“Who, Stella?” he asks as he looks out the window toward them. “Well, rumor has it she’s the girls’ roommate. Her quarter was the only one available as she usually has it to herself being a Silver and all.”
Interesting. Stella already has it in with Little Red. We might be able to use that to our advantage.
“We need to talk to her. She might know something. Or if she doesn’t, she can find out,” I say as Alek and Beck come walking in. They walk over to the bar where we stand and grab the bottle of tequila next to Bass. However, before they can pour themselves a shot, I interject giving them an order.
“Stella Silver. Bring her here now,” I say, spinning to them and they nod and turn back leaving without questioning me. Bass joining behind them. We are the kings of the Servite Academy. The Four Horsemen nicknamed that for our ruthless ways and powerful triumphs. We are practically gods, kings to the teens of Servite Academy, but to my boys, I’m their king. Their alpha. They don’t question me, don’t doubt me. What I say goes. Their loyalty shows no bounds and in return they are my family. I’d die for them if need be as they would kill for me. We are a team, a family, the four riders of the apocalypse that is to come. Let’s just hope she doesn’t stand in my way and try to ruin it, or worse, try and save it.
SEVEN
SCARLETT
They’re all so fucked up. Wasted to the point of no return. Kai and Jade are slurring their words, barely even able to stand straight. They’re splashing around in the water, hands all over one another trying to keep each other steady, looking like a flirty couple if anyone around them was watching. He has his arms wrapped around her waist, his head falling against her shoulder as she’s tugging against him trying to break free. Jax and Ruby are nowhere to be found, again. They took off as soon as we got here and are probably hooking up somewhere along the beach. And well, beside me, Drake hasn’t put his drink down since I came back from meeting with Ace. He’s pissed, jealous, and moody. Glaring at me with hooded, dominating green eyes full of deep desire. He can’t stay mad at me and he knows it, which is why he’s drinking away his rage, swallowing it down with the whiskey in his cup.
And Stella, well she’s been passed out for about an hour now. I took my flannel off from around my waist and created a pillow for her as I laid her out on the bench beside us.
“Looks like Silver can’t hang with the big kids,” says Drake, laughing at Stella passed out on the bench.
“Leave her alone, Dragon. She’s cool. Yeah, at first, I thought she was just another spoiled trust fund brat trying to befriend the poor kids from the slums to entertain herself and ‘rebel’. But I think she’s just like us. She was thrust into a place she doesn’t belong and has nobody she can turn to. No family she can confide in. She’s alone in the world like we all once were. However, we now have each other but she’s still alone. The only thing we can do is make her feel like she fits in with us,” I say, turning to her. She’s sleeping peacefully oblivious to what’s going on around her.
“Since when do you take in strays?” he asks, and it pisses me off.
“Stella is not a pet project, Dragon, and you sound just like those snobby bitches calling her that. She’s sweet and kind. She didn’t judge us like everyone else around here and it’s shitty of you to be judging her when you know nothing about her,” I shout, and Drake runs a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t mean it like that, Scar. I just meant you don’t usually open up to the idea of new faces joining our family. I’m just wondering what it is about her that makes you want to bring her in?”
“She needs us, Drake. I see myself in her, the old me. Always wanting to see the best in others, in my mother, when I was only hurting myself. She tries to justify these people’s actions, her own cousin’s actions, but she shouldn’t. And she needs my help in order to realize that.” I turn to her and she slowly shifts her body almost rolling off the bench. I look around the beach and see the party slowly dying down as drunken teens retreat to their corresponding houses.
“We should get out of here. It’s getting late, and the last thing we need is to be late on our first day of school.” Drake waves Kai and Jade over and they stumble toward us laughing at each other. I walk over to Stella to wake her, trying not to startle her, but she jumps up as I place my hand softly on her shoulder.
“Hey there, lightweight,” I say as she sits up gradually and grabs her head.
“Ugh, everything is spinning.”
I can’t help but laugh a little.
“We’ll walk you guys back to the house,” Drake says as he walks over to us.
I stand Stella up and place my flannel on her shoulders, grabbing her arm. I drape it across my back trying to steady her. He walks over to her other side and grabs her other arm when we hear a loud whistle and turn to find Bass, Alek and Beck heading toward us.
“Get your fucking dirty hands off of her,” demands Bass as he stomps up to us. He’s pissed, almost fuming as he stops before us, his hands fisted at his side.
“Back off, dude, she’s drunk and we’re taking her back to her room,” says Drake, ignoring Bass’s demand.
“You back off, dude, she’s my cousin and if anyone’s taking her back to her room it’s me, not your punk ass,” he says, getting in Drake’s face and fuck if it wasn’t the wrong move. Drake’s a fighter. He enjoys the thrill of shoving his fist into another body, another face. Chalk it up to another way his dear mom fucked him up. A devilish smirk appears across Drake’s face as he looks to Bass and I know what’s coming. Only Stella jumps just in time.
“Fuck off, Sebastian,” she yells, causing Bass to step back slightly, and the look on his face at her response is priceless. “All of a sudden we’re family when I was pretty invisible to you before. Especially when your little girlfriend was being a total bitch to me,” she squeals.
Well shit, drunk Stella has balls.
“We’re her roommates.” I motion to Jade. She comes over and Drake steps back as Jade grabs Stella’s other arm draping it on her shoulder. “We’re taking her so back off, Bass,” as I push through him.
He turns and grabs hold of my arm. If another person grabs my fucking arm today, I might just snap.
“Get your hands off me.” I glare at him.
“You’re treading on dangerous territory, Little Red,” he says, calling me by the stupid name Ace did.
I pull my arm out of his grasp and turn to him scowling. “And you’re about to get kicked in the nuts if you put your hands on me again.” I snarl, walking off with Stella and Jade. Drake and Kai are right behind us and I hear the Horsemen grunt as the crowd disperses. It’s crazy how these people know when they’re needed and when they need to back the fuck off. True kings ruling over their loyal subjects.
After about half an hour we finally make it back safely to the Dahlia House and up to our quarter. It is a slow walk from the private beach as we have to stop every five minutes because someone is toppling over. Stella’s been showered, dressed, and is now laying down in my bed. I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in her room in case she vomits in the middle of the night. It’s happened once before. My mother got shit-faced one night when Chaz first got locked up and passed out on the living room couch. I woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and found her almost choking on her own vomit. It scared the shit out of me, like it would any eight-year-old, but I was reprimanded the following day for making a big deal out of it and crying like a little bitch. Almost regretted saving her that time. Almost.
It’s nearly one a.m. so I grab my pajamas out of my closet before heading to the bathroom to change. Drake and Kai dropped us off at the front of the house not risking coming inside, but we made plans to meet up out front tomorrow before heading over to the welcome assembly all together. When I walk out of the bathroom, I hear Ruby stumbling in, dressed in only her red bikini, the rest of her clothes bunched up in her hand. She winks at me and heads over to her room. I
shake my head laughing softly to myself as I head back into my room.
I slowly sit on the bed beside Stella trying not to move or wake her. She feels me and turns around mumbling.
“Thanks for tonight, Scarlett,” she says, looking up at me with hazed gray eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that much fun,” she slurs.
“No problem, Silver. You were cool, didn’t treat us differently for coming where we come from.”
“Sorry about my cousin and his friends. I can’t believe I stood up to him like that. I’m sure I’ll regret it tomorrow but for tonight, I’m glad I did. Hope it doesn’t cause you any more problems,” she says, closing her eyes slowly.
I place my hand upon her shoulder, and she opens her eyes again looking up to me, a small grin on her face.
“I’m proud of you, Silver, for standing up to him like you did. Besides, sounds like he’s had it coming. Your cousin and his friends, the Horsemen, they’re just a bunch of privileged assholes who are one day gonna be knocked off their high horse, pun intended,” I say and we both laugh. “I just hope I’m still here to see it happen.” I pull the covers over her as I move to stand. She reaches out to me grabbing my wrist as she turns her body completely to me.
“Oh, you won’t just be here to witness it. You, Scar, are going to be the cause of their empire falling. Scarlett Steele, you will be their reckoning.”
EIGHT
SCARLETT
“Beep! Beep! Beep!”
The blaring sound of the alarm I set for seven o’clock this morning, knowing well enough we’d probably not wake up on our own accord, wakes me abruptly. My head’s throbbing, my body cramping, feeling as if I’ve just barely fallen asleep. Luckily enough, I didn’t have too much to drink last night so at least I’m not hungover, only exhausted. I hear a groan coming from beside me as I turn to find Stella spread across the majority of my bed, with the covers over her head.
“How are you feeling, Silver?” I ask, pulling her covers down.
“Better than I deserve,” she says, rubbing her eyes tiredly. “I don’t know what got into me. I never drink like that, especially not the night before school starts.”
“Well, it looks like our bad influence has already rubbed off on you.”
“Oh please,” she says, sitting up. “You guys have been the nicest to me that anyone has in a long time, and you don’t even know me,” she says with a genuine smile on her face.
“You came in not judging us, not asking questions, not blaming us for ruining your school’s reputation without even knowing us. You just accepted us for who we are and showed us a hell of a good time given the circumstances of the day. You’re the real deal, Silver. An honest to god unicorn.” She laughs and gets kind of embarrassed.
“We’re going to be best friends,” she says with the widest grin I’ve seen on her since we met.
“I can feel it.” I laugh pushing her playfully.
“Come on, Silver, we gotta get ready or we’re gonna be late.” She turns to the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand beside the bed.
“Crap… that’s the time. We’re going to be so late.”
“Well I’m gonna shower.” I head over to the bathroom as she scatters anxiously off the bed, tangled in the sheets nearly tripping over herself.
“I’ll go make sure Jade and Ruby are up.” She squeals and I look at her, smirking and shaking my head. “Right, okay I’ll wake up Jade, she can wake up Ruby. I’d like to live for my first day of school.” I laugh knowing she’s probably right.
Ruby is not a morning person. She’s actually not an any time-of-day person, especially after being out so late last night. Girl needs her beauty sleep and anyone who interrupts it better beware of the wrath of the ferocious dragon.
After one of the fastest showers I’ve ever taken, luckily quick showers were essential at the Grayson’s since we were always running out of hot water, I headed back to my room and noticed a garment bag similar to the one Stella pulled out of Ruby’s closet yesterday. Stella must have laid it out before heading to her room to get ready. I walk over to the bed and unzip the bag revealing the wretched Servite Academy uniform. I can’t believe we have to wear an actual uniform. That’s the great thing about public school, no uniforms. That, and well, no judgmental, entitled assholes. I slip into the uniform, which surprisingly fits me perfectly, letting my wet hair fall down my back, in the end tying it into a loose ponytail. It’s still summer here on the West Coast, and I can imagine the heat will be unbearable in this getup. I walk over to the full-length mirror hanging on the closet door and hardly recognize the reflection staring back at me. The red and black plaid skirt stops right at the middle of my thigh, the white collared blouse made of a thin, obviously expensive material fits me like a second skin, and the black blazer embroidered with a red and gold crest finishes off this “perfect private prep-school chic” look everyone’s going for. I look closely at the red and gold crest on the right side of the blazer, and see a man wearing the armor of a knight while riding atop a horse. A horseman. Under it in gold is a phrase I can’t understand. Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum.
“It’s Latin,” says Stella, walking in with Ruby and Jade behind her. “If you wish for peace, prepare for war. School motto.”
All three of them stand at the entrance of my room, already dressed to impress in matching uniforms. Jade and Stella wear their hair pulled up into a high ponytail, while Ruby wears hers loose down her back.
“That’s morbid,” answers Jade as she sits down on the corner of my bed.
“The knight is not a real knight. It’s actually a horseman. One of the four of the apocalypse, from “The Book of Revelations.” The conqueror who rides a white horse, given a weapon and a crown as he rides out to conquer those unworthy. The horseman of war who rides a red horse, given the ability to take peace and make men slay one another. The third riding a black horse, given the power to make those in poverty crumble. Or death, the last rider aboard a pale horse. Given the most power. For he is the one to kill, to take, to destroy.”
“Alright that’s some twisted shit, Stella,” says Jade, breaking us all out of the trance her story caused.
“I’m sorry, shit. It’s just some parents tell their children stories about the bogeyman to keep them from misbehaving. But not ours. Our twisted parents told us this story. About the Four Horsemen and their apocalypse, that was brought among by man himself.”
“Okay, not the way we would have wanted to start the first day of school, but good to know this school is on some next level bible shit,” Ruby says, walking toward the door.
“Okay, about that, we should go before we arrive later than we already are. The guys must be waiting outside.” I grab my new book bag from the desk beside my bed and throw it over my shoulders. The school provided us with everything we’ll need, our textbooks of course will be in our new MacBooks and iPads. Apparently, there is no need for old school notebooks or paper anymore. Everything at Servite is electronic, technology our new best friend. Makes it easier, I guess. No need to carry books. We walk into the living room heading to the door when Stella stops at the small counter in the kitchen.
“We won’t be able to make it to the dining hall for breakfast, so I got us all some granola and protein smoothies. The fridge and this pantry are stocked with such. I try to only go to the dining hall for lunch and usually bring my dinner to the room or order out. There are also some vendors on campus and a couple smoothie and juice bars along with four coffee shops. They’re all found at the courtyard where the dining hall is. We’ll pass by it on our way to the assembly.” Stella hands us each a granola and smoothie cup.
“Wow,” I say, processing all she’s said.
“I usually only go into town on the weekends or to visit my aunt and uncle, but I don’t have a car at the moment.”
“Well, we don’t have any money, so I guess it’s the dining hall for us,” I answer as I reach for the door handle.
; “Oh, which reminds me.” She pulls out three envelopes and a box from the shelf near the door. She hands us each an envelope and gives me the package.
“What’s this?” I ask.
“The envelopes contain your academy library and debit cards. The school is providing you guys with some spending money for necessities. It’s all part of the program that brought you here. As for the package, it arrived this morning, or last night. It was outside when I woke up this morning.”
I tear open the box and pull out three new iPhones.
“What are these for?” I ask, holding up the phones.
“They must also be from the headmaster. The students of Servite are some of the richest kids in the world. I’m sure they just want you guys to have the same opportunities. And cell phones are essential.”
“Well, don’t mind if I do,” says Ruby, snatching a phone from my hand. I hand one to Jade and shove the other in my bag. We walk out of the quarter and out to the front of the house where Drake, Kai, and Jax are waiting, all three of them looking really good in their uniforms. I can still see Drake’s tattoos peeking out over the collar of his shirt and notice he kept his lip and eyebrow rings in place.
“Fuck, this is like a wet dream come to life. Four schoolgirls walking toward us in those sexy ass skirts and knee-high socks. Fuck me,” says Jax, causing us all except Ruby to scowl. I walk up to Drake, adjusting his tie.
The Four Horsemen : A Servite Academy For Troubled Teens Novel Page 8