by Ellis Marie
Trent looks at me in disbelief over his shoulder. I shrug, not at all surprised that she still hasn’t caught on. It’s something that her brother, Scott, and I used to laugh at quite frequently and Linda too.
“It’s early?” I offer, only making him shake his head more.
From beside me, Kristie suddenly jumps in her seat. A gasp breaks her thoughtful silence as she leaps out the door, her bag flying out with her. I automatically reach for it as she stumbles out the car, her angry legs hitting it while she tries to clamber over. She struggles for a moment before I unhook it from the edge of the seat and she tugs it into freedom, her dishevelled figure straightening up.
“Hey!” she yells after Cole’s retreating but giggling back. “I am not the village idiot!”
Even from inside, I can hear her shouts of disagreement and Cole’s teasing tone, the two of them bickering like an old married couple.
I follow their voices, looking to see if I can spot the pair, but I’m distracted by the mass of people behind them, like a sea softly edging into shore. There are so many people.
I can do this.
“Penny for your thoughts, mia dea?”
His voice pulls my eyes from the overwhelming view and onto him, his soft smile stopping the panic from rising in my chest. I open my mouth to respond, to say that I’m fine, but nothing comes out. I see his smile slide off at my reaction.
“Hang on.” Trent pulls his keys out of the ignition. Before I know it, he is opening my door while his large body blocks the sunlight from streaming in as he looks down at me. Sighing, I drop my shoulders while my head hits the headrest as I take a deep breath, fingers gripping each other.
“I don’t wanna go.”
With light laughter, he wraps his arm around me, unbuckling the seatbelt despite my whines of resistance. When I open my eyes, I see him leaning against the roof of the car, curling an arm around me while the other balances him. He moves me gently, coaxing me out of the car with a grin that he knows I can’t not smile at.
“Come on, my incredibly adorable mate. You’re the one who wanted to come back.”
I groan, giving up on trying to stay in the vehicle. Instead, I turn my attention to Trent. As the car is so high, it’s a breeze to wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself into him. I’m almost tempted to wrap my legs around, too, if it means that we stay in the car.
“We could just go home,” I offer, lowering my voice as our faces get closer. “Could spend all day in bed?”
A strained sort of noise comes from Trent’s throat as our noses brush, and the brief flash of desire that shoots through his gaze makes me optimistic that I might convince him, but it quickly disappears. He chuckles, lifting me slightly as he pulls me the rest of the way out, ignoring my whines.
“As much as I would like to . . .” He glances down between our bodies. “Devour that idea. You’re not the only one that has their first day back today.”
Ignoring the flames of desire licking at my heels, I follow his gaze to where Cole is arguing with Kristie. He doesn’t stand still for more than a second as he swoops and dodges her clenched fist and flapping arms. Behind them, I see Scarlette and the twins appear.
“I completely forgot about Cole and the wolfsbane incident,” I mumble before my face twists up. “I’m concerned that I said that with a straight face.”
Trent’s smile broadens as he moves me around to his side, the door swinging closed behind us.
No turning back now.
“Honestly,” he says, slipping his arm around me as he takes my bag and slings it over his own. “It’s probably not going to be the weirdest thing you say today.”
For once, I’m pleasantly surprised by how mundane and unextraordinary school is. Besides having to casually accept a couple of condolences about ‘that neighbour’ of mine, no one really speaks to me bar teachers asking if I’ve caught up with the homework they have set and to check that I’m alright.
I’ll admit that there’s a lot of staring; from the moment I walk in the front door, people are whispering. If it isn’t for Trent holding me into his side, I probably would have hidden in the toilets before our first class even began, but whether it is because of Trent (Kristie’s opinion), my new outfit (Scarlette’s idea), or because I seem a lot scarier now (of course, that’s Cole), no one has the nerve to say anything about it to me.
It’s strange. I heard whispers and rumours weeks before. When I showed up without Matt, no one was scared to spread gossip about me then, but now, no one does anything but shoot me a smile if I walk past.
Maybe I have changed.
“It’s definitely the heeled boots,” Scarlette informs me, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I told you they made you look like you could kill a man.”
I laugh and look down at my feet, admiring the shiny leather that’s like a second skin. “I do like them, and they go well with the jacket too,” I add.
“What can I say?” She grins. “They’re a matching pair.”
We make small talk as we walk through the back of the school, heading for the playing field where the boys are going to meet us.
It’s the end of the day. As much as I’ve enjoyed being back and seeing everyone, I’m looking forward to relaxing, my head is killing me with all the information I’ve tried to learn today.
I probably shouldn’t miss more school, ever.
It has been nice to see people again, although it’s only really Tom and a couple of people from our class that I’ve known for years. It’s quickly becoming evident that I don’t really have many actual friends because of Matt. There is one person missing today, however.
“You didn’t see Cam today, did you?” I ask Scarlette as we narrowly avoid being trampled over by a group of freshmen. “I didn’t see him, wondered if he was maybe avoiding me.”
She shakes her head before tilting it to the side, jutting her mouth out in thought.
“No, I don’t think he was here.” She doesn’t dwell on it long, her shoulders shrugging as she squeezes through a gap. “Maybe he just needed a day to cool off after yesterday.”
A bad feeling begins to creep over my thoughts, the memory of Ben Novach with an arrow in him blaring loudly.
No. Don’t jump to bad conclusions.
“Yeah, maybe.”
Not.
“Oh shit,” Scarlette curses, looking into her bag. “I’ve totally left my phone in my last class.”
Her body is already beginning to turn around, her petite figure slipping through the mass of people.
“Do you want me to come with you?” I ask, but she just waves her hand, stopping me from following.
“Just head out to the boys,” she calls. “They’re just around the corner. I’ll let Trent know you’re coming!”
She’s out of sight before I can respond, leaving me standing with my mouth hanging open at the side of the corridor.
Okay then.
I suddenly feel a little claustrophobic, being in this crowd on my own. It’s not that I’m scared, I just don’t like people pushing me about. I think.
When halfway down the corridor I see the door that goes out the back and is barely used, I quickly head for it, leaving the clump of people behind me to fight over the other exit. The corridor goes past the gym and then out to the playing field; if anything, it’s a shortcut.
As I begin to walk down it, the lights behind me flicker. The soft buzzing noise breaks as it does. I stop walking, the echo of my heels bouncing down the hall fading out into silence.
Not creepy at all.
All of a sudden, there’s a loud clang. I almost jump out of my skin as the door just behind me opens, laughter pouring out as the boys’ football team leaves the locker room. I quickly avert my eyes and walk quickly, not wanting to be caught on my own by them.
A few of them definitely idolise Matt.
I quicken my pace as I hear one of them whisper my name. I almost cry in relief when I turn the corner and see the door to outside.
Thank god.
My fingers are almost brushing the handle when someone grabs my other hand, pulling me to a stop.
Am I being attacked?
Jumping back, I spin around, ready to try and defend myself against whoever is creeping up behind me. My panic only subsides a little when I see who it actually is. It’s not Matt but certainly one of his cronies.
“Andy,” I greet, trying to sound relaxed while my heart begins to race. “Everything okay?”
Out of Matt’s friends, Andy has been the only one that I could actually stomach. Sure, he’s still a complete creep and definitely has skewed morals from being a worshipper of his majesty, but I’ve never seen him do anything that would level Matt . . . or Carter for that matter.
Still, I can’t help but panic at his fingers wrapping around my wrist. The frantic look in his eyes only causes me to tense up even more. Gone is the boy who looks like his parents have money and can charm girls like a second nature; now, he looks frazzled and worried.
“Elle, what are you doing here?” he asks in a hushed voice, glancing behind him. “Why are you back at school?”
Is he worried about me?
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be—”
“You’re not safe,” he interrupts, stopping me from even trying to continue with the lie. “None of you are.”
My blood turns cold at his words, the lack of people around us becoming very apparent as he still refuses to let go of my hand.
“Could you let me go?” I ask, ignoring the fear that I feel while trying to turn back to the door. “Trent’s right outside, he—”
“You don’t get it,” he urges, his other hand grabbing me and now, preventing me from moving anywhere. “You think he’s protecting you, but he’s not.”
He pulls me in close to him, his eyes stopping their fractured survey of around us to hone in on my own, trapping me in their crazed stare.
“He’s coming . . . for everyone.”
It’s now that I see the dark shadows under his eyes, the dried skin around his lips and the shake in his figure.
He’s terrified.
“Andy,” I try to capture his attention again as he spins around, ignoring my voice. “Who’s coming?”
He pulls himself away from me, sliding his thin arms out from my hand easily. I’m taken aback at his withering frame. How had I not noticed how much weight he’s lost? It’s as if he’s decomposing.
His words are a breath, rattling out so quickly that I barely catch them. He watches over his shoulder like someone is creeping up behind.
“I didn’t know. I didn’t think innocent people would get hurt. I didn’t think you . . . I thought the bomb was it, but now, it’s more and I can’t do it.”
What did he just say?
“The bomb?” I grab his arm, stopping him from rambling as he looks up at me in fear like he almost forgot I’m even here. “Andy, what do you know about the bomb?”
His head starts to violently shake, whimpering sounds coming from his mouth, but it doesn’t move. His eyes are locked on me. His feet start to retreat.
“They’ll kill me. I can’t.”
There’s a noise from a door behind us—the oncoming sound of footsteps breaking our private silence.
“Andy, you need to tell me.”
“I need to go,” he rushes out, already retreating with stumbling legs and his skin paling. “I’m so sorry.”
He’s like a ghost—one moment, he’s there and the next, gone.
He knows about the bomb? That means he knows who planted it. Did he plant it?
Before I can move to follow him in hopes of finding out more, footsteps come ‘round the corner, stopping me.
With my head caught up in Andy’s words and my fear heightened, I don’t realise who it is until I see the sneer making its way onto their lips.
Oh joy, and as if this day couldn’t get any better.
“I really don’t have to time for this,” I state, pushing past the blonde girl that’s planted herself in front of me with her arms crossed over her protruding chest. “Excuse me.”
“That’s not any way to treat a friend, is it?” Tracey spits, stopping me in my tracks. “I figured you’d want a catch up now that you’re back from your holidays.”
Okay, I’m definitely not going to find Andy now.
I sigh and turn around, my deadpanned expression doing nothing but delighting the b*tch in front of me.
“I wasn’t on holiday, Tracey. I could have died.”
She smirks as she looks me up and down. “Pity.”
I scoff and roll my eyes, stepping up to the girl who has berated, insulted, and disrespected me for the last couple of years. My patience is gone.
“You know what, Tracey?” I start, the fake grin sliding off my face with ease. “I’ve put up with you for far too long, so unless you actually need to tell me something bar the usual crap that spills from your mouth, I’ll be on my way.”
My shoulder knocks hers as I shove past, allowing myself to be a little smug. Her heels clack against the linoleum as she tries to steady herself.
I’ll just head outside and find Trent.
“I just thought you might want to know what your ex-boyfriend is getting up to.”
She doesn’t even need to say his name. My body reacts to the memories immediately; the bile rising up in my throat, my palms beginning to sweat.
I swallow down the disgust and clear my throat, steading my shaking hand as I look over to her.
“It might come as a surprise to you,” I say with sarcasm dripping. “But I actually don’t ever want to know anything about him ever again. And you shouldn’t either.”
I’m pushing the handle of the door down before she manages to speak, her voice soundly uncharacteristically quiet and unsure.
“I think it’s a bit late for that.”
All ideas of hurtful things to say and snarky comments die when I see the way her shoulders shake. I follow the vibration down her arms and to her material-covered wrists, the sleeves pulled over her palms.
Tracey never wears long sleeves.
My eyes drift from her hands to her face. It’s there that I recognise the look; it’s like looking in a mirror from six months ago—the cracks in her confidence, the shake in her words. Like living in the eye of a hurricane, never knowing when you’re going to get sucked in and destroyed.
“Tracey, I—”
The door swings open behind me, cutting off my concerned voice and making me drop my outreaching hand that’s hanging between us as we both turn to see who it is with our breaths held. Trent’s large figure fills the doorway as he steps through, his smile falling off his face when he sees my expression. Cole appears over his shoulder, his eyes following.
“Elle?” He looks over to Tracey, his eyes darkening when he recognises her. Automatically, he steps closer to me, encircling my waist with his arm gently. “What’s going on here?”
They wait for a response as I look back at Tracey, hoping that she can see from my face that I’m not going to spill her secrets in front of everyone. This is something that isn’t a joke; it isn’t a battle between two girls for a boy.
This is her life. Matt is dangerous.
I move out of Trent’s hold, trying to go to her, but his fingers wrap around mine, stopping me from moving too far away. When I look back at him, I can see the defences coming up. His muscles tense as he stares at the threat. Cole moves in closer from behind him, and I almost want to gush at how overprotective they both look.
I turn back to Tracey in the hopes of still convincing her that she can talk to me, but her eyes h ave zeroed in on Trent’s hand in mine and the defensive way he won’t let me go, a sad smile etched on her lips.
“I’m glad you found an upgrade.”
She doesn’t say it with any malice like I’m used to. They should have been said with venom and as an insult, but there’s an undertone to her voice that I’ve never heard from her before.
> Honesty.
Tracey seems to brush the emotions away, fixing her hair with her fingers as her back straightens up, her legs already lengthening with a pride that can only be found inside yourself.
She’s a good actress.
She clears her throat before she speaks. “I hope you can keep this one longer than the last.”
The brief moment of kindness is long gone, and I almost want to laugh at her remark as she saunters back down the hall, swaying her hair perfectly from side to side as she goes. All evidence of the broken girl is perfectly covered up by fake confidence and good make up skills.
I step back into Trent with a strange feeling settling in my chest as I watch her leave without another word. That’s the first time that I’ve ever seen even a spark of goodness in Tracey.
“For once, I don’t feel like she hates me,” I say quietly, still wrapping my head around the thought. “Woah, you did say I’d be saying some weird things today.”
Cole laughs at my words, but Trent’s scowl deepens, his attention turning to me in full force as he checks me over.
“What did she want?”
I shrug off the moment, focusing my attention on the more important things instead of the fact that one of The Witches has actually been kind of nice to me. Well, in her terms anyway.
I should probably stop referring to them as The Witches considering that’s pretty insulting to a race of people.
“Elle.”
Cole’s voice pulls me back from the tangent, my head’s going down and quickly makes me focus on the two of them.
Now is not the time to be thinking about that.
“She’s not important,” I explain, grabbing Trent with both hands. “But something else happened.”
The second I tell him that Andy mentioned the bomb and tried to warn me of someone, I’m in the car and back at the packhouse before I can blink. If I ever wanted to see Trent in alpha mode, this is the time.
We’re sitting in his office—somewhere that I’ve never been before but have always wondered what it looks like. To say it exceeds expectations is putting it lightly.
I thought that it would look professional and neat with large windows and metal lining, but I was wrong.