by Ivy Clyde
Andrei came to a stop just as the song ended. A moment later, another one began but instead of dancing, he moved toward me.
“I wanted to climb you like a monkey,” I said honestly as he came to stand before me. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. Sweat dripped down the side of his face and part of me wanted to lick it off him. What the hell is wrong with you? I questioned myself as a soft smile lit up his face.
He pulled me close and took my lips in a searing kiss. The usual scent of maple and cinnamon that wafted from him was now mingled with something completely male as he pressed his body to mine.
“You’re amazing,” I whispered when we parted.
A boyish grin lit up his handsome face.
“Let’s dance some more,” I said, pulling him to the middle of the room. He watched me with an amused look as I showed him my moves which were very basic hip-hop steps I learned from watching a group of kids who practiced on the street outside my apartment.
“You’re not bad,” he said, moving in complicated dance moves but which complimented my slower, simpler pace.
Soon, we were just dancing, moving to our own rhythm. Excitement and joy coursed through me and I let myself go completely. Andrei pulled me close and then shot me away, keeping a firm grip on my wrist before tugging me back against his chest. My heart swooped and laughter bubbled out of my lips as he turned and twirled me around until I was gasping and panting.
I’d forgotten how much fun dancing was. Back in junior high, my friends and I would get together to dance to the latest pop songs. Things were different after we moved away. Dancing and anything fun had stopped being a priority. Only survival remained in my mind.
“I can’t dance anymore.” Almost an hour had passed and I was reduced to a panting, sweating mess. My heart was pounding in my chest and sweat dripped down my back, soaking into my shirt.
The reflection in the mirror before me showed a red-faced girl with her shirt coming out of the waistband of her skirt. If possible, Andrei looked even hotter with sweat drenching his shirt which showed off his muscled chest. Again, the urge to lick his neck overwhelmed me. I had to shake myself mentally to stop staring at him like I wanted to eat him.
Andrei moved close to me and brought up his hands to cup my face. “You’re so beautiful.” My heart fluttered as he leaned down to kiss me. Just before I lost myself in him, I realized this was the moment I fell in love with Andrei Romanoff.
29
Skye
Halloween was on the corner. The weather turned colder but the hills surrounding the academy turned beautiful as the fall colors finally took over all the trees. It was a beautiful sight from my dorm room on the eighth floor.
A week before Halloween, Olga sent me maroon-hued coats stamped with the academy’s logo. One was a short one while the other was longer, extending to my knees. The material was amazingly warm but light and comfortable. I wondered whether she’d ordered them for me out of the goodness of her heart or was forced by Nikolai. Either way, I was happy to have them as the winds blowing down the hills became chilly.
Wrapped in my new coat, I walked down to the Science Building with Stella that morning. She looked nervous about an assignment from the Computer Science teacher.
“I am horrible at coding,” she mumbled, looking down at her feet. “I couldn’t even get the program to run successfully. What if I get an F?”
“Shouldn’t they give you some mark just for attempting?” I asked, hoping to make her feel better. The assignment wasn’t a complex one and it had been easy enough for me to write it while sitting in one of the English classes. “Besides,” I continued. “It’s not like the teacher will type in everyone’s codes and see whether they work or not. He’ll probably be looking at your loops to see whether you got the algorithm right.”
“Hope you’re right.” Glancing sideways at me, she asked, “How come you’re never nervous about anything? I thought kids at public schools got very limited education?”
“I’m fine with Math and the programming stuff. English is also okay, it’s a lot like reading stories. The teacher here does a great job of explaining Shakespeare's stuff, so listening in class is good enough.”
“Wish I could be as carefree as that,” she said with a huff. “I want to do well in school so I can get into Princeton. My parents are both alumni and want me to get in too.”
“Is any one troubling you these days?”
A chuckle escaped her. “Thanks to you, they’re not able to get close enough to hurt me.” She suddenly grabbed my arm playfully and pulled herself close to me. “I’m so glad you came here.”
“Pfft! It will be a scandal if they see you with the charity case.”
She looked thoughtful. “It’s strange how almost everyone stays away from you even though Miranda painted a target on your back by revealing your background. I’m guessing you have Andrei Romanoff to thank for it?”
“Why?”
“I’ve seen you with him and the two of you look close.”
“So?”
“Don’t you have any idea what his family is?” She stopped in her tracks and stared at me with wide eyes.
“What?” I asked, pretending not to know.
She leaned close and whispered, “Mafia.”
“Really?” It was a struggle not to laugh at her as she looked around to see if anyone was around us.
She nodded. “There are kids from a few mafia families here and Andrei is one of them. No one really talks about it because they make sure to keep their hands clean. All the politicians are in their pockets too. Anyway,” she said with a shrug. “It’s good that Andrei is getting everyone to back off. Only uber-powerful heirs like Saxon and Miranda will dare to go against him.”
As she chattered on, I wondered whether I had Dimitri to thank for it too.
Reaching our classroom, we took our seats in the third-row. With the teacher being late, we fell back to chatting.
“Have you thought about your Halloween costume?” asked Stella.
“Is that a big deal around here?”
Stella stared at me with wide eyes before shaking her head. “It’s one of the biggest parties at Knightswood Academy. We’re free to head over to the old Victorian cemetery that night. Admins keep away and people usually go wild.”
“Cemetery on Halloween night? Tell me more.” I leaned on the desk, eagerly listening to Stella explaining about the feast that took place in the cafeteria along with the parties that took place among the abandoned graveyards on a hill close to the school’s campus.
“You know what I feel like dressing up as?” I asked, knowing I definitely wanted to check out the place.
“What?”
“Vampire bride crossed with zombie bride.”
She chuckled. “Most girls would prefer something that would show off their bodies. Like zombie bunny, maybe?”
I laughed. “Yeah…maybe if Halloween happened in summer. It’s too cold to wear anything slinky or slutty. Okay, how about sexy zombie bride that shows off her cleavage?”
“Could work.”
“What are you planning to dress up as?” I asked as she played with a braid of her dark hair.
“Cat woman.”
I looked at my friend closely. Stella definitely had the body for a catsuit.
“I’ll add some face paint too,” she added. “It will help me hide from Miranda and her harpies.”
We fell quiet just as the teacher walked in. Even as the lesson started, my mind stayed distracted, coming up with an idea about a Halloween costume. Unlike the past few years, this time I had the money to order anything I fancied. If all went fine, Andrei and I could probably hang out that night.
As the week progressed, it became clear that Halloween was as exciting here as my old school. Students were already sporting fake vampire fangs and scare masks when they weren’t in class.
Sitting in the cafeteria, I looked through a website selling bride costumes for Halloween. Someone shrieked out, m
aking me look up from the iPad. I found Mikhael staring at me.
“Don’t worry,” he said, leaning forward. “We won’t let those fuckers prank you.”
“Have you found what you’re looking for?” asked Andrei, looking up from the plate of chicken piccata he’d ordered for dinner.
“There are so many options,” I said, placing the iPad on the table and picking up my spoon to resume eating my mash and roast beef.
“It’s for Halloween, not your wedding,” said Mikhael with a grin.
“You have a point,” I said, tipping the end of my spoon at him. “Anyway, what are you dressing up as?”
“I won’t be at school that night,” he said in a sudden grim tone.
“Why not?”
He exchanged a glance with Andrei before looking back at me. “Got a side job. You two should enjoy yourselves though.”
I nodded, knowing not to pry. “What about you, then?” I asked, turning to Andrei. “Any ideas yet?”
He seemed to think for a moment. “Vampires are always cool.”
“True but be Dracula. He’ll match my vampire cross zombie bride costume.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a mock salute. I grinned, going back to eating my dinner, feeling excited about the coming Halloween party.
My dress arrived a day before the party. Additionally, Stella hired someone to do both our makeup for us. All in all, I was ready to let loose and enjoy what was summing up to be the best Halloween ever.
On Halloween afternoon, we came across large trucks parked outside the cafeteria.
“They’re the party planners and caterers,” said Stella as we walked toward the academy building for the last class of the day after lunch. All other classes after three P.M. were canceled that day.
“I can’t wait to see what they do.”
“And I can’t wait to get dressed in my costume,” said Stella, pushing back a stray braid from her face. “June is supposed to here by four because both our makeup would take time. I wish we could skip English and go back to our dorms to get an early start.”
I chuckled at her impatience. “Attending English this afternoon is mandatory.”
She made a face as we entered the vast classroom where English took place. While Stella went ahead to catch a seat, I looked around for Andrei and Mikhael. The room was already full but they were nowhere in sight. Feeling a pang of disappointment, I moved forward to sit with Stella.
The lesson started but Andrei and Mikhael never showed up.
I looked around to search for Dimitri and found him in one of the lower rows. Christian sat to the far right corner from me, chewing the end of a pencil, looking bored out of his mind. My heart squeezed. I missed him despite him ignoring me completely.
I tore my gaze away from him, checking my phone for any texts from Andrei. While Mikhael was supposed to be away on a “job” today, Andrei wasn’t. We were meeting up later to go to the Halloween party together. It’s probably nothing serious, I told myself. Suppressing the sliver of anxiety that shot through me, I forced myself to focus on the teacher.
Stella and I looked spectacular in our costumes. Her curvaceous body looked sexy in the leopard print catsuit she’d bought. The dark strands of her hair were braided tightly and fell around her shoulder. Her mocha skin was completely covered in face paint to mimic the prints on her costume. The cosplayer who came to do our makeup even added whiskers under her nose.
“You’re like a leopard shifter,” I said, snapping as many shots of her as I could while she posed.
“Thanks. I hope Craig would like the look.” Craig was the guy she was secretly seeing. Since it was Halloween and everyone would be in costumes, they were daring to go out together.
While she got into high-heeled stilettos, I sat down at the edge of her bed and sent some of my photos to Mom. The cosplayer did my makeup first because it was much easier and faster to make my already pale skin look whiter and painting blood on my lips and the corner of my mouth.
Mom texted back, telling me I looked “fab”.
I stared down at my phone, waiting for Andrei to text or call me back. He probably had a dozen messages and missed calls from me since this afternoon. Again, I hoped he was fine and not in trouble somewhere.
“Hasn’t he called back yet?” asked Stella, walking up to me.
“No. He’s not picking up. The app says he hasn’t even checked the messages I sent him.”
“It’s late already,” she said, checking the time on her own phone. “We should head to the cafeteria now. Maybe he’ll show up there?”
“Yeah, I’ll wait there but this sucks!” I huffed. “I was looking forward to dancing with him today.”
“I’m sure you’ll find someone else to dance with,” said Stella, extending her hand to me. She pulled me to my feet. As I arranged the pleats of the large white gown that had been artfully ripped at the sleeves, bodice, and skirt, she added, “You kind of look beautiful.”
I chuckled. “Thanks for trying to cheer me up,” I said, casting a glance at the full-length mirror in her bedroom. The dress was beautiful but my face was haunting with the bloodied mouth and chin.
I followed after her, walking out of the room to reach the door.
“Wait,” she said just as her hand rested on the doorknob.
“What?”
“We haven’t taken a single selfie together. Come on.” I went to stand close to her as she raised her phone high. “Say Halloween!” she cooed. Chuckling, I repeated after her and she took a couple of snaps of us.
“Where are you meeting Craig?” I asked her as we walked down the hallway to reach the elevators.
“At the cafeteria’s gate. He’s waiting there for me.”
Two girls in slinky bunny outfits walked inside the elevator after us. They looked gorgeous enough to belong to a party at Playboy Mansion.
“If Andrei doesn’t show up, you can hang out with me and Craig,” said Stella.
The elevator came to a stop and we got down at the ground floor hallway. Once the two girls walked away, I turned back to Stella. “You’re really sweet to say that but I’ll be fine on my own. I will get some drinks, eat some food and return back here if I feel too awkward. No worries.”
We could see glimpses of the cafeteria in the distance as we walked out of the building. The decorating crew had strategically placed dim crimson and blue lights on the outside to give the exterior walls a gloomy, haunted look. Loud, thudding music reached us as we got closer. We followed a group of sexy witches and made our way toward the dining hall.
Reaching the cafeteria’s entrance, Stella waved at her boyfriend who appeared to have dressed like Elvis in a shimmering white jacket with the signature wig and big glasses. She ran forward to meet him. He whisked her through the gates without giving her a chance to say anything to me.
Exhaling a long breath, I walked inside on my own.
At once, I was facing a massive crowd that was grooving to a song. The interiors were completely rearranged. All the tables and chairs had been removed, leaving a large floor space for the students to dance. The hall was dimly lit. Unless you knew what your friend was dressed as, it would be very difficult to recognize anyone in the crowd. The jack-o’-lanterns lined along the floor strips were one of the very few sources of lighting here. Large bats and spiders hung from the ceiling, making me look away at once. I hated spiders.
Walking through the maze of swaying bodies, I reached the furthest side of the room and found myself before a table laid with platters of food, buckets of ice and a large crystal punch bowl filled with a red beverage. This part of the hall was comparatively emptier than the main dance floor. I chose a cherry coke from one of the ice buckets and turned around to watch the crowd.
It was boring to stand there and drink a coke while everyone else seemed to be enjoying themselves but Stella had disappeared in the crowd a long time ago. Besides, I wasn’t desperate enough to be a third wheel between her and Craig.
I was
about to take another gulp of the coke when the vibration of my phone in one of the gown’s pockets alerted me. Taking it out, I checked it hopefully.
Egor had a seizure attack this afternoon. He needs to be watched the whole night. I’m so sorry I can’t make it to the party tonight- Andrei.
Relief washed through me to know he was fine. I was disappointed but it was more important for me to know he was all right.
I’m glad you’re okay though, I texted back. Take care of your brother. I’ll see you soon.
I sent him a few snaps of me with my solitary can of coke. He replied back with a selfie of his own, looking dramatically sad. From the background, I knew he was in his brother’s room. I wondered whether Andrei was aware of his brother’s cruel streak. One of these days, I had to ask him why Mikhael stayed with his family. There seemed to be a history between Mikhael and Egor. I’d also not forgotten what Nikolai told me about Egor. He had been the most excited about Maria’s death.
I chugged down the rest of the coke and looked around. With nothing else to do, I decided to eat some of the food and go back to my room.
“Hey,” said an unfamiliar voice from beside me.
I looked up at a tall guy wearing Mexican sugar skull makeup on his face. However, he’d used some luminescent paint that made the painted bones and teeth glow in the dim room. The look unnerved and impressed me equally.
“Want to join another lone undead on the dance floor?” He smiled but the skeletal bones painted over his face creeped me out completely.
I thought for a moment. After spending so much time and effort to get dressed, it seemed like a waste to go back to the dorm without enjoying any of the party.
“Sure. One dance.”
“Great.” He took me by the hand and led me into the crowded part of the hall. One song would be enough to tell me whether he was a gentleman or one of the creeps who roamed the school, preying on young girls.
“What’s your name?” he shouted to be heard over the blasting music.
“Skye,” I hollered back.