: Chapter 6

“Big, hairy monkey balls,” I mumbled under my breath.

Sitting at home with nothing but internet and cable TV to entertain me when I didn’t feel like doing any online work sucked.

I idly flipped through channels, trying not to acknowledge that my outside-of-school pastimes were no different in Uttira than back home. Once a recluse because of anger issues, always a recluse.

A fight on the first day at the Academy had only reaffirmed my need to keep my crazy to myself. Granted, the incident hadn’t been completely unprovoked. That didn’t change the fact that I’d almost gotten face-flicked by a giant, though. Fighting at the Academy would be more dangerous than fighting in real school. It had been better to stay home the rest of the week and just do my school work online. Yet, after so much time sitting home with no outside contact at all, I was going stir-crazy.

Turning off the TV, I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to stare blindly at the dwindling contents. I wasn’t hungry. I was bored. No amount of snacking would cure that. Outside, the sound of the wind caressing the trees called to me. I closed the fridge and moved toward the door. My jacket hung on a peg just to the side, but I didn’t grab it or move any further.

Staring into the darkness, I listened. For whatever reason, Oanen told me to stay put that second night. And, deep down, that warning still kept me inside. Why? Was I honestly afraid of anything that might be out there after seeing the possibilities at the Academy? I thought about it for a second and knew I wasn’t. So why hadn’t I already gone outside and found something to do? Because a bossy, shape-shifting boy my age told me not to.

“What the hell was I thinking?”

I grabbed my jacket and went outside. The heavy sound of Oanen’s wings remained absent from the other night sounds as I locked the door. I breathed in deeply, savoring the taste of fresh air and freedom, and set off.

The uneventful walk to town took a considerable amount of time in the dark. The infrequent street lights liked playing peek-a-boo with rural mailboxes on the shoulder of the road. After the second run-in, I walked on the pavement where I felt safer.

Before long, the country shadows faded away with the brighter lights of town living. If you could call it living. Once again, not many people moved about on the sidewalks or from shop to shop. To be fair, most of the shops had closed signs turned in the windows already.

I checked my phone. It was only 7:30 p.m. This town seemed overly dead given the time.

The sound of an engine coming up from behind had me stepping onto the sidewalk. Instead of zipping past me, it slowed. I looked over my shoulder and tried to suppress the spike of anger knifing through me. The her-herd pulled up beside me in the shiny convertible. Their lead bitch grinned at me from behind the wheel.

“Look, Jenna, the Council decided we needed to add a vagrant to keep the town looking authentic.”

“Wow, Aubrey. I’m impressed you know what the word vagrant means. Dogs usually only understand like fifty words, tops.”

Her face turned red.

“Enjoy the walk, Orphan.”

She peeled away with a screech of tires and a cloud of acrid smoke. Resuming my apparent vagrant shamble, I watched their taillights as I continued on. Of course, they stopped at the only lit up, interesting looking building in town. Sighing, I debated turning around and going back home. However, the idea of walking this far just to give up right at the end didn’t sit right with me, even if I knew going home was the smarter choice.

As I drew closer, I noticed the sign on top of the two-story building. The big, bold letters of “The Roost,” outlined in neon tubing, took up the front section of the roofline and cast the back half in shadow. This was the place that Fenris had invited me to go hang out, which explained Aubrey’s presence.

While I was still looking at the sign, something on the roof moved. Given my experience so far with Uttira, something probably was up there.

The door opened as someone went inside, and the soft thump of music drew my attention. How could an almost dead town like this have a club?

It didn’t take too long for me to reach the unguarded entrance. Some might think I didn’t have a ton of experience with clubs, being a self-imposed recluse and all, but my temper had led me into one in New York. That had been two years ago. The last big city Mom and I had lived in. At fifteen, I’d ripped into the bouncer, beating him bad enough to put him in the hospital. I’d never reached my original target, some guy I hadn’t even known who I’d spotted walking in.

That no bouncer stood by the red double-doors to prevent underage entrance, and the fact that the her-herd’s car sat at the curb, meant this place welcomed underage derelicts of all kinds. I grinned to myself.

“Perfect.”

Grabbing the long gold handle, I let myself in.

High school aged kids filled the open space of the dimly lit main floor. No one turned to look as the door closed behind me. They continued to talk in groups while unusual music played in the background. I couldn’t exactly call it pop rock, even though it had that thumping beat, because of the soft, lilting voice that sang a song without apparent words. It had a slightly soothing quality, much like the singing I’d heard at the Academy by the pool.

Moving away from the door, I studied my surroundings. A wide loft wrapped around three of the four sides of the building and created a second floor that overlooked the first floor. Some kids hung around up there, sitting on stools along the red, iron rails and sipping drinks. Since couches and chairs outlined the open space of the main floor and a large, empty stage covered the back, the source of the drinks had to be up the stairs to my right.

I didn’t make it more than a step in that direction when a small, dark-blonde almost ran into me. The look of panic in her eyes robbed me of any annoyance. I grabbed her by the arms to steady her.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Not really. I need to get out of here.”

I looked around at the people behind her. No one seemed to be paying us any attention.

“Is someone bothering you?” Please say Aubrey, I thought.

“No. I’m just really, really hungry.” She leaned into me and inhaled deeply. That a girl two inches shorter and about twenty pounds lighter thought she’d make a meal out of me had me grinning.

She caught sight of my smile, pulled back, and blushed scarlet.

“I’m so sorry.” I could barely hear her soft apology over the music. “I shouldn’t have come here, but Adira said I needed the practice. I’m Eliana, by the way.”

“I’m Megan.”

“I know. New girl.”

Her gaze shifted from my face to something just over my shoulder.

“Oh, we get to watch the mating rituals of the unwanted and pathetic,” Aubrey said from behind me.

I curled my fist, ready to turn, but Eliana’s hand on my arm stopped me. Some of the anger that had welled up at the sound of Aubrey’s voice seeped away. I frowned at Eliana, and she immediately removed her hand.

The anger boiled forward again. Interesting.

I turned to Aubrey and cringed.

“This lighting is not kind to you at all,” I said. “I bet the boys you’re with have a lights off rule.”

Eliana made a choked sound behind me while Aubrey’s eyes narrowed.

“You know what I don’t like?” she said. Her low, threatening tone, likely meant to intimidate me, just egged me on.

“Wow,” I said with a laugh. “You must really like it when I piss you off.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Offering to tell me what you don’t like. Go ahead. Tell me. I’ll be sure to write it down so I know what to do next time we meet like this.”

She glared at me with so much malice, I thought she’d sprout claws then and there to rip my face off.

“I don’t like you.” Her clipped words were little more than growls.

I smiled sweetly.

“Perfect. I’ll be sure to stick around then.”

The door opened behind her, and she looked back. Her expression of anger changed to simpering desperation at the sight of Fenris. She rushed toward him to cling to his arm. She wasn’t the only one. The other girls quickly surrounded him as well.

“Hey, Megan,” he called with a wink.

Aubrey glared at me. I ignored her and smiled back at Fenris.

“Glad you finally found your way here,” he said, he and his group moving closer to us.

Aubrey bared her teeth at me in silent warning. That girl needed another punch, or seven, to the face, and I itched to deliver them.

Eliana reached forward and wrapped her hand around my fist. Unclenching my fingers, I held her hand, relieved when some of the anger once again melted away.

“Oh, you two are so pathetic,” Aubrey said, missing nothing.

Even Eliana’s presence couldn’t totally smother my desire to pummel Aubrey at that moment.

“Be nice, Aubrey,” Fenris scolded.

Aubrey’s haughty look turned to hurt. I didn’t feel an ounce of pity for her, though. In fact, the inexplicable dislike I’d had since meeting her only intensified with her next words.

“Fenris, there’s no need to give either of them social charity tonight. Let’s go dance.”

At the sound of heavy footfalls on the stairs behind us, I glanced over my shoulder, not ready to discover how it felt to be flicked by a giant. However, no giant descended the stairs. Just Oanen, putting a shirt on. Even in the dim lighting, I could clearly see each ridge of his six-pack. A very nice six-pack that I wouldn’t have minded staring at for just a few seconds longer.

When his head cleared his shirt, he looked right at me before shifting his gaze to Fenris’ group.

“Hey, Fenris,” he said after he reached the bottom.

“Oanen,” Fenris said in acknowledgment, his welcoming smile steady.

Oanen glanced at Eliana’s hand holding mine. I thought he might try to give us crap, too. Instead, his expression infinitesimally softened.

“You should have gotten me if you were hungry,” he said, focusing on Eliana.

“I’m not hungry.” Her quick reply made him scowl slightly. His deep blue gaze flicked to me.

“Can we go dance now?” Aubrey part whined and part cooed, drawing his attention and probably making glass shatter all the way in China. She needed to work on the cooing.

“Yeah,” Fenris agreed with his usual smile. “See you later, Oanen, Megan.”

Oanen waited until they walked away before speaking again.

“Do you want me to take you home?” His gaze stayed locked on Eliana.

“No. I’m okay. Really. I thought, maybe, I’d hang out with Megan for a bit?” Her fingers lightly squeezed mine, and I realized she wanted me to support the idea.

“Yeah. Sure.”

Oanen glanced at me before addressing Eliana again.

“Okay. Come get me when you’re ready to go home.”

What was with the boys here? Were they only allowed one facial expression? I liked Fenris’ easygoing smile better than Oanen’s deadpan.

Eliana tugged me across the room to a couch tucked in the shadows. Since I’d only been headed up the stairs to explore, I didn’t mind the change of destination. As we passed people, I could feel my bitchometer twitch, but nothing compared to what I felt for Aubrey.

“Let’s sit here,” Eliana said, releasing my hand and plopping on a couch.

The bitchometer immediately started climbing. I sat next to her and looked out at the groups.

“It’s a lot like human school,” she said. “There are cliques and groups. Fenris and his girls are kind of in their own group, but they get along with most others.”

“Most?”

“Yeah. Aubrey,” she said with a shrug. “Once you start looking at the groups, they’re pretty easy to figure out. Oanen would be part of the jocks. Aubrey is the leader of the mean girls’ club. There are those who are serious about excelling at the Academy, and those who are just there, riding it out while looking for a good time.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I know what it feels like to know absolutely nothing about them or yourself. But it doesn’t last long. The mentors at the Academy really will help guide you to the answers.”

I looked at her, trying to believe she was telling me the truth because I had so many questions. Like why she’d tried running out of here then changed her mind.

“Are you still hungry?”

She blushed slightly.

“Not as much. You helped when you looked at Oanen.”

“Huh?”

She blushed darker.

“Never mind.”

“So who is Oanen to you?” I asked since she brought him up. The way he’d seemed concerned about her hinted that she meant something to him.

Eliana scrunched up her cute, pixie-like face before answering.

“Keeper? Pretend brother?”

“Pretend?”

“We’re not the same kind,” she said with another blush. “Can we change the subject?”

“Sure.”

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Seventeen. You?”

“Sixteen. My mom brought me here when I was twelve. And immediately took off. I know it probably doesn’t feel like it, but it’s cool yours at least left you with a place to stay. I can’t wait to graduate and get back out into the human world. I miss gyros. What was your favorite food?”

And just like that, I knew I had a friend. It wasn’t because both our moms ditched us or because we had a similar love of gyros. It was because, when she’d mentioned her mom taking off, she’d noticed my hand curling into a fist and had changed the subject.

“Gyros are up there,” I said, answering her question, “but so are tacos and Hawaiian pizza.”

She groaned. “Why is it so impossible for the Academy to serve that kind of food?”

“What do they serve?”

“Nothing processed. They don’t understand that’s where all the flavor is. And it’s not like we can get sick from it like the humans.” She grinned at me, but the grin faded quickly when her gaze shifted to the right.

I turned my head, following the direction of her gaze, and found Aubrey glaring at us.

“What is her deal?” I asked.

“She’s territorial.” Eliana slapped her hands over her mouth and looked at me with wide eyes.

“I’m guessing that’s not nice to say because she’s a dog?”

Eliana snorted laughter behind her hands.

“I won’t judge,” I promised. “I think I’ve said worse to her.”

Eliana folded her hands in her lap and smiled at me.

“Yeah, I heard about what happened at school. I kind of wish I would have been there to see it.”

“It wasn’t that impressive. Now, had that giant actually head-flicked me, it might have turned into something more.”

“Finnegan is really nice. He just has a small crush on Aubrey.”

“I don’t know that there’s anything small about him. Even his crushes.”

She grinned.

“So tell me about Uttira. Is this the only place that’s open after seven?”

She laughed and shook her head.

“You just caught Uttira at the wrong time. Everyone’s prepping for the Fall Festival.”

“I read about it online. Is it fun?”

She shrugged and made a face that said it was anything but fun.

Someone walked over to our couch. I looked up and found Oanen standing over us.

“We gotta go,” he said, looking at Eliana.

“Okay.” She looked at me. “Do you need a ride?”