The Ruby (The Hidden Gems Book 1)

by R. M. Getsee

  “Miss Morgan, I cannot have disruption in this room. Please wait outside till the end of class.”

  “But I didn’t do anything.” I said desperately, I really wanted to learn more about Iron Cove.

  “You heard him, leave freak.” Torah hissed at her. Her eyes were lighting up as though she were a cat who had caught he mouse after it had escaped the first few attempts.

  Rage suddenly filled me and a warm flare of heat surged through me as a bolt of lightning shot from my hand, I could have sworn that I saw a glimmer of metal in it before it hit the desk and vaporized, leaving a large scorch mark on the desk.

  “Now Miss Morgan, or I will send you to the headmasters office.” Mr. Elis was trying to disguise the shock in his voice as he stared at the black score.

  The chair made a loud scraping as I slowly shoved it back and stood on shaking legs.

  The noise rang in my ears as I walked to the door slowly, my footsteps louder than normal as the class was silent, staring at my humiliation with slight amusement and shock.

  I leaned against the wall as soon as I closed the door, slowly sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. Now that the adrenaline of my anger faded I was left feeing hollow and empty, devoid of all energy, and I could barely keep my eyes open and I soon started to drift.

  “So that was pretty intense.” I jumped from my slumber and looked up. Roman was standing over me, smiling at me with curiosity. “Did you wipe yourself out again?” His eyes were full of concern.

  “Yeah, that never happened to me before,” I said, looking at my hands, remembering the power I felt pouring through them. “I guess that’s why it hit me so hard.”

  “That’s probably why you were in a coma for a month.” His tone was light and joking but Alex could see the seriousness in his eyes.

  “Yeah,” she laughed uncomfortably. “I never did thank you for helping me.”

  Looking into my eyes, he crouched down and took my hand. “I’m just glad that you woke up.”

  Never before had I believed the whole thought of getting butterflies in your stomach from a guy looking into your eyes, but I had to admit that I definitely felt a flutter stirring within me at his intense gaze.

  I was about to reply when he stood, pulling me with him.

  “There’s something I want to show you.” He said suddenly, pulling me up on to my feet and grinning in mischief.

  He walked quickly, dragging me along into the main building and up a few flights of stairs.

  “Is this the part where the girl carelessly follows the cute guy to her death?” I joked.

  “You think I’m cute?” His smile widened as I blushed, silently cursing the lack of a filter between my brain and mouth in his presence.

  “You’re ok I guess.” Cringing at my attempt to save face I let him drag me further upwards, his laugh still echoing as we entered the door to another stairwell.

  I quirked my brow as I read the sign on it. “Roof access?” I asked curiously. “Are you sure you’re not planning on killing me?”

  “Just trust me would you.” He said, exasperated.

  “Easy for you to say, you’re not about to be killed by some crazy axe murderer.” I grumbled.

  “Hey I’m far too cute to be an axe murderer. You even said it, remember?” He winked then just rolled his eyes and continued up as I stuck my tongue out at him and muttered about maturity not being measured in beauty.

  My heart gave a little squeeze as I realized what he said, but I tried to continue the banter as if it had no effect on me.

  My teasing about him calling me beautiful was cut off as we finally reached the top of the stairwell and he threw open the door.

  Stepping through the threshold I had to hold back a gasp as I took in the sight before my eyes.

  Hundreds of fireflies and the moon illuminated the most beautiful rooftop garden I had ever seen.

  Huge flowers of all shapes and colors filled the spaces between bushes and trees all enclosed in a large glass dome.

  Intricate lattice panels were set against the concrete wall, covering it in the creeping vines and rose bushes that were entwined within it.

  “What is this place?” My voice was deep with the wonder that filled me as I looked around.

  “The school used to double as a horticultural college for humans in the day, so this was built.”

  Roman sounded just as amazed as I was as we both took in the scene.

  “I guess the janitor couldn’t bring himself to destroy what they created so he’s been maintaining it for the past few years.”

  I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes as the scent of roses and honeysuckle bushes filled my nose. “It’s. .......” I trailed off unable to think of the words that could describe it.

  “I know.” Glancing at him I knew he understood and felt the same as me.

  “So you never told me how you found this place.”

  “I explore,” He said winking.

  I rolled my eyes. “Well that’s pretty anticlimactic,” I teased.

  “Anticlimactic?” He raised his eyebrows and grabbed my hand, I marveled at the feel of his hand around mine, the sensation sending warm tingles up my arm. “I haven’t even shown you the best part.”

  I gave a soft shriek as he jerked me through a large patch of particularly thorny bushes. My clothes kept getting caught up in the spiky thorns and twigs snagged at pieces of my hair as he pulled me through.

  I cursed under my breath as I straightened my shirt and picked a couple of leaves out of my hair.

  “What in the hell was that about?” I asked looking up.

  He just grinned like the Cheshire cat and stepped aside to reveal a wrought iron staircase that wound upwards in a tight spiral.

  “Well?” He looked at me questioningly. “Are you coming or what?”

  I snorted. “There is no way I’m climbing that thing.” There was a large tree near the metal frame which had branches that spanned out and obstructed the view to the top so I couldn’t even see what was up there, it could end up being a dead end, or rusted so the second I was high enough it dropped me into mid-air before I even knew what happened.

  “It’s safe, I promise.” He held out his hand once more and looked me in the eye. “Do you trust me?”

  Reluctantly I took hold and began ascending the staircase.

  Reaching the top my eyes widened as I took in a small balcony with a spindly table and bench made of the same dark metal as the stairs.

  “Wow,” I breathed, taking in the sight of the mountains on the horizon, silhouetted against the large crescent moon

  “I come up here to think.” He said quietly.

  Turning I saw Roman staring at the garden below with a thoughtful expression.

  “What do you think about?”

  “It’s complicated,” he said. “There’s something I’m supposed to do, kind of a family legacy, and sometimes it’s a burden to think about.”

  “Then don’t think about it.” I said, I realized how close we were standing, almost touching, but I didn’t move, not wanting to draw further away, yet I didn’t want to risk breaking the mood by coming any closer.

  His eyes seemed to shine a deeper blue as he started to lean down. My breath quickened, the smell of roses and lilac blossoms filling my nose and I swallowed, my mouth drying in anticipation as I waited for the kiss that I knew was about to happen.

  The loud clanging of the bell startled her and we sprang apart just before our lips touched.

  We looked at each other awkwardly, the moment clearly broken.

  Roman cleared his throat. “We should be getting to class.” He said, quickly turning and all but running down the staircase, leaving me alone in my shock, trying to reassemble my thoughts and make sense of what had almost happened.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next couple of days passed quietly for me, I was doing well in my element classes and we had started a physical training course to, as Mr. Carlisle had put it, ‘strengthen
their physical body’ with martial arts and other forms of fighting.

  It was meant to increase our capacity to use our affinities without burning out too quickly, which, after my experience, I was happy to do, even though it meant me getting body slammed into training mats that smelled of feet by a bunch of sweaty vamps multiple times a day.

  The news of my attempted kidnaping had spread throughout the whole school within hours on Monday and I had been getting sympathetic looks from most of the class, while others looked at me as if I had grown a second head.

  I couldn’t blame them; it was strange for the Elementals to come out of hiding for anything other than a power struggle or subtle recruitment. The fact that the attack had been so brazen and public meant that they had wanted me bad, and that was a valid cause for panic.

  If the Elementals wanted me then they were sure to try again eventually, and it had always been clear that they didn’t care much for collateral damage, hell, they were pretty much the vampire equivalent of the freaking Nazi’s.

  Quite frankly I was surprised that so many people had even allowed me to be in the same room as them and my little power surge in class the other day hadn’t helped.

  Emi and Jared and I had been in my bedroom every day for the past week trying to find some way to translate but we had not had any luck so far.

  There had been no new information or clues to be found on either the Ancients and the Jet, or the Elementals and I was happy that I had been plagued with more visions of the Jet since the before the attack, or any vision for that matter.

  I was starting to hope that I had somehow lost my ability, or that it had just been a fluke period and that I’d just had some weird dreams.

  I would even be happy if I were just plain crazy, and had imagined it all.

  Hell I probably was.

  “Alex?” Moira asked. I looked up, we had been sitting at our at usual lunch table with group and I was once again drifting off into my own mind.

  After Roman had left me on the roof on Monday I had taken a few moments to collect myself. I went back to class and was surprised to find that Roman had left school early and he was unreachable for the next two days.

  When he had returned he acted like nothing had changed, he hadn’t even mentioned the rooftop garden or anything that we had discussed while we had been there.

  In fact he had become distant with me; I only ever saw him in class or at lunch and he had only spoken to me when I had instigated the conversation, then made an excuse to leave as soon as he could.

  “Sorry.” I mumbled, blushing slightly.

  “Honestly, I don’t know where you go, our conversations must not interest you much the amount of time you space out.” There was a slight edge under the joking tone of Moira’s comment.

  I stiffened. Moira was a nice person, but unlike Emi, the beautiful Irish vampire had a harsh, cutting side to her, as with most of the vamps I knew.

  Sitting up straighter, I shot the girl a sweet smile and a wink. “Of course you guys have interesting conversations, your just not usually part of them.” I kept my tone light and humorous enough to get away with it as a joke, but at the same time get the point across to the other girl.

  In vampire cliques, much like human ones there is always someone vying for the alpha female spot, only they were much more vicious, more like sharks, and though I never expected or wanted it, I seemed to have been stuck in that position.

  Somehow I had become the alpha in our small group and I couldn’t let Moira take a shot at it because once that power is gone the sharks circle and you get dragged under water into their waiting maws.

  It worked as she nodded slightly in resignation and laughed with the rest of the group.

  “So Roman, did you ask your girl out yet?” Aiden had a mischievous smile as he brought the attention to himself.

  Now I was completely tuned in, this conversation topic did interest me greatly, though I was trying to be subtle about it.

  “Not yet.” Roman glared at him. “Something came up and I couldn’t.”

  I had a feeling that I was the something that had come up but I bit my tongue. If Roman wanted to pretend as if we hadn’t almost kiss, or forget about it altogether then I was happy to as well, I just had to convince the vice like grip around my heart to come to the same conclusion.

  “What about you Ali?” Aiden asked. “Any lucky guys ask you to home coming yet?”

  I didn’t like the way he used a nickname for me like that, it was almost as if there was some secret or an inside joke between all of the guys that I didn’t understand.

  “Not as of late.” I was thoroughly annoyed with this mystery man. If he was going to ask me out I wished he’d do it so that I could either accept or reject him and this block on dating would be over already.

  “Well if neither of you have dates, why don’t you just go with each other?” Aiden winked at us.

  The fleeting hopeful thought that Roman would laugh and say yes was quelled almost instantly when I saw the dirty look he cast Aiden’s way. I frowned as the disappointment made my heart sink.

  Yep, I definitely had a crush on him, in fact I had the fleeting idea after what had happened on Monday that Roman was this secret admirer, but judging from his reaction I had clearly been wrong about that.

  “Very funny,” I said, shooting him a dirty look as I tried to cover the hurt I felt at Romans adverse reaction. “But I don’t think so, I’m planning to ask someone myself anyway.”

  “Really, who?” Emi smirked as she looked at me. She knew that I didn’t even have prospects, but my pride was wounded at how quickly Roman had been to reject the idea and I was worried that I would look pathetic if I appeared dateless.

  I also had not mentioned what had happened between the two of us to her, deciding that if Roman wanted to forget about it then so would I.

  “He’s just a guy. He’s cute and I’m pretty sure he’s single so why not?” I lied as smoothly as I could.

  I thought that I saw glimmer of jealousy in Romans eye’s when I said it, but immediately dismissed it as my hopeful imagination.

  “But didn’t you hear?” Moira looked slightly desperate, as if she wanted to tell me some really juicy gossip but couldn’t.

  “Hear what?” I decided playing dumb might get me some new info on the mystery guy.

  “You have a secret admirer.” She burst out before wincing as someone kicked her under the table.

  I laughed at the uncomfortable expression on the face of all of the guys at the table. “Oh yeah, I heard about that, well this guy had his time to make a move, he didn’t, so I’m moving on.”

  “How do you already know about it?” Moira looked slightly annoyed at the fact that I had stolen her thunder by already knowing the gossip. It was well known that she loved being the one to spill other people’s secrets.

  “Ryan told me about it a while ago when he thought I was asking him out.” I laughed.

  “You and Ryan are going out?” Again I could have sworn I heard a hint of jealousy in Romans voice at the thought, but again reminded myself that I was definitely moving on.

  “God no.” I said, laughing again at the thought. “It was a simple misunderstanding, but I was pretty pissed about someone claiming me without my consent, it’s too caveman style for me.”

  He leaned forward, looking as if he were about to say something but decided against it and settled back into his chair.

  “My point is,” I continued. “I have an awesome dress that deserves a good night out and I’m not about to wait for some misogynous idiot to ask me. I’m taking charge.”

  *********

  Word seemed to have spread quickly to most of the males in the school about me not wanting the mystery guy’s admiration as I got quite a few appreciative glances from more than one vamp the next evening.

  The guys at school no longer tried to hide it and instead were shamelessly checking me out all throughout the day.

  I was about to grab my tray f
or lunch once again when I noticed the big shape which blocked my path.

  It was one of the guys who had been in my training group for today’s martial arts session, and I winced as the new bruise on my shoulder from where he had tackled me today when we were sparring throbbed painfully.

  “Hey Ali,” He said, smiling at me.

  “It’s Alex,” I said as I rolled me shoulder, wincing in as the pain intensified. “What’s up Drake?”

  He smiled wider as he saw me reaching for my sore shoulder, as though he was proud of knocking a girl on her ass. His teeth that were a little too white gleaming in the artificial light in the hall. “Sorry I went so hard at you today, I just kind of got caught up in it you know?”

  “Mmh,” I mumbled in indifference. I was still wondering what he wanted and I gave him a pointed look to hopefully speed up the process.

  “So I was wondering if you wanted to go to a party with me at the weekend?” He shot me another too white smile and I tried not to cringe at his cheesy grin.

  I got a weird feeling in my stomach at the thought of going out with him and it wasn’t a good one.

  I opened my mouth, about to decline, when I caught site of Roman looking at me over Drake’s shoulder.

  “Sure, why not.” The bad feeling did not go away as the words came out, but I got a small sense of satisfaction as I saw Roman stiffen, knowing that he was eavesdropping.

  Drake winked at me. “Cool I’ll call you with the details.” He said, and he walked away abruptly, leaving me to ponder what had just happened. I caught Roman’s eyes and he quickly turned and walked away. The look on his face told me that somehow I had made a huge mistake, one that I was soon going to regret.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The music blasted in my ears as I went from room to room of the big house searching for Drake.

  He had called me Saturday morning with the details of the party, he said that he would pick me up and we would go to his friend’s house where the part would be hosted. The party would be at large from sunset to sunrise.