Cold Blood (5 page)

“
Tara, hang on, and I’ll walk with you,” she said without looking up.

“
Oh, I’ll walk her, Professor Flaherty.” A boy hung back in the doorway, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. He wore old jeans – not ratty, but worn and comfortable, and a shirt that said something about the 17
^th
annual science fair scrawled on it. His backpack was filled to overflowing and looked like it weighed more than he did.

“
Mr. Sandefur,” Professor Flaherty said, barely glancing over before going back to her search. "That’s fine. I’ll be there in a minute.”

I followed the boy out but kept my distance, unsure why he was being so nice after the way the rest of the kids had acted.

“
Hey, I’m Logan,” he said, extending his hand.

I shook it, still skeptical. “Tara.”

“
I know. The battle grounds are this way,” he said, setting off on a narrow path that led into the trees.

I hesitated.

He stopped and walked back over to me. “If I’m lying, you could probably take me in a fight,” he said. “I’m just saying, if that makes you feel better.”

I considered that. “Okay, let’s go.”

He smiled, and a tiny dimple appeared in his cheek above his lip. I smiled back, an automatic gesture, and let Logan lead the way down the narrow path. I was half tempted to turn and look for Professor Flaherty behind us, just to be sure, but I didn’t. I’d made the decision to trust someone on the basis of a dimple, and I couldn’t turn back now.

The air was cooler in the cover of the trees. I was glad I still had my hoodie and pulled it tighter across my abdomen and zipped it up. I glanced up at the thick green canopy of leaves – mostly pine needles –and branches that dimmed the sunlight. The contrast of the rich green against the brown bark was mesmerizing. I breathed in deeply, and the scent of dirt and moss filled my head. It made me think of Wes and the goodbye we’d had in the trees behind my house.

Wanting to push the image away, I turned my attention back to the path in front of me and saw that the trees were breaking up ahead. Logan stepped off the path and pushed his way through light bushes, into a clearing. I stepped through behind him and saw that he hadn’t deceived me after all. The rest of the class was all assembled, broken into little groups and talking and laughing.

“
Thanks,” I said.

“
Don’t mention it. Sucks being the new kid,” said Logan.

“
How do you know?”

“
I was it last year. Not fun. I had to buy new underwear five times. Eventually I just carried it in my backpack so they couldn’t get to it.”

I looked at him with wide eyes, unable to bring myself to ask why he’d needed new underwear. Maybe I didn’t want to know.

Behind us, Professor Flaherty appeared with an armload of files and notebooks. She dropped it all onto the ground with a thud and picked up the stopwatch lying on the top of the pile.

“
All right, everyone. Find your sparring partners,” she called.

The cliques broke up and everyone lined up, pairing up in a way that let me know they’d done this before. Logan moved away and went to stand in front of a boy with skinny jeans and a purple tee shirt with a picture of black piano keys trailing diagonally across the fabric. He looked bored, but Logan shot me a dimpled grin and crouched into a ready position. I stood back near the edge of the clearing, waiting to see what would happen next. Professor Flaherty came up beside me.

“
Tara, I understand you’ve never had any proper combat or self-defense training, so for today, I will allow you to observe. By Monday I expect you to be ready to join the class.” She turned to face the rest of the class without waiting for an answer. “Jeremy, you can call it today."

A blond boy with big arms stepped forward and then turned to face the rest of his classmates. Geez, was everyone here pretty? Professor Flaherty waited until Jeremy was in place and then called out, “Warm ups. Begin.”

I started to argue and tell her that I didn’t need to watch; that despite my lack of training, I could handle myself just fine. That I’d had proper training, because Jack was a better fighter than half the people here, probably. Then I saw the rest of the class begin to move, and I realized how petty and dumb I would’ve sounded.

Instead of ripping into each other in mock combat, they stood facing front and in perfect harmony began moving their bodies. Jeremy called out various poses or positions and everyone responded by throwing their bodies that way. It looked like a combination of kung-fu and power yoga. I’d never seen anything like it. I clamped my mouth closed and watched.

“
Forward thrust,” called Jeremy.

In response, the entire class’ right fists shot out. Only, it wasn’t a normal punch. It looked graceful and powerful. Even their legs moved in sync as one came forward to balance the other, their knees bending in exactly the same place.

“
Back block,” Jeremy called.

Everyone’s hands thrust backward, bent at the elbows, accompanied by a collective grunt at the force put into the move. All I could do was stare, in fascination and dread. There was no way I’d be able to learn this crap in three days. They looked like the karate kid army.

When the warm ups were over – and I knew they were because all movement ceased, and Jeremy stepped back in a stiff military march – Professor Flaherty addressed the class.

“
It looks good, guys. We’re going to use the rest of the class for one-on-one practice. I want you to find a way to use as many of the warm ups as you can, in your defensive moves. Give each other breaks as needed and go easy. I do not want any more strained backs, like last week.” A few chuckles went around but they faded quickly as everyone readied themselves. “Begin.”

It was a blur of blocked punches and deflected kicks. No one wasted time in pretending to attack each other, and from where I stood, no one held back, either. There were grunts and hard breaths, evidence of the fact that full force was given to every attempted attack. I glanced over at Logan and his music-loving partner. Whatever expression of boredom the kid had worn before was gone, replaced by grim concentration as he managed to duck and block Logan’s attack. From what I could tell, blocking was about all he had time for; Logan was a blur of hands and feet.

A hand pressed lightly on my arm, and I looked up. Professor Flaherty was watching me, a glint in her green eyes. “A lot to take in. Then again, from what I saw, you’ll pick it up in no time.”

“
You mean at the warehouse? Thanks, but this is something different. This is more… controlled,” I finally said, still watching the fights.

“
Control is learned over time, with practice. You seem to have the talent you need to get there.”

“
Maybe.” I looked back at her. “Not like you, though. You were amazing. I couldn’t believe how fast you moved.”

She smiled. “It was refreshing to be able to get out there and practice what I preach. Good exercise. You weren’t so bad yourself.”

“
I don’t know. Alex had to save my butt in there. If he hadn’t…”

“
Everyone needs a wingman once in a while. You’re lucky to have Alex as a trainer. He’s one of the best at this school.”

“
Is that why he got stuck training me?”

She smiled, but her eyes were hard and no longer on me. “Being the best has its price.”

Chapter Five

When class ended, Logan appeared at my side looking winded and happy with himself. He slung his bag over his shoulders and let it settle into place before attempting to walk with it. “So what did you think? Are we any match for you?”

It took me a second to realize he was teasing. Before I could answer, his partner trudged past, shooting him a dirty look.

“
What happened to going easy, Sandefur?”

Logan shrugged, which seemed difficult under the weight he carried. “Guess I was in a mood.”

The kid stalked off, but not before turning his glare on me. I did my best to ignore it and followed Logan onto the path, relieved he’d waited until the rest of the class had gone ahead to head back.

“
You were really good,” I said as we walked.

He laughed. “Justin spends too much time reading comics and not enough time in the gym. Besides, this class is pretty easy. Wait until we get to Combat Strategy next year. I hear that one’s pretty tough.”

“
How is that one different?”

“
This one is basically hand to hand wrestling. Straightforward attack and defend. Combat Strategy gives you situations where you have to plan and strategize how to get your enemy where you want them, for the easiest kill or best outcome. I hear there’s a lot of one-on-three and stuff like that.”

“
Wow,” I said, shaking my head and feeling completely out of my league. I should’ve realized it would be like this, a sort of military feel to the way they did things, what with a Hunter’s basic life goal being to learn to kill, but I hadn’t expected to feel so… inadequate. I thought I’d reached a point where my fighting skills were decent enough. Apparently, I was still a beginner.

The greens of the leaves began to lighten and the filtering sunlight shown through more and more, signaling that we were getting closer to school. It still felt cool, but I could feel my body already acclimating. I didn’t need the hoodie wrapped quite so tight anymore. The cool felt good. The air was refreshing against my skin. One thing to like so far, compared to home: class outside. Not a very long list.

“
You okay?” Logan asked, pulling me out of my thoughts as we stepped clear of the trees. Someone had left the classroom door propped open, and I concentrated on that instead of meeting his eyes.

“
Yeah, I’m fine. Just hungry.” Half-truth. I really was starving. That greasy breakfast sandwich I’d eaten earlier was long gone.

“
Well, then, you’re in for a treat. One thing I can say for Wood Point: the food is the best.”

We passed through the now empty classroom and out into the hall. The press of bodies, and the buzz of voices, animated now that there was a break in class, reminded me of my high school back home; or any high school for that matter.

A shoulder slammed into mine, jarring me. I backed up a step from the impact and looked up into a blond halo of hair and a sugary smile that dripped acid. It was the girl from the courtyard. A couple of her brunette followers flanked her. None of them looked sorry, or surprised, that she’d run into me.

“
Oops, I didn’t see you there,” she said, her smile pasted on. She moved away, but not before I heard her turn to her minions and say, “you know dogs, always underfoot.”

My jaw fell open in surprise. For a moment, I was too stunned to react. Despite everything I’d already seen and heard that morning, no one had said anything to my face. Until now. I bit back on my temper as I watched her fade into the throng of moving bodies and disappear down the hall.

“
Who was that?” I asked, concentrating on Logan’s face, and trying to resist the urge to run after the blond and take a chunk of that pretty hair out of her head. I balled my hands into fists and squeezed.

“
Victoria Lexington,” said Logan in a tight voice. “Her father is on the Board for the school and a member of the Commission. Her mother does charity work for Hunter organizations.”

“
Commission?” The words weren’t making sense, maybe because I wanted to take a bite out of Victoria Lexington’s face.

Logan raised an eyebrow underneath his baseball cap. “The Commission of Hunter Affairs and Security.” He spoke slowly, like he was speaking to a toddler. “You’ve seriously never heard of it?”

I shook my head.

“
Wow. So you really weren’t told anything?”

“
How do you know what I was told?”

Logan ducked his head, looking guilty. “It’s hard not to hear things." He gestured at the bodies around us.

I nodded. I could understand that.

We made our way past the large entrance doors and up the wide set of stairs I’d seen earlier. At the top was another hallway and in front of us, a set of heavy double doors, propped open. Through them I could see a large, open room with tables set in loose rows. Kids talked and laughed, their voices drifting out in a collective boom. Running the length of one wall sat a long counter lined with various food choices and kids browsing the entrée selections as they slid trays along towards the end.

“
Come on,” said Logan, stepping through the doors and veering off to the right to join the buffet line.

I followed and fell in line behind him, taking the empty tray he offered. I pushed forward and stopped again, eyeing a steaming bin of chicken Alfredo that smelled as good as it looked. Next to it stood a simmering pot of vegetable soup, with rolls that looked shiny and freshly baked, instead of dull and browned, like my old high school’s version. The smell alone was enough to convince me that it was edible. I hesitated, craning my neck to see what was up ahead. My stomach growled.

A tray bumped into mine and I noticed a tanned arm holding the tray next to mine. My eyes traveled up, following the arm to the body it belonged to. It was the brown haired jock from my Defensive Maneuvers class; the one who’d thrown the rock. He was wearing a dark green jacket that was definitely school issued, for sports, and had that permanent wet-hair look you got from wearing too much gel.

“
Hey,” he said, leaning towards me with a too-wide smile.

“
Hi.”

“
Tara, right? I’m Levi.” He didn’t offer his hand, just leaned in closer and leered at me.

“
Nice to meet you,” I mumbled.

“
So, listen. My friends over there.” He pointed behind him to a table by the window where a group of look-alike jocks were watching and listening. “We’re a little confused about something and wondering if you could help us out.”

“
Okaay,” I said, drawing out the word.

“
So, you’re like half-Werewolf right?”

“
Yeah.” I didn’t see a point in denying it. Everyone already knew.

He leaned closer. “Well, my friend Dave says that wolves are in the dog family or whatever. So what we want to know is, does that mean you do it doggy style?”

The entire table erupted in hoots and laughter while I stood there, glaring back at jock boy and gripping my tray with white knuckles. I could feel the burn in my cheeks, and I knew he could see it, but he kept playing into it. He gave an overly dramatic shrug, for the benefit of our audience, and then looked back at his friends. Hot tears blurred my vision and I blinked them back. I bit my lip until I tasted blood; I refused to give them a reaction.

“
She’s pleading the fifth I guess,” he called.

When it was clear I wasn’t going to be any more fun for him, he picked up his tray and went around me to pay for his food before heading for his table. A few more kids copied and darted around me to get through the line. I didn’t move until a hand fell over my arm; I jolted even though the touch was light and the hand jerked away. I looked up at Logan.

He didn’t say anything, and I was grateful for the silence. We started moving towards the cashier and paid for our meals. I kept my back to the rest of the cafeteria as we inched forward, unsure who else might’ve witnessed the side show I’d become. I managed to get myself composed enough that I was almost sure I wouldn’t have a break down until we found a place to sit, and turned to follow Logan to a table. Some kids at a nearby table stared at me and whispered, but I forced myself to ignore them and scanned for a seat. A body stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the room and cutting me off from Logan. I looked up and focused on an already sickeningly familiar face.

Victoria Lexington stood in my path.

“
We don’t serve doggie biscuits so you might as well stop looking,” she said.

Something tenuous snapped inside me and I felt the humiliation give way to anger, hot and liquid in my veins. I was not going down like this, not on my first day.

“
You would know. I hear you answer to bitch,” I snapped at her. I gripped my tray with both hands and tried not to shake.

Victoria’s eyes narrowed at my words and she glanced around before focusing even more intently on me. She was clearly unaccustomed to being challenged. “You might be half-Werewolf, but you are not the alpha here,” she said, taking a step closer.

“
What is your problem? You don’t even know me.”

“
You are the problem. You think a little bit of palm greasing can open any door. As if having money gives you the right to be here. While I can admire that trait, there are limits to where you’re power can reach. ”

“
What are you talking about?”

“
Don’t play dumb. You think you’re so much better than everyone here, but you’re not. You’re a dirty blood and should be banned from school and from… life.” Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and stalked off – towards the table at the window.

My eyes began to blur and I blinked back tears, mortified that they were there in the first place. I was not that girl; the girl that cried in the lunch room in front of the whole school. I blinked faster. I didn’t even have to look around to know that every single face in the room was fastened on me.

A tense few seconds passed with no sound, and then gradually the background noise returned and people went back to their conversations. The faces closest to me looked disappointed that nothing more had happened than words exchanged.

“
Rough day?”

The tears cleared, and my eyes focused on a girl. She had midnight black hair that was all swept up in a messy-but-chic bun except for her bangs which hung down on one side of her face, completely covering one eye. The exposed eye was darkly lined and had a thin splash of glitter underneath. She wore the strappiest heels I’d ever seen that laced all the way up to just below her knees, and her arms were covered in some sort of lacy material that stopped a few inches above her elbow. The whole thing should have been Goth, but on her it was exotic–and hip. Sam would’ve loved it.

“
Um, you could say that,” I said, realizing she was still waiting for an answer. I probably should’ve been suspicious that she was even talking to me, but I was too exhausted to be on my guard right now. It would’ve been the perfect time to finish taking me down.

The dark haired girl nodded and eyed me. She brought a hand up and swept her long bangs out of her eyes in a careless gesture that made me think she’d done it a million times. Within seconds her bangs had reverted right back, concealing her forehead and almost all of one eye. She ignored it and nodded for me join her.

“
Come on. You can sit with me,” she said.

“
Oh, uh, thanks, but I think I’m sitting with Logan,” I said. I gestured to Logan, who’d all but disappeared into the background during my face off with Victoria and was now inching his way back to this side of the salad bar.

“
Hey Logan. You wanna break bread together with new girl?”

Logan shrugged. “Sure.”

The girl beamed at me. “I vote for a picnic. You?”

“
Sounds amazing,” I agreed. I readjusted my backpack higher on my shoulder and followed her out the door.

We were halfway to the stairs when, without warning, she stopped and turned to face me. I tensed at her sudden movement, but her expression was friendly and easy. “Geez, how rude am I? Not even intro’ing myself properly. I’m Cambria.”

“
I’m–”

“
Tara, I know. Oh, sorry I interrupted. I’m horrible about that. But I know who you are. Everyone knows who you are. Dude, you killed like a hundred Werewolves AND that Leo guy.”

I shifted my tray, unsure how to respond, especially after all of the comments I’d heard so far. “I’m sure I didn’t kill a hundred–”

“
Okay, maybe it was like twenty, but that’s what kids are saying. Doesn’t matter. Still badass. Especially since you’ve never trained. Which, by the way, is lucky. I mean, do you know how early we have to get up?”

When she stopped, I wasn’t sure if it was to let me answer her question or to take a breath. Before I could figure her out, she cocked her head to the side, letting her bangs fall away from her face, and stared at me quizzically.

“
You should eat,” she said firmly, like that was her official diagnosis.

We headed down the stairs and out the front door, ending up in the courtyard I’d come through that morning with Alex. There were a few groups of kids scattered around, eating and hanging out. I got stares and dirty looks but not all of them were aimed at me. Some were aimed at Cambria and Logan.

We sat on the grass, under the cover of a hedge trimmed to look like a bear, and I popped the top on my soda. The ground was cold, but not uncomfortable, and the grass was dry, at least. Either way, it was a million times better than eating in the cafeteria.