"Oh that, yeah, we talked. We"re picking him up on the way to school." Amber grins but keeps her head facing forward. We pull into a neighborhood with a discreet sign that simply reads Kings Row. We take the second street on our right, its vast front yards and tall pine trees reminds me why I don"t like cookie cutter houses. They never get the character captured within their walls, not the way a good old-fashioned ranch house. The GPS announces *YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION" just as we pull up to a simple brick house.
He is standing on the porch with his backpack over his shoulder and impatient expression on his face. I notice he doesn"t have his hoodie on today. His Polo fits him snug, showing off his lack of body fat.
"Hey, thanks girls. I"ll jump in the back, you don"t have to move Jessie," he says and climbs into the backseat.
Amber tosses the paper bag to Thorne, "we got you some breakfast."
I look over at her, and she gives me one of her famous Amber smirks. She did not just give her breakfast to him. It"s moments like these that I wish I had telepathy with her. I am, however, thankful that I don"t have a ticket to her thoughts. I shiver...scary thought.
Caleb is getting out of his car as we pull into a parking slot. Okay, I did not see that coming. Caleb thinks to me as he approaches my side of the Jeep.
Me either. I didn"t find out until we were on our way to his house. "Can you help me with my locker? I keep messing up with the combination I guess. I couldn"t ever get it opened up yesterday, remember."
Thorne told Amber thank you as he headed off towards the side of the building. Caleb took my hand and led me to my locker. We walked past a girl who looked familiar, but I couldn"t place the face. "Was that girl at your dad"s house?"
"The girl we just walked past? No, that"s Darla, the girl from Union Point. She"s the preacher"s daughter."
Funny how people look so different when they"re wearing a uniform. Gone is her look of superiority, replaced by a look of shyness. "Oh, right. She didn"t have anything to say to us today, now did she? That was a strange day, that owl and the lights...too creepy." It was the first time that I tried to put out such a powerful light by draining it. I knew that there were nine more lights, so we"d be safe. Instead of putting out one light, all of them went out and I fainted. I"ve never had a problem with fainting before this summer, now I do it about once a week.
Down the hall, and walking our direction is Mrs. Ward. Her starched white shirt tucked into her black pencil skirt enhanced her thinness. She could pull off the s.e.xy librarian if she"d pull her hair up in a bun and wore some black framed gla.s.ses. A couple of weeks ago, I went to her house for lunch. It was there that she told me she is one of the three Fates. I wouldn"t have believed her if she didn"t show me how she is Fate. What is explained off as coincidence is nothing more than Fate stepping into your life"s path and changing it to fulfill another path.
"How was your first full day of cla.s.ses? I find it fun to watch the eleventh graders finding out about the alternative cla.s.ses. Your group is my favorite. I love the healers. Especially your breed of healer. This world needs more of your kind."
"I find it hard to believe that all of this was going on right under my nose, and I never suspected it. Teens aren"t very good at keeping secrets, and this one is epic," Caleb says.
"Oh that...it"s easy, you take a vow, and it clears up that messy gossiping. Where is Miss Edwards this morning?"
Every time she talks, it"s as if she has a sinister plan. We tell her Amber went to cla.s.s; she turns on her heel and walks away.
"What do you think she wants with Amber? I bet she is ticked off about the lunchroom incident," I say to Caleb.
He shrugs his shoulders and walks me to cla.s.s. Another morning in my secret cla.s.s, was exactly the same as the day before.
We pa.s.sed our salt test and were fitted for custom flashlight holsters. That cracked me up, thinking next we"d be fitted with light vests. The second day in the lunch room was uneventful. Thorne didn"t sit with us, as a matter of fact; I didn"t see him at lunch. Amber said she hadn"t heard from Mrs. Ward but she"d stop by the princ.i.p.al"s office after lunch.
Chapter 7. Drill.
The tardy bell rings and Mr Wolfshadow closes the door to the room. "Pens and papers out and ready to take notes." I hadn"t noticed his limp yesterday, but he limped to his desk. He doesn"t look like he"s in pain so I"m guessing it"s an old injury. "Miss Lucente, did you hear me?"
I look up, caught utterly off guard by the calling of my name. It"s annoying that none of the teachers call me by my first name. "No sir, I"m sorry, what did you say?"
"I asked you what the second question was yesterday. You know those little questions that I wrote on the board for you?" He said sarcastically.
I flip my notebook to the page I"d written it down on. "Do Light Tamers have to bond before they are 18?"
"What do you think the answer to that question is?"
"I think the answer to that question is yes, we do have to bond."
"Are you certain? You and Mr Baldwin have bonded, but something happened to you didn"t it? Some type of hiccup and you were bound to another student here."
Why is he doing this to me? I"m going to be the freak because I"m bound...this sucks. I"m updating my list tonight. "Yes, I"m certain...well, mostly."
"Mostly? Write this down and store the information inside of your brain. I don"t know where, when, or how, the rumors started you have to be bound by your 18 birthday. That is ridiculous. The correct answer to the question is you will be a stronger Tamer if you have bonded. What is true is the fact that you can bond to someone of the same-s.e.x. (Someone in the back row made a sound when he said s.e.x.) Yes, Mr Franks I said s.e.x. You"re a junior in a particularly elite private school, and you still act like you"re 12 when the word s.e.x is said. Give me a break. On with the lecture." He throws his arms around dramatically making me think of a Kung Fu movie I saw with Caleb. "Students that are bound will have the option to go to the Hidden School of Understanding next year. You have to apply just as you would at any university. I"m getting way ahead of myself. Right now, there is a study that is figuring out the chemistry that exists for those that are bound together. They are using DNA tests that can bring people together and a few other things. You don"t have to worry your little heads about it though. It"s actually quite fascinating." He stopped and poured himself something to drink out of his thermos. He pulled a small box out of his file cabinet and handed it to a guy that was texting in his lap. "Walk around and hand out one kit to every person in the cla.s.s with the exception of Miss Lucente and Mr. Baldwin. Each kit comes with a small ink pad, one strip and an area to write your name. You will put your thumbprint in the area that says thumbprint. Write your student I.D. number instead of your name in the area that says name. Once you have done that, take the strip and lick it. You do not need to s...o...b..r all over it, just lick it." The guy in the back that laughed when he said s.e.x, was now holding his hand over his mouth snickering. Boys can be so obnoxious. "Young man, if you cannot control your puerile self, you will be asked to leave and go to see Mrs. Ward. Now if you don"t mind, I"d like to get through today"s lesson before cla.s.s is over."
"Yes sir." The boy replied sheepishly.
"In case, any of you aren"t sure what end to lick, it"s the one that says saliva. As soon as you"re finished, make sure to put the strip back inside the test tube it came from. Miss Edwards, I need you and Mr Cho to take the box of strips to Mrs. Ward. You will be given 4 minutes to complete the task."
I can almost guess what Amber wants to say right now. I bet she is cussing some serious foul language in her head. I turned to see Caleb"s face and can tell he is thinking the same thing I am.
During the four minutes we all talked to each other. Caleb and the guy in front of him were talking about going to the gym and lifting weights. That reminded me that I"m supposed to go to the athletic department and sign up for the weight lifting cla.s.s. Caleb was on it last year and wants me to join this year. It"s a good idea since I haven"t signed up for tennis.
A loud boom goes off, and the room is covered in darkness. A cacophony of shrills and panic spread instantly. It couldn"t have been more than fifteen seconds and half the cla.s.s had their flashlights out and shining. One girl up front starts crying and chanting a spell or a prayer. Caleb reaches over to hold my hand, a.s.suring me everything is fine.
"I wonder if Amber is in the hallway?" I look over at Caleb, and he"s worried for her too.
"Everyone, settle down. The emergency system is being activated. Do not move from your seats," Mr Wolfshadow demands.
As he talks, a light in each corner of the room came on. They blinked like a strobe light on slow motion. If there were more lights, it would have felt like a 1980"s disco. They did have disco in the 80"s didn"t they?
The door flies open, and a frazzled Amber comes in. She rushes over to sit down, and I can see she"s upset.
"What happened?" Caleb asks.
"I"ve no idea. We were walking down the hall, and the next thing you know; it was pitch black in the hall. I had my flashlight, but he didn"t, and he was freaking the freak out." Amber"s hand was trembling as she held up her flashlight. "I was trying to keep him calm and get us back in here."
I look around the room and see some kids have their flashlight app on their phone turned on. Oddly enough, Mr Wolfshadow is cool as a cuc.u.mber. My grandma always uses that saying. "Caleb, look at him, he isn"t doing anything. Do you think this is a drill?"
"Everyone, you need to calm down. As you can see, our back-up generators are on, and the lights are working properly. I"ve received a message that an announcement will be coming soon. Stay seated, and keep your flashlights accessible."
Thorne turns around and gives Amber a thumbs up sign.
"You don"t have anything to do with this do you Amb?" I whisper to her.
"h.e.l.l no, you"re a t.u.r.d for even asking me." We all jump when we hear a hullabaloo outside of our door.
The door swings open, and a tall man in a red suit stumbles in. He"s probably the same age as my grandma; he would look younger if he didn"t have a comb over hairdo. "Jesus! Can it be more chaotic? Where is the control panel? Where?" He is undeniably from New Jersey by his accent.
"The control panel is in the next room."
"To h.e.l.l it is, this is 26 B and the panel is in here." He walks across the room towards Caleb and me. I do my best to slink down in my chair and blend in with the desk. He pulls out a piece of chalk and draws a square on the wall. Before my brain can actually process what I"m seeing, a door appears. The door is no bigger than a medicine cabinet, but the jumble of wires looks never-ending.
Everyone in the cla.s.s is watching with curiosity as he plugs and unplugs wires until the room suddenly has power.
"ATTENTION STUDENTS, THIS WAS A TEST OF THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT TEAM HERE AT PARCA. HAD THIS BEEN A REAL EMERGENCY - YOUR TEACHER WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU TO AN OUTDOOR GATHERING PLACE. HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON AND REMEMBER A SMILE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE"S LIFE. KEEP SMILIN"." The school secretary announced in her deep country tw.a.n.g.
"You really did think I did something didn"t you?" Amber asked accusingly to me.
"Not really, but when I saw Thorne give you a thumbs up, I couldn"t help but wonder."
"It didn"t mean anything. What if it did mean something? Do you think he meant something?"
"Cla.s.s, if I can get your attention. I am pleased with your reaction to the live experiment. We test our Tamers to make sure they know how to handle the pressure of darkness. A few of you were a little timid and daunt, but that is to be expected. It is only your second day of cla.s.s. Mr Woodson, what was number three on the list I gave out yesterday?"
"Tamers that haven"t bonded will turn into a Dark One," Thorne reads out loud. By the expression on his face, he isn"t happy about being called.
"What do you think Mr Woodson?"
"I don"t know. It seems a little silly to me to think everyone can find their partner, even sillier to think they have to turn dark if they don"t." He scoots his b.u.t.t as far forward he can without falling out of his chair.
"FACT. You are not destined to be dark if you don"t find your partner. You won"t be as strong to avoid the temptations the dark provides. Some turn dark by accident. How many of you know one certain way of turning you dark?"
I raise my hand and mentally pray I won"t regret it. "Can"t you lose your light if you absorb another Light Tamer"s light by accident?"
"Yes, and no Miss Lucente. If the dying Tamer"s light is young and vibrant and their mate absorbs their light, they can and probably will become a Dark One. There"s a hitch, a simple loophole to that rule. You won"t turn dark if the Tamer that dies is at the end of their lifecycle. When you"re at the end of your life cycle, your light isn"t as strong, therefore, nothing happens." A buzz of voices interrupts the teacher"s lecture. "It is easier to gauge if the Tamer is old, but many younger ones that die are at the end of their life."
"What about those of us that don"t bond before we"re 18?" A boy across the room blurts out.
"You won"t be as strong as a pair that are, pure and simple. There are plenty of Tamers finding their mate as an adult. One of the teachers here found her partner after she started teaching. We"re hoping that with the experiment, they find the compatible mate to help Mother Nature. She can be so temperamental."
Mother Nature is a real being too? Oh, Mylanta.
"Is it really plain and simple, or is that what you want us to believe?" Thorne asks suspiciously.
Amber snorted trying to contain a laugh.
"Yes, why wouldn"t it Mr Woodson?"
"No reason, just curious if anything in this world is plain and simple."
Mr Wolfshadow rubs his chin in frustration. I can hear Amber"s thumbs clicking as she madly taps out a text message. I duck my head to check my lap for messages.
Amber: HE"S SO HOT Me: Mr Wolfshadow?
Amber: HA! HA!
I"ve lost track what they"re talking about and start willing time to go faster. I send a text to Jersey, my best friend in New York about her Facebook status. She went from single to *in a relationship" last night. I"ve decided for my birthday, I want a ticket for her to visit.
"You daydreaming about me again?" I look up to see Caleb standing next to my desk and smiling down at me.
I"ve learned quickly that the school parking lot is not the safest place. One girl in a red Prius practically backs up into us. Prius driver"s have a different type of road rage. They"re jealous of cars that have more power. Caleb tugs on my skirt motioning me to follow him to his car. Above the noise I hear Amber yelling at someone to watch where they"re going. Thorne"s walking with her, but not actually. He wasn"t talking to her, and he didn"t seem to mind the parking lot b.u.mper car session. They hop into her jeep, and I notice another guy climb in with them. Caleb eases his BMW out of his spot and we get in line behind a tricked out black car. I click the b.u.t.ton on the stereo and turn up Gold on the Ceiling by El Camino.
"What had you so deep in thought? You seemed lost inside of your head."
"Oh, I was thinking about Jersey. I was wondering if my mom would buy her a plane ticket. We have a 3 day weekend over Labor Day."
"My dad has tons of frequent flyer miles; he is always wanting to run off on a short trip to use them up. I"m sure he can spare some miles to fly her here."
I reach over and move his hand from the gear shifter. Our fingers entwine together, perfect...minus the fact I"m in desperate need of a manicure. "You are the perfect boyfriend. That would be incredible, if your dad agrees."
He takes my hand and pulls it up to his mouth and kisses it. "Oh, I"ve been meaning to tell you about the dance. I bet we can get permission to bring Jersey with us. The fall equinox is in September, and we get two extra days out of school. This year the dance is on September twenty-second."
"They celebrate the fall equinox? Do you actually think the school will let Jersey into the dance?"
"I don"t see why not. They don"t technically call it the fall equinox, it"s the fall semi-formal. We get fall break earlier than other schools. It will still be hot, but not nearly as bad. Miss Lucente, will you please be my date to the dance?"
Squeeeeee! I"ve never been to a dance before. Mom is going to go crazy for dress shopping. "So, that"s an official invitation," I say and bat my eyes at him. Luckily we"re at a stop light so he can get the full effect.
"Oh it"s official baby, its official."
"I"d love to go!"
Chapter 8. Box of Secrets.
I haven"t heard from my dad in a few days. Earlier in the summer he told mom he was going to Greece to study under his mentor Yiannis Melanitis. Originally that was what I was told too. He took mom"s emergency credit card to pay for his flight. Mom had finished up her masters in nursing and was looking for a job when our landlord said we had to move. Without dads income, we couldn"t find another place to live. We moved in with my mom"s mom, Grandma Gayle, or Miss Gayle as she likes to be called.
My dad showed up at our house one night and told me the reason he is an alcoholic is because he is a Dark One. My dad, my DAD is one of them. He said, we come from the original family of Tamers. My own father is the bad guy. He told Caleb and I about the girl he had been bound too. She died in front of him, and to keep the other Dark Ones from draining her light, he did it himself. He said it was something so natural to do, and it didn"t feel wrong. It awakened a thirst for light, one he couldn"t fight without the help of a bottle of booze.
Oh, mom might have a dress I can wear to the dance. I"m taller than she is, but maybe. When times were good, mom and dad would dress up and go to art premiers. She sold a few of the dresses to consignment shops when we were short of cash.
I tiptoe to her room on the other side of the house. The plush carpet masks the sound of my shoes. It comes in handy when Amber and I sneak to the kitchen for a midnight raid or when I try to borrow a fancy dress without permission.
I"ve never been a kid that does a lot of snooping, I"ve never had to. I don"t typically go through my mom"s drawers, not after I found a slinky see-through nightie last year. It was hard to look her in the face for almost a week afterwards. The four-poster bed once belonged to my grandma and grandpa when he was still alive. When I was younger, I"d sit in the bed and pretend I was a princess.
Mom"s walk in closet looked bare without my dad"s clothes. Her scrubs were separated by color and hung neatly up front. I reach up to pull the string to turn on the light. The dresses are towards the back and still in their dry-cleaning bag. One of my dad"s suits is haphazardly hanging on a wooden hanger. I take the sleeve and hold it to my nose trying to get a whiff of him. "Daddy, please come back," I whisper out loud. How many nights I would watch mom get dressed for an art gala and wish I could go with her. I tried to convince my baby sitter to drive us by the gallery to watch the people on the red-carpet. She never would.
Behind all the ordinary dresses is one I"ve never seen her wear. It"s a gorgeous black floor length gown. Oh, if she still has those gold strappy heels they"ll go perfectly with the dress, I think to myself. Her shoes are stored neatly in their box on the top shelf of the closet. I pull over plastic storage bin, and attempt to pull down two boxes of shoes. As I do, I lean over too far and start to fall. In typical Jessie fashion, I knock down every box on the right side of the closet.
I rush to pick up the shoes and match them up with their correlating box. Sitting on the floor putting everything together, I notice a box on the floor of the closet. It"s a wooden box with a weirdly shaped keyhole. After checking both her nightstand and jewelry box, I give up looking for the key. The chimes go off letting me know a door has opened. For whatever reason, I hurry and put the box back and slide it into the closet.
"Mom, I"m in your room!" I yell out.
Mom is suddenly in the doorway. "Why are you in my room?" Her tone is slightly annoyed sounding.