I didn’t even flinch. I relaxed into her embrace and let myself enjoy her warmth. It was funny. I had no idea where she was from, what race she was, or how she’d stepped through a doorway of light. But I liked her. I actually liked all of the Darkens. Except Lexen. He was staying under the category of asshole.
Who provided food. And occasional comfort.
On the drive to school I wolfed my sandwich down. It was delicious: fresh bread, chicken breast, sundried tomatoes, and some creamy pesto sauce.
That was it, it was decided … I wanted to be rich. Just for the food and clothes.
We passed one of the school buses and I wondered if Cara was on there. She was probably wondering where the hell I was. I had no idea how I was going to explain this to her today, showing up with the Darkens.
I decided to ask the ones used to keeping secrets.
Marsil answered first: “You can’t tell her the truth. Our council takes security very seriously. There are humans who know about us, of course – quite a lot, but it’s not general knowledge. They want to keep it that way.”
“How is that possible?” I asked, my thoughts from last night returning with full force. “In this day of technology, it’s hard to keep a small secret, let alone something of this scale.”
Jero let out one of those drawling laughs. “Trust me, there’s not a piece of technology we can’t manipulate. Any information to hit the net about us is destroyed before it can be viewed.”
And yet, somehow, things got through to Michael. Definitely a setup.
“So what do I tell my friends when they ask?” Because they were totally going to ask.
There was a beat of silence. “Tell them we met on Daelight Crescent, that we hit it off and are now best friends,” Star suggested, shrugging. “That’s true, as far as I’m concerned.”
I nodded. “They’re going to grill me hard about you four. The elite are a big topic of conversation among the lower class.”
“Lower class?” Star sounded astonished.
“We’ve been segregated,” I told her, my voice flat. “We even have different colored cards so that no one can miss it.” I whipped out my scholarship ID.
I heard her huff, and turned in my seat to see her glaring at Lexen. “That better not be your idea, Lex.”
He indulged her in one of his rare, slow smiles, and I almost died. Legit, it was touch and go there for a second as my heart went into some sort of tachycardia rhythm.
“Humans like to know their place. It gives them a sense of purpose to understand how everything works. There are only a few who don’t follow the path of the rest. We don’t segregate them. They do that all on their own.”
I translated that to “humans were sheep.” The school was probably run by humans, and these supernaturals reaped the benefits of their stupidity. We were always the makers of our own destruction. History showed that, over and over again.
Pulling into the parking lot now, I wished there was a way for me to sneak inside without the full attention that was going to come from a scholarship kid hanging with the elite. They had rules. I had broken one of them last night when I crossed the street, and now the entire balance was thrown off.
I was probably going to destroy the school somehow.
Lexen pulled into the same spot as yesterday. His spot, no doubt. Which, by the way, did not have his name written on it, but I would bet it was always free for him. When the car was off, he turned to address everyone: “Emma is our mission today. We do not let her out of our sight. One of us must be with her at all times. The council was adamant that we keep her safe until we find the guardians. Am I clear?”
Three heads gave a single nod. I crossed my arms, trying not to let my annoyance rise to my face. I knew I didn’t have a say, but that didn’t make me any less frustrated by the babysitting duties. Plus, part of me was kinda relieved that I had backup in these uncertain times. Somethinghadhappened to my family, and I was in no position to deal with these “bad” supernaturals. Whoever they were.
Truthfully, I had no reason to complain about being stuck with the Darkens. My belly was full, my clothes were clean, and I had a ride to school for once. If they could find Sara and Michael, then my life would be pretty darn awesome.
When Lexen opened his door, the rest of us followed. Eyes were on us immediately – eyes were always on the Darkens. The moment students realized I was in their midst, I felt the shock ripple through the crowd. Even avoiding their gazes, I couldn’t unhear the gasps.
I kept my head down, staring at my feet as we walked along the front path and into the main building. I didn’t notice at first, because my feet were so fascinating, but Marsil and Jero had closed in on either side of me, protecting me with their bodies. Lexen was behind, and I couldfeelhim there at my back. Star was chatting away, walking a little in front of me.
“Humans are fascinating,” she chirped. “Lexen was so right. Look at the way they congregate in their little groups. They even look alike.”
She was pointing at a small group of kids who, despite the uniform, still managed to show their emo slash goth fashion tendencies with thick eyeliner, black nails, and somber attitudes. I quickly reached out and grabbed her forearm, pulling it down to her side. “Maybe … don’t point straight at them.Humans…” I lowered my voice dramatically, “don’t like being pointed at like that.”
Marsil chimed in then, his voice tinged with humor: “They also don’t like being referred to ashumans.”
“Yeah, it kinda gives away your otherness—”
