Forsaken (8 page)

             
“Stasia!  Wake up, you crazy turtle girl!” Phoebe stood over me with a big, goofy grin on her face. “Good, you’re awake!  It’s brownie-thirty, plus, our class schedules came a little while ago!”  She ran off and I closed my eyes, head full of confusion from the dream I just had.  Was that real?  Or was it a really just a dream?  It sure felt real.  And what if it was?  Who were those two women?  What were they talking about?  My heart rate spiked again as I remembered the second part of my dream and who was a part of it.

             
The smell of brownies dragged me out of my own thoughts and I sat down clumsily on one of the stools at the bar.  Carmen handed me an envelope.

“Happy new school year”
she said sarcastically and dug into a fudge brownie.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think Willow was trying to fatten us up.  I opened the envelope and took a look at my schedule for this semester. 

              1
st
period:   Stark Bldg/Room 232              Greek Literature

             
2
nd
period:  Lassiter Bldg/Room 134               Geometry II

             
3
rd
period:   Elan Bldg/Room 220               History of the Orders

             
4
th
period                                                         LUNCH

             
5
th
period:   Harlow Bldg/Room 312               Marine Biology II

             
6
th
period:   Elan Bldg/Room 126              Oceanic Experience

              “What’s Oceanic Experience?” I asked whoever might be listening.

             
“Is that on your schedule?” Carmen ripped the paper out of my hand, “That’s an advanced level class!  How’d you get that if you just got here?” 

             
“I have no idea,” I insisted, “So, what is it?”  Before she could answer, another hand grabbed my schedule.

             
“You have Greek Lit with me and Carmen!” Phoebe bounced up and down. “Hey Willow, don’t you have History 3
rd
period?”

             
“I think so,” Willow looked up from her brownie.

             
“Thank goodness, because I have no idea how to find these buildings.” I had been secretly hoping my roommates would be in some of my classes for that very reason.

             
Phoebe put an arm around my shoulder, “Don’t worry, we won’t let you get too lost.”

             
“Just a little bit lost, right?” I teased her.

             
“Right.  I take no responsibility for rogue hot guys that cause me to veer off course, or the occasional stampede in stairwells.  In those cases, you’re on your own.”  She gave a salute and went back to her brownie.

             
“Comforting.” I smiled and shook my head.

              I tried on half of my wardrobe the next morning, hoping to find the perfect outfit for the first day of classes.  I finally settled on a pair of navy blue shorts, a flowing white, silk top and some silver gladiator sandals.  I added some jewelry, took one last look in the mirror, and met the other girls in the living room.

             
Carmen, Phoebe, and I walked toward our first class, while Willow headed off in another direction.  They had tried to map everything out for me last night, and said we’d meet after classes and at lunch.  Hopefully by the next day, I’d be self-sufficient. I had an uncanny ability for getting lost, so I wasn’t getting my hopes up. I only prayed my other ‘abilities’ were more useful.

             
  The first three classes went off without a hitch, just the normal first day technicalities.  With my roommates in some of my classes, I felt a little more at ease.  But I was still slightly distracted, trying to guess which Order every person I came in contact with belonged to.  The Sons of Daimon and some of the Tritons were obvious, but the others were more difficult to pinpoint.  When 4
th
period came around and it was time for lunch, Willow and I strolled over to a place called The Hole.  Not until we had reached our destination, did I understand the name.  It was a sunken rectangular area in the middle of campus, with two more recesses acting as steps.  It was about the size of a football field, with different sized tables for eating, each with an umbrella to shield its inhabitants from the summer sun.  There were beautiful stone planters that carved out walkways throughout the entire area, overflowing with orchids, calla lilies, and hydrangeas. Surrounding The Hole were small shops with different food vendors; pizza, sandwiches, Chinese food, sushi, salads…you name it and they had it.  The smells alone made my mouth water.  After grabbing some sandwiches, we spotted Carmen and Phoebe at a table next to a stone fountain housed in a small pond with brightly colored fish. 

             
“Hey you guys!” Phoebe tore her eyes away from her pizza long enough to acknowledge us. “What do you think of The Hole, Stasia?”  We took a seat opposite her and Carmen.

             
“Definitely an upgrade from a high school cafeteria” I answered.  And that was an understatement. 

             
“Definitely an upgrade,” Carmen agreed.

             
“Why, thank you,” replied a guy’s deep voice. “I have on a new shirt and got a haircut yesterday, so I know I’m looking good, but upgrade is quite the compliment.” We all looked up in surprise at the two guys standing beside our table.  From the horrified look on Carmen’s face, I made the assumption the guy who spoke up was her crush, Logan.  He had light brown hair that had been styled in that just-ran-my fingers-through-my-hair look that was actually a spent-thirty-minutes-in-the-mirror-styling-my-hair look.  He was tall, built like a quarterback and good looking in a pretty-boy kind of way. 

“Got room for two more?” a
sked the second guy.  He was a little more rugged, with brown hair and a trace of stubble on his face as if shaving were too much of an effort that morning.  Sleepy green eyes and dimples made him look younger than he really was.  His faded green t-shirt showed the muscles in his arms as he and Logan took a seat.  I immediately filed them away into the Triton category.

“I’m Noah”
the green shirt guy said as he shook my hand.  It was strong and warm around my much smaller one.  He grinned and his dimples deepened.  A nervous tickle ran through me.

“
I’m Stasia.”

“And I’m afraid ya’ll weren’t th
e upgrade we were talking about,” Carmen threw out at them playfully, “It’s gonna take more than a new shirt and haircut to impress us.” 

“Clearly
,” Noah commented, eyes still on me. 

Logan cleared
his throat, “You must be Stasia.”

“That’s me
,” I realized he hadn’t told me his name. “And you are….?”

“Incredibly annoying
,” filled in Carmen, while Logan gave her a playful pinch on the arm, “See?  Proves my point,” she grinned back at him.

“I’m Logan
,” he said to me, confirming my suspicions, then went back to pinching Carmen’s arm.  Willow was right, he was definitely into her.   All of the sudden, I got that feeling of being watched again and my eyes locked in on the culprit, sitting about three tables away with two other dark haired guys.  The world stopped mid-spin and everyone else disappeared.  He held my gaze with confidence.

Hi.
He mouthed. 

Hi.
  I felt my lips move in response, although I didn’t remember telling them to do so.  I also didn’t remember telling my cheeks to grow warm, but that’s exactly what they were doing.  His dark features contrasted with the brightness of The Hole, taking my breath away.  It was as if he didn’t belong in the sun, among the flowers. His face was unreadable except for a slight grin lifting one corner of his mouth.  He had an air of self assurance and purpose that wouldn’t release my attention. I felt myself being sucked into a world where only he and I existed. A world I never wanted to leave.  Overwhelmed by his intense gaze and the frenzy of feelings running through my body, I looked down at my food to get a grip on reality. 

“Right, Stasia?”
I heard Phoebe ask and everyone looked at me expectantly.

“Uh…what did you say?”
I squeaked, feeling shaken.

“That we would see them at the bonfire
tomorrow.” She winked and Carmen’s eyes were practically begging for me to agree. 

“Oh, yea…sure
, we’ll be there.” I glanced back up at his table, but to my surprise they were gone.  I swept The Hole with my eyes but didn’t find a trace of them.  Then like a wrecking ball, another thought occurred to me.  His face had been flawless.  No bruised eye or deep gashes like I had witnessed last night.  So, does that mean they really were just dreams?  Disappointment wrapped around my heart.  Even though they’re usually frightening, I’d come to enjoy his nightly appearances.  And he saved my life.  He seemed to recognize me, too.  How do you explain that? 

I notice
d Willow peering at me with a concerned expression, so I plastered a smile on my face to reassure her that I was fine.  I was hoping it could also reassure me I wasn’t losing my mind over a certain dark haired, blue eyed guy. It was almost time for 5
th
period, so we gathered our stuff and stood.

“I’
m glad you got to meet me,” Logan smiled at me, “See ya around.”

Noah laid
a hand on my arm and I retreated from his touch, surprised with his sudden closeness. “I’ll see you at the bonfire, Stasia.” He gave me a dimpled smile and strode off with Logan.

“Looks like somebody has an admirer
.” Willow grinned at me.

“He’s just being nice, that’s all
,” I brushed off her comment.

Carmen laughed
. “Whatever. No guy looks at a girl like that if he’s just being
nice.
”

“She
’s right.  He totally wants you.  He’s probably thinking of ways to get you alone at the bonfire already.”  Phoebe wiggled her eyebrows at me again.

I roll
ed my eyes at them and headed to Marine Biology, praying I didn’t get lost.  After a couple of false attempts, I made it to the right room and took the last seat available.   Which also happened to be right beside the evil queen herself.  Olivia dissected me with a scrutinizing look and whispered something to the girl in front of her.  I had a feeling they weren’t discussing how to solve world hunger.  Especially when they both glanced back at me and kept whispering.  What was this, third grade?  If it were, I would definitely give her a wet willy right in the ear.  The thought made me smile and I turned my attention to the teacher.  I almost fell out of my chair.

“
My name is Isadora Dixon.” There was an undercurrent of a threat in her introduction.  “You will
not
call me by my first name, you
will
raise your hand if you have something to say, and I will
not
tolerate tardiness.” She glared right at me and I shifted restlessly in my seat, fighting the urge to run out of the door as fast as possible.  She was one of the women from my dream.  Dark, curly hair rested on her shoulders and her green eyes were boring into mine.  Her left eye seemed to twitch, and then she addressed the rest of the class. “Is that understood?” Mumbles of agreement came from my classmates.  I was too shocked to move or say a word.  I remained that way throughout her lecture and the assigning of the homework.  More groans from the class and finally 5
th
period was over.  I raced out of the room. 

I
let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, as I found the girl’s bathroom down the hall.   I splashed cold water on my face and looked up to see my bright turquoise eyes staring back at me in the mirror, stricken with panic.  Does she know that I heard them talking last night?  Could she have seen me?  Should I tell Kira?  Can I trust Kira?  Unfortunately, I didn’t have long to think about it because a group of girls walked into the bathroom.  I made my exit, not wanting an audience.  I just needed to get through one more class.  I could do this.  Then I could freak out in the privacy of my own bedroom.

I mad
e it to Harlow Building and into my next class with time to spare.  I had to look at the number on the door twice to make sure I was in the right place.  Instead of desks, there were ten substantial tables, each holding a large, square container made of glass. Walking down the center aisle, I noticed they were each about a foot deep and completely filled with water.  I chose one at random and took a seat behind it.  The chairs were tall, cushioned and even twisted back and forth. I settled into mine and watched the water as it gently rolled back and forth within the container.  Completely mesmerized, I didn’t hear him until he was already sitting in the chair beside me.

“You could cause a flood doing th
at, you know.”  Even though I’d heard his voice many times in my dreams, I still wasn’t prepared to hear it in real life.  My eyes met his, my heartbeat kicked into overdrive and I struggled to keep my voice steady. 

“I’
m not doing that.” Brilliant answer.

“Of course you are
.” He grinned at me like he knew a secret.  I was just trying to remember how to breathe.  “Who else do you think is doing it?”

“
How do I know you aren’t doing it?” Another award-winning answer.

He smiled and twisted
in his chair to face me.  His dark hair was swept across his forehead, threatening to fall into his blue eyes that were currently watching me with amusement.  He was wearing a fitted dark gray t-shirt, jeans that were snug in all the right places, and flip flops.  The sun had turned his skin a golden tan that made his eyes look even bluer.  I was momentarily distracted by the muscles in his arms as they flexed when he turned toward me.  His smile widened and his eyes lit up with mischief.  Once again I felt like I’d missed the punch line to a joke I never heard. 

“What
are you grinning about?” I asked, wondering what could be so entertaining about me.

Instead of answering
, he asked me a question of his own, “Do you know that aquamarine represents foresight and courage?”

“
Aquamarine?” I asked with confusion.

“
The color of your eyes.” I froze.  He paused, then continued, his tone suddenly serious, “Do you have foresight and courage, Anastasia?” The profound way he looked into my eyes had my palms sweating. 

“How do you know my name?”
I asked, feeling a little lightheaded.

“Everyone knows your name.”
Leaning forward, his knee brushed mine and I was all too aware of how close he was.  His face darkened.

“Stay away from the
light station, Stasia,” he whispered. “People get hurt there. It’s dangerous.” I couldn’t tell if it was a warning or a threat, but he was searching my face for an answer.

“
What light station?” was all I could manage to say under the weight of his stare.  So he did see me.  This earth shattering revelation almost unraveled me right there in front of him.  Did that mean he remembered all of the other dreams, too? 

His lips form
ed a slight smirk and his eyes sparkled. I could tell I was amusing him again, apparently a new talent of mine. Mrs. Wyatt chose that very moment to begin class, so I turned my attention to the front of the room, still a little shaken from his sinister tone.

“For the first week
, we will remain indoors and then apply what we’ve learned in the actual ocean during the second week.” I perked up at this while she continued, “Throughout this class, the things we will work on could be potentially dangerous,” I thought I heard a snicker beside me, “So, I expect your full attention at all times.  My hope is that you will learn a great deal, as well as have a little fun” She winked at us and I decided I liked her. 

She
passed around an outline of what we’d cover throughout the semester, but my mind kept wandering to the much more intriguing mystery sitting beside me.  He’d been in my dreams for years, but I didn’t even know his name.  With a sideways glance, a gasp escaped my lips.  A black skull and crossbones trace adorned the muscle on his forearm.  It moved slightly as he tapped his fingers on the table, making it appear even more menacing.  Did every Son of Daimon have the same trace?  I assumed that’s the order he belonged to.  But considering I didn’t even know his name, it was hard to assume much of anything.