I turn to find a tall, thin blonde with long straight hair down to her waist. Her makeup is contoured to perfection, her nails manicured, and she’s wearing red-bottomed navy heels I know must cost a fortune from the old magazines Sadie and I would use to make paper dolls.
She’s surrounded by a group of similar manicured girls. A brunette with bouncy curls, brown eyes, and a lot of cleavage on show answersher. “It looks like a perfectly good seat for an academy student that was wasted on powerless trash.”
Holly laughs behind me, raising an eyebrow. “Powerless trash? Is that the best you could come up with? Her power level is probably higher than your whole posse combined.”
“Don’t start with her, Holly. I’ve dealt with this for four years, and it’s never worth it,” I whisper to her.
Turning around and throwing the snobby bitch a sneer, I stand up for myself as I always have. “If you want the seat so badly, take it. I’m sure it’s the only throne you’ll ever sit on.”
Brixton and Sly crack up, earning an icy stare from the bully in front of me.
I hear a sharp whistle from the front of the dining hall and turn to see Atticus Willshire leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking like this whole place is beneath him.
“Daphne, Camille, let’s go,” he snaps.
“Coming, babe,” the blonde responds to him from across the room. “Remember your place, sinless.” She turns and walks away, ducking under one of Atticus’s arms, with the brunette who called me trash taking his other arm.
It makes sense they’re Pride faction and with Atticus. Something sharp pulls at my chest.
He’s an asshole.I need to get myself together.
“The blonde is Daphne; her dad sits on Pride’s small council. The brunette is Camille; her father is the famous painter Vagar Dramir. Both rich and powerful. Clearly.” Tabby says like she has the inside scoop.
“How do you know all that?” Cleo asks her.
“I stayed at Pride Tower last night. This guy wouldn’t shut up about academy king prodigal son, Atticus Willshire. He said he sleeps with them both… like together.” She says with a scandalous look.
My chest feels like it is ripping open even more.
What is going on with me today? It must be all the traveling. Or the bagel?Are bagels weird here?
After the gasping and chatter about Atticus and his threesomes dies down, we all agree we should head to class and start grabbing our things.
“Hey, can you hang back for a minute?” Brixton says to me as the others wander toward the exit.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Thanks for not saying anything to them… you know, about my level.”
“Oh, no worries. I get it. Look at how the entire school is treating me. I don’t blame you for wanting to keep it to yourself,” I say.
“It’s not that. I just… I have a lot riding on me here. I need every advantage I can get. You know my sin power is common, and I’d like people to underestimate me for as long as possible.”
“Oh… okay. Well, your secret’s safe with me. I don’t have many friends to gab to, anyway. Don’t worry, Brixton.”
“Thanks. And…Brix.My friends call me Brix.”
8
Thou Shalt Not Bite the Mafia Boss (first)
Arwen
As I leave the dining hall, I glance at the class schedule Dean Bellows gave me. My first class is Faction Politics and Strategy 101. This should be interesting. I know almost nothing about the other factions.
I rush to the classroom number listed and walk in the door. The classroom is much larger than I’m used to and filled with rows of paired wooden desks, each set facing the front. It’s beautiful and fancy for a classroom. Natural light is pouring in through the large windows that frame the far wall.
I notice the various posters of familiar geography from my lessons back home, but the largest poster depicts our entire continent of Vail that dominates the entire front wall. I’ve never seen such a detailed map of our continent, showing all the territories and factions, with each region marked in vibrant colors.
