Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (6 page)

Each detail of her mortal body was perfected during her immortal birth for one purpose: to hunt and kill. At least that is what Vladimir has spent years trying to convince her of.

Perhaps he is right. For what other reason does she need lush ruby lips, a perfectly sculpted body, and endless legs? Her beauty is a work of art. Roseline despises it and all that it stands for.

“Earth to Rose,” Sadie calls, waving her hand before Roseline’s face.

She blinks, yanked back from her musings. The room has erupted into complete chaos around her. Students dart for the door, their backpacks swinging wildly behind them as they dive into the hallway traffic. Chairs screech against the hardwood floors, grating on her sensitive hearing.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sadie asks, her lips pursed with concern. “You seem a bit out of it.”

“Yes, I’m quite all right.” Roseline forces a smile as she snatches her bag off the floor, retrieving a pencil that rolled two desks over. She crams her science book inside, stretching the seams, and glances up to find Sadie staring blankly at her. Roseline swears internally and focuses on making her next words sound more natural. More human. More like a chatty teen. “Just daydreaming, I suppose. Nothing to worry about.”

“Good thing that bell wasn’t for a fire or you’d be toast.” Sadie hops off her stool and leans back to study Roseline. “The parking lot can be pretty hectic this time of day. Want some help finding your car?”

Her hesitation doesn't go unnoticed. “Let me guess, your mom is picking you up?” Sadie rolls her eyes. “Lame.”

The well-rehearsed lie slips smoothly from Roseline’s lips. “My mother is away for work. She took the car.”

“You only have one?” Sadie arches an eyebrow.

Shrugging, Roseline throws her bag strap over her shoulder and glides down the aisle. “For now. We only moved here a couple days ago. Her job transfer was rather sudden. The movers have yet to arrive with our belongings.”

Sadie gives her a onceover. “I guess that explains your crazy outfit.”

Glancing down, Roseline frowns. Her black V-neck tank narrows down to a trim white skirt and black leather knee-high boots. What is wrong with that? Rolling her eyes, Sadie points to the window. “Did you sleep through the sleet this morning, too?”

Roseline inwardly groans, realizing now how much her summer outfit must make her stand out among the hoodies and parkas. She forces a sheepish smile. “This is all I brought with me. I was under the impression it would be fall here.”

Sadie snorts, shaking her head as she leads the way into the hall. “Seasons mean squat around here. We have some crazy weather come off that lake. One minute it’s sticky outside and then the winds shift and hello winter.”

The hall is jam packed with teens when Roseline arrives at the doorway. Sadie shoves straight through the human wall, unphased by its momentum. Her voice carries back to Roseline. “I gotta grab my brother first. He won’t mind giving you a lift.”

“No, wait, that is not —” Roseline groans as Sadie disappears into the flood. She sucks her lip between her teeth as she glances in the opposite direction toward the exit.

“Are you coming?” Sadie calls over the din of the crowd. Roseline can barely see Sadie’s head as she jumps up and down in the middle of the hall.

Roseline grits her teeth. What choice does she have? Sadie’s obnoxious call has already drawn attention. Deciding it is best to avoid further peering eyes, she ducks low and dives in.

Wading through the hall is less like swimming and more like carving a path through a wave. Teens on all sides part as she approaches—some pause to stare, others are too preoccupied with making party plans for the weekend.

“Rose? You back there?” Sadie asks.

“I am here,” she calls back, exiting the fast lane. She finds Sadie standing beside a wall of crimson lockers. A look of consternation pinches Sadie’s face. “Is something the matter?”

“Darn thing is stuck again.” Sadie slams her fist into the locker door. She swears and hops about, cradling her wounded hand.

“May I help?”

“Have at it. The stupid thing likes to stick in the middle,” Sadie mutters around the fingers she has shoved into her mouth.

Roseline surveys the door, noticing the hinges and general location of Sadie’s previous abuse. She places her palm against the metal. Careful not to dent the door, Roseline pushes her hand until she feels the click. When she pulls back, the door springs open and a flood of magazines pour from the overstuffed locker.

Sadie squeals and dives for the cascade of teen gossip.

“I am sorry.” Roseline stoops to help collect the stray magazines. She notices a pattern as a young boy’s face appears on several of the magazines. “Who is this?” she asks.

“No one,” Sadie grunts indignantly, shoving handfuls of the magazines back into their disorganized home. “I certainly don’t like Justin Bieber. I’m just holding these for a friend.”

Roseline smirks. She doesn’t even have to sense Sadie’s nervousness to know a lie when she hears one. Heat paints Sadie’s cheeks as she slips her hand back through the door to cram her schoolbooks inside. Maybe Sadie is not as badass as she tries to appear.

“I wanted to tell you that your offer for a ride is not —” Roseline’s attempt to turn down Sadie’s offer cuts off as a loud whistle rings out over the hum of students. Roseline turns. All eyes follow.

“Well, hello, new girl.” A handsome blond boy emerges from a huddle of guys farther down the hall, each one sporting puffed-up chests and lettermen’s jackets slung over their shoulders — the starting line-up for Rosewood’s football team.

A path through the crowd opens as the boy approaches. “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

His groupies chuckle at his corny pick-up line. Roseline rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. “Does that wretched line actually work on the girls in this country?”

The peroxide-loving boy’s eyes narrow and his mouth tightens with annoyance, revealing a hint of a goatee. “I’ve never had any complaints before.”

Roseline snorts. “Well, consider this your first. You are revolting.”

She turns her back on him, surprised to meet Sadie’s gaping face. Her eyes flicker over Roseline’s shoulder, widening with shock a split second before Roseline feels pressure on her backside.

The boy howls in pain as she whips around and twists his hand up behind his back. “Lay a hand on me again and you will lose yours. Are we clear?” she growls in his ear.

His eyes water as he sinks to his knees, nodding. “Perfectly.”

Roseline releases his hand and shoves him away. He sprawls to the floor. His feet struggle to grip the freshly waxed floor as he scrambles back from her. When she looks up, every eye is glued to her.

“Pervert.” She shrugs to the crowds as she silently berates herself for making a scene.

Some heads dip in agreement while others stare suspiciously at her. All begin to move on as they realize the show is over. The boy’s friends rush to his aid. He swears, shoving them off as he stumbles to his feet. Fiery eyes glare at her as he turns and leaves without a word, his pride obviously wounded.

“Holy crap, Rose. That was amazing,” Sadie crows, patting her on the back. “I can’t wait to tell Will. Totally freaking priceless.”

“Who was that boy?” Roseline asks as she watches him storm down the hall and slam through the double doors.

“My ex.” Sadie grins. “I’ve been waiting four years for someone to put Oliver in his place. I knew from the first moment you started snoring that I was going to like you.”

“I do not snore.” Roseline sniffs indignantly as Sadie weaves her way back into the thinning crowd.

“It sounds like someone is holding a grudge.” She knows all about those.

“Duh. The idiot dumped me for my best friend, Claire, during the first week of freshman year. Can you believe that? Oliver is hot but he’s a total loser. I’m better off without him.” Sadie ducks around the corner.

As Roseline’s foot shifts forward to follow, her back jerks ramrod straight. Her nostrils flare and her steps falter as a scent slams into her gut—sweet and utterly delicious. She inhales deeply, savoring the unfamiliar aroma. It is not like her to have a mortal call to her so strongly.

She whirls around, her gaze darting from face to face, in search of the human. No one stands out to her, but still the scent lingers. Her mouth waters as her thirst rises. The scent is potent, making her knees quiver with desire. Although she has never given in to the seduction of blood, her carnal nature longs for it. It is an urge that she has to daily suppress.

Closing her eyes, Roseline inhales deeply, searching for the source. The scent is bold—definitely masculine. One heartbeat pumps louder than all the rest, calling to her, but it begins to fade away.

Roseline’s eyes fly open as she frantically searches the crowd. There. At the end of the hall. A boy, buried in a large crowd of laughing teens, ducks out of the back doors. He is gone.

Three

An arm loops through Roseline’s, pulling her around the corner. “What are you staring at?” Sadie asks, rising onto her tiptoes to see.

“Nothing,” Roseline says, shaking her head. “It was nothing.”

Sadie’s eyes narrow. “You sure? You look really freaking pale, right now.”

Roseline waves off her concern. “What were you saying?”

“Oh, I was just telling you about Oliver.” Sadie tugs on the strap of her bag. Roseline can tell she doesn’t like to talk about it. “That was before the fall.”

“The fall of what?” she asks, blinking as she forces herself to focus on Sadie’s words. It’s hard to pull herself away from the scent. It lingers in the air. Not as fresh, nor nearly as potent, but still enough to make her throat burn with need.

“The tragic fall of Sadie Hughes.” Sadie swings her green canvas satchel over her shoulder. It’s covered with patches, each one supporting a different cause or rock band. By the looks of it, Sadie has tried very hard to make the bag look worn. Roseline’s keen eye notices the scissor cuts and the places where she has rubbed the material with a Brillo pad. Evidence of ample washes gives it a faded look.

“What happened?” Roseline asks, eagerly latching onto the topic—anything to help her forget the burning in her throat.

Sadie grimaces. “It’s a long story. Basically I was in there, right at the top of the popular crowd, but my best friend Claire Scofield decided she wanted my boyfriend.”

“Oliver?”

“Yep, but the stupid thing is she only wanted him because I had him. Claire figured out he was a loser pretty quick and dumped his butt on the curb. My reputation was damaged beyond repair.” Sadie sighs, ducking back into the hallway’s inner fast lane.

Roseline sticks with her, careful to keep her head down as she moves through the crowd. She allows herself to be jostled and bounced from person to person instead of clearing a wide path. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to mask her abilities.

She is about to question Sadie further when the girl comes to a sudden stop, forcing Roseline to put on the brakes. Only her superior reflexes save her from bowling Sadie over.

“Will,” Sadie groans, thumping a crouched boy on the shoulder. “Not again.”

Roseline glances around Sadie, curious to see what has caused her to sound so put out. She can’t help but giggle as the sandy-blond boy rises. His white sweater is completely stained with spaghetti sauce. “Who was it this time?”

Will’s grin is wide and genuine, as if he could care less that he has worn the evidence of a tomato massacre since lunch. “It was just Conner and Oliver. You know how those guys are this close to a big game.”

Sadie nods, looking less than pleased. “But do they always have to pick on you?”

Will shrugs, stuffing his physics book into his bag. “It’s just for a laugh. You know I don’t mind.”

“Sounds like bullying to me,” Roseline mutters. Two sets of eyes turn toward her. She blushes as one set widens in surprise.

“You’ve been holding out on me, I see,” Will huffs, elbowing Sadie in the ribs as he sidles up to Roseline, offering his hand. “William Hughes. My friends just call me Will.”

Roseline smiles, shaking his hand politely. “What a tragedy. William is such a lovely name. You should never shorten it.”

Sadie rolls her eyes dramatically as William flushes with pride. “Oh, great. Now you’ve done it. The dork won’t go by Will now for a month.”

“I assure you I meant no disrespect.” She glances between the siblings, wondering if she has just offended the only two people she has really spoken to since arriving in Chicago.

Sadie and her brother burst into a fit of giggles. “She’s something, huh? Found her sleeping in sixth period.”

“Lucky you,” William says, his voice low and husky as his eyes trail over Roseline’s outfit. She blushes furiously and glances away, wishing she could find a way to stop attracting guys. She is pretty sure enticing a girl’s brother is totally off limits within the first hour of meeting her.

Not that William isn’t cute. His brushed-over hair drifts down into his eyes. A nice tan speaks of hours spent at the pool and the lines at the corners of his lips tell her all she needs to know—William likes to have a good time.

“Oh, not you too,” Sadie groans, pulling her brother away from Roseline. “I’m starting to think I should be jealous of you, Rose. You sure do have a way with guys.”

Her responding laugh appears innocent enough, but Roseline works hard to mask her distress. Sadie is right. She has already attracted far too much attention on her first day of school. Maybe she should let Sadie give her a makeover. No, on second thought, Sadie does everything she possibly can to stand out. Roseline needs to find a way to blend in.

No matter how much she might try to change her appearance, it won’t be enough. Hormones naturally seep from her skin. It is a scent that draws in even the most hard-core humans, like the prey fawning over its predator. They never even know the attack is coming until it is too late.