few. Next to each name is a brief overview of who they are and their powers. Some I’ve heard of, but others? I have no idea who they are.
It seems like all the teachers in this school have some kind of fascination with gods. Then again, after Justin’s brief history last night, it doesn’t really surprise me very much.
After a minute, the professor claps her hands together, grabbing the class’ attention. “Right. So today I want you to pair up and discuss the Greek gods. I want each of you to pick one of the gods. You’ll be writing a paper on your personal choice, as well as your partner’s. I want a detailed report of their life in the other realm and what led to their rise to power.”
There is a collective groan and she turns her glare on the class. “Alright, enough with your groaning. Off you go.”
Everyone gets up and makes their way for the door, leaving me totally confused. That’s it? We’ve barely been in the class ten minutes and she’s already dismissing us? What kind of college is this?
Jaxson reaches over me, grabbing my notebook and pen before I can. Then Zane grabs my bag along with his own and they both get to their feet and start walking down the stairs without a backward glance. It’s not until Zane gets to the bottom that he realizes I’m still sitting in the same spot.
“Well? You coming, or do you plan to stay here all day?” he asks with a cocky smirk.
I shake my head, feeling somewhere between frustrated and amused. They are both treating me like I don’t have the physical capacity to carry my own stuff, but it’s like they want to offend me by just outright taking stuff from me like Zane did earlier with my bag. I don’t get these guys. First chivalrous, then standoffish? All the mixed signals are confusing me. I thought for sure Zane was going to end up hating me after my first day here, but he has been surprisingly nice. And Jaxson? Sure, he’s a bit standoffish, but he has this soft side to him, something I’m sure he doesn’t let anyone see too often.
As soon as we leave the classroom, a pair of arms grab me, lifting me up and spinning me in a circle. When I see it’s Carter, I relax and a smile lights up my face.
After a moment he puts me back on my feet, and I see Cooper, Zane and Jaxson watching us from the side, all with intrigued expressions.
Carter smiles down at me, “Hey, babe. How’s your day going so far?”
“Confusing. It’s barely been ten minutes and we’re already dismissed. I thought classes were an hour long,” I admit. “And what is it with you all calling me ‘babe?’”
He lets out a laugh. “Why, do you not like it?”
“No, it’s not that,” I hurry to reassure him. “I guess in the past few days, I never really stopped to ask about it, that’s all.”
“Oh, good, because I doubt any of us are gonna stop. We all like it too much. As for classes, most of them are an hour long, but sometimes the teacher gives you the task and then you spend the rest of the hour doing it. I’d imagine you guys have some kind of assignment? Professor Callin likes her free time,” he explains at my raised brow.
Like a bubble bursting, Jaxson’s voice invades our little encounter. “Yeah, we’re heading to the library now if you guys want to join us. Zane and Valerie have to write about gods,” he says, putting a strange emphasis on the word ‘gods.’
Cooper opens his mouth to respond, but I notice Jaxson holding his gaze and giving his brother a raised eyebrow. I can feel the tension between the two rising before Cooper finally looks away.
Carter looks between Zane and I before shrugging, seemingly unimpressed. “Sure, may as well. We don’t have anything to do right now anyway. We’ve already finished our assignments.”
With that decided, Jaxson leads the way towards the library and the few people passing in the halls turn to stare. I hear mumbled conversation, with my name being mentioned most, but a lot of people are staring at the guys too. It’s as if they’re some kind of celebrities.
As we continue down the hallway, I have to ask. “Guys, does everyone on campus know why I’m here in the community?”
Silence is my only response, and just when I think I can’t take it anymore, Zane finally speaks up. “No, Valerie. The professors do, but only because it was the one condition of you attending. Some of your classmates might suspect since gossip around here spreads like wildfire. But unless you tell them, or someone confronts you about it, I would just assume no one knows.”
I can’t think about this now. I shut down that train of thought and focus instead on the halls around me. If I get too absorbed in my mind, all those bad thoughts will creep back in. Jaxson pauses at a set of mahogany double doors, building the suspense. When he opens it, I understand why. It’s pure magnificence.
Holy hell, why haven’t I ever seen a library this large before? It’s as if all my dreams have come true.
Rows upon rows of books line the walls and smaller shelves are scattered throughout the room. There must be hundreds of thousands of books in here!
I walk forward, my feet guiding me along, my hands running over the books as I pass. Then all of a sudden, a zap of electricity shoots up my arm and throws me back.
Shadows appear from the shelves and swarm around me and I scramble away in fright. A scream builds in my throat but then Jaxson steps in front of me. His body shines, a gold glow emanating from him as he lifts his hands. Light blasts out from them, sending the shadows back to wherever they came from.
Jaxson turns and I gasp in shock. His eyes are shining impossibly bright amber, and there’s something almost dangerous there.
“How?”
He smiles and snaps his fingers. My eyes suddenly grow heavy, and I can’t fight the wave of exhaustion that overcomes me.
Twelve
“Gods are powerful beings that exist outside of your realm. They must never cross into this world without express permission from Zeus. To do so would mean a forfeit on their life.”
I twirl on the spot, calling out. “Who are you? Why do you keep telling me these inconsequential things?”
A woman appears, and I realize she looks just like the picture of Hecate I saw in the dean’s office. “One day, all your memories will come back to you and everything will just click. It will be like all the pieces you are missing are just there ready for you. Now, go back to your guardians.” She touches my shoulder and then everything fades to black.
“Valerie? You have to wake up. You’re gonna be late for your second class.”
“Huh?” I open my eyes to see Carter hovering over me.
I jolt up, aware I’m lying across someone’s lap. Turning around, I see Jaxson, his amber eyes watching me carefully. “Um, what happened?”
He smiles at me softly. “You fell asleep, with your head in what looked like a really uncomfortable position, I might add. We figured you were tired, so we let you sleep, but now we have to go to our next classes.”
“Oh, right. Of course. Sorry.”
I get to my feet slowly, feeling a little lightheaded. Jaxson grabs hold of my arm to steady me. “Sorry, I don’t understand what happened.”
Carter grabs my hand, and I notice my bag slung over his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”
We make our way to the double doors when Zane calls out after me. “Hey, Val, which two gods did you want us to write about? We didn’t exactly get to talk much about it before you conked out.”
I take a moment to think about it, but the answer is pretty easy. Two of the gods have always intrigued me. “Ares and Hecate. I’ve always believed the two of them to be extremely fascinating.”
Zane pales and nods slowly, his voice coming out a little breathless. “Sure, we can work on it at home later.”
After that, Carter and I both head to our next class. I notice he sticks close by me as we walk into the room.
He walks us straight past the other students, and takes me over to a seat in the back corner. I’m starting to think they’re trying to keep me hidden.
“Don’t I have to introduce myself to the professor?” I ask, feeling slightly confused. No professor is present yet, but I’d imagine I’m to say something to inform them I’m new to the course.
Carter chuckles under his breath. “Sure, you can introduce yourself if you want, but I’m pretty sure he already knows you’re here.”
I’m about to question him when Jaxson walks in and heads straight over to the teacher’s podium. He looks up at Carter and me and flashes us a wink before turning a stern glare on everyone else in attendance. But that wink doesn’t go unnoticed. A few girls in the class turn and shoot death glares my way and I sink down into my chair. Shit, did Jaxson winking at me make the whole female population suddenly hate me?
The full hour passes with Jaxson pretty much ignoring Carter and me at the back, which gives us a chance to have a whispered conversation.
“So, how come Jaxson is teaching this class?” I ask in a hushed voice, while still trying to keep up with what he’s telling the class. He made a point of telling us to take notes because some of the information would be on our midterms.
Carter leans close, his lips brushing against my ear. “You didn’t hear this from me, but he doesn’t really want to be an educator. He wants to be a writer. The only reason he’s a TA is because he used to talk about leaving the community to be a teacher. He knew it would make Mom happy that he was doing something fulfilling with his life, so when the professor got ill and no subs were available, she jumped at the chance to volunteer him. Though, now that he’s up there, I imagine he’s enjoying the chance to teach more than he cares to admit.”
His breath against my ear almost makes me miss what he’s saying. I lean away to get some space and meet Jaxson’s eyes at the front of the room. He’s stopped talking and is staring directly at us, his eyes burning into me.